The Other Declaration of Independence

The original Thirteen Colonies have a legitimate claim to be the cradle of liberty for all Americans, with Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Virginia having particularly strong cases. But another part of America has a proud and too often ignored history of proclaiming liberty throughout the land, unto all the inhabitants thereof.

Another March 2nd has come and gone with barely a mention of it here in Texas. For those not fluent in Texas history, March 2, 1836 was the date of the Texas Declaration of Independence. Now, granted there were some mentions in the local newspaper and some celebrations throughout the state but overall the date passes largely unnoticed.

The brave words of our beloved state's Declaration of Independence are not quoted by schoolchildren or state opinion journalists. My own local paper does make mention of the date in the "On This Date in History" section alongside "1923 - Time Magazine debuted." But there was a fun program at the site of the signing with re-enactors living as settlers of the age. From the declaration come some beautiful words proclaiming the logic of liberty:

"When a government has ceased to protect the lives, liberty and property of the people, from whom its legitimate powers are derived, and for the advancement of whose happiness it was instituted, and so far from being a guarantee for the enjoyment of those inestimable and inalienable rights, becomes an instrument in the hands of evil rulers for their oppression."

In 1820, Moses Austin negotiated land grants for settlers with the Spanish government in San Antonio. His son, Stephen F. Austin proceeded to bring settlers into the area with the promise of 1,280 acres for families at 12.5 cents per acre. The next year Mexico won its independence from Spain and re-negotiation of the land grants began, even though the "Texians" had joined in the fight for Mexican independence. Originally, the newly established Mexican government was supposed to be a liberal federalist democracy. However. the new government led by Valentin Gomez Farias so angered religious leaders and conservatives that another rebellion quickly ensued, led by Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. Santa Anna, previously a leader in the fight for Mexican independence, now declared Mexico unfit for democracy and declared himself dictator. When captured by General Sam Houston at the battle at San Jacinto, Santa Anna was recorded to have said:

"...it is very true that I threw up my cap for liberty with great ardor, and perfect sincerity, but very soon found the folly of it. A hundred years to come my people will not be fit for liberty. They do not know what it is, unenlightened as they are, and under the influence of a Catholic clergy, a despotism is the proper government for them, but there is no reason why it should not be a wise and virtuous one."

The Texas War for Independence and the American War for Independence were fought for the same ideals: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. But Texas took particular note of one issue: without the right of personal property and the right to defend it, liberty becomes a moot point. Personal private property is integral to what makes the United States of America the great nation it has become, despite the original Declaration's ignoring of the concept.

Our Texas Independence Day has been overshadowed for years now by the holiday, Cinco de Mayo, a day scarcely even noted in Mexico, but for some reason adopted in America as a celebration of Mexican ethnicity. This follows the East Coast pattern of St. Patrick's Day for the Irish, Columbus Day for the Italians, and the bluntly ethnic Puerto Rico Day, unadorned with any great personage or event as an excuse, celebrated in New York City as a means of giving parade parity to a major ethnic bloc.

Cinco de Mayo is not a celebration of Mexican independence or liberty. Rather it is a celebration of a Mexican dictatorship defeating the army of the French dictatorship, that of Napoleon III in 1862.

Cinco de Mayo celebrations in Texas are a month-long extravaganza with the local grocery chain offering sales on all your Cinco de Mayo needs: chips, salsa and Corona beer. Ad flyers fill Sunday papers and mailboxes across Texas and the entire Southwest. There are Cinco de Mayo sales on everything imaginable - picnic sets, grills, coolers, cars and trucks. There are town festivities, park festivities, family festivities. It rivals Super Bowl Sunday as a major event in the gustatory calendar.

A day like March 2nd just doesn't have the castanet clacking, magenta and green can-can skirt-swishing allure of a May 5th celebration. And it's sad to say that unless the rowdiness of a "Come and Take It!" or a "line in the sand" party of an Alamo burndown stirs in the hearts of Texans, we may doom our own good fortune of liberty.

As noted in our Texas Declaration of Independence:

"When, in consequence of such acts of malfeasance and abdication on the part of the government, anarchy prevails, and civil society is dissolved into its original elements. In such a crisis, the first law of nature, the right of self-preservation, the inherent and inalienable rights of the people to appeal to first principles, and take their political affairs into their own hands in extreme cases, enjoins it as a right towards themselves, and a sacred obligation to their posterity, to abolish such government, and create another in its stead, calculated to rescue them from impending dangers, and to secure their future welfare and happiness."

America continues to draw immigrants from all over the world, because the liberty we have unshackled enables humans of all hues to live better, happier, richer lives. Texas, for its part, draws people from all over the world and all over America to our own brand of freedom and opportunity. Located as we are on the Southern border, a share of these arrivals have not bothered with the formalities demanded, and due to "acts of malfeasance and abdication on the part of the government, anarchy prevails" on the border.

Unless we defend the cause proclaimed in the Texas Declaration of Independence as a superior ideal, Mexico will never change and we will cease to be.

Note: article first posted at American Thinker

Another Thing My Daddy Told Me

My Dad was a man of few words. He volunteered to serve in Korea where he was wounded by mortar fire, which cost him his left eye. He led two other soldiers back to safety after they were all separated from their troop, even though wounded in the face. He was awarded a Bronze Star and Purple Heart. My Dad would never talk of this. He was a very humble man. A man that loved his country.

Back in the early '70's the local Mobil gas station was handing out flag decals that said, "Love it or Leave." He put one in the window of his '67 Mustang and there it flew proudly until some barbarian spit a big hock of tobacco juice on it. I remember my Dad scraping the flag off his window, an act I came to understand as a show of his reverence for our flag. He would never place the flag he loved in a position for desecration. Our family loves to fly our flag. My Mom, who lives next door, never misses a day to fly the flag. She makes sure there is a flag flying on Dad's grave.

Another thing my Dad told me was, "Never trust a Democrat in war." As we watch the events unfold in Congress, I am reminded of how right he was . When asked by WTAW radio host Scott Delucia to explain his vote for the non-binding resolution, Rep. Chet Edwards (D, TX 17) basically said that those constituents angry with him could go pound sand. Chet said that our anger over his vote was what was great about a democracy. Forget representation, Chet's a party-owned man. He did say that he probably wouldn't vote to de-fund the troops. However, the jackalope did not hear a firm answer, since Chet was hedging in the bushes like the yellow dog he is.

All District 17 constituents must come to the realization that Chet cares nothing for the military he says he serves. Instead, he uses our veterans like a welfare pimp, scaring the bejeebers out of them every two years with threats that they won't receive health care or be able to cash their V.A. checks if they don't vote for Ol' Chet. Our veterans deserve better. Daddy was right. Never trust a Democrat in War!

Rantings of the Heart

One good way to explore the nuances of the Leftist agenda is to listen to their rants. It is there they speak from the depths of their heart.

It must be understood that these dark recesses were formed in their early college years when absolute fear of something larger than themselves led them to burn bras, draft-cards, the flag, and what ever else could be ignited with a Molotov cocktail. Taught by their rich parents that they were the future hope of America, these children took it completely to heart, devoutly believing America was ready for a complete overhaul. Why else would their parents have placed so much emphasis on America’s need for their ideas? So, they, like their Russian nihilist compatriots, shared the belief that in order for new hope, everything must be destroyed. As Laugh-In’s Arte Johnson documented, it was all “veery interesting, but stupid.”

How better to explain Al Gore’s 2000 campaign rant, “Everything that should be up is down, and everything that’s down should be up”? Those that who did not participate in The Revolution, who went on about their lives, growing up, getting a job, marrying, and having families, are having trouble following the fluid dogmatism that passes as political debate. Looking through the eyeglass in reverse is hard work for people that are accustomed to taking people at their word and believing that deep down everyone is a good person. A good person just doesn’t want to contemplate the horrors that lie in the depths of the human heart, unless they have personally experienced the trauma of the results of those deeds. Just as the latest convert to 2nd Amendment Rights is a liberal that was mugged the night before, there are many of us that have experienced the gulag treatment when we innocently ran into the intolerance of Political Correctness.

I wonder if the Duke lacrosse players accused of rape are comforted that D.A. Mike Nifong founded his sense of ethics by becoming a conscientious objector of the Viet Nam war? Such are the ethics founded on self-preservation rather than transcendent laws of God. Why should normal America be surprised at the lengths Nifong would go in order to preserve his elected position? Or for that matter, any self-serving politician, journalist, or government worker? What else should we expect from a revolutionary generation steeped in the childish virtues of selfishness and lack of personal responsibility?

The success of The Revolution means that the barbarians who burned their bras, spit on veterans, trolled through trailer parks in their astro-turfed el Camino and ultimately drove their car off a bridge while in a drunken stupor causing the drowning death of a girlfriend are now the leaders. Down with the Establishment— the Revolution made such behavior moral. Or as Dostoevsky mused, “All things are legal in the absence of God.”

When we view things thusly, Al Gore’s rant about everything being backwards is completely logical. When you gaze in a mirror darkly, silliness and depravity begins to make sense. Not every person is a good person when you have the courage to examine the results of his deeds. But only a culture accepting of profound truths can realize bad ends for what they are and how they were formed. A revolutionary culture will brook no evidence of an overwhelming truth if it comes to revealing the fallen nature of man because the facts begin to cut to the quick.

They have railed against the norm so long that it comes naturally to oppose anything coming from normal Americans, regardless of how insane it makes them sound. Consider Senator Clinton’s nails on the blackboard screech:

“I am sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and you disagree with this administration, somehow you’re not patriotic!
And we should stand up and say we are Americans, and we have a right to debate and disagree with any administration!”

The entire rant can be explained as the continued assault on The Establishment, the unjust Constitution of the United States of America, and anything that smacks of Western Civilization and its morality. Therefore, it is dangerous to take these words at face value. In the looking-backwards uber-reality, patriotism is what normal Americans would call national self-loathing.

It is to normal America’s chagrin that the War on Terror is causing a national mass flashback. The original revolutionaries operate today’s hysteria, aided by: a) sleepers in areas of government intelligence, b) those that missed out on the Big Event the first time around, and then fleshed out with c) the deluded masses of the “useful idiots”. Just as Patty Hearst was turned into “Tania” by her SLA “tutors”, everyday Americans become the revolution’s Stockholm victims through nightly newsreaders presenting misinformation as fact.

As exhibited by the Cindy Sheehan crowd, the chants are the same but the rants are ratcheted up with the steroid pumping of the MSM. Thinking otherwise has become almost impossible, as if your brain is overwhelmed by the bass bumping ‘ride’ sitting next to you at a signal light. If normal Americans aren’t in the minority, you sure couldn’t tell it by the loudness of what passes for debate. Dissembling has become the method of answering a direct question. “It all depends on what the definition of is, is.” You can almost hear as the group joint passes around: “Like, man… it’s that whole east/west thing, man.”

A good nihilist motto of today would be: Something into nothing, and nothing into something. This explains why the Sandy Berger affair is a B-story and the Scooter Libby non-story is the main deal. Both stories are misinterpreted by our thumpin’ MSM until the true facts are destroyed into a nihilistic pabulum. All this serves in keeping the “useful idiots” both idiots and useful. They never think to question the shifting political machinations of their handlers, such as in the various stances the Left has postulated on Iraq. Today’s sound bites’ escalating volume effectively drowns out yesterday’s news.

Another effective tool of the sleeper nihilists is when endless cable news coverage ends up talking about what people said about what the newsmaker said, rather than in what the original source actually said. Pretty soon, the actual quotes are changed in the people’s minds as in those that now believe President Bush actually said we must go into Iraq because of weapons of mass destruction.

But all the above is just sideshow hucksterism to keep everyone guessing under which shell the marble hides. Rational political debate is impossible if one side operates entirely on emotionalism. These bad children acting out in public hold Normal America hostage. Compound that by fear of what others will think if we were to give them the spanking they so desperately deserve. Which in some way explains why the Capital Hill Police were ordered to stand down and not interfere as anti-war protesters spray painted anarchists graffiti on the Capital steps after being stoked up by revolutionary re-treads like Jane Fonda and Susan Sarandon. When will we truly grow tired of cleaning up their messes?

Adult Americans are caught flat-footed every time by the bizarre meanderings of reasoning when they attempt to engage in civil discourse. Name-calling enters the debate and the tangent begins discussing how George W. Bush really does have beliefs in common with Hitler and the debate of ideas devolves into the intended chaos. But the method to the madness is to discredit anyone daring to question revolutionary rule. If normal America is akin to Hitler, then everything thing the Left proposes is good and beneficial to the continuity of the nation rather than all that establishment stuff that has stood the test of time.

These 60’s radicals never grew up by having to face the results of their deeds, never met a value that they couldn’t subvert and undermine, or lived under the restrictions they so glibly force on everyone else. They stuck their tongues out at their fathers, at their ministers and priests, and at everything that made this nation different among all the nations of the world. For them, the real prize is the total redefining of normal American ideals. Real America had better realize that these revolutionaries are serious and playing for keeps. Just listen carefully to the rantings of their heart and all is completely clear.

A Letter from the President's Congressman

Well folks, it’s “Darkness at Noon” when constituents receive a letter from the President’s Congressman down here in Texas. Chet Edwards (D) is now a 9-term incumbent and luckily 13th most powerful Congressman in D.C. Chet is perfectly conversant in the dialectical nuances of political double speak and intrigue as brilliantly described in the Arthur Koestler novel. In this letter the reader must be astute in recognizing that definitions are blurred and skewed by a fluid dogmatism, flush with rushing currents of emotionally nuanced meanings yet devoid of sense and substance, all delivered by the bracing smile of a glittering bear trap.

Americans Expect Bipartisan Cooperation from Congress
A column by Congressman Chet Edwards

In the election of 2006, voters across the country exercised their right to change the culture in Washington*. The American people are sick and tired* of the partisan* bickering* and desperately want to see more bipartisan* cooperation in Washington. I agree. What members of Congress often forget is that the American people are in charge of this democracy and understand that no political party has a monopoly on wisdom. When they do forget, responsive citizens* make their voices heard and their demands clear through elections, voters across the country exercised their right to change the culture in Washington*.

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Lexicon

*change the culture of Washington – the effective elimination of opposition forces by The Revolution*.

*sick and tired – a reference to Senator Hilary Clinton’s rebellious rant (see below+) against The Establishment.

* bickering – the inability of The Party* to declare victory through logical debate thereby causing outbursts of emotional duress which travels to responsive citizens* via sound-bites that then disturbs the peace of mind of the mind-numbed causing further outbursts of emotional duress and tension.

* partisan – the opposition forces that must be destroyed by The Revolution
* bipartisan –total adherence to the rules of The Party.

* responsive citizens - voters whose minds have been shaped by The Party; these citizens have no memory of the past making them unquestioning advocates of The Revolution and The Party it established through endless policy shifts and political positioning, their minds are fed through sound-bites, news headlines, political cartoons, and propaganda movies from Hollywood or documentaries produced by ex-Vice-Presidents or members of The Revolution.

*unresponsive citizens – those that resist The Revolution and The Party it established; those still operating under the values of The Establishment; thought criminals; also see obstructionists*.

* obstructionist – anyone not active in The Revolution either through passivity or ignorance; some obstructionists are cultural terrorists because of actions in their fields that do not promote the success of The Revolution; a cultural terrorist is considered a high danger to The Revolution because their work and thoughts either reveal the unworkable processes of The Revolution or provide enlightenment to the passive citizenry of the glory of the unjust Constitution* and the tenants of faith and values of The Establishment.

*Unjust Constitution - the Constitution of the United States of America.

* The Revolution – the social chaos that began in the 1960’s that sought the overthrow and eliminate of The Establishment*and overthrow the unjust Constitution and the government.

*The Party – The righteous government replacing the unjust Constitutional government of The United States of America.

* The Establishment – the moral and intellectual values of corrupt businessmen, certain religious leaders espousing belief in one God, His Holy Word, sin and redemption, and citizens that pay homage to an unjust Constitution and government; also when the Revolutionaries were young 20-somethings their motto creed was “Don’t trust anyone over 30!”; The Establishment is also recognized as the Republican Party, the Party of Nixon who was believed to be evil incarnate, until Ronald Regan came on the scene and epitomized the father figure the revolutionaries despised from their youth for his success and character.

*independence – the euphoria felt when one has thrown down the shackles of moral slavery to The Establishment and the Unjust Constitution; total acceptance of The Revolution and The Party it established.

* patriot, patriotic, patriotism – those citizens and the ideals declaring that this nation, founded on an unjust Constitution, is the source of all turmoil and injustice in the world because of our success as a republic and because of our success through capitalism, an ideology that deprives all workers of paradise.
[Lexicon notes - my own]

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Well, there you have it, The Party* has spoken and its mandate is clear: republican wisdom was overthrown by responsive citizens*. The partisan* bickering* caused by The Party having to constantly screech about the previously mandated Republicans wanting to do things according to their establishment* values will now be controlled under the rule of bipartisan* cooperation. Those unresponsive citizens* that remember the blackboard screeching of:

“I am sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and you disagree with this administration, somehow you’re not patriotic*!
And we should stand up and say we are Americans, and we have a right to debate and disagree with any administration!”+

don’t understand the voice of The Revolution* and its war against The Establishment* properly. We must learn that The Party simply is, and the 60’s Revolution has achieved its goal and the opposition will learn this through the rigid doctrine of conformity perfected by #2 in the Great Revolution. The citizens of responsive flexibility voted for change, which was not really a change because there only is and only will be, The Revolution and The Party it established. The Party will not tolerate the speech of obstructionists* because the emotions of the Revolution cannot control or triumph through the logic of civil debate.

So, when a Party member talks of independence*, this must not be confused with the historic definition of American independence. Therefore, when Chet tells his constituents of his independent leadership, the newest version of The Party’s lexicon must be consulted.

Though the majority party in Congress has changed, my number one priority has not and that is to continue to provide effective, independent leadership for the people of the 17th district.

We must understand that Chet’s independence means that he is not a representative of the people of District-17; he is a leading standard bearer of the rules of the Revolution and a prime director in The Party. He will not bow when he discusses the Iraq War with his constituent, The President and Commander in Chief. Like William the Conqueror, Chet sallies forth to dialogue with his vassal in a strange indirect dialect built upon blocks of words whose ends don’t coincide. Note how the shape-shifting Congressman slides away from the connection that the troop surge’s effort should be to win the war to a non sequitur referendum on the President’s support in the polls.

Edwards said, he told the president he hoped the new strategy in Iraq wouldn't include an increase in troops. “But if you are going to make that decision, you should send whatever number you believe is right - not a watered-down compromise number - because this could be the last real chance to win Americans' support for a strategy to stabilize Iraq."

Bryan Eagle: Edwards seeks bipartisanship balance Sunday, January 7, 2007

By CRAIG KAPITAN

Bryan-College Station Eagle Staff Writer

Chet can speak dialectical nihilism with the best of Party operatives Over There. Chet’s sense of independence is total allegiance to The Party. But, as the Revolution revealed, choosing The Party is evidence of complete freedom from every moral structure of what used to be referred to as civil society. The success of The Revolution means that the barbarians who burned their bras, spit on veterans, trolled through trailer parks in their astro-turfed el Camino and ultimately drove their car off a bridge while in a drunken stupor and drowning their girlfriend are now the established Directors in The Party. Down with the Establishment, the Revolution made such behavior moral. Or as Dostoevsky mused, “All things are legal in the absence of God.” These 60’s radicals shout and sing joyously, “Long live The Revolution and The Party it established!”

So, don’t be confused when Chet tell us, “[w] hile I will respect those who disagree, I believe the first 100 hours agenda reflects bipartisan, mainstream values shared by a majority of citizens across our district and the country.” Understand that Chet is speaking in terms of his revolutionary values as dictated by The Party lexicon which declares that mainstream values are not the past values of the now defeated Establishment but are instead the make love not war and separation of church and state values of The Revolution. Chet and his responsive citizenry believe partial birth abortion is a mainstream value and that all references of God in the former unjust Constitutional government must be eradicated. Such are the rules established by The Revolution.

The Party believes that those who assisted in destroying The Establishment through The Revolution deserve the spoils of war as the barbarians pull down the very foundation of the former values of the unjust Constitution and its ideals of the pursuit of individual happiness. Even though every government run bureaucracy is a study of inefficiency, every piece of legislation produced in the 110th Congress will establish new bureaucracies in order to provide permanent jobs for Responsive Citizens. For those challenging the Revolution’s Rules through the archaic belief of individual freedom and pursuit of happiness there will be endless taxation to pay the salary of the bureaucracy. Everyone knows those operating outside The Party rules deserve punishment, possibly even mental torture as thought criminal obstructionists try to make ends meet on the leftovers of the fruit of their labor.

Individualists, tremble in fear when you read the President’s Congressman’s plans for the future.

I also believe it will be well-received if the new Congress ultimately sends legislation to the president that protects America from terrorism by implementing the 9-11 Commission recommendations; reduces federal deficits by returning “pay as you go” rules that led to federal surpluses in the 1990’s; sets higher standards for congressional ethics, bipartisanship and civility; cuts college student loan costs in half; increases the minimum wage; saves lives by expanding stem cell research and invests more in alternative energy production.

True free thinkers note there is no reference to defeating the terrorists so they won’t be able to attack us. Implementing the 9-11 Commission recommendations would only seek to make terrorist attacks a mere nuisance while providing permanent jobs for Responsive Citizens. Free Thinkers, the rebels against The Revolution, know that the federal surpluses of the 1990’s were as phony as Enron stock options during the same decade.

The same phoniness goes for the “pay as you go” response to budgeting where bureaucracies prudent to the pursuit of The Revolution have written rules of percentage increases, while those areas that are destructive to The Revolution such as national defense must show just cause for every tax dollar received. Rebels against The Revolution understand that The Party was established on the destruction of establishment morals, so the declaration of setting higher standards for congressional ethics means that those found with bricks of cold cash stashed in their freezer will maintain their seat of power in Congress.

Also, according to the lexicon of The Party, we rebels understand that civility is no longer based upon the defeated ideals of honesty and integrity, but rather is defined as an absence of logical debate because such debates disrupt the emotions of the Responsive Citizen. Unresponsive rebels realize that cutting student loans will cause banks to raise loan rates on everyone else needing a bank loan and that raising the minimum wage is an unnecessary encroachment of government into private business. The Party has perfected the art of spending other people's money in a way that shows them to be charitable and magnanimous. So feel really good about yourself as you pay that extra dollar for your super-sized burger combo deal and realize that Congress is requiring you pay your burger chef more, because they care.

The truly devout thought criminals, those daring to doggedly adhere to religious beliefs and tenants find the idea of saving lives by growing embryos in laboratories for harvest more than a little bit creepy. The new thinking radicals wonder about the government pursuing a course in embryonic stem cell research when private investment in the research is stalled because there has been no real evidence of success. It’s the classic Tom Foley thought pattern: “Because there is no evidence is the reason we must investigate.”

And finally, concerning the energy problem, the absolute rebellious citizens wonder why the hell we haven’t dropped a Hughes Tool drill bit into the frozen ground of ANWAR or begun building new refineries for oil production. Shouldn't energy production provide for the near future and then the distant future?

This is the letter from the President’s Congressman concerning his seat of power in The Party and the future direction of the revolutionized America. It’s twilight in the middle of the day. I see the iron bars settling around me, so where’s the front for the counter-insurgency? Because as a great leader in a Central American Revolution said, “One man’s freedom fighter is another man’s terrorist” and Republicans must recognize on what side of that phrase they fall.

Promoting the Culture of Learning

To continue the discussion began by Russell Eisenman at American Thinker concerning education and teaching all kinds of students, I begin my topic where Mr. Eisenman left off: understanding the culture of students. In offering my ideas, I readily admit that I was not a university teacher, but rather a mere, but very successful remedial reading teacher in a small town’s middle school. I agree with Dr. Eisenman’s view that having a sense of humor as you teach helps when you are trying to maintain control while surfing the wild waves of the reluctant to learn adolescent heart. With a sense of humor I was able to taunt my students with declarations like: “Reluctant to learn? What are you? Stupid?” or “Why don’t you just gnaw off your arm so you can really be handicapped?” and actually make a point with my loveable little knot heads. However, Dr. Eisenman left off just as he began to discuss culture and learning and I believe that topic needs redirection in education today.

Our present education system is caught in the culture trap. A generation ago, culture was roughly singing and dancing. Before that, we worried about culture; meaning knowing what fork to use in case the boss invited you out to dinner. Today, culture has come to mean simply race and all the accoutrements ascribed to race. In a radical manner, I would like to return to the Miss Manners/Emily Post definition of culture in the subject of education and propose that common decency and good manners is more relevant to the culture of learning than in understanding the culture of race. Good manners and treating others in a fair and gentle way trump racial profiling every time when it comes to establishing a culture of learning in our public schools.

Children have a great sense of justice and when a wise instructor wields this tool effectively even a discipline problem child willingly accepts punishment for disregarding a well-stated campus or classroom rule. In fact, having a just response for infractions is the bedrock in promoting a culture of self-discipline, which in itself is the foundation for the building blocks that comprise a culture of learning. My favorite years of teaching came when working for a principal that promoted a universal discipline program for the entire campus. Each teacher adhered to the disciplines of the program and I never taught at a campus that worked better. The hierarchy of authority was clear and understood by all, which allowed teachers and students alike to thrive in the liberty that existed.

Personal achievement in self-discipline sets a pattern for achievement in learning. As the Shakespeare line states: “This above all: to thine ownself be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.” Success is simply building upon achievement and setting a pattern that promotes success. Through the establishment of a campus culture built upon self-discipline the turmoil that describes many public school campuses becomes a non-issue. Our campus culture was a casual quietness that allowed for the development and revelation of the uniqueness of the individual for both students and teachers. With discipline under control, the joy of teaching flourishes and the students are introduced to the joy and success of learning.

Our classrooms were a culture of learning because it was enhanced by the culture of Miss Manners. Learning the rules of civil conduct is of great value in the culture of education. As Voltaire sardonically quipped, “To succeed in the world it is not enough to be stupid, you must also be well-mannered.” Good manners are a great equalizer regardless of race, home-life, or even intelligence. Knowing how to interact with others in a proper manner is the basis for civil society and to ignore this fact is to do disservice to our children and the future of our civil society in political terms. A classroom operating in this manner produces safety. For students living in a volatile home life the campus and classroom becomes an orderly and safe environment where individuals operate in an understandable and systematic manner. For students struggling to grasp the lesson being taught, there is patience without ridicule. For the achiever there is respect along with development of humility.

There was something wonderful that happened in these classrooms. The students opened up and participated in discussions about the lessons that revealed that they were not only learning and processing the information, but were internalizing the material into their own personal experiences. Now, that is the holy grail of learning. Because I observed that my remedial reading students failed geography, Texas history, and American History, I developed a curriculum of novels and biographies to enhance their historical context. (I should also note that this curriculum also naturally reinforced American ethics rather than the social anarchy being taught in many schools.)

Everything had a bigger purpose as we practiced their reading skills. Development of reading skills such as the main idea, vocabulary and context clues were mixed in with education in historical perspective sprinkled with discussion of character development both of the novel’s characters and that of the students. The program was very successful in real educational terms even in light of the absolute reluctance of some students when it came to standardized tests. The culture of kindness in the classroom allowed me to humorously joke with those that I knew were Christmas tree patterning as they filled in the dots of their scorecard. The reluctant to learn young man is a hard nut to crack and humor is a much better hammer than a screeching woman. The point is that having a principal that promoted a campus culture of self-discipline established the healthy environment for the fragile commodity of the culture of learning.

I would advise all educational experts to resist the sociological drift of the culture of racial profiling and instead study methods of establishing the culture of self-discipline and order in our public schools. It is plain sophistry to believe that race plays a part in learning as if parents of differing races want their children to be ignorant. When discipline is presented as a student’s responsibility, administrators are freed from the culture of political correctness and are able to effectively silence any silliness a parent may use to explain away their child’s bad behavior. (And believe me, silly parents exist.) This idea also effectively reveals incompetent administrators (who exist in alarming numbers), which alert school boards can effectively remedy. An effective community of parents can then hold school board members accountable for their inaction through the ballet box. This idyllic world’s only requirement is a culture of self-discipline: in the community, by the parents and administrators/staff, and ultimately imparted effectively to the students. The culture of education happens when an aura of administrative competence on a campus fosters development of student self-discipline, which in turn establishes order, which engenders the culture of manners, which in turn protects and allows the fragile culture of learning. It sounds so simple that we find we must complicate the absolute simplicity of the truth with educational and sociological scatology. Self-discipline, everyone, self-discipline.

The Danger of the New Tone

The new buzz is that there is a New Tone in Washington now that the Democrats have reacquired congress. What needs to be examined is at what cost to liberty was this New Tone established. The phrase “New Tone” is akin to the phrase “zero tolerance” as practiced in our public schools. Zero Tolerance means that both the bully and his victim are punished equally for a disturbance on the school grounds. It reminds me of the parable told by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn in The Gulag Archipelago. There are two kinds of criminals, he relates: the political and the criminal. During shipment to the prison camps the politicals became lambs for slaughter by criminals, because if a criminal was caught with a weapon, that was to be expected – after all he was a criminal. However, if a political was caught with a weapon – now that was a crime against the state!

Therefore to properly interpret the newspeak of Zero Tolerance you must understand that if a bully attacks another student in the school hallway, that’s to be expected. He’s an angry bully/gang member, under-educated, possible minority and product of a bizarre home life and therefore not responsible for his actions. He must be rehabilitated, not punished. Now the victim, he will not only be held responsible for defending himself and creating an unsafe environment for others, but will be sent to sensitivity training so he can better understand the rage of his attacker and learn to diffuse this anger by resisting the urge to rightfully pummel his tormentor into crying out for his Uncle.

We used to be a people that celebrated when the schoolyard bully got what he deserved. We used to be citizens that could handle a rough and rowdy political debate, but no more. The Stalinism of the New Tone has dropped an iron blanket on political discourse. Today’s political debates are now highbrow Forums with rules of engagement that would satisfy even United Nations bureaucrats. There are now New Tone unwritten rules such as:

• Democrat women cannot be challenged on any topic because they are the weaker sex.


• Those suffering from hardships cannot be challenged on any topic unless you have experienced the same pain, and even then, conservatives suffering hardships will be viewed as shameless panderers.


• Presentation of facts proving allegations of lying and fraud will be considered a personal attack and is not allowed.


• Directly confronting the other forum participant will be considered a personal attack and is not allowed.


• Presenting evidence of a Democrat incumbent’s voting record will be considered a personal attack and will be considered shamelessly rude and insensitive by Moderates.


• Anyone that does not adhere to the rules of the forum or does not graciously and profusely thank those conducting the forum that just whipped his ass will get an “X” in the box next to the question, “Does he/she work well with others?” and will be deemed not fit for public service.

So, rest sweetly America, because the same stupidity that sends your daughter home from school because of a Tweety Bird keychain bearing a pair of nail clippers, that punishes your son for daring to defend himself when brutally assailed by a hoodlum, or publicly pillories anyone who doesn’t toe the politically correct line, is now the standard operating system for our electoral process.

Moderates will not have their mental health troubled by the need to sort through truth and lies in order to make an educated decision. Nor will they have their dinner disturbed by anything negative, or by gory pictures from the front lines on The War on Terror. News is to be no more disturbing than the weathercast or the sports chatter between the anchors on TV. Moderates have spoken and the iron blanket has descended. The press can continue to report what they want us to think because that’s not divisive or requiring of analytical thought. Politicians will continue to be politic rather than representational. Human nature reigns supreme in Washington D.C. and throughout the world. Moderates refuse to know and therefore they will not tremble in fear for the innocents, whose deaths we won’t learn of unless their bodies are uncovered should their oppressors fall from power. It will only be those American political prisoners that still hold the dream of liberty and freedom to tremble and be afraid because they alone know that the Moderate is the most deadly of all political powers because Moderates absolutely will not confront evil but will undermine every last vestige of imperfect men struggling to do the right thing. The Moderates have come into power and in the Stalinist tactics of the New Tone’s enforced civility their peace of mind will not be disturbed!

Democrats Support the Military Again...NOT!

The jackalope checked Drudge Report this morning and news was enough to send a lesser mere jackrabbit running for the burrow in fear. But, the jacklope will not run in the face of danger.

Iran has exhibited the capablity to blast Israel off the face of the map.

"Iranian state radio said: "The maneuver is aimed at providing security in the region without the intervention of trans-regional powers, which are trying to justify their presence by portraying the region as convulsive."

The jackalope understands completely that her American idea of security in a region is a far different picture than security under an ayatolla. She's not anxious to be forced to wear a burka and it ain't just because her beautiful antlers would make the outfit fit funny! And so, she fears for the safety of her jackalope brothers and sisters through out the Middle East. Jacklopes are creatures that enjoy their liberty
and freedom.

So, in light of all that, she reads that some DEMOCRAT Congressman from New Jersey fears that troops overseas should have their votes considered for VOTER FRAUD, which in Dem-speak is translated - the votes were misinterpreted as Republican when they should have been and soon will be DEMOCRAT or the votes will be tossed out as illegitimate.

Like, hmmmm are we sensing that the Democratic Party has a certain animous for our men and women serving our country?

The jackalope growls in her low husky voice, "Don't be thinking Chet Edwards (D-TX Congressional District 17) is any different from his kinfolk up in Washington. He just sounds like us, but he sure as hell ain't one of us!"

Another Resounding Vote of Confidence in the Military...not!

Edwards' Statement on Kerry Comments
October 31, 2006

“As Co-Chair of the bipartisan House Army Caucus and as someone who has represented over 40,000 U.S. Army soldiers who have served in Iraq, I think Sen. Kerry’s comments were at worst deeply offensive, if intended for our troops serving in Iraq, or at the very least, a tasteless and inappropriate criticism of the president. I would continue to urge elected officials on both sides of the aisle not to play politics with our War in Iraq or our War on Terrorism.”

And there you have it folks, Chet Edwards (D) boldly chastising John Kerry via e-mail to Chet's District 17 constituents! That'll really straighten Kerry out on a thing or two! How about ponying up, trick rider? To borrow a phrase from Mary Matalin, "Riding pretty high up in the stradle, there cowboy!"

So, let the jackalope parse this out for y'all, pardners:

"As Co-Chair"

(I'm John Kerry [D-MA] and I served in Viet Nam... I mean, I'm Chet Edwards [D-TX] and I don't want anyone to forget how powerful I am)

"of the bipartisan"

(I'm the meanest s.o.b. those Republicans have ever dealt with. They do it my way, or it's the highway to the media for me, to make comments meant to scare the absolute bejeebers out of my constituents, their constituents, America's constituents until those Republicans cry like babies. Who's your Daddy, huh?)

"House Army Caucus and as someone who has represented over 40,000 U.S. Army soldiers who have served in Iraq,"

(I play those guys like a civil rights pimp 'cause it's all about me and my power. Did I tell you that I'm Chet Edwards [D-TX] and that I'm a powerful member of Congress?)

"I think"

(starting to straddle)

"Sen. Kerry’s comments were at worst"

(hesitation to parse while in straddle mode)

"deeply offensive, if"

(Laura Ingraham has her "but...monkey"; the jackalope has her "if...varmint")

"intended for our troops serving in Iraq,"

(Kerry said it was, but I'm not quite sure...I'm looking into filing a report to look into this assertion, this baseless charge, this swiftboating of a proud veteran, who served in Viet Nam. Who as the last presidential candidate for the Democrat Party, the Party I serve... my constituents up as useful fodder for the progressive ideals I hold near and dear to my heart)

"or at the very least,"

(and he's riding in full straddle, heading for the finish line, and it's a doozy of a race here folks! A doozy of a race!)

"a tasteless and inappropriate criticism of the president."

(and here's the water-boy bringing a fresh pail for our prize pedigree gelding—who twisted a hoof while serving in Viet Nam—but ran a tough race even though swift-boated in the first quarter mile by the evil Karl Rove and that idiot, President Bush, who was selected, not elected)

"I would continue to urge elected officials on both sides of the aisle"

(Republicans need to shut their faces up, and that goes for Stuff't Suit Tony Snow and his doughboy friend, Rush Limbaugh. Don't make me whip this out!)

"not to play politics with our War in Iraq or our War on Terrorism.”

(Do I sing "God Bless America" now? Oh, wait! Hell, I forgot I keep pushing to rip out every endorsement of the Judeo-Christian religion from every aspect of Amerikan lives because I'm a liberal-progressive, pro-abortion, drive-your-15-year-old-across-state-lines-for-a-partial-birth-abortion, Jack-Daniels-sippin', partisan-as-they-come, lying-son-of-a-gun-and-you-kant-do-a-damn-thing-about-it kinda man. Y'all be quiet in there, now. Y'hear? An don' forget to vote for Chet Edwards [D-TX 17] or y'won't be gettin' no more VA health care! Y'know what I mean?)

Yep, ol Chet...he's for you, vets...NOT!!!

Where's Chet?

Chet Edwards (D) of Texas Congressional District 17 and incumbent seeking yet another term in office because it's a job and he's used to it, has yet to make any comment condemning John Kerry's (D-MA) elistist remarks concerning our military. The jackalope has made it clear that Chet Edwards (D) has hoodwinked our precious veterans into believing he actually cares about them. The truth is, Chet uses our veterans like a civil rights pimp to secure power and ensure his next election. Chet was there defending John Kerry (D) presidential candidate when the veterans that actually served with Kerry came out with the swift boat ads. Chet treated those veterans like they were partisan hacks presenting lies and distortions. In the last election, Chet participated in Wesley Clark's forum on how to get Democrats elected. They weren't going to get "swift boated" like John Kerry and actually have to address a difference of perception as to their necessity to serve the country! Chet gave a lesson on how to conduct a bare knuckles political brawl and bragged about not letting the opponent define him. Like the tenured government employee that he is, Chet was fighting back hard to preserve his own thick slab of bacon, while deceiving our veterans that it was their bacon he was saving.

When it comes to preserving respect for our military, Chet's as missing in action as Amber Alert flower-child Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). Chet's just an also-ran congressional incumbent member of a political party that repeatedly makes it clear that they loathe the military. So, the jackalope cries out for veterans to stop fearing that Chet won't sign their pension or health care checks anymore, because he never did in the first place. The jackalope's America reveres and respects those that served in our military. Veteran's Affairs operates on a year by year budget, but if they have a shortfall, they know all they have to do is ask. But in conscience to the taxpayers the request must not be made to cover lax spending responsiblity. We do still live in a system of checks and balances.

The jackalope urges veterans to not vote simply because of fear. This is the United States of America for crying out loud! But if the jackalope's dear readers know of a veteran convinced he will lose his pension or health care without Chet Edwards, I urge loving wives, sons, daughters, grandchildren, even great-grandchildren to not trouble their precious veteran to change his mind. Just simply vote for a man, Van Taylor that will be a great voice added to a political party that respects everything these men and women have done for us and will never have them cowering in a corner in fear for their check.

Dead Party Walking

The latest John Kerry silver foot-in-mouth exhibits precisely the arrogance that links today’s Democrats to the Federalist Party of the 1790’s. The Federalists were satisfied with the status quo and were without a vision about how to navigate the new nation further along the path of liberty and freedom. They were caught unaware of the emergence of a new man, the egalitarian. Their own talents, initiative, and relationship to God rather than to man created these new men. They were successful because of liberty and freedom rather than being descendents of a family of privilege or connections to those in power. Sensing the power of these new entrepreneurial men, Thomas Jefferson gathered various grassroots groups into a classical republican campaign that pushed forward the experiment of a government by the people and for the people into new territories of liberty, freedom and equality. By the turn of the century, America had shed itself of the Federalist Party.

The Federalists had unintentionally fallen into the well-worn shoes of their English overlords, believing in the strength of their power simply because they were in power rather than because of the strength of their ideas. And such is the case of today’s Democrat Party: a party with absolutely no new ideas to further the greatness of this nation. They are a party believing that the only problem that faces the nation is their own lack of power. Lack of power is hardly a resounding vote-garnering issue since the only people that want them back in power are their cronies in business, politics and the media. It should be crystal clear to all that John Kerry’s sense of elitism is not an anomaly in the Democratic Party. He speaks as the Democrat’s last Presidential candidate and current voice of the party. It should be noted that this is the way virtually all Democrats view the huddled masses they govern. Just as Kerry’s elitism is viewed distastefully, it was this same sense of elitism, and assumption of political posterity that finished off America’s first political party. Kerry’s complete repudiation of any apology to our troops should be viewed as a ticking time bomb set to go off this election cycle bringing complete destruction of today’s Democrat Party. American liberty and egalitarianism refuses to bow under arrogance. Not Kerry’s snotty remarks about our troops to Bill Clinton wagging his nasty finger in our face. Unwarranted arrogance is not an American virtue.

But elitism alone is not significant enough to warrant political death. It is the complete absence of ideas of vision that is their ultimate foe. Every idea proposed is a re-tread of the same-old same-old. Listen to Texas Congressional District 17 incumbent Chet Edwards (D) and you hear the litany of Democrat blindness. The shtick is that Edwards is some sort of “maverick” conservative in the Democrat Party, but nothing could be further from the truth. He proposes raising taxes on the “rich” – anyone making over $30K – while providing “tax relief” to the “middle class” – those who pay no taxes at all, but would now also receive a check from the munificent government via Chet Edwards. He scares veterans with base-line budgeting carney-ism, threatening their peace of mind because “he cares more” than evil republicans. He scares seniors about the idea of social security reform that wouldn’t affect them but would be of great benefit to their grandchildren. And then Chet has the onions to sign on to AARP’s plan to raise taxes on social security to make their piddlin’ checks even smaller. He wants to tax e-commerce, repeal the Bush tax cuts, tax to bring down the deficit, tax to keep schools in the sorry state they’re in, tax to pay for partial-birth abortions, and yak, yak, yak. It’s just a big “Eminent Front” – a put on – without a new thought in the entire refrain. And all across the nation there is district after district offering one of these also-ran retread incumbents as the “vision” of the American future. It’s just LBJ and the Great Society taxing us into prosperity all over again.

It reminds me of the joke that floated around in those heady days of Democrat opulence and regality via The Great Society.

Moses told the people to pack up their shovels, load up their camels, and saddle up their asses because they were headed for the Promised Land.

LBJ told the people to throw down their shovels, light up their Camels and sit on their asses, because this was the Promised Land.

And such has been the last 40 years of Democrat control. The same group of people speaking down to the same subservient people who bow in fealty while hoping for a scrap of government largesse because the tax man has effectively removed any discretionary cash from the family wallet. Even though it has been shown that tax cuts bring in more government funds to cover not only the current budget but also bring down the deficit, the tax, tax, tax, spend, spend, spend Democrat plan is repeated ad nauseum. Their vision is simply to control every aspect of our lives while rewriting the “broken” Constitution to deny us our own rights and liberties yet extending those rights to every citizen of the world. “We shall willingly oppress ourselves because we are free to do so” is the standard they will impose on us because of their elitist sensibilities and backwards vision.

Those that would say that the Republicans in Congress deserve to lose are only breathing new life in this walking dead monstrosity of political elitism. Instead, let us hasten Democrat political demise by sticking with our own team as riddled with human nature as humans are prone to be. And as far as a new political vision try this one:

Imagine a future with no Democrats serving even locally as dogcatcher. Where a triumphant Republican Party eventually splits into Republicans and Libertarians. Where the order of the day is watching Washington powers begin “The Game” as to which political party can butt out of our lives the fastest. Now, there’s a political vision!

Welcome American Thinker Readers

The jackalope is humbled by your many positive comments for her post on The American Thinker. Just three months ago I started The Jackalope's Voice to support Van Taylor (R) in the Texas District 17 Congressional race against the eight-term incumbent Chet Edwards (D). District 17 is President Bush's personal district and it is considered a real slap in the President's face that Chet Edwards (D) was the only Democrat to survive the DeLay redistricting map.

If any of you dear readers happens to be a national syndicated radio host, it would fill the jackalope's heart to overflowing joy to have this race get national attention. Van Taylor is a Marine and was the leader of the reconnaisance team that rescued Jessica Lynch. He is humble and strong in his convictions. In short, Van Taylor is the kind of man we need to strengthen our Republican majority in Congress. The jackalope believes that a stronger majority is what is needed in Washington. She understands that even though the Democrats are in the minority, their drive-by media friends make them sound like a larger voice.

Chet Edwards (D) is everything the Democrat Party stands for. He uses "bi-partisan" in every sentence, which in demo-speak means Republicans must relent and desist. For a quick overview please check these posts: Play Until You Pay , Trick Rider, Who Needs a Hindrance When It Comes To Oil?, Chet's Tax Irons are in the Fire - Beware, Who's Your Daddy?, It's Not the Money, A Good Shepherd is Not a Demagogue, and finally Why Chet Edwards Should Not Be Reelected.

Also interesting are these posts on a political forum - not a debate - held between Van and Chet: What We Learned and Another Thought About Last Night's Forum. The jackalope was very disturbed by the way the forum was conducted. Many of you may have experienced this new tone forum and have niggling thoughts about them.

Once again, I want to thank new readers of The Jackalope's Voice.

Sincerely,

Nancy Coppock

Another Thought About Last Night's Forum

There was something niggling in the jackalope's brain about the manner in which last night's forum was conducted. Her conclusion: prohibiting confrontation in a political forum makes it as mind-numbingly dull as a weekly inter-office meeting. Not only a complete joke but actually dangerous to democracy. Only someone with something to hide would want this.

To conduct a Political Forum with the silly politically correct rules of decorum, where no one says a thing about their opponent is akin to secret police enforcing peace and tranquility in a totalitarian state! Politics is a blood sport and those that can't handle the fight because they haven't the interest to sort out who is telling the truth should NOT vote. Enforced tranquility so that no one's sensiblities are disturbed is an affront to democracy!

The jackalope has observed that quiet and mannerly doesn't always mean there is learning going on in a classroom and it certainly doesn't mean issues are being explored in a debate. This loathing of true debate is dangerous to our political freedom and is nothing more than politeness enrobed in a civil ascetism that allows elitists to decide for the masses who and what can be said or even thought. Civil Asceticim is a philosophy that leads straight to oppression. The jackalope prefers the raucous rowdiness of democratic freedom to the meek, mild platitudes of a politician lying to her face without her having the freedom to call a snake, a snake. Or even more bluntly - the jackalope is a tough little gal - don't piss on my head and tell me it's raining.

The Party's So Over...

For those confused or disgusted with this current political election I offer these words of explanation. What we are witnessing is the death of a political party. The present Democratic Party is peculiarly the same as when Thomas Jefferson rallied a grassroots republican revolution in opposition to the Federalist during the 1790's. In Jefferson's mind the Federalists had become the same as the English monarchy in their elitist sensibilities of government. To counter this he collected a wide assortment of grassroots groups into a republican coalition and changed the direction of the nation. As Joyce Appleby records:

...the Jeffersonians coalesced around a set of ideas — radical notions about how society should be reorganized. These ideas were propagated less by a class of men — that is, persons tied together by common economic interests — than by a kind of man — men attracted by certain beliefs.Their common vision about the reform of politics and the liberation of the human spirit… Ideas — not interests or old loyalties or institutional identities — supplied the unity for success. (emphasis added)

Today the ideas pushing the political forum are:

• The war against Islamic fascism that threatens freedom throughout the entire earth - for without liberty under our own Constitution the other ideas are moot.

Only then come the ideas for the continuity of the American Dream:

• permanent tax cuts,
• border control,
• reform of the entire method of collecting taxes (e.g. flat tax or national sales tax),
• protection of private property,
• and other such ideas that dismantle the power of the federalist government.

The current Democratic Party has corrupted itself so far in their American self-loathing that they are in every sense at odds with the Constitution they have sworn not only to abide by, but to protect. If they desire to represent our enemy, then they should move to the totalitarian countries they seek to protect while extending upon our enemy the protection of our American Bill of Rights that they seek to deny their own American citizens. Their generation has so railed and rebelled against the "power of America" that they have spiritually joined with those sworn to destroy us. It is much like the conversation in Dostoyevsky's The Idiot. Substitute "American" for "Russian" and the message is clear:

Well, my fact is precisely that Russian liberalism is not an attack on the existing order of things, but an attack on the very essence of things, on the things themselves, not merely on their order, on the established order in Russia, but on Russia herself. My liberal has gone so far as to deny Russia herself; in other words, he hates his own mother and he beats her. Every Russian failure and misfortune stirs him to laughter and virtually delights him. He hates national traditions, Russian history, everything. (emphasis added)

And then,

Not so long ago some of our liberals effectively took this hatred for Russia as sincere love for their country, and congratulated themselves on seeing better than others what that love should be; but now they have become more frank, and even the words 'love for country' have become an embarrassment to them and the whole conception has been banished and dismissed as harmful and trivial.
Both quotes from the Henry and Olga Carlisle translation, ©1969

An astute politico can hear Hillary Clinton screeching that she is patriotic and that she has a right to screech about having the right to question the President of the United States. Or throw up as the media ponders whether it is "proper" to wear a flag pin or come out in support the troops.

How long the current Democratic Party maintains control of the nation depends upon this election. It is true that the world is on a headlong descent into chaos. The Bible tells us so. However, do we go down with an emasculated whimper or do we stand up and fight back the status quo until the bloody end? I say we must be in the world but not of the world and desire to hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

Amongst Our Weaponry are Fear, Surprise, Ruthless Efficiency...

At last we have been apprised of the true horror of an interrogation at Guantanamo. According to The Village Voice:

In the thirteen months I was in Cuba, I was interrogated ten to twelve times. I was interrogated in a separate room and always alone. I would be brought there, and my legs would be shackled to a chair. One or two Americans in plain clothes interviewed me. A typical interrogation consisted of questions about my family, education record, language skills, background …what I intended to do in the future… purpose of my missionary activity… who funded it … what I was doing in Afghanistan … The sessions lasted between one and two hours each and I was asked questions the whole time.

Even more horrifying:

For Afghan detainee Shah Mohammed Alikhil, who does not allege actual or threatened ill-treatment during interrogation, it was the repetition of the interrogations, and the absence of any prospect of resolution thereby, that was stressful:
My first interrogation started at the end of my first month of imprisonment in Cuba. Three Americans with a translator interrogated me. They asked me the same thing [as before, during incarceration in Mazar-i-Sharif and Kandahar prior to transfer to Guantanamo] and did not tell me anything else. There was no torture or mistreatment. The second interrogation started a month after the first interrogation. No new questions were asked this time again. And some months later I was interrogated again, without any sign of progress in my case, and again no new questions were asked. I was exhausted and tired of living like that. I was hearing noises and seeing ghosts [hallucinating].

Sounds like my trip this summer where I helped my brother and sister-in-law in their move from San Diego to Denver. I drove the plush mini-van complete with DVD player so my sister-in-love could sit in back with the 3 kiddos. Hearing again and again those same questions: “When are we going to be there?” and “What town are we in?”, the stress, the strain. Hearing Roadrunner dropping a bomb on the Coyote, over and over and over again…. I was close to hallucinations myself.

But wait, there’s no end to the diabolical devices of torture at Camp Delta when just this past Friday we learned of the most dastardly torture device of all – The Comfy Chair!

Aside from a large metal ring in the floor for securing shackles, and a big red button on the wall labeled Duress, the room looks like a teacher's lounge. It has white cement-block walls and a concrete floor, but a large Persian rug softens the bleak appearance. There's a coffee maker (Starbucks Barista Quattro), a television, and a DVD player. Three black office chairs face a dark wood coffee table and a plush blue La-Z-Boy chair.

Today the detainees who are still interrogated regularly—about 25 percent of the camp's population, say officials—apparently nestle into a recliner.

We have met the enemy and he is us. Have we completely stopped making sense?

The Constitution Is Not A Suicide Pact

Thomas Lifson - American Thinker - has an interesting article concerning Australia's brave stand on immigration. I then found an interesting post at Dinocrat.com.

This post caused the jackalope to ponder once again the misunderstandings comprising the culture war here in America caused mainly by fear and loathing for Judaism and Christianity. It is believed by many that these two religions are the enemy of freedom and liberty when rightfully these two religions are the foundation of freedom and liberty. The only enmity organized religion has is with hedonism, but even that according to proper teaching, is tempered with love. It is true that believers can range between the legalism of the noisy gong and the ditziness of a clanging cymbal but Christianity without love is meaningless.

However, the jackalope wonders why it is not the Constitution and the Bill of Rights that bond Americans together and are the beliefs to be defended against immigrants that would change our country into the country they left. And so I wrote:

I also enjoyed Mr. Lifson's piece on Australia's immigration approach. However, your post makes me ponder why belief in the Constitution and The Bill of Rights is not what binds together the American way of life. I realize the post was a flip rhetorical against living under Sharia Law, but I detect an animus toward Judaism and Christianity that resents anyone from believing anything that would snap a perpendicular moral chalk line between man and God. But freedom of religion is only one part of our Constitution and it is time to get back to the foundations of what was established September 17, 1787.

The Bill of Rights were not written to promote aimless hedonism, but rather to identify those rights pre-ordained in every man, instead of bestowed to men by a government. The purpose was to provide a check on government, but in every aspect government has crossed the established boundary and put a check on our freedoms. Organized religion in America is a red herring when it comes to loss of liberty. For that, check your local government.

My point is: If people don't believe that "all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness - that to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed...” then I would say to immigrants, don't come here just as the Australians are declaring.

To Americans such as yourself, I say, don't get so hung up on the concept of Creator - even though belief in God is what provides me with a foundational system that explains aptly this crazy world we live in and I would pray that you too would come to this knowledge - but rather zealously protect your preordained rights of man: Life, Liberty, and pursuit of Happiness, i.e. the creation of wealth and protection of private property. Most of the social bickering in this country would disappear if we concentrated on supporting the ideas of the documents that bind us together instead of trying to make them say something different from what is actually written. Like I tell those that want to change the by-laws of the Boy Scouts: "If you want to send your boys off on campouts with homosexual men, go start your own damn club!" This is not an indictment against homosexual men, but a respect for the written by-laws.

A Ticking Clockwork Orange

Yesterday, a caller to the Rush Limbaugh show, stated: "We aren't like our enemy. Our enemy is true believers that are totally committed to our destruction." And nothing exhibits that assertion better than McCain's straw dog argument concerning Bush's request that Congress codify rules of interrogation. This practical request is turned into a farce by Sen. McCain and Co. and their circular argument that has no answer except to do as the President has requested. Truly, we aren’t like our enemy because we aren’t true believers totally committed to the destruction of our enemy. Instead we are living in A Clockwork Orange, where to deprive someone of the life goal of killing infidels to obtain a heaven of virgins is considered insensitive, demeaning, and for some even criminal on our part. We have met the enemy and he is us.

Things My Daddy Told Me

In light of the previous post, the jackalope is moved to relate some words of wisdom from her Daddy. We were all sitting out on the covered patio one Sunday afternoon and Daddy opened up and told us this parable.

As the jackalope has revealed in her profile, she has a very "special" sister. As Dad related the story, Sister was in the backyard playing with the dogs. She had a hulahoop and a whistle and when she blew the whistle, the dogs would take turns jumping through the hoop. It was really an amazing thing to watch.

Well, coming into the Edenic scene was a gang of young toughs who hearing the whistle were drawn to the sound and while standing on the fence supports began their taunts and catcalling. This of course made Sister start screeching and we all know young toughs derive great pleasure in tormenting the "special".

Around the corner comes Daddy to see what the hullabaloo was all about. Seeing the young toughs, he begins by recommmending the boys get off the fence because they might hurt themselves. No response. Dad immediately rachets up the dialogue in his scary Daddy voice, "Get off the fence y'little sonsofbitches or I'm goin' to whupyourass!!"

Immediately, the boys decided they heard their Mama callin' them and disappeared.

After telling us this story, Daddy then sat there for a moment before delivering the meat of the parable:
"Sometimes you just can't talk Vacation Bible School with people." (!)

And Now For Something Completely Different

For those that think "getting along" with the rest of the world is the highest goal, an article by Tanvir Ahmad Khan, former foreign secretary and ambassador of Pakistan, reveals how difficult it is to "get along" with someone wearing a virtual reality headpiece.

He celebrates the union of Fatah and Hamas in Lebanon after "Israel's brutal invasion" and states:

colonisation of Palestine remains the principal object of this status. Ehud Olmert's convergence plan represented a vital state in this process which also needed neutralisation of Hamas and Hezbollah. The Olmert plan was designed to achieve territorial expansion and fail-safe national security in a single political manoeuvre.

As to President Abbas' failure to disarm Hamas, Ahmad Khan, believes it comes from President Abbas' "recognition of Hamas' role in crafting a more effective Arab negotiating stance in the days ahead." Ahman Khan continues in this virtual reality by declaring that Abbas "knows only too well how Israel turned the Oslo agreement into a process for unreciprocated Arab concessions in the quest for final status talks."
Ahmad Khan then breathlessly proclaims:

A new and robust partnership between Fatah and Hamas demolishes the Israeli myth that there is no credible interlocutor on the Palestinian side. It will also be a necessary hedge against pressures for unilateral Arab concessions.

and:

At the same time, this partnership (between Hamas and Fatah) offers by far the best opportunity for Hamas to separate what can be pragmatically done at this delicate juncture of history and what is better left to another time, another generation.

Ahmad Khan's conclusion (reality delusion) is:

A sovereign, viable and continuous Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital is still the best way to make the world safer than it has been for decades.

In Ahmad Khan's world, Hezbollah tunneling under the border between Lebanon and Israel to kidnap Israeli soldiers had nothing to do with the fracus. That, along with his willingness that Lebanon be represented by two known terrorist groups brings the logical conclusion: This is not a problem that can be solved by dialogue alone and it's way too early to let the Democrats back into power.

What's True About The War On Terror

When it comes to understanding all the elements of The War On Islamofascism, Amir Taheri is a voice to be listened to. Check him out here and feel great that America is doing the right thing for the Middle East!

Mewling, Puking Infants of the Left

James Lewis of The American Thinker says it best when it comes to putting the Left in charge of the War on Terror. Can we really stand by here in District 17 and help appoint Nancy Pelosi as the next Speaker of the House by electing Chet Edwards? Van Taylor will support our President. It used to be that our elected officials sought to make every vote toward the better good. Chet will only continue to devolve every issue the President puts forth because that's what he's done with the Republican leadership in the house.