One Nation Indivisible

When I started to write this, my intention was to have a thought experiment where we pretended slavery didn't exist in America in the 1860s and I would ask "ok then, why did we go to war?"

I realized that was a fool's errand.

The South had an economic and political strangehold on America, and they wanted to expand that into the new territories. Furthermore, they believed the central government had no right to impede them.

How did they get control?

Through slavery.

The wealthiest agricultural magnates in the South--the 1%-ers of the Antebellum days--used forced labor to make ridiculous profits. They effectively lobbied to get disproportionate congressional representation based upon the slaves who were not free to leave the south. And finally, they successfully lobbied to have any escaped slaves returned. It was the perfect business model, protected by the authority of the central government--an authority they would later rebuke.

Forget about morality and essential liberty. Forget about the suffering of black people. Just put it out your mind. The only way to make government fair and representative and to make the market free--duties of the government enshrined in the constitution--was to abolish slavery.

The South needed to preserve and extend slavery to maintain economic supremacy. Abolitionists wanted to end slavery because it was immoral. Blacks wanted to end slavery because they had been languishing under the lash for 400 years. Poor white southerners wanted to end slavery so they could compete fairly. The North wanted to end slavery to break the back of the South. And, the government had a duty to end slavery because it was unconstitutional.

It was ALL about slavery.

Lincoln had a plan to preserve the Union and end the abomination of slavery. He wanted to gradually wean the south off the slavery tit through compensated voluntary manumission. It was not ideal, but it fulfilled the constitutional and moral obligation of the States in the most painless way possible.

How did the south react? They refused. They turned their back on the Union and attacked their former compatriots on the the grounds of states' right and the financial well-being of 1%-ers. They did not care about the constitutional need to end slavery. They did not care about loyalty to their country. They did not care about a free, competitive economy. They didn't care about the inalienable rights of slaves. They didn't even want to coexist in peace as two separate nations.

If this was anyone else except our great great grandparents, we would say the "Rebels" were selfish, disloyal, stubborn, immoral and foolhardy. But, because we idolize that prideful rebel spirit, we whitewash what they really did and what it meant.

At the point they seceded, raised a new flag and called themselves the Confederate States they were no longer American. They're history is NOT our history. Furthermore, when they attacked the United States, they became no different than Imperial Japan, Communist Russia, Nazi Germany or ISIS.

What loyal American patriot flies the black flag of ISIS? Who dons a swastika and gives the Roman salute? Who reveres the crescent and the hammer of communism? If any American of Islamic faith, Russian or German heritage did, they would be reviled. Japanese Americans won't even talk about old Imperial Japan. British expats never speak of the "good ol' days" when America was still British. Mexican Americans don't erect statues to the Spaniards who died in the Mexican-American War. Confederate symbols and "heroes," however... they are special. They have been (white)washed clean and, somehow, made holy.

We born in this country, we have a common history ALL can remember with pride--American history. Americans are pioneers, freedom fighters, liberators, innovators, discoverers, philosophers, makers of exquisite art and soulful music. We conquered the wild and reached for the stars. We harnessed the power of nature by splitting the atom and connected the world with the internet. We have fought genocide, famine and plagued. We destroyed fascism, totalitarianism and communism. We have spread freedom and democracy the world over. We were the original Rebels of modernity; all free, democratic republics are the progeny of America. It means something to be American. Despite all this deep American history, some Americans want to glorify the 4 years when we couldn't get our shit together.

And that... is truly sad.

The Apple Has Fallen Far From The Tree

File Under:  Holy WTF People?!?!?

American was once a symbol of hope, justice, prosperity, and liberty.  What do we symbolize today?

Ok.  I am not going to even begin to politicize this post in the area of  firearms or the Second Amendment.  This is not even remotely close to being about that.  So this is the last time you will hear it brought up, in turn  please refrain from asinine rhetoric on guns.  What I do have to ask is: what the hell is wrong with California or America that "at least six" warm-blooded, One-nation-under-God-with-liberty-and-justice-for-all citizens of the greatest democratic republic in modern history could watch one man accost another, pull him out of his vehicle, drag him to the curb, and cold-blooded execute him in broad daylight right on main street?  I ask because that is exactly what happened today in Tustin, California.


When did Americans become that sheepish, that callous, that cold-hearted, and that weak.  When did we lose our lust for justice, morality, and honor and instead doing nothing became part of the "American Way?"  How is it that a grown man can slap someone else's crying toddler and, call that child a racial epithet on an airplane full of mothers and fathers, and still have the physical capacity to walk off that plane under his own power?  How can a a Good Samaritan save another citizen from an apparent mugging, only to be left bleeding to death by not only the would-be victim he saved, but numerous passers-by who gawked at his body and took pictures?  Once pride and courage burned in our American veins; now cowardice, apathy and lethargy rots us from the inside out like cancer.  We won't stand up to our banks, we won't stand up to the corporations, we won't stand up to the media, we won't stand up to our government, we won't stand up for the innocent, and we won't stand up for the poor/oppressed/downtrodden.  What is left of the America our forefathers spilled blood for in the Revolution and the Civil War?  How is it that as a people we have the intestinal fortitude to send unmanned planes all over the world blowing children and democracy to hell, but we cannot stand up to one murderer spreading actual terror right here in front of our eyes?  What great ideals are we spreading across the world behind our tanks and our drones and our bombs?


For goodness' sake, this will continue to happen until the American public stands up and says "enough, is enough."   And that is no symbolic, rhetorical gesture.  We are going on nearly a century of amplified violence, lawlessness, unethical behavior, and amorality all because at some point those who no longer wished to play by the rules realized they could do whatever the hell they wanted because nobody cared.  They knew people could be cowed, doped, fooled, or distracted into ignoring their reckless behavior as it devoured our once glorious republic like a plague.  The few who don't ignore it they are demonized, ostracized, disgraced, and silenced in whatever manner is most expedient because the masses still are not paying attention.  Stop letting the media tell you what to think and believe.  Stop kneeling at the feeding trough of the corporations begging for succor only to eat the scraps of your own blood, sweat, and tears.  Stop allowing the government to tell you what you will do and instead start telling the government what we will do.  Our grandparents and great grandparents are looking down upon the legacy they left, they gaze upon how we have ruined it, and they weep.  They weep for America, and their tears flood down upon us.  It is time for us to retrieve our collective heads from whatever dark, cavernous hole in which it is currently hidden, stand up like men and women of the strongest moral character, and be American again.

"What the Fuck Is Wrong With You" by Combichrist from What the Fuck Is Wrong With You People? released 2007 on Metropolis Records

Like A Boss

File Under: Like a Boss

President's Day: February 18, 2013

Despite current trends in politics the President has never been a lawmaker his or herself.  The President has always been, in addition to the face and voice of America, an enforcer of the will of the people, and a protector of the Constitution.  The President preserves the sovereignty, security, and unity of the Union.  Further, the President guides Congress and other representatives, both elected and appointed, in their mission of creating policy foreign and domestic policies that foster equality, democracy, prosperity and goodwill for and between America and our allies.  And when any of those are violated by evil and tyranny, the President leads the American people in the war to secure them again.

Heavy is the head that wears the crown.  Although by and large crown-wearing has gone out of mode, being the head of state is still a weighty job.  For good, bad, or ugly each of these 21 former Presidents has been the head honcho helping Congress reach a quorum and representing the American people to the nations of the world during crucial periods of United States history.  Which one of these individuals legacy of political path-finding has left the most indelible mark upon America?

"Black President" by Nas from Untitled Album released 2008 on IDJ / Columbia Records
Did I forget your favorite President?  Tell me about it in the Facebook group, The Office of R. Conrad Bane and don't forget to follow me on Twitter: @RConradBane.

Do I Pledge Allegiance to the Republic?

File Under: Think About It

Copyright (c) 2013 Carol Tull

I will allow that asking, "what God(s) the nation is under," is a pointless rhetorical argument.  However, as this is a pledge of allegiance and this is recited by individuals as young as 4 years-old, the rest of this daily affirmation should have some meaning.  To those who grew up reciting this (The Pledge of Allegiance), please: Define for me in your own words what a republic is or what our Republic is.  Who is the "all" whom the Banner guarantees Liberty and Justice? Finally, (and this is the all important question)are you any more willing and able now as an adult than you were as a kindergartner to honor your pledge of allegiance to it's most extreme degree by offering your life in defense of liberty, justice, the Constitution, and the Republic itself?

This has nothing to do with this post except for the reference to Abraham, but I thought it was extremely funny.

The last paragraph of that picture should state 'let's see how many Americans who share this picture wake up with their children every morning and recite the Pledge with them to the American Flag they have on display in their own home."  I gladly re-post the link, because there is nothing offensive about honoring and protecting the legacy of democracy that has resulted in my existence.  However, as Americans we must constantly re-evaluate our values, strengthening and elevating the cores ones which are still relevant, while not allowing ones that no longer serve a purpose to become divisive issues.  I think mankind has evolved out of the ages where pledges of allegiance and other forms of propaganda, indoctrination, or dogma from an infantile stage are no longer needed to shield us from "Evil."  No one seems to be in a hurry to leave America for say North Korea.  In 2013, the truth or lies of the words in the Pledge are widely available for everyone all over the world to see on the Internet.  "One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all?"  If these were Old testament times and we were a nation under the Abrahamic God, God would call forth she-bears from the woods to consume your children every morning for lying in his name.  Then we would have the President on TV, crying crocodile tears, petitioning Congress to exile Assault Prophets.

"Citizen / Soldier" by 3 Doors Down from 3 Doors Down (c) 2008 Universal Republic Records

Join my Facebook group, The Office of R. Conrad Bane, and follow me on Twitter @RConradBane.

P.S. Post number 50 ...Yay!!! :D

Life and Death of Stars

Life and Death of Stars

File Under: It Is In Our Hands

Aaron Swartz 1986-2012

An unfortunate fact of life is that truly visionary individuals are often the most troubled. They see in the world the imbalance, discord, and strife that mirrors their own. Likely these inner demons and inner turmoil are what drives them to create, to pioneer, to innovate, to advocate, and to inspire in an effort to bring about not only progress, but also the peace and harmony that escapes them personally. The great injustice of life is that for so many of these brilliant minds their life's work goes unnoticed and appreciated by the masses who will reap benefit from it or worse these individuals become victims of societal oppression and persecution. Sadly bright, brilliant stars burn out the fastest and for one reason or another can lose the path they have illuminated for so many others. When many former beacons no longer possess the will to shine they stumble and fall from grace. For others however, when the torment of this world becomes too colossal and the isolation too extreme, they commit the ultimate act of desperation – and we forever lose a star. Most recently the skies of openness, freedom of information, and sharing on the Internet were dimmed when at the age of 26, pioneering programmer and Reddit founder Aaron Swartz took his life on January 11, 2013. In addition to his technological achievements, Aaron fought to keep the Internet free of control from the government and greedy corporations as an activist against such tyrannical initiatives like SOPA.

Ilya Zhitomirskiy 1989-2011

Suicide underscores the reality that our society is ailing under a cancer of the soul stemming from our partisan lobbyist-controlled politics. This country has been sold out to globalist corporations who have destroyed family and community leaving Media and Government in their place to act as sword and shield as they seek to shape our collective futures. This confederacy has systematically devalued American workers, strong families, strong communities, common sense, high moral values, independence, free thought, self reliance, transparency, and ingenuity. Surreptitiously the ideas and principles upon which we founded this Nation, and fought so bloodily to defend, have been subverted, sabotaged, and abandoned. The product of this decay is a society that places no value on the life and worth of an individual, a society that does not seek to redress systemic problems, and a society that sees its people taking drastic, senseless actions to escape their drastic, senseless lives. For their physical, mental, and emotional illnesses these individuals could not find an answer, a means to cope, or any comfort, and for this reason they took their own lives – they imploded. Others in their sadness or madness amplify the tragedy by feeling the innocent must join them in their suffering and death.

Tony Scott 1944-2012

Political action is not the answer, politics is the problem – people are the answer: people caring about people, people exercising moral decency, people using common sense, people strengthening families, people rebuilding communities, people taking action, and people demanding and advocating for meaningful reform. We must stop allowing the Media to tell us what to care about and what is important. Stop allowing corporations to dictate the course of our future. Stop allowing the power-hungry and corrupt to lead us down a path of destruction. Stop doping our problems and shoving them into places we can ignore. Stop assigning blame to inanimate objects and fueling pointless debates that lead us nowhere.

Junior Seau 1969-2012

Our sons and daughters are dying in foreign lands in wars that do not concern America; our children, grandchildren, and friends, are murdered in their places of learning, work, recreation or worship by the mentally-ill who have lost connection with reality; and suicide is now the leading cause of death by injury in America, surpassing car accidents and gun deaths. Why? Because this country is owned, operated, and educated by globalist corporations, corrupt power-hungry politicians, and the Media – none of whom care one iota about you, human life, or this country. So long as that continues to be the case the stars that illuminate our skies will continue to wink out and die until we are all cast in permanent darkness.

Don Cornelius 1936-2012

Rest in peace: Mike Kelley, Bob Welch, Bill Zeller, Ric Weiland, Tim Stryker, Paco Menendez, Philip Gale, Gene Khan, and many more.

Don't Confuse Me With Facts, I've Already Made Up My Mind!

File Under: With Both Barrels

The first major "gun control" law (since the Second Amendment) was enacted in 1934, with the idea to curtail the activities of criminals like George "Machine Gun Kelly” Barnes who had run amok (and ironically didn't obey laws) during the economic downturn of the depression and the reign of the equally bad Prohibition laws. However, until that time, with certain exceptions, anyone who could afford them could legally procure with limited difficulty what anti-Second Amendment legislators now call "assault weapons" (i.e. the Thompson Submachine Gun or "Tommy Gun"). In fact, there was a time you could order a shotgun, likely comparable to the one Bowe Cleveland used to wound his fellow student, from a Sears & Roebuck catalog – no I.D., no background check, no wait, no FFL ...right to your front door. Using the data aggregated by the author of this Wikipedia entry I estimate that between 1776 and 1934 at least 5 recorded instances of students bringing guns to school with the intent of committing a crime or killing someone (other than his or herself) occurred. That is 5 surviving reports in a span of 158 years with just one gun control law, just a smidgeon of common sense and a modicum of moral decency. In the just 79 years since 1934, some additional 6 Federal level gun-control laws (not counting the State laws) have been passed by Congress. What has been the sum total effect of these 7 Congressional acts, which endeavored to supersede the wisdom of the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America? Between 1934 and 2013 (almost half the time), over 85 additional incidences of violent attacks and murders perpetrated by students in or near institutions of learning – 17 times as much death with 7 times as many regulations as caused in the entire preceding 158 years when all we had was just the Second Amendment as our guide.

Clearly, we have legislated our way to a safer, more secure country where we have stronger values, a deeper appreciation for life, more involvement with the lives of our children, and better ability to intervene before a crisis as evidenced by the hundreds more tales of jilted lovers, disgruntled ex-employees, deranged mental health patients, jealous colleagues, who willfully decide to become criminals and commit the vast majority of these crimes – using students and teachers as targets. I find it personally shocking to note that some of the most tragic school killings, and indeed the actual most deadly school killing in United States history, were not only perpetrated by those sworn to protect students (school administrators, police, military) but also were not carried out with firearms at all. Furthermore, the assault on “assault weapons” is ludicrous. In all these stories unless the “student” had either A) actually served in the military and had access to a military variant firearm or B) had circumvented the law in a criminal fashion to illegally acquire a firearm they could not otherwise legally own, the vast majority of these attacks or deaths occurred by common arms designed for hunting, sport, and personal defense.

A firearm is a tool, just like a hammer is a tool. A carpenter would not use a sledgehammer to drive a nail nor would a homesteader use a framing hammer to drive a wedge through logs. Moreover, simply possessing a framing hammer does not make one a carpenter nor does having a volt meter make you an electrician. Military firearms do not turn civilians into killing machines, they are tools to help highly-trained soldiers protect themselves while they efficiently perform their duties and complete mission objectives. As we have become less agrarian, hunting has become less of a luxury, personal defense more of a concern, material science has changed, and aesthetics has changed – so too has the design of civilian firearms changed. Many of the firearms in highly-publicized shootings for aesthetic or ergonomic purposes had been made to look externally similar to military variants, but in no way functioned internally like military style arms. The firearms that most law-abiding citizens can easily acquire are in actuality comparatively very inefficient for the purpose they are sold – protecting you by wounding someone else. They require an IMMENSE amount of time, training, and money to become proficient at mastering the mechanics of their safe use so that you can instinctively call upon those skills in a crisis. This begs many questions. If firearms do not make it easier to kill people, why do so many people die in these school shootings? These criminals didn't knife their victims, they used firearms – certainly that means firearms need more control, right?

No firearm is a fully self-aware, autonomous walking death-ray with mind-control abilities. Until someone loads it, points it at someone else, and pulls the trigger that firearm is an inert device of no harm to anyone. It is the individual who is lethal, the human brain that is dangerous. Why are school shootings so tragic, why is there so much loss of life? The handgun may have limitations but the criminal has several advantages working in his or her favor – the biggest is that you are following the law while he or she is not. Despite the first “school shooting” in America occurring in 1764 and hundreds having occurred since, the notion that we are safe and secure anywhere persists. Teachers come to school to teach and students come to school to learn, armed with nothing but their experience and imaginations respectively. That puts them at a disadvantage when a criminal comes to school to hurt them if no one is prepared to protect them and no one has developed a plan of what to do when someone starts shooting. Even when you examine tragedies like the Fort Hood shootings where you had a psychiatrist (not exactly a full-time soldier) pitted against politically unarmed individuals he was able to create significant loss of life before someone with a firearm stopped him. That was a United States military base (the largest in the world), how much more poorly would college students and children fair against a deranged, homicidal lunatic intent on causing as much death and destruction as they possibly can? In these shootings, did a lot of innocent people die because the shooter used a scary military look-alike firearm or because the shooter carefully planned the attack and was using the untrained/unprepared children of suburbanite yuppies as targets? Common sense obviously says it is the latter. Finally, humans are easily damaged and without fast, appropriate medical care can succumb to their injuries relatively quickly in the aftermath of a shooting while emergency medical teams wait for law enforcement to secure the crime scene – this is true if the victims are shot, stabbed, or harmed in any other way.

 

Anyone with criminal intent, the impetus to commit violence, and the means to act it out is a danger to someone unwilling or unable to defend themselves: children, the elderly, or the mentally-impaired. A machete wielding obese, asthmatic with arthritic knees could commit a mass murder if his victims are weak and unarmed. However, they are of limited threat to an educated, prepared, and well-armed individual. A military style firearm is just for shock value. If one wanted to cause a massive loss of human life you could in today's economy: walk into a car dealership and with no money down walk out with a new car, buy a few items you found searching the internet, turn your new car into a bomb, plow into a crowd of people at a public place, and detonate the bomb – having spent far less money than you would have for a military look-alike firearm and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and killing more people than in any shooting spree. Moreover, no one would call for increased regulation on automobiles.

In the wake of tragedy, especially one that we have allowed to happen over and over for more than 200 years it is easy to feel angry. It is easy to feel angry because anger is a lot easier to deal with than guilt. You want to point that anger at someone or something other than yourself, and an easy target is one that cannot fight back on its own. Do not however allow your guilt or your anger to cloud your reason: you are willfully participating in the discourse of your disarmament and IT WILL BE TO YOUR PERIL. Gun-control and the assault on so-called “assault weapons” is really simple. Innocent people have been dying for a very long time.  The legislature is unconcerned about public safety, they do not care about you. They are only concerned with stripping you of your ability to defend yourself and not from criminals – from them. Why? Our government is seeking to strip us of our last line of defense against tyranny enshrined into our Constitution guaranteed by the Second Amendment, so that one day when they turn their guns on us we will be as defenseless as those 20 doe-eyed children at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Gun violence requires all of our involvement to find an immediate, lasting solution. Perhaps any real insight and a beginning of an answer can be found in the last written words of 1966 University of Texas murderer, Charles Whitman:

“I don't really understand myself these days. I am supposed to be an average reasonable and intelligent young man. However, lately (I can't recall when it started) I have been a victim of many unusual and irrational thoughts. […] Maybe [mental health] research can prevent further tragedies of this type.”

Note: The title of today's blog was inspired by this photograph on a Facebook page.

Yes. NOW I Am Proud Again.

File Under: Keep Calm and STFU

One should recognize the difference between counting your blessings, gratitude, appreciation or other similar terms and genuine pride. To illustrate I am glad my nephew was victorious when he beat the loud-mouth punk in school in as much as he stood up for himself without receiving serious injury, but I am not proud of the way he decided to resolve the situation when he had better alternatives. I am appreciative of the relatively comfortable life I enjoy here in America. I am appreciative of the sacrifice of our soldiers and their families. I am -PROUD- of those soldiers. I am not, however, proud of what our elected representatives (of any party) have done with the freedom secured by that sacrifice. To the world, America is its media or its government, they do not get to know the John and Jane Q Publics. By our actions or inactions we create or allow to exist that image, and that image (despite all of our best efforts) is a shameful one. We have been trying to create a "more perfect union" for over 225 years, when will we actually do it?

Why this was something to latch onto for Obama detractors, I do not know. Why this found its way onto someone's wall three years after the people spoke and elected their president in a democratic election, I do not know.  Why this is relevant on 9/11, a day for remembrance, solidarity and vigilance, I do not know. What I do know is Mr. Levin and his ilk are a blight upon this world.  You Mr. Levin do not have exclusive ownership of America or what it means to be American.  Moreover, you certainly do not have an understanding of the things you so self-righteously claim as your achievements.  No one is ignoring our progresses, we are saying they are not enough. Be a real journalist or better yet do not.  Just stop hogging American idealism and polluting my air waves with your vitriol and partisanship that inspires the aberrantly vocal minority to which you cater.