DOORMEN TO GO ON STRIKE-DOORMEN??

"It has been nearly two decades since New Yorkers faced their last doorman strike, but as the deadline for a new contract for building workers approached, the questions being posed throughout the city remained largely unchanged on Sunday.

Who will safeguard my apartment as I sleep? Greet my children when they come home from school? Accept deliveries? Clean the hallways? Sort the mail? Operate the elevator? And who, for goodness sake, will let the cleaning lady in?"
New York Times

My guess is that the average New Yorker doesn't have a doorman. I'm going to guess a bit further and state that it is probably the upper class, you know, the politicians, attorneys and media figures, the movers and shakers, that have doormen; and need to have their children greeted, their mail sorted, their doors opened for them and who just can't be expected to operate an elevator.

This life of privilege and ease is the reason why the political and media class and the normal American will never see eye to eye. People with doormen just don't live an average life and they can't possibly understand what it means to open their own door, pick up their own mail, swing a hammer every day or to have to buy fuel for their commute. They are isolated and insulated from real life, just as the ruling class in France was right before the Revolution.

Let them eat cake!

THE REVOLUTION IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER

This may or may not happen. I don't know anything about the group sponsoring it but you can go to their website here. It's actually kind of weird; I agree with much of what the say yet I feel like I'm reading the typical boycott call to arms from a leftist organization. I think that this may be a sign that the people are finding common ground where all sides can stand together against a common enemy, the government. Or this is being used by anarchists to completely destabilize the American system and hasten a crash.

This could go either way. It seems as though we are about to see the social unrest that is currently happening in Europe finally reach our shores.

EUROPE AND AMERICA DRAW CLOSER TO COLLAPSE

"Consider the facts. In Spain, unemployment has already reached a gut-wrenching 19.3%. But unemployment for those between 16-24 is a catastrophic 42%. In Greece, youth unemployment is 25%, in Ireland 28.4% and Italy 26.9%. Marginal eurozone countries such as Greece, Spain and Ireland are not just in recession. They are in depression – and so long as they remain inside the euro there is no exit.

Before their decision to abandon economic sovereignty and sign up to the euro, policymakers had a tried and tested response to the kind of global setback of the last two years – depreciate the currency and loosen fiscal and monetary policy. This has been the answer produced by Britain, mercifully outside the euro thanks mainly to John Major's brave, far-sighted and universally denounced decision to opt out of monetary union when he signed the Maastricht Treaty in 1992. But inside the euro, individual countries are stripped of the ability to manage their own economies. That is why the global recession has been far, far more devastating for some eurozone members than would otherwise have been the case – in just the same way that membership of the ERM inflicted wholly unnecessary damage on the British economy in the early 1990s."

The Guardian

Not being a political scientist, economist or anything else of note, thus not competent to render any sort of meaningful opinion on these sorts of issues, I'm going to do it anyway. 


This article got me thinking about Europe and the Euro; and by extension, the U.S.A. Europe is a group of very different societies bound together through geography and some common interests. Their differences are pronounced enough that the history of Europe has been a history of war and strife. This seems to be the natural course of things. I'm not judging whether this is good or bad, I'm just looking at what is true.


The European Union has attempted to create a unified economic zone right in the middle of this mess. It has tried to create unity where none has ever existed. Why? For the sake of the banking interests. In the name of a more orderly flow of capital to their pockets they have forced an unnatural and in the end destructive form of control on the people of Europe. They have also, applying the Second Law of Thermodynamics, created such an efficient means of wealth transfer that they have sped up the cycle of collapse. By trying to remove the natural inefficiency of the system of sovereign states they have only insured the European proclivity towards war. The bankers have denied the people a voice in the system and have created massive economic dislocation. This heavy handed, big government elitist imposition of laws designed to control the uneducated and unenlightened masses will result in escalation of riots and societal discord. If the people are denied legitimate political recourse to solve their problems at the local level they will strike out at the powers that be.


America is following the same course. While this country is more cohesive than Europe it isn't all that different. We were designed to be a union of sovereign states that would work together to support our common interests. Over the last 150 years or so state sovereignty has been abolished and strong central control has taken its place. The natural inefficiency of the system designed by the Founding Fathers prevented the Federal Government from exercising the power to destroy the country as a whole. Each state was responsible for itself and functioned as its own country, competing against the others for business and political advantage.


The Lincoln administration forced a one size fits all government on the American people where one was never meant to exist. Like the E.U. all of our eggs were thrown into one basket. Instead of a group of independent economies supporting a few narrowly defined common interests we have become a one size fits all oligarchy.


Today we find ourselves on the verge of collapse. Just like in Europe, the people are frustrated and feel that their "government" is unresponsive to them while bowing and scraping at the feet of the bankers. The legitimate means of political redress seem to be ineffective. The majority of Americans are opposed to the health care bill and have made their opinions known. Forcefully and loudly. Yet the elitists in Washington will pass it anyway, because they are "wiser" than the people.


America is no different than Europe today. The people sense that they have lost control of their destiny to the banking and political interests. We are told that the economy is expanding and that life is good while we can see with our own eyes that the economy is only expanding for those on Wall Street, not out here where the people live. And just like in Europe, the frustrations are beginning to boil over. We are caught in an unnatural system of controls and in the end we will not stand for it.


America and Europe are on the verge of revolution. 2010 may be an ugly year.

A BILLBOARD THAT POINTS THE WAY TO WAR - AND THE END OF AMERICA

I’ve been thinking about this billboard since I posted an article about it the other day. I went on a search to see what sort of reactions it was generating. Most of what I saw was on liberal/progressive websites. The reactions were predictable. The people that erected the sign were: haters, cowards, scumbags, liars, trying to stir up trouble and on and on. This got me to thinking about the gulf that separates the conservative/libertarian worldview from that of the liberal/progressive.

I got to the end of my thought process by starting with a movie; “Shenandoah” starring Jimmy Stewart. If you’ll remember, Stewart’s character was a farmer in the Shenandoah Valley during the Civil War. He has sons of fighting age that wanted to sign up to fight. He wouldn’t let them because he didn’t believe the war concerned him.

You see, the questions of slavery and states right weren’t of any concern to him. In his view, his job on this earth was to raise his family and his crops. He asked nothing of the government so he felt that they had no claim on him. His intent was to stay out of the way and do his job and fulfill his duty to his God and family.

His sons didn’t understand this. They were of an age where hormones easily outrun intelligence. I’m sure many of his neighbors resented this as they had sons that were dying in the war. The military tried to take his sons though impressment but he turned them away. I’m sure that he was called all the names that are being tossed around today by those on the left.

But the war couldn’t be avoided. Eventually Stewart is forced to engage, to pick up a gun to defend his family. When the time comes, and the war becomes his business, he carries out his duty with iron willed resolve.

This attitude of self reliance and the desire to be left alone runs strongly in much of America: especially in rural areas and among people that work with their hands. I realize that I may be making broad generalizations, but I’m going to do it anyway. Most of the people that I have met in my life that have strong progressive beliefs tend to be from urban areas.

Progressives have a mindset that is ingrained in them through experience, just as we all do. Living in an urban environment they learn that there is a system of support in place for almost any problem you may have. You just need to fill out the proper paperwork and submit it to the right people. The police are nearby to help you, somebody takes your trash and the diner’s always open if you need something to eat. The price of this convenience is a loss of liberty and a certain level of dependency for your existence.

The other thing that I’ve noticed about city people is that they learn to complain about every damn little thing. My guess is that this is because the system that they depend on for their day to day life doesn’t work as well as advertised. They are always forced to deal with some disinterested government employee just to get something done, waiting on the phone or in line for something that if they could do it themselves, would be just a minor inconvenience. So people in the city learn to yell. They learn that the squeaky wheel does get the grease and that grease is absolutely essential to their lives.

City people become used to government. Worse, they become absolutely dependent on it. It becomes just so much background noise, part of the normal activity of their lives. They view government as a necessary evil, can’t live with it, can’t live without it. The fact is, they have forgotten how to be self sufficient because government has enslaved them. They’ve been conditioned to believe that it is perfectly normal to pay taxes to a government to supply services to you that you could supply yourself at a cheaper price. They think nothing of intrusive government regulation of their lives because look at all the government does for them. The live a life that a large percentage of America can never understand.

Like I said, I’m speaking in broad generalizations. I realize that there are plenty of conservatives in the city. I’d go as far as to say that there are more conservatives in the city than there are liberals in the country. A lot more.

By and large, rural people are a lot more like Jimmy Stewart’s character. We are fairly self sufficient and don’t look to others for help. When we do, it’ll be our neighbors, not some government. As a matter of fact, governments in rural areas don’t generally have the capability to help anybody. Even our fire dept. is made up of volunteers.

The most contact rural people have with government is getting plates on the truck and paying our taxes. Farmers get a bit more because the Federal Government gets involved in their lives but even that is sporadic. We know that if we have a problem we are going to have to fix it. Sewer problem? I own the septic system, I’m responsible for it. Water problem? Same thing; I own the well. If the electric goes out, well I’ll call the electric company but I better have a generator because I’ve been without power for a week. If I don’t have a generator, I’ll sit in the dark. Nobody is going to put up a shelter for me.

All this writing just to get back to that billboard; I’d damned near forgotten about it.

That billboard and where it was erected got me to thinking about the rural mindset, self sufficiency and guns. I wrote a couple days ago that the sign and in particular, its location, were a clear indication of just how close this country is to a cataclysmic event.

One thing about growing up in a rural area is that you grow up with guns. Now, this is true in the city also; I realize that. But it’s different in the country. Kids carry guns out here to hunt and plink. I grew up in a part of St. Louis County that when I was a kid was still mostly farms. We didn’t leave the house without a BB gun and as we got older, .22’s. Even when the police would see us nobody cared. It was just part of life. It’s the same where I live now.

OK, I’m getting back to the billboard. I got to thinking about the attitudes and understandings of those on the left and those on the right. People called the person that erected the billboard all kinds of names. This is understandable from the viewpoint of a progressive. They’ve been conditioned to yell, scream and complain to get things done. It is an acceptable and normal mode of behavior.

Out in the country, we’re a bit more laid back. We would rather ask politely and see if we can’t get a problem resolved. Treat each other with respect; because it’s the right thing to do. That and who wants to get into a fight. You call someone out here all kinds of names and you’re likely to get rocked back on your heels. You see, we believe that there are consequences to your actions. We may tolerate poor behavior for a long time because most of us would rather just live and let live. But make no mistake, when you finally cross the line there will be no hesitation.

This brings me back to the billboard; and guns. One of the rules that you learn growing up with guns is that you never, ever point a gun at something you are not willing to shoot. Taken a step further, never point a gun at someone unless you are willing to kill them. Being around guns teaches you deliberation in your acts, just like the threat of getting punched for shooting off your mouth.

I think that the left is badly misreading what that billboard signifies. They view it as a sign of cowardice. They think that because we aren’t screaming, that because the TEA Parties are without incident and because we don’t vandalize buildings we have no resolve. We are cowards that in the end will not stand up to their big government power grab.

They are mistaking deliberation for a lack of resolve and calling it cowardice. They don’t understand that if you keep yelling and screaming, calling us names and insulting our sense of patriotism, somebody will get punched.

But what they are really missing and what I am afraid the sign is signifying is an undercurrent of real unrest and dissatisfaction with the government. I am afraid that we are about to jump right over the punching part of the dance. We have tried everything that we can for redress of our grievances. We have petitioned and we have marched. We’ve made phone calls and we’ve written letters. Yet, I believe the Health Bill will pass. The Congress will act against the will of the American people and the President will sign the bill.

Maybe it won’t be Health Care. Maybe it’s Cap and Trade or EPA regulation or some other decree from on high. But some invisible line is about to be crossed; and when it is all Hell will break lose.

The left is so sure of the cowardice of the American people that they don’t see it coming. But come it will. Americans will take up their arms. It will be a deliberate and resolved act of revolution. The guns will not be taken up lightly but with full recognition of what the action means. There will be no turning back. All or nothing; “Give me liberty or give me death.”

The progressives are trying to box us in because they don’t believe we’ll stand up. This is a serious miscalculation that in the end stands a high probability of being the cause of the end of America. The talk I hear from people that I run into is that we have few options left. Most are armed and have given thought to the very real possibility of rising up. Militias are being formed. Everyone I talk to is of the opinion that if we are going to lose our freedom anyway we might as well go down with a fight.

That is what the billboard is saying. Because the media is mostly urban they won’t be able to read it. Because the progressives are arrogant and convinced of their own righteousness they won’t be bothered to look. But there it is. A clear, stark signal of what lies right around the corner.

Pray for guidance and protection. Look to your family’s safety. READ THE DAMNED SIGN!

IS MISSOURI LEADING THE WAY TO WAR - AGAIN?

"A new billboard off of Interstate 70 in Missouri provides a short “citizens guide to REVOLUTION of a corrupt government” and issues a call to “PREPARE FOR WAR.”

This billboard replaces one that warned that the socialist “Obama-Nation” is “coming for you.” It’s unclear who the owner of the billboard is, but the first one was the work of a “Missouri businessman.”

While it’s unclear who owns it, the Lafayette County Republican Central Committee seems to endorse it."

EU Times
(H/T Gateway Pundit)

For those that are unfamiliar with my beloved state of Missouri I'll like to give you a bit of history. It all begins in another state, or at least a place that was soon to acquire statehood. Its name, Kansas.

Bleeding Kansas!

In 1854 Congress passed the Kansas-Nebraska act creating the territories of both Kansas and Nebraska. In the process this act nullified the Missouri Compromise and opened territories North of the 36th parallel (approx.) to slavery. Popular Sovereignty was written into the proposal in an attempt to satisfy both sides of the slavery issue. In reality, it began a war along the Kansas-Missouri border that in seven years would become the American Civil War.

The war fought in this area was nothing like the comparatively civilized warfare in the East. It was a war of retribution. Scores were settled. Families and towns, even entire regions were destroyed. Missouri was the site of the third highest number of battles during the war. It was fighting at its most personal level. Men hung in front of their children and wives raped in front of their husbands. Executions and mutilated bodies were the norm. Both sides fought under the black flag. The single greatest atrocity of the war occurred here at Centralia.

After executing 23 unarmed Union soldiers at the train depot, Bloody Bill Anderson lured a detachment of soldiers under the command of Major A.V.E. Johnson four miles from town. In a matter of minutes 123 soldiers along with their commander lay dead. Participants reported that after the battle and the complete destruction of the Union forces the mutilation of the corpses was so complete that not a head was attached to the body it started with.

I write this to try and put this billboard in context. Lafayette County is the heart of guerrilla country. Less than an hours drive East of Kansas City this area of the state saw some of the worst fighting. To see this sign here is to see a very clear signal of what is ahead. I know that this may sound like crazy talk but I know my state and the people that live in it, especially the rural areas. We are but a few generations removed from Anderson, Dave Poole, Archie Clement and the James boys. In attitude we are not far removed at all.

This billboard stands as clear and irrefutable proof that we are returning to those years that led up to the war. The nation is simmering, nearing a boil. Our political leaders and so many others are blind to this. But the signs are all around us, if you are willing to open your eyes.