The United Socialist States of America

In a higher phase of communist society... only then can the narrow horizon of bourgeois right be fully left behind and society inscribe on its banners: from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.-Karl Marx

During the early part of the 20^th century, the Communist Party USA, specifically post World War I boasted a membership of over 60,000 Americans, eclipsing its rival, The Socialist Party of America’s 40,000. They were credited with laying the foundation of labor unions, whereas, on the surface appeared as a positive step in dealing with the exploitation of the working class. By the 1950’s membership was estimated at 200,000.

With the start of the Cold War, the Red Scare, and McCarthyism, the party began to break apart with members leaving the party, going underground, or creating splinter groups that ranged from Democratic Socialist to card carrying anarchists. In 1962, the Mossad infiltrated a speech given by Nikita Khrushchev, where he spoke of Gulags, purges, and other grim topics that were, up until this point in history, a well kept secret.

"All the sparrows on the rooftops are crying about the fact that the most imperialist nation that is supporting the colonial regime in the colonies is the United States of America."

Nikita Kruschev

Upon this revelation, the Communist Party USA imploded, and for all intent and purpose all but disappeared. This vacuum became the basis for the New Left, an offshoot of the CPUSA. The disillusionment and disintegration of the party was fueled by the fact that there really was no “utopia”, as Marx had prescribed in his writings. The Soviet Union, prior to 1962, was the model by which the CPUSA had hoped to build here in the USA. They didn’t count on the fact that with all power residing with a central government, those that disagree usually disappear. They completely disavowed the notion that freedom is an inherent trait granted by birth; freedom to decide, freedom to move, freedom to succeed or fail, freedom to exercise the unlimited potential of the human spirit.

“Men fight for freedom, then they begin to accumulate laws to take it away from themselves.”

This quote is prophetic as we, as Americans, have begun the process by which we will forfeit our freedoms in search of that very same “utopia” which eluded the American Communists. As D.H. Lawrence so eloquently predicted in 1922:

“Men fight for liberty and win it with hard knocks. Their children, brought up easy, let it slip away again, poor fools. And their grandchildren are once more slaves.”

Samuel Adams implored his fellow countrymen to make a choice:

“If ye love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home from us in peace. We seek not your counsel, nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you; and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.”

He is, in essence, saying that freedom is not free, that with liberty comes great responsibility, and that the only currency that can be used to “purchase” freedom is sweat and blood. As Jefferson conveyed in a letter to William Stephen’s Smith in 1787:

“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure.”

We are faced with the very decisions the Founders had to deal with 235 years ago. The Communists are waking up. They see the gulf between our Republic and their Utopia narrowing. Socialism is defined as a stage of society in Marxist theory transitional between capitalism and communism. The fact that our Federal government is in taking control of private industry under the guise of “recovery” would preclude that the transition is well under way. The TEA party movement is a great start, but like other grass roots movements, my hope is this will grow into a

groundswell of activism, so we don’t repeat history, which so often happens when we don’t learn from our mistakes and forget about the blood that has been spilled to create and maintain the greatest system ever implemented in the history of man.

“So long as the people do not care to exercise their freedom, those who wish to tyrannize will do so; for tyrants are active and ardent, and will devote themselves in the name of any number of gods, religious and otherwise, to put shackles upon sleeping men.”-Voltaire

Let us awake from our slumber.

Marx and Madsion (Redux)

"It has been said that all Government is an evil. It would be more proper to say that the necessity of any Government is a misfortune. This necessity however exists; and the problem to be solved is, not what form of Government is perfect, but which of the forms is least imperfect."

James Madison, to an unidentified correspondent, 1833

As I awoke this morning to the cacophony of morning birds and the song of the coyote, I couldn’t help but think that this would be a great day. My memory still fresh from sitting on a dock, fishing pole in hand, sun rising above the trees, all worries and cares worlds away, thinking this is what heaven must be like.

In my heaven, there is no pain, suffering, anxiety, or politicians. I won’t have to awake every day searching for what it good and great, for all of that will be left behind for my children and their children, and all children to ponder and question.
The next generations will have the burden and responsibility to restore the eroding freedoms we only took for granted, that, incrementally are being stolen one at a time. We were warned, in no uncertain terms, that this could happen.

The great ones who designed our system of government knew the great potential for corruption and greed, understood that the human condition was inherently flawed, and, as a result of this understanding, inserted checks and balances within the Constitution. As Mr. Madison so eloquently expressed in the above quote, there is no perfect system of government. The founders were cynics by necessity.

Karl Marx once said “Democracy is the road to socialism.” In his mind, he had the “perfect’ system of fairness, where all prospered and no one lived in despair, wanting for any of the staples of life. He too, was cynical, kind of like Madison but twisted inside out and sideways. Marx’s and Madison's philosophies were as divergent as night and day, yet, in a perverse way, had the same concern and a similar starting point.


Both men knew the weaknesses and failings of a monarchy or a theocracy. Within a theocracy, the Pope dictated public doctrine under the guise of religious faith, and as a result controlled money and property. Ditto for a monarchy, but instead of a religious figurehead a family with endless “lineage” and “pure bloodlines” oppressed all but the aristocracy. Marx called the ruling class the “Bourgeois”, as Madison referred to King George as a “Tyrant”. How could two men with such similar observations go off in two diametrically opposed directions?

"Political economy came into being as a natural result of the expansion of trade, and with its appearance elementary, unscientific huckstering was replaced by a developed system of licensed fraud, an entire science of enrichment.”-Karl Marx

Marx saw a market economy as class divisible, a component which would be unacceptable in his utopian society where everyone is “equal”. A society that was self-contained and self-sufficient required very little trade, and any goods or service that required import or export would be handled by the “state”.

“From each, according to his ability; to each, according to his needs”-Marx

The private ownership of property in a utopian society would be illegal. The “state”, in essence, would own the land and its physical contents in its entirety.

The one thing Marx didn’t think about was the human spirit. He didn’t give much thought to the fact that humans are programmed to be born, live, and die free. The human spirit demands excellence and choice. We live each day to be a little better than the one before. Marx could not have understood this. Utopia sounds great on paper, but once you work real, breathing human beings into the equation.....well................

“The theory of Communism may be summed up in one sentence: Abolish all private property”-Marx

This is where the political philosophies went in opposite directions. Whereas history shows Madison to be suspicious of a market economy, he did indeed support capitalism, but with some government oversight. Not a bad idea, as Anti-Trust laws will attest. Private ownership of property was, indeed, a sore point for Mr. Madison. English history was awash in serfs and feudal lords and the The Church of England and everybody owning land and property except for the masses.

“As a man is said to have a right to his property, he may be equally said to have a property in his rights.”-Madison

“The personal right to acquire property, which is a natural right, gives to property, when acquired, a right to protection, as a social right.”-Madison

So, at the end of the day we have two, nearly identical opinions about the status quo, both of which take off in completely opposing directions. One system has never worked in any country, at any time in history. The other, 230 years later, still thrives amid corruption, back slapping, eye-winking, payoffs, kickbacks, communists, socialists, mother stabbers and father rapers, the system lives.
Madison and his friends knew this would happen and that, inherently, politicians crave power like drunks crave alcohol. They knew all of this and had enough foresight to make the system cumbersome, complicated, and flexible enough to evolve with civilization, and maintain the integrity of the U.S Constitution. The reason the system still works may not be pure or righteous, but congressmen and women are there to be reelected. You will always have the Far Left, who are really Communists at heart, and the Far Wacko Right who fancy themselves the moral force and compass for all of us. But the majorities of our leaders are somewhere right of the left and left of the right, and really just want to be reelected. In politics, stalemate beats checkmate.

I really have digressed. I started writing about sitting on the dock, fishin’, knockin’ back a cold one, dreamin’.......

Well I'm goin' down to the river
I've got a cane pole in my hand
I've got my redworms in a Maxwell house coffee can
I'm gonna sit under a shade tree on a riverbank where it's cool
I'm gonna close my eyes and dream and let the cork bob away my blues...

-The Marshall Tucker Band

Pulpit Politics

“I never told my own religion nor scrutinized that of another. I never attempted to make a convert, nor wished to change another's creed. I am satisfied that yours must be an excellent religion to have produced a life of such exemplary virtue and correctness. For it is in our lives, and not from our words, that our religion must be judged.” -1816, Thomas Jefferson in a letter to Mrs. H. Harrison Smith

Here in Ohio we had Issue 3, which was a statewide referendum on casino gambling. The issue passed, and, (4) cities in Ohio will be granted a license to build Las Vegas type casinos. The cities are Cincinnati (my hometown), Cleveland, Toledo, and Columbus. I count (25) states with casino gambling. The impetus for this post is that the Catholic Church issued a press release a couple of weeks ago condemning the ballot initiative. The reason? “Moral, social, and economic reasons”. Being a recovering Catholic, I seem to recall festivals, Monte Carlo nights, weekly Bingo, on and on. The church would have us believe that these activities are not “gambling”, but righteous fund raisers for the salvation of a multitude of souls archdiocese would say the “Vote No on Casinos” stance had nothing to do with the possible diversion of funds that otherwise would end up in the coffers of the church. No hypocrisy here.

Throughout our country’s history, Pulpit Politics has attempted to shape public policy all the way back to pre-revolution, Tory dominated Boston, to the split of the Methodist Episcopals prior to The Civil War, and the current Roman Catholic stance that makes us scratch our collective heads. The heart and soul of the American Revolution which was Boston, was fairly evenly divided on allegiance to the crown and the complete independence from England.

Anglican churches preached fire and brimstone sermons opposing independence, with had nothing to do, once again, with the business of religion. Since the Anglicans were really just an Americanized version of the Church of England, this really was no surprise. The Roman Catholics, however, were accustomed to a huge power base for centuries in Europe, and, in actuality, were responsible for that political structure. So for the Archdiocese to preach from the pulpit about the evils of previously mentioned Issue 3, should not be a big surprise either.



Likewise, the Methodists in the southern states could not agree with their counterparts in the northern states about slavery. Sermons on Sundays were riddled with talk of the moral absurdities of the “peculiar institution” on the north, and spirited speeches about secession in the south. Granted, slavery was a very real and serious moral issue, there was no resolution that was going to come from a pastor, preacher, priest, or any other clergy. This issue was to be settled politically, and no sermon written was going to serve as a replacement for public policy.


Once again, none of this had anything to do with biblical themes or the business of salvation. Publicly, the founders professed no membership in a particular religious denomination. Privately, it may have been a different matter, but based on the First Amendment, religion was intended to be a private matter, that is, not public.

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

The founders had it right. Religion is and should be a personal issue. Religious doctrine should be about religion, not public policy. Political matters are for governments at all levels to determine, and the First Amendment should preclude Pulpit Politics. This guarantees us the right to worship as we please, or not at all. The founders knew that morality was based in human nature. They felt that by allowing us to choose our faith, this would be a means to the end of religious intolerance that was prevalent in the Church of England and the Holy Roman Catholic Church. The freedom is there, but so is the intolerance. Let’s go to the Town Hall to listen to politics, and church for the religion. OK?

“One man's religion is another man's belly laugh.” Robert Heinlein

Facebook and Universal Healthcare

Standing on the waters casting your bread
While the eyes of the idol with the iron head are glowing.
Distant ships sailing into the mist,
You were born with a snake in both of your fists
while a hurricane was blowing.
Freedom just around the corner for you
But with the truth so far off,
what good will it do?

Bob Dylan-Jokerman

“It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds.”-Samuel Adams

Typically I like to refer to history with respect to any point(s) I may be attempting to convey to those who honor me with reading my essays. If you have read my posts before, you probably have guessed I lean strongly toward the notion of personal accountability and responsibility. You may have surmised that I am not a huge fan of government, particularly at the federal level. I may lead with a pertinent quote from one of the founders, or at times lyrics from a song I find to be connected to my topic.

Today is not a typical day. I offer apologies in advance.Sometimes a guy needs to vent.

I want to discuss the progressive segment of our population, the far left, the whiney ass, feel-good, everything’s free, phony elitist, windmill loving, panty waist, big-government worshipping, tax and tax, race-baiting, gun-hating idiots.

Did I leave anything out? Vitriolic? Hateful? Spiteful? Rabid? Vicious?

Oh, yeah, free healthcare for everyone.

Below is an excerpt from a Facebook discussion yesterday. The topic was, quite obviously, Healthcare Reform. This is cut and pasted verbatim. I have changed the names to protect the mentally challenged left.

Her:”I swear, Ins. companies need to be taken down. Crooks.”

Me:” I don't think the insurance companies are evil incarnate, but even he (a VP from Anthem) says there needs to be some changes.”

Him: “No, the insurance companies are evil and so are the right-wing reactionaries that enable them. They drop sick people, they refuse coverage to those who need it, their executives make millions. They are in business to make huge profits on the backs of the sick and the suffering. If that's not evil tell me what is.

HEALTH CARE SHOULD NOT BE A FOR PROFIT BUSINESS!”

Me: “I don't care for those "right wing reactionaries" either. Good luck finding good doctors who will work for a non-profit.”

Him: “They don't seem to have a problem finding superb doctors in France or England. Plus the "system" being non-profit does not mean the doctors don't get paid. It just would mean the government writes the check instead of an insurance company.

At this point I either had to shut down Facebook, or go slash my wrists. I chose the former. I don’t think Hollywood could write this stuff in a script for a good sit-com. Is truth stranger than fiction?

“Where does the money come from for the government to write the checks?”, I should have asked.

I go to great lengths to be open to all avenues of thought. Intellectual honesty is also a major component of my thought process, and I believe any of us who really think things through would agree. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Like most economic problems we face, the government is the last place we should look for answers. The free market generally takes care of itself.

Free markets, free trade, freedom of choice, free people. Freedom.

If we took care of your own, nobody would need taking care of. I am such a heartless bastard.

"To take from one, because it is thought his own industry and that of his fathers has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers, have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association, the guarantee to everyone the free exercise of his industry and the fruits acquired by it."

--Thomas Jefferson, letter to Joseph Milligan, 6 April 1816

On Alliances and Foreign Intervention

Like Judas of old
You lie and deceive
A world war can be won
You want me to believe

But I see through your eyes
And I see through your brain
Like I see through the water
That runs down my drain

-Bob Dylan-

“My enemy’s enemy is my friend.” –Chinese Proverb

The American Revolution may have dragged on and quite possibly could have been lost if not for the involvement of the French. They supplied warships, supplies, and troops, but more importantly gave full recognition of the American colonies as a free and independent country. The irony here is not (15) years before, the very same French were fighting the colonists for dominance in the Northwest Territory (current mid-west).

The French were soundly defeated and humiliated during the Seven Years War by the British. The war was fought on multiple, global fronts including the American Colonies. During the French and Indian War, both the French and the British were able to form temporary alliances with native tribes that historically hated each other, otherwise known as friendships of convenience.

At the conclusion of the American Revolution, and the subsequent ratification of the U.S. Constitution in 1789, the Federalists had taken over, Jefferson was in self-exile, and was being referred to as a “Francophile”. Alexander Hamilton had the stage, and was supporting the re-establishment of relations with Great Britain. This, of course, meant hanging France out to dry. Enemy, friend, ally, friend, and then estrangement. Although Washington himself was an independent supporter of the Federalists, a quote from his inaugural mirrored Jefferson’s:

“It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world.”-George Washington from the 1796 Inauguration

“Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations; entangling alliances with none”.-Thomas Jefferson from the 1801 Inauguration

“My enemy’s enemy is my friend.”

Winston Churchill detested Communists. The United States were isolationists, and had shown no fervent interest in actively involving our military in the early stages of WWII. But for the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, we may have remained on the sideline, and continued to provide advisors to assist the British logistically. The alliance with Stalin was born out of necessity after Hitler reneged on his promise of non-aggression with the Soviet Union.

"If Hitler invaded Hell, I would make at least a favorable reference to the Devil in the House of Commons"-Winston Churchill

In the early days of the Nazi invasion of Poland, FDR stood his ground, maintaining the issue was a European one, and they should deal with it themselves. In the late 1930’s Prime Minister Chamberlain had “negotiated” a deal with Adolf Hitler, much to the chagrin of the Conservatives in Parliament. “Appeasement” took on a whole new meaning, allowing Hitler to annex Czechoslovakia, leaving him wide open for his conquest of Europe.

Fast forward to 1945, the Red Army invaded Berlin, and the Cold War was on.

“My friend’s enemy is my enemy.”

The U.S. eventually normalized relations with Germany, and the new enemy was our former ally, The Soviet Union. Japan became a trading partner, but remains arch enemies with China. The Chinese backed North Korea during the Korean War, so another former ally becomes an enemy.

“My enemy’s friend is my enemy.”

Consider the relationship with the Shah of Iran. After he was deposed and the U.S. embassy was attacked, all of a sudden we are supplying Saddam Hussein with weapons for his war against the Ayatollah. Look ahead a few years, and we are running Saddam out of Kuwait.

The U.S. supplies the Mujahideen in Afghanistan with Stinger missiles to knock Soviet helicopters down, and, next thing we know, these former freedom fighters are running airplanes into the World Trade Center. It would seem that even these temporary alliances or friendships of convenience come back to bite us time after time.

“My old friend is my new enemy.”

Jefferson had it right. It may be that temporary alliances are necessary, but in Jefferson’s world, they must be avoided whenever possible. His philosophy of neutrality made the most sense (see Switzerland). Being directly attacked complicates neutrality, but it is still sound policy. Our problem is feeling compelled to solve everybody else’s problems. A non-interventionalist policy is good policy. Engage in global commerce with no limitations, but back off entirely with foreign deployments that have little or no impact on us as a nation.

Does this sound like too much idealism? It made sense (70) years ago, and most certainly did (200) years ago. While I am not proposing total isolationism, foreign military intervention hasn’t had any real positive impact since WWII. Protect our shores and borders, engage globally, and allow us life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Pretty catchy, huh?

“My friend’s friend is my friend.”

Not always.

“My enemy’s enemy is my enemy.”

Hamas, Hezbollah, Al-Qaeda, Sunnis, Shiites, Kurds, oh man, never mind.............maybe a discussion for another day.

Rants and Raves.......

On Turtle Flu: It seems the Australians have identified a new strain of flu that can be transferred directly from pet turtles to humans....pigs....birds...turtles? We are all doomed......next thing you know flu will be passed from human to human.....

On Plantar Fasciitis: Eli Manning is a big girl..........

On Healthscare: The president revived the healthcare debate by handing out white lab coats at the White House....is BHO a great strategist, or what?

On Healthscare 2: Harry “I’m a blithering fool” Reid and Nancy “I didn’t used to look like this” Pelosi are fighting a GOP plan to post the Health care Reform bill online 72 hours prior to the Senate vote. Funny thing is, the Dems are not supporting this effort......gee...I wonder why? It would suck to actually know what was in the bill.........

On Healthscare 3: ........so I’m walking into a grocery store the other day, and, as always, there are those antiseptic hand wipes by the door. The lady I followed in grabs a grocery cart, by the handle, wheels it to the door, and proceeds to wipe down the handle with one of those antiseptic hand wipes......this is kind of like putting on a condom right after sex.........isn’t it?

On the War on Terror: The Clueless-in-Chief is having a difficult time deciding whether or not to adopt the strategies as recommended by General McCrystal. (10) more GI’s dead....make a decision Mr. President; the bodies are piling up.....

On the War on Terror 2: The leader of the Pakistani Taliban is apparently a very funny guy, and also not dead as the White House had reported. Flanked by his homeboys, he was cracking jokes and promised death to all American Pig Dog Infidels (PDI’s). He also described his group's relationship to al-Qaeda as one of "love and affection." Makes me weepy.........

On the Stimulus: Another great idea.....like the New Deal and the Great Society......Why can’t our fearless leaders in Washington open up a history book from time to time........

On the End of World: It seems as though the Hopi Indians of the American southwest came up with December 21^st, 2012 as the “end of the world as we know it” around the same time the Mayans did.....is that Karma or what?

On the End of World 2: So what happens on December 22^nd, 2012? Just wonderin’......

On Pack Mentality: So WTF is wrong with Florida raccoons? It seems as though a pack (gang?) of raccoons attacked a 74-year old on the front porch of her home. There were no arrests, and no gang colors were identified........

On Michelle O.: I still think she could whip Barack’s ass.........

On our Vice-Idiot: "Nobody is going to mess with your benefits. Nobody. All we do is make it better for people on Medicare," except ObamaCare takes away $100 billion over ten years from Medicare, which really means $500 billion. Since when can the Feds do more with less? I am so screwed.......

On Barney Frank: Breaking News! The CDC has confirmed MCBD (Mass Constituent Brain Damage) for the entire 4^th Congressional district of Massachusetts. This district has reelected Rep. Frank every (2) years since 1981. Environmental testing is ongoing..........quarantine a possibility.....

On Random Lyrics of 60’s Protest Songs:

Breakfast where the news is read
Television children fed
Unborn living, living, dead
Bullet strikes the helmet's head

And it's all over
For the unknown soldier
It's all over
For the unknown soldier

-Jim Morrison

And finally.......India has 50 million monkeys, Emus cannot walk backwards, and more people are killed annually by donkeys than in airplane crashes.

“My enemy’s enemy is my friend” is an old Chinese proverb. The Prime Minister of Great Britain, circa 1940 said the following:

"If Hitler invaded Hell, I would make at least a favorable reference to the Devil in the House of Commons" - Winston Churchill