Syrian Protests Spread

As Syrian protests spread to now eighteen provinces, hundreds of thousands of Syrian's flocked to the streets after noon prayers on Friday. At least thiry-two were killed across the country, with hundreds more injured. The Damascus suburb of Doumas saw the worst of it. In the nine months of protests the United Nations estimates that over five thousand protestors have been killed by the Syrian government.
Currently Arab League observers are in Syria, but even members of their group have stated they do not think they will be successful in determining if Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is actually trying to find a peaceful solution. Syrian freedom activists say that the government has not tried at all.
Around the world, governments have verbally condemned the actions of al-Assad's government, but where is the outcry that met less death in Libya? By the time hundreds had died in Libya, the world was calling for Muammar Qaddafi to resign and leave the country, and when he didn't they used military force to aid the rebels in defeating him. Yet with Syria, the world seems content to ask President al-Assad to find a peaceful end to the protests.
What is the difference you might ask? Why does the world not step in as they did before and end this violence? How are Libya's people worth more than Syria's? Sadly it comes down to one simple answer, oil. Libya supplied and transported oil for the western world, especially Europe. Where as Syria, does not. Now if this was Kuwait action would've already been taken to ensure that there was no violence anywhere near the oil.
Syria is a true humanitarian crisis. Yet other than mentions does not seem to gather any sympathy from the world. Something more than saying "bad al-Assad" must be done. But what? Troops on the ground is not an answer. Nor are airstrikes really. But the world truly can not just sit back and watch as the Syrian people are brutalized and massacred by their government. The time has come for action that hurts the government, but not the people of Syria.
Will the world leaders of the United Nations, Arab League, European Union, Russia, China, and the United States have the guts to do it?

Advantages of Bringing In-N-Out to Denver

If you've ever been to Southern California, you've likely enjoyed an In-N-Out burger. Over the last decades, they've expanded into Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and Texas. You may have even traveled out of your way to hit one of the locations. I know I have added an hour or so to a trip for a burger and shake there.
Recently it was announced that Denver city councilman, Albus Brooks, is working with In-N-Out to bring them to Denver and other parts of Colorado. Some have come out against the idea complaining that we should stick to the local burger places and keep Colorado for Colorado. But the overwhelming majority support this idea in full. There really are many great benefits for Colorado to get In-N-Out to open stores in the state.
The most obvious of the benefits would be the great quality and taste of the restaurants. Yes it is fast food, but everything is fresh, never frozen. As the company's slogan says "Quality you can taste". The official menu is quite simple, but for those who desire there is a "secret" menu to be had.
Secondly, as those of us who live in Denver know, there really aren't that great of burgers to be had here. O some will argue for one place or another, but let's face it, if they really were that great everyone would know of them (If you're one of those, tell me where and I will gladly come try it). Truly our best hope has been another California chain, Fatburger, which has a couple locations in the metro. Other than that we really only have places like Red Robin and McDonald's to rely on for our burgers. So basically here we have a large city without great burgers. Anyone else see the demand for In-N-Out here? Remember the insane lines when Krispy Kreme opened at Park Meadows? In-N-Out would make that look like nothing.
The most important benefit of In-N-Out coming to Colorado would be the economics. They would create jobs, at their stores and distribution center. And good paying ones with benefits. This is not a company that gives minimum wage and that's it. They truly take care of their employees. And more importantly to the rest of the state, the fact that the company uses everything fresh means they would be buying their food supplies from local companies, who with the increased demand might be able to grow and expand themselves. Just one In-N-Out could literally mean hundreds of thousands more dollars being spent in state, each year. Imagine what a dozen or more locations could mean.
I truly can not think of an actual negative to In-N-Out expanding to Denver, the front range, and the rest of Colorado. There is nothing but win in such an arrangement.

The Strait of Hormuz

After the United States and European Union increased (as well as threatened even more) sanctions against Iran for it's continued work towards becoming a country with nuclear weapons, as well as other incidents (like the storming of the British embassy), Iran threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz. For those unaware the Strait is where a sixth or more of the world's oil travels through on it's way to western markets, fifteen million gallons every single day. Parviz Sarvari, a member of the Iranian parliament was quoted by Iranian media as saying “soon we will hold a military maneuver to the Strait of Hormuz. If the world wants to make the region insecure, we will make the world insecure." Clearly no misunderstanding there, or friendliness for that matter.
In various times in the past the United States has made it clear that such an action would be "an act of war". Has the Iranian government been pushed to the point of 1941 Japan? Where no more shall be taken from the westerners. Is war the only response left?
Many would not be upset by such. Since Iran has refused to back off it's attempts towards nuclear armament, more and more have called for some sort of military action to ensure Iran does not join the ranks of nuclear powers. Various mishaps, deaths, and explosions have led some to believe that it has already unofficially started.
Troubling is the near silence from Washington this time. In fact the main response has been from the US 5th Fleet, which is based in Bahrain, not far to the west. The 5th, clearly stated that any such action would not be tolerated and well within the means of the fleet to deal with.
This brings forth questioning of Washington's power and ability to control. Is the Obama administration afraid to back up our own policies and ensure that the world will not be held powerless by the terrorism of Iran's threats? And if that is so, are the leaders of the American military willing and prepared to strike out on their own to protect American and world interests?
Dangerous questions coming about in dangerous times.
Who will back down or stand up first? Iran, Obama, or the US military? Or will some one else take the center stage and ensure access to oil for the world? China has been wanting to show off it's new carrier and stealth fighter, maybe they'll be the ones to not only force Iran to back down, but also to one up Obama who has been maneuvering the United States into a cold war with them. Either all parties will back down or someone will emerge the winner. The answer to that could very likely decide the power balance of the world for the next few years if not longer.

The Latest From Mexico and The Drug War

Well at least we can see that the Mexican government is taking the drug war a little more seriously. As of today they disbanded the entire nine hundred person Veracruz-Boca Del Rio police force. No small measure there. Since they don't know who the corrupt cops are, they're getting rid of every single one of them and having the Mexican Navy take over law enforcement for the area. Former members of the police force can rejoin, after passing a series of loyalty tests. Would be interesting to find out what that involves.

The slashing attempt to curb corruption comes in answer to sixty-seven bodies being found in four sites, in the area, thought to be the scenes of a major battle between two of the largest drug gangs. This isn't the first area where Mexican armed forces or federal police have taken over, but the largest to this point.

Quite an interesting and bold statement by the Mexican government, it is inspiring to actually see a government making steps towards ending this major issue, which effects a good portion, if not all, of North America. And the question still remains will they ever be able to stem the flow?

The United States has been seen to do less and less under the Obama administration. That administration has definitely done nothing visible to increase help against the cartels. At least to public view, they seem to have stopped caring about that war, and even ignored drug gang's encroachment into US territory.

One thing is for sure, Mexico's job would be made easier if a certain person named Holder would not have been supplying the drug cartels with guns and ammunition. We can only hope that Holder and anyone else who was responsible for that be held accountable for not just crimes against the United States and Mexico, but literally war crimes against humanity.

For now though, good move Mexico! Proud to see someone working on the problem facing us all.

Passing of Kim Jong Il

At the age of 69, Kim Jong Il has died. The 'Dear Leader' of the Communist nation had ruled since 1994 when his father had died. Apparently he died on a train Saturday, with the North Korean government taking the time in between to strengthen it's grasp and avoid any riot or such. Kim Jong Il, leaves a greatly impoverished country, that has a military over one million strong.
His leadership caused former President George W. Bush to list North Korea as part of the 'axis of evil'. Definitely one of the worst dictators of this century, he will very unlikely be missed in the world.
At the news of his death South Korea went on high alert, whilst their government and that of Japan went into emergency meetings. His expected successor is his third son, Kimg Jong Un, of which little is really known. Un, was not even really seen until the last couple years as he was brought to the forefront and given the rank equivalent to that of a four star general. He is thought to have studied computer sciences. Much of the next while will depend on him, and how he takes the reins of power.
Will he lead the people in the footsteps of his father and grandfather? Will he attempt to lead them out of the darkness of communism towards a more free state? Will he aim for somewhere inbetween, more in the lines of China? Or will he even be the one to make the decisions?
Only time will tell, and the next few days in North Korea will be crucial in the telling.

Where's The Freedom?

The United States Senate has passed the "indefinite detention" bill, which had already cleared the House of Representatives. This bill allows for the US government to hold anyone, no matter their citizenry, indefinitely without trial. All the govenment has to do is accuse them, without proof, of being a terrorist.
That should really worry you!
Already some in the Obama administration have labeled the Tea Party movement as terrorists. The Occupy movement, has also been called such. Comparing them isn't really fair to either, as they stabd for completely different things and are on totally different levels of intelligence and organization, but they now could legally be grouped as one and the same.
The government now has the ability to lock away someone from either of those groups, or any other, forever without ever going to trial, just because they felt like it.
There is no longer the protection of an American citizen's right to a trial of their peers. There is no longer even a guaranteed tiral.
How easy for the government to label anyone who publically disagrees with it, or even annoys it in any way, as a terrorist just to get rid of the problem?
The guy who cut me off on the way home from work, definitely a jerk, but if I was in the government all I need to do is brand him terrorist and he's never heard from again. Now there's some road rage.
That was am extreme example, but it is something that is totally legal now that the bill has passed. All it takes is Obama's signature and it's official.
Where's the freedom, America? We're losing it, and now could realistically lose our freedom fighting for it. We are beyond trying to maintain our freedoms, now we have to fight to get them back. If the fight isn't brought to them soon, then eventually we'll have to sacrifice lives to get it back.

Welcome to America, Occupy

Remember when Occupy was just an annoying distraction? Ah the good ole days.
Now instead of just "peacefully" trashing parks, they've gone on a move to disrupt even more of the working American's lives. Today they moved into being "Occupy Walmart". Parks were one thing, but this is where millions of Americans work, let alone shop and take their kids.
Many people like to take shots at Walmart and "the people of Walmart", but the company is about as American as you can get. It believes in the free market system, the people who work for it, and giving back to the communities. O no one can deny that Sam Walton's kids are ridiculously well off. But Walmart and Sam's Club stores give back hundreds of thousands each to charities, medical foundations, and other community helpers in their areas.
And this is now the company that they've chosen to protest. Once again they've chosen to protest a lot of what makes America great, rather than the actual problems that sit in Washington.
But all that you my readers know, as you're intelligent Americans unlike the occupiers.
I really wanted to hit on some highlights of the attempt by Occupy to block a Walmart distribution center in Loveland, Colorado.
This was apparently organized by Occupy Denver, but led by a member of Occupy Oakland. You may remember Occupy Oakland as the ones who keep trying to shut down the port there, and cause other forms of general mayham like rape and murder. The arrests have definitely increased with 13 of 50 Occupiers taken into custody for blocking Walmart trucks from entering and leaving the center.
Out of today at Loveland, came my (at least so far in the movement) all time favourite quote from Occupy: "I'm out here for fairness for all people of this country," said Loveland resident Carla Massaro. "Corporations are not people. I have a sign on my car that says, 'I refuse to believe corporations are people until Texas executes one.'" Wait! Did Occupy just say they're pro death penalty?
But my definite all time favourite moment was that whilst the Loveland police sent out their SWAT, the Larimer County Sheriff sent the Posse. Was great seeing the Occupiers met by horses ridden by cowboys with long mustaches. Welcome to America!
Also very proud of the police who were there. Even one protestor that was arrested commented on how polite and nice the officers that arrested him were.

Who to Support in 2012?

All in all there are currently 23 candidates officially running for President of The United States of America. Some of them you'll never have heard of. And they're from all over the political center, with a few exceptions to the wings.
As things get close to the primaries, we face some crucial challenges. None of the three leading Republican candidates are really that conservative. Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich are both only partially conservatives, whilst Ron Paul's answer to our problems is basically to burn everything down (part of which is turning our back on all our allies including Israel) and then see where we can get. Sadly there does not seem to be anyone who has enough backing to win and who is actually conservative and would move forward to help the country recover and improve. None are actually good choices, but they might at least be improvements over Barack Obama.
To add to it, possibly major players Mike Huckabee and Donald Trump have both threatened to run as third party, independent candidates. O, and the ever humble Ron Paul has as well.
Most if not all of the runners who continue on as third party candidates will take votes away from the Republican candidate.
Rumors of Hilary Clinton running against Obama are making the rounds again, but not likely to bear fruit this late in the game. She is the only one who could really take a chunk out of the Democrat votes.
So we're back to facing internal conservative battles as the truest threat in 2012.
As conservatives how do we choose between Romney, whose Romneycare was the basis for a lot of Obamacare; Gingrich, who is politically and morally ambiguous; and Paul, who whilst likely being the most honest politician ever is...well just scary?
Romney simply isn't conservative, he says things that are, but his growth of government control shows his true colours. And how much the main stream media protects him is disturbing as well.
Paul, well his idea of balancing things is to start at zero, which is totally a bad idea and about as destructive (if not as much (or maybe even more so)) as Obama's growing the government as quickly as possible. Starting at zero reeks of anarchy, rather than the Republic we are supposed to be.
Which leaves us with Gingrich. And that about says it, he's the lesser of the evils. Of the three leading Republican candidates he is most inline with conservatism. He is the least threatening to our freedoms and safety, and the most likely to actually get us on the road to recovery. In no way is he the "perfect candidate", but no one ever will be.
So of the three I choose Gingrich. But no matter what, in the end we must remember to Hang Together or Separately, our nation is at stake.

Winning a Cold War With China

As mentioned yesterday, Obama seems intent on beginning a cold war with China. Whether it be with statements that, "the United States is a Pacific power, and we are here to stay."; the deployment of extra troops to Australia; or the gifting of twenty-five F 16 fighters to Indonesia the Obama administration seems determined to build up US, allied, and "friendly" strength in a wall of power around China.

But can the US win a cold war with China in the same way it did with the Soviet Union, through pure military build up?  With the Soviet Russia, the American economy was truly the main force behind the conflict that the USSR just could not keep up with let alone match. But the Chinese economy does rival the US one. In fact many of the key components to US military weaponry are made in China, so an economic war would be disastrous for America.

The focus needs to shift then. Before the USA can even begin to contemplate battling China, they must first build up their own struggling economy. Products must be manufactured in the states, ending the dependence on foreign corporations. "Drill here, drill now" must be joined by "Private sector Jobs here, private sector jobs now" and "Build it here, build it now". If this was accomplished the United States' economy would be once again strengthened and could get back to being unrivaled in the world. Only then could America even hope to win this new conflict.

Except we live in the world of Obama's Hope and Change, where reality takes a back seat as we are driven at extreme recklessness across the bridge to nowhere. In Obama's world giving our military technology away is a good idea. In the Nobel peace prize winner's mind a few marines (why 250 not 300?) will stop the millions of Chinese, should they ever try to do something. In this President's head, we are still the un crippled United States of America that no one messes with, because we can not only take them on, but all their friends with them.

It's time to wake up and realize the situation. Reality does not go away if you just ignore it. As much as we do need to protect ourselves from increased Chinese influence we need to start doing that by rebuilding ourselves at home first. And to do that, we must elect a President who won't bow to other governments. A President who's allegiance is to the Flag of the United States of America and to The Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

Only then can we worry about a cold war with China.

F16s to Indonesia

In case you missed it, we are now giving F-16s to Indonesia. Yes, not selling, but giving 25 of our fighters. To a quote unquote friendly nation. Yes, Indonesia is one of the more powerful nations in that part of the world, and strategically key due to its location, since we seem to be beginning a cold war with China. But, it is one of the most unstable governments in the area as well, constantly fighting rebels and separatists. The country is also a haven for terrorists, including Al Qaeda, who last I checked we were still at war with.
So lets repeat, we are gifting F 16s to an unstable government, who is only semi friendly, that harbours (or at least doesn't fight to get rid of) terrorist organizations that are currently at war with The United States of America. What could go wrong?
If we are serious about giving away military tech (that may be old for us, but is still beyond top of the line for most countries) how about we give it to a proven friend, that's stable, and helping us fight the war on terror? But that would be intelligent, and the administration again and again shows it is not that.
The only real possible benefit to this is the increased presence around China, but does any really thinking Indonesia would get involved if the situation actually went to war? No, they'll stay out of it, then back the winner.
At the very least we could've sold the jets to them, then we'd at least have gotten something out of it. We are facing a bad economy aren't we? O it wouldn't have solved it or anything, but when refurbishing the engines costs up to $30 million a plane, you know we could've made a few billion easy.
So President Obama and Secretary Clinton, what real benefit was there to handing over our technology to a place that will likely lose it all too quickly to our enemies? I'd love to hear about it or see it.
Lets face it, this at best another blunder by the administration, if not a complete failure. Hopefully our troops will never be shot at with these planes, but I'm sure the tech will lead to something new being shot at them.


Update: This article was picked up by Landmark Report.

My Blogcon11 and Plans

For those that totally missed it, Blogcon11 was this weekend here in Denver. Sadly I missed out on the conference, due to not being able to get it off work. Luckily, I was able to head on down Saturday evening and spend time meeting and conversing with various bloggers and twitterers. This did mean I missed Occupy Denver's attempted invasion, but did get to see a few of them (and the police keeping an eye on them) on my way to the hotel where blog con was at.
A very special thanks to @Jimmiebjr for introducing me to many of those that I met, the blogging and cpac advice, and talking with me most of the night.
Someone else that I met, and spent most of the night was Karen Harrington who is running for Congress in Florida's 20th district. She was awesome, totally real, and literally just hung out with us the whole night. If I lived in her district she would completely have my vote, I'd likely even volunteer at her campaign.
Through out the night I met a couple dozen people, some of whom I talk to regularly, others who are known to many of you, and some who I'm sad I hadn't heard of before.
If you're reading this and I didn't specifically mention you, it's not meant as a slight, I did consider mentioning everyone I met in here, but decided that was too much like bragging rather than thanks. Many of you I didn't get to talk to as much as I'd've liked, and some of you I did get to for bits at various times. I'm grateful for all of you who took the time to meet and talk with me. Definitely look forward to expanding that in the future.
To those that I didn't get to meet, I'm saddened by that, but time was limited. Hopefully we'll get to rectify that soon!
Twas all in all a great night, and I really hope I get the chance to repeat it at Cpac12.
If you haven't had the chance to meet people like that or go to a convention, you should seriously think about it. Tis definitely worth it!

There are some things that were suggested to me, that I had been thinking of anyways, which will hopefully help me become a better blogger for you. I'm going to do my best to find a time, that each week I can write on something, so that y'all can always expect some kind of regular piece. For me it will be a bit of a struggle as I generally only write when inspired, as I like those pieces since they just flow out.
Also, I hope to purchase a notepad of some sort so that I will no longer be limited to my droid for all my writing. This will greatly increase my ability to write, as well as read your blogs.
With any luck both of those will take place within the remainder of 2011.
As I've mentioned, I hope to be able to go to Cpac12. Working on it, may take some doing for me to make it, but I'm really hopeful! Prayer that things work for me to get there would be appreciated.

Shelby for President

In a move to show their ever increasing intelligence Occupy Denver has officially announced a leader, Shelby, a three year old border collie. This move was made in response to requests from Denver Mayor Michael Hancock to form a leadership that he and other Denver city officials could meet with. One could easily be reminded of a certain Roman emperor that set his horse as his highest advisor.

A blatant slap to the face of intelligent Americans and all of humanity, Shelby shall no doubt become a mascot for not just Denver, but other cities as well, maybe even the whole movement. We likely now have our third Presidential candidate. Shelby in 2012!

In normal society this would be the end of a movement. But in this ludicrous movement which seems to draw crazies, it will bring even more. Already Occupy Denver has invited all

civic minded dogs to join the march.

So no longer is this just a human movement. Animal Farm anyone?

We must hope that this will bring about an end though. For if not, more of our tax dollars will be wasted cleaning up and ensuring the safety of the rest of America from these occupy groups. Tis time for sanity to kick in, to say nothing of morality and decency.

Pumped Up Kicks

If you listen to any kind of top 40 radio, you've more than likely heard this song Foster the People's "Pumped Up Kicks". What you might not be aware of is the words.
To most people it describes one school shooting or another, with the main character also finishing off his dad as well. Some say that this is a song that promotes school violence in response to being bullied. Others that it is only trying to make us more aware. In various interviews, the band seems to give mixed signals on this as well.
Either way this is an important issue. The fact that some teens get to the point where they decide taking a weapon to school to use on their peers is extremely troubling. The aftermath of such a decision all the more so. Liberal forces within our country use it as an excuse to impose more government controls to limit our freedoms. Guns especially are targeted. But the guns aren't the issue.
The issue is that teens today see such violence as a possible way out, if their peers mistreat or don't accept them. Parts of society have taught them violence and even suicide are the ways out. But they aren't.
O we could blame the music, video games, TV, and movies that involve and maybe even encourage violence. But again, that's not the issue. Censoring the first amendment rights would be a wrong following a wrong, just as is attacking the second.
The issue is society and what it encourages and promotes. Games, music, TV, and movies only mirror what society accepts. O sometimes they'll be on the borders of acceptability, or maybe even beyond, but the majority only gives what is asked for. The real issue isn't what the song actually means, but what caused society to get to a place where it wants songs like that.
So how do we fix society? How do we keep another kid from going to school and shooting their classmates? How do we re instill morality and law?
No matter what, we can not do it by taking away freedoms. Any society that thinks it can save itself by doing so is sowing it's own down fall all the more.
Education, not just in schools but in values is the key. Without ethical values and morality being taught, society will crumble. History shows this time and time again. Will we repeat it? Or will we finally learn from the lessons of the past?

In, Not Of

For me, and I'm sure many other Christians tis really difficult for us to be in the world and not of it. The easiest thing is to be in the world and become of it as well. For most if not all Christians it is a daily struggle. Some of those that it is not a struggle, don't even try to fight it anymore, they have become in and of the world, yet still believe in Christ. That is a very difficult and dangerous position to be in, if not impossible and spiritually deadly. Another way that most tend to give up is to have almost two separate lives. One is the one they show off at church and with that group of people. The other is the one they show the rest of the world. They are the hypocrites that most of the world takes note of. People who say two different things, and live two different ways. Another danger is what some choose. Being not only not of, but doing their best to be not in as well. Tis a very hard task to do, and people take from these Christians, that Christians are arrogant and uncaring of the world. Most churches as a body are stuck in this mode. To be in, not of a Christian must live the way Christ did. This doesn't necessarily mean going on missions around the world, or even dying for their beliefs. It could simply be taking the step to show the light of the word in areas around them that don't usually see it. But it is not just the individual Christians who need to do this. Churches as a unified body need to step out of their comfort zones and go to the front lines of ministry in their own areas, or maybe a nearby one. Individuals and bodies must come together remembering that we are called to serve and minister to the world we are in. We should not demand that the world come to our places of worship to know God. This can be done through local service projects of varying types, or maybe renting a theater or some other neutral place for a night and having a free concert for their neighbourhood. God is everywhere. Everywhere we go, we take Him with us. To truly be in, not of and be faithful to your belief you must go out and introduce your neighbours to the loving God, their Creator, and Saviour. Create a place where they will feel welcome, and maybe they'll experience God for the first time and acknowledge His grace.

Dating: Can You be Too Picky? And Some Things to Avoid

Is there actually such a thing as being too picky when it comes to finding a mate?
No, there absolutely is not. This peson is meant to be your soul mate, your one and only. You want to be picky! Settling for someone that is less than what you deserve is the worst thing you can do.
You need to take your time and not rush things. Go out on dates, and get to know many different people. Figure out what you like and don't like. Make a list of qualities that are necessary, another of things that you can't stand, a third of what you'd like, and a fourth you'd rather they not have. If your necessity list is bigger than your likes you're in trouble and need to rethink some things. Not necessarily during the date, but definitely after go through your lists and see how that person matches up.
If someone doesn't fit at least ninety percent of your likes and necessities they're probably not right for you. If less than fifty percent definitely not. But just because they don't fit your mate ideal doesn't mean write them off completely. Some of them could end up being your best friends in life.
You may not find your mate, but great friends are always great. If you're really lucky you'll end up with both.

Some things to look out for and avoid whilst dating:
Cheaters! Always be sure you're not helping someone cheat. You don't want to be that person. And if they'll leave someone for you, they're all too likely to leave you for someone else.
People needing rescue. If you help them as a friend, and everything gets fixed then there may be possibilities. But if you get involved when they're still in trouble, then they very likely might leave you once they don't need to be rescued any longer.
Liars. If they'll lie to begin with then they'll never stop.
Jealousy. If they don't want you even spending time with friends when you're dating they'll become even more controlling later on. Beware and get out.
Abusers. Whether its emotional, verbal, or physical never put up with it. Don't even start with someone who is. Walk away if you already are.
And never be with someone just because its easy or to avoid being single. Never know what you could miss whilst you're just settling into a false comfort zone.

Yom Kippur, Fasting, and Eating Disorders

In case you missed it, this Saturday was Yom Kippur. To quote from Wikipedia

Yom Kippur, also known as Day of Atonement, is the holiest and most solemn day of the year for the Jews. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue services. Yom Kippur completes the annual period known in Judaism as the High Holy Days or Yamim Nora'im ("Days of Awe"). Yom Kippur is the tenth day of the month of Tishrei. According to Jewish tradition, God inscribes each person's fate for the coming year into a book, the Book of Life, on Rosh Hashanah, and waits until Yom Kippur to "seal" the verdict. During the Days of Awe, a Jew tries to amend his or her behavior and seek forgiveness for wrongs done against God and against other human beings. The evening and day of Yom Kippur are set aside for public and private petitions and confessions of guilt. At the end of Yom Kippur, one considers oneself absolved by God.

Yom Kippur reminds me of my human frailty and how much I need God's guidance to survive. How grateful I am to know He has a plan for me. I need not doubt, only have faith in Him and His plan, and know that His grace is protecting me.

For me Yom Kippur and the other days of fasting are also difficult times. They remind me of part of my senior year when I nearly died from anorexia. No one around me noticed how much weight I had lost. Luckily, for me, I had a good friend end up hospitalized because of anorexia. She had passed out and they finally noticed she was anorexic. I was almost to that point as well. Her experience scared me badly enough that I began eating again.
The fasting days also remind me of not long later in my senior year when I'd had a migraine every day for a month. Drs. couldn't figure out what was wrong with me, tests were coming up completely negative on everything. So they ordered me to fast for a week. I was worried the whole time that I would end up anorexic again if I got in the habit of not eating. Results were inconclusive, so they ordered me to have another week of fasting. I almost refused, but so badly wanted to find out what was wrong with me, that I went through with it. After that second week, they found I have a liver disorder that effects my metabolism, I need to eat more often that most people or my body stops functioning correctly. Even just a one day fast like Yom Kippur will result in a major headache, weakness, fatigue, and possibly passing out. Due to all that this is the first time in ten to eleven years that I've participate in a fast.

But my experiences have also given me one of my personal crusades, fighting eating disorders.
Very few people realize how many suffer from them. We all likely know at least two people with one, and very likely never noticed that they have one. Anorexia and bulimia are probably the most well known types, but there are many others. There are lots of different causes of them too. They can be caused by psychological, biological, or environmental effects upon someone's life. Even such common things as depression and peer pressure can cause one to occur, and ADHD is known to increase the chances of developing one. Most forms can be easy to correct, and often are totally avoidable in the first place.
The easiest prevention is the person's knowing they have someone who cares for them just as they are. Even a smile could help someone. Who amongst us couldn't use those?

3rd Senator

Do hereby propose that each state be given a 3rd Senate seat. Senate terms should remain 6 years long, with an election for one of the Senators occurring every 2 years. Senator's votes should no longer be counted individually. On each issue whichever side the majority of that state's Senators agree gets the 1 state vote. This should give greater importance to each state as a whole, rather than individual voters, which is the point of the Senate to begin with.


Note: This has been stuck in my head for a couple weeks now and I wanted to try and get it out. The unlikelihood of such actually being taken up is noted. And please ignore the government growth aspect and focus on what it might mean for state's power. This is a piece purely to prompt discussion.

Food Reviews

I've actually been at three new restaurants since I said I was going to do reviews, and I've been looking over food critics seeing the formatting they use. Just not happy with the fit of any so far. Guess I should just post them anyways and see how they work. Hopefully I'll have the chance to do so tonight. Mostly saying, I've not forgotten this ;)

Assumptions

So many people assume way too much. See right there an assumption, it is that easy. How much harder is it to not assume someone is a certain way, without finding out first? Actually really difficult. It is human instinct to make decisions based on first impressions or generalities. We naturally judge others, by our own understanding of things and expectations. But to truly know people you have to be able to look past surroundings and surface perceptions. You have to get to know them, as if everything else was a blank slate. In the long run you can put back their actual surroundings and influences to try and understand how they became who they are, but still you must overcome the stuff that your own mind adds without even thinking. Various philosophers have said you can't truly no someone til they are about to die. At that last moment you meet the real them. Now I don't know about going that far, but there is a definite truth in that when you strip all else away then you know someone's true self. I often see on Twitter a lot of people just making assumptions all over the place. There, I mostly talk with conservative, middle class, Christian, Americans. So most assume I'm one as well. Not all of those are true of me. Which isn't, doesn't actually matter. Point is most everyone assumes they're all true. When I make a comment about celebrating a Jewish holiday often people assume that must mean I'm Jewish. Or when I make an anti Obama tweet, I often receive messages from liberals yelling at me for being "tea party" or Republican, neither of which I am. And these are just examples that happen to me, regularly. If we all shared stories we'd have all millions of examples. And it isn't like I myself am immune to it. It is something I'm working on. If anyone took the time to see the whole picture they might begin to actually be able to understand people. Differences are what make life worth while, time to stop trying to putting everyone into your little box.

oooShinyTreats

For those that missed it, I've created yet another twitter handle: @oooShinyTreats. Tis going to be completely based on food and drink. I'm letting you know this hear, because I've a new goal of visiting at least one new restaurant a month (hopefully once a week), and I plan on blogging here about the experience, basically a review of the place. We shall see how it goes, as I continue constructing my journey through life.

Preparing For a Road Trip

Plan ahead. That can't really be emphasized enough. You'll want to begin saving up a few months in advance.
Know exactly where you are going. Count the miles and then allowing for your car's miles per gallon (subtracted by 5) you can figure how many gallons of gas you'll need. Add in an extra 50 miles per day just to be safe.
Look up how much gas costs where you'll be. Add one dollar to all prices to allow for unexpected fluctuations. With the knowledge of gas prices combined with how many gallons your trip will require figure out how much gas is going to cost you. This should lead to you having more than you'll need, which is never a bad thing.
When you're planning the money for the trip, factor in hotel costs of one hundred dollars a night and food of twenty five dollars a day for fast food or twenty dollars a meal for restaurants. Again, this should be more than it'll actually cost, but better safe than sorry. To save money you may try taking food with you, and hitting a grocery store on the way back.
Remember to at least look at hotels that are near or on your chosen path. Whether you reserve or not is up to you, but you'll want an idea where you're staying. Or if you have the equipment, camping can be a fun way to save money.
A few weeks before you go, take your vehicle into your mechanic for a checkup, just to be sure everything is working perfectly. If not you have the next couple weeks to get it all taken care of. Some of the extra money set aside could come in handy here.
If you have the time, consider going to attractions along your route. These could add some great fun and extra memories to your adventure. Also check to see if you have any old friends or online ones you could meet for lunch or dinner, along the way.
Music, especially if you're travelling alone, is a very important key. You could be going through places with no radio stations at all. Don't just bring any CDs, but your favourites, that you can listen to over and over again. Mix discs are also a great way to commemorate your trip.
Lastly, we can't forget safety. Know your driving limits and don't push them. Plan stops for food, stretching, and walking every three to four hours. Set fuel stops so that you never get below a quarter of a tank. Getting gas and taking a short walk every so often could seriously save your life. Plan your hotel stops so that you won't end up too tired before you get to them.

Update on The Issue at Hand

Twitter's head of security @delbius

Nod, it's not something we'd do, nor from an email configured for mail. Sounds like forged headers.

With that and other tweets, Twitter has stated that the email mentioned last night was not from them. And that my week off Twitter was likely from this bug.

That bug doesn't actually explain what had happened to me, nor the following events of last night.

Facts:
Monday night through Saturday morning my phone could not access twitter via browser or apps. Nor would my password work from other sources. Yet suddenly Saturday afternoon the same pw (since changed) allowed me access.
Someone did send me that email. Someone apparently pretending to be twitter. As the email specifically acknowledged the issues I'd been having that someone either had been involved in blocking me from twitter or is on a very short list of people who saw my facebook describing the issues I was having.
Not long after first blogging about it, someone (not me) deleted the blogpost, which after finding that out I reposted and changed my blog's password.
After that my email was hacked and I lost access to my proof. At this point still waiting on google to help me recover my email account.

Summary:
Over the last week someone managed to block me for most of the week from twitter, then phished me with an apparently forged twitter email, and also managed to access my blog.

Conclusion:
Somewhere someone how I pissed someone off, and they set a trap for me. They're likely reading this. This someone hacked multiple sites, and so I would consider them dangerous.

Lessons:
Be careful who you piss off.
Make sure you're protected.
Always attach your proof to your accuastion, don't do them seperately.
Likely a good idea to share your proof with more powerful people before going public.

Reiteration:
For those that say I made this up, I didn't.
To my friends who never doubted me, thanks.
Again y'all be careful.


Addit: 10-4-12, had several people mention to me, during CPAC Colorado, that I was possibly one of the first victims of the Twitter gulag.

Why I Was Gone From Twitter

(Addit if you read this, go here afterwards.

This is a repost of a blog I posted earlier. I did not take the first one down…

I've been debating whether to make this a long or short story. I can't decide, so I'm just going to start writing.
Sunday night I found myself unable to access twitter via web or by any of the apps on my phone. When I woke Monday all was fine, til Monday night when everything was down again. Tuesday I still was unable to even access the login page, anyone's timelines, or get anything but a blank white page when I tried twitter's site.
At that point I asked a couple people if they'd heard of anyone else having problems. All came back negative, and so Wednesday afternoon I sent my first email to Twitter. Thursday evening another, around the same time I commented on Facebook about my troubles. Friday night another email, and Saturday another.
There never was any response to those.
Sunday afternoon however I suddenly had Twitter back. And I had an email from them.

"We at Twitter want to apologize for your issues over the last week. We were asked by a government agency to suspend your accounts while you were investigated for suspicious activity, including anti-government propaganda. We complied after being given a warrant from a federal judge. You have now been cleared, and your accounts reinstated. Sorry for any inconvience this may have caused."

The email goes on with information on how and who to contact their legal department to receive more information.

Y'all have seen my tweets. You know what they say. You know what I believe in and stand for. Somehow my desire for a return to Constitutionally limited government has put me on a government watch list. I'm cleared, for now, supposedly.
How many of you are on such a list for your tweets?


(Addit: remember to go here now.

Just Think

There are many things which set us humans apart from the rest of the creatures in our world. One of these greatest differences is our ability to think. All humans are capable of thought, though the way they express it may be different. If one loses the ability to think coherently, they are either considered disabled or insane. If one loses the ability to think at all, it is due to either a single extremely powerful emotion blocking out rational thought for a time or it is due to damage to the brain or death. There are different levels of thinking, subconscious and conscious. There are also different depths of thought ranging from shallow, only thinking of surface things, to deep philosophical thought, which ironically is at its most basic thinking about thinking.

For millennia all humans have thought. from the earliest hunter gatherer's focus on survival, to modern first world workers stressing about the commute making them late. Throughout all history those who could think beyond the normal level were either celebrated or mocked, sometimes both, and often one then later the other. Perhaps most important were the inventors of things such as arrows or spears, hoes and shovels, to later cars, planes, and computers. For these people gave the ability to their progeny of being able to devote more time to thought rather than just survival. As the inventors improved life and allowed for other ways of life to develop, the people this freed to begin these other ways of life, began attempting to improve life in other ways with philosophical beliefs into economics, government, society, etc. In this way man went from thinking solely about survival, taking steps further and further towards being able to not worry about it.

Yet whilst man still invents, the ability to think seems to be diminishing. More and more of the population seems to be content letting others think for them. They show this with their choice in government types that no longer represent more freedom, but less. They show this by their complete devotion to mass media, that which used to be a pleasure now runs all too many lives. They show this by not even caring as their neighbors begin pointing out their loss of freedom, instead they spout the words the media gives them about how they're gaining freedom, as select people continue taking it from them.

This is the danger facing mankind now. Not just the loss of freedom, but the loss of the ability to care about being free. The loss of the ability to think for one's self.

In the United States we are not just facing the gradual loss of physical freedom for ourselves, but the eventual loss of thought freedom in the whole world. The freedom for all that The United States of America stands for, represents the best in humanity. That all men can are created equally and can work together for the common good.

The only thing that government is meant to do is protect from threats and provide national stability. Government is not meant to run every aspect of our lives for us. It isn't even really supposed to provide a guide. If all men were good, then there would be no need for a government at all. But that isn't the case, some are bad, some are even evil. Government is there to protect the good from that bad and evil. That is all. That is the extent of what should be the government's boundaries. Beyond that is the power derived to We The People. It is time to get government our of our thoughts. It is time to get all of We The People thinking for themselves.

There is your challenge, think for yourself and encourage others to think for themselves as well.
Thinking is freedom. Thinking is life.
Just think.

1st Published Movie Review!

Landmark published my review of Transformers!

http://landmarkreport.com/jsangster/2011/06/transformers-dark-of-the-moon-review-pure-summer-action-fun/

Transformers: Dark of The Moon Review

For me this was what summer movies are all about. A movie that has you at the edge of your seat at times from pure excitement. Just like the other Transformer movies, there was a lot of humor and tons of action, with intervals of space to allow the plot to continue. As expected from a Michael Bay film there's some over the top action shots, which aren't that believable, but are very sweet to watch. I do love how once again there were very good shots showing red white and blue and some patriotic little speeches. The best of which being at the end with Optimus Prime giving his final words and Bumble Bee standing in front of a torn and battered US flag still waving free despite the battle's destruction. There's also a sweet scene of Air Force wing suits.
Basically, you will enjoy this film if you go looking for an extremely enjoyable summer movie, if you go expecting the next big Oscar winner, you'll be sorely disappointed.

Warning: Spoilers if you continue.
From the start with the crashing of a ship on the moon in 1961, and the Apollo missions primarily being about exploring this ship, the plot was mostly coherent and sensible. The Autobots work openly and very closely with the US Military out of NEST, commanded by Colonel Lennox (Josh Duhamel). They've just successfully taken out an illegal nuclear facility somewhere in the Middle East (honestly one of my favourite parts), and then the plot for this movie begins with an encounter with Decepticons at Chernobyl. Coming back from Chernobyl they are met by Mearing (Francis McDormand) and Optimus gets a visit from former NASA space program members, including the actual Buzz Aldrin (another highlight) who fully explain to them about the moon.
Sam (Shia LaBeouf) is now living in DC, trying to find that elusive first job in today's economy. His new girlfriend (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley) Carly's place is explained, though not exactly what happened to Mikaela (Megan Fox), all we learn through the whole movie is that they broke up. Sam ends up able to get a position working for Bruce Brazos (John Malkovich) who's as odd as you'd expect from him. Jealousy is aroused when Sam seems how Carly is treated by her boss Dylan (Patrick Dempsey).
The movie continues on with the action building, with some twists (expected mostly and a few definitely not expected), until Chicago is all but destroyed with an expected outcome and Sam once again growing up to find what really matters.

John Tuturro, Tyrese Gibson, Glenn Morshower, Kevin Dunn, and Julie White all reprised their various roles. Some great additions were Leonard Nimoy and Alan Tudyk, who's character Dutch was kind of awesome. Speaking of awesome, Scott Krinsky from Chuck was in it as well as one other of the Buy More crew. Bill O'Reilly even made an appearance as himself.
Also there were some parts of the plot which didn't make sense to me like why Wheelie ("I follow warrior goddess") and Mikaela's junk yard dog Bonecrusher, are with Sam, rather than her. Also the twins who were such a slapstick part of Revenge of The Fallen were missing as well as Mojo, Frankie, and the Arcee motorcycles.
The good news for haters and fans alike is that this seems to be the last movie, and Michael Bay appears happy with a trilogy.

Poem

Wrote this, pretty much out of nowhere.

For never a heart was born that could not love
But constantly they choose to forget the above.
Hiding on wings brighter than a dove
Seeking for something dearer than what they knew of.

Hang Together or Separately

Others have said this before me, but clearly some of you need to have it reiterated again and again, so here's my turn.
Splitting the Republican, Libertarian, and Tea vote would be a horrible mistake.
Without a united front we will lose this coming election.
We saw it in Colorado's race for governor. Mays won the Republican nomination, but he wasn't "good enough" for Tancredo and others, so they split the vote. Guess what happened. The Democrat Hickenlooper won.
Now Hickenlooper is no Obama, by any means. But tis a perfect example of what's facing us. The Libertarians and Tea Partiers don't consider any of the national GOP candidates "good enough".
Well that's perfectly fine now, before the primaries. But once the nomination has been made everyone must back that candidate. And I will more than likely be right beside you in thinking they're "not enough", but I understand the importance of this election.
We've all seen the damage Obama has done already. Now imagine five and a half more years of this, instead of just one and a half. Scary image right?
What's ever scarier, is that this might be the last free election we get. If Obama wins, we can't trust we would get another in 2016. And then we would have two choices. Submit to slavery, or shed blood to gain back our beloved Republic.
For myself, I would much rather vote for someone I only half agree with, than risk four more years under the ever nearing tyrannical forms we are seeing.
As always its your vote, but remember what is at stake.
And if you won't listen to me, how about Benjamin Franklin:

We must hang together, gentlemen...else, we shall most assuredly hang separately.

Importance of Sides in The Middle East

When violence began in Egypt, Obama was quick to jump against Mubarak. And when people were being killed in Libya, whilst it took weeks, we launched missiles.
Yet every day dozens of people are being killed by the tyrannical regime of Syria, and the US government is practically ignoring the situation.
Why is it that Syrians, as well as other people like those in Yemen, are not as important to Obama and his administration?
That question is one that Obama should be facing before reelection.
Yet the right isn't pressing him on this either.
Whilst the economy, immigration, and healthcare are all very important issues, his foreign policies can not be ignored!
The government of Syria, a clear enemy of our ally Israel, Obama will not stand against? Nor will he support the Green Movement of Iran, which is one of the most democratic movements in the world, which is struggling against an enemy not only to Israel, but to ourselves. In Egypt, Obama chose a side that has already made threats towards Israel. And in Libya the side we support is known to be made up of our own Al Qaeda enemies.
Now I'm not calling for us to intervene with our own military, but we need to pick the right sides in these struggles. Whoever is going to be President of The United States, needs to make some decisions.
This is not something just the United States should be worrying about. Canada, Europe, and the world should be picking the side of right morally, not just the politically convenient.
The winners of these revolutions will be our future world partners. I can understand not wanting to piss off the wrong person, but support alone could help the right sides win.
In my opinion, choosing right is greatly more important than being politically correct.


Addit:
As I've posted this its come out that US military has in fact been launching air strikes in support of the beleaguered Yemen government, our allies, who are assaulted by Al Qaeda.

Book Excerpt

The following is a teaser excerpt from a book I'm working on...


He'd never seen a creature like this. Clearly some sort of warrior, by the weaponry it carried. He counted eleven blades of different lengths, 2 axes, and 2 spears sheathed upon its body, and then there were the claws attached to the hands. Nasty bit this was going to be.
'Hopefully its friendly' went through his head. Thing was it looked human, except it had fur, and that face was anything but.
'Ok, first contact then.' He couldn't help but inwardly chuckle at that thought. Looked over at it, doubting it would get such a joke.
So far it was just staring at him, not reaching for any of the weapons.
A very good thing that since he was completely unarmed.
Ruurrr. He was very sure it just purred or something at him.
"Hello?" he tried back. Just the slightest flick of its ears to let him know it had even noticed him.

Oklahoma Struck by Tornadoes

Posted on Landmark Report

American Muslim Views on Osama's Death and Burial

Over the past years I've made various contacts who happen to be American Muslims. Most of them are not 'traditional' in that they don't follow the strict dress code, but they do follow most of the laws, especially regarding prayer. These American citizens are predominantly conservative Republicans, who deeply love and believe in the United States of America. They were sickened just as much (maybe more so) by the attacks of 9-11. Some of them have even served or are serving in various branches of the United States military.
I often seek their opinions on matters, as I've they have a unique view point that I could not come up on by myself, and I've found that to be very valuable.

The past few days I've been discussing the death of Osama with them, and the burial at sea.
They are unanimous in their happiness that Bin Laden is finally dead. They see this as a great and necessary event towards the reclamation of what they truly believe to be their peaceful religion, that extremists have been desecrating.
All of them also are upset with President Obama's decision to not show pictures of the body. Most of them in fact believe this is proof that Osama has been dead for a while, but that the United States just now finally found proof and wanted to make it a hero moment, instead of just stating that Bin Laden is dead. That his natural death would have basically been just too anti climatic for the Obama government, so an operation was created for the sake of publicity and glory.
They find Obama's excuse

It is very important for us to make sure that very graphic photos of somebody who was shot in the head are not floating around as an incitement to additional violence or as a propaganda tool.

funny, hilarious even, when they consider the burial at sea to be a grave (sorry about the pun) insult and a violation of Muslim burial rights. In fact, everyone of them believes that the watery grave will cause more retaliation than any picture could have. And the body being so quickly disposed of, only increases their conspiracy views.

These are not necessarily my views, but I felt it important to share what American Muslim citizens (at least the ones I know) think about what is going on, as it does matter.

This article was published on Landmark Report May 9, 2011

End of the Osama Era

(written May 2, 2011)



Most likely by now you've heard the news that Osama Bin Laden is dead.
At the news, celebrations began occurring around the world. Most notably in front of the White House, Times Square, and Ground Zero. With spontaneous singing of The Star Spangled Banner, God Bless America, and America the Beautiful intermeshed with chants of 'USA! USA!' the crowds reveled in being a united America for a time.
This is a huge morale victory for the United States armed forces and their allies. Specifically Seal Team 6 who went into Pakistan, and accomplished the mission of taking Osama dead or alive.

Perhaps most notably infamous for planning and organizing the 9-11 attacks, in which four commercial airplanes, filled with passengers, were hijacked by al-Qaeda members, and then two of them flown into the world trade center towers and another into the Pentagon, with the fourth crashing in a Pennsylvania field. But that was hardly the only act of Osama bin Laden and his terrorist network. CNN has compiled a longer list.

What made bin Laden such an evil was the creation of al-Qaeda and the collection of terrorist groups contained there in. And here is the danger. Osama may be dead, but al-Qaeda is far from it. The death of their leader will likely cause a backlash of vengeance. American armed forces, and various countries have upgraded their alert level in readiness for a possible response. As President Obama said

Yet his death does not mark the end of our effort. There's no doubt that al Qaeda will continue to pursue attacks against us. We must ---and we will --remain vigilant at home and abroad.

Others have suggested that without Osama to lead them, al-Qaeda will fall apart into disorganized small groups.
We can only hope they will be less effective without him.

For now though, let us remember the victims who lost their lives in the terrorist acts that Bin Laden perpetrated. Let us remember those brave soldiers from various nations which have given their time, sweat, blood, and even lives fighting to end this war that Osama bin Laden began.

But let us also stay ever vigilant in protecting our freedoms, from all enemies, both foreign and domestic.
In the words of former President George W. Bush:

A victory for America, for people who seek peace around the world, and for all those who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001. The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done.

God Save The Queen!

(Written April 29)



Like many others around the world, I found myself watching the Royal Wedding as Prince William of Wales and Katherine Middleton took their very public vows. Twas an extremely beautiful, highly ceremonial affair, that the world has not seen the like since 1981 when Prince Charles married Diana Spencer.
Twitter, as with everything that goes on in the world, was full of people loving and hating it. What struck me the most was the people hating on England herself, suggesting things like England still needed to pay back for the war of 1812 or that the United States of America should have nothing to do with England. But one tweet especially caught my eye:

No true American would ever say God save the queen

Now most of those saying such things were clearly just idiots. And I want to state here and now, that the majority of intelligent Americans have the greatest respect for England, Great Britain, the Commonwealths, and the current English monarch.
But for those of you who truly think as that one tweeter did, I clearly need to remind you a little about the last 100 years.
Since the US entry into World War 1 (1917) and especially since Pearl Harbour (December 7, 1941) the greatest ally America has known has been the people of Great Britain, the Commonwealths, and the English monarchy.
British and Commonwealth troops have fought beside our own in almost every war or conflict that we have been involved in. In some cases laying down their lives to save ours.
Let us definitely not forget that it was the British who were the main western defense against Nazism. Had they not kept fighting til America was ready, the world would've likely been overcome.
Yes, before the last century we most definitely had our differences, but we've long ago overcome those, and now have the closest of relationships.
General George S. Patton said it best:

We are two peoples separated by a common language.

I would totally agree with someone who dissed on George III and the monarchy of the early 1800s, but this is not that same monarchy. This is not the dicatorship monarchy that we fought for freedom against, and then were invaded by. This is they very friendly one who ceremoniously leads our greatest friends.
Now I am completely glad and grateful for the system we have, with a lack of monarchy over us, but we aren't discussing our system. We are discussing the system others have chosen to keep for themselves.
Queen Elizabeth II deserves our love and admiration as the official face of England, and to varying degrees the rest of Britain and the Commonwealths.
When discussing her, I strongly believe that no true American would say anything but, God save the Queen!

This was posted on Landmark May 7, 2011

The Censor Strikes Back

The peace loving government of the People's Republic of China has apparently chosen a new enemy, sci fi.
Per the latest guidelines sent out March 31 plots that contain elements of

fantasy, time-travel, random compilations of mythical stories, bizarre plots, absurd techniques, even propagating feudal superstitions, fatalism and reincarnation, ambiguous moral lessons, and a lack of positive thinking. 

are no longer allowed.
This CNN article mostly focuses on time travel, and a few of the big movies that can no longer be shown in freedom loving China. But let's really think about how far this censorship is going.
Fantasy, well that eliminates most sci fi right there, and anything like Lord of The Rings with mythical creatures. Its honestly a very broad term. A good chunk of tv, movies, and books use some form of fantasy. Look at how huge Harry Potter and Twilight are. Magic and Vampires are definitely within the boundaries of fantasy. And of course Star Wars, the ability to control the force is a fantasy power, so no Jedi or Sith allowed. Not to mention dragons, which are extremely tied up witin Chinese identity.
Time Travel has been a part of society since at least the publishing of The Time Traveller. List of tv, movies, and books that use the theory as fact for their basis is quite long. Temporal travel has become a favourite of the Star Trek series. Terminator is based on it. 7 Days, a show I used to enjoy when it was on the air, couldn't have happened without it. And one of my favourite shows of all time Stargate SG1 used it more than a few times, as did its progeny Stargate Atlantis.
But even better are phrases like "bizarre plots", "absurd techniques", "ambiguous moral lessons", and "a lack of positive thinking". Those are so vague and all encompassing anything at anytime could be banned just because a censor felt like it. Even kids shows have all of those. Adult drama's all the more so. We as humans enjoy twists in our stories. And whilst we may really want the happy ending, we are totally accepting when evil does win a bit or someone dies. As much as we enjoy our fiction, it never works without reality being entwined with it.
Worst of all is the real target. Its not a goal of keeping people from enjoying themselves. The real target here is imagination. If people can no longer imagine a world where Marty McFly can travel Back to The Future; or a land where men, orcs, dwarfs, elves, hobbits, and wizards fight in a war over a single ring; or force users with lightsabers duel over the fate of a galaxy far far away; then might not they lose the ability to imagine themselves as free men?

As Americans this should be more than a joking matter. This is a truly serious issue. Our government already censors what we can watch, hear, and read. Lately they have been aiming at controlling the internet as well. Do you really think that those who want that control, wouldn't love to make it so all we could see, hear, and feel was puppies, rainbows, and unicorns?
We need to pay attention now, and make sure our government never gets close to limiting us so much.

(This article can also be found on Landmark Report

Some Thoughts on The World's Unrest Pt. 1

Earlier this year we saw Egypt head toward civil war, as a loud number of its citizenry spoke up for freedom from their dictator, Mubarak. World governments called for him to step down and eventually he did so.
We're still waiting to see if this will actually avoid the civil war so many feared. And who will end up in charge of the country.

Then during March world opinion came crashing down on Libyan dictator Qaddafi. He, his forces, and especially his one son were very clearly suppressing a movement towards a free Libya, even going as far as killing their own citizens.
Actions such as those are reprehensible at best and the world, including the United States, NATO, the UN, and the Arab League, decided enough was enough. A no fly zone was established, with Libya's air force and air defenses smashed. Allied troops were even used to destroy groups of tanks heading to fight the rebels.
Already the world seems content to sit and pat itself on the back for aiding these poor rebels.
Even the world intercession isn't solving the issues. Libyans are still killing Libyans. Qaddafi may still win this civil war.
We also have the question of who are the rebels. Will we end up with someone even worse in power?
What most people missed was that atrocities against Libyans, by their government wasn't exactly a new thing. Yet for various reasons, all the sudden it became the fore front.

Yet at the same time, these same world governments that suddenly begin worrying about the Libyan people, are ignoring other peoples around the world.
Most, if not all, of us remember the mass rallies by the Green Movement in Iran. These people too were being killed for wanting freedom. Yet governments took no action, or if they did they threw no more than words that, with the inaction that followed them, were shown to mean nothing. During this same time as the fights in Libya, the Iranians have been continuing their struggle, with little to no media attention.
And whilst all that is going on, let's not forget that people in other countries are being massacred for their own protests against dictators. People every day are being killed because they desire freedom. Not just in Libya or Egypt, but in countries around the world.
For years we've heard of "Save Dar-fur". Unknown thousands have been killed there, yet no official effective action has been seen from the world governments.
Not long before I started writing this early Monday morning, this came across the Reuters Twitter feed:

Medical source says at least 5 killed in protests in Yemen city of Taiz after police open fire.

This has become a near daily thing there. Yet will we hear anything from the governments that say they promote freedom? At best we will hear words of condemnation. But what will they actually do to stop this regime and the others, who so blatantly brutalize humanity?

In all truth, what can actually be done? If we have an ounce of humanity within ourselves, we must feel the desire to help each and everyone of these countries. But we must acknowledge our own limits. How do we justify helping some, but not others? The obvious is that we can't help all. So how then do we choose which to help, and which to not? How do we know which side is the good side in the fight? These are thoughts and questions we must all face. All the more so in these troubled times.

More later…

Obama to Seek Reelection

My third story published at Landmark Report

Obama: United States Must Decrease Oil Imports

It is now Wednesday, two days since his last televised speech, and Obama needing to be seen, came out with a shocker. The United States must decrease its oil imports.
Well way to go! He finally figured it out.
His answer though leaves us losing the momentarily found hope.
Obama seems to think that our only way to survival is to further indenture ourselves by spending more money on hybrids and alternative bio-fuels.
And so much for the sudden intelligence found in the administration.
Clearly they haven't figured out yet, that the majority of those either do not work, in the times they do simply aren't cost effective, like ethanol take massive amounts away from the food supply, or some combination of the above. Electric cars are another great one, as the amount of coal used up to keep them running, causes more pollution than the oil would, so they can't even claim the movement is actually for environmental reasons.
Whilst Obama did get it right that the United States must become more self sufficient, he's ignoring the obvious ways of doing so.
'Drill here! Drill now!' isn't just a catchy slogan. Tis not just a necessity but the most realistic solution.
We have the resources. Don't pay attention to the Obama administration saying we have as little as two percent of the worlds oil resources. Texas, Alaska, or Colorado each on their own have more than that, and it wouldn't be surprising if others did as well. Despite the denials of liberals (as well as some moderates and conservatives) the United States of America is a resource rich land. It always has been. Those resources are what brought a good number of the original settlers, and later immigrants. And there is a long way to go before there would actually be any legit worry of running out.
A huge result of actually drilling here and now, would be the massive amount of jobs gained by doing so. Thousands at least. Would be nice to see unemployment numbers actually go down. Obama, you do actually want to get America back to work don't you?
And of course with an increase in jobs comes more money. Which would in turn be spent in the communities nearest to the drilling, which would allow business there to order more product from elsewhere. Wouldn't you like to see that stimulus?
Who honestly could be against such things? Definitely not anyone who is legitimately trying to help and improve the United States of America. Any patriotic American would want to see us independent of other nations, and stronger than ever!

Mammoth vs. Blazers

The lines into the Pepsi Center alone tell that this isn't as small time of a sport as one previously thought. The roar of the crowd says it in another way. And then that the arena is at least three quarters full shows it.
Seems the Colorado Mammoth, wearing white with purple sleeves and pink helmets, are already down 1-0 to the red coated Boston Blazers. The hometown crowd is definitely well behind them.
Doesn't take long to notice that the announcer is way more involved in the game, than in other sports. And the Wild Bunch cheerleaders popping out on the field between quarters.
Very odd, to a first timer, is that the teams switch shifts on each possession, as if there are offensive and defensive players. Six players each, counting the goalies. The field players have only helmets and gloves for protection from the near constant slashing of their opponents sticks. Yet the goalies look like they just stopped off the ice, without skates.
2-0 Boston and the crowd doesn't hesitate booing.
2-1 and the crowd goes crazy seeing their Mammoth score.
Back and forth the scoring goes, with Colorado able to tie it at times, yet never taking the lead.
At half time a special event of Police vs. Fire fighters lacrosse game commences. Fire fighters control the ball more, but the police are a lot more accurate, and end up winning 3-0.
The second half commences and the Blazers take control of the game, with Colorado unable to even score during a five on three power play.
Nearing the last few minutes of the fourth quarter its 8-5 Boston. The crowd gets up on its feet, begging for the rally. Truly can feel the energy in the place. No one wants this win more than the thousands of fans in the Pepsi Center.
Now its 8-6. Then 8-7. The crowds energy is amazingly still growing. No wonder they call this the loudest house in lacrosse. And when it is all but over the Mammoth tie it up! We're going to overtime!
Play commences in overtime, the crowd completely backing the home team Mammoth. The mascot is bringing it on, raising the roof, from behind the visitors bench.
Colorado scores! The crowd somehow even finds a higher level of excitement.
Mammoth win 9-8 in overtime. Gaining their second win of the season.
Now the schedules are being checked by the first timers. Can we make it to the two remaining home games? One thing for sure if we can we'll be here.
Who could pass up this excitement?

Officially published!

As of just a bit ago, I'm now officially published!
http://landmarkreport.com/jsangster/2011/03/open-letter-to-barack-obama/ that I've already posted here is up, as well as: http://landmarkreport.com/jsangster/2011/03/arms-to-libya/ a new one, that tisnt up here.

Open Letter to Obama

It is time for you to truly defend and explain yourself.
To start with, just show the birth certificate so it can be done and over with. Most of us never would have cared, had you just done so in the first place. Your refusal to do so was the most suspicious part of the whole matter. Though with all the newspapers that proclaimed you as Kenyan born, when you were running for Senate, and with Kenya itself repeatedly recognizing you as such, I truly would have little faith in any Hawaii certificate.
Let's face it, you should have just done it in the first place and we would've believed it. Now its too late, and nothing but admitting it can change any opinions on the subject.

Secondly, you've yet to do anything to protect our own borders. The war in Mexico spilling over is but the clearest example of this. The fence should have been built long ago, and troops stationed along it.
And the gun scandal is a clear violation of our neighbours borders, violation of our own and international laws, but is also an attack on our own people.
Not only is it aiding a foreign enemy (the drug empires), but anyone involved in it has made themselves to be a domestic enemy.
These people need to be punished not just as criminals, but as traitors.
Now I truly hope that you aren't, though even more so fear you may be, connected to this. I'm not sure which would be worse, that you are, or that you have so little control of our own government.

With your healthcare, you forced it through Congress, against the will of the majority of the country. Congress itself shall and is being held accountable for their actions, and you should be as well.
Defying the will of We The People of The United States of America is not what your job is. Your job is to listen to our voice, and represent us.
Tis time for you to do so. Encourage the Senate to listen to the people. Encourage the House to do so as well.
Obamacare must be repealed, defunded, etc. Make it gone!

On the budget, much the similar. Listen to the American people, and encourage Congress to do the same.
We demand a balanced budget, and we demand it now. No more time for debate.
The time for painful cuts of programs that are just wastes of money has come and the entire government needs to act with it.
NPR, EPA, department of education, and others have failed or have no reason to be government funded to begin with.
If you truly have any desire to save this country's economy, then act now!

Drill here, drill now! We can't afford to pay the prices that the world would charge us. Instead of paying other countries to develop their oil fields, use the money to open our own.
Stop violating the judge's orders and drill in the Gulf as well.
Want to stimulate the economy? See what happens when we gain the jobs, and prices go down.

Libya, I'm not going to deny I supported going in. I wrote on it myself, well before you did anything.
But you (and the world) took too long to act.
Worst of all though, you did not do so within the Constitution. O yes there are close enough things to be considered precedent, but that doesn't make it the right way to do things.
Go and do everything further with congressional approval.

Lastly, no matter the circumstances, you are President of The United States. Act like it!
Apologize to the United States for bowing to foreigners, and never do it again.
Remember that as PoTUS, you are supposed to be the leader of the free world, not a follower.
Stand up for The Constitution and The Bill of Rights.

It is most likely too late for history to remember you as a good President. However, if you change now, at least you could be recognized as a man who admitted his mistakes, and worked to correct them. You could still do great good for the country.

As always, praying for you, and that you'll make the right decisions.

Patience of Israel

One of the things I truly am unable to understand is how Israeli's people continously deal with the terrorism that plagues them. Whether they acknowledge it or not, they are in a constant state of war.
Having to live a life so constantly under random threat is inconcievable to me.
Maybe front line soldiers have an idea, but for them its a threat against themselves and friends.
For Israel its a constant threat against them, their friends, family, and everything.
Yet, not only do they survive this, they thrive.
In the midst of this, they aren't lost in the ease of hate. No they even give first aid to terrorists that survive.
Instead of general retaliation they choose targets with care, and hit with precision. Doing everything they can to avoid casualites amongst the innocent.
Through all the attacks Israel grows stronger.
All the while being patient. Enduring all that comes their way.
Sometheing they can be proud of, and that the rest of humanity can look up to.

Coalition: Libya and Thoughts on US Politics

Took them long enough, but once the world decided to vote UN 1973 through, the French went from no fly zone flying to air support for 'free Libya' within half an hour. And the British, USA, and a couple others weren't far behind.
As of now we already have one US jet down, though due to mechanical failure. Good news is both pilots are reportedly safe.
As makes general sense (due to resources and sheer power) the US took over command as soon as they were involved. But questions of will someone else take over general command, are already occurring. Bad idea there, as most of the world without question will follow US orders, when on the same side. Whereas they always seem to spend more time arguing legitimacy of orders from someone else. Either way, hopefully chain of command will never become a real issue.

Back in the US of A, political fighting started almost immediately over involvement in 1973.
Did Obama have the right to have US forces join? Not Constitutionally, that's for sure. But the precedent is there. Even Democrats now are talking impeachment, though.
Honestly if impeachment is to occur over this, dereliction of duty would seem an interesting place to start.
I find sending US troops to battle, and then immediately going on vacation, disturbing, if not disgusting.
Clearly we do not have a true Commander in Chief. A real one would be at his job when sending men and women in harm's way.

As for US involvement in Libya, I said before it looked necessary to me. Not in the sense that the US was in clear and present danger from Libya, but how could we as human beings watch the massacre that Qaddafi was planning?
Stopping that mad man, was and is a human necessity.
It is that simple.