A Powerful and Chilling Warning

An e-mail was forwarded to me by a friend. It was a rather typical sort of thing I get frequently. I searched for it on TruthorFiction and at Snopes but had no luck. So I Googled the story below and came across a slew of information on this lady, almost all left-wing criticism.

They confirm that she did in fact give this narrative. It was given on 12 November 2009 in Rapid City to the South Dakota Family Policy Council. Additionally, I have a former colleague who in his teenage years literally risked his life to escape what was arguably the most liberal Communist nation in Eastern Europe, Czechoslovakia. He snuck past armed border guards and guard dogs, through minefields and under barbed wire. It was called the Iron Curtain and unlike the Mexican-American border, it was erected to keep people in, not out. He will sternly tell anyone who will listen that what he escaped then is quickly encroaching here today in America. It amazes me that anyone could point at someone who experienced 30 and 70 years ago what we are going through today, and then scream "NUT-JOB." These two are sounding a warning. The lady was in a Fascist nation, the other Communist. They will tell you there is little-to-no difference with either system. They are both Socialist - one national, one international. They are both brutal and rule by the same methods. And in all cases, they came to power on the platform of Hope and Change. The left is either blissfully ignorant of what is going on, or they just don't care, or they truly wish to see it happen. Ignore Ms. Werthmann, and my former colleague, at your own risk.
______________________________________________

Kitty Werthmann, 77, of Pierre, SD, is president of the South Dakota Eagle Forum. She lobbies the state Legislature on family issues. She has lived in the United States since 1950 and has been a U.S. citizen since 1962. She tells a powerful story about what it was like growing up under Hitler:

"What I am about to tell you is something you've probably never heard or will ever read in history books. I believe that I am an eyewitness to history. I cannot tell you that Hitler took Austria by tanks and guns; it would distort history. We elected him by a landslide – 98% of the vote. I've never read that in any American publications. Everyone thinks that Hitler just rolled in with his tanks and took Austria by force.

"In 1938, Austria was in deep Depression. Nearly one-third of our workforce was unemployed. We had 25% inflation and 25% bank loan interest rates. Farmers and business people were declaring bankruptcy daily. Young people were going from house to house begging for food. Not that they didn’t want to work; there simply weren't any jobs. My mother was a Christian woman and believed in helping people in need. Every day we cooked a big kettle of soup and baked bread to feed those poor, hungry people – about 30 daily.

"The Communist Party and the National Socialist Party were fighting each other. Blocks and blocks of cities like Vienna, Linz and Graz were destroyed. The people became desperate and petitioned the government to let them decide what kind of government they wanted. We looked to our neighbor on the north, Germany, where Hitler had been in power since 1933. We had been told that they didn’t have unemployment or crime, and they had a high standard of living. Nothing was ever said about persecution of any group -- Jewish or otherwise. We were led to believe that everyone was happy. We wanted the same way of life in Austria. We were promised that a vote for Hitler would mean the end of unemployment and help for the family. Hitler also said that businesses would be assisted, and farmers would get their farms back. Ninety-eight percent of the population voted to annex Austria to Germany and have Hitler for our ruler.

"We were overjoyed, and for three days we danced in the streets and had candlelight parades. The new government opened up big field kitchens and everyone was fed. After the election, German officials were appointed, and like a miracle, we suddenly had law and order. Three or four weeks later, everyone was employed. The government made sure that a lot of work was created through the Public Work Service.

"Hitler decided we should have equal rights for women. Before this, it was a custom that married Austrian women did not work outside the home. An able-bodied husband would be looked down on if he couldn't support his family. Many women in the teaching profession were elated that they could retain the jobs they previously had been required to give up for marriage.

"Our education was nationalized. I attended a very good public school. The population was predominantly Catholic, so we had religion in our schools. The day we elected Hitler (March 13, 1938), I walked into my schoolroom to find the crucifix replaced by Hitler’s picture hanging next to a Nazi flag. Our teacher, a very devout woman, stood up and told the class we wouldn't pray or have religion anymore. Instead, we sang “Deutschland, Deutschland, Uber Alles,” and had physical education.

"Sunday became National Youth Day with compulsory attendance. Parents were not pleased about the sudden change in curriculum. They were told that if they did not send us, they would receive a stiff letter of warning the first time. The second time they would be fined the equivalent of $300, and the third time they would be subject to jail. The first two hours consisted of political indoctrination. The rest of the day we had sports. As time went along, we loved it. Oh, we had so much fun and got our sports equipment free. We would go home and gleefully tell our parents about the wonderful time we had. My mother was very unhappy.

"When the next term started, she took me out of public school and put me in a convent. I told her she couldn't do that and she told me that someday when I grew up, I would be grateful. There was a very good curriculum, but hardly any fun – no sports, and no political indoctrination. I hated it at first but felt I could tolerate it. Every once in a while, on holidays, I went home. I would go back to my old friends and ask what was going on and what they were doing. Their loose lifestyle was very alarming to me. They lived without religion. By that time unwed mothers were glorified for having a baby for Hitler. It seemed strange to me that our society changed so suddenly. As time went along, I realized what a great deed my mother did so that I wasn't exposed to that kind of humanistic philosophy.

"In 1939, the war started and a food bank was established. All food was rationed and could only be purchased using food stamps. At the same time, a full-employment law was passed which meant if you didn’t work, you didn’t get a ration card, and if you didn’t have a card, you starved to death. Women who stayed home to raise their families didn’t have any marketable skills and often had to take jobs more suited for men. Soon after this, the draft was implemented. It was compulsory for young people, male and female, to give one year to the labor corps. During the day, the girls worked on the farms, and at night they returned to their barracks for military training just like the boys. They were trained to be anti-aircraft gunners and participated in the signal corps. After the labor corps, they were not discharged but were used in the front lines. When I go back to Austria to visit my family and friends, most of these women are emotional cripples because they just were not equipped to handle the horrors of combat. Three months before I turned 18, I was severely injured in an air raid attack. I nearly had a leg amputated, so I was spared having to go into the labor corps and into military service.

"When the mothers had to go out into the work force, the government immediately established child care centers. You could take your children ages 4 weeks to school age and leave them there around-the-clock, 7 days a week, under the total care of the government. The state raised a whole generation of children. There were no motherly women to take care of the children, just people highly trained in child psychology. By this time, no one talked about equal rights. We knew we had been had.

"Before Hitler, we had very good medical care. Many American doctors trained at the University of Vienna. After Hitler, health care was socialized, free for everyone. Doctors were salaried by the government. The problem was, since it was free, the people were going to the doctors for everything. When the good doctor arrived at his office at 8 a.m., 40 people were already waiting and, at the same time, the hospitals were full. If you needed elective surgery, you had to wait a year or two for your turn. There was no money for research as it was poured into socialized medicine. Research at the medical schools literally stopped, so the best doctors left Austria and emigrated to other countries. As for healthcare, our tax rates went up to 80% of our income. Newlyweds immediately received a $1,000 loan from the government to establish a household. We had big programs for families. All day care and education were free. High schools were taken over by the government and college tuition was subsidized. Everyone was entitled to free handouts, such as food stamps, clothing, and housing.

"We had another agency designed to monitor business. My brother-in-law owned a restaurant that had square tables. Government officials told him he had to replace them with round tables because people might bump themselves on the corners. Then they said he had to have additional bathroom facilities. It was just a small dairy business with a snack bar. He couldn't meet all the demands. Soon, he went out of business. If the government owned the large businesses and not many small ones existed, it could be in control.

"We had consumer protection. We were told how to shop and what to buy. Free enterprise was essentially abolished. We had a planning agency specially designed for farmers. The agents would go to the farms, count the live-stock, then tell the farmers what to produce, and how to produce it.

"In 1944, I was a student teacher in a small village in the Alps. The villagers were surrounded by mountain passes which, in the winter, were closed off with snow, causing people to be isolated. So people intermarried and offspring were sometimes retarded. When I arrived, I was told there were 15 mentally retarded adults, but they were all useful and did good manual work. I knew one, named Vincent, very well. He was a janitor of the school. One day I looked out the window and saw Vincent and others getting into a van. I asked my superior where they were going. She said to an institution where the State Health Department would teach them a trade, and to read and write. The families were required to sign papers with a little clause that they could not visit for 6 months. They were told visits would interfere with the program and might cause homesickness. As time passed, letters started to dribble back saying these people died a natural, merciful death. The villagers were not fooled. We suspected what was happening. Those people left in excellent physical health and all died within 6 months. We called this euthanasia..

"Next came gun registration. People were getting injured by guns. Hitler said that the real way to catch criminals (we still had a few) was by matching serial numbers on guns. Most citizens were law abiding and dutifully marched to the police station to register their firearms. Not long after-wards, the police said that it was best for everyone to turn in their guns. The authorities already knew who had them, so it was futile not to comply voluntarily.

"No more freedom of speech. Anyone who said something against the government was taken away. We knew many people who were arrested, not only Jews, but also priests and ministers who spoke up.

"Totalitarianism didn’t come quickly, it took 5 years from 1938 until 1943, to realize full dictatorship in Austria. Had it happened overnight, my countrymen would have fought to the last breath. Instead, we had creeping gradualism. Now, our only weapons were broom handles. The whole idea sounds almost unbelievable that the state, little by little eroded our freedom.

"After World War II, Russian troops occupied Austria. Women were raped, preteen to elderly. The press never wrote about this either. When the Soviets left in 1955, they took everything that they could, dismantling whole factories in the process. They sawed down whole orchards of fruit, and what they couldn't destroy, they burned. We called it The Burned Earth. Most of the population barricaded themselves in their houses. Women hid in their cellars for 6 weeks as the troops mobilized. Those who couldn't, paid the price. There is a monument in Vienna today, dedicated to those women who were massacred by the Russians.

"This is an eye witness account."

It's Easy For Me

I was born four weeks before 1959 in a U.S. military hospital in Germany. From that I personally have two birth certificates. One is a U.S. State Department certificate of “Birth of a U.S. Citizen Overseas.” The other is a German Geburtserkunde. Simply, both state that I was born at a certain place and time of specific parents. They both agree on those items. The difference is the language.

My wife was born a few months later in the American South. Her parents received a birth certificate that she can obtain official copies of through the county in which she was born.

When my children were born, each one in a different state of the Union, my wife and I received two birth certificates. One was an unofficial hospital certificate and the other was the official certificate from the states of their birth. We keep the originals in a safe deposit box at our bank, and we have copies that stay at our home and in the hands of our now-adult children. Interestingly, in the case of both our children the two documents were in full agreement on the date, time and place of their births, and of who the parents are.

In the case of each of these births, the documentation is full and accurate. I can produce these documents in a minimal amount of time, though weekends are problematical. I was required to produce these when I enlisted and throughout my career in the Army in order to prove that I was who I said I was, and that my wife and children were who they were supposed to be.

So, I guess the real question is:

Why can’t my president do the same?

Justice in the Episcopal Church

I am Episcopalian, and I have been since my confirmation in the church thirty-four years ago, minus a few years when I didn’t go to church because my faith was weak or I was “too busy,” ridiculously enough.
As many may know, three years ago my church, officially the Episcopal Church USA, or ECUSA for short, approved the ordination of an openly-practicing homosexual bishop. Vicki Gene Robinson, a male priest, was approved by the national body in a triennial ECUSA convention to lead the Diocese of New Hampshire six years ago. His selection and ordination was highly, and rightly, controversial. The next convention shied away from the controversy, and other issues associated with homosexuality and its relationship(s) with and to the ECUSA. That all changed this year.
In the midst of this maelstrom over the past six years were efforts by conservative, biblically-based congregations, and then dioceses, to secede from the ECUSA and join the more conservative and traditional Anglican church in North America, and Episcopal dioceses in South America, specifically that of the Southern Cone.
Unfortunately for these congregations, the ECUSA’s laws state that all parishes within the Church are the property of the Church’s diocese, and diocesan property is owned by the national body. This intrigues me, as my church is still encumbered by a mortgage that we, the congregation, are responsible to pay. The church law has been challenged in state and Federal courts, with mixed results.
In the meantime, the worldwide Anglican Communion, of which the ECUSA is a member, has seen a number of national dioceses pushing to expel the ECUSA from the communion, citing biblical references, and claiming blasphemy by the ECUSA.
Then, just last month, the ECUSA voted to allow bishops to bless homosexual unions, though it did not move to write and include services in the Episcopal prayer book. In the wake of the convention at least three openly homosexual clergy have been nominated for the bishopric.
With this in mind, I joked with my parish priest recently that perhaps we should secede from the local diocese, turn over the parish AND its mortgage to the diocese, and then re-purchase the property at the fire sale for a much lower price, saving the congregation potentially a great deal of money! It was all completely tongue-in-cheek, but it did get me to thinking on the state of the ECUSA.
During the most recent convention, a prospective clergy stated that upon his ordination he hoped to be able to bless the union of a homosexual couple he knew because it was “about justice.” Now, I could argue for days that anything that is clearly non- or anti-biblical, or potentially blasphemous, could never be just. Justice from a cultural or secular point of view not based in biblical fact or teaching, is just, well, not just.
Anyway, I then thought of all those congregations, and the justice behind seizing property that was purchased, not by the greater Church, or by the diocese, but by the parishioners within the congregation, or their family or predecessors.
It occurs to me that the ECUSA has become more worried about the secular world and less about its flock, and that what is right by society in America has become more important than biblical teaching. How can the ECUSA proclaim that it is right to ordain openly-practicing homosexuals to the priesthood or bishopric, in spite of the biblical restrictions, and then seize property that a diocese or the Church has no real financial interest?

Is THAT just?

The Real Problem with Liberals

I went to a restaurant the other day and was amused to find a car parked in a No Parking zone right on the curb in front of the eatery. Now, normally, I would be more irate than amused because I parked out in the parking lot, like we are all supposed to do. But, on this occasion I was amused because of what I saw on the car bumper and what it REALLY represents in the new, exciting, rarified atmosphere of American life and politics today.

You see, it was all okay because the car had an “OBAMA ‘08” bumper sticker.

Now, all through the campaign we heard all about “change” and that the days of “politics as usual” were over. I might have to assume that “change” meant the small metal pieces of money jangling in my pocket, and that “politics as usual” meant politics with Republicans in charge. Because, so far, what I have seen is standard operating procedure for liberals and Democrats. And this was never brought home so forcefully to me as when I saw that car parked in the No Parking zone.

I have been on this Earth nearly half-a-century. I still have a thirst for knowledge that rivals my curiosity as when I was a three-year-old. I still want to know and understand why things work and how they work. And in my time on this planet and all the inquiry I have made I have seen things and questioned and analyzed them over and over. And as I grow and grow older, one thing is painfully obvious. In the liberal world in which we live, liberals make laws and rules for everyone but themselves.

You may find that curious, but it angers me when the body of evidence increases daily. Now, while these sorts of things have a long history for liberals and democrats, the opposite is equally long on the conservative side. I will note only some of the most recent evidence to build my case, but they are stark and scream of a double standard.

The first example is Senatress Hillary Clinton’s cakewalk hearing in the Senate for her nomination as the Secretary of State for the incoming Obama administration. Clinton has a long list and litany of questionable issues that truly do make one wonder as to her ability to properly function as a true, unbiased representative of the United States. She and her husband’s myriad contacts and dealings with foreign nations having to do with MILLIONS of dollars going into their pockets and the pockets of their pet projects would quickly, undoubtedly and firmly derail any conservative in a similar circumstance. That nominee would be in the pocket of evil, Arab, oil barons.

Then there is Timothy Geithner, the man that President Obama wants for the new Secretary of the Treasury. This man blatantly evaded paying taxes, despite being told that by his employer, AND THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, that he was required to do so. He finally paid up when he learned he might be able to get a plumb political appointment. Would a non-liberal still be on the list? Much lesser things destroyed the nominations of Reagan and both Bush’s nominees.

New York 15th District Representative Charlie Rangel, a Democrat, after years of outrageous conduct and race-baiting, is suddenly found to have failed to report rental income on a beach house in the Dominican Republic, or even pay taxes on the income. He also claims to be living in at least three government-funded, rent-subsidized apartments in New York City, all while also claiming his primary home in Washington, DC for tax purposes. Additionally, he allegedly used congressional stationery to solicit donors for a City College public policy institute in his name, along with other alleged problems. Conversely, Republican Senator Larry Craig of Idaho was caught apparently attempting to solicit gay sex in a public bathroom. According to liberals, there is apparently nothing wrong with being gay. But, if you are Republican, conservative, white and gay, then there is a problem. He was skewered in the press and resigned. Rangel is still in congress, and has yet to be skewered by anyone in the press.

Bill Clinton pardoned felon Mark Rich. When all the truth came out, mostly that Rich had given money to certain Democrats, Clinton worked hard to explain it away. President George W. Bush on the other hand revoked a pardon he issued to Isaac Robert Toussie, whose father had donated money to certain Republicans. Bush REVOKED the pardon. Democrat patron Rich is no longer a felon. Toussie, whose father is a Republican patron, is still a felon.

Now that Barack Obama is the new president he promptly signed a new order establishing incredibly high standards for lobbying and government service. He then just as promptly was forced to consider a waiver for William J. Lynn III as the proposed Assistant Secretary of Defense. Were the standards just impossibly high? Perhaps, but more to the point, the idea that the new rule can be waived for a liberal administration.

Remember, liberal rules are really for non-liberals.

It would seem that liberals believe, with all their heart, that non-liberals (Republicans, conservatives, Christians, whatever they may be called) are evil, must be curbed and need rules. Liberals, on the other hand, don’t need such rules. They are kind, loving, good people who only want what is best.

So, if one of them breaks a little rule, like say parking in a No Parking zone or evading taxes that we must believe he really wanted to pay all along, it’s really okay. Really. It is. So, I guess I really should still be more amused than irate.

So how come I’m not?

A New Religion?

In my pursuit of a Bachelors Degree toward my efforts to enter the seminary, I have taken as many religion courses as are available at my college. One of these courses is World Religion. The instructor is an interesting lady who teaches at the University of South Carolina, Benedict College, and at my school, Limestone College. All the have campuses in Columbia, South Carolina. It was explained that all religions have four elements that affect them: Culture, Founding, Sacred Texts, History. And as our Final Exam, she assigned us the task of making our own religion.
The efforts were noble and sublime and much in between. I went for the sublime. And in this, I found my choice of subject religion to be surprisingly easy! Below is the basic outline of my "new" religion that I presented for a grade.
As I was developing my assignment, I recall thinking "I hope I don't go to Hell for this." I mentioned this to my parish priest and he found it amusing, suggesting I blog it. I was assured that God does in fact have a sense of humor, and that he would likely forgive me for this. He's right, I'm sure. I got an 'A.'
So, for your entertainment (And for His glory) I present to you:

The HIGH HOLY, MOST SOVEREIGN CHURCH of CORVETTE

"In the beginning, there were cars. They were angled, utilitarian, and void of style form and beauty. Many tried to bring beauty, form and style to the car. All failed. Some were beautiful, some stylish, and some had form. Some were able to bring together two. But, the divine trinity eluded all.

It was then that the Most Divine Prophet Harley Earl brought forth upon the land the most high, holy Corvette. Many car models exist, but there is but one Corvette."
_______________________________________________

Holy Days –

January 17 - The General Motors Motorama opens in 1953 to the general public in New York City. On this day, Corvette unveiled herself to the people.

June 29 – The first production Corvette is completed in 1953. The birth of the goddess Corvette.

July 15 – Corvette’s first priest, Joe Pike, founds the first Corvette club in 1954. (Actual date unknown.)

August 20– At a NASCAR-sanctioned sports car race at Raleigh Speedway in 1954, a stock-engined 1953 Corvette races.

High, Holy Month of September

September 1 (First day of the Holy Year) – Acknowledged as the date of the immaculate conception of Corvette in 1951 by General Motors' chief stylist Harley Earl.

September 9 – Ford begins production in 1954 of the Thunderbird sports car, the first of the false gods. Celebrated for Corvette’s accession as the High God of All.

September 29 – In 1953 Chevrolet makes a nine-page news release about the Corvette. This is generally acknowledged as the first of the psalms to the Great, High God Corvette.

October 26 – In 1953 a Corvette has a V-8 engine installed as a test of such installation. Celebrated as the day Corvette became all powerful.
________________________________________________

CULTURE
It was the culture of the car into which the goddess Corvette was brought. The worship of the car is shown in many ways. NAPA, Auto Zone, CarQuest, O’Reilly’s, and many others demonstrate the need of the society.
Additionally, there are numerous car washes where people wash their cars, and others where other people are paid to wash the cars.
________________________________________________

FOUNDERS
The founders were the Most Divine Prophet Harley Earl, and the First High Priest Joe Pike initiated the religion’s hierarchy.
________________________________________________

SACRED TEXTS
A 1953 nine-page news release about the Corvette was the first. Annually, the Creator issues new texts on the Goddess. These include the “Owners Manual” and “Maintenance Manual,” many of which are produced in numerous versions by Chiltons, Haynes, Dixon, and others including the Creator’s.
________________________________________________

HISTORY
Since the First Day, September 1, 1951, the faith has grown steadily. The morphing of the goddess Corvette to appeal to new adherents on a regular basis has kept the religion steady, though it is considered to be a religion of exclusivity. Much cost is associated with inclusion into the faith, and additional costs that are incurred every year are burdensome. Nevertheless, many new members are admitted every year, and most that enter never leave.

More Evidence That Liberal Ideas (Almost) Never Work

On June 22 of this year I posted an argument concerning our government’s “solutions” to any number of issues. It was with a smug horror that I find that my words were almost prescient.

I argued that America is a wealthy nation. We, as barely four percent of the World’s population produce fully twenty-five percent of the World’s wealth. And I stated that it is this wealth that causes liberals to make us believe that we are greedy or just too self-centered and they must come up with solutions to cure this sinful selfishness.

And so we are now in the midst of the worst financial breakdown in America and on Earth since at least the fiasco of the Carter Administration and quite possibly the Depression of the 1930’s. In the 1930’s, in the throes of the Great Depression, Franklin Delano Roosevelt came up with the “Alphabet Agencies” which expanded the US government exponentially and militarily socialized society. It is felt by many historians and economists that this effort actually lengthened the downturn by as much as 100 per cent. One of the programs introduced during FDR’s tenure in 1938 was the Federal National Mortgage Association, or “Fannie Mae.” When Richard Nixon took over from Johnson’s Great Society, his populist conversion led to the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, or Freddie Mac in 1970.

I previously said that I understand that all these programs are based on the best of intentions, and that I also know to that the Road to Hell is paved with those same intentions. And so it is with Fannie and Freddie. Our benevolent government decided, with some real evidence, that homeowners are more stable, less likely to commit crime, and are therefore more responsible and better citizens. So, the US Government jumped into the mortgage business in order to boost the ability of the average American to own a home, and then be more stable, become responsible, and raise a family. This would all, then, contribute to a stronger, more stable nation. It seems all so logical.

So, during the Clinton administration, Fannie, Freddie, and the private banks and institutions that are dependent on them, were ordered to ease their lending requirements and give loans to nearly anyone who wanted to buy a home. Great idea! Except, there were no real rules to ensure that EVERYONE was going to make the proper decision. In fact, the financial institutions were threatened by the Clinton Justice Department with criminal charges if they refused to go along!

Nevertheless, it soon dawned on managers of banks and other lenders that huge money could be made by lending to people who were traditionally high risk, AND THAT THE LOANS WOULD BE GUARANTEED BY THE AMERICAN TAXPAYER! No muss, no fuss, and it was ALL LEGAL! Why? Because Congress, whose job it is to control and manage these agencies were more interested in catering to their constituencies than in the dangers of a potential global financial meltdown. Warned of the potential problems repeatedly over the past decade, Congressional committee chairs Christopher Todd and Barney Franks refused to increase oversight or tighten regulations.

How were they warned? Shoot, even the liberal New York Times in an article published in 1999 stated as much.

But, the government decided some social engineering was a good thing, and that we could MAKE people responsible if they owned their own home. This same entity also thought that welfare was a great idea. That is why today a black child is less likely to be raised in a two-parent household than he was during Slavery.
The point of all this? Simply that the government is incapable of properly and effectively performing those things that the free market does so well. When the government puts its hand in where it should never have ever been, it brings catastrophic returns to our nation. In this case, it also brought it to the World.

Don’t be fooled. Capitalism didn’t cause this catastrophe. It was the intrusion of government into the mortgage market that was the prime reason for this melt-down. Capitalism, as it is wont to do, took advantage of government foolishness and a small group of people got rich. And you and I are left holding the bag. Christopher Todd, Barney Franks, John McCain, Barack Obama, and as far back as Lyndon Johnson and even Franklin Roosevelt, and a host of others are the real culprits in this. These are the people that WE elected to run our government.

And, so, we too are to blame.

FEAR & LOATHING IN JUSTICE

In 1985 I and a friend were in an underground mall in Pusan, South Korea. It was a fascinating moment for me, as I hadn’t been in a foreign country since leaving (then) West Germany in 1963 as a three-year-old Army brat. As we walked down the corridor, darting in and out of the shops to sample the wares, our attention was diverted to a disruption ahead of us.

The packed Korean humanity parted like Cecil B. De Mille’s Red Sea as people quickly moved against the walls and glass fronts of the shops, or quickly ducked inside suddenly filled stores, as three Korean National Police Officers, walking abreast, strode down the middle of the corridor. Some people pulled others out of the way, ensuring that those unaware did not impede the progress of the KNP officers.

Why such a spectacle? The people feared and respected these approaching officers. Truly.

Could you imagine anything of the sort today in America? I can’t. American police are almost universally portrayed in police dramas as something short of incompetent, frustrated Neanderthals barely able to think without the canny prosecutor, DA, or CSI expert there to guide them through.

Additionally, constant efforts by the media and the courts to emasculate American police forces ensures that on almost every occasion, a cop has to completely outsmart, outrun, or out-drive a suspect. Why is this? I get so frustrated when I watch police videos that show an officer having to holster his weapon and take chase of a suspect. Incredible! Why is this person running?

Seriously, if the suspect is innocent, why would he run? Invariably, the suspect/runner will say "I was scared," or something in that vein. But of what?
The cop has a weapon, but he can't use it. He knows it, the runner knows it, and everyone in society knows it.

But, the police officer should be able to use it. Period.

I can already hear the cries of indignation! Police brutality! Sanctioned murder! Give me a break. It occurred to me some time back that if a police officer in pursuit of a murder/rape/assault suspect would just pull his service weapon and shoot that suspect, I’d bet that a whole lot of others who normally take flight would stop, put up their hands, and peacefully lie down on the ground the next time. Hey, suspects run because they think they might be able to outrun the police. They're only fear is that they WON'T be able to outrun that cop.

And if they can outrun the police, that means that they get more opportunities for murder, rape, and assault. I can assure that a South Korean citizen would stop, put up their hands and peacefully get on the ground. If not, the NKP would shoot. And Koreans KNOW this, beyond a doubt.

I’ve seen dashboard cameras of cops getting run off the road by people who will do anything to get away. These people will run over others, ram other cars, hurt other people, and if that cop making the arrest hits the driver or strikes him, the COP will be investigated for assault!

Really, does it make any sense to arm a cop if he can’t use the weapon? We need to get serious about STOPPING bad people immediately, instead of giving them more opportunity to do bad things. And as for hitting someone because he’s an idiot and a criminal, they really probably deserve it.

Really.

A White Cloud AND A Silver Lining?

I sit here two days after the second most historic Presidential election in United States’ history – the first being George Washington’s, of course – and wonder what other silver linings could there be.

I watched as throngs of Americans – black, white, yellow, brown, and all colors in between – celebrate a truly historic occasion. I listened to a story on National Public Radio of a 109-year-old daughter of a slave who saw a son of a black man win the highest office in the land. And I saw a nation change right before my eyes. It was an amazing thing to witness.

I also watched as infamous race-baiter (and fellow South Carolinian) Jesse Jackson crying his eyes out in Chicago. And I was struck by the question that popped into my mind: “Was Jesse crying tears of joy? Or was he crying because he saw his meal ticket flying away in the Chicago wind?”

“Huh? What could you possibly mean, Rupe?” you are surely saying. Jesse watched as Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., bled out in Memphis after being shot down by an assassin’s bullet. Jesse fought hard for that very moment when Senator John McCain conceded defeat in Arizona and Barack Obama became the President-Elect of this multi-racial nation. Jesse even ran for president on a few occasions, being soundly thumped when his rhetoric fell upon too many deaf ears even in the Democratic Party. So, what could I possibly be writing about?

Simply this: Jackson’s and Reverend Al Sharpton’s raison d’etre’ can no longer stand up to any public scrutiny. America can no longer be called a racist nation.

With a majority of whites, Hispanics, and nearly every black person in the United States voting to vault Obama to the presidency, any notion that race is still a factor in America goes right out the window.

Liberal “African America” can no longer stand on the platform that every social ill suffered by it is caused by racism. The Bradley Effect is dead. America has just proved what many in America have said for years – racism as an institution is dead.

So, for conservatives, there just may be a silver lining after all.

THE MORAL HIGH GROUND?

Our nation is a nation based on laws that regulate our daily lives. Generally, they are based on the intent and writings of our founding fathers, which were based on English Common Law, Biblical Law, and the notion that each person has certain rights that were granted by God, not man. That these principles have survived for over 200 years proves the fairness and insightfulness of the system. And yet, there are people who live in America who feel the need to break these laws and principles.

Today the United States in the freest nation on Earth, and generally has been for the past two-plus centuries. And despite this, there are those who feel the need or desire to break the few rules that the nation has placed upon us. One of the most basic of rules of the nation and of civilization in general is that against murder. And even then, we codify and grade murder in America – Premeditated Murder, Manslaughter, Third Degree Murder, Malicious Homicide, Negligent Homicide, ad infinitum, it would seem. Of all of those, First Degree or Premeditated Murder is almost universally set aside for those who are the most vile and dangerous. It is for those who plan for and then commit murder.

Now, any way you look at it, anyone who can plan and then actually murder another is truly a horrible being. Many of us plan arguments and things we want to say to others and can’t pull it off. So, to actually visualize, plan and execute a murder takes a deeply mean, vicious, vile and violent person. There is just no two ways about it.

With all the freedoms we have in America, what would be the necessity of murder? What is it that would cause someone in a personal world of rage and frustration to do such a thing? And once they have done such a thing, why would we as a people then provide an unbiased jury, find that person guilty, place that person into an institution, feed them, give them medical care, clothe them, give them a place to sleep, and provide them with most of the amenities of life, all until they die? Have they not proven their inability to live in a free and just society?

And how about all those who live within the rules every day? They work, pay taxes, provide for their families, and give back to the society, and never once hurt anyone on purpose. Those people have to give their money to a system that is required to sustain the lives of people who cannot live within the rules. There are many cold-blooded killers who today, or have in the past, lived the vast majority of their natural lives in prison supported by good, decent, honorable people. These killers provide nothing for the community or society, yet we are required to provide them with all the amenities of a reasonably comfortable life.

Susan Smith murdered her own children in cold blood in order to try and win the heart of a man. Wayne Williams, the Atlanta child murderer is another. Richard Speck raped, tortured and killed eight nursing students in Chicago all for his own, sick pleasure. George Emil Banks, who murdered thirteen, including six children ranging in age from one to eleven (ironically, he has attempted suicide on at least four occasions). Brian Uyesugi killed seven of his co-workers in Hawaii. Jerry Brudos murdered four women on separate occasions for sexual satisfaction, and died in prison of natural causes after 37 years of incarceration. Randy Steven Kraft who is suspected of killing and castrating 67 homosexual men, though 22 of his victims have yet to be found. He’s been in prison 25 years. In all these cases, these people not only killed fellow people, but PLANNED the killings. And then we Americans paid or are paying to keep these people comfortable and alive in prison, until death by natural causes. It’s all paid for by you and me.

While in prison, they can obtain everything from GEDs to Masters Degrees, all on the taxpayer’s tab. They can choose to work in the prison industry system, or do nothing at all, all on the taxpayer’s dole. They’re fed, clothed and housed in some comfort, again with taxpayer financing. They can even legally worship the devil, and taxpayers have to provide them the opportunity.

Then, if they are somehow non-repentant inside this system, we build super-prisons for them, at HUGE expense to us, regimenting their miserable lives to the nth degree in order to ensure that they can murder no more. The cost of this is in the millions annually.

And somehow, this proves that we are a moral people? How is that a moral thing to place upon a citizenry? Why should good, moral, hard-working people be required to provide everything a person would need for as many as 80 or 90 years to anyone who have proven that they are not capable of living within those rules – AND feels the need to take away the life (or lives) of those who can live within the rules? I truly don’t understand this morality. What is moral about requiring a moral society to supply and support grossly immoral people?

I believe that it is not.

And that is why just societies perform and enforce the penalty of death. It is imposed on those who have proven themselves to be incapable of living in just, free and tolerant societies. Just, fair, and righteous people should not be forced to support those who are not, those who are societal leaches, those who refuse to live by the rules we all live by, those who are so coarse and callous as to plan, plot, and execute the murder of others.

Life in prison for this type of person is just only for that type of person. The rest of us continue to pay until after that person has died.

But wait! There is more! How about after their death? Yes, we citizens continue to pay.

The taxpayer also buries the murderer.

Where’s the justice in any of that?

A Prediction of Evil

When it comes to the Democratic Party of the USA, I am a virulent cynic. Their past three presidential candidates (Bill Clinton, John Kerry and Barack Obama) would never be able to pass a standard US Government security investigation in order to hold a government job. And this is also true of many of their Federal office-holders in both houses of Congress.

Now they have nominated Barack Obama, who his so far to the left that his views line up as more socialist than the one Socialist member of Congress! I’m not kidding – this has been documented but totally ignored by the media. Frighteningly, they have been making huge attempts to convince us that this man is a moderate, middle-of-the-road politician! And the US media is lining right up behind this claptrap. It is truly amazing.

Ironically, he defeated a candidate whose sole claim to fame is the blatant attempt to nationalize and socialize one-seventh of the American economy. Hillary Clinton’s aborted attempt to take over American medical practice is still her dream. Unfortunately, the cabal of she and her husband still hold great sway over the Democratic Party, despite the overwhelming evidence of their self-centered and evil ways.

So, it was with much trepidation that I read that the Democrat’s Vice Presidential candidate Joe Biden will drop out and that he will be replaced by Hillary Clinton. Of course, this would be a violent knee-jerk reaction to the nomination of Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin. This is a frightening prospect, though, considering the fate of many of the Clinton’s political foes, and even friends.

With this in mind:

- If Joe Biden drops out;
- If Hillary Clinton replaces Joe Biden;
- If Obama-Clinton win the November election;
- And if they are sworn in:

I believe that Barack Obama will be dead before the end of his first (and only) term and that Hillary Clinton will become president in accordance with Constitutional succession.

Mark these words.