American Exceptionalism; Radical Approaches Part I

   American Exceptionalism must become the foremost Political Ideology of  21st Century America. It must replace Socialism and eclipse Conservatism. AE is an often talked about concept but is difficult for many to grasp. Debates rage between laymen and the educated over what this means, exactly, and both have ample evidence to support their arguments. AE encompasses both sides of the debate for no other nation is born out of the history that is intrinsic to the United States. No other nation tackles the problems of the disenfranchised as the United States, no other nation has created the immense wealth of so many, the freedom to choose our own destiny and the ability to weather the storms of a turbulent world, face down our enemies and still create stability for the average American Family; Stability of the rule of law, safety, plowed streets and a free, public education for our children. That stability is rooted in the day-to-day work of all of us who get up each day, unleash our swords and fight the dragon we call, the "daily grind". It is rooted in the man/woman who works two, three jobs, and still creates something (a better gizmo, art, school project, voting drive, anything). AE is the heart beat that has kept this nation alive during it's worst of times to come out, in the end, stronger and more aware of how sacred this mantle of American Exceptionalism truly is.

   True to the nature of American Exceptionalism we are tasked from time to time to alter course and rewrite our future history. We are faced, at times, with Captains who steer our nation Arri and always the people bring the helm back on course. It is in our heritage and in our blood. No other nation, or it's people are so ancestrally linked to a document, forged by blood ink, created at a time when these ideas of Liberty were considered Sedition as these, The United States of America. Here is where American Exceptionalism finds its purpose of being. It was this radical idea of destiny of man, incumbent upon one's own fortitude, that forged the anvil that which the steel of a Superpower would be hammered. Failure was not an option. As hard as this concept may be for today's generation to understand; the creation of Liberty and Destiny are an evolutionary turn for Humanity. Adapt, or die. Freedom, placed squarely into your own hands carries great rewards or terrible consequences.

   The 20th Century is heralded as "The American Century".  With victory in war and growing economic expansion came enlightenment, affluence, perversity, and eventually, adulteration of the principles of our Constitution. America became 'soft' as we grew comfortable with all we have built. We have depended on the immense power of our arms and State to "take over" the responsibilities we must do for ourselves. More, segmented, enclaves of society have devolved into dependents of that State. Freedom has allowed the growth of what author Alvin Toffler, in "Future Shock" calls, "subcults". All sorts of constituents grasping at the teat of Government largess and demanding that they have as much rights as any one else. They do not. Freedom is a responsibility not a weekly allowance. These groups now tailor our legislation, affect domestic and foreign policy. They are the new 'Captains' steering this ship of State in an altered course. They are funded, powerful and they vote.

   Many of these groups are like spoiled children who demand and think nothing of the demands they make on the ability of the parent to provide. The purpose of a parent is to teach self reliance to the young. The parent, who is the State, is not responsible for the dolling out of monies, laws and legislation to provide for these spoiled groups. It is their responsibility alone to promote their own cause. They must learn to do this themselves. For, by doing so, they become more powerful than any Government edict can imagine. Every time that a new law was passed for rights, a cause, equality via the United States Congress there has been a gradual chipping away at American Exceptionalism and dependency on our Government to provide and uphold those ideals. Had any of these groups gone the way of economic demands, strikes, boycotts, sit ins, shut downs and stayed with those ideas alone without legislation; an entirely different history would have unfolded. It may have taken longer but the outcome would still be the same except with no mandated laws suppressing freedom. All, any of these "movements" have done is take away  from some to give to another. Instead of changing the perceptions of Americans naturally over time, it was forced upon us by lobbyists.

   We cannot change the history we have been handed. All we can do is take a fresh look at how we arrived at this point and take into context the ramifications of those decisions. Hopefully, never make the same mistake again. We must begin to defund many of these programs to allow our children to grow as they must. American Exceptionalism is not granted by a handout but by allowing individuals to compete fairly in the open marketplace of ideas, economics, and justice. Many will fail and will be required to go it alone. There, they will find the truth in their own freedom and self reliance.

   We have come full circle in the quest for equality to a point where idiocy reigns over common sense. This is the opposite of what our Founders envisioned for America. This is what American Exceptionalism is; not more mandates, but as few as possible to allow the growth of oneself.

....And That Is The Diatribe....

The Importance of Constant Pressure, Part V; Wisdom of the Second Amendment

How fortuitous, that we have this short statement in one of history's most valuable documents. It is included to remind the politicians of the rest of the document and the people also. The Second Amendment is more than just a clause that allows us to hunt and defend the nation in the streets from invaders. It is a built in "reset" button for a Republic and provides hardware for the people to take back the nation and defend the very Constitution itself. No other Constitution written for other Parliamentary States includes this decree. The Second Amendement is one case in point to American Exceptionalism.

Many States within the Union have created obstacles for ownership, transportation and use of firearms. I am not in total disagreement with these ideas. But, as usual, many laws are perverted when it comes to defense of one's home, carrying a concealed weapon in public places, trigger locks, banning certain firearms, even shooting an assailant. A 1982 survey of prison inmates has found that 34% of inmates were scared off by, shot at by, wounded and/or caprured by a civilian who was armed legally. (justfacts.com/guncontrol, James Agresti, Reid Smith, 2010).

Statistics are always used on both sides of the Second Amendment argument to butress a 'for' or 'against' debate. Agresti and Smith point out; "..when statistics are involved, the determination of what constitutes a credible fact (and what does not) can contain elements of personal subjectivity". Every one with a personal story to tell cannot separate themselves from the emotional trauma of a particular event in their lives where a firearm was used. Whether that story be from a victim or a defendant, it is a responsibility not to be taken lightly.

Out of a 2009 US population of roughly 307 million, roughly 45% of households contain firearms (Agresti, Smith). We are an armed nation. It would be wise for our elected to remember this and to act accordingly. In reality they do realize this and have spent many sessions of Congress to disarm the American Citizens. Recent Supreme Court appointees Sotomayer and Kagan have both been involved in handgun cases and are both unsympathetic to Second Amendment Rights. Each have voted in past occasions ,while presiding in lower courts, to deny appeals to legal gun owners who challenged D.C.'s ban on handguns within city limits. One defendant used a handgun in self defense and was sentenced to prison anyway.

While serving as a 'part-time' Senator, then Senator Obama voted against any Judicial Nominee who was a supporter of private gun ownership. One Federal Appeals court in 2002 stated that private citizens can only own guns while in the service of the State (National Guard, Police). James Madison wrote in The Federalist Papers of his concern for having only an armed militia and the possiblility of a military coup. He countered that concern by defending the need for citizens to be armed in challenging such a coup and protecting Liberty. Madison states..

"To these would be opposed a militia amounting to near half a million of citizens with arms in their hands, officered by men chosen from among themselves, fighting for their common liberties, and united and conducted by governments possessing their affections and confidence.

Besides the advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation, the existence of subordinate governments, to which the people are attached, and by which the militia officers are appointed, forms a barrier against the enterprises of ambition, more insurmountable than any which a simple government of any form can admit of. Notwithstanding the military establishments in the several kingdoms of Europe, which are carried as far as the public resources will bear, the governments are afraid to trust the people with arms."

The last part of that statement is key. European Governments do not trust the citizenry to bear arms. In light of the Austerity Measures in place today through out Europe, and the riots we see on TV, I am inclined to agree. Defending a collapsed Socialist system with an armed population scares the shit out of me. Defending a Republic with an armed population from Socialist take over comforts me.

Historically, 18th and 19th Century Europe was quite voilent. Countless times armies invaded neighboring
countries. Revolution in France swept up into an aggressive Empire under Napolean. It was not uncommon for the wealthy to be armed at all times as they travelled and not fear using those arms. Seldom any legal repercussions would ensue. That is not the case today in both Europe and The U.S. Use of a handgun in self defense is a tricky endeavour. A wounded assailant may seek monetary compensation regardless of his/her crime. So be sure to shoot to kill.

In the book Firearms and Violence, A Critical Review editted by Charles Wellford, John V. Pepper, and Carol V. Petrie from the National Academies Press, 2005; people are reluctant to answer questions about use of their firearms, whether they own a firearm legally or illegally. The controversy surrounding the issue is first and foremost in the owner's mind. This should not be the case if you are a lawful gun owner.

"While surveys of firearms acquisitions, possession, and use are of varying quality and scope, they all share common methodological and survey sampling-related problems. The most fundamental of these is the potential for response errors to survey questionnaires. Critics argue that asking people whether they own a firearm, what kind it is, and how it is used may lead to invalid responses because ownership is a controversial matter for one or more reasons: some people may own a firearm illegally, some may own it legally but worry that they may use it illegally, and some may react to the intense public controversy about firearm ownership by becoming less (or even more) likely to admit to ownership (Blackman, 2003).

While in most surveys respondents are provided confidentiality, the concern is still expressed that violations of confidentiality directly or through data mining could lead to the identification of specific respondents in a way that might allow the identification of firearms owners."

For every story of an accidental shooting, there are ten fold examples of safety training, responsible storage and locking of firearms. For every tragic tale of a criminal shooting there are less than 1/10 of 1% examples of a lawful gun owner using said gun in the commission of a crime. Every time there is a sensational news story of a mass shooting spree the perpetrator is almost always in possession of a firearm illegally. Where the real tragedy comes from is that the victims are resricted form carrying their own, legal firearms at the places they are murdered in..

The wisdom of the Second Amendment is that it protects and defends everything held within the Constitution of the United States..

....And That Is The Diatribe....

The Importance of Constant Pressure, Part III; Eliminating Instituted Stupidity

               I am always amazed at the level of  pettiness and stupidity that reigns in our society. The inability to think something through in a common sense manner is over ruled by policy and  "guidelines". Innovators in the workplace are always telling their staff to "think outside the box", then reject half of what is developed because it means some one's world has to change.

               The Deficit Reduction meetings these past weeks is a prime example of pettiness and stupidity. The recomendations weren't fifteen minutes old before every targetted group postured against any cuts to their specific departments. The stupidity continued when the recomendations, we learned, don't take affect until 2050. and are the usual bureaucratic nibbles we have seen forever. No real change at all.

              Being prepared to make the sacrifices is a monumental step for some people. Comfort and familiarity equals a sense of psychological security. Anytime we are taken out of that zone confusion and insecurity set in. It takes time to adjust to a new paradigm. But, adjust we do, and, with determination, excell where we thought we would fail. Confidence grows and fear slips away.

              The new Congress must be willing to stop all new "programs", repeal completely those directly affecting prosperity. Waste in all agencies must be halted and those dollars recovered. With over 10 trillion in unfunded liabilities about to hit our Federal Budget, some radical ideas must be employed. How about this idea for Social Security?
               Opt Out. Allow Americans to not be part of Social Security altogether. Those currently paying into the system can take a one lump payment equal to the total they have paid to date. But, here is the catch. You do not get that money in your hand. It is put into a high yield savings account, cd, or 401k of your choosing and cannot be accessed until the age of sixty five. Unlike Social Security allows; in the event of your death before age sixty-five, your spouse, or your children become the beneficiaries of that savings account. Again, they cannot access the money until retirement age. This money grows in a secure bank account, puts money into the private sector, hell you could even borrow against it if you had to.
              There is only one problem with this idea..It makes too much sense and never will be considered.

              This is what I mean by radical ideas. We must look at the situation we find ourselves in and admit that the policies of generations of Presidents, Congress' State and Local Administrations have mostly failed and rarely succeeded. As Frederic Bastiat has said in his pamphlet "The Law"; "...law, by no means confines itself to its proper function". Bastiat goes on to say that, "Self preservation and self development are common aspirations among all people". There are few who will argue that allowing Liberty to be the benchmark in consideration of a new law should be first and foremost. This is never the case. Each law passed is restrictive and counter intuitive to Liberty.

              Even the measures taken to ensure a minimal safety net for society demand something from society.  Social Security is a noble idea but is still antithetical to individual responsibility. As Milton Freidman points out, it is not Government's responsibility to help the poor, it is our (society's) responsibility to each other as human beings. Social Security is akin to Bastiat's "...francs to keep us quiet, like throwing us a bone to gnaw". The issue of the poor and the elderly cannot be solved in one dossiere, nor do I attempt to solve it here. I am just creating a thought to be considered.

              By allowing a society to flourish unfettered by Governmental restraint truly is Ronald Reagan's theory; a rising tide lifts all boats. Taxation is nothing more than legal plunder. Legal plunder is taking from some one who earns to be given to some one who does not. The persons who benefit from this plunder will be the first to argue in it's defense. (This is the contigent I spoke of in Part I backing up the Government).

              Socialism is legal plunder and as the laws are written to uphold the concept of Social Justice Government will use the legal system and it's armies to protect it. They may even circumvent the legal system under the mantle of  "averting a crisis". Socialists could care less about the disenfranchised they claim to be looking out for. They are a monopoly and act wholly for their own ends.

              Civil war is easy, electing Conservative Legislators is easy, educating people is easy. Creating an environment where we accept the hard facts that sacrifice and a 180 degree turn  back to Constitutionsal values is very, very difficult. We are several generations separated from those early days of rugged individualism. Where do we start? Many of us don't realize we are most likely closet Marxist Socialists. We like our comfort, we like our Social Security and the knowledge of an Unemployment Check or our Tax returns. We like our public funded schools, we don't have to think about it yet complain when they get into our private lives (and we should, it's none of their business).

               I will close this piece with another reminder from Frederic Bastiat; " ..if the purpose of law is to cause justice to reign, it is not a rigorously accurate statement...the purpose of law is to prevent injustice from reigning.. Justice is acheived when injustice is absent.."


....And That Is The Diatribe....

The Importance of Constant Pressure

               It has become obvious to me that there may be no other redress of the grievences inflicted upon the people of the United States aside from insurrection, usurpation of the established Federal Government and an immediate return to the core values of The United States Constitution. The only problem we face is that any armed conflict will not be contained with the enemy being the Government itself. Many of the citizens are perfectly happy living as serfs and beneficiaries of govermental largesse and it's welfare system. Any conflict can easily become a wider civil war drawing out the length of such an event and the casualty rate of such an event. In short, It won't be just law enforcement, National Guard and Government Institutions as our main obstacle, but a large back up contingent of welfare recipients and Socialist ideologs.

               The importance of keeping the pressure on all our elected officials cannot be stressed enough. If they continue to act as if everything is business as usual, Future Tea Party events could become recruitment stations for an upcoming war.
              
                In his piece written for Renew America, Henry Lamb tells of the pivotal time the Tea Party has brought us too and how consistency must be the watchword for the next decade at least.

                               "...The rise of the Tea Parties is evidence of a growing rebellion
                               among the people unwilling to accept this current reality. This is
                               a time of great opportunity or great danger..The future cannot be
                               left to any political party, but guided by solid, proven principles.."

                 The insults upon the intelligence of citizens are rapidly gaining in strength and rates of occurance. Lamb points to the transgressions of the recent TSA violations of personal space and dignity while the Government, at large, leaves gaping holes in our border due to environmental regulations and ignores and impunes upon State's Rights to enact laws defending their territorial borders.

                 Further insults are disguised under the banner of Hate Speech. Free speech and Hate Speech are dictated under the guidelines of Political Correctness and fear of Ethnic backlash, especially any critical analysis of Islam. The International Free Press Society has listed many double standards in regards to critiques of Islam on Western European Nations. A meeting of fifty-six nations comprising the Organization of Islamic Conference. In 2008 this conference gathered to discuss a ten year plan to eliminate any critical views of Islam by any one, any press agency, any government. Under the universal threat of being labelled a racist, the OIC has enacted laws that has put some journalists under arrest and awaiting trial simply for pointing out violence committed by Islamic Terrorist Groups. The push in the United States to allow Shar'iah Law to exist within (and imune from) State and Federal laws grows at a rapid rate. No similiar Christian protections exist, Later Day Saints Fundamentalists are routinely arrested for their practice of Bigamy. Muslim husbands and Fathers can beat, rape, sell, kill their wives and daughters with no fear of justice. A secular couple can have a simple argument and the wife has Domestic Violence laws at her whim and disposal.

              We constantly garnish every new law with nice sounding names. They are anything but nice. Virtually every law, regulation passed since Wilson has done two things and two things only; 1;To suppress individuality, personal responsibility and Liberty. 2; To find a way to tax us to pay for it's enacting and perpetuation. In fact almost all these "Acts" have built in clauses so they may be revisited from time to time to strengthen them. Any call from the citizenry to repeal an outmoded law is met with a phalanx of protests and  lawyers on the payroll of these regulatory entities.

               The EPA was formed to protect the environment, yet, under the this agency the environment is the least of their worries when it comes to oil and gas leases on Government land and timber leases in National Parks. If you can pay for the rights, you get a free pass.

               The Department of Education should not even exist. This is a State's Right issue, if not a local city and community issue. Not one initiative has done anything to improve the quality of public schools but has institutionalized, standardized and sanitized the educational experience. This further erodes individuality and Liberty of young minds. Unions, in the pocket of both parties, has corrupted the system of education and its quality. Here again, any talk of a reform is met with feverish rancor from Teacher's Lobbyists. Anything to keep the slow creep to Socialism alive.

              However, this pressure must be kept on the burner. It must also have the heat turned up and expose any example of corruption and partisanship. We must take a play from the Socialist handbook of Cloward and Piven. The advent of Cable news, the internet has exploded with good and bad examples of a new surge of information and freedom of thought. Is it any wonder legislators have time and time again called for internet regulation and taxation. Senator Rockefeller has called for the elimination of FOX and MSNBC, again, disguising his rhetoric with the sinister statement, "..so we can get on with the work of the Congress". The Fairness Doctrine, disolved during Reagan, is always coming up in Senate Hearings to be resurrected. God forbid the nation should keep tabs on it's elected.

              The hatred and lies spread towards a populist movement are indefensible. The hatred and discrimination towards our Armed Services hasn't been this bad since Vietnam. The acceptance of a gaping wound on the Southern border, rewriting our history to salve ethnic members of our society, tolerating the intolerable are symptomatic of a nation in identity crisis and is ripe for the final chapter of Socialism to be written and the iron clad lockdown of its doctrine to be our undoing.


....And That Is The Diatribe....
              

Common Sense

                        A child is accosted at the airport. A child is told he cannot fly the flag for Veterans on his bicycle. A war Verteran cannot fly his flag on his paid Condo lawn. God is taken from the courts, our, schools, our commons, our debates, our public forums.
                       
                        Why do Liberals want the word of God struck from our public forums? To make it easier to lie at them. The perversion of the word of God is a long and sordid past.

                       From the early Puritans, the Mayflower Compact, the Pequot Wars, Salem. From the Missions in SA to the Missions in Africa. The Muslims, whose sole purpose is to destroy any one not a Muslim: The perversion of God is antithetical to human expansion and Human Evolution. All I have listed here has done nothing, but perverse and restrain, the potential of Humanity. These, modern day, rejections of God and Country are the same damn thing!

                        There never is; a "middle road", always a struggle of one side, or, the other. The fight of the 21st Century is that again! Why? Why must we continue on this path and wonder why no one from 'out there' wants anything to do with us?

                      How can (some one like me) see this stupidity so clearly and no one else can see it? I know why.

                       Because, we are not as evolved as we believe ourselves to be. One side (the West) may believe themselves to be evolved. Correct they may be. The East, believes that God is vengefull and wishes to rid the world of infidelity (whatever that means, and, as correct as they may perceive). NOTE: Yes, I defer to the former in this discourse.

                      So, must we defer to the  minority religion, in order to, be accepted among them? What if they don't want us? Shall we continue this path of.."Please!!" Shall we continue the path of war?

                      NOTE: This is what sucks about being a former Liberal. turned Conservative. I can see both, fucking sides..God, I hate this crap!! Where is the Demorol??.."Can I get a drink here , please!!"

                     Maybe, that is the answer. Every one chill the fuck out! Let the kid fly his flag. Stop molesting the child at the gate and allow the profiled to stand proud and proclaim their allegience to America. Stop whining about being targeted and be proud that you are targeted. Then say; .."I am an American!"

                     Ever think to yourself?  God is asking something of ourselves? To be better than what the Media and Government ask's us to be? That..Things are going on right now and we must all take a chill pill? Be wary, be helpfull to your brother and sister and child. Be kind, have some common sense?


....And That Is The Diatribe....

                   

The Second Greatest Show On Earth

                    My grandfather had a saying; "Next to Barnum and Baily, the American Election Process is the greatest show on Earth!" How correct he was. Yet, how sad his prediction has become. We cannot vote anymore without a doubt of our selection's integrity to elect candidates. Our ballots no longer reflect the choice of our nation's direction, but rather, who is the least worst.
                    Voter fraud is just a normal part of the process now as much as long lines are normal at Dunkin Donuts. I can deal with deciding I want a coffee with cream then getting one that is without. I cannot deal with my vote being for "A" then discovering it was for "B". Then, I have to listen to some one tell me it was vote for racism, or, a vote for "going back".
                    Speaking of Dunkin Donuts and the election..I was accosted by an individual today at a DD.  The server was handling several orders at once. She got mine wrong.  I suggested she slow down and take one order at a time. Some A-hole called me a "dick" and berated me as my order was processed. ..I thought I was going to be in a fight. This guy was in my face!!
                    This made me think.. How much berating will we suffer this next week at the polls as people want to be heard properly and have the correct ballots to cast their votes. How many A-holes will be there calling them "dicks" and berating them to vote as they see fit.
                     The sad answer is; there will be many. Many will try to vote and be shunned away. Other votes will be auto-clicked to the Democrat Party.
                      Try to complain my friends...There is no recourse!
                   
                     The reports from FOX already point to numerous voter fraud examples. Most of our military absentee ballots are in the trash or lost.

                      I love how I am accused of being a "right wing" guy. The funny thing is, that, my accusers don't have a clue as to my past. I was born and raised a Card carrying Left wing ACLU Democrat! I know the play book. I know the game plan. I am the consummate "mole" to expose the playbook of the Left. I lived that life!
                      Recently, I read one of Hillary Clinton's books, " Living History". She wrote about how she was a registrar for John Kennedy's Presidential Campaign. Her job was to gather registrations for the vote..A noble cause.
                     She wrote that she went to address' that didn't exist, names that were deceased, places that did not exist. She filled out her forms and went back to the campaign manager.
                     After she told him about these discrepencies, she was informed to forget about them and those names would be added anyway. She said she heard nothing more of this. This was in 1960 for God's sake!
                     You think this has gotten better?

                     Gore vs. Bush in 2000: Gore wanted votes recounted in only Democratic Districts to sway the outcome. The Florida State Supreme Court said that ALL votes must be recounted in ALL Districts. This lead to the stopping of recounting and Gore relequishing to Bush...The Left was not happy. They claimed that Bush "stole" the election.
                      Truth is, Gore wanted to slant the election in Primarily Democratic Districts where voter fraud was rampant. Thus the stage was set for ACORN in 2008. We can go to Jersey City/ Hudson County in 1997 for another great example of fraud. Two machines sent to a Teacher's Union non polling place already loaded with votes.
                     Shall we talk about the Black Panthers outside polling places in 2008?

                    So, here we are again... Ross Perot said in the 1992 debate that this would be the last truly free election. We all laughed at him and his big ears. His simple "fixes" for our economy....Damn..I wish Ross was President then.

                     His words come back to haunt us! From a simple man who built a company and was in the front row of the bullshit our Government has handed us over 30 years come the telling! A giant shit sandwich and we must all take a bite from!


....And That Is The Diatribe....

Intolerance Run A-muck

                    The recent firing of a renowned journalist, Juan Williams from NPR has sent a chill down the spines of writers, commentators, television and radio personalities. That chill can have two effects. 1; it either stiffens the spine so the respondent becomes more resolute or, 2; the spine becomes brittle and breaks way to easily. Either way the industry itself becomes less of a trusted source for information as a whole. It was Walter Cronkite who said something to the effect that our Democracy depends on the free flow of information from its news organizations.
                     Speaking of Walt; I wonder if the graphic news reels from the front lines of Vietnam, that were broadcasted nightly, were censored. Would the outcome have been different? It is fact that, The Pentagon Papers, graphic scenes of our mangled soldiers and other exposures during that time altered the course of the war. We do not see those secnes today on the nightly news. The best source to see some really great video is a website from The Military Channel, military.com. Some are scenes of our soldiers performing bravely, some of them getting killed, blown up, graphic gun camera video of insurgents and Taliban getting cut to ribbons in full on no bullshit. The television decision makers will never air this. Not because they want to alter the course of the war, but because some one may complain.
                     That's right..Viewers may complain. Some one may be 'offended' and write an angry letter. Corporations for media tremble at this omni-present threat.
 
                      Since I am a contributing writer to this blog I have every right to (and I must) direct this conversation towards my own experiences while producing my radio program. I feel the examples over the past two days are relevant to my own situation.
                      I want to make a statement here:
                      I will stand shoulder to shoulder with anyone, even those I find reprehensible in their rhetoric to defend their right to say what they think.
                     There are standards we must oblige by. Don't swear, don't be openly racist, etc. But some one's opinion? Some one's thought on an issue? Some one's political convictions? Those, now, are tantamount to dismissal?
                      What really fries my fish is the level that some will lower to to demand that my voice be censored under the guise of "their values" or "the values we represent". What values are those? The values of a one sided conversation? The values of a set agenda (written or implied)? The value of, we don't want any other view point except our own, or the concept thereof.
                      I had responded to some comments on the content of my show. There is a 'Forums' page on the website WCUW.ORG. I post my show programming, I make comments, introduce guests. I, even, post something controversial in relation to the content of my show. This includes jpegs, etc.
                      
                       The first time I was called on the carpet was for a political cartoon of Obama and the Statue of Liberty. The cartoon was removed by Management and I was told in an e-mail that I was spreading hate speech and something about interracial rape. It was nonsense. It was cartoon.What are we the Taliban? Publish a cartoon of Mohammed and a 'Fatwa' gets declared?
                       There was another time when I had a Congressional Candidate(Ind) on and a caller asked about the "illegal war in Iraq..etc". We had responded by saying that Congress did vote on the war. The argument turned into a case of semantics. An entire dissertation about the 10th Amendment followed from the caller on that 'Forums' page.
                        Lately, the issue of having the Tea Party on my show (for the um-teenth time) reared its ugly head. This is what is the crux of the problem now. I have been accused of having only "right wing" Candidates on my show. Even though I have submitted a list to Management on the guests since January, this moron demanded a list anyway. They are right there on this page for every one to see..Didn't matter. This idiot later claimed that he/she had only tuned into my show from time to time, but was convinced of the political slant. That made him/her very upset. Ounce of perception, pound of obscure.
                        After I pointed out that WCUW broadcasts many other politically charged shows, and no one says a word, (because they are Left leaning) that we also have spiritual and Christian broadcasts; this didn't satisfy the complainer. Instead, this Fascist Zealot wanted the content of the Christian shows and my show forcibly handed over to the Board of Directors. So much for one of the stations hallmark logos, "radio of the people, by the people and for the people."
                        I guess this individual is self appointing themself to be the one man committee of Decency and political correctness. I always thought these were the actions of 'right wingers'. Au' contraire mon ami.

                      The reality is it has always been the Left who engage in this behavior. The reality is; in the past, most of these 'concerned citizen' groups were card carrying Democrats. All these organizations have grown to such power that they now control content over Government policy and censorship in the media. Individuals engage in this behavior almost on a sub conscience level. They don't know they are stepping on the Constitution. Their own sense of self righteousness clouds this inconvenient truth. They are convinced they are doing "the right thing".
                    
                         The truth is. These people are spreading hate, spreading intolerance, narrow-mindedness, a strict regiment to a stated doctrine and down right bigotry.


....And That Is The Diatribe....