Diogenes of Sinope is said to have walked the streets of ancient Greece, looking for an honest man. This journey was considered fruitless. He is also known as Diogenes the Cynic. His cynicism grew from his final belief that it was impossible to find an honest person. I’m not so sure if there is really a truly honest person in the world. It is hard not to be cynical. It is health to have some cynicism in your life. Too much trust can be a dangerous thing, but there are times when you have to trust people. The current leadership in our national government is playing upon this natural cynical nature of people. The use of class warfare to divide and conquer our nation must be the transparency that was was promised at the beginning of the Obama Administration. Considering that they decided to receive an award for transparency in secret, I can only believe it.

Every four years the United States goes through an exercise to find an individual that is willing and able to lead the nation. We hope to find an honest person to fill the job. I was told once that: Anyone who has done everything required to become President of the United States, should never be given the job. There are times when I believe it. It is said that the road to the White House requires a person to make deals and sell their soul to obtain this job with so much power. Over the years there have been many presidents who were seen as corrupt. Many others are revered as great leaders. For the brief history of the nation, many have stepped forward for consideration for the job, but only a few have been selected. All who have accepted this job come out after their term looking much older than when they entered. It is a hard job and the process used to select the person to occupy it must be very thorough. A comprehensive search and vetting process must occur to protect our fragile republic. This process has been broken at certain times and requires those who protect our liberties to fix it. The lovers of liberty are the people who really understand the price of freedom are willing to pay the price.

Far too many of those who have acquired power today no longer respect their oath of office and are willing to protect the Constitution. The events that have occurred over the 20th century have eroded the system and put those in power who no longer respect the people of the country or our freedoms. They believe that the answers to all problems come from Washington. They see every problem as a way to increase their power and the political parties.

I see a new spirit rising in the nation. The excesses of power over the past few years have awoken many to the dangers we face from those who wish to impose a dictatorial tyrannical state upon us. The imposition of socialistic policies, the militaristic behavior, and the creation of enemy list by the President are the acts that are antithetical to the freedoms that this nation was founded upon. We have a political movement that is working hard to widen the rift in the nation to maintain their power. Next year is the year in which we must find out if we can restore our republic or will we watch the nation continue to slide into tyranny.

As I wrote about in None of the Above in 2010, I believe that there is a new wind blowing through the nation. More and more people are beginning to trust the political parties and the political class. It is becoming clear that our elected representatives are no longer protecting the nation. They are only doing what will increase and prolong their power. We are getting tired of slick politicians.

In 2007 we were promised "hope and change" by then candidate Barack Obama. To many Americans he appeared to be an outsider. Unfortunately instead of hope we got inflation, rising unemployment, record wasteful government spending, class warfare, three dollar plus gas prices, attacks on individual freedoms, socialized medicine, and unprecedented growth of the federal government. The power shift from the individual to Washington has been breath taking over the last few years is frightening. This betrayal of the faith of the public must be corrected. I can only hope that we can continue the work that began in 2010. If enough people are left that love our freedoms and understand that the policies of Washington will enslave all of us then we can reverse our course and save the nation.

The choices in leadership, we make in 2012, will determine our destiny. I still feel that our two party system is broken. Both parties seem to have the same goals. The growth of the number of progressives in the government representing both parties is pushing us deeper into socialism. By not accepting more of the same from the political leadership we can once again restore our representative government. We must replace the politicians in Washington with citizen willing to defend the Constitution and protect the freedoms of this nation.

So far I am still undecided on whom I will support next year, but I can not and will not support the reelection of President Obama. His time in office has been bad for this nation. His lack of life experience and overall personality do not make him suited for the office he holds. I don’t trust him or his judgment. But with whom do we replace him with next year?

Our fate is in our hands and we must make sure we choose the right person to lead us out or the mess that has been created by the Progressives. Just as Diogenes was unable to find an honest man in ancient Greece, it is impossible to find a perfect candidate. After all no one is perfect, but we can find a qualified person who would be better than the current occupant of the executive suite. It is important that we don’t become too obsessed with finding someone who agrees with everything you want. We must find a person who is will to actually follow the laws of the land, stop the crony capitalism, and once again turn the nation to true prosperity. This is a quest that we must continue into 2012 and not falter until the republic has been fully restored. We owe this to those who come after us, just as our forefathers gave it to us.


©2011 Pedro Sykes - Some Rights Reserved


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

Sending up the white flag…again. Dear Speaker; I’m very sad on how this whole “payroll tax vote” affair played out. You don’t seem to understand the game that the President and the Democrats are playing. You can not trust them. They’re play a no holds barred game. To me it seems as if they played you like a cheap violin. It’s beginning to make me wonder if you are qualified for the job that must be done. The future of this country and our liberties are on the line. The low ratings of Congress should not be read as the public is mad because you are not giving us enough. We are made because you are taking too much. Congress is not operating with the health of the nation in mind.

The rise of the TEA Party was to rein in the out of control government. We want you to communicate the values of this nation. You need to act smarter. The President and his gang of thugs are not going to play fair, so you can not trust them. You must stop playing their game and look ahead and understand the traps they are setting for you and the American people. The American people will support you if you continue to appear weak. We want strength and you are making the president look strong than you.

You must know by now that the Left Stream Media is your enemy. They hate you just because you are a Republican. They only support the goals of the Democrat party and the goals of the Progressive Socialist. Unless you support the goals of the Progressives then you need to take a stand for what you believe. If you love this country then you must stop playing and begin to represent the conservative views that put the Republicans in the House as the majority. Do you wish to continue to alienate voters are do you want to bring those who feel the system has turned against them?

It is time for true Constitutional Conservative leadership that supports the values of our founders. The status quo is no longer acceptable to many Americans. The promise of hope and change swept President Obama into office, but it was not the hope or change that was expected. The change that he has represented is a even faster move to socialism and tyranny. That is not the values that made this country great. Next year will be another year of transition. It will either spell the end of the country or the beginning of its rebirth. We need leaders that will defend the American way and defeat the enemies of our country, not work with them.

Stealing VotesWith the conviction of 2 Troy, N.Y. city officials and two Democratic political operatives it is clear that the voter fraud that we have been told does not exist is occurring. With Democrats standing in the way of every effort to verify the integrity of the electoral system, it is becoming clear why. Efforts by, mostly Republican officials, to create a system of fair and free elections have been blocked at every turn by Democrat officials. These Democrats continue to create a system that disenfranchises voters. I can only believe that those who wish to disenfranchise voters and overturn the will of the people should never be given power. These are people who no longer support our republic and only wish to maintain their power. If allowed to continue there will be no hope for our freedoms.

One of those convicted in this case, defended his acts by saying; “everyone does it.” This type of defense shows a total lack of respect for our system of justice. This person is so blind to his own corruption that he assumes that everyone is corrupt. There is no excuse for this type of activity by anyone. With the same allegations that caused the investigation into the primary in 2008 there is now a shadow over the Presidential election.

The constant refrain from the left is that any attempt to make our electoral system honest is “voter suppression.” But now that more and more Democratic Party voter fraud becomes public, it is clear that the left can not win on their ideas. They feel that they must usurp power and impose their will. This political corruption must come to an end. The idea that one group feels that they must maintain their power no matter the means can no longer be accepted. Anyone that really believes that protected the integrity of our elections is somehow unfair should be run out of the political system. They are imposing tyranny upon us all.

Greatest Presidents of all times?
Once again the President shows that his ego is much larger than the man. As he marches the country deeper into bankruptcy he compares believes that he is the fourth greatest president in history. Of course you have to consider who he thinks is the top three. His choice of FDR and LBJ says as much about his core beliefs as it does about anything else. FDR took this country the closest to dictatorship than any president in our history. His rule by executive order, front loading the SCOTUS, and socialistic programs prolonged “The Great Depression” and damaged the republic. LBJ and his devastating war in Vietnam and “Great Society” programs continued and accelerated the march toward national slavery. I know that Lincoln is looked upon by many as a great leader, but his emergency orders that lead to the death of thousands of Americans is not something to look up to, well unless you envy the power that he took in a time of national emergency.
©2011 Pedro Sykes - Some Rights Reserved


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Do Nothing Democrats:
For 4 years the Democrat Party had total control of the Congress with 2 of those years they controlled the White House and Congress with a super majority. But it has been over 900 days since Congress passed a budget. The President and his party continue to claim that the Republicans are standing in the way.

Harry Reid has the job of standing in the way of everything that the Republican controlled House passes. The biggest problem that I see in the Left Stream Media is that they do not report this simple fact. I’m not surprised that this is happening, but because of this lack of accurate reporting there are many people who pay no attention who will be easily manipulated. Instead of seeing that the Democrats have played politics with the nation’s health, they will blame those who are actually trying to do the people’s business.

It seems to me that there is more going on here than is being reported. The House passed a one year extension of the FICA tax cut. The Senate passed a 2 month extension. It may be that the President wants to see how much traction his message of “do nothing Congress” plays with the American people. He attacked the Republicans today without saying that the deadlock is actually in the Senate which is controlled by his party. It is very clear that he and his advisors think that the only way he can win next year is to blame everything on someone else. It is definitely true that the Democrats in Congress are in full “reelect Obama” mode. With no bill before Christmas, the topic of 24 hour news cycle will be; how the Republicans took away a tax cut from the Americans. This will make it a major topic of discussion as people gather for the holidays.

For a minute let’s look at what has been purposed. Two months would make the Congress revisit this issue in February. This would allow the Democrats to crow again about the “deadlock” in Congress. This would hit the media just as the Republican Primaries are beginning to heat up. The Presidents hit squad would be working the Left Stream Media and the Sunday morning shows hard to deflect blame from the President. The “news” programs will lead every hour with stories of how many are being harmed by the Republicans failure to compromise with the President and holding up progress. I see two months of whining by various partisan political types who will tell us how the evil conservatives want to destroy the President, economy, pollute the water, starve the poor, and cause a black man to look bad.

A one year extension will put the next renewal vote after the election. At that time a lot of the political motives will be gone. The Congress will be in lame duck mode with many of the members of Congress will (I can only hope) be on their way out the door. This will change the thought process of those who are leaving and may actually cause them to put the country before party.

There is no doubt, in my mind, that this entire vote was timed to create a crisis for the President at the end of the year. They hope to take advantage of the emotions of people who are willing to believe the worst. I only hope that enough people are actually paying attention to understand what type of political games are being played and see how transparent the whole episode is when looked at it with open eyes. It is important to remember how President Obama thinks about the American people. He is the one who defined anyone who disagrees with him as the enemy.

Uncle Joe Opens His Mouth, Inserts Foot…Again:
The hardest part of any war is enemy identification. Many “friendly fire” incidences occur when people become confused. It is far too common on the battlefield, but you expect a person a single heartbeat from the presidency to be aware of those who wish to kill Americans and destroy the nation. But it appears that our VP is unaware of the support the Taliban gave to el Qaida and how many of our sons in arms have been killed by them and their proxies.

The Taliban are not only our enemy but are the enemy of all free people and those who crave freedom. The spin from the left is saying that his statement was taken out of context; but how could that be? The Obama Administration has been reaching out to our enemies ever since they took office. They seem to think that they can make peace with people who believe that the only way to obtain peace is by destroying any who disagree with them. This President has telegraphed every move to our enemies and put our brave soldiers at risk.

Maybe it is time to but Ole’ Joe out to pasture. His gaffes are not only an embarrassment to the country, but a danger to the future of the nation. He is like that crazy uncle you see in the movies that should be in a home, but no one have the heart to lock him away. Just think if something were to happen to the president then we would hear the two most frightening words that I could ever imagine: President Biden.

AG shows his cards:
When the going gets tough, some people look for excuses. AG Holder has proven to be an unreliable guardian of the nation’s constitution. His tenure at the Justice Department has been marked with lawsuits again multiple states for obeying federal law, failure to enforce voter intimidation laws, and apparently looking the other way while a program allow thousands of guns to be sent across the border to the south.

It is important to remember that he was a player in the Mark Rich pardon. I not only have and will continue to question his judgment and honesty, but now I have to question his sanity. In the New York Times he made the assertion that he was being attacked because of his race. It seems that he may be beginning to believe the notion put forth in the press; that anyone who disagrees with a “black” man is only doing because of his race. This playing of the race card is ridicules. It seems that he must really think that he must be right, due to nothing more than his race. This from the man who said: Americans were cowards when it came to talking about race. It seems that he thinks that he can deflect all criticism by claiming racism. Well that charge doe not change my mind about this man. I still believe that he is not qualified for the job. That has nothing to do with his race, but everything to do with his performance at the Justice Department. The truth must be known about his involvement in Fast and Furious plus the voter intimidation case.

This has nothing to do about the race of a man and everything to make sure that all American citizens are treated fairly, based upon the laws and the Constitution. This man seems to not care about either. Once again I call for him to step aside and let someone of higher morals and character to protect all Americans, not just the ones he believes to be more deserving.


©2011 Pedro Sykes - Some Rights Reserved


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

To Kill a Mockingcain:
In 1960 Harper Lee’s American Classic novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” was published. Two years later it was released in movie form, starring Gregory Peck, Brook Peters, and Robert Duvall. For anyone who has never heard the story (and there should be few) the major theme is the trial of Tom Robertson, a black man falsely accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman in the deep south of the United States. In this Pulitzer Prize winning novel the racism and injustice of depression era south is examined. Even though it was determined that Mayella had lied about the rape Tom is found guilty.

The novel was based in the year 1936 during the Great Depression the events of the last few weeks reminded me of “To Kill a Mockingbird” and is occurring during the Great Recession. Just like Tom Robertson, Mr. Herman Cain has been tried and convicted but Mr. Cain trial occurred in the media. I can’t and very few people really know if the accusations are true. It just seems odd the way that all of this became public. The Left Stream Media is happy to cover up charges made against Democrat such as Bill Clinton and John Edwards. In Sen. Edwards case there was much more current evidence then the claims against Mr. Cain.

If you are not aware of the history of President Obama’s political career, then you need to look at the “scandals” and bad luck that has befallen his past opponents. With help of a news media that is more than willing to destroy anyone for any reason, Mr. Cain never stood a chance once he became the target. Mr. Cain was a victim of the willing allies of the DNC the Left Stream Media and their attempt to control the Republican primary by determining the GOP’s candidate. The media repeated the allegations over and over again until it did not matter whether they were true or not. The damage was done.

I must say that I felt that Mr. Cain was a viable candidate for President of the United States, but I had some problems with his 9-9-9 plan. But I don’t believe that there is anything known as a perfect person. The last thing we need is another slick politician in the oval office. We also don’t need a bunch of slick bureaucrats surrounding our President.

So I really would like to know if there is anyway that a man can get a fair trail in the press. I know the answer but the idea that a black man was found guilty for allegations of sexual misconduct with nothing but allegations may prove that we have not as fair as we claim and that like Tom in “To Kill a Mockingbird” it is still possible to play upon the racial prejudices. Mr. Cain may or may not be guilty, but he had no way of defending himself against the onslaught of the press. Atticus Finch may be able to prove him innocent, but the real trial is over and the results are no different today then in 1936. The Democrat party should be ashamed of such tactics.

Fast and Furious with the Truth:
Following the general rules set down by Rohm Emmanuel it was reveled last week that Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearm used the crisis to push for more firearms sales restrictions. Those in charge of the ATF have no shame and once again prove that they are a corrupt organization. This organization has once again shown that it is willing to do almost anything to violate the Constitution. I’ve not forgotten the disaster caused by the overreach of ATF at Ruby Ridge and Waco. In both of those shameful incidences the ATF in the former used entrapment and the latter recklessness that violated the rights of American citizens.

Those involved with this current disaster of an operation should be looking at criminal prosecutions. Beyond that there are definite signs that the entire organization seems to verge on being criminal. There mission is not to overturn the Second Amendment. Of course I believe that their mission should really be reviewed and their connection to the IRS and treasury be examined very closely. Something stinks about this whole Fast and Furious operation. The truth must be revealed and heads must roll this time. It is time for the ATF to face the music. It is no wonder why gun sales are increasing. With the government overreach and repeated abuse of power, more and more are beginning to fear the motives of those in positions of power.

©2011 Pedro Sykes - Some Rights Reserved


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

Barney Bows-out
Well after 32 years in Congress Barney Frank (D-Mass) is heading to the door. He announced today that he is going through some changes and has decided not run for reelection. To many his bailing out of the race may have been a surprise yo many, but I can’t say that I was at all surprised. I have to say that I will not miss him and his immoral and unethical presence in Congress. His defense of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac has done real damage to the country. There is no doubt in my mind that he has engaged in activities that would put anyone other than a member of Congress in prison.

After serving himself for 16 terms he should be given a going away present; the repeal of the Dodd/Frank law. Since both Dodd gone and the exiting of Frank, it would be a great way to wipe out the failed legacy of these two failed partisan politicians by repealing a law that contained nothing of value to the nation. This law, which was promised to solve the problems that caused the economic crisis of 2008 has only made thinks worse. It should be replaced with real legislation that addresses the issues identified after the passage of Dodd/Frank. You know Congress real solutions for real problems, not just feel good legislation to allow you say you did something. The problem with feel good legislation is that is does nothing but cover up the real problem.

It will be a great day when that man exits the public stage. It is beyond doubt that he has been part of the top level politically corrupt Congressional leadership. It is just a shame that he did not do the honorable thing and resign. Of course he will just start to lobby Congress or join the left stream media. This is yet another reason to clean up the government by kicking them all out. Now we have another one down and many more to go. So, bye-bye Barney and don’t let the door hit you on the backside as you leave.

So maybe we can also do something of merit to clean up Freddie and Fanny.

Coley Powell – Great Moderates
It appears that Gen. Powell once again shows his impressive credentials as a moderate. This is a man that many conservatives really liked a few years back, well until he opened his mouth. Like many Washington bound Republicans he continues to attempt to sell the nation that the only person who can be elected is a moderate. I really would like to know is: Who are these moderates?

The idea that is constantly sold by many in government is that all Independents are Moderate, all Democrats are Liberal, and all Republicans are Conservative. There is no proof of such claims. In fact a survey from a few years ago shows that most Americans more closely with the views embodied by libertarians. Libertarian beliefs are not moderate beliefs. Neither is the view that the TEA Party is bad for the country denies the popularity of the values expressed by its membership. The people that I have met may be conservative in many ways and they love this nation. They are tired of politicians selling out this country and ignoring the health of the nation. The idea that the majority of Americans believe that we must compromise our values in order to solve problems is not based in reality.

Maybe Mr. Powell should write a book called “Great Moderates throughout History.” It would be a very short pamphlet. Great leaders know when to compromise, but they never compromise their values, ethics, or integrity. Great leaders lead. They do what is best for those they lead. They learn from their mistakes and look for real solutions. This nation was made great because we have had good leadership when we needed it. The ash bin of history is full of nations who compromised their values by taking the easy path. Great leaders make the tough decisions needed to make the nation prosperous.

Trying to make everyone happy is an impossible task, but if you make the majority prosperous then you are on the right track. Success is not making everyone wealthy, since that is impossible. Success is allowing everyone to have an equal opportunity at live, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Making everything equal doesn’t mean that everyone will be happy.

The idea that we need another moderate to run against President Obama ignores history. Those who run the Republican Party are happy to put forward another Progressive candidate. We don’t need another John McCain or Bob Dole. We don’t need another pseudo-conservative candidate or President. The lesson that should have been learned from the Reagan Revolution is that a true conservative can win and that moderates Republicans can not. This lesson has been ignored due to the Progressives that run both political parties. So all of the conservative Democrats, Republicans, and independence are ignored by the parties and we are only presented with Progressives. The time for the Constitutional Conservatives to flex their muscles and show that we can once again make this country great. That can not be done by compromising our values and principles.

It is time for people like Mr. Powell to stop telling the American people to sit down and shut up. It is our right to address grievances with the government. The TEA Party is exercising that basic right. We are tired of the greed and corruption in Washington. The idea that the problem in Washington is due to the TEA Party is so far from reality that Mr. Powell has the right to speak just as I do. I don’t agree with him, but I will not try to silence him. But I don’t think his ideas are good for the nation and I will oppose anyone who holds his beliefs. If he really believes what he is saying, I believe he needs to take another look at the founding documents and American history.

 ©2011 Pedro Sykes - Some Rights Reserved


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

One of my early memories was going to a political rally with my parents. I remember hearing two adults talking about the candidate. In this conversation one person was questioning the candidate’s character. The answer to this question was basically: Hey the best thing we can do is send him to Washington where he can’t do as much harm. This statement shows some of the political naivety of the person and the times. The mid 60s was a time when few people were touched by the Federal government. It was a time when local politics outweighed those of the national government.

Today it is over 40 years later and few are as naive and believe that those in the US Congress can do little harm. With the National debt passing the $15,000,000,000,000.00 ($15 trillion) fueled even faster by the Federal Government’s takeover of the healthcare system the increasing amount of regulations that are suffocating the economy it is hard to not see that Washington is not the place to send people who are not trustworthy. As more and more power is transferred away from the state and local governments those in the new national government have set up a system of power and privilege that is unlike anything ever seen in the nation’s history.

There is a major problem with the actions of those who say they are in Washington to serve the nation. With the release of information that shows that those in Congress have abused the power given to them and now believe that they are above the code of ethics that once guided the nation. This sense of privilege to wealth and power has enriched those in power and harmed the nation. I was not surprised to see evidence that members of Congress have engaged in insider trading, been bribed with options for IPO stock, and used their power to gather wealth through means that would be illegal for anyone else. In these cases they have exempted themselves from the laws they pass. They also write their own ethics rules. Such power and privilege undermines the foundation of our republic. It is no wonder that their approval ratings are so low. Few people would ever agree that our so-called “public servants” were elected for the purpose of self enrichment.

No one is sure how deep the corruption in Washington goes. Over the years there have been too many things done the only speak to corruption so deep that it is the rule, not the exception. Over the years, more and more of the actions taken have been in direct opposition to the will of the people. It goes deeper than the passage of ObamaCare, but it is the most glaring example of imperialistic rule. It is an example of our government grabbing power with the stated idea that: Once the American people began to get the benefits it would be impossible to repeal it. They hope to corrupt the entire nation in the same way that they have been corrupted. When a national leader states openly that: “That we must pass the bill to find out what is in the bill” they no longer care about serving the public.

The only defense to this corrupt behavior that I’ve heard was: that nothing that has been done was illegal or violated the ethics rules of Congress. Just because they exempt themselves from the same laws that the rest of America are subject to does not mean that it is moral. Just because they determine that insider trading does not violate their ethics, doesn’t mean it is not unethical. This whole affair calls back to the behavior of monarchies, dictators, and tyrants throughout history. When those who rule lookdown upon those who they are supposed to be protecting, they have lost the humanity required to govern. They seem to believe, and with some good reasons, that they can do anything. They have been able to bribe us with our own money and many of us happy with it. This is not the form of government that many of us expect. Those of us who believe that the nation was built on freedom and honest hard work want those who we send to serve to be ethical, honest, and believe in protecting our Constitutional freedoms. This is not done through insider trading, dishonest self-enrichment, and unethical behavior.

In their places of power the leadership has seemed to sell out the country to the lobbyist and the narrow special interests of those who are willing to buy the privilege. The Dodd/Franks Law was supposed to be an answer to the problems that caused the banking crisis of 2008. One of many issues with this law is the timing. Why was this bill passed before the actual issues that caused the problem were identified and understood? How did the debit card fees charged to retailer cause the near collapse of the economy? Why did it do nothing about the real problems in the banking system? Could it have something to do with the corruption of the authors of the bill? Barney Frank defended Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac up to the crisis. Chris Dodd as head of the Senate Banking Committee was way to close to the problem and temptations that his position allowed. What do we not know about his involvement with the insider trading scandal? I trust neither and believe that the rush to pass this bill into law had more to do with covering tracks and less with solving problems. It only appears to be another “feel good” law that shows that they had done something. Whether it did any good or not, it made people think that the problem was solved.

Would it not have been a better solution to once again outlaw interstate banking and separate the brokers from the bankers? With the system created by the repeal of Glass/Steagall Act of 1933 in 1999 allowed banks to grow into what is now known as “too big to fail.” Instead of making a more stable banking system it has created a situation where a failure in one major market endangers the entire economy. It opened the door to the Federal government now is able to meddle in the operations of these large nation banking institutions. Leaving state regulators in less control of what should be a state’s responsibility. It also lead to the crisis of 2008 since banks were open to the bulling by groups such as ACORN as they sought approval for the mergers needed to build the nationwide banking powerhouses.

Another thing not fixed by Dodd/Franks was that they did not separate the commercial banks from the investment banks. You would think that the failure of Lehman Brothers in 2008 would have caused an honest, ethical, and sane person to reconsider the danger of combining the two types of banks. The failure of the system in 1929 and once again in 2008 should prove that the risk involved in such large organizations should be limited by limiting the scope of such failures. But since 2008 to today there are fewer banks. These banks now hold more money and are a greater danger to the security of the national banking system. By once again moving away from the too big to fail model and to smaller state based banking the Federal Government will have less say in the day to day operations of banks.

It is impossible to end all corruption, but the question remains on how we can limit the corruption in Washington and our state houses. The power and privilege of such offices presents too many temptations and a total lack of virtues, ethics, and morals seems to be the norm with many of the elder politicians. With the riches that many have amassed through various means it makes it difficult to remove many of the life time members. There is also the fact that many of those who are suspected of being corrupt have large monetary supporters outside of their districts and home states. There is also the problem of uninformed and corrupt individuals that support them. Another issue is that our elections have become the cloud of suspicion, due to the lack of voter verification imposed by the Democrat party. As long as our electoral system is suspect, then there is always the possibility that the American people no longer are in control of the nation. This truly means that the republic is dead.

I pray that it is not too late to save our nation. I see the TEA Party as a major movement that could reignite the understanding of our country and what makes it so special. My biggest fear is with the number of people who ignore and or ignorant of the dangers that face our nation. Those who are living off the corruption don’t want the people to understand or know the troubles the nation face as we go forward. They don’t want us to understand the dangers of the national debt to this generation and all of those who come after it. They tell us that they are going to fix the debt while continue to increase spending. They cut Medicare payments to shift it to a takeover of the healthcare system, and tell us that it is not a problem.

The system may be beyond salvaging but not the Constitution. We must look at our system and determine how to fix it. There have been changes to it that must be repaired. There must be an educational process to undo the lies told and the truth restored. Our founding fathers created the greatest nation on the planet. No system is perfect, but I do believe that ours is recoverable. We as a people must take back control from those who have set up a system designed to reward the powerful and privileged. As long as we have a government that places itself above the population we are no longer a nation of laws. By continuing down this road we are doomed to servitude to a tyrannical and imperial government.

©2011 Pedro Sykes - Some Rights Reserved


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OWS:
I hate to even write about the Organize Wall Street crowd. I think they have been given too much attention. This disorganized band of Socialists, Communists, Progressives, and assorted uninformed “useful idiots” have not been able to communicate a message that appeals to the 99% they claim to represent. They have however shown that they do speak for many elected Democrats and the Left Stream Media. This display of lawlessness and open display of ignorance of economics is scary. Seeing a bunch of poor spoiled rich kids and 50 something hippies with their iPhones and iPads demonstrating with a bunch of undercover multi-millionaire celebrities is frightening to see. It would be hilarious if not for the underlying message that it sends out to those who understand the danger. Instead of protesting against the crony capitalism that has been set up by the government, they are attacking the basis of our prosperity.

This nation is the most prosperous nation in the history of the world. Our poor are the richest poor people not only in the world, but in history. The whole idea of that the disparity between the rich and the poor is growing means nothing, as long as the wealth of the rich was obtained honestly. (More on that later.) Looking at those that demand the end of, not crony capitalism, but capitalism, and demanding socialism means that they would condemn all but the ruling class to perpetual poverty. Wealth throughout history has been rare and only in the hands of a few. Well today the average person in this country lives in luxury that has never occurred. Sure there are a few select people who live much better than the rest, but that has always been the way things have been. Taking away the wealth from a few of the wealthy is not going to improve the lives of anyone. It will only serve to increase the poverty of us all. You can never raise the boats in harbor by lowering the water level.

While the TEA Party represents the idea that we must return to the Constitution and that the Federal Government has overstepped the power granted to them, the OWS represents tyranny and totalitarianism. Those who organized and funded these socialistic demonstrations have their roots in the administration, ACORN, SEIU, and the Progressives in government. This is why they are blaming Wall Street and ignoring the policies of the Federal Government that not only allowed the corruption but encouraged it. The Cronyism that made millions for those who supported the subversion of our legal system and the slow destruction of the rights of the American people is based in Washington, not on Wall Street.

Although the comparison to the TEA Party were made by many Progressives in an attempt to gain support for this new Progressive movement the reality is quite different. Unlike the claims of racism that were never supported, the OWS gang has demonstrated Anti-Semitism repeatedly. The entire OWS movement was an extension of the so-called Arab Spring. The demonstration with the underlying and overt racism and Anti-Semitic attacks on the Jewish people overstep the bounds and shows that those supporting this so-called movement are hate-filled and does not represent the 99% of hardworking Americans who believe in the freedoms that made this country the greatest on Earth. Their hate for the nation and the average citizen shines through all of the glowing remarks presented by those in the media and government are making. Those supporting those who hate are no friend of the American people and should be shunned. The media continues to declare that all Republicans and members of the TEA Party are racist, with no evidence provided, continues. While ignoring OWS open racism only shows the hate that exists, not in the TEA Party, but in those who repeat this lie.

Insider Traitors?:
For years I’ve heard that Washington DC was the crime capital of the nation. Well is seems that the real crimes have not been reported. Compelling evidence has been presented by Peter Schweizer and backed up by an episode of CBS’s 60 Minutes that the corruption in the US Congress is much more serious then many of us want to believe. For years many people have wondered how politician go into Government with few assets and leave worth millions. It seems that Mr. Schweizer has solved this “mystery.”

I’ve heard many reasons why Congress is exempt from the laws that they pass. One refers to English common law where in the early days of Parliamentary rule, members of Parliament would be arrested to prevent them from voting. This allowed the King or others members to affect the outcome of key votes and thus hold on to power. Another is similar but the motives are the same. It seems that our once “public servant” see themselves in Imperialist roles as not only above the laws that govern the nation, but above human ethics and morality that make for a safe, secure, and civil society.

Many of those who have sworn to protect the Constitution have been caught with their hand in the pockets of us all. They have not only exempted themselves from the law, but have placed themselves above the law. This proves proof that the nation is no longer governed by laws and equal justice, but is now a nation of individuals who are governed by their own rules of ethics and immorality.

It seems that members of Congress can use insider knowledge, that anyone else would be locked away for using, to manipulate the stock market, invest in land deals, and obtain political payoffs, via IPO stock options to enrich themselves and friends. Such use of insider information is illegal for everyone else, since it can cause major damage to the economy through the manipulation of stock prices. It also allows those in power to protect their investments, while destroying the value of those who are unaware of the privilege information.

This insider trading has been occurring for years. It has allowed many of those in power to preserve that power. It has also perpetuated the culture of cronyism and corruption that continues to rightly destroy the American people’s trust in our leadership in Washington. Looking back at Nancy Pelosi’s speech upon taking the leadership in the house when she said she was going to drain the swamp, I can only say that you can’t trust the alligators to do that job.

Watching the other hand - Fast and Furious:
While everyone was obsessing over the so-called debt ceiling crisis, few are really watching the real story of that week. The Democrats in Congress and the White House needed a crisis to cover the Fast and Furious hearings. It is interesting that this all came to a head the same week that the House started hears on the ATF. Just in case you haven't heard (which is not surprising to me) about F&F then hang on. Starting in 2009 the ATF started a "sting" called Fast and Furious. Under this program the ATF told gun dealers on the southern border state to sell weapons to suspected gunrunners. Thousands of guns were illegally set into the sovereign state of Mexico and into the hands of the drug cartels. The ATF has said that the purpose was to follow the guns and find out who was involved in the illegal operations. The truth seems to be something much more involved.
After all this time this story has not received the light of day that it deserves. While member of Congress and the Obama Administration were demanding stricter gun controls, it is discovered that the violence used to justify the proposed laws is not rooted in the law. The violence was part of an ATF plan to sell the weapons that caused the violence. There are those who say that there is no connection between the two. If you really believe that, then I can only believe you to be a fool.

Mission Accomplished:
Today it was announced that the “Super Committee” was unable to come to an agreement to cut the deficit. What else is there to say? Is anyone really surprised? How can you expect to put together the most entrenched and partisan members in Congress and expect anything other than disagreement? It can only be that the mission of this committee was to do nothing. There is no common ground between the two parties. The Democrats need issues to run on next year. The Republicans also must satisfy their base. But party is not as much a problem as ideology. The Progressive Socialists in both parties only want to increase their power at any cost. Their goal is to increase the power of Washington and destroy the freedoms that have made this country great. We must throw the Progressives in Congress and the White House out of power before they accomplish that final mission.

©2011 Pedro Sykes - Some Rights Reserved


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

For years the military has served a breakfast item know to many a Solder, Sailor, Airman, and Marine, as “SOS or SHI*…eh...Stuff On a Shingle.” I've also heard it called Same Old SHI*...eh…Stuff. Of course most people should know that SOS is the international distress code. Well if ever the US needed to send out an SOS it is now. But what we don't need is the SOS that the President and his Progressive allies are giving us.

It has now been a month since the President started his reelection campaign with a heaping pile of SOS. As any veteran will tell you: There is nothing worst than warmed over SOS that is over 3 years old. But that is what the President wants. This new plan that he presented and tells us will fix all of our problems is nothing but his old plan using new terms and new spin. After waiting I realized that Obama's new plan is the same as the old plan.

In his speech he talked about an American compact. He asked whether the government could do something to help the American Economy. He asked that the government can restore some of the “fairness and security that has defined this nation since our beginning.” That he was sending Congress “The American Jobs Act” that has everything paid for, and will cut taxes for all “working American” in half. He claimed that this bill will give a jolt to the economy and encourage business to invest and hire new workers. The President also promised more tax loopholes for businesses, when he said that businesses would be able to “write off” their investments.

The President then talked about more “investments” (spending) that could be done to “put American workers back to work” without saying that most of those tasks are the responsibility of the local and state governments. He once again talked about how they would better control the spending while saying that they would cut red tape to speed up the approval of projects. (Does Solyndra ring a bell?) He talked about a ladder out of poverty.

Over and over again he called his speech the “American’s Jobs Act.” He then said that the bill was paid for, as he passed the way to do it off to the future. He then launched into his standard class warfare talk while talked about reforming Medicare. Then he went back to class warfare just after he promised to give more loopholes to businesses. The majority of his speech was filled with the duplicity he is famous. He denies class warfare while attacking a whole class of Americans.

The President claims that he wants to create a climate that will make American more competitive. He wants companies to invest and help startup companies get off the ground, but he has done everything to discourage businesses to start or invest. While he talks about trade agreements, he has sent nothing to the Democrat controlled Senate for approval.

His entire campaign speech was an attack upon the American system. He continues to promise that he will cut regulations and wasted spending, while he has unelected czars sitting around writing new regulations. His Health and Human Services Secretary was given the task of writing thousands pages of healthcare regulations as part of ObamaCare.

This man can not present a balanced picture and can not compromise. His view is a all or nothing view, his way or the highway. (Of course that highway must be paved with Federal money.) He still plays upon the fears of the uninformed. He refuses to admit that regulations hurt business. That the government cannot cure poverty, spend the nation into prosperity, or eliminate risk and make everyone equal.

After his highly hyped and staged reelection kick off speech before a joint session of Congress, the President started a series of speeches telling the American people to demand that “Congress pass his bill.” The only problem with this demand was that at the time there was not a bill only a speech. It took him over a week to present a bill. As of this writing there are no Democrats in Congress that have sponsored the bill. While he still demands that Congress pass the bill and the DNC is running commercials claiming that the Presidents plan is the cure all and should be passed, not one Democrat in Congress is willing to put it up for a vote.

So this “new plan” from Mr. Obama is nothing more than the old plan reheated and served on a new plate with new names. In the time that has passed this speech has become just another rehash of his old plan of more tax and spending. He wants to spend more money on green and shovel ready jobs, have targeted tax credits, continue to pay people to not work, raise the Capital Gains Taxes, and punish the “rich.” But we’ve seen through the Solyndra mess that stimulus money hurriedly spent on so called green jobs only waste money.

It is clear that many who collect unemployment really need the help, but that far too many abuse it, while those out of work for too long become disconnected from work. Employers need people to do work not just draw pay checks. A healthy company needs every employee must make more money for the business then the cost of their employment. Without profits there will be no companies, no jobs, and no tax revenues.

Mr. Obama knows that raising the Capital Gains Tax will lower revenues to the treasury, but his sense of “fairness” tells him that raising the rate would be good for his reelection chances. He is depending on dividing and conquering tactics. He still thinks that as long as one person has more that another, that the nation as a whole is unfair. His Socialist ideals will not allow him to really understand that the Federal Government did not make this country great. Or that the government can not spend its way out of debt. He still thinks that the same old plan will work and that bigger is better as long as it is the government is bigger.

Tax credits don’t work. They are not tax cuts, but only targeted spending. To many times these tax credits only open up new ways to defraud the government or redirect money that would be better spent in other areas. The idea that small businesses (who the Obama says create the majority of jobs) can create new jobs based only on a $1500 tax credit.

Will the American people once again be able to stomach this attempt to impoverish the nation through his ideas of fairness and wealth redistribution? Will the uninformed in this nation once again fall for a speech full of contradictions and empty promises? Will the Socialist, Marxist, and Communist in this nation gain even a greater foothold? Will our Constitutional Government fall into anarchy with the collapse from this uncontrolled spending and crony Capitalistic/Socialistic leadership in Washington? Is it too late to save our nation? The Progressives have complete many of the things that they needed to collapse the system. We must work to defend our Constitution and throw out the corruption in Washington. I don't believe that sending out an SOS will get us much help from the rest of the world.

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©2011 Pedro Sykes - Some Rights Reserved


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

I’ve been watching the ongoing debate on raising the Federal Government’s credit limit. Once again our elected representatives are asked to increase the limit on the nation’s credit card. This limit has meant nothing for many years. To say that there is a cap to government spending but constantly raise it shows a total lack of respect for the voters and the values that have supported this nation. Members of Congress have promised to cut spending and turn around and increased spending. Too many times promises have been made and broken. Even the surpluses of the Clinton error were not maintained due to the spending that followed in later years. Our leaders continue to fail us, our children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Their inability to control spending will eventually cripple our nation and rob the citizens of this country of our liberties.

In an effort to repeat history the Democrats in Congress have promised, as they did to the first President Bush, to cut $3 in spending for each dollar of tax increases. President Bush broke his promise and signed the tax increase. The tax increases were immediate and the cuts were to come in the “future.” Those cuts never came and Bill Clinton rode the broken promise into the White House.

There is an old saying: “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” Many of you know this saying and it is never been more relevant than it is today. This year once again the promise has been made again. The President promises some “future” cuts in spending for increases in “revenues” (taxes). The amount of 3 to 1 respectively has even been floated. The President and his party are sounding like “Wimpy” from the Popeye cartoons. They want to pay us Tuesday for a hamburger today. The one thing I noticed about Wimpy was that I never saw him pay for a single hamburger and I’ve never seen the Democratic leadership follow through with a single promise to make meaningful government spending cuts.

The President has said in so many words that he will illegally withhold Social Security, Military checks, and general obligation payments if he is not given a blank check. He has tried to crash the stock markets and panic the American people if he is not given his way. He says he is going to cut spending, but he has never presented a plan to cut spending. He is good at making speeches full of contradictions, but he has never presented an actual plan. His budgets only increased spending.

I know that many people remember the betrayals of the past. We must not stand by and allow the tax and spend policies of the past continue. It is time for meaningful cut NOW. Congress today can not impose spending limits and cuts on the future, but they can create long term spending obligations. It is very clear that the only way we can rein in spending, pay off the massive government debt, and support the foundation of our country is to enforce a balanced budget on the politicians. Without a Balanced Budget Amendment the mismanagement of the Federal government will continue. It is plain to see that politicians are not trustworthy when given an open credit line and a blank check.

Will we be fooled again? It seems that the President and his party think that the American people are fools. I fear that way too many Americans will accept the status quo and really believe the repeated lies that we are being spoon feed daily. If we do not hold Washington’s feet to the fire we will be treated like fools, once again.




©2011 Pedro Sykes - Some Rights Reserved


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

What do you believe? Who do you trust? Do you trust someone who will not defend themselves? Do you trust someone who is unable or unwilling to defend their beliefs? Do you trust a person that stands by while others misrepresent their positions? I know that it makes it hard to support someone when they don’t respond to misrepresentations, half-truths and outright lies. When someone allows someone to do this, then the average person is going to believe the lie.

During the 80’s and 90’s ever time anyone talked about are tried to put limits on the out of control spending in Washington, they would be accused of terrible things by the Democrats or their surrogates. The media would then play the charge that “the Republicans wanted to starve granny, or kill the homeless” or some other charges. When there is an attempt to bring sanity to Washington spending, they are call extremist. The problem with what they are saying is that each time it is said; they are attacking people who are intelligent enough to know that this uncontrolled spending would one day destroy the country. Each time the Republicans ignored or failed to defend their position, it only seems to say; that they did not really believe in what they are saying and doing.

For far too many years the political leaders in Washington have engaged in the practice of buying voters with borrowed money. At the same time many voters feel disenfranchised due to these types of actions. We are told what we want to hear and then are betrayed. Whether it’s another “stimulus” bill which goes to pay off political supports or TARP, I feel and it seems that many other American feel as if they are stabbed in the back. We watch as Washington continues to rob the country of our wealth and freedoms. As Washington continues to overstep their constitutional limits and marches the nation into financial disaster, many feel alone and powerless. As proof I only have to point to the Congressional approval ratings.

But all is not lost. The rise of the TEA Party is shaking up the “powers that be” and brought in some new faces to Congress. There are some really principled people that stepped up and are working toward the goal of returning our government back to “We the People.” But we still face many leaders in the Republican party that are politicians first, Americans last. These Progressive Republican’s goals are the same as the Progressive Democrats. They just want the “credit” for spending the money. Those days must end by purging the Progressives out of power.

We must send more constitutional representatives the capital. It is not too late to find or to stand up for the country. You are not alone. The so-called “Main Stream Media” does not represent the main stream view. It is time to make sure that we have people who really believe in the Constitution, including our political and economic system.

We need more people like Allen West in Congress, who is not afraid to fight back when attacked. There is no doubt that he was not attacked, even if not by name. It is clear who she was attacking and she has not and could not truthfully deny it. It is time to be a little over the top. It is time to make the Progressives true victims of defeat. It is time to point out that there is no plan for prosperity on the Progressive side. Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz is a despicable person and I applaud him for fighting back against the demagoguery of the serious issues facing this nation. Wasserman Schultz was not expecting to be called on her attack.

The Democrat party has allowed the current crisis to fester. They are the ones who failed to even present a budget for this year. They are the ones who passed a bill designed to take control of the American healthcare system, against the well of the American people. They are the ones who are spending trillions of dollars to payoff political supporters and the labor unions. Their party is actively attacking the Constitution by refusing to enforce the nation’s borders. The Progressives in our government answers are to: Loot the treasury, divide the people with the use of class warfare, and destroy prosperity.

The Progressive Socialist must be defeated. To accomplish this we must have people who believe in this country and its foundation. Those who stand for the status quo must be removed from the government and replaced with those who will defend the nation. If we fail to save our Constitution and allow the government to continue to spend with no limits there will be no more freedom. We will leave nothing but slavery to those who follow us. I only pray that there are enough people left in this country that understand the reality of what is being done to this nation and that our freedoms are on the line.




©2011 Pedro Sykes - Some Rights Reserved

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

Have you seen the commercial the government is running where a guy says he's waiting for the "credit fairy?" His friend tells him that there is no such thing as the "credit fairy." After years of uncontrolled spending by the federal government I find it amazing that they are spending even more of our money to tell us about controlling our personal credit. It doesn't take too much of a stretch to say that government spending has been out of control for many years. Year after year Congress has spent money as if there was never going to be an end to it. I know that for several years we had surpluses, but those surpluses were not what they seemed.

During those years the Social Security "trust" fund was taking in more money than it paid out. Those funds were spent by Congress. Without those revenues the numbers would have looked differently. Each time you hear a politician talking about the Clinton Era budgets, remember that such talk ignores a major funding source. With the increase in the retirement rate and the cut in the Social Security "tax cut" this so called trust fund is now a liability not an asset. With these years of gross financial mismanagement the people who were responsible to protect the country and its future have totally ignored their responsibilities. This is not something that resides in just one party or the other. It is an issue with individuals not party alone.

I blame those who were and are still in Congress from both parties for the current crisis. This is not a crisis that was unforeseen. Anyone paying attention could see this coming decades in advance. This whole debt ceiling debate has been a set up. Please remember that Congress never passed a budget for 2011. This is the responsibility of Congress in which they failed to do with a purpose. The leadership in the Democrat Party understood that they would lose control of the House if history repeated itself. It is not hard to understand that they understood that they felt that they could manipulate public opinion and twist the arms of Republican members to betray their promises. You must understand that politicians don't want solutions to problems They need those problems to have issues that they can blame on others and promise to fix. They are willing to pass laws that do nothing but increase their own power and those who support their reelection. This type of "leadership" is the reason why our nation is in over $14,500,000,000,000.00 in debt.That is only the debt in Treasury Bonds and not the other obligations such as Welfare, Medicare, and Medicaid. This unsecured debt is estimated to be over $114,697,000,000,000,00 or in words $114.697 trillion.

The only plan put forward by the President is to increase spending and taxes. Now I know that is not what he seems to be saying, but you must listen to not just what he is saying now but what he has been saying since he has been in office. Unless he is totally stupid there is no way he can claim that he did not know that the credit limit was going to be an issue this year. Not knowing this would occur would be totally irresponsible and an act of incompetency. But his party has presented no answer. They only want to blame the TEA Party and the Republicans.

It is time for more Americans to stand up and say that our so called leaders must stop allowing problems to become a crisis in order for them to push an agenda. Those in power wish to increase their power and enrich their friends by robbing the nation. Obama and the current and former leaders of the Democrat Party have no answers other than class warfare. The greed of the left and the corruption of our government continues to weaken the country. Their answer is to punish the productive, enrich themselves, and bride those who only look to government.

So no. The credit fairy does not exist for the individual or for the government. It is time to look at reality and realize that government can not continue to spend money without limits. The corruption must end. Government must shrink. Raising taxes on anyone at this time will only punish the producers and reward no one. By raising taxes at this time the economy will slow even more and decrease revenue to the treasury.

The answer can only come from less government not more. Maintaining the tax rates and cutting spending will encourage growth in the private sector. Increase taxes and government has only depressed growth. But we have elected officials who see productive people as bad people. The proof is undeniably true that as government grows you have fewer workers producing and paying taxes. This is a death spiral that we are entering with too many cheering it on.

Those in power of both parties are divorced from the reality and wish to only maintain power by any means. We must realize that the more we expect from the government the more they take away. Our freedoms are on the line. Once we lose our freedoms, freedom will be lost to the world. Don't be fooled by the double talk and the blame game. This debt crisis is a manufactured crisis of the Democrat Party. The blame is on their hands. If they had answers that worked then there would be no problem. It could have been solved long before it became a crisis. Don't forget the words of President Obama's former aid: "Never let a crisis go to waste."

Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796) wrote in his poem "To a Mouse, on Turning Her Up in Her Nest with the Plough" a line that relates to the human condition: "The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft agley." (The best laid schemes of mice and men / Go oft awry.) The John Steinbeck novella “Of Mice and Men” was inspired by this classic poem. Throughout the history of man this oft quoted line of poetry has proven to fit the times. The current situation in the world reminded me of this poem.

When the industrial revolution started society chose a path that has lead to a standard of living far above anything known in history. The American system of free expression allowed for the release of the human creative spirit which accelerated this prosperity. In the last 100 years the growth improvement of human lives has improved more than in any other time known. With this growth in prosperity, life span, and general welfare of all humans on this planet have come risks.

Human life is risk. One of the most dangerous things you can do is get out of bed in the morning. The act of waking up in the morning and climbing out of your bed is a shock to your system, but no one is saying that everyone should stay in bed. In fact laying in bed is also dangerous the lack of movement of the legs can cause fatal blood clots. It is important that we avoid panic and consider the risk of our actions in life.

Without risk the human race would not exist. If our ancestors had never taken any risk, they would have starved. Without their willingness to not only take risks but make hard decisions the world would be a much different place.

There are many in this world that seems to think that we can return to an agriculture society. The return to an agrarian existence in which we would abandon our cities and return to the land is not based in a reality in which there would be too many people and not enough land. Any attempt to move to such a major cultural shift would mean the death of millions. We have become too dependent on modern technology. Many of those who would have to be force to raise their own food would more than likely face doom. The abandoning of modern medicine would kill many and doom others to slow lingering deaths. The last time a society was forced into such a technical regression resulted in what is known today as the Cambodia Killing Fields. This is the type of thinking that comes from those on the left. They believe that they can build a utopia on Earth. Such thinking does not take into account the human cost of such ideas.

The natural disaster in Japan that started with an earthquake, then a tsunami, then aftershocks, which lead to radiation leaks and now possible meltdowns in several of the nuclear cores at power plants. These events point to the undeniable facts that life is not perfect and no matter how well we plan we are often helpless when presented with the awesome force of nature. Far too many people seem to believe that life should be without risk. But life and the human condition is all about risk. It didn’t take long for the anti-nuclear groups to start spreading lies about nuclear power and power plants. Even though there have been some control releases of radioactive steam and some hydrogen explosions these power plants are in a controlled shutdown. There have been some deaths from those explosions and some exposure to radiation, but the number of deaths directly related to this phase of this massive natural disaster will be much less than what has already occurred due to the earthquake and tsunami. Much of the hysteria is being drummed up by the media and their lack of understanding of the safe guards in place at nuclear plants.

The power plants that are currently being shutdown are over 40 years old. These plants were built in a way to allow them to survive earthquakes. The earthquake that hit these plants was much stronger than anything being considered with no real consideration for flooding and they survived the shock without leaking radiation. What we are seeing now is the long process of the core cooling and the pile becoming stable. The only real danger would be if the actual containment vessel were to be breached. But at this point that possibility is becoming less likely, but not totally impossible.

The anti-nuclear groups continue to imply that there is a possibility of a massive failure that will result in an explosion that will spread a nuclear cloud that will kill millions. Such hysteria is not based in reality. A nuclear pile in an atomic power plant can not explode. The whole idea of a “China Syndrome” was created by an author and is not based upon physics. Even if such an explosion were even possible, which it is not, the affect would be much smaller than the actual nuclear explosions that were purposely created using actual uranium, plutonium, and hydrogen bombs in the decades of the 40s, 50s, and 60s. These bombs were exploded in the atmosphere in the Southern Pacific, the South Western US, and various other locations across the planet.

All things considered the largest disaster in Japan is not the nuclear power plants, but the things that caused the nuclear crisis. We must accept that fact that when there are huge disasters in first world countries there will be long term dangers. Just as those who came before us, we must be willing to make rational decisions based upon facts, not hype and lies.

In the arrogance often shown by those who seek to plan all aspects of human life we find the idea that human society can obtain perfection. The most dangerous things about people seeking perfection is the definition used to define that ideal society and the means that are used to obtained it. I can not believe that utopia can exist on this planet. We have no way to control the forces that cause hurricanes, earthquakes, or any of the other numbers of natural disasters that plague the Earth.

A FBI agent who infiltrated the Weather Underground in the 60s testified that the member of this terrorist organization thought that they would need to “eliminate at least 25 million people” who would stand in the way of their new social order. The ideas and many of the people who created the Weather Underground are still around. President Obama knows, and some claim that he is friends with, the founders William Ayres and his wife. Such people in such powerful positions do not fill me with confidence.

We must learn to accept the risks that allow us to live our lives. We must overcome the tragedies of our existence. We must stop blaming others and expect someone to pay for our own mistakes. Each of us must look at our life and count our blessings. We must stop listening to those who tell us how bad things are and how they can make it better, when their plans have proven to only lead to death and misery. We must turn our backs on Socialism, Progressivism, Communism, Islamism, and radical environmentalism. The result of each of these ideologies is the end of millions of innocent lives and the end of all human freedoms.

So as we look at the best laid schemes of men we must remember that none of us are perfect and that no matter how well you plan, those plans can go awry.


©2011 Pedro Sykes - Some Rights Reserved

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

Once again the curtain at NPR has been pulled back to show the American people who and what our tax dollars have been supporting. If you spend anytime listening to National Public Radio it is easy to see the arrogance and condescension that flows from their hosts and reporters. These self proclaimed “intellectuals” are so busy proving just how much better they are then us “common folks.” For far too many years Public Broadcasting has been run by a bunch of elitists who look down upon people who actually work, and help to pay the bills.

What I see in the James O’Keefe NPR sting video is the results of a culture of hate and arrogance. Mr. Schiller while trying to win the favor of an organization that presents itself as a supporter of The Muslim Brotherhood, shows his true beliefs. He seemed way to comfortable talking to them and was willing to show that he agreed with what he thought would be their beliefs. While declaring that an entire political movement in the US is racist, he demonstrated his racism. He seem to be very happy to join hands and chant “kill the Jews” with those who he thought to have a connection.

Consider for a minute how Mr. Schiller was very willing to climb into the gutter to impress this fake group. He did say one thing that I have to agree with when he talked about a lack of “intellectuals.” I believe that the true statement should have been a lack of intellectual thought at NPR. Is it not a true sign of low intelligence to show such bigotry as shown by this racist person? He claimed that one group was racist (with no proof from NPR, PBS, or any of the other left stream media organization) and then started talking about how the media is controlled by a single racial group. Such unashamed racially motivated speech meant to insight hatred of a group of people shows his lack of critical thinking and demonstrates his engrained hate.

So it seems that on the Schiller list of hate are Christians, Jews, all white people, the TEA Party, Juan Williams, true intellectual thought, and most of Middle America. He also seems to have a problem with the Constitutional right to keep and bear arms, as if that is a surprise from an executive with NPR. It makes me wonder how he feels about the First Amendment. Of course if he supports the ideas of the Muslim Brotherhood, as he says in the video, then maybe he was trying to setup NPR as the official voice of Radical Islam in this country. Then they could change their name to National Palestinian Radio.

Don’t forget that Mr. Schiller was a Senior Vice President at NPR. He was not some local guy from a NPR affiliate speaking, on his own time, to a couple of friends. He was at this meeting as a representative of NPR and as such an agent for that organization. Since NPR receives federal funding he was speaking as a representative of that federally funded organization. His disdain for Middle America and the average citizen of this country should tell you all you need to know about NPR and the people who run it.

When you look at his position within the NPR organization you must consider the belief system of those who he hired and those who hired him. As a manager I know that you can never really know what your employees believe, but I do know that I always try to promote people who share my beliefs and vision. So how many other racist intellectuals are at NPR? How rotten is the entire tree? Doesn’t this whole affair once again bring into focus the true culture at the Center for Public Broadcasting? Is it time to cut these bigots off from the public treasury and sue to get our money back from these hate filled, self-aggrandizing, Progressive Socialist, neo-intellectuals.

The idea that our tax dollars continue to support an organization that would hire an individual who holds the belief system of Mr. Schiller shows the disdain that the Obama Administration, the Progressives, and the Democrat Party has for Middle America. It can be seen that NPR is willing to sell their collective souls for donations from anyone. Their willingness to even meet with a group openly said that they were connected with an organization that promotes genocide and the destruction of a close ally of this country should not be overlooked as many are doing. In this one meeting it is clear that NPR and by association the Corporation for Public Broadcasting are lose cannons and no longer should be support by tax dollars and should be investigated to determine how deep the anti-American and racial hatred goes in these organizations. If those who run NPR think that the American people are stupid, then they need to take a long look at themselves.

As far as the Schillers are concerned, I’m sure that she can return to an organization that shares her views, The New York Times. I’m also sure that Mr. Schiller can find work at any one of the Neo-NAZI organizations, here, or in Europe. I don’t believe the Muslim Brotherhood would hire him, but you never know. They do seem to share the same worldview.

©2011 Pedro Sykes - Some Rights Reserved

For my regular readers:
After an absence I’m attempting to return to a normal post schedule. Last year I had some serious health issues that interfered with my ability to provide regular post. The second half of 2010 was not a good time in my life since I was recovering from complications of surgery. Much of this time required pain medication. I realized that the use of this medication affected my writing ability and I reduced my opinionated posting. So far this year my “day job” has occupied much of my time. My job supports my blogging efforts. I’ve never been under the illusion that any of my blogs would ever show a profit, the balance between the two means that the effort that financially supports my blog and pays the bills must come first. I expect to continue my thoughts from Thursday and additional week posts, but at times my “real job” may call me away. I pray that my health does not cause any more issues for awhile.

Donald Rumsfeld:
The Left Stream Media wagged war on the Bush Administration for 8 years. One target of hate was Donald Rumsfeld. So many lies were told about this man that many that hate him don’t even know the truth or care. I don’t personally know him and know that I will never meet him, but I don’t see him as a saint or a devil. He is a person who served the country with no outwardly signs of corruption. I look forward to reading his new book. I know that those who hate him will not read it. The hate on the left is so irrational that they no longer care about truth. They only care about keeping their hate alive.

The end of the NFL season:
Before this year’s Super Bowl the singing of the National Anthem caused a bit of a controversy. I must say something about this episode: Never try to make the National Anthem your own. After all it is the United States National Anthem. Anyone who is asked to sing this song should not only be honored, but they should take it very seriously. Don’t do anything fancy, just sing it to the best of your ability. I really don’t believe that there was an attempt to be disrespectful or that Christina Aguilera was only attempting to do her best. So there is no reason to say anything more.

Planned Parenthood and under-aged abortions:
After years of the left demanding that parents lose their rights to be informed and involved in their reproductive decisions why would anyone be surprised that employees of Planned Parenthood would not see any problems with under aged abuse of girls. The left has used Planned Parenthood for too many years to promote irresponsibility. With a total lack of respect for human life, it only seems normal that anyone who actively promotes abortion would have no respect for morality.

You can justify almost anything in your mind when you lack basic ethics. So I was not surprised with the tapes of workers at Planned Parenthood were willing to help with the enslavement of under aged girls. As a society we have allowed left wing radicals to redefine ethics and morality. As we run headlong into an amoral society is it time to stop and rethink our direction? Not only is it unthinkable that young girls could be alienated from their parents when it comes to making such life changing decisions concerning sexual relations and birth control, but that a government supported agency’s employee would take away parental rights. While millions of innocent babies have been killed in the name of a judicially declared “right to privacy” those who support this lost of life lose more and more of their humanity. The tragedy affects more than the victims of this sad affair. The victims also include those who counsel women to abort their health babies.

The Democrat Leadership Council sails off into the sunset:
Well last week the DLC announced that they were disbanding. This group that claimed to be the moderate wing of the Democrat Party seems to have lost all support in the party. The only thing that it seems to say to me is that Bill Clinton is ready to retire from politics. The DLC was a creation of President Clinton? I had never heard of it before he needed to convince the American people that he was a centrist.

So with the recent lose to the Republicans and the conservative Tea Party candidates the Democrats believe that the only way to win is to move all the way to the left. The DLC and its claim at Conservative values just don’t fit into the Progressive Democrat Party.

Considering that this week it was announced that the next Democrat Convention has been named “The People’s Convention” they no longer even pretend that they are not a far left political party. It is easier to understand their desire to “spread the wealth” when you consider this choice of names. Just like the People’s Republic of China, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea I think it is easy to see which path they wish to follow.





©2011 Pedro Sykes - Some Rights Reserved


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

Well the annual political sideshow occurred and there is one thing very obvious: The President can talk for one hour and not really say anything. He is very good at speaking in circles and saying what people want to hear. This is a talent that many politicians have to varied degrees. The President has mastered the technique. But we don’t need a well crafted speech from a talented speaker. We need someone who has real answers. This nation needs solutions, not academic theory. We need direction not division. We need the Progressive movement to stop their revolutionary rhetoric, race baiting, and calls for violence. The President past shows that he is not a supporter of the American system. He does not identify with the medium class. He was raised in a world of privilege. This has created a person who not only does not understand the people he now leads, but he does not understand the basic sensibilities that make the average person loyal to this idea known as The United States of America. Instead of coming out and calling out those in his party and his supporters who tried to take advantage of the deaths of innocent victims.

Listening to Mr. Obama, for me, has always been an exercise in control. His rhetoric is always contradictory. You can not cut spending by increasing spending for one thing. Hearing the word “invest” so many times reminded me of an alcoholic saying: “I’m investing in a case of beer and half gallon of whiskey.” This spending addiction is leaving the nation with a hangover that will last for years. We must not allow these addicts continue to abuse the country. When calling for spending cuts in one breath while talking about “investments” sends the wrong message. The President has said several times that the US is out of money or that we must cut spending while running up record deficits. The problem as I see it has to be at least one of three things: He either does not believe what he is saying, he has no idea how to fix the problem, or he really believes that we can spend our way out of debt.

As those in Congress and the White House were marching us down the road to financial ruin many of the citizens who love our country have sent a message to Washington. I fear that many in the capital are refusing to accept that message. The Democrat minority and the President seem to want to believe that the message was jobs. To be more precise they believe that the message was; that they were not spending enough money to create jobs. They refuse to understand that government spending, especially government spending of borrowed money, does not create prosperity. Government spending can not create the wealth that creates jobs and allows a nation to prosper. Most government jobs only consume resources. Education produces a product, but that product has declined in quality as the federal government has taken more and more control over local schools.

This centralizing of control and power that Washington has seized is the stating of the union. The idea that the individual states that make up the United States of America are slowly being made less important as Washington attempts to take full control is in total disagreement and is destroying the foundation of our country. We as a nation must return to the foundation of our government and expel those from their seats of power who have ignored their oath of office by not defending the civil rights of the citizens of this nation. We must also undo the damage done by those who have attacked our system with lies and distortions. We must have another look at the state of our union. I think I can do it in less than an hour.

Pedro’s State of the Union
My fellow Americans, I come before you to tell you of the state of our union. I must tell you that we face some very challenging times. For too many years the past elected politicians have not only violated the trust of you, the American people, but have endangered the future of our nation and the republic. In misguided by some and intentional efforts by a few our economy has been dealt a crushing blow that we must overcome.

The last 4 years of Democrat control of the House and Senate have shown that, although they calm superior ideas, in practice their ideas were good at crashing the economy and causing misery for all Americans. Their policies have also worked to increase the income divide between the American people and Democrat supporters. This includes out of control spending that out paced the spending of the past. That spending seems to have been diverted into the hands of labor unions and various other friends of those in power. Now we find ourselves even deeper in debt with little to show for the money spent.

The country still faces the issues caused by years of neglect at our southern border. Since the last illegal amnesty in 1986 a lack of border and workplace enforcement has created the situation of millions that received amnesty in the past and those who illegally entered the country to demand another round of blanket forgiveness. Elected officials continue to sell out their offices to the “cheap” labor advocates and those who are willing to sell out this country. This, in my opinion, means that the government has betrayed our country.

The betrayal goes farther than many Americans are willing to admit. The depth of this treachery extends to the passage of unconstitutional laws with no idea of the content. Many have not only ignored their oath of office but have openly admitted that they are not concerned about their duty under the Constitution. This type of disloyalty to their sworn pledge has pushed this nation further away from our historic liberties even closer to tyranny. As more individuals stand up for the rights that are protected by the foundation of our government, we see even more direct attacks on the founders and our founding principles.

But not all is lost. The American people are beginning to awaken. The elections of last year have shown that many citizens are beginning to see the duplicity and betrayal that is endangering our way of life. Even though many of the “spin doctors” (liars) that work to influence those in power, many of the newly elected member of Congress understand and are loyal to the country. They know that elected governments are temporary and left undefended the nation will be the same.

But we must do our part. We must educate our fellow Americans to the truth of past. We must continue to communicate with the members of Congress and remind them of their responsibilities to the people of this nation and their oath to defend the Constitution. Our duty is to continue to defend our rights and to oppose all enemies who would redefine or distort the meaning of those rights.



©2011 Pedro Sykes - Some Rights Reserved

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.