A meandering post by Maynard
Is it all over? Is the Republic dead? Has America been transformed into a fascist state?
The argument in favor of “yes” is a powerful one. Washington has thrown out the traditional rules of lawmaking in order to thwart the will of the citizens and voters. The endgame is a government that decides who lives and who dies. I hardly need point out this legislation far exceeds the powers granted the government by the Constitution.
The irony, as I’ve mentioned in a previous post, is the way Obama campaigned by excoriating Bush/Rove for their 50%+1 approach to governance (which they really weren’t especially guilty of). See this YouTube clip in which Obama condemns Rove as a man who is willing to pass a law with 50%+1 because “he doesn’t believe in government”. This stands in contrast to the consensus-building Obama. Now, not only does Obama strive for 50%+1, but he throws out the rulebook for lawmaking and supports the (probably illegal and certainly inappropriate) technicalities of the “nuclear option” in the Senate and “Slaughter Rule” in the house. The contrast of the real Obama versus the advertised Obama would be laughable if it weren’t so ruinous.
Obama has led the nation down a path that assures dark days ahead. Too many people understand that Washington has seized too much power. We sense an intensifying conflict: Either the people will rein in Washington, or Washington will crush the people. The battle will perhaps turn bloody. Meanwhile, within Congress, any notion of bipartisanship is dead, at least until this Administration passes from the scene and is renounced. Congress will be beset by internal squabbling, and the national interests will go begging. The special interests, however, will thrive. Most of the Congressmen and Senators who have come on board with ObamaCare have not done so simply out of principle. Promises have been made. Some of them have been visible, such as the “Louisiana Purchase”. Others have been quieter, such as assurances made to the Hispanic Caucus that their demands would be met in the coming “immigration reform”. So the notion that Washington will turn away from healthcare and address the core needs of the nation is unrealistic. Obama owes too many favors; he couldn’t attend to America’s business even if he wanted to.
The foregoing summary paints a grim picture. So is that all there is to it?
I’m going to tell you, in all honesty, that I (Maynard) am not pessimistic. This is not to say that I’m optimistic, because I’m certainly not that. But I’m speaking from the heart in telling you why I’m not giving up.
I’ve lived long enough to see with my own eyes how uncertain the future is. In one sense, everything is predictable, and we can and should make plans and projections. But on the other hand, things often turn out wildly different from what was expected.
Case in point: It was great when the Soviet Union was kicked out of Afghanistan and subsequently fell apart. But then…well, the new Afghanistan attacked us and murdered our people, and we wonder whether the old Soviet Union was a preferable adversary to the genocidal/suicidal Neanderthals that filled the vacuum. Yesterday’s triumph is often today’s lament, and vice versa.
I’m a simple creature, and I prefer a predictable world. But God didn’t put me in a predictable world, and so these things keep happening. The entire pattern of my life has been perturbed by the weirdest little coincidences. A throw of the dice at the Starfleet Academy orientation meeting set in motion a casual meeting that formed the basis for my subsequent career. That sort of thing.
Is this part of God’s plan? Some people assure me that everything is part of God’s plan, and of course God’s plan is a good plan. If that’s the case, then it’s also part of God’s plan that I can’t believe everything is part of God’s plan. I see too much pain and evil to believe that God made all these things happen. No, I can accept that God allowed certain things to happen in this fallen world, but I don’t accept (for example) Hitler or the BTK killer as part of God’s plan.
I do accept that it is God’s will that we strive to build a better world. And I’ve also observed that I personally am an inveterate sourpuss, and I will always find something to be highly dissatisfied about. I think we’re all like that to some extent. Life is not satisfying, nor can it ever be. If you’re entirely satisfied, then there’s no reason to ever get out of bed. You get out of bed because you’re dissatisfied about something.
How did I get to this part of the discussion? I was talking about the transformation of America into a fascist state, and somehow I’m justifying my unpleasant disposition. Does this make any sense? I’ll try to get back on track…
Okay, America has gone off the map, and we’re now in uncharted territory. If we extrapolate the simple trend line, then, yes, we’re now serfs in a fascist state. Or we soon will be. The government controls our lives. Elections will be voided by newly-invented technicalities. We’re doomed.
…which is why I was explaining that life has taught me you can’t just extrapolate the trend. The world is far too complicated for that. This, by the way, is one of the difficulties in calculating the effects of “global warming” or “climate change”. The ecosphere is as complicated as life itself. The phenomenon of increasing carbon dioxide is real and worrisome, but exactly how it plays out is elusive. Maybe I’ll write a longer blog note sometime, but I want to mention that I’m not willing to dismiss concerns about the carbon dioxide. Go ahead and beat me up if you must, but that’s what the data says to me. More on this later, maybe.
So stuff is going to be happening, and it’s going to be nasty and unpleasant, and good people are going to come to bad ends. That much is pretty clear. But I would not presume to predict how it will play out.
At some level I don’t even care how it will play out. Honestly, the only question that matters is: What am I supposed to do? If I talk about the big picture, it’s in pursuit of this personal clarity.
What will I do? Maybe I’ll eke out a niche, which is what I’ve traditionally done. Maybe the government will find some need to come after me and squash me like a bug. Or maybe I’ll find some way to come after the government. Maybe I’ll live and maybe I’ll die. But then, we’re all mortal. The adventure — or this phase of it — ends with death in any case. Until that time, one way or another, I’ll testify to the truth and act upon it as best I can.
Really, the details of the healthcare plans — 3,000 pages or so by now — hardly matter. I find myself wondering idly how I might work the new system. I buy my own insurance, so maybe I could just drop out and save a lot of money. That will be against the rules, of course (everything is against the rules!), but it’s not clear they can make you buy insurance. And if I ever need healthcare, then I’ll just go sign up for a new policy. They won’t be able to turn me down under the law. If you look at it that way, this “reform” could be a sweet deal for a clever boy like me.
The problem is, I don’t act that way. I’d feel like a louse doing a thing that pushes the system towards collapse. I feel the weight of moral obligation upon my pitiful shoulders. Bummer!
I feel a glowing ember of resentment at the burdens of conscience. Seems we’re creating a system that punishes people with a conscience while rewarding the slackers. With a system like that in place, you eventually find you’ve pushed your entire population into the slacker camp. That’s the point, as Margaret Thatcher famously noted, where you run out of people to rob.
So never mind the details of healthcare “reform”. Whatever they may be, I’m here, ready to do my part. I’ve stocked up on ammunition and toilet paper, so I’m ready for a long siege. But somehow, I doubt my problems, or the nation’s problems, are simple enough to be solved by ammunition and toilet paper. Life just isn’t that straightforward.
Things are going to happen, and you will be surprised. Don’t despair for the bad, and don’t rush to celebrate the good (and there will be good). Keep in mind that this is a work in progress, and it doesn’t end until the return of, or the coming of (take your choice), our Messiah. As the unfolding events come at you, just try to figure out your part in the scheme of things, and then do it to the best of your abilities. Don’t feel obligated to justify yourself to any man; the only opinions that matter are yours and God’s. Everyone else is merely a blowhard (yes, including me and even including Tammy). Don’t fume; don’t be drawn into arguments with trolls. Just hang in there, take your vitamins, and listen to the Tammy Show.
Thanks, Maynard.
I’ll be ready to fume, but I hope I can heed your advice.
A lot of us take the Old Man River approach to life.
I’ll bet members of Congress are rationalizing their singular part in all this. I hope there’s at least a nagging sense of betrayal for taking a comparative trinket in return for a “yes” vote to toss millions of people into the abyss. Maybe they’re relying on the sanctuary of time and the vastness of human experience to cover their tracks.
Yes, something is always next. As it’s been said, life is just one damn thing after another. We never want to keep the status quo. I guess Olympia Snowe was expressing the voice of the ages when she voted the health care bill out of committee months ago to see what happens next.
Maybe we are the image of God entrusted to do His Will through hints and cryptic instructions. Maybe we’re intelligent monkeys hurtling through space using ancient texts of disputed origin as guidebooks. In either case, all we have is faith. Faith in something. The Divine, Truth, The Good. Life is an experience that could be enjoyed for no reason other than its complete absurdity. Except for the pain.
I wish I could be the hero who saves the world. I regret never practicing for it now that I feel grave danger all around. Instead, I protected my small life. I thought I had a deal to live and let live. That was wishful thinking.
Yesterday my conscience compelled me to take part in a local demonstration. Hundreds of people gathered on street corners on very short notice. Nothing like the big one in D.C. that will get attention. There were signs protesting the health care bill and the arrogance of Congress. I didn’t even take the trouble to make a sign. I brought a flag to wave. The flags and signs were greeted by a symphony of encouraging horn honks.
Like it or not, somewhere along the river we have to stop and pitch a tent before we can finish the journey. The woman who initiated the idea for yesterday’s demonstration didn’t even know the name of her Rep. a year ago.
Honk if you’re against your government suffocating your freedom and stealing your children’s future. Absurd? Sure. Will that change the world? Not by itself. That’s what is so amazing. All the little things add up including inaction. Choices made by people make the world. Eventually you have history. You can’t avoid being part of it. Our choice is to be active or passive, to have a conscience or not.
(Can I have my blowhard badge now, Maynard?)
Pat, please forgive me for not mentioning your name in my short list of blowhards.
What is occurring in our Federal government is not surprising since Urkel’s wife stated that her husband was going to “rule” the nation instead of govern…a BIG difference and I suspect an unintentional and subliminal choice of words (or a Freudian slip)…At any rate, his supporters were not listening…words have meanings and those who voted for Urkel should have heeded the veiled warning…now we ALL may have to suffer the consequences of their stupidity…for the time being that is!
I wish I could be optimistic about this but I’m not. Like Maynard, I’m not necessarily pessimistic either. I’m a realist…a grieving realist at the moment because the collective rights of a few are about to trump the individual rights of all. I think it is safe to say that all of us TAMs are realists and can clearly see the writing on the wall. What’s next? The unintended consequences of this massive government take over.
Clarification on the “unintended consequences”: As for this administration, they are fully aware of the consequences and the out come is exactly what they want. To them consequences be damned.
Enjoyed that Maynard.
We must remember this come November and VOTE THEM OUT OF OFFICE!
Well, you can still work for Obama’s ouster–Nixon style–as many are doing. The Civil War over Obama’s Nazi Care is not over, and Sunday has not come. This is not the time to retreat. IT IS TIME TO RELOAD.
I am far more amused by than fearful of these latest governmental shenanigans. I am comforted by these words written by Shakespeare and spoken by Iago in Act III, scene III of “Othello”:
“Good name in man and woman, dear my lord,
Is the immediate jewel of their souls.
Who steals my purse steals trash; ’tis something, nothing;
‘Twas mine, ’tis his, and has been slave to thousands;
But he that filches from me my good name
Robs me of that which not enriches him,
And makes me poor indeed.”
These misguided legislators who falsely believe they wrest power, praise and a piece of immortality through the picking of pockets and the pilfering of another’s free will are “poor indeed” for the only value they ever possess rightfully belongs to someone else. But no one, no one can pick the pocket of your soul unless, of course, you permit them to do so.
Forgive me, but I can’t help but think of Barney Frank struggling to deliver that line, “Who thteals my purthe thteals twash!”
“It’s not a purthe, it’s a Euwopean Cawwyall.” Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Who is the ONE that brought up this very subject of the government deciding who lives or dies??? From the very beginning it was Gov Sarah Palin! She has been front and center in this battle from the very beginning, now that is a leader! We all need to do our part in this fight starting with our character and principals, then we fight the fight and NEVER stop paying attention EVER again!!! We were so lazy and selfish to just assume that our freedom would always be there without any effort from the citizens of this country, the ones that embrace the constitution and laws of this land. Who would think that we have Americans that so hate this country that they would want to destroy it from within. Well obviously there are and I could see it in Urkel the day he started his campaign. I just couldn’t believe that there were people that believed anything he said! If you read anything about this man you would of seen and heard the sirens going off, I did. The sad thing is a lot of people just voted for the D after his name including my own parents!! They now see him for what he is but they did not believe me because the divide between the parties was so deep from all the bickering and lies and the media!!! The media is so bad now you cannot help but see the bias and that’s a good thing. I pray for my country and for this president to stay safe, his base is pretty crazy, I also pray for Tammy and all the good souls in this fight and I know one thing is we are not like Europe or Canada we are AMERICANS!!!! We are the ones holding up this world for the good, we are the ones that step up when countries need help and we will be the country that keeps doing that no matter what because it’s in our blood and in our souls. It is what God expects us to do, our God is a compassionate and loving God and that will live forever no matter what Urkel or any other so called leader does or says in this crazy world we live in now. It is what’s in our hearts that you see the out come of our actions and you will be accountable for those actions, I’m not saying it’s going to be easy it won’t be easy but doing the right thing sometimes is the hardest thing to do. But look we have Tammy and all the others that want to do the right thing which is the majority of the country!!!!! Yay!!! Keep fighting the fight don’t get down we WILL survive and take our country back!!!!!
You mentioned screwing up elections. I mentioned in an earlier post that a Democrat ran in the 22nd Congressonal district in Texas. She ran to save NASA and to impeach Obama. It was a 3-way race, and she won by 53% of the vote. She was to face the Republican incumbent, but then the Texas Democratic Party moved to take her off the ballot. Yes, there are a lot of livid voters, and I don’t know what Kesha will do, but this whole action smells of Urkel. His “deed is rank. It smells to heaven.”
Of course, the haunting question is what to do about it.
we’re americans, goddamn it, and we are going to win this war. we’re the americans who liberated france in ww2. we’re the americans who opened the gates to concentration camps, stopped the japanese and germans then went back from out the goodness that makes us who we are rebuilt those countries- because we appreciate freedom, everyone’s freedom until they f@$k with us.
we’re the americans who refused to back down from the threat of the soviet union, no matter how many names we were called . and we won that one too despite the wingnuts in our own country who had nothing but admiration for communism because they themselves had the luxury of never having to live under it. now those retread wingnuts have a stooge in potus. they’re trying to make us pay for proving their liberal sickness wrong, for succeeding as a free democratic nation. even in paradise once obtained those who only live to be agitated over their own failings will look to minor problems with the landscaping or the color of the sky to fuel their perpetual dissatisfaction that they’re not god , not better and wiser than everyone else.
the pax romana like the pax americana both arise from the same source- the strength of the best military in the world fighting for their own personal self interest in a government they are part of . when you have the biggest stick on the block it maintains the peace and the right. fascists use the military and government to maintain control over the population. our constitution is being fiddled with by fascists- the founders coming from kingdoms, quasi- theocracies knew this would happen from time to time and built in the means to stop it. the stopping it depends on us. no matter what they do, it will not stand. notice all the energy they put into insisting that what they do cannot be undone? spoken like true deluded nazis bellowing about their 1000 year reich. their audacity has finally bit them in ass, asses that are soon to be kicked.any law can be repealed. any law can be refused to be funded. the bill as it stands is merely a bomb to detonate our health care system so they can get their single payer false idol.
can you imagine george w. bush saying- “we’ll do whatever we want to voting rights, to the freedom of speech, to the free press?’ nancy is pretty much the font of all their fantastical ravings now although harry gets in a few good ones too .they’re drunk on power and now their king is finding he doesn’t so much like the fit of his tiara. if they refuse to bend to the will of the people they shall be forced to do it. don’t think they don’t know it- they’re hallucinating they won’t be taken to task so they can get what they can before they’re ousted – which underlines miss barry thing’s little fit at the supremes ( contempt for separation of powers duly noted. chief justice roberts will preside over impeachment, moron. should pick your fights better but as an entitled child it shows you’re incapable of such.)-which just proves how damaged they are. it’s easy to see them as the slimy underhanded vermin most of them are but it’s important to realize at heart they believe god , whom ever their god is( shudder), compels them to champion universal health care as a pillar of their self glorifying religion. like the eugenists , christians all, thought stopping the unfit from breeding, some to the point of condoning euthanasia ,was for the good of all humanity, they are driven to out right fanaticism to achieve their ends because they believe they’re on some humanitarian mission that just can’t be wrong. sure, most of them want power but this is their ruse- a compelling one to the welfare state of perpetual dependents.
our government was built to counter fanatics and ideologues. by breaking the rule of law, democrats are further ensuring that whatever they touch will be tainted. when palin in president , democrats need to ask themselves how appreciative will they be , the minority in every branch, of her following the legislative pathway of barry, harry and nancy’s cloven hooves? this is why we elect adults who comprehend the constitution and have principles, not children who are not quite right having political tantrums because mummy was a very angry screwed up girl. rule of law- the napoleonic code. thank you france!
abraham lincoln confronted with the most extraordinary circumstances faced down the near destruction of our country. he took away people’s then rightful property- the time had come to change the constitution. people aren’t property, although as far back as the ancient world they had been. how different would have miserably failed reconstruction been if he had lived? now the government seeks to make our health our very bodies it’s property to do with as nancy ‘mad botoxer’ pelosi pleases. we’re americans, we’re not slaves. it will not stand.
i go from jags of anger to despair to hope- i’m sick of being whipped around and the healthcare jive has been going on in my state since 2006. but when i think of the guys who say died in the meat grinder on iwo jima i very well know i have no idea what it means to be distressed and uncomfortable and sad beyond comprehension. revealing themselves so belligerently, so completely may be the best thing the liberals ever did for conservatives. they’ve destroyed themselves from the get go- and we’ve just begun to clean up the mess and take out the trash.
Maynard, I am at once both pessimistic and filled with hope. I am pessimistic because all of our shouting and fighting and rallies and calls and e-mails and letters and blogs and editorials have gone unheeded. I am pessimistic because I wonder if any politicians have the spine to repeal this thing. I am pessimistic because I wonder if the Dems know something we don’t know. Yes, they are happy for their “historic moment”, but they always seemed so smug anyway, like they knew it was inevitable. And are they right that Republicans won’t have the spine to repeal this thing, but only to “manage” it has they have done other things like SS and Medicare, etc.?
I am hopeful because it seems that so many of you and my fellow Tea Partiers are not throwing in the towel; that so many of you I know will fight at the ballot box, in the courts (if necessary) and yes, if it comes to that, with your blood.
As will I.
We cannot go quietly into the night. We must fight on! The Republic is depending on US. WE THE PEOPLE! It starts and ends with us.
Let’s Roll!
The Democratic party, which is now officially a Marxist party has declared it’s unconstitutional power, control and authority over the American people, they have officially declared war on America and everything it stands for, we are under attack. I think this is the pre-requisite for a second revolutionary civil war, I personally see no other way around this, as more and more legislations will continue to evolve from this bill in particular and the addition of other legislations to control us even further. Evidence in that our voices, concerns, and own personal thoughts have been completely ignored in the most arrogant, hostile manner toward us in that we are nothing more than serfs. Frankly there is no way in hell that we as Americans are going to simply comply, give in and be complacent with tyrannical legislations, we are being highly underestimated to a point of the epitome of insult. Who do they really think we are as a people? Since when have we ever come across as a bunch of pacifist sheep? Since when did we decide that our personal freedoms and liberties would be irrelevant? When did we ever appear to be of one that would simply not fight for our individual freedoms, liberties, capitalism, our individuality, innovation, desires, ambitions and goals? They have a serious disconnect of reality and the consequences that will result in an unprecedented course of action in response to their marxist agenda. They started this, fine, we will end it and show them they have come across an opposition that they cannot possibly conquer, they have outed themselves, now we are about to show them ourselves.
Tonight I am so tired, all I feel is numbness. It has been a long first year. But whether we like it or not tomorrow will come, and we always have a choice as to what we do with this new day. I am Italian, and don’t ever give up a fight. I believe in my principles and will always fight for what I believe is right, as I know many other Americans will also do.
However, you asked “Who do they really think we are…?” “pacifist sheep?” Yes, they do. We have been pacifist sheep for over 60 years. We did not get to this place in one election. As someone stated in an earlier post, we didn’t think it could ever happen in America. We took our freedom for granted. We were trusting, forgiving, busy living our lives, and yes, lazy. But we were also lied to and betrayed by our gov’t officials. America was torn apart by these Communists who knew how to make us forget (temporarily) that we were Americans first, not Democrat/Republican. They convinced so many Americans that they should look to the gov’t for the solution to all their problems. They told us they would feed us little bits of acceptable socialism, so that one day we would wake up under Communism and not even know how we got there. In our arrogance we became pacifist sheep.
But I also take great pride in all of us today. These radicals are still playing from the same playbook, but fortunately for us, they are still not aware that the game has changed. Clearly these people are not mental giants. We have made the conscious choice NOT to be pacifist sheep any longer. We are mad as hell, and not going to take it. However, we were complicit, and because of this it will be a long and hard road back, but we will no longer play the game by their rules. We will take this country back, and any politician who is not with us, is against us. We will not be placated with empty promises of repeal. They will either act on conservative principles, or they will be tossed out with the Democrat trash.
I have to trust in God. I do believe he has a plan, but I don’t believe he makes bad things happen. We are a fallen world, and bad things are going to happen, but when they do, God makes something good rise from the ashes. He forces us to be better people, but when we forget, he does remind us. I take heart in the fact that God ALWAYS triumphs over evil, and this time will be no different. Godspeed to us, and God Bless America!!
My grandparents escaped Soviet Russia in 1927, but having their descendants live in a Marxist America was not what they had in mind when they saw the Statue of Liberty from the deck of their ship.
Maybe this monstrosity of a bill will pass the House, and we may lose today’s battle, but we will NOT LOSE THE WAR. I never appreciated these words when I was a child, but now “America, G-d shed His grace on thee” gives me hope. We will prevail.
I don’t agree that the Republicans won’t have the spine to repeal it, this is what the entire election in Nov will be about