“Freedom is the very essence of our nation. To be sure, ours is not a perfect nation, But even with our troubles, we remain the beacon of hope for oppressed people everywhere.†– Ronald Reagan
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Thank You, Valiant Soldiers, for Preserving our Freedom!
May I raise my voice with countless others on this Memorial Day to pay tribute to valiant soldiers who fought and often died to preserve the freedoms we enjoy.
I found this photo on a blog post that referenced an article by a British war correspondent embedded with the American army. He reported on the GI battle uniforms, vehicles, equipment and supplies.  His comment on the American Jeeps:
The jeeps … were unmatched, and the Germans loved to capture them for their own use.”
It appears that this photo is of President Roosevelt visiting the US troops. Quite the presidential limousine, don’t you think?
Again, thank you, thank you soldiers, for your valiant service, for a job well done.
Roll on Yellow Jeep Journey!
Abraham Lincoln: Those who deny freedom …
One of my favorite Abraham Lincoln quotes:
Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves, and, under a just God, cannot retain it.
From Letter to Henry L. Pierce and others, April 6, 1859.
Signers of the Declaration, I salute You!
Today we celebrate the crowning event of that fateful July 4th, 1776, when a group of men with vision and faith, courage and fortitude, had the temerity to officially accept the principles of a sacred document, the Declaration of Independence, that marked the birth of our great nation:
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
It took great courage to declare independence from a sovereign power. There were many in the Colonies who did not agree. But the brave Founders were fueled with passion, grounded in determination, and sustained with an abiding faith that the cause they supported was in accordance with God’s will.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,[70] that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. …
And so, probably not fully realizing the grandeur of the moment, these great men pledged their all in support of the equality of man and freedom of the soul.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
Today, dear founding fathers, I salute you, and from the bottom of my heart, I thank you. May the God in Heaven bless your sacred memory.
We Must Protect Freedom from Extinction
“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it on to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.â€
– Ronald Reagan, 40th President of the United States
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Will the Government Micromanage Online Privacy?
I currently publish two blogs: “Discovering Identity†and “I Love Freedom (this one).†Usually, the information I publish on these blogs doesn’t overlap, but this subject certainly does, and is posted on both sites.
Thanks to an acquaintance, Jane Grafton, I recently read two opposing views on the subject of federal government regulations of privacy:
An LA Times article, Privacy and the Web, concluded:
Although Washington shouldn’t try to micromanage the Net, it should make clear that websites have a duty to help users manage their personal information effectively, giving them the chance to understand the tradeoffs they’re making and to choose wisely.
Phil Lieberman of Lieberman Software responded in his post, “Internet Privacy Is No Place for Government Regulationsâ€:
Attempts by the federal government to constrain the collection of data, and the ability to tailor offers based on this data, is a case of the government meddling in areas where it has no place. Interference with the free market serves only to punish those companies that know how to efficiently mine their data and so is the worst form of government interference with the free market.
I’m all for privacy and opt-in/opt-out options. However I feel it does little good to cripple those companies who are good at business for the purpose of expanding the nanny-state. Any decision to overreach with privacy controls will also provide a bounty for greedy and litigious attorneys looking for fresh kills on the Internet.
What do you think?
Although the LA Times article mildly asks the federal government not to “micromanage the Net,†history has that government has the propensity to always micromanage everything it touches. How’s that for a cynical view?
If I believe the most effective way to deal with this issue would be for private industry to self-regulate. In much the same that PCI DSS has become an effective industry-driven regulation of the credit card industry, perhaps we need an “Online Privacy Standard†developed and enforced by the online industry itself.
Otherwise, if such industry self-regulation doesn’t happen, given the current mood in Congress, I think federal government regulation of online privacy is a foregone conclusion (more cynicism).
The Pot of Gold at Rainbow’s End?
Radical Idea – Let’s Fix Congress
A good friend, Joel Brame, forwarded the following email message to me yesterday. It is kind of a radical idea, but I agree that it would fix much of what ails Congress today, and return that august body to its original intent – to represent the people of the United States, rather than serving themselves and special interests.
I am sending this to virtually everybody on my e-mail list and that includes conservatives, liberals, and everybody in between. Even though we disagree on a number of issues, I count all of you as friends. My friend and neighbor wants to promote a "Congressional Reform Act of 2010." It would contain eight provisions, all of which would probably be strongly endorsed by those who drafted the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
We need to get a Senator to introduce this bill in the US Senate and a Representative to introduce a similar bill in the US House. These people will become American heroes.
Congressional Reform Act of 2010
1. Term Limits.
12 years only, one of the possible options below..
A. Two Six-year Senate terms
B. Six Two-year House terms
C. One Six-year Senate term and three Two-Year House terms2. No Tenure / No Pension.
A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.
3. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security.
All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people.
4. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.
5. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.
6. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.
7. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.
8. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/11.
The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen. Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves.
Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.
I have long thought that politicians get so wrapped up in the prestige and power of their offices that they soon forget what it is like to be a common citizen. It indeed takes an exceptional person to not succumb to the the trappings of political power. It is tragic that the Congress has progressively set itself up as an elite body that only superficially answers to the voice of the people.
I like the ideas this congressional reform proposes. Now, we just need to figure out how to get people with the guts to put it into law.
Open Letter to Glenn Beck: Short and Long Term
Hello Glenn:
Congratulations on the success of the Restoring Honor rally. I would have enjoyed the experience of gathering on the mall with you and other patriotic Americans.
However, I am concerned that you are sacrificing critical moral values to build short term gain. It has been disappointing to learn that you have gone on record saying that "homosexual marriage is not a threat to the country.â€
Last June I posted an article entitled "Freedom to Marry?" on this blog. In that article, I attempted to explain to a former professional colleague why I support laws that limit the term "marriage" to the union of one man and one woman.
A brief excerpt:
"Inherent in our existence as human beings all of us possess free will, also called agency, or the ability to act for ourselves and not be acted upon by someone else. … As members of a civil society, we accept limitations on how we exercise our agency based on two fundamental principles:
- A person may act in ways that do not harm or threaten other people or property.
- A person may act in ways that do not undermine the ability of the society to flourish and sustain itself.
"The first principle largely addresses immediate or short term affects; the second encompasses long term consequences. Restrictions on marriage within our society are primarily based on the second principle."
Glenn, I believe you, like too many others, err in limiting attention to only the first principle, without regard to the second. The Thomas Jefferson phrase you quote, “If it neither breaks my leg nor picks my pocket, what difference is it to me?†certainly is limited to only the first principle.
I believe that we must, as a moral society, accept and defend both principles. Certainly the Judeo-Christian tradition you claim to espouse encompasses both the short and long term views.
Best regards,
Mark Dixon
Sequim, Washington: To Swim or to Shoot?
According to a recent post in the International Business Edge, the small town of Sequim, WA, has an Identity Crisis … big time:
“The U.S. town of Sequim, Washington has long claimed that ‘in the native language of the S’Klallam tribe, ‘S’Kwim’ means quiet waters,’ as indicated on the town website. However, a linguist recently revealed that a correct translation would actually be ‘a place for going to shoot.’â€
“Quiet Waters†or “A place for going to shoot.†Quite a contrast, don’t you think?
For more insight, you can Listen to the story on NPR.org or read the article by the Associated Press.
With shooting potentially involved, I wonder why NRA.org hasn’t picked up the story!