Tribute

“Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute” -- Thomas Jefferson (his response to the Barbary pirates demand for money to keep them from attacking U.S. shipping.)

Tribute is nothing more than ransom paid to keep some entity from harming you. There are many instances of this practice … from the Mafia demanding a percentage of the profits of businesses as “protection money” to Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and other race baiters shaking down American businesses so that they are not accused of “racism” … see: ABC News Story.

Now the Muslims are getting into the payoff racket with demands for “Halal certification” which is a statement that a food purveyor has met the standards of the Islam faith. In exchange for paying a fee schedule, these purveyors are “allowed” to sell their products or services to the Muslim community … see the Australian schedule of demands: Q Society Story and in Malaysia: Malaysian Halal Rate Schedule. Unfortunately, many suspect that this certification money finds its way into funding much Muslim terrorism around the world.

In fact the recent jihad attack by a Muslim radical from Iran on a Sydney, Australia coffee shop seems somehow connected with this shop’s refusal to pay Halal tribute … see: Atlas Shrugged Story. Unfortunately, the number of businesses who do pay this Halal bribe seems to be large and growing.

What did Lenin say, “The capitalists will sell us the rope with which we will hang them?” But, in this case, we seem to be giving them the rope.

Afterward: For validation of Sharpton's sleezeball style see: NY Post Story. Also my wife had an interesting comment, "Aren't taxes a form of protection money?"

Old News

There must be a half life to scandals … and so, the Clinton's just released, this past Friday night, a dump of many documents from the Clinton Library relating to their numerous sordid scandals … Whitewater, Monica Lewinsky, the pardoning of Mark Rich, Vince Foster, etc. … see: UK Telegraph Story and News10 Story. (The bigger the scandal, the longer must be the half-life ...) Many of these documents were heavily redacted and some were held back altogether. To use a tired old chestnut, this document dump was clearly and cynically meant to inoculate the Clinton's against further use of this information. In any future discussions they can, with a dismissive wave of the hand, offer the pusillanimous slight, “That’s old news!”

I find it very curious that good (or I might say evil) politicians seem to sense the exact timing of the aging process of scandalous stories in which they are involved. Thus, Hillary Clinton can put off any testimony about Benghazi until the American people (and the media) will dismiss any damaging revelations as “old news.” (Somehow Nixon never found the exact timing of this half-life process … although he surely tried.) I, on the other hand, react entirely the opposite way. Seeing politicians play this game of rope-a-dope just incites my outrage even more ... at this politician … and at the American people for allowing themselves to be so easily manipulated.

I guess I am forever cursed with my out-of-step mind.

And even more curious, after a sufficiently long delay (using some mysterious formula), the public may again have an appetite for the details of a particular scandal … the Sally Hemings, Thomas Jefferson affair comes to mind. How do I respond to such ancient revelations? My normal reaction is, “That’s old news!”

Beating a Drum

“If you shout a lie long enough and loud enough, it will eventually become a truth” – Thomas Jefferson

Some of my readers accuse me of beating a drum over our President’s multitudinous failures.  Guilty as charged.  But I am but one squeaky little voice trying to contradict stentorian streams of bilious bullsh.t coming out of our government and media.  I realize that this is a fruitless Promethean endeavor, but I cannot let go of this feeling that I must do something, however insignificant, to help our children live in a country that closely resembles that great (yes, exceptional) one in which I was nurtured.

I try not to do this with Lady-Gaga-type hype … nor with flaming prose … but with statistics, studied opinions and references to those who I respect as being good and honorable people.

The thing that upsets me the most about our modern media mouthpieces and political poltroons is that they lie with certain certitude … as though this was the measure of their self worth.  They call it “spinning.”  Thus, they are compelled even to lie about their lying.  If someone like Mitt Romney tells his best and sincere truth about the many dislocations in our current society, he is castigated and made fun of by these same miscreants as though he were the prevaricator.  What did Jack Nicholson once say … “[we] can’t handle the truth?”

That is a very sorry statement about our current out-of-tune national orchestra.

The Road Ahead?

The following was submitted by a reader and old friend (Charlie Radigan) and is recommended for your perusal and reflection:

  

Trying to make sense of the 2012 election results, I soon realized it all makes sense when discovering quotes from important people from our past.  The position we are now in has been predicted. For example, Alexis de Tocqueville in the 1800s said, "The American Republic will endure until politicians realize they can bribe the people with their own money." Thomas Jefferson said, "I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them." Phil Steffen said: " Never underestimate the power of very stupid people in large groups." Samuel Adams said, "When the people find they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the Republic." 

There are many more quotes that accurately predict the economic and political mess we are now in and what lies ahead for America. My favorite has been attributed to Alexander Tytler  professor of history at the University of Edinburgh in the late 1700s.  He reportedly wrote: "A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government.  A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship."  

Is that what lies ahead for America? Often the outcomes of complicated problems become easily predictable when the problems are reduced to simple forms.  It is frightening to me what lies ahead for my children and grandchildren because of "the power of very stupid people in large groups" who gave us the sideshow we now have in Washington. A housecleaning in 2016 is our only and last hope, if it is not already too late.

Ned Crockett

Irvington, VA

(Reprinted from the The Rappahannock Record)

Bail? ... Bananas!

I've complained before about the fiction of Iran releasing a female American prisoner "on bail."  Iran is ready to release the last two Americans captured after straying across the Iraq border over two years ago ...  after a payment of $1 million ... called "bail" (see: $1 million Bail Payment). How can people who have been convicted of spying and sentenced be released on bail?  Let's face it, this is ransom money ... and the American media plays along with this silly narrative ... and helps to paint Iran as being less depraved than they truly are.  Bananas!! What happened to America's backbone?  Remember, "Millions for defense, not one cent for tribute" (generally attribute to Thomas Jefferson when refusing to pay ransom to the Barbary pirates in order to free American sailors).  Please, media monkeys, let's be realistic with your language for a change ...