"Divergent" - A Glimpse Into Our Future?

Anyone wanting to get a glimpse into the future of our nation needs to see the movie "Divergent."

Set in a post-apocalyptic near-future, what occurs in the movie is very close to what will happen if we keep allowing liberals and political correctness to put people into various groups by defining people as they see fit.

Liberals see America as groups of people to set against other groups. "Your group is doing bad because this group over here is [insert today's buzzword here], which means your group needs [insert pet cause here] from us." They need to keep people as separate as possible. Keeping people in little "boxes," constantly at odds with one another, tends to accomplish that rather well, doesn't it?

By contrast, what conservatives see in groups of people is the miracle that is America. I know I've said this before, but it bears repeating - America is a nation defined less by the people inhabiting it than the ideas and ideals that brought forth its existence. A legal immigrant to this country, having just taken the oath to the Constitution, is considered just as American as someone who was born here. Nowhere else on earth is such a thing possible.

Conservatives see Americans as, well, Americans. No one individual is better or worse than any other in terms of class, or accident of birth.

We need to teach people, and perhaps relearn ourselves, to stop letting others define who we are and let our actions define us, before it's too late to avoid the type of society depicted in "Divergent." ~ Hunter

Fascism, California Style

The California Assembly has passed a bill and sent it to the desk of Governor Brown for his signature to put into law. "What's the subject of this bill?" You ask. Good question, and the answer is nothing short or pure, unadulterated ridiculousness.

California is proposing to ban - meaning make it illegal -for stores to use "single use plastic shopping bags." Yep, you read that correctly. The bags that nearly every store in the nation uses to pack your purchases in for you to carry them home will be illegal in CA. Their stated reasons are to save the "environment and small animals."

Noble sentiments, to be sure, but is the government really the best avenue to accomplish this?

For the record, even as an "evil, dirty air and dirty water conservative," I have no problem with the desire to preserve our environment. I don't even object to reasonable laws, such as anti-littering and anti-pollution laws. It is incumbent upon all of humanity to leave our children a healthy world in which to live. That's almost an automatic understanding for a conservative.

But.......

What I object to is the left's absolute insistence that the government interfere in our lives to the point of making a certain product - usually one that's convenient for the consumer, as well as the most cost-efficient for businesses - illegal, or so costly to use that businesses are forced to stop using said product, whatever it is, thereby inconveniencing the consumer.

One of the definitions of fascism is using the government to force businesses and the citizenry to sell and/or use a certain product/service a certain way. 0bamadontcare, anyone? What this approach usually does is drive up prices. That's proven throughout history.

If you don't want plastic bags used, convince businesses to stop using them. Make it beneficial to consumers to use something else, but leave that decision to the consumers and businesses.

Stop using the government to enforce your social conscience. Let the markets decide what's best for consumers and businesses alike. ~ Hunter

Tax Inversion? We Need THOUGHT Inversion

The U.S. corporate tax rate is among the highest in the world (we used to be among the lowest) and people actually have the audacity to wonder why corporations are leaving these shores?!

The latest company to make the news on this front is Burger King. The federal corporate tax burden on BK is fully 24% of their operating costs and a whopping 34% of their profits!!! Think about that for a minute - 34 cents of every dollar BK has left after paying their costs to run their business is paid to the federal government. None of this includes state and local taxes. The corporate tax encompasses both domestic and international profits, by the way, which is in addition to whatever taxes they pay to the other nations in which they operate.

It's ridiculous to expect a company, any company, to hand over that much of its profit to the government. By the way, don't think for a second that we aren't paying those taxes, as all companies ultimately pass on their expenses to the consumer.

Although Burger King has already stated they're not moving to Canada as part of their deal to purchase Tim Horton's, a Canadian donut and breakfast chain, making such a move would lower the tax burden on their profits a full 25%. What company wouldn't want that?

We need a thorough overhaul of our taxation system, and not just of personal income taxes. To think that doing what's best for your company is somehow "unpatriotic" is ridiculous to the point of absurdity. No company has any more of an "obligation" to keep its headquarters in this nation than any individual - more and more individuals are renouncing their American citizenship every year just because of taxes. That alone should give you pause the next time you think about voting for the socialists of the Left.

Another quick thought for you - the U.S. revolution occurred, in large part, because the colonists believed the tax burden placed upon them by a monarch was too onerous. Companies are fleeing the overbearing tax rate of the U.S., and heading to nations with more favorable corporate tax rates like Canada - which, in the irony of all ironies, is a Constitutional Monarchy. ~ Hunter

We Still Stand With Israel

I've been visiting some Facebook pages over the last few days, paying particular attention to posts about Israel and its fight against hamass (deliberately misspelled). I've seen some amazing and heartening comments which give me hope. I now know that the majority of American citizens still stand with Israel.

Other comments I've seen are the written approximation of the video of the Marine veteran, who was punched, kicked, and spit upon by pro-Palestine supporters in front of the White House recently, and they're infuriating to say the least.

I read one comment, written by one "Jo Freedom." She went on a long soliloquy about how it's the duty of the "palestinians" to resist the "occupier" that is Israel, and lobbing rockets into Israel is a perfectly acceptable tactic.

She was correct in only one aspect. It is the duty of the citizens of an occupied nation to resist the occupiers.

She, and others like her, fail to take some very basic facts into account (more likely ignore) when they talk about the Israeli "occupation."

One, Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza in 2005, so there is no "occupying force" to resist. In fact, when Israel pulled out, the entirety of the Gaza Strip was in far better shape (under those evil, Arab-hating Jews) than it is today (under those Arab-loving hamass "angels").

Two, in all of recorded history, there has never been a nation called "Palestine." Palestine is a region, akin to a county here in the U.S. The so-called "palestinians" are Egyptian, Syrian, and Jordanian by ancestry. They were abandoned by those nations after Israel kicked their collective asses in the various wars the Arabs started.

Three, Israel would like nothing more than to live in peace. Israelis don't "hate" Arabs. If they did, the hundreds of thousands living inside the borders of Israel right this second wouldn't be there, would they? Millions upon millions of dollars have been spent, by Israel, to improve the lives of the "palestinians," building hospitals, schools, and other improvements, all while some of them are trying to lop the head off of those helping them.

If the "palestinians" really want to "resist" an occupying force, perhaps they should turn their attention to hamass, and the other terror groups existing amongst them, and eradicate them like the vermin they are.

Then, and only then, should Israel, and the rest of the world, treat with them. ~ Hunter

Saying What Needs Saying, Political Correctness Be Damned

Friends, here's a man who tells it like it is, much like I believe MLK would, about the rioting and looting in Ferguson, MO. This is very powerful, and Johnathan Gentry is right on the money. Kudos to him for saying what needs saying. ~ Hunter

Robin Williams, Comedic Genius 1951-2014

This isn't my normal fare. I loathe the entertainment world like most people loathe the political one, but I believe this had to be mentioned.

For those who don't already know, Robin Williams died yesterday of asphyxiation in an apparent suicide.

I don't know the man's politics very well, nor do I care. What I *do* know is that, from all accounts, he was a genuine person - a realty in Hollyweird. He did much for our troops, going on 6 separate USO tours, and was very active in raising money for St. Jude's Children's Hospital.

His comedic genius was legendary, his roles more memorable than not, and he will be sorely missed in a world desperately needing more laughter.

My favorite memories of him are his roles as Mork from Ork and as the Genie in Alladin. Share your memories as we remember the late, great Robin Williams. ~ Hunter

Move Along - Nothing To See Here

23,584: It's been 31 days since my last post on this subject, and shock of all shocks, there's been no let up from the followers of mohammed (all mentions of anything muslim are in lowercase letters to denote my disrespect). Between then and now, there's been 260 attacks with fatalities committed by islamic terrorists, a little over eight attacks per day.

One hundred sixty people, including an undetermined number, but at least three children, have been killed in 6 known attacks committed on just one day, 6 AUG 2014. No need to average that number.


During ramadan, the so-called "holiest month" of the muslim calendar, there was:
272 terror attacks
37 allahu akbars
2429 dead bodies (for those keeping score, that's almost 81 people killed per day)
2028 wounded

By the way, still no Christians killing in the name of Christianity (but Christians are the most evil people in the world, dontcha know?).

Between 26 JUL 14 and 01 AUG14, there were:

75 jihad attacks
10 “allahu akbar” suicide attacks
707 dead bodies (that's 101 per day) 
711 critically injured in these attacks

Very busy week.

Let's look at the totals for just July 2014:

268 jihad attacks
28 countries
41 "allahu akbars"
2660 dead bodies (averaging almost 94 people murdered in the name of allah per day)
2079 critically injured

The numbers for the entirety of 2013 are bringing the reality of the “religion” of “peace” will bring some additional clarity to this post:

2801 jihad attacks
51 countries
16,170 dead bodies (average of just under 86 people killed PER DAY)
29,432 critically injured

To put this in a little perspective, the estimate - which is based on new, very thorough research - of people killed during the entire *500* years of the Medieval and the Spanish Inquisitions is about 6,000 deaths. While those deaths are reprehensible, and all Catholics lament them, it's not quite the same, is it? The acknowledged average estimate is around 30,000.

I have no patience for the people who say that the Inquisition was just as bad as islamic terrorism, especially given that anyone with half a brain, and five minutes can easily find this information online. The next time someone brings up the Inquisition, you now have the facts to refute their arguments.

I know some will say I'm “islamophobic.” That's fine; it's not true, mind you - but I can handle that. To those people, however, I submit this: A phobia is an “unreasoning fear” of something. With numbers like I've detailed above, you have to ask yourselves one question: Is it really “unreasoning fear” when their mantra is “Convert or Die”? ~ Hunter

The Tolerance Of Liberalism, Or Proud To Be Called A Traitor

I received my very first threat on this blog a couple of days ago from a rabid liberal - and apparently professional - crayon-eater. "He" objected to my conservatism and my belief that criminal aliens should be deported as soon as possible.

http://liberalsarehypocrites.blogspot.com/2014/03/operation-wetback-or-how-us-dealt-with.html

It was really quite amusing, and not frightening in the least, but what made it all the more amusing was that this open-minded, oh-so-tolerant window-licker called me a traitor based on the meme at the top of this page, and when "it all goes down," he promised to "meet me on the battlefield" (after saying I would never see him).

I'd like to remind the Lurking LiberTrolls out there that the Founders intended for people to love their country, not their government. That's the reason the military, all members of all 3 branches of the government, and all federal employees swear an oath to the Constitution and not the government or the President.

"I, Michael J. Flanagan Jr., do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, pledging my life, my fortune, and my sacred honor. So help me God."

I took that oath on 27 JUL 1988. My oath, now 26 long years gone, has never expired. If believing in, following, and defending the most brilliant document ever written by man - the very foundation of this nation - makes me a "traitor," well............................that's a cross I'm willing to bear.

Oh, before I forget - if you decide to come after me, "sir," you better make sure you kill me with the 1st shot, because if you don't, you will not get a second chance at it. ~ Hunter