Thoughts From A Recovering Addict

I find it rather amazing how uninformed the people of this country are in regards to so many issues. Not only are Americans uninformed about many things, a good percentage of us are arrogant and think that we are better than the rest of the world. I witnessed that a lot as a service member assigned overseas. Far too many Americans were unwilling to learn the language or the customs of the host country, and they treated the locals as second rate people. Even back then I was ashamed to be an American because of the way my countrymen acted.

That arrogance is no more predominant than in our governments foreign policy. Does the United States not feel they are the champions of democracy and it is their duty/obligation to ensure that the rest of the world has a democratic system of government? Why are we always trying to impose our values upon the rest of the world?

How many people have stopped to consider that maybe the rest of the world doesn't want our values, our system of government, or anything else that we offer them, (except maybe our money, and lately they don't even want that due to the value of the dollar). Have we ever stopped to consider that the people of the world must find us hypocrites? After all, our country isn't doing too well now, is it? Could it be that the rest of the world does not have that cloud of arrogance impairing their vision and their thought processes. Maybe the rest of the world sees the truth, that the American system, while originally was sound, is now failing and that America is on life support with a terminal condition.

I think it is quite possible that the rest of the world pictures America much like we picture a person addicted to methamphetamines. After all, doesn't a person addicted to methamphetamines live their lives in a drug induced euphoria oblivious to the harm they are doing to themselves? Yet those who are not addicted to the drug can clearly see the damage that the drug is doing to the addict. So, while the addict continues their self destructive behavior, the rest of the people shun the addict in disgust.

Could it be that our arrogance, our ignorance, and our apathy are the drug of choice for Americans, and the rest of the world is just sitting back watching this country implode?

Our country was once the land of opportunity, and arguably the best place in the world to live. Our system of government, while not perfect, provided the best form of government which balanced the rights of the people with the powers needed to maintain harmony between the states.

James Madison once said about our form of government,

“If we resort for a criterion to the different principles on which different forms of government are established, we may define a republic to be, or at least may bestow that name on, a government which derives all its powers directly or indirectly from the great body of the people, and is administered by persons holding their offices during pleasure, for a limited period, or during good behavior.”

Take a second and think about that, re-read it if you must, for it is of great importance. Whatever powers our government has it gets from us. If they abuse it, (which they have), we have the right and the moral obligation to either remove the offenders from office or to take that power away from them altogether. Before that can happen, the people must first become aware that an abuse of power and authority has occurred. That is hard when you are lied to on so many fronts that you have to spend hours seeking out the truth. But as James Madison once said, "Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives." It is therefore your duty, your responsibility to keep yourselves informed.

It is in this context that I like to consider myself a recovering addict. I was at one time just as blind to the truth as the majority of this country. I accepted the fact that America was still the greatest place in the world, (and still could be, but not for much longer), that our government was still the best in the world, and that nothing America did could possibly be wrong.

My withdrawal symptoms were painful. I first had to accept that I had been lied to for most of my life by people who I cared for. I had to accept that these people had been lied to themselves and had bought into the lie. I had to accept that the institutions in place to educate me had lied to me, or worse, knew the truth but were spreading the lie to keep me enslaved for the benefit of some unseen masters. I had to accept that much of what I had been taught about our nations history was a lie, much of what I had been told about my government was a lie, and most of what my government tells me is a lie as well.

Once I accepted the fact that I had been lied to, I had to begin the arduous task of educating myself. To erase everything I had been taught and re-learn the truth concerning two hundred plus years of history is a very time consuming process. I have been in the process of doing that for over four years now, and every day I learn something new. I may never know the full truth, but I am constantly seeking it.

The final stage of my recovery was anger. I became angry at my government for lying to me and abusing the trust I had placed in them. I became angry at the schools I attended for hiding the truth from me, or at least teaching a watered down, politically correct version of it. I became angry at the news media for either openly lying to me, or at least of shielding me from the truth. Finally I am beginning to get angry at the rest of the people of this country who refuse to admit that something is terrible wrong with this country, even when confronted with undeniable facts.

Al Gore recently wrote a book entitled 'An Inconvenient Truth' concerning the subject of Global Warming. I have decided to provide, what I call, a few painful truths that people need to hear about the United States of America.

I am hoping that one of these truths will strike a nerve with you, spark your interest so that you begin to THINK on your own. I am hoping that you will begin to question what you have been taught, and the things you being told. If I can crack open that cloud of ignorance, let one truth filter in, our country may still stand a chance.

Painful Truth Number 1. The United States of America is broke, absolutely bankrupt. Our government does not have a dime with which to buy a cup of coffee without going further into debt. Our current national debt is an astronomical $9.4 TRILLION. That is how much money our country has borrowed from others to keep itself operating.

NATIONAL DEBT CLOCK

I find there is a lot of confusion between the terms the national debt and the budget deficit. In simple terms, if you make $100 a day and you spend $110 a day, the $10 difference is the deficit, it is merely a shortfall of funds. To continue that level of spending you have to use some form of credit, either take out a loan, or use a credit card. The amount you borrow above and beyond what you take in income is your debt. The same principle applies to our government, they have spent NINE TRILLION more than they have taken in in from us in the form of taxes. The interest alone on that debt is over $400 billion dollars a year. To put that into comparison, the average expenditure for education in this country is only $61 billion annually.

Right now, if every man, woman, and child in this country were required to come up with the money to pay their share of this debt, we would, each of us, have to write out a check for $31,000. Yet instead of reigning in their spending our government continues to spend money in a fashion that would put a drunken sailor on shore leave to shame.

Consider that as of this date our government has spent $506 billion on the Iraq War, with no end in sight. That is $341 million dollars a day to fight a war that has no sign of ending. (I am not arguing for or against the justification for being there, just commenting on the cost)

Consider this, although our nation is not taking in enough money to finance it's own operations, yet it intends to give out $1200 stimulus checks to the people in the hopes that the money spent will stimulate our ailing economy and create jobs.

Aside from the fact that the only thing it is going to stimulate is the economy of China I would like to think about that from an economic viewpoint for a just a moment. Consider that the U.S. has a population of over 300 million, and if the government only intends to give that $1200 rebate check to 50% of the people, that still totals $180 billion. Where are they going to get this money from? They are going to have to borrow it, that is where they are going to get it. But hey, it is only $180 billion. What's that compared to $9.4 trillion?

The blame for this massive debt can be laid at the feet of each and every American, as they are unwilling to hold their elected officials accountable. Instead of demanding that our government stop the spending, they hold their hands out to the benevolent government, saying GIMME, GIMME, GIMME! We have untold numbers of people flocking to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama because they are promising us all affordable health care. The whole entitlement mentality, (which began with Franklin Roosevelt and his New Deal), the thought that the government owes them something, or at least is responsible for taking care of them, at the expense of others is ruining this country and nobody wants to admit it.

Thomas Jefferson once said that "The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not." Jefferson also said "To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical." and, "Congress has not unlimited powers to provide for the general welfare, but only those specifically enumerated."

People have been told by the news media and their elected representatives that our economy is in trouble because of predatory lending practices in the housing market and the associated foreclosures. Just wait until the majority of the baby boomers retire and see what happens to our countries finances then. Are you willing to pay higher taxes so that you can finance their retirement and medical expenses?
Painful Truth Number 2- You as an individual mean nothing to your government. As they run for office they can make all the promises concerning your health and well being they want, but the truth is that once they get into office you are nothing more than a meaningless slave to them.

If they cared why would they allow America, which used to be a manufacturing giant, exporting goods all over the world, to become a nation that imports a vast majority of the things we consume. Our trade deficit with countries like China continue to grow at an alarming rate? Why is it that Made In The USA used to be the standard for quality in the world and is now something which is becoming harder and harder to find?

While it is not funny, I have to laugh whenever my wife's family in the Philippines tell me that they want me to send them goods made in the USA. I tell them to read the labels on the things they ask for, they are most likely made in China, Taiwan, Mexico, Bangladesh, or even their homeland of the Philippines, but most certainly not in the USA.

What has happened to all the jobs in this country? It used to be that when you went to work for a major corporation you were set for life. You received a decent salary, good benefits and a good retirement package. Not anymore, downsizing and plant closures are so common that we have become numb to them, until one of them affects us personally.

Yet why is that the pay of the CEO's of these corporate giants continues to skyrocket? If the minimum wage had kept up at an equal percentage to the pay of the CEO's it would be $26 an hour now!

Our jobs are being lost at an astonishing rate, but the president tells us that jobs are being created. He is partly true, but he fails to mention that they are service oriented jobs. The manufacturing industry, which is the backbone of any economy, has been decimated.

Where did these jobs go? To find out you only have to read the labels on the things you buy. They invariably say, Made in China, Made in Bangladesh, Made in Mexico....Get the picture? Why should these greedy corporate giants pay you a good salary and provide you with benefits when they can find sweatshop laborers in some other country?

Then there is the fact that a good percentage of the remaining high tech jobs have been outsourced to India? What about the importation of slave laborers, commonly known as illegal immigrants, who work for a pittance of what Americans are used to? What about the push by people like Bill Gates to up the number of H1B visas for foreign workers? We are getting squeezed out of jobs with the importation and exportation of our industrial base. Soon we will be a third world nation just like those from which we draw our labor force now.

Yet your government allows this to happen. They refuse to take any serious measures to seal off our border, to impose fines upon companies that hire illegal workers. The news makes a big deal about showing the raids where they round up these illegal alien workers. However, we never hear about any hard time in prison for the employers. If they started having to spend time in prison I bet those jobs would soon be opening up to Americans at decent wages.

On top of that our tax code is set up so that the companies that send their jobs overseas get massive tax breaks. Our government knows this and they thumb their nose at us while our taxes go up and we lose our jobs. Yet we sit back and watch these people blatantly lie to us about creating jobs.

Painful Truth Number 3. Which is a continuation of the preceding, is why is the government allowing this to happen? They are not allowing it to happen, they are orchestrating it! America is owned by the banks, and I do not mean Bank of America! I am talking about the big banks of which the Federal Reserve Bank is but a minor player. These banks pull the strings that make our elected representatives dance.

America had grown to be a huge economic success and that threatened their plans for world governance. It is not enough that they have more money than they could spend in ten lifetimes, they want the whole world to bow to their demands. So they set about to destroy us economically. They bought politicians, the media, then they gained control of our monetary system via the Federal Reserve Act. Once they had control of the printing of our money, and they had a handful of politicians in their hand, our countries fate was sealed.

Now via the FED these banks control our economy by the raising and lowering of interest rates. The FED can create economic booms and downturns at will. On top of that the outsourcing and insourcing of cheap laborers is depressing our wages dragging down the standard of living for American workers.

On top of that our government is spending money like crazy. A good percentage of the money they are borrowing is from the FED, which they create out of thin air with nothing to back it up.

I used to remember my father telling me about all of the gold in Fort Knox which backed up our paper money. It used to be that you could read on a dollar bill that the Federal Reserve Note was exchangeable for gold at any Federal Reserve Bank, not any more. When that gold backing disappeared the FED could create as much paper money they wanted. The result is inflation.

When too much currency is floating around, it loses its values causing things to cost more. You may think that the price has risen, but it hasn't, not that much anyway. Think about it for a moment. Say you have an imaginary economy and there are 1 million pieces of currency floating around to sustain that economy. In this economy you want to buy a dozen eggs. The price of the eggs is, say $1. So you pay for your eggs and all is well. Then those in control of the economy decide to place another million pieces of currency into circulation. Now instead of your money being equal to its full value of $1, it is worth 50%, or fifty cents. The next time you go to buy eggs you find that they have gone up to $2. You say to yourself that prices have risen, but they have not, your money has just become half as valuable due to inflation.

Thomas Jefferson was a very wise man and he made two statements that describe exactly what has happened to this country.

“We must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt. We must make our election between economy and liberty or profusion and servitude.”

He also said,

“If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their money, first by inflation and then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them (around the banks), will deprive the people of their property until their children will wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.”

Painful Truth Number 4, you no longer have any rights. Everyone, or at least I hope everyone, knows what the Bill of Rights is. It is a series of ten amendments to the Constitution that protect specific rights of the citizenry that the government was, under no circumstances to violate. Let's see how well they have done.

The First amendment, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

Let me see now, freedom to freely exercise your religious beliefs...Tell your kids to praying in a school and see how well that goes over. You might just offend someone who does not believe in God. Yet they have the right to play music laced with obscenities that offends you. You can practice your religion as freely as you want, AS LONG AS YOU DO IT INDOORS WHERE NO ONE ELSE HAS TO HEAR YOU. I wonder how well that would have went over with John the Baptist?

That ties in with the freedom of speech as well. If you cannot freely pray or practice your faith, you are not as free in your speech as you thought, are you? Aside from that, try using a racial slur and see what happens, not that I condone using them, but just try it and see what happens. You will be labeled a racist or possibly charged with hate speech. Can't happen? Have you read House Resolution 1592, The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007? Your freedom of speech is now being monitored and punished according to governmental regulation, and soon your thoughts will be as well.

How about freedom to peaceably assemble? Try holding a rally or a protest somewhere without obtaining the proper permits. See whether you are allowed to continue or hauled off to jail. How free is does your speech sound now? Looks like the first amendment is pretty much shot to bits.

The second amendment. "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."

Do we have a well regulated militia which can provide for the security of free states? Hmmm, if you consider that in modern times the militia is considered the National Guard, I would say the answer is no. Not when their supplies are being used overseas to defend the freedom of the Iraqi people. We can't protect the states too well when their supplies are half way across the globe.

What exactly is a militia anyway? According to U.S. Code, Title 10, Subtitle A, Part I, Chapter 13, § 311 the militia is:

(a) The militia of the United States consists of all able-bodied males at least 17 years of age and, except as provided in section 313 of title 32, under 45 years of age who are, or who have made a declaration of intention to become, citizens of the United States and of female citizens of the United States who are members of the National Guard.
(b) The classes of the militia are—
(1) the organized militia, which consists of the National Guard and the Naval Militia; and
(2) the unorganized militia, which consists of the members of the militia who are not members of the National Guard or the Naval Militia.

Maybe according to section (b)(2) we do have a militia after all. However I venture to bet that the government would never call upon the citizens of this country to defend it from something like, say thousands of illegal aliens crossing our borders in what can only be described as an invasion. No, that just wouldn't do at all! Then again how many people would be willing to, as George Washington once said, "It may be laid down as a primary position, and the basis of our system, that every Citizen who enjoys the protection of a Free Government, owes not only a proportion of his property, but even of his personal services to the defense of it."

How about the right to keep and bear arms not being infringed upon? How many gun laws has our government passed? How much hassle has it become for a law abiding citizen to purchase a firearm? Can you carry a gun on your person without a permit? Need I say more? Looks like the second amendment is shot to pieces as well, (no pun intended).

The third amendment, "No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law." This one, for the time being, is still intact. One for our side.

The fourth amendment? "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

Have you read the Patriot Act in its entirety? Section 213 of the Patriot Act, otherwise known as the Sneak and Peek Provision, allows any federal law enforcement agency to enter your home or business without you being present to collect evidence and they do not ever have to tell you they have been there. This violates the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution.

Sections 202 & 216 also allow any federal law enforcement agency to monitor your internet traffic, read your e mails and intercept your cell phone calls, if they suspect that you are committing a crime. No warrant is required. This violates the Fourth as well as the Fifth Amendment. By way of these two infractions the fourth amendment has been shredded.

The Fifth Amendment, "No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation."

Due process, what's that? Have you read Senate Bill 3930, Pub. L. No. 109-366 Stat. 2600, otherwise known as the Military Commissions Act? If you are defined as a terrorist, whether it be domestic or otherwise, you can now be imprisoned without charges, denied legal representation, and brought before a military tribunal due to the authority granted our government under the Military Commissions Act. Your family may never see your face again, and they have no legal recourse to obtain information regarding your status. The Military Commissions Act thumbs its nose at the fifth, sixth and the eighth amendments as well.

The Sixth Amendment- "In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense."

The Seventh Amendment-"In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law." For the time being this amendment appears to be in tact as well. Our government appears to be happy to allow us to sue each other for any number of frivolous reasons.

The Eighth Amendment-"Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted." What about no bail? (Does the term waterboarding mean anything to you?) This amendment is shot as well.

The Ninth Amendment? "The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people."

Read that again just to make sure you understand what it says. In common terms, it means this, the federal government cannot pass laws infringing upon a right just because the Constitution does not specifically state that you have that right. You may be hard pressed to find a right that hasn't been legislated upon by your state or local government, but the federal government has no right to pass laws infringing upon a right just because that right is not mentioned in the Constitution. Can you count how many laws violate these unspoken rights? This amendment is a draw because you don't have any rights once you consider that if the federal government hasn't passed a law about them, the state or local governments have.

Finally, the tenth amendment? "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people."

Let me see, where in the Constitution does it give the federal government the power to dictate what can and cannot be taught in our schools? Where does it give the federal government the ability to restrict private use of the airwaves? Where does it say in the Constitution that the government can mandate environmental policies? Get the picture? Those rights are for the states alone and the federal government has no business butting into the rights of the states. So this amendment is shot to pieces as well.

Let's tally up our score. Out of ten amendments, seven are gone, two are wins for us, and the other a draw. Or in terms all you football fans will understand, we have a 2-1-7 record. Not too good. Still think we are free?

Although our government claims that all the things they do are based upon good intentions I would like to remind you what Daniel Webster said about good intentions, "Good intentions will always be pleaded for every assumption of authority. It is hardly too strong to say that the Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions."

These are just a few of the painful truths I have learned on my journey to freedom from the addiction to ignorance, apathy and arrogance. There are many more, but I hope that I have given you enough reason to question the supposed truth you have been told. However there will always be those who choose to remain in their comfort zone of ignorance and apathy. For those of you who choose this option, for those of you who wish to keep your heads buried in the sand, hiding from the truth of what is happening in this country, I have only one thing to say, 'You know, while you are bent over with your head in the sand with your butt sticking up in the air like that, there is always someone who is willing to come along and screw you."

Our national anthem says that we are the '...land of the free and the home of the brave.' I suggest we change it to '...the land of the meek and the home of the slaves.' As I said, you may think you are free because you don't see the bars to your cell, but they are there, they are invisible, and you have allowed your government to put them there.