Jan. 10, 2009 - The True Nature of Islam
My daughter is currently in Afghanistan looking directly at the evil we may all have to face one day. If you think it can't knock on your own door one day - this speech might wake you up -
| Here
is the speech of Geert Wilders, chairman Party for Freedom, the Netherlands,
at the Four Seasons, New York, introducing an Alliance of Patriots and announcing
the Facing Jihad Conference in Jerusalem . The speech was sponsored by the Hudson Institute on September 25. It is somewhat lengthy, but if you value your freedom at all - it's worth the time it takes to read it. 
Thank you very much for inviting me. Great to be at the Four Seasons. I come from a country that has one season only: a rainy season that starts January 1st and ends December 31st. When we have three sunny days in a row, the government declares a national emergency. So Four Seasons, that's new to me. It's great to be in New York . When I see the skyscrapers and office buildings, I think of what Ayn Rand said: "The sky over New York and the will of man made visible." Of course. Without the Dutch you would have been nowhere, still figuring out how to buy this island from the Indians. But we are glad we did it for you. And, frankly, you did a far better job than we possibly could have done. I come to America with a mission. All is not well in the old world. There is a tremendous danger looming, and it is very difficult to be optimistic. We might be in the final stages of the Islamization of Europe . This not only is a clear and present danger to the future of Europe itself, it is a threat to America and the sheer survival of the West.. The danger I see looming is the scenario of America as the last man standing. The United States as the last bastion of Western civilization, facing an Islamic Europe . In a generation or two, the US will ask itself: who lost Europe ? Patriots from around Europe risk their lives every day to prevent precisely this scenario form becoming a reality. My short lecture consists of 4 parts. First I will describe the situation on the ground in Europe . Then, I will say a few things about Islam. Thirdly, if you are still here, I will talk a little bit about the movie you just saw. To close I will tell you about a meeting in Jerusalem. The Europe you know is changing. You have probably seen the landmarks. The Eiffel Tower and Trafalgar Square and Rome's ancient buildings and maybe the canals of Amsterdam . They are still there. And they still look very much the same as they did a hundred years ago. But in all of these cities, sometimes a few blocks away from your tourist destination, there is another world, a world very few visitors see and one that does not appear in your tourist guidebook. It is the world of the parallel society created by Muslim mass-migration. All throughout Europe a new reality is rising: entire Muslim neighborhoods where very few indigenous people reside or are even seen. And if they are, they might regret it. This goes for the police as well. It's the world of head scarves, where women walk around in figureless tents, with baby strollers and a group of children. Their husbands, or slaveholders if you prefer, walk three steps ahead. With mosques on many street corners. The shops have signs you and I cannot read. You will be hard-pressed to find any economic activity. These are Muslim ghettos controlled by religious fanatics. These are Muslin neighborhoods, and they are mushrooming in every city across Europe . These are the building-blocks for territorial control of increasingly larger portions of Europe , street by street, neighborhood by neighborhood, city by city. There are now thousands of mosques throughout Europe . With larger congregations than there are in churches. And in every European city there are plans to build super-mosques that will dwarf every church in the region. Clearly, the signal is: we rule. Many European cities are already one-quarter Muslim: just take Amsterdam , Marseille and Malmo in Sweden . In many cities the majority of the under-18 population is Muslim. Paris is now surrounded by a ring of Muslim neighborhoods. Mohammed is the most popular name among boys in many cities. In some elementary schools in Amsterdam the farm can no longer be mentioned, because that would also mean mentioning the pig, and that would be an insult to Muslims. Many state schools in Belgium and Denmark only serve halal food to all pupils. In once-tolerant Amsterdam gays are beaten up almost exclusively by Muslims. Non-Muslim women routinely hear "whore, whore". Satellite dishes are not pointed to local TV stations, but to stations in the country of origin. In France school teachers are advised to avoid authors deemed offensive to Muslims, including Voltaire and Diderot; the same is increasingly true of Darwin . The history of the Holocaust can in many cases no longer be taught because of Muslim sensitivity. In England sharia courts are now officially part of the British legal system. Many neighborhoods in France are no-go areas for women without head scarves. Last week a man almost died after being beaten up by Muslims in Brussels, because he was drinking during the Ramadan. Jews are fleeing France in record numbers, on the run for the worst wave of anti-Semitism since World War II. French is now commonly spoken on the streets of Tel Aviv and Netanya, Israel . I could go on forever with stories like this. Stories about Islamization. A total of fifty-four million Muslims now live in Europe . San Diego University recently calculated that a staggering 25 percent of the population in Europe will be Muslim just 12 years from now. Bernhard Lewis has predicted a Muslim majority by the end of this century. Now these are just numbers. And the numbers would not be threatening if the Muslim-immigrants had a strong desire to assimilate. But there are few signs of that. The Pew Research Center reported that half of French Muslims see their loyalty to Islam as greater than their loyalty to France . One-third of French Muslims do not object to suicide attacks. The British Centre for Social Cohesion reported that one-third of British Muslim students are in favor of a worldwide caliphate. A Dutch study reported that half of Dutch Muslims admit they "understand" the 9/11 attacks. Muslims demand what they call 'respect'. And this is how we give them respect. Our elites are willing to give in. To give up. In my own country we have gone from calls by one cabinet member to turn Muslim holidays into official state holidays, to statements by another cabinet member, that Islam is part of Dutch culture, to an affirmation by the Christian-Democratic attorney general that he is willing to accept sharia in the Netherlands if there is a Muslim majority. We have cabinet members with passports from Morocco and Turkey . Muslim demands are supported by unlawful behavior, ranging from petty crimes and random violence, for example against ambulance workers and bus drivers, to small-scale riots. Paris has seen its uprising in the low-income suburbs, the banlieus. Some prefer to see these as isolated incidents, but I call it a Muslim intifada. I call the perpetrators "settlers". Because that is what they are. They do not come to integrate into our societies, they come to integrate our society into their Dar-al-Islam. Therefore, they are settlers. Much of this street violence I mentioned is directed exclusively against non-Muslims, forcing many native people to leave their neighborhoods, their cities, their countries. Politicians shy away from taking a stand against this creeping sharia. They believe in the equality of all cultures. Moreover, on a mundane level, Muslims are now a swing vote not to be ignored. Our many problems with Islam cannot be explained by poverty, repression or the European colonial past, as the Left claims. Nor does it have anything to do with Palestinians or American troops in Iraq . The problem is Islam itself Allow me to give you a brief Islam 101. The first thing you need to know about Islam is the importance of the book of the Quran. The Quran is Allah's personal word, revealed by an angel to Mohammed, the prophet. This is where the trouble starts. Every word in the Quran is Allah's word and therefore not open to discussion or interpretation. It is valid for every Muslim and for all times. Therefore, there is no such a thing as moderate Islam. Sure, there are a lot of moderate Muslims. But a moderate Islam is non-existent. The Quran calls for hatred, violence, submission, murder, and terrorism. The Quran calls for Muslims to kill non-Muslims, to terrorize non-Muslims and to fulfill their duty to wage war: violent jihad. Jihad is a duty for every Muslim, Islam is to rule the world by the sword. The Quran is clearly anti-Semitic, describing Jews as monkeys and pigs. The second thing you need to know is the importance of Mohammed the prophet. His behavior is an example to all Muslims and cannot be criticized. Now, if Mohammed had been a man of peace, let us say like Ghandi and Mother Theresa wrapped in one, there would be no problem. But Mohammed was a warlord, a mass murderer, a pedophile, and had several marriages at the same time. Islamic tradition tells us how he fought in battles, how he had his enemies murdered and even had prisoners of war executed. Mohammed himself slaughtered the Jewish tribe of Banu Qurayza. He advised on matters of slavery, but never advised to liberate slaves. Islam has no other morality than the advancement of Islam. If it is good for Islam, it is good. If it is bad for Islam, it is bad. There is no gray area or other side. Quran as Allah's own word and Mohammed as the perfect man are the two most important facets of Islam. Let no one fool you about Islam being a religion. Sure, it has a god, and a here-after, and 72 virgins. But in its essence Islam is a political ideology. It is a system that lays down detailed rules for society and the life of every person. Islam wants to dictate every aspect of life. Islam means 'submission'. Islam is not compatible with freedom and democracy, because what it strives for is sharia. If you want to compare Islam to anything, compare it to communism or national-socialism, these are all totalitarian ideologies. This is what you need to know about Islam, in order to understand what is going on in Europe . For millions of Muslims the Quran and the life of Mohammed are not 14 centuries old, but are an everyday reality, an ideal, that guide every aspect of their lives. Now you know why Winston Churchill called Islam "the most retrograde force in the world", and why he compared Mein Kampf to the Quran. Which brings me to my movie, Fitna. I am a lawmaker, and not a movie maker. But I felt I had the moral duty to educate about Islam. The duty to make clear that the Quran stands at the heart of what some people call terrorism but is in reality jihad. I wanted to show that the problems of Islam are at the core of Islam, and do not belong to its fringes. Now, from the day the plan for my movie was made public, it caused quite a stir, in the Netherlands and throughout Europe . First, there was a political storm, with government leaders, across the continent in sheer panic. The Netherlands was put under a heightened terror alert, because of possible attacks or a revolt by our Muslim population. The Dutch branch of the Islamic organization Hizb ut-Tahrir declared that the Netherlands was due for an attack. Internationally, there was a series of incidents. The Taliban threatened to organize additional attacks against Dutch troops in Afghanistan, and a website linked to Al Qaeda published the message that I ought to be killed, while various muftis in the Middle East stated that I would be responsible for all the bloodshed after the screening of the movie. In Afghanistan and Pakistan the Dutch flag was burned on several occasions. Dolls representing me were also burned. The Indonesian President announced that I will never be admitted into Indonesia again, while the UN Secretary General and the European Union issued cowardly statements in the same vein as those made by the Dutch Government. I could go on and on. It was an absolute disgrace, a sell-out. A plethora of legal troubles also followed, and have not ended yet. Currently the state of Jordan is litigating against me. Only last week there were renewed security agency reports about a heightened terror alert for the Netherlands because of Fitna. Now, I would like to say a few things about Israel . Because, very soon, we will get together in its capital. The best way for a politician in Europe to lose votes is to say something positive about Israel . The public has wholeheartedly accepted the Palestinian narrative, and sees Israel as the aggressor. I, however, will continue to speak up for Israel . I see defending Israel as a matter of principle. I have lived in this country and visited it dozens of times. I support Israel . First, because it is the Jewish homeland after two thousand years of exile up to and including Auschwitz, second because it is a democracy, and third because Israel is our first line of defense. Samuel Huntington writes it so aptly: "Islam has bloody borders". Israel is located precisely on that border. This tiny country is situated on the fault line of jihad, frustrating Islam's territorial advance. Israel is facing the front lines of jihad, like Kashmir, Kosovo, the Philippines, Southern Thailand, Darfur in Sudan, Lebanon, and Aceh in Indonesia . Israel is simply in the way. The same way West-Berlin was during the Cold War. The war against Israel is not a war against Israel . It is a war against the West. It is jihad. Israel is simply receiving the blows that are meant for all of us. If there would have been no Israel, Islamic imperialism would have found other venues to release its energy and its desire for conquest. Thanks to Israeli parents who send their children to the army and lay awake at night, parents in Europe and America can sleep well and dream, unaware of the dangers looming. Many in Europe argue in favor of abandoning Israel in order to address the grievances of our Muslim minorities. But if Israel were, God forbid, to go down, it would not bring any solace to the West. It would not mean our Muslim minorities would all of a sudden change their behavior, and accept our values. On the contrary, the end of Israel would give enormous encouragement to the forces of Islam. They would, and rightly so, see the demise of Israel as proof that the West is weak, and doomed. The end of Israel would not mean the end of our problems with Islam, but only the beginning. It would mean the start of the final battle for world domination. If they can get Israel , they can get everything. Therefore, it is not that the West has a stake in Israel . It is Israel. It is very difficult to be an optimist in the face of the growing Islamization of Europe . All the tides are against us. On all fronts we are losing. Demographically the momentum is with Islam. Muslim immigration is even a source of pride within ruling liberal parties. Academia, the arts, the media, trade unions, the churches, the business world, the entire political establishment have all converted to the suicidal theory of multiculturalism. So-called journalists volunteer to label any and all critics of Islamization as a 'right-wing extremists' or 'racists'. The entire establishment has sided with our enemy. Leftists, liberals and Christian-Democrats are now all in bed with Islam. This is the most painful thing to see: the betrayal by our elites. At this moment in Europe's history, our elites are supposed to lead us. To stand up for centuries of civilization. To defend our heritage. To honor our eternal Judeo-Christian values that made Europe what it is today. But there are very few signs of hope to be seen at the governmental level. Sarkozy, Merkel, Brown, Berlusconi; in private, they probably know how grave the situation is. But when the little red light goes on, they stare into the camera and tell us that Islam is a religion of peace, and we should all try to get along nicely and sing Kumbaya. They willingly participate in, what President Reagan so aptly called: "the betrayal of our past, the squandering of our freedom." If there is hope in Europe , it comes from the people, not from the elites. Change can only come from a grass-roots level. It has to come from the citizens themselves. Yet these patriots will have to take on the entire political, legal and media establishment. Over the past years there have been some small, but encouraging, signs of a rebirth of the original European spirit. Maybe the elites turn their backs on freedom, the public does not. In my country, the Netherlands , 60 percent of the population now sees the mass immigration of Muslims as the number one policy mistake since World War II. And another 60 percent sees Islam as the biggest threat to our national identity. I don't think the public opinion in Holland is very different from other European countries. Patriotic parties that oppose jihad are growing, against all odds. My own party debuted two years ago, with five percent of the vote. Now it stands at ten percent in the polls.. The same is true of all military-minded parties in Europe . They are fighting the liberal establishment, and are gaining footholds on the political arena, one voter at the time. Now, for the first time, these patriotic parties will come together and exchange experiences. It may be the start of something big. Something that might change the map of Europe for decades to come. It might also be Europe's last chance. This December a conference will take place in Jerusalem . Thanks to Professor Aryeh Eldad, a member of Knesset, we will be able to watch Fitna in the Knesset building and discuss the jihad. We are organizing this event in Israel to emphasize the fact that we are all in the same boat together, and that Israel is part of our common heritage. Those attending will be a select audience. No racist organizations will be allowed. And we will only admit parties that are solidly democratic. This conference will be the start of an Alliance of European patriots. This Alliance will serve as the backbone for all organizations and political parties that oppose jihad and Islamization. For this Alliance I seek your support. This endeavor may be crucial to America and to the West. America may hold fast to the dream that, thanks to its location, it is safe from jihad and shaira. But seven years ago to the day, there was still smoke rising from ground zero, following the attacks that forever shattered that dream. Yet there is a danger even greater danger than terrorist attacks, the scenario of America as the last man standing. The lights may go out in Europe faster than you can imagine. An Islamic Europe means a Europe without freedom and democracy, an economic wasteland, an intellectual nightmare, and a loss of military might for America - as its allies will turn into enemies, enemies with atomic bombs. With an Islamic Europe, it would be up to America alone to preserve the heritage of Rome , Athens and Jerusalem . Dear friends, liberty is the most precious of gifts. My generation never had to fight for this freedom, it was offered to us on a silver platter, by people who fought for it with their lives. All throughout Europe American cemeteries remind us of the young boys who never made it home, and whose memory we cherish. My generation does not own this freedom; we are merely its custodians. We can only hand over this hard won liberty to Europe 's children in the same state in which it was offered to us. We cannot strike a deal with mullahs and imams. Future generations would never forgive us. We cannot squander our liberties. We simply do not have the right to do so. This is not the first time our civilization is under threat. We have seen dangers before. We have been betrayed by our elites before. They have sided with our enemies before. And yet, then, freedom prevailed. These are not times in which to take lessons from appeasement, capitulation, giving away, giving up or giving in. These are not times in which to draw lessons from Mr. Chamberlain. These are times calling us to draw lessons from Mr. Churchill and the words he spoke in 1942: "Never give in, never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy. 
|
March 14, 2008
| Due
to numerous requests, I have updated and improved the History of Terrorism
quiz. This is merely a condensed version of the most horrific events perpetrated by radical Islamists. If you want to see the complete history, go here - http://www.army.mil/terrorism/ Please pause a moment, reflect back, and take the following multiple choice test. The events are actual cuts from past history. They actually happened!!! 1.1968 Bobby Kennedy was shot and killed by a. Superman b. Jay Leno c. Harry Potter d. Muslim male extremist between the ages of 17 and 40 2. In 1972 at the Munich Olympics, athletes were kidnapped and massacred by a. Olga Corbett b. Sitting Bull c. Arnold Schwarzenegger d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40 3. In 1979, the US embassy in Iran was taken over by: a. Lost Norwegians b. Elvis c. A tour bus full of 80-year-old women d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40 4. During the 1980's a number of Americans were kidnapped in Lebanon by: a. John Dillinger b. The King of Sweden c. The Boy Scouts d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40 5. In 1983, the US Marine barracks in Beirut was blown up by: a. A pizza delivery boy b. Pee Wee Herman c. Geraldo Rivera d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40 6. In 1985 the cruise ship Achille Lauro was hijacked and a 70 year old American passenger was murdered and thrown overboard in his wheelchair by: a. The Smurfs b. Davy Jones c. The Little Mermaid d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40 7. In 1985 TWA flight 847 was hijacked at Athens , and a US Navy diver trying to rescue passengers was murdered by: a. Captain Kidd b. Charles Lindberg c. Mother Teresa d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40 8. In 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 was bombed by: a. Scooby Doo b. The Tooth Fairy c. Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40 9. In 1993 the World Trade Center was bombed the first time by: a. Richard Simmons b Grandma Moses c. Michael Jordan d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40 10. In 1998, the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed by: a. Mr. Rogers b. Hillary Clinton, to distract attention from Wild Bill' s women problems c. The World Wrestling Federation d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40 11. 10/12/00 - Suicide bombing of the U.S.S. Cole. The ship was refueling at the port city of Aden in Yemen when attacked. A boat filled with explosives got near the Cole and exploded, producing a large hole in the ship. 17 US sailors were killed and 37 were injured. Bin Laden released a videotape, claiming the attack was carried out by: a. Monty Python’s Flying Circus b. Disgruntled former US Postal employees c. Rogue members of the Knight’s Templar d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40 12. On 9/11/01, four airliners were hijacked; two were used as missiles to take out the World Trade Centers and of the remaining two, one crashed into the US Pentagon and the other was diverted and crashed by the passengers in a field in Shanksville, PA. Almost 3000 people were killed in these attacks carried out by: a. Bugs Bunny, Wiley E. Coyote, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd b. The Supreme Court of Florida c. Mr Bean d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40 13. In 2002 the United States fought a war in Afghanistan against: a. Enron b. The Lutheran Church c. The NFL d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40 14. In 2002 reporter Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and murdered by: a. Bonnie and Clyde b. Captain Kangaroo c. Billy Graham d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40 15. 2004 - Spain Railway bombings killing almost 200 people were committed by - a. members of the Chicago Bears football team b. a group of French tourists forced to wait in line c. SpongeBob and his friends d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40 16. July 23, 2005 - 37 people died in 3 explosions on London subway lines and 1 on a bus from bombs planted by: a. Martha Stewart, Don Rumsfield and Dick Cheney b. the X men c. Dr. Phil, Jerry Springer and Jesse Jackson d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40 17. October 1, 2005 - Bombings in Indonesia - At about 7:00PM, in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia and Jimbaran Bay, Bali, Indonesia, suicide bombers simultaneously detonated three improvised devices (IEDs) at three restaurants (one in Kuta, two in Jambaran Bay), killing at least 26 civilians visiting from several countries. No group claimed responsibility, although it was believed to have carried out by: a. A group of radical US Congressmen and Senators on a fact finding mission b. 4 out of 5 Canadian Dental Association members. c. Harry Potter and his band of hormone crazed juvenile wizards. d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40 18. July 23, 2005 - Bombings in Egypt - assailants simultaneously attacked three locations in the resort city. One vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) exploded after crashing into the Ghazala Gardens Hotel, a second VBIED exploded in front of a coffee shop in the Old Market, and an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded in a parking area near Naema Bay, killing 88 civilians & wounding approximately 127 others. These attacks were done by: a. Unemployed British construction workers b. The crew from Saturday Night Live c. Swedish college students on spring break. d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40 19. February 20, 2006 - Protests against the publication and republication of cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad in “unflattering ways” have taken place in nations, both Muslim and secular, around the world. So far around thirty people have died in violent demonstrations. The cartoons were published in a Danish newspaper in Sept. of 2005 and then in British newspapers. These protests and calls for the beheading of the Danish newspaper editor and the creators of the cartoons were carried out by: a. Howard Dean and the Democratic party b. Jerry Falwell and the Moral majority c. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers while on their European tour d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40 20. Aug.10, 2006 - British police foil a plot to blow-up 10 airliners over the Atlantic by: a. Christian fundalmentalists upset by the movie, "The Da Vinci Code" b. Hassidic Jews that were deinied a Kosher meal on a previous flight c. The French soccer team d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40 21. Throughout history, including the 2 recent wars in Iraq, more Muslim people of all ages have been killed by which of the following groups: a. The Great Satan and it’s army of military crusaders b. Orthodox Jews and the Israeli Army, c. The Ku Klux Klan and the Southern Baptist Christian Conservative movement, d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40 Nope, I really don't see a pattern here to justify profiling, do you? So, to ensure we Americans never offend anyone, particularly fanatics intent on killing us, airport security screeners will no longer be allowed to profile certain people. They must conduct random searches of 80-year-old women, little kids, airline pilots with proper identification, secret agents of the President's security detail, 85-year old Congressmen with metal hips, and Medal of Honor winning and former Governor Joe Foss, but leave Muslim Males between the ages 17 and 40 alone because of profiling. And on a related note: It is a matter of history that when Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, General Dwight Eisenhower, found the victims of the Nazi death camps he ordered all possible photographs to be taken, and for the German people from surrounding villages to be ushered through the camps and even made to bury the dead. He did this because he said in words to this effect: "Get it all on record now - get the films - get the witnesses - because somewhere down the track of history some bastard will get up and say that this never happened" Now we hear that the UK has removed The Holocaust from its school curriculum because it "offended" the Muslim population which claims it never occurred. This is a frightening portent of the fear that is gripping the world and how easily each country is giving into it. It is now more than 60 years after the Second World War in Europe ended. This is a memorial, in memory of the 6 million Jews, 20 million Russians, 10 million Christians, & 1,900 Catholic priests who were murdered, massacred, raped, burned, starved and humiliated while the German and Russian peoples looked the other way! Now, more than ever, with Iran , among others, claiming the Holocaust to be "a myth," it is imperative to make sure the world never forgets. How many years will it be before the attack on the World Trade Center "never happened" because it offends some Muslim in the U.S.. ?????? |
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
Edmund Burke
|
March 7,
'08 I can't speak for anyone else, but I'm watching the upcoming election with a great amount of trepidation. On the one hand, we have an experienced , decorated military man, but with no real economic experience and who promises to follow the path blazed by Bush the Lesser. A path that has failed to secure our borders, allowed millions of jobs to move to China, watched the value of our dollar go down the drain, grew the Federal budget deficit and wasted billions of dollars in Iraq. On the other hand, we have a candidate whose main qualification seems to be that he is black and another candidate whose sole qualification is that she's a woman with a well known last name. Neither has ever served in the military, been a governor or leader of any kind, ran a business or even worked in the private sector. So we have a choice between "more of the same" and "God knows what" ! And even more scary than the sad choice that they offer is watching the selection process the Democrats devised for selecting a party nominee. This is the the party of "Count every vote and every vote counts" - remember that? Apparently, that only applies if you live in any state but MI and FL. (Personally, I don't think that Floridians should ever be allowed to vote again after the debacle they caused in the 2000 election, but that's another story.) I mean, this is the party that wants to lead us out of Iraq and come up with a economic plan to save our country and they are bickering over how to arrive at a winner for the primary elections. People in FL and MI want to have a "do-over" for their primary. I thought "do-overs" stopped after 3rd grade. Is this the "change" they keep talking about? Looks a lot to me like more of the same back stabbing and in-fighting that we've had in Washington, DC for decades. If we really want a change, I suggest that we vote all the incumbents out of Congress. |
|
The recent passing of actor
Heath Ledger, along with the media obsession of the not-so-long-ago death
of Anna Nicole Smith, the public failings of the once adored Brittany Spears
and others has given me the drive to go ahead and put thought to web page.
I am curious why the news media feels that anyone associated with
the entertainment industry should be the topic of fascination for our lives.
Or why the death or disgraces of a public personality should be the
topic of endless blather from "news" people. Do people other than
me find this stuff interesting? Does anyone (other than family &
friends) REALLY give a crap that a TV or movie actor, singer, politician,
sports figure or reporter has been arrested, died, hospitalized, wounded,
or video taped eating a cheeseburger off the floor? Is anyone's life
so shallow and meaningless that they take pleasure in watching the public
self destruction of someone else? And what real contribution
to improving our human existence has this person made? It's no wonder that other cultures and nations see Americans as self obsessed and materialistic. It is, after all, the face we show to the world. We don't value the wisdom of our aged citizens, but strive to remain forever young. We don't value our our own history, but rewrite it to suit the latest politically correct thoughts. Instead, we place a value on anything "new" and discard that which is out of fashion. Too often we define success by how much we accumulate, not by how kind or generous we are to those in need. We value appearances over substance. And we'll quickly accept a well told lie as "the truth", because it distracts us from looking for the real truth within ourselves. |
|
Time for a Hunter Strike?
I enjoy hunting for deer every fall,
with both the bow and gun. I am fortunate to have a friend nearby
that allows me hunt on his property, so I can make it into the woods most
every weekend. This past year I saw fewer deer than ever and found
more deer bones scattered in the woods than in any previous
year I can remember. A rapidly growing coyote population coupled with
a lot of snow and cold played a large role in higher winter kill deer than
in past years. This same experience hs been shared by a vast number
of my clients. You would think the lower deer kill numbers would
be enough to maybe bring an end to Earn-a-buck regulations - but based on
the following memorandum, it may not be even considering the end of EAB.Let's have our version of deer herd control - I call it "Pick-a-Season" Read the following link - DNR Memorandum The author calls for a boycott of the 2009 Gun Deer Season. I personally boycotted the Archery Saeson for several years after the EAB regulations were enacted. EAB rules are even more unfair to bow hunters than they are to gun hunters since we are more restricted by range and shot angle than gun hunters are. Many of you may recall me advocatting for this boycott with my clients. My feeling was that in prder to get the DNR to actually start to listen to the hunters, we needed to restrict the amount of money we give them. That meant not buying a deer license, or ammunition. Perhaps this is a the year we can finally get some momemtum for such a Hunter Strike. Here's my suggestion to regain control of the deer herd we are paying to control - Pick-A-Season (PAS) - if you are a deer hunter that normally hunts both archery and gun seasons - then hunt only 1 season. Pick one, either one, but also restrict your spending on ammuniton, arrows, etc. - since a portionof that spending also goes to fund the DNR. If you normally hunt either archer season or guns season only - then find something elso to do. Go duck hunting, do some fall fishing, go grouse hunting, shoot trap or archery for fun. A large drop in the sale of deer licenses is the ONLY way to get the attention tof the DNR and remind them who pays the bills and whose deer herd it REALLY is. So far, this winter is another bad one - with lots of snow and frigid temps - another high mortality winter kill is likely. So this year, when the deer season rolls around - remember to PAS and maybe we can start to see a few more deer in the woods again. |
Like everything on this web site & in my business, the opinions on this page are my own. You are welcome to disagree with me - I am always up for a lively debate of different and well considered ideas. But if your purpose in contacting me is to express outrage or to whine or express some zealot ideology or rant about your own personal agenda, then I really don't want to hear from you. Like all things in Life, try not to take yourself or this page too seriously. If you agree with the ideas I express, tell me 
Click here if you have a negative opinion ... 
|
This page was formerly titled My Soapbox
You can still access all of those opinions in a page called The Archives - which is accessible only by clicking here -
