Open Letter To Sen. Kyl, Sen. McCain, Et Al.

An Open Letter

To: Senator John Kyl, Senator John McCain, Governor Jan Brewer, Candidate Jesse Kelly, Candidate Ron Barber, Arizona State Senator Frank Antenori, and all other legislators willing to read this;

Subject: Perceived Attacks Against the First Amendment

Governor, Senators, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen;

The "attacks" I refer to are not perceived. They are actual attacks. The perception is the the fact they are most likely intended to invoke the silence of outspoken citizens, political commentators, and members of the press. Among the attacks is a tactic that is labeled as "SWATting". Though the incidents may seem rare when you consider the number of vocal personalities on the radio and in the "blogosphere", the issue is an increasing problem.

If you are unaware of the issues at hand, please refer to the articles and OP-EDs circulating the internet, including my own. Michelle Malkin published this recent article in Town Hall Magazine. Senator Saxby Chambliss from Georgia is aware of the problem and, according to Breitbart.com, would like pressure on the US DOJ to investigate these incidents. I urge you to support Senator Chambliss in investigating these incidents.

Governor Brewer, you have held my regard and respect since you took office in the great state of Arizona. Since I was transferred to Fort Huachuca in 2005, I have adopted this great state as my home. I urge you in considering measures to mitigate any such incidents from occurring in this great state. Senator Antenori is a trusted American Hero, having retired from the US Military. I know he supports the phrase "I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it". I ask both of you to use your influence within the state to make such acts punishable in the state of Arizona.

There are several acts taken by extreme political activists to silence their opposition. While most of my experience is with those among the TEA Party and conservative movements, this tactic is a threat to all political views regardless of where along the political spectrum they reside. SWATting is but one such tactic. Some of the others occur in private-sector social networks and website hosting companies. As a firm believer in property rights and the pursuit of happiness as described by John Locke, I feel those particular issues need to remain between the businesses and their clients unless actual laws are broken and people are threatened or assaulted. 

However, real threats are made. If you refer to my previous article linked above, I gave examples of such activity. Many of those who conduct these acts are allegedly linked to a small group of extremists. The actors are enticed, manipulated, paid, or otherwise convinced to threaten, blackmail (quite possible with manufactured and fraudulent materials) and conduct other actions upon private citizens who are politically active.

I'll call your attention to the link to my previous article "To Be Not Silent". A man once convicted of conducting domestic terrorist acts in and around the town of Speedway, Indiana, is upset that his conviction, a matter of public record, has made its way into recent news articles and commentary. This individual has compiled a collection of possibly fabricated or hyperbolic allegations against one journalist, Aaron Walker, in an effort to silence him through the court system. I am not a lawyer, and do not pretend to be an expert on the laws. I do find the arrest of Mr. Walker highly questionable. Mr. Walker was arrested for allegedly harassing this previously convicted felon because people talked or wrote about him.

Mr. Walker allegedly incited the "Tweets" on Twitter and blog posts. Mr. Robert S. McCain has openly admitted that Mr. Walker did not request such an action and that he, Mr. McCain, was the originator of what was deemed "Every Blog about Brett Kimberlin Day". I first heard about  it from Michelle Malkin. The article I published on May 25, 2012 was written prior, after much research and following aspects of  the story for months. Another individual suggested I hold off publishing it until that date. I did so from an individual decision believing my article would reach a wider audience if I did so. Mr. Walker, Mrs. Malkin, nor Mr. McCain had any influence in that decision.

I have read many plausible allegations that Mr. Kimberlin employs a tactic consisting of numerous legal actions against anybody with a political view that opposes his, reports about his well-documented past transgressions, or reports about the activities and actions of his affiliated NPOs with anything less than a perspective of glowing assent. While protections against slander and libel are more than necessary, one would think the courts would take the time to either investigate the validity of public records and information or at least accept into evidence any such proof. In the recording of the court appearance, after which Mr. Walker was arrested, it seems the judge refused to allow the defendant to enter any evidence or cite any legal precedence. The recording is available on multiple websites as are written transcripts. If true, this seems to be, from a layman's view, a miscarriage of justice.

As previously stated, currently one of the more dangerous tactics employed is this once called "SWATting". It knows no geographic boundaries. Of the three incidents Senator Chambliss referred to, I am most familiar with two. The first one was the attack against Patrick Frey, a District Attorney in California who writes articles under the pseudonym of "Patterico". The second was the "SWATting" of political commentator and radio talk show host Erick Erickson of Georgia. 

"SWATting" in short, is a fraudulent call placed to police regarding an incident at the home or business of the intended target. In reality, nothing illegal is going on. There is no incident of violence occurring on the property. However, the caller alleges the target is doing or has done some act that requires such a paramilitary response as a SWAT team, SRT, or HRT to deploy. The reports seem to involve mostly allegations the target has shot or is threatening to shoot their spouse or children. Doing their duty, these police assets respond to the 911 calls.

The tactic is perhaps the most dangerous for several reasons. First of all, it takes vital response units away from law enforcement and sends them on a "wild goose chase". If a real incident that required their special skills and equipment occurred in another location, those officers and their assets would be less able to respond. That presents one form of public endangerment. 

The second public endangerment occurs on the sight of the target. As I am sure Senator Antenori can attest, while these officers, like US Army Soldiers, are well trained and disciplined, the propensity still exists that an innocent person can be harmed. All it would take is one mistake and one innocent person to be harmed. The first order effects would be the harm or death of an innocent person. The second and third order effects are the "silencing" of somebody's voice through the use of force. That would be use of violence by a government asset to violate the First Amendment rights of Freedom of Speech and Freedom of the Press, even if not intended by the government to do so. The third order of effects include the political exposure of alleged overreach of law-enforcement personnel.

The third danger in the use of this "SWATting" tactic is that it causes a violation of 4th Amendment protections against illegal search and seizure. The political spin about the importance of responding to these types of calls is obvious:  "We'd rather err on the side of caution in responding to such a report than have such an incident actually occur with no response". This is nothing less than moral relativism and an "End Justifies The Means" mentality. It undermines the ethics, morals, and values our country is built upon. In addition, there are political activists in our country who would like nothing less than an excuse to polarize our police and elected officials as tyrannical while systematically eroding our constitutional protections. In addition, this pushes the false narrative that the government grants rights to the people instead of the actual intents of our form of government. Our constitutions intend republics (federal and state) founded upon the principles that the individuals grant the governments, at appropriate levels, certain necessary authorities and responsibilities, the remainder (majority) retained by the individual citizens. 

I am sure that, having read this, you will investigate these types of activities. I am confident you will employ your staff personnel and gather your own facts and data. Once you have done so, I am also sure you will take appropriate actions in preventing these types of acts, especially "SWATting". 

Thank You.

To Be Not Silent

Tori Amos wrote a beautiful song entitled "Silent All These Years". That song reminds me of my 24 year military career. I was far from silent. However, my writings remained in the realms of philosophy, fiction, poetry, and general commentary of life. Due to my dedication to duty in service of my country and the US Constitution that defines its government, I honored and obeyed the laws regarding political commentary and public statements by US Military Members as outlined by the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Having been "Silent All These Years", I reclaimed my political voice shortly after my official retirement date. I have embraced the precious freedom guaranteed by the First Amendment that I had defended "against all enemies, foreign and domestic" for so long. This is why I find it so reprehensible when those among our society attempt to silent other voices.

I detest socialism. I am a veteran of the Cold War. I have been in countries that suffered decades, or more, of oppression where simply muttering publicly discontent towards a government official could mean a long jail term or a death sentence. I have fought wars in some of those countries to liberate those people. However, one of the key necessities of oligarchic systems such as socialism is the need to control the press. There is a necessity to silent or marginalize all voices of dissent especially if they are exposing facts that defeat the socialist narrative. This is not some mindless parroting of Andrew Breitbart. Andrew saw it here through complicit actions by mainstream media sources. I saw it used to oppress people in countries with socialist oligarchies such as Iraq under Saddam Hussein, and Serbia under Slobodan Milosevic.

While, having seen its evils and oppressive nature, I detest socialism I more detest restricting voices of opinion. I do agree that "fighting words" and threats should not be covered by the First Amendment. US Supreme Court decisions concur. However, I find it healthy for our country for a socialist to be able to stand up and say "I disagree. You are wrong because [list actual facts]". I will go so far as to state that socialists have been instrumental in identifying issues of individual liberty that do need to be protected and addressed. The dialog is healthy even if I find their ideas that the government should tell us what to do reprehensible and contrary to the intents of our Constitution as described in the Federalist Papers.

Some activists on the left strongly disagree. They want voices of dissent silenced. They will employ all available means to do so. Their Kantian and Marcusian lack of ethics and belief in moral relativism holds to the tenet that the "end justifies the means" and following Alinsky's principle that "the purpose of the action is the reaction". (As one who studies terrorist groups, I must inform you that to be the object of every terrorist attack -- to force a reaction from the true victims, the audience.)

Some of the tactics they use to do this include what is termed "SWATting". They convince local law enforcement to violate the Fourth Amendment. The callers make claims of some form of drastic violence inciting an overreaction by law enforcement officials. Of course, those making the calls do so in a manner that is difficult to trace. Making false reports to the police is illegal. Doing so in an attempt to harm another person also includes the charge of slander to those of public endangerment, filing a false report, etc. In addition, the costs of such operations are a waste of taxpayer money. Two prominent conservatives have been victims of this tactic:  Patrick (Patterico) Frey and WSB radio personality/CNN Political contributor  Erick Erickson.

Another tactic has several labels. The tactic includes crowdsourcing a group of people to do various things to silence somebody by allegations of different media sites' Terms of Service. A group called the "beandogs" allegedly conduct crowdsourcing attacks for Neal Rauhauser on selected targets. They get one person to engage the target in some form of tete-a-tete while the others report the target for TOS violations or SPAM production on social networking sites such as Twitter or Facebook. Many conservative new media personalities, such as Leah AKA @GOPFirecracker of Misfit Politics, remain suspended in "Twitter-Gulag" from similar abuses of Twitter's spam-block function. They also will gang up on conservative blogs and online news outlets reporting the blogs to hosting companies for posting "unauthorized content". Sometimes they will even post such violating material in comments sections, complaining of "free speech" violations if the comments are not publicly displayed, reporting the author of the original post if they are.

"Crowdsourcing" itself is not illegal, unethical, or immoral. The term itself just means asking for a large group of volunteers to undertake a task or group of tasks. It is similar to contract outsourcing of various business activities. In the mid-90s, Projekt Records conducted a crowdsourcing operation they called their "Maven Projekt". Basically, they provided fliers, graphics, and other materials to anybody willing to go out and spread the word about Projekt Records and their artists. Newt Gingrich conducted a form of crowdsourcing when he asked supporters to place post-it notes at gas pumps about his $2.25/gal meme. Some social groups and youth groups crowdsource with various "bring a friend" activities meant to work as membership drives. There is nothing unethical or illegal about crowdsourcing. However, when used to attack or silence people, that act that is crowdsourced can be. In fact, inciting a group of people to conduct an illegal act is called "criminal solicitation".

One could argue that such tactics are gray-area. One could attempt to argue that they are annoying but not illegal. That is for courts to decide if the cases ever make it to litigation. However threats are still threats. Threats are still illegal. Some leftists have threatened the lives and property of conservatives. I directly witnessed one left-wing activist threaten to kill Todd Kincannon and rape his fiancee while he bled-out. I have seen threats of violence against Dana Loesch and her children. One such threat led to a crowdsourcing spam-block abuse attack on Dana's husband, Chris Loesch, when he confronted the person who allegedly made those threats. Chris was suspended from Twitter for a couple of hours. Ali Akbar and his family also recently received death threats. Ali's "offense" is attempting to organize a group to provide legal and other forms of defense for bloggers and "new media" journalists. R. Stacy McCain and his family have had to move and go into hiding after receiving threats. These are not empty rhetoric. These are actual and viable threats against life, liberty, property, and body (rape) and are not restricted to just the bloggers, including their children.

A third tactic is perhaps the most vile transgression. With hefty budgets provided by socialist financiers such as George Soros, left-wing activists use the court systems against those who most support them -- Conservatives. One such example is Brett Kimberlin's outrageous number of filings against conservatives such as Aaron Walker. Aaron used public information and court records to refresh people of Brett Kimberlin's criminal history. During a recent court case against Aaron Walker, Brett Kimberlin testified that Aaron had inspired people to threaten his family and to "SWAT" him. Ironically, it was Brett's associates who did these things to conservatives. So, he used what they had already done as a claim Aaron or his allegedly paid associates would avenge using the same tactics. The term "extreme hypocrite" comes to mind. Brett Kimberlin claims that the left making ridiculous claims of racism among the TEA Party groups is protected by the first amendment. However, he files SLAPP suits against anybody who discusses news stories published about the terrorist acts he was convicted of committing in 1978. These acts and the evidence are documented in public court records and are not protected by the Privacy Act of 1974. In fact, those records are available with a simple Freedom of Information Act request. 

The rampant hypocrisy in these suits, torts, filings, public allegations used as attempts to silence outspoken individuals is that the left actually conducts these acts. They then accuse their targets of doing or threatening to commit these same acts. Psychologists may posit this is a form of projection and/or transference from their guilty conscience. That, however, assumes they have a conscience in the first place. In fact, those formerly of their numbers who move to the right after realizing their hypocrisy, such as Brandon Darby, receive the brunt of such attacks and allegations.

On May 25th, a group of conservative bloggers, sick of  Kimberlin's attacks against anybody who dares speak the truth about his past, researched, shared information, and wrote articles about him. He used this against Aaron Walker as though he solicited those who wrote. That is factually untrue. I had been following the story for about a year and felt compelled to write my own commentary. The fact I added further research into my own article and held off publishing until that date was my own decision, feeling my words would carry a greater impact if published on that day. Now, some conservatives call for a day of silence on June 8th. The idea is to post open letters to government officials regarding these tactics and their victims instead of writing other articles. While I stand with my fellow conservative new media journalists, I cannot be silent. It is what they want. It is allowing them to use the Alinsky Tactic of "pushing a negative into a positive". No.

THE High Priest (Neal Boortz) Announces Retirement

I awoke this morning, later than normal, and engaged in my normal routine. I logged into the websites I use to gather information and communicate. I turned on my Apple TV With A5 Chip Processor and brought up WSB radio to listen to Neal Boortz. They were on a news break. The top story broadcast out of the WSB Atlanta news team was an announcement that Neal Boortz, the "High Priest of the Church of the Painful Truth" is retiring.

I dropped my coffee. Neal has become such a staple to my morning information gathering and commentary screening it felt like a blow. Though the words used were "is retiring", my not yet caffeinated brain registered something bad. I began to scramble to get the reasons thinking pessimistic thoughts. "Why?"

Then Neal came on and gave a partial explanation. I thought this workaholic would only retire if his doctor and wife forced him to, or he was physically incapable of continuing. According to his statement on the air and his longer explanation on his website, that is not the case. That news brought a huge sigh of relief.

According to Neal's own story, he originally planned to retire in 2009. However, numerous people asked him to wait a few years. Sean Hannity is named as the person among those voices who was most influential in Neal's decision to remain on the air through Obama's first administration. We owe Sean Hannity no small amount of gratitude for convincing Neal to stay on these past three years. Without Neal, a needed daily dose of common sense would have left many people deficient. Many of the controversial policies and actions taken by the government may have gone unnoticed. Many of the issues reported in the "new media" would have gone ignored by the Mainstream Media had Neal not brought those subjects to the airwaves, forcing the Democrat Media Complex to discuss them.

Those who missed this morning's show missed a rather emotional but great show. It was a landmark show and worth listening to, even if you normally avoid it. Herman Cain and Jeff Foxworthy were among the numerous callers who congratulated and thanked Neal for his years on the air. 

This year, Neal's last, will be among his most important. Andrew Breitbart died. "Shoq", Soros, Van Jones, Brett Kimberlin, and their ilk move to silence Rush Limbaugh. Aaron Walker has been jailed for writing the truth about a convicted domestic terrorist and the activities of his NPOs. The "Fourth Branch" of government has become mostly just a propaganda machine for the socialists instead of the public outlet for checks and balances the First Amendment intended it to be. Left-wing activists seek to silence conservative and libertarian news outlets that publish facts, information, and commentary they refuse to. America needs a strong Libertarian voice to join those on the right in an effort to bring the facts and the truth to people. Neal is that voice.

I first heard Neal's program in 1993. I was on leave from Berlin, Germany. My father had moved from Chicago to Atlanta. He put on the program. Back then, talk radio was not my chosen entertainment. I was in my mid-20s and in the military. So, I tried to remain apolitical. However, here was this guy talking about things that AP and AFN wouldn't. I was hooked.

Over the course of my military career, I sought out Boortz. I have his books (Somebody's Gotta Say It,  The Fair Tax Book, The Fair Tax: Answering the Critics, The Terrible Truth About Liberals,  and The Commencement Speech You Need To Hear) on my shelf. When I couldn't receive his show, especially while overseas, I went to his website to read his program notes and rants. His perspective, even when I disagreed, was a necessary part of my information input. It was Neal who inspired me to read the US Constitution at least once a week. It was Neal who caused me to research the Libertarian Party in 1995, when I joined it. Yes, I was a card-carrying Libertarian until January 2002. You can scream all you want when I say this, but George W. Bush was who inspired me to leave that party. I still have a libertarian lean with many issues.

Neal's reasons for retiring just make sense. In essence, yes, he is "Going Galt", though his primary reason for retiring is a far less political reason. I did much the same thing. I left a comment on Neal's blog about it.

I retired for a number of reasons. It was a hard decision. I loved my job as a Senior NCO in the Army. However, my disagreement with many of the new policies coming from the current administration were in direct contrast with what I believe and what I know. I worked in intelligence and could see several poor decisions that I could pay lip-service no longer. My conscience would not allow me to serve policies that I felt to be contrary to the US Constitution and the government system described by the Federalist Papers that this great nation adopted in 1789. [Yes, the Constitution was written in 1787. Consider the ratification date.]

Like Neal described in his decision to retire from practicing law, my blood pressure had skyrocketed. In addition, I acquired an auto-immune disorder that eats away at my Vitamin-D. Knowing the current policies were not supportive of workable military operations that would lead to the desired end-states in Iraq and Afghanistan, several symptoms of my PTS increased, namely rage and nightmares. So I hung up my spurs.

The best decision I have made in my life, so far, was "going active" from the National Guard for the last 20 years of my 24 year military career. My second best decision was to retire. It has enabled so many other great things in my life in just that past year. My rage episodes are now rare. So I no longer have to exert and waste that energy to fight them. Now I can be outraged. Now I can research my reasons for discontent and voice it, with factual data to validate and support reasons for it.

And I am engaged to a wonderful woman whom I have been in a committed relationship with since 2008. I don't think that marriage would have been possible had I remained in service. My dedication to duty would have had me deploying all over the world doing some things that I couldn't share with the love of my life. My role in the military was not conducive to marriage. Now I have time to be a family man. That excites me.

I am currently self-employed. I make a few dollars here and there writing, researching, fact-checking, and proofreading. My hard-earned military pension covers my living expenses. If I received a pension that was "fair" by Obama's standards (using teachers as an example) I'd be getting twice as much. I honestly think I deserve more since teachers don't get shot at or have prices put on their heads by terrorists. However, I am content with what I earned. If I wished, I could be working at something that gives a regular paycheck. The truth is that I don't need it, yet. So, in essence, I "Went Galt" on August 1, 2011.

Neal desires to travel and spend time with his wife (Donna), daughter, and grandchild. I more than understand that reason. I desire to start a family and spending time with them. If you need a reason to retire, that is probably the best one. The reason we work is to support our families. It makes sense that we enjoy the fruits of those labors. Donna has earned time traveling with Neal, and vice versa.

Obama's rhetoric has claimed those like Neal who have earned and accrued a certain level of wealth have earned enough. Obama desires to further tax those who earn in the highest tax bracket should have their tax-rate raised. No, it is not a "fair share". A "fair share" would mean everybody pays the same amount or the same percentage. So, as Neal stated in his announcement, he has made enough and will retire. He will no longer have a regular income to tax. You an call that "Going Galt" if you wish. However, Neal has stated that he plans to be a fill-in guest host as well as doing small-spot commentaries such as those Herman Cain currently does on Neal and Erick Erickson's shows. Herman Cain will go from his role as a fill-in guest-host and short-spot commentator to taking over Neal's show.

Neal, this is a personal note to you, stated with sincerity and the deepest respect. You have been a positive influence in my life over the past 20 years. I thank you for the support you have shown the military. I took that personally. I felt that you supported me and those I cared so much for -- My Soldiers. Thank you for saying things that needed to be said. Thank you for being that friendly voice I could tune in to hear when I could find a station carrying you. Thank you for the years of program notes, news stories, and commentary on your website. Thank you for being that friend I have never met.

Enjoy your last seven months on the radio. I know I will. Please, continue to blog and write articles for Town Hall Magazine. I think you'll find the outlet necessary from time to time.

Most of all, enjoy that retirement you earned and deserve. Donna seems like a wonderful woman. It is about time her patience saw its rewards.

And Neal -- that flutter you hear isn't tinnitus. It is the standing ovation that will increase daily over the next seven months. 

Health and Happiness. Adios My Friend (AMF).

Military Budget Blowing Away?

Last spring, Fort Huachuca, AZ installed an 850KW wind turbine along the Southeast firing range area, near Garden Canyon. The above photograph was taken in March of 2011 as the turbine was cleaned and maintained. The project was installed to be tested, once in operation, for a year.  Planning and budgeting for the project began in 2006. Fort Huachuca strives to lead the DoD in Energy Conservation Investment Program (ECIP) and Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) initiatives.

First, an environmental impact study was conducted. According to the Army Energy Security Implementation Strategy standards, environmental impact is last in priority. (5th of 5 priorities). Increasing renewable energy sources ranks 3rd in priority, above environmental considerations. Access to sufficient energy supplies ranks 4th. So, renewable energy sources are a higher priority than even having enough power to maintain mission capabilities, according to this plan.


A 2007 USDoI Environmental Impact study for all Fort Activities found 7 endangered species at risk. They claimed that the ESPC with SSVEC increased compliance with safety and environmental  regulations:

Electrical privatization of the distribution system was accomplished with Sulphur Springs Valley
Electric Co-operative in September 2004. The Fort continues to purchase electricity from
Tucson Electric Power Company. This privatization will have a positive effect as all the power
poles will be brought into not only current safety standards, but also comply with the Migratory
Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (BGEPA) to protect the Bald Eagle and other large predatory birds by installing safety devices to reduce the risk of
electrocution.

Yet an impact study directly referring to the wind turbine projects issued later that year stated a direct concern for protected Agave Palmeri and  the Lesser Long-Nosed Bats that are ecologically interdependent. The study dismissed any impact to either Golden or Bald Eagles, as none had, at that time, been spotted in the proposed project location. The study did, however, ignore the mated pair of Harris Hawks that call that area "home". The study does call for the Turbine to be shut-down and the project reassessed if 10 Lesser Long-Nosed Bats are discovered dead.

In recent months, other environmental considerations concerning large wind turbines came into question. The current theory is that these machines either contribute to or aggravate global warming trends. While further study is necessary to verify this hypothesis, the potential impact of the 850 KW turbine on the Soldiers' training remain unconsidered. After all, that should be the first consideration for any military post:  the training and welfare of the Soldiers.

However, environmental impact remains 5th in priority. Compliance with ECIP, EPA, and USDoE policies and regulations coupled with budgetary considerations and public opinion remain higher priorities. If you couple those with the current executive branch's alliance with George Soros, even more unanswered questions concerning these projects arise. Let us not soon forget the stimulus subsidies to failing solar companies like Solyndra. Solyndra was granted a contract to produce solar panels for the US Navy. Another "renewable energy" contract was for an avionic bio-fuel that costs tax payers far more than fossil aviation fuels. What sort of impacts do these have on our military readiness and national security?

Military activities and installations do need to budget effectively. The more an installation can save on quality infrastructure, the more funds it can divert to Soldier training, Soldier Welfare, Soldier Quality of Life, and Family programs. Naturally, this meant that privatized housing projects on the post include new policies requiring Soldiers to pay part of their energy bill. It should therefore follow that reductions in energy costs would benefit all involved as well as the local community.

Take a look at some facts concerning the 850 KW turbine. It requires winds in excess of 12mph to generate power and 14mph winds for optimal production. Those winds occur regularly in the high desert. However, the winds are not constant. There are days when the winds blow hard enough to require the turbine to be "locked" to prevent damage or overload. There are other days, particularly during monsoon season, when the winds are relatively calm. Those happen to also be the days when energy consumption on the fort is highest due to the heat and humidity.

The environmental impact study suggests reducing operating hours at night to protect the bats. That reduces the operating hours. So the turbine is not contributing to the power grid 24 hours a day, if the recommendation is followed.

Paul Dreissen of TownHall Magazine wrote a great article on wind power' impacts on the environment, economy, and human health. In the article he presents a firm argument against wind-power and wind-power subsidies. Examining his summary of several facts and studies should be enough to raise eyebrows over the employment of wind turbine projects in general. The bottom line is that they cost more than they benefit.If you take his article and apply it to the case of the 850 KW wind turbine on Fort Huachuca, it opens the project up to critical examination.

The initial average cost of an 850 KW turbine is between $765k and $935k, up front. If the turbine ran full-time, maintenance and operational costs are $10.20 and hour plus $.06 per KwH produced. So, at optimal production, running the turbine costs $61.20 an hour. Those are pretty high costs for a "one year test" on the project. That is a lot of beans and bullets. Let's not discuss the fight some of the units/courses on Fort Huachuca had in recent years to be allotted enough ammunition to train to the TRADOC marksmanship training standards.

In addition, Fort Huachuca entered into four ESPC contracts, the forth of which is a 20-year contract at $777,500 a year. That is $15,500,000 of the total $21,690,000 renewable energy contracts Fort Huachuca currently holds with private companies under the ESPC. While projected energy cost savings are estimated at approximately $600k a year, the current costs are piling up. The exact savings cannot be calculated until several years from now.


Costs of Wind Energy itself are skewed. The FY12 budget called for numerous subsidies for "green energy" firms, including wind-power equipment manufacturers. On top of those subsidies, such firms are set to garner $144.2 Million in Production Tax Credits. The USDoE and the AWEA are lobbying for an increase in the PTCs for FY13. This will mark a 20-year long history of ever increasing tax credits for a failing industry. Without those tax credits, analysts state that US manufacturers would be unable to compete in this business, and the products would not be available.

When calculated into the real costs of Wind Power, the "savings" compared to the costs of fossil fuels such as natural gas are in the negative, not savings at all. Considering natural gas costs approximately $2 per 1,000,000 BTUs to produce and utilize, money sunk into wind-turbines is really throwing dollars to the wind. This practice directly contradicts the Army Energy Security Implementation Strategy's first two priorities that dictate lowering energy costs and increasing efficiency. Instead of saving money on energy costs, wind energy is stealing funds from the DoD that could be put to better use, such as better pay, training and equipment for our great men and women in uniform.

Fort Huchuca's primary power contracts through the ESPC are with Sulphur Springs Valley Electrical Co-op. The co-op also serves the majority of Cochise County, AZ. The company is technically an NPO. They have a rebate program for land owners who employ alternative and renewable energy systems on their property. These can be wind-power, photo-electric power (solar panels) and other systems. Given the published successes of the programs on Fort Huachuca, it would seem to follow that these rebates would remain steady or increase. SSVEC reduced the rebate rates by approximately 30% in May of 2011, about the time the 850 KW turbine was erected on Fort Huachuca.

IHoP #1466 -- An Allegory of Socialism's Failures

On Wednesday May 30, 2012 I woke to a hectic day with a lot to accomplish in a rather short period of time. I had a late morning flight to catch. We decided to attempt to look at houses on the way to the airport. We calculated we could get at least one viewing in before I had to make my flight. Our tight schedule seemed to open up when all appointments were made for later evenings. We got even more wiggle room when I received a phone call informing me that my flights were delayed due to weather outside of Dallas. Now we had some time to play with.

With now 155 minutes of surplus time in the budget, my lovely lady and I spent 45 minutes of quality time at her place then set out to have breakfast on the way to the airport. We thought we had enough time before I had to be at my gate and she had to be at work. My poor fiancee ended up with an even worse morning when she caught a nail in her tire after dropping me at the airport, making her end up late for work by 45 minutes. I made my delayed flight just barely, arriving at the gate 3 minutes prior to boarding.

For breakfast, I prefer IHoP to Denny's, especially if we're on a tight schedule. In my experience, the worst service I've had at an IHoP has been better than the best service I've had at any Denny's. That is until yesterday. Instead of going to the IHoP closest to her apartment, we chose one closer to the airport. You would assume that IHoP #1466 would be used to airport traffic and customers on a tight schedule. So, when we said we had a flight to catch, we expected to be expedited. We expected to be seated, at least, in the order we checked in. However, one couple that came in after us was seated prior to us.

There was no hostess or host. The manager was handling both the cashier station and the host station. You would think that, if busy, he'd accept help at one of those. No, he chased away the one motivated waiter who offered to help. The restaurant has three dining areas. Two of them were closed during this "rush" period. That alone was a very poor business call demonstrating this guy's ineptitude. He had a line of people wanting to pay and leave. I also saw no less than three empty tables in the one dining area that was open at any given time. Yet, nobody was being seated promptly. To top it off, this manager was more interested in gabbing on his personal smart-phone on personal calls than doing his job. He was not only failing to manage his staff, he was failing to do the other two functions he took upon himself. He was doing nothing efficiently or effectively.

That same manager lied to us. He informed us it would be 7-10 minutes to be seated. It took 40 minutes. After being seated, our orders were taken within 3 minutes. We knew what we wanted before we sat down. 30 minutes after we were seated and ordered, we were informed our orders had still not been sent to the kitchen due to some computer glitch. That manager should have been on top of situations such as these. Instead, he was taking personal phone calls, failing to seat people in a timely manner, and paying cursory attention to people attempting to pay their bills.

That same motivated young waiter had his tables taken care of. He was jumping in and trying to help out the rest of the staff, who were moving slow and making excuses. He jumped in and took our order straight to the kitchen and got it expedited. We weren't in his station. He would not get credited with any tip we left. He also still slipped in and sat people, still getting dirty looks and negative comments from the manager while doing so. He just wanted to do his job. This kid should be in charge of the place. I did slap a $5 in his hand and told him to keep his mouth shut so he wouldn't have to give the tip he earned to those who didn't earn it, such as our assigned waitress or that incompetent manager.

To see the place is failing due to poor management is easy for anybody with some small amount of business sense or leadership ability. Any private in the US Army would recognize it and do better. The staff, minus that one young man, was unmotivated. They did not care if orders were wrong or late. They didn't check on the patrons or take notice if a food order that should have taken no more than 10 minutes was still not ready 30 minutes later. They seemed more relieved that seats were empty despite a full waiting room. That doesn't make sense if you are counting on tips as part of your income. The poor allocation of resources with two empty dinning areas was also a glaring indicator.

The servers seemed to have only 3 tables each. Still, their attentiveness was severely lacking. One would think that three tables at a time would increase wait staff performance. However, they were lazy and not interested in doing their jobs. If each expanded to five or six tables and kept them full, the shift would have seen a nice morning for all involved. If the manager had been on his game and made sure the staff was working, this would have been the case.

Making the lack of leadership and management ability present during the shift worse was when one employee informed me that many quit recently. Those that quit were among the better staff, leaving the lazier, less motivated employees running the shop. There was a huge "Employment Opportunities -- Inquire Within" sign outside. If I were seeking employment and saw the way this place was managed/operating, I'd avoid applying there as well. A strict manager that helps me make money is better than one who counts on the one good employee on a shift to do more than he is being paid to do. The manager there even did the "union organizer" labor management task of telling that one good employee to not do the work that needed to be done. 

We had to almost inhale our food (less than 5 minutes after it arrived) in order to have hopes of making our timeline. I made my flight, as stated, by 3 minutes. If it had not been for her flat tire, my fiancee would have been to work a little early, which she had hoped to do. Her favored dealership did take care of the car in a very quick manner, confirming her loyalty to good service. IHoP #1466 needs to take a few lessons from that Toyota dealership.

A note to my readers -- avoid IHoP #1466 in San Antonio, TX at near the US 281 and Anderson Loop (1604) interchange. The service is lousy. Until they change management and get the employees motivated or replaced, it has the lowest rating of any restaurant I have been to in the past 20 years. That includes the Denny's in Sierra Vista, AZ, which is proud of their low service rating.

How does this relate to socialist systems and bureaucracy?

Take a strong look. First you have a "manager" on a salary who will be paid regardless of how many customers get served. His job is to regulate production. He took on roles to further control that production by slowing that production and artificially creating an increased demand by not seating people in a timely manner. Now imagine that very same method applied to the healthcare industry such as the PPACA wishes to do.

Next, he restricted the capital employed from available resources, creating an artificial decrease in supply. This is the same thing the EPA is doing with domestic petroleum drilling and coal mining. The resources are there. However, the "manager" won't let them be used. It then appears there is a shortage of supply. Again, this is also a problem with "Obamacare". Yes, there are finite resources in the healthcare industry. However, they seek to restrict those resources even further, telling people to "make due" with less than they could actually afford.

The human capital decreased due to poor management. Why work if you aren't going to be allowed to make any money due to no tables being filled? Those who were willing to make those tips found the management to be counterproductive. Those who just wanted to do the minimum and collect the bare base hourly wage remained behind. These people are symbolic of those on government subsidies. Why do more when they get money for doing less (or nothing)? That's what happens when the government takes over private industries and lets unions run things, then dishes out subsidies to the unproductive. Only the bureaucrats and union organizers make the big bucks. It is counterproductive for actual workers to work. This adds to the artificial supply shortage by creating an actual shortage. The private citizens, the capitalists, cannot produce enough to make it worthwhile to operate.

To better explain this to those who failed economics, let's use the example of kite production. Let's say you make kites for local kids to fly. You open a business to make kites. Due to discounts on raw materials, the capital cost is $8 per kite. You can make 10 per hour and sell them at $10 each. that is $2 profit each, or $20 per hour that you spend making kites. Now, let's say you hire somebody to help you and pay them $0.75 per kite sold. They make 10 and hour, you make 10 an hour. You are now taking in $40 an hour and the employee is making $15 an hour (you are making $25). Now some union goon gets his government buddies to reduce your production to 8 per hour per person, and increases the minimum wage to $0.80 per kite sold. Supply is reduced to 16 per hour. The employee now makes $12.50 an hour, minus $2.50 an hour in union dues (netting $10.00 and hour before payroll taxes). You make $32 an hour gross, now netting $19.50. Both you and the employees are now earning less. Now add a $2 per kite "air usage tax" to the price, making the capital cost now $10 each. You are now operating at a loss. You try to raise the price by that $2 increase and the bureaucrats tell you that you cannot charge more than $11 per kite. You are now making $16 an hour, gross, $3.50 an hour net. It is cheaper, now, to get rid of the employee or just shut down the business. Of course, this is before the government instills an artificial shortage in the rattan you use for the kites, causing the costs to increase. Now you are paying money to have a business instead of making money. Would you still make those kites? Now what if the government bureaucrats mandated that you had to keep the business open?

Limiting what each worker is allowed to produce adds another artificial supply shortage. What happens when one capitalist tries to produce and improve the "system"? He is chastised for trying to do the right thing. He's interfering in the system that keeps the oligarchs content and the other workers "in their place" (with restricted productivity and wages down at just the mandated "handout" for "being on the clock").

Just apply all of this to Obamacare. Pay is going to be restricted. So why would health care professionals do more? What's the motivation? Those who are better and worth more will just quit and do something else. This will bring a shortage of healthcare workers. The taxes, regulatory fees, etc. will make it not worth the effort to provide care. They will collect their restricted paychecks for doing the bare minimums. Who will benefit? The government bureaucrats hired to regulate and monitor the "system" and the union thugs extorting dues from those who remain in the system. Who will suffer? Everybody who needs a doctor for anything from a physical exam to removal of a tumor before it becomes inoperable.

In the meantime, DineEquity, Inc. needs to fire the current management team at IHoP location #1466 in San Antonio, TX and promote that one young lad to a position closer to what he deserves.

A Run At The Numbers

I am not a mathematician. I know how to read, digest, and make sense of numbers, values, and statistics. I understand the metrics. However, I leave the actual computations to those who have degrees in them, like a young man who blogs (and posts to Twitter) under the moniker "Political Math".

I won't post his video here, but I'll provide this link to a great video about spending, the national debt, and a family trip with the presidents.

That does not mean I am incapable of looking at numerical facts and statistics and knowing what meets the "common sense" rule.

Take the U3 numbers that came out for the month of April. They claimed that unemployment was down to 8.1%. First of all, 8.1% means that approximately one out every 12 people you know is unemployed. That is not great news. Great news is 1 in 20, a 5% rate. What makes that number look even more dismal is the fact that, at the same time the 8.1% unemployment rate came out, so did the workforce participation index. The workforce participation index measures how many people of age and capability are actively employed or actively seeking employment. That has dropped from roughly 67% to 63.6%. Prior to 2009, over 2/3 of those capable of working were in the workforce. Now, less than 2/3 of the population capable of working is bothering to try.

Another number that should raise eyebrows is that 43% of our population was on some form of government subsidy in 2008. Last October, when the Occupy Movement began their 99% rhetoric, 47% of the population received subsidies and did not pay income or capital gains taxes. Now, in 2012, that percentage of hand-out junkies is up to 49%.

Among that 49% are those whose 99 weeks of unemployment "insurance" expired. Many of them sought Social Security Disability "Insurance", gaining ratings allowing them to receive as much as $1111.10 a month in handouts for some form of disability. The most claimed disabilities have been severe anxiety and depression, supposedly so bad that people cannot work. Of course, the major cause has been the economy and being out of work for 99 weeks. The problem is, once in the system, it is almost impossible to get out of it. If those people decide to return to work once the economy returns, by law, they are restricted how many hours per week they can work and how much they can earn. So, their employment and production are limited by the government. I do not understand how or why somebody would be willing to let the government tell them how prosperous they are allowed to be. If you don't see this as socialism and counterproductive, you haven't been paying attention.

You take all of these dismal numbers since Obama's inauguration and add the following numbers:

U3 unemployed (what the mainstream media wants you to think): 12.55 MILLION
Real unemployment:   22.27 MILLION


What is with the 10 million difference? Those are the people whose 99 weeks of unemployment ran out and are not counted as "unemployed" despite not having a job.

As of the minute this article was written, US National Debt is over $15.745 TRILLION dollars.

Amount of the National Debt owed to other countries (not to US citizens): $5.14 TRILLION

$0.40 = amount of each dollar the US owes that it owes to China 

The last two budgets proposed by President Obama received 0 votes in the Senate. The last one lost 99-0 against. Even his own party opposes his proposals.


Since congress has passed an annual budget: 1128 days. (The last budget was passed in 2008 for the FY09 Budget).

Those should scare every single American. The conservative-dominated house of representatives has passed budgets. They seem to fail in the socialist-dominated Senate. Most of those that seemed they could pass the Senate were shot down after a presidential threat to veto. This should lead one to wonder if Obama even wants a budget. Technically, you can't be overspending if you have no limits of a budget restricting that spending.

Now we have so-called financial analysts (on the left) claiming that Obama is the most thrifty president we have had in decades.

I'll let you stop laughing. To help you out, read the results of some fact-checking on the subject.

Here is the story, by my understanding. The stimulus was under the FY09 budget, technically signed by Bush even though the stimulus bill was signed and spent by Obama. According to some analysts, it falls under Bush's watch. Also, there were funds that Bush was not going to spend. Obama signed a bill releasing those funds that had been saved or cut and spent them. Bush had the bill on his desk and was going to pocket-veto it. Instead, Obama signed it. Then there were other funds that Bush was not going to release. He was hoping to save the government some money. Obama had his eyes on these funds from the National Park fund. So, as a courtesy, Bush released those funds so Obama could waste them upon coming into office. Yes, it was Obama who begged Bush to open those funds. The total amount of funding that Bush had saved or not spent that Obama turned around and wasted:  $1.2 TRILLION.

Just think, had Bush said "no" and stuck to his guns, the National Debt would be $1.2T lower.

Our Current Gross Domestic Product is $14.6T.   If Obama had not spent that $1.2T, the national debt would be $14.5T, a billion dollars lower than our GDP instead of $1.1T higher. Yes, our country owes more than it is making. Any high school student that passed the budgeting portion of Home Economics knows that is a BAD idea.

Now I hear Obama's speech on Hannity where he states that conservatives ran up the debt for him to clean up. The numbers indicate he is not just misleading with his rhetoric and some inaccurate numbers. He is lying.

If you recall that "common sense rule" I stated before and what the plain facts indicate it appears that Obama is trying to destroy our economy and spend us into oblivion. Anybody who wants 4 more years of that must hate our country, hate their kids, hate their parents, hate themselves, and just plain hate. Common sense should dictate that, despite your political leanings (pro-US Constitution or Pro-Communist Manifesto), we demand truth, accountability, and responsibility. We haven't had it from our government since Newt Gingrich was the Speaker of the House.

War Veterans Know The Meaning Of Memorial Day

This weekend normally signifies the unofficial start of the summer season. Many schools have completed their scholastic year or are enjoying their last long weekend before the year ends within the next week or two.

It's mid-spring and the weather is warmer and milder. Many people enjoy a three-day or four-day weekend, taking trips, holding outdoor parties, hitting the theme parks, and enjoying sales at Khol's, Walmart, Office Max, Sears, Famous Footwear, or Best Buy.

However, among many veterans such as myself, the day holds a much different meaning. the original purpose of the day invokes different desires in how we spend the day. Instead of beaches and theme parks, we flock to military cemeteries and war memorials. Those memorials are where the name for the holiday derives. While veterans' day is a day to honor those who served and/or are still serving in the forces that defend our great nation, the US Constitution, and our way of life; Memorial day is a day set aside to pay respects to our honored fallen. It is a day to thank those who made that ultimate sacrifice to preserve the ideals most of us hold so dear.

Since I retired, I have become more openly vocal about my conservative and libertarian ideals. Those morals were planted and took root under the careful upbringing my Marine Vietnam veteran father instilled. But they blossomed and came into their own, fully formed in my individual, free-thinking mind during my 24 years of military service. There is this great document we in military service give a sacred oath to support and defend against all enemies:  The US Constitution. I find it rather irresponsible to take such an oath without knowing what we swear to support an defend. So, I have read that document at least once a week since 1987 when I first took that oath. Now, there are those in our country who work to destroy the very foundation of that document and attempt to dismiss the writings it was based upon:  The Federalist Papers and the writings of philosophers Paine, Locke, Montesquieu, and Aristotle (among others). They prefer tyrannic oligarchies or totalitarian governments such as those depicted in Plato's Republic, Moore's Utopia, etc.

We, the war veterans, believe in the founding principles of the US Constitution so strongly that we were willing to fight for them. War is a last resort. However, once it comes to that last resort, it is necessary. Unfortunately, it means some end up paying that ultimate sacrifice. I have lost many friends and acquaintances in conflicts over the years. I have also lost heroes such as Shugart and Gordon, whom I wrote about in what has become my most read article.

My hair gets up when people speak ill of our heroes. That was the primary reason I refused to support Ron Paul, even more than his incompetence in international relations. During one of the debates, he referred to the wars as "useless" and "wasted". That means that those who fought did so in vain. That means that those who paid that ultimate sacrifice were "cheap lives" and "worthless". I find that unforgivable. My life is not worthless. The lives of my friends were not in vain. They were in defense of our country and our way of life. they were sacrificed for the greater good of overthrowing tyrants and kicking the wolf at the gates back into his den, then kicking it again. They were far from "useless" or "wasted".  

I urge everybody to take an hour or two out from your revelry and visit a war memorial or a military cemetery. I urge you to say prayers for our fallen, their families, and our country they fought to the death to protect. Go lay a wreath, plant a flag, or put flowers on a grave. Write a blog or a poem. Show them they are not forgotten. Let the world know these brave men and women are appreciated and still loved.

In the process, read my earlier blogs about our fallen and the great men and women I knew. There were hundreds I knew. So here is a very, very short list to start:

Chris Seifert
Yari Mokri
Derek Dobogai
Schuyler Haynes

Convicted Speedway Bomber Now Attacking Conservatives

I was only 10 years old in 1978 when Brett Kimberlin engaged in his rein of terror on the town of Speedway, Indiana. However, as a kid growing up in Chicago, it was hard to avoid that news, even at such a young age. In 1978 he planted eight bombs around the town including one that severely maimed on man. The injuries dealt to that man were directly attributed as the main cause of his eventual suicide.

In addition to the bombings, Brett is also an alleged drug dealer, child molester, and forger. He has also been convicted of perjury. He is not a nice guy. 

Brett Kimberlin was convicted to 50 years for his crimes.

He was paroled in 1994. By 1997, he was incarcerated, again, for parole violations stemming from his refusal to pay punitive damages to the widow of the man his bomb maimed.

Judging from the timing of his attacks in 1978 and his socialist-leaning ideology, should it be discovered that Brett Kimberlin idolized the Weather Underground terrorist such as Bill Ayers, it would come as no surprise.

Brett is currently involved in several fringe leftist groups including the 501(c)(3) organization called Velvet Revolution. The group supports many of the same ideologies (and actions) of left-wing domestic terrorists from the 1960s and 70s such as The Weather Underground.

Since 2010, Brett has resumed his attacks on legitimate government activities and conservatives. He now bombs the courts. He does not use explosive devices. Instead he floods the system with torts and law suits. He engages in questionable activities including contacting and allegedly threatening the spouses of conservative bloggers such as Stacy "RS" McCain and Aaron Worthing (AKA Aaron Walker). The attacks extend to Andrew Breitbart and several of the journalists who work for the deceased mogul's website, to include Patterico and Mandy Nagy. The antics, many of which are legally questionable, have led to Stacy McCain and his family to move from their home. Stacy has many blogs about his ordeal at the hands of Kimberlin and his cronies.

At a court case where Kimberlin was attempting the courts to compel the real identity of Aaron Worthing, Aaron Walker (who once blogged under the pseudonym) revealed his identity. After the court appearance, Kimberlin accosted Walker with his tablet computer, taking a picture as he shoved the tablet violently into Walker's face. Walker snagged the tablet from Kimberlin. Kimberlin then lied about the whole incident claiming Walker attacked him, punched him, shoved him, and had to be restrained by the police. Walker has the courthouse video which corroborates Walker's description of the events. 

Kimberlin's tactics include harassing family members of outspoken conservatives, then filing harassment charges when the conservatives contact him to tell him to stop, as the law requires. He hits the courts with motions requesting SLAPP orders and libel suits against anybody who brings up his well-publicized past that is documented in public records. Kimberlin is well funded.Allegedly his NPOs are possibly receiving funding from such individuals as Barbara Streisand and Mr. "5 phase plan to take over the world" George Soros. 

Over the past week, the internet has seen a deluge of articles and reports about Brett Kimberlin and his pals (Ron Brynaert, Brad Freidman, Neal Rauhauser, etc.) . Glen Beck's publication, The Blaze, is covering the stories, as is PJ Media. Even Michele Malkin has been moved to write about Kimberlin's activities. One of the most recent posts concerning Brett Kimberlin is a site for a fund established to defray legal costs for victims of Kimberlin's recent activities. If you support free speech and citizen-journalism that present news, facts, and commentary the mainstream media often ignore, you may want to donate a couple of dollars to the fund.

Brett Kimberlin is trying to silence us. It is not a stretch to suspect Kimberlin and Rauhauser to be behind the spam-block abuse on Twitter designed to suspend or revoke the Twitter Accounts of conservatives. Rauhauser and Charles Johnson are linked via Twitter. Johnson has bragged about getting the account of Chris Loesch, husband of Dana Loesch, and other conservatives' accounts suspended. Rauhauser runs a gang of individuals with banks of anonymous accounts called "the bean dogs" who harass and intimidate conservatives on Twitter for the sole purpose of inciting frustrated and aggravated individuals to over-react to the assaults thereby violate the TOS in defending themselves. In addition, three individuals identified by the Twitter handles of @Taunia_Adams, @NicoleGennette, and @stlactivisthub engage and berate conservatives to include Dana Loesch and Madeleine McAulay in an attempt to choose one of their supports as a target to spam-block abuse. Brett Kimberlin's possible involvement (or leadership) of these activities is worth investigating. If such a connection is found, it would unravel a socialist conspiracy to effectively eliminate the first amendment.

Public School Nurse Serves The Politburo Not The Kids

Day by day, the incidents seem to pile up around the country. In the past week you have the case of Hunter whose socialist indoctrination (social studies) teacher spent the past year berating any student who would not accept her views. Then we have the press release from the US DoHHS and US DoEd dictating that high schools demagogue the PPACA.

Let that one sink in for a second. They are pushing for Obama's banner "achievement" that supposedly reforms the health care industry by pigeon-holing it into a government-controlled system. Of course, this is because the socialist bureaucracies with their union stooges care so much about the people and our children, right?

They care so much that they will let your child suffocate in an asthma attack, at least if your child is in a government school in Deltona, FL. Michael Rudi, a student at Deltona Public High School, sat gasping for air in the hallway. The school confiscated his Albuterol last Friday because his mother's signature on some bureaucratic release form was out of date.

As Murphy's Law dictates, young Michael had an asthma attack. His confiscated inhaler was locked up in the school nurse's office. The nurse refused to give him the inhaler. The boy was on the ground gasping for breath and in a life-threatening state of distress. The nurse didn't render first aid. She didn't administer the life-saving medication from the inhaler. No, she called Michael's mother, Susan. The nurse stood by and watched and waited.

Imagine if this had been a diabetic going into insulin shock? If this were a child with an automated insulin injector, would they have confiscated that as well? Based upon their bureaucratic policies, yes. Perhaps the nurse would have made a different choice in that case, and chosen her oath as a medical professional over the poor policies of the school.

 Excerpts from the Hippocratic Oath (emphasis mine) :

"I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures [that] are required, avoiding those twin traps of over-treatment and therapeutic nihilism. I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon's knife or the chemist's drug. I will not be ashamed to say "I know not," nor will I fail to call in my colleagues when the skills of another are needed for a patient's recovery. I will respect the privacy of my patients, for their problems are not disclosed to me that the world may know. Most especially must I tread with care in matters of life and death. If it is given me to save a life, all thanks. But it may also be within my power to take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty. Above all, I must not play at God. I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick human being, whose illness may affect the person's family and economic stability. My responsibility includes these related problems, if I am to care adequately for the sick."

I'm not sure if the nurse ever took this oath. If she did, she violated it. To top it off, the school and the Volusia County Health Services Office are standing by the unethical and dangerous policies and inaction of the nurse, all over a bureaucratic batch of red tape and intrusive forms.

That's a government-run health care system. It is what happens when it is coupled by another government-run program at an indoctrination center (some call them "public schools"). Let's not even discuss the EPA getting involved with health care (or education). They want to ban medical inhalers altogether.

Another Battle? (War vs. Indoctrination Update)

Yesterday, I published an article about the battle for our kid's minds, free wills, and abilities to think freely and make up their own minds.

It is clear that senior administrators in the so-called public education field are really just comprachicos directing the indoctrination of your children into socialism.

Ironically, yesterday, the US Department of Health & Human Services and the US Department of Education released a statement calling for High Schools to push the falsely named Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), which has been nicknamed "Obamacare". That is right. They directed that classes still in session push the "value" of the legislation and convince students it is a "good thing" without arming the students with the actual facts. I am willing to bet that none of those involved have even read the 2,801 page assault on our paychecks, liberty, and right to our own bodies.

In an official press release, Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius called for mention of the PPACA be added to commencement speeches. They offer "special banners" to be added to college websites. If this travesty is "so good", why do they feel the need to employ the "hard sell" tactics? Why do they omit the CBO reports and GAO reports that outline the costs? The answer is simple. They do not want these kids to know the truth. They want them to be mindless zombies falling into lockstep with Marxist and Marcuse-ian socialism.

This is the latest tax-funded (tax money wasted) propaganda campaign for the PPACA. Senator Ron Portman (R-OH) is still waiting for details on one $20M contract the HHS issued to a PR/Advertising firm to promote the largely disliked bill that most Americans want repealed. 

Ben Shapiro at Breitbart.com makes a great point. What do good little indoctrinated, socialist zombies just graduating from high school do? Well, depending on the state, high school seniors and/or college freshman starting in the fall term will be over 18. So, they vote. In this case, they will be lied to and duped into voting for Obama because he pushed for Obamacare.

I think it's time to put these kids into summer classes at the school of reality. Tell them to try to find a job. If they have difficulty, remind them who's policies have led to over 3 years of over 8% unemployment (by the U3 scale, even higher by the U6 scale). Make them research the CBO and GAO reports. Tell them to get both sides of the issue and make up their own minds. And a great little exercise is to go to the Library of Congress site, use the THOMAS database, and read that 2,801 page set of shackles the socialists want to impose upon them.