23 April 2009

Savior On Capitol Hill

One of my favorite musical artists is Derek Webb. He has a song that I think describes the state of American politics pretty well. It's called "Savior on Capitol Hill". Enjoy.


"I'm so tired of these mortal men
With their hands in their pockets and their hearts full of sin
Scared of their enemies, scared of their friends
And always running for re-election
So come to DC if it be thy will
Because we've never had a saviour on Capitol Hill

You can always trust the devil or a politician
To be the devil or a politician
But beyond that friends you'd best beware
'Cause at the Pentagon bar they're an inseparable pair
And as long as the lobbyists are paying their bills
We've never had a saviour on Capitol Hill

All of our problems gonna disappear
When we can whisper right in our President's ear
He could walk right across the reflection pool
In his combat boots and ten thousand dollar suit
You can render unto Caesar everything that's his
You can trust in his power to come to your defense
It's the way of the world, the way of the gun
It's the trading of an evil for a lesser one
So don't hold your breath or your vote until
You think you've finally found a savior up on Capitol Hill"

15 April 2009

Proud - A Repost of the Writing of a Friend

For both of you that read my blog regularly (OK, maybe I've given myself too much credit there), I wanted to post an article written by my friend Nathan Slatter. Nate has a writing style that gets right to the essence of an issue instead of the beating around the bush I tend to do. This article summarizes my thoughts much better than I can could ever summarize my own thoughts, so I thought I'd just throw it out there because I have this sneaking suspicion that there are many more people that are fed up with politically correct America these days. Enjoy!

"I, in the recent past, had lost my pride as a Texan, as a US Citizen, as a white man, as a capitalist, and as an individual. I'm done with self abuse, self hatred, and self loathing. I have come into my own these past few years. I am Texas proud! I am US proud! I am Caucasian proud! I am Capitalist proud! I am proud as an individual! I encourage you to be proud of who you are, what you are, and the essence of YOU.

It is time to cease allowing those "other people" to beat you down and you need to stop buying into the idea that you are worth nothing. Remember, that you are who you are - and be proud of that. 

Don't allow your state pride (Texas in my case) be the reason that you yield to those who bow down to the nationalism that is becoming more and more prominent in this nation. Where the federal government is the central power, instead of merely keeping the position of mediator and facilitator of these United States. Fear not -- they only have power in Washington because they receive it from the states of residency of WE THE PEOPLE.

Don't allow your race to be dismissed (and this mean all races not just mine) because others would denigrate it and cause it harm. Remember, regardless of the color of your skin, you are part of the human race and that is a GOOD, no GREAT, race to be a part of!

Don't allow your capitalist tenancies be attacked as evil greed and abhorrent materialism. While we are in this mess partially because of our inability to understand personal economics -- make no mistake, the other part of the mess is because the Federal government has also lost its understanding of basic economics -- that is, don't spend more than you bring in. Capitalism is not evil, it is not greedy, and it is not materialism. Be proud of your capitalistic ideas and ways.

Don't allow your individualism be dismissed and destroyed by those who are ashamed of their own essences or are not as individualistic as you are and therefore see you as a threat to their own world view.

While none of these actually explain the essence of me -- they are what molded me and made me and are part, but not the whole of, my self. They are the things that have kept me and are part of who I am. I REFUSE to buy into a collectivist ideology that indicates that I have no individuality and that if I do, it is evil and fallen short of goodness.

I will not acquiesce to those who are less than comfortable with themselves to the point that they wish to pull me down to their level (or pull me up to their level -- as I'm so sure they believe). I am not shallow. I am not stupid. I am not selfish. I am not greedy. I am not evil. I am quit the opposite and I refuse to allow these labels to be the catalyst to shame me and force my silence and submission to the collective.

Who I am:

Proud.
Rebellious / non-conformist.
Classical Liberal.
Austrian Economics follower.
White.
Intelligent.
Articulate.
Spiritual.
Good, even Great.

And I say each of these things with pride to the point of sinfulness -- and I don't care if you don't like it!"