Free-thinking Americans Are a Threat? To Whom?

The Department of Homeland Security released a report yesterday that outlines several potential threats to the US, focusing mostly on right-wing extremist groups. While I’m sure the intent of the report was never to say that all gun owners or all military veterans are “extremists in the making,” it nevertheless sheds some light on how the government thinks, and why.

It has been said that the government should fear its people, rather than the people fear their government. Ideally, government should have nothing to fear, so long as it is made up of citizens governing by the rule of law and not meddling in people’s lives any more than absolutely necessary. Clearly, however, our government is afraid of us. Why?

What is our government? Is it citizens applying the principles of the Constitution in an unbiased way? It should be, but it’s not. There has been a change over the last century when it comes to how the federal government works. Does it seem that the government has become a monstrous entity unto itself, a perverted mutation of what it was once intended to be? No longer content to be OUR government, it is now our Government. And Government knows what is best for us and will guide us by its all-knowing hand. Government is a kind master (or so it wants you to believe). Either way, it is still your master, and you its slave. Government has crowned itself king in an attempt to control every aspect of our lives.

Long live the king.

And yet the government is still made up of individuals. How, then, does it find itself with this singular mentality, this singular identity that feels so threatened by ordinary citizens? Per haps it is because those individuals have forgotten who they are. For decades now, this change has been occurring. It seems that each person who is elected to “power” comes to think of him or herself as part of the Government, rather than as a citizen who was elected to represent the people and govern according to the rule of law. Thus, the Government grows, and the individual is lost.

Eventually, the individual becomes the Government. This is what happens when you have career politicians who serve without term limits. They spend 20, 30, even 50 years as the king of the hill, with all the power and prestige a man could want. They have no incentive to give it up, so they seek more and more ways to retain their thrones. Re-election to the Government – that is their Holy Grail. Not service to the people. And so, they become Government.

Why does the DHS report show this fear of veterans? Of gun owners? Of people who support the Constitution? Because we are free thinkers. And free thinkers are a very dangerous thing to a Government that means to be our master. Government suggests we are a threat to the United States because we support the Constitution. That’s funny, because the Constitution is the document that ESTABLISHED this country. How could we be a threat to the country, when we support the very ideals and founding documents that gave this country life in the first place? (Answer: we are NOT a threat to this country, only to those who have hijacked the constitutional government and crowned themselves kings).

They suggest that gun owners may be a threat to this country? This country was founded by free thinking men who fought their masters and won their freedom WITH THEIR GUNS. Again, we merely support the founding principals of this country, so how could we been seen as a threat to it?

It occurs to me, then, why Government is afraid of us. Government is confused . Those who make it up have become disoriented during their mad grab for power and the insane moral contortions required to keep it. You see, the ones in power believe that they ARE the United States. They believe that they ARE the Government. They have failed to remember that the government is OF the people, BY the people and FOR the people. It is not Government who is the United States. It is US.

So when Government says we are a threat to the United States, what it really means is that we are a threat to THEM. To any politician, Republican or Democrat, who sells their soul and their citizenship for power. And they are right.

No true patriot would ever rise up against the United States. But every true patriot is prepared to rise up against those who hijack our government and use their position for their own gain. It is time to remind those in OUR government that they are not THE government; they are only its stewards.

It’s time for a change in stewardship. It’s time for We the People to take back control of our government.

2nd Amendment - "so, why do you NEED those guns?"

This will be the first of many posts concerning the 2nd Amendment. To sum up my beliefs in one quick tag line: all your other rights are useless without the means to defend them. I feel more strongly about this issue than any other and could easily go on all day about it. However, I will break it down into more manageable chunks by hitting just one question or aspect of it at a time.

Today’s topic is my reply to those who say, “Yeah, but you don’t really NEED that gun anyway.” This is what my boss says when the conversation turns to that scourge of mankind, that wellspring of evil - the AR15 (for those who don’t know what that is, look it up. And here’s a hint: it is neither evil, nor an “assault weapon”). Seems like a reasonable question at first, doesn’t it? I mean, do I really NEED an AR15 to get me to work on time? Um…no. Do I really NEED a pistol to help me get my groceries? Um…still no (unless the economy collapses and all hell breaks loose, in which case…yes).

For a long time I struggled to find the right response to this. And then, it hit me. Here’s my biggest problem with the “you don’t really NEED it” argument: our system of government in America (and our society in general) was not founded on the belief that you have to justify wanting or needing something. You are entitled to the pursuit of whatever you choose, so long as you do not intentionally hurt someone else along the way. This is the whole idea of freedom: freedom of speech (you do not have to justify what you say, you are simply free to say it); freedom of religion (you do not have to justify your God, or lack of one, you are simply free to believe as you wish).

Our system is NOT about justifying why you need something; it is about justifying the need to RESTRICT something. Our system was designed so that the GOVERNMENT has to justify (rather extensively) why they should be able to RESTRICT your needs/wants/rights. That is the point of a free society.

Think about that for a moment. If you had to justify your need for everything in life, how would you do it? Do you really NEED freedom of speech to get to work on time? Well, no (just ask North Koreans or the Chinese). Do you really NEED freedom to worship in order to get your groceries? Again, no. So, you do not NEED these freedoms, yet you demand them anyway.

Why?

Because at a fundamental level, you know that it is right to do so. You can feel it in your bones, that to be denied the ability to speak your mind is WRONG! That to be denied the right to pray to your god is WRONG! That to be denied the ability to protect and defend your life, family, home, and country is WRONG!

Wait…what did I just say? The right to protect your family? Your home? Your country? Isn’t that why we have police and the military? Actually, no. Well, yes to the military, but no to the first one. It is not the responsibility of the police to protect you or your family. That responsibility rests with you. All the police do is try to deter crime by being present in the area, and investigate it later, after it happens. There are 300 million people in America, and less than a million police officers. Do the math. They can’t be everywhere.

Let’s dig a little deeper here. We know we live in a society where we are free to pursue our lives unmolested, as long as we do not hurt others along the way. Well, to those who say that my AR15 is hurting them, I say this: from inside its 800-pound safe, it’s not hurting anyone. However:

- your SUV spews pollutants into the air that do hurt me. Therefore, you no longer have the right to purchase, own or operate any vehicle that gets less than 40 MPG. You don’t really NEED that Cadillac Escalade anyway.
- your stereo plays loud music that hurts my eardrums and diminishes my hearing. Therefore, you are no longer permitted to have or use any music-playing device. You don’t really NEED that iPod anyway.
- large homes over 1500 square feet waste energy and are an affront to the less fortunate. Therefore, no family in America will be permitted to occupy more than 1500 square feet of living space. If your home is larger than this, it will either be demolished, or you will be forced to take on new residents. You don’t really NEED that big house anyway.
- all religions that differ from my own shall be abolished, and following their teachings will be punishable by imprisonment. Your teachings are different from mine, so they might be bad for me. You don’t really NEED freedom of religion anyway.
- how about access to books? Movies? Your fishing boat? Golf? You can live without them.

So, justify why you should be allowed to keep these excessive, flashy, polluting products. You can’t. When you look at it, there are a lot of things we don’t really NEED in life, in order to survive. But if I were to take them away, you would fight me to the bitter end. As well you should. Without them, life becomes meaningless.

Chief among these needs - is liberty.

Chew on that. And keep your hands off my AR15.

New Baskin Robbins flavor - Barocky Road

Someone e-mailed this to me...priceless!

In Honor of the 44th President of the United States , Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream has issued a new flavor, "Barocky Road." Barocky Road is a blend of half Vanilla, half Chocolate, surrounded by Nuts and Flakes. The Vanilla portion of the mix is not openly advertised and usually denied as an ingredient. The Nuts and Flakes are all very bitter and hard to swallow. The Cost is $100.00 per scoop. When purchased, it will be presented to you in a large beautiful cone, but then the Ice Cream is taken away and given to the person in line behind you. Thus you are left with an empty Wallet, no change, holding an empty cone, with no hope of getting any Ice Cream.

Aren't you feeling stimulated?

Congress = Hypocrites!

OK, so let's start with the obvious - the economy. This is obviously big in everyone's minds right now, but what sticks in my craw has to do with "politics as usual" in Washington. Where to begin...let's see, AIG execs get big bonuses. Congress is "outraged" over this fact, even though they passed the stimulus bill that had language in it allowing them to get the bonuses. Of course, Dodd and Geithner both claimed to know nothing about the language..."it must have been my staffers who did it."

Yeah...right. Here's what kills me, and why I say Congress = hypocrites. They blasted the $160 million in bonuses that AIG execs got. But that's just a drop in the bucket compared to what Congress got. Let me 'splain...the $787 billion stimulus package passed by Congress contained numerous provisions for all sorts of stuff. But when you read the bill, you realize that only 10-15% of the money is for stimulus-related projects. The other $700 billion or so goes to...you guessed it...pork projects for the senators. So Congress used the current economic crisis as an excuse to get their own pet projects passed/funded, ultimately to keep their re-election bids secure.

Um...so it's bad for AIG to pay $160 million to its employees, but its OK for Congress to take $700 BILLION from the American taxpayer for their own special projects??? Or, are they taking from the taxpayer? It's hard to tell, since the current admin keeps saying they are not raising taxes. If that's the case, where the hell is that $700 billion coming from?

It used to be that politicians tried to hide their greed and corruption from the public eye, but not so anymore. They are much more brazen nowadays. If it was so horrible for AIG to waste taxpayer money, why in the hell is it OK for Congress to waste 4375 times more?!? To use a global economic crisis as a means to further your re-election bid is inexcusable, and should result in those responsible being run out of office. They have clearly violated their oath of office and need to be called to task for it.

Inauguration Day!

Hello everyone! This is my first post here on Blogspot, hopefully the first of many. I have created Government Cheez as a place to vent about/discuss what is going on in America today, specifically with government, politics and current events. I will admit right up front that I am not the most educated person on matters of politics or current affairs, and I will surely make mistakes as I go, but I do feel very strongly about a number of things that are happening in this country and wanted to have a place to get things off my chest.

I welcome all points of view and look forward to some good, heated debates. All I ask is that the truth prevail! I tend to be more of a convervative myself, but I will ALWAYS tell it like it is. I do not blindly support anyone just because of their political party and will happily call anyone to task for their actions. Please, no B.S. or other related shennanigans here, just good honest discussion.

Thanks for stopping by!