BENGHAZI HEARING - DISGUSTING DISPLAY

I have had the distinct displeasure of being able to listen / watch the Senate testimony of Hillary Clinton on the Benghazi fiasco this morning. No wonder Congress can't get anything done. I have never seen such a public display of mutual masturbation in my life. The committee chairman's opening statement was over 5 solid minutes of gushing ass kissing. Thank you Secretary Clinton for your sacrificial service to your country. Thank you Secretary Clinton for this, thank you Secretary Clinton for that. On and on for over 5 minutes. When that was finally over and an actual question posed, her opening statement was 3 minutes of praising the Chairman.
     Well, I thought, thank God that's over with let's get some answers now. Wrong. Every single Senator, Democrat and Republican alike, spent at least an entire minute, many much more than that, praising Clinton before they asked their question.
     And the questions? Bullshit. Every one of them for over an hour and 30 minutes. Finally then, John McCain asked the first hard question. Which was glossed over, redirected back at Congress, and never really answered. At the hour and 45 minute mark, Rand Paul was the only one who finally confronted her and asked a few of the questions that really need to be answered. And it was the same crap. Blame Congress for lack of funding. Outright lying when confronted by Paul. Claimed they had NO access to video camera footage until weeks after the attack, when those videos were available openly on the Internet only days later. Denied that assistance was denied. Contrary to many, many reports of air and ground support available within 45 minutes, claimed we had no assets in Africa. OK, that may or may not be a true statement. Carriers off the coast don't count apparently. Aviano in Italy, only an hour or so away for jets, doesn't count. Claimed she had no knowledge of weapons being shuttled to the Syrian rebels via Turkey out of Benghazi.  Denied, ignored, misdirected. That's what most of her answers did. Except for twice when she said "see the classified briefing". She did take responsibility for the fiasco, while at the same time saying she didn't know what was happening.
      Big deal, what's that mean? She's already on the way out, Kerry is going to replace her.  Oh, and by the way, over 4 months later, not one State Dept. employee has lost their job over this atrocity. 4 have been put on administrative leave. With full pay, of course.

Congress is AWOL, and on our dime.
Dumb Farmer.

TRUTH IS......

To borrow a phrase popular amongst the younger generation : TRUTH IS. Well, just exactly what is truth? Truth is an eternal entity. It stands alone. It's not male or female, doesn't favor one side or another. It doesn't change depending on what you think or feel. It does not change over time. It just is.

I am still amazed at the wisdom of our founding fathers. They didn't have the scientific knowledge we have today, didn't have instant communications, didn't even have indoor plumbing. But what they did have was a thorough understanding of history, and therefore, human nature. They understood how the lust for power and money corrupts the souls of men.

So here's a little history course for you today: 

"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”  – Benjamin Franklin

“Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed; as they are in almost every kingdom of Europe. The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword; because the whole body of the people are armed, and constitute a force superior to any band of regular troops that can be, on any pretence, raised in the United States.”  -Noah Webster

“The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.”  -  Thomas Jefferson

“… rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our own will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add ‘within the limits of the law,’ because law is often but the tyrant’s will, and always so when it violates the right of an individual” -  Thomas Jefferson
 
“When governments fear the people there is liberty. When the people fear the government there is tyranny.”  – Thomas Jefferson
 

“A nation of well informed men who have been taught to know and prize the rights which God has given them cannot be enslaved. It is in the region of ignorance that tyranny begins.”  – Benjamin Franklin

And perhaps the most relevant one for today:  

“I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of freedoms of the people by gradual and silent encroachment of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations.” – James Madison

So here we are in the Amerika of the 21'st century. Motorcycle helmet laws, seat belt laws, bicycle helmet laws, child safety seat laws, hate crimes laws, zoning laws that won't let you put up a shed or fly the American flag, affirmative action / discrimination laws, pollution laws, OSHA laws, gun registration laws, tax laws, and on and on ad nauseum. 

One small piece at a time. Now they are going to try and take the biggest freedom away. The freedom to defend your life. Defend your life not only from criminals, but from their tyranny.  

Once again I challenge you to get involved in your own future. It won't take you any more time to write a letter to your Congressmen and Senators than it has to read this post. Ah, the wonders of modern technology. You can find the info on how to / where to send them through the link at the top of this blog. Be a part of the solution, not part of the problem. (Apathy)

Dumb Farmer

ARE WE BEING MANIPULATED AGAIN?

The video below is truly one of the most disturbing things I have seen in many years. Even worse than the 30 armed IRS agent gestapo raid on a little Arkansas water bottling company.
     Let me reiterate my philosophy before you start calling me names. "Question everything, believe nothing until proven without a doubt". That said, my first reaction upon seeing the title of this video was "yeah, right, another friggin kook". I seldom watch videos if they're more than 4 or 5 minutes long. My internet connections are slow, I get fed up with watching 30 seconds and waiting 2 minutes while another 30 or 60 seconds loads. But 2 or 3 minutes into this, I was hooked, and watched the entire 30 minutes. I predict the same for most of you.
     I am going to say now, before you watch it, that there are certainly individual elements that COULD have been faked / hacked in one way or another. Or not. I'll let you decide. I myself have many questions I want answered. I will be doing more research on this topic, stay tuned.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Wx9GxXYKx_8

Lord help us all if this is true,
Dumb Farmer

FREEDOM, WHAT FREEDOM?

To my liberal leaning friends, please, please take the time to follow all of this through. Check the links I'm providing here, the proof of what I've been saying is out there. An empire doesn't fail overnight, unless by war. It happens one small step at a time. While the populace shrugs it's collective shoulders, because, after all, it's just one little thing. I couldn't possibly list all the freedoms we have lost in the last 30 or so years, it would take the rest of my lifetime to do all the research. But I have written about a very few of them in the past, see here: http://commonsenseandcircumstance.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-bad-is-economy-and-will-america.html
 
Now, things are getting much worse quickly. This is what your government will do for you. This will absolutely blow your mind, you MUST watch this :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Z8mkqI_dVJg


Remember, step by step. Bill just introduced in the House to remove the 2 term limit on the presidency by Rep. Jose Serrano, D. - N.Y. :
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/hjres15


And, one of my favorite quotes : "He who knows not history, is doomed to repeat it."
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151608032998452&set=a.101452563451.111568.534303451&type=1&ref=nf

Or, if you're not on facebook, go here : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-Y-boz0cIw

Remember how everyone wanted to just ignore what was happening in Germany? That Churchill was one of the very few predicting what was going to happen? That people suffered from wishful, and "that just can't happen" thinking? So what are we doing in this country today? They refuse to call terrorists terrorists, now they are "insurgents" or any other word they can come up with. Refuse to acknowledge that the majority of Muslims want to rule the world, including America, and have a plan in place to accomplish that, without outright war, through political machinations right here at home.
How the majority of our voters just refuse to see the destination the Democratic party is leading us to? Not that the damn Republicans are much better in what they're doing, but at least the last thing they want is communism. We can fix their crap, we can't fix anything when the Dems succeed in getting the Constitution amended so many times it's unrecognizable as the original document.

If you care about your country and your children and grandchildren's futures, please care enough to start doing something about it.

Dumb Farmer
P.S. Thanks again to Matt for materiel

CONGRESS DOES IT AGAIN

This past month has been a perfect example of why we're in the deep fiscal trouble we are in.

Just as last year, Congress couldn't come up with a budget plan acceptable to both parties, so they put off paying the piper with another temporary "fix". What was that "fix"? $600 billion in tax hikes with only $15 billion in spending cuts. Looked at another way, $41.00 in tax hikes for every $1.00 in cuts. At LEAST $614 million in direct pork barrel spending added. $222 million for rum producers, 59 mil to subsidize algae growers, 78 mil for Nascar to build new tracks, 7 mil for electric motorcycle makers, and my favorite.... 248 mil subsidy for Hollywood to make movies here instead of overseas. Hmmm, let's see, last time I checked, the movie studios were making money hand over fist and alcohol sales were higher than ever. (Maybe due to people trying, at least temporarily, to forget the financial situation they're in?)

And that's not to mention the few billion in tax breaks for giant financial institutions.  That's right, the very ones that put us into the housing crises and these financial doldrums in the first place.

Demonstrating once again the single biggest problem with politics today. Putting greed and reelection ahead of the good of the country. Rewarding campaign donors with tax breaks. Fear of offending any voters with spending cuts. And what are they talking about doing when they return to actually start to solve the spending cut? "Entitlements", which in their minds is Social Security and Medicare. They never mention the "welfare" giveaways. I recently saw a report that the typical American family today is better off making 28k / year and taking advantage of all the government subsidies (food stamps, heating oil, etc. etc. etc.) than to make $60k per year and pay taxes, healthcare, and so on.) No sir, it's that huge Social Security liability they want to cut. The program that we've paid into all our lifetimes and that they stole the money out of to pay for other stuff for years and years. Not to mention granting disability to anyone who's managed to become so obese they can't even walk more than a couple of dozen yards. If you doubt me on this, I challenge you to sit in a Wal-mart, mall, or shopping center parking lot and observe those using the handicap spots.

Lord, when do we wise up? We just had an opportunity to clean out this den of iniquity and what did we do? Reelect 75 / 85 per cent of incumbents. When will the majority of us wise up? I predict it won't be until chaos slaps them right upside the head when the U.S. government goes bankrupt because no one, not even the Chinese, will buy our debt.

Dumb Farmer

IS IT TIME TO BAN GUN OWNERSHIP?

Another horrible, senseless tragedy in Connecticut this week. This one even worse because of the age and number of victims. They're getting closer together, and worse in scope. What do we, as a society, do to reverse this trend? Where do we look for the answers? Is it finally time to give up our right to keep and bear arms? Or do the answers lie elsewhere? Let's put aside emotional reactions and examine facts.

The first thing we need to do is see if we can determine the root causes for behavior of this type. I am not a psychologist by any means, but I have observed human behavior for 60 years. I've been the unfortunate witness to the results of the "it's all about me" attitude of a sizable portion of our population today. I've watched the driving attitude of the general public deteriorate from common sense and courtesy into "get out of my way or I'll run you off the road" over the years.

So what are the commonalities within the group of perpetrators?
The first, and obvious, one is that most of them exhibited mental instability to some degree or another before they committed their atrocities.
Second, they all blamed society for their problems, not themselves.
And the third, which has NOT been reported in the major media, is that almost every one was, or had very recently been on, anti-depressive medications. See this :
 
http://www.ssristories.com/index.php?p=school

Now we need to delve further into the first two causes. What caused these individuals to develop those attitudes? I submit that if you follow it back, you can blame Dr. Spock. Yes, I'm serious. That's where and when our supposedly modern methods of child rearing started. Let me sum that method up very concisely : Never, ever, swat your kid, that's abuse, and does irreparable harm to their self esteem. Cater to their every wish, and give in to their every demand. Refuse to make them eat any vegetables, but all the junk food they want is okay. When they get in trouble as teenagers, it's never their fault. It's their fathers (or mothers) fault, their friends fault, the schools fault. MY kid can do no wrong. Essentially, we are now raising our second generation of spoiled brats.
Then they reach young adulthood, and find out the world does NOT revolve around them. They can NOT have everything their way. And they can't handle it. They have no coping skills because they always got what they wanted. They get frustrated. They get angry. They want to punish the world for causing their anguish.

But will outlawing "assault" weapons altogether, or high capacity magazines, or even private ownership of handguns, provide at least a reduction in the number and severity of these incidents?
The FACTS say otherwise.
Chicago has arguably the toughest gun laws in the nation. FACT : Chicago has one of the highest murder and shootings rates per 100k population in the country. Google it yourself. Baltimore, another state / city with extremely tough gun laws, is right near the top. Washington D.C. had one of the worst rates until they finally passed concealed carry laws a few years ago, and their rate has fallen steadily since.
FACT : Cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and in most states, marijuana, are all illegal. Does that mean they are not available? Do we not have a sizable drug problem in this country? Breaking and entering, robbery, fraud, are all illegal. Do we not have a huge prison population?
FACT : Similar crimes happen in countries where NO private gun ownership is allowed. China is a perfect example. They just use knives, axes, hammers, bombs, or whatever else comes to their minds.

On March 23, 2010, Zheng Minsheng (郑民生)[2] 41, murdered eight children with a knife in an elementary school in Nanping,[3] Fujian province;[4] The attack was widely reported in Chinese media (called 南平实验小学重大凶杀案),[2] sparking fears of copycat crimes.[4] Following a quick trial, Zheng Minsheng was e

xecuted about one month later on April 28.[3]
April 2010
Just a few hours after the execution of Zheng Minsheng in neighboring Fujian Province,[5] in Leizhou,[6] Guangdong another knife-wielding man named Chen Kangbing, 33 (陈康炳)[7] at Hongfu Primary School wounded 16 students and a teacher.[4] Chen Kangbing had been a teacher at a different primary school in Leizhou;[7] he was sentenced to death by a court in Zhanjiang in June.[8] On April 29 in Taixing,[3] Jiangsu, 47-year-old Xu Yuyuan went to Zhongxin Kindergarten[9] and stabbed 28 students, two teachers and one security guard;[4] most of the Taixing students were 4 years old.[10] On April 30, Wang Yonglai used a hammer to cause head injury to preschool children in Weifang,[3] Shandong, then used gasoline to commit suicide by self-immolation.[4]
May 2010
An attacker named Wu Huanming (吴环明), 48, killed seven children and two adults and injured 11 other persons with a cleaver at a kindergarten in Hanzhong, Shaanxi on May 12, 2010;[3] early reports were removed from the internet in China, for fear that mass coverage of such violence can provoke copycat attacks.[3][11] The attacker later committed suicide at his house; he was the landlord of the school,[12] Shengshui Temple private kindergarten, and had been involved in an ongoing dispute with the school administrator about when the school would move out of the building.[12]
On May 18, 2010 at Hainan Institute of Science and Technology (海南科技职业学院), a vocational college in Haikou, Hainan, more than 10 men[13] charged into a dormitory wielding knives around 2:30 am;[14] after attacking the security guard and disabling security cameras, 9 students were injured, 1 seriously.[14] The local men attacked the dorm in an act of revenge and retaliation against college students following conflict the previous day at an off-campus food stall in which 4 students were injured, for a total of 13.[15]
August 2010
On 4 August 2010, 26-year-old Fang Jiantang (方建堂) slashed more than 20 children and staff with a 60 cm knife, killing 3 children and 1 teacher, at a kindergarten in Zibo, Shandong province. Of the injured, 3 other children and 4 teachers were taken to the hospital. After being caught Fang confessed to the crime; his motive is not yet known.[16]
August 2011
Eight children, all aged four or five,[17] were hurt in Minhang District, Shanghai when an employee at a child-care centre for migrant workers slashed them with a box-cutter.[18]
September 2011
In September 2011, a young girl and three adults taking their children to nursery school were killed in Gongyi,[19] Henan by 30-year-old Wang Hongbin with an axe.[20] Another child and an adult were seriously wounded but survived.[21] The suspect is a local farmer who is suspected of being mentally ill.[22]

In every state / city that I am aware of, crime rates drop when concealed carry is approved. No, the possible presence of armed resistance may not deter a nutcase from attempting / initiating his crime.  Losing ANY child is not acceptable, but if just one of the on scene school personnel had been trained and armed, the scope of this tragedy may not have been quite as bad. 

And one last thing : I believe it was Solzhenitsyn talking about the USSR who first said "If there is no God, then there is no right and no wrong". The atheists have succeeded in outlawing God from our educational system, our government, and would love to do it in our private lives. Well, that is if you believe in the Christian God. It's okay to celebrate any other god or religious holidays, but don't you dare talk about Jesus Christ. Yeah, yeah, I know. If there is a God, how could He let things like this happen? Because He was the originator of true freedom. He gives us the power to decide. Solzhenitsyn  
Please pray for God to grant peace and healing to everyone affected by this evil.
Dumb Farmer
Note : Thank you Matt for the data links.

GOVERNMENT STUPIDITY UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL

Just personally witnessed another example of completely asinine government bullshit. In a country where a sizable number of states grant ILLEGAL aliens drivers licenses,  where Democrats raise hell whenever and wherever voter ID laws are proposed, Florida has implemented the most insane law for obtaining or just RENEWING your driver's license.

Florida law requires identification, proof of date of birth, proof of residential address, and proof of social security number (if issued, Chapter 322, Florida Statutes, requires the Department see proof of social security number for the issuance of driver license and identification cards) from all customers before a driver license or identification card can be issued.

The name assigned to the social security number must match the name that will appear on the Florida driver license or identification card. If you have recently changed your name, update your records with the Social Security Administration before you apply for your license or identification card.
Each U.S. citizen renewing or applying for a new driver license or identification card in person after January 1, 2010 must submit: (.....blah, blah, blah)

Note: When necessary, marriage certificates, court orders, or divorce decrees must be provided to tie the name on the primary identification to the name the customer would like to place on the driver license or identification card.


So I'm standing in line waiting to renew my truck registration and listening to the DOT employee tell this 70 year old woman she HAS to provide a CERTIFIED copy of her divorce decree from 30 years ago in order to renew her license. No idea of how to obtain such a thing? Too bad, no license. 

Even though this law only went in effect in 2010, it was just as bad 5 years ago if you needed to get a CDL license in Florida.  First of all, I had no social security card because I had my wallet stolen around 15 yeas ago. I was told I had to go to a social security office and apply for a new card, but they would give me a paper so I didn't have to wait for a new card in the mail. So, half a day for a trip to Gainesville, wait in line, etc. Go back to the DOT office and then she tells me they didn't give me the right paperwork! Back to Gainesille again. I had to get a certified copy of my birth certificate for my retirement, so fortunately I had ordered 3 copies. Apparently my original had deteriorated somewhat over the years and the Illinois Dept. of Vital Records (or whatever it was called) technician traced over some of the letters in my name before making the certified copies. She said it had been altered and was unacceptable. I showed her the UPS mailing envelope that they came in, from the state of Illinois, to the name and address on my Pa. license, and that still wasn't good enough. Showed her every form of ID I had in my wallet. Not good enough. By now, I've got steam coming out of my ears. So very close to losing it and slapping the shit out of the stupid bitch. I'm lucky I didn't get arrested, because I told her "get someone from Tallahassee who can resolve this on the phone before I go postal". 

Back to the present, after listening to that poor womans predicament, I need to go to another part of the courthouse to get a copy of my driving record. Like airport security just to enter your local courthouse nowadays. Stand in line, empty pockets, take belt off, pass through scanner. 

I love Amerika in the 21st century.
Dumb Farmer