Grassroots, Democrat style

Posted on 2016-07-06 by TPOL Nathan

by Nathan Barton

The GOP isn’t the only one with “grass roots” mania. I dunno; maybe the GOP are cattle and the Dems are sheep, or something like that. (Yes, I know I called the GOP grassroots sheep; maybe the Dems are goats. While a bit smarter, goats are still pretty dumb.)

But it is obvious, listening to the news day after day, that the Dems treat their grassroots about the same as the GOP does, like something that lives in the dirt, gets fed by fertilizer and watered whenever, gets eaten, excreted, and yet, always comes back, year after year. Essential, but easily replaced if you happen to overgraze one pasture. And the Dems have done that. The Wilson years, the FDR years, and the LBJ years all show that happening; they went out and found (or planted) a different set of grass. Continue reading →

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Grassroots, GOP style

Posted on 2016-07-05 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

I’m seeing and hearing a lot of conservatives, mostly Republicans, who are taking action to try and “take back” the GOP at the local and state level, in Colorado, Wyoming, and South Dakota.

This seems to happen every election cycle. And as usual, it goes absolutely nowhere. Why is this? Because these “grassroots” members of the GOP do not understand their party, nor their role in it. There are many things to discuss, but it really is pretty simple. Continue reading →

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The Somme, Canada Day, and the Second and Fourth of July

Posted on 2016-07-03 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

On the 1st of July, I wrote of the 100th Anniversary of the Battle of the Somme, and how it crafted the world in which we live in 2016.

Let me expand on that a bit.

The 1st was also Canada Day, which I grew up knowing as Dominion Day: the Canadian “equal” but not “equivalent” of the Fifty States’ Independence Day. For Canada did not “gain” independence; the day celebrated the creation of the Dominion of Canada, a confederation crafted by British politicians sitting in the Houses of Lords and Commons in London, an ocean away. Today, though far from being the old colony and staunch supporter of Queen and Country that it was (for instance, during WW1 and WW2), Canada is still a country made up of people who were a bit on the pioneering and bold side, but still mostly willing to let someone boss them around. And make sure that those of their number and in their society who did NOT want to be bossed around were dealt with, whether it was Louis Riel or the brave men of the Newfoundland Regiment and Division or those who sought more liberty and so moved south. Continue reading →

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A self-governor’s reflections on the Somme a century later.

Posted on 2016-07-02 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

I’ve been there. I’ve seen it. I stood on the great Canadian memorial to their dead at Vimy Ridge, I saw the memorial with the names of 72,000+ dead whose bodies were never recovered at Thiepval. I have walked over and around the remnants of the fortifications and trenches, and the shell and mine craters. I’ve seen where 2,000+ Newfoundlanders died: one out of every five men in that colony (now province). And I have seen the rows upon rows in cemetery after cemetery, at Albert and Serre, where the white stones mark the graves of the dead. The horror and the ghostly stench was still there, 70 and 90 years after.

One century ago, today, 01 July 1916, the Battle of the Somme opened with British Imperial troops (with French Republican support) crossed the lines between trenches, following days of bombardment, to push the German Imperial invaders out of their trenches and out of France. The first day alone, of 100,000 attackers, just under 20,000 died and another 30,000+ were wounded. By the end of the battle, 4-1/2 months later (141 days), the British casualties alone were over 400,000. Total on all sides, dead, wounded, and missing in action were 1.3 million. The British gained six miles of territory. Land today worth very little, except for the lessons it can teach us. Lessons NOT being taught, or learned. Continue reading →

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Islamist threats to American cities?

Posted on 2016-07-01 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

Is your city next?

Almost a year ago, I contemplated a brief article on Islamist threats to American cities, but never completed it. However, I’ve tracked such things anyway, for several years. Continue reading →

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The price of losing liberty – putting up with stupidity

Posted on 2016-06-30 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

The decline into stupidity accelerated in the last few weeks, and continues to do so. There are two BIG examples: the reaction to the Orlando Massacre, and Brexit. Let’s talk about the massacre. The Orlando Massacre seems to have triggered some truly insane actions, and actually embedded in the stone that some people use for brains some memes that are idiotic and frightening for their complete disconnect to reality.

Consider FIRST the show business magazine Billboard. On their website, as on the cover of their print magazine, they have an “Open Letter to Congress.” I quote from the end of that missive: Continue reading →

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Government gone wild: out of the bedroom, into the bathroom

Posted on 2016-06-29 by TPOL Nathan

by Nathan Barton

Raw Story reports that New York City has joined the latest political fad, as their Council approves a unisex bathroom requirement.

“The New York City Council on Tuesday (last week) approved a law requiring single-stall public bathrooms to be gender neutral in a show of support for transgender people, the bill’s main sponsor said. The council voted 47-2 for the measure, which will take effect Jan. 1. Many New York City restaurants already mark their single-stall bathrooms without gender designations or as apt for both sexes, but the new law is meant to make the practice standard and recognize transgender people, Councilman Daniel Dromm said.’This sends a message that New York City supports the transgender community and understands the issue,’ Dromm said. A law passed by North Carolina that requires people to use the public bathroom matching their gender assigned at birth rather than their gender identity triggered wide criticism and led a parade of celebrity performers to boycott the state.” Continue reading →

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Celebrate!

Posted on 2016-06-28 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

Last Thursday, by about 52 to 48 percent, British subjects of Her Majesty voted to divorce the island nation from the European Union, triggering celebration and panic and predictions of a glorious future and a hideous future. Brits voted “LEAVE” on Brexit.

Ron Paul and Donald Trump, hardly bedmates, both encourage Americans to rejoice and imitate the British electorate. Even though the “benevolent tyranny” of Whitehall (the House of Commons, a bunch of elected powermongers and nannies) is bad, it has to be better than having both Whitehall and the Brussels-Strassburg Axis of Euro-Evil on your neck. And they both hope that this will be the turning point not just for the liberty of Brits but Americans, Europeans, and around the world. Like Boris Johnson, former Lord Mayor of London, they expect things to be difficult but working for the better, in the short and long term. Continue reading →

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*acebook: enemy of liberty and privacy?

Posted on 2016-06-26 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

Government and other criminals (pirates, slavers, burglars, con-artists, etc.) are not the only enemies of liberty, including our rights of privacy and many others. Consider the big, and increasingly powerful, social media, information technology companies, and food producers. In particular, consider ONE social media company and its founder and owner.

I received this e-mail from a close friend, and thought it worth passing on. It is something they posted on the same site they are writing about. (I edited it a bit.) Continue reading →

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The bizarre case of “Creepytings” and the limits of government

Posted on 2016-06-25 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

One of the major problems today is unrealistic expectations of government. Even for those who believe that government is morally justified (it is not), they expect government to do and prevent things which are frankly impossible, regardless of technology and all the other tools available. Consider, for example, the Creepytings [sic] case.

According to USA Today a 23-year-old woman with the “social media” handle of “ Creepytings” has been convicted of putting graffiti on “protected rocks” in seven national parks, two years ago.

She is being punished for this graffiti (self-portraits signed with Creepytings) by (a) a still to be determined fine, (b) 200 hours of useful public service, and (c) being banned for two years from ANY national park property. It is this third item that bugs me: are the guards (excuse me, “guest welcoming technicians”) in uniform at the gates to places like Arches or Mesa Verde or Rocky Mountain or Devil’s Tower or Badlands going to be questioning every woman to ask if she is “Creepytings” (and hopefully getting beaten up by any male companions) or will they post “BANNED” posters with her picture on it, and only cute, younger women will be questioned (and what if they are wearing a burka or hajib?)? Continue reading →

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