Thursday, October 1, 2009

The Irish and the European Union and freedom


One of the things that we don't pay attention to is the European Union.

For some reason we still see Europe as France, as Germany, as England as....yet that is close to becoming part of the past.

This Friday, the Irish people are again being asked to sign away their sovereignty and freedom to the European Union authorities in Brussels. When the matter was put before them in a referendum in 2008, the Irish voted “No.” Now they have been told to vote again on the same matter. Ireland is the only country of the 27 EU member states where the people are allowed a direct vote about their future. In the other 26 countries which together with Ireland make up the European Union, the governments – not the people – have already decided to transfer national sovereignty to Brussels.


Think about that for a minute. Think about the EU as not an association, but as a country of states, but one in which the states have no rights.

Americans might also wonder why Europe’s governments are so keen on restricting national sovereignty when their peoples oppose it. This is because the EU is basically a cartel of governments. The EU Council consists of representatives of the governments from the EU member states. These governments find it easier to pass laws in the secret Council meetings with their colleagues than through their own national parliaments in the glare of public criticism. Politicians, whether from the right or the left, by nature like the EU project because it facilitates policymaking without accountability to anyone.


Think about a country created not in freedom, but in surrender. Think about a country where Muslim immigration will make it under control of Shari Law in twenty years or less.

If Ireland falls in line and ratifies Lisbon, the EU will be empowered to act as a State vis-à-vis other States and its own citizens. It will become a State in its own right, with its own President, Foreign Minister, diplomatic corps and Public Prosecutor. If Ireland votes “yes,” the national governments of the 27 EU member states, rather than representing their States in the EU, will henceforward be representing the EU in their States. And the national parliaments, currently embodying the sovereignty of their nations, will be subordinate to the EU. As the Treaty of Lisbon says: “National Parliaments shall contribute actively to the good functioning of the Union.” They will be obliged, as the imperative “shall” implies, to further the interests of the new Union, rather than those of their own people.


As a hard headed Scot Irish with a touch of native American and Hungarian thrown in I think my ancestors would be first in line to warn the Irish. It is too late for the others to not vote away their freedom and self governance but not too late for you.

They might even note in their ghostly whisper that the Bureaucrats of Brussels are close to doing what Napoleon, Hitler and the Soviets could not do.

Rule the Continent.

Freedom. So hard to get. So easy to give away.


Link

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

School board says you can't bike or walk to school...

Proving again that far too many in the education field have no common sense.

The 12-year-old and his mother, Janette Kaddo Marino, are defying Saratoga Springs school policy by biking to Maple Avenue Middle School on Route 9. The Jackson Street residents pedal more than four miles together each way to the middle school on nice days despite being told not to by school officials and police.

"I guess you can say that we continue to do what we feel is our right," Kaddo Marino said recently. "We feel strongly we have a right to get to school by a mode of transportation we deem appropriate."

snip.....

While the school district does not allow elementary school or Maple Avenue students to ride bikes to school, that could change in the coming weeks, Superintendent Janice White said. The Board of Education could vote to amend the policy on Oct. 13, when it is scheduled to discuss a recommendation from a district-formed committee.

"Supervised, parent/guardian bike riding may be permitted at specific sites in the future," White said in an interview Friday. The school has no legal responsibility over what occurs on Route 9, she added.

The biking debate started last spring, when school district officials told Kaddo Marino that Adam was violating school rules by biking to class. Walking to the school also is not permitted.


Is this stupid, or what? And what business is it of the school district how a child gets to school as long as they get there??

I guess my walking two miles to school every morning after I had worked for an hour made me a wanted man. Probably on the 10 Most Wanted List.

Gesh. Our country gets dumber everyday!

Link

My exit strategy from Afghanistan and Iraq



I wish I had said that, but I didn't. So click here to be connected to the blog that did.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

The Catastrophe and the end.


If you are tired of all the fun and games, drop over to the Brussels Journal and get a mind full reading The Catastrophe Pt 1 and Pt 2.

Interesting and thoughtful and they will give you a headache... But then many adult things are painful and maybe our studied avoidance of such for the past 40 years is why Thomas Bertonmeau is writing about the collapse of civilization.

Pay close attention to what he writes about barbarians..

Pray to Obama

We thought this was funny..




This one was a scream.







This one a giggle.







I mean, all just good clean political fun, right?



Well.....




click here for a video that will give you nightmares.

Amazing new product

Apple announced today that it has developed a breast implant that can store and play music. The 'iTit' will cost from $499 to $699, depending on cup and speaker size.

This is considered a major social breakthrough, because women are always complaining about men staring at their breasts and not listening to them.


Blame Jimmy M.

Obama's economy tanks.

He's read the book, but is incapable, if he even cares, of doing anything about this.

Retailer's Closing Their Doors
Announcements continue to roll in from retailers that have decided to close stores, slow expansion plans or cease operations altogether.

From Blockbuster to Payless, we update our 2009 roundup with the latest news from the third quarter. See which retailers are closing (at least some) of their doors.

Payless ShoeSource
Announced: September 3, 2009

Collective Brands Inc., the operator of Payless ShoeSource, announced that during the quarter it closed 33 Payless stores and relocated four stores. During fiscal year 2009, the company expects to close another 143 Payless stores.

Zales
Announced: August 6, 2009

The Texas-based jewelry company has shut down 118 locations over the past quarter and 191 so far in 2009. 160 were stores, while 31 were kiosks. There are almost 2,000 locations still in operation.

Blockbuster Video
Announced: September 15, 2009

The struggling video rental chain said they may shut down up to 20% of their stores before 2011. The move would mean closing between 810 and 960 of its 4,356 U.S. stores.

Smith & Hawken
Announced: July 9, 2009

The upscale garden store said it will shut down all of its 56 stores, currently located in 22 states and D.C. The 30-year old chain tried to find a buyer for over a year. The CEO said "While this is a sad outcome, the combination of a weak economy and the lack of scale proved too great to overcome."

Crabtree & Evelyn
Announced: July 1, 2009

The bath and body chain, founded in 1973, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The 126-store chain plans to close underperforming stores in the coming months.

Big 10 Tires
Announced: July 29, 2009

According to CoStar Group, Mobile, AL-based Big 10 Tire Stores filed chapter 11 bankruptcy in April. At the time of the filing, the 104-store chain announced no intention to close stores but said it would attempt to obtain rent relief from its landlords. Through bankruptcy reorganization, Big 10 is now requesting lease cancellations on eight stores in Alabama, 14 in Florida and 10 in Georgia.

Bank of America
Announced: July 28, 2009

CEO Ken Lewis said he is planning to shrink the bank's 6,100-branch network by about 10 percent. The move would be a pullback from the bank's two-decade expansion.

Citigroup
Announced: September 24, 2009

Citigroup announced that it is going to lower the number of U.S. retail outlets, limiting the banks to six major metropolitan areas. It is likely the bank will be a presence mainly in New York, Washington D.C., Miami, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. It will release its plans in October.

PacSun
Announced: August 20, 2009

In its most recent quarterly report, PacSun said it expects it will close a total of 40 stores during 2009 -- it closed 16 of them during the first half of this year. As of August 1, PacSun leased and operated 916 U.S. stores.

AND, THERE ARE 55 MORE CHAINS GOING DOWN OR UNDER!
HOW MUCH MORE OBAMA ECONOMICS CAN WE TAKE? IMPEACH HIM NOW!


Hat tip to wtuckerlll. Hat tip to Larry P for the picture.

Of course Obamie has such great help!