Sunday, August 29, 2010

GONE FISHIN'

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GONE FISHIN', FOLKS!

I'm Out O'State until Sunday, September 5th.
But please continue to submit your comments, and upon my return, I will read and delete them.

Uhm... 'scuse me, I meant to say, "I will post and respond to them."

Sorry. (Sometimes I listen to the wrong voice inside my headbone.)

~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'

YE OLDE COMMENT POLICY: All comments, pro and con, are welcome. However, ad hominem attacks and disrespectful epithets will not be tolerated (read: "posted"). After all, this isn’t Amazon.com, so I don’t have to put up with that kind of bovine excrement.
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THE REASONS WE REBELLED AGAINST THE REDCOATS

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[From the STMcC archive: February 21, 2007.]

For years I received THE NEW AMERICAN magazine, but when my subscription ran out in late 2003, I opted not to renew it, thinking that I would simply keep abreast of politics via The New American Internet site. And while my Brother and I do fairly regularly visit their web pages, I’ve found that I miss the beautiful full-color layouts, the in-depth research, and the scholarly reporting that makes THE NEW AMERICAN magazine - in my unequivocal opinion - the preeminent current events periodical in the country.

THE NEW AMERICAN is an organ of the John Birch Society – an antiliberal, anti-NeoConservative, pro-Constitution conservative organization. This isn’t your dad’s conservatism (nor Limbaugh’s, nor Buckley’s, nor O’Reilly’s, nor Hannity’s); this is the genuine article – Thomas Jefferson’s, Benjamin Franklin’s, George Mason’s, and Stephen T. McCarthy’s conservatism: strict Constitutional Republicanism.
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Following is just a very small sample of the variety of enlightening articles that appeared within THE NEW AMERICAN’s pages during the last few months of my 2003 subscription:

TRADING FREEDOM FOR SECURITY: When it comes to many of the “anti-terror” policies and laws being fastened upon us, the “cure” may be more deadly than the disease.

BAGHDAD BAIT-AND-SWITCH: Even as the Bush administration tries to justify the absence of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, it is quietly revising its mission objectives in Iraq.

BETSY ROSS: A JUST SEW STORY: Did Betsy Ross sew the first Stars and Stripes? An unbiased look at all historical sources – written, oral, and pictorial – lends credence to the story.

KERRY POSTURES AS A WAR HERO: As a presidential hopeful, Senator John Kerry touts his military experience. But 30 years ago he led anti-war protests and marched alongside revolutionary Communists.

DOG DAY: Exercising their Second Amendment rights, two men manage to save the lives of a woman and two children viciously attacked by two Rottweilers and a Pit Bull.

MORALITY MELTDOWN: The culture war waged by America’s liberal elite has taken our society far down the road to perdition. But it is not too late to turn back.

FDR’s PATRIOT PURGE: In its efforts to suppress patriotic dissent, the pro-Soviet FDR administration used many of the tactics falsely attributed to Senator McCarthy.

HOPE IN HOLLYWOOD?: With the entertainment industry bent on subverting Christian values, a few celebrities are breaking ranks…by speaking out on faith, family, and morality.

DEFLATING THE DEFLATION MYTH: Fed chief Alan Greenspan is claiming that the specter of deflation is upon us. The truth, however, is that Fed-created inflation, not deflation, is threatening American prosperity.

IS CONGRESS AWOL?: While the Bush administration has aggressively strengthened the Executive Branch – even to the detriment of liberty – Congress has meekly surrendered its constitutional powers.

THE CONSERVATIVE INDEX: Our first look at the 108th Congress shows how every member of the House and Senate voted on key issues, including abortion, the debt limit increase, and tax reductions.

REINING IN THE COURT: The Constitution offers Congress powerful means to deal with an increasingly lawless judiciary.

BORDERING ON INSANITY: Republicans and Democrats alike support immigration policies giving thugs and terrorists easy U.S. access.

VICTIMS OF THE FURY: The tragic story of Wenatchee, Washington, is but one example of child protection services run amok.

WAR UNDER FALSE PRETENSE: President Bush was able to play up the uranium issue only by ignoring his own intelligence agencies.
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If you would prefer a current events publication with ties to the COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS, then consider subscribing to Time, Newsweek, The New Republic, U.S. News & World Report, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, or just about any other ink-covered paper with a masthead that you can think of. And if the name “COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS” holds no meaning for you, then you need THE NEW AMERICAN far more than you could possibly know! It exhibits no allegiance to a political party, but champions the ideals of American independence, individual liberty, Constitutional principles, fiscal responsibility, and Biblical morality. In other words, everything now foreign to the United States of America.

THE NEW AMERICAN magazine is what NATIONAL REVIEW magazine would be if it was published by a constitutionalist rather than a globalist. Subscribe today, if not to educate yourself, then to drive your socialistic co-workers into an apoplectic fit.

~ Stephen T. McCarthy
'Loyal American Underground'

Link:
The New American magazine's website
[Take a look, patriots!]

YE OLDE COMMENT POLICY: All comments, pro and con, are welcome. However, ad hominem attacks and disrespectful epithets will not be tolerated (read: "posted"). After all, this isn’t Amazon.com, so I don’t have to put up with that kind of bovine excrement.
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Saturday, August 28, 2010

ARIZONA, THE FEDS, ILLEGAL ALIENS, AND THE U.S. CONSTITUTION

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On Thursday, August 12th, my friend Lee of ‘Tossing It Out’ posted a blog bit entitled “What Does Immigration Reform Look Like?”

This being one of the country’s hottest topics these days, a number of Lee’s “Followers” posted comments on his blog installment and nearly all of those who responded appeared to support Arizona’s passing of SB 1070, a new state law addressing the illegal alien problem.

One person, however, who would otherwise appear to be generally of a more politically conservative mind-set, answered with the following:

Ugh. First, I am opposed to the Arizona law. Not because of any of the absurdities touted by the left, but because it goes against the Constitution. The federal government has been slacking on following through with one of things they're actually supposed to be doing (i.e. empowered to do) and passing all sorts of stuff they specifically are not empowered to do by the Supreme Law of the Land. Judge Napolitano did an awesome bit about the issue with the Arizona law and specifically about this point. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SuxjzoLyf0

I weighed in later with a couple of comments in response to the above. Here is my slightly edited reply:

I watched the Judge Napolitano YouTube video provided by Kimberly, and I will simply say that it's not the first time I've disagreed with Napolitano, although I do sometimes find him right on the money.

And I will add, however, that I agreed with him entirely when he makes the statement about Arizona seceding. Things have gone too far in this country for it to be saved now, and any state that wishes to live free of Federal Totalitarianism would need to secede from the Union. Perhaps that would result in violent revolution, as it did once before. But then again, maybe not, because to fight the rebels, Uncle Sam would be required to bring the troops home from the foreign countries... where so much oil is.

...The most important point - the one that Judge Napolitano didn't make (because somehow this always gets left out by the talking heads in the mainstream media every time they give us their so-called "expert" analysis of an American problem) - is that the big picture is not nearly so much about cheap labor for the Right and extra votes for the Left, as it is about creating a "New World Order". A New World Order in which national sovereignty and shared culture are scrapped by the Elites and replaced with One-World Government, in which we all live as one big, happy family under the thumb of Global Socialism in our Brave New World. But Americans would rather not know anything about that.

The following day, I found time to elaborate:

LEE ~

I was pressed for time yesterday when I posted my comment here and therefore wasn't able to fully articulate my opposition to Judge Napolitano's view expressed in the video link provided by Kimberly (above).

There are several things I could add here, but I will restrict myself to two points:

1) As Sig accurately states, the Arizona SB 1070 law merely makes it obligatory for Arizona lawmen to ascertain the legal citizenship standing of a suspect when in the course of an otherwise normal law enforcement stop and the citizenship is questionable.

Enforcing SB 1070 will undoubtedly result in more illegal aliens being turned over to Federal immigration agencies. What the American people really ought to be asking themselves is: "Why in the world is the Federal Government so opposed to state law enforcement officers upholding Federal immigration law? Why does Uncle Sam so strongly want illegal aliens to go unapprehended that Uncle Sam would actually file a lawsuit against a state that merely seeks to assist our good Uncle in doing his job?" THAT is something every American (especially those with conservative values) ought to be asking!

2) In that video, Judge Napolitano makes the claim that SB 1070 should be overturned by the courts, and then when asked what action Arizona has available to it if the Feds refuse to secure their border and stop illegal immigration, Napolitano says they can threaten to secede from the Union.

Well, that's easy for him to say, knowing damn good and well that it isn't going to happen. Seceding from the Union is a far more extreme action than is merely attempting to assist Federal immigration agencies with the passage of SB 1070. If Arizona is running into THIS much opposition from the government over something as simple as SB 1070, what might the state expect if it were to go as far as attempting secession?

But here's one of the biggest factors that Napolitano (no more a real conservative than is Glenn Beck) conveniently left out of his Constitutional assessment:

The U.S. Constitution is a legally binding contract between the Federal government and the individual States. Article IV, Section 4 of that contract states that the Federal Government is required to "guarantee to every State in this Union, a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion..."

One of the meanings of "a Republican Form of Government" is popular rule (i.e., political decisions have to be made by a majority - in some cases, a plurality - of voting citizens.

Well, there is plenty of evidence that some elections have been polluted and affected by the voting of illegal aliens. In fact, I personally know one former Congressman who almost certainly lost his seat in the House due to the registering and voting of illegal aliens in his California district. A mass of illegal aliens will affect the maintaining of a Republican Form of Government.

And if the number of illegals crossing into our country and taking up residence here does not constitute an "invasion" then I don't know the meaning of the word. An invasion does not necessarily have to be "armed" (although some of the actions of the Mexican drug cartels on our side of the border DOES fit the defintion of "armed invasion").

Well, it should be clear to everyone with their eyes open that the Federal Government has not upheld its part of the contract (the U.S. Constitution) with the states. And what happens when one party does not honor its part of a legal contract? The contract becomes null and void. You don't require the second party to adhere strictly to the contract after the first party has broken its part of the agreement.

So, for Judge Napolitano to maintain that Arizona is acting un-Constitutionally in its passing of SB 1070 is the height of disingenuousness.

But then, of course, if Napolitano were a "real" Constitutional conservative, he wouldn't be regularly appearing on mainstream political programs. One can be sure that the so-called "experts" presented by the mainstream media to argue a point from either the Democrat OR Republican angle are never going to be genuine threats to the status quo and will tell the people selective truths but never THE WHOLE TRUTH.

Well, a couple of days ago, my buddy The Great L.C. of the blog ‘Back In The USSR’ loaned me his most recent copy of The New American magazine. Included in this issue was an article titled “Arizona: An Allegory … And The Reality”. I was pleased to find that the author, Joe Wolverton, views this issue almost identically to the way that I do. Here is an excerpt from his article:

ARIZONA: AN ALLEGORY … AND THE REALITY
Written by Joe Wolverton, II
Monday, August 2, 2010

Mr. and Mrs. Smith were thrilled when they purchased their new home in a very desirable neighborhood in an equally desirable state. Their subdivision was gated and governed by a homeowners’ association charter that promised peaceful enjoyment of their property for as long as they lived there. The couple could not have been happier, and for years they faithfully and joyfully paid dues to the association that guaranteed their continuing serenity and security.

One of the clauses in the homeowners’ association charter places the responsibility for maintaining the fence that surrounds the coveted community within the exclusive jurisdiction of the association, relieving individual property owners of that duty. The association hired the security that made sure visitors had permission to enter the gated haven, and it made necessary repairs to the barrier that ran behind the properties along the border with the outside world.

Several years passed and Mr. and Mrs. Smith noticed that the wall around their idyllic enclave was falling into disrepair and that unwelcomed intruders were frequently exploiting those gaps and trespassing onto their property. The Smiths were a good, patient, and law-abiding family, and they made appropriate appeals to the homeowners’ association to remedy the increasingly distressing situation along the fence.

To the dismay of the Smiths (and their neighbors), the association disregarded their pleas and the fence continued to deteriorate, the number of trespassers increased, while the number of security guards remained static and was proving insufficient to the threat. Again, the Smiths recurred to the association to do something, to live up to the covenants in the association charter and protect the home-owners from the near constant encroachment by unwelcomed intruders.

Still, nothing. Despite the occasional change in association leadership, the lassitude persisted and the situation in the once peaceful paradise grew more and more alarming.

The audacity of the invaders increased in inverse proportion to the level of response from the association. Word spread among those living near the affluent community that the homes and property inside the gates were easy pickings and that no matter how often or egregious the trespass, there would be no repercussions from the association.

Burglary, arson, assault, rape, and even murder were now nearly commonplace inside the gates of the Smiths’ neighborhood. What was once a dream come true had become a living nightmare of crime, fear, and violence. Gangs climbed freely and unchecked over the scree of the crumbled border, and the security force was outnumbered and outgunned. Try as hard as they might, the lack of resources from the association leadership rendered their noble efforts useless against the attack from outside.

Fed up with the years of association disdain, disregard, and violation of the charter that once promised them so much peace and protection, Mr. and Mrs. Smith in desperation decided to repair the fence themselves. While they didn’t have the money or the material to protect their entire neighborhood, they figured they could at least rid their homestead of the interlopers.

From that day forward, every time the Smiths encountered a trespasser on their property, they promptly detained him and escorted him back across the wall. They were careful to only question those already involved in some other legal tangle, so as to avoid incriminating anybody that might be a legitimate and invited guest of one or another of their many neighbors in the community.

The association was furious. It lashed out at the Smiths and warned them that if they didn’t cease and desist the detention of trespassers the association would have no choice but to seek a legal injunction against the Smiths for violation of the covenants of the homeowners’ association charter.

The charter, willingly signed by Mr. and Mrs. Smith when they purchased their home, assigned to the association the primary right of controlling the border of the community and the prosecution of any accused of unlawful entry into the subdivision. The association charged the Smiths with usurping that right and assuming powers that were specifically granted to the association.

Remarkably, the Smiths agreed with the central premise of the association’s argument: the association should have protected the Smiths and their neighbors; the charter did grant the association the power to monitor and manage the flow of visitors into the gated community; and the Smiths and others should have been able to rely on the association for the uninterrupted enjoyment of the rights, privileges, and safety that once made their neighborhood the envy of millions.

The Smiths agreed with all of those assertions. Willingly and happily the Smiths would have acceded to the association’s exercise of that lawful obligation. The association failed to fulfill that obligation, however. Despite years of fervent pleas for relief, the association neglected the fence and turned a blind eye to the influx of criminals and encroachers that devalued the Smiths' property and tacitly encouraged hordes of others to flow through the holes in the fence, knowing that the association would be unlikely to punish anyone lucky enough to make it into the lush land of milk and honey lying just beyond the unguarded gates.

Reluctantly, the Smiths (and some of their similarly frustrated neighbors) stepped in to fill the void caused by the association’s lamentable lack of compliance with the obligation placed on them by the charter. It was the mutual rights and obligations set out in the charter that made the neighborhood such an attractive location. When the association decided that its only responsibility was the collection of dues and the prodigal spending thereof, without the concomitant constraint of the protection of the homeowners, then the Smiths knew it was time to act in their own self-defense. Mr. and Mrs. Smith solemnly believed that their right to protect themselves and their property from invasion was theirs regardless of clauses in the charter or lawsuits filed by the association. Thus, with courage and dismay, they decided to assert that right no matter the cost or the consequence.

Nice allegory, Mr. Wolverton! Nice allegory. We both get an "A" on this test.

And there ya go, Mr. and Mrs. America. That’s the proper context in which to view this controversial illegal immigration issue and Arizona’s attempt to address it.

~ Stephen T. McCarthy
[D-FensDogg of the ‘Loyal American Underground’]

YE OLDE COMMENT POLICY: All comments, pro and con, are welcome. However, ad hominem attacks and disrespectful epithets will not be tolerated (read: "posted"). After all, this isn’t Amazon.com, so I don’t have to put up with that kind of bovine excrement.
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Monday, August 16, 2010

FIGHT FEMINISM! (Or, OUTSTANDING ANTI-FEMINISM LITERATURE)

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Stephen T. McCarthy’s qualifications:
My mother was a woman but my woman was a mutha. (Smile!)

What follows is only the crème de la crème of the Anti-Feminism books and the books related to Feminism that I have read.

If you haven’t read these books ‘cause you’re waitin’ for the movies to come out, I’m afraid yer gonna remain ign’ant ‘bout this subject for da rest O’Yer Life. "Fat, drunk and feminist is no way to go through life, son."

I’m not saying I don’t like women. I’m not saying that.

But I think youz ought to read these books:
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The Declaration Of Independence And The Constitution Of The United States Of America
by Our Founding Fathers
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The Declaration Of Independence says, "All men are created equal." It does not say that women are created equal to men.
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Just a joke to break the ice. Women ARE created equal to men, but also DIFFERENT.
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The Communist Manifesto
by Karl Marx
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Marx's Manifesto says, "Communists everywhere SUPPORT EVERY REVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENT AGAINST THE EXISTING SOCIAL AND POLITICAL ORDER OF THINGS. Communists disdain to conceal their views and aims. They openly declare that their ends can be attained only by the forcible OVERTHROW OF ALL EXISTING SOCIAL CONDITIONS."
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And Clara Zetkin writes, "Comrade Lenin frequently spoke to me about the women's question. Social equality for women was, of course, a principle needing no discussion for communists. In 1920 he said, "We must create a powerful international women's movement."
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Weak Link: The Feminization Of The American Military
by Brian Mitchell
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Feminism is one of the most destructive weapons Socialism ever unleashed on our society. Bear in mind that Socialists attack en masse any book damaging their agenda, so many of these titles will show many negative reviews. No, this is not to imply that EVERY dissenting voice is that of a socialist or card-carrying Communist, but I strongly urge you to be wary when considering them.
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The Kinder, Gentler Military: How Political Correctness Affects Our Ability to Win Wars
by Stephanie Gutmann
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Dedication And Leadership
by Douglas Hyde
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I believe you will find every title I have included on this list to be a good buy. Some are now out of print, but used copies are available.
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DEDICATION AND LEADERSHIP is not specifically about Feminism, but it shows how socialists operate and why they are so successful, making such an impact with few numbers. This is a very valuable book for a variety of reasons!
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Why Women And Power Don't Mix
by J.P. McDermott
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As far as I know, this remains the most comprehensive book on Feminist psychology. It also explains the methods and the consequences. For every man or woman, the path to understanding starts here. (Overlook the poorly chosen title. You can't always judge a book by its title.)
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The Gender Agenda: Redefining Equality
by Dale O'Leary
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An absolutely essential publication for gaining an understanding of Feminism's hidden agenda. This is one of only a few books to make the valid Feminist/Marxist connection. It simply doesn't get any better than this one.
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Manhood Redux: Standing Up To Feminism
by C. H. Freedman
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Here's one of the best books ever written on the subject (and definitely the most humorous). About 'feminist males', Freedman writes: "Some especially obedient little dogs bring their masters their leash when they want to be harnessed up for a walk."
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Women Who Make The World Worse: And How Their Radical Feminist Assault Is Ruining Our Schools, Families, Military, And Sports
by Kate O'Beirne
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The Privilege Of Being A Woman
by Alice Von Hildebrand
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A truly powerful little book if you don't mind just a bit of Catholic flavoring. (I myself am not Catholic.) This book made me almost sorry I was born male.
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Real Men Don't Eat Quiche
by Bruce Feirstein
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OK, look, this is included strictly for comic relief. Only emasculated males lick the black boots of Feminists. And eating quiche? Aww, come on, fuhgeddaboudit: "Real Men" can't even pronounce it!
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Spreading Misandry: The Teaching Of Contempt For Men In Popular Culture
by Paul Nathanson and Katherine Young
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The Feminists and their emasculated boy puppets are Spreading Misandry throughout society, and they're spreading it on THICK!
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Legalizing Misandry: From Public Shame To Systemic Discrimination Against Men
by Paul Nathanson and Katherine Young
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A tour de force about the atrocious inequality that Feminism has "legally" leveled at men. One Amazon.com reviewer wrote: "It ought to be read by every man who considers getting within 500 yards of a female."
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The ACLU Vs. America: Exposing The Agenda To Redefine Moral Values
by Alan Sears
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One of Feminism's most effective supporters has been the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) - a Marxist organization since its founding. There is a symbiotic relationship between Marxism and Feminism. Gender is to Feminism what class is to Marxism. (Since Secular Humanism is essentially a modernized form of Marxism, you will find the "Humanist Manifesto" crowd also endorses Feminism.)
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The Party Of Death: The Democrats, The Media, The Courts, And The Disregard for Human Life
by Ramesh Ponnuru
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One of Feminism's most carefully protected gains is the (pseudo-Constitutional) legal right of a woman to murder her unborn child. Read this book and see if your previously held beliefs about abortion can withstand scrutiny.
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Everything Starts From Prayer: Mother Teresa's Meditations On Spiritual Life For People Of All Faiths
by Mother Teresa
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Mother Teresa was one of the great embodiments of Womanhood: caring, giving, forgiving, nurturing, selfless and Loving. I rarely cry when a person dies, but my tears fell the day this poor old world lost Mother Teresa.
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Taken Into Custody: The War Against Fatherhood, Marriage, And The Family
by Stephen Baskerville
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'TAKEN INTO CUSTODY' by Stephen Baskerville is an absolutely shocking look at the tyrannical judicial system that is ruining fathers and deliberately undermining "the family" (i.e., society's fundamental group unit). The Constitutional rights of men are being trampled on and obliterated by the courts of this country. Read this book if you give a damn about anyone other than yourself!
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Holy Bible: From The Ancient Eastern Text
by George M. Lamsa
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The biggest enemy the Feminist movement has is God: Genesis 3:16; Isaiah 3:11,12; 1st Timothy 2:11-15; Titus 2:3-5, et al. Atheistic radical Feminists won't care, but female Believers are expected to know!
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Evidence For Faith: Deciding The God Question
by John Warwick Montgomery
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And if you've ever wondered whether or not THE HOLY BIBLE truly was inspired by The Biblical God, this great book will certainly put that question to rest for you once and for all!
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The Fountainhead
by Ayn Rand
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A politically liberal, self-professed "feminist" female psychologist and former friend of mine recently wrote the following to me in a letter:
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I don't believe I am being naive or "seeing what I want to see" if I focus on what is good and compassionate. I see the results of ugliness daily in my practice. I also believe that what you oppose grows, and what you put your attention on grows. I personally want to see the beauty and kindness that is all around me. So, really, I'm not interested in reading any anti-feminist articles.
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That is the reply I received after recommending that this feminist psychologist read a few of the books on this list. It should be noted that decades ago, this same "liberal" (i.e., "socialist") introduced me to the writings of Ayn Rand, whose philosophy had a major impact on her at that time.
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As for my former friend's current political views, I guess it's a woman's prerogative to change her mind. But her response to my suggestion that she read a few of the outstanding books on this list says a great deal about a Feminist's lack of objectivity and feigned interest in discovering truth. Her motto might as well be: "See, hear, and READ no truth."
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Bonus Material:
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Demographic Winter
DVD
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Fuhgeddabout Paul Ehrlich's "Population Bomb." One of our real and most serious socioeconomic problems will soon be revealed to be a lack of population replacement resulting from a number of factors, not the least of them being the effects of "Feminism." This one-hour documentary is loaded with facts that pack a punch and will knock the teeth right out of your optimism. Stick a fork in us: we're done!
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And always remember to Just Say, “NO!” to Hellary Clinton
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and to Popeye Palin!
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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YE OLDE COMMENT POLICY: All comments, pro and con, are welcome. However, ad hominem attacks and disrespectful epithets will not be tolerated (read: "posted"). After all, this isn’t Amazon.com, so I don’t have to put up with that kind of bovine excrement.
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Sunday, August 8, 2010

DEAD MEN RIDING

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Movie: 'MONTE WALSH' (1970)
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Starring: Lee Marvin, Jack Palance, Jeanne Moreau
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Grade: A
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'MONTE WALSH' is haunting and lyrical; a slow, dark, and melancholy poem on celluloid. It's Henry David Thoreau in a Stetson and down on his luck.

The episodic story revolves around two friends - older cowboys - who are trying to survive in the dying days of the big cattle ranches, as absentee Eastern corporations buy up the Western landscape, altering the only lifestyle that these hard-working, free-spirited men know and can embrace.

While many cowboys are sent packing as ranches are being dismantled or rendered inactive, Monte (Lee Marvin) and Chet (Jack Palance) are trying to remain on horseback doing the work that defines who they are and gives them a sense of accomplishment. But these are dead men riding in the dusk of their times, and what's worse, they know it. The serene pale pink and blue canopy of the fading daylight envelops these men and symbolically illustrates the sundown that lays heavily on their hearts. The truth dogs Chet until in a relaxed moment at the close of a day, he acknowledges what all of the ranch hands know but have avoided admitting. "Nobody gets to be a cowboy forever," he warns his friend. But Monte is incapable of adjusting and he will remain astride this horse called "Honor" even if it takes him into the horizon of a sad and solitary existence.

For Monte and Chet, some solace can be found in retaining their work ethic for the faceless employers and in the relationships that they clumsily but sweetly form with a prostitute and a lonely widow - two women who can understand the pain that these men carry and who can share in their growing sense of isolation.
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The subtle and beautifully rendered relationship between Monte and his "Countess" is easily one of the silver screen's greatest tragic romances. It would have received the critical acclaim it so justly deserves if it had been framed in any environment other than a Western. (Western movies have traditionally been somewhat slighted in the critiques of film writers.)

This is a very special and haunting movie that addresses the loneliness of those who feel distanced from their surroundings - caught up in forces that strip them of relevance in their times. This is NOT an action-packed, rip-roaring, shoot-em-up, and it will disappoint anyone who comes looking for exaggerated Hollywood gun duels. 'MONTE WALSH' is a character study that takes a hard and realistic look at Western men and women who cling to each other for support during the halcyon "hour" of soft, golden light and elongated shadows.

If what I have just written means something to you, then 'MONTE WALSH' will find an honored place in your movie collection; if it doesn't, then I would recommend great but more traditional and/or exciting Western Movies to you (e.g., Red River; Shane; Butch Cassidy, etc.)

There are so many subtle, authentic touches to be discovered in this movie. For instance, in one scene Monte's shirt is ripped, but notice how it shows up later in the form of a bandana around his neck. That's true Western economy!
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'MONTE WALSH' contains more honesty than we are accustomed to finding in Western films, and for this reason, it may seem too sedate for most contemporary viewers. The unique dignity of this film is summed up perfectly when the nearly destitute and futureless Monte is offered a significant amount of money to act like a caricature of himself in a traveling Wild West Show, but he resolutely responds, "I ain't spittin' on my whole life."
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'MONTE WALSH' seems to have an indefinable quality to it that transforms it into a transcendental viewing experience for certain individuals. It's something like Blues music: you either FEEL it or you don't, but words will never quite explain it.

~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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YE OLDE COMMENT POLICY: All comments, pro and con, are welcome. However, ad hominem attacks and disrespectful epithets will not be tolerated (read: "posted"). After all, this isn’t Amazon.com, so I don’t have to put up with that kind of bovine excrement.
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Thursday, August 5, 2010

SARCASM (It's What I Do)

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by Stephen T. McCarthy (aka ProvDog)

YE OLDE COMMENT POLICY: All comments, pro and con, are welcome. However, ad hominem attacks and disrespectful epithets will not be tolerated (read: "posted"). After all, this isn’t Amazon.com, so I don’t have to put up with that kind of bovine excrement.
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Monday, August 2, 2010

What’s In YOUR Walle— Er… Bookcase?

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So, there I was the other day, sitting in that room in my house where I eat sandwiches, and eating a sandwich. I had gotten it at ‘Sprouts’, which is where I get my sandwiches. It was mayonnaise, lettuce, red onion, salt ‘n’ pepper, avocado, and extra provolone cheese on multigrain bread. (I know all this because I fished the ‘Sprouts’ Sandwich Order Form out of my trash can. And I see now that I somehow forgot to order tomatoes. Hmmm… Odd. I ALWAYS order tomatoes.)

Anyway, while I was eating my sandwich, I happened to glance to my right at my biggest bookcase, and it occurred to me that my reading habits are all over the map. That’s a good thing. Not as good as tomatoes, but a good thing nonetheless.

Being a voracious reader (as well as sandwich-eater), I own four bookcases to hold all my books. You see, I’m a bookaholic with a severe reading addiction. In fact, I have a $500-a-day reading habit. Unfortunately, in order to feed my habit I have begun breaking into peoples’ homes to steal . . . their books.

My favorite of the four bookcases is the biggest one. It’s my favorite not because it’s the biggest but because my Grandfather helped me to build it from scratch when I was just 14 or 15 years old. After it was constructed, he asked me what color I wanted to paint it. I told him, “Blue and brown”. So, he took me to the hardware store and I selected the shades of blue and brown that I wanted. Grandpa told me some time later that he was very skeptical of my color scheme, but after he saw it on the bookcase he really liked it.
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[Corners cracking but loved no less.]
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Setting my sandwich down for a moment - (we’re back to that part of the story) – I got up, walked to the bookcase, looked at the title arrangement and chuckled. All over the map, I tells ya! I decided to take a few pictures of my bookcase, front and center (or rather, top and center), and show it to ya.

These are some of my books photographed in their natural habitat; as a man of my word, I give you my word that not even one title was artificially placed for effect – this is the honest hodgepodge or my name isn’t Honest John. Which it isn’t. But don’t trouble me with the details (the devil’s in ‘em).

You’ll undoutedly notice that at one time there was some sort of theme or organizational concept dictating book placement, but over time, haphazardness eroded the order.
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Here’s what you’re looking at, from left to right, top down, beginning with the books that have their spines facing away from the camera:
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‘A Parenthesis In Eternity’ by Joel Goldsmith [bad book]; ‘The Judas Goats’ by Michael Piper [bad book]; ‘Blowback’ by Chalmers Johnson [mediocre book]; ‘Holidays In Hell’ by P.J. O’Rourke; ‘Economics In One Lesson’ by Henry Hazlitt; ‘Green Eggs And Ham’ by Dr. Seuss [great book]; ‘The Law’ by Frederic Bastiat [Yeah, I’m that guy Karl Marx warned ya about.]
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‘The Most Scenic Drives In America’ by Reader’s Digest [Literally “all over the map”.]
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‘Taken Into Custody: The War Against Fathers, Marriage, And The Family’ by Stephen Baskerville; ‘Alien Encounters’ by Chuck Missler [Although I am an Airheadzonan, this is not about THOSE aliens. It’s about aliens from “out there” somewhere.]; ‘Alive And Well’ by Dr. Philip Binzel Jr.; ‘World Without Cancer’ by G. Edward Griffin
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‘The Making Of America’ by W. Cleon Skousen
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First real shelf: ‘Joseph McCarthy’ by Arthur Herman; ‘McCarthy’ by Roy Cohn; ‘The Naked Capitalist’ by W. Cleon Skousen; ‘The Assassination Of Joe McCarthy’ by Medford Evans; ‘Who Promoted Peress?’ by Lionel Lokos
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[Out of the camera’s view: ‘McCarthy: The Answer To ‘Tail Gunner Joe’’ by Roy Cohn; ‘America’s Retreat From Victory’ by Senator Joseph McCarthy; ‘The Lattimore Story’ by John T. Flynn]
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‘Time’ magazine of April, 1998, featuring “The Shroud Of Turin” cover story; ‘The Resurrection Of The Shroud’ by Mark Antonacci; ‘Foundations: Their Power And Influence’ by Rene Wormser; ‘None Dare Call It Treason …25 Years Later’ by John Stormer [Like the tail fins on a 1959 Cadillac, it’s a true American classic!]; ‘The Creature From Jekyll Island: A Second Look At The Federal Reserve’ by G. Edward Griffin; reprints from ‘The New American’ magazine article “How The Monetary Mayhem Began” by James Perloff; Xeroxed sections from the book ‘Treason: The New World Order’ by Gurudas; ‘End-Time Prophecies Of The Bible’ by David Haggith; ‘Women: Theory And Practice’ by Bernard Chapin [Yeah, I need a LOT of practice!]; ‘Women Who Make The World Worse’ by Kate O’Beirne; ‘Why Women And Power Don’t Mix’ by J.P. McDermott [Not to be confused with P.J. O’Rourke. Bad title; excellent book!]; ‘The Gender Agenda’ by Dale O’Leary [Not to be confused with Mrs. O’Leary’s cow]; ‘Manhood Redux: Standing Up To Feminism’ by C.H. Freedman [My favorite anti-Feminism book.]
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[Out of the camera’s view: ‘The Privilege Of Being A Woman’ by Alice von Hildebrand]
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‘An Enormous Crime: The Definitive Account Of American POWs Abandoned In Southeast Asia’ by Hendon and Stewart; ‘Standard Operating Procedure’ by Gourevitch and Morris; various anti-military clippings and newsletters; ‘Legalizing Misandry’ by Nathanson and Young
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Well, there you have it: two small sections of my biggest bookcase. Man, if those subjects were a map, I’d be all over it!

I hope you enjoyed the tour. Donations to feed my reading habit are gladly accepted. Send your books to:

Stephen T. McCarthy
Florence State Prison
P.O. Box 629; Cell 29
Florence, AZ. 85132

I’ll get caught breaking and entering and be there soon enough.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS:

My friend Br’er Mark turned me on to a new blogger, and what I have thus far read of his two blogs, I dig this dude’s writing a lot! Not only is he funny, but when it comes to political reality, he appears to know the gig! Please take a look at his blogs and see if it’s your cup of sake.

‘Barquedust’s Babbleon’

‘The Conspiracy Exposed’

And that’s not all! My buddy DiscConnected recently posted a new blog bit titled “Of John Lennon, Thomas Jefferson And Buster Douglas” which you MUST read! So read it, and start following his blog, too. Two great blogs (well, three, actually) that go great together!

It’s not too late, People! We can save our Republic yet!
(Ha! Well, not really, but what the hell – fat, stupid and tomatoless is no way to go through life, son. Drunk? Well… a man’s gotta do something to keep warm.)

Roddy McDowally Yours,

~ Stephen T. McCarthy
D-FensDogg of the ‘Loyal American Underground’

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