REGISTERED REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS HAVE WEAKER MINDS (Or, IRONY 101: THE TINFOIL HATTERS ARE SMARTER’N YOU!)

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PHOTO WITH CAPTION:

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ARE CONSPIRACY THEORISTS REALLY THE SANE ONES?

University Study Shows They Are More Well-Grounded Than Others 

by Gina Loudon

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First thing, I want to say, why does World Net Daily pay Gina Loudon to write articles like this while I post blog bits for free in my spare time when not busting my ass at jobs I hate?

Oh, yeah, that’s right. ...Because I don’t LOOK like Gina Loudon.

Alright, ‘Sex Appeal Rant’ off-my-chest now, let’s move on to the Main Event. This time I’m gonna keep it short ‘n’ sweet. Yeah, that’s right – YOU, with the skeptical look on yer mug! – you heard me right! I’m gonna keep it “short ‘n’ sweet”. Why? Because I’m working graveyard shifts now to make poor loose ends meet, and as soon as I finish this rye-based beer, I’m gonna get my busted ass to bed! (Beer? Hey, it may be “Breakfast Time” to you, but it’s late night cereal to me! “The Breakfast Of Champions” to me!)

Back on topic...

The other day, I came across a surprising article posted on World Net Daily. Well, it might be “surprising” to some of you, but it certainly wasn’t to me. Even without the psychological studies, I had already figured out many years ago that those who entertain the possibility of conspiracies when formulating their government/world views are brighter’n those who don’t. Why? Lots of reasons. Here are a few of them:

1: Research into World and American History proves that “Conspiracy” is the rule and NOT the exception. (Wasn’t the founding of our own country a conspiracy against the King of Eeekland?)

2: People who out-of-hand deny the possibility of major conspiracies secretly fear having to face the fact that they are not in control of their own lives because the world is being ruled by evil geniuses who are more devious and more powerful than they are.

3: After many decades of dogmatically holding to a particular worldview or political paradigm, for a person to admit that they were not just wrong but very, Very, VERY wrong about the way the world works, is simply too injurious to the individual’s ego. It is easier to laugh and poke fun at the people who have discovered the truth than it is to accept that truth and, with it, acknowledge one’s limited intelligence and powers of perception.

[ADDED BONUS: I have beat hell out of everyone who ever challenged my ‘New World Order’ conspiracy viewpoint. That should count for sumpin’, eh?]

I never needed any psychiatrist / psychologist to teach and verify for me the above three points. They were just “self-evident”.

Of course, I’m not saying that all conspiracies were “created equal”. A person needs to be aware that in their studies they will frequently encounter misinformation and disinformation (disinformation = deliberate misinformation promulgated by powerful people, and governments run by powerful people). However, after about 20 years of serious study (as I have under my own belt), it’s safe to say that a person acquires an almost “Sixth Sense” regarding that shit stuffs and can smell “Disinformation” almost immediately, even through their eyes and ears.

Below are some paragraphs excerpted from the aforementioned article:

Two recent studies published in American Behavioral Scientist seem to support evidence that the brains of “conspiricists” work differently than the brains of conventional thinkers.

Psychologist Laurie Manwell of the University of Guelph said that conventional thinkers are unable to process information that conflicts with their pre-existing belief and then integrate it into their hypotheses of possible outcomes.

University of Buffalo professor Steven Hoffman agrees.

He says conventional thinkers and those who reject possibilities labeled as conspiracy are simply prey to “confirmation bias,” similar to Festinger’s cognitive dissonance. They actively seek out only information that confirms their prior conventional beliefs.

The label of “conspiracy theorist,” according to Hoffman, aids in an irrational mechanism of labeling to avoid having to integrate contrary information that might cause mental or emotional tension for the weaker mind. That would explain the anger and hostility at those who present other theories that don’t integrate well.

On the WND website, numerous readers posted comments below the article excerpted above. Here are a few of my favorites:

EMIRCITNA

CONSPIRACY THEORIST is a THINKING person who has the ability to add 2+2 and come up with 4 as an answer, while those that laugh at them fully depend on the media to do their addition ....FOR THEM!!!!!

Syl

That explains why no talk show will even discuss the BIRTH CERTIFICATE.

William Mdcannold Jr.

Well boy howdy! Bless the researchers’ little hearts! Wasn't it greasy Dick Nixon and his cohort Kissinger who COVERTLY sucked up to mass murdering communist dictator Mao to open the door of commerce with China (the result being the loss of tens of millions of American's jobs)? What a grandiose funeral the bankers, corporations and New World Order operatives gave greasy Dick while an ignorant majority of our citizens gushed and grieved.

Wasn't it Slick Willy who proposed management authority for our Port of Long Beach to the Chinese?

Wasn't it G.W. 'Shrub' Bush who attempted to turn operational management of our East Coast seaports over to his Arab pals Dubai Ports World - as payback for a screw job he gave them in turning his promise of (their) off-shore oil into dry holes?

How about the blatant piracy and exploitation perpetrated upon Third-World peoples by the American 'corporatocracy' - which includes the above plus other presidents, numerous government 'officials', bankers and corporations? The list goes on practically forever! These are only a very few of the tactics put into play by traitors from within.

Yup, I'm a crazy old uncle. I've been after my bunch (among others) for at least twenty years with the truth. They're beginning to listen. I've hopes they will soon manage to stand and become pro-active patriots. They won't have long to get it done! With all the evidence we have seen and gathered about the elitist, global attack on our nation (they) have the temerity to call we patriots conspirators! I have friends from Kenya who know so much more about our nation and the truth, it is, well, ...words just don't suffice!

If you want to read the entire article (and I, as an intelligent conspiracy-aware individual, think you SHOULD), click the title link below:

ARE CONSPIRACY THEORISTS REALLY THE SANE ONES?

University Study Shows They Are More Well-Grounded Than Others

 ~ Stephen T. McCarthy

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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‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS’ #5 (Or, ‘NAT VS. VAN VS. D'MODE’)

Republican Vs. Democrat, Male Vs. Female, War Vs. Peace, Light Vs. Dark, Good Vs. Evil, Man Vs. Machine, Love Vs. Hate, Dog Vs. Cat, Sun Vs. Moon, Brain Vs. Brawn, Oscar Vs. Grammy, Angel Vs. Demon, Laurel Vs. Hardy, Beer Vs. Wine, TV Vs. Radio, Pitcher Vs. Batter, Paper Vs. Plastic, Reality Vs. Fantasy, Yeshua Vs. Beelzebub, Conservative Vs. Liberal, You Vs. Me, House Vs. Senate, Offense Vs. Defense, Kramer Vs. Kramer, Spy Vs. Spy, Fischer Vs. Spassky, W.C. Fields Vs. Sobriety, Harold Gimpy, Jr. Vs. Sheldon J. Pismire, Rock Vs. Paper Vs. Scissors, Islam Vs. Everything, Singer Vs. Singer, Band Vs. Band...

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THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  BANDS!

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Shoop-Shooby –

Shooby-duh-Dooby-Doop-Dooby-Dooby-Doo-Wah –

Buh-Doo-Wah!
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EUGENE  MARTONE  VS.  JACK  BUTLER

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Yes, it’s time once again for ‘Battle Of The Bands’ (BOTB). 

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When I was a kid, it would have been perfectly safe for me to bet my “two dollars!” earned as a paperboy on the proposition that at some point during every family road trip, my Pa would begin singing the song ‘(Get Your Kicks On) ROUTE 66’.

My Pa was a big fan of Nat “King” Cole, and one of Nat’s biggest hits was the song written by Bobby Troup which celebrated ‘America’s Main Street’ or “the mother road” as John Steinbeck referred to it in his famous book ‘The Grapes Of Wrath’.

Songwriter Bobby Troup was traveling on Route 66 in 1946 with his wife, when she inspired him to begin writing a song about the highway. A few days after arriving at the Western end of The Route in Los Angeles, Troup managed an interview with his “idol” Nat King Cole. He played some of his original music for Cole and then said he had another song that he wasn’t quite finished writing yet. Old “King” Cole asked Troup to play it, after which Cole said it was great and that he wanted “to record it right away”. And Bobby Troup was quickly ‘on the map’ with a song that has become a genuine classic about a highway that has become a genuine piece of true ‘Americana’.

In the fantastic and fascinating “coffee table book” that sits on one of my bookshelves, ‘ROUTE 66: The Mother Road’ by Michael Wallis, published in 1990 by St. Martin’s Press (you catch that, Robin?), songwriter Bobby Troup is quoted as saying: “Years after I wrote it, I’d run into Nat ‘King’ Cole and he’d tell me the same thing, that out of all his music, out of all the many tunes he recorded, the song that was more requested than any other was ‘Get Your Kicks On Route 66’. That always made me feel good.”

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WILL  ROGERS  HIGHWAY  Dedication  Plaque:  No,  That's  Not  Me;  And,  Yes,  That  Blue  Strip  Beyond  The  Fence  Is  The  Pacific  Ocean.

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http://loukenroute66trip2010.blogspot.com/

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Technically, the Santa Monica Pier is not the real end of Route 66. Route 66 ends a block away from the pier at the intersection of Santa Monica Boulevard and Ocean Avenue. The Will Rogers Highway Dedication Plaque is across the street from here in Palisades Park - the real end of Route 66. Ah, but the pier is close enough to count!

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GODZILLA  VS.  KING  KONG

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Having grown up in Santa Monica, California, I passed that “End Of ROUTE 66 Dedication Plaque” a godzillian times while strolling through Palisades Park (where the famous Christmas Nativity Scenes used to be displayed every December until the atheists converged and rained on everyone’s parade).

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ROUTE 66, the road, is as “American” as Mother, Apple Pie, Lady Liberty, and WalMart. (Uhm... scratch that last one, eh?) And ROUTE 66, the song, has become one of the most covered tunes of all time.

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Wikipedia on the road:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_66

Wikipedia on the song:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Route_66_%28song%29

If you ever plan to motor West
Travel my way, take the highway that's the best
Get your kicks on Route 66

It winds from Chicago to L.A.
More than two-thousand miles all the way
Get your kicks on Route 66.

Now you go through Saint Louie
Joplin, Missouri
And Oklahoma City looks mighty pretty
You'll see Amarillo
Gallup, New Mexico
Flagstaff, Arizona; don't forget Winona
Kingman, Barstow, San Bernardino

Won't you get hip to this timely tip
When you make that Cal-i-fornia trip
Get your kicks on Route 66 
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Here’s an interesting little ROUTE 66 trivia question I invented: Q: Can you tell me why Bobby Troup wrote “DON’T FORGET Winona”? A: Because the song mentions cities / towns going from East to West. Winona is East of Flagstaff, so Troup was backtracking to name Winona, which he had already passed when he mentioned Flagstaff.

In my lifetime (thus far), I have been in 10 of the 12 cities / towns mentioned in the song ‘ROUTE 66’. (I’ve never seen Joplin, MO. nor Gallup, N.M. – I did, however, fall in love once, in 45 minutes, with a waitress in a Santa Fe café.)

I’m an old, cranky dude now, but back in 1986 when I was young and (sorta) semi-cool, I went on a big road trip with my buddy Pooh, which we named ‘The Show No Emotion In A Big Way Tour’ (think about that oxymoron). There are still some bits and pieces of the old ROUTE 66 that exist in this country, despite 66 having been bypassed by later superhighway constructions.

On ‘The Show No Emotion In A Big Way Tour’ of ’86, Pooh and I deliberately took a little extra time to drive a ribbon of the original Route 66 highway that exists just North of I-40 in Airheadzona between Kingman and Seligman (get out yer road atlas – we were traveling West to East). This was years before I made the bad decision to move to Airheadzona, and Pooh made the good decision to stay employed at U.C.L.A. We stopped long enough on Route 66 (once, near the town of Hackberry) to take a few pictures, and below are two of them:

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My  Buddy,  MUDDY,  In  The  Middle  Of  ROUTE  66,  Airheadzona,  1986.

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Semi-Cool  Dudes:  Stephen  T.  McCarthy  And  Muddy  Thumbin'  A  Ride  On  Old  ROUTE 66,  Airheadzona,  1986.

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In 1972, the Eagles name-checked a Route 66 town that Bobby Troup had neglected in ’46, when they sang in their first Top 40 hit ‘Take It Easy’: “Standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona, such a fine sight to see; it’s a girl, my Lord, in a flat-bed Ford, slowin’ down to take a look at me”.

And, yep, I’ve stood on a corner in Winslow, Arizona, too – although no girl ever slowed down to take a look at me. [“Pray for Winslow!”]

Alright, let’s get to the songs! This time my BOTB contest is a ménage à trois (thanks for the “trinspiration”, Sheboyganbrother Six!). I may not use more than two versions of a song ever again in future BOTB blog bits, but this one was just too hard to resist because all three versions are so completely, astoundingly different from the others!

Vote for the version you like best...

First up is the original 1946 Jazz trio recording by NAT “KING” COLE:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCeGi6a-eK4

Below is the 1965 nearly proto-Punk “Garage” band version by Ireland’s THEM featuring Van Morrison on lead vocals:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5OnXil3GLY

And 3 of 3 (which adds up to 6) in our ROUTE 66 ‘Battle Of The Bands’ competiton is the synth-driven version by DEPECHE MODE from 1987:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zoLxLx5IUg

Please decide which of the above 3 versions you like best BEFORE you click on the link below. After all, "If you don't eat yer meat, you can't have any pudding! How can you have any pudding if you don't eat yer meat?!"

Thanks to Sheboyganboy Six, I am able to share with you what I consider to be one of the best music videos ever shot. I’m not necessarily saying that the Depeche Mode version of ‘Route 66’ is my favorite of the 3 (maybe yes, maybe no – you’ll learn my choice on Oct. 7^TH), but I do think this video, with all the vintage Route 66 signs and locations, is totally A-list! (However, that final shot is definitely NOT the spot where Route 66 ended in Santa Monica, California.)

Come Back Later And Click Me:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVE2oDSAOPo

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RIDDLER  VS.  BATMAN

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I welcome EVERYONE to vote for your favorite of these songs in the comment section below. And feel free to tell us WHY you chose one song over the other. (NOTE: Comment Moderation is activated. All submitted comments that do not transgress "Ye Olde Comment Policy" will be posted as soon as possible. Thanks for taking the time to comment.)

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After voting here, I suggest - actually I insist - you pop over to FAE’s ‘Far Away Series’ and Arlee Bird’s ‘Tossing It Out’ blogs to see which songs they have chosen and vote there also. (If their BOTB blog bits aren’t posted yet, pour yourself two shots of ‘Grand Marnier’ over ice – do it twice – and then return to ‘Far Away Series’ and ‘Tossing It Out’ to vice your voice ...vote your vice ...voice your vote.)

Voice Your Vote @ ‘FAR AWAY SERIES’ by clicking HERE.

Voice Your Vote @ ‘TOSSING IT OUT’ by clicking HERE.

Find The True Meaning Of Christmas: Win Money!-Money!-Money! Spectacular, Super-Colossal Neighborhood Christmas Lights And Display Contest!

Find  The  True  Purpose  For  Voting  On  ‘Battle  Of  The  Bands’  Installments:  Win  Compact  Discs!-Compact Discs!-Compact Discs!  Spectacular,  Super-Colossal  Blogosphere  ‘Battle  Of  The  Bands’  Voting  Contest!

Here’s The Deal: By voting on the ‘Battle Of The Bands’ blog bits here and at the ‘FAR AWAY SERIES’ and ‘TOSSING IT OUT’ blogs, you can win the compact disc of your choice. Every 4 months, FarAwayEyes, Arlee Bird and I will add up how many times you voted on our blogs, and the person who has participated most often (i.e., submitted the most eligible votes) will get to select one compact disc that contains any one of the songs that were included in any of our ‘Battle Of The Bands’ installments (“Super-Colossal” expensive boxed-sets, imports, and ‘out-of-print’ compact discs not included). In the event of a tie, the names will be put in a Stetson and the name drawn from the cowboy hat will win the CD.

Rules For Voting: FAE, Arlee Bird and I post new ‘Battle Of The Bands’ blog bits on the 1st and 15th of each month. We also post our own personal votes for the respective blog bits on the 7th and 21st of each month (i.e., six days later). For your vote to be counted, it must be submitted in our comment sections BEFORE we post our own votes (BEFORE we make our own votes known on the 7th and the 21st).

Every 4 months there will be a new compact disc winner. In other words, ‘Battle Of The Bands’ #1 was posted on August 1, 2013, so at the end of November, one of you lucky voters is going to win a CD that includes one of the songs we’ve featured in our ‘Battle Of The Bands’ installments (you get to choose, and it doesn’t matter if the song won or lost its battle – if you like it, it’s YOURS!)

Alright, now... VOTE ON and ROCK ON! (while we 

‘Count On...’)

~ Stephen T. McCarthy

POSTSCRIPT: If you are a blogger participating in the BOTB posts but are not involved in the vote-counting for the compact disc prize, please be sure to mention your BOTB blog bit in my Comment Section, so that others (including li’l ol’ me) will know to visit your blog and cast a vote.

Links To Previous 'BOTB' Installments:

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS’ NUMBER 1 (Or, ‘BEBEL VS. BEBEL’)

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS’ NUMBER 2 (Or, ‘FLEETWOOD MAC VS. THE ROCKETS’)

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS’ #3 (Or, ‘THE BEATLES VS. BRIAN AUGER AND TRINITY’)

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS’ #4 (Or, ‘BROADWAY HAIR VS. HOLLYWOOD HAIR’)

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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LEARN ABOUT YOUR COUNTRY’S CONSTITUTION (Or, SEMI-STREAM O’ CONSCIOUSNESS BLOGGIN’; Or Or, TWO 4 ONE BOOK REVIEWS)

Bloggin’, bloggin’, bloggin’

Gotta keep on bloggin’
Keep them blog bits postin’

Blog on!

I'm late, I'm late

For a very important post

No time to say “Hello” - good-bye

I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!

As I type these words, I’m listening to the album ‘THE ART OF TEA’ by Michael Franks, which naturally made me think about the U.S. Constitution and how our nation has totally derailed solely because We The Sheeple were not diligent in holding our elected scumbags to their oath of office:

I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter, so help me Beelzebub in my endeavors to deceive and destroy America in your name.

~ Congressional Oath Of Office

Actually, that IS the Oath Of Office our elected scumbags take. I stand corrected.

I can barely keep my eyes open, and my mental exhaustion will undoubtedly contribute to the dreamscape, semi-stream of consciousness style of this blog bit. However, if you think about it just a little bit, you will make a couple o’ connections between the references.

I sat down in this chair with the idea of composing an original review for a book about the Constitution that I would recommend to EVERY American. But the fact of the matter is that it’s getting late as I type these words in Phoenix, Airheadzona, and I am too tired (from learning myriad details of a new [old] job) to think straight enough to compose something new, creative and worth your time to read.

So, like all of our presidents and congressmen – Dumb-O-Crat AND Repugnantcan alike – I am going to “fake it”. What do I mean? How the hell would I know? Didn’t I just tell you how mentally wiped out I am?

No. Wait. Don’t go away – I has an answer:

What I mean is, I’m going to re-post an old review I wrote for a different book related to the U.S. Constitution, and then I’m going to tell you, “Now, go read ‘THE POLITICALLY INCORRECT GUIDE TO THE CONSTITUTION’ by Kevin R. C. Gutzman, J.D., Ph.D. (2007)” Are you with me so far?

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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars

A REVIEW IN THE VOID... OID... OId...Oid... oid...

March 1, 2005

By STEPHEN T. McCARTHY

As of this date, on the Amazon.lib website there are 3,039 reviews posted for the book ‘THE DA VINCI CODE’, 900 reviews posted for the compact disc 'The Marshall Mathers Lp' by EMINEM, 48 reviews for ‘LAW & ORDER - The First Season DVD set’, and 13 postings on ‘QUEER EYE FOR THE STRAIGHT GUY’, a DVD that doesn't even exist yet. But ‘WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS’, the late Congressman Lawrence McDonald's exceptional analysis of the U.S. Constitution has been entirely ignored until now. I can't say that this surprises me, nor can I say how this nauseates me... because there are no words to describe the depth of my disgust! This comparison paints a perfect portrait of America 2005! If anybody should EVER happen to read this: I think we're all alone in the world, you and I.

If you've actually read the U.S. Constitution and come away thinking it was an enigma because American legislation doesn't seem to jibe with what you read, you can be sure that there's nothing wrong with your powers of comprehension. It's just that our entire way of life is now un-Constitutional; meanwhile the Hounds of Socialism run freely through our house, howling.

"The American constitutional system was not perfect," says McDonald, "but it was the most nearly perfect political arrangement ever devised by men." Notice how he speaks in the past tense.

"The United States is a nation governed by those who believe that more government is the solution to mankind's problems. In seeking 'solutions' they often ignore the law of the land - the United States Constitution, a document they swore to uphold... What is the proposed solution? More government, additional tax revenue, and fewer liberties. . . Un-Constitutional United States Supreme Court rulings have enthusiastically approved each violation of the law of our land. The Court has used the equal protection and due process clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment to usurp power, justify new and unlawful Federal programs, and to impose on the people... destructive mandates, programs and decisions of the Court's own making."

McDonald clearly illustrates how the Bill Of Rights (intended to be imposed strictly upon the Federal government) has been inverted by Judicial activists, and is now (illegally) used as a battering ram and club against the states.

This small but information-packed book covers "Religion And The First Amendment", "Manipulating The Economy", "Subsidizing The World", "Social Security", "Restoring The Constitution" and everything in-between. It also includes the full texts of THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE and THE U.S. CONSTITUTION.

Lawrence McDonald, a strict Constitutionalist and conservative Democrat from Georgia, served in the House Of Representatives from 1975 until he was murdered in 1983 along with 268 other passengers aboard Korean Airlines Flight 007, by a Russian air-to-air missile over the Sea Of Japan.

To anyone who wants to understand our Constitution and how it was designed to safeguard our personal liberties, I highly recommend this reprint of McDonald's 1976 book, which he over-optimistically dedicated "To the coming generation of Americans, with the prayer that they will restore the Constitutional principles we have abandoned, protect the freedoms we have neglected, and preserve the Republic we have almost lost."

Who am I talking to?

HELLO!...ELLo...ELlo...Ello...ello...

IS THERE ANYBODY OUT THERE?...AIR...AIr...Air...air...

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful 

I'M HERE

December 7, 2007

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By "FREDERIC BASTIAT"

I haven't actually read this book, but I just wanted to respond to your petition, is there anybody out there...

I'm here.

I love Larry McDonald. However I'm not so sure it was a missile that was his doom... I'm not so convinced Flight 007 was not forced landed and he was taken captive... evidence seems to suggest that was the case.

I agree entirely with your perspective on the Constitution and America... but if it's any consolation to you, I'm in my twenties...  and I care.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkdSbN5ov8w

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Now, go read ‘THE POLITICALLY INCORRECT GUIDE TO THE CONSTITUTION’ by Kevin R. C. Gutzman, J.D., Ph.D. (2007)

[I have only one seriously negative remark to make about an (astonishingly egregious, hard-to-believe) “oversight” in Kevin Gutzman’s otherwise excellent book. Someone, post a comment in my comment section and ask me, “What did Gutzman overlook?” and I will tell ya ‘bout that six hundred and sixty-six leaf four-leaf clover he overlooked.]

All these Rolls Royce hip

Roll down the Sunset Strip

Just like pharaohs down the Nile

Sometimes I just forget to smile

Dog bites, lost kites

He says “Thanks” but he never says “Please”

We both shave and we jump waves

He never has much skin on his knees

You know he’s got the habit now

For Peter Rabbit now

And Disney crocodiles

Sometimes I just forget to smile

~ Stephen T. McCarthy

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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SYRIA; THE PETRODOLLAR; AND BAD, BAD TIMIN’ (Or, I’VE BEEN CALLED ON THE CARPET)

On September 14^TH, I posted a two-part blog bit, the first installment titled WHO ARE THE “GOOD GUYS”? (Or, THERE ARE NO “WHITE” HATS WHERE YOU FIND OIL) – PART 1 OF 2.

It seems a couple of my ‘Magnificent Seven’ thought it deserved more time front-‘n’-center on my blog. I guess I dun gud, but I had bad, bad timin’...

I have only one complaint - why on earth did you post it on the 14th, the day before you knew you would be putting up the next BOTB ('BATTLE OF THE BANDS')? This two-parter is far too important to get buried. I know the people you were writing it for would look for it, and most of your regulars will also scroll back, but on the chance someone else would have run across it up there front and center, I do wish you would have waited, and left it as the last thing posted for a little while.

~ FarAwayEyes

Yo, McCarthy, don't you know how a mullet's supposed to work? It's supposed to be business in the front, party in the back. Not the other way around. I almost missed these two very important posts with the BotB "party" up front!

~ Brother Beer Boy Bryan

I replied to 4-B with this:

Yours is the second complaint I've received about that. I knew it was BAD timing at the time I posted it, but I was behind on my promise to "deliver the goods", and decided to post it then (rather than wait even longer), knowing it would quickly be covered by 'HAIR'. ("Uhp! I'm an idiot!") Guess I'll have to do sumpthing about the overgrowth.

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"SHE'S  SO  HEAVY"

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You know, since “timing is everything”, we all hope to have good, good timin’:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZactwwLkIqc

But sometimes our timin’ ain’t what we’d wish.

In the process of ‘calling me on the carpet’, 4-B Old Soul linked me to a pretty good video, which I have added below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFG4BFoANnA

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LOOKING  FOR  A  FEW  GOOD  MEN  TO  PROTECT  THE  RACKET

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Don't you ever get tired?
Don't you ever want to quit?
Yeah, it's been a long time
And you still don't fit

Dog tags on the mirror
Hangin' down from a chain
Give up little sister
This ain't gonna change

Yeah, and that little girl you used to know
Just don't come around no more
Now she ain't there to watch the door
She don't wanna die in no liquor store

I hope they all made money, I hope they all get rich
Yeah, I hope they give hell to every son-of-a-bitch
That put a man on the carpet or stuck him out on the line
Whatever let him get a taste of the criminal life 
~ Tom Petty
‘The Criminal Kind’
from the album ‘Hard Promises’ (1981)

In an effort to improve my bad, bad timin’, I am posting a link to my too-quickly buried two-part blog bit ‘bout (Bush ‘n’ ‘Bama’s) bullshit. Read it... or miss it for the second time.

WHO ARE THE “GOOD GUYS”? (Or, THERE ARE NO “WHITE” HATS WHERE YOU FIND OIL) – PART 1 OF 2

~ Stephen T. McCarthy

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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‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS’ #4 (Or, ‘BROADWAY HAIR VS. HOLLYWOOD HAIR’)

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Republican Vs. Democrat, Male Vs. Female, War Vs. Peace, Light Vs. Dark, Good Vs. Evil, Man Vs. Machine, Love Vs. Hate, Dog Vs. Cat, Sun Vs. Moon, Brain Vs. Brawn, Oscar Vs. Grammy, Angel Vs. Demon, Laurel Vs. Hardy, Beer Vs. Wine, TV Vs. Radio, Pitcher Vs. Batter, Paper Vs. Plastic, Reality Vs. Fantasy, Yeshua Vs. Beelzebub, Conservative Vs. Liberal, You Vs. Me, House Vs. Senate, Offense Vs. Defense, Kramer Vs. Kramer, Spy Vs. Spy, Fischer Vs. Spassky, W.C. Fields Vs. Sobriety, Harold Gimpy, Jr. Vs. Sheldon J. Pismire, Rock Vs. Paper Vs. Scissors, Islam Vs. Everything, Singer Vs. Singer, Band Vs. Band...

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THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  BANDS!

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Shoop-Shooby –

Shooby-duh-Dooby-Doop-Dooby-Dooby-Doo-Wah –

Buh-Doo-Wah!

Yes, it’s time once again for ‘Battle Of The Bands’ (BOTB). 

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EUGENE  MARTONE  VS.  JACK  BUTLER

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Some of us have a "special treat" for ya (or "special aural-aggravation", Sheboyganboy Six). The three of us who are counting votes for the BOTB compact disc award, agreed beforehand to adhere to a particular theme in BOTB #4. So, you better get yer ‘Psychedelic’ on!

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In 1968, the controversial Broadway musical ‘HAIR’ became a national sensation. Controversial? Did you not hear about the full-frontal male nudity?

I can no longer recall how I learned about ‘HAIR’, and it’s now astounding to me that my parents actually purchased the Broadway musical soundtrack for me on Licorice Pizza (LP). Apparently they were not aware that some lyrics referred to sodomy and fellatio. And I was too young (circa 1970) to know what those words meant.

It now seems that almost EVERYONE owned that Broadway musical soundtrack album back then. (I still remember being a paperboy and collecting from a client, and while waiting for him/her [don’t ask, ‘cause I won’t tell!] to return to the front door with my “Two Dollars!”, I noticed the famous green and red cover of the album stacked against a wall in the living room.)

Man, I played the hell outta ‘HAIR’! And way back then, as a pre-teen, I was popular for being able to recite the lyrics to the song ‘Colored Spade’. Not because my friends were anti-Black racists (they WEREN'T!), but just because they thought the words were funny (and they still kinda are). 

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GODZILLA  VS.  KING  KONG

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When I got older and began attending parties, I started to notice that every host with the most, or hostess with the mostest, all had the Broadway soundtrack to ‘HAIR’ in their record collections. It made me feel kinda with ‘The “In” Crowd’.

In the Comment Section of my blog bit titled SINGING AMERICAN REVOLUTION, I explained how the group The 5^TH Dimension stumbled upon their biggest #1 Billboard hit song ‘Aquarius’, from the Broadway play ‘Hair’. Although I LOVE The 5^TH Dimension, this blog bit is not about them nor the song ‘Aquarius’.

Included on the Broadway play soundtrack for ‘HAIR’ is the song ‘EASY TO BE HARD’, sung by Lynn Kellogg. Let’s listen to it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2h3WtOVndWk

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ANDY  WARHOL'S  'STEPHEN  J.  McDANIELS'

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In 1979, eleven years later (it went “Up To Eleven!”), ‘HAIR’ was released as a major Hollywood motion picture directed by Milos Forman. The movie featured Treat Williams as ‘George Berger’ and John Savage as ‘Claude Bukowski’. In the Hollywood version, it was Cheryl Barnes who sang the song ‘EASY TO BE HARD’.

Listen to the later cover and then vote, in my Comment Section, for the version you prefer: Broadway (Lynn Kellogg) Vs. Hollywood (Cheryl Barnes)...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xblrRy64DoE

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I welcome EVERYONE – whether I know you or not -  to vote for your favorite of these two songs in the comment section below. And feel free to tell us WHY you chose one song over the other. (NOTE: Comment Moderation is activated. All submitted comments that do not transgress "Ye Olde Comment Policy" will be posted as soon as possible. Thanks for taking the time to comment.)

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After voting here, I suggest - actually I insist - you pop over to FAE’s ‘Far Away Series’ and Arlee Bird’s ‘Tossing It Out’ blogs to see which songs they have chosen and vote there also. (If their BOTB blog bits aren’t posted yet, pour yourself two shots of ‘Grand Marnier’ over ice – do it twice – and then return to ‘Far Away Series’ and ‘Tossing It Out’ to vice your voice ...vote your vice ...voice your vote.)

Voice Your Vote @ ‘FAR AWAY SERIES’ by clicking HERE.

Voice Your Vote @ ‘TOSSING IT OUT’ by clicking HERE.

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RIDDLER  VS.  BATMAN

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Find The True Meaning Of Christmas: Win Money!-Money!-Money! Spectacular, Super-Colossal Neighborhood Christmas Lights And Display Contest!

Find The True Purpose For Voting On ‘Battle Of The Bands’ Installments: Win Compact Discs!-Compact Discs!-Compact Discs! Spectacular, Super-Colossal Blogosphere ‘Battle Of The Bands’ Voting Contest!

Here’s The Deal: By voting on the ‘Battle Of The Bands’ blog bits here and at the ‘FAR AWAY SERIES’ and ‘TOSSING IT OUT’ blogs, you can win the compact disc of your choice. Every 4 months, FarAwayEyes, Arlee Bird and I will add up how many times you voted on our blogs, and the person who has participated most often (i.e., submitted the most eligible votes) will get to select one compact disc that contains any one of the songs that were included in any of our ‘Battle Of The Bands’ installments (“Super-Colossal” expensive boxed-sets, imports, and ‘out-of-print’ compact discs not included). In the event of a tie, the names will be put in a Stetson and the name drawn from the cowboy hat will win the CD.

Rules For Voting: FAE, Arlee Bird and I post new ‘Battle Of The Bands’ blog bits on the 1st and 15th of each month. We also post our own personal votes for the respective blog bits on the 7th and 21st of each month (i.e., six days later). For your vote to be counted, it must be submitted in our comment sections BEFORE we post our own votes (BEFORE we make our own votes known on the 7th and the 21st).

Every 4 months there will be a new compact disc winner. In other words, ‘Battle Of The Bands’ #1 was posted on August 1, 2013, so at the end of November, one of you lucky voters is going to win a CD that includes one of the songs we’ve featured in our ‘Battle Of The Bands’ installments (you get to choose, and it doesn’t matter if the song won or lost its battle – if you like it, it’s YOURS!)

Alright, now... VOTE ON and ROCK ON! (while we 

‘Count On...’)

~ Stephen T. McCarthy

POSTSCRIPT: If you are a blogger participating in the BOTB posts but are not involved in the vote-counting for the compact disc prize, please be sure to mention your BOTB blog bit in my Comment Section, so that others (including li’l ol’ me) will know to visit your blog and cast a vote.

Links To Previous 'BOTB' Installments:

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS’ NUMBER 1 (Or, ‘BEBEL VS. BEBEL’)

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS’ NUMBER 2 (Or, ‘FLEETWOOD MAC VS. THE ROCKETS’)

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS’ #3 (Or, ‘THE BEATLES VS. BRIAN AUGER AND TRINITY’)

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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