Everything Old is New Again!

That's right. Old fashioned statism is rearing its ugly head in a big way. Government officials near and far are asserting control over things that, well, they have no fucking business sticking their noses in. Even Republicans, led astray by the big government, big spending example of G.W. Bush, have left the reservation. Hell, here in Texas, Republican governor Rick Perry recently decided to force every single adolescent girl to be immunized for the HPV virus (yes, I realize that my wording is redundant. I am more anal about these things than you are) as a way to prevent cervical cancer later in life. The "lege" (with a tip of the hat to the late idiot and incompetent writer formerly known as Molly Ivins) is considering a ban on smoking in ALL public places. Even those "public places" on private property. Some Republican - Yes, REPUBLICAN! - state legislator has decided to introduce a bill that would make it a criminal offense to fail to attend a parent - teacher conference. Jesus H. Christ in a Chicken Basket. And this is just the stuff I remember at the moment. On the state level. At this point, it appears that there are two sides of politics: The Big Government "Conservative" (contradiction in terms) that has bought into nanny-statism for whatever reason; and the Big Government Leftist for whom the Nanny State is the norm, they just want to complete the takeover of every aspect of your life.

Heh. Maybe I'm channeling Molly from the opposite political viewpoint. That paragraph above is as poor an example of composition as you will ever see and it reads just about like something Molly would have written, except for the absence of some "home - spun" bullshit idiom.

Well then. I would be madder than a wet hen, except that horse has left the barn.

When Republicans channel Democrats from the Sixties, and Democrats channel Soviets or Nazis, our nation is in serious trouble.

No, that is not an attempt at hyperbole. It's an observation. It's what I see. Ordinary U.S. citizens, for whatever reason, have become either numbed by their prosperity or embittered by their own failures to the point that liberty no longer is a priority. I have an example.

A certain fairly well to do lady, just the other day, pointed out to me that a man I know was going to quit smoking. She was almost gushing about that fact, she was so happy. Thing is, I've known the guy for over a year, and I have never seen him light up a single time. He does not smoke, he was just being an asshole like he always is, stringing her along to fit her prejudices. So, baffled, just going along to get along, I said "Yeah, well, it's getting too expensive. They just raised the tax on a pack of cigarettes by a dollar".

We are all working stiffs, you know. We are the people that the politicians always claim to want to help. A dollar a pack tax is a pretty significant blow to us. If we smoke. But her response was this: "Oh, that's great!"

"What?!? You mean to tell me that you are happy about this?!?" I thought to myself. Here is a rich woman, absolutely rejoicing that the government is going to take more money every time some poor bastard buys cigarettes, in hope that it will influence his behavior.

There is something basically wrong with that attitude. Un-American.

When any person, for whatever reason, rejoices at a tax increase on anyone for any cause, well, that is a sure sign that Liberty as a concept is foreign to that person. Especially if they think it will influence that person's behavior to fit their personal opinions. Basically what she was expressing was that she hates smoking and whatever it takes to make people quit is justified. Even government coercion.

Can you see where this type of attitude has gotten us? If we were to tax every kind of behavior that I find objectionable, a whole hell of a lot of people would be in trouble. We would all be in trouble. I prefer freedom, and that means live and let live. You don't bother me, I won't bother you. If it happens, we'll work it out ourselves. Too many people live in expectation of never being bothered or offended and make it a federal case when they are.

God help us. I hope I die before we lose the rest of our liberties.

God, I Love it So...

Earl Wright at The American Thinker has absolutely nailed it.

He is a NASCAR fan like me. His words:

"NASCAR is a celebration of engineering and ingenuity, when we used to build great things and feel good about ourselves. So what if every racecar is covered with decals marketing everything from beer to floor coverings. Marketing is about capitalism and capitalism is one of the cornerstones of this great country.

Another cornerstone is our faith. Every NASCAR race opens with a prayer - to God. Yes, that God. And people actually remove their caps and are respectful. The prayer is followed by a collective "Amen."

Then it's the National Anthem, usually performed by a recording artist that we've actually heard of. The military personnel in attendance - NASCAR celebrates the military so there are always GIs on hand at every race - salute smartly during the anthem.

About the time the performer hits "...home of the brave," a formation of military aircraft performs a low flyover, sending the fans into a frenzy.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway sits adjacent to the runways of Nellis Air Force Base, home of the Thunderbirds, the U.S. Air Force's Flight Demonstration Team. The Thunderbirds typically do the fly-over for Sunday's ceremonies at the speedway, but those fans who opt to spend the whole weekend at the track are apt to see a copy of every type of aircraft in the U.S. arsenal.

Despite seeing my first B-2 stealth bomber in person on Saturday two years ago while I was sitting in the stands at LVMS, my hands-down favorite aircraft for sheer audacity is the B-1B. Like Rosie, it's big and loud, but unlike the obnoxious TV host, the B1B manages to be beautiful at the same time. What makes it special is that the socialists in Congress tried to abort it, but it survived to fight for freedom.

Once the trappings of the pre-race events are stowed, the Grand Marshal of the event intones, "Gentlemen, start your engines." That and the green-flag start of the race are two of the most decibel straining events in the history of man. Television does not do it justice. It makes your hair stand on end. It really is that loud. As the 43 cars take the green flag and speed into turn one, I raise my fist and shout, "Up yours Al Gore."

The intellectuals on both the right and the left in America often look down their noses at NASCAR Nation, but as I discovered several years ago, these are my people. They are direct descendants of the dreamers, builders and warriors who let nothing stand in their way to offer me what I have today.

To borrow the words of Gen. George Patton, "God I love it so."

To that, I can only say "Hell Yeah!" Sex is good, and I have had a lot of it in my time, but it never felt as good as standing high above turn one when 43 snarling race cars go roaring by at the start of a race. It's absolutely electric, in fact it produces full body goosebumps on grownups. I've seen it, I've experienced it. There is nothing like it.

It's amazing.

When you see that little piece of steel hurtling by at such a high speed, you just think to yourself, "My God, there is a human being in that thing!" And they are on the edge of losing control all of the time. You just don't see it on TV.

The sounds, the flyovers, the people, the whole experience is sensory overload. God, I love it so.