Author Archives: OGHD

Free People Get Along

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Two posts which caught my eye mere minutes apart, thanks to Twitter and the exertions of those more knowledgeable than myself.

The first is from Commentary magazine, “the flagship of neoconservatism.”

Commentary Magazine

The UN will not, in a billion years, fire off so much as a water pistol to help dislodge Qaddafi.  Among UN Security Council Members are China and Russia – autocracies with every reason to see popular liberation movements suffocate.

This is a critical point, and while I had not even considered the slow-moving and short0sighted UN as possibly helping in this instance, neither had I considered the real reasons that nothing will happen on that front.   In that article, the author comes out in the pages of America’s leading … Continue reading →

Is Obama's Policy of Weakness Intentional?

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Face it.  President Obama’s plainly stated view is that the United States is not exceptional, is just another nation among many, has no special role in the world, has no moral authority to use force beyond its borders.  He feels that a uni-polar world is one threatened by the sole superpower, not the rogue states and stateless actors which now abound.   It is not unreasonable to think that his policy decisions would conform to this view, and in fact, be designed to hobble exceptionalist policy now and down the road.

America is presented with multiple crises where desperate people cry for liberation from oppression.  Our involvement would not only help those people, but would help repair our reputation as straight shooters with a plainly stated goal of … Continue reading →

Hal Rogers Must Go

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Why is Hal “laying off Federal employees is bad” Rogers still calling the shots in Appropriations?  It is time for him to stand aside or be shoved.  He can still represent his district, but he is the wrong man at this time to head House Appropriations.  Wrong attitude, wrong priorities.

Hal Rogers is a SIXTEEN TERM Washington big spender whose nickname is the “Prince of Pork”.   I do not begrudge this man his honorable service, but it has come to an end.  He is careening rapidly into the disreputable portion of his career, and we CANNOT AFFORD HAL ROGERS anymore.

Question: If Hal Rogers gets the cane, who would take over the House Committee on Appropriations? 

Answer:  I don’t care.

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Slavery, the Civil War, and States' Rights

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The Civil War was similar to the abortion issue in that you had two opposing sides who disagreed not on the nature of one thing, but on the relative importance of two things. The trap is in arguing about either one of the two things. In abortion it is quite possible to be both pro-choice and pro-life; I think most people are.
Similarly in the Civil War it is quite possible to be pro-States’ rights and pro-human rights; again, I think most people are.
The first struggles of the Civil War were actually the nogotiations nearly 100 years before to hammer out the Constitution. An uneasy negotiated settlement was reached, without which; it is useful to recall, there would have been no United States (the Articles … Continue reading →

This One's For Khaled

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Here’s the man behind Egypt’s revolution:
khaled
This is Khaled Said. He’s not an activist.  He’s not an organizer. He’s dead.

Egyptian police beat him to death.   Don’t go if you can’t hack it.   That picture is a large part of what brought Mubarak low, and continues to reverberate.

So yes, worry about extremists taking over, but do not make the mistake of thinking that the protesters in Egypt are a bunch of idiots led by extremists, or a bunch of extremists themselves. What they are is sick of being abused by an unwanted government. And that’s a good thing, right?

It’s not my revolution, so I don’t get to dedicate it.  Wasn’t … Continue reading →

Response to SandMonkey

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I have placed a response on my own blog, as I am unable to post a long comment on yours:
Sandmonkey article here.

Glad you are well.  This is “afghanmoon” from Twitter, an American who has served in Afghanistan.
I support you brave patriots completely in your quest to free yourself of a government which is no longer acceptable to you.  This is Freedom at its core.  Governments often have a different take, extending from narrow self-interest and love of power on one end, down to an enfeebling paternal “benevolent” dictatorship on the other.  But not as far as allowing the people themselves to actually select their own form and fill of government.

I believe that the involvement of Saudi … Continue reading →

UNM Today: UNM Regrets Duck Pond Incident

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There’s nothing like a little hometown news that’s, well, home-y.

On Saturday, May 22, during what is usually a routine lowering of the water level for cleaning the UNM Duck Pond, a larger than normal amount of sludge caused water levels to decline more rapidly than what was anticipated. As a result, the water level fell too low for some of the fish to survive.

Conservatism — Public Draft

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Conservatives have a serious problem, and it is marketing. There is nothing progressive about the Progressives, who feel that the masses must be forced to act as a limited elite will dictate. Look it up, that is the actual meaning of Progressive.
There is nothing more revolutionary or forward-thinking than a faithful exercise of the awesome rights and responsibilities spelled out in our Constitution, and nothing more backward or tyrannic than the imposition of will upon the many by the few.
Talk of revolution is good. We had one in the late eighteenth century, and I for one am committed to it. So, by the way, is every person who has sworn an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution. Some are more clear on this point … Continue reading →

Settling In

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My new bloghome. I am consolidating to my long-held domain name. Blogger was always good to me, but since there is an engine right under my feet here at home, I figured I’d use it instead. This means that I am learning WordPress. So stand by for changes. That awful typeface up there, for example.