The Demise Of Freedom In America Rant       

We are losing our freedom. Either it is being taken from us or we are blindly giving it away. More likely, it is a combination of both. This trend has been ongoing, relentless, and undeniable since at least Roosevelt’s inaptly named New Deal of the Great Depression days. This, we are told, was but a necessary reaction to the worst economic downturn in American history and extraordinary measures were required lest our nation be destroyed. That has always been the excuse of tyrants and has been employed for thousands of years by those who would enslave populations and destroy freedom. In our case, it has been done with what might be termed a “soft” tyranny. It hasn’t been imposed all at once in one fell swoop as in, for example, a coup in some Latin American or African Third World Shithole. That kind of direct, radical approach would invite instant opposition which would then have to be brutally and permanently suppressed and crushed. In our case, America’s freedoms have been gently but relentlessly stripped away over the decades and it has been so gradual and seemingly benign as to be barely noticed by the average citizen. Those responsible use a strategy which might be termed “incrementalism” or maybe just a, “little bit at a timeism.” Those folks can’t bite off more than they can chew for fear of choking on their own designs and freedom-denying plans and machinations. A little lost freedom here, a little loss of rights there and the population doesn’t even realize what’s happening to them. When and if they finally awaken from their apathetic stupor and become cognizant of the undeniable fact that life has changed drastically for the worse, there’s absolutely nothing they can do about it save wonder what the Hell happened.



Am I suggesting that America is the victim of some vast, hidden evil conspiracy designed to make us less free than at any time since our founding? Am I further suggesting that there exists some hidden cabal at the center of a movement to deny Americans our cherished and precious rights and freedoms? Well, actually – yes. Am I some kind of wigged-out, paranoid conspiracy nut who sees danger and darkness lurking in every corner and behind every tree in the forest? Well, no. I’m sure you’ve heard the old cliché that just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you! This has always been and still is eminently true.



I have identified the conspirators in many past screeds and have provided an appropriate name for them: the LFE (Liberal Fucking Elite). They exist, they are real, and their purpose is to destroy America’s hard fought for freedoms and liberties that have created the freest, most powerful, wealthiest, and most generous nation God ever gave mankind. The LFE is populated by those on America’s extreme Far Left and they despise the United States and all that it symbolizes and represents. They are ultra-elitists and don’t trust the average citizen to run their own lives let alone their own country. They view us as severely retarded children who cannot be trusted to make sound and wise decisions for ourselves but must be forever told what to do regarding every aspect of our lives. Those of the LFE are nothing if not paternalistic.



They view the United States as the central force and cause of all the world’s problems and believe that America is the embodiment of evil incarnate. They don’t recognize such concepts as American Exceptionalism, self-reliance, or rugged individualism. They work feverishly at turning our nation into nothing more than a replica of socialized Western Europe and see Free Market Capitalism as the worst socio-economic system devised in the history of the planet (see The Morality of Free Market Capitalism Rant of 12/1/11). They control most if not all of society’s major institutions. These include but are not limited to things like America’s educational system at all levels, our news media, our entertainment industry, publishing, and our political institutions.



They, therefore, can shape and mold public opinion and popular culture like no other force in the country. These folks and their armies of utter lemmings are those that want to strip Americans of their rights and freedoms. They are the ones that view our Founding Documents – you know, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights – as nothing more than outmoded and useless relics from our horribly unenlightened and brutally flawed past. They certainly have no place in 21st Century America. These are the folks Hell-bent on destroying freedom in our country and they have been far more successful than most of us realize. They are the ones that have turned what was once termed charity into entitlements and dependence. They are the ones determined to see an ever growing, far reaching, and encroaching Big Government as opposed to a limited Constitutional republic that was created by our Founders.



Well, alrighty then. How about just a few examples of this loss of freedom? Enough ranting and raving your paranoid Bullshit of how we’re on the verge of becoming mere slaves to those who would subvert and pervert the freest society that our planet has ever seen? Okay, I believe that I’m up to the challenge. Let’s see, where to start? When is the last time you hopped into your vehicle, fired ‘er up, and took off? If you did not buckle up, then you’ve committed a crime. That’s right, you have just violated the mandatory seat belt statutes and therefore deserve to be justly punished. This, folks, constitutes a loss of freedom. Doesn’t sound like that much of a big deal now does it? Make no mistake – it is. Whatever happened to the concept of choice? When did my freedom to choose whether or not I ought to wear my seat belt get turned over to the State? I remember many years ago when I wasn’t forced to strap myself in and if I didn’t it was a risk I chose to take which in no way interfered with others or placed anyone else in danger.



This may be viewed by many as only a small thing but it is a huge deal. Come on, you might say, I’m over the top here. The government is only trying to keep you safe. After all, it’s really for your own good. Talk about Nanny-Statism and Big Brother, well I guess! What happened to my rights as an individual living in a free country to make my own decisions about what is best for me? It’s gone. Well, you might reply, statistics prove that seat belts help prevent serious injury and death in the case of car accidents so how can you possibly object to the government stepping in and forcing you to comply with what’s deemed in your own best interest? This is the height of paternalism and condescension. It’s obvious that those who instituted the seat belt statutes all those years ago did not trust us ignorant, little people to be mature or wise enough to on our own act safely and prudently. Oh no, we’re just not that capable, intelligent, or imbued with even a modicum of common sense. These decisions must be made for us and be backed by the coercive power of the State. Yeah, I know. It’s just a little thing – except that it isn’t.



The same exact argument can be made for the “helmet laws” governing our behavior when riding bikes or motorcycles. The Nanny-State is forcing these things on me whether I want them or not. Once again, I am not deemed bright or intelligent enough to make this decision for myself or act in my own best interest. No, my freedom of choice has yet again been usurped by Big Brother. My right to make my own decisions and live with the consequences has been purloined by those who are supposedly far better equipped to run my life than I am. This is nothing more than the epitome of arrogance and hubris. I know the risks and dangers of riding without a helmet and I realize that there are those who would consider me a complete fool for not doing so. Since when has being a fool been declared illegal? Since when has been putting myself at risk or in harm’s way been deemed anything but a personal and private decision as long as it impacts no one else? Small things, you say? A loss of freedom no matter how seemingly innocuous is never a small thing. When you look around and add up all of the “small” examples of freedom and choice lost, you’re confronted with the inescapable conclusion that government is trespassing and intruding into areas of our lives where it was never intended to go. Our limited Constitutional republic was never designed to micromanage every aspect of life for our Founders actually trusted the common, ordinary citizen to make wise and prudent decisions for himself and his family. This trust no longer exists and we have become a society ruled from the top down rather than from the bottom up and that never bodes well for individual freedom, choice, or responsibility.



Then, of course, we have the example of one Michael Bloomberg, the diminutive mayor of New York City. The man may be small of stature but he’s possessed of an ego the size of at least Mt. Everest if not the entire Himalayan range. Maybe earning something like 25 billion dollars has a little to do with that because that kind of “green” might just lead to an over-inflated opinion of oneself along with a habit of dictating to others. Perhaps Mayor Mike suffers from what has been termed a Napoleonic Complex or maybe he’s just an egotistical, bossy Son of a Bitch who is used to getting his way and has difficulty when his judgment and decisions are questioned by those “lesser” types he has to put up with and tolerate. Under His Honor’s tenure, the ban on smoking and smokers has been ramped up exponentially to the point that those who indulge in this particular vice are both stigmatized and ostracized. They are treated as outcasts and pariahs and are viewed as anathema by all right-thinking and feeling people.



Well, the argument goes, you know you shouldn’t smoke. After all, it’s bad for you and it puts those around you at risk as well. Yes, that constitutes both the compassionate and common sense argument and reasoning of the anti-smoking mob. There are those out here, however, who object to yet another example of one more instance of a loss of freedom and choice. Smoking is a freedom you ask? Well not anymore but it certainly used to be. In New York City, the “filthy” habit has been banned in all public buildings, government or privately owned. Try lighting up in a restaurant, bar, pool hall, government or private building and the full weight of government as well as public opinion will descend all over your sorry ass like the legendary ton of bricks!



Let’s suppose, for example, that you own a bar-restaurant and you would like your place to be a smoking establishment. Forget it. The law says that you may not – must not – even consider such an option. Hmmmm, you own the restaurant, the building, and the land upon which it is situated. It’s your private property. You pay your taxes and the city inspectors consistently present you with a clean bill of health. You have signs both outside and in your establishment informing patrons that while you appreciate their trade, it is a smoking establishment and they therefore have the option of spending their money elsewhere. As for your employees, they too can find employment elsewhere should the atmosphere at your place of business not be to their liking. Sounds reasonable to me, right? Wrong! You as a private property and business owner are forced to comply with the anti-smoking Nazis whether you agree or not. Congratulations Mayor Mike, for you are now complicit in the destruction of the rights of property owners and the right to own property has been cherished as fundamental since our nation’s inception. It has become so intrusive that smoking is now forbidden outdoors in places like public parks and beaches. Whether you are a smoker or not, this absolutely constitutes a loss of freedom and liberty.



It appears that whatever happens to annoy or offend Mr. Bloomberg at a given moment is then targeted as something the rest of us must never do. He, for example, has a distinct bias against the use of such things as salt and transfats and wherever he can he has prevented their use in the Big Apple. If Mayor Mike says no, then that’s all there is to it. The deed is done, the King has spoken and must be obeyed. Well, it just so happens that I and millions of other Americans enjoy seasoning certain foods with salt and we also agree that some amount of transfats can really stimulate the old taste buds. Well, that’s just too damned bad. New York City’s mayor has declared them verboten and the rest of us will comply whether we agree or not. The Mayor justifies his imperious decisions by claiming that too much salt and the use of transfat constitutes a hazard to our health. Well, isn’t that just so kind, caring, and patronizing?



No discussion of His Majesty would be complete without at least mentioning his latest pet peeve concerning soda consumption. In his bid to help remedy the city’s problem of increased obesity and all of its attendant and related health risks, “Bloomy” has decreed that no New York City resident may consume a carbonated beverage that exceeds sixteen ounces. No Big Gulps for you, my friend! When the Hell is this kind of micromanagement going to end and if it doesn’t where the Hell is it going to lead us? Seriously, Mr. Mayor you must be doing one Hell of a bang-up job as the city’s chief executive if the size of soft drinks can take up so much of your time and attention.



Thanks so much Mayor Mike because it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy knowing you are there to make sure I don’t ingest things that may harm me. I’m obviously incapable of looking after my own health and am too stupid to figure out for myself what constitutes a good and healthy diet. Once again, whatever happened to my right of choice when it comes to what I put into my own body? How about the concept of personal responsibility which has been a major cornerstone of this nation’s character since it was created? No more. We are again being treated like minor children who are not capable of making sound, intelligent decisions for ourselves. Instead, we must trust the government to relieve us from what might be viewed as mature and intelligent behavior and decision-making. This certainly sounds like a further erosion of liberty and choice to me but I am no doubt overreacting. I should probably just sit back, relax, and trust government to act in my own best interest. After all, doesn’t it always do that?



The loss of freedom catalogued thus far may leave people somewhat underwhelmed. After all, in and of themselves they appear to be only minor infringements on our rights as a free and independent people. That kind of thinking and mind-set can only lead to eventual serfdom for the citizens of this nation. Those of the LFE take away freedom in little bits and pieces which can be easily digested by an unaware and apathetic population. Oh, all right, so I can’t consume a thirty-two ounce cup of Coke or Pepsi in New York City and the state forces me to wear seat belts and riding helmets. Most people do not see these types of impositions as anything but minor inconveniences and not as something to get your shorts all in a twist about. This is the way it’s done. It starts with small, seemingly insignificant losses of freedom and over time people will get used to it and view it as just a normal part of life in 21st Century America. An article entitled, “10 Examples(http://endoftheamericandream.com),” provides additional examples of how we have lost even more of these small, insignificant freedoms that most folks really don’t get all that excited about.



In New York State, for instance, activities including wiffle ball, dodge ball, kick ball, and freeze tag are in the process of being banned because of the supposed danger they represent to the kiddies. These activities have been a staple of growing up in America since at least forever and they are quickly becoming no more than fond memories for old farts like me. At a public school in Chicago, the young ‘uns are prohibited from bringing their lunch that mom or dad packed for them at home. Apparently, that responsibility can’t be trusted to the parents any longer because what the Hell do they know about what’s best for their own kids? Furthermore, in Delaware the state authorized the police to tear down a basketball hoop right out of the family’s yard because it was deemed too close to the street. We assume that the offending hoop was privately purchased by the home owner and that no public funding was involved. We can further speculate that the sporting equipment was erected on someone’s private property and presented no hazard or inconvenience to the public at large. This constitutes nothing more than an unwarranted intrusion into the lives of law-abiding, private citizens by an ever more powerful and invasive State that is bent on controlling every aspect of our existence no matter how small or insignificant.



How about an incident that took place in Missouri where two young girls were forced to cease and desist the evil and dangerous practice of selling Girl Scout cookies in their own front yard? Yeah, I can see how these kids obviously represented a clear and present danger to the neighbors and I’m sure everyone out there sleeps better at night secure in the knowledge that Big Brother is being ever vigilant. How about this for an example of how free we are in America today? Go to your local supermarket and try to purchase an incandescent light bulb – the one Edison invented all those years ago. Good luck with that. Now we are forced to buy those far less effective squiggly damned things that, by the way, are filled with mercury. When you break one, an entire Hazmat Team will descend all over your sorry ass to clean up your man-made enviro-hazard and you’ll be charged thousands for the privilege! This doesn’t sound like freedom to me. Yeah, but you’re probably right. These are just little, meaningless things and certainly nothing to get into a snit over.



In a piece entitled, “Freedom in America: Is the Glass Half-Full or Half-Empty?(www.fee.org),” the author posits that more and more of us have come to realize, “that a lot of freedom is missing,” and that, “in the past there were far fewer restrictions on freedom than today.” This is obviously true and no thinking person can deny that fact of life in America today. The key word here is “thinking”. There exist out there far too many Americans who, “rarely think about the government’s innumerable laws and taxes as deprivations of their freedom. They focus on what freedom they still have and regard it as enough.”



This mind-set can only mean one thing and it does not speak well for the future of a free people. It means that the LFE, those on the Far Left, are winning. They are succeeding in stripping us of our freedoms and most Americans do not even notice it let alone object to it. The Left has convinced far too many of us that the government is acting in our best interests and is actually a benign force in our lives. This attitude defeats the entire purpose and meaning of the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. The Founders knew full well that government was NEVER to be trusted and that any government, including the one they created, must be carefully and vigilantly checked and scrutinized. They understood, as we do not today, that government by its very nature will always acquire more and more power for itself at the expense of and to the detriment of individual freedom and liberty. This is the story of world history and it has ever been so. As soon as a population ceases to jealously and vigorously guard its rights and freedom, they are lost never to be regained. Liberty lost is never recovered. In America today, we have become so lazy, fat, happy, and stupid that protecting our precious freedom is just not a priority. It just doesn’t seem to matter anymore as long as Big Brother and the Nanny-State are there to provide for our needs, wants, and desires. This is the end result whenever a population becomes apathetic and complacent and that always destroys freedom.



Author George C. Leef points to a number of instances of freedom lost and an apathetic population not even batting an eye let alone vigorously protesting. For example, the “government punishes merchants if they increase prices too much following a natural disaster. Hardly any Americans object that this deprives merchants (not to mention consumers) of freedom.” Additionally, the “government dictates that only certain kinds of light bulbs may be used in the future. Americans offer hardly a peep of protest.” Leef reminds us that, “the government makes it illegal to drive a car unless the driver and passengers are buckled in. Are any of the politicians who supported the law voted out of office? No.” Finally, the author points out that the, “government forces banks to make mortgage loans to people who would not qualify for one under prudent lending practices,” and notes that there is nary a complaint about that attack on freedom. Remember the whole sub-prime mortgage debacle that ushered in America’s most severe economic recession? Sure you do. Folks, our nation is in big trouble and it is morphing into something never intended by the Founders who absolutely knew how precious and fragile freedom and liberty truly are. For them to realize that at some future date, Americans would fail to appreciate and honor the sacrifices made by their generation would have them spinning in their graves. We have wasted and squandered their magnificent legacy and in the end we have no one to blame but ourselves.



There are many out there who recognize the perils to freedom described thus far including a fellow named “Spease.” He wrote a piece entitled, “What is Freedom in America?(http://spease.hubpages.com),” in which he correctly posits that, “the U.S. government is now trying to take control of many of the areas of our life, and taking away our liberty, and our freedom to make our own decisions.” The author opines that, “the Obama administration is not taking their powers from the consent of the governed, they are telling us that we are not smart enough to debate the issues of health care, global warming, etc. They are telling us that they know better than we do what is best for us. They want to take away your freedom to do what you want.” This is the LFE, folks. This is full-blown, unfettered Liberalism run completely amok. “Spease” correctly notes that the government is, “forcing people to buy health insurance and fining them if they don’t.” Furthermore, we are forced, “to pay huge increases in costs for energy to line the pockets of a few people in the name of saving the planet from something that many prominent scientists don’t even think exist, or don’t think it has any effect on the temperature of the earth.” Well, here are two crucially important issues that effect each and every American each and every day and yet the vast majority of us do not associate either with the concept of freedom or choice.



Nothing could be further from the truth. Health care, for example, has everything to do with freedom especially as it relates to how we live our lives and the decisions we make regarding the quality of life we choose. Up until Obamacare was rammed down our throats by the Tyrant-Wannabe and his minions, our health was a very personal and private issue that involved you, your family, and your doctor. Not anymore. This government take over has drastically changed life in our country for virtually every single American citizen because it constitutes the ultimate wet dream for any committed, hardcore Socialist. The government now literally controls between one-sixth and one-fifth of the entire American economy and that is something never intended by the Founding Fathers. Talk about anything but a limited Constitutional republic, well I guess so! Everything you can think of can in some manner or fashion be related to and connected with health and health care – everything. This gives government unprecedented and overwhelming control over our lives and how we live them.



There is now no area of life into which the government cannot interfere and the concept of privacy has been effectively and forever destroyed. Your health is now under the control of some nameless, faceless, and unaccountable fucking bureaucrat and you’d damned well better do as the government requires or the bureaucracy will come down on you so hard you’ll be nothing but a bruise by the time it chews you up and spits you out! Are you aware that something so common and mundane as your tooth brush is no longer that simple under Obamacare? Oh no, it is now classified as an official Medical Device and is therefore subject to an additional tax that consumers must pay? By now, most of us who are not completely brain dead or thoroughly brainwashed are aware that the Affordable Health Care Act ran something close to twenty-seven hundred pages and that literally no one has read the damned thing and therefore can’t possibly know or understand what’s in it (see The Obama Care Rationing Rant of 4/15/12). What most people do not realize, however, is that along with this monstrosity comes something like twenty thousand pages of new regulations that no one can possibly comply with because virtually no one knows about them. We won’t know if we are in “noncompliance” until we have “noncomplied” and the government jumps all over us for whatever violations we are guilty of committing. Does that sound much like freedom to you or a free and open society?



Obamacare becomes particularly odious as one approaches those so-called “Golden Years” and, in fact, can be downright deadly. The medical profession, for example, has for many years recommended that we get screened at regular intervals for this thing called colon cancer which if left unchecked only has but one outcome. When you’re in your “forties”, the procedure called a Colonoscopy is done about every five years but once you hit sixty, it is recommended every three years. Well, this certainly seems prudent enough. Now, however, under Obamacare you will be “permitted” to get this crucial screening no more than once a decade. When this is fully implemented, you can bet the ranch and your first-born that the colon cancer mortality rate in this country will soar. This is a basic feature of the Obamacare rationing mentality that is a huge part of the Affordable Health Care Act. You see, a panel of bureaucrats – Death Panels – will evaluate a person’s condition, the age of the patient, the number of years left that the individual can reasonably expect to live and will then decide whether or not to provide any life-saving or drastic measures. Basically, they are saying that it’s not worth wasting the time, expense, and expertise on some unproductive Old Bastard whose days on the planet are just about over anyway. As the Scum Dog-in-Chief once said at a town hall meeting, “Sometimes it’s just better to give them a pill.” This system already exists in socialized Western Europe and it looks like it’s coming here too. Does that sound like freedom to you?



The Liar-in-Chief made other promises about his vaunted health care proposal which he knew were false even before he uttered them. Lying, you see, is a major part of his skill-set. He solemnly swore that those of us out here who are satisfied with our current health care will not at all be affected by his plan. For those who like and trust our doctors – hey, not to worry. Lies, lies, and more damned lies! First of all, there are far fewer young folks going to medical school than there used to be because of our new system of socialized medicine. Why incur the massive amount of debt associated with becoming a doctor when the field is becoming increasingly less profitable for those involved? Economically, it just doesn’t compute. This, of course, means that the consumer of health care – you and me – will have far fewer doctors to choose from. In addition, as private health insurers are forced out of the field because of Obamacare we will have no choice but to turn to the government for our insurance and that is known as a monopoly. As with all monopolies in any field, the quality of products and services quickly deteriorates while the price quickly sky-rockets.



But wait, you say! Obama promised that under his system the quality of service will rise while the costs will be greatly reduced. Now, if you actually believe that I’ve got this really great bridge in Brooklyn I’d be happy to sell you. Under Obamacare, everything connected to medical and insurance costs go up while the quality suffers drastically. We can start with his proposed Bronze Plan which will cost roughly five thousand bucks per person per household and that’s for the bare-bones level of insurance. We can, of course, opt to purchase his Silver, Gold, or Platinum Plans at overly exorbitant rates. There will be no more private health insurers in the coming years. Does that sound like freedom to you? The author of the above referenced piece correctly maintains that if, “they control the health care system, they will be able to control most of the aspects of our lives, they will be able to tell us if we can get treatment for an ailment, if we can smoke, if we can eat fast food, if we can drink alcohol, or if we can do anything else that they feel we shouldn’t do.” I’d just love someone out there to try and convince me that Obamacare has anything at all to do with improving our health care system or that its main goal is not about control, coercion, and massively increasing the power, size, and scope of government. Freedom, my sorry old ass!



Another of our cherished freedoms that is going by the boards is one we virtually never even give a passing thought to. You will not find it in our Bill of Rights or the Declaration of Independence but without it life in the United States would be forever changed for the worse. It’s something we do every day, three hundred and sixty-five days per year. It is our freedom to come and go wherever we please whenever we please. It is our freedom of mobility without which this nation would never have been settled from East to West or from top to bottom. We take this freedom of mobility, as we do all of our freedoms, completely for granted. If you desire to travel from your current location to anywhere else in the country, go right ahead. If you want to drive across this great and vast land vis-à-vis a northerly route and return via a more southerly one, go for it.



There are as of yet no government restrictions on travel. You don’t need documentation or a passport to travel from one state to another and you must pass through no government checkpoints where you, your vehicle, and your belongings will be subject to search and seizure without reasonable suspicion or probable cause. You will, however, need money for fuel and as of late this is no mean or small feat. The price at the pump really hasn’t been an issue since the 1970s when that damned fool peanut farmer occupied the White House. In fact, that entire so-called energy crisis was artificial and could have been easily avoided. Now, however, the cost of fuel cannot be ignored regardless of the mode of transportation you use. Automobiles, planes, trains, and buses all need fuel or they don’t move. They simply cannot function as deigned and constructed.



In my neck of the woods, for example, the price for a gallon of regular hovers at around four bucks and that is becoming prohibitive for many families in this area. Whereas the cost of fueling up used to be but a minor consideration it is now a major factor in how we plan our activities. Whether it be the daily commute to and from work or a long overdue extended vacation, the cost of fuel has become something that must be factored in. In a recent excursion into the hinterland, for example, my fuel bill outstripped that of my food and lodging. Many folks have cancelled planned activities based solely on the price of gas. All manner of transportation has become costlier because fuel prices are heading off the charts and this absolutely reduces our cherished freedom of mobility as well as our freedom of choice. The cost of fuel now hugely impacts such decisions as where we can and cannot live and work as well as whether certain favorite leisure activities will be continued. I know more than just a few boating enthusiasts who have sold their vessels based on the rising cost of fuel. Well, yeah, you might say. That’s all true but what the Hell can we do about it? Rising energy costs are just part of life in 21st Century America. Just suck it up and deal with it.


This attitude is common and it is completely wrong-headed. It is more than anything else the result of decades of brainwashing by those on the Far Left in our country. Americans have been so conditioned to think this way that our consumption habits have changed. We will do with less even though it is completely unnecessary and unwarranted. In fact, we have more oil and natural gas under our feet than anyplace on the planet and the technology exists to extract it economically, safely, and in a way that does not harm the environment. You ever hear of a much maligned practice called Fracking (see The Freaking Fracking Fracus Rant 0f 1/31/13). The LFE and their staunch allies among the Enviro-Crazies will simply not allow fracking in any meaningful way. They claim to be anti-frackers in the name of saving the planet but this is pure Hooey and Horseshit!



They simply do not want to see America become energy independent but would much prefer that we continue to import it from foreign sources many of whom completely despise the United States. Our continued dependence on others instead of ourselves certainly represents but one more example of freedom lost. Ronald Reagan once said that, “Freedom is never more than one generation from extinction,” and author “Spease” concurs. He notes that we, “are on the threshold of that becoming a reality if we don’t stop the loss of liberty. The next generation will not have freedom in the way the founding fathers wanted us to have freedom. We must stop it and hold on to the beliefs of our founding fathers, to be able to do what ever we want as long as it doesn’t hurt others trying to do the same thing. They really knew what they were talking about.” Yes, they certainly did but too many of us in America today are no longer paying attention to these long dead white guys.

The loss of freedom in America discussed thus far is merely a partial list but it is nonetheless real. The Far Left in our country is in fact succeeding . According to the plan they began implementing over half a century ago, they do not want to see a free and independent America or Americans. They desire nothing less than a completely dependent population that must turn to an ever more powerful and centralized government for its needs and wants and one of the most effective ways to accomplish this is to deny us of one of the most precious freedoms we have – our economic freedom. Without a healthy measure of economic freedom, the others don’t really seem to amount to much. What good, after all, is freedom of speech, press, or religion if you can’t make enough of a living to feed yourself and your family? Who thinks about the importance of due process or prohibitions against unreasonable searches and seizures when you can’t afford housing?



Make no mistake, folks, for these are exactly the conditions that are being purposely created by the LFE in the United States. If you become an economic slave to the government, then indeed Big Brother has been victorious. Are you aware that the “real” unemployment number in this nation is not 7.8% as touted by the Bamster and his minions but rather hovers at just about 15%? Didn’t know that did you? The latter figure is known as the U-6 number and is compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is the honest measure because it includes all those who have simply stopped looking for work altogether and have given up hope. The U-6 number also includes those folks who are only working part-time as opposed to full-time. These people are not free. Since the Destroyer-in-Chief has been in office, over 8,000,000 jobs in the United States no longer exist. They have disappeared and therefore can no longer be filled. These “former” jobs have resulted from businesses going under or because they have moved overseas. Americans who once filled these positions are economically unfree.



There are now more than fifty million of us who rely on food stamps - read that government – to sustain ourselves and our families. They can no longer feed themselves. They are not free. There are tens of millions whose unemployment insurance has expired and who now rely on Social Security Disability Insurance to sustain themselves and their loved ones. They are certainly not free. There exist now over 90,000,000 adult Americans who are no longer working and the number of those who are still in the labor participation force dwindles with each passing year. While this is not freedom, it is exactly the outcome desired by the Far Left Liberals in the United States today. Those affected have come to view government as the only source of wealth, happiness, and fulfillment. They have lost any sense of self-reliance and responsibility and have absolutely no concept as to what was once referred to as rugged individualism or self-respect. This not only flies in the face of freedom but it is patently un-American. This is what decades of Liberalism have wrought in America and Obama and his Socialist Saboteurs couldn’t be more well pleased.



Perhaps you are aware of something called the Index of American Economic Freedom which is annually compiled by the Heritage Foundation, a leading Conservative think tank(www.heritage.org). Authors Terry Miller and Kim R. Holmes composed a study entitled, “Mostly Free: The Startling Decline of America’s Economic Freedom and What to Do About It,” which was based on the 2010 Index of Economic Freedom. The authors note that in 2010, “for the first time ever, the United States has fallen from the ranks of the economically free,” and that with a, “score of only 78.0 on the Index’s 0-100 scale, the United States has fallen below the cutoff (an average score of 80 or above) that earns countries the right to call themselves truly free. The United States’ current status? Mostly free.”



Think about that for a moment. We have been the world’s bastion of freedom, economic or otherwise, since our inception and now with the advent of Obama and his Socialist destruction, our freedom has been downgraded, not to mention degraded. I wonder if a correlation exists between this phenomenon and the fairly recent loss of our country’s AAA credit rating by Standard and Poors? In fact, continues the study, “The United States is the 8th freest economy in the Index of Economic Freedom,” and we see discernible decreases in such areas as financial freedom, monetary freedom, and property rights. This marked decline in America’s economic freedom coincides precisely and exactly with policies and plans instituted by Barry and the Boys. For example, “tax rates are increasingly uncompetitive, and massive stimulus spending is creating unprecedented deficits. Bailouts of financial and automotive firms have generated concerns about property rights. The health care law is adding billions of dollars to the nation’s medical bill, as well as federal and state deficits, while fundamentally altering the structure of employment compensation.”



What do these examples have to do with the demise of freedom in America, you may ask? Everything. Heritage reminds us that the, “U.S. Constitution was established, in the words of its Preamble, to ‘secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.’ That liberty is under assault today, and the threat, now as at the time of the Declaration of Independence, comes from a government that has become destructive of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” The Foundation points out the obvious by explaining that government is, “encroaching daily into areas that Americans have traditionally regarded as private.” This absolutely cannot be denied and it is indeed a large part of the Far Left’s Playbook for the future of the United States. While the Heritage Foundation recognizes the horribly Socialist direction our Great Leader is taking us it maintains that we, “don’t need a revolution, but we do need a restoration of the rights once considered unalienable by the Founders and by the generations of Americans that followed them.”



I truly hope that these folks at Heritage are correct and that we do not need a revolution. In my darker moments, however, I have my doubts about their optimism for I sincerely believe we are witnessing the purposeful destruction of the greatest nation that the planet has ever seen.

Much Luv Y’all and Have a Great Day!

The Fifth Horseman

(Dr. David M. Rich, Ph.D.)

THE BALKANIZATION OF AMERICA RANT

                                                                               

Remember all those years ago when the former Yugoslavia was all over the news virtually all the time? We were bombarded day and night with story after story of blood, guts, gore, and mayhem. The Chechnyans were killing the Serbs who were slaughtering the Bosnians who were butchering everyone they could find from a place called Kosovo. One religious group was pitted against another while both, of course, claimed that God was on their side and ethnic rivalries spilled over into bloody and brutal hostility. The images were horridly graphic and the profiles of individual tragedies were truly heart- rending. I remember discussing with friends and acquaintances how this could happen in a formerly united nation. How could it get to a point where entire villages were wiped out, neighbor fought and killed neighbor, and family members found themselves on opposite sides? I distinctly remember a Friday afternoon at our local watering hole where a bunch of us were watching a documentary about the mess taking place halfway around the world. The general consensus seemed to be that at least that kind of thing could never happen here in the United States of America – not in the good old U.S. of A. After all, we’re much too civilized to allow that kind of brutality to take place and our system of government has too many safe-guards built into it to permit that kind of horror from occurring here.



Well, not wanting to be a fly in the ointment or perhaps a monkey in the wrench, I reminded the group that it already has happened here and it was just as violent and bloody as what we were witnessing on our nightly news programs. They told me I was being ridiculous and that these kinds of horrific events simply did not happen in civilized, western societies like the United States. These atrocities took place among the less enlightened, the less sophisticated, and those whose first response to problem solving is violent blood-letting. I pointed out that our own American Revolution matched any of the violence and bloodshed that we viewed on television while we serenely sipped cocktails and dined on pub snacks. Back then, Americans killed Americans, villages were destroyed, and families torn asunder. The only difference, it seemed to me, was that the weapons were not nearly as sophisticated and efficient as those we use today. Additionally, I noted that less than a century later we had this little internal squabble known as the Civil War over that slavery-states’ rights thing. During that “brouhaha” a mere 700,000 Americans killed one another and once more claimed that God was on their side.



Horrific and brutal violence is certainly not unknown to Americans and we too have slaughtered one another with seeming abandon and, at times, enthusiasm. The examples cited erupted onto violence only when the differences between the sides involved seemed utterly insurmountable and irreconcilable. Certainly, prior to both conflicts efforts were made to find peaceful, nonviolent, and non-lethal solutions but unfortunately to no avail. The group told me that was then and this is now and insisted that I stick my paranoia where the sun don’t shine and have another drink. I considered the wisdom of their suggestion and, of course, dutifully complied. The thought, however, that it could still happen here just wouldn’t let go. How could something like Balkanization happen in the United States in the 21st Century given our common history, language, and culture? Aren’t we all Americans with similar desires and needs? Don’t we all want to see what is best for ourselves, our families, and communities? Aren’t we all in the end Americans or have we become a nation of “us vs. them?” Have we become merely a country of separate and disparate groups striving to pursue their own rather narrow interests at the expense of and to the detriment of the whole?



If that is indeed the case, the future of our nation is not nearly as sanguine as it once was and is in fact somewhat uncertain and precarious. As I considered the issue, it occurred to me that we are no longer a particularly united nation but are perhaps more divided than at any time in our history. The common bonds of language, culture, and borders – so crucial to the existence of a united and harmonious country and future – seem to be crumbling at alarming rates. I believe that the disharmony and discord that we increasingly witness is both purposeful and strategic. By constantly accentuating and aggravating the differences and disparities that exist between and among the various groups and sub-sets in our country, harmony and rationality are all but impossible. The constant and deliberate pitting of one against the other can only raise animosity, tension, and discord to the point of suspicion and open hostility that allows little if any room for compromise and cooperation. It seems to me that the single, most guilty entity amongst us is what I have dubbed the LFE (Liberal Fucking Elite) in the United States. These are the folks on the very Far Left in America and while they certainly do not constitute even close to a majority, they have an influence far beyond their numbers.



That group effectively controls most if not all of the nation’s major institutions. Among others, these include: our educational system from pre-K through graduate school; all major news and media outlets; arts and entertainment; and the country’s political apparatus on local, state, and national levels. These Leftists and Statists, then, have a virtual lock on shaping and molding public opinion and thought on literally every major issue and trend that comes before the American public at any given time in any given sphere. They frame the issues and define the debate concerning any and all matters of importance to Americans and America. Additionally, they are led by the most radical, Socialist, and completely unqualified President it has ever been our misfortune to see elected in the history of the nation. President Barry Boy epitomizes the essence of the LFE and Far Left Liberalism. His agenda since day one has been to use the old military tactic of divide and conquer – to set one group or interest against another – and reap the spoils of the discord and antagonism that he purposely creates and fosters. He does not want a unified and harmonious nation but must, instead, do all he can to sow discontent, discord, frustration, and anger among as many different groups and interests as he can. This is and has been his battle plan since as far back as his “community organizing” days in Chicago. That tactic got this virtually unknown, incompetent, no talent Buffoon his second term in office.



He sets rich against poor in order to create and harbor a feeling of jealousy and class envy among the so-called “Have-Nots” who are conditioned to believe that the successful amongst us have reached their position in life by dint of lying, cheating, stealing, and otherwise abusing the weakest and most vulnerable in society. He exacerbates racial tensions between black and white to enforce the lie that blacks in America are still living as slaves with no constitutional protections. He and his minions also ramp up the discord between blacks and Hispanic minorities and has them blaming white America for all of their problems. The Divider-in-Chief forever stirs up animosity between the American citizen and our ever growing illegal alien population by dangling the amnesty carrot which would mean “entitlements” for those that don’t deserve them in the hopes of increasing his party’s voter base. The Bamster constantly creates friction between his fellow one-worlders and American nationalists who view this country with pride and gratitude. He regularly attempts to ramp up the hostility that exists between those who favor an ever larger, more intrusive government against those who insist on a smaller, limited, constitutional republic as envisioned by our Founders all those years ago. He pits Capitalist against Socialist and those who see the United States as the greatest source for good in planetary history and those who view it as an unmitigated source of evil and suffering. He views America as an oppressor of humanity while most Americans know that we have been the world’s leading liberator of the poor and downtrodden.



This list could go on indefinitely, but the point is made. The Anointed One wants to create as much discord and disharmony as he can for that fits his overall template of bringing our great nation to its knees as a just punishment for, in his view, all the evil and unfairness we have foisted on the people of this planet. He views it has our “comeuppance.” This, folks, can accurately be described as Balkanization. Have we reached that level of discord and acrimony that will boil over into rivers of blood running down our streets? Not yet, but there have been a number of violent incidents associated with Obama’s divide and conquer approach to governance. Do you remember the antagonism and violence associated with the Occupy Wall Street mob of spoiled middle class college kids? How about the intimidation of voters in Philadelphia by the New Black Panther Party? Do not forget that a number of Tea Party types have been physically attacked for expressing their political views. Who can forget the huge rallies during which illegal Mexican aliens made demands on American citizens while waving their flag and burning ours?



There have been other examples but thus far they have been relatively few and far between. There is absolutely no guarantee, however, that they’ll stay that way. As the LFE constantly and purposely continues to pit group against group and increase the tension and hostility between and among them, the likelihood of increased violence and bloodshed will grow. Most Americans can’t or won’t fathom that outcome for it’s just too foreign to our experience. Remember, however, the utter horror show that was the Balkans did not ignite immediately. Neither did the American Revolution or Civil War. It took many decades for conditions to boil over into massive death and destruction and I have an ominous and sinking feeling that we have definitely started down that road.



An article entitled, “The Balkanization of America; Can We Survive?(www.intellectualconservative.com),” states that the, “American Heritage Dictionary describes Balkanization as the dividing of a region or territory into small often hostile units, as in the political division of the Balkans in the early 20th century.” Author R.B. Cox maintains that the, “United States of America is more frequently and vehemently becoming more Balkanized than at any time in its modern history.” The writer continues that, “Many will say it is just politics but it is much more than that. It is deep seated and goes to the fundamental core beliefs of people. Some say it is a culture war but this war is for the very soul of America.” Well now, that sounds quite dramatic doesn’t it? That doesn’t make it any less true nor does it make it irrelevant. The author queries, “Will an America so divided on values, morals and the place of God in society remain one nation under God or continue to become the Balkanized States of North America?” The author asks because he introduces yet additional divisions in our society not yet discussed here. He accurately maintains that there, “are those who believe in moral absolutes vs. those who don’t; the secular vs. the religious; the ones shocked at the halftime antics of a Super Bowl and those who were not.” These divisions exist in America as well as those already mentioned above and illustrate just how divided we have become.



According to a piece entitled, “The Balkanization of America(www.proconservative.net),” Balkanization constitutes the separation of a region into hostile units as occurred in the Balkans in the 20th Century. The author notes that this happens, “when you fill up a country with diverse groups who have little in common,” and he uses the former Yugoslavia as a primary and obvious example. He explains that when that country broke apart, “a three-way civil war ensued in which thousands were slaughtered. People who once were neighbors became blood enemies overnight. This is what happens to a country in which different ethnicities do not assimilate and assume one common ethnic identity.” Whether we wish to admit it or not, this is exactly what is happening in America and it has been occurring since at least 1965 when the Fat Liberal Drunk from Massachusetts rammed his immigration act down our throats. That act alone, I believe, sealed our nation’s fate and forever changed America for the worse and will in the end destroy the United States as historically founded.



The act mandated, among many other things, that fully 85% of immigrants to this country must originate from places like Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, or other Third World shitholes whose citizens have virtually no experience with democracy, self-government, or western civilization. They did not in far too many cases come here to be Americans but rather to acquire the “goodies” available to them at literally no charge. They bring their culture, traditions, and languages with them and never let go. They set up enclaves all over this country and their allegiance remains with their homeland instead of transferring to the United States. This is perhaps somewhat understandable for those that came from another place but not two or three generations later. Immigrants in huge numbers stopped assimilating leading the author of the above piece to, “admit being uncomfortable at the eclipse of George Washington and the Founding Fathers,” and, “to the attacks on European culture at our major universities.” He further notes that he is, “doubly offended when people pretend that some multicultural idea, attaching to thinly disguised Socialism, is upheld as Americanism.”



The constant, ceaseless Far Left emphasis on multiculturalism and diversity as the highest of virtues is, in fact, Balkanizing and therefore destroying this nation. They deemphasize and belittle the common bonds that we as Americans have historically held and that have bound us together to a common proud and shared past and a future that is both optimistic and confident. In fact, the LFE’s never ending harping on the pillars of multiculturalism and diversity do nothing less than highlight and emphasize our differences and ignore our bonds of unity. Elevating multiculturalism and diversity as the highest of virtues coupled with political correctness makes it literally impossible to speak honestly and openly about serious and destructive issues that we as a nation must confront. To criticize or to find fault with ideas and concepts like diversity and multiculturalism can be devastating if not actually dangerous. To state out loud and in public objections to these dual pillars of Liberalism is to invite public ridicule and demonization of the most extreme nature. Just walk into virtually any student union on any university campus and begin explaining why you believe multiculturalism and diversity are actually dangerous to America’s future and get ready to run like Hell!



At the very least, you’ll be cursed at, called a racist and a bigot, and perhaps be forced into a Sensitivity Training Session in some Liberal gulag. Our universities, for the most part, have become hotbeds of intolerance for anything but the “party” line and to express any thought or idea that doesn’t fit into the prescribed orthodoxy can have anything from unpleasant to dire consequences. Should you dare to express the opinion, for example, that it’s time to seriously limit immigration to our country or perhaps stop it altogether for a set period, you’d better be wearing body armor. You’ll once again be accused of racism along with xenophobia and jingoism. You’ll be told in no uncertain terms that you’re nothing more than an outdated, intolerant nationalist who doesn’t understand the concept that no one culture is better than any other and that expressions of nationalism and love of country will no longer be tolerated in our brave new world of 21st Century America. This tactic and strategy is literally codified in Saul Alinsky’s Rule Book for Radicals in which he states that one must completely and utterly demonize any perceived enemy because once he or it is universally hated and despised it is ever so much easier to destroy that enemy. The enemy is literally dehumanized and turned into a monster and monsters must not be permitted to exist.



This is exactly what happened to Jews in Germany under old Adolph’s reign of terror. The same tactics are used against Conservatives in America today. We are thoroughly demonized by the LFE. If, for example, we object to the current state of our so-called immigration policy we become hated anti-immigrationists who have absolutely no compassion for the world’s poor and persecuted. If we object to policies like Affirmative Action, why then we must obviously be racists. If we are against abortion on moral grounds, then we must be anti-choice and anti-women. This is done purposely to put Conservatives on the defensive and force them to defend themselves when in fact none is necessary.



No one likes to be called a racist, anti-immigrant, or anti-female but when you claim that you are none of these things you immediately become suspect and are assumed to be guilty of some great evil or sin. It’s difficult if not impossible to defend any point of view from a position of weakness. This is “Alinskyism” and you should know, if you don’t already, that Alinsky is one of Obama’s heroes and role models. Following the Alinsky-Obama template can lead to no where but the Balkanization of America. It is a strategy of division and disunification. It ensures animosity between and among the disparate groups and sub-sets that live in this country. This template absolutely mitigates against any kind of harmony or cohesiveness and will literally tear the fabric of our society completely apart to the point where it can no longer be mended or repaired. This seems to me to be the desired outcome of America’s LFE and they are much closer to realizing it than most of us can imagine.



Famed author and historian Samuel P. Huntington spoke to those issues in an article entitled, “The Hispanic Challenge(www.freerepublic.com),” and he did so bluntly and honestly. This, of course, caused him to be despised and hated by many and it is much to his credit that he didn’t seem to give a damn. He accurately noted that unlike, “past immigrant groups, Mexicans and other Latinos have not assimilated into mainstream U.S. culture, forming instead their own political and linguistic enclaves – from Los Angeles to Miami – and rejecting the Anglo-Protestant values that built the American dream.” He cautions that the, “United States ignores this challenge at its peril.” Additionally, over the centuries America has developed its own particular creed key elements of which, “include the English language; Christianity; religious commitment; English concepts of the rule of law and the rights of individuals; and dissenting Protestant values of individualism, the work ethic, and the belief that humans have the ability and the duty to try to create a heaven on earth, a city on a hill.” Huntington insists that historically, “millions of immigrants were attracted to the United States because of this culture and the economic opportunities and political liberties it made possible.”



The scholar explains, however, that beginning late last century, things began to radically change. He points out that in the, “final decades of the 20th century, the United States’ Anglo-Protestant culture and the creed that produced it came under assault by the popularity in intellectual and political circles of the doctrines of multi-culturalism and diversity. . .” Note Huntington’s choice of words here: assault as in attack. Assaults and attacks are not merely vagaries but have specific meanings as well as consequences. They are not simply happenstance or accidental occurrences nor are they the result of some form of societal evolution or progression. Assaults are purposeful, planned, and premeditated and if not challenged, they have predictable and negative outcomes. He also clearly identifies the leaders of the assault that America now faces: those in our intellectual and political circles. In other words, the FAR LEFT – the LFE. Make no mistake here. The assault Huntington referenced is now a full-fledged, all out war and traditional America is losing badly.



When the Unqualified One ran for office for a first term, he repeatedly promised to fundamentally transform America and this seems to be the only pledge he intends to fulfill. What he really meant but couldn’t say right out loud in front of God and everybody was that he intends to destroy this nation as envisioned by the Founders and presently constituted. He fully intends to destroy America as a limited constitutional republic in which government has specific, prescribed, and restricted powers beyond which it must never go. Obama and the LFE envision a country in which government is all powerful and all intrusive. He wants a system in which citizens must look to the government as the central focus of their lives and upon which they must depend for all of their wants and needs. There is no better way to accomplish this transformation than by constantly pitting group against group and special interest against special interest. This is Balkanization.



The piece notes that this is further being accomplished by encouraging, “the rise of group identities based on race, ethnicity, and gender; the impact of transnational cultural diasporas; the expanding number of immigrants with dual nationalities and dual loyalties; and the growing salience for U.S. intellectual, business, and political elites of cosmopolitan and transnational identities. The United States’ national identity, like that of other nation-states, is challenged by the forces of globalization as well as the needs that globalization produces among people for smaller and more meaningful blood and belief identities.” This is key, folks. With ever increasing immigration, especially of the illegal variety, we are indeed in danger of losing our national identity as Americans. Once that happens, full-fledged Balkanization of the United States is a virtual certainty. As more of us cease to think of ourselves as Americans, more of us will view each other as some form of “hyphenated” American. Our national identity will then quickly erode and eventually be destroyed. This process is well underway and is actively encouraged by those on the Far Left who view this country as a scourge and a blight on humanity. They don’t like America and feel no pride whatsoever in being American. They are the ones that clamor for open borders and feel that the movement to make English our official national language is but one more example of our intolerance, bigotry, and racism.



The author also points out the positive effects of limited immigration especially from south of the border. He summarizes the conclusions of the Commission on Immigration Reform and notes that, “Illegal entries would diminish dramatically.” Additionally, “The wages of low-income U.S. citizens would improve. Debates over the use of Spanish and whether English should be made the official language of state and national governments would subside. Bilingual education and the controversies it spawns would virtually disappear, as would controversies over welfare and other benefits for immigrants.” Can anyone who cares about this country and its future object to these positives? Furthermore, Huntington explains that, “the debate over whether immigrants pose an economic burden on state and federal governments would decisively be resolved in the negative. The average education and skills of the immigrants continuing to arrive would reach their highest levels in U.S history. The flow of immigrants would again be highly diverse, creating increased incentives for all immigrants to learn English and absorb U.S. culture. And most important of all, the possibility of a de facto split between a predominantly Spanish-speaking United States and an English-speaking United States would disappear, and with it a major potential threat to the country’s cultural and political integrity.”



The problem here is that those on the Far Left who control our major institutions desire these negative effects that our current immigration policies foster. Those folks do not want a united America whose citizens view themselves first and foremost as Americans who live in the greatest nation God ever gave mankind and who appreciate the vast blessings that accrue to them by dint of being U.S. citizens. This is the very last thing they want. They are globalists and one-worlders and view the concept of loyalty to and pride in the traditional nation-state as mere relics from our unenlightened past. They, of course, are ever so much more sophisticated and urbane than us doltish boors who still love America and all that it stands for. Care for just one small but instructive example of just how far we have moved away from traditional America? Sure thing. In 1917, Theodore Roosevelt declared that, “We must have but one flag. We must also have but one language. That must be the language of the Declaration of Independence, of Washington’s Farewell Address, of Lincoln’s Gettysburg speech and second inaugural.” In 2000, Bill Clinton, that paragon of virtue, said, “I hope very much that I’m the last President in American history who can’t speak Spanish.” Quite a contrast, don’t you think?



The Balkanization of our country is on-going, relentless, and threatens to tear this nation apart. The primary and most obvious example of this process is the American Southwest. There exist areas in that part of our country where English is just not spoken and the Mexican flag is easily as prevalent as is Old Glory. There are vast numbers of residents there who feel more loyalty to Mexico than they do to the United States and that trend continues to grow. There exist schools in the Southwest in which English-speaking children – American citizens born and bred here – are ridiculed, mocked, and even threatened. Most of the residents of Mexican origin feel the United States simply stole the entire region from their native land without factoring in such minor details as the Mexican-American War and the Treaty of Guadelupe-Hidalgo. They have simply transferred their language, customs, and traditions north of the Rio Grande and have absolutely no intention or need to assimilate and become Americans. Why should they? They read Spanish books and magazines, have no trouble finding Spanish language television and radio programs, and Mexican-Spanish restaurants and food marts abound. In New York City, a section known as Flushing is predominantly, perhaps overwhelmingly, Korean and the same conditions exist there as they do in the Southwest. Even street signs are printed in Korean. Cities like Detroit and its suburbs are becoming increasingly Muslimized and there are serious calls to introduce Sharia law in those localities. Similar situations exist in San Francisco’s China town. In the part of Brooklyn where I formerly worked for many years, you could swear you had somehow been magically transported to the Dominican Republic.



It is, of course, true that throughout our history new immigrants have tended to flock together and various ethnic groups usually staked out their own distinctive neighborhoods. There is nothing wrong in this and it is, in fact, perfectly natural. The difference between then and now is that most of those folks, all four of my grandparents included, became not only American citizens but truly Americanized. They deeply wanted to become Americans and adopt our customs, habits, patterns, and mores. They learned English as quickly as they were able, adopted American dress, and they worked. Back then, there was no welfare, hand-outs, or other so-called entitlements. Those immigrants felt that they were entitled to whatever they could earn and no more. The “Gimme” mindset had not yet taken hold and they expected nothing from no one. If they fell on hard times – and they did – they relied on family, friends, and neighbors to get them through or they turned to the neighborhood “settlement house”.



Compare that to what has taken place in America over the past five to six decades. In Mexico, for example, even before they cross our border the prospective immigrant, legal or otherwise, can get a booklet published by the government that instructs them on how to avoid U.S. border patrols, where they can fit in safely and comfortably, and which of our urban centers have been designated as “Sanctuary Cities.” The freebies and goodies they can receive are explained and they are instructed on how to acquire them. They do not want to assimilate and become Americans but instead attempt to replicate their homeland on U.S. soil. No nation can long survive in this fashion but given the fact that our leadership is spineless, weak, and overly adept at pandering and groveling, conditions have no chance of improving for at least the foreseeable future.



In the past and despite immigrants arriving from every part of the globe, America was a truly united nation. A piece entitled, “Illegal Immigration: The Balkanization of America(http://theamericandiscourse.blogspot.com),” notes that, “America survives because we are one nation; we share a common language, a history which ties us together. We live under a common flag which we honor, salute, and would die for.” The author goes on to point out that, “when you look at countries with bilingual and bi-cultural societies, you see histories of turmoil, tension, and tragedy. Belgium, Malaysia, Pakistan, Cypress Canada, Germany, Lebanon, Nigeria, Italy, France, Burma, and more have all faced crises of national existence when minorities press for independence. Ethnic uprisings must be suppressed to prevent a divided nation.” Are we at that point yet? Apparently not but we are probably much closer than ever before. Animosity and strife between and among the various groups and interests in our society keep growing more raucous and angry every year. Those folks in charge, rather than diffusing tense situations, appear to relish nothing more than rubbing ever increasing doses of salt into already festering wounds. The author of the piece continues that countries, “must be bonded by similarities in culture, ideologies, and language,” and historically, “immigrants would assimilate quickly into American culture and provide a workforce to better our country.”



Well, that certainly was the case but now, “illegal immigrants flock to this country for work in such vast numbers that they no longer feel the need to conform to the standards of American society.” This has been true for a very long time and continues to get worse. All actions, of course, have consequences – some intended and some not. The piece explains that illegal aliens, “are a drain on the American system causing massive costs to society including but not limited to increased welfare costs, access for terrorists, escalation in crime, segregation, population booms, introduction of third world disease, lowered availability of medical resources, availability of illegal drugs, and a negative impact on education.” This by the way is just the short list and it’s way too long as it is. Those in charge of our society on both sides of the aisle are fully cognizant of these and other negatives but haven’t got the cajones to do anything about it. They know exactly just how badly fractionalized our country has become and that it presents a serious threat to America’s survival as a great nation and people.



With regard to illegal immigration, the author suggests some solutions that just might get him tarred and feathered in certain circles. He calls for the, “deportation of the masses of illegal workers which infest our nation,” because it, “is time to end the harboring.” Additionally, there must be, “a cut off of all public services offered to illegal aliens. They are not entitled to welfare, education, and healthcare for the simple fact that they are not citizens.” Yeah, bravo and good luck with that, pal. It is not, however, merely the illegal immigrant problem that must be addressed and corrected if the Balkanization of America is to be reversed. We must finally after all these years get control of legal immigration into this nation as well. Before 1965 when the Fat Drunk and his cronies stood immigration policy on its head, we let people into our nation only if it was to our advantage. The floodgates were not wide open as they are today. We picked and chose carefully who we would allow in. If someone from somewhere else possessed skills and talents that we as a country required at any particular time then fine, come on in.



Everyone else, however, is excluded – no exceptions – no mas! This is the way it used to be and it worked. Immigration was viewed as a method to help America continue to prosper and succeed and if immigration didn’t help achieve that goal then It’s Katy, Bar the Damned Door! As it stands now, too many of the world’s dregs find their way to our shores and contribute virtually nothing that benefits the United States. We must not first and foremost do something from the point of view of the potential immigrant or immigrant group. This country must be able to benefit from any immigration policy we adopt and not the other way around. Too many of us, however, seem to have abandoned any semblance of common sense as well as a love of country and the concept of American Exceptionalism. Until this is reversed, The Balkanization process will continue unabated.



In fact, the more multicultural and diverse we become, the quicker and more drastic will the fractionalization of our nation take place. A piece entitled, “The Ghost of Bertold Brecht and the Balkanization of America(www.familysecuritymatters.org),” insists that, “nations and peoples that are too open to outside influences risk losing their character and the uniqueness of their language, culture, customs and traditions. The ties that once bound strain and then break, as neighbors no longer know one another, communities lose their cohesion and factionalism becomes the norm.” The author notes that there, “are disturbing signs that the local, regional and national cohesion that once characterized Americans have weakened significantly.” Anyone who doesn’t realize the veracity of this statement is obviously walking around with his head firmly planted up his ass or has been living in a remote mountain-top cabin for at least the past five decades. As a nation, I very much doubt that we can coherently survive with so many disparate groups and interests competing for the limited resources we have. This situation obviously creates animosity and antagonisms that show no signs of abating but, instead, are being purposely exacerbated by all those with real or imagined axes to grind. The friction between and among the “diverse” groups does not bode well for America’s stability, unity, and future.



Those of us who have reached my age can clearly remember when the vast majority of students in America left school with a solid, working knowledge of our nation’s history and the certainty that we lived in a very special place unlike any other on the planet. We were and still are proud to be Americans. We knew how our government worked and functioned and were more than just slightly familiar with the Declaration of Independence, our unique and magnificent Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. This was considered to be both normal and necessary. We had become informed citizens with a direct and palpable link and attachment to America’s proud past. Look around you, folks. It’s literally gone. From elementary school to high school to college and university, it’s a rare thing indeed to find anyone with this type of knowledge anymore. These topics are now rarely if ever taught let alone learned. A people with no real knowledge of their past cannot possibly be proud of their nation and therefore are not nearly as attached to it as were former generations. A nation with no memory is easily susceptible to fragmentation, division, and even disintegration. A nation populated with hyphenated Americans is simply not a unified, cohesive place with a sense of purpose and pride. This is what America has become and is a major element in the increased Balkanization taking place today.



An article entitled, “The Balkanization of America, Part lll: Alone Together – The Failure of Assimilation(www.familysecuritymatters.org),” points out that, “not so many decades ago, Americans possessed a strong sense of shared identity. The typical man or woman on the street knew – and could explain in simple terms – what it meant to be a citizen of the United States. He or she could summarize the rights common to all Americans, and also the responsibilities and duties of citizenship.” Furthermore, author Peter Farmer points out that, “Thanks to widespread primary and secondary school instruction in civics and American history, most adults had at least a fundamental knowledge of our founding documents and traditions. The well-informed citizen knew important passages from the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and from famous speeches and orations. That citizen was also well-versed in U.S. history and knew the structure and function of the various branches of government.” Yeah, try to find this at any level of our society today and your frustration level will be beyond measure. A nation whose citizens cannot perform these rudimentary tasks of citizenship is ripe for Balkanization and we see it getting worse in America with every passing year.



This familiarity with our country’s past and a knowledge of our civic institutions, however, was not only expected from those born and bred within our borders but extended to new-comers as well. It has always been a crucial aspect of the assimilation process. The piece continues that even though, “a given American may have been born in another country, or raised in a home where English was not spoken, he was expected to learn the language of his country – and usually did so without complaint. Likewise, his teachers expected him to work hard to master English as soon as possible. Knowing the language was rightly seen as a gateway to economic opportunity and upward social mobility.” The piece asserts that the, “naturalized American sought to reinvent himself by shedding his old ways and habits and of adopting the ones of his new land.” Most of these newcomers, “aspired to fully American.”



This, tragically, is just no longer the case. American born citizens are not taught as they should be, naturalized citizens learn just enough to pass an extremely dumbed down citizenship test, and the growing number of illegals simply couldn’t give a rat’s ass. No country with a population thus described can survive as a unified, cohesive nation. It just simply isn’t possible and will lead to ever increased and acrimonious Balkanization. In the past, this was not the case. Immigrants were expected to adopt and conform to American values, mores, and norms. Not to learn the language of your new country was virtually unheard of and considered the height of folly and foolishness. In fact, “Prior to the 1960’s, new arrivals to the United States were expected to assimilate as rapidly and as fully as possible.” The article continues that with, “startling success, the Marxist cultural left has been able to flip old customs and practices on their heads; where once, the failure to assimilate was seen as shameful, today it has become respectable not to assimilate and hip to retain the customs and habits of one’s non-American country of origin.” This is merely one more aspect of Balkanization.



In fact, it has gotten so bad that many, “public schools no longer require civics or American history as prerequisites to graduation, and those that do require them offer such watered-down and/or flawed content as to make the courses useless or even harmful.” To make matters even worse, colleges and universities, “have gutted core curricula in the humanities, purging them of the classics of western civilization in favor of post-modern works explicitly hostile to the traditional values of the United States specifically and western civilization generally.” Our country is under attack as are our values, traditions, and heritage. Those on the Left are determined to rip this nation apart and turn it into something it was never intended to be and they are winning. It has gotten to the point that implicit, “in the new paradigm is the assumption that anything connected with the old order is flawed as too white, too European, too male and too dated to be of any value.” The author of the piece points to the fact that, “where schools once flew the American flag, taught children the Pledge of Allegiance and required the learning of civics, today these things are derided as insufficiently inclusive or xenophobic – and are no longer done.”



This is Balkanization, folks, and it is destroying our country.



Much Luv Y’all and Have a Great Day!

The Fifth Horseman

(Dr. David M. Rich, Ph.D.)

THE FREAKING FRACKING FRACUS RANT

                                                                           

It seems that we are once again deep in the throes of still another dire environmental catastrophe that, of course, has the very real capacity – if not the absolute certainty – of devastating/destroying the planet. Since at least as far back as Rachel Carson and her Silent Spring in the 1960’s, the Far Left spearheaded by the “Environmental Wacko’s” have hysterically and predictably proclaimed that the end is nigh and Evil Mankind is once again the culprit. It is to yawn. Have you noticed, by the way, that none of these horrific predictions have ever come even close to fruition? Nada, Zip, Zero. Sorry, Rachel, but the song-birds still sing. Our water is still eminently potable and mankind has not overpopulated the earth to the point of mass starvation and extinction. None of this has happened and it won’t. The polar bear populations of the far north are healthy and growing as are the caribou herds, the Alaskan Pipeline notwithstanding. Anthropomorphic global warming has been conclusively repudiated and debunked despite the best and fraudulent efforts of the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia (see the Climate-Gate Rant of 12/20/09). Those on the Far Left and especially the Socialists in the “Environmental Movement” seem utterly dejected and disappointed that not only has Evil Mankind not been able to destroy the planet and our oh-so-cute furry friends but seem unable to accept the fact that environmentally, old Mother Earth is doing damned well despite her advanced age.



Not to be deterred by such pesky and annoying little things like facts and evidence, the Doom and Gloomers keep soldiering on. They seem convinced that we must immediately, if not sooner, abandon our use of fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas or the planet is utterly doomed. Instead, they champion those environmentally friendly “Alternative Fuels” like wind, solar, pond scum, and other so-called “Green” energy applications that will not harm the planet or place our feathered friends in jeopardy. How nice, save for the fact that they constitute no more than mere pipe dreams that in the real world are simply impractical, unworkable, and thoroughly utopian in nature and character.



There is simply no realistic way to ignore the fact that oil and gas constitute our most practical, efficient, and cost effective methods to produce the massive amounts of energy consumed by 21st Century Americans. There are simply no equivalent alternative energy sources in the foreseeable or long-range future. Perhaps one day many years down the road we’ll have developed technologies that will indeed replace fossil fuels but for at least the next couple of centuries, oil and gas are King. Can you imagine, for example, even in your wildest dreams a giant C-130 cargo plane powered by solar or wind power? No, you can’t. Can you conjure up images of huge ocean-going cargo ships or 150 car freight trains running on those same fuels? Again, the answer is no. Solar, wind, etc., constitute no more than hobbies at present and there is certainly nothing wrong with that. If, for example, I choose to heat my swimming pool with solar power, that’s fine. If my neighbor desires to produce electricity for his home by using wind power, then good for him. These examples, however, in no way constitute viable industries or even businesses. The demand for them just doesn’t exist and without demand there can be no product or service on a massive scale.



There has been virtually no private investment on the level necessary to make wind or solar power in any way or fashion practical, useful, or viable. Even when our government – read that taxpayer – subsidizes them with over half a trillion of our hard-earned dollars, alternative energy companies always fail. Remember Solyndra? That is not to say that research and development into these alternative fuels should not take place for indeed, it should but not at taxpayer expense. Let those who see a profitable and rewarding future in these technologies spend as much of their own money as they see fit on wind and solar projects. Let them attract as many investors as they can and work at realizing their dreams. Henry Ford did that, old John D. did that, as did Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and countless others. Perhaps you’ve heard of Free Market Capitalism? That’s the way it’s done in this country and it’s made us the wealthiest nation the world has ever seen because it works!



Risk-taking has always been a hallmark of the American experience, tradition, and character. It is literally part of our genetic make up, our DNA. It has defined us throughout our history going all the way back to those dauntless souls who took passage on the Mayflower and the pioneers who traveled west and settled this great nation. Risk-taking extends to creating the transcontinental railroads, the trans-Atlantic cable, Standard Oil, and U.S. Steel. It has allowed us to send men to the moon and back and it gave us Microsoft, Apple, and even your local deli on the corner. Without risk at some level, there can be no real reward and without the prospect of tangible and significant reward what’s the point of taking risks? The entrepreneurial spirit, that drive to succeed, has been with us since our inception and it constitutes a major element of the concept of American Exceptionalism. It appears, however, that the idea of taking risks is decidedly on the wane in the early years of the 21st Century. The old “can do” American spirit has seemingly been replaced by the “do it for me” philosophy championed by those on the Far Left in our country.

We seem to be far less self-reliant than in the past and far more passive and dependent than we have ever been. This attitude, fostered by the Socialist elements in our midst at every level of society, should be viewed as a major sea-change in our nation’s history and it is a change that bodes ill for America’s future. Dependency, especially on government largesse, seems to have become the norm in the American experience and psyche. Government hand-outs seem to be the wave of the future from the “Obamaphone” to food stamps to bailouts. As a matter of fact, it’s been projected that welfare – uh, I mean to say entitlements- will increase by 80% (11 trillion dollars) over the next decade! Does this sound like America to you? Does this sound like a people willing to rely on themselves to provide for their needs and desires? Does this sound like a nation of self-reliant, rugged individuals who really ask for nothing more than to be left alone to pursue their dreams regardless of how big or small they may be? No, I didn’t think so either. It sounds to me like our government is purposely and successfully creating a sense of dependency in America and dependency leads to complacency which always results in a sense of apathy and hopelessness. Once these concepts take hold of a majority of a nation’s citizens, no progress of any kind can be achieved and the country atrophies and eventually dies. This is inevitable and cannot be avoided once the majority have accepted and adopted these attitudes.



Has the United States reached this point yet or is my raging paranoia once again getting the best of me? No, for I believe that we have gone beyond the tipping point and have fallen off the precipice into the abyss of dependency, complacency, and apathy. My best evidence is the reelection of our Socialist-in-Chief to a second term. He makes LBJ and his Great Society seen like a mere piker and a rank amateur. Our nation has never seen more people on food stamps and the welfare rolls are burgeoning as never before. For the first time in our history government employs more folks than does our manufacturing sector and as a matter of fact, government is now the single largest employer in the country. Whatever happened to the Founding Father’s concept of a strictly limited government? It truly seems that a majority of Americans are perfectly content – even eager – to rely on government hand-outs rather than on themselves. We no longer seem to be a nation of risk-takers, of entrepreneurs, or self-reliant individuals who have faith in the future or that America’s best days still lie ahead of her.



This, then, brings us to the topic of this screed, fracking. What the Hell, you may ask, does the above discussion have to do with fracking? Everything. As is well known to all Americans, we are in the midst of yet another so-called energy crisis. Prices at the pump and the cost of keeping warm in the colder months easily bear this out. In my neck of the woods, the price of gasoline and home heating oil hovers at just under $4.00 per gallon and I’m told it’s a reflection of supply and demand. There just isn’t enough product out there to serve the needs of all those that require it to enable us to keep the costs down. It’s an economic reality, a fact of life and we’re just going to have to suck it up and deal with it. But suppose I told you that this is simply not the case and is in fact an outright, bald-faced lie foisted upon us by the “Enviro-Freaks” amongst us and their allies in the LFE (Liberal Fucking Elite)? I wonder what your reaction would be? I’d say it would be somewhere between total disbelief and utter skepticism. If this is true, you may ask, then why aren’t we doing something about it and why don’t more people know about it? Good and relevant questions, indeed. If these things are in fact true, then why are we importing as much as two-thirds of our energy needs from overseas and in too many cases from nations that absolutely despise the United States and all that it stands for? Why aren’t we well on the road to energy independence and self-sufficiency?



The fact is, that sitting beneath our feet and under our coastal waters is enough oil and natural gas to virtually end our dependence on others for our energy needs and, furthermore, the technology exists for us to harvest these resources economically, profitably, and cleanly with little if any negative impact on the environment. I give you Hydraulic Fracturing or Fracking. Now, I’ve been told and you’ve probably heard from people who seem to know what they’re talking about (but don’t) that there’s simply too much risk involved in the process and therefore should not be undertaken. I’ve been warned that it might contaminate our drinking water and despoil the environment. I’ve been informed that the process of fracking will increase the cancer rates in America and will cause massive and horrific earthquakes and may even stimulate volcanic activity and who the Hell needs that?!?



Yeah, I’ve been told all these things and more but no one’s been able to show me credible – or even incredible – evidence or proof that there’s any real risk of the predicted catastrophes actually occurring. Each time I’ve been warned of the possible risks involved in fracking, I also consider the source. Without fail and exactly 100% of the time, the source is invariably a person or organization that is tied to the Far Left in this country, the Enviro-Freaks, or both. Every single time I’ve challenged their assertions-allegations, I’ve been screamed at, cursed at, called names, and been treated with utter contempt, disdain, scorn, and derision. When these folks fail to provide even the slightest support for the charges they bring, they invariably fall back on platitudes like, “Well, it might happen,” or, “Hey, it could happen,” so why bother to take the risk? That’s an attitude that flies in the face of our history and experience. Why bother to take the risk, indeed? How about to reap the untold and incredibly positive rewards that will accrue from fracking? How about to finally become truly energy independent rather than dependent?



Hell, with this mindset why should any of us get out of bed in the morning or step into the tub and take a shower? We may trip, fall, and break a leg. Why bother to drive our cars or board an airplane? We might end up dead. Why bother to start or expand a business? We might fail. Why bother to risk asking her out? She might say no! In the minds of these fools, it’s better not to take the risk if it might lead to failure. Better to maintain the status quo even if the status quo is unsustainable, untenable, and negative in the extreme. Folks, if this attitude had prevailed back in the 1770’s, there never would have been a free, independent United States of America. If this had been our attitude for the last two hundred and thirty some years, we would not have become the wealthiest, freest, most powerful, and most generous nation the world has ever seen. If the “Why-Take-The-Riskers” have assumed the ascendancy and majority among us, then our nation is irretrievably lost and in no way resembles the America we grew up in and have Come to love so much. That attitude reeks of failure and an end to progress on any and all levels you can think of. That attitude bespeaks of a change so vast that it can correctly be termed as un-American. It belies such stalwart American characteristics as optimism, hopefulness, and an unfaltering and unwavering belief in our continued greatness. It embodies the antithesis of American Exceptionalism.



Apparently, this is where we are in America today and it’s exactly where those on the Far Left have purposely taken us. It’s been at least fifty to sixty years in the making but they are both patient and insidious. The last thing they want is for America and Americans to be energy independent or independent in any aspect of our lives. Independent nations and people are free and self-reliant whereas dependent people and nations are in fact enslaved by a ruling elite who expect nothing but subservience, compliance, and resignation. Dependent people are easily led and controlled while independent types tend to think for themselves and act in their own best and self interest. Dependency leads to a malleable and moldable population that is easily cowed and coerced into doing the bidding of those who hold the reins of power. The last thing they want is an independent population/nation. They must have the citizenry dependent upon them and the nation dependent upon foreign entities many of which despise this country. They are, after all, globalists and one worlders who assign more legitimacy to international organizations like the United Nations and the World Court than they do to our own institutions like the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. They want America to fail and in fact need America to fail. They truly believe that the United States achieved its level of success by raping and looting the rest of the planet’s natural resources and that we have subjugated the so-called People of Color world-wide. We are the cause of failed and failing nations in what has come to be termed the Third World and we must be made to pay for it. Anything that accrues to America’s advantage must be fought and defeated. Energy independence? Can’t have that for it doesn’t come close to fitting their anti-American template and therefore we can’t possibly allow fracking because that process would once again give America an edge!



An article entitled, “Energy Independence and its Enemies(www.commentarymagazine.com),” explains that fracking, “is the shorthand term for hydraulic fracturing,” and makes possible, “the extraction of oil - natural gas in particular - from shale rock formations thousands of feet underground. A mixture of water, sand, and chemicals is pumped downward and sideways at high velocity. It fractures the rock and releases gas upward to the surface.” Author Abby W. Schacter explains that, “fracking portends nothing less than the potential re-industrialization of the U.S. economy,” and that the, “cumulative impact of new production . . . and associated activity may increase real GDP by 2.0 to 3.3 percent.” Well, so far I don’t see any reason to be particularly alarmed by the process but let us continue with our due diligence. A piece entitled, “Fracking feasible if practiced safely, responsibly(www.campustimes.org),” explains that, “Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a drilling technique that uses a high-pressure mixture of water, sand and chemicals to break apart rock and free natural gas.”



Uh-oh, wait a second. Both sources sited thus far have explained that the fracking process employs the use of - OH, NO – chemicals! Well, there it is then. Fracking must immediately be brought to an abrupt and screeching halt for to continue would be akin to waging chemical warfare against Mother Nature and anyone who disagrees with this conclusion must be shunned, scorned, ridiculed, and shamed. After all, if you are in favor of fracking then ipso facto you must want to destroy and pollute the planet, rape our environment, and despoil all that the “Greens” love and cherish. Boy, you Frackers out there are some really evil, cold Bastards and should at the very least be exiled to some remote island somewhere or maybe even be summarily executed. Use chemicals, indeed! Author Brett Chenoweth apparently and wisely disagrees. He notes that there is, “concern about the undisclosed chemicals used in fracking,” but explains correctly that, “Fracking is a regulated activity, and concerns over the chemicals are not being ignored. For this reason, I do not see this as a large cost, as it has a very small probability of causing any damage to people or the environment.” Additionally, Mr. Chenoweth suggests, “that we frack, but responsibly and safely, making sure to set a standard procedure and safety process. The technology and techniques are only improving with time, so this should not be an unachievable goal. It will allow us to reap the benefits of fracking while maintaining a level of environmental integrity and safety.”



The only question I have for old Brett here is why would he assume anything else? We have become a nation of regulations, regulators, and regulated and the field of fracking is certainly no different. It would be sheer insanity on the part of those in the industry to do anything but act responsibly, safely, and prudently for that would endanger the endeavor, invite government reprisal, and would certainly reduce whatever profits are to be gleaned from the process. It would be the height of folly and foolishness because it would fly in the face of the self-interest of those engaged in the process and would be anti-capitalistic in the extreme. Oh, of course, I get it now and should have seen it immediately. Those who oppose fracking are, in fact, anti-capitalistic, anti-American, and Socialist. They despise the concept and view Capitalism as the single most evil socio-economic system ever devised by evil mankind(see the Morality of Free Market Capitalism Rant of 12/1/11).



So, then, what about these immoral and dastardly Frackers who would despoil our environment and rape Mother Nature with their noxious and deadly chemicals? I mean those guys plan to deploy nothing less than full-blown, all out chemical warfare against our precious planet. Only degenerate and depraved Capitalists could sink so low. There’s obviously no other explanation. An article entitled, “The Big Fracking Deal(https://sites.google.com),” speaks directly to this issue. The piece explains that, “you will notice chemicals that are used everyday such as household cleaners, swimming pool cleaner, table salt, thickeners used in cosmetics, glass cleaner, and many more.” Who among us does not have such products in the cabinets under the kitchen sink, in the bathroom, or out in the garage? I would venture to guess that the answer is virtually no one. According to the article, one such common compound used in Fracking is acid. Oh, Heaven forbid! Not ACIDS!! Apparently, the purpose of acid is to help dissolve minerals and aid in initiating fissure in rock. One of the most common existing reasons for using it is to clean our swimming pools. So, if you’ve got one of them or use a municipal facility you’re literally swimming in the stuff! Next up we see some horrific sounding thing called Glutaralde-hydrade which just sounds dangerous and hazardous to living things. This horrible chemical eliminates bacteria in water, is a disinfectant, and is used to sterilize dental and medical equipment. Oh, no – not that!



Care to take a look at a few more chemical agents that are employed in the fracking process? Sure, no problem. Moving right along, we notice something called Sodium Chloride which allows delayed breakdown of the gel polymer chains. Well, Mother of God, we sure as shit can’t have that! You know, common table salt found in just about every household in the nation. Now, your doctor may have warned you off the stuff but not because it’s going to destroy the planet or contaminate our drinking water! Next up on the list, we come to an item called Non-Dirrethyl Formarride which prevents pipe corrosion and is currently employed in pharmaceuticals, acrylic fibers, and plastic – all useful items, don’t you think?



Do you begin to get the point, folks? The scaremongers out there mention the word chemical and identify them by their formal, scientific names in order to frighten and confuse us. If they charged that table salt, the stuff we use to flavor our food with, will cause planetary destruction they’d be heckled right out of the room and they know it! If they came out and stated in plain English that the stuff used in fracking helps sanitize and clean our swimming pools, they’d be laughed off the stage! As all good members of the LFE, they employ fear tactics and play on our emotions. You know, if you are not against fracking you obviously must hate the planet and want to see it despoiled and destroyed. Gimme a Fracking break! Unfortunately, there are far too many of us who are easily frightened and have been literally brainwashed and bamboozled into believing that modern technologies are in and of themselves innately harmful, destructive, and constitute harbingers of doom.



Well then, let’s continue for just a bit longer examining what the Evil Fracksters have in store for us. They use in their capitalistic quest to make money and employ Americans such items as: Borate Salts – found in laundry detergents, hand soap, and cosmetics; Petroleum Distillates – used in make-up remover, laxatives, and candy; Guar Gum – currently employed in cosmetic thickeners, baked goods, ice cream, toothpaste, sauces, and salad dressing; Potassium Chloride (Oh, no – not that!) – which is nothing more than a low sodium salt substitute; Sodium Potassium Carbonate – used in soda, detergents, soap, water softener, glass, and ceramics; Ethylene Glycol – employed in antifreeze, household cleaners, and caulk; and Isopropanol – for glass cleaners, antiperspirants, and hair color. The article highlights other chemicals necessary and useful for the fracking process, but I believe the point is made. Those that are against fracking are attempting to instill an irrational fear into an ignorant and gullible population. They are attempting to prevent progress, stop economic growth and prosperity, and leave the American citizen in such a state of gloom and despair that they will turn to our government – to Big Brother – to protect and save us from the horrid profit mongers in our midst. You got it – more government dependence and less and less self-reliance and confidence in the future.

Alrighty then, the fracking process uses common, ordinary household chemical products. There’s nothing particularly exotic, outlandish, or extreme involved here and if their use can help us become energy independent and provide employment and prosperity for who knows how many millions, then fracking should be universally applauded and adopted. Not to do so seems to me to be the absolute height of foolishness and irresponsibility. Wait there just a minute, Skippy, retort the doom and gloomers. Just hold on there, Buddy, not so damned fast! They may grudgingly agree that the partial list of chemicals presented thus far may not mean an end to our planet or environment but what about the nation’s WATER SUPPLY, they shriek!?! Do you really want things like disinfectants, detergents, antifreeze, and glass cleaner leaching into and infecting our precious ground water? Well, do you?!? They claim that it will happen just as surely as the sun sets at night and rises in the morning. It’s inevitable. They conclude, therefore, that the Fracksters want to pollute and poison our water thereby killing our precious children and their cute little puppy dogs! How evil can you possibly get? The anti-frackers out there seriously make the charge that those in the Fracking Sector are willing to poison our drinking water in the name of Evil Profit and I really believe that they have absolutely no idea how ridiculous, ludicrous, and illogical they sound. They seem to assume that those in the Fracking Industry are too stupid and ignorant to understand the possible risks that fracking may present or they are convinced that those in the industry are so cold and callous as to not even give a damn about the risks as long as they’re turning a profit.



The investment in the process is huge and there’s a lot of money riding on its success and acceptance by the public. Without public support and approval, the industry is destined to fail. If the public generally held the view that fracking would mean large-scale contamination and pollution of our drinking water, there is no chance in Hades of it ever really succeeding and the fear-mongers know it. That is why we hear a never ending cacophony and chorus of anti-fracking going on out there. These folks are purposely attempting to instill fear and panic among the general public much as they have successfully and falsely done about America’s nuclear industry. If their anti-fracking propaganda is nearly as successful as their anti-nuclear propaganda has been then fracking is dead in the water. Kaput, finished, through! This, of course, is the desired outcome. Both of these technologies would virtually guarantee American energy independence and those members of the LFE out there simply can’t have that. It can’t be tolerated much less even contemplated. That would be seen as pro-American and they simply are not!



Let’s briefly look into the controversy about fracking and our water supply. First of all, according to the last mentioned source, fracking, “requires the use of more water than traditional shallow vertical wells, ranging between three and five million gallons of water per well.” Now, that’s a shitload of H2O! This water use, of course, leads to the charge that the fracking process will consume so much of the stuff that in time there will not be enough water left for human and animal consumption or for growing crops. All, of course, in the name of Evil Profit! Once again, the Gloomers and Doomers either have no idea of which they speak or they are purposely spreading lies into frightening the citizenry into rejecting the entire practice. As noted earlier, fracking is a heavily regulated industry and, “gas producers must identify and obtain permits from the state regulatory agencies to withdraw water from streams or rivers, with additional oversight on limiting water withdrawals to protect fish and aquatic life.” Like all other industries in America, the frackers simply can’t do as they please on a whim.

Additionally and as always, the anti-Fracking Forces ignore new technological developments that significantly cut down on the over use of our precious water supply. It seems that new, “technologies, however, are allowing producers to recycle much of their water,” and that on average, “producers reuse nearly 60 percent of their water, and this figure is expected to grow even larger. In some cases, “producers are recycling 100 percent of their water.” Furthermore, the entire fracking process, “requires continuous monitoring to ensure the safety of workers and the protection of the environment.” The piece also refers to a point made earlier by recognizing that natural gas companies, “invest millions of dollars to develop a single well. Protecting that investment through a safe operation and successful completion is the first priority for every well drilled.” Finally, the level of water consumption must be placed in its proper perspective. Yup, fracking uses a whole bunch of the stuff. Referring to Pennsylvania, the article notes that the, “the industry will only be using a tiny portion of the state’s water consumption of 10 billion gallons per day – this is less than what is used for recreational purposes, such as golf course irrigation in the summer months.”



All well and good, you say, but what about the concept of contaminating and polluting our water supply with the noxious chemicals discussed above? Well, as a previous sources noted, “there have been no confirmed instances of water contamination,” as of yet. Does this mean that it can never happen? Of course not, for as suggested a number of times in this screed there is risk involved in any and all human activities or endeavors. Does that mean that the risk is not worth taking and that progress should be abandoned because we have become too afraid to assume any risk at all? That’s no more than a prescription for defeat, failure, and an end to progress, development, and hope for the future. A piece entitled, “Fracking is Misunderstood, It’s the Key to Energy Self-Sufficiency(www.forbes.com).” explains that, “Fracking activities take place deep underground, well below the water table. . .” Did you get that? It’s simple and easy to understand. The process takes place nowhere near our water supplies so the chances of chemical pollution seem fairly remote at best. But still, maybe we should abandon the technology because, after all, something might go wrong somewhere, somehow, sometime.



Author Halah Touryalai makes an interesting and insightful comment when she notes there, “is far too much inaccurate information about fracking being circulated by people calling themselves environmentalists,” and suggests that an EPA, “study would hopefully resolve these issues once and for all.” While she apparently recognizes that there is in fact an entire pant-load of lies and misinformation being disseminated about fracking by the “Greens” amongst us, she obviously places far more faith in government’s abilities and intentions than do I. EPA, indeed! That’s an organization populated by those on the Far Left, the LFE, and Socialists. I’m willing to bet the ranch that any study of fracking put out by the EPA would have only one resounding resolution: shut it down!



According to the Hill which is the official news organ of the U.S. Congress the possibility and danger of chemical contamination is remote. In an article entitled, “Fracking Innovations Enhancing Energy Independence(http://thehill.com),” we learn that more, “than a million wells have been ‘fracked’ since the technology was introduced more than six decades ago,” and that, “Fracking takes place a mile or more below drinking-water aquifers and is separated from them by thick layers of impermeable rock.” The article recognizes that there are concerns about a process called flow back – water that flows back to the surface after fracking has taken place – but and as always, “experience and innovation are leading the way,” in dealing with any problems from that source. Author Bonner Cohen explains that additives, “containing the BTEX family of chemicals have been eliminated from the product lines used in fracking. BTEX – benzene, tolvene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes – are the volatile organic compounds found in petroleum and dies, once a staple in fracking, has been replaced by much more environmentally friendly mineral oil.” The author correctly insists that, “Technology doesn’t stand still. Today’s innovations, which are making fracking cleaner and safer, will be superseded by tomorrow’s breakthroughs.”



That last statement constitutes an utter and absolute truism. Those of us on the “Right” firmly know and believe this. It is we Conservatives who have an all-abiding faith in man’s ability to progress and overcome problems that are encountered in any field of endeavor. We tend to recognize but not dwell on problems that arise and instead focus on finding solutions to them. We believe in man’s ability to keep moving forward no matter what the obstacles. We look back on the amazing and, historically speaking, breakneck pace of developments that have vastly improved the lot of mankind and see no reason to abandon or curtail our optimistic attitudes regarding America’s future. It is those on the Far Left in this country that are the pessimists, the gloom and doomers. They are the ones that have absolutely no faith in man’s ability to progress and improve conditions in this country. They are the ones that do not trust the individual to take care of themselves and their families. They are convinced that the mass of humanity must be led around by the nose. They insist that every conceivable aspect of life be micromanaged by a massive, centralized, out of control government peopled and staffed by an arrogant, condescending elite who are, of course, far better equipped than us common slobs to run our lives and dictate the terms of our existence. They have absolutely no faith or confidence in man’s ability to make correct decisions or create innovative solutions to the myriad problems life throws at us. Yet, they label themselves as PROGRESSIVES! Progressives, my sorry old ass!! They are against fracking because it represents progress, innovation, and most importantly because it will enhance America’s position in the world and this they cannot abide.



Merely debunking the myths and lies about fracking perpetrated by those on the Far Left is not enough to get a sense of just how beneficial it really is and what it will actually do for individuals and communities in this country. For so many years, for example, we have in America been bombarded and inundated with horror stories pertaining to evil Carbon Dioxide and the dangers of global warming. Well, those who constantly predict planetary destruction due to that phenomenon should be elated at the prospect of hydraulic fracturing for it significantly reduces CO2 emissions. That’s right, folks. While the Environmental Freakazoids have been able to do absolutely nothing about it, the Evil Capitalists out there have by pursuing profit through advanced technology.



An article entitled, “Fracking Provides an Array of Benefits(www.mariettatimes.com).” informs us that, “Hydraulic fracturing is improving energy outlook and reducing carbon emissions.” How about that, huh? The piece goes on to say that,

“At this point it’s becoming almost impossible to deny the environmental benefits increased natural gas is providing in the United States.” In fact, “its increased use in power generation has enabled the U.S. to reduce carbon emissions to 20 year lows, dropping to 1992 levels.” In fact, the International Energy Agency notes that the, “U.S. has led the world in carbon reductions since 2006 thanks to increased natural gas made possible by hydraulic fracturing.” Environmental benefits, however, constitute just the merest tip of the ice-burg. Author John Krohn explains that in Ohio, “studies show that it supported 1.5 million jobs and over $1 billion a day in economic activity last year.”



Not only is fracking revving up employment at a time when unemployment levels are still unacceptably high, it is breathing new life into what were assumed to be moribund and dying industries. A piece entitled, “It’s time to Develop Our Natural Resources in America(http://resourcefulearth.org),” informs us that, “Hydraulic fracturing – fracking – is revitalizing a number of American businesses that had previously been stagnant or forced to relocate to other parts of the globe.” Furthermore, “The shale gas revolution is firing up an old-fashioned American industrial revival.” The piece sites a number of examples from Ascension Parish, Louisiana. It explains that Methanex Corporation, a chemical plant that shut down its last plant in America in 1999 is spending over half a billion dollars to dismantle a plant in Chile and will move it to the Louisiana parish.



Additionally, the Williams Petrochemical Company is spending something like $400 million to expand an ethylene plant and, “CF Industries unveiled a $2.1 billion expansion of its nitrogen fertilizer manufacturing complex, aiming to displace imports that now make up half of U.S. nitrogen fertilizer sales.” Those, of course, are but merely a few examples of a phenomenon that is increasingly taking place all over the nation thanks to fracking. The article accurately maintains that across the country companies like those cited, “are crediting the sudden abundance of cheap natural gas for reviving up their U.S. operations,” and that the, “shale gas revolution is firing up an old-fashioned American industrial revival, breathing life into businesses such as petrochemicals and gas, steel and toys.” As far as I can tell, folks, fracking seems to be a win-win for everyone and I’m convinced that the only ones opposed to it are those that do not wish to see America grow and prosper because they intensely dislike, if not actually hate, this country. I can find no other explanation for their fracking objections other than a pronounced anti-American bias and prejudice.



The benefits of fracking so far outweigh any negatives that one must wonder about the motives of those who are against it. The objections to the process cannot be grounded in reality, fact, or reason for they are supremely irrational, irresponsible, and reveal an amazing level of ignorance, hysteria, and irrationality. Their attitudes display a complete lack of faith in the future and a pessimism that is literally foreign to America’s history and experience. Their views fly in the face of common sense as well as nationalism. One Allen Gilmer wrote a piece entitled, “10 Reasons Fracking Improves American Lives(http://info.drillinginfo.com),” which clearly and concisely lays out the case for hydraulic fracturing. He notes, for starters, because of fracking the, “price of oil is 20% lower than what it would be otherwise,” and that, “natural gas prices in America have plummeted over the last 5 years. As a result, natural gas is at least 80% cheaper here than the rest of the world.” Any objections thus far? Good, let’s keep going. The author points out that, “low gas prices have led to America’s first new industrial build in 40 years,” and for, “the first time in many people’s lives, our manufacturing sector is growing,” and that, “American energy independence is possible for the first time in history.” All this and more is directly attributable to fracking and yet there are still those out there who vigorously oppose it.



Moving right along, we note that by, “reducing our dependence on foreign oil, we won’t have to send untold amounts of money to governments who don’t have our best interests in mind, particularly in the Middle East.” Think about that. No more being held hostage by a bunch of oil-rich sheiks halfway around the world who view us as no more than the Great Satan! Furthermore, “we have reduced our CO2 contribution over 200 kilotons per day,” and we have, “unlocked a vast energy resource while remaining environmentally responsible.” Indeed, “thanks to fracking, Oil & Gas is perhaps the only robust industry that is hiring at every level. We offer high paying jobs and pay far more of our income as taxes and fees than virtually any other industry.” Yeah, that fracking stuff is just one giant negative! In addition, “every year, drilling leases bring multibillion dollar transfer payments to rural and agricultural communities across America.”



Fracking seems to be a huge positive for this nation and its citizens. If we let the modern-day “Luddites” amongst us win and shut down the process we will be witnessing the end of American independence and hegemony and it will usher in a period of deep malaise and hopelessness that may see the end of America as founded and currently constituted.





Much Luv Y’all and Have a Great Day!

The Fifth Horseman

(Dr. David M. Rich, Ph.D.)