WHO IS THE CATAWBA RIVER DISTRICT? AND WHY?

Over the past few years I have watched as environmental non-profits have multiplied like a veritable plague of locusts across the land. And I've researched the origins of this all the way back to the Federal government agencies feeding these locusts with money our Federal government does not have and must borrow or print. Billions of dollars ( estimated, but no way to tell over the last 10 years or so, how many billions have been unloaded into the non-profits..I'd be willing to bet more in the trillions) in grants have been handed out to anyone and everyone who will carry out the anti-private property rights schemes of these locusts.

I learned this past week that yet another "protection" scheme has popped up in our area, something called the Catawba River District. This "district" crosses county borders and city designations on a map drawn up by some environmentalist do-gooders who have no elected authority from anyone. Some few folks, who don't necessarily own any land there by the way, just arbitrarily drew a line around a territory that they want to control, set themselves up as a non-profit, started taking donations, began applying for grants, set up an advisory board and proceeded to call themselves a "district." They do say on their site in a few places that cooperation with them is "voluntary." But wait a minute, since this is all "voluntary," what is the goal here? What is NOT "voluntary" is the tax money they receive in the way of grant money. Other taxpayers are funding this operation by forced collection of taxes and by governments allowing this as tax shelter, thereby putting the tax burden on the rest of us. Because of the non-profit status of this group, they are now in process of lobbying local governments and requesting grant monies from state and federal governments. Excuse me? Some collective crew of control fanatics have crowned themselves kings of a piece of land they do not own. I would call this a protection racket, back to some very unhealthy practices of fiefdom from the middle ages. These fiefs are taking money from you and me to perpetrate their fiefdom. And most of the folks who are perpetrating this particular scheme are wealthy (I know some of them) and carry some lofty titles such as "planners" or directors of some other non-profits. Some of them have no credentials in the area of science or environmental issues at all. They just want in on the take.

From New Voices, an arm of the Catawba River District funded by the Knight Foundation which is an arm of a newspaper publishing business which includes the Charlotte Observer "The Catawba River District has identified several major funding opportunities, including a Sustainable Communities planning grant from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development; federal weatherization grants and creation of a job-training center at the ReVenture renewable energy facility."
Stem is the GREEN indoctrination education system set up by the Catawba River District Now I have no gripes against teaching science, biology, math or any of the skills these people are advertising. But the entire premise here is indoctrinating children in the Al Gore fiction of how humans are ruining the environment and must use "sustainable" methods in all they do.

Their cute circle logo above looks like Bill Nye the Science Guy stuff, but teaching children science and biology is not the goal.

The goal is the top image, the three interlocking ovals. In case you don't recognize that symbol, it is very similar to the symbol of the United Nations Agenda 21 - Sustainable Development doctrine. The UN one says Environment, Equity, Economy.

This is just one grant application, asking for our tax dollars from the EPA:
Catawba River District, Inc.

Charlotte, NORTH CAROLINA

Indicated Organization Type

Nonprofit w/ LEA

Indicated Grant Type

Development

Private Match Waiver Requested

No

Award Length Requested

3 Years

Federal Funding Requested

$1,523,629.00

Next up, you can apply for a gold star from the Catawba River District if you play by their rules:

Catawba River District Certification and Weatherization

A unique feature of the Catawba River District is its voluntary programs to certify and promote environmentally sustainable buildings and properties.

Catawba River District Certification is awarded to buildings and properties whose owners meet stringent standards to protect the environment and our wildlife, safeguard the Catawba River and significantly reduce energy consumption. Residential and commercial subdivisions and both new and existing homes and commercial buildings can earn River District Certification.

River District Weatherized designation can be earned by owners of existing homes and buildings who want to make their buildings more energy efficient but aren’t ready for the more intense certification process. Improvements made for this program can count later toward the full certification.

Both programs help safeguard our fragile yet precious river ecology while creating a sustainable community for generations to come.

There is more than this on their website, but again, I ask the question, "Who are these people and why do they think they are so important that they can hand out certifications for people's buildings?

From where comes their authority? They were not appointed by local city governments or county governments. Even if they were, they are certainly not elected by citizens. They sat themselves on top of a supposedly popular environmental cause and gave themselves some authority over a swath of land they don't own to pressure private owners from doing whatever they need to do with their property, to use the unholy word "develop" it, or to live on it as they please. They found some currently popular cause to latch onto and then proceeded to fund it using our tax money and to set up tax shelters for donors.

Of course the altruistic cause of "protecting the river" is their supposed motive. But, we have already clean air and water laws. We already have regulations that prevent pollution. So what is the necessity of the Catawba River District? No doubt they are patting themselves on the back every night and day, telling themselves they are saving the planet, the drinking water, the land, the riparian wildlife, and all else from those evil possible developers who might want to use the land.

They've covered all of the bases. Education, Protection, Media Publications, Certifications.... Then, when all else fails, they claim it is a historic district where American Indians traded their goods.

More from their site:
• The historic Tuckaseegee Ford and Trail - used for many centuries by both native Americans and European settlers. Modern parks preserve the historic area on both sides of the Catawba.

So it is also a Historic Place? If I were betting, I'd bet the Indians came through the neighborhood I live in, too, at some point in time. And, believe me, if you are going to start down that road, the one where American Indians were here first, we might as well all leave the country on the first available transport. Heck, why don't we all just commit suicide and make these folks really happy.

The non-profits keep propagating spawn. For instance one non-profit agency then creates another non-profit under it to carry out some new corollary function. The Catawba Lands Conservancy, therefore, created the Carolina Thread Trail. The Catawba River District created the River Keepers and STEM. And so it goes, until some of the larger non-profits have many baby non-profits, all happily enjoying the Federal money feeding frenzy. Not to mention the wealthy persons and corporations who are using these non-profits for tax shelters.

My point, in case you missed it, is that I am seeing land carved up and claimed, regardless of legal jurisdictions, by environmentalist groups who have set themselves up as judge and jurors of how people are going to live on their own private property. This is going on all across the nation thanks to Federal policies of funding groups who are operating outside of the law. Believe me, this is outside of the law. This is extra-constitutional. You can't vote them out. They are using our tax money to do it, yet they have no real, legal, authority. How did this happen? How do we stop them?

And where does this end?

SAID THE SPIDER TO THE FLY - THE COUNCILMAN TO THE CROWD

You may all think I've lost my mind, but the wonderful poem, "The Spider and the Fly," came across my mind today as I was thinking about a certain councilman who has so arrogantly flown in the face of the citizens of our fine city, demanding we have our recycling bins tracked with RFID chips. To him I dedicate this adaptation of The Spider and the Fly, by Mary Howitt

Said The Councilman To The Crowd

"Come into my parlour," said the Councilman to the Crowd.
"It's nice and sweet to welcome you, and of it I'm so proud."
"It's all of you, dear citizens, I only want to please."
"The ID chips in those new bins will just promote the breeze."
"You know I care so much for you and think you all so grand,
That I can't have your freedoms running our fine city land."

"Oh, no, no, no," said the listening Crowd, "to push this is so wrong."
"And after all is said and done, we are the voting throng."
"You must not do this, Councilman, we think you are so smug."
"You cause us all to be dismayed and heave a great big shrug."
"We've heard the spiel and can't forget the undeniable truth,"
That ID chips are sinister, and you, sir, are uncouth."

The Councilman replied to them with haughty nose held high,
"Dumb and stupid foolish bunch, I say you must comply."
"You, silly folks who crow and crow cannot be thought to know
My reasons for controlling you are pure as driven snow."
"I mean so well, my intentions good, you cannot fault me such."
"The cost you pay is a pittance bit, compared to future stuff."

"Oh, no, no, no," said the wary Crowd, " Our business is our own."
"You need to mind yourself and leave all of us alone."
To which the haughty Councilman gave a huge harrumph and smirk.
"I am entitled to do my wish, and you can all eat dirt."
"The tracking of your trash will make me happy, full of glee."
"Your recycling is my business now and what you throw I'll see."

The Crowd bowed down and lowly curtsied left the room,
They felt the over-casting spell of certain coming doom,
As the Councilman yelled after them with a loud and nasty cue,
"Rejoice at all your money spent, I spent it all for you!"
"It matters not to me or mine as you defend and gripe."
"I'll be on top controlling you, as the floor with you I wipe."

SHEEP, DONKEYS, AND DUPES, - MOVING TOWARD EXTORTION

It has been said that people possess a herd mentality. If some admired (for whatever reason) person makes a testimonial supporting some product or another, that is supposed to inspire other people to go out and buy that product. Advertising has used this endorsement tool forever. It evidently has a proven track record. Joe Namath endorsed shaving cream, and then every red-blooded male in the country went running to the store to buy Namath's brand of shaving cream. ("Take it off!" "Take it all off!") In this way, someone leads another person into an action voluntarily, albeit through influence of celebrity

Somehow, along the way, over the last several decades, the American people have been inundated with the psychological pull of this celebrity endorsement method. But the United States government has gone way beyond this idea of leading through endorsements. Having decided that Americans are all sheep responding to the herd direction, the U.S. government decided to turn Americans into another animal; hybrid sheep-donkeys...part sheep, part donkey. Let me explain.

We've seen another ploy in the advertising world also, where someone is dangling a carrot in front of the target customer, i.e. donkey, to make them buy something. Coupon shopping is one simple example. Donkeys cut out coupons every week from their newspapers and head straight to the grocers to get their carrots; a dollar off this or .50 cents off that. Customers (donkeys) are spending their extra time and energy to grab the carrots dangled in front of them. The United States government is observant of this activity and now decides, "Hey, those donkeys like carrots, so we'll give them some." The government wants an action? The government creates a carrot. The government wants a lot of people to desire the carrot? The government creates a celebrity to endorse the carrot. The government creates a sheep-donkey. This new hybrid is someone who wants to do what everyone else is doing, but also wants a carrot for the effort.

Now common sense would expect that people would not follow the herd for carrots unless the action benefits them. So, let's continue on with the next step of psychological behavioral science and say we want the sheep-donkeys to want a carrot that is really a rotten turnip. First you have to convince a lot of sheep-donkeys that the rotten turnip is good for them. It doesn't taste good. It gives them indigestion. It may make them deathly sick. It may be a slow death, not immediately apparent. But the rotten turnip photographs nicely and has a slick ad campaign to make it sound like the greatest thing since sliced bread. The sheep-donkeys all look toward the celebrity endorsement and want to be just like that fellow. The rotten turnip still looks pretty good, is said to fix everything wrong in the world, and after all, scientists are saying this is the elixir from the Gods and will be good for all. Buying into the ad campaign for health, well-being, redemption and salvation, now the sheep-donkeys become dupes. Sheep-donkey-dupes. Or SDD's for short. Carrots are no longer carrots. Celebrities are now civil servants. And the dangling desired object will make you sick.

So what is a government to do? Once the celebrity has worn off and the carrot is exposed as a rotten turnip, the government has one more tool in its toolbox. Extortion. Here is where celebrity has failed and the carrot is exposed as a rotten turnip, but the government still wants what it wants and will not be denied.

The government sends the salesmen out to sell the rotten turnips to the sheep-donkey-dupes. Some of the SDD's are still buying into the rotten turnips, but some have seen the tragic consequences of eating the rotten turnips and refuse to buy them anymore. Some sheep-donkey-dupes have even decided to become critical thinking humans again. These former SDD's have to be ridiculed and disenfranchised as renegade radicals.

In steps the extortion team with bags of money and threats. "Here is the program, SDD's." "You will buy these rotten turnips or else!" "Or else you will be shunned, re-educated, or in debtors prison."

And so it goes today with our government selling rotten turnips to the remaining sheep-donkey-dupes.

Government salesmen have sold Agenda 21 to local communities just this way. The Smart Growth policies are sold by extortion. Sustainable Development now equals stars...like those little gold sticky stars your elementary school teacher put on your homework. If you don't adopt the policies sold by the Federal government, you will be cut off at the knees, never receive loan financing again, and be shut out from all government programs. The block grants for the needy in your community just dried up. The transportation spending you were counting on just disappeared into thin air, actually only offered now for bike lanes and walking trails. The damage assessment team will be descending upon your schools like locusts to make sure your children turn into good little sheep-donkey-dupes,too. The "star" designation for your city went somewhere else unless you straighten up and fly right.

So, we have come a long way with our Federal government "progress." It used to be a little voluntary cooperation here and there. Then it became encouraged cooperation through endorsements by either the likes of Al Gore or civil servants, now even Coca-Cola. Next came the fake government agenda, the regions, the stakeholders, the corporate shills. Want to bet Coca-cola gets gold stars and tax breaks for donations to the World Wildlife Fund? Nevermind the bet. We know they are. Bet you didn't get a tax break today.

In your city, town, or county, the extortion game is being played out. Your community is being told, by regional governance boards, bureaucrats, and planners from the American Planning Association, that if you want Federal money, fame, recognition, and status, your community better cough up property rights, matching grant monies, less energy usage, give up cars, and put everyone into a concrete jungle with boundaries far away from anything that may be considered "sprawl." (That means 1 acre lots or suburban living, by the way.)

Sheep-donkey-dupes are all to happy to sell out your rights using your money to get their carrots...I mean rotten turnips. Wise up out there....a carrot is not what you think it is. And those sheep-donkey-dupes don't care about your freedoms or rights.

TIRED OF TWISTED LANGUAGE MANIPULATIONS

I've pointed out before that one of the sharpest swords in the Socialist toolbox is twisting the meanings of words. I cannot begin to tell you how sick of that game I am. I heard the other day that the original purpose of Webster creating the dictionary was to assure we all knew the meanings of words in order to keep us all on the same page. I decided to look this up and found this little blurb below:

Lexrex.com
Noah Webster claimed to have coined only one word - demoralize, which he defined: "To corrupt or undermine the morals of; to destroy or lessen the effect of moral principles on; to render corrupt in morals."

That's interesting. The common usage of "demoralize" today seems to mean "discourage," or to make someone feel down and frustrated. Obviously, that is not the original intent of the word. Makes me think I need that dictionary. The word also describes what has happened to our entire society; demoralized. It's a good word with Webster's meaning intact.

Another source here

This takes me to what has happened to our laws. When legal isn't moral, we are definitely working with chains of corruption wrapped around us. It occurred to me today that the Constitution has been under assault from the moment it was signed, sealed, and delivered. It is a very moral document. Immoral people would not like to be held to the standards set in it, or the rules a moral people rely on for civil society. The relentless assault on the Constitution has escalated under Obama. I can't help but wonder if we have reached the point of no return, though in my heart of hearts I hope not. Part of the assault is on our language. Hence, a Communist was elected to the Presidency using two words: Hope and Change. Vague and ambiguous, meaning different things to different people, but a clever sales pitch, nonetheless.

Words mean things. The left doesn't like the meanings, so they abominate the words to their own benefits. Things have become so bad lately that I believe we have become confused beyond ability to communicate. It would be good to get back to the basics with language.

Just a couple of examples:
"Livability" What the heck does that mean to you? You see, the word is ambiguous. It implies something without actually defining it. There are people who swallow comprehensive municipal plans using that word, and in truth, they have no idea what that means. So when you go diving into the description from the Smart Growth crowd, you find out that "livability" means high density, discouraged use of cars, buildings with green certification, restrictive rules and regulations for everything. Does that sound enticing to you? No. So they use an ambiguous word, i.e. "Livability" to make you think it must be just great to live in a city that uses "Livability" as a goal.

"Connectivity" How does that sound?? Another ambiguous word. Left to interpretation, it implies we should all be so happily connected to everything. What it actually means is no privacy, connecting streets so there are no cul de sac neighborhoods, greenways in your backyard, and light rail at your doorstep. So the facilitators sell the plan as this wonderful idea, but it turns into laws and regulations that undermine private ownership control over your own property. Zoning doesn't even come close to what "Connectivity" can do. Zoning actually allows for appeals and compromises. "Connectivity" is dogma. You can't get away from it.

So, here's to Noah Webster and his valiant effort to make sure we all understood the meanings of words. I vote we don't fall for ambiguous and vague soundbites, empty promises, and shyster political speak. I vote we all buy Webster's original dictionary and start using it. Otherwise, we are communicating in foreign languages that no one in America even grasps. You can see how well that is working out lately.

WILL BLACKS EVER EMBRACE LIBERTY?

Reflecting on the election on Tuesday, I am beginning to believe that a majority of Blacks will never give up the Socialist mantra and embrace freedom from economic suppression. Since Obama's election in 2008, we have seen more race based animosity toward liberty, so much so that I am amazed at the entitlement attitudes. The difference between living off the largesse of statists and living in liberty doesn't even get discussed in Black conversations, except in articles by Thomas Sowell and Walter E. Williams. In my view, this shows a lack of confidence in individual ability, a lack of creative intelligence, a lack of historical perspective, and a clinging to enslavement that Blacks can't ever seem to get past. The amazing thing to me is I would have thought that Blacks would be the first ones to run away from the even the slightest smell of statist control. They, of all people in the U.S., should be carrying the banners of freedom in front of every gathering they attend. Instead, they are grabbing onto every government program and every suppression of liberty attached they can get their hands on. (I am generalizing. I do know there are many Blacks who do not buy into the statist set up, but definitely not a majority of them, unfortunately.)

Charlotte, NC, the big city to my east, voted all democrat, all socialist in this election. The John Locke Foundation reports below, an article by Tara Servatius:

"Republicans will never hold a majority on the Charlotte City Council again, the Observer accurately reported. And if a 9-2 Democrat victory is what happens in an off year, non presidential election, it is doubtful that the GOP will ever hold a majority on the Charlotte City Council again the Observer opined.

I’d go a step further. It is doubtful if the GOP will ever hold an at-large seat on the Charlotte City Council again.

But that’s not even the biggest story here. That story the Observer missed entirely, as usual. Here’s what they wrote:

There are twice as many registered Democrats as Republicans in the city of Charlotte, and even unaffiliated voters outnumber Republicans. On a map, the moderate-to-conservative southern wedge of the city can’t match the rest of the pie. Democrats’ 2-to-1 edge in registration was reflected almost exactly in the vote: Mayor Anthony Foxx beat Republican Scott Stone about 2-to-1.

Um, yes. But this wasn’t just a Democrat victory. This was an African-American Democrat victory. Democrats may outnumber the GOP by 2-1, but more than half of Democrat voters are black, making them the largest distinct voting group in the city — and the group that determines who wins Democrat primaries, the only ones that matter anymore."

That's Tara. She has reported on this changing demographic in Charlotte for years. She doesn't mince words. And, she has been spot on, predicting the turnover of the Charlotte power base to a socialist, social engineering experiment, much to the dismay of this writer. Why do Blacks keep going all in for Democrats?

For myself, I am sad to see the situation in Charlotte turning into something other than what it used to be, a charming city with a sort of 2nd gear Southern flavor, melding different cultures in an even handed way. One used to be able to go to different areas of the city and enjoy a leisurely lunch or dinner, shop very good stores, traverse without high traffic congestion, go to the theatre or a concert, and have a great day. Now it has become a Smart Growth nightmare of daring to drive anywhere, covered up with politically correct everything, ridiculous venues (paid for by taxes) that are going bankrupt, crowded, and definitely not fun. I, frankly, don't care about the color factor so much as I care about the mishandling of growth, the influx of government money that created the mess, and I am missing the gentle pace Charlotte used to exemplify.

That being said, all of this "change" has been wrought by bringing in government money. And with that government money has come force of change. Change into what? Detroit? Atlanta? A city that thrives on Federal government controls? This is why the Democrat Convention is landing in Charlotte next year. Charlotte is the latest poster child for losing local autonomy. Blacks followed the government money. Entitlements. Social programs. Affirmative action. Gone is the feeling of success. The city feels as if it is moving at breakneck speed, headlong into some kind of bureaucratic gridlock. There is little there now that makes the trip worth the effort.

I just want to ask, why do Blacks think government money is benevolent? Why do they not see the connection between socialism and enslavement? Why do they think voting for Democrats makes them any better off? Under Obama the Black unemployment rate is worse than other races and not improving. African American Unemployment Rises Under Obama Life is worse under Obama for everyone, but he certainly has not created an environment of prosperity for the Black population. Yet we have Hip Hip Hoorays for the continuing downward slide of America and Blacks are determined to stick by their man.

Maybe most Blacks just can't wrap their minds around the idea that they don't need someone else to tell them how to live. Maybe they can't grasp the facts that the Constitution applies to them? Maybe they just can't motivate themselves to get out from under the thumb of government? Maybe liberty is just too frightening for them? This is not going to end well. As time goes on and the numbers of Blacks and Hispanics grow in this country, what are they creating for themselves? (and for those of us in the White category) Liberty or more statist control of their lives? Just wondering why Blacks want continued oppression. Confounding.

On the side bar to the right, notice Thomas Sowell. And Walter E. Williams.
(Caveat here: I am not saying the Republican Party doesn't have its own share of statists, just that Democrats are completely in that camp.)

IF PIIGS COULD FLY !

The amazing thing to me is that Americans are not connecting the dots. The Eurozone has so obviously taken social dependency to a level of self-destruction, that every headline in America should read: "Watch Europe Self-Destruct and Learn What Not To Do."

The odd thing to me is that Europe didn't learn from the Weimar Republic. It has been just one generation ago that Socialist Nazi Germany found themselves destroyed by the tyranny of Socialism under the guise of Nazism. One generation of lost memory. This makes me wonder about the intelligence of Europeans. But then Marx and the Fabian Socialists came out of Europe. Which still doesn't explain to me how populations of countries are so historically illiterate that they would fall for such obviously similar control of their lives by opting into the European Union. Throw in the horrors, failures, and ultimate collapse of the Soviet Union, and you have to ask yourself, "What do these people have for brains?" (I am including the deluded, leftist, Communists who somehow found themselves in power in the U.S., too.)

What does a loan shark do when debts cannot be paid? One of two things; Either kill the debtor and his family, take the assets and run. Or get the debtor even more in debt on the unsubstantiated promise that sooner or later the debtor will come up with some money, either theirs or someone else's. Exactly the case in Europe. And, in case no one is looking at the National Debt Clock, exactly the case in America. Politicians have become mafia lobbyists for the world banksters. The banksters have become the shills for the politicians. The banksters represent the mob bosses. Global corporations and non-profit foundations have all jumped in on the take. The politicians are the middlemen. They are getting greased from all sides. The taxpayers, having very little say in the matter, are the mark. And all of this wrong-headed economic mess is supposedly justified on a faulty economic theory made up by some very flawed character named Keynes. It was Keynes' idea that government should step in, print and/or throw around money at problems to make everyone feel better temporarily. Unfortunately, temporary has become permanent morass of ever bulging debts, with no hope in the universe of ever getting out from under it. You'd be laughing, if it weren't so pathetic.

A friend of mine Conservatives On Fire recently wrote on his blog that repudiation of debts was the only way out of this nightmare. That seems like a very sensible solution, since otherwise we are headlong into economic warfare. Is the IMF going to repudiate Greece's debts? Somehow I doubt this. Can the rest of Europe make good on the underwater debtor nations of Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece, and Spain? Somehow I doubt this, too. Does the whole world just chalk it up to a bad century and give everyone an "ollie ollie in free?" Not betting on it. Do the headmasters at the IMF just give it up and go home to their mansions without their pound of flesh? Nah.

And why were the debts acquired in the first place? Socialist programs. Buying votes. Creating dependency. Regulations of control and power over the formerly self-sufficient. Hooking up without a dowry or a marriage license...or a shotgun. Tying incompatible, multi-cultural, madmen together by a noose around their necks. (I say "madmen" because that is what you would have to be to create multi-culturalism.)

Borrowing from loan sharks and taking bribes have become the modus operandi of entire regions of the world, to the point that what used to be nation state economies are either collapsing or working toward collapsing at breakneck speed. Is anyone worried about this? Or is this so perfectly orchestrated to the benefit of the mob who will walk away with the spoils?

The Wall St. Occupiers are just demanding to get in on the take. That is all they are doing. And when PIIGS fly, they will get their demands. You see, the mob isn't looking to cut in some few thousand unemployed, student, homeless, communist, street musicians. OWS is just a side show entertainment production. The mob wants it all. And when it all comes crashing down, they will have it all. Just ask George Soros who never loses a bet and ends up winning by selling short.

Caveat here: I am not an economist nor am I close to a mob, so my extrapolations here are somewhat naíve, I suppose. It's just that the whole picture is made up of parts that are such obvious, stinking corruption of logic, that it sends me into head-banging frustration.

THE MIDDLE OF REIGNING CHAOS

Mostly it seems incoherent. The press twists and obfuscates the truth all day long. The middle east is spiraling into radical muslim brotherhood of darkness, declaring Sharia law is the law of all of the lands. While here, we have some muslim whiner, aided by some Jewish PC idiot, complaining about a Christian Charity and causing the United States Air Force Academy to drop the popular Operation Christmas Child from its activities. USAFA Caves on Christmas Toy Drive My son is an USAFA graduate. I am a proud parent of that achievement, but it happened long before the Academy was taken over by lunatics. So while I am a proud Air Force parent, I am ashamed of the Air Force Academy today. What has taken place out there is a travesty. Most of the cadets are very fine people who have worked their behinds off to get there and to do all the right things. They strive each day with challenges you and I could hardly dream of accomplishing. Now they are told that delivering Christmas toys to the needy is not acceptable behavior because it is done in the name of the Christian holiday? For God's sake, folks. The events we witness are increasingly insane.

It is election week, next week, for a lot of cities and counties across the country. Heartland America is trying its level best to conduct a quiet and smart transfer of power on the local level, preparing for another quiet and smart transfer of power in 2012. We, the good and solid middle are trudging onward and doing our duties, living up to the Constitutional responsibilities we have been given. We carry on with determination, in spite of the nonsense and white noise going on around us.

And while we are doing this, we have property busting in Oakland, California. We have tent cities in New York, Boston, and who knows where else. The colder weather in the north and the east is liable to help put the kabosh on the "Occupiers," one can hope. But they will keep festering, all ginned up by the communists in the universities and the Democrat Party, so by primary season in the spring, they will be trashing the place and bellowing stupidity loud and clear. It isn't a pretty sight...but then it isn't supposed to be. This is supposed to be the trashing of America. Order does not live with chaos. And that is the point of it all.

The current occupant of the White House, whose name I can hardly bear to speak any longer, has effectively created a scene of unrelenting internal attacks on the structure of the United States of America. He promised to do it: "We are five days away from transforming the United States of America." And so he has. Much to everyone's dismay. Well, everyone except George Soros and Hilary Clinton, along with his cadré of destroyers.

Nothing makes sense. Supposed conservatives are rallying behind a candidate who sits in conference with the likes of Henry Kissinger. Surely, that must be a bad joke. But no, it is exactly the case. The candidate Cain, who was on the board of the Federal Reserve, sits with one of the global cabal, a member of the CFR, and appears to be enjoying the moment immensely. Cain with Kissinger And conservatives are howling about how he (Cain) is being lynched by the press for stupid sexual harassment allegations, when what should concern everyone is the subterfuge of who just exactly Herman Cain is and who he is bringing along with him.

Chaos. It is going to get worse. The O in the White House intends it to be so. He is delivering on his promise. Everything we loved and held dear is being ripped up and tossed into the incinerator....because the O loved and cherished none of it. The left loves none of it. The Democrats have loved none of it for decades. The media is so full of getting paid big bucks for selling hate, they lost their souls along the way. O figured out how to buy corporations who were all too willing to sell their souls to a corrupt government. America Inc. learned this by sitting at the tables of too many politicians.

So each day brings us a little more and a lot more, until you wake up one day and find the country completely dis-functional. Heartland America is becoming heart-sick, frankly. I wonder how long we can keep trying to hold it together. I'm still trying. I know lots of really great people who are working over-time, as I am, to keep it together. In the end, we will have given it everything we have. Today, I'm not sure it is enough. But, maybe it's true what they say, "It is darkest before the dawn." Some days it looks pretty darn dark. Today was one of them.

LEFTIST LANDSCAPES AND ROAD SIGNS

Just back from a trip north, driving from North Carolina to Chicago, Illinois. This trip crossed from North Carolina, through Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana, into Illinois with one tiny corner of Ohio thrown in for good measure. Driving across the countryside is one of the great pleasures of living in America. It used to be more fun, before interstates and when one actually drove through unique and interesting towns. Now the trip is faster due to those interstates, so I guess that's somewhat of a benefit. But, now the towns and cities have all the same stores, and restaurants, lining the edges of the interstates so, other than the terrain, there is not a lot of uniqueness to be seen...sadly. It is the countryside that makes one's heart sing. The mountains, the trees, the rivers, the farmland, etc. The interesting towns with different offerings are a thing of the past. It's as if they lost their sense of who they were and just decided to become a "one size fits all" template. It's all the same Walmarts, Home Depot Stores, Goodies, Comfort Inns, Taco Bells, McDonalds, and Cracker Barrels.

So what did I see on this cross country odyssey? The award for the funniest signs goes to Kentucky. As you cross into the State of Kentucky there is a large blue sign that says: "Welcome to Kentucky - Unbridled Spirit." Which sounded so inviting! I was picturing horses running in pastures and life being so free and wonderful....when, then my eyes landed on another State sign immediately to the left of the Welcome sign. Right beside the Welcome sign of "Unbridled Spirit" is a white rectangle sign with a body strapped into seatbelts....bridled across its chest and its waist. So much for "Unbridled Spirit." They didn't even give you a half a mile to relish the thought. Sigh..... I wondered what marketing expert in the bureaucracy in Kentucky was in charge of placing the signs right next to each other. The irony was both hilarious and sad.

Next up was a huge, aluminum, white, Christian cross. By huge, my best guess is 50 or 60 feet tall. Very substantial and you can't miss it. But just to the side of that sits a pornography store. You know, one of those places that sells raw videos and advertises "Boy Toys." I was wondering which of these received the most acknowledgement from passing travelers. Makes me wonder about the schizophrenic society we are living in.

On through to Indiana, across miles and miles of flat surface with fabulous black dirt and rows of corn fields already harvested. Beautiful rich farmland that, if you stop and think about it, is a blessing beyond our hopes and prayers for food. I saw two large dairy operations, too. Holsteins grazing and a creamery / cheese shop that sounded very tempting!! And then.....and then....

Miles of gigantic windmills covering up this gorgeous land of flat farm fields. Ugly, eerie, and awful. Actually, ugly doesn't begin to describe this. On the way up, none of the blades were turning. Just sitting there, looming like other world aliens hanging over farm houses and barns. These wind turbines are huge. They dwarf everything around them. All I could think of was, when the idiots who did this finally figure out what a failure it is, what will be the public expense to dismantle these monsters and how do you "recycle" those things? On the way back, the wind was blowing more so half of them were spinning slowly around. No birds in sight. No wildlife around. Just thousands and thousands of giant, white, ugly, dominating monsters taking over the beautiful farms and wide skys.

My hate for these windmills is twofold. The first reason is the death of hundreds of thousands of birds annually from these horrible devices. The windfarms are placed into wind corridors where migrating birds have always flown. The birds are no match for these monsters. The tragedy is enormous.

"(September 7, 2011) The United States Attorney in North Dakota has charged seven oil companies in seven separate cases with violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act for the illegal killing of 28 migratory birds. Yet, American Bird Conservancy – the nation’s leading bird conservation organization – reports that the wind industry, despite killing more than 400,000 birds annually, has yet to face a single charge. abcbirds.org.

"For years, a huge wind farm in California's San Joaquin Valley was slaughtering thousands of birds, including golden eagles, red-tailed hawks and burrowing owls.

The raptors would get sliced up by the blades on the 5,400 turbines in Altamont Pass, or electrocuted by the wind farm's power lines. Scientists, wildlife agencies and turbine experts came together in an attempt to solve the problem. The result?

Protective measures put in place in an effort to reduce deaths by 50% failed. Deaths in fact soared for three of four bird species studied, said the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area Bird Fatality Study." USA Today

My second reason is the sheer waste and stupidity of ruining landscapes for a non-productive, unweildy, implausible excuse of replacing fossil fuels with wind energy. Wind energy is undependable, cannot be stored, is twice as expensive to retrieve than what it produces, and is money flushed straight into the toilet. I'd like to take the promoters of this idea and tie them to the blades, leaving them to spin around forever. T Boone Pickens included. A bad idea that should have been stopped before it began.

Billions of dollars on Windfarms for Rolling Blackouts"

On the way back into North Carolina I saw two large cotton fields ready to be picked. I thanked the Lord and human genius for automated equipment that would do that job, so people would not suffer from bleeding hands and broken backs. I ran my hand over my cotton shirt and thought about how wonderful are the gifts we are given.

So that's what I saw on my way to and from Chicago...a country gone mad and a country that can produce the most cherished needs for our people. Some inventions are better than others....some people are smarter than others....some things should not be taken for granted....and I'm glad to be home.