Patriotism and Nationalism Are Two Different Things

I am going to try and spark a little independent thought in you today.

For many years I had always thought of myself as a patriot. Looking back, I think I was practicing some form of nationalism rather than patriotism.

In fact, many of the patriot writers I see in blogger land are really practicing nationalism. They might not even be aware of the difference.

I am not going to call them out. Because I agree in part with their desire to be patriots. I love their lack of cowardice. In fact, it was a real patriot who took me over the knee and spanked me a few years back.

From wiki: Patriotism is a devotion to one's country, excluding differences caused by the dependencies of the term's meaning upon context, geography and philosophy. In a generalized sense applicable to all countries and peoples, patriotism is a devotion to one's country.

Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a nation.

Patriotism is a devotion to one's country. What patriotism is not- is nationalism. Nationalists think that everything their nation does is correct. The successful blurring of these two lines is the result of elite business interests and politicians convincing the hoi polloi that we need to go invade a bunch of foreign countries and "protect our interests." The elite and their politician lackeys are not going to send their own sons and daughters to these wars to get killed. They want the boys from the trailer park to go. They are disposable. And to grease that war machinery, and to get these kids to go, they convince them that some war somewhere is "patriotic."

This is an incredibly difficult subject to broach. It is beyond delicate. It embraces two gut wrenching subjects. First and foremost- who is going to be the world's policeman? Are we going to sit idly by while innocent people get slaughtered? Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, have our kids died in vain? Were they simply used to sell war machinery while greasing bankers with interest on enormous war costs and financing it with government issued debt?

Two of the most fantastic mistakes that this country has ever made- occurred only twenty years apart. The first was sticking American citizens in internment camps (1942) without due process. Essentially stripping Japanese Americans of any civil rights.  

There is probably no better example of scared nationalism or perhaps even racism- than that little seedy episode in American history. Where were those freedom loving patriots then? We were practicing nationalism and cowardice. Those in the minority, those sticking up for Japanese Americans, would have been trampled to death by the nationalists. 

Interestingly enough, I believe that the mistakes of 1942 may have influenced the American psyche- at least to the extent that Americans gained an awareness that government is not always right or just.

Our entry into the Vietnam conflict occurred some 20 years later. American citizens began to openly question government. Here is an excellent chronology of the events leading up to the Vietnam War with a few things you might not have been aware of. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War

What is an example of an unflinching patriot? First and foremost, it is someone who practices internal honesty rather than convenient honesty. He or she will generally be in the minority.
Patriots will have personal courage and thick skin because they know they will be labeled and marginalized. Patriots will always act in the best interests of their country which in our current state- will have them at odds with a government that desperately wants you to support actions which are contrary to your best interests. In it's current state- our government has turned into an oppressive tool of the financial elite. In short, government can no longer be trusted with any decision. They have left the rails.

We need patriots now- more than ever. Patriots love their country, they practice rigorous honesty and they do what is right. Nationalists pretend to be patriots, they often fail to practice honesty, and they do what the herd demands. Nationalists are almost always driven by cowardice- a feeling that they will be outsiders if they fail to support the herd agenda. That's why Japanese internment camps came to be.

Patriots  know that.

Screw John Boehner; Why I'm Gonna Gloat When Obamacare Gets Tossed Out

http://news.yahoo.com/boehner-says-no-gloating-health-law-struck-down-200824327.html

Here are my top five reasons why I will gloat when Obamacare gets tossed out with the bathwater.

1. John Boehner is a pussy. Any pussy telling me not to "gloat" means that I am going to gloat.

2. Obama and the Dems shoved Obamacare up our collective ass when a clear majority of Americans did not want government fucking up healthcare like they have screwed up everything else. 

3. Obamacare caused health premiums to skyrocket which screwed everyone of us. Make no mistake about it. Obamacare is a tax.

4. You cannot order people to buy a product. Just because the insurance lobby was successful with car insurance does not grant authority to steal from us when our lives are at stake. If I hear that stupid auto insurance comparison from one more libtard- they will need catastrophic health insurance.

5. Nobody read the bill. No law should ever be passed EVER without reading it.

So yeah. I'm gonna gloat when the Food Stamp President's hallmark legislation gets tossed out. Obama will be following the same trajectory come November.

Obama Now Using Executive Orders to Obstruct Congress

When you have this giant rogue government running around trying to control everything- things are going to get screwed up.

For several months I  have read one blog that was almost entirely devoted to the Fast and Furious scandal. The problem isn't that the Fast and Furious scandal lacks legitimacy- the problem is that our President will do anything in his corrupt power to prevent it from surfacing. Especially now.

Now the President is using executive orders to try and protect Attorney General Eric Holder- one of the most morally bankrupt and cowardly bastards I have ever witnessed. Never one to under estimate the willingness of the Food Stamp President to hide anything- I am saying Issa won't get his documents. Plain. and. Simple. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/06/20/house-republicans-tee-up-imminent-contempt-vote-against-holder/

Obamacare: Dead on Arrival

Nearly a year ago, I predicted Obamacare would get tossed out. I am still in that camp.

I was there long before the "experts." http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/insider-poll-legal-experts-now-expect-supreme-court-123441478.html

I am not particularly interested in tooting my own horn and indeed, the decision has yet to be rendered. Instead I would like you to consider the absolute lunacy of this bill and the extreme damage it has caused.

Not only did health insurance costs completely skyrocket after passage of this bill- they will not come down a proportionate amount when Obamacare gets tossed. In fact, I don't expect insurance costs to come down at all.

Secondly, Obamacare and Obama in general, have absolutely frozen "would be" employers. You simply cannot run a business in an environment where the government is stealing every penny of your profit margin. Obama killed the entrepreneurial spirit of free enterprise. Why on earth would anybody want to take business risks knowing that your government was forcibly going to steal your profits to pay health insurance costs? Or ultimately tax you to a certain business death because of a skyrocketing national debt that sooner or later- someone is going to have to pay?  

Not to mention two other things. Not only will the administrative costs of Obamacare skyrocket and be wasted under government administration costs- but the costs of the mandated plans within Obamacare are wildly expensive. This is something nobody has talked about.

Here is an excellent example of what I am talking about. Government will steal from the healthy to pay for the unhealthy. Have you ever seen year over year health care premium increases of over 1000%? Click here. http://www.forbes.com/sites/aroy/2012/06/05/obamacare-increases-costs-of-college-health-plans-by-as-much-as-1112/

Obama and Obamacare have been  a complete disaster for this country. That a body of people could pass such a horrendous law (without even reading it) is a testament to the emotional insanity of a citizen class desperate for real leadership- and never receiving any. 

This whole farce has been an utter waste of energy, time, and money. 

Obama and Obamacare were both dead on arrival in this country. If in fact it is true that the winners write the history books, I don't think the winners will smile kindly on the Obama years. All four of them.

The Joseph, Oregon Report Card

A few years ago, a good friend of mine told me to check out Joseph, Oregon. He said it was one of the most beautiful places he had ever been to. Joseph is located in the N.E. corner or Oregon. It is named after Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce tribe who is buried there.

It's not often that some thing, or some place, exceeds my expectations. On Friday, June 15, that happened.

It was a four hour, 250 mile trip, from Boise to Joseph. I took the Road King. After reaching La Grande, I turned N.E. onto U.S. 82. The highway into Joseph was very scenic and winds along a river. It is a perfect trip on a motorcycle and there was no shortage of bikers. They were everywhere. The county seat is in Enterprise- which is only six miles from Joseph.

There is only one motel in town. There are about a dozen bed and breakfast places located within a few miles of Joseph. I had looked at them online but I really wanted to see them in person before making a reservation or commitment. Ultimately I landed on a place at nearby Wallowa Lake. (1 mile from Joseph) There are about a dozen places at the lake that will rent anything from a room, cabin, or condo. They are not cheap. My room cost 150.00 a night but you could probably find something a lot closer to 100.00. There is a giant campground nearby. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallowa_Lake

There are go-cart tracks, bumper boats, and mini golf courses. I saw a bicycle rental place. A couple of restaurants are available as well as a small store. There is a gondola that takes you to the top of the mountains. I have to admit- the gondola travels very high off the ground and I was a little squeamish at first- even though I have ridden on gondolas before. Here is a view from the gondola. Note the foreground.

There is a restaurant at the top of the mountain. There are also 9 billion squirrels that people feed. There was also quite a bit of snow which was still melting. A nearby lookout point provides unbelievable views of the surrounding mountains. Here's one.

So there is plenty to do and the place is absolutely gorgeous- but what exactly was it about Joseph that exceeded all of my expectations?

I have never met more friendly or courteous people- anywhere. Everyone seems happy to see you and they engage you. I couldn't tell if this was all part of one big, scripted, effort to attract business or whether the folks of Joseph are genuinely nice. I think they might just be genuinely nice. Let me give you a couple of examples.

On Saturday morning, we ate at a place called the Cheyenne. The place was packed and when a couple of folks who were seated at a table for 6 saw a group of 5 people come in- they vacated that table and waited for a smaller table to be cleared. The restaurant will let you order anything you want on or off the menu (if they have it) or split plates. The staff was very friendly. I ordered ham and eggs for 10 bucks. It was unreal. I really think that meal could have easily fed three people. The piece of ham was the size of a manhole cover and it came with about 5 pounds of hashbrowns. In fact, here is a picture of some passing dork holding half of that ham slice- having consumed the other half.

Only a complete idiot does something like this. Note that the man in this picture needs two hands to hold up that piece of ham.

After breakfast, we met some random guy and his wife on the sidewalk who liked the motorcycle. He introduced himself (from upstate New York) and we chatted for about 5 minutes. He told us that they came out to Joseph every year and he gave us all of the information that we needed to navigate the area.

Everywhere we went, folks were like that. Friendly. Even the people at the grocery store and gas station. It reminded me of the townspeople in the end of that movie, "Funny Farm."

A trip to Joseph wouldn't be complete without a trip to Chief Joseph's grave. Sorry Chief, they found gold on your reservation and kicked you off. You go now or we kill you. That's how we roll. Manifest destiny and all that jazz.

I absolutely loved Joesph, Oregon and the Wallowa Valley. Incredible scenery with incredible people. No wonder Chief Joseph was pissed.

Gettin Your Alcoholism On

Ya know, I gave up drinking nearly 5 years ago.

Which is to say, I miss it almost as much as nicotine but not quite. A significant portion of my life is committed to staying away from all of those addictive things. What I am really trying to say is...

Gawd I miss them.

So when I saw this article on gastric bypass I thought holy shit...I am still mulling over the possibilities. Here's a piece I snipped for those friends of mine who have retained their drinking privileges. Only because it's interesting and today...I don't feel like writing a damn thing about government. (I did however, eat a humongous piece of ham in Joseph with 5 lbs of hashbrowns and I had the presence of mind to snap a picture of the half I couldn't eat. This is the stuff that legends are made of and I will be bringing the Joseph follow up blog just as soon as I find that camera cord) In the mean time... back to getting your drink on...

 "A gastric bypass patient has a small pouch [for a stomach] so alcohol goes straight into the intestine and is absorbed rapidly," said Roslin. "When it is absorbed rapidly, there is a high peak and rapid fall."
The higher absorption rate makes alcohol more addictive, he added.
Indeed, before his surgery, Kahn would have two drinks, then feel sleepy and go to bed. After the surgery, he said he felt the alcohol would go through his system faster, which allowed him to drink more.
"It wears off so quickly so you can keep going and going," said Kahn.

I could have been dead years ago. Thank gawd I opted out of that. I think.