The Remarkable Sources of the Pilgrims' Successful Survival

In spite of the historical dilution added over the years, every American raised in our school system no doubt believes he/she knows the story of the Pilgrims’ struggle and success in the New World. Images of that first Thanksgiving, similar to the picture here, flood our minds when we bother to think of it at all. In reality, most Americans probably know very little about this band of colonists who risked all for their freedom to simply obediently worship God.

The primary source of their successful survival was their reliance upon God. Regardless of their circumstance, the Pilgrims gave thanks to God. In his journal, William Bradford writes, "What could now sustain them but the spirit of God and His grace? May not and ought not the children of these fathers rightly say: Our fathers were Englishmen which came over this great ocean, and were ready to perish in this wilderness; but they cried unto the Lord, and he heard their voice and looked on their adversity, etc. Let them therefore praise the Lord, because he is good and his mercies endure forever. Yea, let them which have been redeemed of the Lord show how he hath delivered them from the hand of the oppressor. When they wandered in the desert wilderness out of the way, and found no city to dwell in, both hungry and thirsty, their soul was overwhelmed in them. Let them confess before the Lord his loving kindness, and his wonderful works before the sons of men." (The Heritage of America, Henry S. Commager & Allan Nevins, editors, p. 34)

The second source of their successful survival was the colony leaders’ change of course from a communal economy to a market economy of private ownership. Destitute and on the brink of starvation even after receiving assistance from the natives, colony leaders identified the source of their problem as a particularly vile form of what Bradford called “communism.” Michael Franc, vice president of Government Relations at The Heritage Foundation, writes about the fruitful results of the Pilgrim’s shift in 1623 from a failed, socialist agricultural system to a free-market system of private ownership of property. This is the story of the Pilgrims that, for whatever reason, fails to make it into our curriculum. Had they not shed the system of “taking away property and bringing [it] into a commonwealth” (Bradford), we would not have a legacy of the Pilgrims to tell. Concerning the market economy that the Pilgrims implemented, Bradford reported, “This had very good success, for it made all hands very industrious... much more corn was planted than otherwise would have been.” The famine of 1623 gave way to abundance.

America has been blessed with much abundance over the years. This is truly a reality worthy of our most humble thanks-giving.

(Photo: Depiction of Thanksgiving)

Neverending Defamation

Ahh... the fairness, the wisdom, the intellect of the left. How can Americans - indeed, the world - fail to fall under their hypnotic spell and allow them to pursue their quest for control? They are, after all, so much smarter than we mere mortals. They prove it all the time in their assessments of anyone daring to question their motives -- like Sarah Palin. Take the misinformation circulating about her formal education. This is from Parade, 11/1/09:

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Q: In pushing her new book, Going Rogue, Sarah Palin has been claiming she has a college degree. I read that she only went to college for a few semesters. Is she telling the truth? -- Michael Hughes, Taylorsville, Utah

A: You betcha. Palin graduated from the University of Idaho in 1987 with a degree in journalism after a very well-traveled academic career: one semester at Hawaii Pacific University, two at North Idaho College, two at the University of Idaho, one at Alaska's Matanuska-Susitna College, and then back to the U. of Idaho for her final three semesters. Hey - the credits count wherever you get them.

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Now how could such misinformation get started? We wonder.

Addendum

Forgot to mention below that one of the places I am spinning some plates is at the Peter Heck / Kokomo Perspective forum. Cruise by and see what you think. Be fun to have some of your comments.

Thanks

Just a quick word of thanks for those who have asked about me. I just go through periods of working on some things and neglecting others. For those who can recall the Ed Sullivan shows, I have for a long time imagined my life (and the lives of many others) to be similar to the guy who would keep a large number of plates spinning on a stick. He has to always run from plate to plate to plate to give it a new spin. Meanwhile, the ones he neglects slow down until they are in danger of falling and crashing. So, over he runs to give it a new spin.

As I think about it, I don't know how entertaining such an act would be now, but it must have made an impression since I remember it.

Sorry I don't make updates here as often as I would like... Ooops! Excuse me, I need to run over and give one of my other plates a spin!

Yet Another Sign of Global Warmageddon

In yet another startling example of global warming, Bloomberg reports...


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Nov. 12 (Bloomberg) -- Beijing’s airport canceled more than 60 flights and delayed more than 120 others today as the heaviest snowfall in the Chinese capital in at least 54 years blanketed the city for the third day this month.
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These global warming temperature increases are just taking my breath away. I was looking forward to affording my health care and cap & trade taxes from the savings I was expecting by not buying heavy cold weather gear and from the revenue I expected to raise from scrapping the copper in my heating system. I don't know what to do now.

Ah, all is well, President Barack Hussein Obama will soon let me know. All hail to the Barack Obama.

Won't Murder Again

"D.C. sniper John Allen Muhammad executed in Virginia" FOXNews Headline, 11/10/09.

We can be certain that Mr. Muhammad will not be murdering anyone again.
Case closed.

SALUTE!

Still Dawdling

As of this date, our Dawdler-In-Chief has still not issued his decision about the prosecution of the war in Afghanistan. He is making a big deal about how "careful" and "thorough" he is trying to be so that he only commits American lives into harms way when only absolutely necessary. As noted before, what does this say about the American lives currently in harm's way?

In his typical flamboyantly political style, I expect President Barack Hussein Obama to announce his grand plan on November 11th - Veteran's Day. What better way to demonstrate his "support" for the courage and sacrifice of American military personnel than to make a decision about the prosecution of the war in Afghanistan? What better way to take credit for doing nothing? What better way to coax the flags and flag pins out of even Big Media for a day?

In sad truth, all this political posturing and maneuvering about how to proceed in Afghanistan has already done tremendous harm to American efforts there. This Dawdler-In-Chief cares very little for the lives of those who serve America so tremendously well.

Stupid Government Tricks

One of the government do-gooder reasons for the "cash-for-clunkers" program was to replace the old gas gizzlers with new fuel efficient, tree huggin' vehicles. How well did that work out? "The single most common swap - which occurred more than 8,200 times - involved Ford F150 pickup owners who took advantage of a government rebate to trade their old trucks for new Ford F150s... The fuel economy for the new trucks ranged from 15 mpg to 17 mpg based on engine size and other factors, an improvement of just 1 mpg to 3 mpg over the clunkers." (Assoc. Press, 11/5/09) The article cites similar loyalty swaps among owners of Chevrolet and Dodge trucks and SUVs.

In effect, our government spent our money to encourage people to purchase new vehicles that the government wants to legislate through global warming mandates out of existence. Clearly a case of our government at work! Who keeps electing these folks into office?

She Probably Doesn't Know What It Is

I couldn't get the embed feature to work on this video, so you'll have to follow the link. The video is less than 30 seconds, but it reveals a lot about the SPEAKER OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES!

I think that these people believe that the Constitution is a dastardly figment of the vast [evil] right wing conspiracy.

Prescription for America

As they say, "one picture is worth a thousand words."

(Click on picture to enlarge. Thanks to my sister, Diana, for sending this one.)

Dawdler-In-Chief

Our vaunted Commander-In-Chief says that he will not "rush" to a decision about Afghanistan. Yes, yes, one of the worst things a Democrat liberal can do is to rush to war. Oh, wait... we're already at war. Then by all means, don't rush to win the war.

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President Obama pledged on Monday not to "rush the solemn decision" to send more troops to battle in Afghanistan as he weighs military options on what to do next in the troubled war.
"I won't risk your lives unless it is absolutely necessary," Obama told service men and women at Naval Air Station Jacksonville. [Comment: here's a clue... they are already risking their lives] ..."Republicans want very much to support the president's decision," Senate Republican Whip Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., told "Fox News Sunday." But he cited Gen. Stanley McChrystal's own warning that U.S. and NATO forces may only have about one year before the insurgency's momentum becomes irreversible. "It's been more than two months since the recommendation went to the president. And Gen. McChrystal is talking about a 12-month time frame," Kyl said. "So clearly time is of the essence here." Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., also called for an end to the delay. "The sooner the decision is made, the sooner we get people over there and are able to implement the strategy that will succeed," he told CBS' "Face the Nation." "Every day we delay will be a delay in this strategy succeeding." ("Obama says he will not 'rush' decision," FOX News, 10/26/09)

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Let's see how his scorecard stacks up...

-Unconstitutionally shuffle taxpayer money to selected private corporations - rush.

-Unconstitutionally dictate salary caps to executives in private business - rush.

-Unconstitutionally take over the banking, investment, and auto industries - rush.

-Unconstitutionally seek a government takeover of the health care industry - rush.

-Unconstitutionally impose cap and trade energy taxes - rush.

-Constitutionally make national security decisions as the nation's Commander-In-Chief - don't rush.

President Barack Hussein Obama, America's Dawdler-In-Chief, doing all he can to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

No Says Snowe

The current RINO darling of the Democrat party may not remain in their favorable spotlight for much longer as she dares to buck - a tiny bit - their demands for the "public option." (How they get away with such butchery of the language is beyond me. There is nothing "optional" about the "public option" provision.)

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Oct. 23 (Bloomberg) -- Senator Olympia Snowe rejected the idea of backing the immediate creation of any government-run insurance program even as top Democrats are leaning toward including such a plan in U.S. health-care legislation.

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Nevertheless, note that she is opposed to an "immediate" inclusion of this government intrusion. How comforting.

From the Frontline

The Congressional war on America continues. In the Senate, one of the generals, Sen. Harry Reid (D – Nevada), declares that he will reconcile the Senate and House versions of the bill in order to circumvent normal procedure and debate in the Senate and among the public (“Health Care Reform Bill that Isn’t a Bill and Isn’t Going to be a Bill” & “The Baucus Betrayal”). Sen. Reid loves giving the American people the shaft, and he is really working to stick it to us this time. In spite of concerns about the provisions of health care reform bills (“Little Gems from the Health Care Bill” & “Manufacturers Have Concerns on Latest Health Care Bill”), Sen. Reid and other key Democrats declare that President Obama will have a health care reform bill to sign into law no matter what the American people say (“Reid Threatens to Use ‘Nuclear Option’”).

On top of all of this, Sen. Reid’s shaft of all shafts to America are his amendments that insulate his constituents in Nevada from the costs of this “no-cost” reform. Yes, that’s right. In order to continue to buy votes, Sen. Reid plans to shuffle the cost burdens off onto other taxpayers (“Reid Leads Democrats in Carving Out Favors for States on Health” & “Reid Maneuvers for Sweeter Deal”) outside of Nevada.

My suggestion? Write or call your Senators and ask them to request the same favoritism for your state! If it’s good for Nevada, it should be good for the other 49, right?

Further AIDS Vaccine Research

Speaking of suppressed news, here is a report that may not see much daylight:

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The experimental AIDS vaccine that showed promise for the first time in a study released last month may have worked best in the first year. Those who benefited from the shots appear to have done so in the first 12 months and they tended to be heterosexual patients at lower risk of contracting HIV, according to details of the trial published today in the New England Journal of Medicine and released at a Paris conference... Scientists are still mystified as to how two unproven vaccines, when combined and given to more than 16,000 volunteers in Thailand, appeared to cut HIV infections after three years. The study’s credibility was called into question after the journal Science said a second set of data showed the result may have been a fluke. (Simeon Bennett and Michelle Fay Cortez, "AIDS Vaccine’s Benefit May Wane After First Year," Bloomberg.com, 10/20/09)

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The initial announcements of vaccine results were, of course, trumpeted in sensationalist fashion throughout news outlets. After all, this gave hope to the community that is the primary source of the spread of HIV. I am all for the prevention and elimination of deadly viruses, and if such a vaccine discovery can be made, then kudos to them. (Imagine the squawk over the cost that such a vaccine will have; however, consider the enormous cost of the research already invested in it). I doubt that news questioning the results of those studies will receive as much front page headline.

It still appears to me that the fastest, most effective, and least expensive course of prevention is to stop engaging in immoral sexual behavior.

Suppression

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The White House is calling on other news organizations to isolate and alienate Fox News as it sends out top advisers to rail against the cable channel as a Republican Party mouthpiece... several top White House officials have taken aim at Fox News since communications director Anita Dunn branded Fox "opinion journalism masquerading as news" in an interview last Sunday.
White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel told CNN on Sunday that President Obama does not want "the CNNs and the others in the world [to] basically be led in following Fox." Obama senior adviser David Axelrod went further by calling on media outlets to join the administration in declaring that Fox is "not a news organization." ...The White House stopped providing guests to "Fox News Sunday" after host Chris Wallace fact-checked controversial assertions made by Tammy Duckworth, assistant secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, in August. Dunn said fact-checking an administration official was "something I've never seen a Sunday show do." "She criticized 'Fox News Sunday' last week for fact-checking -- fact-checking -- an administration official," Wallace said Sunday. "They didn't say that our fact-checking was wrong. They just said that we had dared to fact-check." ("White House Urges Other Networks to Disregard FOX News," FOX News, 10/19/09)
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A SLUGGISH economy, inflation, strikes and rampant crime: much of the recent news in Venezuela has been bad for the socialist government of President Hugo Chávez. Its response has been to intensify its harassment of the media. On August 1st, 34 radio stations were taken off the air for allegedly failing to submit the proper paperwork to the broadcasting regulator... Days earlier the attorney-general, Luisa Ortega, unveiled a draft law against “media crimes” which proposes jail terms of up to four years for vaguely worded offences such as “prejudicing state security” or the “mental health” of the public... The government’s concerted crackdown on critical media comes as Mr Chávez is pressing ahead with other measures that seem designed to make his “socialist revolution” irreversible. ("Switched Off," The Economist, 8/6/09)
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Notice any similarities?

A sad footnote: While looking up accounts of the Chavez suppression of media in Venezuela, I was startled by the number of left-wing commentaries rationalizing and justifying the move by that government!

Humor For Day

Today's "tweet" from Nilus Mattive offers us a rich laugh for the day: "Ben Bernanke tells Santa Barbara Fed conference that U.S. needs to 'substantially reduce' its budget deficits. Pot meet kettle. LOL."

T.E.A. Party Meeting

I finally had an opportunity to attend a formal TEA Party meeting in Miami County. I am going to post my observations in order to help remove some of the suspicion and concern that some folks seem to have developed toward the movement.

It is not a secret society. The meeting was held at a public library and anyone could enter the meeting area. There were no ID checks or anything of the sort. Just come in, mingle, and even participate.

After the meeting was brought to order, we sang the National Anthem, recited the Pledge of Allegiance, and had an invocation prayer. The item of business was the distribution of the very simple By-Laws which were discussed and then voted for approval. The chapter's Treasurer then delivered prepared remarks about American exceptionalism. That was followed by a guest from a neighboring chapter who addressed the known content and status of the proposed health care legislation. Specifically, she referred to HR 3200 (she had a copy present) and the Senate Baucus Bill (no copy because it does not formally exist). Based upon the known contents of the bill, she expressed concern what it will mean to the care that may or may not be provided for her special needs young adult daughter. Following a few brief introductions and announcements, the meeting was adjourned. Individual interaction occurred as the room furnishings were replaced to their before-meeting arrangement.

This is the "extreme right-wing terrorism" of which certain members of our culture and Big Media are afraid. Well, I can understand their concern when normal neighbors gather and expose to the light the darkness of corruption, dishonesty, and decadence that some seek to impose upon us all.

Healthcare Reform - Honestly

In September 2007, Robert Reich - an Obama adviser, former Secretary of Labor in the Clinton administration, and ultra-liberal economist - told an audience at the University of California what an honest presidential candidate would say about healthcare reform.

Here is a real live intellectual ultra-liberal's assessment of government-run healthcare: (1) everyone, especially younger citizens, are going to have to pay more for healthcare; (2) older citizens are not going to have access to expensive medicines and technology to extend their lives another "couple of months;" (3) the cost of drugs and healthcare delivery will be government controlled at the expense of innovation and discovery of new drugs; and (4) everyone will probably not have lifespans much, if any, longer than their parents.

I am stunned by Reich's "speech." I honestly do not know what to think. Except, let's help the liberals get their message out for everyone to hear. He does, after all, call for an informed citizenship.

Bipartisanship - Democrat Style

In the Senate, one Republican Senator voted with Democrats to send the healthcare reform bill (in phantom form) out of committee. Another Republican Senator, also from Maine, has indicated that she might vote in support of a Senate healthcare reform bill.

Yet, even with these sterling indications of overwhelming bipartisanship on healthcare reform, some Democrats appear that they have not gotten the president's "we're going to work together" memo...

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Oct. 16 (Bloomberg) -- Senator Jay Rockefeller said Democrats shouldn’t tailor a health-care overhaul to the wishes of Republican Senator Olympia Snowe and need to push for legislation that includes a government-run insurance program. “We can’t sort of hedge and say ‘what’s Olympia going to do,’” Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat, said in an interview on Bloomberg Television’s “Political Capital with Al Hunt,” airing this weekend. “We’ve got to decide what we want.” (Catherine Dodge, "Rockefeller Says Democrats Can’t Tailor Health Care to Snowe," Bloomberg.com, 10/16/09)
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"Goodness gracious," Democrats seem to be telling us, "wouldn't it be a wonderful world if these pesky citizen constituents would drop this Constitution thing, just go away, and let us run their lives like we want? Why can't they understand what bipartisanship means?"