The Thirteenth Amendment

Amendment Thirteen:

1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. 

2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

I don't know about you, but I find the wording of this amendment as clear and concise. There is no doubt in my mind that forcing someone to work without their consent is illegal. Also, I have no doubt that much of my adult life has been in involuntary servitude. With welfare payments, housing subsidies, food stamps, government employee perks and the new specter of Obamacare, substantial amounts of my time were, and will be as a servant to the cruel, unconstitutional mandates of a government out of control. 

Where does this all end? Where is the tipping point when those that truly want their liberty decide they will not contribute any longer? Will there be civil disobedience? Revolution? When does the Supreme Court rule correctly on a simple case that asks for relief from the burdens of a parasitic government? When does Congress enforce this mandate with legislation that nullifies the laws that contribute to involuntary servitude?

I know my questions are rhetorical, since most people wouldn't know a constitutional amendment if it bit them on the ass. They wallow in their ignorance and never realize they've given their soul to the evil, corrupt Federal Government that is destroying the United States. 

Things will change, since they always do. Hopefully, what little I wrote will influence a few minds and they'll make an effort to reverse the destructive path of the government of the United States. If not, the legacy of my generation will reflect a willingness to be accomplices in the destruction of a nation that was created by those willing to face death for their belief that liberty is more important than politics.

More of the Same

I've been busy, so blogging is light.

This morning, after reading the news, the only thing I can write is that everything is the same. The Obamacare fiasco is still a fiasco; only worse.

Our allies are pissed because of the spying, which I can understand. Although this doesn't surprise me, the fact the NSA is collecting huge amount of data for mining is disturbing. Considering one man had access to things that were above his security level means there is no security. The information is just one more database to be hacked and the information abused.

The debt is climbing, although the "transparent" administration is cooking the books to make it look like it's not. Surprised? I'm not. It's typical for Washington D.C. and the bureaucrats that require lots of money to continue their useless endeavors.

Income is down; prices are up and the media is still feckless.

There you are. Things haven't changed, although it is almost Halloween. I'll be glad when it's over. The Halloween hype and constant barrage of Halloween crap for weeks is irritating, although the Christmas crap is soon to be a daily deluge of sale efforts. Considering the new costs of health insurance for most folks, little Timmy might be surprised on Christmas day. A promissory note for the deductible for an M.R.I. isn't quite the same as a new PlayStation.

Well, I'll Be

It seems many in the media, members of the Democratic Party, Republicans that love big government, and some media personalities have decided Obamacare sucks. They either were in denial, let politics muddy their thoughts, finally pulled their heads from their anuses, worried about their public image, or following instructions.

Meanwhile, the train wreck continues in slow motion. For those that were instrumental in the development of this debacle, may the fleas of a thousand diseased elephants infest your underwear.

Age and Memory

Age brings the wisdom for you to forget what you did to be so sore on Monday. I have no idea, but other than sleep walking through a marathon, there is no explanation.

Once Bitten, Twice Shy

A lack of journalism ethics and a failure to recognize the problems caused by inaccurate reporting is a problem that destroys societies. Considering the responsibility that journalism entails, with the current lack of self-discipline and questionable efforts by many in the profession, the dangers of not demanding accountability can't be ignored.

What can be done? To start, expecting any help from the media as a whole is foolish. The reputation of media outlets now leads to an almost complete lack of trust. To make matters worse, the ferocious efforts to have the lead story, or capture the most viewers exposes those that can expose corruption to retaliation, or character assassination.

Removing any public assistance for media is one of the first steps required to change the focus. There is no loyalty to citizens if the information presented can lead to manipulation of those funds for punishment or a determination of staff positions. Expecting the dog to bite the master is unreasonable. Information too often becomes propaganda,

Eliminating unreliable outlets and reporting is an important step. How? By avoiding outlets that are obviously presenting misleading reports or allowing their staff to corrupt information for a particular agenda. With this should be an avoidance of commerce with advertisers. Products and services lend credibility to media outlets. Businesses, whether for a moral or economic reason, will avoid being linked to something that can eventually cause them harm. Removing the monetary support decreases the revenue, which decreases the ability to survive and continue harm.

There is a society of professional journalists, but if they're like many societies, such as the A.M.A., politics have turned it into an organization that has an agenda; instead of a purpose. I don't know enough about the society to make an informed decision, but at this point, I don't think that's important any longer. Regardless of their goal, there is no trust on my part. Journalism has become a huge, steaming pile of crap and I have little faith for those that practice the profession.

Things will never change, until those that journal our current events become accountable, avoid interjecting their politics and give readers the information required to make good decisions. Until that happens, those that manipulate the media will continue to manipulate our society. I know this problem is a problem that plagued the human race since the beginning of recorded history. So was malaria, and that illness is not accepted as incurable by developed societies. The same should hold true with journalism and its contribution to the mass media.