A very well-thought sermon by Pr. Skeete; if there is one goal we should always have in this world, it is to live life to the fullest and without regrets. (I forgot to post a Happy Sabbath the night before, so this will suffice for this week; my apologies)
Saturday, April 12, 2025
Founders Quotes, 10-12 April 2025
Good tidings on this evening for you, my dear readers, get a trio of quotes from some of America's founding fathers on the topics of power, property and public service..,.yay.
Power: Responsibility, in order to be reasonable, must be limited to objects within the power of the responsible party, and in order to be effectual, must relate to operations of that power, of which a ready and proper judgment can be formed by the constituents. - Alexander Hamilton & James Madison, Federalist #63, 1788
Property: The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as sacred as the laws of God, and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence. If `Thou shalt not covet' and `Thou shalt not steal' were not commandments of Heaven, they must be made inviolable precepts in every society before it can be civilized or made free. - John Adams, A Defense of the Constitution, 1788
Public Service: I was summoned by my country, whose voice I can never hear but with veneration and love. - George Washington, First Inaugural Address, 1789
All three quotes are vital in understanding America; in regards to power, both Hamilton and Madison point out that with power comes responsibility, for the two are not separate or exclusive. In terms of property, the right of private property and what goes with it is as vital a right protected by the Constitution as any other and must be protected within the bounds of the Constitution.
Finally, public service should be an honor, not a stepping stone to greater things for as Washington points out, there is no greater service than working on behalf and in the stead of his/her fellow Americans.
The AEW World Title Situation Just Got WORSE
If it wasn't apparent to anyone who isn't an AEW sicko, Tony Khan can't book worth a damn. Hell, Vince fucking Russo can book better than Khan...and I say this as a Jim Cornette fan. (Apologies for the f-bomb there, folks. ;) )
"When Death is Entreated, the Battle is Decided..."
While I've never played any of the Metal Gear games, this is one quote I absolutely love.
Why? Because it encapsulates, in a small memorable set of words, exactly how one should fight. If you're not willing to stand for what you believe in, even up to and including your life, you have zero business talking about anything in this world. Yes, we should be humble and friendly towards us but that doesn't mean we should ever let others walk all over us.
Thursday, April 10, 2025
China's Sweating...
....one way we know this: they went after Hollywood!
China announced it would curb imports of Hollywood films, opening a new front in its trade war with the US hours after President Donald Trump’s record tariffs took effect.
Authorities vowed on Thursday to “moderately reduce” the number of US movies allowed into the world’s second-largest economy — a step floated earlier this week as a possible retaliation measure by two influential Chinese bloggers.
“The wrong action of the US government to abuse tariffs on China will inevitably further reduce the domestic audience’s favorability toward American films,” the China Film Administration said in a statement announcing the move. (HotAir via. Bloomberg News)
I'm sure Trump is shaking in his boots...from laughter, most likely.
If China thinks this is leverage over Trump they're even more deluded than once thought. Most of Hollywood hates Donald Trump and he's not losing sleep if they suffer over this as it would mean fewer resources to use against him down the road.
Its' also self-defeating on Beijing's part as Hollywood has long kissed their ass - I can think of four examples where Chinese authorities actively interfered in movie-making (the 2012 remake of Red Dawn, Top Gun: Maverick, The Departed, and 2012) because either the films made Beijing the villain and/or didn't show China in a positive light. (The Departed gets included here because Chinese customs don't allow for villainous characters to get away with crimes; in the movie its' based off, Infernal Affairs, the villain eventually gets arrested and in the original version, Matt Damon's character got away with everything. In the theatrical release, he got a bullet to the noggin from Mark Wahlberg's characters at the end of the film).
The only thing that would make this threat better - for the U.S. - is if Trump's DoJ opened investigations into whether Hollywood film studios colluded with China over access to the Chinese markets.
Founders Quote, 9 April 2025
This gave me occasion to observe, that when Men are employ'd they are best contented. For on the Days they work'd they were good-natur'd and chearful; and with the consciousness of having done a good Days work they spent the Evenings jollily; but on the idle Days they were mutinous and quarrelsome, finding fault with their Pork, the Bread, and in continual ill-humour. - Benjamin Franklin, 1771 Autobiography
If there was one truism about work it is that the best welfare program in the world is a job. Nothing else beats it and nothing less should suffice for the average person.
Taking Back What Belongs to the Taxpayer
If there's one lasting legacy of the second Trump administration, hopefully it will be the reeling-in of so-called "independent agencies" (an oxymoron since they're still a part of the Executive Branch) back into the arms of the Executive.
Wednesday, April 9, 2025
Founders' Quotes, 7-8 April 2025
A pair of quotes concerning politics, political leaders and political parties...
(1) It behooves you, therefore, to think and act for yourself and your people. The great principles of right and wrong are legible to every reader; to pursue them requires not the aid of many counselors. The whole art of government consists in the art of being honest. Only aim to do your duty, and mankind will give you credit where you fail. - Thomas Jefferson, A Summary View of the Rights of British America — 1775
(2) Let me now take a more comprehensive view, and warn you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the Spirit of Party generally. . . . A fire not to be quenched, it demands a uniform vigilance to prevent its bursting into a flame, lest, instead of warming, it should consume. - George Washington, Farewell Address, 1796
Politics isn't bean bag as Tip O'Neill once said; it is an endeavour that belongs to the body politic of society and requires our steadfast attention. So too is keeping our political leaders, whatever persuasion they are, on the straight and narrow. That also requires a civic society that is educated in civics and thought, things sorely lacking in today's "I want it now, damn the costs!" society.
Trump & the "Organized Chaos" of the Recent Tariffs Row
This past week has been an ulcer-creating week for poli-sci junkies like myself.... For weeks, Trump stood firm on his tariffs and levies, which he characterizes as “a beautiful thing to behold.” He declared: “We have massive Financial Deficits with China, the European Union, and many others. The only way this problem can be cured is with TARIFFS, which are now bringing Tens of Billions of Dollars into the U.S.A. They are already in effect, and a beautiful thing to behold. The Surplus with these Countries has grown during the ‘Presidency’ of Sleepy Joe Biden. We are going to reverse it, and reverse it QUICKLY. Some day people will realize that Tariffs, for the United States of America, are a very beautiful thing!”
Trump’s biggest tariff target is, of course, Red China, our largest trading partner after Mexico and Canada. China’s communist leaders, who promised to “fight to the end” against the tariffs, slapped an additional 34% tax on all U.S. imports last Friday. In turn, Trump implemented 100%-plus tariffs on China, and the ChiComs then matched that tariff increase. Don’t underestimate China’s reckless economic resolve – remember that five years ago, China dropped the most devastating economic bomb ever detonated on the planet — the ChiCom Virus pandemic.
The China tit for tat notwithstanding, the National Economic Council director and Treasury secretary both report in the last 48 hours, that more than 50 nations have reached out to the White House to negotiate — and I suspect the number is substantially higher.
In other words, Trump’s tariffs are having the desired effect, except with China, though I think the administration has fully anticipated the ChiCom response. (Patriot Post, 9 April 2025)
I'm of two minds here....on the one hand, the "organized chaos" of the past week or so proved necessary; given America's position as the world's largest economy/consumer base, no country can long stand against us economically. (This was proven by the over-50 countries that've come crawling back to the U.S. for tariffs' relief.)
On the other hand, anyone who owned either stocks, bonds and/or crypto I guarantee either exacerbated or go an ulcer from this week's "organized chaos"...
Sunday, April 6, 2025
The Party of Hate
Reading Larry Elder's article over at HotAir all I can say is that the Democrats, long a party of bigotry, racism, discrimination, Jim Crow and segregation are simply returning to their evil roots and should be tossed out like the garbage that they are.
Period, end of story.
Founders Quotes, 5-6 April 2025
A pair of quotes from James Madison for the weekend, one on opinion and one on patriotism...
(1) Nothing is so contagious as opinion, especially on questions which, being susceptible of very different glosses, beget in the mind a distrust of itself. - James Madison, letter to Benjamin Rush, 1790
(2) The eyes of the world being thus on our Country, it is put the more on its good behavior, and under the greater obligation also, to do justice to the Tree of Liberty by an exhibition of the fine fruits we gather from it. - James Madison, letter to James Monroe, 1824
Opinions, like rumors and lies, have a nasty tendency to get around faster than the honest truth; that's almost how its' always been since the first Homo Sapiens (humans) walked the earth.
As to patriotism, the fruits of it are manifest are in how we treat other people in America and around the world, something that transcends politics and nationalism.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)