What do you see?

As everyone knows this is a holiday weekend. We are celebrating our independence, the fourth of July. It is yet another time to contemplate what our nation stands for, to look at its symbols and freedoms.

When you look at the flag, what do you see? A multi-colored cloth with white stars backed in blue with strips of red and white? Is that all you see? Can you see the ideas and ideals bound up within it? Or do you only see an outdated rag whose place of honor is long past its glory?

Let me tell you what I see. Yes, I see the stars and the strips, the red, white and blue colors. But I see so much more than a mere piece of cloth. I see my wife on the day she retired from the military, standing proud in her uniform. I see my children playing safely in our house or yard. I also can see my daughter standing at attention at an awards ceremony in her uniform. I see my son-in-law sweating in Afghanistan to help free the people from tyranny. I see my father viewing the world through a glass eye, which was taken out in World War II. I see my mother, sitting on her scooter, much as she did on the heavy equipment she used to make the air fields in south Texas during the 1940’s. I see my granddaughters playing with their pets.

Looking just a bit closer I can see a church, synagogue and mosque standing in peace, side by side by side, with people flowing in and out. I can see my neighbor down the road and his family. We have little in common, they aren’t the same religion and don’t have the same ethnic background as us, but they are American just the same. I see people working to make a difference or a living in their own businesses. I see a whole nation this way.

I see all the good and the bad. I see a history with discrimination and hatred because of skin color, religion or origin of birth. I see crime in the streets. I see corruption in our political leaders. I see the twin towers as they stood not too long ago. I see a Native American with a tear rolling down his face looking at a ravaged land. I see a system of government which few thought would work, yet does, at least for the most part.

Looking a little deeper still, I can see the friends and comrades I lost in Vietnam. I see all the dead Americans on foreign shores who died for freedom. They not only died to keep us free, but to show others what freedom is. I can see the constitution and the bill of rights. I see the ideas of free people and the ideals this nation is based on. A nation not built on a religion or one person, but on the ideal of personal freedoms and responsibility for all people. I also see the satire of the founding fathers, who included only Caucasian males with those freedoms. I see the evolution and enlightenment the bill of rights has undergone. I see the flaws still in place. I see amendments to the constitution, both good and foolish.

I see a nation with standards of living so high the people have become jaded to some extent. It also is a nation other people want to emulate, yet still others despise and want to destroy.

I see people burning and disrespecting that same flag which I love so well. They can do this because of the freedoms we have, it is their right under our laws. I wish they too could see what I see.

Yes, I see all this and so much more in the flag, but for those with limited sight, it would do no more good telling it. For those with a vision as mine, there is not need to say more. Look, not only at the flag, but into it. Maybe your vision will improve, if only a little.

A land of laws is lawless when the law makers do not have to adhere to them. The standards set forth for the common citizen should be even more important a standard for their leaders.

Ed Williams
©

NOTICE - Sorry

I just looked at the blog and saw there were a couple postings that got put on more than once over the last few weeks. I've removed them so you don't have to read them more than once. Sorry for the confusion, I don't know what happened.

Ed

Will you stand up to tyrany?

I have, from time to time, put things here which I didn't write. This is one of them. I believe this is worth a read and think about.

Hello friends and neighbors,

As you probably know by now, your home, property,
business is at risk of being taken by your local
government edict under the Eminent Domain ruling
handed down on Thursday 6-23-05 by the U.S. Supreme
Court. Of course the usurpers have to pay you for said
property. What is not stated is that local city
councils can pay, whatever they wish and resell it to
"private" developers to increase the tax base or
whatever purpose they wish.

The concept of Eminent Domain has been around for a
long time but land acquired under this has
historically been for the common good of the populace
(highways, bridges, dams, etc). The new "legislation
from the bench" has opened the door to any private
developers or builders that have a "better idea" for
your property. It doesn't matter whether your family
has maintained the land for generations or even if you
are retired on a limited income. Private greed is the
only requirement to seize your property.

Terrorism comes in many forms and this time it comes from
within and perpetrated by our own judicial branch of
government. Since the Supreme Court appointments are
for life, our only recourse is impeachment on the
grounds that their recent action is, in effect, a
re-writing of the Constitutional Rights fought for by
the Founders and Patriots. They have violated their
sworn oath to follow the Constitution and they have,
in effect, voided the checks and balances system of
the Legislative, Judicial, and Executive Branches and
have legislated from the Judicial bench.

While we are still able to peacefully seek redress
from tyrany from within, please give consideration to
signing the petition at the web site listed here.

Charles Woltz

http://www.PetitionOnline.com/lp001/

A New World

For many years now there has been talk of a new world order, a global government if you will. There are proponents and opponents to the idea. Is a world government a myth or a very near possible future?

A close look at the facts tells us the people behind the scenes have a lot of power and will get their way in the end. If you believe I am tilting at windmills as a conspiracy nut; then let me set you straight on a few things. We are closer than you think.

The European Union is real. The standard monetary unit in Europe is the Euro. They have a regulatory agency to standardize power, energy, pollution, greenhouse gasses, and control of an entire banking system. The union was voted on by the individual nations and now they have no choice but to abide by the rules. Just as in the United States, a European nation cannot opt out of the union now. They are a few steps closer to a central government with the individual nations controlling local affairs, but under the union’s direct control and scrutiny. In the end, will they be little more than member ‘states’ of a large nation?

As in Europe, North America is coming closer to a one government super nation. The gates have been opened by acts such as NAFTA. Soon, we could see a real move to join the United States with Canada and Mexico to form the North American Union. The three nations could also end up being only member ‘states’ with a very strong central government in control. There had been talk in the past, but now there is a foundation for it.

Several African nations have also been toying with the idea of changing their loose affiliations and joining together in a strong union for economic reasons. Once this trend starts, the rest of the continent would have little choice but to follow suit.

Don’t forget about OPEC and the Arab League of Nations. At this point they are an empowered economic confederation, but the political implications are visible daily. Almost every other nation in the world vies for a favorable standing to ensure an ample supply of oil.

After three continents move into the ‘mega’ nation status in the form of unions or confederations, and a fourth area already in existence, the remaining countries would have little to no choice but to form their own. With a mere handful of controlling governmental bodies in place, it is only a short step to a further reduction in the power structure to construct one all powerful, all controlling body. In other words, placing a capstone on the world pyramid of nations and finalizing it. You can forget about the United Nations!

You may think the formation of confederations and unions is not a major step toward an overseeing government, but think about how the United States began. When the American colonies broke free from England, the central government was little more than a servant to the individual states. Over the course of a few years the power of the federal government became the controlling factor and the states became the servants. Any doubts to the contrary can be quashed by the civil war in the 1860’s. Just Look at the nation’s structure now and you see the states bend to the will of the federal government, not the other way around. Many laws and statues set in place by states have been overturned by the highest court in the land or congress. We are no longer the ‘United States of America’, but instead the ‘American servant states to the federal government’. If this can happen to a nation formed on state’s rights, what would happen to other countries not so formed?

With this type of standardization, many personal freedoms could end up on the chopping block under the headman’s axe. On the other hand, the chances of great growth could more easily come to be. With a unified, central agency in charge of fields such as energy, medical and advancing technologies, duplication of effort may be a thing of the past. But, then who would decide what a worthwhile enterprise is and what is not? Often duplication of effort has yielded greater advances than a single train of thought or action.

The ability to travel anywhere in the world as easily as we now move from one state to another has a tantalizing appeal. Knowing when you get there, the electrical, transportation, legal and monetary systems would all be the same as at home. But which system would it be? With all the cultural and religious differences we have in the world today, what standard could be implemented to make everyone happy? Or would it be up to the favored and privileged few?

Could a world government really cure diseases, end hunger and stop war? Could it enlighten people to individual differences and ensure all people are viewed equal, without discrimination? Somehow, I doubt it. The thought of medieval Europe comes to mind. Enlightenment and personal freedoms were controlled by small minded individuals. Culture came to a halt and stagnated, i.e. the dark ages. If your memory is not that long, look back less than a century ago to Europe. The entire continent controlled by either a totalitarian or communistic government. With the common citizenry scrutinized and controlled under the brutal thumb of secret police.

As hard as it is to admit, humans have always fought to be different. As sad as it is to say, many of our greatest advances came by way of war and conflict. Improvement and innovation come less from mandate, but rather from necessity or sheer luck and accident. Would a controlling government help or hinder?

Nations, just as individuals, strive to stand out. Would a world government fertilize growth or plow us into stagnation? Would the seeds of improvement flourish or decay into descent and discord? Would the resources now put forth into military development go toward improving human life or to further control the population? A few countries come to mind, both past and present.

During the ‘cold war’ years we saw what an all controlling government was like and few of its short falls, at least until the end. Do we really want a world controlled to the point where revolt is the only means of freedom? Would this type of government lead to chaos and anarchy or to everyone living a George Orwell novel?

Take a step back and see what we have and what it could be. Most systems of government have both good and bad points, but too much power in the hands of a favored few individuals almost always lead to a bad end for everyone else. Can we really afford to take the chance?

As power corrupts, total power corrupts totally.


Ed Williams
©

40 years: A Blink in Time

Forty years seems like a long time when you’re young. But in the vast expanse of time it is little more than a quick blink.

What is forty years? It is four decades, forty percent of a century, over 14,000 days, two generations. As they say, time marches on. Things change, but how much? Just look back to the mid 1960’s and see how much we have changed. In some ways, time has almost stood still.

In the early to mid 1960’s gas prices were .16 - .25 a gallon. Today all you have to do is add $2.00 and it’s about the same. You could say that inflation is the difference and little more. If you question that rational, look at the difference in the minimum hourly wages. In the early 1960’s it ranged from $1.00 – 1.25, now we are sitting in the $6.00 range. That’s a 600% increase. So inflation could account for the price increase to the $1.50 area. Subtle federal and state taxation could easily cover the rest. Other items such as tobacco products have increased as gas has, but the difference is they are almost in the realm of taxes.

We were in the middle of a war in a far off land where the enemy was not known. Any person could kill you when you thought things were “safe”, they were everywhere and wore no uniform. Is that so different from the war we are in today? They are both long term involvements and there were people pro and con, as today. The biggest difference is that this time we have been attacked on our own ground. Vietnam was called the 10,000 day war, how long will this one last?

The music of the day was loud and filled with rebellion; today RAP fills the same niche. The format has not changed, only evolved. The outcome is the same, the kids love it and the older generation hates it. This cycle has been around for as long as humans, so no change there.

The medical arena was filled with new wonders, like the artificial heart, now we have nanotechnology and stem cell research. In some ways it seems we have advanced in leaps and bounds, but we still have the common cold, the flu, cancer and have even added Aids into the mix. Have we really come that far?

On the “new technology” frontier we had color television, FM stereo radio and cassette/ 8 track tapes. Today we have HDTV, cell phones, MP3 player and DVDs. Some things have gotten smaller and others larger, but change? There was more change in this area during the industrial revolution. This has just been another cycle of the evolution, nothing more.

We had those who wanted to go back to nature and those who wanted to exploit it. Nothing has changed there. “Tree huggers” still fight for a clean world and developers still want to use what we have until it is used up. Maybe some day we will find a happy middle.

We had a racial difference between black / white and profiling. Things have gotten better in that area, but now we profile by another standard. Have we really come that far? We still judge a person by the color of their skin, religion or place of origin. To an extent we have gotten more subtle, but, is that really better or just a side step?

In the 1960’s the major differences in political philosophy was capitalism vs. communism, now it is western culture vs. eastern religious fundamentalism. For the most part, communism has fallen by the wayside, as personal greed and need overcame the political controllers. Now the oppressors are fundamentalist religious leaders trying to push a medieval culture on the modern world. Even though they want to roll back the clock, they use all the modern technology they can. That’s an oxymoron if I ever heard one.

From the look of things, the world really hasn’t changed that much. Yes, they have evolved, but very little real change. We even still have James Bond. The villains, as we see them, have changed, but their goals have not. Have we, as a people and culture changed in subtle ways as yet not openly seen? Only time will tell.

For some reason another time, long, long ago comes to mind. A time when a people wandered for forty years and little changed in that time. The world turned and time passed. The time and trek was not very important, the destination was. Maybe we too are on a trek to a future as yet unrevealed to us.

Ed Williams
©

Hump Month

I would like to wish everyone a very happy hump month. I know you are saying to yourself “What the heck is he talking about?” June is the sixth month of the year and the official start of summer, on the 21st. From here on out, we are on the down hill side of the year.

June is a great month! The schools are out, so the kids have the summer of fun and trouble to get into. The weather is warm to hot, to very hot and time to get cool in the summer spirit.

All too soon we will once more be in the cooler months with all the holidays to think about. Now is the time to think of the fun summer brings us, so enjoy it.

Ed