Rational Nation USA

The Building Where Little But Political Posturing Gets Done - 2013 Tiring of the predictable sophistry and political hyperbole Rational Nation USA offers the following NPR piece as a informational data point for the last minute political junkies who continue to believe the sky will fall in should the feral government shutdown at midnight. It has happened before (more than once) and yet we all survived and the markets didn't crash. Sleep well tonight. Irrespective of the 11th hour outcome, whatever that may be, life, as well as the world will continue on pretty much as we've all become accustomed to. Pleasant dreams. Remember that when all is said and done it really is just about politics and political brinkmanship. Of course the interesting factor is this... We continue to reelect the same strain of political buffoons over and over again. Go figure... Public Service Announcement - In seven days, the federal government runs out of money. While the Republican-control...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation U S A Lib e rty -vs- Tyr a nny Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost, to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door! It's here America! The anticipated government shutdown. With 31+ hours to shutdown the melodrama continues. And, America braces itself to deal with the result of the childish temper tantrums and Green Egg and Ham infantile pastime of one Senator Cruz from the Lone Star state. The networks, infatuated with the melodrama continue to repeat, ad nausea the same talking points from the Sheeples of BOTH infantile parties and their childish leadership. As expected the American people, not to mention the entire world financial markets, are held hostage as a result of infants crapping their pants in delight over childish BS. America grew up. Its politician and ELECTED representatives and LEADERS f...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation U S A Lib e rty -vs- Tyr a nny "Declaration" by John Trumbull depicting the signing of the Declaration of Independence. As Americans watch and witness the evolution of our democratic republic as it locks itself into partisan ideological positions that may result in the shutdown of our government and have far reaching global economic implications I found some solace, and hope, in the following article . I have reproduced it here (in full) in the hopes that authentic modern day Patriots will rally around our defining principles and "do the right thing." By James Roger Sharp - This year marks the 237th anniversary of our revolution and independence. And while we celebrate this milestone, it should not be lost sight of that the American Revolution is universally viewed as one of the most extraordinary and significant events in modern history. A major catalyst for revolutions throughout the globe, it mad...

You earned it Teddy Baby!!!! h/t Progressive Eruptions

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation U S A Lib e rty -vs Tyr a nny Please excuse any misspellings or word salads as I've just returned from a Green Eggs and Han dinner (party). We just witnessed the agonizing and self serving theatrics from Texas Republican Senator Ted the Green Eggs and Ham Man Cruz making a mockery of our system of government. With his monumental waste of time and money he put on full display the sad reality that the party he represents has nothing to offer the American people that would be better, and thus more cost effective than ObamaCare, aka the ACA. There was a time, in the now rapidly fading past, that America actually had a opposition party that had principles, a vision, and a plan for the nation. Today this party (the party of Republicanism) has been overtaken by the most militant and willfully intransigent segment of our society. Our nation as a result has become more divisive and less reasoned than our wise and forward thinking forefathers most c...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation U S A Lib e r ty -vs- Tyr a nny I watched the Memorial for the victims of the Washington DC Naval Yard victims. I listened to the words of President Obama, intently and hopefully with an open mind. My first though was the President gave his usual good delivery. My second thought was here he goes again, politicizing another tragedy to advance his anti gun agenda, following the line of thought made famous by Rahm Emanuel (I think it was him) that you should never let a tragedy go to waste. Then my third and perhaps the most important thought was, what if our grandson or granddaughter were to become the victim of senseless firearm violence. How would the misses and I feel. My final thought was why in the hell can't intelligent and compassionate caring people find a solution that has a significant impact on REDUCING the incidents of innocent people losing their life because of firearm violence. And at the same time ensuring our right to own ...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation U S A Lib e rty -vs- Tyr a nny  You certainly won't hear many disagreeing with Senator Paul's position on this one. Well, that is of course unless you're really a big government fanatic that believes Big Bother has every right to every aspect of your life. Keep on pressing on this one Senator Paul. Maybe you could start a "Repeal the Patriot Act" movement while you're at it? Read the the full story  HERE Via: Memeorandum

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation U S A Lib e rty -vs- Tyr a nny " We must meet one another doing good. 'But I don't believe Father, I am an atheist!' But do good: we will meet one another there. " Pope Francis The behemoth that is the Catholic Church, with all its unbending rigid dogmatic principles just might be undergoing historic changes. Pope Francis is continuing to signal a much greater openness and tolerance in general. He is looking more and more like the right Pope at the right time to attempt reform within the Church hierarchy. Read the full story at CNN . Via: Memeorandum

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation U S A Lib e rty -vs- Tyr a nny In yet another display of lunacy the state of Michigan under Governor Rick Snyder is set to argue the state's constitutional amendment that defines marriage (between one man and one women) and it's ban on same sex joint adaptions are necessary. Apparently to preserve the state's interest to "regulate sexual relationships" and ensure population growth. The brief filed by Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette's office states that Michigan and other states that define marriage as the union of a man and a women have determined it appropriate for the state "to regulate sexual relationships between men and women so that the unique procreative capacity of such relationships benefits rather than harms society." The brief goes on to say that before Massachusetts 2004 State Supreme Court decision which enforced the right to same sex marriage in the Commonwealth "it was commonly un...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation U S A Lib e rty -vs- Tyr a nny Interesting possibility from the NEW REPUBLIC . This, apparently, is how diplomacy happens these days: Someone makes an off-hand remark at a press conference and triggers an international chain reaction that turns an already chaotic and complex situation completely on its head, and gives everyone a sense that, perhaps, this is the light at the end of the indecision tunnel. Speaking in London next to British Foreign Secretary William Hague on Monday, Secretary of State John Kerry said that perhaps the military strike around which the administration has been painfully circling for weeks could be avoided if Bashar al-Assad can "turn over every single bit of his chemical weapons to the international community in the next week. Turn it over, all of it, without delay, and allow a full and total accounting for that.” The fact that Kerry immediately followed with, “But he isn’t about to do it, and it can’t be don...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation U S A Lib e rty -vs- Tyr a nny Any questions? If so perhaps the obvious is just to difficult to understand? Read the entire sordid story HERE . Via: Memeorandum

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation U S A Lib e rty -vs- Tyr a nny Always enjoy watching people trying to connect the dots. From Think Progress , the publication I usually always disagree with. Yuppers... Via: Memeorandum

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation U S A Lib e rty -vs- Tyr a nny The adrenalin rush of the drums of war. From Barack Obama nonetheless! Just in from the Los Angeles Times . WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is preparing for a longer bombardment of Syria than it originally had planned, with a heavy barrage of missile strikes followed soon after by more attacks on targets that the opening salvos missed or failed to destroy, officials said. The planning for intense attacks over a three-day period reflects the growing belief in the White House and the Pentagon that the United States needs more firepower to inflict even minimal damage on Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces, which have been widely dispersed over the last two weeks, the officials said. Two U.S. officers said the White House asked for an expanded target list in recent days to include many more than the 50 or so targets on the initial list. As a result, Pentagon planners are weighing whether to use Air Force bom...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation U S A Lib e rty -vs- Tyr a nny Is part of the President's considerations in contemplating U.S. military intervention into the Syrian civil war the impact and possible consequences to our only true ally in the region, Israel? I would hope so, and perhaps he has. But given the history of reciprocal loyalty between our two nations it is reasonable to think any U.S. air strikes may have unintended consequences that would negatively impact our our ally. And result in loss of life in Israel as a result. From THE HILL . Israel is setting up its Iron Dome missile defense system outside of Jerusalem as violence continues in neighboring Syria. According to an Agence France Presse (AFP) report, the Israeli military is deploying a battery of the missile shield west of the city, signaling concern about threats from a possible Syrian attack The Israeli newspaper Haaretz quotes a military official who said that the likelihood is low that the count...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation U S A Lib e rty -vs- Tyr a nny It just gets so damn confusing. Which side does one come down on? Nature, that force that just keeps on providing surprises and the force humans have little to no control over. Wondering how Al Gore (Gorelione to some) will respond to changing data points. Just in from The Telegraph . A cold Arctic summer has led to a record increase in the ice cap, leading experts to predict a period of global cooling. There has been a 60 per cent increase in the amount of ocean covered with ice compared to this time last year, they equivalent of almost a million square miles. In a rebound from 2012's record low an unbroken ice sheet more than half the size of Europe already stretches from the Canadian islands to Russia's northern shores, days before the annual re-freeze is even set to begin. The Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific has remained blocked by pack-ice all year, forcing some ships to ch...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Liberty -vs-Tyranny And they call the following EDUCATION ? Forgive me please, but the Professor, if you can call him that in good conscience, seems to be a Brown Shirt involved in indoctrinating students into the Progressive ideology and creating as much class envy as possible. There is no adjective to describe this other than PATHETIC . A raping of the contract Professors have with students, which of course is to educate with opposing views, challenge their critical thinking skills, and prepare them for active independent judgement as they enter the adult world of reality and hard knocks. The INDOCTRINATION : What say you?

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation U S A Lib e rty -vs- Tyr a nny Fineman at the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida at the moment Romney was nominated Howard Fineman from the The Huffington Post makes many well reasoned points. In a nutshell, there are no easy answers with respect to Syria, or understanding the President's desire to take military action, almost unilaterally and without support from the world community (if you will). Yes, Secretary Kerry is certainly in a unenviable as well as tough position. Given what we know, and considering his job and who he reports to the Secretary has done a relatively good job of handling his responsibilities. I say this even as I reject Secretary Kerry's premises and rationale. Read the text of the article HERE . Via: Memeorandum

TPM - Hmm, What say you? Via: Memeorandum

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation U S A Lib e rty -vs- Tyr a nny Senator John McCain (R-AZ) Republican Senator John McCain, the RINO that he has turned into, has decided to oppose the Senate draft resolution on Syrian intervention because it doesn't go FAR ENOUGH in insuring America's continuing military posture in the region. Of course Mr. McCain claims he opposes boots on the ground but this is nothing more than political BS. For McCain it is quite likely the truth is " whatever it takes to topple Bashir al-Assad is his real position. And we all know how well that worked out for the nation on many fronts with Iraq, don't we? FOX News - Sen. John McCain, President Obama's biggest cheerleader on Capitol Hill for a strike in Syria, said Wednesday that he would not support a Senate panel's draft resolution authorizing the use of force -- forcing a key Senate panel to delay a vote. "There are a number of people who are unhappy," McCai...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Liberty -vs- Tyranny As Congress considers the irrational logic behind the Obama Administration's argument for military intervention in Syria the likely Democratic Party nominee for President in 2016, Hillary Clinton, comes down squarely on the side of the MIC and continuation of the United States of America's role as the world's policeman. Just as did the current Secretary of State, and former anti war activist John Kerry has done. Prepare yourself America for more of the same, as this nation actively seeks a way to continue to lose credibility worldwide. POLITICO - Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton backs President Barack Obama’s move to urge Congress to back a targeted effort in Syria, in the first comments from her camp since the president unveiled his plan, POLITICO has learned. “Secretary Clinton supports the president’s effort to enlist the Congress in pursuing a strong and targeted response to the Assad regime...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation U S A Lib e rty -vs- Tyr a nny Confronted with a series of wrenching choices over Syria, Obama chose the course that best reflects fidelity to the Constitution as written . Hopefully, in the days ahead, taking that less traveled road by presidents will make all the difference. Walter Shapiro , Yahoo News President Obama, looking beyond the partisan arguments, in the final analysis made the right decision based on the letter of the Constitution he is sworn to uphold. A rticle One, Section Eight of the Constitution reads as follows: "The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defense and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States; To borrow Money on the credit of the United States; To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian Tr...