Pay No Attention To the Bark...


When you run after your thoughts, you are like a dog chasing a stick: every time a stick is thrown, you run after it. Instead, be like a lion who, rather than chasing after the stick, turns to face the thrower. One only throws a stick at a lion once.

Milarepa 

“Just as it is known that an image of one's face is seen depending on a mirror but does not really exist as a face, so the conception of "I" exist dependent on mind and body, but like the image of a face the "I" does not at all exist as its own reality."   Nagarjuna
"Thanks to impermanence, everything is possible.  Nagarjuna


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Moonbats, Reporters, and MSNBC

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by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Birthplace of Independent Conservatism One has to wonder, I mean really really wonder about the Moonbats that heavily populate the democratic party, and the progressive movement. Author and reporter David Cay Johnston has just taken Moonbattery to new heights. I mean really new heights! During an MSNBC segment with Ed Schultz {one of the moonbats} discussing Rep. Paul Ryan's Path to Prosperity deficit reduction proposal he questioned Ryan's legitimacy because he is an advocate of Rand's views. He pointed to Rand's bestseller The Fountainhead , a story about a fiercely individualistic young struggling architect  as as a reason to question Rep. Ryan's legitimacy. Of course by condensing the entire plot to a singular event in the book, without giving proper lead in and explanation, Mr. Johnston was attempting to question not only Ryan's legitimacy, but his motive and integrity as well. Excerpt  and video from The
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The Debt, The Debt Ceiling, and Leveler Heads... Will they Prevail?

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by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Birthplace of Independent Conservatism Liberty -vs- Tyranny Fiscal conservatism is about a lot more than just cutting spending, reducing taxes, and passing a balanced budget amendment. Which, by all indications is where republicans in Congress presently find themselves. Fiscal conservatism is about maintaining control of spending while providing the revenue to fund the necessary functions of government. It is about acting responsibly so the government's fiscal house stays in order and solvent. Not unlike a well run business. The federal government has certain critical obligations that must be funded. Obligations such as national defense, maintaining a federal judiciary, insuring the strength of our national infra structure, maintaining our borders, maintaining the safety of our federal highways and bridges, maintaining diplomatic relations with foreign states, and yes, maintaining the social net known as social security and medicare
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A Liberals View of OWS... From the New Republic

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Liberty -v s- Tyranny OWS, the movement lacking leadership as well as defined objectives having a reasonable chance of success. The longer it grinds on the more it look like a bunch of misfit radicals looking for the free ride. However, on the other hand there are certainly those who have a clear vision as to what and why Wall Street needs to change. The reasonable people supporting OWS are doing so to end crony capitalism, corporatism, the unethical practices of banking executives and mortgage lenders, as well as government bailouts of businesses. They also recognize corporate lobbyist must become a extinct group. Given the majority of people would tend to agree with the above someone ought to be asking the question, why doesn't the reasonable Tea Party folks and the reasonable OWS folks come together and pool resources so to speak? Tea Party individuals want more fiscal discipline and restraint so as to bring balance to national fis
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Our Biggest Creditor {China} Tells Us "The good old days of borrowing are over"

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by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Birthplace o Independent Conservatism Liberty -vs- Tyranny As the chickens come home to roast... Unbelievable we have been this stupid. ( Reuters ) - Global leaders on Saturday arranged a round of emergency calls to discuss the twin debt crises in Europe and the United States that are causing turmoil in financial markets . After a week that saw $2.5 trillion wiped off global stock markets, they are under pressure to show political leadership and reassure markets that Western governments have both the will and ability to reduce their huge and growing public debt loads. French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who chairs the G7/G20 group of leading economies, conferred with Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron ahead of a call planned for this weekend by G7 finance ministers and central bankers. "They discussed the euro area and the U.S. debt downgrade. Both agreed the importance of working together, monitoring the situation closely
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The Hearing On Muslim Extremists and Protecting Civil Rights

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by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Birthplace of Independent Conservative House Republicans under the leadership of Representative Peter King (R-NY) held the first in what he anticipates to be a series of hearings examining the potential dangers of radical Islam and radicalized American Muslims. The hearings are a prudent and necessary activity given the realities of our modern world. In response to the hearings being held by the House of Representatives Senate Democrats are responding with meetings of their own following their return from a ten day vacation recess. The Senate meetings will focus on what is perceived to be a spoke in anti Muslim bigotry, and to examine Muslim's civil rights. The debate about exactly what constitutes Anti Muslim bigotry, as well as the debate on the impact radicalized Muslims residing in American have on our society and it's wellbeing is worth having. This nation must come to terms with how to handle radical Islam on our shores as we
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Two Quotes to Consider

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Birthplace of Independent Conservatism The following two quotes were e-mailed to me by a reader of Rational Nation USA. They were taken from a small southern publication called "Tidbits." I thought perhaps my readers might enjoy them. "We are all atheists about most of the gods that societies have ever believed in. Some of us just go one further." My take is that all those many billions of people through out history believed just as firmly in their gods as many do today. So who is right and who is wrong? It doesn't really make any difference to me.     Richard Dawkins, Evolutionary Biologist "A conservative is a man who believes that nothing should be done for the first time." Atributed to Alfred Wiggams As the RN USA reader commented,  "Perhaps the truth lies somewhere in between the true conservative and those in public office today who call themselves conservatives." They have a point! Enj
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Finally... Recognizing the Futility... The Founding Fathers and Ayn Rand Had It Right

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by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Birthplace of Independent Conservatism Having been brow beat, belittled, maligned, cursed, referred to as reactionary rightest scum, f'ing republthug, knuckle dragging Neanderthal, and many other unsavory adjectives by the progressive delusional left I am proud to say I come away reinforced in my beliefs that the founding fathers and Ayn Rand had it right after all. To the bigoted, altruistic, and irrational left I must at this point say, piss off, I am through with trying to reason, or give further consideration to your delusional destructive BS! Your constant class warfare, your constant justifying your hero Barrack Hussein Obama's policies, even when they mirror your hated past President George W. Bush is hypocritical and sickening. Those of you on the left, and you know of whom I speak each and every one of you, are nothing more than democratic socialist shills for the failed policies of this President, and past progressive pres
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South Dakota Bringing Abortion Front and Center

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Birthplace of Independent Conservatism I am at a complete loss for words. A long time independent conservative, a strong advocate of limited government, an advocate of laissez faire capitalism, with libertarian leanings I can not even find the words to comment on the South Dakota House Bill 1171. It is such a bill as one might find existent in a extremist and repressive Islamic Theocracy. It is supported along a party line vote. Republicans are the supporter of this ill advised and dangerous bill. While I do not approve of  the language, "murdering abortion doctors will be legal", and I have not used this site as a source for information in the past, SD House Bill 1171 is so egregiously profane I found myself in general agreement with the following article. Generally staying away the abortion debate this report pushed me into the fray of it all so to speak. There are times when one simply believes they must register in, even if they
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Consider This

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by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Birthplace of Independent Conservatism Theme Allah is our objective. The messenger is our leader. Quran is our law. Jihad is our way. Dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope. The words of The Muslim Brotherhood as printed in The Muslim Brotherhood Movement Homepage . Sound familiar? Have the same notable ring to it as Islamic terror groups? As the administration of President Barrack Hussein Obama prepares to throw Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and the stability of a tested ally under the bus of radical Islam it would serve the administration (and our people) well to deeply contemplate the above. Remember 1979 and the take over of Iran's secular government by the radical Islamist Ayatollah Khomeini? Note the connection and role the Muslim Brotherhood played. From Iranian : "I herewith proclaim to those (Western leaders) who still do not want to see the realities that the political axis of the new Middle East wil
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