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Posts Archived Under Government
Spc. Jesse A. Murphree greets his comrades
returning from deployment in Afghanistan
(Photo by The U.S. Army)
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War, with all of its accompanying horrors and destruction, doesn't seem to be on the decline. It is a huge part of our past and future, and is a shaping force in human culture. Regardless of how one feels about war, or politics, or military policy, I would hazard a guess that most people support, in one way or another, the troops who ship off and fight. It follows that we should set aside politics in our commitment to these soldiers after they've completed their service.
As much as ever, veterans need community support. They face PTSD, homelessness, high suicide rates, unemployment, and general difficulties transitioning back into civilian life. Fortunately, many communities and national organizations are stepping up. In Michigan, jobless veterans can participate in a new training program designed to prepare them for farm jobs. Across the country, many restaurants will be offering veterans free meals on Veterans Day.
At the national level, Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki recently announced that he hopes to end veterans' homelessness within five years. The VA has also recently begun a program to address mental and emotional issues early on in a service member's military career. Private organizations are playing a part as well. Puppies Behind Bars, where prison inmates train service dogs, has started training many of their dogs with the special needs of veterans in mind.
The recent tragedy at Fort Hood illustrates the desperate need for mental health services in the military. This surely includes indentifying and fixing those parts of the system that are failing service members, but each of us can increase our awareness and sensitivity to the needs of these people in our communities... because if you don’t already know a veteran, you probably will.
Suggested Sites...
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Directory categories:
Veterans Day, Veterans, Veterans Organizations, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Employment Resources for Veterans |
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Archived under: American History, Government, Holidays, Mental Health, Military, Society and Culture, Veterans, Veterans Day, War |
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Forget the eagle; is this the real
Great Seal of the United States? |
On many previous occasions, we’ve talked about conspiracies and secret societies,those groups who really run the world while the rest of us go on blithely ignoring the Truth. Somehow, there are so many such groups -- the Illuminati, the Trilateral Commission, the Bilderberg Group, the Bohemian Grove, the Carlyle Group -- that how each of them manages to run the world to the exclusion of the others is a mystery we’re not qualified to solve.
That said, there is one group whose footprint is all over the United States, particularly its founding. So much so, that we feel we have to mention them again -- this week especially. That group is the Freemasons, and on September 18, 1793, George Washington, a Master Mason, laid the cornerstone to the United States Capitol -- while wearing his Masonic apron! But Washington was far from the only Founding Father who was a Mason. Of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, nine were Masons, including John Hancock, Edmund Randolph, and Benjamin Franklin. Of the signers of the Constitution, thirteen were Masons. And thirty-three of Washington’s generals in the Revolutionary War were -- you guessed it -- Masons.
But that’s not all. Paul Revere? John Marshall? Ethan Allen? All Masons. Even the Marquis de Lafayette, the Frenchman whose participation in the Continental Army was essential to American independence, was a member of the Brotherhood.
You might think that would be enough, but we’re not even close. Like London, the city of Washington DC is laid out to mirror the Masonic pentagram, with one of its points at Washington’s Masonic temple and another at the White House itself! (Of course, Sandusky, Ohio is also laid out according to this plan, too, so it may not be all that much of a conspiracy ...)
And let’s not even get started on the symbolism in American money. From the "All-Seeing Eye" to the eagle to the thirteen stars, stripes, arrows, olive branches, and steps of the pyramid, the dollar bill alone might as well be a business card for your local Masonic lodge.
Author Dan Brown's new book, "The Lost Symbol," comes out this week, and this time, the "Da Vinci Code" author takes on these Masonic symbols in an attempt to crack the code – the code of what, we're not quite sure, but we can rest assured that the groups that really run the world will continue to do so, no matter who they are.
Suggested Sites...
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Directory categories:
Freemasonry, Freemasonry -- Opposing Views, Conspiracy, Washington DC, Dan Brown |
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Archived under: 18th Century, American History, Anniversaries, Benjamin Franklin, Buildings, Conspiracies, Cover Ups, Da Vinci Code, Design, Dictators, Freemasons, George Washington, Government, History, Mysteries, Mythology and Folklore, Organizations, Presidents, Revolutionary War, Rumors, Secret Societies, Secrets, Society and Culture, United States, Urban Legends, Weird Stuff |
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The Principality of Sealand --
all of it |
There's an old saying that, in America, anyone can grow up to be the President -- and it's true. You could be President tomorrow. Of course, you couldn't be the President of the United States of America, but if you lower your expectations just a little, you could rule your own country -- or, more to the point, your own micronation.
Creating a micronation of your very own is an easier task than you might think. You can do it for political reasons, as an act of protest, or to create a safe haven for a like-minded community of people. Do it as an experiment in diplomacy, an educational project, or just for kicks, we don't care. You don't even need to own a private island or a prime piece of real estate. For that matter, you don't even need any real estate at all. All you need is a dream and a flag.
Some micronations exist only online, or as sketches in the journals of their monarchs. In fact, we could declare this space Sparkylvania or Sparkistan right now if we wanted to ... but, frankly, going to all the trouble of setting up a constitution and establishing diplomatic relations and printing our own passports and currency and stamps sounds like too much hassle.
Of course, you could save yourself the trouble and just buy an pre-existing country. Sealand, possibly the world's most famous micronation, could be yours for a mere 750 million Euros. Of course, if you buy it, it'll be you who's responsible for fighting off all those invading armies, and who needs that headache?
Suggested Sites...
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Directory categories:
Micronations, Sealand, Countries of the World, Hutt River Province, International Law |
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Archived under: Cultures, Government, Invention, Micronations, Regional, Society and Culture, Travel |
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Judge Sonia Sotomayor |
With Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court being considered by the Congress this week, we have to wonder where she'll fall in the pantheon of Justices (assuming she's confirmed, of course …) Will she be remembered for serving admirably on America's highest court, or will she be a mere footnote in the history books?
Almost every President gets to make nominations to the high court (only three of forty-four haven't -- Zachary Taylor and Jimmy Carter never had the chance, nor did William Henry Harrison (though considering Harrison died after only a month in office, we can forgive him ...) -- some have made more nominations than others. George Washington holds the record with 13 (though, of course, he had to fill all the slots once the Court was created). Second is Franklin D. Roosevelt, who appointed nine justices (and might have named even more if his controversial plan to "pack the court" had succeeded).
William Howard Taft holds a unique position, in that not only did he appoint five justices while serving as President, but he was himself named Chief Justice by Warren Harding -- becoming the only man to hold both positions.
Of course, once on the court, some justices exhibit peccadilloes that could not have been predicted in the confirmation process: Justice John Harlan held weekly screenings of porno movies in the Court's basement, in order to better help his fellow justices determine just what pornography was (despite Justice Potter Stewart's declaration that "I know it when I see it"). Unfortunately for Harlan, as his eyesight began to fail, he had to rely on Justice William O. Douglas to narrate the movies and describe the on-screen action.
Justice Harry Blackmun authored many opinions (some more controversial than others), but apparently, his favorite topic of conversation came every March 8th, when he would mark the anniversary of his appendectomy.
Justice Clarence Thomas's nomination was one of the most contentious in history, but since his approval is one the most silent of the current justices, almost never asking any questions or making statements during arguments.
Justice Thurgood Marshall demanded that all sessions be adjourned by 1:00, so that he would be free to watch his soaps (though whether he was watching "All My Children" or "Days of Our Lives" is a point of contention).
In the last few decades, some candidates have sailed through the process with little controversy, while others haven't fared as well:
In 1968, Lyndon Johnson nominated Justice Abe Fortas to become Chief Justice (after using his considerable political skills to persuade Arthur Goldberg to step down from the bench to become his ambassador to the United Nations, but Fortas's nomination was filibustered and withdrawn.
In 1970, G. Harrold Carswell was dismissed as not being distinguished enough for the Court. In defense of Carswell, Senator Roman Hruska of Nebraska asked, "Even if he is mediocre, there are a lot of mediocre judges and people and lawyers. They are entitled to a little representation, aren't they?"
The most controversial nominee in recent years was Judge Robert Bork, whose name has had the dubious distinction of becoming a verb. Following the judge's unsuccessful nomination in 1987, "to Bork" came to mean "to seek to obstruct a political appointment or selection."
Whether Judge Sotomayor becomes a justice or a figure of speech, only history -- and the Senate -- can say.
Suggested Sites...
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Directory categories:
Sonia Sotomayor, United States Supreme Court, Supreme Court Justices, Judicial Branch of the U.S. Government, Supreme Court Decisions and Cases |
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Archived under: 18th Century, 1930s, 1960s, 1970s, 19th Century, American History, Candidates, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Government, History, Law, Legal Cases, Politics, Presidents, Supreme Court, U.S. Senate, United States, Women |
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Star Trek Pon Farr Perfume: With "Star Trek: The Movie" sweeping the nation's theaters and topping search spikes this week, I suppose we were all just waiting for "Star Trek: The Perfume" to come out. And so it has! Now all you sci-fi loving ladies can wow all the special Spocks and Kirks in your life with "light, clean notes of citrus, blackcurrant, lotus blossom, and water lily." Because nothing spells romance more than smelling like a desperate Vulcan.
Opportunity.gov: Meanwhile, as we humans struggle with our economic crisis, our own Federation is coming to the rescue with Opportunity.gov: a site that provides new educational opportunities to unemployed workers.
Homes for our Troops: In all my years of watching "Star Trek," I can remember only one member of Starfleet ever sustaining a major injury that left him permanently disabled. Even when Spock exposed himself to terrible radiation in order to save the Enterprise's crew at the end of "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn," he still bounced back from his "death" with nary a scratch in "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock." Unfortunately, real life hasn't been as kind to many of our troops returning from Iraq, Afghanistan, or any of our many overseas conflicts. HomesForOurTroops.org raises money and organizes volunteers to help build specially adapted homes for our severely-injured veterans. This is truly a good cause.
GradeGov.com: If you're tired of the government making decisions that you don't agree with, let your voice be heard on GradeGov.com. You can give your elected representatives a letter grade, write them a letter, and read other letters and grades from concerned citizens like yourself. Currently, Louie Gohmert (R. - TX) has garnered a grade of "A-" from his loving constituents, while Bennie G. Thompson (D. - LA) is evidently not feeling so loved with his grade of "F."
Cars for a Grand: Even if we lose our jobs and the government fails us, there's one thing we can be sure will always be around in abundance: used cars. Capitalizing on this fact, CarsForAGrand.com offers exactly what their web address implies: used cars for $1000 or less. You can search by zip code for used, crashed, parts, or restoration project cars, or you can post your own used car listing.
Suggested Sites...
- Issuu - a free magazine-publishing platform that allows users to publish online magazines that are easy and fun to read and interact with.
- Tweetmeme - tracks the most popular and most re-tweeted posts on Twitter.
- Antipodes Map - kind of useless, but kind of fun. Shows you the exact global opposite of any place on Earth.
- Map Your Name - shows on a map the popularity of personal names and family names in the USA, Europe, or Australia.
- Extreme Ice Survey - features photos and time-lapse videos of glaciers and ice caps melting. As featured on Nova.
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Directory categories:
Star Trek Collectibles, U.S. Politics: Surveys and Polls, Automotive Classifieds, Support the Troops, Twitter |
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Archived under: Advertising, Autos, Careers, Collectibles, Democratic Party, Disability, Education, Fanatics, Fragrances, Government, Housing, Issues and Causes, Jobs, Magazines, Media, Military, Names, Nature, Republican Party, Science, Science Fiction, Social Networking, Star Trek, Twitter, Web 2.0, Yahoo! Directory |
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