Roger J. Wendell
Defending 3.8 Billion Years of Organic EvolutionSM
"I believe in the division of labor. You send us to Congress; we
pass laws under which you make money... and out of your profits,
you further contribute to our campaign funds to send us back again
to pass more laws to enable you to make more money."
- Senator Boise Penrose (R-Pa.), 1896
- Alexis de Tocqueville
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Click Here for a woman's anti-Republican rant! |
Libertarianism:
The Internal Revenue Service once stated; "Libertarianism is a philosophy. The basic premise of libertarianism is that each individual should be free to do as he or she pleases so long as he or she does not harm others. In the libertarian view, societies and governments infringe on individual liberties whenever they tax wealth, create penalties for victimless crimes, or otherwise attempt to control or regulate individual conduct which harms or benefits no one except the individual who engages in it."
The United States of America is a Republic:
What's the difference between a republic and democracy?
In the Republic, power is in the hands of individual citizens. In a democratic system, laws are made by the majority. In the Republic system, laws are made by the elected representatives of the people. In a democracy, the will of the majority has the right to override the existing rights.
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Note: I suspect Stalin didn't actually say this (he didn't have to!). Nevertheless, it |
Mark Levin
"The Democratic Party, aligned with its surrogate in the media, academia, and the Bureaucratic Leviathan, colluded to discredit and cripple Trump's presidency, and destroy him personally, by unleashing an onslaught of slanders, conspiracy theories, criminal and congressional investigations, impeachments, and coup attempts, the likes of which this nation has never experienced. The unremitting, harmonized, and ferocious blitz was aimed was aimed not only at the former president, but his followers and voters. Their purpose was to break the back and spirit of the political opposition, and clear the field of obstacles to power and governance."
- Mark Levin in his book, American Marxism, p. 6
Elon Musk's Political View:
In a May 18, 2022 (Wednesday) Tweet, Elon stated the following;
"In the past I voted Democrat, because they were (mostly) the kindness party.
But they have become the party of division & hate, so I can no longer support them and will vote Republican.
Now, watch their dirty tricks campaign against me unfold …"
A Survivalist's Political View:
Alone was a survival show on the History channel where ten people are taken to the woods and left alone to film their experience surviving by themselves with minimal gear. David McIntyre, a 50-year-old former missionary, spent an astonishing 66 days on Vancouver Island by himself, winning the cash prize of $500,000 during the series' second season in 2016.
"All that political opinionating I did all my life? Nobody cared and it influenced nothing. It’s like people can’t feel alive anymore unless they are feeling outrage at something new each week. Everyone lives fired up by the cause of the moment and selecting new enemies to demonize or attack. I see people who have never experienced a moment of true hardship living offended and outraged at “micro-aggressions” and triggered by minutia they can barely articulate. I don’t say anything. I just shake my head and walk away. I know what peace feels like and I seek it and surround myself with it."
- David McIntyre as quoted during a 2017 interview in the Captain's Log (Random Internet Goodies by Captain Airyca)
Blue Collar Logic: Make Voting Harder!
"Anybody who puts his or her butt on the line for our country deserves to vote on its direction. But I disagree with the idea that because a person of 18 is allowed to serve in the military that means all persons of 18 should have the vote. There's a big difference in being old enough to serve and actually serving. So let's stop making it easier to vote. Let's make it harder to vote. Let's raise the voting age to 21, exempting military personnel, and require a photo ID as proof of citizenship."
- Dave Morrison during his Blue Collar Logic YouTube broadcast on February 7, 2019
[transcribed by Roger J. Wendell]
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"Do not blame Caesar, blame the people of Rome who have so enthusiastically acclaimed and adored him and rejoiced in their loss of freedom and danced in his path and given him triumphal processions. Blame the people who hail him when he speaks in the Forum of the new wonderful good society which shall now be Rome's, interpreted to mean more money, more ease, more security, and more living fatly at the expense of the industrious." |
- Marcus Tullius Cicero
Political Illiteracy
"The worst illiterate is the political illiterate, he doesn't hear, doesn't speak, nor participates in the political events. He doesn't know the cost of life, the price of the bean, of the fish, of the flour, of the rent, of the shoes and of the medicine, all depends on political decisions. The political illiterate is so stupid that he is proud and swells his chest saying that he hates politics. The imbecile doesn't know that, from his political ignorance is born the prostitute, the abandoned child, and the worst thieves of all, the bad politician, corrupted and flunky of the national and multinational companies." - Bertolt Brecht
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In November '10 Senator Lisa Murkowski's win (albeit narrow) in Alaska illustrates how dysfunctional our two party duopoly has become. Murkowski, a longtime Republican, lost her party's primary election to an extreme right "Tea Party" candidate. Fine, who cares what either party does except it's obvious party extremists aren't putting up candidates that are of much interest to the electorate in general. Murkowski proved this by running as a write-in candidate despite her party's (and Sarah Palin's) rabid support of her opponent... |
- Alexis de Tocqueville
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"I was a young impressionable 13 year old hearing the pro-left and pro-right argument. So one day I would be convinced that one side was right. The other day I would be convinced the other side was right. And then I was getting confused. How can both of these things be true if they were contrary to each other. So I decided to focus on a field where the truth didn't dependent upon the eloquence of the speaker. The truth was absolute" |
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Definition of DUOPOLY: (from Merriam-Webster)
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In his 2008 documentary, Religulous, Bill Maher interviewed all kinds of people about the place of religion in our government and society. In one scene, Maher is speaking with United States Senator Mark Pryor (Democrat) Arkansas. In this scene the good Senator is expressing his doubts about evolution and reinforcing his belief that Adam and Eve, and a talking snake in a garden, may have been the start of it all: Maher: "See, this is my problem. You're a Senator, you are one of the very few people who are really running this country. It worries me that people are running my country who think, who believe in a talking snake." Senator Pryor's response: "You don't have to pass an IQ test to be in the Senate." |
Bill Maher
On the 03/15/2019 broadcast of HBO's Real Time, host Bill Maher criticized the Democratic National Committee's decision to not hold primary debates on Fox News," telling the Democrats to "Grow a pair."
Maher said, "And, finally, new rule, Grow a pair. Last week, the Democrats made a terrible decision when they announced that they had turned down Fox News' offer to host one of their 2020 primary debates, saying Fox was nothing more than propaganda. Okay, so why not go on Fox News and tell them that? You want to be in the big leagues, but you refuse to ever play an away game? You don't like the questions that Fox News might ask, so you're deciding to not take any questions at all? How very Trump of you. This is a fundamental problem with the Democratic Party. They look weak, running from a fight, when they should be in there throwing punches. Republicans never shy away from coming on this show. And they come with a smile on their face, despite knowing that the only people in the crowd cheering them on are the three campaign aids they brought with them. The ones who eat all of the food in the green room. The audience is against them and they don't care because it's an opportuntity to expose people to your side of the story. So what if there are groans, groans won't kill ya! Poltical TV is full of groans, eye rolls, pouting..."
[transcribed by Roger J. Wendell]
Forget Red vs. Blue -- It's the Educated vs. People Easily Fooled by Propaganda
by Chris Hedges, Truthdig, 11-12-2008
"The illiterate rarely vote, and when they do vote they do so without the ability to make decisions based on textual information. American political campaigns, which have learned to speak in the comforting epistemology of images, eschew real ideas and policy for cheap slogans and reassuring personal narratives. Political propaganda now masquerades as ideology. Political campaigns have become an experience. They do not require cognitive or self-critical skills. They are designed to ignite pseudo-religious feelings of euphoria, empowerment and collective salvation. Campaigns that succeed are carefully constructed psychological instruments that manipulate fickle public moods, emotions and impulses, many of which are subliminal. They create a public ecstasy that annuls individuality and fosters a state of mindlessness. They thrust us into an eternal present. They cater to a nation that now lives in a state of permanent amnesia. It is style and story, not content or history or reality, which inform our politics and our lives. We prefer happy illusions. And it works because so much of the American electorate, including those who should know better, blindly cast ballots for slogans, smiles, the cheerful family tableaux, narratives and the perceived sincerity and the attractiveness of candidates. We confuse how we feel with knowledge."
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"At the core of liberalism is the spoiled child - miserable, as all spoiled children are, unsatisfied, demanding, ill-disciplined, despotic and useless. Liberalism is a philosophy of sniveling brats."
- P.J. O'Rourke |
"...in Western Europe and in countries like Canada, and Australia, and Japan where you can not be a public figure professing absolute certainty about the divine origin of the Bible and be taken seriously. These are embarrassing convictions in much of the world, and, in fact, we are virtually alone, in the developed world, as a society that still conducts it's national discourse under the shadow of religious literalism."
- Sam Harris interviewd by Michelle Martin on NPR's Talk of the Nation
about his new book, Letter to a Christian and keeping religion out of public policy.
Broadcast on Monday, October 02, 2006 and transcribed by Roger J. Wendell
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Edward Abbey
"Anarchism is not a romantic fable but the hardheaded realization, based on five thousand years of experience, that
we cannot entrust the management of our lives to kings, priests, politicians, generals, & county commissioners."
"Democracy is a poor system of government at best; the only thing that can honestly be said in its favor is that it is about eight times as good as any other method the human race has ever tried. Democracy's worst fault is that its leaders are likely to reflect the faults and virtues of their constituents - a depressingly low level, but what else can you expect?"
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- Senator Mark Hanna, chair of the Republican National Commitee, 1895
"Our fight is with those who have stolen the name Democrat - the party hacks, the lobbyists, the weasels who somehow couldn't cut it in the Republican Party because they didn't have what it takes to destroy a national forest, or close a thousand libraries, or take free breakfasts away from the malnourished little ones in the inner city. You have to have real guts to do stuff like that, and you have to enjoy it. Those who don't, get jobs over at the Democratic Party."
- Ralph Nader being interviewed by Amy Goodman, July 2004 |
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Click Here for my page on media and Democracy... |
 Democratic Cafe - Washington State |
"America wasn't built by conformists but by mutineers - we're a big, boisterous, bucking people and now is our time. Our democracy is being dismantled right in front of our eyes by our own ruling elites. This is a crucial moment when America desperately needs you and me to stand up as citizens. We are not only what democracy counts on, we are what democrcy is."
The Public Spirit of America |
 (Near Grand Canyon) |
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"...Big Money from a narrow and self-interested elite group of donors distorts democracy and produces perverse outcomes that favor a privileged few and hurt the rest of us in all sorts of ways."
"Hasn't it always been this way? And haven't we already tried to fix it?" "The short answer is yes. Politicis in America has always been a contest between organized people and organized money. But that's no reason to throw up our hands and become reisgned to the situation. After all, the history of America is the history of steady efforts to expand democracy and include everyone on an equal footing."
Is that a Politician in Your Pocket? (Washington on $2 Million A Day) p. 211 |
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bumper sticker by John W. Lacher click on this image for a larger view |
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Click Here to find out "Why I'm Joining the GOP!" |
A Registered "Unafilliated" in Colorado - Me!
Perennial third-party presidential candidate Ralph Nader had it right when, in the 2000s, he labeled our two-party system a corrupt duopoly that's anti-choice. Unfortunately both parties can be similar at times. Examples include their refusal to ever address our huge population problem - with Democrats even insisting on open borders when immigration is clearly the biggest contributor to crowding and higher birth rates. Other examples of their similarities are both parties' reluctance to bust huge monopolies or to limit campaign contributions. However, where they differ can be significant, too; the Democrats are never hesitant to promise handouts, promote Marxism, weaken our military, or take away our freedoms. And, of course, America's corupt Media and leftist education system work feverishly to keep the populace in their control. It's interesting to note that the Democrats were the party in support of slavery and segregation. It was the Republican Party that passed the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery. It was the Republican Party that passed the 14th Amendment, giving Black men citizenship. It was the Republican Party that passed the 15th Amendment, giving Black men the right to vote. Democrat Joe Biden, for example, did not simply compromise with segregationists - he also led the charge on an issue that kept black students away from the classrooms of white students. His legislative work against school integration advanced a more palatable version of the "separate but equal" doctrine and undermined the nation's short-lived effort at educational equality.
Even in the areas of health, safety, and the environment Republicans have always taken the lead. Republican President Richard Nixon, for example, signed into law the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, the creation of the EPA in 1970, the Clean Air Act Extension of 1970, the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, and the Endangered Species Act of 1973. President Nixon proposed The Safe Drinking Water Act which was passed by Congress in 1974 and then signed into law by Republican President Gerald Ford.
However, the Republicans have huge faults, too, so it was with reluctance that I was registered with them for so many years [I'm currently registered unaffiliated]. But, unfortunately being unaligned or "independent" gives me even less voice but I do the best I can in supporting candidates and platforms that are good for America. (Admittedly that's almost always a Republican candidate or Republican position since the Democrats do so much harm) So, although I still have complaints about the "other" party I'll continue to harangue the Republicans about their support of monopolies, wasteful military expenditures, and their sometimes disregard for biodiversity and the environment. As "Independent," I'll continue working to bring honor, reason and decency to our country's political system in general. The Democrats, of course, need special attention since they continue supporting open borders, corrupt unions, and an unemployment and welfare class that refuses to work or be productive - all big disappointments to most Americans (as demonstrated in countless national polls).
Third party possibilities (of any political significance) attempt to emerge at times and are always of interest. However, this usually results in unsavory characters gaining office with less than half (majority) voter support. Some examples include the Tea Party, Green Party, Constitution Party, etc. - all siphoning votes away from major party candidates with some pretty unpopular people being elected as a result. However, as I've been suggesting the two major parties continue failing us in so many ways you can't blame people for trying to creat an alternative!
Anyway, as for my own leanings, not only was I a registered Republican for many years (starting in the early 70s!), but I was also elected (twice!) as a delegate to their Arapahoe County Assembly and once to their Jefferson County Assembly in Colorado. To get elected I had to "campaign" a bit, on a very small scale, to my neighbors at our local caucus - the point being that I do take my beliefs seriously and, apparently, have been persuasive enough to convince Republicans to support me. (Click on the red photo, at right, for an even larger view of my credentials...) Additionally, I've spent more time than I care to admit in lobbying and meeting with my city council people, state senators, and federal congressmen (I've lived in a number of different districts and have met with some of 'em personally), passing out flyers (I met and assisted Douglas Bruce in a flyer campaign for the Tax Payer Bill of Rights in downtown Denver in the early 80s), calling (and hosting!) radio talk shows, meeting with neighbors, and just generally doing a lot of grunt and footwork.
Also, although not directly related, I have served on the City of Aurora's Election Commission in addition to serving as an Election Judge. On May 3, 2022 I was elected to the board of directors for Green Mountain Water & Sanitation District. Although not a partisan election, my goal was to help my neighbors by ensuring fiscal responsibility for all things related to the services provided by the district.
Additionally, I've voted in nearly every election since the early 70s, including special ones like the Public Service Company (Now Xcel Energy) franchise, etc. Even when I was out of state, while serving in the military, I still voted by mail every chance I could but remain astonished at how lazy my countrymen are when it comes to voting. So much so that the Democrats have done everything they can (for obvious reasons) to make voting as easy as possible. When, actually, it should take some effort to vote since the mail-in ballot systems they've implemented have been so wrought with fraud. What's wrong with requiring people to go to a polling place, in person (with identification) to cast a paper ballot? In-person voting was the norm in this country for over 200 years so why so much emphasis on mail-in ballots and questionable software to "count" votes? Obriously a rhetorical question as Joseph Stalin reminded us, so long ago; "The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything."
Despite all my writings, warnings, and handwringing things politically, economically, and environmentally took a horrible turn for the worse in the early 2000s. While us regular folks tried to keep our country going in the right direction the evil doers were having their way with almost every aspect of our government, business and society - Resulting, of course, in a near total collapse by 2008. It is so important that us regular folks remain involved in any way we can. I know it's difficult to speak up and act out on your own time and money while the bad guys continue receiving big paychecks to run things into the ground but we can't give up - the founding fathers would expect it of us!
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Here is a Denver Post Affidavit of Publication for a Legal Notice that I published on my 40th birthday (November 12, 1995). It was in their Sunday edition under section 8901 "Legal Notices." Here is what it said;
"I am 40 yrs. old & have been a registered Republican my entire adult life. Although I agree with the party's position on taxes, and other related issues, I am ashamed of their 'war' on the environment. I appologize to the American people and promise to continue working to protect wilderness and wildlife. Sincerely, Roger J. Wendell, POB 460101, Aurora, CO 80046-0101. E-mail: aq328@freenet.uchsc.edu (I paid for this notice with my own money and am only interested in policy change, NOT remuneration)" |
Here's something of mine that made it to the Republicans' Arapahoe County Assembly:
(It was passed by Precinct 2509 on April 11, 2000)
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Resolution: Children and Open Space
Whereas; Colorado Republicans recognize that the quality of life
Be it resolved; that Colorado Republicans, in the interests of |
Every political party has its bad apples. During the time when I was involved in
local government my party turned a blind-eye to Reagan and a number of his minions
involved in all kinds of not-so-nice work in the name of the American people:
On December 20, 1983 President Ronald Reagan sent Special Envoy
Donald Rumsfeld to Iraq to shake the hand of Saddam Hussein - this
was at a time when America was arming, supporting and encouraging Saddam...
545 People
Written by Charlie Reese in 1995, updated in 2009
(former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper)
[verified by Snopes: http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/reese.asp]
Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are really against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?
Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are really against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?
You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does.
You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of representatives does.
You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.
You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.
You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.
One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine Supreme Court justices 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.
I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.
I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason.. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.
Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.
What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.
The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the Speaker of the House? Nancy Pelosi. She is the leader of the majority party. She and fellow House members, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to. Stop and think how long she has been Speaker of the House.....
It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.
If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.
If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red .
If the Army & Marines are in IRAQ , it's because they want them in IRAQ
If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way. If they were on Social Security then they would fix it fast.
There are no insoluble government problems.
Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do. Change the law so that it is unlawful for quasi public companies (like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) to donate to politicians or political parties etc and unlawful for those persons/organizations to accept donations from those over which they have oversight.
Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.
They, and they alone, have the power..
They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses... provided the voters have the interest and incentive to manage their own employees.
We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!
Congressional Reform
This proposal was floating around the Internet throughout the last part of the millennium's first decade. Like all things Internet I was skeptical but warmed up to the idea the more I thought about it. Maybe if enough of us agree we can, indeed, reform Congress!
Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned
- Term Limits. 12 years only, one of three possible options below:
- Two Six-year Senate terms
- Six Two-year House terms
- One Six-year Senate term and three Two-Year House terms
- No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when he/she is out of office.
- Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security. All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people.
- Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.
- Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.
- Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.
- Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.
- All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/11. The American people did not make these contracts with Congressmen. Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves.
 (Senator Harry Reid, Nevada) |
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I Was Elected to Local Office
Although I'm often critical of our elected officials I also feel regular citizens should be involved in
all levels of government and the electoral system. On May 3rd, 2022 I was elected to a three-year term
as a board member for my neighborhood's water supplier. My goal being to serve the people to the best of my ability.
Samuel Langhorne Clemens
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