Ogre's Politics & Views

June 05, 2007

Charlotte Coliseum Implosion

A guest editorial by Don Reid:

“ONLY MEMORIES REMAIN” is the Observer’s headline in their news story this morning about the demolition of our coliseum on Tyvola Road. In this story and in stories over the last several days, pleasant memories were recounted of stars, performances and events that have occurred since the arena was opened in 1988. Notably absent from these ‘pleasant memories’ was a series of events, beginning in the mid ‘90’s, when the welfare of the taxpayers was bludgeoned by the politicians and the heavy hand of the uptown power structure, resulting in Sunday’s demolition…..the biggest waste of taxpayer dollars in Charlotte’s history.

Despite the tremendous success of the Hornets, who played to sell-out crowds for several years, owner George Shinn realized that long term success depended on an arena better suited to NBA standards, mainly the need for more sky boxes. In 1993, he made an offer to buy the arena, update it and insure that the Hornets would be a permanent fixture in Charlotte. His offer contained the following: “……..the Charlotte Hornets would be interested in purchasing the coliseum from the city.” Further the offer stated, “ Clearly the positives to the city would be the elimination of the bond obligation, securing cash for the city, placing a valuable piece of property on the tax rolls and securing the Hornets as a permanent fixture in the community.” The offer continues, “The Hornets will be prepared to pay market value for the building as determined by an appraisal, based on either an income approach or cost of replacement. In addition to the purchase of the building, we would provide a dozen dates a year for community uses at no charge. On civic events, such as high school graduations, we would waive the parking charges and staff cost.” At that time, Shinn estimated the value to be $60-65 million. I, as a member of the city council, tried to get the Mayor or city manager to place this on the council agenda for discussion. Both refused! Now, of course, we know why. Already the uptown power structure had decided that a new uptown arena would better suit their purposes, regardless of the cost and benefit to the citizens. Over the next 3 or 4 years Shinn continued his efforts to buy the arena, to no avail. Charlotte Motor Speedway President Bruton Smith also tried to by the arena.

George Shinn finally took his Hornets and moved to New Orleans. The real truth is that he was driven out of town by the uptown crowd because Shinn refused to be their ‘boy.’ Yes Shinn made some mistakes; yes he had some personal problems, but Bob Johnson is no ‘box of chocolates’ himself. He became a billionaire with his BET Network, which to this day fills the airways, hearts, minds and souls of our children with the most vile language, crude shows and vulgar rap music, which in comparison makes Shinn look like a saint. Also compared to the miserly attitude of Johnson, Shinn is a big spending philanthropist.

And in your book of COLISEUM MEMORIES, don’t forget the referendum on the arena and the arts projects, a cobbled proposal by the politicians and uptown crowd, who hoped that by offering something to everyone, they could fool us into approving the uptown arena. Proving that you can’t fool the people all the time, they lost, 57 percent to 43 percent. Yet within 6 months, ignoring the will of the people, our Mayor and council had approved a new uptown arena deal, called by one prominent attorney, the most egregious, one sided contract he had ever seen. Complete control of your arena was given to the Bobcats!! The Observer called the deal, ‘essentially sound’, and urged the council to approve the contract. And with one of the weakest, illogical rationalizations ever had this to say, “What about the defeat of an uptown facilities referendum last year? The question on the ballot was whether voters wanted the specific projects and terms then offered. They didn’t. That vote did not and should not preclude a return to arena questions in different form. This time the project is different. The terms are different.”

Yes MEMORIES remain, and I hope the people of Charlotte will not forget that you cannot trust the politicians, bureaucrats and uptown crowd when it comes to spending taxpayer money. Also, don’t forget that the Observer has and will support every big spending scheme these folks bring forward.

Keep all this in mind, as our ‘REPEAL THE TRANSIT TAX” effort moves forward. More spending on light rail must be stopped. The politicians, bureaucrats and special interests will stop at nothing to keep their big spending plans in place. Their fear and smear campaign has already begun, but the facts are on our side. They ignored us on the arena vote. Not this time!!!

Posted by: Ogre at 11:05 AM | Comments (15) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

June 04, 2007

Fallen Sword

So, you find that you have too much time on your hands and not enough playing of games to fill that time? And perhaps you like killing things (at least in a simulated manner), but simply aren't finding enough places to do so. Well, if you're looking for an on-line RPG (without actual role-playing) with lots of killing, I think I've found what you're looking for: Fallen Sword.

It's entirely web-based and written in php -- and it is very well done. They boast over 500,000 players, so apparently I'm rather late to the game. But hey, if you're looking for an excellent RPG-game simulation, check this one out. I'll warn you -- if you get into such games, this one will suck away quite a bit of your time...

Posted by: Ogre at 07:08 PM | Comments (28) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Tolerance = Death

We must be more tolerant. We're told this every day by socialist and communist supporters around the world -- from ABC News to the Academics to the Democrat Party. Over and over we're told that if we dare to criticize anyone for, well, anything, then we're simply intolerant and unaccepting of someone else's "lifestyle" or choices. The only way to live in such a world as these utopians envision is to be dead. Just ask Younis Masih.

Younis said that it was bad to rape young girls. For that, he will die.

And if you disagree with that proposition, you're simply intolerant and unaccepting of the Muslim religion. He had been charged in Pakistan and has been sentenced to death because of his actions. Oh, and if anyone else provides any legal assitance to Younis? They will die also. If you provide any security assistance to him -- dead. Once again, if you disagree, with these various death sentences, you're intolerant.

Know what? I'm intolerant of any religion that wants to kill people for saying that young girls shouldn't be raped. I guess if I lived in Pakistan, I'd be killed, too. Good thing we don't subscribe to Islam in America...yet...

Posted by: Ogre at 06:20 PM | Comments (30) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Doctors Wrong on Life

He fell into a coma. Doctors also found cancer in his brain and said he would not live.

Despite doctors' advice that he would not live, his wife never gave up hope and took care of him at home.


Can you believe it? Doctors, despite their own illusions, aren't God. And they're not always right. Imagine that.

Now I'm not bashing all doctors here -- I'm just pointing out the part of this story that seems to get a little overlooked. If this woman had listened to her doctors, she would have killed her husband years ago. Good thing she didn't listen to them, huh?

Also of note in the story is the part that today's American Democrat party seems to be completely ignoring:

He said Grzebski was shocked to see the streets and shops in the town. "He remembered shelves filled with mustard and vinegar only" under communism."

"He was so amazed to see the colorful streets, the goods," she said. "He says the world is prettier now" than it was 19 years ago, when Poland was still under communist rule.


But that is the world that the Democrat candidate for president desire when they talk of "fairness," $40,000+ minimum wages, and "free healthcare" for all. But they don't care, because as president, THEY will have all their needs met by the peons -- no matter how bad things get for the working class.

Posted by: Ogre at 03:03 PM | Comments (243) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

News Notes

A few news stories this weekend caught my attention, and none seemed enough for an entire post -- so I just decided to combine all their stupidity in one post. So here we go!

1. Toothpaste from China deadly . Did you catch this one? The reports that say that Chinese-made toothpaste contains diethylene glycol -- which happens to be an ingredient in antifreeze. But know what I found most interesting? Not the poison-related factor, but the list of companies that use Chinese-made toothpaste:

Cooldent Fluoride, Cooldent Spearmint, Cooldent ICE, Dr. Cool, Everfresh Toothpaste, Superdent Toothpaste, Clean Rite Toothpaste, Oralmax Extreme, Oral Bright Fresh Spearmint Flavor, Bright Max Peppermint Flavor and ShiR Fresh Mint Fluoride Paste.

Wow. That's a lot of Chinese-made toothpaste. I find it amazing that companies actually spend less to produce toothpaste in China and ship it to America than they would to produce it in America. Could that be related to the massive costs associated with hiring people in America -- Like exorbitant minimum-wage laws; restrictive workplace laws; medical insurance requirements; and massive liability insurance requirements? I'm just asking.

2. 28th arrest for Drunk Driving. This fellow got arrested for drunk driving in New Mexico for the 28th time. I'm sure everyone was quick to condemn him. After all, he's just a drunk -- and DUI is worse than murder in today's society. So, what was his BAC on any of those charges? Sorry, they're not saying. Could it have been .08? It's certainly likely. And what's the increased odds of someone that blows .08 to injure someone? None. Sorry MADD wackos, there's simply no increased risk at .08. To actually reach a point where the increase of danger to others, you need to be up near .17 or above. That's facts, no matter what MADD, who wants prohibition, says. Know how many accidents this man caused in his 28 arrests? ZERO. He was never actually a danger to anyone.

3. Employer Dress Codes Illegal. Oh, you didn't see that headline this weekend? It was there, but you might have seen it worded differently. But that's what the judge says. If you want to wear any clothes that you want to work, it doesn't matter what the workplace says you must wear. According to a federal judge, an employer simply is not allowed to dictate any dress code of any employee -- all you have to do is claim it's your religion to wear your underpants on the outside of your clothes and no workplace can fire you for doing it. Seriously.

Posted by: Ogre at 01:05 PM | Comments (777) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Compulsory school attendance age

A liberal trend I've seen crossing the nation, and slowly catching on here in North Carolina, is to raise the compulsory age of attendance for school. In other words, take people who cannot handle school for one reason or another, and force them to continue to attend school against their will. And this idea to force them to attend will have one major effect -- it will lower the average ability of students so those who might have excelled will be forced to be dumber and less educated. But not only that, it will cost HUGE piles of money -- which is why liberals and the education people like it. Keep in mind as you read on -- the PRIMARY purpose of government education is to spend money and employ people, NOT to educate students.

RALEIGH – Raising the mandatory school attendance age could cost North Carolina nearly $9 million a year, with no positive impact on the state’s graduation or dropout rates. That’s the main finding in a new John Locke Foundation Spotlight report.

“North Carolina’s low graduation rate and high dropout rate have little to do with the mandatory – or compulsory – attendance age,” said report author Terry Stoops, JLF Education Policy Analyst. “Legislation aimed at increasing the compulsory attendance age to 17 or 18 would do little to solve North Carolina’s graduation and dropout crisis.”

The N.C. House voted May 24 to create a task force that would study raising the compulsory school attendance age. House Bill 1790 calls for a plan to boost the compulsory age to 18 and to increase the N.C. graduation rate to 100 percent. The Senate has not yet considered the bill.

North Carolina is one of 26 states that set 16 as the maximum age for compulsory school attendance, Stoops said. Other states set the maximum age at 17 or 18. “Data from the states show there is no apparent relationship between the maximum compulsory age and graduation rates,” he said. “In fact, four of the five states with the highest graduation rates match North Carolina in setting the maximum compulsory age at 16.”

There’s also no data to tie a higher compulsory age to lower dropout rates, Stoops said. “One of the two lowest dropout rates belongs to New Jersey, which has a compulsory attendance age of 16,” he said. “On the other hand, Louisiana has the highest dropout rate in the nation and a compulsory attendance age of 18.”

Research from Cornell University also raises questions about raising the compulsory school attendance age, Stoops said. “The research analyzed dropout and graduation rates before and after four states raised their compulsory attendance age,” he said. “None of the states increased its graduation rate. Two of the four states showed no improvement in dropout data attributable to the higher attendance age.”

The Ivy League research also noted that investments in teachers, facilities, and transportation would go to waste, Stoops said. “The chief researcher concluded ‘raising the compulsory school attendance age would not be a cost-effective mandate in terms of achieving its intended goals.’”

Raising North Carolina’s compulsory attendance age to 17 would cost $8.46 million a year in education services for an estimated 942 students, Stoops said. “Add in the estimated legal costs for additional truancy cases, and a compulsory attendance age of 17 would cost North Carolina taxpayers approximately $8.8 million a year.”

North Carolina should seek other ways to boost graduation rates and cut dropout rates, Stoops said. “Efforts to reach out to students at risk of dropping out must begin in the elementary and middle school grades,” he said. “School systems and law enforcement officials should also begin earnestly enforcing existing truancy laws. There is very little to be gained by raising the compulsory attendance age and forcing unruly or indifferent students to stay longer in schools that are not meeting their needs.”

Terry Stoops Spotlight report, "Raise the Bar, Not the Age: Why raising the compulsory school age won’t reduce dropouts," is available at the JLF web site. For more information, please contact Stoops at (919) 828-3876 or tstoops@johnlocke.org. To arrange an interview, contact Mitch Kokai at (919) 306-8736 or mkokai@johnlocke.org.

(Linked to Carnival of the Carolinas.

Posted by: Ogre at 11:04 AM | Comments (17) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

June 02, 2007

Weekend Hunting Fun

Feel the need to go quail hunting? You can without all the mess, online! Whee.

Hat tip to VW Bug.

Posted by: Ogre at 02:55 PM | Comments (15) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Offensive American Flag

The royalty that calls itself the government in Raleigh, NC, has once again made a royal proclamation. They have decided that this:

manyflags.jpg

is dirty and offensive; while this:

3flags.jpg

is not.
Once again -- dirty and offensive:

manyflags2.jpg

and clean and approved:

3flags1.jpg

Only a truly insane and ultra-controlling (liberal Democrat) government could even attempt to make that claim with a straight face. I mean, it's not like people and businesses are trying to show their support for America during a time of war or anything...

Posted by: Ogre at 01:08 PM | Comments (13) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

June 01, 2007

Friday Feast #146

Here's how it works:

Each Friday when you visit this meme, you will find 5 enticing courses for your mind to gobble up:

Appetizer
- a quick, tasty morsel to get you started

Soup
- smooth and warm to soothe your mind

Salad
- a nutritious blend of "veggies"

Main Course
- a hearty portion that is sure to satisfy

Dessert
- light concoction for your sweet tooth


And now for this week's fare:
Appetizer: Name something you think is “the best.”

America's Democrats tell me that Socialism is "the best" -- much better than freedom. However, I disagree. I think that freedom is "the best."
Soup: On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 highest), how stressed are you today?

Zero. Really. Whatever it is, it's really not that important. And I know that man is not in control, anyway. If you're stressed, relax -- I know how the story ends, and it's a good ending. Good WILL overcome evil in the end -- despite man's best efforts to the contrary.
Salad: What kind of cleanser do you use to wash your face?

What is this thing you call "cleanser?" Did you miss the picture up there at the top? Hello, I'm an OGRE!
Main Course: Tonight is a blue moon! What is something that you believe only happens “once in a blue moon.”

Oh, that's too easy. Should I take the easy one? Why not? Something that only happens once in a blue moon is... that the moon turns blue. Oh come on, you HAD to see that one coming!
Dessert: When was the last time it rained where you live?

mmmMMMmm...dessert. I like desserts in the desert... like where I am now! I think it's been at least two or three weeks since we've seen ANY rain here at all. Yes, it is pretty much the end of the world. Global warming, drought conditions, etc. Much stuff is dying. Water limitations are just around the corner...well, for people, not for the cities or for any businesses, just for the average Joe who actually PAYS for their water...

Posted by: Ogre at 03:07 PM | Comments (497) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Philadelphia Demands Man-Boy Anal Sex

The City of Philadelphia has come out with open opposition to NOT having man-boy anal sex in public buildings. They have voted to kick out an organization that doesn't openly support man-boy anal sex from all public buildings. I guess the "City of Brotherly Love" takes it's motto seriously. They claim it's "discrimination" to openly say that man-boy anal sex is wrong.

I was once asked by someone if I discriminated. I said that I discriminated all the time -- against actions. For example, I discriminate against rapists. I discriminate against those who murder innocent people. And yes, I discriminate against any male who wants to have anal sex with a boy. But according to the City of Philadelphia, that makes me "abhorrent" and "at opposition with the city's principles." I'm glad to be on the right side of this one; but I'm amazed that the City of Philadelphia can openly support man-boy anal sex in public buildings.

Posted by: Ogre at 02:41 PM | Comments (34) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Demolition of Charlotte Coliseum

Over the north door of St. Paul's Cathedral in London is written in Latin: "If you would see his monument look around," referring to the great architectural work of Sir Christopher Wren (1632-1723)

If you're looking for a monument to the misguided political leadership of Charlotte , then go to the intersection of Tyvola Road and Paul Buck Boulevard, Sunday morning and watch as the perfectly fine 465,000 square-foot Charlotte Coliseum is imploded in 10 seconds by 550 pounds of explosives. This exercise in waste of taxpayer assets is brought to you by the elected officials and bureaucrats who run the City of Charlotte.

The Tyvola Coliseum and surrounding acreage were originally created in the late 1980's with $86 million, principle and interest of taxpayer funds. The property was sold in recent years by the City to an Atlanta developer for approximately $25 million. As a condition of the sale, the City made the buyer promise not to use the Coliseum as an arena; and that is why it is being demolished.

In a 2001 referendum ~ 57 percent of over 100,000 Charlotte Voters, rejected building a new arena uptown. They seemed happy with the existing one on Tyvola. Despite the vote, City leadership went ahead anyway and built an arena now operating uptown at 333 E. Trade Street. This project cost the taxpayers over $430 million, in principle and interest. The chief beneficiaries were the owners of the Charlotte Bobcats Basketball Team and the National Basketball Association. The uptown building has several thousand fewer seats than the Tyvola Coliseum does and the available parking, ingress and egress are far inferior to what was available at Tyvola.

This same Charlotte political leadership, which has brought about the demolition of the Tyvola Coliseum, is now carping that the taxpayers should not repeal, by referendum this November, the half-cent transit sales tax. But this tax is only part of the financing for a scheduled multi-billion dollar, multi-corridor mass transit plan, including a light rail system, which according to many transportation experts is doomed to failure.

Though S.C.A.T will have more to say about the referendum in the coming months, remember this: You cannot trust the political leaders of Charlotte to make sound judgments about spending your tax dollars. The Charlotte area has many needs, including funds for schools and resources to reduce our high rate of violent crime.

If the transit sales tax is not repealed, you can count on City leaders spending every dime and much more, on an extravagant system, which will have little, if any impact on traffic congestion and pollution. Just think of the waste in evidence this Sunday, as the cloud of dust goes up on Tyvola Road.


SCAT- SENSIBLE CHARLOTTE AREA TRANSPORTATION
Contacts: Co-Chairmen
Don Reid ~ 704-523-8851 or 828-664-0475 Reidassociates@bellsouth.net
Jim Puckett ~ 704-363-1379 JHpucket@bellsouth.net
Tom Ashcraft, Advisor

Posted by: Ogre at 11:19 AM | Comments (197) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

May 31, 2007

People Really Will Buy Anything

If the age of the "Pet Rock" didn't show that people really will buy anything, this item really proves it. I often tell people, "If you put a name on it, SOMEONE will buy it." Apparently there really is a sucker born every minute.

Then again, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe this thing really is something you simply cannot live without. Let me check with some marketing people and see...

What is this wonderful item that your house simply is not complete unless you have one? It's the state of the art SkyScan Lightning Detector! Yes, this wonderful, "ESSENTIAL safety device" can be yours for only $179.63 (plus shipping and handling and applicable taxes; carrying case, AC and DC adapters sold separately). How are you still alive when you don't already own one?

Oh, but wait -- it has both an audible and visible indicator! In case you can't SEE the lightning or can't hear the crash of thunder, this wonderful device will sound an alarm and an indicator light will turn on! Isn't this thing great? It's on sale now at 25% off -- hurry, I'm sure supplies are limited. If you don't have one of these "new technology" devices, you simply will not know if there's lightning happening outside...

Posted by: Ogre at 05:28 PM | Comments (759) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Socialist Partnership for North Carolina's Future

For those of you keeping score at home, here's yet another group in North Carolina that exists to advance socialism and control over your life -- and like most of those types of groups, they refuse to admit that is their actual purpose. The group is called "The Partnership for North Carolina's Future." So what is this group demanding from government (YOU)?

"Find new funding sources." That means, plain and simple, MORE TAXES. They can call it any damn thing they want, but they're openly advocating massive increases in taxes and in the size and control of government. They want tens of billions of dollars in new spending on schools, roads, removal of land from individuals, and free housing for those who don't work. They want to borrow money, raise taxes on cars, and tax the act of moving.

Of course, this socialist group makes no mention of how much of their expenditure of confiscated money from working people was going to be spent on educating illegal immigrants; paving roads for illegal immigrants; building schools for illegal immigrants; or creating parks and places for illegal immigrants to go for free. My guess is the VAST majority of their proposed expenditures would be used on illegal immigrants who are breaking the law daily and not even paying into the government system from which they derive all their free benefits.

Even worse, there's at least two Democrats Rep. Bill Owens and Sen. Dan Clodfelter who are actually considering raising taxes by tens of billions of dollars to take that money from working people and give it to illegal immigrant bastards.

This is your Democrat North Carolina government in action.

Posted by: Ogre at 11:05 AM | Comments (18) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

May 30, 2007

The New Layout

Well, it's here. What do you think?

I've removed much of the advertising that marked this site as spyware, and I removed Sitemeter that's setting 3rd-party cookies. Blogrolling still is incredibly slow to load, but it's still there. I haven't finished with the permalink page, so that layout may change a bit as I fine tune this.

However, the site does work better with FireFox. What you should be seeing at the top, just under the picture, is a line that's updated as the page loads. With FireFox, it counts steps 1-4, then gives you a percentage as the slow blogrolling pages load. However, IE didn't want to do that, instead it kept skipping the last few steps. So, with IE, you get the Steps countdown, but then it shows the link to the Information Booth -- however, the blogrolls may not be completely loaded before you get the link. Oh well.

Feel free to check out the information booth and look around. Let me know if anything looks odd on your screen, please. Oh, and if you're reading this in a RSS feed, you probably won't see any differences. I'm thinking about playing with those settings soon...

Posted by: Ogre at 05:05 PM | Comments (65) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Russia Powerful: Democrats Rejoice

Russia has announced that they have a new, powerful missile that can carry an unknown number of warheads that can strike anywhere in America -- and that current American defenses have no chance of stopping that missile.

Democrats are rejoicing.

Why? Not because they hate America -- but because they don't like America being the world's lone superpower. They honestly want to be less than, or equal to, every other country in the world. That is their view of the world -- they honestly believe that every single culture, every society, can be completely and totally equal to one another.

So when they hear that someone has developed something that makes America NOT be the most powerful, they're happy, because that's their goal. Of course, what never enters into their reality is the fact that there are some cultures and some people who are just plain evil -- and would rather be SUPERIOR to the United States. When the day comes that a society attacks America, the left is confused. They can only explain the attacks are because America is evil, when in reality, the other countries are evil.

Lefties will rejoice -- all the way to their deathbeds. They will fight for equality of outcome, never understanding that the rest of the world doesn't share their wide-eyed naivety.

Posted by: Ogre at 03:05 PM | Comments (761) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

More Hatred for Freedom

Yet again, Democrats show that they don't hate America -- they just hate a FREE America. Folks, this IS what you get if you're voting for Democrats -- at any level:

Obama:
The time has come to stop all freedom regarding health care in America.
Under Obama's plan, Americans would buy healthcare or go to jail.
If you are an American who doesn't want to buy health insurance, you will be forced by government to buy it, whether you want it or not.
The premiums for health insurance will go down, but the costs of all consumer goods and taxes will rise dramatically.
And an actual quote from Obama: "We are not a country that rewards hard work and perseverance."
It is not right that drug companies make profits, and Obama will stop them.

Hillary Clinton:
People in America should not be allowed to own things. Society should own everything.
Government can force all Americans to be equal regardless of effort.
Free markets are bad. Free markets should not exist because they're not fair and reward those who work hard and take risks.
All people should have college degrees, no matter their ability.
Taxes should be increased drastically on companies, causing prices to skyrocket.
Private companies should not exist.
Those who work less should be rewarded with more tax breaks, including cash payouts for working the least.

Folks, this IS the Democrat Party. And that includes all the way down to your county commissioner. I'm not asking you to agree, I'm just informing you with the facts.

Posted by: Ogre at 01:04 PM | Comments (36) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Taxpayer-Funded Druggies

Yes, the Democrats in the North Carolina Senate once again show what's important to them -- making more people dependent upon their personal redistribution of wealth.

In their proposed budget, they are going to use taxpayer dollars to not only provide needles, syringes, alcohol wipes, drug cooking supplies, condoms, and other drug paraphanalia; they're also going to give complete immunity to drug prosecution for anyone who uses the official state-sponsored drug materials.

Yes folks, the Democrats in North Carolina are following the lead of President Bush and others in Washington in declaring that laws don't mean anything and that those who break the law should be rewarded with cash from those who work for a living. We clearly need more people to rob banks. You see, if there were too many people robbing banks, then the government would reward bank robbers with amnesty and give them cash -- because they're only robbing the banks because they need the money. They're hard-working and it's not their fault that they want money.

Oh, how I yearn for freedom -- but I'm clearly not going to find it in this country any time soon.

Posted by: Ogre at 11:32 AM | Comments (47) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

May 29, 2007

A Momentary Delay

For those looking for the latest news, information, and freedom-based commentary about North Carolina and the U.S., sorry for the delay -- I'm in the middle of a slight re-design of the site and want to finish that up. Once that's complete, regular blogging will continue.

Posted by: Ogre at 11:29 AM | Comments (27) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

May 28, 2007

On Memorial Day, Part II

This is a follow-up to the first post below, "On Memorial Day."

The time is now 12:00 noon (Eastern Daylight Time). Do you know what is supposed to happen all around the country at this time? The American Flag is supposed to be raised to it's full height. Yes, all morning flags were to be flying at half-mast. They were flying there to remind us of those who died trying to secure freedom for this once-great country called America. But now the flag should fly high -- to remember that those people did not die in vain.

This is a day of remembrance. 3:00 local time is officially the time for the National Moment of Remembrance. Take some time out of your day, even if it's only to play "Taps" one time.

Remember today all those who have gone before. And perhaps consider doing something yourself so that those deaths will not have been for nothing.

Posted by: Ogre at 04:13 PM | Comments (3457) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

On Memorial Day

half-staff.jpgToday is Memorial Day. For most, this is a day of grilling outside, taking a day off, and it's the official start of summer. Of course, there's much more to Memorial Day -- a day set aside to honor those who died in the service of America. It's a day to remember those who gave their lives for freedom. However, today, I think it is a time to apologize.

I think we owe an apology to those who died in the American Revolution. Those brave men died for freedom. They died to sever the chains of oppression set in place by King George -- those same oppressions we allow those in Washington, DC to place back upon our legs. They died so that men could be free. But we refuse to accept the responsibility of freedom, instead preferring to trust government to tend to our every need.

We should apologize to those who fought in the Barbary Wars against the spread of radical Islam. Those men died in the name of freedom from religious oppression. Those men fought and died so that the religion of Islam could not spread their hatred and slavery across the world. But now we encourage this religion in the name of "diversity" while it continues to destroy freedom and kill any who disagree.

We should apologize to those who fought and died in the American Civil War. This war took the most American lives. This was a battle for freedom and independence. The men who fought for the south wanted states to be free. Those in the north wanted to retain centralized power over the country. All died in vain as today we are controlled and led by a small group of powerful people in Washington.

We should apolotize to those who fought and died in World War I. They fought for good and freedom. They fought to stop uncontrolled piracy and aggression from hostile leaders and countries. Today we appease any hostile, evil leaders with kind words and shipments of oil and technology.

We should apologize to those who fought and died in World War II. Those brave men fought for freedom and against the Nazi and Japanese tyrants who would have imposed their will on the world, in opposition to freedom. But today we support those who hate freedom and actively work through Washington to take away freedoms any time they don't like them.

We should apologize to every person who has died over the years for freedom -- because we sit back today and simply refuse to continue to work to preserve freedom. The reason so many people have died over the years is because freedom has a cost. Freedom requires work. Today we refuse to do anything to support our own freedoms and therefore lose them quickly.

As Jefferson said, "The tree of liberty needs to be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." Over the years of existence of this once-great republic, many have given their own blood to refresh that tree. But today, despite the efforts of many in Iraq and other places around the world, that tree is dying -- because so many people simply do not care.

To all who have fought and died for freedom and for America, I am sorry.

Posted by: Ogre at 01:23 PM | Comments (2014) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

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