53percenter's Blog

In a world fraught with strife and chaos, there is always one thing we can always count on for amusement:  protest marches.  Instead of actually doing something about school shootings, sexual harassment, or racism, progressives hold their breaths until they turn blue in the face, jump up and down, and then generally join a march.  In January, 2017, to protest the election of Donald Trump as President and to demonstrate outrage at his obscene comment that he was empowered to “grab women by the pussy,” approximately one million women staged a march on Washington, D.C., where they wore knitted pink “pussy hats” (apparently to “make a statement” and “reclaim” the offensive term as their own).  In March of this year, hundreds of thousands marched against gun violence following the Florida school shooting shouting “never again” (a reference to the Holocaust), joined by celebrities George Clooney, Kim Kardashian, Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, Paul McCartney, Cher, Justin Timberlake, and Amy Poehler, among others.  

On June 28^th, hundreds gathered at the Hart Senate Office Building to protest the administration’s cruel immigration tactics which include separating parents from children (although the practice had been stopped).  The mostly female crowd chanted “What do we want? Free families!” and “This is what democracy looks like.” Over five hundred were arrested, fined $50, and released.  The activist actress Susan Sarandon was among those arrested.  A friend of mine got herself arrested as well.  She proudly posted a picture on FaceBook.  Commentators greeted her as if she was Rosa Parks.  “So proud of you!”  “You go girl!” “You’re my hero!” And the inevitably irritating “woohoo…”

On June 30^th, several thousand protesters gathered in Washington to demand the end to child separation at our borders a (apparently still not having received word that the practice had been abandoned).  The ninety-degree weather seems to have diminished the size of the crowd, but not its enthusiasm or sense of camaraderie.  

These fun-filled protests should not be confused with actually doing something meaningful, and the protesters should not be greeted as “heroes.”  They have no real skin in the game.  It’s not as if they are actually risking anything or facing any adverse consequences for their actions.  They are not civil rights activists in the South facing off against the pit bulls of Alabama sheriffs.  They are not Muhammed Ali giving up the world championship to protest the war in Vietnam.  And they certainly should not be compared to members of the underground “Resistance” (a term today’s protesters have obscenely appropriated) during World War II who risked their lives and the lives of their families in armed combat against the vastly superior forces of the German Reich.  What is at stake in getting arrested in the comfort of the Hart Office Building and paying a $50.00 fine? These are not heroes.  These are not Resistance fighters.  These are just hipster millennials missing yoga class so that they can all feel good about themselves when the day is done and post about it on social media.  

Protesters could really do something meaningful about the matters that rightly concern them.  They could volunteer (as I have) to go down to South Texas and actually help the besieged, traumatized immigrants.  There are many civil rights organizations desperately seeking volunteers (such as this one).  But dealing with the oppressive heat and humidity of South Texas, not to mention bugs as big as pussy hats, is not as pleasant as lying on yoga mats in the Hart Building.   

So to the pussy hat wearers of the world, I say “woohoo.”  To those seriously concerned about the direction of our country, I say, “let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work.”

Steve Frank retired after the last Presidential election following a thirty-year career as an appellate lawyer with the United States Department of Justice.  

Image courtesy of WikiCommons.

I believe it is a wonderful time to be American and celebrate the 4th of July in America.

But not everyone seems to think so. According to a USAToday poll, only 42% of Americans are proud to be Americans. This, despite the fact that a lot of people from around the world are trying to get in here, and very few of the people who threatened to leave the U.S. if President Trump got elected have kept their promise. Yet here we are. Here’s how USAToday reported it, starting with the mush-mouthed headline:

Poll: On the 4th, what symbolizes the best (and worst) of America? It depends whom you ask

A new USA TODAY/Ipsos Poll about patriotism, pegged to this week’s celebration of the Fourth of July, finds an overwhelming majority of those surveyed say they are proud to be Americans. But they split almost down the middle, 42 percent to 39 percent, when asked whether they are proud of America right now.

I do get a kick out of the federal worker quoted in the article referring to Trump as a totalitarian after he sat through eight years of President Obama. Here’s what the discontented little fellow had to say:

“This is a very difficult time,” says Daniel Kugler, 66, a federal worker from Washington, D.C., who was among those polled. “There’s not the norms that used to hold; they are not holding anymore.” He worries about “a slide toward a totalitarian situation” in which Congress and others are afraid to speak up against President Trump.

As a federal worker, he was obviously extremely proud and happy that Obama was transferring power and money from the rest of the U.S. to the government as fast as he could, and that made the area around Washington D.C. very wealthy. It is sad that he and others don’t recognize how harmful that is to the rest of us, or else doesn’t care.

But here’s how I, and most of us in the heartland of America, sees it:

I am truly proud to be an American, as I always have been, especially since we now have a president who:

• Has a goal to “Make America Great Again,” instead of a president who wants to remake America.
• Is trying to give the power and purse back to the people through fewer regulations and lower taxes, instead of a president who does everything he can to make the government more powerful.
• Has given us economic policies that have lowered unemployment rates for blacks and Hispanics to all-time lows, instead of a president whose policies encourage people to be more dependent on government.
• Focuses on bringing back manufacturing jobs instead of constantly increasing regulations and declaring manufacturing jobs gone for good.
• Understands that if goods production continually moves to other countries, then eventually the same will come to our service industries, destroying our economy.
• Knows that capitalism is great and allowing corporations to keep more of the money they earn will help achieve economic growth and give people the opportunity to move up the economic ladder. That beats the confiscation seen in the previous administration.
• Seeks to enforce immigration laws that Congress passed and who recognizes that a country without borders is a very dangerous country; instead of a president who picked and chose which laws to enforce.
• Absolutely never considered ISIS the JV Team.
• Has not left Americans to die while concocting a lie about a video to protect his political power.
• Has helped Ukraine defend itself against the Russians as we promised to do instead of being “flexible” with the Russians.
• Is pushing NATO countries to pay what they promised to pay, instead of having America bear the brunt of the cost.
• Does not give hundreds of billions of dollars to Iran to spread terrorism around the world, let alone pledges death to Israel and America.
• Keeps a promise to move our embassy to Jerusalem instead of previous presidents who made empty promises.
• Gives people the freedom of choice of what type of health insurance to buy instead of a president who wants complete government control.
• Does not illegally spy on thousands of Americans, including those who are political opponents.
• Does not use the IRS to stifle the free speech of political opponents.
• Does not have a gun-running operation to service Mexican smuggling cartels called ‘Fast and Furious.’
• Believes that cities and states should follow laws that Congress passes, including immigration laws.
• Understands that the climate has changed naturally through billions of years; instead of a president who is so arrogant he believes the government can control temperatures, sea levels and storm activity forever if people and businesses just fork over trillions of dollars.
• Wants to produce more oil, instead of a president who does not care whether the price rises to unsustainable levels.

I am sure people can think of many more things they are currently proud of after eight years of a president who dictatorially bragged that he could rule with a pen and a phone.

Finally, I am extremely thankful and proud that we had Founding Fathers who knew that the power needed to reside in the hands of the people instead of the central government. They understood that if only the king and the government had guns, they would also have all the power. We would not be free if the people were unable to arm themselves in the many necessary wars we have had, as well as in other ways, to protect our freedom.

In the wake of Parkland and several other recent mass shootings, it seems clear that gun control advocates do not understand natural rights and the founding principles of the United States.

The Declaration of Independence states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

The Second Amendment in the Bill of Rights reads, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

People commonly speak as though unalienable rights, such as the right to own a gun, are granted by the government to the people, but that’s the polar opposite of what America’s founding documents declare. The government doesn’t grant unalienable rights to the people, the people possess those rights inherently. Governments can and often do violate those rights, but they can’t revoke them, because they belong to each and every person, simply by being born.

Gun-grabbers, especially after the tragic Parkland shooting, have incessantly called for bans on the manufacture and sale of semi-automatic “assault” rifles and high-capacity magazines. Their “solution,” which would effectively ban all semi-automatic weapons (including most handguns), would deny Americans of their God-given right to own a gun and protect themselves and their families and communities.

Some on the anti-gun left reject calls for the confiscation of currently owned firearms, but they often promote buyback programs, the registration of all guns, and the digitization of gun records. Advocates claim this doesn’t affect anyone’s right to own a banned firearm, but this argument totally disregards the history of how gun registries have been used to take away people’s liberties.

For example, registered gun owners in Rockland and Westchester Counties in New York had their names and addresses published on an interactive website following the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012. Every one of these law-abiding New Yorkers outed by the Journal News instantly became easy targets for harassment or more serious offenses. Additionally, those not on the gun list arguably became more susceptible to criminals targeting their homes for burglary and other crimes.

Furthermore, registries can serve as a first step toward future gun confiscation efforts. Such was the case in 1991, after New York City instituted an “assault weapon” ban. Police then used registration lists to search homes for these newly banned guns.

The European history of gun registry is even more sinister. Shortly after his rise to power, Hitler confiscated guns from German citizens based on a gun registry list his Nazi government inherited. He repeated this tactic in each country he invaded, too, ultimately disarming the public so his regime could wield unlimited power. Under Stalin, the Soviet Union did the same. From 1915 to 1917, the “Young Turks” massacred 1.5 million Armenians after confiscating their weapons.

Other examples of strict gun control laws being tied to massacres occurred in Cambodia, China, Guatemala, North Korea, and Uganda.

Apart from violating law-abiding citizens’ natural rights, gun registries provide very limited value. Since criminals don’t register guns, the police often have no information on the gun owners most likely to commit crimes.

Rather than try to take people’s freedoms away or put Americans at risk of losing their unalienable rights in the future, people should take heed of this wonderful wisdom, espoused by Benjamin Franklin: “They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”

Lennie Jarratt (ljarratt@heartland.org) is a project manager for The Heartland Institute. Chris Talgo (ctalgo@heartland.org) is an editor for The Heartland Institute.

My wife Mary tried to purchase a boost ad on Facebook to promote the July 4th release of my “We Are Americans” music video. The video was rejected for “political content.” Since when did reminding people of who we are as Americans and encouraging people to turn to God become political?

I was alerted that a Nashville Christian musician has also been rejected by Facebook. Meanwhile, Facebook has gone full-blown supportive of leftist politics and anti-God. Gender has become totally politicized. Facebook offers 71 gender options which include asexual, polygender, and two-spirit person — whatever the heck that is.  

In my ad rejected by Facebook, I said, “My fellow Americans, my heart goes out for our country. We have fallen away from biblical principles and values which have made America the shining city on a hill. During your July 4th Independence Day celebration, between eating burgers and hot dogs, please gather your family to enjoy this new four-minute music video reminding us of who we are as Americans. Happy Independence Day! Thanks and God Bless.” Lloyd Marcus

Folks, Facebook attempting to silence conservative speech is only the beginning. The American left is openly and boldly attacking Godly principles and values which have made America great — the shining city on a hill. Trump is swiftly rolling back Obama’s eight years of leftists’ “transformation of America” and it is making leftists deranged.

As a Christian, I know Trump’s presidency is God giving us a chance to restore our great nation. I hated watching Obama tear down the joy and dignity of being an American; instilling class envy and racial hatred among U.S. citizens, rolling out the red carpet for illegals and encouraging Americans to get on welfare.

I want to scream from the rooftops, “We are better than this, we are Americans”! Please do not allow the American left to silence conservative speech.

Lloyd Marcus, The Unhyphenated American

Help Lloyd spread the Truth

http://LloydMarcus.com