Long time no post, yet again… it happens. Life happens.
I know by now most people have had their fill of “Year in Review” postings, but too bad. This is one of them.
Last year saw many advances in the world of animal rights and veganism. I think it’s essential they be quantitatively revisited and acknowledged, to realize the enormity of change being affected as a movement, one small step at a time.
The first review I’d like to highlight is from Mercy for Animals, my favorite animal rights group.
Last year was chock full of accomplishments for MFA, and somehow they’ve managed to fit a whirlwind review into a 6.5 minute video. If you want to see what effective activism looks like, please watch. In the time it takes you to watch the video, 661,920 animals will have been killed (worldwide) for the meat and dairy industries. The numbers are heartbreaking and staggering— all the more reason to get involved NOW.
The other notable year-in-review I’d like to feature is a collection of media highlights compiled by Erik Marcus at Vegan.com.
Admittedly, it’s a lengthy read (over 5,000 words), but that’s because it was a busy year for the meat industry. And not in a good way. For anyone involved in the animal rights movement, this compilation is the best way to get up-to-speed with where things stand, and what battles lie ahead of us in the coming year.
If either (or both) of these postings strike a chord with you, please don’t let it stop there. Repost the links wherever you can think of— Facebook, Twitter, your blog, email, etc. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you want support/ideas for how to get involved, I’ll do everything I can to help.
Raising compassionate awareness throughout our own social circles will only accelerate the overall societal awareness we’re after. Every person that wakes up to the horrors of the meat/dairy/egg/animal industries is one less person buying into the cruel system, and that equates to many lives saved.
Cheers to another big year for vegan activism… the animals are counting on us.
All the talk in the news today has been about AIG’s $165 million taxpayer-funded bonuses and how it has outraged Mr. Obama. It’s been a very effective distraction, indeed.
That’s a lot of numbers to process, I know, so let me put them into perspective: AIG’s $165 million is 0.0046% of Obama’s proposed $3.6 TRILLION annual budget and 0.0015% of the national debt. So yes, GET ANGRY. But not just at AIG. Throw your shoes at King Obama, his Majesty’s Court, and every member of Congress that rolls over for him.
To celebrate today’s Kool Aid Moment, I give my readers The Obama Deception, the latest documentary by Alex Jones that sums up the Obama Scam better than I ever could.
What I wouldn’t give to have my brainwashed friends watch this. Alas, I’ll settle for preaching to the choir.
As the clock runs down on Bush’s time in office, I should be rejoicing, but my muscles can’t help but tense up. Such is the life of one who lives outside the left/right paradigm, a.k.a. The Matrix.
There are many possible explanations for this — the on-set of Obama’s socialist regime being a MAJOR concern — but the most immediate worry is if Bush and Co. are going to do anything to avoid handing over power (perhaps their favorite: some sort of false-flag event like 9/11) it’ll obviously happen before January 20th, which is only 8 days away.
Eight days to go then we can breathe easy and go back to our TVs, right? Unfortunately, the time to worry doesn’t end on the 20th. For months now there have been mentions of Obama being “tested” as soon as the 21st or 22nd of this month (so say Kissinger, Gates, Powell, Biden, etc.) Like it or not, the stage is set for something big to happen — Bush and his globalist buddies have been very busy the past 8 years. The most immediate threat is the engineered dollar collapse, but war on Iran, war on Pakistan, total economic depression, and domestic rioting are also very real possibilities. Whatever it is, I want to be ready.
Some people’s suggested inventories are rather extensive and daunting (not to mention expensive) and would be hard to fulfill if you’re of average income like myself. I’m trying to find a middle ground — keeping it simple and sticking to the basics, less than 15 items:
lots of water (1 gallon per person per day, I prefer distilled or spring)
lots of food (legumes, nuts, rice, canned fruits & vegetables, nutritional yeast, protein powder, TVP, tofu, energy bars, emergency food kits)
cash / gold / silver
(When IndyMac failed last July, customers were locked out of their accounts online, at the ATMs, and at the actual branches. They couldn’t even check their balances. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want my money being locked away from me, esp. in an emergency, so I’m withdrawing as much as I can.)
Everybody has their own needs and preferred amenities, so obviously my list is not going to work for everyone, but hopefully it’s a good starting point. I recommend reading the list of 100 Things to Disappear First to determine what you may want to stock up on while you can. I also recommend listening to the Survival Podcast as often as possible!
Worst that can happen:
Too many things to list here, but they would all end with “I told you so” and I really hope I never have to say that.
Best that can happen:
I’m wrong and am left with a bunch of emergency supplies I should have anyway.
Hope this helps get you thinking about whether you’re prepared to survive on your own for at least a few days. Trust me, you don’t want to rely on FEMA to save you, just ask New Orleans.
Think the D’s and R’s are as different as night and day? It’s okay, you’re not alone, that’s what they’ve conditioned you to think.
“The argument that the two parties should represent opposed ideals and policies, one, perhaps, of the Right and the other of the Left, is a foolish idea acceptable only to doctrinaire and academic thinkers. Instead, the two parties should be almost identical, so that the American people can ‘throw the rascals out’ at any election without leading to any profound or extensive shifts in policy.”
- Carroll Quigley from “Tragedy and Hope: A History of the World in our Time:”
Senator Barack Obama: Voted on 29 of the 31 total votes, voting with Senator McCain 41.38% of the time.
Senator John McCain: Voted on 25 of the 31 total votes, voting with Senator Obama 48.00% of the time.
That means they voted together an average of 44.69% of the time. This is where the term “Republocrats” and “Democrans” comes in.
Deeply disturbed by those numbers, I decided to do a little digging and compile some of my results. What can I say, I’m a big fan of bulleted lists. I hope this will shed a little light on the complete falsity of the left/right paradigm.
What do Senator Obama and Senator McCain have in common?
Here are a few notable similarities, in no particular order:
Both McCain and Obama have voted REPEATEDLY to fund the Iraq war, and voted against a withdrawal timeline.
Both McCain and Obama voted for the unconstitutional and grossly misnamed Patriot Act.
Both McCain and Obama voted against the 4th Amendment by voting for the recent FISA legislation.
Both McCain and Obama advocate leaving “all options on the table” regarding Iran. Neither will rule out the possibility of a “pre-emptive” strike.
Both McCain and Obama support the continuing existence of the economically devastating Federal Reserve System (which may have something to do with the next two items on the list.)
Both McCain and Obama have received HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of dollars in donations from Citigroup (largest bank in the U.S.), JP Morgan & Chase (3rd largest bank in the U.S.), and Goldman Sachs (global investment bank).
Both McCain and Obama support the federal income tax.
Both McCain and Obama have missed over 15% of Senate votes — Obama missed 306 votes (24%) since Jan 6, 2005, McCain missed 738 votes (18%) since Feb 4, 1993.
Both McCain and Obama support Bush’s unconstitutional faith-based initiatives funding, a program that funnels federal tax-payer money to religious charities for social services.
Both McCain and Obama voted for the Congressional Pay Raise Amendment.
Both McCain and Obama voted in support of amnesty for illegal immigrants (Second Immigration Act of 2007).
Both McCain and Obama are members of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).
Both McCain and Obama are strong supporters of AIPAC and Israel.
Both McCain and Obama’s economic plans call for increased federal spending and unbalanced budgets.
Both McCain and Obama have voted for tax increases.
Both McCain and Obama have voted against the second amendment in some form or another.
Both McCain and Obama would address “global warming” with a cap-and-trade policy (i.e. more gov’t. regulation, i.e. carbon tax) to limit domestic greenhouse gas emissions.
Both McCain and Obama support UN resolutions over U.S. sovereignty.
Both McCain and Obama support unconstitutional and costly U.S. imperialism.
Both McCain and Obama have supported legislation that would have eased federal restrictions on human embryonic stem-cell research.
Both McCain and Obama voted to confirm Condoleezza Rice as Secretary of State.
Both McCain and Obama voted to confirm Michael Chertoff as Secretary of Homeland Security. Chertoff, a proponent of water-board torture, an individual connected to the financing of 9/11 and the man behind the round-up of thousands of people of Middle-Eastern descent following 9/11.
Both McCain and Obama voted to confirm John “Death Squad” Negroponte as Director of National Intelligence. In Central America, John Negroponte was connected to death squads that murdered nuns and children in sizable quantities. He is suspected of instigating death squads while in Iraq, resulting in the current insurgency.
Both McCain and Obama voted to confirm pro-war Robert M. Gates to be Secretary of Defense. Gates is a supporter of Bush’s policies of pre-emptive war and conquest of foreign countries.
There you have it folks! So— here’s your NEW voting guide:
If war is your #1 issue: sorry, but they both have no problem funding it and have no plans on ending it any time soon. And if you liked Iraq, you’ll love Iran!
If the economy is your #1 issue: sorry, but they both think the Federal Reserve is a great thing to have, and don’t want to hear your complaints about inflation and banking bailouts.
If limited government is your #1 issue: sorry, but they both LOVE unbalanced budgets and increased debt.
If abortion is your #1 issue: sorry, but neither of them uphold a truly pro-life stance.
If the environment is your #1 issue: sorry, but both candidates want to start taxing you every time you exhale.
If the Constitution is your #1 issue: sorry, but both candidates appear to have never read the U.S. Constitution.
I know what you’re thinking: Crap! Well, what are my options then?
Simple— Vote third party.
This might be breaking news to some, but you’ve also got Chuck Baldwin, Ralph Nader, Cynthia McKinney, and Bob Barr to pick from on November 4th. I’m willing to bet at least one of those four coincides more with your beliefs than McCain or Obama.
Don’t settle for the lesser of two evils, because in the end you’re still choosing evil. Don’t think “but this election is especially important, I have to vote for ____ or else, ::gasp:: ____ might get in!” That’s what they say EVERY election! If you don’t stand up and vote your conscience now, when will you?
Did our ancestors fight the American Revolution so you could casually throw away your vote on some guy you don’t really support all that much but kind of sort of like a little more than that other guy who’s kinda sort of a little tiny bit different on one issue? I don’t think so.
Grow a pair. Vote third party.
Please feel free to correct me on any of these items. Also, please feel free to add to this list, I know I’m missing many items. This will of course be a work in progress, so check back for updates.
I just got in from D.C., back from the Ron Paul Revolution March. My inbox is overflowing and the RSS updates are in the thousands. But PeaceChicken.com comes first!
I saw him at the Delaware County Parade (I was marching with The Liberty Voice) and decided to ask him about the unconstitutional FISA bill which recently passed through the Senate (FYI, Obama voted YES to spy on Americans.) Tiberi’s response? He turned around and started talking to someone else. The Fourth Amendment obviously not a big concern to him. Fortunately I had my Bill of Rights with me and kindly reminded him what it said.
This is Congress. This is who we’re relying on to save this country. They wear flag pins on their suit lapels and march in Fourth of July Parades, but when it comes time to actually stand up and defend the U.S. Constitution — they turn their back.
The good news that THEY are on their way out and WE’RE on our way in. This weekend at the D.C. Revolution March there were thousands of REAL PATRIOTS from across the country who took over Constitution Avenue and spent the day listening to amazing speakers like G. Edward Griffin, Naomi Wolf, Chuck Baldwin, and Ron Paul.
Together we marched against FISA, against the IRS, against the Federal Reserve, against REAL I.D., against the North American Union, against the war, against attacking Iran, against McCain, against Obama, against the false and dividing left/right paradigm, against everything that’s taking our country down. We marched FOR freedom, FOR liberty, FOR the Constitution, FOR the Bill of Rights, FOR limited government, FOR our Founding Fathers, FOR PEACE!
Also this weekend, another Patriot, someone I’m very proud to call my friend (and member of We Are Change Ohio) got the chance to ask McCain a very important question, live on CNN, at a recent town hall event in Portsmouth, Ohio.
He said to McCain:
“Can you tell us about your role as president of the ‘New Citizen Project,’ founded in 1994, which served as a chief fund-raising and parent organization to PNAC? And is this one of the factors that has made you so reluctant to support the victims’ family members and first responders who are begging for a new investigation into 9/11?”
Can you guess what McCain’s response was? YOU GOT IT! Once again, another member of Congress responded by not answering the question. He just rambled on about how he was a co-sponsor of the legislation that formed the 9/11 Commission and how great that Commission was (what a joke!!) Are we seeing a trend here?
Given our unwavering support of Israel ($6.8 million a DAY, to be precise), of course the U.S. will be by their side in no time. Another attack on a sovereign country that poses no threat is ready to be launched. A third front for our poor soldiers in the Middle East and millions more dead civilians. Another yawn comes from the mouth of mainstream media.
It’s another day in the neighborhood, folks. One by one, the dominoes are falling as predicted. Don’t say you weren’t warned.
How many of these news stories does it take to wake people up and move them to action?
Oil prices are on the minds of many Americans as gas hits $4 a gallon, and continues to surge. How high can prices go? How can we solve these problems? What, or who, is to blame?
Part of the answer lies in understanding bubbles and monetary inflation, but especially the Federal Reserve System. The Federal Reserve is charged with controlling inflation through interest rate manipulation, however, many fail to realize that creating money, and therefore inflation, is really its only tool. When the Federal Reserve inflates the dollar as drastically as it has in the past few decades, the first users of the newly created money go in search of investments for their dollars. They must invest this money quickly and aggressively before it loses value. This causes certain sectors to expand beyond what would naturally occur in the free market. Eventually the sector overheats and the bubble bursts. Over-investment in dot-coms eventually led to a collapse of the NASDAQ. Next we had the housing bubble, and now we are seeing the price of oil being bid up in the creation of another new bubble. Investors are now looking to commodities like oil, for stability and growth as they pull capital out of real estate. This increased demand for investment vehicles related to oil contributes to driving up the price of the actual product.
If the Fed continues with its bubble blowing policies of the past, the new commodities bubble will continue to grow, gas prices will continue to go up, as the value of your dollars go down. We will see an over-investment in these commodities as solutions are desperately sought for a supply shortage, which is only part of the problem. Make no mistake, though, this is not the free market at work. Government manipulations have added levels of complication and unintended consequences to the marketplace.
This is not the time for members of Congress to take political potshots at each other, or to imagine that the free market is somehow to blame. This is the time to understand and fix problems.
That begins with making sure the decision makers have a firm grasp on the causes of the problems and possible effects of their decisions. This is absolutely crucial if we want to get it right this time. That is why I am in the process of calling for hearings on Capitol Hill on how the falling value of the dollar affects energy prices.
Governments need to get out of the way and let the people get back to work so that we can get our economy back on stable footing. Our destructive regulatory environment, confiscatory tax policies, and managed, rather than free trade have chased many businesses overseas. The bottom line is average Americans are being seriously hurt by these flawed policies, and they are not getting good information about the true dynamics at work.
The important thing now is to get the diagnosis absolutely correct so we can administer the appropriate treatment and move on to a healthier economic future. To do this it is absolutely necessary to address the subjects of central banking and fiat money.
