As you safely enjoy this years Fourth of July celebration, take some time to read the accompanying Declaration.

In all the post-9/11 talk, we've heard repeatedly that the U.S. Constitution isn't a suicide pact, and that's true.

The Declaration, on the other hand, truly was such a beast.  As Ben Franklin said so eloquently:

We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.

Economic mythbusting:

At some point over the last seven years, you have probably heard someone — a friend, a business executive, the president of the United States — say that the Sept. 11 attacks sent the American economy into a slump. It’s an understandable enough notion, given that the attacks occurred in 2001 and a recession began that same year.

But it’s simply incorrect. The economy started shrinking in March 2001, largely because of the hangover from the technology bust. The attacks did cause a sharp drop in the stock market, but if you were to go back and look at, say, the quarterly numbers on consumer spending, you wouldn’t even know anything horrific had happened in September. By November, the economy was growing again.

Of course, where the economy is now is the sad story.  The hardest part of being so far down in the gutter is realizing that it's going to get better - somehow.

But, hey, at least we're using our stimulus checks!

And it's good stuff that I wish I had time to digest so I could throw out some words around here, but it's an extremely busy time of the year around here.

This one, however, I will post:

SIGN OUR PETITION TO THE INSPECTOR GENERAL OF THE VA

Last week VoteVets.org and CREW exposed an email from a Temple, Texas VA administrator urging psychologists to diagnose veterans with "adjustment disorder" over PTSD, as a cost-cutting measure.

That's the trouble with running a government like a business.  Cost-cutting breaks people more often than not...

Please click here and sign the petition.

Obama winning one for the Gipper?

Barack Obama, even as the Fourth of July approaches, saying again that America isn't great but needs major improvements:

"For those who have abandoned hope, we'll restore hope and we'll welcome them into a great national crusade to make America great again."

Maybe the critics do have a point about Obama always cutting down America, always --

Wait. That was Ronald Reagan speaking in 1980.

Sorry.

But the holiday is fast approaching...

He always did say there would come a time.

On this day in 1964, U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signs into law the historic Civil Rights Act in a nationally televised ceremony at the White House.

Of course it was LBJ and he had some pre-Colbert truthiness in him:

Legend has it that, as he put down his pen, Johnson told an aide, "We have lost the South for a generation," anticipating a coming backlash from Southern whites against Johnson's Democratic Party.

It's been more than a generation, southern whites.  Time to grow up...

Rush Limbaugh expressing shock at the idea that some of Barack Obama's opponents may have questioned his patriotism:

"There might be some fringe people out there, for crying out loud, but who is doing it?"

Fair enough.

And if you ever hear anyone cast doubts on Barack Obama's patriotism, feel free to look that person in the eye and say:

"Rush Limbaugh says you are from the lunatic fringe."

I'm going to have to use that...

Monday first:

Cost-cutting stops here

QT Trickle-On Economics Update:

The CEO of American Axle, which is cutting half its American work force to increase profits, was given an $8.5 million bonus, which, together with his $5.5 million regular compensation, amounts to a third of the company’s profits from last year.

That's what happens when you run a business for maximum profit, short-term.

The next step being that the company, for all practical purposes, ceases to exist in the United States.

And Tuesday:

Wish you were there

Today is International Joke Day, during which you might or might not hear about the two antennae that got married, and the wedding wasn't much, but the reception was great.

Or...so, y'see, this guy loses the election but still gets into office, see...

Well, I wish it were a joke...

Seriously, take a look.

Teh gay homosexuals are too fast!!

A group of American advisers led by a small State Department team played an integral part in drawing up contracts between the Iraqi government and five major Western oil companies to develop some of the largest fields in Iraq, American officials say.

The disclosure, coming on the eve of the contracts’ announcement, is the first confirmation of direct involvement by the Bush administration in deals to open Iraq’s oil to commercial development and is likely to stoke criticism.

I know, I know...the whole article is a shocker, but there is a sentence fragment in there that should make you do the full-forehead slap...

Our "enemies" seem to rotate but they're always willing to reintroduce us, right? ]]> http://gnostinews.com/earl/2008/06/nostalgia_1.html http://gnostinews.com/earl/2008/06/nostalgia_1.html Sad Mon, 30 Jun 2008 06:20:23 -0500