Happy Thanksgiving

This is my favorite holiday, bar none. This seemed a bit strange after I thought about it because this is a day set aside by man rather than God. Then again, so is Christmas. Don’t get me started on that, but it is quite evident Christ was not born in December and much of the “Christmas Story” is entirely baseless. Nor has the body of Christ been instructed to observe the birth of our Lord and Savior. Back to Thanksgiving… why is it my favorite?

Thanksgiving is the most ignored and despised holiday by those who love holiday profits. So much so, they invented “Black Friday” and proceeded to beat the day to death. Now the prophets of profit cannot even wait until the actual day but begin their “Black Friday” deals days, weeks, even months before the day actually arrives. Insert eye roll here. My contrary nature loves the non-commercialism of Thanksgiving. More than that, I love the fact that this is the day when families get together and break bread. What I don’t like is the overachieving display of food that so often adorns tables, side tables, and sometimes side side tables. I’m a simple guy. I’d be happy with turkey with stuffing, potatoes, and rolls. Okay, don’t forget the gravy. And pie. Gotta have a piece of pie. Already I’m stuffed.

Today, of all days, at least some of us take the time to give thanks to God Almighty for all He does for us. While I try to do this every day, I do like the idea of making a particular effort on this one day each year. If nothing else, Thanksgiving almost demands turning our attention to our Creator. It is a quiet demand and too often ignore. Please do heed the call. Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

God bless,

Andy

Confessions of a Poll Worker – Go Ahead – Arrest Me

The subject line above is in response to the meme below. My short response? Bite me.

I just came off of a 15 hour election day. I’m not complaining. It is just a fact. It all started in September of last year when I was mouthing off here about doing one’s part. I put my money where my mouth was and, well, now I am officially an election official in my county. Whoopee.

It was not an easy road. My party head hemmed and hawed about being “full up” or whatever.  Eventually he must have put my name in because I got a letter, did some online training, some group real-time in-person training, worked the primary (even though it was moot by the time primary day arrived – we still had to be there!), got more training, and worked Tuesday’s election. Now I’m ready for the brain dump.

First off all, I get paid. I wasn’t expecting that. It is a now a decent amount. They upped the ante for this last election. Previous officials got peanuts comparatively.  We even get “paid” for training. What a joke. In lieu of the whole ten bucks  (apiece) they are supposed to cough up, we get fed instead. Don’t get me wrong, the food is okay, pizza, usually. This last dinner was actually catered so I had a choice between chicken or ribs. It wasn’t great but it was okay. Anyway, I’m not doing this for free but when I signed up, I wasn’t expecting payment, my intent was to be a good citizen.

Now let’s talk about my coworkers. There were five of us working this polling center. Two from each party. Our chief is an Independent. While they try to balance the political leanings in each group, I don’t think it has to be entirely balanced. I’m not sure the law requires both parties be represented specifically.

As I said, our group is as balanced as they come. The other R in our group was new this election, replacing the R from the  primary.  She was a nice person but there was an issue with the facility that prompted her to ask for reassignment. So what about personalities?

Our chief is a dedicated gal, a hard worker and very conscientious. She’s also very helpful and giving. At our dinner she collected all of our plates and took them to the trash. She just does stuff like that.

The two D’s in the group are both women. (In the primary I was the sole male.) Both are black and both are very nice ladies. One is my age and another is a bit older, I think. Both walk with canes and/or walkers.

The other R in the group this time around is another man. It took me a bit but I finally realized I knew him. I worked on his computer a few years ago. He doesn’t live far from me. He’s a good guy also.

As a group we don’t talk politics. We have talked about a few issues around politics such as taxes, allocation of resources, and such. I can tell you that while we may not see eye to eye on all the issues, we are not all that far apart on any of them. One of the D’s is a former corrections officer. She was talking about the bears in her area keeping her from walking like she should so we got talking about her carrying a gun. She was not at all opposed to the idea. Her greatest concern was the prison Glock she had had too many safety features to be useful. Of course I enlightened her about her choices.

Summing  up, while our group was mixed politically, we are all Americans. We were all there to do our jobs and our job was to help citizens vote and to ensure the vote was fair and accurate. Period. In fact, there is not a lot of room at Virginia polls for fraud. Period. At least not at the polling place I worked. Is it possible some polling places in other precincts could be sullied? I’d say it is possible, but not easy.  Let’s talk about that, shall we?

Let me say first, as an election official, I am still a rookie and on the bottom of the pile at that. I worked at each station there so I can speak about such with confidence. Here, really the only real opportunity to nudge an election, voter-wise, is at the first station – the poll book. The poll book, ours is electronic, is what we use to verify the person standing in front of us is who they say they are AND they are duly registered. Ninety-nine percent (99%) fall into this category. Most hand over their photo driver’s license which is scanned into the system. A couple gave us a voter registration card, also scannable. Now I’d say these cards could be faked so there is a potential for abuse there, but it would take a pretty concerted effort. It is also possible for a voter to simply present a utility bill and vote – a far greater prospect for fraud. These can only vote once but, collect enough utility bills from enough registered voters and wholesale fraud could be perpetrated. I see little standing in the way of dead relatives or friends voting.

As I  pointed out in one of our training sessions, much to the chagrin of the Electoral Board member present, our county is really far too small for anyone intent on massive fraud efforts. He said, correctly, that any potential fraud should be addressed. I agree entirely but I think he missed my point. Sure we should be aware and diligent about any fraud BUT I don’t see it as a festering problem in our county. Someone could flip the whole county to one side and it wouldn’t make a difference in a state or national vote count.

The other gaping hole in our voting system is registration Now Virginia does require a Social Security number to register to vote but I’m not convinced there is a foolproof method of validating this. The issue I raised above concerned bad addresses. If someone’s address is different than what our database says, all the voter has to do is sign a form indicating the correct address. I asked if anyone verified the address. Similarly, if election officials (and I mean those who are charged with validating voters at the system level) are not diligent about verifying eligibility or if the gatekeepers are not kept honest, there is room for fraud. Personally, I’m not convinced security is all that tight.

So let’s move on to the topic of the meme below – start arresting  the poll workers and watch how fast they tell you who told them to cheat. Bite me. Granted there are instances, apparently documented ones at that, where poll workers are suspect. In those cases, by all means, hold them accountable and, yes, election fraud is a prosecutable offence. I am all for prosecution to the fullest. That said, most of us work hard on that day and we are diligent. Our job is is ensure those who vote are legally eligible to do so and every legal vote is counted. In our little group, we did our job admirably, if I do say so myself. Not one of us would even think of allowing cheating.

On the other hand, those who’ve been caught doing stuff they shouldn’t need to be dealt with swiftly and surely.  When this hasn’t happened, the blame rests entirely on those charged with enforcing the law – on every level. If I were to observe fraud, I would report it and I would keep reporting it further up the ladder until someone acted. I would further expect those who did act to act not just on the original perpetrators but on every individual who turned a blind eye up the line. We cannot have this.

A final note.  As I said at the beginning, my day was 15 hours on November 7, 2023. I hear other polling places break the job into shifts. We could not even if it were allowed. (I’m not sure if it is.) The bottom line is, more poll workers are needed. I doubt if our little county is the exception. Why not do your part? Too many gripe and whine about elections and election fraud. Of course our elections should be without question but how can this happen when polling places are understaffed or not properly represented? We invite fraud.

Contact your local Registrar. Put your name in to be an election official.  Come on now, pony up.

 

Ar

Should This Site Come Down…

(from my Police State Review Post)

Oh yeah! One more thing, while watching the movie I got this creepy feeling and started wondering when I might become prominent on the radar. While I’m sure if the globalists were paying any attention to me at all, they would certainly not like what I have to say. On the other hand, my blog, my posts, and so forth are quite obscure. As far as radar is concerned, I’m a dust speck. Should there come a time when “the authorities” come knocking on my door, it might be an indication to head for the hills because I am no threat to anyone. For that reason if you come back and see my site down, disabled, or vanished for any period of time, OR I’ve stopped posting altogether without warning, chances are I am either dead or detained.

Added note: funny thing, when I went to post my review, lo and behold this site WAS down! The cause was a technical issue totally unrelated to anything but ya never know!

Police State Movie Review

First things first, I go to long on to TLC and my site is down so I have no idea when this will be posted. UPDATE: The issue seems to be with the PHP version used so y’all can nix any conspiracy theories 🙂

If you read my previous post then you know I bought this movie on DVD. It arrived Tuesday. I didn’t see the notice until Wednesday and we finally watched it on Thursday.

Police State is apparently available on Rumble I embedded it below for your convenience. I say “apparently” because I finally decided to try to stream 2000 Mules. It is listed on Rumble but it comes up with a short message from Dinesh to jump through some hoops first. Since I don’t think I can do that on my television setup, I haven’t tried it yet.

This movie is first rate. It is well produced and well presented. It is also just a bit scary – depending on how easily you are intimidated. All that said, I did not find much revealed I did not already know. This is not because I am all that savvy. Everything – or most everything – stated in the movie is readily available to anyone paying attention.

While they didn’t come right out and say it plainly – they made the case that our nation is already a police state. We a living in an illusion of freedom. Granted, the control is not complete and will not be until we are totally disarmed but the squeeze is on. Am I alarmed? Well, yes. And no. Allow me to elaborate.

Of course I am alarmed. We all should be alarmed. As Dan Bongino stated in the movie “This is not the country I grew up in.” That pretty much says it all. Should we choose to stand by and let it happen, the usurpers will seize control of everything and we well be forced on our knees or in a grave. So why then, do I say “no”, I am not all that alarmed.

For the most part, my trust is in God. I know He is in control and none of this can happen without His permission. As I’ve said before, the one-world (global) government is prophesied and we could be witnessing the fulfillment of these prophesies. I also believe God could stop all this cold. However we need to come to Him and ask Him to deliver us from this evil. I do as much every single day. Apparently, my pleadings alone are not enough so feel free to chime in. Meanwhile I do what I can, when I can, and live my life. I refuse, absolutely refuse, to live my life in fear.

Meanwhile, I’m conversing, more or less, with KrisAnne Hall about constitutional and other issues. She stated:

This is why VOTING & ELECTIONS ARE NOT a suitable (or intended to be) control of elected persons.

We The People MUST:

1. KNOW how government is supposed to and constitutionally designed to work AND

2. Be the constant control over those in government!

We have been taught lies for so long (since 1830) we believe we have no power and have no idea how to exercise the power we have- Know!

Okay so she alludes to the existence of other means to control those we elect into office. Now I take it we can extend said control over those hired to carry out official duties. Okay. Fine. What are they? She points to her Liberty classes. I asked where in those classes is this taught.

Now look, I’m not trying to be difficult but my time on this earth becomes more limited every day. The last thing I need is another squirrel to distract me. Certainly if there are things I can do to exert my God-given authority, I’m all ears. Even better if I can increase such leverage by joining with other citizens. Recently, I saw an interview on Lance Wallnau with the head of an organization called Kinetic Faith. His organization teaches others to utilize such leverage. While I’m keeping this in mind, I haven’t reached out to them. I may not for the same reasons I’m not delving into KrisAnne’s Liberty curriculum.

One of the reasons I’m avoiding this is because I know myself all too well. I have great intentions but I have lousy “executive skills”. In short, I’m an idea man, not a organizational man. Believe me, I’ve tried and tried again. I have failed at running an organization of one. (me). Given some sort of structure, I can do well enough, very well at times, but on my own, well there’s those darn squirrels, not to mention the rabbit holes. Let’s not go there.

The other reason is God has not directed me to do these things. Now, nothing against Him, but I’ve been down similar paths before and, well, I wonder how often I just think I’ve heard from Him rather than actually hearing. Now look, I know of at least one time I really, really did here a voice “from God”. He saved my life by warning me of some idiot driver who was about to swerve into our car. My wife heard Him at the same time. Now was this God Himself or an angel? Was it audible or not? I don’t know to this day. All I know is the warning was clear and a collision was avoided. Other than that one instance, I’ve been forced to listen for the “still small voice” and I’m pretty sure there’s a place in my own mind too eager to make up for His silence. The bottom line is, I’d need some more sure direction, if not a burning bush, in order for me to begin some major endeavor.

Meanwhile I do my best by continuing to write and post.

Oh yeah! One more thing, while watching the movie I got this creepy feeling and started wondering when I might become prominent on the radar. While I’m sure if the globalists were paying any attention to me at all, they would certainly not like what I have to say. On the other hand, my blog, my posts, and so forth are quite obscure. As far as radar is concerned, I’m a dust speck. Should there come a time when “the authorities” come knocking on my door, it might be an indication to head for the hills because I am no threat to anyone. For that reason if you come back and see my site down, disabled, or vanished for any period of time, OR I’ve stopped posting altogether without warning, chances are I am either dead or detained. (Now that I think about it, I’ll post this much as a sticky. You read it here first.)

 

Police State Premiers Tomorrow – Not for ME!

Shocking but true, but here’s the thing. I can wait. That’s the gist of it. I’ve never been one to have to be anywhere “just because”. That said, I surely plan on seeing the movie.

Yesterday I saw an article on The Gateway Pundit further elaboriting on the plight of Joseph Bolanos, an elderly New Yorker was arrested by FBI and had his apartment ransacked for participating in the J6 rally in Washington D.C.. The reports say Mr. Bolanos never entered the Capital Building. Nor has any evidence been presented of him doing anything illegal. No charges were ever brought.

Until I saw the short, 56 second video on The Gateway Pundit, I never knew Joseph Bolanos existed. I had no idea of the raid, his arrest, nor of the stroke he suffered while in their custody that day. Why would I? None of this ever should have happened. There is no excuse. This is not my America. It is yours?

Meanwhile, I’m waiting for more information about the availability of this movie before I decide. While I’d prefer to stream it, our internet is somewhat “iffy”. Some things stream quite well while other things simply suck. Amazon Prime, for all the rah-rah and touting, isn’t worth watching most of the time. I avoid it at all costs and when I do watch it, it’s a crapshoot. On the other hand, I watched the entire series “The Chosen” streamed from Angel Studios with very few issues. Long story short, we may be headed for the theater again, depending on the incremental costs.

Police State – Added To My Must See List

I don’t do this often but I gotta tell you the video below shook me to the bone. I first saw this posted on The Gateway Pundit.

It’s very short I’ll add my comments afterwards.

 

Granted there’s not much information there but I’m going to take things as is. According to this video, the elderly man who was to subject of this raid was simply at the January 6th rally. They specifically state he did NOT enter the capital. So what if he did? What IF he actually went beyond even entering the capital to commit some serious crime. (Note, I am not convinced anyone who entered the capital that day is necessarily suspect of committing any crime – at least one acquittal substantiates this.)

I’ll rephrase -what could this man possibly have done to warrant a swat team busting down the door to his home, bursting in and arresting him at gunpoint. Note by “gunpoint” I’m referring to at least one modern fully automatic machine gun – something us ordinary citizens have to  apply for and pay a special tax on IF we can buy one at all.

In case you were wondering, yes, the question is rhetorical. This is not my America. This is not an action I approve of and as a self-governing citizen of the United States for America, I say such activity needs to stop immediately. This madness cannot be allowed to continue.

Below is the full trailer to the movie Police State. You can see it in some movie theaters now. Soon it will be available for streaming. As my most loyal reader(s?) can affirm, I recently saw the movie “Sound of Freedom” at the theater. It is a good movie and well worth watching but for the time, effort, and cost of seeing it in a theater, streaming is now a better option for me.

I’m adding to to my “MUST SEE” list. I’ll  post a review once I do.

 

Is My Heavenly Father Trying to Tell Me Something Here?

A bit of background here. Every day I read scriptures. I read one chapter in the Old Testament, one from the Gospels or Acts, and one from the Epistles.

Today, on October 22, 2023 my mind started wandering while I read Proverbs 21. I kept coming back to focus on verse 22.

Proverbs 21:22 A wise man scaleth the city of the mighty, and casteth downthe strength of the confidence thereof.

Bluntly put this brings to mind more questions than answers. What was I thinking at the time? I don’t really recall. I tend to jump from one thing to another. I don’t think what “I” was thinking was important… at all. When I refocused on my reading, my eyes jumped back to where I left off – verse 22. Understand, this verse wasn’t really sinking in – until it did. What sunk in?

What sunk in is less the meaning of the verse but the actual words themselves.

A wise man scaleth the city of the mighty, and casteth down the strength of the confidence thereof.

Put another way (World English Version)

A wise man scales the city of the mighty, And brings down the strength of its confidence.

What I do not know is whether this pertains to any particular “wise man” or any particular “city of the mighty”.

It says what it says. Time will tell. If some clarification is revealed to me, I will post on it, given permission.

See? I TOLD You So!

This via 90 Miles from Tyranny:

Report: Google to Ban Independent Media From Search Results

It’s not that I hate to say it but rather, I hate how right I was. Trust on this, I’d be happy to be wrong. When I started The Liberty Coalition, the idea was to build a website that could end around 8,000 lb Grrrillas like Grrrgle. My goal was not to become “THE” conservative website on the internet but one hub of a web of sites all connected by the precepts of Liberty. Well, that didn’t happen.

Sure, you can still see some remnants of my efforts here, those parts I’ve just been too lazy to update or simply take down but that idea is mostly gone. This shouldn’t surprise me because my own nature is much like those of my ideological fellows – I tend to be independent. Add to that the fact that I absolutely suck at the whole entrepreneur thing and, well, you can see the results.

My vision was reduced to a blog and a rather obscure blog at that. Okay, fine. The silver lining is this cloud is I answer to no one except God Almighty Himself. Him I cannot escape if I wanted to. I don’t have sponsors breathing down my neck, nor donors. Heck, I don’t even get grief from either one of my regular readers. The downside is I sometimes wonder if anybody is reading this. I’ve come to terms with this also.

The bottom line is, I’m beyond caring about myself or my musings. Take it or leave it. I’m at the point where I write what I want, when I want, and if you don’t like it, there’s the door.

Back to Grrgle’s ban – like I said, I saw it coming long ago. You know the saying…

Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Well, there it is. Can we push back? Sure we can. It is possible we might – at some point – at something – some day. I’m not holding my breath.

The same goes for our republic. Just a day or so ago, my wife and I were discussing what someone said about our Constitution being replaced by an administrative hierarchy (close enough, I don’t remember the exact phrase). My wife – MY WIFE – insists this is a done deal. My contention is unless and until, someone stands up declaring our Constitutional Republic is no more and this “whatever” is replacing it AND is not contested, our republic stands. WE the People still retain the legal right to govern ourselves. The question is do we have the will to do so?

And, finally, the same goes for our nation’s relationship to God. Our very republic is a gift from Almighty God. I have no doubt He would restore it if we only asked. That said, I doubt if we will do that much. So many no longer believe in a Holy God, much less one who can and will deliver us from this present evil. Of course, we would also have to repent of those sins rife within our society. While you may correctly picture murals of decadence, at the heart of it all is our refusal to simply accept the responsibilities that come with governing ourselves. Instead we relegate our duties to political parties. Do tell how that’s worked for us.

This is why I’ve been spending more time on scriptures and chess. It seems far more urgent to me for readers to seek out God than anything else. As for the chess? Well, beyond the benefit of keeping my mind sharp, I’ve always had a passion for the game despite my struggle to be even a mediocre player.

Grrrr! The Feeling Is No Doubt Mutual

Quick update – today I received noticed from Grrrgle that my identity verification was denied. Despite my intense dislike for these folks, I get it that sometimes things don’t go as planned. What got under my skin was this same notice informed me I have “ONE MORE CHANCE” to verify my id. Really? Like it is my fault they didn’t get exactly what they wanted, how they wanted it. I did my best. Their system accepted my id and I checked – it was clear. Now I did try submit one that was a bit hard to read and their system rejected it so… what the heck went wrong. Typical of 8,000 lb Grrrillas like Grrrgle, they don’t explain. They don’t have to. All they need to do is turn their thumbs up or down depending on whatever suits their mood.

I resubmitted using a different method. We’ll wait and see what happens. Oi.

New Venture and Yet Another Reason to Hate Grrrgle

An now a word from our sponsor…

Not really, but the above kinda suggests I’m going “off topic” for a moment. I expect to post something more relevant to Liberty in a day or so. Meanwhile, I’ve been sidelined somewhat lately as I’ve taken up chess again. Part of my reasoning is I want to finally establish a proper rating (with the USCF and elsewhere I only have a “provisional” rating due to a lack of rated games to me credit.) To be rated in the USCF (United States Chess Federation) one must play rated games and to play rated games one must typically have to play in tournaments. Well, around these parts I’ve faced a bit of a challenge finding anybody to play with face to face (aka OTB or over the board). Being naturally anti-social doesn’t help me much. It was over 20 years ago when I established my provisional rating when I was heavily involved in a local club and several of us decided to enter the Charlottesville open. Since then I haven’t played much as I moved away. The nearest chess club where I now live is a 40 minute drive at least.
To this end my playing has been relegated to online. The great news is, I’ve found tons of online chess resources – enough to overwhelm even me and I’m not easily intimidated. So I decided to create and upload some videos to help others pick through the massive offerings. I also plan to delve deep into at least one site I’ve found most useful. These ideas compliment some others I’ve been mulling over for some time. As any regular reader knows, I often cite scripture here. For some time, I’ve wanted to upload some videos to help others explore the scriptures for themselves. Like chess, there is almost too much available. Since I mostly use just a couple of them regularly, it follows that others might benefit from what I’ve learned.

Gripe Section

So while I’m sludging along trying to post my debut video on YouTube (own by Grrrgle like almost everything else on the internet) I remember I need to add some links – one to this site and one to my writer’s site because I promised them in the introduction video. Well, guess what? In order to add links – any links – I have to verify my identity with a “government issued picture ID”. What!?? Hell I don’t need to provide a photo id to VOTE, why do I need one to post a freaking link? Of course, Grrrgle, whom some say is owned by our very own CIA, wants to link my face with my name with my address with my YouTube videos with any sites I link to. Oi. It’s not like they don’t have all that crap anyway but still… I don’ t like it.  I went along anyway because refusing isn’t going to even slow those bastards down. But that’s not all…
While I was doing all this, with my phone (Oh yeah, they want to add that to the tracking trail, of course) I tried to load it all up but again the system threw up roadblock after roadblock. First my phone “time and date” were “incorrect”. Again WHAT!? It’s a cell phone. The time and date are NOT incorrect. It is probably more accurate than the Navy’s atomic clock. Okay, well maybe not but really. THEN they say it couldn’t happen because I had the wrong browser. Seriously? It’s a Chrome browser on an Android phone. How can it NOT be the latest and the greatest? Grrrgle. Bite me.
End rant. (Yes, I could go on but they ain’t worth any  more time.)
In any case, I uploaded the video to both Rumble and YouTube. They are linked respectively. I won’t post the links directly ’cause WP likes to display
screenshots and I don’t think it is needed here.

Test Post

Long story short, I was cross posting this blog to my writer’s website – AMHavens.com but the system “burped” when I had to make some changes at my web host.

While I’m not so sure how great this cross-posting really is, at least anyone visiting my writing site will know I really AM writing! 🙂

Moreover, I do have plans for some posts only on that site so if you haven’t visited there yet, you might want to mosey over some day.

Was the Year 1913 America’s Darkest Time?

It doesn’t take much to see things look bad for our nation in 2023. A case could be made signifying this year as one of the worst for our nation, but was it really? Looking back One Hundred and Ten years, yes, a century and a decade, one could easily contend the year 1913 was the darkest in our nation’s history. Here’s why…

Three landmark events occurred that year. Congress ratified two amendments and passed one Act that forever changed the fabric of our nation. Thus laying the groundwork for future actions changing the course of America.

The two amendments were the Sixteenth and Seventeenth, establishing a federal income tax and changing the way US Senators were chosen. The third created the Federal Reserve, handing over control of our monetary system to a group of bankers. This was the year the money men seized our nation with a bloodless coup.

Like all proposals, each of these were sugar-coated before being fed to the American citizens. The income tax would only apply to greedy businesses and corporations. The Federal Reserve would protect citizens from greed banks that take our money and run off. Finally, putting the power in the hands of the people by democratically electing our Senators rather than letting those corrupt legislators choose their own cronies. You only need to pop your head out of the sand for a moment to see how that all worked out.

Americans have been captured and enslaved by a brutal income tax system. Despite stated principles to the contrary, our labor is not our own. To put our efforts towards to make a living we must first pay tribute. Our very sweat and blood are owned by our masters in the state and federal capitals.

Meanwhile, the Fed has complete control over the tribute paid borrow money as well as dictating what we can earn from our savings, after taxes, of course. They rule over interest rates as well as how and when our legal currency is produced. Meanwhile they are bankers, administering the debts of our government via treasury bonds.

If this isn’t bad enough, potentially the worst act of all is almost entirely ignored – the Seventeenth Amendment to our Constitution. Please, allow me to remind you…

Seventeenth Amendment

The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote. The electors in each State shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the State legislatures.

When vacancies happen in the representation of any State in the Senate, the executive authority of such State shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided, That the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct.

This amendment shall not be so construed as to affect the election or term of any Senator chosen before it becomes valid as part of the Constitution.

Okay… so what’s so bad about that? Isn’t “power to The People” what it’s all about? The problem here is this amendment didn’t “give power to The People”. Not really. The reality is it actually took power away from us. How?

A few days ago, I saw Mark Levin interview Ted Cruz. Senator Cruz talked about when he was last re-elected in 2018. He stated it was the most expensive election in history. He also stated the Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell spent not one dollar on Cruz’s campaign. Wait? What?!

This is where my ears perked up. It seems Mitch McConnell’s great talent is raising money for his Political Action Committee (PAC). He wields these funds like a sword to remain as the leader in the Senate and bully other members into submission. (Not surprisingly, our House Speaker, Kevin McCarthy is said to wield his own “magic sword”.) You can dispute the facts as presented here but the reality should shine through – our nation’s premier and most prestigious legislative body is nothing more than a cheap game show money grab. Go figure.

So how does this relate to the events of 1913? It’s easy to see once you follow the money. Electing Senators by popular vote opened the floodgates for the political parties to swoop in and take over. Now the candidates need not bother answering to the state legislators. The power of our national government was consolidated into one master – the state party boss. This streamlined the process making it no longer necessary to ensure the money men had to secure enough legislative votes to put their man in office. Nope. From now on it would be one stop shopping to purchase the Senator of their choice. How convenient.

Granted, one of the arguments for passing the Seventeenth was the legislatures were already corrupt. I’ve no doubt this was true. Politics is a dirty business. It always has been and always will be. That said, the answer is never to centralize. Centralization always, always, ALWAYS consolidates power. Decentralization disperses power. Such is the nature of things.

If I could wave my own magic sword, I would chop the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Amendments from our Constitution immediately. Then I would dice the Federal Reserve into tiny bits. Such would not immediately save our nation but it would be a good place to start. Sans a “magic sword”, instead I’ll call upon fellow citizens to call for the immediate repeal of these two amendments as well as the dismantling of the Federal Reserve.

For now, I’d settle for returning the selection of Senators to our state legislatures. This would restore a good part of the balance of power our forefathers intended. It would immediately zap the power of the Senate PACs. For Senators to remain in office, they would have to answer to their state legislatures and the state legislatures would have to answer to us citizens.

Meanwhile, We the People, can set to work on stripping the political parties of their power. It is time to decentralize.

FeinStein Dead at 90 Will She Finally Step Down From the Senate

At first glance this may sound facetious but I’m not so sure.  After all, how many dearly departed still vote?
If my suspicions about Joe Bobo are correct, science is working wonders these days with animatronics.
US Sen. Dianne Feinstein dead at 90
This from the  Washington Examiner:
In the above article, the WE says she was the richest Senator with $94 Million stashed in her piggy bank. My question is: how does a “lifelong public servant” accumulate such wealth?