Military budget cuts; some things remain the same.

We need moral, constitutionally-driven leaders.  Fiction allows us to yearn for such leaders and helps us identify them and demand they serve a Republic that so desperately needs them.

Discussing President Thorpe’s cuts in the defense budget…

            “It’s hurting us.  As always, the first things to suffer is the stuff that isn’t obvious…training, maintenance and upgrades.  We have tanks that won’t run, airplanes that won’t fly and electronics that are broken.  Our readiness has deteriorated tremendously.  My guess its 30 percent off where it was in 2008. 

            “We’re still getting good people; a shitty economy always boosts recruitment.  But the training budgets have been cut to the bone.  We’ve got everything from infantry recruits who don’t have bullets and grenades for live fire exercises to pilots whose training is stalled because the simulators are broken to sailors who ain’t sailing because the ships don’t have fuel. 

            “It’s a mess guys.  We’re still developing and buying the new electronic toys, but we ain’t going to have anyone who knows how to use them.  In my humble opinion, the Administration keeps the sexy stuff they can talk to the press about, but we’re rusting away from the inside.” – Brig. General Zeke Forrest

The Tenth Amendment:  The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Powers Not Delegated, a novel, available this summer...and, who is Tyler Armistead?

The Tenth Amendment…It CAN Prosper.

We need moral, constitutionally-driven leaders.  Fiction allows us to yearn for such leaders and helps us identify them and demand they serve a Republic that so desperately needs them.

The Governors stepped to the podium.  All were committed to the Demands, but they were taking tremendous political risks. They made their introductory comments  the Demands were read.

We, the undersigned, on this 15th day of September, 2011 demand the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches of Federal government of the United States of America…

Acknowledge the existence of the Federal Government is at the pleasure of the States and the States’ citizens; and that it

Recognize the spirit and legitimate and lawful intentions of the Founding Fathers as documented by the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America; and that it

Acknowledge the rights and authority of the individual States to act in the manner they deem appropriate to preserve the life, liberty and pursuit of happiness of their citizens; and that it

Will not enact laws, rules, orders and regulations or make any other such demands that create fiscal hardship for either the States or their citizens.

The Tenth Amendment:  The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Powers Not Delegated, a novel, available this summer...and, who is Tyler Armistead?

Appeasement…the results are always the same.

We need moral, constitutionally-driven leaders.  Fiction allows us to yearn for such leaders and helps us identify them and demand they serve a Republic that so desperately needs them.

As the Iranian leader observes of the new American President in 2008…

“The new American government will be less aggressive in matters critical to us.  Thorpe will not be as supportive of Israel, and the Jews will not be allowed to attack us.  We will continue our antagonistic public policy but an attack on Israel would be an action even the pacifist Thorpe could not ignore. 

“We will withhold support to our Al Qaida brothers for the foreseeable future.  They may launch attacks that will be minor; most will not succeed for they do not have the capability or leadership for a major action.  The new American government will weaken itself, and we shall allow it to do so.  A major attack on America would rally opposition to the new President, and it is in our best interest that he remains in power for eight years.  We will be patient.  Our task will be easier in a few years.

The Tenth Amendment:  The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Powers Not Delegated, a novel, available this summer...and, who is Tyler Armistead?

SCOTUS…do we have a courageous deciding vote?

We need moral, constitutionally-driven leaders.  Fiction allows us to yearn for such leaders and helps us identify them and demand they serve a Republic that so desperately needs them.

(AP) BULLETIN…Washington, DC    October 1, 2012   10:02 AM EDT

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court in a split 5/4 decision threw out the controversial Fairness of the Airways Act of 2011 on grounds it violates the First Amendment’s right of free speech.

The decision brings to an end the bitter debate that broke down along party lines.  The Thorpe Administration first moved to curtail conservative commentary in 2009 by implementing punitive FCC rules.  Unsuccessful, the Administration proposed and the Congress passed the Fairness of the Airways Act of 2011 in February that year.

The Coalition for First Amendment Rights, a consortium of conservative talk show hosts and cable TV news organizations, immediately initiated an aggressive legal challenge.  Also, the Coalition’s guerilla tactics proved very effective in slowing enforcement of the law during its short life.

For the majority, Justice William Glenn wrote, in part, “The First Amendment is clear in its purpose and free expression has been long guaranteed by this Court.  The heavy-handed and subversive attempts of the Administration and Congress to abridge the right of free speech with legal obfuscation strike this Court as disturbing and dangerous. Additionally, the Court believes attempts to unlawfully link issues unrelated to the right of free speech are patently unconstitutional, and the Court trusts such efforts will not be attempted again.”

The Court’s language is considered unusually harsh. 

With four Justices supporting the minority opinion, the ideological gap between the conservative and liberal justices widens.

The Tenth Amendment:  The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Powers Not Delegated, a novel, available this summer...and, who is Tyler Armistead?

Back! And Who is Tyler Armistead?

After a hiatus too complex to explain, I'm back to the blogosphere/Twitter-land.

Work on the book ("Powers Not Delegated") almost complete; close to the final editing phase.

I began the book in 2009, shortly after Obama's inauguration.  The plot blends history, current events and, hopefully, insightful forecasts of the future.  Kinda scary!  The forecasts were more accurate than I imagined.

Tyler Armistead is the hero in the book.  A good guy, a real guy...not a super-hero.  A man based in his faith and love of country.  Goodness knows, we need a guy like Tyler to show up on the scene.

More later.