Today's Politicos vs The Words and Deeds of The Founders
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Saturday Links – Cigar Box Guitar Edition

On my long list of projects is to make a cigar box guitar. I first discovered these a couple years ago when reading an issue of Make magazine. (No, unfortunately, I don’t play or even have a shred of musical ability, other than that of appreciation.) I do like to make shavings and sawdust, and my brother is a talented musician. Plus, I like cigars!

In my research I discovered Moreland and Arbuckle and some of these other links. I hope you enjoy them and take the time to visit these fine bloggers as well.

Blogodidact | An American Transformation: Individual Rights into privileged scraps

America, today your Individual Rights have been officially transformed into privileges. Today the HHS Mandates that you must comply. You have no rights not to.

Today the official government policy is, by law, that you no longer have the Right to choose. You no longer have Freedom of Choice. You in fact no longer have Rights, only privileges, which you retain at the governments pleasure.

Liberty At Stake | The Right to Eat a Chicken Sandwich In Peace and Quiet

(If thisisn’t covered by the “right to pursue happiness” then nothing is.)How did we get to this point? To the point where a friggin’ chicken sandwich is at the nexus of an epic ideological battle? I, LibertyAtStake, shall now give you the answer.

Catholibertarian | Has the Religious Freedom Debate Crossed a Rubicon in Our Countrys Political Life?

In Archbishop Charles Chaput’s keynote address at the Napa Institute he answered a question from a friend of his who wondered if the religious freedom debate had “crossed a Rubicon” in our country’s political life. From Archbishop Chaput: The Rubicon is a river in northern Italy. Its small and forgettable, except for one thing.

Zilla of the Resistance at MareZilla.com | Bloggers Beware: An Important Reminder

As regular readers of this blog are aware, I have been covering the vicious campaign of ongoing harassment against Conservative Bloggers which attempts to silence them, and I have also focused on the nasty attacks directed at The Lonely Conservative and myself.

Adrienne’s Corner | Thomas More Law Center Names Michele Bachmann to Advisory Board

good for them.

H/T to Terry at Abbey Roads

From the Thomas More Website:

Michele Bachmann Joins TMLCs Citizens Advisory Board Puts her Country Above Politics, Party and Political Correctness

TOM Blog | DHS Now Issuing Youtube Takedown Notices?

Why is DHS  and the US government now in the business of censoring copyright infringement on Youtube?

motorcitytimes.com | Another Bad Idea Brewing In California: GPS Mileage Tax

Then, when gas tax receipts drop due to drivers using less gas (I mean, who could see that one coming?) politicians are looking for alternate ways to pry money out of tax payers.

Manhattan Infidel | Manhattan Infidel Gets Purposeful!

Like most of my readers, I, the Manhattan Infidel cannot tolerate dairy products hatred. And after a clip in the news yesterday showing a purposeful man, Adam Smith, CFO and treasurer of Vante of Tuscon, Arizona taking his outrage to the drive-in window at a Chick-fil-A I became inspired.

Conservatives on Fire | Why is America the Greatest Country on Earth? Or Is It?

Of course, instead of facing this and holding politicians accountable, our media will continue to play to the distractions, the nonsense and the irrelevant instead of asking the hard questions, demanding answers and informing voters.

America’s Chronicle | Bolivia Announces The End of Capitalism and The Return To The Mayan Era.

That is right, we are not making it up, the emblematic action of this transition into the past by the President of Bolivia is the official prohibition of Coca-Cola. Anybody that has been in this South American backwater for reasons other than running from the law, like Che Guevara, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, knows well that no other people live in conditions any closer to the time of the Mayas of 2,000 years ago than the Bolivians; so it doesn’t take much to push them all the way back to the Mayans with some good old fashioned sacrifices at the altar of credulity.

J O S H U A P U N D I T | Where Does Barack Obama Rank Among US Presidents On Jobs And Unemployment?

Now, here’s an interesting idea, courtesy of the whizkid at Political Math: using Bureaus Of Labor Statistics figures, where does President Obama rank among modern U.S. presidents on job creation and unemployment?

Boston 1775 | Myths in History from Colonial Williamsburg

The latest issue of Colonial Williamsburg magazine offers an article by Gil Klein about The Use of Myths in History. Klein discusses the power and possible inevitability of historical myths.

Conservative Hideout 2.0 | Can the solution to gun violence against the individual be found in an old Cold War policy?

It has been 12 days since the terrible shooting event in Aurora Colorado and I cant help but think if there was just one armed citizen in that theater the injuries and deaths may have been greatly reduced. One well-placed shot by a law abiding citizen exercising their 2nd amendment rights may have made a […]

Conservative Outcry | Dan Cathy: Religious Bully Or Just Unlucky Restaurateur?

Dan Cathy the person does not support same sex marriage. Neither does a large portion of the American population.So why has Dan Cathy been singled out as the enemy by the LGBT community? For remarks made on some obscure radio show?

America’s Watchtower | Harry Reid refuses to back down from his claim that Mitt Romney didnt pay taxes for ten years

Earlier this week Harry Reid made a claim, based on no evidence and with only some anonymous source, that Mitt Romney didn’t pay taxes for ten years. He was asked if he wanted to walk back this baseless claim and not only did he refuse to do so, he actually doubled down on the accusation.

Western Free Press | Obama wants to skirt the law . . . again

When it comes to faithfully executing the law, a key part of his constitutional mandate, Barack Obama is the pick and choose president, selecting the laws he wants to enforce and ignoring the ones he does not like.

Seeing Red AZ | Joe Arpaio: Subject of hilarious poll

76% support Arpaio’s “tough on crime” stance The desperation of the Peridico de la Repblica de Arizona (Arizona Republic) provides our Friday humor break. The headline screams: Arpaio’s approval rating sinks to 53% amid birth-certificate probe.

The Arizona Conservative | Dems Move to Block Military Vote

Semi-News A Satirical Look at Recent News In recent elections less than 5% of the ballots cast by active duty military personnel serving overseas arrived in time to be counted.

Be Sure You’re RIGHT, Then Go Ahead | Hanoi John Hot Over Warming Critics

John F. Kerry, the not-so-swift slanderer of U.S. troops, tax-dodging yachtsman supreme, and — along with the despicable Jane Fonda — the best friend the Viet Cong ever had (See comment below by aJey at the Khmer connection), has reported for duty once again, this time aiming his AK at everyone who’s had the unmitigated gall to expose the global warming scam of the international socialists.

Blue Collar Muse | Should Gun Laws, or Any Law, Punish or Prohibit?

Laws don’t stop people from trespassing or stealing. A moment’s thought will tell you that’s true. They don’t prevent murder either. So why the clamor for tougher gun laws after a high profile incident like Aurora, CO? In part, it’s scale and location. Sabotage a car so it crashes and it’s reported locally. But set off bombs on trains in Madrid? Poison your spouse and it’s a piece in the local paper. But release sarin gas in the Tokyo subway?If a Chicago banger kills an infant in a drive by, it might not even make the front page. But kill 12 in a suburban theater? Lawful people try to make sense of tragedy. We do things for reasons and want to understand why the lawless do what they do. But the lawless don’t follow rules or laws; they’re lawless. They may also be truly insane or duped by idealogues or something else. We may even learn their reasons eventually. But having an explanation and understanding a motivation are not the same. What’s important is to recognize that whatever else they may be, they are lawless.

Cold Fury | Parasites

I’ve been thinking along these lines for a long time now; might have even posted on it here, I can’t remember. But no matter, because Richard Fernandez says it better anyway. What self respecting liberal would want to live in a world where maybe only Rush Limbaugh is playing on the radio?

Pixie Place II | Raising children is not beyond a parents capability.

Trust me on this. When did the I-dont-have-the-patience-to-deal-with-my-own-children thinking become the norm? What has persuaded us, at one time had persuaded me, that we dont have the wherewithal to handle the very blessings many of us begged God to give us? Read this earlier on a homeschooler website called “Hip Homeschool Moms.”

Patriot’s Corner | Isn’t Multiculturalism Wonderful?

Welcome to Amerika!
Amerika, the almost former land of the free, still the home of the brave and the second amendment.

I Don’t Get It | What Did I Tell You

I’ve written more than once about Anthony Weiner. In case you forgot who he is, he’s the U.S. Representative who tweeted nude pictures of himself, and, of course, initially denied they were pictures of him and eventually had to resign from Congress when the evidence was stacked up against him.

Ironic Surrealism | Corp. Exec. Adam Smiths Chick-Fil-A Drive-Thru Christianophobic H8 With A Side Order Of Purposeful Bullying And Subsequent Firing[Updated]

In the wake of his hate becoming viral YouTube fodder, bully Adam Smith (CFO and treasurer of medical supplies manufacturer Vante) has been (no pun intended) –pink slipped. First video of Christian h8er Adam Smith harassing a young female Chick-Fil-A employee at the drive-thru window.

Old Virginia Blog | Academic Despisers . . .

Are actually anti-intellectuals. In other words, many of them lack a fundamental understanding of America’s founding and the legitimacy of its modern application. Others understand it, but despise it.

Leftists in academia simply despise conservatism and it’s philosophical foundations. The Founders, as well as the Confederacy, provide them with (in their minds) a convenient opportunity to perform their exorcist-like “analysis” of our nation’s history. But that’s ok. More and more people are on to them. They’ve lost control (if they ever really had it) of the debate.

The Daley Gator | A classic example of why we are in debt

  The Wyblog has just one example of how the feds are pissing our money away Forget crumbling infrastructure, Feds send NJ millions of dollars for bike lanes Yes,bike lanes. Millions of dollars in federal grants were announced today for New Jersey and elsewhere to pay for a wide range of highway improvement projects.

Political Realities | Obama Campaign Gets Personal With Attacks On Romney

Obama Campaign Gets Personal With Attacks On Romney

Much has already been said during this campaign about the negative advertising that is filling the airwaves. For the time being, the Obama campaign is outspending Mitt Romney. That will change after the convention and Romney becomes the official Republican nominee, but while it lasts, it may be doing some damage. I believe it is important to note that many of these attacks are not only negative, but personal .

The Bitter Americans | Mexican Town Demonstrates Real Reason for Second Amendment

After the nightmarish shooting incident in the Colorado movie theater a couple weeks ago, the issue of gun control has been brought up a lot by the main stream media and liberal politicians.  A lot of the criticism has been targeted at assault weapons, and how we dont need the amount of firepower provided by these military style rifles.

Godfather Politics | 10 Reasons Gabby Douglas Should Not Make Money off Her Gold Medal Performance

I’m outraged. Gabby Douglas, affectionately known as the Flying Squirrel, is going to make millions of dollars after her gold medal Olympic performance. This should not be. First, she didn’t do it on her own. You know, “you didn’t build that.” She had help from other people.

Doug Ross @ Journal | Credible Sources: Harry Reid Not Only a Pederast, But Also Afflicted With Microcephaly

Is there any political cartoonist as talented as Michael Ramirez?

I think not.

The Lonely Conservative | Watch Out, Your Town Could Be Next Victim of Obamas War on the Suburbs

I touched on this the other day in passing, but it needs more attention. Stanley Kurtz summarized his new book Spreading the Wealth: How Obama is Robbing the Suburbs to Pay for the Cities in an article in National Review. If you live in the suburbs, pay attention. President Obama is not a fan of Americas suburbs. Indeed, he intends to abolish them. With suburban voters set to be the swing constituency of the 2012 election, the administrations plans for this segment of the electorate deserve scrutiny. Obama is a longtime supporter of regionalism, the idea that the suburbs should be folded into the cities, merging schools, housing, transportation, and above all taxation. To this end, the president has already put programs in place designed to push the country toward a sweeping social transformation in a possible second term. The goal: income equalization via a massive redistribution of suburban tax money to the cities.

The Other McCain | Obamanomics: Good News and Bad News

You’ll probably want the bad news first: The unemployment rate rose to 8.3 percent in July, a number in which the New York Times desperately seeks to find good news for Obama, which would actually be bad news for everybody else, because if the New York Times deceives people into thinking Obama’s policies aren’t a complete failure, his policies — which are, in fact, a complete failure — might continue another four years.

Maggie’s Notebook | Gaffe: A Comment Revealing What You REALLY Think Not Misspeaking

The use of the word “gaffe” is getting on my last nerve. “Journalists” are paid to say what their words mean. Using he word “gaffe” among “journalists” who consider themselves on the other side of center from the speaker, it is usually characterized as a “gaffe,” and obviously an embarrassing gaffe. When the speaker is on the same side of center as the journalist, it is only “misspeaking.” Well, misspeaking my foot. When one misspeaks it is obvious, i.e. Obama arrives in Kansas and says it’s good to be back in Texas. With so many travel stops, we can forgive it if he had his schedule mixed up, and we can forgive him if he simply turned the words around. When you have a gaffe, you intentionally or unintentionally say what you really think or believe. G.W. Bush had a list of “gaffes” daily, as interpreted by the same media which interprets Obama’s gaffes as misspeaking. Now the target is Mitt Romney and particularly his recent trip to London and Israel.

Ana the Imp | Beyond the Economics of the Madhouse

Both the Economist and the Spectator this week have discovered a banal but obvious truth: that there is pain in Spain, yea, even so far as the word itself.  Its not true, though, that the pain in Spain falls mainly in the plain; the pain falls everywhere, mountain and plain alike.  The pain is the euro.
The euro crisis is a rolling comedy of false hopes and deeper errors.  And Ill tell you this much you ain’t heard nothin’ yet.  Writing in the Spectator, Daniel Hannan, one of my favourite observers on the European farce, rightly points out that that the troubled economies of Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Cyprus amount together to less than 5% of the Community’s economy.  Greece, in other words, was a sideshow.

Conservative Byte | Has Any Administration Policy NOT Killed Jobs Lately?

Congress has headed off for its long vacation-and-campaign season, fleeing Washington as the unemployment rate rises. According to the Labor Department’s July jobs report, the unemployment rate ticked up to 8.3 percent, 12.8 million Americans are out of work, and 5.2 million have been out of work for at least a half a year.

thesteadyconservative | Freedom of Religion or Freedom from Religion

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;”

A very simple statement that has been twisted and misconstrued into something it is not.  Mostly by progressives on the left, but also by the fringe Libertarian movement on the far right.  Within its original intent it means that the US Congress cannot make a law that establishes a State religion or prohibits the free exercise of a religion.  Nothing more.  But as I have written on many occasions, progressives have turned the US Congress into anyone, and a law establishing a religion into the mere mentioning of Jesus’ name outside of a Church building.  And unfortunately there are Christians who are supporting this agenda.  If they realize it or not.  Hopefully if you are one of those Christians you will change who you vote for and who you support after reading this post.  By the end I think you will understand.

WyBlog | Forget crumbling infrastructure, Feds send NJ millions of dollars for bike lanes

SENTRY JOURNAL | I dont see much difference between the Tories of colonial times and todays Democratic Party

Have you ever been so moved by a cause or a movement that you have signed your name to it? Maybe it was a petition to get a measure on the ballot or it was to protest against infringement on your rights. Now ask yourself if you could do the same knowing that by signing the document you were committing treason; knowing that it would make you an enemy of the state. Could you do it? Would you have the courage to stand on principle? Would you hesitate or would you pen you name without any reservation?
Well 236 years ago today 56 men did exactly that. It was on this day in 1776 that delegates representing the 13 colonies signed the Declaration of Independence. They pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor for the cause of liberty.


10 comments

1 LD Jackson { 08.04.12 at 2:47 pm }

Thanks for including Political Realities in your link roundup.

[Reply]

Martin Reply:

You are welcome sir.

[Reply]

2 Bob Mack { 08.04.12 at 5:25 pm }

Thanks for the link, Martin. Cigar box git-fiddles — an idea whose time has come. What else t’do with all those cedary empties? (I’m puffing on a 601 La Bomba at the moment & sippin’ a bit o’ Wild Turkey 101 — all those numbers do get yer head a-buzzin’)

[Reply]

Martin Reply:

You are a man after my own heart, sir. My current favorite is the Gran Habano Corojo No. 5. Love the Churchill with the frayed end and a little Jim Beam, with a tiny bit of ice.

[Reply]

Bob Mack Reply:

Don’t know if ya ever saw this post of mine, ya might get a kick out of it: http://crockettlives.wordpress.com/2011/01/24/but-a-good-cigar-is-a-smoke/

& while I’m at it, a couple good new Churchills I’ve tried are Ramon Bueso’s Genesis Project (spicy maduro) and Diesel Unlimited (spicy & full bodied).
I get ’em from Cigars International online shop. The prices are good & the shipping fast.

[Reply]

Martin Reply:

I will have to give them a try.

3 Jim at Conservatives on Fire { 08.05.12 at 6:46 am }

Love your choice of music. I would never have believed you could get so much music out of a cigar box. Amazing! thaks so much for the linh.

[Reply]

Martin Reply:

You are welcome, Jim. It’s pretty neat and seems like it would be fun to make one of these.

[Reply]

4 steve { 08.08.12 at 6:53 pm }

Thanks for the linkage. Cool instruments, I’ll have to add this to list-o-projects I want to try.

[Reply]

Martin Reply:

I had you in mind when I posted this one.

[Reply]

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