Individual Liberty — Individual Responsibility 

The shot heard round the world

When I was a kid, my family traveled to a lot of places. From the time I was three years old, until I finished first grade, we lived in Turkey. We came back to the U.S. and lived in Virginia for a while. While we were living there, we spent many a vacation traveling up and down the coast, seeing historic places, and naturally, my dad brought his camera.

He took pictures of historic markers and signs, a habit I've picked up as well. Looking through the images that I had transferred from slides, I ran across this one. To see what's carved on the marker, you'll have to view the full-sized image. I've transcribed it next to the image for your convenience.

By the rude bridge that arched the flood. Their flag to April's breeze unfurled. Here once the embattled farmers stood. And fired the shot heard round the world.

The American Revolution started at Lexington Green, Massachusetts on April 19, 1775. To those on the left that say that war never accomplished anything good, I must remind you that the American Revolution bought us our freedom.

Trackposted to Blog @ MoreWhat.com, The Random Yak, DeMediacratic Nation, Maggie's Notebook, Leaning Straight Up, Cao's Blog, The Amboy Times, The Bullwinkle Blog, MY Vast Right Wing Conspiracy, Jo's Cafe, Pursuing Holiness, Rightlinx, third world county, Right Celebrity, Allie Is Wired, Woman Honor Thyself, The Uncooperative Blogger, stikNstein... has no mercy, The World According to Carl, Pirate's Cove, Nuke's news and views, Blue Star Chronicles, The Right Nation, The Pink Flamingo, Gulf Coast Hurricane Tracker, Dumb Ox Daily News, The Yankee Sailor, and Gone Hollywood, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

1969

A few weeks ago when I was in Tennessee, I picked up a bunch of old photos and slides that my mom and dad took when I was really young. Earlier this week, I posted a few family photos that my Grandmother had. Tonight, I'm posting one or two from the slides that I took home to have transferred to digital format.

In 1969, men traveled to the moon and walked there. Parts of the mission were broadcast on television. For some reason, my dad decided to snap a few shots of the television screen. Here are two of them.

At first it seemed a bit odd to me that there would be slides with pictures of television programming on them until I looked at these. We didn't have a VCR in 1969.

I remember watching this stuff "live" on television. These photos bring back some of those memories.

Once upon a time America was blessed with greatness. To this day, we are still the only nation that has landed men on the moon. We did it in less than ten years from the time President Kennedy set us the challenge. That was an amazing time to be growing up.

Who needs Luke Skywalker when you've got men like Neal Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins?

Trackposted to Blog @ MoreWhat.com, 4 Time Dad?, The Random Yak, DeMediacratic Nation, Maggie's Notebook, Leaning Straight Up, Cao's Blog, The Amboy Times, The Bullwinkle Blog, MY Vast Right Wing Conspiracy, Jo's Cafe, Pursuing Holiness, Rightlinx, third world county, Right Celebrity, Allie Is Wired, Woman Honor Thyself, The Uncooperative Blogger, stikNstein... has no mercy, The World According to Carl, Pirate's Cove, The Right Nation, Nuke's news and views, Blue Star Chronicles, The Pink Flamingo, Gulf Coast Hurricane Tracker, Dumb Ox Daily News, The Yankee Sailor, and Gone Hollywood, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Attn: UNCLAIM PRIZE, FINAL NOTIFICATION

Don't you just love Internet scams? I'm gonna rush out today to claim this prize...

INTERNATIONAL EUROLOTTO
SPAIN CLAIM CENTER.
PLAZA ELIPITCAL,2, BJ 01
MADRID, SPAIN
REF: EC/533BSP/0877/07
ATTN: FINAL NOTIFICATION OF UNCLAIM PRIZE
With reference to the above, we the INTERNATIONAL EUROLOTTO  wish to inform you that your Email lottery prize of $740,000.00, claim notification is yet to be processed after our initial notice mailed to your address for claim application is still pending or yet to be claimed.
The draw was held on 17th May, 2007 , and the result was release on the 19th May, 2007 confirming your email ticket number 099-6373-14 and your batch number BT390877 as the winners of the second batch draw. All participating Emails were selected from internet emails providers from list of 25 countries around the world. The online draws fund was sponsored and operated by EcoEuroMillions.
This notification is now been considered as the final notice. And does not guarantee you the prize won except your application for making claims get to us within week before the next draw come out, All unclaimed winnings are recycle for the next cyber lottery game, so winners are always advice to contact agent before the next monthly draw to avoid losing your fund.
Since this is an email notification ,your fund is now been secured and insured in your name to avoid to double and doubtful claim.  However, we advice that you keep this award from public notice until your claims has been processed and the money remitted to your account or directly to you as this is part of our security protocol
Contact our claim agent for details and assistance in making your claim. Application should be made either by  email or fax containing proved information about your person, and photocopy of any identification document.  Attention should be (REF: EC/533BSP/0877/07, EUROLOTTO LATE CLAIM)
Firm: Infowealth Brokers & Associates
E-mail: infowealth2@infowealthassociates.hyperoffice.com
E-mail:ecoinformacion@hispavista.com
Tel/fax: 00 - 34-912-725-146
Contact Person: Karl M. Megless,
All authorization for payment can only be made upon submission and verification of your application
Darryl K. Horne
EUROLOTTO COORDINATO
Espana Claim Central Office

Now if only I can prove that I'm me. "Application should be made either by email or fax containing proved information about your person, and photocopy of any identification document." Based upon my email address, which although it's eponymous doesn't prove anything about me, they want me to provide identity documents to prove my identity.

Any identity documents I provide won't prove that I own that email address, will they? All they'll do is provide someone with a way to steal my identity and use my name, address and possibly bank account for illegal purposes.

What kind of idiots fall for this sort of thing? It's obviously an identity theft scam. The grammar is atrocious. No reputable lottery would produce such a poor piece of work.

I suppose only the greedy would fall for this, but that hardly excuses it.

Lord I hate SPAM and SPAMMERs.

Thursday 13 - #6

Thirteen Things about Socialism and Communism

1. Socialism is defined as

   Any of various theories or systems of social organization in which the means of producing and distributing goods is owned collectively or by a centralized government that often plans and controls the economy.

2. Socialism is alternately defined as

   The stage in Marxist-Leninist theory intermediate between capitalism and communism, in which collective ownership of the economy under the dictatorship of the proletariat has not yet been successfully achieved.

3. The theory of the Communists may be summed up in the single sentence: Abolition of private property. — Karl Marx The Communist Manifesto
4. Many of the methods by which the Communists and the Socialists intent to take power are being implemented today, with some of the worst being championed by the left.
   • Abolition of property in land and application of all rents of land to public purposes. (i.e. eminent domain property seizures)
   • A heavy progressive or graduated income tax. (i.e. no more "tax cuts for the rich")
   • Centralisation of the means of communication and transport in the hands of the State (i.e. mass transit in favor of private tranport, and "the fairness doctrine" for the airwaves)
5. Communism wants to do away with the way the larger segment of the population lives. "The middle-class owner of property…must, indeed, be swept out of the way, and made impossible." — Karl Marx The Communist Manifesto
6. One of the things required for Socialism or Communism to work is the "Equal liability of all to work". However, when you take away a person's ability to work for personal gain, you take away their incentive to work. The alternative is forced labor, enforced by the heavy hand of the state.
7. "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs." This is the basis upon which our progressive income tax is founded. It is also the basis upon which our social welfare programs are founded. Take from those that have worked to earn and give to those that cannot or will not using the heavy hand of the state.
8. Socialists prefer the equality of outcomes rather than the equality of opportunities. The problem with this is that this can only be the equality at the lowest common denominator. It prevents a rise in the overall social condition. Rather than building up society, it tears it down.
9. Communism seeks the destruction of the traditional family, assuming it is based upon capital and private gain. Throughout America today we can see the traditional family under attack.
10. Communism and socialism are amoral. Ultimately they do away with the ideas of religious liberty and freedom of consciousness, instead imposing a pure secularism.

    "Communism abolishes eternal truths, it abolishes all religion, and all morality" — Karl Marx The Communist Manifesto

    It might seem that this is taken out of context, since this is raised as an objection to communism to be answered, but the objection is never denied, and in fact is trumpeted as inevitable.
11. Class warfare and class envy are a constant tactic of socialism and communism. The idea is to continually emphasize the gap between the "rich and the poor", to increase the ire and the envy of the so-called "poor" to get them to rise up against their "oppressors". Never mind that the "poor" in today's societies are doing far better than the average person in past societies.
12. One argument in the immigration reform debate that I haven't seen is that it's a slow road to socialism. Legalizing 12 million illegal immigrants and giving them access to our social welfare programs will place a tremendous burden on those programs. The progressive taxes required to support them will have to be increased to avoid bankrupting them. The dependence upon those programs will be significantly larger, and their inevitable collapse could precipitate the chaos that would lead to revolution.
13. Socialists and Communists believe that a "pure democracy" will help them to achieve their ends. They declare that "Socialism is democracy". A socialist or communist revolution is a mob revolution. Only after the revolution succeeds does it turn out that the weaknesses of humanity pervert the communist ideal. After all, for communism to work, people must all work toward the common goal, and some will not. Because of this a ruling party must exist, to bring the heavy hand of the state to bear. Ultimately, both socialism and communism devolve into a dictatorship run by the party leaders. The goal of communism is the taking of power by the proletariat or wage-laborer, but in the end the result is the slavery of the masses.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens! (My trackback filter won't let you trackback unless you link to this post, so you can leave a comment I will add you as I get time today.):

1. Kristen
2. Gabrielle
3. JennieBoo
4. Your name here...

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