What People Say?Different people with different perspectives

Freedom of speech and expression is one of our fundamental rights, of course with certain obligations and it should not in anyway affect or cross the boundary lines, in other words ‘Lakshmana Rekhas’. For instance leaking out sensitive information in return for any kinds benefits to an enemy country or for that matter any nation is a crime which warrants exemplary punishment and similarly many other sensitive areas need protection.

Freedom of speech and expression is one of the hallmarks of a democracy. Noam Chomsky, one of great intellectuals of our times is an American citizen and he is a sharp critic of the imperialist or expansionist policies of US leaders. Whoever they are, through his speeches, writings or interviews either in his own country or nations abroad never does he care about airing his opinions. Likewise, the courageous, articulate and fearless lady, writer and social activist Arundhati Roy is always free to air her views and without fear or favour, launches scathing attacks against the one-upmanship of US authorities publicly in the soil of USA itself. Though of foreign origin I mean, she is an Indian and that in no way is a hurdle to her to publicly express her opinions without nursing fears of incarceration by the American rulers. When it comes to terrorism or drug-trafficking US authorities won’t have any hesitation or even second thoughts in dealing with the culprits rather ruthlessly.

Like the greatest democracy, the largest democracy ie. India is not different on the matter of freedom of speech and expression.

Here I am coming to a stark truth, of late, our cherished democratic traditions, ethics, morals and other such values are getting eroded along with the polarisation of the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ creating a widening gap or put it simply chasm.

Yes, India was a poor country in the 1960s-  a poor one with a difference another stark truth, pathetic was our condition with poverty, famine and drought ruling the roost. But under the Prime Ministership of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Lal Bahadur Shastri we could proudly uphold our democratic values, morals and ethics intact. We came under the attacks of China in 1962, Pakistan in 1965, suffered heavy casualties, in both the wars fought in the 60’s added to our list of woes. Both Panditji and Lal Bahadur Shastri still had their strong grips on democratic values, corruption and crime affected us, true, but not of the magnitude that we face today across our nation. Those two eminent leaders were treated like our father figures, we loved and respected them and were quite proud of them, unlike the leaders of present times. Famine was there, poverty was there, drought intense, our infrastructure facilities in a shambles. Even then democracy flourished in India thanks to the ability and charisma of these two leaders and sacrifices they made for the freedom of our nation from the yoke of the colonial grip that Indians were languishing for centuries. They were imprisoned for prolonged periods for launching struggles against the British forces, even Indira Gandhi, daughter of Pandit Nehru was also a participant in the struggle.

Though she began her rule on a clean State, unfortunately, she was misled by a coterie and since she cherished loyalty, the sycophants had it easy to capitalize on her weakness ultimately forcing her to slap Internal Emergency albeit for a period of 19 years in 1975 and mincing no words let me point out here the genesis of value erosion in politics begun under her rule.

We were talking about the rules of Pandit Nehru and Lal Bahadur Shastri. The frightening image of our poverty, famine and drought got reflected in foreign nations as well, especially in the developed countries. And that image, mostly affected the Indians doing schooling and university education and those who undertook jobs in various fields and the citizens there looked down on those people with derision and sarcasm. Those stigmatized Indians looked jealously upon their brethren of Pakistan that very much injured our peoples’ psyche. One among them, whose name I don’t want to mention here passed out of the university there came back to India took up prestigious positions as an eminent media personality often harps on those days abroad the picture of an India looked down with disdain and hatred, meanwhile the Pakistanis who were in their heights of glory and fame respected, even adored by the citizens of that nation like Benazir Bhutto, Imran Khan to name a few.

With all respect to this media personality, I am forced to point out some facts and I don’t know whether my words would prove a better pill to him.

According to him the prosperity flaunted by many of the Pakistanis of that period was a flash or let me call it a ‘big bubble’ which was not bound to go so far.

The luxury, pomp and pageantry displayed by them were actually amassed through illegal means, hence it was not bound to last and therefore the big bubble burst and the Pakistanis left high and dry. Yes, as the gentleman points out it is substance that matters.

His statement is absolutely correct, no doubt and everyone would agree with him.

But when comes to the heart of the matter, I beg to differ. Contrary to what he pointed out just before concluding his piece, India is still a poverty stricken, drought affected and flood-affected - intermittently ofcourse - and almost 800 million live below poverty line. I don’t believe he is not aware of the fact that as per the World Human Development Index, India is ranked 134th below even Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and other such neighbouring countries. And on the matter of corruption as per Transparent International, India comes at the 84th place.

As political commentator Seema Mustafa recently pointed out our respected Prime Minister as per the Newsweek survey is one among the ten bold rulers in the world. And she minces no words in boldly writing that his prestigious image abroad is in no way a substitute for the poor image he holds in his home country. Seema Mustafa goes on pointing out that his ‘go-go capitalism’ has brought about the prosperity of a minority of Indians and the majority still undergo hardships and sufferings in various sectors across our nation.

The renowned media personality’s statement still holds truth. Yes, flash goes this far, it is substance that matters.

Sans substance looking abroad and witnessing the India loving gentlemen, their new found love holds not much water.

Similarly unlike he points out our democracy is more and more flourishing. Just the opposite is true. Erosion of democratic values, ethics and morals continues unabated. And if he feels doubtful please look across the nook and cranny of India.                      

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About the Author:
Please visit my website : www.reflectnews.com At the very outset,let me introduce myself to you. My name is K.R.Surendran,hailing from a village called Pulluvazhy near Perumbavoor.Five books in Malayalam are there to my credit now,and they are “Pooviriyumkunninte- Santhathikal”(Stories),Gloriyayude Dinarathrangal”(Stories), “Mumbai- Sketchukal”(Novelettes), and “Indiayude Bhoopadam” (Novel) and “Pulluvazhy”(novel). Please visit my website: www.reflectnews.comAt the very outset,let me introduce myself to you. My name is K.R.Surendran,hailing from a village called Pulluvazhy near Perumbavoor.Five books in Malayalam are there to my credit now,and they are “Pooviriyumkunninte- Santhathikal”(Stories),Gloriyayude Dinarathrangal”(Stories), “Mumbai- Sketchukal”(Novelettes), and “Indiayude Bhoopadam” (Novel) and “Pulluvazhy” (Novel).  An English novel penned by me -”Some Grassway Realitites With A Romantic Touch”- has been published recently.
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Being one of my highest priorities in life, one of the things I cherish the most, I use the Fourth of July/Independence Day and Election Day, here in the United States where I live, every year, to “formally” discuss freedom, where it *really* comes from, and how it’s maintained with my son, who’s now twelve years old, correcting the misinformation he’s taught in school and filling in the parts they leave out.

In light of recent events here, I’d like to share with you the gist of what I’ve taught my son on the subject, ever since he was old enough to understand…

Here it is:

Although there are those who’d like to have you believe otherwise, the “founding document” of the United States of America is the “Declaration of Independence”, written primarily by Thomas Jefferson in 1776.

In part it reads:

“When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them…”

Notice the use of “Laws of Nature” and “Nature’s God” here…

Interesting.

It continues:

“… a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed…”

Granted by their very birth…

“… by their Creator…”

God…

“… with certain unalienable…”

Though I can’t pronounce it…

That means impossible to take away…

“… Rights, that among these…”

But not limited to…

“… are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

And…

“That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, - That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

Now…

If you’ve ever wondered why there’s such an effort to take the teaching of the “Declaration of Independence” out of the public schools here in the United States (a number of school systems here already ban its teaching) or why there’s such an effort, not just here, but worldwide, to remove “God” from the picture, there you have it.

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, “freedom”, are birthrights from God, *NOT* privileges granted by government.

Governments are formed by “the people” solely for the purpose of protecting those rights and when they become destructive of that end “the people” have the *God-given* right to alter or abolish it and replace it with a new one.

Simply put (and in the “early days” this is exactly how I put it to my son)…

God outranks King (government)!

This scares the living daylights out of those who have the insidious desire for power over other people.

Now…

After “the people” of the United States won their independence from England, a constitution was written to form the new government that began with these words:

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

Therein, in three little words, “we the people”, is what makes the United States different (not “better than”, mind you, just different) than just about every other nation on earth.

We believe, or at least some of us do, that our rights inherently come from God and “we the people” formed a government to protect those rights. In other words, government is the “servant”, *NOT* the “master”.

I couldn’t possibly explain this difference any better than the late Ronald Reagan, former president of the United States, the man to whom I owe my understanding of this simple concept:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlgTwp93E48

So…

Whence comes freedom?

It comes from God and what God giveth, no man or woman can taketh away…

Regardless of where you live!

We the people.

—–

Reference…

“Declaration of Independence” Transcript: http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document

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About the Author:
Tony Mase is a serious student of the works of Wallace D. Wattles and the publisher of the “Constructive Science” Newsletter, the greatest goldmine of cutting edge information and practical advice on health, wealth, success, happiness, relationships, and a whole lot more ever crammed into one place… and it’s FREE! Subscribe NOW at:
http://www.constructivesciencenewsletter.com
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Nhoj Sknab was almost nodding off when Nodsnuh nudged him awake. As he rubbed his sleepy eyes, he saw Ttekceb coming out of the gate. His two bulldog soldiers who all this while were keeping their eyes on them quickly moved to the side of the main door. As they stood at an attention on their hind legs, with their lances by their right side, the main door opened slowly from the inside. First, a battalion of heavily armed bulldog soldiers marched out and formed an inverted u-shaped cordon. Behind this cordon came Droffats the fox riding on a black walnut wooden chariot pulled by a velvet clothed donkey. Tied by a chain to the left side of his chariot was a Billy goat, the otter trimmings of his clothing indicated that he was a noble but now treated like a slave petrified with fear.  Nhoj Sknab wondered, what was the purpose of Droffats dragging a chained Billy goat along with him? Droffats wore very light armour befitting a noble and a gentleman but surrounded on all sides by four running bulldog soldiers who looked like they just came out of hell. Their chest armours had sharpened three inch iron spikes which were one inch in thickness that is meant to pierce an enemy’s heart through a deliberate killer embrace in close contact fight. They were physically twice the size of Ttekceb’s bulldog soldiers, more crueller looking and were armed with a twenty-four inch meat cleavers.  On their backs they all had crossbows with a bundle of arrows strapped to the bottom of the stock. Their whole butchery appearance was meant to intimidate even the bravest soul. On a signal from Droffats, Ttekceb moved to where Nhoj Sknab and his friends were standing and requested that they hand over their rapiers. They did so without objections.

As Nhoj Sknab was handing his rapier to Ttekceb, he was mulling in his mind that Droffats the fox must have many enemies. As the chief counsellor to Queen Htebazile and head of the Privy Council with the title of secretary of state, he was the second most powerful person in Niatirb Taerg. Yet anywhere he goes, he is surrounded by soldiers who look like butchers from the slaughter house. Great powers seem to bring great loss in terms of personal freedom and privacy. But this loss was a necessary inconvenience especially when assassination attempts on the fox had happen more than once. Nhoj Sknab was wondering how this fox even makes love to his vixen with this kind of security arrangements. What fun would there be with so many eyes watching your every move. He wondered whether Droffats even knew what it was to have a romantic time.  Don’t think too much my friend, as you have much in store for you yet, Ttekceb said in a brotherly tone as he tapped him lightly on his shoulder waking him from his engrossment. Ttekceb instructed Nhoj Sknab and his friends to walk behind him surrounded by twelve soldiers who formed a protective ring around them. As they came earlier, the battalion of soldiers reversed their formation still keeping a cordon around Droffats as they marched into the arch doorway. Once inside the doorway, Droffats stopped the chariot and got down and signalled to Nhoj Sknab and his friends to join him.

Welcome to the outer defence grounds of Dorswinniatirb Palace, the official home of Queen Htebazile. Looking at Nhoj Sknab, he said, Ah! I see that you have questions in your mind, Droffats exclaimed as if he was a mind reader. We can talk about whatever you have in your mind later but for now I want to give your friends and you a tour of the palace grounds, so as you walk with me, just observe everything around you and give me your comments later. And also, please walk only where my soldiers and I walk, don’t stray. Accompanied by his four personal bodyguards, he took Nhoj Sknab and his friends on an eye opening tour.  As instructed, Nhoj Sknab started taking mental notes of everything. The first thing he noticed was that the six foot high wall of blackthorn shrubs was reinforced behind by a five foot 11 inches high stone wall that was six feet in thickness. There were sentinel posts at every twenty feet interval that was big enough to house twelve soldiers. In each sentinel post, there was a mini armory of weapons that included cross-bows, long bows, spears and rapiers. Tunnels beneath each post were wide and high enough for two soldiers to walk side by side interconnected all the posts, ensuring shelter from enemy arrows and providing safe logistics routes. The five foot eleven inches high stone walls and all its sentinel posts running all around the palace complex were camouflaged on the outside by the six foot high wall of blackthorn shrubs. What a deception to temporarily foil would-be-attackers whose ignorant presumption would be that the wall of Dorswinniatirb palace was merely made of blackthorn shrubs. Nhoj Sknab said to himself, a lesson in strategic deception to fool an enemy by displaying a false overt weakness.

Beginning from the inside of the arch doorway, right in the centre of the inner walls was a cobbled stone path that was wide enough for riding two donkey chariots side by side. The path led from the arch doorway to the edges of a thick green wood forest on the opposite end around quarter of a mile away whose green wood trees were so thick that they provided another natural wall. On each side of the cobbled stone path and between the parameter walls and the thick green wood forest, were dry brownish grass covered fields that emitted an oily smell with no plants, trees or animals of any kind. Nodsnuh who was just behind Nhoj Sknab whispered. Do you notice that none of the soldiers are walking on the fields? They seem to walk along the edges of the walls or on this path but not the fields. Droffats suddenly exclaimed, so, we have an observant stag here! Nodsnuh was astonished at the sharpness and alertness of the fox. Droffats turned his gaze on Nodsnuh. Nhoj Sknab introduced Nodsnuh as his assistant. Ah! You have a very smart and valuable assistant indeed. Let me demonstrate the answer to your question. He signaled to Ttekceb while pointing to the chained Billy goat. Ttekceb immediately unchained the Billy goat from the chariot and dragged him to Droffats. Gentlemen, this is Ygla our former minister of law. He feels that I have not been fair in my treatment of our citizens of Niatirb Taerg. Ygla dropped to his knees and pleaded with Droffats.  No sir, I do not think you are unfair. Indeed, you are the fairest and none can match your fairness. Droffats looked down at the wailing Billy goat and smiled. So, Ygla, now you think I am the fairest while in our ministers’ meeting you thought otherwise. No sir. I am sorry sir. That was a mistake sir. It will not happen again sir. Ygla was literally wailing and pleading with Droffats to spare his life. Seeing the petrified Ygla, the seven stags of Aidni Tsae suddenly realize the fate that awaits them if they ever cross the fox.

Droffats held his foot out to Ygla, come rise. Since you said I am the fairest and considering your past loyal service to Niatirb Taerg, I am going to give you an opportunity to save yourself. As Ygla rose, he kissed Droffats foot while thanking profusely. Nhoj Sknab thought, what a poor stupid bastard? He thinks he is being spared. He must be a fool indeed. Droffats seem almost to be a telepathic as at that moment he turned to smile at Nhoj Sknab. Droffats ordered Ttekceb to remove Ygla’s chains and give him a drink. Nhoj Sknab thought, Ygla, you fool, this is your last drink. Droffats patiently waited for Ygla to finish his drink. He then held Ygla by his left shoulder as a close friend would do. Ygla, this is what you must do to be spared. Just run across this dry field until you reach the green wood tree-line on the other side and I assure you on your nanny goat’s life, nobody will do anything to you. Can you do that to prove to me that you are obedient and will do what I say in the future. Ygla said, yes sir, immediately sir.

Ygla ran. He did not even reach twelve feet when the dry brownish grass beneath him gave way and he fell with an unearthly scream. Droffats mumbled, an obedient minister indeed. No one moved a muscle as they froze in total shock. Now gentlemen let me show you the answer that I promised you a while ago. As Droffats spoke, he moved to the edge of what now seems to be a very deep pit created by Ygla’s fall. As the seven stags looked down, what they saw caused Yelhgrub to vomit violently. Ygla was lying at the bottom of the pit impaled by two sharpened stakes through his neck and chest. The pit was almost thirty feet deep and the bottom was a bed of sharpened stakes. Droffats signalled to Ttekceb who threw a torch down the pit. A fireball shot out of the pit almost burning the faces of the stags that fell backwards trying to avoid the flames. As the stags were getting up, Nhoj Sknab understood the purpose of Droffats lessons to them. The fox was demonstrating his powers as well as his zero tolerance for dissent. It is now dawning on Nhoj Sknab that whatever happens among thieves, there is no stealing from or crossing the fox. The wider lesson in strategic war is that home defences must be deceptively deadly. It is no wonder that Droffats is trusted by Queen Htebazile who lets him run the land with a free hand and only answerable to her. The Privy Council, the Parliament and other national institutions are mere decorations of respectability. The real power in Niatirb Taerg was with the queen and Droffats.

Droffats said, I believe I have answered your question. If the enemies were to breach our walls, they will still die a fiery death with no foothold to stand on or for the matter to advance forward. Both fields on either side of this cobblestone path are made of many pits filled with stakes, poisonous vipers and oil. This cobblestone path would be laced with oil in the event of a possible breach. Any army advancing on this path will be presenting themselves as targets in sequence for our archers whose arrows will cloud out the sun on this path.  There is nothing but death waiting for our enemies if they can breach this outer defence walls. The idea is to decimate as many as possible before they can advance to the enchanted Liagiba forest. Now gentleman, I am hungry. We shall take a break for lunch before proceeding to Liagiba forest which you can see at the end of this cobblestone path. Come let us eat and I would like to hear your comments.

As Droffats led the stags to the sentinel post beside the main arch doorway where a lavish lunch spread was being set-up by a group of beautiful does. After lunch I have a little entertainment set-up for your pleasures. A beech wooden oval table with matching stools had been set-up in the sentinel post, big enough to accommodate Droffats and the seven stags. The table was laden with all kinds of fruits and vegetables for the stags while two specially roasted succulent kids were placed before Droffats. Two large drums of apple and grape wine were placed nearby. The mugs were filled by one of the beautiful does. While Droffats and each of the stags had a doe standing just behind to serve them. The stags became uncomfortable on seeing the roasted kids. They wondered the origin of the kids. While they were eating, they heard growls and the muffled and torturous bleats that sounded like a nanny goat in pain. Sensing their discomfort, Droffats whispered something to one of the attendant does. She quickly went out of the post and after a while the sound of bleating stopped. As they ate, the stags subconsciously knew that they wouldn’t be enjoying the forth-coming entertainment. Nhoj Sknab was losing his appetite seeing Droffats tearing and eating parts of the kids as if he was a lion. Now he wished he never made the business deal with Droffats. The other stags sensed the same thoughts but they all pretended to be happy with Droffats lunch treat.

After lunch was over, Droffats clapped his feet together, now for some entertainment as he led the stags out to the same pit where Ygla fell. The stags were traumatised by the sight of an unconscious nanny goat which was obviously the wife of Ygla. She was tied on a cross at the edge of the pit completely naked as her shredded otter trimmed clothes laid at the bottom of the cross. Her face was swollen. The bulldog soldiers who had been having fun with the Nanny goat stood around gaping at her like hungry wolves. Fresh blood was still dripping from her torn udders. There were bite and scratch marks all over her body. It is clear that she had been tortured and ravished. Nhoj Sknab suspicion was confirmed. The roasted kids that Droffats enjoyed for his lunch were her children.  Here was a fox that could become a lion to his enemies, killing everyone, even the children without mercy. Unlike the time when he introduced Ygla to the stags, he conveniently ignored introducing this brutalized victim. He knew that they knew. Droffats ordered the stags, gentlemen, please collect your crossbows. I want to see who among you the best shot is. The seven stags knew they couldn’t refuse. But even as nobles with slaves at their disposal, they had never participated in such savagery as they were experiencing now. Nhoj Sknab knew he had to put an end to the misery of the Nanny goat. So he volunteered to be the first to shoot. Bravo! Bravo! Droffats praised Nhoj Sknab as he took aim with his crossbow. Just as he was about to squeeze the trigger, he whispered, forgive me madam, and as he squeezed the trigger, he closed his eyes. Thud! And when Nhoj Sknab opened his eyes, the nanny goats head was lying lifeless to her side. The arrow had pieced her heart giving a merciful death in her unconsciousness. Nhoj Sknab had never killed a female before though he had a history of taking lives especially in duels. But this was murder. He made up his mind that he will kill the fox when the time is right. He thought that Droffats would be satisfied with seeing the nanny goat dead. He was wrong. Droffats was a blood thirsty sadistic and revengeful demon from hell. He forced each of the remaining six stags to shoot at the lifeless body until they ran out of arrows. Then, he ordered the bull dog soldiers to push the cross with the mutilated body into the pit. He then walked over, raised his clothes and pissed into the pit in a slow and deliberate manner.

If this was what Droffats could do to his law minister and his family, imagine what he would do to his real enemies. Foxes are renowned for their cunningness but this fox was a cunning demon, whose every action was calculated strategy meant to have optimum impact on its objects. Nhoj Sknab now knew how a slender and fragile fox like Droffats, could control all the brutes that surrounded him. Fear, intimidation, pain, torture, and death the perfect weapons, which most creatures understood without explanations. Nhoj Sknab also realized that Droffats not only taught practical lessons needed to defend a country from its enemies but also the use of power to keep order and manage even the most brutal of all creatures. But this required the power wielder to be the beast among beasts. Nhoj Sknab knew the lessons learned here is exactly what is needed in conquering and ruling faraway exotic lands. After today’s experience, Nhoj Sknab was prepared for whatever was in store for him and his friends in the enchanted Liagiba forest.

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About the Author:
Th. Dip (MTBI); Th. B (BTS); MSCP (summa cum laude);
Winner of Rector’s Award (AU)
Contact Email: nthesigan@hotmail.com
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Singer Bill Withers once sang: “Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone.” Great song and the inspiration, along with a recent Associated Press analysis, for this article, indicating that there is no sunshine and no solar power when the Federal government and the political class that operates it get involved.

According to an Associated Press report that was issued on September 1, 2010, the Federal government, through the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in the Interior Department, operates a first come, first served land leasing program that is supposed to foster the development of solar energy on Federal government lands. Under this program, companies could submit a plan and pay a fee to develop a solar energy production facility on the Federal land that they wanted to lease. They could control the solar development potential of that land forever even if they did not develop a solar energy capability on that land. Consider the history of the program, according to the AP article:

- In 2005, Congress gave the Interior Department a deadline of finding a way to generate 10,000 megawatts of electricity from renewable energy on public lands by 2015. 10,000 megawatts could power about five million U.S. homes during peak usage hours.

- However, Congress and the Interior Department never properly staffed the program, with the Bush Administration focusing the Interior Department on the development of oil and gas leases.

- As a result, according to the article, the small staff working this program have been overwhelmed by the administration of the program, resulting in companies getting the solar energy rights to Federal land but basically just squatting on the land and not generating any power.

- The staff has given out these land rights to numerous companies without ever discerning whether these companies had viable and workable plans to develop renewable energy on Federal land, with the result being that the most choice and prime sites have already been given out with no facilities being build to take advantage of these sites. According to an Interior Department official: “People were making solar applications on Federal lands not knowing what kind of technology to propose and how to develop the land.”

- While the companies holding the rights to the land cannot sell their stake to another company, if the company holding the rights is bought up by another company, those land rights follow to the new company, they do not revert back to government control. Thus, just having paper access to the government land for solar development created wealth in the private sector without benefiting the American taxpayer, when several of these companies holding the land rights were bought out.

- Goldman Sachs, the investment bank, has jumped into the giveaway and one of its subsidiaries has filed 52 of the 354 applications for the rights. Goldman is not stupid. They are not solar power developers, they are investment bankers. The recognize the value of these land stakes and for a minimum amount of money they can tie up valuable real estate assets until it suits them to do something with their claims. Goldman and its subsidiary have filed absolutely no plans for any solar facilities so far.

- Five years after Congress set up the program, there are no working facilities on any of the Federal lands designated for solar power sources. The Obama administration has identified 14 “fast track” projects that it wants to be approved by the end of the year. That is approved, not operational. Making any of these plans operational would take several more years at the earliest, according to the article.

What a disaster. Legitimate solar power developers cannot get access to government lands because start-up and/or incompetent companies and individuals, along with an investment bank, beat them to the Interior Department’s bureaucracy, a bureaucracy that handed out rights willynilly with a too small of a staff and too few resources available to properly screen out the best and worst applicants. As a result, the government has managed to gridlock the sun. Unbelievable.

Thus, it could easily be ten years from the time that Congress authorized the program in 2005 to the time we finally get any energy flowing. The incompetence is overwhelming. Wasted time, wasted government taxpayer money spent on administrating a failure of a program, and stranded natural resources sitting in prime solar energy territory.

And probably nobody, either in the Interior Department or those sitting on the Congressional committees responsible for implementing these plans, will face an consequences for this failure. They are all complicit in giving away government and taxpayer assets and getting nothing in return. It is a modern version of highway robbery. As with most every government programs, there are lots of people in charge, from the President (in this case, Bush) to Congress to Interior Department leaders but no one is responsible for this failure of a program. As a result, our dependency on fossil fuels and foreign energy sources continued to grow since 2005 with no progress made to change that trend.

Several steps are desperately needed to help ensure that this type of failure happens less frequently when it comes to government oversight and project management:

- Step 1 would significantly downsize the overall size of the Federal government over a five year period, resulting in fewer but more important projects being undertaken by the Federal government, projects that are hopefully managed better. This focus on fewer but more important programs would force down accountability to lower levels of government. This downsizing would make it clearer who was both in charge and responsible since the red tape and previous bureaucracy would be gone and the hiding places from responsibility would disappear. Failure in this new era of accountability would result in severe career consequences, much like it does in the private sector.

- Step 2 would institute a policy that would remove Congressional members from their committee posts if they and their committee did not fulfill the responsibilities of that committee. This would have resulted in politicians being replaced on the Interior Department committee or subcommittees that should have stayed on top of this solar project to ensure that taxpayer assets were not wasted and stranded and we actually got some solar power benefit form our public lands.

- Step 3 is the most important step. What is needed is the development of a sane, rationale and doable national energy strategy and policy based on fact and reality, not politicians’ focus on getting re-elected or satisfying those lobbyists who can get them re-elected. One reason why this solar project on Federal lands program failed is that it is a standalone tactic, it is not a tactic within an overall strategic plan. Develop the overall strategic plan and philosophy and then develop the tactical plan underneath the strategy, complete with deadlines and deliverables. Then you can manage the strategic plan and tactics together, identifying and remedying problems sooner since they pose a risk to attaining the overall strategic goal. It is not hard, companies in the private sector do it all the time to survive. Government rarely does it, usually resulting in failed laws and disappointing outcomes.

Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone, ain’t no sunshine being turned into cheap, domestic and clean energy when strategic planning is gone and replaced by political class incompetence. Grid locking the sun, who would have thought that possible?

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About the Author:
Walter “Burno” Korschek is the author of the book, “Love My Country, Loathe my Government - Fifty First Steps To Restoring Our Freedom and Destroying The American Poitical Class, which is available at www.loathemygovernment.com. Our daily dialog on freedom in America can be joined at www.loathemygovernment.blogspot.com.
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Mr. Jefferson, Tear Down This Wall

Political cartoon from 1800
Library of Congress I learned something very interesting one day while watching the Glenn Beck program on Fox News, two things that most likely just sent any Liberal reader heading for the exits. Knowing this, I couldn’t write this piece using Glenn Beck as a source, so I decided to research on my own; something for which Beck should be applauded more often. He is singly responsible for a great many people who of late have taken a keen interest in their nation’s founding, and history in general. 

The cartoon above was run during the Presidential campaign of 1800, and the kneeling man is Thomas Jefferson, who was being attacked as an infidel by the Federalists. It is titled The Providential Detection, author unknown. From The Library Company of Philadelphia:

In this cartoon, the eye of God has instigated the American eagle to snatch from Jefferson’s hand the “Constitution & Independence” of the United States before he can cast it on an “Altar to Gallic Despotism,” whose flames are being fed by the writings of Thomas Paine, Helvetius, Rousseau, and other freethinkers. The paper, “To Mazzei,” dropping from Jefferson’s right hand, was a 1796 letter that was interpreted by Jefferson’s enemies as an indictment of the character of George Washington.

We know how the election turned out, but the history of Jefferson’s relation to God has been misconstrued ever since, and to this day people still mistakenly insist that Jefferson was anti-religion and cite him as the architect of the alleged “wall of separation”.   

Liberals use this misnomer to rail against any religious symbol on public land, from Nativity scenes on Town Hall lawns to crosses erected in desolate deserts. So it was intriguing to learn that as recently as 1850, the Capitol Building was used as a church. Of particular distinction is the fact that Thomas Jefferson attended these masses every Sunday. Strangely, Liberals who complain about these symbols, or about the audacity of school prayers at something as innocuous as a football game, shout that the “Constitution has a wall of separation”, and those things are a violation of the Constitution. Clearly, they claim to stand in defense of that which they have not read. The phrase “a wall of separation between church and state” is not contained anywhere in the Constitution, nor was it the Founders’ intent to include it at any time. The phrase is part of a passing sentence in a letter from Jefferson to The Danbury Baptists in response to a congratulatory address by that association. The full text of the sentence:

Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature would “make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” thus building a wall of separation between Church and State.
Thomas Jefferson, The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, Albert E. Bergh, ed. (Washington, D. C.: The Thomas Jefferson Memorial Association of the United States, 1904), Vol. XVI, pp. 281-282.

For anyone who claims that Jefferson, or any of the other Founders, for that matter, were somehow anti-religion, or desirous of the segregation of faith and governance, keep in mind that all the presidents attended services in the Capitol building, and Thomas Jefferson was no exception, riding his horse the 1.6 miles, even in the pouring rain, to attend.

The video below explains even further how religious these Founders were, and why the hysteria about God and government being some sort of explosive mixture is nothing but foolishness from the Left.

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About the Author:
Daniel James Wood is the author of Boomer, a political thriller available on Amazon.com and a recreational writer commenting on the political landscape at Sanity Sentinel.
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