Speed Kills

     Since I started driving I've been teased for driving too slow. I never understood the need to drive faster than the posted speed, sadly my view is in the minority. At the start of the new year of 2014 the State of Illinois will raise the top speed limit to 70mph. The people wanted this and gave the bill large public support. This change however is not making it's way to the city of Chicago, not yet at least. It will be implemented first in areas where it is safer for high speeds. This apparently doesn't include the expressways and tollways in and around Chicago. Illinois Senator Jim Oberweis is not happy about this, he thinks Chicago should be included right away. He says the voters have spoken and this is what they want. He also says that it's more dangerous to not raise the speed limit because everyone is going 70 mph anyway. He says this will close the gap between drivers going 55mph and those going 70mph. OK now lets take a look at his logic. He wants to raise the speed limit to satisfy speeders? Ill agree with one thing he said, that everyone is already going 70mph, we can agree on that. However to say going faster will be safer is foolishness. In 2012 there were 956 fatalities on Illinois roads, will raising the speed limit decrease these numbers? The way I see it is if drivers are going 70mph when the speed limit is 55, why wouldn't they also drive 90mph when the speed limit is 70? That "gap" that he speaks of will always be there. This "gap" is due to the high amount of law breaking speeders weaving around anyone going slower than themselves. There will always be slow drivers and fast drivers, that's just the way it is. These days people are much more concerned with speed than safety. The human body is not designed to go 55 or 70mph. Most young drivers have never seen what happens to a human body in a high speed crash. When the media shows pictures of car accidents it is always after the scene has been cleaned up and hosed down. I say lower the speed limits, the people who want to speed are going to speed regardless of the posted speed limit.  Why are we in such a hurry anyway?- BDB

Sources -  (Google Images)
http://theexpiredmeter.com/2013/12/advocates-for-70-mph-speed-limits-hope-to-convince-tollway-to-increase-posted-speeds-at-december-board-meeting/

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-12-27/news/chi-state-releases-map-for-new-70-mph-speed-limit-20131227_1_speed-limit-70-mph-limit-70-mph

Lack of Knowledge

   Hosea  4:6 "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge".

    We live in a very complex world. America alone has over 300 million people, that's over 300 million opinions. If we want to change things we must start with the things that we can control. We can get involved right where we are by getting informed. Information is powerful, this is why the Nazis burned books, they wanted to prevent the population from getting informed from outside resources. Subjects such as jury rights, politics, history and human psychology are crucial to our development as informed people. We can't make our country a better place until we understand how things work. The best place to start is to learn and know your rights. America is a much different country in 2013 than it was in 1776. All of our God given rights are under attack by people who want to radically change this country. Our 1st Amendment specifically is under severe attack by misguided individuals. I say misguided because they are attacking the very liberties that make them free. It is quite an irony to watch it unfold. These poor misguided people don't even understand the U.S. Constitution that they are standing on and attacking at the same time. The 1st Amendment of the Bill of Rights secures 5 freedoms.

   "Freedom of speech" is often misunderstood. The Constitution protects us from government persecution but it does not protect us from private citizens or groups. You are free to say what you want but there still may be consequences.
   "Freedom of religion" is being twisted to read "freedom from religion", this is not what it means. Understand that it is completely legal for public school kids to hand out Christmas cards. It is also within the law for a courthouse to have a Christmas tree out front. "Freedom" means all religions are welcome on public property. A courthouse is paid for by taxpayers, therefore it is public property.
   "Freedom of the press" Anyone who is reporting news can be the press. You don't have to work for a big news channel to be a journalist. In this digital age everyone should become a citizen journalist and do there own stories. This is a way to ensure that our police and elected officials are accountable.
     "Freedom of peaceful assembly" This is a right that we take for granted as Americans. We have the right to strike, picket and/or protest as long as it's peaceful. Nowhere in the Constitution does it say that we need a permit anywhere at any time.
     "Right to petition" Again, we take this for granted because this is how its always been. We have complete freedom to write, email or fax any grievances or gripes you have with your city counsel, your state representatives or even your sheriff.
This is just a small part of our guaranteed rights in America. We should start with knowing these backward and forwards -BDB
(Google Images)

Plenty of Room

   I hear complaints all the time that there are too many people on the planet and the Earth can't possibly sustain us all, is this true?  Whether you believe the Earth is overpopulated or not is directly related to your world view. If you believe that God created man and the earth was designed for us, you also believe man is made in Gods image. If this is your view then you probably believe we should continue to fill the Earth as God instructed. If you have the opposite world view and you believe man evolved from fish, then you most likely believe the Earth has too many people. Another deciding factor is where you live. If you live in a large city in a small apartment chances are you feel crowded. If you live in the country and own 100 acres then chances are you don't feel crowded. The world's population is currently estimated at 7.2 billion people. What number would define "over populated"? I don't think there is an exact number. There are cities in the world that are "over populated", but this is because a large amount of people all want to be in the same area, it is not because there is a shortage of space. There is a large percentage of the world's population that enjoys living in highly populated areas. What about resources? Does the Earth contain enough natural resources to sustain such a large population? Absolutely, there is plenty of water, oxygen, oil and food for everyone. If we were to ever run out of one of these it would be because of human waste and irresponsibility. We waste as much food as we eat and we spill as much oil as we use. It would be completely our own fault to end up in that position. So is the Earth over populated? 7.2 billion is a big number, but the Earth's a big planet. If you take all 7.2 billion people and put everyone in one area, it would fit in the state of Texas. Yes the entire Earth's population can fit comfortably in the state of Texas, there is plenty of room after all. We just need to be better at managing our resources. With that said, lets make sure and take care of this planet. We should be reducing pollution, cleaning waste and recycling when ever possible because no matter what world view you subscribe to, we don't know how long we will be here.- BDB

Source - (Google Images)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_population

http://www.omg-facts.com/Interesting/The-Entire-World-Population-Could-Fit-In/55348

Federal Overstepping

      First I must state that I don't smoke pot and I don't think anyone else should either, it is very unhealthy. However I'm for freedom and I'm not sure it's up to the government to decide what is good for us or not. If "We the People" decide we want to legalize a plant, what's to stop us? Apparently the Federal Government because they  know what's best for us better than we do. There are several places in the United States now where the voters voted to de-criminalize marijuana, the problem is that the Federal Government says "not so fast". This is just another of many examples of the Federal Government trying to run our lives. The state of Colorado, Portland, Maine and three cities in Michigan (Ferndale, Jackson, and Lansing) all voted to legalize recreational marijuana. A few months back, the Department of Justice issued a memo that they would back off states where recreational use had been legalized and would only interfere if things crossed one of eight certain thresholds. It was celebrated as a victory by marijuana advocates.
Those eight enforcement priorities include:

• Preventing marijuana from possession by minors
• Preventing it’s spread to states where it is illegal
• Preventing drugged driving
• Preventing growing marijuana on public lands
• Preventing marijuana possession and use on federal grounds
• Preventing the funding of criminal enterprises
• Preventing violence and firearms in the trade
• Preventing legal pot from being a cover for illegal trafficking

It is certainly understandable that the government would want to make sure these businesses are legit and not involved with other criminal activities. The problem I have is that federal agencies are infamous for twisting any/every case to fit into one of their legal guidelines. It's interesting to me that the agencies with the most power are not elected, the D.E.A, F.B.I, and the A T.F. are all appointed and created with out voting at all, and ironically they are the ones enforcing the policies.- BDB

Source - (Google Images)
http://www.infowars.com/voters-support-marijuana-while-feds-continue-costly-raids/

A Losing Battle

     Did the war on drugs actually increase the amount of drugs on the street? It sure seems that way but how could this be? After researching this topic I am left with many questions. It has been ingrained in most of us from a young age that drugs are dangerous and harmful, so being harmful must be the reason they are illegal, right? If this is the case why are the two deadliest drugs completely legal? That's right, tobacco & alcohol kill more people than H.I.V, suicide, murder, and all other drugs combined. Tobacco alone kills 400,000 people annually. All drugs were legal at one time including opium and cocaine which were once sold at the local drug store, yet America did not have a national drug problem like we do now. Am I saying that we should legalize all drugs? Not exactly, but I am saying  maybe they shouldn't have been made illegal to begin with. Prohibition does not work, we should instead focus on addiction. I think by nature humans will always be attracted to the forbidden fruit. Maybe by criminalizing drugs we actually caused them to increase in popularity and demand. This might make sense on paper but I think the problem goes much deeper. What is going on in our society that is causing so many people to want to escape from reality? Personally I think it is a combination of many factors, including breakdown of the family and increased exposure to pressures via movies or Internet. Its not the governments job to monitor our lives. In fact when the government steps in and outlaws a drug it creates a black market, it does not get rid of the drug. Here are some interesting facts I came across in my research. The following studies make troubling correlations between certain classes of people and the criminalization of particular substances.

Human Rights Watch-

"Black youth are arrested for drug crimes at a rate that is ten times higher than white youth even though black teenagers are less likely to use drugs".

"African Americans are thirteen times more likely to go to jail for the same drug-offense as a white counterpart".

Historian Richard Miller

"Hemp was legal and consumed in a variety of forms until it became a way to reduce economic competition from Mexicans".

"When Chinese immigrants began to crowd out jobs for white people in California, opium consumption suddenly became a crime"

"Cocaine, notoriously, was consumed in polite society throughout the century, but was not the subject of police attention until blacks migrated North to escape the Jim Crowified South".

Sources - (Google Images)
 http://www.vanderbiltpoliticalreview.com/?p=1083

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prohibition_of_drugs

Tinfoil Hats

     The picture on the right is from the popular M. Night Shyamalan movie called Signs. This movie focuses on a family and their survival during an alien invasion of Earth. There is a scene when the family makes tinfoil hats because they believe this will protect them from mind control by the invading aliens. Wearing "tinfoil hats" has become almost an urban legend. It started out referring to people who were paranoid about aliens reading their minds. Over time it has morphed into a more general term used to describe anyone who  believes wild explanations to certain events, also known as "conspiracy theories". The term "tinfoil hats" goes hand in hand with the term "conspiracy theory". People will say "go put on your tinfoil hat" if you believe that crazy story. In my opinion people who regularly use these terms just don't take the time to investigate the facts for themselves or are truly ignorant of how evil this world really is. Using a derogatory term is just a way to stifle independent thought and alternative media sources. Any theory that doesn't agree with the "official story" is considered a "conspiracy theory". These phrases get thrown around way to much in my opinion. My experiences have shown me that many conspiracy theories are actually proven true, although this is never admitted by those on the other side, it is always dismissed or justified in some way. I believe these terms are also used to cover up fear. It's scary for some people to imagine large elaborate cover ups. For example, the assassination of President Kennedy is steeped in alternate theories to the single shooter explanation. It is scary to imagine powers within the government or close to the government actually killing the President of the United States. It is much easier and more peaceful to just believe that they captured the killer and the case is closed. Sometimes it's easier to go on believing a lie rather than face the truth. The reason the killing of J.F.K. has attracted so much attention is because of all inconsistencies in the surrounding events. I personally try to remain neutral on the J.F.K case until I study it more to make an opinion. We may never know the whole truth about that day, however you are free to believe any one of the dozens of theories. Next time you hear the term "conspiracy theory", this should be a signal to you that things don't add up and maybe the truth is still out there. - BDB

Sources - (Google Images)
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/jfk-assassination-top-ten-conspiracy-2811070

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signs_(film)

Created Equal

     People often get confused by the wording in the Declaration of Independence, it reads "all men are created equal". There is a difference between being equal and being created equal. America recognizes every man and woman being created equal, this means we are all created equally free and equally human. We all have same rights given to us from God. "Created equal" does not mean "created fair". We are all so different, things can't be fair. This is an unfair world and things will never be equal. For our time on this earth there will always be rich & poor, strong & weak, sweet & sour, this is our world and we must make the best of it. What an awful world this would be if we were all truly equal, there would be no variety. Personally I like that things are not always fair, people have different gifts making life more interesting. Some people are great public speakers and others are great artists. If everyone was a great artist there would be no such thing as a great artist. If everyone was a great public speaker there would be no such thing as a great public speaker. Everyone must find their own gifts and talents, we all have them. This is why America has flourished, every American citizen has the right to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". This is another phrase from the Declaration of Independence. Unfortunately "happiness" is not a right, but the "pursuit of happiness" is. The founding fathers understood  that life was not fair and there would always be unhappiness. However as long as you are an American it is your God given right to find what makes you happy and pursue it. Visit the link below if you are interested in reading the Declaration of Independence in its entirety- BDB

Source -  (Google Images)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Declaration_of_Independence

Invisible War

   Even if you don't believe in God, it is hard to deny that there are good forces and evil forces in the world. We seem to be in the middle of a battle for the soul of America, the battle is between good and evil. Right and wrong have been perverted into a blurred line. You are no longer allowed to say something is wrong, because you are then being intolerant. We live in a society that now says every one's beliefs and opinions are equal, no body is ever right or wrong about anything. Everything is right if it feels right. Since the beginning of time the forces of evil have tried to influence mankind to turn away from Gods ways. If we don't recognize this battle and expose it things will only get worse and more confused. America kills millions of unborn babies every year and it is justified as "women's rights", no one talks about the rights of the baby. I have no doubt that this practice is evil, however many people are beyond convincing, in their mind that is just an opinion. Millions of Americans cheat on their taxes or lie to get welfare. In the minds of these individuals they are doing nothing wrong. They think the government has too much money and they want their part.  It is wrong to steal no matter how good you think your excuse is. We elect representatives who lie just to get into office because they believe it is for our own good. They think lying is OK if it serves a greater good. To lie is to deceive, this is always wrong. This is a few examples of the many problems plaguing this country and the entire world. This is the invisible war between good and evil and we must bring it into the light.- BDB
(Google Images)

Government Waste

   Even though stopping wasteful spending in the U.S. Government will never balance the budget, it would be a great start! Part of the frustration amongst taxpayers is not knowing where all the money is going. Year after year we hear about politicians misusing funds. Misusing taxpayer's hard earned money by either outright stealing or illegally funneling it to self serving interest groups. The endless cases of fraud by our elected officials turn into feelings of hopelessness about the government in general. Another huge part of the distrust also comes when spending breakdowns are released. This is never mainstream news because it shows total incompetence of the government and it's employees with your money. When a government gets as big and complex as the U.S. Government it stops being accountable to the people. There are so many agencies, foundations, bureaus and services funded by the U.S. Government that frugal spending is part of the distant past. In my opinion the wasted money isn't the worst part, the worst part is that no one is ever held accountable for the waste. The first step is awareness, American voters and taxpayers need to see the numbers. Below is a small list of great finance decisions made by the government with your tax dollars.

Taxpayers spend $146 million a year so federal employees can fly 1st class, simply because they refuse to fly coach.

The Securities and Exchange Commission spent $3.9 million rearranging desks and offices at its Washington D.C. headquarters.

Health care fraud is estimated to cast taxpayers $60 billion annually

The Federal Government owns 50,000 vacant homes

More than $13 billion in Iraq aid has been classified as wasted or stolen. Another $7.8 billion cannot be accounted for.

Washington has spent $3 billion re-sanding beaches, even as this new sand washes back into the ocean.

The Defense Department wasted $100 million on unused flight tickets and never bothered to collect refunds even though the tickets were refundable.

Washington spends $60,000 per hour shooting Air Force One photo-ops in front of national landmarks

This is just a fraction of the madness that goes on with our tax dollars, visit the link below for more.
- BDB

Source - (Google Images)
http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2009/10/50-examples-of-government-waste

Poison Water

     Fluoride has been has been linked to lowering of IQs, brain cancer, bone cancer, kidney disease and other problems. Water fluoridation became an official policy of the United States in 1951 and by 1960 it was reaching 50 million people. It was originally meant to protect our teeth, but now that's even called into question. Study after study is now showing that fluoride is damaging to teeth and especially in infants. Personally I find it troubling that anything is added to our water. Every natural source of water has trace amounts of minerals and contaminants but these are mostly taken out by the purification process. So why do we add fluoride?  There simply is no legitimate reason to fluoridate water. Doing so forcibly medicates an entire population with a carcinogenic, chemical drug. There really is no effective way to avoid it entirely, and nobody really knows how much is ingested or absorbed on a daily basis because exposure is too widespread to calculate. But political pressure and bad science have continued to justify water fluoridation in most major cities, despite growing mountains of evidence showing its dangers. Everyone must become educated on this topic and we must fight back against this force feeding of chemicals by the government. If there is even a small chance that fluoride is harmful, we should quickly cease adding it to our water supply.- BDB

Source - (Google Images)

 http://www.naturalnews.com/030123_fluoride_babies.html#ixzz2o2NwAic2

Off the Grid

     With the increasingly tightening grasp of government  on energy, water, gas and food resources, more and more people are choosing to live off the grid. This means living without those  resources, and being completely self sufficient. This also sometimes includes homeschooling of children, with parents choosing to educate their own kids free of government propaganda. The American Government has a history of harassment and bullying of individuals choosing to live this way. Are we truly free in America if the government has to approve of how we are living? In my opinion the government should be encouraging people to grow their own food and use solar power, unfortunately this doesn't seem to be the case. Apparently the government wants to keep track of everyone and keep us on a short leash. This is not the government's job, in fact we are seeing absurd laws popping up all over the country. Some states even have laws banning the gathering of rain water, apparently the government owns the rain now and we have to get their permission to use it. Most recently a woman in Cape Coral, Florida was hit with an eviction notice from the state after they found out she was self sufficient. She collected rain water and had solar panels to supply electricity. She is now in a battle with the state in which seems like an open and closed case to me. So what is the problem? It sounds to me that the state can't have residents serving as good examples for the public because the public may realize it is possible to live without government. A Florida couple has grown their own food for seventeen years. They have a garden in the front yard of their Miami Shores home, this has never been a problem up until neighbors started complaining and attracted the attention of the state. The couple is currently in the middle of defending themselves in court. If we lose our ability to grow our own food we are in real trouble. Can we please just leave these people alone? Nobody is being hurt or affected, their only crime is being independent. The outcome of these two cases are going to set a precedence one way or another for the future. We should be outraged at cases like this. We can't just wait for us to happen to us, Americans are all in this together. We must recognize this for what it is... the opposite of liberty!

Sources - (Google Images)
http://www.infowars.com/florida-couple-forced-to-dig-up-17-year-old-organic-garden/

http://www.infowars.com/city-cites-international-code-in-effort-to-evict-off-grid-woman/

No Excuse

  We will never be able to stop corruption completely, however that doesn't mean we should put up with it. That is exactly what America has been doing, putting up with it. We trust our public officials and politicians with our money and our votes but corruption is so rampant that it's destroying this country one city at a time. American voters are either completely ignorant and inexcusably uninformed or they don't care, its just that simple. This madness has been highlighted in recent years with the rise of the Internet and social media. A picture perfect example of this sad state of our nation is the reelection of Jesse Jackson Jr. The son of the infamous Chicago politician served as Illinois rep. on the U.S House of Representatives from 1995- 2012. Jackson resigned from office in 2012 citing mental and physical health problems. Later that year he was reelected even though he was absent and did not even campaign for office. Sixteen days after being reelected he was indicted on many criminal charges including fraud and misusing campaign funds. Jackson was eventually sentenced to 30 months in federal prison. I have no doubt that he could be reelected again if he decided to stay in politics. This is just one minor example of either blind loyalty or stupidity among voters. There is absolutely no excuse for this-BDB

Source- (Google Images)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_Jackson,_Jr.

Standing Tall

     It is my opinion that flying the American flag at half staff should be far and few between. This should be done only with the death of an American President and returning local military men/women, if it was my decision these would be the only reasons. Lowering the flag has become almost trivial. The American flag should always stand tall and proud. I'm sick of the flag being lowered every time a nutcase kills a bunch of people or when a pop star dies. The American flag represents overcoming the odds and adversity. I know the majority of Americans want the flag lowered on Sept 11th, however I think it shows vulnerability when we should show strength. Most recently President Obama ordered all flags be flown at half staff for the death of Nelson Mandela, a foreign, communist leader. I'm not taking away from Mandela's accomplishments and leadership but we can honor someone in death without lowering our flag. Americans have never bowed to foreign leaders and we shouldn't start now. In 2012 New Jersey lowered the flag for Whitney Houston's death, and the following year for the death of James Gandolfini. In 2008 Buffalo NY lowered the flag for the death of journalist Tim Russert. I believe these are examples of abuse of power. They are knee jerk, emotional reactions and that is all. We are not to lower the American flag on emotion. I understand that we get emotional when a lunatic murders innocent school children, however we can't lower the flag for every tragedy. The American flag is sacred and lowering it should be sacred also. During the war of 1812 fort Mchenry was bombarded by the British Royal Navy and from this the National Anthem originated. America's National Anthem is based on a poem that was written after a long night of bombing, our flag was seen still waving in the morning.
I believe this set a precedence for all time. Just like the song says "and the flag was still there"!
Visit the link below to see proper flag etiquette and the rules of lowering the American flag.


Sources - (Google Images)
http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/flagetiq.html

Just Following Orders

 

 

    To demonstrate how destructive following orders can be I am using the extreme example of Nazi Germany because after all, they were just following orders. In the United States of America when someone becomes a police officer he/she must swear an oath to protect peoples rights and/or defend the U.S Constitution. What happens when that officer then receives an order that violates that oath? The officer then has to choose between keeping the oath or following orders. Police officers that keep there oath are becoming harder to find in America. When an officer swears an oath it has to come first over everything else including orders from superiors. With out this our country will crumble from within. During the Nuremberg trials the excuse of "just following orders" did not work. In this case it was not a constitution they were defying, instead it was human morals and dignity. In life there is always a higher cause or power we are to obey. God's law comes before man's law. The Nazis were guilty of murdering millions of innocent men, women and children in cold blood. This is a perfect example because the Nazis were guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity. These are crimes against the moral code that God has ingrained inside of every person and that all nations must abide by to stay civilized. We need men and women with guts who will refuse to obey immoral and/or illegal orders and will stand up for "We the People".

This is an example of a police oath from the Illinois State Police website-

"I solemnly vow upon my honor as a cadet and citizen, to adhere to the rules and regulations of the Illinois State Police and to adopt the agency's mission and goals into my every day life. I pledge to be honest in thought, word, and deed; to strive toward my highest learning effort and avail myself of every opportunity to learn to my highest capacity. I will do this by maintaining unimpeachable integrity of behavior to bring honor upon the Illinois State Police. I shall endeavor to give thoughtful, intelligent obedience to the commands of my superiors, to obey the Constitution and laws of my country and the State of Illinois in a way that will set my behavior for the remainder of my career with the Illinois State Police."

I highlighted an important portion of the above paragraph. Notice that is doesn't say to blindly follow orders but to give thoughtful, intelligent obedience. That means to think about what you are doing officers - BDB

Sources - (Google Images)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuremberg_Trials

http://www.isp.state.il.us/

Constitution Free

     The Department of Homeland Security or D.H.S was created by George W. Bush in the post Sept 11th frenzy to make us safer. The D.H.S is essentially a federal police department who does whatever they want. One example of this blatant disregard for the rule of law is what are called "Constitution Free Zones". It is still hard to believe but according to the D.H.S anywhere within 100 miles of the coast around the entire country is a "Constitution Free Zone". This imaginary border encompasses 197 million Americans and apparently I am one of those Americans. I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Like I've said many times, Americans will give up their freedoms if they think it will make them safer. Well America, you better wake up soon. The United States and its Constitution is literally being disassembled piece by piece. According to the D.H.S a "Constitution Free Zone" is an area of the United States in which the Constitution has no power. Huh? Yes you read that correctly and No it is not legal, we can disregard nonsense like this. However there may be consequences because the criminal element of our current government has chosen to ignore the law. These D.H.S officers have the power to throw us in jail over an illegal law. This is the dire trouble this country is in. Let me put it a different way, the United States has been taken over by a criminal Federal Police force made up of officers who are following illegal orders. These officers have sworn an oath to protect the constitution but they are to weak to keep it or they simply don't care. If the U.S. Government does not follow the U.S. Constitution then the government becomes a criminal entity. American citizens are being searched, detained and arrested illegally this should be enough to wake everyone up. - BDB

Sources - (Google Images)
http://www.storyleak.com/dhs-constitution-free-zones-us/

NFL Boycott

     I was raised as a Chicago Bears fan and I grew up watching the NFL, in fact football is the most popular sport in America. So why are millions of Americans boycotting the NFL? Let me just say that I am sick of writing about anti-gun stories. I chose this one because it is farther reaching than most. The mainstream media has an agenda that is spreading like an infection across the land. An agenda that says guns are bad and we don't need them. The latest story brings us to the Super bowl, a sports tradition that is uniquely American. Guess what else is uniquely American? The second Amendment, our God given right to bear arms. One would think these two American traditions would go together but the NFL doesn't think so. Apparently a gun advertisement is distasteful and offensive. A commercial showing a man kissing his wife and young baby is offensive, never mind that no gun was ever shown in the add. This year a rifle manufacturing company named Daniel Defense was denied a time slot because they sell and produce rifles. Americans are being told that defending yourself is offensive. Shouldn't this offend us? No body is going to tell me I cant protect my family. The commercial that was denied was simply about a man and his right to protect his family, however since this pro-family add was produced by a gun company it is offensive. If you ask me I'd say that crime is offensive not a lawful weapon, but that's just me. It is because of this anti-gun stance from the NFL that millions of people across the country are now boycotting the NFL and its products. I'm not saying that the NFL doesn't have the right to pick and choose the adds that they endorse, of course they do. I'm saying that society is moving in a scary direction. I've said this many times before and Ill say it again, lets focus on responsible gun ownership and safety. Demonizing the guns wont change crime. like the old saying goes "if guns kill people then forks make me fat".- BDB


Sources - (Google Images)
http://www.infowars.com/national-movement-to-boycott-nfl-launched/

Too Far Removed

    The invention of the bow & arrow changed warfare forever, no longer was close quarter combat the only option. Soldiers now had the ability to kill from a distance and this was an incredible advantage for military forces. As the decades past by mankind continued to build upon past technologies until an amazing discovery was made, that discovery was gunpowder. With gunpowder the distance between two enemies would grow tremendously. Gunpowder gave birth to cannons, grenades, bombs and firearms. Armies could now take out multiple men at once from a distance. The next big leap in warfare was the invention of flight. We could now fly above our enemy and drop bombs from high in the sky. We no longer even needed to see the enemy to kill him. In fact not only do you not need to see them but you only need a rough idea of their location. After this the big thing was the A-bomb. This was a bomb that caused far more damage than anything in the past. An A-bomb or nuclear bomb will kill hundreds of thousands of people in an instant. As technology grows the bar keeps getting raised. We are being removed farther and farther from the killing. The latest military toys are drone fighter planes, drones are remote controlled airplanes equipped with a gun and guided miles. Where as once we battled with swords and looked our enemy in the eyes, we now only push a button and kill many. A drone operator does not need to step foot on a battle field anymore. How much farther does this road go? Soon we will be able kill armed only with our minds, it's an eerie thought. This is something most people don't think about because the evolution of battle has been slow over thousands of years. We don't question it because it has been normalized on T.V. and in movies. There is no doubt that technology will continue to grow. What could we possibly need more than we already have? How about a button that blows up the whole Earth? It would be very economical because we only need one!-BDB (Google Images)

Truth of Terrorism

      The U.S. Government does not want us to question their motives or the facts. They are in charge and they will tell us when to worry and when we're safe. It doesn't matter that the public perception may be completely artificial. Facts and statistics will not get in the way of the government's goals. We are told everyday that we need to be kept safe from Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Is terrorism something the average citizen should worry about or is it just another way for the government to keep us in fear? I'm not going to say "don't trust the government", instead I will say "question everything". There is always a criminal element inside the government who runs on greed, power and control. It is this ruthless group who want to control the individual by taking our rights and rewriting the laws and regulations. This is easy for them to do when we are divided in fear. A majority of the American public will gladly hand over their liberties and their guns just to be safe from terrorists that may or may not exist. The media tells us that are neighbor could be a terrorist so we will stay scared and secluded. Guess what? Its working! Oh yeah.... in case you were wondering about terrorism, it turns out its not that big of a problem after all. Here are some statistics that the government wont tell you.

          – You are 17,600 times more likely to die from heart disease than from a terrorist attack

– You are 12,571 times more likely to die from cancer than from a terrorist attack
— You are 11,000 times more likely to die in an airplane accident than from a terrorist plot involving an airplane
— You are 1048 times more likely to die from a car accident than from a terrorist attack
–You are 404 times more likely to die in a fall than from a terrorist attack
— You are 87 times more likely to drown than die in a terrorist attack
– You are 13 times more likely to die in a railway accident than from a terrorist attack
–You are 12 times more likely to die from accidental suffocation in bed than from a terrorist attack
–You are 9 times more likely to choke to death on your own vomit than die in a terrorist attack
–You are 8 times more likely to be killed by a police officer than by a terrorist
–You are 8 times more likely to die from accidental electrocution than from a terrorist attack
– You are 6 times more likely to die from hot weather than from a terrorist attack- BDB

Source - (Google Images)
 http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/08/president-obama-the-odds-of-dying-in-a-terrorist-attack-are-a-lot-lower-than-they-are-of-dying-in-a-car-accident.html

Misplaced Passion

   Another Black Friday has come and gone. The infamous day in which department stores and one stop shops are in the profit margin for the year and give deals for the holiday shoppers. Every year this day seems to get more out of control than the year before, its human behavior at its finest. This year saw shootings, stabbings and assaults by overzealous shoppers. We live in a society where people will trample others for a piece of plastic made in China without a second thought. Greediness, and selfish materialism fuel the flames, "civilized society" is all a perception. American businesses brings in millions of dollars on this day counting on large crowds that never fail. People will camp outside stores for weeks in order to get a deal on a television and fights break out over who got there first. People buy just to buy and forget that it's not really a deal if you don't have the money to begin with. The behavior of people on Black Friday tells me one thing, it tells me that passion is not dead but definitely misplaced. If only we would attend church with this much passion. If only we would put this much interest in our government and becoming informed voters. America has turned into an entitlement paradise. It seems we are only interested in ourselves. What can I have? What can you do for me and my family? If only we would create jobs with this much passion maybe the our unemployment rate wouldn't be at a 16%. What can we do to get the public interested in community and education instead of a sale at Walmart? It is truly amazing how many people will get up early on a cold winter morning and wait outside for hours to save $20.00. Then there are the ones who aren't shopping at all but shop-lifting. Stores lose a ton of money every year to retail theft and pickpocketing, two problems facing stores with crowds often standing shoulder to shoulder for hours. What are our priorities as a country? I understand people get excited about Christmas and enjoy trading gifts but we can not let this overshadow the meaning of Christmas. Its a problem when we spend more time shopping than we do with our families. Lets remember that Jesus is the reason for the season.
-BDB (Google Images)