Hope you all had a great Memorial Day weekend. Memorial Day is a good time to reflect on our liberties. Liberties that so many have fought for and died for to protect and preserve them for the rest of us. Not since World War II has our great nation been so threatened; both from within and from without. Today we will touch on both of those themes.
What if…
Those two words have become the famous sword used by our favorite judge, Andrew Napolitano. The Judge always follows those two words with some polemic of our government running rough shod over our constitution and eroding away our inalienable rights. The not so subtile implication is that there is no “what if” about it. Our government is an out of control monster.
I came across a Memorial Day message from Judge Napolitano at Reason.Com. Here are a couple of excerpts:
What if Memorial Day reminds us of times when we had more freedom? What if freedom is dying right under our eyes? What if the memory of the past is more fulfilling than the reality of the present?
[…]
What if, on Memorial Day, we remember times that were more free than today? What if, on Memorial Day, when we think of those who died for our freedom, we end up recognizing that the freedom they died for is dying? What if it becomes fashionable for the government to ignore the Constitution? What if the Constitution dies because the government stops following it? What if, next Memorial Day, freedom is just a memory?
What do we do about it?
In between these excerpts you will find a powerful message about just a few of the ways our government is out of control. The Judge’s message is worth your time to read.
But, not all the threats to our great nation are coming from within our own government. Our economic vehicle and that of mamy Western countries are being driven by people who seem to be unaware of the dangers of hitting a kangaroo.
Too many Kangaroos
You are probably aware that in Australia there is a great affinity between moving vehicles and kangaroos. Back in March of 2009, Dale Franks, one of the collaborators at the great Questions and Observations blog, relates a story he heard told by some Australian comedians of their misadventures on a road trip from Perth to Kalgoorlie. They had not been on the road too long when they had a collision with an emu. Emus are very large flightless birds that are indigenous to Australia. Well, both the emu and the car died. So, one of the comedians called a friend in Perth to come to their rescue. In due time, the stranded comedians saw off on the horizon their friend’s car coming to their aid. At about the same time they noticed a large red kangaroo off to one side of the road and it was moving toward the road. They watched helplessly as the inevitable played out in front of them. Sure enough, the car and the kangaroo tried to occupy the same space at the same time. You can imagine that the result was not good. the comedians could see well ahead of time what was about to happen and there was nothing they could do. This story had an impact on Dale:
But, the story really encapsulated the way I’ve been feeling watching the economy over the last several months. You can see the elements coming together for some sort of horrible wreck, but there’s not really anything you can do to stop it.
I know exactly how Dale felt back in 2009. Much has happened since then. If anything, there are a lot more kangaroos out there. Here are just a few that come quickly to mind:
- Moody’s has just downgraded 16 banks in Spain. One of the larger ones is asking for the biggest bailout in European history. Spain is a kangaroo.
- France recently elected ultra leftist Hollande as their president and he plans on increasing taxes on the most wealthy French to 75%. The wealthy are currently moving their money out of France. France is a kangaroo.
- Everyone is worried about the impact of Greece leaving the Euro. They should, in my opinion, be more worried about Germany leaving the Euro. Germany has milked the Euro for all it is worth. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them return to their own currency, the Deutsch Mark, and leave Hollaande and the rest of the socialist to deal with the mess. Germany is a kangaroo.
- The Middle-East and North Africa, thanks to our State Department’s promotion of the Arab Spring, are in chaos. The entire region is more unstable than it has ever been. The Middle-East and North Africa are kangaroos.
- Iran continues to play the world for fools as they continue on their quest to be a nuclear weapons country. Iran is ruled by Islamist fanatics. Iran is a kangaroo.
- North Korea, with their psychotic regime, is hell-bent on proving that they are a nuclear power to be reckoned with. North Korea is a kangaroo.
- China, due to the perceived weakness of the US and Europe, will inevitably begin flexing its muscles in the South China Sea and other nearby regions. Also, although their economic growth rate is still impressive, their economy is slowing down. China is a kangaroo.
Undoubtedly, you could add to my list of kangaroos. Unfortunately, as Dale Franks pointed out, there is not much one can do about kangaroos. Kangaroos will do what kangaroos do. On the other hand, there is something that could be done about the laments of Judge Napolitano; providing that enough Americans have the will to do what is needed.
Well, that’s what I’m thinking. What are your thoughts?
Asylum Watch 
The biggest kangaroo of all… Election 2012. If Obama wins, we’re going to hit a rhino sized kangaroo.
No, no no, my friend. Obama is not a kangaroo because in theory, we do have the ability to stop him from being reelected. Kangaroos are something we can not control.
Just a couple of months to go. We will find out how fast the fall.
It’s hard to know what to fear most; our coming elections or all those kangaroos.
You’ve sized it up pretty well. Plenty of roadkill in our future…
Somethings are inevitable and somethings are not.
I think those who fought for freedom were more free than us, but then they were also made of stronger stuff that many of today’s westerners.
Sadly, I agree with you, MK.
….and the biggest Kangaroo of all is the most broke nation ever in the history of the world: The good old U.S. of A.
Oh well, I suppose we can just increase taxes on the evil rich and make them pay their fair share.
Yeah, taxing the rich has work so well in the past, right?
Kangaroos are one thing; skunks in elective office are another. Even if you can get rid of ’em, the stench lingers for a long time.
Heh! Tomato juice, Bob. We’ll have to flood the place with tomato juice. That’s what i use on my dogs when they tangle with a skunk.
A possible point to consider:
Given that the financial train wreck that is about to hit the globe is so apparent the majority of our children could see it (if we could pull them away from their video screens for a minute), we shouldn’t dismiss the reality that those who are supposedly in charge of things see it to. So what to make of it is the real question.
I, for one, do not accept the canned answers of incompetence and giving away money to stay in office. Those are too easy and they all rest of the acceptance of the story that our ‘leaders’ are stupid, bumbling fools. Some are, but not those who are really calling the shots.
So here’s what I would like people to consider. Given that the rich – I mean the TRULY ‘rich’ – ALWAYS make money in an economic collapse 9they have ‘friends in high places’ to make sure of this for them), is it not a strong possibility that this coming catastrophe has been engineered intentionally?
Sure, there are unforeseen factors in play, but – on the whole – it would seem that this mess has to have been permitted because the solutions are known and easily implemented (we have countless historic examples of how well cutting taxes, regulations and govt. spending work to stimulate economic growth and any number of nations).
So me being the type who is not satisfied with what he sees on the surface, I feel compelled to look beneath the waves and I see more to make me question the nonsensical explanations the media feed us than I do to make me doubt some intentional scheming.
Anyone else ever look at this and go ‘hmmm?’
Quite a few of us are saying “hmmm”, b3a. I even think they have a backup plan, war in the Middle-East. Either way the puppet masters win.
Oh, to be sure. War is historically the traditional means by which the power-mongers seek to extricate themselves from their follies. We have no reason to believe this time will be any different.
Excellent analogy, COF. Your post made me miss Freedom Watch with The Judge all over again. Russia is a Kangaroo, too.
Thank you, Freedom. I agree with both of your points.