5000 Year Leap by Skousen-Drifting Away from the Constitution and the Founders Dreams

For those of you that have read my previous blogs related to Glenn Beck's Project 912, I've briefly mentioned the book The 5000 Year Leap by W. Cleon Skousen, which is a book Beck's recommended several times. I finally got the book and dove right in. One of the things that first struck me was in the introduction. The "student" mentions that Skousen passed away in 2006. This book, even in it's newest edition, was before the collapse of Wall Street, the days of bail-outs and pork, and prior to the historic election. I mention this because this book isn't about left wing or right wing agendas. It isn't bashing what's going on in the political scene today, because the author was gone before the walls came tumbling down. This isn't a book for Republicans or Democrats. It's a book for Americans. It goes over the 28 Principles the nation was founded on, with background information, direct quotes, and an unbiased modern-day description of what these principles mean, both yesterday and today.

In reading just the first chapter, I was struck by how dead-on the founder's predictions of the possible-future were. I say "possible" because, unlike some people, I don't believe the United States was doomed to fail. I don't believe that the principles the country were founded on could only hold for so long. I believe if we stuck closer to the Constitution and the origins of this nation, we'd be in a better place today. Again, this book was written before the major issues we've experienced in the past few months. Yet, here's something I found fitting for today: "..the Founders warned against a number of temptations which might lure subsequent generations to abandon their freedoms and their rights by subjecting themselves to strong federal administration operating on the collectivist Left. They warned against the 'welfare state' where the governent endeavors to take care of everyone from the cradle to the grave. Jefferson wrote: 'If we can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people, under the pretense of taking care of them, they must become happy'" (Skousen, 29)

Hmm...Sound like anything going on in our country now? How bout this: "They warned against confiscatory taxation and deficit spending. Jefferson said it was immoral for one generation to pass on the results of its extravagance in the form of debts to the next generation. He wrote: '...we shall all consider ourselves unauthorized to saddle posterity with our debts, and morally bound to pay them ourselves; and consequently within what may be deemed the period of a generation, or the life (expectancy) of the majority'" (Skousen, 29)

Too bad that's not the case now. Blame Bush, blame Clinton, blame Reagan, blame it back as far as you wanna go, it is what it is now. How do we keep it from affecting the next generation as Jefferson said? April 15th-here we come!!

Here's another interesting tidbit from Sam Adams, on the point of communism and socialism: "The Utopian schemes of leveling (re-distribution of the wealth) and a community of goods (central ownership of the means of production nand distribution) are as visionary and impractical as those which vest all property in the Crown. (these ideas) are arbitrary, despotic, and, in our government, unconstitutional." (Skousen, 30 from The Life and Public Services of Samuel Adams by William V. Wells)




Amazing,within just a few pages how these 3 quotes hit the nail on the head with what's going on in our country today, the latter with what many feel is brewing. It's like one scenario leads into the next situation facing our nation. We were in a bad spot, we wanted change, we voted (not me personally, of course!) for that change, took the consequences that went with it, are now in the most troublesome of economic situations, and shifting towards what many believe is a communist state. Founding Fathers or Pyschics? You be the judge.



It's scarier and scarier everday, as the government seems to get in bed with big business everytime you look around. And the "schemes of leveling"...is it just me or does it seem as though capitalism has taken a backseat to equal oppportunity? The Founders talk a great deal about people giving up their individual freedoms in times of woe, (like now) to turn to a leader that will lean toward this "common good" approach (like now) to help level the playing field. I'm all for everyone being happy, don't get me wrong, but I think every American has the right to the PURSUIT of happiness, not that it should just be a God given right. Speaking of God, in my next blog, we'll get into the Founder's view on religion in contrast to the current un-PC world we live in today....

i <3 Luke Wilson OR My (kind of) Critical Approach to "Old School"

One of my fav actors is Luke Wilson, 1/2 the duo of the Wilson Bros (wasn't there a Wilson sisters...oh wait, that was a band =) I remember watching Bottle Rockets in high school, when it first came out, after scouring the Family Video for a movie no one had ever heard of. Yes, I was that kid; a movie/music elitist-I wanted stuff no one had ever heard of, I was an anti-Dawson Creek pro-Clockwork Orange freak, and proud of it. I digress.
So I watch this movie and instantaneously fall in love with Luke Wilson. From there, my love blossomed. Enter early 20's (I'm not so anti-mainstream pro-indie as I once was, I realize it only matters what's GOOD, not what's arcane) and one of my favorite Luke movies: Old School. First of all, the movie's hilarious. Everytime I see it, I crave KFC and Will Ferrell. (does that make me sick?) I love how he plays the rejected bf of Juliette Lewis, b/c Juliette Lewis in and of herself is just strange to me-not someone I'd picture for the role, but perfect nonetheless. As the unwilling cohort to Vince Vaughn and Will Ferrell's characters, Wilson represents the typical post-breakup male. He rehashes the good ole' times with his buddies till he eventually slips into his pre-relationship days of party boy (of course, I'm only assuming this as a.) movie starts with him in a relationship and b.) it's a movie, I'll make up whatever prequel I want.) Back into the days of drinking and debauchery, as I was saying, with his boys-although he takes it one step further than most post-breakup-early-to-mid-thirtysomethings: he becomes the Godfather. The Godfather of a fraternity of mostly fake students. I don't think most of us, male or female, take it that far but hey-I'm only 26-who's to say in that situation at that time of my life I wouldn't do the same thing in a sorority setting. I like his role in this movie because he is seen as the most level headed of all the guys, drawn to this only because he is lost without her, and at a loss of residence as well.
On quite the opposite end of the spectrum, there's my other fav Luke Wilson movie, Family Stone. This is a comedy of sorts, but much more serious than Old School. To his more straight laced character in the moreover comedy, in Family Stone he plays the free-spirited fun loving brother. (hmm...sounds more like every role HIS brother's ever played) I think this is my other fav because the roles are such polar opposite. In this, slacker boy with no apparent agenda ends up with the girl, (he always gets the girl, right? Paging Dr. Grey!) but in this movie Sarah Jessica Parker, said girl, plays a role we are more used to seeing Luke play-a bit uptight-afraid to be or put herself out there (Or let her "freak flag fly") I love the range in the 2 characters. Luke Wilson may not be up there with your Brad Pitt's and your Tom Hanks for width in roles they can play, but I think these two movies give him a bit of flexibility to show what range he has, and let his freak flag fly. Can't wait to see Henry Poole!

My Bloody Valentine 3d

My step-mom isn't the conspiracy theorist in the household. However, she holds it's a conspiracy to get patrons to the movie-this new wave of 3D flicks. I'd disagree, but I am the epitome of sucker when it comes to 3D. I went to see Coraline, which, by nature is not a movie I'd get exciting about going to. The 3D effects were what roped me in. The last movie I'd be to before that was Twilight (duh!) and before that I can't even remember. Point being-I hate spending 20 bucks on 2 hours worth of entertainment. So yeah, the 3D does have that appeal that waiting for it to come out of video doesn't. I mean, unless you get one of those fancy 3D monitors, and then they'll be no reason to go to the theatre anymore. Unless of course it's for a Twilight movie.

About a month after Coraline, and about 5 or 6 months earlier than I'd normally go to the theatre again, I went to see My Bloody Valentine. I'm normally not a blood-guts-gore type of girl; my fav "horror" flick in Skeleton Key, and that probably falls closer to pyschological/thriller than horror. But, hey, it was 3D so I had to see what it was all about.

I love getting into the theatre, finding your seat amongst the other Buddy Holly look-alikes, and donning those ridiculous glasses, in case, just in case, a preview may be in 3D (note: Coraline-yes, previews in 3D. MBV-nada. Very disappointing.) When the movie started, there were a few simple, grab-your-attention 3D effects. And then it went down hill as far as effects go. There were may 2 other instances I can think of that they really played on the 3D, and other than that it fell short in that arena.

Aside from it's "WB hasbeens" cast, I did enjoy the eye candy provided thru the character of Tom Harringer, played by Jensen Ackles. Of course, he's included in the WB cast-from Supernatural to Smallville, and as far back as Dawson's Creek. I, not being a fan of anything on the WB or CW as it's now called apparently, had never seen him in anything before. Pleasantly surprised, I wish I could have said the same about the other Dawson Creek alum, Kerr Smith. Inside of a cop, I felt like he was an actor playing a cop. It seemed forced and awkward. Of course, again, not a fan of slasher movies,so maybe there are supposed to be like that? I hope so.

Bad acting aside, the movie was enjoyable. There were nice "light" scenes (IE the midget and her dog) plenty to look at on screen (Jensen sure can rock a pick-axe) and enough gore to last me till Quentin Tarantino's next flick. I haven't seen the original, so if anyone wants to add to this, feel free to comment.

What am I doing with Project 912?

So I got all pumped after the We Surround them broadcast, and thought, hmm...What can I do between now and 9/12 to feel like I'm actually DOING something? I'm going to see Ron Paul next Friday, going to a Tea Party protest in Chicago in April, and both I'm totally excited about, but wanted to reach out to others and see what the movers-and-shakers of the world are doing. There are so many people fed up with the way things are, it wasn't hard to find those movers and shakers, with great sites with loads of information. I decided to join in the fun.

My take on Project 912 is starting out as a sort of "book club" as on the We Surround Them broadcast, the key was stressed "research before action". The first book we are reading is 5000 Year Leap by W . Cleon Skousen I plan on posting on here as well as the page, so feel free to check back on either as time goes on. I hope to engage some discussion, ideas, and maybe even some resolutions!

We The People

I don't know if everyone got the opportunity to watch Glenn Beck's "We Surround Them" program or webcast on 3/13, but if not they are available on You Tube (that is a link to the first part)I recommend everyone watch this if possible. I am biased, yes, as Glenn Beck is my fav, but it goes deeper than that. I don't think many can say they are patriotic, and love this country, without getting misty eyed and motivated to do something for this country after watching.
I have ordered several of the books he's listed on his program, as well as started a new page for locals to gather (or anyone interested) to promote his 912 Project See previous link to find out more on the whole, and here for what I'm working on.

I'm starting out by reading-and lots-of the early founders stuff. Right now, I'm listening to Common Sense on I-Tunes, ordered 5,000 Year Leap by Miracle That Changed the World" W. Cleon Skousen as well as several bio's on our Founding Fathers. I hope to start a sort of dialogue on here, as well as on the Springfield Project 912

So please either friend me on the myspace page, add to your RSS feeds, or find me on Twitter And if you have your own off-shoot of Project 912 you are working on, or Tea Parties, or anything of interest, feel free to add a link here or the Myspace page.

Trifecta: Richard Alpert, Eloise Hawking, and Matthew Abbadon

First off: These three characters creep me out the most. And have we ever seen them in the same place at the same time? I think Mrs. Hawking is Ellie from the Island, Faraday's mother, (and I also believe that she fathered Daniel with Widmore) so Alpert and her were on the island in the 50's together-so yes there if she is the same Ellie, but Abbadon is pretty choosy about who he's on screen with, no?

Names have always been chalked full of meaning in Lost-and with these three here's how I break it down. Richard Alpert became Ram Dass, a very spiritual man-his books speak of dharmic ways of living-and he doesn't adhere to one particular religion, much like the recurring religious themes on the show (while they lean towards Christianity, they can still be viewed as religions as a "whole" so to speak. Read: Be Here Now by Ram Dass) So he's the "good" so to speak. Matthew Abbadon is just scary. I get chills when that guy comes on. Abbadon means Satan so there's your "evil". Now for Mrs. Hawking-Stephen Hawking-Science-We've pulled in the shows major shifts from Season1 to now-from the recurring religious inclinations to redemption to all things pyschics. Also, she seems to be the most matter of fact, telling Desmond "everyone must die" (Cept Alpert apparently!!!)And, speaking of Alpert and my theory of good vs evil...She tells Ben upon hearing that Hurley is in jail and may not be able to return to the island, "God help us all".....Ok so it's a stretch but could these 3 be the head of the the three major themes in Lost? Good vs Evil, Nature vs Science? And where does Jacob tie in? And I'm wondering too if Abbadon is the Smoke Monster in some form? And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key of the shaft of the bottomless pit; he opened the shaft of the bottomless pit and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft." (Revelation 9:1-2)
"Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth; they were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green growth or any tree, but only those of mankind who have not the seal of God upon their foreheads; they were allowed to torture them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torture was like the torture of a scorpion, when it stings a man. And in those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death will fly from them." (Revelation 9:3-6)

Matthew, however, means gift from God. Gift from God and hell? Absolutely would tie in with Eko's death.....Richard Alpert's real life counter part's name changed to Ram Dass as mentioned above-which means servant to God.

So Eloise has made a return, we are told that Abaddon will be making a return, and are expanding on Alpert's character this season. I think the ties that bind will be greater than expected

The Night I Almost Became a Werewolf

'k so I got a little obsessed with these books, you may have heard of them, called Twilight and, for any of you that have read the books, I'm sure you well know you can't much do anything other than read from first to last. When you aren't reading, you're thinking about reading. Or daydreaming about it. Remembering what it was like, the first time you fell in love, the first time you locked eyes, the first time you found out the smell of your blood was intoxicating to him....Well, er, maybe that last part isn't part of the first love experience (for most, I hope) but one of the addicting qualities is the story of first love. Timeless (Ok...technically her first love really IS timeless)Beyond that, I know there's a few of you out there, nudge, nudge, that wished they had a Vamp bf to call their own. And a few others preferred a furry creature.
I remember being so obsessed, at one point, that I went home after seeing the movie in the theater, and woke up in the middle of the night thrashing all about. I was dreaming that I was becoming a werewolf. k...Don't tell me you didn't have at least ONE of those dreams, right?
Anyway, eventually the book did end (sigh) as it does for all of us...Wrapped up with a neat little bow. But then comes the emptiness. PTS-or Post-Twilight-Syndrome, has been a growing concern for many, as Cullen fans look for something to fill that void left behind...Remember when Edward left, and the months that headed the chapters were blank chapters for, like, a minute? Yeah, that kind of pain. (Again, you Twilighters know what I'm sayin!)
So a good friend of mine (shout out to DJ!) snapped me out of the lonely days by introducing yet another series of Human-Vamp lovin'-
Sookie and Bill entered my life, and at first, it was rocky. Bill's no Edward, but Sookie's lighthearted southern voice kept me trucking along. And, before I knew it, I was back in the just-one-more-chapter-then-I-gotta-sleep froggy eyed stupor I had so missed those few weeks. And it got better-Eric came along. Then Quinn. And don't forget Sam. And then there's Bubba. But don't use his real name.

Sookie and Bella, though I've pitted them against eachother in the previous blog, are both dichotomies on the outside, but very similar on the inside. Sookie is the lower-middle-class Southern waitress-Belle who knows everyone in her small town (oh yeah, and she knew what I was going to write before I even got it typed up here!) whereas Bella's your typical cute-in-a-weird-way outsider forced to the inside new girl in town. While her economic status isn't quite as pronounced as Sookie's, she seems to be doing a bit better off, but again is just beginning to live with her dad when we are introduced. Both come off as very different, but if Bella had met Edward in her mid 20s, would the story have been similar (and of course, assuming Edward was in his mid to late 20s for this example) Edward, of course, could never be the jerk Bill was, but do you remember how mad you were about ten minutes into New Moon when Edward left? Alas, though the two worlds will never meet, I think Sookie and Bella would be BFF's.

Showdown: Sookie VS Bella

So a vampire walks into a bar....

Alright no joking, let's say two fictional world's crossed paths, and Bella entered into the world of Bon Temps. Or Sookie into the world of Forks. Or they met somewhere in the middle (home team advantage?) And Edward and Eric happen to be there too. We'll throw Bill into this for good measure. Which chick do you think the vamps would pick (Oh...yeah...we're talking pre-Vamp Bella, too!) Of course, Edward seemed to be the only vamp that attracted to Bella in Twilight, but, Emmett and Jasper were pretty much shacked up with Rosalie and Alice, respectively. Both Bella and Sookie seem to have an undeniable gravitational pull for creatures of another kinda (Sam, Alcide, Jacob included BESIDES the vampires...) and the mere wafting of Bella's blood in the air of the lab sends Edward into panic mode. James seemed pretty bent on finding Bella, too, of course for more sinister reasons. And Sookie's got fairy blood running through her veins, so we know the Vamps want to eat her up *no pun intended*

So a few vamps walk into a bar; Eric the strapping Viking sheriff, Bill, the first love, Edward, the end-all-be-all love and stumble upon two regs (well, almost regs) Sookie's serving up Type 0 behind the scenes while Bella nervously fidgets with her lips, who's it going to be?




Personally, I'd like to see Jacob and Quinn walk in, well, saunter in-fully changed-and take off into the sunset with their ladies respectively.

What do you guys think? Do we want to see a happy ending for all? A smack down dragout-hair pulling cat-fight? Or are we going to see the stakes come out? (Hey, but Edward could take 'em during the day, he sparkles ya know)

25 DVDS from US to you England (wonder if they included a John Cleese for good measure?)

Ok, did ya'll hear about this? Our president recieves a gift from England...A pen, made out of wood from the historic,HMS Resolute(hey, wasn't that in National Treasure II?) a symbol of our alliance over all these years. And We the People by way of our 50-day-and-off-and-running prez, give our allies.....A basket of DVDs. Wha? Yes, that's right. a basket of DVDs. That aren't compatible with DVD players in England. To make matters worse, the lady many have been comparing to Jackie O, gives the Mrs. a few Marine One models in a box. Sa-weet. (Meanwhile Jackie O spins in her grave) As I read Beck's article, linked above, I can't help the visual of Mrs BHO running around the White House scrambling for something to shove at Mrs. Brown Ya know the feeling, you forgot to get your friend something for Christmas, she's there, in your doorway, and you've got nothing. Panic mode sets in, sometimes you grab model helicopters, sometimes you don't. Hey, we've all been there.




Wait, Mrs. O has a severe distaste for England, or so some believe, so maybe it really is a snub. The sad part about all of this is that not only did the O's give them a box of DVDs that are, well, useless, and boxed models that are, well, useless, we gave another gift. We regifted. A bust of Winston Churchill went back to Big Ben when the copies of "Dude Where's My Car" and "Gigli" Nope. We don't want to put it in our museums or hold on to the keepsake. "Here ya go Mr. Brown. Thanks for that bust of one of you country's greatest figures you gave us back when terrorists attacked our nation on 9/11. Sorry, but it doesn't go with my framed copy of yours truly gracing Rolling Stone"
Ok kids, wake up. Yeah, rockstar-woohoo-change- There was a lot of hype with no meat behind his campaign geared towards the younger voters, and now we're left with a bunch of pork. I'm disappointed in my generation, I'm disappointed in the new foreign policy(blame it on being tired-and people said McCain was too old for this job! Give me a break.) And most of all, I'm disappointed for my grandfathers, many times back, who fought and died in the American Revolution, so we could have our freedoms, only to be the generation that watches it collapse upon itself. My closing hope on this subject: That the Wizard of Oz was included in this basket-The curtain comes back
3/13/09

Ramble Says to Sawyer: Please Don't Go!

Ok one of my many loves in life is LOST, ABC Wednesdays at 8:00pm CST. In honor of having tomorrow night absolutely open as we are on another (sigh) break from the show till 3/18 I'm going to go off on a tirade about last week's episode. Sawyer and Kate-didn't like it. I predicted their future being a constant, "No I'm way badder than you, nu-uh I'm the baddest fool around" and that could just get annoying. She can stick with Jack and he can constantly play Saviour to her bad girl whims, that's fine. That said, I am totally for the Sawyer-Juliet union. (and did she look preggo to anyone else?!?) From the looks of it, Sawyer has done a drastic turn around over the last 3 years, from the time the flashes stopped until the O6's return to the Island. Of course, I believe we started seeing subtle changes in Sawyer over Season 4, then a bit more pronounced throughout this season, but now, with Juliet, he seems a completely different person.

I do miss the old Sawyer, and his quirky nicknames, (Tokyo Rose, Freckles, Baby Huey, Vh1 Has Been to name a few) and fall victim as many of us girls do to the disease commonly known as BBS. While being afflicted with Bad Boy Syndrome has been a problem in the past, as I grow older I learn to appreciate a good guy when he comes along, and I think Sawyer is going through those stages of growing up. This is not my problem with good Sawyer. My problem is the fear that Sawyer's change could be his demise.

One of the most prominent themes in Lost is Redemption. With out-and-out obvious inclinations, like Sawyer himself singing Redemption Song by Bob Marley (Exodus Part II), to many of the characters finding redemption while on the Island, (see Lostpedia for a full listing) it's obvious the writer's are striking at something here. Unfortunately, many of the characters end up striking out when finding their redemption. As you can tell by the list, 7 of the 17 listed are dead, Claire's on the lam this season, and several of the surviving character's are still fulfilling their Redemption (or destiny, or both?) I feel like Sawyer has redeemed himself in several ways throughout the course of the show, but this season, when he sees Kate in the time traveling sequence, delivering Claire's baby, there is little doubt he has fallen absolutely and completely for her. I grew teary eyed while watching. But she doesn't come back, and he falls for Juliet so it appears. So it goes.

Sawyer's major redeeming quality is that he falls in love with Kate, and is hurt that she has left him. Summing Sawyer's past record with women up, this would make a perfect video to Jo Dee Messina's Foolhearted-Man
Kate has left him vulnerable, open, and alone; 2 of 3 Sawyer hasn't been since he took the name and stopped being James Ford. And 3 for 3 he has left the women in his past, as shown in flashbacks, including the mother of his daughter. After time on the Island without her, it appears that he's settled with his pain and, apparently, gotten over Kate. (To Horace Goodspeed, "I can't even remember what she looks like. So is 3 years enough time to get over somebody? Yes" I'm paraphrasing of course)

Does that mean we've seen the last of Sawyer? Is he going to go the way of Charlie and Eko? Please, Damon and Carlton, say it ain't so! Tell me I have waaay too much time on my hands and am freaking out for no reason. I did hear, via Entertainment Weekly, we will find out what he whispered in Kate's ear on the 3/18 episode. Please don't let it be "I got a DUI", because with the exception of Jin (and whew, wasn't that a close one!) that is one non-redeeming way to get yourself killed off the Island.

Testing..Is this Thing On?

The first blog at a new site is like the first day of Spring. You can't wait to get out in it, once your out in the midst you don't know what to do, you want to do it all and just can't seem to cram it all in before the sun goes down and you lose that feeling. Aw. Makes me think about love. And my TOP FIVE FAV Springtime/New Love Songs/Make Ya Go Awww
1.) Stars Go Blue-Ryan Adams
2.) Anyone Else but You-My fav is Michael Cera and Ellen Page on Juno soundtrack
3.) Tiny Dancer-Elton John (its my list I can put what I want on here)
4.) Dance Dance Dance-Steve Miller Band
5.) Something Like That- Tim McGraw

Well the sun sets on my spring day and work will come far too early I'm sure. Next time I'll pack a punch (or a 7-up) but it's night time for now =)