Park Bench: Let's Talk

Conversation is always appreciated on all subjects.  Usual rules about civility.  Your latest entries, like mine, will appear at the BOTTOM  of the comments.

36 comments:

  1. I was sitting on a park bench today, under the shade of a three-trunked sycamore tree. Really. Yes, that is where I came up with the name for this blog.

    I'm reading Patrick Buchanan's recent book, Churchill, Hitler, and the Unnecessary War. I'll probably post something about it soon.

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  2. I really liked your post today from Leonard Read.

    I think that building a mass movement for liberty is a contradictory thing. Liberty need not be a movement, but a way of life.

    Or should I say, a Way of Life? Dare I say, a Tao of Life?

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  3. I dare say that you will dare say!

    There was another good article at Lew Rockwell, teasingly titled Ron Paul and the Compromise of 2012, calling on social conservatives to change their attitudes, much as Leonard Read called on liberty-lovers to modify theirs. On Thursday, I believe.

    http://lewrockwell.com/orig2/c-white5.1.1.html

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  6. Robert,

    I think you'll like this Monsanto inspired zombie vegetable I illustrated. ;P

    I tweeted Monsanto and suggested it as a new mascot for them but they didn't like that too much. LOL

    http://www.floatingbanana.com/upload/Zombie_Vegetable.jpg

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  7. Vonster,

    Give me permission and I'll post it on one of these pages!

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  8. Mr. Heid,

    This is David Lowe...we met and talked quite a bit at the Future Congress conference. I sent you an email right after that conference, and didn't get a response. Maybe I sent it to an email address you are no longer using. Did you receive it?

    Thanks,
    David

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  9. I must have overlooked it. I just found it. Regarding the Founding Fathers, yes? I will reply. Thanks for reminding me, David.

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  10. umm,regards the Wendell Berry story. I couldn;t trace it, but I was reminded of a Western story I read a long time ago, about the need to punish original sin. I hold no pretense with being a Christian, esp as I am born into another faith. I have only this prob with a wide spread US group. We in the rest of the world DO NOT BELIEVE THAT EITHER THE YEWNAIGHTED STATES OF AMERIKHA NOR THE STATE OF ISRAEL ARE THE CHOSEN ONES. WE REFUSE TO BE THE RECIPIENTS OF YOUR SELF FLAGELLATION (MENTALLY FOR YOU, PHYSICALLY FOR US). We are all human beings and suffer equally from your gas guzzling SUVs as well as from those noble acts of wisdom and mercy on us lesser beings from those congenital cretins in your state dept

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  11. Dear Anonynous,

    Thanks for your thoughts. Your criticisms are probably well justified. I hope you get a chance to read some of Wendell Berry's essays as well as his fiction.

    I suspect that you will enjoy him and agree with much that he says. Keep commenting.

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  12. When ever I quested the attack of the drones I get the evil eye. You know the look it says "You're kidding right?" They fail to see how this whole big picture concept is at best troubling. I got so fed up I finally posted about the whole drone scenario on my blog and titled it "One Nation Under Drone." http://goo.gl/LWVL3

    It's actually brought out a few closet lurkers who agree with me. So far no one has carpet bombed me in the comments so I may make this a habit at least once of month. I vent my frustrations both textually and graphically and you can download a PDF of the print posted at my blog.

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  13. BTW Robert you can post anything of mine you want no questions asked. Thanks.

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  14. Thanks, Vonster. I'll take you up on that offer!

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  15. try this article

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/oct/04/unmanned-drones-us-robot-war

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  16. We'll see if Park Bench commenting is working okay again. Here is a try.

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  17. Sycamore Three takes me back to the days the email updates Robert and others would send out -- it was my source of news for quite some time.

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  18. http://www.npr.org/2008/03/28/89164759/a-victim-treats-his-mugger-right?ps=cprs

    Reading this story, I find myself contrasting Diaz's response with the likely response of a law enforcement enthusiast or a 2nd Amendment apologist.

    And which response is closer to the heart of Jesus?

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  19. As the Lord of All Worlds has said, "But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful."
    Thanks for the link, Justin. I just posted it, "OUT THERE"

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  20. More TSA BS.

    http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-terror-checkpoints-20111220,0,3213641.story

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  21. Also, here's a bunch of data regarding some of the Fed's lending.

    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-12-23/fed-s-once-secret-data-compiled-by-bloomberg-released-to-public.html

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  22. In this editorial (http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/29/ron-pauls-world/) James Kirchick denigrates Ron Paul as a unviable presidential candidate due to his being a "paranoid conspiracy theorist."

    What remains unclear is how or why his particular world view creates this assumed inviability.

    And equally ignored is how or why said world view might undermine his ability or resolve to faithfully adhere to the Oath of Office.

    In fact, in the media cacophany of facts, surveys, soundbytes, and "no-spin zones," the most important (and perhaps only necessary) questions continue to lay unasked, and therefore unanswered:

    Mister Republican Presidential Candidate, how do you intend to fulfill your Oath of Office?

    What does it mean to you when you swear in the presence of man and God to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States from all enemies, foreign or domestic"?

    Who are the Constitution's foreign enemies?

    Who are the Constitution's domestic enemies?

    What steps do you propose to ensure Constitutional security?

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  23. "A War Prayer for the 21st Century" on Lew Rockwell.

    http://www.lewrockwell.com/vance/vance275.html

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  24. Here's a short story by Mark Twain -- "The War Prayer."

    http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig/twain1.html

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  25. Yesterday, Sunday, I was sitting on a bench in my favorite park when a man rode by on his bike and we began talking. It turns out that we knew each other, although I didn't know it. (No, I'm not going to explain!)

    He has family roots in Iran, and mentioned a writer that he felt was worth reading: Darius Rejali. I am starting to follow up on this, and may do a post. Mr. Rejali has written two major books -- one on torture in Iran (1994), and one more recently (2007) titled Torture and Democracy.

    My point being...?

    Let's start understanding the total situation before we jump into one more stupid war. And if we think that the American media, or its puppet government, is going to help us understand, I think we might be slightly mistaken.

    Your thoughts and insights are welcome. Let us bring some facts and informed views to the table, on matters American-Iranian.

    I have posted a quote (and link) from Mr. Rejali on the Quote page.

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  26. I've been investigating the connection between Gadaffi's murder and his plan to establish a gold currency.

    It's led me in some interesting places -- all the way back to the Magna Carta and the City of London.

    There is some interesting reading available on the City of London website regarding The Lord High Mayor of The City and his influence over world banking, finance, and the like.

    Something is rotten in the state of Denmark, or thereabouts.

    Robert, you've been talking about the Money Cartel for quite some time. I'm beginning to see it for myself. Beginning.

    There's a lot of bullying (to put it lightly) initiated, it seems, by this Cartel against any who don't accept slavery to its banks (as enforced, often times, by occupying Western military forces).

    The first thing the "Libyan" "rebels" did was to establish a Rothschild-owned bank.

    So, when it comes to the carnage in Tripoli (one of our glorious Marines' favorite stomping grounds, according to their rah-rah jackboot anthem), I can't help but ask the legal question "Que bono?"

    Who benefits? Not the people of Libya.

    Not the people of the US.

    Not the people of any other African nation.

    Who, then? We should be seeing the answer by now.

    Fundamentally, I see the same principles, the same forces, the same interests at work in Iran.

    They'll get their war in Iran, all right. They will. And they'll get their money (ours and the Iranians').

    They will get it at by the additional and more dear expense of our blood, as well as that of our Iranian brothers and sisters (and perhaps some of our Israeli brothers and sisters as well).

    They will get it because they are Babylon. And the kings of the earth will continue their drunkenness (among other acts) with her until the end.

    I've questioned much of the Western status quo for a few years now. I think this is getting down to the human root of the Pestilence.

    It's horribly dark.

    There will war and rumors of wars and there will tribulations until the end because Babylon is in business.

    We need to be praying that the coming war between the US and Iran (instigated by Babylon) will be a rumor only.

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  27. I've been thinking recently about global warming;

    and the Lakota people;

    and more.

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  28. Robert,

    Thank you for all the great posts. It is helpful to come somewhere to get a better picture of the things that are going on. You and a few other friends keep me tuned in to whats going on. Sometimes I think I should just stop but this helps. Thanks for your spirit and hard work. SykeMore Three is brilliant. I highly recommend it.

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  29. Jonathan:

    I've got to say, Hobbert Ryde can out-think his nemesis!

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  30. Berry's poem "The Mad Farmer, Flying the Flag of Rough Branch, Secedes from the Union" should be considered alongside Dr. Robert Dobson's opus recently posted here.

    Here's a link to the poem:

    http://www.psifly.com/cr2/index.php?topic=23329.0

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  32. Just in case anyone was wondering follow me on twitter

    @JonathanAdams14

    or look up my blog

    jonathanadams07.blogspot.com/

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  33. So I was wondering if Soldiers only died for my right to vote and didn't die for my right to not vote. Just wondering.

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  34. Robert, I have seen that you have me on your list of Roots and branches. Lets just say that I take this as a challenge to update and add more to my blog. Its six years since High School and you somehow figure out a way to get me to do Homework.

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  35. Just enjoyed a Pearson's Peppermint Patty during my planning period, which stirred images of our days in Trig class over 10 years ago. Good memories.

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  36. Justin: I've created another blog which you might care to join. It's called

    CedarsEleven dot Wordpress dot com

    It's for friends to get together on the threads of their choice and hold discussions on any topics of interest. Please join and comment.

    And the same goes, probably for anyone who makes it here to this point in the comments. Just remember, this will be a blog for interesting/free/serious/humorous conversation and postings. Go long on good conversation, and go short on vindictiveness and general ugliness! See you there.

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