Doing the right thing is not always the smart thing.

A 27 year old former soldier is facing five years in prison for turning in a weapon to police he found on his property. This story was reported by a local newspaper in Surrey, England.

This article is a prime example of the fascist nature of the modern state. Instead of lauding Mr. Clarke for turning in the weapon and ammunition, which easily could have been found and played with by children, the authorities arrested him on the spot. A quote by the prosecutor should send shivers up the spine of all supposedly free men and women of the U.K.-

"Prosecuting, Brian Stalk, explained to the jury that possession of a firearm was a "strict liability" charge – therefore Mr Clarke's allegedly honest intent was irrelevant.

Just by having the gun in his possession he was guilty of the charge, and has no defence in law against it, he added."

This from the same nation that produced the Magna Carta ? No defence in law ? What about defence in common sense ?

Even looking at the case from thousands of miles away, it is evident that the weapon (a sawn off shotgun) was probably dumped on his property by an individual who had either used the weapon in a crime or feared he was about to be caught with it. For the state, what would have been the better outcome ? Some 10 year old finds it and accidentally blows off his friends head while they were playing with it ?

Reports like this make me very happy that we freed ourselves from the British Empire. Unfortunately, I don't think we are very far behind in terms of bureaucratic incompetence, blind adherence to the law and complete indifference to rational thought.

Reflections on the G20

Time and space always make for better analysis so I thought it best to take a break after the recent G20 conference here in Pittsburgh. I have to admit that for me the whole thing was a bit of a letdown- both in terms of the protests impact on the global elites and the negative image earned by some of the protestors by their actions. If there was ever a stage set to educate the public about the evils of global fascism, this was certainly it. Unfortunately, that opportunity was squandered by the impact of younger "anarchists" (quotes intended) that seemed to go out of their way to reinforce their nihlist view of the world and lose any hope of support from the local populace.

Two observations stick out in my head. First, it was easier to get in and out of Pittsburgh during the G20 than on any other day except perhaps a holiday. While I fully expected roadblocks, protestors hurling molotov cocktails at barricades and burning tires, I was instead greeted by bored looking Pennsylvania guardsmen wearing what looked like size 4X body armor (seriously fellas, start doing some crunches.) The police and military presence was so overwhelming that it seemed to suck the spirit right out of the opposition. Second, I finally came to the conclusion that I have pondered for many years. Many "anarchists" that have shown up at these types of events are not anarchists in the traditional sense- rather, they are overprivileged little college aged brats intent on breaking things for the hell of it instead of trying to bring the masses to a positive message- namely, the spreading growth and power of the state at the expense of the little guy, the freedom of independent thought and action and the slavery of state dependence.

I'm all for opposing the uncontrolled growth and power of the federal government, the state government and even my local government. I oppose the global economic and political systems that have destroyed the rights of individuals all over this planet and exploited the many for the benefit of the few. Still, I can't figure out how breaking the windows of a local business moves the anarchist message forward. Instead, it galvanizes local resistance against the anarchist message. I warned anarchists for months about this.

I thought two protests were done well. Greenpeace hanging their banner on one of the city bridges won large scale media coverage much of which seemed to carry a message of grudging respect. Even the police interviewed about it had to admit it took balls to scale the bridge and hang a couple of hundred feet above the Ohio River. Many Pittsburghers saw the story on television and probably more than a few took the time to look a little more into the Greenpeace message. The Buddhist monk protests against Chinese oppression in Tibet and against the repression of monks in Myanmar were also extremely effective. The media showed the quiet strength, compassion and stoicism of Buddhism contrasted with the cold depravities of the state. I'm sure that many viewers were taken aback by the images of these protests- unarmed monks walking with serene and absolute focus contrasted against armed police and soldiers.

Pittsburgh is an especially provincial town with extremely tight family and ethnic ties- the absolute worst thing you could do was take actions that impacted the local populace. Sympathetic rioting from Pitt students certainly didn't help either. And what was the end result ? Local business guy cleaning up glass on television while his female employees explained how they hid behind the counter while they were under attack. Way to go guys, way to build public support. And how did this affect the G20 globalists ? It didn't. Perversely, it probably built support for the state and its promise of protection and tranquility (with the unspoken price of personal freedom and liberty.)And so, the struggle continues.

Sing Along for Labor Day

Billy Bragg's version of The Internationale.

Wind Turbines that even I might like.

In an earlier post, I stated my opposition to wind turbines on the grounds that they are detrimental to wildlife and mar the landscape of otherwise pristine areas. I felt that the trade off was simply not worth it, because the wind turbines cannot produce the amount of power that is generated by more traditional means (gas, coal, nuclear etc.) The harm of wind turbines, versus their damage to the environment, has put many environmentalists in an uneasy position because although the power is 100 % green, there is an ecological trade off that must be taken into account.

A recent development in Europe has given me some hope that a compromise that benefits everyone could be at hand. A joint Norwegian-German effort is testing a wind turbine at sea which is anchored to the sea-bed instead of being built in shallow water. The benefits to the power companies is that prevailing winds blow much harder and at a constant rate when the turbines are located far offshore (beyond the visual horizon.) The benefit to the environment is that more clean energy is produced, the turbines can be located outside of bird fly-ways and they cause no visual damage to the seashore since they could be positioned far out to sea. Although many hurdles exist before the turbines can be installed in large numbers, the technology looks promising.

To find out more about this project, click here.

Thanks for visiting !

I agonized over allowing ads to be placed on my site. After all, what self respecting Anarchist would promote Fascist Bully-Boys to ply their wares ? After looking at the site traffic, I was surprised and humbled. Beyond my faithful three followers there are a tremendous number of lurkers that visit my blog. To all of you, thank you for visiting my blog, your comments, your support and most importantly, your critique.

So, I decided to partner up with Google. Please tell your friends and family about my blog. Whether you love it, hate it or just can start the day without it, all proceeds from advertising will be donated to Rokpa International. This charity supports poor children in Tibet and Nepal and assists with everything from food and clothing to educational support. I researched charities for months before selecting Rokpa and am comfortable that they have the track record and strong finances to complete their objective.

Come on in and click away on those ads. Stick it to the man for the benefit of the little guy.

As a special incentive, I will match all site advertising revenues up to $ 500.00 for 2009.

When Compassion Hits Home

Tests of faith and belief are a funny thing. They can hit you when you least expect it. It's all well and good to prattle on about forgiving a Libyan bomber, can your beliefs stand the test when it involves you or your family ?

The Pittsburgh Tribune Review printed an article that hit very close to home for me today. The article is about a former mortgage broker named Richard Thomas who stole close to $ 1 million dollars from a local business known as Penntowne Mortgage Group. Mr. Thomas has successfully gained his 5th postponement in sentencing by the Federal courts.

I know the story well. I was the President and part owner of the company.

When I first read the article, I have to admit that I was enraged. How can somebody that has confessed to a crime continue to evade final justice ? How can the need for him to "counsel" his son regarding a possible football scholarship conceivably convince a judge to let him squirm out of sentencing once again ? What about my son and his needs ? What about my family ? What about the families of all those that lost their jobs because of this ? What about the families of all of our investors and partners that took the hit ? What about the members of the public that were preyed upon ?

What indeed.

Buddhist discipline aside, I was pissed. I ranted and raved in front of my wife. Maybe people are just animals and maybe the only thing we truly understand is theft, violence and total disregard for each other. Maybe we should just take from others, follow the law of the jungle and prey upon each other. Eat the weak, I got my mine, you go get yours. In fact, I'm going to take yours too. "I'm writing to the U.S. Attorney" I yelled. "That asshole needs to get the maximum."

My wife looked at me. She said "I can't believe you are saying stuff like this. You sound like me. The thing I always loved and hated about you was your sense of idealism."

Huh ?

Now there is something to meditate on. This crisis of the past 2 1/2 years has posed the greatest danger to me not in terms of lost money, endless creditors, lawsuits, sleepless nights and crushing stress. The greatest danger is that the situation could pull me down to the animal level of the individuals (yes, he had help) that committed this crime. If I was to allow it, this could destroy years of personal reflection and improvement. No, the ways of revenge and the gun are not the path to follow. To paraphrase the big guy, I will beat these swords into lotus blossoms, stay on the path and try to be a better person, husband, father, brother, son and friend. I'll take the higher path.

Tommorrow morning, right before sunrise I will meditate. I will meditate on sending forgiveness and loving kindness to Mr. Thomas and his family. I will wish him well on his journey. I will wish his family well. I will forgive him for what he did and hope that he will learn from his mistakes. I will let the past go and send loving kindness to him and his family, my friends and family and so on.

I'm not saying it's going to work ! But, at least I'll try. I've had meditative roadblocks on issues before. Sometimes it doesn't happen on the first shot, but these are the things that we must all work on.

Bayer to install G-20 sign for Pittsburgh summit

The Pittsburgh Post Gazette reported today that Bayer plans to install a G-20 welcome sign on Mount Washington for the upcoming summit. For those unfamiliar with Pittsburgh, Bayer already maintains a lighted sign on the top of Mount Washington. The sign is easily visible from downtown Pittsburgh and has been a fixture of the skyline for many years. The new, temporary, sign stating that "Pittsburgh Welcomes the World" will be affixed to the older permanent sign which if memory serves me was originally built by and for Alcoa.

I'm sure that every anarchist group coming to Pittsburgh just lit up with the glee at the prospect of either destroying or replacing the sign with their own art work. A substitute sign along the lines of "Pittsburgh Hates Fascist Assholes" might be better suited, or perhaps "Free to a good home- Pittsburgh Pirates" for those hoping to export our team to someplace else. My pick would be "Japan- Stop Killing Whales" but I may have to get by with just wearing a tee shirt to that effect.

On a more serious note perhaps Bayer's marketing mavens can create a sign that simply says "Sorry" preferably in Hebrew, Russian, Polish, Czech, French (and a dozen other languages depending on the font size) for Bayer's activities during World War 2 and its role in Nazi Germany- something the company has not apologized for. Sorry, but I have a real problem with this company welcoming the G20 stooges to my city on my behalf, especially one built on such a terrible past.

Dear Mr. Al Megrahi...Karma can be a real bitch.

On August 20th, the Scottish government decided to release Libyan intelligence agent Abdelbaset Al Megrahi from prison on compassionate grounds due to terminal prostate cancer. The release of Al Megrahi, charged with the greatest mass murder in British history, has ignited a firestorm of debate on both sides of the Atlantic regarding his role in the bombing of Pan Am flight 103. The fact that Al Megrahi was given a hero's welcome on return to Libya has further enraged the families of the 270 victims.

While driving home yesterday, I was listening to a local religious channel. Although I don't always agree with the tenets of the born again movement, the station usually has interesting phone in debates regarding religious issues. Yesterday, the debate was framed around how the release of Al Megrahi either reinforced, or was opposed to, the Christian concepts of forgiveness and compassion. More specifically, when we follow a religion that constantly speaks of these actions, how prepared are we to actually put them into action when faced with barbaric acts such as this ?

The callers were heavily slanted towards the Old Testament concepts of retribution and revenge and easily outnumbered the compassionate ones that argued that all men and women are deserving of compassion and the opportunity for salvation. There was some polite finger pointing from the compassionate camp which basically argued that if you call yourself a Christian, you need to express compassion regardless of the actions of the sinner for divine judgment was not the role of call in show participants. Although the arguments on both sides were interesting, I needed to remind myself that this wasn't some college dorm room bull session- at the root of the argument were 270 dead men, women and children who were obliterated by a deliberate, calculated and well planned murder. Turning the tables slightly, how do I view this as a Buddhist ?

I try to meditate on a daily basis. Before I meditate I try to think of a subject for that session of meditation and then focus on it as I begin. Today, I will meditate and send loving kindness and compassion to Mr. Al Megrahi in hopes that he will see the error in his ways and attempt to turn his heart from one of hate and death to one of compassion and love for his victims and their families. I honestly feel sorry for Mr. Al Megrahi because I believe the negative karma created by this crime will banish him to countless reincarnations on this planet in the lowest orders of existence. By extinguishing 270 humans, the highest goal for reincarnation, he has sentenced himself to countless lives of suffering and pain.

To the families of the victims I will send loving kindness and compassion in hope that they are gradually freed from the pain of their loss and consoled by the fact that their loved ones were reborn and now walk this earth once again. To the world I will send loving kindness and compassion that our stupid tribal conflicts will no longer escalate into the mass murder of others.

Paging Don Quixote

I took this picture during a recent trip to West Virginia. It shows a portion of a wind farm stretching along one of the many ridge lines that cross this beautiful and secluded area. The picture was taken on a foggy, rainy morning in which mother nature thankfully obscured the scar that these wind turbines, and many others like them, have caused upon the wilderness.

For my family and me, the outdoors represents an opportunity to spend time together in various pursuits including canoeing, hiking and mountain climbing. It is a welcome departure from the daily grind, especially useful in prying the kids away from the television and Playstation in order to get some fresh air and exercise. Unfortunately, I have personally noticed a proliferation of these wind turbines from the border between Maine and New Brunswick, throughout Pennsylvania and now in West Virginia. (For a review of the wind farms in Pennsylvania click here on the industry's working group website- note that issues such as visual pollution and impact on local species are not addressed.) Since they are placed on areas of higher elevation in order to catch the most favorable winds, they have permanently damaged the landscapes in otherwise pristine areas. The visual damage that these things cause is one thing, the environmental damage they cause to migrating birds and local bats is quite another. Is it worth the cost ?

The wind farm debate has put environmentalists in an uncomfortable position. On one hand, the clean power generated by wind turbines makes sense when compared against more pollution intense methods such as natural gas and coal. On the other hand, the wind turbines are killing tens of, if not hundreds of thousands, of migrating birds according to various estimates including everything from migrating songbirds to raptors that misjudge the speed at which the turbine blades are turning. On top of these casualties are bats which are already under pressure due to habitat destruction and disease. While environmentalists wring their hands and try to come up with solutions ranging from migration pattern studies and other ways to prevent the destruction of wildlife I would like to offer another solution- blow the damn things up and sell the scrap.

Wait a second, you ask, how can a committed lover of the outdoors such as yourself oppose such a green way of generating power ? An article in a recent issue of the Economist nicely dovetailed with my own recent thinking on this matter. The article addresses the coming energy crunch in the United Kingdom and its analysis of the contribution of wind farms should cause even the most ardent green to stop dead in his or her Birkenstocks. Wind farms cannot replace the bulk energy generated by coal, gas or nuclear and the U.K. may be the first nation to host an Olympics illuminated by candles. In order to replace the power generated by old fashioned means, the entire nation of Wales would have to be covered in wind turbines.

If wind farms kill wildlife, mar the landscape and produce relatively tiny amounts of power, why the rush to build them ? As usual, follow the money. Tax dollars are being thrown at the wind industry by Congress and the President's vision of a new green economy. Industrial corporations, such as General Electric, which produce the turbines are benefiting from these subsidies as well as the opportunity to market themselves to the public as being concerned about the environment in general. Local and state politicians, such as Pennsylvania's Governor Rendell can loudly proclaim that the wind farms will create jobs (up to 85,000 according to the industry web site I linked above.) Landowners who have the acreage to lease to the power companies also benefit from having some of these behemoths built on their property. Opposition is light and scattered because environmentalists are quick to label anyone against this method of power generation as anti-environment. For a politician to actually have the guts to oppose this industry would be to risk political suicide.

Pennsylvania is literally awash in natural gas. The ability of drilling companies to now reach the gas within the Marcellus shale of Western Pennsylvania makes the idea of building more wind turbines seem infantile and purely for the purposes of propaganda to benefit politicians and energy companies. Yes, burning gas creates pollution but new technologies are making the process cleaner. In addition, the construction of a gas burning (or even nuclear) plant reduces the physical footprint of the production source to a few square miles versus thousands. It is time for us to question the motives behind this industry and to hold them (and their lackeys in state and federal government) accountable for the environmental impact of their decisions. Will the wilderness we leave our children be pristine or pockmarked by thousands of these damned things ?

Note to self- never yawn in court.

A man attending his cousin's sentencing on drug charges was given a six month sentence for contempt because he yawned in court. The details are here. Yes, you are reading that correctly. The cousin got probation for drug charges. He got six months for yawning.

You can't even make this stuff up.

Vacation Reading

I vacation in a quiet spot with no television, phone or internet. That makes some good books a necessity especially if inclement weather precludes hiking. Here's some of the books that I'm taking with me. Some of them I've already read, but enjoy reading again from time to time.

"Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness- Walking the Buddha's Path" by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana.

"Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds" by Charles MacKay.

"Our Dumb World" by The Onion.

"The Education of a Speculator" by Victor Niederhoffer.

Vacation Time

Even Buddhist Anarchists need a break. I'm taking my first vacation in over 2 1/2 years and will return in a little over a week. Hopefully, I'll be rested, inspired and ready to go. In the meantime, feel free to poke around and read some of my older articles.

Old County jail coming out of retirement for G20.

Local media has reported that the old Allegheny County Jail in Pittsburgh may be used for holding arrested protestors at the G20 summit in September. The old jail, located right accross the street from the Allegheny County Courthouse, is an imposing structure and well known Pittsburgh landmark. I always thought it would have made a great redevelopment project as a downtown brew pub.

Anarchists, and Rumors of Anarchists

In advance of September's G-20 summit in Pittsburgh, the local media has already begun to build the pre-game hype. Recent television, and print, reports have both hinted darkly of the police training in the use of riot equipment and anarchists training for confrontation. One breathless reporter carried the story of a group of squatters, some of whom were from Europe, found living in an abandoned house in the Polish Hill neighborhood. Maybe they were actual anarchists, maybe they were confused kids from Warsaw that looked on the map and thought they found a friendly place to stay.

Pittsburgh is a small media market. I think that those that come to our city in September for the first time will be surprised at how small the city actually is both in terms of geography and quality of our local media. As competitors in a small market, the local media can be expected to increase the crescendo of hype to near Superbowl proportions by the time the summit kicks off. Whether it is police attacking anarchists, or anarchists attacking the police, it's all going to make for great ratings for them. Expect little, or no, analysis concerning the protestor's causes and lots of feedback from Uncle Stosh on the television callback lines- "Yinz are being too nice, beat all them anarchy people n'at."

As I stated in an earlier post, now is one of the few brief moments in history where the Anarchist message can gain widespread support from a public tired of government as it currently exists. The G20 can be a platform to spread this message to the populace and, for once, paint the governments of these nations as the enemy, not the anarchists, and not the rank and file police. Violence will only destroy this message. Violence on television will focus on a few anarchists breaking windows which will be the image repeated round the clock across the country. The message will be lost.

If you really want to screw the powers that be this September, join me and demonstrate peacefully. That will really piss them off.

Bastille Day

I think the French have gotten a bad rap through history. Labeled "cheese eating surrender monkeys" by The Simpsons and the punchline in a hundred bad jokes about war, we forget that the French have shown great feats of bravery and resilience. The actions of the anti-fascist maquis in World War 2, the immortal stand of the common foot soldier at Verdun and most of all the storming of the Bastille come to mind. In this day of multiplying "czars" being promoted in the United States government, it is nice to hum a few lines of the Marseillaise and sing along with the chorus of a national anthem all about spilling the blood of despotic monarchs-

Aux armes, citoyens,
To arms, citizens
Formez vos bataillons,
Form your battalions,
Marchons, marchons !
Let's march, let's march!
Qu'un sang impur
May a tainted blood
Abreuve nos sillons !
Drench our furrows!

Hell yeah.

RIP Michael Jackson

I have to admit I feel sorry for the guy. I was never a big Michael Jackson fan, my tastes run more towards grunge and alternative music, but I did enjoy hearing his music from time to time and wouldn't necessarily change the station if he was on the radio. I thought "Off the Wall" was his best album, but I didn't really pay him much attention throughout the rest of his career except for the occasional news story regarding his latest exploits in terms of pet monkeys, hyperbaric chambers and the alleged molestation of children.

The saturation media coverage has become annoying to say the least. The low point for me was when one earnest commentator said that Mr. Jackson was America's version of Lady Di- an unfair comparison, I thought, given that Mr. Jackson actually worked for a living. Another proclaimed "Thriller" to be the greatest album of all time. I could see that to some extent if the basis was sales, but there have been better albums from various bands throughout the years- Nirvana, "Who's Next," "Dark Side of the Moon".....we could debate this for days. The story of his death even managed to knock the situations in Iran and North Korea out of the news mix, and Governor Sanford of South Carolina must have seen his death as a stroke of good luck.

The fundamental thing that the media seems to be struggling with is that people die. No matter how rich, how poor, how weak, how powerful we are, we're all going to end up dead. I think this basic fact of life has been lost on our modern society. We think technology can conquer all. Unlike our ancestors, death seems like a remote thing that happens once in awhile, but something we really don't talk about. Our kids don't see it like they did in past generations- when is the last time your family laid a body out for a wake in the living room ? That remoteness has made it something alien, not to be talked about when in fact it is a natural part of our existence.

"Strive diligently, for all things must pass." These are the words of the Buddha on his deathbed. He knew he was about to die and he left this advice for his followers. They are good words for us as well. Live a good life, be diligent in whatever you do, be moral and upstanding in how you deal with other people, respect life and always try to do the right thing. I struggle to do these things everyday but it is that very struggle which makes us human. Just like Michael Jackson.

Welcome to the suck.

It's nearly 4.00 pm and I haven't done much for a Monday. I read the news, did a little work and went to the gym. Another day in depression land. I've suffered from this damned disease for the past two years and I'm frankly tired of it. The fatigue, the racing thoughts, the sleepless nights and bouts of anger. Depression sucks. It's not an affliction that people can relate to unless they have it. There are no outward symptoms, no scars or bandages to point to. It's a daily battle in my head and lately the bad guys have been winning.

In the two years that I've lived with this, I really haven't missed a day of work or spent one in bed, although I've certainly thought about it. Nope, no quitting here. Get your butt out of the rack and hit the floor running. Trying to work while your mind is racing in a hundred different directions is not much fun. Throw in a big dose of anger, sadness and a sprinkle of self-doubt and you have a recipe for disaster. Imagine the exhaustion of fighting your own mind on a daily basis. That's the joy of being depressed.

Some stuff helps. My doctor is a good guy, actually spends the time to listen to your problems before heading off to the next appointment. He put me on Cymbalta which helped to calm down a lot of those racing thoughts. It has helped to some extent, as does exercise and meditation. Still, I know that I'm not who I was once. Happy, optimistic, hard-charging always looking for a challenge. I'm a shadow of my former self. My wife is a saint, always there for me and willing to listen. It isn't fair to her either that I'm this way.

Depression makes you think crazy things. At the worst of it, when I still lived alone, I spent one night in my bedroom closet wrapped in my poncho liner- gripping my loaded AR-15. I was sure "they" were coming to get me. Looking back on it, I'm not quite sure who "they" were but I'm glad some innocent person didn't knock on my door that night. The only place I feel totally safe and at ease is in the woods behind our house. I spend a lot of time back there, clearing vines and brush, pruning some of the trees and planting wildflowers. I've counted 23 species of birds, lots of deer, squirrels, groundhogs and chipmunks. Sometimes I just sit on my favorite rock and listen to the sounds of the forest.

So, another shot at beating this so I can get on with my life. More exercise, more meditation and I'm going to ask the doc to refer me to a shrink. Gotta eat better too. Two years goes by quickly, too quickly. I can't waste another two.

More DUI Checkpoint Silliness

Today's Pittsburgh Post Gazette loudly confirmed my earlier post about the ineffectiveness of DUI checkpoints. Although the article's headline proclaimed "Task force nabs 10 during DUI checkpoint, patrols" the real story was, as usual, buried in the details. The article states that 968 vehicles passed through the checkpoint. Of that number, 17 were given field sobriety tests and 1 arrest was made.

Other charges were made for drug paraphernalia and underage drinking as well as assorted citations for vehicle code violations. I would like to take a moment to thank the Task force for making my point.

Let's run the numbers.

By my math, one arrest for sobriety violations out of 968 vehicles equals a success rate of 0.00103 %. Even the Pirates would be embarrassed by these kind of numbers. If we are a bit charitable and take into account that 10 drivers total were cited, we get a 0.0103 % "success" for a night's work of overtime, taxpayer expense, inconvenience to the public and invasion of their privacy. Keep in mind that the other 9 citations, were probably for such horrific crimes as not having current registrations, a busted headlight or other such transgressions against humanity.

Note how this number nicely corresponds with the 1 % success rate that most of these checkpoints produce as stated in my earlier post. Nice work fellas, you must be very proud of yourselves.

Happy Birthday America

I've struggled mightily over what to write regarding Independence Day, the "birthday" of the United States. Over the years, my view of it has changed from youthful jingoism, fireworks and cook-outs to a more jaundiced, reflective perspective tempered by my own experience and the actions of our government. Is this a day to celebrate or to mourn ? Participate in or ignore ? Like most things in life, I will attempt to take the middle path.

First, things to celebrate. The Declaration of Independence is one of the most radical documents ever written. We have become used to it over the years of school instruction and take it for granted without really recognizing how earth shattering it was. It symbolized a radical break with the past and the way in which governments had ruled to that point. In a world of despotic monarchies and "constitutional" monarchies, the Declaration was like a cannon shot. Not only did it spell out the individual rights of all men, it laid out a concise case against the King of England and the reasons that a break with his Empire was required.

The Declaration also presented a semi-anarchist view that government was created by the consent of the citizenry who retained the right to abolish it by revolution should it become abusive in its powers-

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. 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."

Even over 233 years later, those words seem to jump off the page and hit you right between the eyes. Unfortunately, the average citizen of this country is blisffully unaware of the power that they hold. Better to buy a new IPod or flatscreen television than recognize that our individual liberties are slowly bleeding away. Now contrast these words against what the United States has become centuries after they were written and we have reasons to mourn.

The signatories of the Declaration would be horrified by what the government of the United States has become. Deeply in debt, it has traded the economic future of our grandchildren for political gain and expedience. It has curtailed our rights as free men and women, monitoring our speech and travel, eroding our protections against unlawful search and seizure and right to arm ourselves as the ultimate insurance policy against despotism. It has imposed a system of confiscatory taxes at every turn in our lives- our income, what we buy, what we sell, our property and even our estates when we die, it seizes our property under the auspices of eminent domain, and enforces its rules with the barrel of a gun. It has grown completely beyond what our founders intended and has become a monster of regulatory agencies and entrenched bureaucracies.

No wonder so many 4th of July celebrations are focused on what America once was.

I'll celebrate the 4th of July with a small "c" this year, like marking the birthday of an old friend that isn't around anymore- and probably is never coming back.

Utah reverses prior alcohol law.

I've never been to Utah although it's on my list of places that I would like to visit. From what I heard over the years, its a beautiful place to see although it has some quirky laws that are a result of the dominance of the LDS (Mormon) Church in the state. The governor of Utah, Jon Huntsman, has successfully repealed a 40 year old law that required bar patrons to complete a complicated process of membership forms and fees in order to get a drink. Huntsman, himself a Mormon, seems to have been motivated by a desire to increase tourism to the state.

This is a small victory against a theocratic system of government, masquerading as a democracy, which has imposed its religious beliefs upon its citizens (the article reports that 80 % of state lawmakers are LDS members.) It seems incredible that such a law would exist into the 21st century, but the LDS dominance of the Utah government has resulted in laws crafted for the "good" of its members, not the freedom of its citizens.

One troubling aspect of the repeal of the law is that the identification of bar patrons who appear to be under 35 will now be electronically scanned and saved in state databases. Ostensibly, this is being done so that state authorities can examine the records later on to see if any laws have been broken. The purpose of the original law was to shield LDS members from the evil of alcohol. This new scanning of identification could be a simple way for the LDS dominated legislature, working through the LDS dominated state police, to keep an eye on younger LDS members that may dare to venture from the flock.