New ad

Liberty lost, can be found again

America has been departing from its principles for some time, a trend that has escalated of late: more than $16 trillion in debt, the devaluation of the dollar, wars declared outside of the constitution, government expansion into more areas of the economy and attempts to take over healthcare. Even further into an Orwellian sphere is the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), whereby the president may indefinitely detain American citizens without due process, and the TSA's attempts to go beyond the airports as they violate our rights as well.

To counter this disturbing trend, I offer new works embracing liberty, responsibility and the proper place of the State in the life of the individual.

A Social Carol is a modern-day twist on a literary classic. Angry with the system, young and idealistic Evan Sanders engages in a protest that turns violent--resulting in the death of his friend. Resolving to affect social justice on the corrupt capitalists, Sanders seeks the elimination of money to level the playing field for those less fortunate. Eventually arrested for his offenses, the young idealist is visited by the spirit of his deceased friend, warning him to change his collectivist course. To aid in that effort, the spirit advises Sanders that he will be visited by three spirits, sent to show him the inevitable conclusions of his misguided economic desires.

Get A Social Carol at 40% off with coupon code MC52A.

The Gospel of Reason shows a world whereby the State has been hopelessly intertwined with religion, expecting to be obeyed without question. All aspects of life are directed by the ruling class: economic behavior, individual preference, learning and inquiry, among other aspects of life. Arenos travels among the people, instructing them with the aid of more than 60 parables of a way to better fulfill their lives. These unique lessons span a range of issues, including: economics, personal responsibility, critical thinking, morality, emerging tyranny and the dangers of dogma.

Get The Gospel of Reason at 40% off with coupon code YZ85P.

In short-story form, The Justified Trilogy disputes many notions of moral relativism that have become prevalent in today's society. I refer to these short-stories as 'philosophy in action' as each deal with a threat to good people and how they respond when attacked:

Necessary Means: Former special forces soldier Daemon Justice witnesses the kidnapping of his wife Dominique and their young daughter Danielle. When ransom demands are received, Justice will do whatever it takes to get his family back safely, by any means necessary.

Opposing Force: Dominique and Danielle find themselves in the center of a convenience store robbery by a gang of thugs. Fearing for her and her daughter's safety, Dominique refuses to comply with the criminals' demands. The young mother is soon faced with a grim choice to either keep her family safe or risk the death of another hostage being used as a human shield.

Preemptive Strike: The entire Justice family is set upon in their home by an assault team from a foreign nation. The mercenaries are dismissed as rogue elements by prevaricating politicians; Daemon must take it upon himself to discover and eliminate the source of the aggression. As Daemon leaves the country to eliminate the threat, a second attempt is made on his family's lives. When Daemon returns to tend to his family, he finds his freedom at risk for the sake of political expedience by self-serving bureaucrats. He must defend himself from the State that failed to defend him.

Finally, separate from The Justice Trilogy, Warning is the story of a developer in the midst of creating a technology that will revolutionize the world. He is thrust in a fight for his very survival by one who claims his creation will be used to bring about humanity's destruction.

The Justified Trilogy & Warning are available separately, or as a collection at a discounted price from buying separately.

The Lion that Allowed Itself to be Devoured by a Rat

There is a fable that is increasingly relevant today: the mighty lion that was devoured by a rat.

The lion knew itself to be big and powerful, strong and mighty. It knew from its strength that it could trample, crush and devour its enemies. When a lowly rat came up to the lion, it was not frightened; the lion saw the rat of such little consequence and ignored it. The rat bit the lion, but with the lion's fur and mass, it was more amused than frightened or concerned. As the rat tried to nibble, the lion confident in its strength to always protect itself went to sleep.

However, as the lion slept, the rat continued to nibble; canyons are not created quickly, but by the slow wear of running water. The rat nibbled past the protective fur and began to burrow inside the lion. The lion awoke surprised its strength didn't protect it. Time was short for the rat burrowed quickly, but it was painful to try and reach in and get the rat. The lion tried to talk the rat out, but whatever words were used, the rat continued to burrow. Eventually the rat went past where even if the lion tried to reach in and pull the rat out it couldn't be reached.

The rat continued to burrow to the lion's heart, and killed the lion; it then ate the lion from the inside.

Collectively, the lion is America.

Overly confident in our strength, we have opened ourselves to threats and haven't done much of anything to protect ourselves. This is true on multiple levels, but most damaging in our interventionism, on being 'sensitive' and clamping down on our own expression, and in our politics. These are greatly intertwined.

The death knell of the lion is our participation (or lack thereof) in politics and by extension, elections. The Federal Election Commission statistics show election participation ranges from mid-30s (non-presidential election years) to up to around 60% (presidential election years).

The rat is the tyranny that emerges from inaction; this is the same regardless of the issue: crackdown on free speech as not to offend (someone or State), limiting the size of drink you can purchase, the drug war, extra-congressional declarations of war, and the like. From this, we end up with a presidential election between two front-runners getting the media coverage, but have little substantive differences and those are not highlighted.

With how many vote for one of the two front-runners because those are the only seen two choices available, and with how many do not vote at all, imagine the change that could happen if we are proactive and insist upon more than just the two candidates.

It is up to us to demand the media to stop assisting the rats from devouring us and to stop the politicians' own tyrannical actions and burdening debt for there will come a point where we cannot stop the burrowing and our hearts will be devoured and the lion will be dead - we are the lion.

On being 'sensitive'

As Lenny Bruce advised "Take away the right to say fuck and you take away the right to say fuck the government." We can replace the government with any authority figure who wants to control our speech, and therefore our thought; whether that authority is Islamic, Christian, the Politically Correct, or anything else; the what they are is not as important as what they are trying to do - control others - that is the important part.  Fuck those who want to control our words and thoughts.

Advice to Gary Johnson

If you're not invited to participate in the debates, crash them.  By that, I mean go where the debates are being held - make sure to have TV/news crews with you (they'd enjoy a jab at their competition) and if you're turned away, lambast how complicit the moderator/network of the debate is as part of the corrupted election process as you are another option in all States.  If the debate host gives in, you're in the debate; if the host doesn't let you in, it will be broadcast and gain attention from other outlets on the R/D debate protectionism, making Obama and Romney look weaker.

Just my thought.

Cult of (Presidential) Personality

What is the President of the United States supposed to be?

Is he (or she for when it happens) to be someone relatable?  Is he to be someone you can have a laugh, or beer with?  Is the President someone whom after you've met, leaves with the feeling of, as Joseph Campbell said "good fellow well met"? 

We are bombarded with images of a smiling face responding to numerous questions, nominees stating what their 'guilty pleasures' are, appearing on network shows to joke and be 'eye candy', and of course shaking hands and kissing babies.  With all of this, it seems the President should be the good fellow well met.

Is that what the President should be?

The President of the United States is first and foremost the head of the executive branch of the government; the rest of the triumvirate includes the judiciary with the court, and the legislative with the congress.  The President is not to be the one passing laws, or ruling on laws, but to be the chief enforcer of the laws.

This brings us to: what are the laws?  As we have 'progressed' through the decades, there are numerous laws - thousands of pages - and in those pages, laws contradict, overlap and make exceptions.  With that, we must look at the supreme law of the land, the Constitution.  For example, where laws have been passed that may otherwise restrict free speech, we have Cohen V. California: Cohen was arrested for 'disturbing the peace' by wearing a shirt stating 'Fuck the Draft'.  Just over a word, Supreme Court Justice Harlan wisely observed in the court's opinion "This case may seem at first blush too inconsequential to find its way into our books, but the issue it presents is of no small constitutional significance."

The Constitution was held as the supreme law of the land - that it should be held as - and Cohen's conviction was reversed.  There have been times of other violations and those violations come to the highest court to be ruled upon to check the constitutionality of those laws, policies and rulings.  Therefore, the President as the chief enforcer of the country has his first fealty toward the Constitution - it's in the oath of office when he is sworn in.

There is a difference between the power delegated to the President in the Constitution, and that which has become allowable in expanding precedent in actions taken by previous Presidents - and the Congress.  Congress passed the Patriot Act and NDAA, both of which violate Constitutional rights, but have not been heard by the Supreme Court (outside of one statute deemed 'anti-terrorism').  President Obama acted as jury and executioner with the killing of Anwar al-Awlaki and Abdulrahman al-Awlaki (Anwar's teenage son), both of whom were American citizens and had their rights violated. 

Constitutional rights of due process are not to protect the guilty, for if guilty and judged as such they will be punished as judged; constitutional rights are to protect everyone from being falsely convicted.  In a trial, we do not just let the prosecutor provide his evidence and not let the defense have their voice: why would we allow the power of judging to one who is pulling a trigger at the same time?

The President is in essence a magnified and glorified National Sheriff, charged with upholding the laws of the land, and acting as the legal representative of the country.  He is to be judicious and fair in following the laws passed, but most importantly upholding the base the laws come from, being the Constitution, and from that Natural Law. 

Does how much he can smile, or how many babies he can kiss have anything to do with how he will act in the role of President instead of appeaser to the masses to get elected?  Such superficialities may help get him elected, but they won't help him in the role of being President.  Do you want someone you can have a laugh or a beer with in the role, or should the President be more than that and be the chief enforcer of laws?-what is more valuable?

The carefully groomed and manicured front-runner nominees of Obama and Romney… how different are they?  Both want(ed) NDAA, the Patriot Act, auto bailouts, TARP, CISPA, healthcare mandates, the drug war, expanded military interventionism overseas, among various other shared interests.  What is the substantive difference between these two?  In the media, the difference is their personality: though both are rich, Romney is lambasted as out-of-touch and rich, while Obama is the likeable professor-type, but aloof.  However, they both make their rounds on television, their jokes, public contact eating where they can be seen to be 'one of us' and again, shaking hands and kissing babies.

According to the left/right media, Obama claims he'll help the poor more, while Romney will help 'the job creators' more; in either case, it's more of the government getting into the market - remember, both embraced the bailouts and other programs so they're not that different.  The media skips the similarities, focusing on how they each 'look' presidential.  Joseph Campbell advised it's a lessening of the role of the President to be the good fellow well met.

Their presidential look is a Potemkin village; in the role to uphold the highest law of the land, they both embrace policies and laws that violate the Constitution. 

It is up to us as citizens to elect someone that isn't just 'likeable', but is someone ready for the role; the role not to be a cheerleader, not to be someone's friend, but to be the chief enforcer of the supreme law of the United States.  This is true not just for the President, but also for those trying to get into Congress.  We must rise above the tricks and manipulations the politicians and their handlers try to use, and ensure the elected officials follow the Constitution.  If we do not follow the Constitution  and allow them to overlook it as well, then we'll have nothing to base our defense upon when we may be looked upon as the 'bad guy' and be scapegoated, having our property or even our lives taken - we will be Constitutionally insignificant, for the Constitution will be.

In Memoriam

RIP Steve Sabol.

Steve Sabol's lasting tribute to the Oakland raiders

More newly available

I have finished updating a collection of short-stories I had written a decade ago.  The stories include a single story Warning and The Justified Trilogy (Necessary Means, Opposing Force and Preemptive Strike).  All of these are available with free samples at https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/GregoryCoffin