On the way home from taking my son to college, my wife asked if we could have lunch with her cousin. I readily agreed and about 90 minutes after leaving the college, we were sitting down enjoying lunch with Ralph.

It was an enjoyable meal and the conversation was light and cheery.

At the end of the meal, I said I was continuing home as the dog was riding with me. My wife decided to visit Amish country and since we had driven two cars to college (it’s amazin’ how much of home kids take to college with them these daze).

Late in the evening, my wife arrived at home. She told me of the curious sight she had seen that afternoon.

Few Amish were riding in buggies pulled by horses. Instead, they were riding electric bicycles. In fact, she drove by one meeting house in the Amish community and only observed 1-2 horses with buggies. However, there seemed to be about 100 bicycles there.

After speaking with a shopkeeper, who confirmed these people were Amish, she found out the Amish have embraced solar power extensively and use solar and batteries to provide light and electricity in their homes.

It seems the line from the Ballad of Gilligan’s Island is evolving  – at least in the Amish community.

No phone, no lights, no motor car,
Not a single luxury,
Like Robinson Crusoe,
It’s primitive as can be.

Well, in the future, in Holmes County (Amish Country), it may be:

No horse,
No buggie yet motorized cars,
obvious luxuries
Unlike Robinson Crusoe,

Yet, with this evolution in the Amish lifestyle, there’s something that seems more powerful than e-bicycles or buggies.

That’s freedom. Liberty. The ability to do as one pleases…

While in much of the United States, formerly known for being the land of the free and the home of the brave, our government is determining what cars you will be able to buy in the future. What job opportunities you will have. How much vacation time you will be allotted or whether you will even be allowed to vacation.

In short, ESG versus Liberty.

If you’re Amish, you may not have to apply (because you made the choice of your own free will).

If you like this rant, there’s more at https://tedLeithart.com  And should you wish to know how to thrive while living in tyranny (brought to you by Washington DC), please sign up for my email list. You’ll be the first to be offered this insightful book.

In February 2009, Time Magazine’s cover story announced “We are all Socialists Now”

Earlier this week, while walking through a store, I observed a customer checking out a POW-MIA flag.I realized “We are all POWs Now”

In other words, in August 2022, Time Magazine could easily do a cover story entitled ”We Are All POWs Now”

Why do I say this?

What’s a POW? It’s a Prisoner of War.

And for the past 2-1/2 years, much more should you care to do some research, we have been involved in a war for Liberty. Or as the government would say, a war to protect everyone from freedom.

While the intensity increased beginning with Covid, America has been held captive by politicians from both parties intent on becoming kings and queens while the average American gets used to serfdom for decades.

As a result, Americans are willing POWs in the War for Liberty.

Many have accepted their new lives, believing in getting along as best as possible. Yet this is exactly why 80% of the world’s population over the past 10,000 years has lived in slavery.

Some POWs have accepted the challenge of giving their lives and sacred honor to the cause of America returning to liberty.

There won’t be many answering the challenge. After all, only 3% of the Colonists took an active role in the first Revolution.

This time, it is not you, as an American, who is the Revolutionary or the insurrectionist. It’s those on the government’s side, for they are acting as a tyrannical regime. The modus operandi in the USA for over 200 years was living in freedom with few rules and even less interference from the Federal government. Anyone interfering with that is the Revolutionary or the Insurrectionist.

In short, when you are called a Domestic Terrorist or an Anarchist or an Insurrectionist, government officials are playing the game they’ve played for decades. You accuse your enemies of doing exactly what you are doing, thus taking the focus off of you.

But Americans have 240 years of history on YOUR side. In addition, you have the Constitution and every state’s Constitution on your side. You have the Doctrine of Lesser Magistrates on your side.

They have Marx (and they believe Marx is right) on their side.

In 1782, the tyrants lost and gave the United States their freedom. Will today’s war have the same outcome, where the tyrants lose once again?

And, what are you doing to ensure the tyrants are once again the losers.

This morning I was working on resetting the faucet displays with Norm.

At one point, I lost track of one of the displays. I searched several times and still could not find it.

Several minutes passed, and suddenly, it somehow appeared in front of my face.

“I found it!” I said loudly. In fact, I said it way to loudly, as the store managers were in the next aisle. They slowly walked into view and asked if there was anything wrong.

Not to be deterred, I shouted “I found it!” raised my fist into the air and pistoned it up and down several times for emphasis. To my surprise, the top manager responded with the same gesture while shouting, “GREAT!!”

Norm burst out laughing, both at me as well as his surprise that management would respond in such an ‘unprofessional’ way.

Another employee commented management will have to separate us like they did in elementary school when we acted up.

But that’s exactly what we need. We need to respond to our elected officials and our government SERVANTS in a very unprofessional manner.

WHY?

Our elected officials and our government servants have demonstrated their desire for power and wealth over their taking their responsibility to the American people to heart.

They’ve stolen billions (during the Covid pandemic as well as the TARP funding). They’ve stolen away rights only God and the Constitution gives individuals.

They have brought dishonor on the country.

And you expect me to treat them in a professional manner.

Rather, they are the ones deserving the treatment currently experienced by the protesters on January 6^th. I am not defending breaking the law. I am not defending insurrection.

I am arguing for JUSTICE for all. Not simply locking up the few to scare the shit out of the many.

What are some unprofessional ways to treat our government at this time?

• Refuse to do business using the Federal Reserve note by pushing your state to mint its own gold and silver coins. No movement of the Feds money will quickly demonstrate how much trust you can truly put into it.
• Refuse to sell to the Federal government. If Washington can’t get any supplies, tough!
• Move your investments from the Biden’s crony corporations to American corporations. You know them. The ones that aren’t woke.
• Do business within your group of Americans to ensure your money only flows within the economy you are creating with ONLY fellow Americans.
• Buy all the oil, coal and hydroelectric stock you can. These are the real energy sources and is the power behind America’s modern economic engine. You control that power, you control what happens in Washington.

In short, stop funding your death – your financial death as well as your personal, physical death. The Washington Power-mongers are laughing at you every day as they slowly steal every facet of life from you.

I was visiting a town North of my house the other day and decided to stop into a few of the stores. The town, Yellow Springs, has been known for its liberal viewpoint for decades throughout Ohio, but it is an eclectic and interesting place to visit.

While browsing in one of the stores, I overheard a conversation.

One: “Trump was so horrible of President. He’s been a billionaire business owner for years – and you know how corrupt all of them are.”

Two: “You are absolutely right. It is disgusting how these capitalists believe they are the saviors of the world. The world would be so much better off without business owners and capitalists.”

One: “You are absolutely right. It’s amazing how many people who say they are for the country support these crooks.”

Several seconds later…

One: “Excuse me, how much for this ring?”

Shop Keeper: “That ring is sterling silver. It has been hand crafted in our studios using an investment casting process. Investment casting is the same process as…”

One: “How much?”

Shop Keeper: “Do you understand what you are looking at?”

One: “How much?”

Shop Keeper: “$129.”

One: “For a silver ring? Why are you trying to rip me off? Are you a capitalist or something?”

Shop Keeper: “Maybe you’d be interested in something more within your budget…”

The conversation continued as I distanced myself from them. A few minutes later, the two left the store without making a purchase. I approached the shop keeper and asked

“Do you have many problems like this on a daily basis?”

SK: “Not as many as you would think. It’s amazing, however, how many don’t understand foundational principles of a business.”

Me: “Why do you say that?”

SK: “Well, I overheard them talking about Trump and how corrupt he is. Although I do not embrace his policies, he is a business owner, like myself.

“And the first lesson any successful business owner learns is – be honest if you want to stay in business.

“Dishonest businesses tend to close as people find other choices they prefer. Choices where the customers are treated fairly, provided a good value and so on.

“It’s amazing how many believe that if a business is successful, it’s only because the owners are corrupt.”

Me: “Interesting.”

There you have it. In a nutshell, Capitalists and business owners have to be honest – actually holding themselves to a higher degree of integrity than the average person. Otherwise, when customers and clients find alternative businesses offering a similar product or service, they’ll become clients of the ethical business.

I recall a conversation I had with a local multi-millionaire I know several years ago. I mentioned a person I had worked with in the past. His response was “That business will grow substantially once it is sold to someone else as customers will no longer have to do business with him.”

In other words, the behavior and integrity of the business owner was limiting his business growth – and he was only attracting clients who had no alternative than purchase from him (the business was in a pretty exclusive niche with probably a dozen competitors worldwide).

That’s the good of capitalism. The cream, the best, rise to the top and get all the business they can handle. The businesses with the reputation of being less than stellar get the leftovers.

Conversely, under socialism, the government determines who gets to run the businesses. As long as the government is treated well by their cronies, that business gets the government sanctioned monopoly. Those who are not partners with government officials get the leftovers.

Over the weekend, my son and I went to Vance’s Outdoors to browse as well as purchase some items we had had our eyes on.

On the way home, we stopped by our friend’s house. We had not seen Werner in several weeks and thought it would be a good time to stop by and say HI for a few minutes.

Our conversation started out well, speaking of various events that were going on or about to happen in SouthWestern Ohio.

Unfortunately, Werner and I have very different societal and political views – and Werner was in the mood to show how much anger he had built up inside of him.

For a while, I handled it well, having a one-word reply for each of the topics he mentioned. No matter what the subject was or who he mentioned, my one-word reply was “symptom”. By symptom, I meant the topics he brought up were symptoms as compared to the core or nucleus or crux of the topic.

I did agree both Republicans and Democrats are failing the society. I am not sure his viewpoint on why they are failing as Werner never stayed on a topic for more than 2 minutes at a time (the conversation was seemed to take place on Twitter, as we delved no deeper into any one subject for more than 90 seconds).

What I perceived was a lot of anger aimed at everyone as he, Werner, was not being adequately represented by the political parties.

Now Werner likes to represent he is a socialist. A major problem with socialists is the same problem with any tyrannical form of government. During the transition, you expect a lot of upheaval and unrest as the old is being mass-murdered (old traditions as well as old beliefs and those embracing the same). Once the change has occurred, the tyrant has to create more forms of change – forever change if you will.

For without the continued anger, most will quickly realize the situation they are in and just as quickly look for ways to escape to a freer society. It is why Mao had his cultural revolution 20 years after gaining control of China. Without the cultural revolution, how do you raise the next generation of revolutionaries. For without revolt, these young minds may turn their attention to entrepreneurship, having families, and building a home for their loved ones. Such things would take young minds off god (the state) and focus on cultivating a life of peace and liberty.

Yes, America has its Werners. Actually, America has an entire generation (or two) of Werners.

You may know them by another name – a nation of AOCs.

And AOC is a good mascot for them – young, energetic, angry, full of hate and full of revolutionist beliefs and ideas.

I pray I can live through this cultural revolution so I can advise this generation of AOCs on a revolution that leads to liberty. Because they will become very disillusioned when they realize the revolution they have been pushing for only leads to another uprising, and another.

Rather, long live this new revolution, dedicated once again to these truths, which are self-evident, that all people 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.

May the time come swiftly that these new revolutionaries recognize governments are instituted to secure these rights, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

Over the weekend I watched a children’s animated movie) about a Sea Monster hunting vessel . It was entitled the Sea Beast.

A child, dreaming of adventure on the high seas, is a stowaway on this ship. During a battle with one of these monsters, the child as well as the 1^st mate she has become friends with get washed overboard. They are swallowed by the sea creature, much like a ‘Jonah in the Whale’ scenario, and are taken to the beast’s island.

Over time, they befriend Red (one of the names given this creature). As she and the 1^st mate are completing their journey home, compliments of the sea monster, the child realizes the truth.

And the truth is: The history of the empire is a sham and a lie; the Sea Beast is a loving, caring creature; children are the wisest of us all. To add to the insult, the child is one of very few depicted in the story of being a person of color. Virtually everyone in the empire is White as are almost all of the members of the ship’s crew.

Within 20 minutes, the animation went from being an enjoyable child’s film to a complete indoctrination piece, subverting many to subconsciously embrace ‘White Priviliege’ existing and its history is based on lies and what the kingdom called monsters are really loving and as friends. As a result, the kingdom must be destroyed in its current form so the beast (the Red Menace – Socialism – Communism) can take its place.

It was masterfully done, marketing to the naïve and innocent while teaching them to distrust the nation’s history and its institutions.

What I realized more than anything is such sales pitches are so interwoven into society today it may take a couple of generations to be educated before America’s liberty and freedom being such a thing of rarity and beauty it should not have been thrown on the ash heap of history, but daily relished and uplifted, thanking God for our many blessings.

In February 2009, Time Magazine announced in its cover story, “We are All Socialists Now”

But are we really?

Barack Obama had recently been elected , winning over John McCain.

Let’s go back in history, shall we?

Should you look at the favorable ratings polls from 2008, Obama was floundering for the lead throughout 2008. Even with as weak a candidate for President as McCain was, Obama was having problems (and McCain was about as weak as our current President).

Enter the financial crisis of 2008, which led to the Great Recession. In September, 2008, McCain suspended his campaign to focus on solving the financial crisis. So who do you vote for? The guy that abandons the post even before he wins it or the guy who keeps campaigning?

Obama wins, with 50.7% of the popular vote compared to 48.3% for McCain. Not bad, for a quitter to still receive this many votes.

In 2012, Obama wins re-election against Romney. Romney stated in May 2012 that we see the world pretty much the same way – in many ways.

So here you have a sitting President who, although you may not like his policies, is someone you have gotten used to (and you only have to tolerate him for 4 more years) – rather than electing someone who sees the world the same way for an additional potential 8 year term.

Although Obama wins, he somehow managed to attain over 100% of the vote in Cuyahoga County, Ohio.

In 2020, you have Biden running against President Trump as the heir apparent to the Obama legacy (and to bring civility back to the White House).

So the choice in 2020 is to continue the “best economy in at least 30 years” or to return to the Obama years. America chose to return to Obama.

Yet live broadcast during election night reflected Trump losing the same number of votes that Biden gained as the night wore on. Obviously, someone’s computers were not working properly that evening as Trump was initially assigned votes that would ultimately be assigned to Biden.

Just last week, Forbes magazine noted “88% of Americans say U.S. is on the wrong track.”

So, what am I led to believe?

On the surface, we’ve vacillated from Reagan to Obama in 20 years to bounce back to Trump eight years later and decide it was a mistake. Instead, let’s return to the good ol’ Obama years.

Yet 19 months later, 88% of Americans say the country is on the wrong track.

In other words, the country has gone from a strong Constitution loving country to embracing a form of tyrannical government, back to the Constitution and then back to Socialism and back to what sounds to be a desire to return to a Constitutional Republic once again.

Now I know marijuana is now legal for 170 million Americans and for many, it has become the drug of choice. Marijuana also has a strong connection with schizophrenia and psychotic behavior (look it up if you think I am paranoid). This means, in short, exhibiting or suggestive of mental or emotional unsoundness or instability.

It seems to me marijuana use needs to be suppressed greatly (at least until some stability of what America wants as a foundation for society) or the country is being played as well as I was played during my first marriage.

Just sayin’…