Where'd everyone go?
dpcra...@gmail.com
was in the June. Where is everyone?
I know the weather is great. Is everyone off enjoying Washington's
great outdoors?
Has everyone stopped listening to Dennis? Has he said nothing that
piqued folks interest?
What happened?
Yours,
Daniel
James Eisenhut
Everybody should take a look at little green footballs today-at at the Iranian missle photoshop. The pictures are hilarious. (LGF is a website) James Eisenhut --- On Fri, 7/11/08, dpcra...@gmail.com <dpcra...@gmail.com> wrote: |
Daniel Crandall
If there was no internet, if there weren't a bunch a guys sitting in the pajamas watching and reporting on the world events, no one would know that the picture was faked.
Think about that the next time you pick up the Seattle Democrat-Intelligencer.
Daniel
Everybody should take a look at little green footballs today-at at the Iranian
missile photoshop. The pictures are hilarious. (LGF is a website)
Jeannie
attended a DP group thing but I'm rather reclusive here in Issaquah...as I
desired. Regardless...I'm paying attention.
Best Regards...JeannieJ
Tom
I'm still keeping the Patriot Underground up and running (
patriotunderground.com ) so anyone who wants to catch a show they missed or
hear one again from the past week can do so.
Tom
--------------------------------------------------
From: "Jeannie" <j.ja...@comcast.net>
Sent: Saturday, July 12, 2008 2:59 AM
To: <nw-dennis-prag...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [nw-dennis-prager-discussions] Re: Where'd everyone go?
James Eisenhut
Here is a lilvelink for LGF http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/
Go to fri july 11 and see ' Iranian missle photoshop' for some good laughs.
James Eisenhut |
Jennifer Drew
Jennifer Drew
The last message I sent referred to this speech.
2008 COMMENCEMENT
ADDRESS, TEXAS A&M
This Texas lawyer, himself recipient of an Honorary Degree, is
obviously
opinionated, but to say what he does, in a commencement address a couple
of weeks ago, in front of a class of Texas A & M graduates, and especially
the faculty, is amazing. I would have loved to have been there just to see
the faculty reaction.
Commencement Address (Texas A&M). Date: Thu, 24 Jan
2008 04:14:32 +0000 This should be considered must-reading for every adult
in North America. It is extremely rare that anyone speaks the truth like
this at any College or High School Commencement Address.
Neal Boortz is a Texan, a lawyer, a Texas AGGIE (Texas A&M), and now a
nationally syndicated talk show host from Atlanta. His commencement
address to the graduates of this year's A&M class is far different from
what either the students or the faculty expected. His views are thought
provoking:
'I am honored by the invitation to address you on this august occasion.
It's about time. Be warned, however, that I am not here to impress you;
you'll have enough smoke blown up your bloomers today. And you can bet
your tassels I'm not here to impress the faculty and administration. You
may not like much of what I have to say, and that's fine. You will
remember it though. Especially after about 10 years out there in the real
world. This, it goes without saying, does not apply to those of you who
will seek your careers and your fortunes as government employees.
This gowned gaggle behind me is your faculty. You've heard the old saying
that those who can - do. Those who can't - teach. That sounds deliciously
insensitive. But there is often raw truth in insensitivity, just as you
often find feel-good falsehoods and lies in compassion. Say good-bye to
your faculty because now you are getting ready to go out there and do.
These folks behind me are going to stay right here and teach.
By the way, just because you are leaving this place with a diploma doesn't
mean the learning is over. When an FAA flight examiner handed me my
private pilot's license many years ago, he said, 'Here, this is your
ticket to learn.' The same can be said for your diploma. Believe me, the
learning has just begun.
Now, I realize that most of you consider yourselves Liberals. In fact, you
are probably very proud of your liberal views. You care so much. You feel
so much. You want to help so much. After all you're a compassionate and
caring person, aren't you now? Well, isn't that just so extraordinarily
special. Now, at this age, is as good a time as any to be a liberal; as
good a time as any to know absolutely everything. You have plenty of time,
starting tomorrow, for the truth to set in.
Over the next few years, as you begin to feel the cold breath of reality
down your neck, things are going to start changing pretty fast...
including your own assessment of just how much you really know.
So here are the first assignments for your initial class in reality: Pay
attention to the news, read newspapers, and listen to the words and
phrases that proud Liberals use to promote their causes. Then, compare the
words of the left to the words and phrases you hear from those evil,
heartless, greedy conservatives. From the Left you will hear 'I feel.'
From the Right you will hear 'I think.' From the Liberals you will hear
references to groups -- The Blacks, the Poor, The Rich, The Disadvantaged,
The Less Fortunate. From the Right you will hear references to
individuals. On the Left you hear talk of group rights; on the Right,
individual rights.
That about sums it up, really: Liberals feel. Liberals care. They are
pack animals whose identity is tied up in group dynamics. Conservatives
think -- and, setting aside the theocracy crowd, their identity is
centered on the individual.
Liberals feel that their favored groups have enforceable rights to the
property and services of productive individuals. Conservatives, I among
them I might add, think that individuals have the right to protect their
lives and their property from the plunder of the masses.
In college you developed a group mentality, but if you look closely at
your diplomas you will see that they have your individual names on them.
Not the name of your school mascot, or of your fraternity or sorority, but
your name. Your group identity is going away. Your recognition and
appreciation of your individual identity starts now.
If, by the time you reach the age of 30, you do not consider yourself to
be a conservative, rush right back here as quickly as you can and apply
for a faculty position. These people will welcome you with open arms. They
will welcome you, that is, so long as you haven't developed an individual
identity. Once again you will have to be willing to sign on to the group
mentality you embraced during the past four years.
Something is going to happen soon that is going to really open your eyes.
You're going to actually get a full time job!
You're also going to get a lifelong work partner. This partner isn't going
to help you do your job. This partner is just going to sit back and wait
for payday. This partner doesn't want to share in your effort, but in your
earnings.
Your new lifelong partner is actually an agent; an agent representing a
strange and diverse group of people; an agent for every teenager with an
illegitimate child; an agent for a research scientist who wanted to make
some cash answering the age-old question of why monkeys grind their teeth.
An agent for some poor demented hippie who considers herself to be a
meaningful and talented artist, but who just can't manage to sell any of
her artwork on the open market.
Your new partner is an agent for every person with limited, if any, job
skills, but who wanted a job at City Hall. An agent or tin-horn dictators
in fancy military uniforms grasping for American foreign aid. An agent for
multi-million- dollar companies who want someone else to pay for their
overseas advertising. An agent for everybody who wants to use the
unimaginable power of this agent's for their personal enrichment and
benefit.
That agent is our wonderful, caring, compassionate, oppressive government.
Believe me, you will be awed by the unimaginable power this agent has.
Power that you do not have. A power that no individual has, or will have.
This agent has the legal power to use force, deadly force to accomplish
its goals.
You have no choice here. Your new friend is just going to walk up to you,
introduce itself rather gruffly, hand you a few forms to fill out, and
move right on in. Say hello to your own personal one ton gorilla. It will
sleep anywhere it wants to.
Now, let me tell you, this agent is not cheap. As you become successful it
will seize about 40% of everything you earn. And no, I'm sorry, there just
isn't any way you can fire this agent of plunder, and you can't decrease
its share of your income. That power rests with him, not you.
So, here I am saying negative things to you about government. Well, be
clear on this: It is not wrong to distrust government. It is not wrong to
fear government. In certain cases it is not even wrong to despise
government for government is inherently evil. Yes ... a necessary evil,
but dangerous nonetheless ... somewhat like a drug. Just as a drug that in
the proper dosage can save your life, an overdose of government can be
fatal.
Now let's address a few things that have been crammed into your minds at
this university. There are some ideas you need to expunge as soon as
possible. These ideas may work well in academic environment, but they fail
miserably out there in the real world.
First is that favorite buzz word of the media and academia: Diversity! You
have been taught that the real value of any group of people - be it a
social group, an employee group, a management group, whatever - is based
on diversity. This is a favored liberal ideal because diversity is based
not on an individual's abilities or character, but on a person's identity
and status as a member of a group. Yes, it's that liberal group identity
thing again.
Within the great diversity movement group identification - be it racial,
gender based, or some other minority status - means more than the
individual's integrity, character or other qualifications.
Brace yourself. You are about to move from this academic atmosphere where
diversity rules, to a workplace and a culture where individual achievement
and excellence actually count. No matter what your professors have taught
you over the last four years, you are about to learn that diversity is
absolutely no replacement for excellence, ability, and individual hard
work. From this day on every single time you hear the word 'diversity' you
can rest assured that there is someone close by who is determined to rob
you of every vestige of individuality you possess.
We also need to address this thing you seem to have about 'rights.' We
have witnessed an obscene explosion of so-called 'rights' in the last few
decades, usually emanating from college campuses.
You know the mantra: You have the right to a job. The right to a place to
live. The right to a living wage. The right to health care. The right to
an education. You probably even have your own pet right - the right to a
Beemer for instance, or the right to have someone else provide for that
child you plan on downloading in a year or so.
Forget it. Forget those rights! I'll tell you what your rights are! You
have a right to live free, and to the results of 60% -75% of your labor.
I'll also tell you have no right to any portion of the life or labor of
another.
You may, for instance, think that you have a right to health care. After
all, Hillary said so, didn't she? But you cannot receive healthcare unless
some doctor or health practitioner surrenders some of his time - his life
- to you. He may be willing to do this for compensation, but that's his
choice. You have no 'right' to his time or property. You have no right to
his or any other person's life or to any portion thereof.
You may also think you have some 'right' to a job; a job with a living
wage, whatever that is. Do you mean to tell me that you have a right to
force your services on another person, and then the right to demand that
this person compensate you with their money? Sorry, forget it. I am sure
you would scream if some urban outdoorsmen (that would be 'homeless
person' for those of you who don't want to give these less fortunate
people a romantic and adventurous title) came to you and demanded his job
and your money.
The people who have been telling you about all the rights you have are
simply exercising one of theirs - the right to be imbeciles. Their being
imbeciles didn't cost anyone else either property or time. It's their
right, and they exercise it brilliantly.
By the way, did you catch my use of the phrase 'less fortunate' a bit ago
when I was talking about the urban outdoorsmen? That phrase is a favorite
of the Left. Think about it, and you'll understand why.
To imply that one person is homeless, destitute, dirty, drunk, spaced out
on drugs, unemployable, and generally miserable because he is 'less
fortunate' is to imply that a successful person - one with a job, a home
and a future - is in that position because he or she was 'fortunate.' The
dictionary says that fortunate means 'having derived good from an
unexpected place.' There is nothing unexpected about deriving good from
hard work. There is also nothing unexpected about deriving misery from
choosing drugs, alcohol, and the street.
If the Liberal Left can create the common perception that success and
failure are simple matters of 'fortune' or 'luck,' then it is easy to
promote and justify their various income redistribution schemes. After
all, we are just evening out the odds a little bit. This 'success equals
luck' idea the liberals like to push is seen everywhere. Former Democratic
presidential candidate Richard Gephardt refers to high-achievers as
'people who have won life's lottery.' He wants you to believe they are
making the big bucks because they are lucky. It's not luck, my friends.
It's choice. One of the greatest lessons I ever learned was in a book by
Og Mandino, entitled 'The Greatest Secret in the World.' The lesson? Very
simple: 'Use wisely your power of choice.'
That bum sitting on a heating grate, smelling like a wharf rat? He's there
by choice. He is there because of the sum total of the choices he has made
in his life. This truism is absolutely the hardest thing for some people
to accept, especially those who consider themselves to be victims of
something or other - victims o f discrimination, bad luck, the system,
capitalism, whatever. After all, nobody really wants to accept the blame
for his or her position in life. Not when it is so much easier to point
and say, 'Look! He did this to me!' than it is to look into a mirror and
say, 'You S. O. B.! You did this to me!'
The key to accepting responsibility for your life is to accept the fact
that your choices, every one of them, are leading you inexorably to either
success or failure, however you define those terms.
Some of the choices are obvious: Whether or not to stay in school Whether
or not to get pregnant. Whether or not to hit the bottle. Whether or not
to keep this job you hate until you get another better-paying job. Whether
or not to save some of your money, or saddle yourself with huge payments
for that new car.
Some of the choices are seemingly insignificant: Whom to go to the movies
with. Whose car to ride home in. Whether to watch the tube tonight, or
read a book on investing. But, and you can be sure of this, each choice
counts. Each choice is a building block - some large, some small. But each
one is a part of the structure of your life. If you make the right
choices, or if you make more right choices than wrong ones, something
absolutely terrible may happen to you. Something unthinkable. You, my
friend, could become one of the hated, the evil, the ugly, the feared, the
filthy, the successful, the rich.
The rich basically serve two purposes in this country. First, they provide
the investments, the investment capital, and the brains for the formation
of new businesses. Businesses that hire people. Businesses that send
millions of paychecks home each week to the un-rich.
Second, the rich are a wonderful object of ridicule, distrust, and hatred.
Few things are more valuable to a politician than the envy most Americans
feel for the evil rich.
Envy is a powerful emotion. Even more powerful than the emotional
minefield that surrounded Bill Clinton when he reviewed his last batch of
White House interns. Politicians use envy to get votes and power. And they
keep that power by promising the envious that the envied will be punished:
'The rich will pay their fair share of taxes if I have anything to do with
it. The truth is that the top 10% of income earners in this country pays
almost 50% of all income taxes collected. I shudder to think what these
job producers would be paying if our tax system were any more 'fair.'
You have heard, no doubt, that the rich get richer and the poor get
poorer. Interestingly enough, our government's own numbers show that many
of the poor actually get richer, and that quite a few of the rich actually
get poorer. But for the rich who do actually get richer, and the poor who
remain poor ... there's an explanation -- a reason. The rich, you see,
keep doing the things that make them rich; while the poor keep doing the
things that make them poor.
Speaking of the poor, during your adult life you are going to hear an
endless string of politicians bemoaning the plight of the poor So, you
need to know that under our government's definition of 'poor' you can have
a $5 million net worth, a $300,000 home and a new $90,000 Mercedes, all
completely paid for. You can also have a maid, cook, and valet, and a
million in your checking account, and you can still be officially defined
by our government as 'living in poverty.' Now there's something you
haven't seen on the evening news.
How does the government pull this one off? Very simple, really. To
determine whether or not some poor soul is 'living in poverty,' the
government measures one thing -- just one thing. Income. It doesn't matter
one bit how much you have, how much you own, how many cars you drive or
how big they are, whether or not your pool is heated, whether you winter
in Aspen and spend the summers in the Bahamas , or how much is in your
savings account. It only matters how much income you claim in that
particular year. This means that if you take a one-year leave of absence
from your high-paying job and decide to live off the money in your savings
and checking accounts while you write the next great American novel, the
government says you are 'living in poverty.'
This isn't exactly what you had in mind when you heard these gloomy
statistics, is it? Do you need more convincing? Try this. The government's
own statistics show that people who are said to be 'living in poverty'
spend more than $1.50 for each dollar of income they claim. Something is a
bit fishy here. Just remember all this the next time Charles Gibson tells
you about some hideous new poverty statistics.
Why has the government concocted this phony poverty scam? Because the
government needs an excuse to grow and to expand its social welfare
programs, which translates into an expansion of its power. If the
government can convince you, in all your compassion, that the number of
'poor' is increasing, it will have all the excuse it needs to sway an
electorate suffering from the advanced stages of Obsessive-Compulsive
Compassion Disorder.
I'm about to be stoned by the faculty here. They've already changed their
minds about that honorary degree I was going to get. That's OK, though. I
still have my PhD. in Insensitivity from the Neal Boortz Institute for
Insensitivity Training. I learned that, in short, sensitivity sucks. It's
a trap. Think about it - the truth knows no sensitivity. Life can be
insensitive. Wallow too much in sensitivity and you'll be unable to deal
with life, or the truth So, get over it.
Now, before the dean has me shackled and hauled off, I have a few random
thoughts.
* You need to register to vote, unless you are on welfare. If you are
living off the efforts of others, please do us the favor of sitting down
and shutting up until you are on your own again.
* When you do vote, your votes for the House and the Senate are more
important than your vote for president. The House controls the purse
strings, so concentrate your awareness there.
* Liars cannot be trusted, even when the liar is the president of the
country. If someone can't deal honestly with you, send them packing.
* Don't bow to the temptation to use the government as an instrument of
plunder. If it is wrong for you to take money from someone else who earned
it -- to take their money by force for your own needs -- then it is
certainly just as wrong for you to demand that the government step forward
and do this dirty work for you.
* Don't look in other people's pockets. You have no business there. What
they earn is theirs. What you earn is yours Keep it that way. Nobody owes
you anything, except to respect your privacy and your rights, and leave
you the hell alone.
* Speaking of earning, the revered 40-hour workweek is for losers. Forty
hours should be considered the minimum, not the maximum. You don't see
highly successful people clocking out of the office every afternoon at
five. The losers are the ones caught up in that afternoon rush hour. The
winners drive home in the dark.
* Free speech is meant to protect unpopular speech. Popular speech, by
definition, needs no protection.
* Finally (and aren't you glad to hear that word), as Og Mandino wrote,
'1. Proclaim your rarity. Each of you is a rare and unique human being.
2. Use wisely your power of choice.
3. Go the extra mile .. drive home in the dark.
Oh, and put off buying a television set as long as you can. Now, if you
have any idea at all what's good for you, you will get the hell out of
here and never come back.
Class dismissed'
Republican - Because not everyone can be on welfare!
matthew Robinson
Ryan Sharp
Ryan S.
Jennifer Drew
matthew Robinson
Vivian Evans
> Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:42:04 -0700
> Subject: [nw-dennis-prager-discussions] Where'd everyone go?
dian...@aol.com
Also, at the meeting I attended although I enjoyed everyone, the topic got off in my small section
the entire time about the correlation between physics and God. The gentlement discussing it
seemed to be in that general field (scientific) and got very deep into it. I'm college educated but not
in the science field. I don't think the majority of us, especially women, were interested in it to that depth.
It would be interesting to know if there's some sort of venue that Prager groups follow so that his topics
get discussed, but can be enjoyed by the majority present. We also had to listen to just a few because
of the way we were set up. That also excluded hearing everyone's opinions at the other end of the table.
Diane
-----Original Message-----
From: Vivian Evans <vivia...@hotmail.com>
To: nw-dennis-prag...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Wed, 16 Jul 2008 9:35 am
Subject: [nw-dennis-prager-discussions] Re: Where'd everyone go?
The Famous, the Infamous, the Lame - in your browser. Get the TMZ Toolbar Now!
THOMAS MOFFITT
After someone brought up the idea of having a venue that Prager groups could follow I was wondering if folks may be interested in a home on the web where we can drop in to chat about what's on our minds?
With that in mind I've created a forum for Northwest Prager fans (although it's certainly open to anyone who happens by from other regions of course).
I really hope that folks will stop by and take part in some friendly thoughtful discussions or to just say hello.
You can find the new forum, Prager Talk Northwest, here;
http://pragertalknw.hyperboards.com/index.php
It's pretty basic right now but I'll be adding additional features and categories as time goes by.
Please drop in and say howdy!
Tom
Daniel Crandall
When someone mentioned a "venue that Prager groups could follow" I don't think that person had in mind yet another online venue. I think they meant a structure for the face-to-face meetings. I know I've been critical of overly structuring the face-to-face meetings. I seem to have been proven mistaken in that criticism. Structure and leadership is needed, at least to get the ball rolling. And I don't see how another online message board does that?
Obviously, the face to face meetings are problematic for folks. From trying to fit individual schedules to finding locations that work for mid-size group discussion to determination of topics, etc. The issue facing the Northwest Prager Listener's Group is not its online presence, it's a few folks stepping up and taking leadership, deciding on venues, topics, formats, etc.
Imagine if the NW Listeners Group were on a cruise ship. Sure people meet and go off and do their own thing from time to time. That freedom, however, only exists because a structure exists within which events, led by certain individuals, happen when they are supposed to happen. We here in Seattle seem to be missing that structure, beyond this Google online group.
I hope folks take this criticism in the spirit it is given.
Take care,
Daniel
Della Scott
As I've said before, I don't foresee my work schedule changing any time soon, and I work weekends. Also some of these venues aen't too accessible by bus. They are accessible, but it would take me awhile.
Della Scott |
From: Vivian Evans <vivia...@hotmail.com> |