To our British and French members

[Carl Beck]

Biker wrote in this specific thread devoted to other than Z's:

>......learn to not to make the same mistakes.

How True and How Hard To Do...

The key to controlling power in all political endeavors is "Divide and Conquer".

"A House Divided Can Not Long Stand"

"Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely."

For thousands of years the study and application of Political Sciences has remained pretty much the same. The reason is that people have to learn their own lessons in their own time. People simply can not learn the lessons of history, except in retrospect. Nonetheless, that doesn't prevent others from trying to point those lessons out to us ahead of time.

George Washington, in his Farewell Address spent about 18 of his 50 paragraphs trying to warn future Americans of the dangers of "Political Parties" and the destruction they could bring to our "United States".

In effect, the Father of our Country believed that our UNION as Americans was the foundation upon which all our freedoms, individual liberties and future success were based. He also knew that if Americans ever allowed themselves to put loyalty to any Political Party, ahead of their loyalty to our Union, it would lead to our downfall.

Washington correctly believed that a strong Union was of benefit to us all and therefore as Americans we should guard closely against anyone that attempted to fracture that union. To take by stealth and trickery that which could not be taken by force.

Our Constitution was originally written to form "a more perfect Union". Not a perfect one. It was written so as to bring Free and Independent States together for the benefit of all (and to the detriment of none). United we Americans stood against the old world with a united belief in certain fundamental principles of individual liberty and self government.

Strictly limited powers of the Federal Government

Division of powers, with checks and balances in all government bodies

Individual Liberty with associated individual responsibility

Democracy- Majority Rule with protections of the minority

A belief in God - (without which an "oath" is meaningless.. and without which our Courts of Law could not function)

A prohibition on Government sponsored religion, freedom of religion etc.

About 65 years after Washington's warning related to "Political Parties" that divide geographical areas of the country, then play one against the other... we had the Civil War. 500,000+ American men died to settle the debate of States Right's vs. the Power of the Federal Government. The Union won... and we remained "the United States of America".

Now some 208 years later, we have again forgotten, or worse, failed to understand Washington's warning. We have allowed ourselves to be divided between powerful Political Parties. We have sucked up the propaganda, joined the "contest" and chosen sides. Now it's all about "us" vs. "them".

The Blacks against the Whites, The Rich against the Not so Rich, The Old against the Young, The Liberals against the Conservatives, the Right Wing against the Left Wing, The Mothers against the Fathers...... divide and conquer...

We have meet the enemy and they are us.

Presently the only "winners" are the heads of the two Political Parties and the people that fund and control them. As Michael Moore said; "isn't it great that the rich have two Political Parties to protect and favor them."

The bottom line is - Americans better wake up and get back to being "Americans". We need to throw both current Political Parties in the trash can. Then we need to reform anew Political parties filled with "Statesmen" and "Citizen Representatives" instead of professional Politicians (seekers of and brokers of power -- that now take on average 56% of our income though direct and indirect taxation).

If we fail to turn this around - if we allow our unity to be fracture to the breaking point - we will look and act just like the fractured states of Europe. The very thing our forefathers fled! Different cultures, different languages, thousands of years of waring tribes, states and nations. Religious wars and cultural hatred. Driven by emotion to the great detriment of them all!

Isn't it ironic that the Europeans are today trying very hard to copy the very "Union" we Americans have enjoyed here in the United States for the past 200+ years? The ECU is now ready to support their own Constitution and standardized economy, the EURO Dollar is here! Individually none of them came close to competing with the "United" States of America. Do you think they are acting in our best interests now or their's?

The world is not filled with our friends nor our enemies.. it's filled with competing Countries, competing Ideals, competing Cultures. United we "Americans" have beat them ALL for the past 200 years, in every regard. Now we put that all at risk, because we fail to recognize "Political Propaganda" for what it is... divide and conquer.

There are no "Red" States, nor any "Blue" States - there are only 50 United States. Majority rule with protection for the minority - means that we argue about issues FIRST... Then we make decisions. Once the Decision is made, we all, for our own good, support the majority decision. At least until the proper time comes to revisit that decision. This endless argument.. day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year... is all about Political Propaganda...not about what is truly best for "we the people".

What you are seeing now with all this arguing after the fact - is the long term effects of political propaganda... put out by the power brokers and our enemies.

Conservative or Liberal in your views, Republican or Democratic in your Party..continuing to put either or both ahead of being and acting like Americans, will in the end destroy us all. It's been that way for human politics for the past 3000 years. Isn't it time we stepped back and learn something from our human history?

The elections are over - lets make the best of it and get back together in four years to discuss the results of our decision. Until that time we the people really need to be united not farther divided by false issues.

Somewhat hard to read/comprehend as President Washington wrote it.. but we should all try:

http://www.constitution.org/gw/fare_add.htm

FWIW,

Carl B.

A conservative when it comes to our US Constitution

A liberal when it comes to overthrowing Dictatorships

A registered "independent" voter in Florida

[hls30.com]

Brilliant!

Will

[abas]

Isn't it ironic that the Europeans are today trying very hard to copy the very "Union" we Americans have enjoyed here in the United States for the past 200+ years?

Not all Europeans . Some of us are trying very hard to stay out of the nightmare of the EU. The scale of waste, fraud and bureaucracy is at least on par with the US.

I applaud your dream Carl. Someone (American) said to me recently that the US was now a one party state, with the presidential election there to give the illusion of choice. Quite well put I think (and I don't think things are any better where I live)

Andrew