I think that '09 is going to be a wonderful year full of travel and adventure. Probably a lot of dancing too. Met someone that could actually keep up on the dance floor. My goal is to go on several cool trips. I would really like to go somewhere in Central America, maybe Belize. That was a plan before the storm. The Caribbean would be cool too. Haven't been snorkeling in a while. I would also like to go back to New Mexico and hang out. Odd numbered years have always been good ones for me.
It was a hell of hike to get there. I'd say it was a good 6 hrs from the trailhead. I came up from the ski basin but you can use the Windsor trailhead from the Pecos side. I've hiked a good portion of Windsor but missed a turn and ended up somewhere out there in the wilderness, not an issue though when you camp next to stream and have a hand pump water filter. At the time, July 05, there were some wild fires nearby and you could see the smoke. It truly is a beautiful place.
Jefferson faces a maximum of 235 years in prison if convicted on charges of racketeering, fraud, money laundering and obstruction of justice, an allegation stemming from what investigators say was the congressman's attempt to hide a potentially incriminating document when the FBI raided his New Orleans home in August 2005. He is the first member of Congress to be indicted under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act which was designed to prevent bribery of officials in other nations.
Just sit back and boil some crawfish, this is gonna be fun.
abrogate
abstemious
acumen
antebellum
auspicious
belie
bellicose
bowdlerize
chicanery
chromosome
churlish
circumlocution
circumnavigate
deciduous
deleterious
diffident
enervate
enfranchise
epiphany
equinox
euro
evanescent
expurgate
facetious
fatuous
feckless
fiduciary
filibuster
gamete
gauche
gerrymander
hegemony
hemoglobin
homogeneous
hubris
hypotenuse
impeach
incognito
incontrovertible
inculcate
infrastructure
interpolate
irony
jejune
kinetic
kowtow
laissez faire
lexicon
loquacious
metamorphosis
mitosis
moiety
nanotechnology
nihilism
nomenclature
nonsectarian
notarize
obsequious
oligarchy
omnipotent
orthography
oxidize
parabola
paradigm
parameter
pecuniary
photosynthesis
plagiarize
plasma
polymer
precipitous
quasar
quotidian
recapitulate
reciprocal
reparation
respiration
sanguine
soliloquy
subjugate
suffragist
supercilious
tautology
taxonomy
tectonic
tempestuous
thermodynamics
totalitarian
unctuous
usurp
vacuous
vehement
vortex
winnow
wrought
xenophobe
yeoman
ziggurat
• Net income up 75% to $9.92 billion. That is the most a U.S. company has earned from operations in a three-month period and greater than the annual gross domestic product of entire nations including Cameroon and Zimbabwe.
• Revenue up 32% to $100.7 billion. That is greater than the annual GDP of all but just 38 of the world's economies.
Wal-Mart, the nation's largest employer and the world's biggest retailer, is regularly paying itself rent and using the transaction to decrease the taxes it pays to state governments, according to a report in this morning's Wall Street Journal.[...]The result of the circuitous transaction: Wal-Mart could effectively turn rental payments to itself into state level tax-deductions in most of the states where the payments have been made. Under typical circumstances, rent paid to a third-party landlord also would reduce taxable income. But that would ordinarily be cash out the door, like most other tax-deductible expenses. Here, the majority of the tax-deductible rental payments came straight back to Wal-Mart.
Well they are being sued and investigated for this. We'll see.
From
Your Captain & Once and Future King, D.R.
Regarding Mardi Gras Day February 20th 2007 in the Gregorian Calendar,
The 10th Anniversary of The Krewe of WooHoo!
All Hail King Joe Fontana and Her Serene Majesty, Queen Kattai Barrow, Our Current Monarchs, and all Royalty Past and Present.
Greetings To The Little Krewe That Could!
Oh, That I could be with you on this 12th Night and share the love, joy, and general mayhem and woohooness.
Soon, I will return, and take my Queen and former spouse on a random perambulation through the Bywater, and The Quarters, scattering colored streamers, flowers and bubbles, and leaving only beauty and peace in our wake (and some empty champagne bottles.)
Our theme this year, decreed by our most benevolent Captain, Laura is
Masquerade By The Mississippi
Please gather your friends and family and join us in our masked and costumed annual celebration of rebirth and rejuvenation.
Until then, continue to follow King Joe and Queen Kattai, and help your captains plan and prepare for the Greatest Carnival Experience, ever.
Details and schedules are forthcoming from your Captains, Juli and Laura. Please pay your dues, help with the rebuilding of the float, gather beads and doubloons, champagne, beverages, fine foods and imbibements.
I know the theme is Masquerade by the Mississippi, and masks are very important this year, and I am hoping that the males of our species will join me in costuming as Bacchus- a Sea of Gods in Purple Robes accompanied by the most beautiful women in the world in their fine attire.
I have purchased a new confetti launcher, and am hoping someone can repair our old launchers. We need new tires for the float, tons of confetti, and a new bubble machine. I am having trouble landing an accordion player, and seek your help finding a musician, band or sound system.
Hear Ye, hear ye – It was Ten years ago this Mardi Gras that the Krewe of Woo Hoo was born out of the Love and Respect that D.R. and Laura have for friendship, family and festivity. To commemorate this auspicious occasion and in the true spirit of our Krewe, this year we will have the pleasure of serving under the Royal Reign of those who gave us the gift of the Krewe to begin with – His Royal Highness D.R. and Her Royal Majesty Laura.
The Krewe of Woo Hoo Is pleased to announce that the Theme for Mardi Gras 2007 is “Masquerade by the River”. Captain Laura applauds your efforts and thanks all of you for last years’ attention to detail in fashioning your drinking vessels, and requests that you continue to hold dear this level of excellence.
This years’ loose theme comes with the stipulation that you be masked. The Mask is a true representation of the spirit of Carnavale – it renders the wearer anonymous in the physical and free in the psyche.
The Krewe of Woo Hoo finds it necessary in light of outstanding expenses due to last year’s extensive replacement costs to enact a one time only increase in annual membership dues. The Krewe dues for 2007 will be 75.00 per person, and 50.00 for first time participants. These dues will help to replenish our overextended coffers, replace necessary items and defray the costs of our libations and merry feasting. If you have questions regarding the annual dues, please contact insouciance66@yahoo.com – Please remit ASAP so that we may begin acquiring the items necessary to continue in our expected fabulous tradition :) If you plan on submitting your dues in person, we request that they be sealed in an envelope and include the names of the sponsored members.
Please respond to the Krewe Proclamation as soon as possible to let us know if we can expect your presence on this, the most jubilant, personal and important of our celebrations – the 10th Anniversary of the Krewe of Woo Hoo. To RSVP for the Krewe of Woo Hoo, please contact Laura Roe at lauracroe@msn.com or Juli Silver Green at insouciance66@yahoo.com
“Things are seldom what they seem; Skim milk would masquerade as cream.”
~ Captain Laura Roe
and The Captain’s Royal Right Hand – Juli Silver Green
1997 The Wedding Laura & DR
1998 Baby Steps Robin & Daniel
1999 Bacchus’ Dream Carolyn & Stephen
2000 Flora & Fauna Laura & DR
2001 Mother Nature’s Children Laura & DR
2002 The Queen’s Jewels Stacey & Jim
2003 Gods & Goddesses Mama & Joey
2004 Under The Sea Jackie & Ranger Rick
2005 Signs of The Zodiac Juli & Sean
2006 Fairy Tales Kattai & Joe
2007 Masquerade By The River Laura & DR
"It seems to me that the evidence provided by Klein indicates that the hardware for TIA did indeed get funded and deployed. And Ohm's statement in Stanford indicates that the federal government is sweeping up all sorts of communications, including email, voice traffic, voice over IP, ftp, and http (web browsing). This is exactly what the Narus device is intended to do: sweep everything up like a vacuum cleaner. And the idea of "sweep first, filter later" does not provide for the appropriate protections guaranteed by the 4th Amendment.[...]Let me be clear: data mining and surveillance are good things in some cases. But since we have the technology to zero in on suspected surveillance targets, I see no reason to capture and store the data on regular, everyday, non-suspect internet users. And seeing as this program is being controlled at the behest of the Bush Administration - who've already shown a great disregard for the US Constitution - I strongly suspect that the program is being abused. Unless Congress is willing to exercise some oversight in this case, we may have to wait for the next Mark Klein to step forward before we know the full extent of the damage.
Definitely worth the read. Some interesting links in the article as well.
In nearby Surprise, where Casey was enrolled as a 12-year-old in a public school for four months, he was regarded as a shy, average student with chronic attendance problems. A man identified as his uncle had registered him, attended curriculum night and e-mailed his teachers about homework assignments.
Now Casey is in jail, and his former neighbors and classmates have learned the unthinkable: Not only is Casey not Casey — his real name is Neil H. Rodreick II — but he is also a 29-year-old convicted sex offender who kept a youthful appearance with the aid of razors and makeup.[...]Mr. Rodreick spent seven years in prison in Oklahoma for making lewd and indecent proposals to two 6-year-old boys. After being released in 2002, law enforcement officials said, he was able to convince Lonnie Stiffler, 61, and Robert J. Snow, 43, who had been trolling the Internet for boys, that he was a minor.
WTF?
"The Saints lost on Sunday, one game shy of the Super Bowl. On Tuesday, President Bush gave New Orleans - or Katrina relief in general - zero words in his State of the Union address. Many places far, far away were more important to the state of the United States than New Orleans. Apparently, even the woman who makes videos of puppet dragons dancing for babies is more important than New Orleans.
New Orleans is fucked, yes, we must sigh and admit it to ourselves, like people with cancer must tell themselves that their bodies have turned on them. Like Republicans need to admit that the Bush presidency is a failure that will end up wrecking their party. It is going to be fucked for years to come, more than likely forever.
The Rude Pundit wonders what would have happened if it had been San Francisco that had been smited a year and a half ago. Or some other comparably-sized city. If it had been a state with a Republican governor (especially one up for re-election). All those possibilities that might have un-fucked New Orleans. Instead, the ash heap of public consciousness awaits it, except for moments of feeling good when, say, Brad and Angelina buy a house there. It's like tossing coins in the paper coffee cup of that homeless guy you see every day. You feel great about yourself as you move on with your morning. But he still is out there in the cold, just wanting enough for a bottle or a vial so he can forget, too."
This guy is incredible. A little rough with the language but hey, your an adult and he is The Rude Pundit.
Leroy Jones and his girl Katja Toivola.
Both are good friends and wonderful musicians.
Jan. 26, 2007 - White House anxiety is mounting over the prospect that top officials—including deputy chief of staff Karl Rove and counselor Dan Bartlett-may be forced to provide potentially awkward testimony in the perjury and obstruction trial of Lewis (Scooter) Libby.
Ouch.
One of the most dangerous ways homosexuality invades family life is through popular music. Parents should keep careful watch over their children's listening habits, especially in this Internet Age of MP3 piracy.
Bands to watch out for
- The Spores (endorse suicide)
- Scissor Sisters
- Rufus Wainwright
- Merzbau
- Ravi Shankar
- Wilco
- Bjork
- Tech N9ne
- Ghostface Killah
- Bobby Conn
- Morton Subotnik
- Cole Porter
- The String Cheese Incident
- Eagles of Death Metal
- Polyphonic Spree
- The Faint
- Interpol
- Tegan and Sara
- Erasure
- The Grateful Dead (AIDS)
- Le Tigre
- The Gossip
- The Magnetic Fields
- The Doors
- Phish
- Queen
- The Strokes
- Sufjan Stevens
- Morrissey(?questionable?)
- The Pet Shop Boys
- Metallica
- Judas Priest
- The Village People
- The Secret Handshake
- The Rolling Stones
- David Bowie
- Frankie Goes to Hollywood
- Man or Astroman
- Richard Cheese
- Jay-Z
- Depeche Mode
- Kansas
- Ani DiFranco
- Fischerspooner
- John Mayer
- George Michael (texan)
- Angel Eyes
- The Indigo Girls
- Velvet Underground
- Madonna
- Elton John
- Barry Manilow
- Indigo Girls
- Melissa Etheridge
- Eminmen
- Nirvana
- Boy George*
- The Killers
- Lou Reed
- Lil' Wayne
- Motorhead
- Jill Sobule
- Wilson Phillips
- DMX
- Lisa Loeb
- Ted Nugent (loincloth)
- Dogstar
- Thirty Seconds to Mars
- Lil' Kim
- kd lang
- Frank Sinatra
- Hinder
- Nickleback
- Justus Kohncke
- Bob Mould
- Clay Aiken
- Arcade Fire
- Bright Eyes
- Corinne Bailey Rae
- Audioslave
- Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Panic at the Disco
- Elton John(really gay)
Uhm, OK.
More from The Founding Fathers, specifically Alexander Hamilton
It has indeed been brought forward in the most vague and general form,
supported only by bold assertions, without the appearance of argument;
without even the sanction of theoretical opinions; in contradiction to
the practice of other free nations, and to the general sense of America,
as expressed in most of the existing constitutions. The proprietory of
this remark will appear, the moment it is recollected that the objection
under consideration turns upon a supposed necessity of restraining the
LEGISLATIVE authority of the nation, in the article of military
establishments; a principle unheard of, except in one or two of our
State constitutions, and rejected in all the rest.
A stranger to our politics, who was to read our newspapers at the
present juncture, without having previously inspected the plan reported
by the convention, would be naturally led to one of two conclusions:
either that it contained a positive injunction, that standing armies
should be kept up in time of peace; or that it vested in the EXECUTIVE
the whole power of levying troops, without subjecting his discretion, in
any shape, to the control of the legislature.
If he came afterwards to peruse the plan itself, he would be surprised
to discover, that neither the one nor the other was the case; that the
whole power of raising armies was lodged in the LEGISLATURE, not in the
EXECUTIVE; that this legislature was to be a popular body, consisting of
the representatives of the people periodically elected; and that instead
of the provision he had supposed in favor of standing armies, there was
to be found, in respect to this object, an important qualification even
of the legislative discretion, in that clause which forbids the
appropriation of money for the support of an army for any longer period
than two years a precaution which, upon a nearer view of it, will appear
to be a great and real security against the keeping up of troops without
evident necessity.
Disappointed in his first surmise, the person I have supposed would be
apt to pursue his conjectures a little further. He would naturally say
to himself, it is impossible that all this vehement and pathetic
this people, so jealous of their liberties, have, in all the preceding
models of the constitutions which they have established, inserted the
most precise and rigid precautions on this point, the omission of which,
in the new plan, has given birth to all this apprehension and clamor.
the car:
2007 Venom 1000 Twin Turbo SRT
Power:
the boat:
Sunseeker 105
Length overall –
incl. pulpit and platform 30.82m 101'1''
Length overall – incl. pulpit
ext'd bathing platform option 31.01m 105'0''
Length – @ waterline 24.34m 79'10''
Booyah, 105 feet of ocean going luxury. I really like the jacuzzi in the owners suite.
the plane:
Piaggio P180 Avanti II
one pilot
9 passengers
cruising speed of about 450 miles per hour with
a range of over 1500 miles, coolest personal
aircraft ever
| | | approve | disapprove | unsure | ||
| % | % | % | ||||
| 1/19-21/07 | 34 | 63 | 3 | |||
| 1/11/07 | 35 | 62 | 3 | |||
| 12/15-17/06 | 36 | 62 | 2 | |||
| 12/5-7/06 | 37 | 57 | 6 | |||
| 11/17-19/06 | 38 | 59 | 4 | |||
| 11/3-5/06 | 35 | 61 | 4 | |||
| 10/27-29/06 | 37 | 58 | 4 |
Bush's poll numbers from pollingreport.com. Ok, hopefully these guys don't sue me for this. These numbers are actually attributed to CNN. Worst. President. Ever.
A JOINT RESOLUTION
PETITIONING CONGRESS TO COMMENCE THE INVESTIGATION OF AND IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDINGS AGAINST PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH AND VICE PRESIDENT RICHARD B. CHENEY.
WHEREAS, George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney conspired with others to defraud the United States of America by intentionally misleading congress and the public regarding the threat from Iraq in order to justify a war in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Section 371; and
WHEREAS, George W. Bush has admitted to ordering the national security agency to conduct electronic surveillance of American civilians without seeking warrants from the foreign intelligence surveillance court of review, duly constituted by congress in 1978, in violation of Title 50 United States Code, Section 1805; and
WHEREAS, George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney conspired to commit the torture of prisoners in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Chapter 113C, the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the Geneva Conventions, which under Article VI of the United States constitution are part of the "supreme Law of the Land"; and
WHEREAS, George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney acted to strip American citizens of their constitutional rights by ordering indefinite detention without access to legal counsel, without charge and without the opportunity to appear before a civil judicial officer to challenge the detention, based solely on the discretionary designation by the president of a United States citizen as an "enemy combatant", all in subversion of
law; andWHEREAS, in all of this, George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney have acted in a manner contrary to their trust as president and vice president, subverting constitutional government to the great prejudice of the cause of law and justice and to the manifest injury of the people of New Mexico and of the United States of America; and
WHEREAS, petitions from the country at large may be presented by the speaker of the United States house of representatives, according to Clause 3 of House Rule XII; and
WHEREAS, Section 603 of Thomas Jefferson's Manual on Parliamentary Practice and of the Rules of the United States House of Representatives states that impeachment may be set in motion by charges transmitted from the legislature of a state;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney, by such conduct, warrant impeachment and trial and removal from office and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust or profit under the United States; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the New Mexico congressional delegation be requested to cause to be instituted in the congress of the United States proper proceedings for the investigation of the activities of George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney, to the end that they may be impeached and removed from their offices; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the secretary of state be instructed to certify and transmit to the speaker of the United States house of representatives and the clerk of the United States house of representatives, under the great seal of the state of New Mexico, a copy of this resolution and its adoption by the legislature of the state of New Mexico. The copies shall be marked with the word "Petition" at the top of the document and contain the original authorizing signature of the
secretary of state.
-Now isn't that interesting? I'll have to keep an eye on this.
The French author Jules Renard once wrote, "Laziness is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired."
First of all, it is to warn those who receive this manual prior to the rapture of the events that will take place in the last days as foretold in the Bible. Based on what the Bible has to say about future events, nobody in their right mind would want live on earth after the rapture...
Let me be really frank with you. If you are reading this manual and the rapture has already occurred, then you probably are not going to physically survive; you most likely will die sometime un the next few years. This manual is about the survival of your soul. You are going to go through terrible suffering. The only question that remains is whether you will go to Heaven or go to hell when you die...
Shortly after the rapture, a seven-year period known in the Bible as the Great Tribulation will take place. It will begin with the signing of a peace agreement between Israel and her enemies and it will end with the physical return of Jesus Christ to set up His kingdom on earth. In between, will be seven years of terror for those on earth...
OMFG
Thanks to Crooks and Liars
WASHINGTON - James Carville's attempt to topple Howard Dean as chairman of the Democratic National Committee failed after state party officials and even a vocal critic of Dean crushed the coup, officials said.
I'm a big fan of Dean. His 50-state strategy is directly responsible for the Democrat takeover in Congress this election cycle.
He may or may not have been a good president but his thinking got us in a much better position than we were in 3 weeks ago. If Hillary really is going for the presidency she needs Dean way more than Carville.

“The horses came all of a sudden. They started jumping on top of people. I heard the women screaming. A horse stomped on top of me. I fell to the ground and hurt my arm. The horses just kept coming at us. I was terrified. I never thought the police would do something so aggressive, so violent.”
updated. The janitors have won. Power to the people.
It's really difficult to judge which is more pathetic: That George Bush has to rely on Daddy's friends to bail him (And the entire nation) out from the consequences of his own piss-poor decisions, again, or that Baker and Gates may now have to essentially beg Iran and Syria to pitch in and save the Bush Family name. Either way, the traditional media is all a twitter with headlines like 'Bush Willing to Listen to Fresh Ideas on Iraq.
Well said.
"To be considered suitable for Agency employment, applicants must generally not have used illegal drugs within the last twelve months. The issue of illegal drug use prior to twelve months ago is carefully evaluated during the medical and security processing."
(italics mine)
I just don't know what to say to that. Must generally not have used??? So, if your over in Afghanistan and your black-ops buddies got some kind or a little opium last Friday that might be ok? Looks like once again I chose the wrong career. Could've gone to school and become a spy and did illegal drugs with the blessing of the CIA.
Oh, about that "liberal social agenda." Perkins' mind was blown like Ted Haggard's dick on a four-day meth binge because of the results of ballot initiatives around the country: "South Dakotans voted to overturn their new abortion ban (life of the mother exception). And Californians and Oregonians voted to allow minor girls to obtain abortions without notifying their parents. Missourians affirmed a constitutional amendment that will make embryonic stem cell research and human cloning permanently legal. For activist courts to foist an anti-life, pro-homosexual, or anti-family ruling upon the people is one thing. For the people, through the democratic process, to approve such a measure is altogether a different thing." Yep, it's a different thing because it makes it seem like the "people" and the "democratic process" are actually for things like liberty, science, and rights. Fuckers. This is not to mention that Elliot Spitzer and Mike Bloomberg in New York "have all vowed to use their influence to advance "marriage equality" a euphemism for "same-sex" marriage."
CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR (I SHALL DIE)I shall die
but that is all
I shall do for DeathI hear him leading his horse out of the stall
I hear the clatter on the barn floor
He is in haste
he has business in Cuba
business in the Balkans
Many calls to make this morning
But I will not hold the bridle while he cinches the girth
And he may mount by himself
I will not give him a leg upThough he flick my shoulders with his whip
I will not tell him which way the fox ran
And with his hoof on my breast
I will not tell him where the black boy hides in the swampI shall die
but that is all
that I shall do for Death
I am not on his payrollI will not tell him the whereabouts of my enemies either
Though he promises me much
I will not map him the route to any man's door
Am I a spy in the land of the living
that I should deliver men to Death?
Brother, the password and the plans of our city are safe with me
Never through me shall you be overcomeI shall die
but that is all
I shall do for Death
General, your tank is a powerful vehicle.
It smashes down forests and crushes men.
But it has one defect:
It needs a driver.
General, your bomber is powerful.
It flies faster than a storm
and carries more than an elephant.
But it has one defect:
It needs a mechanic.
General, man is very useful.
He can fly and he can kill.
But he has one defect:
He can think.
It cannot have escaped those who have attended with candor to the arguments employed against the extensive powers of the government, that the authors of them have very little considered how far these powers were necessary means of attaining a necessary end. They have chosen rather to dwell on the inconveniences which must be unavoidably blended with all political advantages; and on the possible abuses which must be incident to every power or trust, of which a beneficial use can be made. This method of handling the subject cannot impose on the good sense of the people of America. It may display the subtlety of the writer; it may open a boundless field for rhetoric and declamation; it may inflame the passions of the unthinking, and may confirm the prejudices of the misthinking: but cool and candid people will at once reflect, that the purest of human blessings must have a portion of alloy in them; that the choice must always be made, if not of the lesser evil, at least of the GREATER, not the PERFECT, good; and that in every political institution, a power to advance the public happiness involves a discretion which may be misapplied and abused. They will see, therefore, that in all cases where power is to be conferred, the point first to be decided is, whether such a power be necessary to the public good; as the next will be, in case of an affirmative decision, to guard as effectually as possible against a perversion of the power to the public detriment.
That we may form a correct judgment on this subject, it will be proper to review the several powers conferred on the government of the Union; and that this may be the more conveniently done they may be reduced into different classes as they relate to the following different objects: 1. Security against foreign danger; 2. Regulation of the intercourse with foreign nations; 3. Maintenance of harmony and proper intercourse among the States; 4. Certain miscellaneous objects of general utility; 5. Restraint of the States from certain injurious acts; 6. Provisions for giving due efficacy to all these powers.
The powers falling within the FIRST class are those of declaring war and granting letters of marque; of providing armies and fleets; of regulating and calling forth the militia; of levying and borrowing money.
Security against foreign danger is one of the primitive objects of civil society. It is an avowed and essential object of the American Union. The powers requisite for attaining it must be effectually confided to the federal councils.
Is the power of declaring war necessary? No man will answer this question in the negative. It would be superfluous, therefore, to enter into a proof of the affirmative. The existing Confederation establishes this power in the most ample form.
Is the power of raising armies and equipping fleets necessary? This is involved in the foregoing power. It is involved in the power of self-defense.
But was it necessary to give an INDEFINITE POWER of raising TROOPS, as well as providing fleets; and of maintaining both in PEACE, as well as in war?
The answer to these questions has been too far anticipated in another place to admit an extensive discussion of them in this place. The answer indeed seems to be so obvious and conclusive as scarcely to justify such a discussion in any place. With what color of propriety could the force necessary for defense be limited by those who cannot limit the force of offense? If a federal Constitution could chain the ambition or set bounds to the exertions of all other nations, then indeed might it prudently chain the discretion of its own government, and set bounds to the exertions for its own safety.
How could a readiness for war in time of peace be safely prohibited, unless we could prohibit, in like manner, the preparations and establishments of every hostile nation? The means of security can only be regulated by the means and the danger of attack. They will, in fact, be ever determined by these rules, and by no others. It is in vain to oppose constitutional barriers to the impulse of self-preservation. It is worse than in vain; because it plants in the Constitution itself necessary usurpations of power, every precedent of which is a germ of unnecessary and multiplied repetitions. If one nation maintains constantly a disciplined army, ready for the service of ambition or revenge, it obliges the most pacific nations who may be within the reach of its enterprises to take corresponding precautions. The fifteenth century was the unhappy epoch of military establishments in the time of peace. They were introduced by Charles VII. of France. All Europe has followed, or been forced into, the example. Had the example not been followed by other nations, all Europe must long ago have worn the chains of a universal monarch. Were every nation except France now to disband its peace establishments, the same event might follow. The veteran legions of Rome were an overmatch for the undisciplined valor of all other nations and rendered her the mistress of the world.
Not the less true is it, that the liberties of Rome proved the final victim to her military triumphs; and that the liberties of Europe, as far as they ever existed, have, with few exceptions, been the price of her military establishments. A standing force, therefore, is a dangerous, at the same time that it may be a necessary, provision. On the smallest scale it has its inconveniences. On an extensive scale its consequences may be fatal. On any scale it is an object of laudable circumspection and precaution. A wise nation will combine all these considerations; and, whilst it does not rashly preclude itself from any resource which may become essential to its safety, will exert all its prudence in diminishing both the necessity and the danger of resorting to one which may be inauspicious to its liberties.
The clearest marks of this prudence are stamped on the proposed Constitution. The Union itself, which it cements and secures, destroys every pretext for a military establishment which could be dangerous. America united, with a handful of troops, or without a single soldier, exhibits a more forbidding posture to foreign ambition than America disunited, with a hundred thousand veterans ready for combat. It was remarked, on a former occasion, that the want of this pretext had saved the liberties of one nation in Europe. Being rendered by her insular situation and her maritime resources impregnable to the armies of her neighbors, the rulers of Great Britain have never been able, by real or artificial dangers, to cheat the public into an extensive peace establishment. The distance of the United States from the powerful nations of the world gives them the same happy security. A dangerous establishment can never be necessary or plausible, so long as they continue a united people. But let it never, for a moment, be forgotten that they are indebted for this advantage to the Union alone. The moment of its dissolution will be the date of a new order of things. The fears of the weaker, or the ambition of the stronger States, or Confederacies, will set the same example in the New, as Charles VII. did in the Old World. The example will be followed here from the same motives which produced universal imitation there. Instead of deriving from our situation the precious advantage which Great Britain has derived from hers, the face of America will be but a copy of that of the continent of Europe. It will present liberty everywhere crushed between standing armies and perpetual taxes. The fortunes of disunited America will be even more disastrous than those of Europe. The sources of evil in the latter are confined to her own limits. No superior powers of another quarter of the globe intrigue among her rival nations, inflame their mutual animosities, and render them the instruments of foreign ambition, jealousy, and revenge. In America the miseries springing from her internal jealousies, contentions, and wars, would form a part only of her lot. A plentiful addition of evils would have their source in that relation in which Europe stands to this quarter of the earth, and which no other quarter of the earth bears to Europe. This picture of the consequences of disunion cannot be too highly colored, or too often exhibited. Every man who loves peace, every man who loves his country, every man who loves liberty, ought to have it ever before his eyes, that he may cherish in his heart a due attachment to the Union of America, and be able to set a due value on the means of preserving it. Next to the effectual establishment of the Union, the best possible precaution against danger from standing armies is a limitation of the term for which revenue may be appropriated to their support. This precaution the Constitution has prudently added. I will not repeat here the observations which I flatter myself have placed this subject in a just and satisfactory light. But it may not be improper to take notice of an argument against this part of the Constitution, which has been drawn from the policy and practice of Great Britain. It is said that the continuance of an army in that kingdom requires an annual vote of the legislature; whereas the American Constitution has lengthened this critical period to two years. This is the form in which the comparison is usually stated to the public: but is it a just form? Is it a fair comparison? Does the British Constitution restrain the parliamentary discretion to one year? Does the American impose on the Congress appropriations for two years? On the contrary, it cannot be unknown to the authors of the fallacy themselves, that the British Constitution fixes no limit whatever to the discretion of the legislature, and that the American ties down the legislature to two years, as the longest admissible term.
And yet, however just these sentiments will be allowed to be, we have
already sufficient indications that it will happen in this as in all
former cases of great national discussion. A torrent of angry and
malignant passions will be let loose. To judge from the conduct of the
opposite parties, we shall be led to conclude that they will mutually
hope to evince the justness of their opinions, and to increase the
number of their converts by the loudness of their declamations and the
bitterness of their invectives. An enlightened zeal for the energy and
efficiency of government will be stigmatized as the offspring of a
temper fond of despotic power and hostile to the principles of liberty.
An over-scrupulous jealousy of danger to the rights of the people, which
is more commonly the fault of the head than of the heart, will be
represented as mere pretense and artifice, the stale bait for popularity
at the expense of the public good. It will be forgotten, on the one
hand, that jealousy is the usual concomitant of love, and that the noble
enthusiasm of liberty is apt to be infected with a spirit of narrow and
illiberal distrust. On the other hand, it will be equally forgotten that
the vigor of government is essential to the security of liberty; that,
in the contemplation of a sound and well-informed judgment, their
interest can never be separated; and that a dangerous ambition more
often lurks behind the specious mask of zeal for the rights of the
people than under the forbidden appearance of zeal for the firmness and
efficiency of government. History will teach us that the former has been
found a much more certain road to the introduction of despotism than the
latter, and that of those men who have overturned the liberties of
republics, the greatest number have begun their career by paying an
obsequious court to the people; commencing demagogues, and ending
tyrants.
-Alexander Hamilton Oct 27th, 1787
If you can watch this from Keith Olbermann and not want to march to DC and demand that Bush be held accountable then your lithium script is better than mine.


