Tag Archives: history

Mark Caserta: Democratic Socialism vs. Capitalism — In Plain English

19 Aug

Democratic Socialism vs. Capitalism — In Plain English

The difference really comes down to one basic question:

Who should have more control over the economy — individuals and businesses, or government and collective institutions?

  • Capitalism: You can own your business, property and investments.
  • Democratic Socialism: The government would own and control your property.
  • Capitalism: Businesses compete for customers, and consumers help decide what succeeds.
  • Democratic Socialism: Government decides how resources are used and the level of your success.
  • Capitalism: People can take risks, build businesses, invest money and profit if they succeed.
  • Democratic Socialism: The focus is spreading the wealth, regardless of “who built it”
  • Capitalism: Economic decisions are made by the people.
  • Democratic Socialism: Decisions are made through government or collective control.

The Democratic Socialists of America openly says its long-term goal is social ownership and democratic control of the economy, not simply making a few changes to capitalism.

That’s why educating our young people matters!

It isn’t just about government programs. It’s about who gets to own, control and make the decisions in America’s economy.

These nations have already failed or are failing under socialism/communism.  Yet, the Democrat Socialists of America, with many Democrats allowing it to happen, want it for America.

Yes, everyone is equal – equally poor.

  Soviet Union — Communist one-party state with a highly centralized economy; dissolved in 1991.

  East Germany — Communist planned economy; ultimately reunified with capitalist West Germany in 1990.

  Czechoslovakia — Communist planned economy until the Velvet Revolution; later transitioned toward a market economy.

  Romania — Communist dictatorship under Nicolae Ceaușescu; suffered severe shortages and austerity before the regime collapsed in 1989.

  Poland — Communist government and centrally planned economy until 1989; later adopted market reforms.

  Hungary — Communist state until 1989; subsequently transitioned to a market-based economy.

  Albania — One of Europe’s most rigid communist states; emerged from communism extremely poor and isolated.

  Yugoslavia — Socialist federation that eventually disintegrated amid economic, political and ethnic crises.

  Cuba — Remains a communist one-party state with extensive state control of the economy; its economic system has long faced shortages and weak productivity, though U.S. sanctions are also an important factor and should be acknowledged.

  North Korea — Communist authoritarian state with an overwhelmingly state-directed economy and chronic economic hardship.

  Venezuela — Under Chávez and Maduro, nationalizations, price controls and expanding state direction accompanied a massive economic and humanitarian crisis. Venezuela’s collapse also involved oil dependence, corruption, political dysfunction and sanctions, so socialism was not the sole cause. The country has experienced hyperinflation and mass emigration.

  Maoist China — The Great Leap Forward’s collectivization and central planning contributed to catastrophic famine. China later moved substantially toward markets, private enterprise and foreign investment while retaining Communist Party rule.

  Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge — An extreme communist experiment involving abolition of markets and private property, accompanied by mass starvation, forced labor and killing.

  Ethiopia under the Derg — Marxist-Leninist regime marked by nationalization, collectivization, famine and economic deterioration.

  Tanzania under Ujamaa socialism — Large-scale collectivization and state-directed development produced disappointing economic results and eventually gave way to reforms.

Don’t allow the United States to be added to this list!

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Mark Caserta: Unwarranted government surveillance under the guise of protection is only the beginning.

20 Jul

History records the progressive movement will use this foothold to advance their agenda!

My entire adult life, I have observed, studied, and written about the progressive movement. What began as a movement that many viewed as advancing society has, over time, evolved into an effort to transform society itself.

In 1973, the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade recognized a constitutional right to abortion while also acknowledging limits intended to protect the health of the pregnant woman and what the Court described as “potential life.” Under the Court’s original framework, abortions after viability could generally be prohibited, except when necessary to protect the life or health of the mother.

Over the years, however, the national debate expanded dramatically. Controversial procedures, including what became known as “partial-birth abortion,” and even “live-birth abortions were performed, heinously murdering an innocent life.  The original decision was the catalyst for disaster.

The cultural shift did not stop there.

In the 1970s, network television was vastly different from what we see today. Sexual content was limited. Profanity was heavily restricted. Violence, while present, was generally restrained. Families could sit down together during prime time with a reasonable expectation that the programming would be suitable for everyone.

Today, I don’t need to describe how different things have become. What is now considered mainstream entertainment would have been unthinkable on network television in that era.

Likewise, legal and social debates surrounding LGBTQ issues have continued to evolve over the decades. Questions involving marriage, employment protections, military service, and gender identity have all developed on different timelines.

Today, we have biological males competing in women’s sports and having access to women’s locker rooms—issues that would have seemed unimaginable to many Americans just a generation ago.

The same pattern is emerging in another area that should concern every citizen: government surveillance.

The Fourth Amendment has protected Americans against unreasonable searches and seizures since 1791. Yet today, many progressives casually support warrantless camera systems, such as Flock cameras, that record and track the movements of law-abiding citizens without individualized suspicion.

Some argue that this type of surveillance is not specifically prohibited by the Fourth Amendment. But the Framers anticipated that future generations might attempt to narrow the people’s liberties by exploiting technicalities. That is precisely why they included the Ninth Amendment.

The Ninth Amendment makes clear that just because a right is not specifically listed in the Constitution does not mean the people do not possess that right. It was intended to prevent the federal government from claiming authority over every aspect of our lives simply because a particular liberty was not expressly enumerated.

This is how progressivism often advances. Change rarely comes all at once. It begins with policies that appear modest, reasonable, or even beneficial. Then the boundaries continue to move. What was once described as an exception becomes the norm. What was once considered unacceptable gradually becomes expected.

It’s the desensitization of Americans.

The objective is not merely to reform society but to redefine it.

There comes a point when every generation must decide whether it will preserve the principles it inherited or surrender them one compromise at a time.

For me, that decision is clear.

It is time to exercise common sense. It is time to stand for the enduring principles found in the Holy Bible and the Constitution of the United States. If we fail to defend them today, we should not be surprised to find that future generations no longer enjoy the freedoms we inherited.

How to Fight Deployment of Flock and Other Mass Surveillance License Plate Readers in Your Community | American Civil Liberties Union

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Mark Caserta: The Price of Freedom

18 Jul

“Today, the threats to liberty may not come in the form of muskets and cannon fire. More often they arrive quietly—through complacency, the steady erosion of constitutional freedoms, or the willingness to trade liberty for convenience, security, or political expediency. Who are we to casually relinquish our freedoms brave men and women have died to protect?“

Young George Washington was suddenly awakened by the deafening roar of muskets and cannon fire. He had been unconscious, suffering from a severe case of dysentery, but the thunder of battle gave him the strength to rise and discover what was happening around him.

Having failed in his first military command against the French and their Native American allies, Washington had resigned his commission. Yet when the call came again, he volunteered to serve in any capacity he could, determined to do his part in defending the future of the New World.

Amid the thick powder smoke and chaos of battle, Washington mounted his horse to assess the situation.

“The battle is lost,” he was warned. “Turn back, Washington. Save yourself. It isn’t worth the risk.”

But George Washington knew his fellow soldiers were trapped on the front lines. He refused to abandon them. Instead, he spurred his horse toward the fiercest fighting, determined to lead from the front rather than seek safety in the rear.

History records that George Washington was remarkably protected that day. As bullets ripped through the air around him, he rode fearlessly across the battlefield, rallying frightened soldiers and helping as many as possible escape certain death. Though General Braddock’s army had been overwhelmed and the battle was ultimately lost, Washington’s courage prevented an even greater catastrophe.

With General Braddock mortally wounded and panic spreading through the ranks, Washington organized the retreat, encouraged his exhausted troops, and directed them to use the cover of the trees rather than continue fighting in the open. His calm leadership amid chaos saved countless lives and transformed what could have been a complete annihilation into an orderly withdrawal.

By the end of the battle, hundreds of brave men had sacrificed their lives at the Battle of the Monongahela, also known as Braddock’s Defeat. Yet George Washington emerged from the battlefield untouched, despite having two horses shot from beneath him and multiple bullet holes through his coat.

Many who witnessed the battle believed Divine Providence had preserved his life for a greater purpose—a purpose that would eventually lead him to command the Continental Army, guide a fledgling nation to independence, and become the first President of the United States.

Freedom has never been free. It never has been, and it never will be.

Our nation’s liberty was purchased with the courage, sacrifice, and blood of men and women who believed there were principles worth dying for. They understood that freedom is never guaranteed. It survives only when ordinary people are willing to stand against extraordinary odds.

George Washington could have turned his horse and ridden to safety. Instead, he rode into the battle.

That decision did more than save lives. It revealed the character of a man who would later lead a revolution and help establish the greatest experiment in self-government the world has ever known.

Today, the threats to liberty may not come in the form of muskets and cannon fire. More often they arrive quietly—through complacency, the steady erosion of constitutional freedoms, or the willingness to trade liberty for convenience, security, or political expediency.

Every generation is called to defend freedom. Ours is no different. Who are we to casually relinquish our freedoms brave men and women have died to protect?

The question is not whether freedom will require sacrifice.

The question is whether we will have the courage to pay its price.

But even a pawn can take the King.

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Mark Caserta: Democrat policies have heightened the appetite for Socialism/Communism

26 Jun

I remember a time when socialist-leaning politicians tried to hide their Marxist tendencies for fear of public rejection. Today, many are openly campaigning on those ideas — and in some places, they are winning.

How did this happen?

How could a nation that became the most economically powerful and prosperous country on earth through capitalism now have a growing segment of voters openly embracing socialism and even communism?

Here is what happened — and far too few people are willing to say it.

The chickens have come home to roost for the Democrat Party.

For decades, far-left Democrats have worked to build voting blocs, not by inspiring independence, opportunity, and achievement, but by creating dependency, division, and grievance. Rather than earning votes through policies that strengthen families, create jobs, and restore hope, they have too often attempted to purchase loyalty through government control and political promises.

They have appealed to women through abortion politics and cultural movements. They have sought the LGBTQ vote by elevating identity politics above common sense. They have fanned the flames of racial resentment while claiming to represent the very communities their policies have failed for generations. They have expanded a nanny-state that weakens industry, eliminates good-paying jobs, and leaves too many families dependent on the very government that helped create their struggle.

They have also opened the door to millions entering this country illegally under the banner of compassion, while offering free housing, healthcare, benefits, and services that many hardworking American citizens can barely afford.

This did not happen by accident.

The far-left ideology of today’s Democrat Party has helped create a voter base that has not fully experienced the promise and discipline of true capitalism. Too many have not been encouraged to work, build, fail, learn, grow, and achieve the American Dream. Instead, they have been told that government is the source of success.

They were told, “You didn’t build that.”

Government did.

Now that culture has come to full fruition in many blue states and cities. People look around and see decline, chaos, poverty, crime, broken families, and a growing lack of hope. And sadly, many of the people voting for socialist Democrats are not bad people. Many are simply trying to survive in the very system they were handed.

When hope disappears, people become willing to try almost anything — even failed ideas that history has warned us about again and again.

Winston Churchill is often credited with saying:

“Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy; its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.”

Whether one studies history, economics, or human nature, the lesson is clear: socialism does not lift people into prosperity. It spreads dependency, envy, and misery.

The failures of the Democrat Party have helped give birth to the very appetite for socialism they now pretend is compassion. Their policies have not produced strength. They have produced dependency. They have not produced unity. They have produced division. They have not produced hope. They have produced desperation.

I believe this movement will continue to grow unless it is confronted not merely with words, but with results. People do not just need speeches. They need jobs. They need safe communities. They need strong families. They need opportunity. They need leaders who are more interested in restoring hope than preserving political power.

Make no mistake: the appetite for socialism and communism in America did not appear overnight. It was cultivated through decades of failed policies, broken promises, and political dependency.

As this ideology spreads, I believe we will see the socio-economic gap grow even wider between states and cities that embrace freedom and those that embrace government control.

Perhaps it will take a massive failure — a real-time history lesson — for some voters to understand why America became the greatest nation on earth in the first place.

But I pray it does not come to that.

May God bless and protect this nation along the journey.

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Mark Caserta: Millions of Americans relinquish their children’s future to total strangers.

18 Apr

I would never want to be asked by one of my grandchildren, “Papaw, why didn’t you vote?”

Millions of Americans have become so frustrated with politics that they simply refuse to vote. That doesn’t make them bad people—they’re just fed up. Many have resigned themselves to sitting on the sidelines, letting the chips fall where they may, adopting a “whatever will be, will be” attitude.

But if our Founding Fathers had taken that same approach, where would we be today?

That kind of indifference diminishes the sacrifice of the brave men and women who gave their lives to secure your right to vote—your right to express your faith, your conscience, and your beliefs in this Republic.

This dereliction of duty—and that’s exactly what it is—has been enabled by something dangerous: taking for granted the freedoms we enjoy in what is still the greatest nation on earth.

Consider this:

In countries like Afghanistan, voters risk terrorist attacks as they walk miles across dangerous terrain just to cast a ballot. The purple ink on their fingers marks them not only as voters—but as targets. And still, they show up.

In the remote regions of India, voters travel for hours—even days—through mountains and rural terrain. Election workers hike, cross rivers, and even use elephants to ensure every voice is heard. In fact, India has been known to set up polling stations for a single voter.

In Nigeria, citizens face threats from terrorist groups like Boko Haram. They stand in long lines under intense heat, often amid violence and disruption—yet turnout remains strong.

The list goes on.

Despite danger, hardship, and sacrifice, these people vote—because they understand something we too often forget: voting is their voice.

When you refuse to vote, you are placing your children’s future—and their children’s future—into the hands of others who may not share your values or priorities.

When you refuse to vote, you dismiss over 250 years of sacrifice made by those who fought and died to preserve your freedom.

When you refuse to vote, you surrender the direction of this nation—and your family’s future—to the loudest voices in the room.

History reminds us where that can lead. The loudest voices once cried out in Pilate’s court, choosing Barabbas over Jesus.

Consider this sobering reality: less than 75% of Christians in America are even registered to vote, and nearly half of those who are registered do not vote at all. That means tens of millions of Christians are completely absent from the process.

Forgive me, but that is unacceptable.

We have a responsibility to advance the future, protect the opportunities, and safeguard the freedoms of those who come after us—just as those before us did for us.

Scripture tells us that when we know to do good and fail to do it, for us, it is sin.

What clearer good can there be than standing up for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?

If you don’t typically vote, change that—now.

I would never want to be asked by one of my grandchildren, “Papaw, why didn’t you vote?”

The thought of that breaks my heart.

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Mark Caserta: A clear choice before us in the November mid-term elections – Obstruction or Representation

28 Feb

Let me be clear: the upcoming elections — including the November midterms — present a defining choice for our nation.

When political opposition moves beyond policy disagreement and becomes rooted in obstruction, distortion, and ideological hostility toward a sitting president, the American people must take notice. At some point, this ceases to be about party preference and becomes about principle.

During the president’s recent address to Congress, Americans were given a rare and revealing moment. President Trump issued a simple invitation:

“The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.”

He asked members of Congress to stand if they agreed with that fundamental premise.

What followed was not a procedural maneuver. It was a statement. In full view of the country, almost all Democrats chose to remain seated. 

That moment was not about theatrics. It was about priorities. The moment was revealing for Americans.

We live in a constitutional republic. We elect representatives to safeguard the interests of their constituents and uphold the rule of law. The oath of office is not symbolic — it is solemn:

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic…”

That oath binds members of Congress to the Constitution and to the citizens they serve — not to party loyalty, not to personal ambition, and not to ideological movements.

When elected officials appear unwilling to affirm that protecting American citizens is the government’s first duty, voters are right to question whether representation has been replaced by resistance and to vote accordingly.

This is not an isolated incident. Across issue after issue — border security, crime, national sovereignty, and foreign policy — Democrats have positioned themselves in reflexive opposition to President Trump, even when the policies in question align with the safety and prosperity of the American people.

President Trump has made no apologies for placing American interests first. Whether one agrees with every method or not, his central premise has been clear: government should work for its citizens.

The question before voters now is equally clear: Who will strengthen that mission, and who will obstruct it?  Democrats have chosen to obstruct it.

If we believe in a government that protects its people, enforces its laws, and prioritizes national strength, then we cannot be passive observers in this midterm election.

Analysts may say the odds are difficult. But as Scripture reminds us in Romans 8:31, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Faith, however, is not passive. It requires action.

Pray – Vote – Engage – Encourage others to participate.

If you are an independent voter and wish to have a voice in a primary election, consider your options carefully. Do not allow labels to silence your influence.

The future of this republic depends not on outrage, but on participation.

If our elected officials fail to represent the will and security of the American people, then it is our responsibility — peacefully, lawfully, and constitutionally — to replace them.

The time is now.

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Mark Caserta: Sadly, elections have become a choice between “good” and “evil”

20 Dec

Democrats have abandoned the Republic and Americans

Our country is starved for true leaders who invoke prayer and common sense.

Who do these Democrat (and some Republican) politicians think they represent? Total transformation of our society for the past 250 years appears to be the endgame.

Since the election of Donald Trump, it’s become common place for liberal progressives to take the wrong side of every issue impacting their constituency, if it means opposing the president.

We are seeing a lack of common-sense representation as never before.

Perhaps, no representation at all from many politicians

Democrats are spending time and resources defending boats of narco-terrorists bound to our shores to kill Americans.

Apparently, we should show them mercy as they race to destroy our children!

Democrats defend criminals and totally ignore the innocent victims.

Ask the families of Laken Riley, Rachael Morin and Jocelyn Nungaray.

After all, deceased victims can’t vote.

It’s been that way in every issue!!!

  • Fighting for illegal immigrant criminals who murder innocent women!
  • Fighting for transgender rights over the right of the female in sports!
  • Recently, nearly every single Democrat and 4 so-called Republicans voted against a bill protecting our children against genital mutilation or gender transitioning hormones for minors!
  • Fighting for illegals who obtain CDL licenses in sanctuary states and kill on the highways!
  • Fighting (and worshipping) verminous assassins who murder innocent businessmen with families with a bullet to the back!
  • Fighting against ICE agents and law enforcement entering cities enforcing laws that keep us safe and extract gang members and illegal criminals!
  • And fighting, without exception, every single thing President Trump does for the American people to leep them safe!

Who do these liberal democrats feel they are representing? Folks, do not believe the “stump” speeches or the media! Check their voting records!

These people truly hate America, President Trump and everyone who stands by him! Their desire to stay in power overrides everything, including your safety and welfare!

It’s time for some common-sense representation of the people over your own ideology! It’s time for Godly values and principles declared to be true by our founders to, once again, reign supreme! It’s time for “We the People” to take back our government.

We are at cross-roads in our country. It’s come down to right over wrong, good over evil, and truth over lies! Each of these choices represent one thing – life.

Choose life.

http://www.markcasertawv.com

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Mark Caserta: Just who do Democrats feel they represent in today’s political theater?

12 Mar

Does representation even concern them in pursuit of their radical ideology?

Americans need to begin asking themselves a particularly important question crucial to the future of our country.

Given that we live in a Republic in which we elect officials to represent and defend Democracy on behalf of their constituents…just who exactly do Democrats currently represent in today’s political theater?

In the past 3 decades, based on consistency in behavior and actions, Democrats have been pretty predictable in plethora of issues.  While conservatives disagree commensurate to the progressive passion for advancing their liberal agenda, most agree that there has been a fair amount of balance in representation and ideology of the American people.

  • We know Democrats embrace the US Constitution when it aligns with their agenda, seeking to protect the free speech rights of everyone except Christians and conservatives.    Conservative Republicans support free speech for all.
  • We know Democrats are pro-abortion and supportive of murdering the unborn, under the guise of women’s rights. Conservative Republicans are pro-life.
  • We know Democrats are anti-second amendment and would take your guns away in a heartbeat.  Conservative Republicans are pro-second amendment.
  • We know Democrats support illegal migration and view it as building a potential voter base they can capture in their entitlement net. Conservative Republicans support legal immigration.

We know Democrats have historically seen the world through a liberal lense and have been willing to build a base on that progressive platform and represent others aligning with that ideology.

But what has happened to drive these lost souls into literally hating everything our founding fathers and God intended for our great nation? Who do they feel they represent? Are they even listening to their constituents? Do they even care, anymore?

The only groups or individuals progressive Democrats seem to represent are those who thoroughly despise our nation and seek its demise!

As aforementioned, billions of dollars have been spent to provide comfort, aid and indeed, access for anyone attempting to come to the United States illegally, without regard to their status or intent. They have literally placed the needs of illegal aliens above the needs of US citizens and created sanctuary cities designed to harbor, protect and feed them with your tax dollars – not your consent! 

Anyone with a dissenting opinion is labeled some sort of “phobic.”

Multiple polls indicate the majority of Americas are against illegal immigration, especially those readily impacted by their presence, as in healthcare costs, housing availability and jobs.

Democrats openly protect and advocate for demonstrations promoting violence and even death for Israel. The antisemitism is blatant!  Consider the recent demonstrations at Columbia University where a graduate student Mahmoud Khalil was arrested.

Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil was recently arrested for helping orchestrate disruptive demonstrations on a campus receiving $4 million a year in subsidies (your tax dollars) from the US government.

The Baltimore Sun just ran a piece entitled, “Democrats, activists outraged by arrest of Columbia demonstrator allegedly ‘aligned to Hamas’”. Other news agencies support this information in similar reports. 

Apparently, Democrats consider this “free speech” rather than “hate speech”.  It’s the epitome of hypocrisy they would even attempt to label President Trump or Elon Musk as “Hitler” since they are the ones exhibiting the behaviors and attitudes of Nazi Germany against Israelis.

Most Americans clearly support Israel as our long-time ally.  We have been blessed as a nation because we bless Israel. Genesis 12:3. Israel is our sister nation, and we have long supported the Israeli people.

Per multiple reports, most Americans wants to see the US government reduce its wasteful spending of your tax dollars.  The taxpayer return on the investment simply has not been there and we are just now beginning to find out why! Under normal circumstances the recent revelations of how your money has been spent would create outrage on both sides of the “so called” political aisle.

But regardless of the position of most Americans, Democrats are openly protesting and flailing around using the foulest language rebuking President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) for identifying and trimming government waste, fraud and abuse.

Even recent presidents such as Joe Biden, Barack Hussein Obama and Bill Clinton advocated for the reduction of government waste. They just did not do anything about it.

What American would not want their tax dollars spent wisely and on their behalf?

Is there something liberal Democrats are trying to hide? I am willing to bet there absolutely is!

I could go on and on with examples of Democrats willing to die on the wrong side of the hill for arguments that simply do not represent most Americans.

Only the most radical (and frankly weird) liberals are willing to side with the Democrat Party. And they are clearly in the insignificant minority. (Thank God)

If the Democrat Party continues down this road, not only will they never win another election, but we may also see a rise in an alternative, more representative party. I can think of no other time when a third party stood a better chance of winning an election than now.

Democrats are simply taking themselves out of the game, content to sit on the sidelines yelling and screaming in hatred of the opposing team and never having a game plan of their own. Hate is their only weapon.

No doubt, most Americans see this clearly. One can only hope that rather than allow this to divide our country, true patriots will see it as an opportunity to return our nation to greatness.

Entrance of light always removes darkness – even in politics.

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Doug Smith: Remember Gettysburg, our Republic, on our Independence Day

4 Jul

 

doug-for-fsp

Doug Smith:  Free State Patriot History and Social editor

7.4.2017

 

What began as skirmishers in the pre-dawn from Buford s Federal Cavalry and Heth’s Confederate Infantry has grown into a meeting engagement involving 3 Union Corps. General John Reynolds of I Corps has been killed. 2 Union Corps have retreated through the town of Gettysburg to the high ground of Cemetery Hill and Culp’s Hill, with orders to fortify.

Confederate General Jubal Early arrives on the field and is ordered by Lee to attack the Union flank ” if practicable”. He declines.
Both decisions were to prove seminal for a battle in which Union forces retreated, but held the all-important high ground.

Midnight

 It is quiet now at Gettysburg. The cries of the wounded cut across the heavy air, hot from the July sun, coppery smelling from the blood.

Exhausted men chew hardtack and curl up to sleep, or peer over their breastworks for movement in the night. The heat and the flies do their grisly work on the dead, men and horses alike. Tens of thousands move up in the night to join the battle with the coming of the dawn.

As they smell the odor of battle, gunpowder, decay, blood, intestines, fear sweat, and hear the crackle of fires, and the occasional scream from the relentless work of the surgeon’s saw, they wonder if they turned off the road and marched into hell in the darkness.

Tens of thousands settled for an uneasy night, grimly resolved not to flinch away from the horrors that would come with the sun of July 2, 1863.

Meade arrives to take command. He determines to stay and fight from the high ground held by his Army.

So, the first day of battle ended, but the worst lay ahead.

It was night at Gettysburg.

Day 2.

  4 pm. After a long day of march and delay, Longstreet attacks the Union flanks.
Col Strong Vincent of NY places Col Joshua Chamberlain ‘s 20th Maine at the far left of the Union line with orders to ” hold at all costs.” Both men knew if the 20th retreated, Longstreet’s Alabamans would roll up into the rear of the Union lines. It could sway the entire battle. It could sway the entire war.

The 386 men of the 20th began a desperate 3-hour battle that would test their resolve to its limit, and burn Little Round Top into the consciousness of the nation forever. Of the 386, 38 died, 91 were wounded, 5 missing, and every shot was fired from their muskets.

Still unwilling to yield, Chamberlain orders the regiment to fix bayonets and charge downhill into the attackers.

The 20th held.

The 20th prevailed.

And as the 20th, thus the Republic.

Day 3

 Pickett s command of some 15,000 men were ordered by Lee to assault the Union center on Cemetery Ridge. For the 3rd time now, Alabama on the Left, Texas on the Right, and now Virginia up the center, Lee orders his men to assault fortified high ground.

About 3 pm, Longstreet, who had argued unsuccessfully against the attack, reluctantly gave the go ahead to Pickett to send in his men at Lee ‘s insistence. They would go in across nearly a mile of open field, against entrenched infantry and artillery.

Union artillery fired directly into their ranks. Infantry flanked and fired from multiple directions. Only a few hundred, out of 12,000 reached the Union barricades. They were all promptly killed or taken prisoner. Over 7,000 men were killed or wounded, effectively destroying Pickett ‘s Virginia Regiment.

Demoralized and badly beaten, the Army of Northern Virginia retreated to lick their wounds.

The Battle of Gettysburg was over. Lee had been beaten decisively. Unknown to him, or to Meade, Vicksburg had fallen, and Grant had taken control of the Mississippi, and cut the Confederacy in half.

Meade had won, but in caution or timidity, did not send his exhausted Army of the Potomac to pursue and finish Lee. He would not recover from that decision, and would soon find himself subordinate the Lt Gen U.S Grant.

On Independence Day, 1863, the Civil War still raged. But the outcome was no longer in doubt.

Only the butcher s bill.

 

 

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Doug Smith: The Slavery of free (stuff)

17 Mar

“Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes”

(I fear the Greeks, even when they bear gifts)

Virgil

doug-for-fsp

Doug Smith: Author, historian, patriot and history, politics and society contributor to Free State Patriot

free

Take it to the bank: anyone wanting to give you free stuff does not have your best interest at heart. The hawker outside restaurants in resort towns offering you free meals or tickets to come hear a 90-minute presentation about a wonderful time share opportunity is not there so you can go to a theme park free. He is there to hook you with freebies, and get you snagged into paying 1000 times the cost of those tickets for decades to come.

TANSTAAFL. There aint no such thing as a free lunch.  That should have been Article 1 of the Constitution; another truth we hold self-evident.

Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson did not undertake, like Caesar, to bequeath their fortunes to the poor. Instead, they tossed out a salad bowl of “free stuff” that they could not pay for. And thus, begins the trap. People get used to the free stuff, and like it. It takes away motivation and incentive to work to earn it themselves. It creates a sense of entitlement, because the government always gave it to us. Plans are made, lives are lived, on the premise that the government will give us its money for X.

But one of the secrets of governments is that governments have no wealth, produce no wealth, and can only seize and distribute the wealth of others. The kings and queens of old did not mine gold, or grow food, or breed horses.  The started a pyramid scheme. Learn to fight. Beat someone up, and make him share his wealth with you. Do this enough, and you can hire other people to fight for you, and you won’t even have to fight anymore. Steal enough from the producers to pay enough fighters to keep them in line, and you are off and running. Declare yourself the lawgiver, and your fighters the enforcers of the law. Better yet, make nice with the church, and make what you do sound holy (Divine right of Kings, Jesus was an immigrant, social justice), and you can wrap up the most blatant theft in a ribbon and wax poetic about it.

Of course, for the system to work, it is necessary to keep the fighters happy so they will keep the serfs in line, and to keep the serfs just at subsistence so they can grow your food, breed your next generation of serfs, but not dare to rebel against you because you are the source of what food they get to keep. Don’t let them figure out that absent them, you and your fighters will starve because you could not grow a tomato.

The system worked for centuries.

In the light of that historical glimpse, consider Social Security. FDR took money he did not have from people who could not resist him, or at least did not, took their gold so they could not resist his printing of money, and decreed a government run retirement system. The first woman to draw a check only paid in for one month. Over the years, as the system metastasized, more and more people came to rely on that little check as their only hope of having money in retirement. Government, as is its wont, was wasteful and inefficient with the money, so the return was tiny, less than putting the money in a savings account for 40 years. But since people relied on it, and did nothing else to prepare (in many cases,) now there is an unspoken bargain that people who have relied on the contract for their entire working lives cannot change now. So, they, of course, are slaves to the system. They cannot support eliminating or changing the system, for they are the serfs to the dead hand of FDR.  Never mind that the system, as government systems do, grew to include payments to far more than just the working folks who paid into the system for 40 years, and returned about 1% on the money paid in by those who do pay it in. Never mind that Galveston TX, opted out of Social Security in the 70s, and has paid a return 3 times higher than the same amount in Social Security to their employees. Never mind that the system is so inefficient that we are eating our seed corn.

Many are already retired and drawing it. Many are too near the end of their working lives to start a strategy that does not include Social Security.  Woe betide any politician who dares to say we can do better, and we must do differently.

The serfs are trapped on the land. When the lord of the manor comes to tell them that the money is gone, and he must cut their dole down by 30%, they have no choice about it. He has the swords, after all. And the fruits of their labors.

And they are slaves, serfs, to the freedom of free stuff.

Once the government starts to give away free stuff (or rather, steal it from some, to give it to others, for remember, government does not produce wealth) it is extremely hard to stop. Think of one government freebie we have ever stopped giving away.

We can have free men. Or we can have free stuff. Combining the 2 has not worked out well.

I fear the government, especially when it is bearing gifts.

 

 

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