In reply to this, others have argued that it is the responsibility of parents, not the government, to control what their kids' do. However, the fire marshall explained that the item that kills more kids per year than guns should not be made to look like a toy (irregardless of the toy grenades and semi-automatic police gear that looks real...). The fire marshall went on to explain that the ban will be intended to protect children whose parents are irresponsible...

Sounds fair in the bigger scheme of things, I suppose. Protect children from parents who don't bother to teach them about fire safety and just let them wildly run around starting fires.

But, why novelty lighters? If the kids' aren't taught the difference between right and wrong, it doesn't matter if it's a matchbook, a regular lighter or a lighter that looks like a car- they're going to play with it. But, did the novelty lighter makers design them with the intent to harm children? Obviously - no. Just some person with an entrepeneural spirit figured out a way to sell a .99 cent lighter for $4 bucks- and good for them!

When- not if - this law passes, the entrepeneurs will pay the price. The stores that already show the responsibility to only sell lighters to adults-will pay the price. Adults who purchase novelty lighters or collect them (as the fire marshall admitted to doing herself), will pay the price. But, that's not even the bad part.

You see, the parents who are responsible and teach their kids that because something looks fun, doesn't mean it is, will pay the price. Why? Water looks fun, doesn't it? Are we going to ban lakes and rivers? Several people, every year, die in the local lakes and rivers, ignoring the laws and not being skilled enough to swim!

What about driving? Cars look cool, don't they? but, do parents 'let' their children drive their cars before they are trained? For the most part, 99% don't. But, where do we draw the line between curiosity and accident? Where do we draw the line between neglect and sneakiness? Worse- when mom and dad are no longer the authority figures, how do children's fragile minds distinguish between following what their parents say and just doing whatever they want, believing the government has removed all of the obstacles?

Do we want our children hurt, I say, no! But a lego is a toy, and I have to teach my child not to swallow it. The plug outlet on the wall 'looks' like a toy to the mind of a child and I have to teach them not to touch it.

Is it a problem that the government can tell us, as adults, what WE get to enjoy and not enjoy? I'm sorry- no more drinking glasses with cute sayings because you're too irresponsible to teach your kids it's meaning!! Where does it end (because, now we know where it begins)? Did making toy guns look less real stop kids from liking them or using real guns? Maybe statistics say 'yes,' but I'm not a big believer in so-called 'statistics'.

When do we, as parents, stop worrying about our children's well being because uncle sam has us covered? Do we, as parents, have a right to raise our children the way we see fit (within obvious, appropriate boundaries)? Our we Constitutionally protected to be secure in our homes and families?

When do we have a right to tell the government, 'no,'? You see, this is the problem with our government- no representation. Either congress does as they please, or minority groups with the monetary backing fight to make themselves look important, not caring about the consequences of their actions.

But, hey, half the people on Obama's staff aren't being held accountable for breaking the law, so why should anyone in congress have to be? Our tax monies are going wherever the gvt. Chooses without our say-so, so why should they represent us anywhere else?

There it is, folks. The exemplification of Democracy's failure in America. The breakdown of moral standards and ethics. I wonder when the first court hearing will take place for the person who shows the gall to buy a novelty lighter... Or maybe decorates their own? I wonder when the laws will be expanded by the next minority group to ban bar-b-ques because they present a danger?

Remember, it's NOT about protecting our kids. We, as parents, work hard to protect our kids everyday, including protection from corrupted gvt officials and law enforcement. It's about the systematic decline of your individual rights, the long-term harm to your families and the effects on your children.

For those of you who still support this move, maybe you'd like to also encourage the minority group that tried to ban the pledge of allegiance from schools? Or, maybe you're glad that the boy scouts of America were punished for firing a scout leader who wanted to teach children about gay sex. Think they're different issues? Think again, because-

It's about control. Pure, totalitarian authority that otherwise ONLY existed under monarchies, communist regimes and the like. Heck, maybe tomorrow instead of oregon just banning 'books' from school (which they do, including American classics nationally accepted elsewhere), we can burn them, too? At least we'll have a use for all those left-over, novelty lighters....

*sigh* land of the free... Home, of the brave? 

Okay, fine, let's dispense with the idiotic mentality that we don't know that this is happening and get down to brass tacks, shall we? The commercial came on from the government sponsored 'protecting kids' campaign against 'online dangers.' Let me first repeat for you EXACTLY, ver batim, what the commercial states:

"You try to protect them. You want to keep them safe. You monitor what they watch. You set filters to control their content. But, are they really safe? ....... But, the truth is, you can't control your kids' exposure to sex, but you can control how they behave."

For those who MISSED it - let me point out the MAJOR areas of concern:

1. You - the parent, the role model, the guardian, the protector, the guidance counselor, the loved one, the creator, the provider - YOU - have NO control at all - YOU CAN NOT control YOUR CHILDS exposure to SEX because YOU can't stop the media - the ones broadcasting this commercial - from putting sex in front of them. YOU can't stop the abuse of the internet where idiots whose evolutionary basis for sex starts and stops at monkeys will post sex. YOU can't stop the kids at school from talking about it. YOU can't stop your own child's self-driven interest in it (aka their evolutionary development as you are NOT God).

2. But, you can control their behavior.

WHAT? Did I, um, miss something? Let me try this one on you: "Hey little Joey, I want you to say yes and no, sir and ma'am, thank you and please, never talk out of turn, always do your homework, do your chores, listen to every word I say, do as I say not as I do and behave...... But, what happens if they don't? Didn't the TV tell you that you could "control" their behavior? Oh, that's right - because the media is GOING to BLAST sex ALL OVER EVERY show they watch, every commercial they hear and do it so repeatedly that its effectiveness rivals hypnotherapy and subliminal messaging - you CAN'T control them. So, um, why... did the TV... tell me I could?

Because, in the face of Congressional laws coming out such as the "forced" community service, Congress wants to empower you to do as they say. You see - THEY CONTROL YOU. YOU - do not even control yourself. They DON'T need your vote. They DON'T need your approval. What they want - is your OBEDIENCE. But, you argue and say - "no, I'm NOT an idiot, I'm NOT your slave, this is a FREE country and I EXPECT the DEMOCRATIC process to allow me to put in my vote."

Now there's conflict. A resolution is needed. Congress says, "Well, we 'do' represent the desires of the people and we 'should' do what they want, but - naaaahhhhh - why do that? Let's scare them, weaken them, take away their power, screw with their heads - and when they're helpless - let's hit 'em below the belt!" You see, for those of you without children, let me 'splain.... no, wait, let me sum up (what movie? c'mon... you know which one 80's generation.. hahahaha):

We love our kids. We live in fear because we KNOW there are bad people out there, the police and court systems are inneffective and we don't want them hurt. Why? WE WENT THROUGH IT. The parents who are ignorant of what their kids are doing - didn't go through the hardships. WE KNOW. We do NOT want them to grow up. We want something DIFFERENT for them. We want a life of happiness and joy and one that doesn't involve strife and heartache. But, that's not always possible. We know that. And, we know that the media is just getting worse - and worse - and worse. I took my son to see a PG movie - and boy oh boy - what they get away with in PG movies is FAR more than I EVER wanted him to see. Learned my lesson.... And, what does the government do? They ENCOURAGE sex in media. The FCC throws a temper tantrum because Janet Jackson had a 'portion' of her COVERED boob pop out during the super bowl half-time because 'families' were watching - but.... it's okay to them that many of today's cartoons include kissing, sexual scenes, sexual jokes and the music videos that ALL the kids are watching include 'pimpin' the ho's' and the degraded value of idols such as Spears and Lohan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzX6tkLmgAM&feature=related

For those that take the time to view the above video, you will have already heard the attack on ex-governor, Jesse Ventura, for his book speaking out against the American government, warning the people of its lies, deception and our eventual fall into facism. Let me give you a couple of quick definitions on facism:

• a political theory advocating an authoritarian hierarchical government (as opposed to democracy or liberalism)
• A political regime based on strong centralized government, suppressing through violence any criticism or opposition of the regime, and exalting ...

I'm not sure what that says to you, but what it says to me, are principals that are NOT, inherently, democratic or republic. It is not a system whereby the people's vote counts or the people are included in the incorporation of laws and principals such as the Patriot Act, when abused on American soil by law enforcement, act as the foundation of a Marxist Socialism. Yet, for those of you that took the time to watch the ENTIRE video - and didn't read the streaming media below the individuals speaking - watch it again. What is the main news? The main news is about the invasion of the FLDS church by law enforcement officials, barging in to an open, unlocked Church, with semi-automatic weapons and bashing in the doors of the office building, taking records, taking children and putting them through hell. There are videos of the law enforcement admitting to acting without a search warrant and acting in contrast to the rights guaranteed through the Fourth Amendment. (Let's not forget the 400+ children... FOUR HUNDRED... that had to be returned by DHS because of their blatant disregard for the truth, facts, liberty or JUSTICE)!!

Now - watch the video. Hmm, is Sean Hannity ATTACKING Jesse Ventura for trying to warn the people that we are on the road to Fascism? [And, in my personal opinion - this is the type of comic/tragedy scene which could otherwise only be written of by Shakespeare himself....] Of course... this is probably isolated.. right?

http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/4096/ - read what this man has to say - a LOT of it is excellent and is of importance to us, as a people, but be aware, there are always truths within truths.

While I hold Glenn Beck in great esteem for his willingness to REALLY listen to both sides of the issues, he throws around the word "socialism" against the current President, as much as he fought against it during a Republican regime. It's not that Glenn Back stated that he was okay with some of the government's decisions, but he doesn't discuss the fact that "distributed wealth," has EXISTED since the civil war when war vets were supported by the government, and that welfare has been a form of distributed wealth EVER since. There is, of course, a significant difference with what Mr. Obama is trying to do, but I think those distinctions MUST be made in order to clarify these issues for the people, or they will confuse things like "socialism" with "marxist socialism" and "marxist socialism" with "distribution of wealth."

This list of talk show hosts goes on. And, as I've stated in my earlier article on their ignorance of the global climate crisis, they forget the powerful influence they have on people and their real responsibility. You see folks, this is similar to what happened in Nazi Germany. The government after WWI was composed of England, France and several others that marched into Germany, and spent a LONG time persecuting their people, RAPING their women and CHILDREN, murdering the parents in front of their children and vice versa, decimating their economy and severely abusing the people. The "local" government (primarily Jewish) was given control and even they, to an extent, held the German people in a certain amount of control to keep everything 'calm'. (BTW - if you don't know this story - it's because it WASN'T in your textbooks - because the Government we are now speaking about - America - lied - sorry - look it up for yourself). When Hitler tried to speak out against the oppressive control and abuse of his people, his family was hurt and he was thrown in prison for being a troublemaker -

And he broke.

The National Socialist German Worker's Party, began by appealing to a middle class of oppressed people, blaming their trouble on the communists, the Jews (their inherent government), their so-called 'allies,' and the Versailles Treaty. Of course, the Versailles treaty and their so-called 'allies' WERE responsible for what was happening to them. The Jewish government WAS telling them to be quiet and take the abuse, and of course - EVERYONE blames communism. So - what's the parallel?

Our Radio Talk show hosts are now throwing around the word, "Socialism," like candy, [appearing to be] with clueless about its REAL definition. In fact, the "socialism," that they are talking about is "Marxist" socialism - the same principles that were held by Stalin and Hitler both. Marxist was a Darwinian who redefined the meaning of socialism to fit his concept that the people were too weak to survive and so "big brother" had to help. This is much like Hitler throwing around the word "communism" without too much understanding of its definition. And, of course, the government propogands that they are right while the individual parties, like the Socialist workers and the DJ's (not equating the two - let's not be ignorant - Hitler was a tyrant who NEEDED to die (and a patsy to those using him), while DJ's are just that - DJ's with opinions in a country where they have the right to express them... for now... I'm just pointing out parallels), throw out arguments that they are right and the government is lying. What happens?

People are torn. Of course, this is where Hitler was able to create his 25 point doctrine and lead people in the direction he did. It's almost the same fragile point that America is in, where one person will say the key words that people want to hear, and they will fight for a cause. What to think about this? Well - that's the point - YOU NEED to think for YOURSELF. Sure, listen to what they have to say. There are ALWAYS three sides to every story. But, to give you an idea:

ALL the right-wing talk show hosts are attacking the 'global warming' folks. The government is trying to support a renewable energy package that may or may not help to mitigate this issue, but in the end, it is falling under attack for that same reason. And, what's the argument of the talk show hosts: "Maybe these 'global warming' folks need to look outside their window at the snow and rain and how cold it is!" I won't go into the argument presented in an earlier post on this site, but the fact is, when they take a position, without the truth or knowledge about what's REALLY going on behind the scenes, they can talk about issues in a way that's DANGEROUS to the American public. People ignore a growing concern that "could" come back to hurt them (notice I said could - the point being - DON'T dismiss the issue - just keep everything in perspective until you've heard it all).

Sounds like Sean Hannity making fun of Jesse Ventura for saying the government's being oppressive one year, and then the next year crying to the people for "their support" because the government's trying to "oppress" him. Maybe - if he had the facts that Ventura did - Maybe, if he HAD LISTENED and addressed issues on a fair platform, he might actually be worth his weight in salt. Without that, he's NOT reporting the news. Is Ventura right? I don't know - I'm NOT there... but I will listen, without mocking, and I will pay attention to the world around me and consider everything going on - not live in a comfy little box. Will I stop listening to Hannity? Of course not - the usual songs on the radio suck and I'm too lazy to change the channel and I like background noise. Of course, I'll hear what he and other hosts have to say, but occassionally, knowing the truths that THEY DON'T - and seeing how they react when they find themselves at gunpoint - I'll continue to enjoy them as news sources with opinions that STILL need to be followed up on and checked on... in orde to THINK FOR MYSELF. Of course, I won't give the liberal media news reporters who also blatantly stick their feet in their mouths any greater attention either. And, what's sad, is that lines will be drawn. The people are feeling the oppression being placed upon them financially, and they are NOT thinking for themselves. They are feeling the fear of a Gestapo-style law enforcement. The people they trust to tell them the truth are occassionally speaking without full consideration of the truth. And, we are all at that vital stage that split Germany - part into the NAZI part, the other part into submission and fear. This is NOT about the talk show hosts - this is about YOU - the people!

So - be careful what your radio talk show hosts tell you. They are telling you ONLY what they believe. They are telling it to you from their perspective. They are NOT "giving it to you straight," "bringing you the news you need to hear," "telling you the truth that the liberals won't." They are telling you what they feel is true and right. Sure, when they say the President lied and there ARE earmarks in his bill, that's the truth and yes, the President lied. But, listen to folks like Dennis Miller who has changed his mind more times than Bill Clinton changes female "assistants" and is more wishy-washy than the current administration. He was against Obama during the election, then for him, then against and for, and then for him when Obama was President, and now against him with this new budget. Is Dennis wrong? Nope. Dennis is not wrong. Is Dennis making any sense? To a certain degree, at each flip-flop, he is. What does it all mean? It means - he goes with the flow - whatever is popular. He's in the business to make money - not ramble because he's bored (like me) - the same as the rest of them are. And a salesman is, was and always will be - a salesman. Sometimes, they are just telling you what you want to hear, when you want to hear it - and sometimes - the truth is quite different.

And now - they attack Bush - the ones who supported him. They mock the man they helped to get elected. And, worst of all - you KNOW they don't go back and watch their shows, because if they did - they'd see what I pointed out to you in that first link.

Of course - it IS talk radio, and on talk radio - in-between their broadcasts, are the radio announcements for the Federal Department of Justice trying to get everyone to sign up to the National Registry, giving all their information to the government to help control for them. But, have any of you noticed that ad? Did you even hear it? Can you even begin to understand the devastating and dangerous implications that holds for the future of what is supposed to be a "free" country? If not - the reason is simple: the people you're listening to and trusting to tell you the "truth of the matter," are only telling you what is good for the moment, and you are so confused about the future, that it's too difficult to look ahead and see what's coming.