A New Global Reserve Currency May Replace U.S. Dollar

A New Global Reserve Currency May Replace U.S, Dollar

What do Special Drawing Rights (SDR) and the possible collapse of the US dollar have to do with each other?  Glenn Beck and Columbia Professor, David Buckner sort things out.

RELATED READING

• The Dangers of a New Global Reserve Currency

The Principles of Freedom: Principle 5

By now regular readers of BATTLE JOINED know that we’re presenting a series outlining the 28 Principles of Freedom and Liberty described in the  The 5000 Year Leap by Cleon Skousen.  These are the principles upon which America’s Founders based our new government, thereby assuring us of lasting peace, prosperity, and freedom. This series was designed to help our readers reconnect  with the  Founders’ principles that made the United States of America the Greatest nation ever, and the envy of every other nation on Earth.

“The longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?”

—Benjamin Franklin

Principle 5. All things were created by God, therefore upon Him all mankind are equally dependent, and to Him they are equally responsible. The Founders considered the existence of the Creator as the most fundamental premise underlying all self-evident truth. The words Nature's God, Creator, created, Supreme Judge of the Universe, and Divine Providence are used throughout the Declaration of Independence.

Click to read past posts in the Principles of Freedom series>>

The Principles of Freedom: Principle 4

Today we’re posting Principle 4 of our The Principles of Freedom series.  We ask you to consider whether our elected representatives on the local (Franklin Common Council and Franklin School Board), State and federal levels exhibit any of the 28 fundamental beliefs of our Founding which they said must be understood and perpetuated by every people who desired peace, prosperity, and freedom.  These beliefs have made possible more progress in 200 years than was made previously in over 5,000 years.

"Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.... And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion."

—George Washington

Principle 4. Without religion the government of a free people cannot be maintained. As in Principle 2, the Founders knew they could not succeed in this political building without the support of the “Supreme Judge of the world” and without a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence.” They believed they would have His support and protection if they relied on Him, constantly kept His laws, and taught their children to do likewise. (Last paragraph of the Declaration of Independence).

We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by the authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as free and independent states, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.

Click to read past posts in the Principles of Freedom series>>

For Your Consideration: America’s Jihad Denial Derangement Syndrome

(Formerly “Caught My Eye”)

AN OCCASIONAL SERIES OF NOTEWORTHY OPINION & NEWS

• Multiculturalism kills (Spectator) More evidence of America’s Jihad Denial Derangement Syndrome. It turns out that fellow students of the army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan who murdered 13 and wounded dozens more in a jihadi attack on Fort Hood had complained to the faculty about his anti-American propaganda – but were too afraid to file a formal complaint for fear of being accused of prejudice… More>>
• Wave of Debt Payments Facing U.S. Government (New York Times, Business) The United States government is financing its more than trillion-dollar-a-year borrowing with IOUs on terms that seem too good to be true…With the national debt now topping $12 trillion, the White House estimates that the government’s tab for servicing the debt will exceed $700 billion a year in 2019, up from $202 billion this year, even if annual budget deficits shrink drastically. Other forecasters say the figure could be much higher… More>>

Some Final Thoughts on The 2010 Franklin Budget

Like nearly 100 Franklin citizens, I attended the Franklin Common Council’s public hearing on Mayor Taylor’s 2010 Recommended Budget (Greg, was that “King Fischer” sitting next to you at the meeting?) Never mind…

For me THE most interesting moment during the meeting came when Mayor Taylor broke the tie on the budget vote, thereby passing a 2.9% tax levy which included filling one of two vacant police officer positions and one vacant firefighter position.

I felt the debate among our Aldermen to find a way to fund these public safety positions showed democracy in action.  However, I have a couple of questions and an observation I’d like to share with my readers.  First, why couldn’t Mayor Taylor, his top administrators (Cal Patterson and Mark Luberda), and the Finance Committee, chaired by long-time Alderman Tim Solomon, find the funding for these public safety positions prior to the public hearing? As far as I’m concerned, had these public officials worked more closely with each other in creating the first draft of the budget, and had public safety been a top priority with these officials,they would have likely found the necessary funding ans still have kept the tax levy at 2.9% (which is exactly what reseulted due to the public hearin.  And If I’m correct,  the approved budget did contain some sort of provision for filling anothe police officer position it becomes necessary later this year.

It was also interesting to me that by voting "aye” to break the common council’s tie vote on the “revised” 2010 budget, Mayor Taylor essentially voted AGAINST his original 2010 recommended budget, which DID NOT include filling any vacant police officer or firefighter positions.

Gee…that’s weird, isn’t it?

Cullman Homes Planning New Central Region Operations in Franklin

The Franklin Community Development Authority (CDA) and Robert Lee, founder and CEO of Cullman Homes & Liquidators announced today that the family-own business will expand its business north of the Mason-Dixon Line with a new Central Region Operations Headquarters to be located in the Franklin Business Park.  No timeline has yet been announced by companyofficials.

Franklin officials are naturally excited about Cullman’s plans with one Alderman admitting “With all our vacant retail space and the upswing in foreclosures in Franklin, Cullman’s a prefect fit and a blessing to the city.”

Franklin School Board members were elated by the news, as well, since Cullman Homes would be a great partner when Franklin High School begins its Trailer Classroom program.

BATTLE JOINED WELCOMES CULLMAN TO FRANKLIN!

The Principles of Freedom: Principle 3

Third in a series.

Principle 3. The most promising method of securing a virtuous and morally stable people is to elect virtuous leaders. No greater case can be made of the damage done to a free people by power-hungry and tyrannical leaders than the long list of abuses Thomas Jefferson listed in the Declaration. While directed at King George, these abuses are typical of leaders who are without virtue and morality. (List of grievances in the Declaration of Independence).

“Dependence begets subservience and venality, suffocates the germ of virtue, and prepares fit tools for the designs of ambition.”

—Thomas Jefferson

Click to read past posts in the Principles of Freedom series>>

The Principles of Freedom: Principle 2

Last Tuesday BATTLE JOINED announced its Principles of Freedom series based on Cleon Skousen’s book The 5000 Year Leap, a book inspired by our Founding Fathers and the 28 Principles of Freedom and Liberty they believed in and guided them in writing the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.  Intended as a daily feature over the next 28-days, we’ve unfortunately fallen behind and have decided present Principles 2 and 3 (individually) today.  Look for Principle 4 on Monday.

“Is there no virtue among us? If there be not, we are in a wretched situation. No theoretical checks -- no form of government can render us secure. To suppose liberty or happiness without any virtue in the people, is a chimerical idea. If there be sufficient virtue and intelligence in the community, it will be exercised in the selection of these men. So that we do not depend on their virtue, or put confidence in our rulers, but in the people who are to choose them.”

—James Madison

Principle 2. A free people cannot survive under a republican constitution unless they remain virtuous and morally strong. The Founders knew they could not succeed in this political building without the support of the “Supreme Judge of the world” and without a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence.” They knew this would not happen unless they kept His commandments which amounted to being virtuous and morally strong. (Last paragraph of the Declaration of Independence).

“We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by the authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as free and independent states, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.”

Congratulates To Alderman Kristen Wilhelm

Thanks to the efforts of Franklin District 3 Alderwoman Kristen Wilhelm, Police Chief Rick Oliva and City Attorney Jesse Wesolowski, a new city ordinance passed unanimously at last night’s common council meeting, potentially making future criminal investigations easier for police.  More>>

This Day In History: WWI Battle of the Somme ends

On this day in 1916, British Commander in Chief Sir Douglas Haig calls a halt to his army’s offensive near the Somme River in northwestern France, ending the epic Battle of the Somme after more than four months of bloody conflict.

With the French under heavy siege at Verdun since February, the Somme offensive was Haig’s long-planned attempt to make an Allied breakthrough on the Western Front. After a full week of artillery bombardment, the offensive began in earnest on the morning of July 1, 1916, when soldiers from 11 British divisions emerged from their trenches near the Somme River in northwestern France and advanced toward the German front lines.

The initial advance was a disaster, as the six German divisions facing the advancing British mowed them down with their machine guns, killing or wounding some 60,000 men on the first day alone: the single heaviest day of casualties in British military history to that point. The failure of the advance was credited variously to the complete lack of surprise in the timing of the attack, incompetence on the part of Haig and the British command--namely, their failure to conceive that the Germans could build their trenches deep enough to protect their heavy weapons or bring them up so quickly once the artillery barrage had ended--and the inferior preparation of the British artillery, for which the infantry paid a heavy price.

Over the course of the next four-and-a-half months and no fewer than 90 attacks, the Allies were able to advance a total of only six miles in the Somme region, at the cost of 146,000 soldiers killed and over 200,000 more injured. On November 18, 1916, Haig finally called off the offensive, insisting in his official dispatch from the front that December that the Somme operation had achieved its objectives. "Verdun had been relieved; the main German forces had been held on the Western front; and the enemy's strength had been very considerably worn down. Any one of these three results is in itself sufficient to justify the Somme battle."

Despite its commander’s positive assessment, the Battle of the Somme would remain one of the most controversial operations of World War I. In the war’s aftermath, British Prime Minister David LloydGeorge, a nemesis of Haig’s, roundly condemned Haig’s offensive: "Over 400,000 of our men fell in this bullheaded fight and the slaughter amongst our young officers was appalling…Had it not been for the inexplicable stupidity of the Germans in provoking a quarrel with America and bringing that mighty people into the war against them just as they had succeeded in eliminating another powerful foe—Russia--the Somme would not have saved us from the inextricable stalemate."

Also on This Day In History>>

The Principles of Freedom 101

Many Americans, me included, believe we are at a critical crossroad in America's history.  We as free citizens of the greatest nation on Earth, have the responsibility to stand up for the principles of freedom—inspired by our Founding Fathers—that made our country great. For starters, I would highly recommend reading the The 5000 Year Leap by Cleon Skousen founder of the National Center for Constitutional Studies.

Those who may have already read this inspiring book, are familiar with the 28 Principles of Liberty outlined in The 5000 Year Leap, are acquainted with the claim that these are the principles upon which the Founders based our new government, thereby assuring us of lasting peace , prosperity, and freedom. Occasionally critics of this book ask, “Where can one find these principles in our founding documents?” Over the next 28-days BATTLE JOINED will enumerate and summarize the 28 Principles of Liberty outlined in The 5000 Year Leap.

Before we begin this series, one point needs to be made clear. There is a belief in come corners that the Declaration of Independence is not really a part of American jurisprudence, and that the principles contained therein cannot be referred to as a basis of American law. This line of thought is usually concluded by saying that “if a principle cannot be found in the Constitution, such as a belief in a Creator, it is not part of American culture or law.”  This idea is blatantly false. The Declaration of Independence has been repeatedly cited by the Supreme Court as part of the fundamental law of the United States of America.

Following, then, is Principle 1 of the 28 Principles of Liberty found in The 5000 Year Leap and emphasized as the Founders structured our government.

Those who may have already read this inspiring book, are familiar with the 28 Principles of Liberty outlined in The 5000 Year Leap, are acquainted with the claim that these are the principles upon which the Founders based our new government, thereby assuring us of lasting peace , prosperity, and freedom. Occasionally critics of this book ask, “Where can one find these principles in our founding documents?” Over the next 28-days BATTLE JOINED will enumerate and summarize the 28 Principles of Liberty outlined in The 5000 Year Leap.

Before we begin this series, one point needs to be made clear. There is a belief in come corners that the Declaration of Independence is not really a part of American jurisprudence, and that the principles contained therein cannot be referred to as a basis of American law. This line of thought is usually concluded by saying that “if a principle cannot be found in the Constitution, such as a belief in a Creator, it is not part of American culture or law.”  This idea is blatantly false. The Declaration of Independence has been repeatedly cited by the Supreme Court as part of the fundamental law of the United States of America.

Following, then, is Principle 1 of the 28 Principles of Liberty found in The 5000 Year Leap and emphasized as the Founders structured our government.

Principle 1. The only reliable basis for sound government and just human relations is Natural Law. Natural law was defined as the order in which the Creator made everything work properly. There are certain laws which govern the entire universe, and just as Thomas Jefferson said in the Declaration of Independence, there are laws which govern in the affairs of men which are "the laws of nature and of nature's God." If governments and human relationships are formed according to these laws, they will succeed, if not, they will surely fail, as history has proven. (First paragraph of the Declaration of Independence.)

When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

Franklin Common Council Votes on $24 Million 2010 Budget Tonight

Government is instituted for the common good; for the protection, safety, prosperity, and happiness of the people; and not for profit, honor, or private interest of any one man, family, or class of men; therefore, the people alone have an incontestable, unalienable, and indefeasible right to institute government; and to reform, alter, or totally change the same, when their protection, safety, prosperity, and happiness require it.”

–John Adams, Thoughts on Government, 1776.

During tonight’s Common Council Meeting, your elected representatives will hold a Public Hearing regarding Mayor Taylor’s $24 million, 2010 Proposed Budget.  During the November 4, 2009, Joint Finance Committee-Common Council Meeting, public safety seemed to be foremost on the minds of citizens and a number of Aldermen due to the fact that Mayor Taylor’s budget recommended leaving one Firefighter position vacant, as-well-as two Police Officer positions.

NOW is the time for Franklin citizens to take a stand!

This Day In History: Nixon insists that he is not a crook

On this day in 1973, in the middle of the Watergate scandal that eventually brought down his presidency, President Richard Nixon tells a group of newspaper editors gathered at of all places, Walt Disney World, that he is "not a crook."

Nixon made the now-famous declaration during a televised question-and-answer session with Associated Press editors. Nixon, who appeared tense to a New York Times reporter, was questioned about his role in the Watergate burglary scandal and efforts to cover up the fact that members of his re-election committee had funded the break-in. Nixon replied "people have got to know whether or not their President is a crook. Well, I'm not a crook. I've earned everything I've got." He did, however, admit that he was at fault for failing to supervise his campaign’s fund-raising activities.

At one point during the discussion, Nixon gave a morbid response to an unrelated question about why he chose not to fly with back-up to Air Force One when traveling, the usual security protocol for presidential flights. He told the crowd that by taking just one aircraft he was saving energy, money and possibly time spent in the impeachment process: "if this one [plane] goes down," he said, "they don’t have to impeach [me]."  Nixon was trying to be funny, but in fact the scandal was taking a toll on his physical and mental health. A relentless federal investigation eventually eroded  his protests of innocence with regard to the Watergate and on August 8, 1974, he resigned the following day.

Also on This Day In History>>

For Your Consideration: Obama An Empty Vessel

(Formerly “Caught My Eye”)

AN OCCASIONAL SERIES OF NOTEWORTHY OPINION

Barack Obama—Empty Vessel (S. E. Cupp, FOX News) Despite the insistence by the left that Obama somehow transcends politics, he is simply a politician. Nothing more, nothing less.  A year after electing Barack Obama president, and five years after his star turn at the Democratic National Convention, we are still trying to figure him out. More>>

Our 'Constitutional Moment' (James Taranto, The Wall Street Journal) The New York newspaperman says our founding document is especially vital today, in an age of expanding state power. Seth Lipsky has a knack for seeing the bright side of things. A nearly 20-year veteran of this newspaper, including its editorial page, he cheerfully acknowledges the obvious: This is far from a golden age of free-market conservatism. Of President Obama, he tells me over lunch, "I sense that he has a very leftist, socialist-oriented worldview." More>>

Pelosi Dodges Health Care Question

Komo 4 News (ABC Seattle) Reporter Shomari Stone asks House Speaker Nanci Pelosi a fair question about the following:

According to Committee On Ways & Means Republicans Ranking Member, Dave Camp, "the non-partisan Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) confirming that the failure to comply with the individual mandate to buy health insurance contained in the Pelosi health care bill (H.R. 3962, as amended) could land people in jail. The JCT letter makes clear that Americans who do not maintain acceptable health insurance coverage and who choose not to pay the bills new individual mandate tax (generally 2.5% of income), are subject to numerous civil and criminal penalties, including criminal fines of up to $250,000 and imprisonment of up to five years."

Please note that the Pelosi supporter on the left uses the Obama Administration's officially sanctioned sneeze procedure.  Good boy!

Click for Pelosi’s "clification">>

This Day In History: Nixon Supports Construction of the Alaskan Oil Pipeline

On this day in 1973, President Richard Nixon declares that America’s energy requirements have outpaced its production capacity and urges Congress to pass Senate Bill 1081, which would authorize the construction of a pipeline to access oil from the North Slope of Alaska.

Nixon claimed the nation’s "dangerous reliance" on foreign oil, controlled mainly by the increasingly powerful, but politically unstable oil-rich nations of the Middle East, posed a threat to America’s economy. America had once relied on cheap domestic oil, but by the 1970s, dwindling supplies forced the nation to buy more expensive oil on the international market. An Arab oil embargo in 1973 exacerbated the problem. Saying that the conservation of existing domestic supplies was not enough, Nixon declared that America had to find and tap more oil resources closer to home.

If took four years before oil began flowing through the pipeline in 1977. Although the pipeline increased domestic oil supplies, America continued to rely primarily on crude exports from the Middle East. In 2001, President George W. Bush expressed the desire to open up more of the Alaskan North Slope to oil and gas exploration and production. He echoed Nixon’s original claim that to do so would ease America’s dependence on foreign oil and make the nation less vulnerable to political instability in the Middle East.

Also on This Day In History>>

Franklin: Stand Up To Your Elected Officials!

Somewhere along the way I picked up the following quote and finally have the opportunity to use it in one of my posts:

I guess there are some things government can do right for WE THE PEOPLE out there in the bill-paying, profit-making world, but these things amount, mainly, just to doing a few things right and then shutting up about it.

But just try to get a politician to

(a) do something right, and

(b) shut up about it!

I’m fairly confident that everything described above will be on display in all its “grandeur” at Tuesday night’s Common Council Meeting; which includes on its agenda, a Public Hearing on the Mayor's 2010 Recommended Budget.

The Mayor’s Recommended 2010 budget is $24 million and 112 pages in length.  Prior to Tuesday night’s hearing, I expect every member of the common council to have read and understood every page of the Mayor’s Budget, BEFORE voting on it.  And if you vote to approve it, we will also expect each and every member of the common council to confine the city’s spending to at or below the approved budget, which we also expect (in its final version) to include filling the vacant firefighter, police officers, and the DPW position (winter roads need to be cleared fpr emergency vehicles).  A similar $2.5 million over-spending spree—as witnessed this year—will result in a “career change” for those up for reelection in 2010 and 2011.

Related Reading: The Citizen's Obligation To Know

This Day In History: Vietnam Veterans Memorial dedicated

Near the end of a weeklong national salute to Americans who served in the Vietnam War, this say in 1982 the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is dedicated in Washington, capping a nearly week-long salute to Americans who served in the Vietnam War.

The overdue and long-awaited memorial was a simple V-shaped black-granite wall inscribed with the names of the 57,939 Americans who died in the war.  Unlike most memorials of this type, the names of the dead were arranged in order of death, not rank.

Initially criticized for its lack of the standard heroic statues and stirring words, public opinion shifted within moths of it dedication.  Veterans and families of the dead walked the long black reflective wall, seeking the names of their brothers-in-arms and loved ones killed in the conflict. Once the name was located, visitors often made an etching or left a private offering, from notes and flowers to dog tags and cans of beer.

Today, The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is one of the most visited memorials in the nation's capital. A Smithsonian Institution director called it "a community of feelings, almost a sacred precinct," and a veteran declared that "it's the parade we never got." "The Wall" drew together both those who fought and those who marched against the war and served to promote national healing a decade after the divisive conflict's end.

Also on This Day In History...

The Citizen's Obligation To Know

A very good friend of mine sent me a link to a November 2003 piece in Haarez.com, an Israeli online news source.   I make an effort to attend as many Franklin Common Council Meetings as possible, but I feel comfortable in saying that I attend far more meetings than the average Franklin citizen.  Like the common council, I tend to see the same faces in the meager audience, meeting after meeting, UNLESS, someone or a group has an issue with the city that directly affects their property or neighborhood, then it’s, “All hands deck—NOT In My Backyard!”

Quoting from the Haarez.com piece entitled The citizen's obligation to know, here’s a question for Mayor Taylor, his administrators, members of the Franklin Common Council and the Franklin Board of Education:

What is the nature of the public interest and who serves it better - someone who exposes the truth about government actions, or someone who helps whitewash the facts? Is the public interest better served by someone who hides behind an administrative hierarchy and clings to dry regulations, or by someone who decides to act in breach of the regulations and thereby ensures that the public is informed about crucial facts?

I can go through a litany of examples where our elected city and school board representatives—and their unelected administrators, and appointees—have made what I believe to be conscientious decisions to tread a path to whitewash the facts. These actions are reprehensible and must no longer be tolerated or go unchallenged by the People of this city.

Again, from The citizen's obligation to know:

It's worth reminding those who may have forgotten that the government is a trust owned by the ordinary citizen and that those who hold government positions are no more than trustees. Therefore, to know the facts is not only the right of the citizen, it is [our] duty and obligation, so that [we] will be able to carry out [our] role as owner of the trust. In a democracy that is worthy of the name, the citizen is active day in and day out: his role is not confined to casting his vote every few years. It follows that without the free flow of information, democracy is voided of most of its content.

Unless citizens decide to engage on a regular basis and continuously remind their elected representatives on a local, state and federal level, that WeThe People are the government (owner of the Trust) and OUR TRUST and power is simply on loan to them in their role as trustee.

As I write this post I can think of no better example of the message I’m trying to convey than the exchange between Mayor Taylor and Franklin businessman Scott Thiness at the September 1, 2009, Common Council meeting during citizen comment period pertaining to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Cities of Franklin and Oak Creek related to the South 27th Street Corridor Project and the proposed, infamous Oak Creek, I-94 Interchange, discussed previously on BATTLE JOINED and  other local blogs and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Knowledge is power.

Finally, the following sixty-second exchange between Mayor Taylor and Thiness should ALWAYS be on the minds of Franklin citizens and taxpayers.  As I see it, Thiness’ statement is the corner stone of our Republic, and exactly what our Founders envisioned when they wrote and ratified the United States Constitution.

EXCERPT 01SEP09 COMCOU MTG
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