Donald K. Allen for President

Top of the Week

June 16, 2008

I went to Rockford, Illinois, Friday night for a Saturday interview on Channel 23-TV. I forgot my flag lapel pin at home, so my daughter and I went looking for one. We went to five stores, including Wal-Mart and NOBODY had them. Finally, after searching the checkout counters at Walgreens we found two types. One was a plain rectangular flag made in China. The other was a waving flag made in the USA. I bought the latter. My point here is, why don't we have them for sale everywhere? Is patriotism now a bad word? Has Senator Obama shown us that patriotism is not about wearing a lapel pin? What is patriotism all about, then? Perhaps we will stop celebrating July 4th some day. After all, isn't it just about fireworks?

We had several discussions this weekend while I was in Illinois. My daughter, a police officer, expressed her concern that she is encountering so many young people who have no respect, no regard for consequences of their actions, and little concern for any authority. No discipline, more drugs, more behavior-modifying medications to take the place of poor or nonexistent parenting. Perhaps parenting classes should also be mandatory in high school, since many high schoolers soon become parents, and if their parents were failures, they will be, too.

The media blitz continues with promotion of Obama and McCain. I told the interviewer that I feel like David against TWO Goliaths. And the odds are really stacked against independents. Since it appears that I will not get the 25,000 signatures needed to get ballot access in Illinois, I contacted the Secretary of State to find out about write-in status. He told me that write-ins must send a notarized access form to every election authority in the state. One hundred ten offices! I'd better get to work.

Part of the two parties' advantage is the fact that they can always count on the loyal party lemmings who will always pull the lever for a straight ticket and head for the cliff. "Sheeple" are people who blindly follow any authority figure, and are willing to take whatever happens. Many Americans have become sheeple, and are being led down the wrong road. Major changes are in progress in this country and a large percentage of Americans don't have any idea what is happening, and won't know until it's too late.

Want a North American Union? Vote for either McCain or Obama. Want an increasingly socialist state? President Obama will give it to you. He likes to point out that he was a community organizer in Chicago. That would make him a follower of Saul Alinsky, the radical leftist organizer who wrote the book on this vocation. He's also the adored subject of Senator Clinton's college thesis. Did I mention radical leftist? If you think your taxes are bad now, just wait. Senator Obama has lots of big plans for your hard-earned money. Wouldn't it be nice if YOU decided how your money was spent? Then you need to vote for someone who is going to sign The Fair Tax Bill, and neither of the party candidates will even discuss it. The Fair Tax would take your money out of the hands of Congress, that's why. And repealing the 16th Amendment would remove their right to ever tax your income again. Of course, if you reelect them they could pass another income tax amendment.

We talked about our military servicemen and women who are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. What is a just cause? Is it only defending our American soil against foreign invaders? Well, we're not doing that on our southern border. Is it fighting injustice, genocide, oppression, national threats, and defending freedom, or is “just cause” only when someone is invading YOUR back yard? Our military is a voluntary service, and young Americans enter it to be trained to fight and win. It's great if they never have to use that training, but that's not the real world. Today they are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sixty years ago it was Europe and the Pacific. Thousands have died in this century's fighting while selflessly combating terrorism so that you can sleep safely. Their selfless sacrifices give you the opportunity to complain and ridicule what is happening. What have you done for your country lately?