Are The Voting Taxpayers In Lisbon Getting Short Changed By Their Elected Representatives?

WHO DO OUR COUNCILORS REALLY REPRESENT?

During the discussion on the Worumbo Mill proposal, the people learned of a conversation that took place in the later part of 2010.  This conversation took place in, yet another illegal, Executive Session.  The primary councilors who did not want the mill to come down at the Millers expense were Dale Crafts and Gina Mason. 

Former Councilor now State Representative Dale Crafts

 Lisbon Town Councilor Gina Mason

 This question was never officially voted on by the council because the council did not want the people to know what was going on.  Now three years later, the council is trying to push the purchase and demolition of the mill onto the people of Lisbon.  What has changed and what deals have been made behind closed doors? 

Why wasn’t the proposal by Miller Industries back in 2010 brought to the people for consideration?  Why is it so very important to bring it to the people now?  The council stopped it before without going to the people or a referendum so why not stop it now at this point?

Anything the council does not want the people to know is discussed behind closed doors in Executive Session.  This is not right but there is no way to prove it until something like the 2010 Executive Session comes out because no one is supposed to discuss the contents of an Executive Session.  The only reason that this one came out is because it is three years later and there was no vote taken.  The fact is our councilors use the Executive Session privilege to keep the people from knowing what shady deals they are doing.   

Another shady deal was when the town sold 4 Campus Avenue to the Brunswick Housing Authority for $1.00 and over a million dollars Federal grant went with it.  There is no telling what other slimy deals have been made behind closed doors under the pretense of an Executive Session. 

 Town Manager Stephen G. Eldridge

 Vice-Chairman Lisa Ward

Now let’s look at the Public Hearing and what took place.  Both Town Manager Stephen Eldridge and Vice Chair Lisa Ward tried very hard to protect the interest of Mrs. Miller and Miller Industries.  

 Councilor Ward campaigned for election to help the elderly and those on fixed income.  She has kept this campaign promise that got her elected by voting during the past two years to raise taxes.  Now Councilor Ward is more concerned in protecting the interest of Mrs. Miller and Miller Industries than the interest of the people.  Mr. Eldridge would do anything to see this proposal approved even to the point of lying several times during the Public Hearing and was called out on it.  Who does Mr. Eldridge represent?

It is so strange to see councilors asking all the RIGHT questions because they know that something is not right and then vote to approve the item the previously had reservations about.  As a result of this practice, the town has approved two contracts illegally. 

These councilors were voted into office to provide their individual qualities and not to join a club.  Council Lunt and Councilor Pesce are the only councilors who have ever voted against anything.  I remember a time when two Councilors (Pomelow and LaRochelle) both said they did not feel that they had sufficient information to vote at this time and then voted to approve the item.  Where is the integrity?   Normally, when it comes to voting it is always 7-0.  How is it possible for everyone to agree on almost everything?  The people elected our councilors to represent the people and make the RIGHT decisions for this community. 

So tell me again, who do our councilors represent?

Larry Fillmore

Just the tip of the Iceberg‏

What is Behind The Worumbo Purchase? --- By Joe Hill

 Lisbon Councilors have proposed buying Worumbo Mill and several other parcels of land on Mill Street from Miller Industries.  Both of these locations have a history of hazardous material problems according to the Bureau Of Remediation and Waste Management.

If you do a hazardous materials search on the Maine DEP site using “Lisbon and Worumbo Mill” as search criteriayou will get no less that 34 hits from 1963 thru 2012. The following excerpt is from  one of the Worumbo Mill reports.

Bureau of Remediation and Waste Management Report # P-823-2000 Report update of July, 2003: As of July 2003, Maine DEP and US EPA have been investigating the presence and storage of hundreds of drums of old hazardous waste located at this mill, and at several other Miller Industries locations in Lisbon. Many of these drums may have had their contents illegally dumped into the Androscoggin River. See files of DEP RCRA unit for further information.
S G Brezinski Maine DEP, 

The property on Mill Street is also connected with hazardous material spills. The following excerpt is from one of those reports.

Report: P-1139-2003 During RCRA closure activities for the Miller Industries (Miller) facilities located on Mill Street in Lisbon, it was brought to the attention of Miller's consultant, Sevee & Maher Engineers (SME), that there was a former water treatment building on the property which had a mercury discharge in 1994. The incident had been responded to at that time (P-639-1994). The 1994 incident dealt with a single discharge event which was cleaned up to the level necessary at the time. Closure, would however require a more stringent level of clean-up as it would deal with all mercury contamination over the life of the facility.

It was discovered early on in the investigation that the 1994 clean-up was not as thorough as it had been reported at the time. SME determined that the clean-up would consist of removal of contaminated debris inside the building, as well as sampling and removal outside the building and sediment of the Sabattus River.
SME undertook this removal process under MDEP direction (MDEP parties involved: Andy Slusarski, Deb Stahler, and Rob Peale), as a portion of the Miller Industries RCRA Closure.

As you can see these properties have had environmental problems in the past. Some of these problems have been corrected some still exist.  (mercury on Mill St.) 
Have you asked yourself why the Mill Street property is included in the Worumbo Mill purchase? These two properties are several miles apart. Is it possible Miller Industries is trying to dump all future cleanup responsibility on the taxpayers of Lisbon?

I am having a hard time believing Lisbon Councilors  are unaware of the costly problems associated with this purchase.  Why are they so eager to saddle Lisbon taxpayers with this huge liability?

Tell us what you think about this bond by contacting us at  admin@lisbonmaine.net

Respectfully

LisbonMaine.Net

Joe Hill

Lisbon Town Council Public Hearing September 10, 2013 Worumbo Mill, Water Tower, Economic Development

 Part One:


Part Two:


Part Three:


http://greatfallstv.net/webstream.htm
 
Thank you to the Great Falls TV staff for getting this ready to air.

Lisbon School Committee Meeting of September 09, 2013

Reuters: Al Qaeda calls for attacks inside United States

DUBAI | Fri Sep 13, 2013 7:19am EDT

(Reuters) - Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri urged small-scale attacks inside the United States to "bleed America economically", adding he hoped eventually to see a more significant strike, according to the SITE monitoring service.

In an audio speech released online a day after the 12th anniversary of the 9/11 strikes, Zawahri said attacks "by one brother or a few of the brothers" would weaken the U.S. economy by triggering big spending on security, SITE reported.

Western counter-terrorism chiefs have warned that radicalized "lone wolves" who might have had no direct contact with al Qaeda posed as great a risk as those who carried out complex plots like the 9/11 attacks.

Read more here.

The New York Times: What Putin Has to Say to Americans About Syria

 

Op-Ed Contributor

A Plea for Caution From Russia

What Putin Has to Say to Americans About Syria

By VLADIMIR V. PUTIN

Published: September 11, 2013

  MOSCOW — RECENT events surrounding Syria have prompted me to speak directly to the American people and their political leaders. It is important to do so at a time of insufficient communication between our societies.

Relations between us have passed through different stages. We stood against each other during the cold war. But we were also allies once, and defeated the Nazis together. The universal international organization — the United Nations — was then established to prevent such devastation from ever happening again.

The United Nations’ founders understood that decisions affecting war and peace should happen only by consensus, and with America’s consent the veto by Security Council permanent members was enshrined in the United Nations Charter. The profound wisdom of this has underpinned the stability of international relations for decades.

No one wants the United Nations to suffer the fate of the League of Nations, which collapsed because it lacked real leverage. This is possible if influential countries bypass the United Nations and take military action without Security Council authorization.

The potential strike by the United States against Syria, despite strong opposition from many countries and major political and religious leaders, including the pope, will result in more innocent victims and escalation, potentially spreading the conflict far beyond Syria’s borders. A strike would increase violence and unleash a new wave of terrorism. It could undermine multilateral efforts to resolve the Iranian nuclear problem and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and further destabilize the Middle East and North Africa. It could throw the entire system of international law and order out of balance.

Syria is not witnessing a battle for democracy, but an armed conflict between government and opposition in a multireligious country. There are few champions of democracy in Syria. But there are more than enough Qaeda fighters and extremists of all stripes battling the government. The United States State Department has designated Al Nusra Front and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, fighting with the opposition, as terrorist organizations. This internal conflict, fueled by foreign weapons supplied to the opposition, is one of the bloodiest in the world.

Mercenaries from Arab countries fighting there, and hundreds of militants from Western countries and even Russia, are an issue of our deep concern. Might they not return to our countries with experience acquired in Syria? After all, after fighting in Libya, extremists moved on to Mali. This threatens us all.

From the outset, Russia has advocated peaceful dialogue enabling Syrians to develop a compromise plan for their own future. We are not protecting the Syrian government, but international law. We need to use the United Nations Security Council and believe that preserving law and order in today’s complex and turbulent world is one of the few ways to keep international relations from sliding into chaos. The law is still the law, and we must follow it whether we like it or not. Under current international law, force is permitted only in self-defense or by the decision of the Security Council. Anything else is unacceptable under the United Nations Charter and would constitute an act of aggression.

No one doubts that poison gas was used in Syria. But there is every reason to believe it was used not by the Syrian Army, but by opposition forces, to provoke intervention by their powerful foreign patrons, who would be siding with the fundamentalists. Reports that militants are preparing another attack — this time against Israel — cannot be ignored.

It is alarming that military intervention in internal conflicts in foreign countries has become commonplace for the United States. Is it in America’s long-term interest? I doubt it. Millions around the world increasingly see America not as a model of democracy but as relying solely on brute force, cobbling coalitions together under the slogan “you’re either with us or against us.”

But force has proved ineffective and pointless. Afghanistan is reeling, and no one can say what will happen after international forces withdraw. Libya is divided into tribes and clans. In Iraq the civil war continues, with dozens killed each day. In the United States, many draw an analogy between Iraq and Syria, and ask why their government would want to repeat recent mistakes.

No matter how targeted the strikes or how sophisticated the weapons, civilian casualties are inevitable, including the elderly and children, whom the strikes are meant to protect.

The world reacts by asking: if you cannot count on international law, then you must find other ways to ensure your security. Thus a growing number of countries seek to acquire weapons of mass destruction. This is logical: if you have the bomb, no one will touch you. We are left with talk of the need to strengthen nonproliferation, when in reality this is being eroded.

We must stop using the language of force and return to the path of civilized diplomatic and political settlement.

A new opportunity to avoid military action has emerged in the past few days. The United States, Russia and all members of the international community must take advantage of the Syrian government’s willingness to place its chemical arsenal under international control for subsequent destruction. Judging by the statements of President Obama, the United States sees this as an alternative to military action.

I welcome the president’s interest in continuing the dialogue with Russia on Syria. We must work together to keep this hope alive, as we agreed to at the Group of 8 meeting in Lough Erne in Northern Ireland in June, and steer the discussion back toward negotiations.

If we can avoid force against Syria, this will improve the atmosphere in international affairs and strengthen mutual trust. It will be our shared success and open the door to cooperation on other critical issues.

My working and personal relationship with President Obama is marked by growing trust. I appreciate this. I carefully studied his address to the nation on Tuesday. And I would rather disagree with a case he made on American exceptionalism, stating that the United States’ policy is “what makes America different. It’s what makes us exceptional.” It is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional, whatever the motivation. There are big countries and small countries, rich and poor, those with long democratic traditions and those still finding their way to democracy. Their policies differ, too. We are all different, but when we ask for the Lord’s blessings, we must not forget that God created us equal.

Vladimir V. Putin is the president of Russia.

A version of this op-ed appears in print on September 12, 2013, on page A31 of the New York edition with the headline: A Plea for Caution From Russia.

 http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/12/opinion/putin-plea-for-caution-from-russia-on-syria.html?hp&_r=2&

The Morning Beacon: Column: It’s Putin’s world now. America is just living in it.‏

Column: It’s Putin’s world now. America is just living in it.

By Matthew Continetti

America has left Iraq. America is leaving Afghanistan. America was so reluctant to participate in the NATO war that toppled Muammar Qaddafi in Libya, and so passive and hesitant in playing a role in Libyan reconstruction, development, and security, that our ambassador and three other Americans were killed in an assault on the U.S. diplomatic compound a year ago.

Admiral: U.S. submarine forces decline as forces of China, Russia, Iran advance undersea warfare capabilities

By Bill Gertz

China, Russia, and Iran pose regional and strategic submarine threats and are building up undersea warfare capabilities as the Navy is cutting its submarine force by 30 percent, the admiral in charge of Pentagon submarine programs told Congress on Thursday.

Palestinian Terror Group Threatens Attacks on Jewish Holy Day

By Adam Kredo

A terror group tied to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s political party is threatening to launch a series of attack on Israel starting Friday, according to a statement released by the group.

Air Force Academy hires feminist ideologue to teach course on gender

By Daniel Wiser

A controversial professor who critics say is a feminist ideologue is instructing cadets at the United States Air Force Academy this year on gender issues as the military attempts to curb sexual assault.

‘The Family’ Review

By Sonny Bunch

French director Luc Besson spent the 1990s deftly mixing genres. After the brilliant but relatively straight-ahead action film La Femme Nikita, Besson infused the action genre with familial tenderness and surprising humor in Leon: The Professional. 

Coming From the NYT: What Hitler Had to Say to Americans About Europe

By Sonny Bunch

Everyone on Twitter seemed quite upset with the New York Times for publishing an op-ed by Russian plutocrat/autocrat/journalist murderer/virulent homophobe/civil liberties violator Vladimir Putin. 

Detroit Fans Go Bankrupt For Beer

By Robert Charette

The NFL has sat comfortably at the vanguard of the fan experience by being the first major American sports league to launch its own cable network while also being the sole reason to subscribe to Direct TV.

Plagiarist Impressed By Putin Op-ED 

By WFB Staff

CNN’s Fareed Zakaria described Vladimir Putin’s op-ed as “very intelligent, and well-written” on Thursday.  Zakaria’s writing analysis is ironic, as he was suspended last August for plagiarizing sections of another writer’s article about gun control.

Read and Listen more:

 http://freebeacon.com/

Before It's News: Obama Destroyed! Must Go Viral! They Keep Taking It Down!

  

September 7, 2013 – Fox News – Judge Jeanine Pirro – Opening Statement – Attacks Barack Obama on Syria 

Senate delays Syria vote as Obama loses momentum
WASHINGTON — President Obama’s push for congressional approval for military airstrikes in Syria ran aground Monday, forcing Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., to delay a procedural vote as opposition builds among senators in both parties.

Six senators, including five Republicans and one Democrat, announced Monday they would vote against a resolution authorizing the use of force — a strong indication that the administration’s efforts to build bipartisan support have been ineffective.

 http://beforeitsnews.com/obama/2013/09/obama-destroyed-must-go-viral-they-keep-taking-it-down-2455460.html

Since You Won't Get This Update From Town Officials, We Present An Update To The Missing $32,500 From The Economic And Community Development Department In Lisbon

$32,500 UPDATE

As we all know, back in 2007 the town misappropriated $32,500 dollars.  After a thorough investigation, by Interim Town Manager David T. Brooks, no one was prosecuted.  Since that time, the town has done more than nothing to retrieve the money.  I stand corrected, a feeble attempt was made to prosecute first Daniel Feeney which failed and then in May 2, 2012 the town filed a civil suit against Kurt Kimball.

On May 30, 2013 the judge granted a Summary Judgment against the town.  Since that time, the court is waiting for the Town of Lisbon to either proceed to trial or drop the law suit.  One would figure that over 90 days would be sufficient enough time to come to a decision anywhere else but Lisbon. 

Between our Town Attorney Roger Therriault, who is making a killing on this case, and the Town Manager Eldridge who is too busy trying to jam the Worumbo Mill down our throats regardless of the contamination problems associated with the mill, and the Town Council who is trying to make Mrs. Miller happy instead of the voters who elected them; there has been no decision.

Today, I contacted the Clerk of Courts for the 8^th District and was informed the court is still waiting on the town.  I am sure there are a lot of people in this town that do not want this to go to trial because the people may learn the truth about who actually stole this money and how it was covered up all this time.  The town could be waiting for the statute of limitations to run out.  At that point, the people of Lisbon will never learn the truth.

I feel compelled to write this update to keep the citizens of Lisbon informed because this information will never come from the Town Manager or the Town Council.

Larry Fillmore

Editor's Note:

At the time all of this was done, it was under the guidance and monitoring of none other than Councilor Dale Crafts.  He has admitted to many that "it would not look good for him if this were to come out" well, too BAD. Jennifer Norris, newly hired Economic and Community Development Director, began to expose this and was then harassed through intimidation by Lisbon Police Chief David T. Brooks.  She left to mitigate the emotional stress induced upon herself by Lisbon's "good ole boy network"

The Cover story was a loan to Atlantic Commerical Cleaners, a fictitious entity, but that has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt not to be the case.   SO what will the Lisbon Town Council Do Now?  

 Dan Feeney with his "Sandblasted" Jeep in a Moxie Parade

MHPC: You won't believe this‏

September 12, 2013

 

Dear Fellow Conservative:

 

You won't believe this.

 

Liberal Democrats in Augusta are finally paying attention to The Maine Heritage Policy Center's pioneering analysis of Maine’s “Demographic Winter."

 

Just this week, the Democrat Speaker of the House convened a roundtable discussion, including lawmakers, health care professionals and business leaders from across the state. The theme? Demographic Winter!

 

For more than three years, MHPC’s research on Maine’s aging population has shed light on our most serious economic crisis. Unfortunately, the liberal Democrats who now recognize the problem only see one solution: more taxes, more spending, and more government.

 

Absent from the conversation is an understanding of why young people leave Maine and why young people don’t come to Maine.

 

Our children are not leaving the state because we don’t spend enough money on trumped up jobs programs at the Department of Labor. They’re not leaving because our teachers and professors aren’t paid enough. And they’re definitely not leaving because we don’t have government-run health care or more welfare.

 

Young people are leaving Maine because there are not enough good and rewarding jobs.

 

As conservatives, we understand that creating opportunities for young people to have fulfilling careers in Maine begins with shrinking the tax burden, repealing oppressive Nanny State regulations, and ensuring that government intervention in the economy is limited. We at MHPC need the support of generous individuals like you to spread this message of economic freedom.

 

Only by pushing back against Big Government progressives can we ensure that Maine will be a happy and prosperous place for ourselves, our children and our grandchildren to live.

 

With MHPC’s bold FreeME initiative, Maine finally has a concrete and realistic plan to get rid of the income tax – a plan that just might thaw our Demographic Winter. By eliminating the income tax county by county, starting with the most distressed areas of the state, Maine can unleash the power of the free market and bring about an economic renaissance.

 

Please read more about the initiative at FreeME.us and consider making a contribution in support of restoring economic freedom to Maine.

 

Your donation of any amount will help us spread the message – from Calais to Fryeburg, from Kittery to Fort Kent – that economic freedom can work for Maine. 

                                                

In Liberty,

J. Scott Moody

Chief Executive Officer

 

P.S. Your gift to The Maine Heritage Policy Center is tax-deductible and a gift in any amount is appreciated.

 

You may also enjoy the convenience of making automatic monthly contributions to support The Maine Heritage Policy Center, which has proven to be a very popular option with our supporters. Your monthly gift helps provide a reliable source of support that we can count on to lift our work to the next level.  

 

Follow MHPC

       

A Counterpoint; The Inappropriate Thesaurus: Response to Ken Huber and What Has America Become

Monday, October 25, 2010

Response to Ken Huber and What Has America Become

This leditor has been going around the right-wing email circuit, and I wanted to briefly address each of Mr. Huber's comments... (If this isn't big enough to read, you can see most of it in excerpt below.)

Ken Huber has some good points but his timeline seems to be confused...

"Has America become the land of special interest and home of the double standard?"

Yes, when we seceded from the union (with Britain)... We have been such ever since, regardless of who has been paying attention.

"Lets see, if we lie to the Congress, it's a felony and if the Congress lies to us its just politics."

Correct. This is because we don't require Congressmen to swear an oath every time they speak. Regular people lie all the time and it's not a felony. You're forgetting that Congressmen are just regular people going to work, and you seem to be under the impression that they were all completely truthful at one point..?

"If we dislike a black person, we're racist and if a black person dislikes whites, it's their 1st Amendment right."

Both of these things are racist and both of them are 1st amendment rights. There wouldn't be a constitution guaranteeing you the freedom to be a perfect person, this document would be unnecessary. BTW, if certain people give African Americans a pass for being racially ignorant, it's because the American double standard has shafted them historically harder than other groups, and perhaps they actually have a tiny reason to dislike us.

"The government spends millions to rehabilitate criminals and they do almost nothing for the victims."

My imagination isn't potent enough to fathom what it's like to have my life so far into the gutter that robbing a liquor store seems like a good idea... The sad truth of the matter is that we don't all share the same morals, intelligence, work ethic, education, psychological health, etc. etc. But if one of our worst hypocrisies as a nation is that we attempt to turn criminals into decent people.... I guess this doesn't enrage me as much as it should.

"In public schools you can teach that homosexuality is OK, but you better not use the word God in the process."

But we teach that God is okay. In one form or another we all learned about the religious freedom of America, we're just not allowed to tell kids they have to believe in God anymore than we tell them they have to be homosexuals. How is this inconsistent?

"You can kill an unborn child, but it is wrong to execute a mass murderer."

I don't think mass murderers have as good of a reputation as you presume. Also, unborn children are generally thought more highly of than "it's okay to kill them". But the reason it's LEGAL to kill them is one of the unfortunate results of a complicated society filled with contrasting world-views. You've had this discussion I'm sure.

"We don't burn books in America, we now rewrite them."

This is a somewhat alarming complaint, and I'm hoping it's just the poetic linguistics of a traditional-minded fellow. If not, let me address it quickly. Knowledge is a constantly evolving thing. What makes a book written in 1999 more valid than a similar book written in 2010? Because it was here first? If the most effective form of chemotherapy has changed over the last ten years, should the texts on chemo not be updated? And the reason we don't burn the old volumes is because they may be useful for reference. When it comes to knowledge, less is not more.

"We got rid of communist and socialist threats by renaming them progressive."

The claim seems to be that language is being strategically used to affect attitudes. I can do that too. Progress is being slowed down by people renaming it the Socialist Threat. Congratulations, you're a politician.

"We are unable to close our border with Mexico, but have no problem protecting the 38th parallel in Korea."

I agree that we're spending too much money on foreign defense, although I think this one has something to do with your Communist Threat.

"If you protest against President Obama's policies you're a terrorist, but if you burned an American flag or George Bush in effigy it was your 1st Amendment right."

Seriously? You got called a terrorist for peacefully protesting? That seems extreme.

"You can have pornography on TV or the internet, but you better not put a nativity scene in a public park during Christmas."

This is perfectly consistent: you can have a nativity scene at home and you can't have pornography in a public park. What's the argument here? And just a side note, there is such a thing as non-sexual pornography, and the idea of a living manger out-front the capitol building is probably certain peoples' little blue pill.

"We have eliminated all criminals in America, they are now called sick people."

Huh? I think this is more rhetorical gymnastics. If the core of this statement is that you don't like the empathy that is given to people who break the law, then I don't know what to tell ya. They still go to jail, and their lives are still probably more or less empty. If you're mad that they're still treated like human beings then I can't really help ya on this one.

"We can use a human fetus for medical research, but it is wrong to use an animal."

They're not live fetuses being used for research. Again, I can appreciate the anti-abortion sentiment, as I think many people can, but there's something not-so-sacred about incest-rape. Additionally, I don't think the average liberal American has a problem with using rats to cure cancer. Certain folks don't want animals mutated to test our style products. Don't confuse a vocal minority for a majority.

"We take money from those who work hard for it and give it to those who don't want to work"

Literally speaking, this is probably way less common than you'd expect. Do you think the average beneficiary of unemployment really WANTS to pad their resume with years of wellfare? Maybe some, but the bigger social issue here is that unexceptional people are having too many babies, creating large quantities of unexceptional citizens.

"We all support the Constitution, but only when it supports our political ideology."

Good point, this is also nothing new.

"We still have freedom of speech, but only if we are being politically correct."

False. Politically incorrect people still have freedom of speech, they just don't like having to deal with the non-legal consequences of their words. You can lose your job for something you say, but you're forgetting that a job is a privilege, not a constitutional right.

"Parenting has been replaced with Ritalin and video games."

Once again, too many unexceptional parents.

"The land of opportunity is now the land of hand outs."

Vote.

"The similarity between Hurricane Katrina and the gulf oil spill is that neither president did anything to help."

Fair enough.

And how do we handle a major crisis today? The government appoints a committee to determine who's at fault, then threatens them, passes a law, raises our taxes; tells us the problem is solved so they can get back to their reelection campaign.

Duh.

"What has happened to the land of the free and home of the brave?"

This is from a song. There are still brave people and free people living here. But the reason those lyrics are popular in song form instead of document form is because they're intended to get you emotive about a vague concept, rather than particular about specific concepts. To ask "What has happened to the land of the free and home of the brave?" is to ask a rhetorical question for the purpose of making a broad statement: "I don't like the way my country is behaving as of late". But the hypocrisies that you're dealing with here are remarkably consistent with the hypocrisies we've always had. The only difference LATELY is that your fellow voters have been disagreeing with you about the details. You're mad at your government but the folks you should really be mad at are the voters who have a different outlook than you.

What you're probably MOST upset about, is that non-religious people have different values than the faithful. You are unable to see religious dogma as subjective truth. And I don't blame you, because what use would religion be if it WAS seen as subjective? I don't know how to help you reconcile this, other than to tell you to keep on voting and hope for the best. Progress and entropy are more or less two sides to the same coin. One of these (entropy) is inevitable by definition. If that's the idiom you subscribe to, then we're already doomed. If you see social movement as progress, then this is NOT inevitable, and there's hope for you. Only problem becomes dealing with the reality that you're rooting against progress. You can look at the public moving away from religion, towards humanism and see it as entropy or progress. But you can't call it neither. Or, shouldn't.

My friend, you're a man without a nation, and this is going to sound odd and strangely anti-American to say, but if this stuff is really important to you, you're best bet is to join the Tea Party and start planning which mesoamerican states are going to be fenced off for the REAL America to begin. Only awkward thing is that you're going to lose the name America and the songs and flags... Can you reconcile fighting for your secession (which you WILL win, because if there's one thing your Tea Party friends will have, it's lots of guns--and if there's one thing godless neo-liberals don't have, it's willingness to fight and die for anything) when after the dust settles, you'll have your perfect set of small-government laws but a less traditional flag to wave, different songs to learn, and a whole new set of patriots to start idolizing? Boy it's gonna be wistfull, but at least things will be back to the way they.... (were?)

 http://dolphindentist.blogspot.com/2010/10/response-to-ken-huber-and-what-has.html

And The Question Still Remains Valid Today: What Has America Become? by Ken Huber

 Rene Girard, Examiner.com

"What Has America Become" was the title of a letter to the editior written by Ken Huber of Tawas City, Michigan.   It contains a series of comparisons and contrasts which causes one to think about the double-standards and conditions under which we now live here in America.  

A reprint of the article has been circulating online (see photo with this article) finding its way to Fort Worth and possibly all over the nation.  It was originally printed in the Iosco County News Herald on June 9, 2010, published in the Opinion column.  Please read, post your thoughts, and as always feel free to subscribe for future articles and/or
share with others.

 Where Is Tawas City, MI? It is on Lake Huron and has a population of just over 2,000!!

What has America become?
Editor,

Has America become the land of special interest and home of the double standard?

Lets see: if we lie to the Congress, it's a felony and if the Congress lies to us its just politics; if we dislike a black person, we're racist and if a black person dislikes whites, its their 1st Amendment right; the government spends millions to rehabilitate criminals and they do almost nothing for the victims; in public schools you can teach that homosexuality is OK, but you better not use the word God in the process; you can kill an unborn child, but it is wrong to execute a mass murderer; we don't burn books in America, we now rewrite them; we got rid of communist and socialist threats by renaming them progressive; we are unable to close our border with Mexico, but have no problem protecting the 38th parallel in Korea; if you protest against President Obama's policies you're a terrorist, but if you burned an American flag or George Bush in effigy it was your 1st Amendment right.

You can have pornography on TV or the internet, but you better not put a nativity scene in a public park during Christmas; we have eliminated all criminals in America, they are now called sick people; we can use a human fetus for medical research, but it is wrong to use an animal.

We take money from those who work hard for it and give it to those who don't want to work; we all support the Constitution, but only when it supports our political ideology; we still have freedom of speech, but only if we are being politically correct; parenting has been replaced with Ritalin and video games; the land of opportunity is now the land of hand outs; the similarity between Hurricane Katrina and the gulf oil spill is that neither president did anything to help.

And how do we handle a major crisis today? The government appoints a committee to determine who's at fault, then threatens them, passes a law, raises our taxes; tells us the problem is solved so they can get back to their reelection campaign.

What has happened to the land of the free and home of the brave?

- Ken Huber
Tawas City

(note:  all links added for articles related to topics within Mr. Huber's article.  His article had no links.)