Todd's Mischief Blog

Though I was unavailable to attend the 50th anniversary commemoration of the 1963 march on Washington D.C. and Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech, I did make the point of listening to President Obama's speech delivered at the event, a transcript of which can be found HERE . What follows are my thoughts on the speech and reactions to some of the topics raised.  In the opening, Obama acknowledges that progress has been achieved in civil rights. He names several important historical figures who contributed to that progress and reminds us that to say otherwise would be to say their work was in vain. That's more acknowledgement of progress than we are generally accustomed to. Of course, being black and president forces a few admissions. Still, it puts the lie to the perennial detractors who claim the President speaks as though we are still in the days of dogs and fire hoses. Next, Obama spends some time giving a history lesson on the march of 50 years ago. I...

I’m not normally one to go all conspiracy theory about stuff, but when I heard this story today, this connection immediately came together in my mind. The story is that in December, an unelected technocrat government was appointed in Italy to impose austerity measures on the failing Euro nation. This government has no accountability and no fixed time mandate. The new government has passed a number of astonishing edicts including: A ban on cash transactions of over €1000 (~$1270 USD) with indications that this level will be gradually reduced to as low as €300 (~$380 USD); A requirement that credit card companies report all transactions carried out by Italians, in Italy and abroad to the fiscal authorities; Delays and refusals by banks in allowing customers to withdraw  cash balances of as little as Euro 10,000; Also, the Finance Police has placed cameras at the physical borders with Switzerland to register all license plates. In addition, currency-sniffing dogs have been deployed a...

Snippets from other conversations: I want leaders who are not afraid to speak and live their faith and whose principles are grounded in reliance upon God. I do not want leaders who use their station to impose morality on others. If God will not force Himself upon anyone, how shall any man suppose to do it for Him? Consensus is nothing but a shared bias. The office of the presidency has become too big. If a successful businessman who has turned the fortunes of not one but two industry-leading corporations, has served on the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank, has served as CEO of one of the largest lobbying firms in DC, has sat on the boards of some of the world's largest firms, was instrumental in the defeat of the Clinton health care plan, has hosted a syndicated political radio talk-show and has literally been a rocket scientist doesn't have enough experience to be president, who does? No one without an interest in this world ever had a standing in it. I...