Restoration Contractor Strategies: Getting The Best Value In Your Claim

I’ve written before about how to hire restoration contractors, and things to watch for. Now, here are a few tips on how to get the best prices for the restoration work you need to have completed.

• Make sure that the scope of damages is correct. You can usually get a copy of the scope of damages from your adjuster. The scope of damages lists the necessary work to be performed, not the prices.

• Make sure you get at least three estimates from three separate contractors. Inform the contractors that they are competing against other contractors.

• If any contractor finds needed repairs that are not listed on the scope of damage, insist that these repairs be listed on a supplemental estimate separate from the main estimate.

• Make sure that the general contractor bids include Overhead and Profit.

• Negotiate your claim with the insurance adjuster using the highest contractor bid. Many times, adjusters will use estimating software that has unit pricing far below market pricing. This is especially true after a major disaster such as a widespread hailstorm, tornado or hurricane.

• Once you have successfully negotiated the claim amount, go back to the three contractors and suggest that his contractors or suppliers offer better pricing. Economic times what they are today, some companies will drastically shave profits just to have the work.

• Ask your contractors to offer their professional input on ways to get the job done at reduced prices. He might recommend different floor covering, or different cabinets, or different countertops or light fixtures.

• Make a discounted offer to a contractor. Then shut your mouth. The first one who speaks loses.

• Tell the winning contractor that you prefer paying subcontractors and suppliers directly. This can be a win-win situation, since the contractor won’t have to front the money for materials. You can pay for materials out of the insurance proceeds. You can win because you won’t have to pay his overhead or profit for just paying bills.

• Don’t forget to have all vendors sign a Lien Waiver before receiving payment. No signature, no payment.

These strategies can save you thousands of dollars if you’re careful.

Homosexual Marriage: Don’t You Want To Be Free?

Homosexual marriage, or civil union, has always been kind of a mystery to me.

When I moved to Atlanta from a small town in Michigan in 1992, I had never even met a homosexual. Once I got here in Atlanta, I auditioned and was accepted into the Tenor section of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus. Out of about 30 tenors, there were only two or three of us that were not gay men.

Quite a culture shock for me, the conservative who was always told that homosexuals would burn in hell. But I met and became friends with individuals, not a group. They were kind, and warm, and caring, and genuinely wonderful people. My attitude toward homosexuals was forever changed. I don’t ascribe to their lifestyle, but neither do I stand in condemnation. That’s someone else’s job.

I’ve heard comics say, “The homosexuals should have the right to be as miserable as the rest of us married people.”

Why should homosexuals want the blessing and licensure of the State on their relationships? What’s the big draw… the big benefit?

It doesn’t appear to be that the homosexuals want to be taken too seriously. The folks that march in Gay Pride parades don’t appear to be concerned with the straight world’s acceptance of their chosen lifestyle.

Could it be that they are looking for a legal status that will provide them monetary benefits that they cannot get today? Like Social Security, Medicare, pension and health care benefits?

They already have the right to have any kind of legal relationship they choose.

The Evangelicals who spend so much time denouncing homosexuals say that licensing homosexual marriage will undermine the “sanctity of marriage.”

Please.

First, if you have a faith or religious tradition you follow that prohibits homosexuality, fine. Practice your own individual behavior within your own conscience. But the states and the Federal Government of the USA are secular in nature, not Christian. Don’t presume to force your beliefs onto others.

Second, if marriage was as sacred as our society tells us it is, the state legislatures would not have passed laws that made divorce so easy. Besides, why should any state have any licensure of a marriage? Is it only for the easy fees it generates? Is there any real difference between a marriage license and a dog license or business license?

Seems to me that the essence of this issue is the sanctity of contracts, not the sanctity of marriage.

There is nothing I know of that prevents any two or more people from entering into contract with each other. Two people can go to an attorney and have a legal document drafted that deals with legal duties to each other, community property and the disposition of assets, legal duties to children of the “union,” procedure for dissolution of the agreement (kind of a civil divorce), and any other contractual terms the parties desired.

When the contract was acceptable to all parties, it could be signed and notarized. No preacher or judge would have to officiate…that’s just the romantic myth that accompanies the process. And, there is no license fee for executing a contract.

If the partners of a civil union want to have a little ceremony and a celebration following, great! Nothing prevents it but their budget.

You never see two guys, going into business as a remodeling contractor, draw up a partnership agreement, and then go get a pastor or priest to bless their partnership. Homosexuals don’t need it either.

If homosexuals would stop thinking about being slaves of the State, they could actually become leaders to the rest of the population. They could enter into their own legal relationship agreements, and completely forsake the blessing of the State. Tell the bureaucrats to stay out of their relationships, as well as their bedrooms.

Homosexuals, stop trying to curry the politicians’ favors, and show the rest of us a little taste of individual liberty.

Forget state-approved marriages forever!

Seven Myths About Flood Insurance

Floods happen with great regularity in the United States. In recent years, we have witnessed entire cities underwater in the spring floods along the Mississippi River. However, floods can happen in unexpected areas and for unexpected reasons. Congress created the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to provide insurance protection for the hazard of flood.

The standard homeowner policy (HO-3) defines flood as follows:

“…A general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of normally dry land areas due to:
1. The overflow of inland or tidal waters;
2. The unusual or rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters from any source; or
3. Mudslides.

Remember Hurricane Katrina? The hurricane winds blew flood waters into areas that had never had floods before. The insurance industry denied thousands of claims, attributing the damages to flood. Thousands of property owners who were nowhere near a flood plain had their claims denied because they did not have flood insurance.

So, here are seven common myths about Flood Insurance.

Myth #1: Homeowners, renters, and business property insurance policies cover flood damage.

No, homeowners, renters, and business property insurance policies do not cover floods. The NFIP policy is a separate policy that does cover flood damage to a home or business. Contents coverage can also be added to the flood policy. Policies are available to property owners as well as property renters, whether home or business.

Myth #2: Only homeowners and business owners can buy flood insurance.

Fact is that most homeowners, renters, condo owners, and businesses in NFIP participating communities can buy flood insurance. Policy limits are:

• Home and Condo Owners – $250,000 in structural coverage, $100,000 in contents coverage
• Renters – $100,000 in contents coverage
• Business owners and renters – $500,000 in structural coverage, $500,000 in contents coverage

Myth #3: You can’t buy flood insurance if you are in a high-risk zone.

Fact is that you can buy NFIP coverage no matter where you live, as long as your community participates in the NFIP.

Myth #4: You can’t buy flood insurance if you’ve been flooded before.

Fact is that as long as your community participates in NFIP, you can buy flood insurance.

Myth #5: You can’t buy flood insurance immediately before or during a flood.

Fact is that you can buy NFIP flood insurance any time. There is usually a 30-day waiting period before the effective date of the policy. Also, the policy does not cover a loss in progress, which is defined in the policy as a loss occurring at midnight on the date your policy goes into effect. So, the new policy won’t cover past or current losses, only losses after the policy goes into effect.

Myth #6: If you live in an area that is not a flood zone, you don’t need flood insurance.

Fact is that floods occur regularly in places that are not mapped flood zones. 25% of NFIP’s claims come from low-to-medium risk zones. On the other hand, if you live in a flood zone, you likely cannot finance a home loan without buying flood insurance.

Myth #7: FEMA disaster assistance will pay for flood damage.

Fact is that unless your area is declared a disaster area, there is no FEMA assistance. Fewer than 50% of floods are declared a disaster area. And, if you don’t have flood insurance when the flood occurs, you will have to buy and keep flood coverage to be eligible for future benefits.

Don’t allow your property to be damaged by flood without having the proper insurance coverage. Get the coverage you need, and don’t wait any longer.

For all the details about Flood Insurance, go to: www.floodsmart.gov

The Illusion Of Liberty

The illusion of liberty is the oil that makes the gears of American politics mesh. Without this grand illusion, citizens might actually wrest government control away from the political criminal class and demand Constitutional governance.

The average American citizen of the late 18th century was a person who could read and write eloquently, intelligently debate complicated issues, and took up arms against tyranny and excessive taxation. Remember that the Federalist Papers were a series of 85 newspaper articles that appeared in The Independent Journal and The New York Packet between October 1787 and August 1788. They were written to the average reader on the street, not to intellectuals in some university publication. The authors wanted to encourage ratification of the new Constitution and influence its interpretation.

Compare that 1788 citizen with today’s American. Over the last 100 or so years, the government schools have been wildly successful in omitting Constitution education and Civics from the curriculum. They also omitted competent math and science education. According to the 2006 report of the US Department of Education’s Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), the American education is ranked #21 of the top 30 nations for science, and #25 of the top 30 nations for math. Azerbaijani students had higher math scores than American kids, and Latvian kids scored higher than Americans in science. Consequently, we have a population that is largely ignorant and uneducated, and ill equipped to live as free people.

But they do very well as sheep.

In place of true education, the American students of the 20th and 21st centuries have been force-fed a pablum of political correctness, social justice and a high priority given to sports, washed down with gallons of racial divisiveness and false patriotism.

Thus undernourished on this toxic stew, and dedicated to entertainment above all, Americans make meaningless choices and think they are free.

For the most part, American are compliant and credulous, willing to believe on slight or uncertain evidence. If comes to them from radio, or TV, or in their favorite magazine or newspaper, it must be true. For over 100 years they have been taught to be good order takers, good factory workers, good followers and good soldiers.

Think about it. Here are the choices you get on a daily basis:

• Cash or Credit
• Paper or plastic
• Regular or No-lead
• Shell or Exxon
• 2-Door or 4-Door
• Domestic or Foreign
• Whole or skim milk
• Regular or decaf coffee
• Fat or low-fat
• Over-easy or scrambled
• Latte or espresso
• Dairy or non-dairy creamer
• Smoking or Non-smoking
• Window or Aisle
• AM or FM
• Pepsi or Coke
• Light beer or Regular
• Burial or Cremation

The simplest, drooling moron could make those choices successfully. However, to make some of the next choices calls for more gray matter than rests in most of the American psyche.

• Vote or Don’t Vote
• PC or Mac
• Gay or Straight
• Liberal or Conservative
• Pro-life or Pro-abortion
• Democrat or Republican
• McCain or Obama
• Adherence to or ignoring the Constitution
• Sound money or Federal Reserve notes
• Balanced budgets or Deficit spending
• Religion or Secularism
• Creationism or Evolution
• Free speech or Permitted speech

Notice a few things about the last list. First, many of these choices are also meaningless, but with more serious consequences. “Democrat” and “Republican” are the two faces on the same coin of Big Government servitude. No matter which side of the coin you choose, you still get the coin. Second, many of the terms are without definitions anchored in reality. For example, today’s “Liberal” and “Conservative” bear no resemblance to the original terms.

What is religion? Do you practice religion or seek truth? There is sometimes a difference.

We just completed a Memorial Day celebration. Millions of people flocked to their town squares, streets, churches and cemeteries to pay homage to the war dead. Few of those celebrating Memorial Day would ever admit that none of the men and women of the 20th and 21st century wars died actually protecting America and its Constitution.

But they have the ILLUSION…the erroneous, teary-eyed viewpoint…that those soldiers died protecting our freedom. I think they would be hard pressed to actually define just how “American freedom” got protected in places like Vietnam, or Grenada, or France, or Afghanistan. No one since the British in 1812 has attacked the United States mainland. Yet the illusion of liberty persists like a smoker’s cough.

The illusion of liberty is the widely-held notion that will keep America from actually experiencing true liberty.

“The reason people call it “The America Dream” is that you have to be asleep to believe it.”
~George Carlin

Home Security: Are Your Home’s Doors Break-in Proof?

Home security is fast becoming an important topic of concern here in America. As the economy worsens, the crime rate for burglaries and robberies is rising. The local news has stories almost daily of break-ins at homes and business in which the predominant method of entry is kicking in one of the exterior doors.

Over the years I have spent as an insurance adjuster, I’ve been to at least a hundred homes to investigate burglaries and help the homeowners prepare their insurance claim. Seldom have I found incidents where the burglar came in through a window. Burglars nearly always make their entry through a door.

Most people use deadbolt locks and their first line of defense. Nothing wrong with that. I’ve never seen a deadbolt lock fail. The deadbolt is not the weakest link in the chain when it comes to securing an exterior door.

The weak link is the door jamb.

For you that are unfamiliar with the term “jamb,” it is the frame to which the door is mounted by hinges. When you turn the key the deadbolt lock throws a steel bolt into a latch on the jamb.

For tens of millions of homes, apartments and businesses, the exterior door jamb is made of wood. In residential applications, the door jamb usually has a thickness of ¾”. Sometimes exterior door jambs can have a 1 ½” thickness.

The screws that mount the latchplate onto the jamb are usually ¾” wood screws, and are usually about 1” away from the edge of the jamb. So, when a bad guy kicks your door, there is only about 1” of wood in the jamb offering any resistance. One inch of pine wood, or even oak, does not give you much protection.

In almost every burglary claim I’ve handled where the burglar came in through a door, it was the wood door jamb that failed…usually on about the second kick. And the cost of replacing a damaged door and jamb can easily run $750 – $1,000.

The best solution to securing your exterior doors against break-in would be to install steel jambs and steel doors. However, that can be very expensive.

Sliding glass doors are also an easy entry point for thieves. Placing a dowel, bar or stick in the track does not prevent your door from being lifted out of the track.

There is another solution that is cost effective and works great!

Armor Concepts is a company based in Saddle Brook, NJ that has created three products that solve this security problem. They are:

• Door Jamb Armor – A patented door security and repair solution that will help stop home invasions before they begin. Door Jamb Armor can also be used to repair a previously damaged jamb and can be installed in under an hour by the average do-it-yourselfer. All pieces are made of galvanized steel and are powder coated so they will stand up to harsh weather and can be painted to match your door. You will barely notice the steel door armor once it’s installed. Door Jamb Armor will allow you to turn any door into a security door that’s attractive and economical.

• FIX-A-JAMB – A cheap, quick and attractive door frame repair solution

• Armor Latch – An effective and economical sliding glass door security solution. Prevents sliding glass doors from being lifted out the track.

You can see some dramatic product testing video at the company’s website at: http://www.djarmor.com One video shows use of a police battering ram. The jamb holds rock solid.

These products can be found at big box home improvement retailers like Lowe’s.

If you do not protect your doors and jambs, it will be cheaper for you if you’ll just go ahead and leave the doors unlocked. At least the thieves will only steal your belongings, not destroy your door and then steal your stuff.

The Torture Debate: Government’s Sleight Of Hand?

The torture debate may be a classic example of the old magician’s “sleight of hand” routine. Watch what I’m doing over here in my right hand, while the actual trick is happening in my left.

Osama Bin Laden clearly stated the reason for Muslim hatred was the American presence in Muslim nations. Infidels on Muslim soil. Our mere physical presence has generated new legions of fighters and suicide bombers. In addition, the knowledge of American torture of Arabs and Afghanis is one of the best recruiting tools our enemies have.

And Arabs and Afghanis have made us pay dearly. The American occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan has led to over 5,000 US military deaths, and tens of thousands of horrible injuries and disabilities.

But, knowing the clear reasons for Arab anger, the American military and intelligence agencies still use torture…just like always.

The various American intelligence agencies, both military and non-military…you know, the “three initials” agencies like CIA, FBI, NSA, etc…have been capturing people and using “enhanced interrogation” techniques since their inception. The American populace simply doesn’t know much about their history.

Why did the Bush Administration make a decision that they would disclose to the world that they had captured “enemy combatants?” They went further and disclosed that they had moved them to locations around the world, outside of the reach of American law. Then they started talking about “renditions,” and various forms of torture like sleep deprivation, sensory deprivation, electric shock and simulated drowning, otherwise known as “waterboarding.”(I refuse to disinfect and redefine the act of simulated drowning.)

Could it be to create a diversion?

Torture is the least of the many crimes that the American Federal Government has perpetuated over the last 150-plus years. Yet, while the American media trots out this story continually over months and years…even though it deserves the ink…it obscures the greater crimes done by the American Federal Government.

Greater atrocities are ignored while the feigned outrage in this country is largely focused on this single crime.

Here is a short list of atrocities performed by the US Federal Government:

• Theft of land from native Americans from sea to shining sea
• Abrogation of all treaties between the American government and Indian nations
• Murder and genocide of native American tribes
• The Civil War
• Internment of American citizens of Japanese origin at the beginning of WWII, and confiscation of their assets
• Atomic weapons used against civilian targets at Nagasaki and Hiroshima
• Overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy and theft of the Hawaiian Islands
• The enactment of the individual income tax
• Attempted overthrow of Fidel Castro
• Ruby Ridge murders by FBI
• Branch Davidian massacre, Waco, TX
• Overthrow of other governments like Chile and most Central American nations
• Use of Depleted Uranium ordnance in Iraq, rendering the entire country radioactive and lethal, causing illness and horrific birth defects
• The Patriot Act
• The Department of Homeland Security

The American government has not strayed from its high principles. It does not possess any high principles. It simply had a moment of hubris mixed with indiscretion when it disclosed that it uses torture. It could have been a diversionary tactic, but I doubt it. The government is pretty sure that it can get away with anything because it does not fear its citizens. And why would it?

President Obama has not repudiated the use of torture with his actions, only with his words. He is simply returning the system to the secrecy that it enjoyed for the last 60 years. He encourages America to look forward, not backward, which in essence guarantees the status quo and immunity from prosecution for the torturers and the politicians who ordered it.

Don’t get any weird idea that America is special, God’s chosen nation to bring freedom to the world. The mass perception of American citizens is not reality. It is not that “city on a hill” that Ronald Reagan called it. Every king, potentate, Caesar, Czar, or Emperor throughout human history has committed mind-numbing atrocities on the populations they wished to subdue, conquer and plunder.

Including their own people.

Get some perspective, America. Torture is heinous, but your government is doing a lot worse things than torture. Save your anger and outrage for the really bad stuff.

Oath Keepers: The Sentries On The Wall

Oath Keepers is a non-partisan association of currently serving military, veterans, and peace officers who will fulfill their sworn oath to “support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, so help me God.”

I recently learned about Stewart Rhodes, a Yale-educated lawyer. Stewart served on the staff of Texas Congressman Ron Paul until after the 2008 elections. While he was there, he formed a new idea. Seeing the fast encroaching totalitarianism infecting the Federal Government, he correctly concluded that without willing and compliant military, combined with local law enforcement personnel, the tyrants among us could not subjugate the American populace.

So, Stewart founded Oath Keepers.

There is a debate within the ranks of the military regarding their oath. Some mistakenly believe they must follow any order the President issues. But many others do understand that their loyalty is to the Constitution and to the people, and understand what that means.
Their oath is to the Constitution, not to the politicians, and not to any political party. In the long-standing tradition of the U.S. military, they are apolitical. They don’t care if unlawful orders come from a Democrat or a Republican, or if the violation is bi-partisan. They will not obey unconstitutional (and thus unlawful) and immoral orders, such as orders to disarm the American people or to place them under martial law. They won’t “just follow orders.” Their motto: “Not on Our Watch!” or to put it even more succinctly, in the words of Lt. General Harry Kinnard, in response to a WWII German order to surrender, “NUTS!”

There are thousands of active duty and veteran military joining Oath Keepers, as well as active duty and retired law enforcement officers.
Each person entering the US military swears this oath:

“I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.”

(Title 10, US Code: Act of 5 May 1960 replacing the wording first adopted in 1789, with amendment effective 5 October 1962).

Many law enforcement personnel also take an oath much like the military oath.

Notice that, above all, the oath-taker swears to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. He swears true faith and allegiance to the Constitution, not the Commander-in-Chief. Only after that affirmation does the oath to obey orders of the President and superior officers appear in the body of the oath. A soldier who obeys an order that violates the Constitution commits treason against the Constitution. An officer who issues a direct order that violates the Constitution issues an unlawful order, and the order should be ignored.

I submit to you that a soldier that understands the depth of his oath cannot lawfully and constitutionally follow the orders to deploy to an undeclared war anywhere in the world. Nor could he obey an order that would violate the rights of an American citizen. Soldiers who truly understood their oath have a duty to disobey unlawful orders, even if it meant prosecution under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

“No man is above the law and no man is below it: nor do we ask any man’s permission when we ask him to obey it.”
~President Theodore Roosevelt

Every President of the United States must take the following oath of office as set forth in the US Constitution, Article II, Section 1:

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
Any President that commits an act subverting the Constitution commits treason against the Constitution. Can you count the number of acts committed by the last six Presidents? The number would stagger the memory of your calculator.

Under Article 4, Section 4, the Federal Government must defend the states against invasion:

“The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence.”

There is a deep debate today in America on Article 4. Many today believe that the Federal Government may take unconstitutional measures to “protect…against invasion…and against domestic violence.” So, now we have the Patriot Act and the Department of Homeland Security. Oath Keepers believe in the rule of law.
Any law or regulation that undermines the Oath of Office or the duty of the Federal Government under Article 4 shall be considered unconstitutional and each person has a duty to ignore that law.

“The clearest way to show what the rule of law means to us in everyday life is to recall what has happened when there is no rule of law.”
~ President Dwight David Eisenhower

Allow me to compare today’s American political reality with J.R.R. Tolkein’s stories of the Kingdom of Middle Earth.

Washington DC is Mordor, the very center of evil. Sauron, the all-seeing eye, is the Federal Government. Sauron seeks to rule the world. But, recently, the gaze of the all-seeing eye has been turned inward on Middle Earth. He seeks out those who he considers a threat to his power. The only way that Sauron can conquer Middle Earth is to send forth his army of Orcs. Orcs are often portrayed as beings with brutal, warmongering tendencies, although in some instances are described as a proud warrior race with a strong sense of honor.

That description of Orcs accurately describes some of today’s military and law enforcement communities. There are many that will obey Sauron’s orders, and try to subjugate American citizens. But if the military and law enforcement rise up and refuse to obey unlawful orders, the ability of Sauron to conquer will be diminished and could evaporate.

Oath Keepers speak directly to those members of the military and law enforcement that still have a conscience. They are having remarkable success with military and law enforcement veterans and retirees, since those individuals are free of the orders of superiors. However, there are many that are still on active duty that must protect their identities against persecution and/or termination. Still, those secret Oath Keepers exist in growing numbers.

It is the military and law enforcement that can stand in between the citizen and the tyrant. Time will tell just how many of them will stand for the rule of law and forsake the rule of men.

To learn more about Oath Keepers, go to: http://oath-keepers.blogspot.com/

Memorial Day 2009: How About A New Meaning?

The Memorial Day 2009 weekend is upon us. Many will use this weekend as the first short vacation of summer. Picnics, boating, traveling, family gatherings, and dedication to enjoyable activities are the rule this weekend.

But Memorial Day is meant to honor the men and women who died in military service to the United States of America. Formerly known as “Decoration Day,” it was first established in 1868 to decorate the graves of the Civil War (War of Northern Aggression) dead.

This weekend, there will be memorial services and parades across America in town squares, churches and at cemeteries. Flowers will be strewn and American flags will be in grand display. Politicians will walk the route, and veterans will don old uniforms and walk with them. Twenty-one gun salutes and taps will echo among the headstones. Empassioned speeches will be delivered to patriotic crowds on the goodness of America and the honor and bravery of the fallen soldiers and sailors.

And Americans will be remembering all the wrong things.

How about a reality check?

Those who fought and died (over 364,000) in Lincoln’s Army died invading another sovereign nation, the Confederate States of America. The CSA, who lost over 139,000 soldiers, was defending itself from the aggression of a foreign nation. It would have been no different morally if the Northern Army would have invaded Canada. So, Northern mourners should remember the shame of the North, not just that their loved ones died in battle. And Southerners should forever laud their sons who valiantly died in an attempt to thwart a foreign invasion and protect their homeland.

The 3,500-plus military personnel who fought and died in the Spanish-American War of 1898 died invading Cuba and the Philippines against Spain. Last time I checked, neither country was a state of the Union and did not require defense from a foreign aggressor. The war was perpetrated by the McKinley Administration and an expansionist Congress, assisted by Theodore Roosevelt and fomented by propaganda in the Hearst newspapers.

The American war dead of World War I (1914-1918), numbering over 116,000, died fighting a war between European nations. America had absolutely no business becoming involved, but as George Washington predicted, our treaty obligations dragged us into war.

World War II (1941-1945) devoured over 407,000 American military personnel. President Franklin D. Roosevelt baited the Japanese into attacking us, and after they did, Congress (in its last constitutional act of war) declared war. FDR was itching to get into the war, and got his way. Once again, treaties and war-hungry politicians cost this nation its sons and daughters.

The “police action” in Korea (1950-1953) started by the United Nations cost America over 54,000 military deaths. A cease fire was negotiated in 1953 which continues to this day. No constitutionally-declared war. No defense of American borders.

The Vietnam War (1958-1975) cost over 58,000 American lives. No declared war, no Vietcong in American streets trying to take over our nation. Finally some Americans protest a war! The US military gets its ass whooped and runs for home.

On 24 April, 1980, President Jimmy Carter sent a strike force into Iran to rescue the 52 American hostages held by Iran since 4 November 1979. The mission was a complete cluster fornication, and 8 men died.

In 1983 President Ronald Reagan sent 1,200 troops into Lebanon as “peace-keepers.” 220 Marines and 9 other servicemen are now resting in peace. No constitutionally-declared war. No constitutional justification.

In April 1986, President Ronald Reagan ordered air strikes in Libya against President Mohammar Ghadhafi. Ghadhafi lived…2 American airmen died.

The invasion of Grenada (October to December, 1983) cost 19 American lives. 10,000 American troops joined forces with about 300 terrifying shock troops from Caribbean islands like Antigua, St. Kitts, Dominica and Saint Lucia to liberate Grenada. Yes, that last sentence was sarcasm. The struggle led to the deposition and execution of Grenada’s Prime Minister Maurice Bishop. Anyone find a declaration of war or reason for America’s involvement….anyone? Bueller?

On May 12, 1987, the frigate USS Stark was attacked by an Iraqi missile while in the Persian Gulf. Thirty five sailors died in the blast. The Persian Gulf is not the territorial waters of the USA, is it?

Gulf War I (8-90 to 2-91) costs another 378 deaths as the USA protects its oil interests in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. None of the other neighbors of Iraq consider this worth a fight without the arm-twisting of President George H.W. Bush, especially since Kuwait formerly belonged to Iraq. Our Congress passes “resolutions” subordinating their constitutional authority to declare war to Bush, and he took it seriously. Still, no defense of America was involved here.

Panama was invaded by US military forces on December 20, 1989 under the order of President George H.W. Bush. Twenty four American military personnel died in the invasion. Bush said that protecting 35,000 Americans in Panama was cause for the invasion, as well as “defending democracy and human rights” in Panama. General Manuel Noriega was captured and tried on drug charges, ending up in a Miami prison.

The Bosnian War (1992-1995) was prosecuted by President Bill Clinton in conjunction with the United Nations. He sent over 20,000 troops to Bosnia, and there were no official American casualties. Still, where is the declaration of war? Why are our troops deployed outside of the United States? Were the Serbs attacking Cleveland?

In September 1994, President Bill Clinton sent US troops into Haiti to restore the regime of ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristede. It cost 4 American lives.

The USS Cole was docked at the port of Aden, Yemen, on 12 October 2000 when it was attacked by suicide bombers. Seventeen sailors died in the incident. The Gulf of Aden is not part of the territorial waters of the USA, is it?

War in Iraq and Afghanistan (2001-present) was started on a web of lies by President George W. Bush and his minions. It continues bolstered by more lies. Once again, no constitutional declaration of war, no honorable reason for our military to be in either country has ever been found. So far, over 5,000 military personnel have been killed. The totals are actually much higher, since the Defense Department does not count combat deaths that occur after a wounded soldier leaves Iraq, or the hundreds of suicides of both active duty and veteran personnel.

I may have missed some obscure deployment of troops in that history lesson. But I think the message rings loud and clear. In case you may have missed the overwhelming ringing sound, here is what it means.

Except for the Congressional declaration of war in 1941, which started our involvement in WWII, no other military action since the CSA defense of 1865 has been a lawful use of military force. And, when you consider that America had no business fighting in WWII, our involvement should be considered immoral.

So, over 1,147,000 American sons and daughters have fought and died in military actions that can be considered both immoral and unlawful.

Please do not misunderstand me here. I do not suggest that the surviving families of dead military personnel should not mourn the loss of their sons and daughters. Surely the loss of a child, husband, father, mother, friend or loved one should be mourned.

I am not diminishing the dead’s courage, bravery, sacrifice or valor. I do not minimize their love of country, love of liberty and sense of duty.

What I am saying is that the REASONS that they died do not stand scrutiny. The REASONS they were deployed outside our shores were illegitimate and founded in lies. The REASONS for ALL military action, save the defensive actions of the Confederate States of America, were in fact illegal, immoral and unlawful.

They were deceived into military service, where politicians used their feelings of patriotism and trust as weapons against them, and their bodies as cannon fodder.

I do not hold the dead entirely at fault. Did they not come from our own homes and schools, where this false sense of patriotism was taught from the cradle onward? We the living are the ones most guilty. We did not teach our children how to discern truth from lies. We failed to teach them to question ALL authority. We neglected to infuse them with a love for the rule of law.

Therefore, here in the Memorial Day weekend of 2009, may we at long last accept the tragic truth that more than a million of our children gave their lives as sacrificial lambs on the blood-soaked altar of the God of the State? May we finally accept that additional hundreds of thousands were maimed and disabled on the same altar? Truly, they did not die to protect the American homeland. They did not die to protect our freedoms. They did not die defending “the Constitution of the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic”…words found in their Oath of Service.

They died in vain. They died for nothing.

That is what we should mourn this weekend.

Travel Security: Proper Planning Prevents Travel Nightmares

Travel security is a topic that needs some discussion. I talked about Vacation Security in my last article, which dealt with leaving your home secure when you go on vacation. Today, let’s discuss the security issues you need to deal with while you’re traveling.

This article will not address the repressive governmental strictures on travel in the USA. You can get that from another source.

Domestic Travel

If you’re on a driving vacation, here are some tips.

• Get the car checked over before you begin driving. Make sure the tires are good and properly inflated. Make sure the engine is running correctly. If your car is old and unreliable, seriously consider renting a car for the trip. Nothing can ruin a trip more quickly than a car breakdown.

• Prepare an emergency box for the trunk. Put in flares, a can of tire inflator/sealant, jumper cables, a gallon of premixed engine coolant, a toolbox, a flashlight with extra batteries, a blanket and duct tape. Add more if you can think of stuff you want.

• Make sure that your auto insurance premiums are paid and your coverage is current. If you don’t have Emergency Road Service on your policy, either have it added or buy it from someone like AAA.

Follow the tips you’ll find below. They are as useful when traveling domestically as they are internationally.

International Travel

Most places you will likely travel are tourist areas that will have relatively good safety. However, some like to travel to out-of-the-way places. Just realize that there are risks you take whenever you travel. The greatest risk you take while traveling is being naive and trusting. So, here are some tips. Each one could be an article all by itself.

• Pack light…then pack even lighter. Don’t take big suitcases. Try to get by on the smallest luggage you can. A rucksack or backpack would be best. You’d be better served to take extra cash and buy clothing at your destination. Leave it there when you come home, or buy a suitcase over there and bring the stuff home. Don’t you need mementos of the trip?
• Carry-on bags: Keep your bag under your seat or between your legs. If you are going to place it in the overhead compartment, try to place it ahead of your seat location, so you can see whoever reaches into the compartment.
• Rucksack/backpack rules: line the bottom with a towel or jacket. Bad guys like to slit the bottom of backpacks with a razor and then follow you until your stuff falls out. Bring with you or buy a daypack, a smaller version of the backpack just for day trips. Same rules apply.
• Don’t look wealthy; don’t flaunt your valuables. Don’t even take valuables with you.
• Never leave a computer, PDA or other electronics in your hotel room. Put it in the hotel safe or take it with you. You do realize that even the finest hotels can have employees that steal, even from the hotel safe, don’t you?
• Keep both hands free. Carrying stuff makes you vulnerable to getting your pocket picked.
• Make copies of your passport photo page, vaccination certificate, travelers check receipts, airline ticket, driver’s license, student card, YHA card, etc. Leave one set of the copies at home. Carry a couple of copies in various places in your luggage. Take a certified copy of your birth certificate to help you get a new passport. Keep a list in your trip address book of the numbers of your insurance policies, bank accounts, social security or national identity number and credit card numbers,.
• If you buy new travelers checks, train or airline tickets along the way, not only save the receipts (separate from the checks), but keep a separate note of all the check numbers and when you spend them. Having exact information will help in getting them replaced if lost or stolen.
• Keep your passport, credit cards and cash next to your skin. Keep them in front of you, not in your back pocket or a fanny pack on your fanny. Sleep with them. The best solution is a “passport bag” that you hang around your neck, inside your clothing.
• Keep a small billfold with your “day money” in your front pocket.
• If you buy enough stuff that you need another suitcase to carry it home, seriously consider boxing it and shipping it home.
• Stay in physical contact with your bags unless they are locked in your room or stowed safely on the vehicle of transport.
• Every time you stand up, glance back to see what you left behind.
• YOU carry your luggage onto the bus, train, truck, or taxi with you. Don’t allow a porter or stranger to take your bag for you. You might not ever see it again.
• When you buy a ticket, be sure you actually receive a ticket.
• Don’t rent a hotel room that is not secure; lock your room every time you leave it.
• Rinse out your own laundry in the room, and hang it up inside the room. It will usually dry overnight. But sending out your laundry invites theft.
• Be aware of your surroundings everywhere you go. Don’t be so absorbed in sightseeing that you become blind to what’s happening next to you.
• Don’t agree to carry ANTHING home for ANYONE, no matter how bad their sob story or who it is. If they want it badly enough, they can ship it. If you get caught with contraband in your bags, it’s your backside that will go to jail.
• Always count your change after you make a purchase.
• If you are in a bar or restaurant, NEVER EVER leave your drink or meal unattended. Drugs can be squirted into a drink in a millisecond. Don’t accept free drinks from anyone.

If you will simply be highly aware of your surroundings at all times, you will likely be pretty safe as you travel.

Vacation Security: Think Like A Burglar and a Risk Manager

Vacation security is commonly the last thing on the minds of vacationers. But that lack of focus can make for a sour experience when they arrive home.

This is the time of year when families firm up their plans for summer vacations. While you’re finishing up your plans, do not forget your security plans.

Today’s article will deal with hearth and home, not security while you’re on vacation. That will be the subject of the next article.

To protect your home, think like a burglar. Criminals are constantly on the prowl for targets that look unoccupied. But also think like a Risk Manager. They are “on the prowl” to prevent losses. So, here are some tips to make your house less inviting to a burglar, and some ideas to prevent some home losses.

General Security

1. Do you have a home security system? If you do, do you have an exterior horn that blasts when the system is triggered? Get one.

2. Are your plants and shrubs grown up and obscuring the windows or doors? Trim them down below the windows and away from doors.

3. Install deadbolts on every exterior door. Don’t go cheap, but install high quality hardware.

4. Buy programmable timers and plug in lights, TV and radios to mimic your normal routine.

5. Never store ladders and tools out in the open. Place them inside a locked shed or in the garage.

6. Install blinds on your windows and doors so you can prevent criminals from peering inside your house.

7. Get the lawn mowed regularly. An overgrown lawn is one of the first visual signs a burglar sees and tells him that perhaps someone is not home.

8. Install motion-sensor-triggered lights at door openings. Lights scare burglars.

9. Read your insurance policy and be certain that your coverage is up to date.

Just Before You Leave On Vacation

1. If you are on social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter, resist the temptation to announce to the world when you’re going on vacation. Criminals read social networking sites, too…and, trust me, you’re not that hard to find. If you tell everyone you’ll be gone the last two weeks in June, guess what might happen?

4. Can you afford a housesitter? That is someone who actually stays at your home while you’re gone. Housesitters can be the perfect solution if you’re going to be gone on vacation. They can water the plants, receive the mail and newspapers and take care of the pets. Many times, the cost of a housesitter is less than just the cost to board pets. But look at all the value you’d get for the cost.

Sometimes you can get a trusted friend to take care of the house without actually staying in it. They can feed the pets, collect the mail and do the other regular things around the house.

If you cannot afford a housesitter, or do not have a person to keep an eye on the house, then do the following below.

3. Suspend newspaper deliveries.

4. Notify the post office and ask them to hold your mail while you’re gone. Many people have mail slots at home, but why risk some type of post office mistake? A substitute carrier might not notice your schedule and deliver your mail.

5. Secure your important documents and valuables. Move financial and legal documents, expensive jewelry, family photos and such to a more secure location, like a large safe deposit box at a bank. If you’re leaving your computers at home, back them up onto a disk and put the disk in the safe deposit box.

6. Call the police and inform them of your vacation schedule.

7. If you have a monitored security company, call them and inform them of your schedule. Tell them who has authority to be inside your home while you’re gone.

8. Tell your neighbors you’ll be gone. Leave a key with a trusted neighbor. Ask them to watch your property. Tell them who is supposed to be there (housesitter, lawn service, etc.) Give them your contact information. Ask them to phone police if they hear your alarm system going off or see suspicious activity at your house.

9. Lower and close the blinds on ALL windows and doors. Lock all doors and windows. If you have a sliding door, place a door-width dowel in the door track to prevent the door from opening.

10. Park a car in the driveway, or ask a neighbor to park in your driveway. If it’s your car parked, give a key to a neighbor and ask them to move the car every couple days to give the illusion that you’re home. Don’t leave the garage door opener inside the car. And speaking of garage doors…

11. Unplug the garage door openers before you leave. Criminals can get descramblers that open garage doors. Then, they could open your garage door, drive into the garage, and close it behind them.

12. Forward your land line phone calls to your cell phone.

13. If it’s cooling season, leave the A/C unit running. Just set the thermostat at a higher temperature setting. An exterior compressor than never turns on would be a good sign to a burglar that nobody’s home.

14. Shut off the main water supply to your home. This will prevent refrigerator icemaker lines, water heaters, and other water-fed appliances from leaking while you’re gone. What could be worse than coming home to a flooded house? You’d be shocked at how often this happens.

15. Set the alarm system. Make sure the person taking care of the home has the security code and knows how to use it. Then, when you arrive home after the vacation, change the alarm code.

16. Print out this article and use it as a vacation security checklist.

Then, have a terrific vacation!