22 More Reasons

Topic: Iraq

22 More People Die Needlessly For A Failed Policy Based On Lies, Ignorance, Incompetence, Mediocrity And Hubris

You know what I want for Christmas?

Americans to wake up.

Merry Christmas.

Origins Of Christmas

Jeremiah 10:2-4: "Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not."

This is the original pre-emptive strike at the ignorance that may spew from the unending faucet of misinformation such as those self-important ding-a-lings like Bill O'Reilly, et al.

Christmas is not under attack by liberals, it's under attack by those trying to force it into the halls of government and commerce with disinformation and ignorance. (And by the way O'Reilly, Jesus wasn't a philosopher.) Additionally, there is so much misinformation and incomplete understanding of the origins of Christmas and it's traditions that The Indy Voice believes that it requires some clarification.

Christmas, which is the modern term which comes to us from the late Olde English cristes masse, or "Christ's mass", is celebrated all over the world by both Christians and non-Christians. It is usually celebrated on December 25th, but some celebrate it on January 7th. Some people, such as fundamentalists Christians, believe that Christmas should be celebrated without the heathen accompaniments, such as a tree decorated with lights. Some devout Christians DO NOT celebrate "Christmas".

In ancient Babylon "The Feast of Isis" was celebrated on December 25th and it involved partying, feasting and gift giving; this is more than just a coincedence. Additionally, the Christmas tree tradition, originally called "Paradeisbaum" or paradise trees, dates back to Western Germany in the 16th century. Trees were brought into homes to celebrate the annual "Feast of Adam and Eve" on December 24th. The Christmas tree tradition was brought to America in the 1700's by German citizens but it did not become popular until the 1850's when President Franklin Pierce arranged to have the first Christmas tree in the White House. It was not until 1923 that President Calvin Coolidge started the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on the White House lawn. This ceremony doesn't break the wall of separation between church and state because the act of lighting a "Christmas tree" is entirely pagan in nature even though those doing the lighting are most likely unaware of this.

The Christmas holiday is under attack by the likes of Macy's, not because they will no longer wish their customers a "Merry Christmas" but because they have infiltrated this religious holiday by convincing people that they MUST exchange goods as a show of faith. There is nothing anywhere in the bible that calls for this, yet many secular and non-secular Christians and non-Christians believe that gift-giving is a Christmas imperative. The fact is that all of the Christmas traditions including the Christmas tree, the Christmas ham, the Yule Log, holly, mistletoe, Santa Claus and the giving of presents come directly from pagan traditions.

As to the artificial problem of wishing people a "Merry Christmas" after a purchase of goods, this stems from the belief that "Christ is the reason for the season". He's not. Man is the reason for the season. December 25th (or January 7th) and all the things that go along with the modern day, pagan adopted and man-made traditions, are the reason for the season. In addition to Christmas, Ramadan, Chanukah and Kwanzaa are all being celebrated around the same time this season. Should merchants qualify their customers religious beliefs to make sure that they don't offend? Should merchants wish Jews a Yummy Yom Kippur on the 10th day of Tishri, the Babis a Happy New Year on March 21st, the Jains a Merry Mahavira-mas on April 3rd, and Buddhist a dazzling Dharma day on August 31st? What about the dozens and dozens of holidays, from the dozens of different religions that are celebrated by citizens of this country all year long? How do we address them? Should they be offended when their religious holiday isn't acknowledged by the local purveyor of gifts?(Index of Major Religious Holidays)

Understanding the secular and non-secular origins of Christmas and its relationship to government should make it clear that Christmas should NEVER be entangled with government and self-serving corporations (and TV show commentators). Both are equally capable of destroying a perfectly good religious celebration.

Book Review: Where The Right Went Wrong

Topic: Misc.
I have just finished the book "Where the Right Went Wrong: How Neoconservatives Subverted the Reagan Revolution and Hijacked the Bush Presidency" by Patrick J. Buchanan, and I must say that every person who calls them self a "conservative" needs to read this book. While Buchanan is certainly a flawed man with many a flawed philosophy (the nature of being human), such as the widely held conservative belief about "activist" judges, states rights, civil rights, Reagan worship, and governmental intervention inspired by one form of Christianity in the lives of citizens, especially abortion and homosexuality, his thoughts on the Bush presidency, Iraq, illegal immigration, free markets, China and Israel raise interesting points.

Now you may be asking yourself at this point why a self-confessed liberal would 1- be reading a book by Pat Buchanan a self-confessed conservative, and 2- agree with anything he has to say. My answer to you is that if you are asking the question you are a not a liberal and don't understand the makeup of a liberal. Liberals are broad-minded people who seek the truth wherever it may lie and without regard for the messenger. It is only the message that concerns a true liberal. If you understand this then you are a lot closer to being liberal then you previously thought. But I digress.

There are flashes of brilliance in Buchanan's book. There are moments of lucidity that aren't clouded with dogma or preconceived unwise conventional conservative wisdom, that are at times lost by extremely close-minded and not well thought out propositions. What comes across loud and clear continually throughout the book is, what this writer has been self-aware about continually being guilty of: condemning those with different viewpoints as indifferent and heartless people who do not care for the ideals and values that this country was founded upon. However, it is clear that these aspersions are completely wrong characterizations of people who truly care about others and their country and all of us should never forget this (that doesn't mean that we can't make fun of one another!).

The most important and prophetic thoughts contained within this book are those concerning neoconservatives. Buchanan describes the reality of the battle that is taking place for the heart of the Republican party and how that battle can possibly lead to the destruction of the United States of America as we know it. As many of you reading this are already aware, it's happening as we speak. Anyone calling them self a republican, a conservative, or anyone just wanting to understand how important the outcome of this war within the party is for the soul of America should read this book.

Lie Girls, Sugar Mommies And Irony

Topic: Hopefully Humorous
I cant' take credit for finding this hysterical website. Whilst perusing Quantam Moronics, which is a interesting blog run by a cool guy name Barry, I came across this link: Lie Girls.

On a more serious note The Indy Voice has reached the epitome of blog greatness on Google. Apparently anyone searching for "Sites for Sugar Mommies in Nigeria" finds us listed as the 4th most important resource on the topic, take a look: Google: "Sites For Sugar Mommies In Nigeria". I just hope they're liberal sugar mommies.

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I was (unfortunately, sometimes it just happens) watching some coverage of the Scott Peterson trial and a woman who apparently doesn't understand irony was speaking about the death sentence. She said something like "this verdict will send a message to everyone in the United States that this type of thing will not be tolerated". I thought that was just about one of the funniest things I've ever heard. State law in California doesn't apply to anyone but those people living in California, so if you live in Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin you wouldn't be "deterred" by this decision if you were so inclined to kill your wife because these states do not have the death penalty. But the irony of her statement was that she was commenting about a man receiving the death penalty for killing his wife in a state where the law already existed and if he was convicted, which we all know he was, he would be sentenced to die at the hands of the state. Ironically, the death penalty wasn't a deterrent.

In case you can't read it, it says:

Modern Folktales

The Capital Punishment Fairy

...WITH JUST A WAVE OF THE CYANIDE WAND JUSTICE IS SERVED, THE WRONGED ARE MADE WHOLE, EVILDOERS THROUGHOUT THE LAND TAKE HEED AND VILLAINY CEASES!

... WITH JUST A WAVE OF THE CYANIDE WAND A LIFE IS TAKEN IN ORDER TO TEACH US THAT NO LIFE MUST EVER BE TAKEN!

... WITH JUST A WAVE OF THE CYANIDE WAND WE ARE ABSOLVED OF THE DEED DONE IN THE NAME OF US ALL!

...IT'S MAGIC!

So Much For Global Warming

Topic: Satire
It's that time of year again and it's inevitable that you're going to hear one of your misinformed conservative friends say something like:

"So much for global warming!"

They usually say this in the middle of a massive record-breaking blizzard. They say this not because they are a meteorological genius who understands the intricacies of modern climatological science but rather because they believe the term implies that there is a liberal tree hugging conspiracy to convince unsuspecting conservatives that Earth is indeed, warming. They are, in a way, correct about the conspiracy that lingers around global warming.

The theory of global warming is controversial in much the same way that the theory of evolution is controversial. They are both theories, just like you are a theory, but the preponderance of evidence points to the very real possibility that global warming is presently taking place. However, there is some level of doubt, about the same level of doubt about the earth being round.

Global warming is real. Human beings cause it and it is affecting this planet in concrete ways. Basically, the theory goes that humans are contributing to the effects of global warming by producing substances that increase the "greenhouse effect". Yes, that does mean things are getting warmer but it doesn't mean that if you live in the North Pole you should break out Pina Coladas and beach chairs. What it does mean is that water is ice at 0 degrees Celsius or 32 degrees Fahrenheit and at 1 degree Celsius or 33 degrees Fahrenheit it's water again. The point is that the raising of global temperatures by 1 degree will have tremendous effects on all the water that is presently ice on the planet Earth.

A couple of years ago at JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, part of NASA) a couple of scientist theorized that if you wanted to create conditions on Mars much like on Earth (terraforming), all you would need to do is ship a couple of Earth's factories to Mars and start pumping out greenhouse gases. The gases would build up in the atmosphere, warm the planet, melt the ice caps, create liquid water, and whippee, we'll have another planet to rape at will. This process may sound familiar to you; it's the same process we've used on Earth to warm the planet. The problem that occurs when you have a planet that has a majority of its surface filled with moving water and suddenly large state size and nation size chunks of freezing water fall into it, well, shit happens. More specifically, the "shit" that happens are things like droughts, floods, extremely powerful storms, temperature swings and basically meteorological chaos. The bad news is we're getting there. The good news is that we may be able to do something about it.

The first step is to admit that we have a problem. Something like "Hello, I'm Earth and I have a gas problem".

Anyway, the next time one of your Rush Limbaugh listening, Sean Hannity spouting, Ann Coulter lusting, willfully ignorant and shamefully indifferent conservative friends say something like "so much for global warming" you can grab your rain coat, your winter jacket, your life vest, your swim trunks and a pair of goulashes, and smirk to yourself because now you know what's coming.

P.S. Warning: beware of doing internet searches related to "global warming" because you'll find many a suspect special interest group trying to dispel the "myth of global warming". Be careful where you get your facts from.

Think about it for a second, do you want your information from Ph.D Smith, the scientist who has nothing to gain by you believing in global warming or by the national consumer rights group who's a tad bit more concerned and more knowledgeable about commerce than they are with science.

We're Only Human

Topic: Iraq
Just in case any of you forgot: High Bandwidth: They're Just People Too

Low Bandwidth: They're Just People Too

The United States government (under Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush) aided and abetted Saddam Hussein's cold blooded murder of human beings: U.S. Helped Iraq Get Chemical, Biological Weapons.

I ask you to think about that for a minute. Our government, our Presidents, with full and lucid knowledge of the consequences, supported the killing of innocent civilians like you and I, with the nastiest weapons the human race has ever devised. You may not believe it but it is easily verifiable. Doesn't that make you want to question your so-called leaders more thoroughly? Start with "who are we arming now to kill innocent people" and "are we presently guilty of the crimes that we are trying to prevent?"

Digression: Let me tell you why we live in the greatest country on earth. It's not because of our freedoms, it's because of our access to resources. There are numerous countries who have freedoms just like ours (some even have more freedom if you don't fall into the white, Christian mold). Go into any supermarket and you'll see exactly what I mean. You can literally get any type of food from any part of the world in your local supermarket, inexpensively. That's the difference between our country and the dozens of other free and democratic nations. When people come to this country they come here for our economy, not our freedoms. They want a job, not a vote.

There has not been a single case of any European immigrating to this country within the past 50 years because they seek free speech or other freedom. Hell, citizens of certain European nations can say that they don't like something about their government or make a statement about how they admire another system of government and no one will use an ill-thought- out cliche like "love it or leave it" or question your patriotism or your morality. Some citizens of foreign nations even understand and appreciate their freedoms better than we do. Citizens from other democratic countries come here for the strength of our economy, not for the freedoms that they already have.

At no other time in the history of the human race has a people had access to such vast amounts of information. Libraries, book stores, the internet and even cable television are ubiquitous in this country. These resources provide almost infinite educational oppurtunities. The irony is that people use these resources less for education and more for recreation or even worse, to reinforce their opinions and preconceived notions. I ask you to go out and read a book, turn on a television program or check out a website that either completely goes against everything you believe or something that you know nothing about. See where it takes you. You may just learn something or even better, change. What's the danger?

P.S. "The Independent Voice" has been shortened to "The Indy Voice" and has had a makeover. You can now access your favorite blog by going to www.TheIndyVoice.com.

Take a look at the new "Only In America" shop, and support independent thought.

Faces Of Reality

Topic: Iraq
Warning: You DON'T have to view this if you didn't vote for George W. Bush. If you did sanction war atrocities by voting for Bush you are going to be seeing these images over and over again as you burn in eternal flame.

There was some negative reaction to the cartoon above after it was posted in the Tacoma News Tribune. What's the problem, it's just a cartoon?!

This is what soldiers caskets really look like:

For those of you that voted for George W. Bush and aided and abetted the killing and maiming of over 100,000 Iraqis and the thousands of American dead and wounded:

THIS BLOOD IS NOW ON YOUR HANDS!!!

It's time that you face the reality of your actions and your decisions. What Saddam Hussein did to people in his country was atrocious but there is NO separation between what he did and what you are now doing. The results are the same. Innocent people are suffering, they're dying, they're being maimed, wounded, they're losing their fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, and entire branches of their family trees.

AND IT IS ONLY GETTING WORSE!!!

It's time that you took responsibility for YOUR actions.

Almost every religion teaches that there is a fiery hell that is beyond this realm. The blood of the dead and wounded is on your hands, and you are, in one way or another, going to have to face the cosmic consequences of your actions. Hell exists in more than just a conflict on this planet. It's eternal. It's infinite. It is a universal reality. And it is going to be your fate if you do not do something to reverse your karma. This is NOT religious hocus pocus. This is the law of the universe as we already know it. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. The pendulum has yet to swing the other way. You better watch out when it does.

This is the direct consequence of your ignorance, indifference and apathy:

The wonderful thing about karma is that it is not too late to do something about it. As long as blood flows in your veins you can reverse the eternal consequences of your actions.

You can choose to face reality as it is. You can recognize that your actions have REAL consequences to other human beings. You can learn that violence is never the answer, that it doesn't solve problems, that it only creates more. You can pull your head out of your ass, turn off the reality program, stop giving a shit about the fate of Kobe Bryant or Scott Peterson, get involved, tune in to life, cultivate compassion within your being, and get to intimately know those human beings who you believe are your problem.

If I Ran The Country...

Topic: Personal
If I ran this country and could do anything I wanted this would be what I would do:

The first thing I would do is apologize to the world for our stupidity and our arrogance.

I would ask that the U.N. to take control over our forces in Iraq to create a new government based upon the will of the Iraqi citizens to lead to complete sovereignty for Iraq. We would pledge all of our resources (without retribution) for cleaning up the disastrous problem we've created there. We would also pledge that no other nation on the planet will ever have to worry about this kind of direct aggression from taking place again.

I would submit an indictment to the world court for war crimes against humanity for the members of the prior administration.

Pre-emptive war would be banned. Reasonable and prudent actions against verifiable threats will be the only way of handling potential conflict.

The new foreign policy of the United States would be to put human rights above all else. Support for foreign nations that abuse the human rights of its citizens will be dropped immediately, no matter how it affects the pocketbooks of domestic corporations.

Our domestic and foreign economic policies will be hands off except when human rights are concerned. We will never impose trading tariffs unless a trading partner has an unfair advantage because it uses child labor or abusive and unsafe worker practices. So called domestic corporations will be re-evaluated to see if their ownership or labor is conducted in this country. If a company is deemed to have more than 25% of its labor in foreign nations they will be deemed a foreign corporation and subject to tariffs.

Human rights will be defined as every human being having the right and responsibility to work, which will enable them to eat, have shelter and be healthy.

Social security, Medicare and Medicaid will be abolished. Every citizen will be entitled to food, shelter and health care so long as they work. We won't need separate programs to take care of different segments of society.

Profit will be removed from the health care system since profit has continually taken precedence over human life.

The military budgets will be scaled back to levels that are more in line with our allies and enemies. Check out: Federal Budget Explained With Cookies (Keep in mind that these numbers are about 20% lower due to new military budgets).

Conflict will be solved through any other means except violence. Violence will only be used as a last resort where every possible human solution has been attempted. Violence will only be used to defend.

The government will not interfere in the personal decisions of its citizens. If 2 men or 2 women want to get legally married that will be their decision.

Marijuana and other drugs would be legalized, regulated and taxed.

The death penalty would be deemed one of the most extreme violations of human rights a government is capable of and therefore abolished. Abortion would be highly regulated as a medical procedure and only a patient and doctor would have the final decision. Sex education programs will only stress teaching techniques that have been proven to work. "Abstinence only" doesn't work.

Educational programs taught in public schools will only cover those things that are based in fact. Such things as creationism will be covered only to say that none of what they teach has any basis in fact and can therefore never be proven. Religion will be taught in schools not as a promotion to one over another but as a tool to understand the many differing religions.

Local budgets for schools will be abolished and every school will receive funds based upon a national standard per-pupil allotment.

Immigration will be allowed from any country, from anywhere in the world, so long as those wishing to come here submit themselves to investigations, fingerprinting and a period of surveillance and inspection. Those that are found illegally in this country will be banned from ever becoming U.S. citizens and will never be allowed in this country for any reason. A new administration responsible for investigating the illegal hiring of illegal aliens will be formed. Companies that employ illegal aliens will be shut down and all their assets will be confiscated.

The election process will be federalized, regulated and standardized (constitutional amendment). The way a citizen in Hawaii votes will be the same way a citizen in Rhode Island will vote. There will be a digitized and instantaneous analysis of the vote with a paper recording for backup purposes. Media outlets will be barred from guessing at any outcome until all the polls in every state have closed. Media groups that violate this and potentially influence the election will lose their licenses and/or pay severe fines.

All national elections will use public funds that are capped. Every party's candidate will have the right to take part in numerous, televised, national debates. No other form of advertisement for candidates will be allowed.

There will be a test to become the President. Your mailman and local police officers have taken a test to get their positions, why not your President?

The U.S. will no longer see itself as the "world police" or the most powerful country in the world. Korea, Vietnam and Iraq have already proved that we aren't. No country is.

The main focus of publicly funded science programs will be to remove that funny taste you get in your mouth when you drink orange juice after you brush your teeth.

The Nerve
Topic: Hopefully Humorous
Have you heard about these so-called "Christians" that are trying to teach empathy, understanding, inclusion and not judging your fellow man. The nerve of these people! Everybody knows that Jesus hung out with the CEO's, the rich and the fortunate, not the prostitutes, homosexuals, lepers and the poor.

Take a look at this: Compassionate Christians???

Unrelated Minutiae

Just a couple of things. Yes, The Independent Voice has been hiding under a rock.

Can't wait until the red states take over our culture? Don't count on it, read this you "moral majority" wannabee: Liberals Always Win Long live imperfection and reality!
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I made the mistake of reading an article about a serial killer that is responsible for the deaths of at least 8 people in Wichita, Kansas. Apparently this nut job (crazy as a conservative but as smart as a liberal) goes by the name BTK, which stands for "Bind, Torture and Kill". Charming. I hope he's not named after his father.

The thing that intriqued me was the availability of general and not so general information about the serial killer (About BTK). Even if some of it is true, one would think that it would be easy to find this guy. Hell the guy left his semen all over most of the crime scenes, the victims were killed in a rather small geographic area, there are direct ties to Wichita State University and Wichita has a total population of a little over a half million.

BTK broke on the scene with a massacre of most of a family in Wichita. He killed 2 little kids and their parents, leaving the remaining young children to find their bodies when they got home from school. This guy makes Hannibal Lecter look like a rookie madman.

Apparently this case has a fairly large following. The Independent Voice has done some research on the case and has submitted some observations to the Wichita cold case police. I'll report back to you if anything comes of it.

For more information take a look at this: BTK Background On Court TV
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BTW- The Independent Voice has been banging his head against the wall trying to realize what makes you conservatives so unwilling to see what you don't want to see. They HATE our policies not our freedom and WE should also hate our policies!!! Now the Defense Science Board (within the US Defense Department) has released a report saying just that.

Don't believe me? Take a look for yourself: No, They Really Hate Our Policies!

Just some more terrorists holding signs and protesting, right? Maybe they're just everyday people living in Sydney, Australia.