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Piracy

Allen Frederick Leave a comment

 

 

Random Ramblings from the Resident Raptor.

Insight for your “Journey across the Sky”

A View from the Nest www.eagleviews.org



THE PIRATE OATH


We shall find and take all kinds of precious goods [when our victims are put out of the way], we shall fill our houses with plunder; 14 Throw in your lot with us [they insist] and be a sworn brother and comrade; let us all have one purse in common—Prov 1:13-14 (AMP)


The flag of 18th century pirate Calico Jack.
Image via Wikipedia

This past week an American captain of a humanitarian cargo vessel was held captive by 4 thugs who were attempting to trade his life for a million dollar ransom. Instead all they got was a bullet between the eyes and the captain was rescued unharmed.

 


Actually this whole incident sounds very familiar. You may wish to read about it here:

Lessons From the Barbary Pirate Wars


These pirates saw these ships of commerce going past their shoreline and, because they do not value other people’s property rights, they coveted what others had and made a siege on these unarmed merchant ships. They then hold the cargo and crews hostage until they can shake down the companies for payoffs. This has been going on for quite some time but just recently it seems to be making headlines.


We as American citizens saw the piracy against merchant vessels as an outrage and demanded that something be done about it. Decisive action was taken by our brave men and women of the Navy and the situation was diffused and the innocent captain was freed from the clutches of these evil pirates.


All this happened around the world off the shores of Africa yet on our own homeland, it would appear that piracy is the norm. We have pirates hijacking the ship of state and beating the captain of the vessels of commerce into coughing up huge payoffs. To me this does not appear to be much different from the piracy occurring to merchant vehicles on the high seas. If this was another time in our history, the whole concept of a strong armed man coming up to an unarmed merchant demanding a payoff would have been met with criminal prosecution or, like the pirates of the American ship, a shot between the eyes.


This type of conduct was considered thuggery. We even had a special name for it, we called those who practiced this type of strong armed robbery, the mob. Law enforcement set up special task forces to deal with the Chicago style mob rule and vigorously pursued these thugs until the streets where cleared of their influence.

History’s Turning Points II, Volume 5: The Rise of the Mob

The mob moved from the streets into the government and continued to practice their trade. Instead of robbing vessels on the open sea they brought their practices to the homeland and set up shop in our political class. They see the ships of commerce traversing the landscape and they board them with onerous regulations and legislative redtape in attempts to slow the wheels of commerce. With these regulations they are then able to strong arm the companies they hijack into giving them a payoff for the privilege of continuing to navigate freely on the sea of commerce.


Continue reading “Piracy” →

How Government Works

Allen Frederick Leave a comment

Once upon a time the government had a vast scrap yard in the middle of a desert. Congress said someone may steal from it at night, so they created a night watchman position (GS-4)and hired a person for the job.

Then Congress said, “How does the watchman do his job without instruction?” So they created a planning position and hired two people: one person to write the instructions (GS-12) and one person to do time studies (GS-11).

Then Congress said, “How will we know the night watchman is doing the tasks correctly?” So they created a Q. C. position and hired two people, one GS-9 to do the studies and one GS-11 to write the reports.

Then Congress said, “How are these people going to get paid?” so they created the following positions, a timekeeper (GS-09) and a payroll officer (GS-11) and hired two people.

Then Congress said, “Who will be accountable for all of these people?” So they created an administrative position and hired three people: an Admin. Officer (GM-13), an Assistant Admin.
Officer (GS-13) and a Legal Secretary (GS-08).

Then Congress said, “We have had this command in operation for one year and we are $18,000 over budget, we must cutback overall cost,” so they laid off, the night watchman.

Of course the only one cut would be the only one who was actually doing something, the rest where just created positions to push paper around in circles and pretend to be actually doing work. It is a great gig if you can get one but totally worthless as far as actual work is concerned.
And there are some who still think that the Government can run investment banks, insurance companies, auto companies and even health care. Surely you can’t be serious.
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Capitalism: A Bull Market Concept

Allen Frederick Leave a comment

1Co 9 (GW) Moses’ Teachings say, “Never muzzle an ox when it is threshing grain.” God’s concern isn’t for oxen. 10 Isn’t he speaking entirely for our benefit? This was written for our benefit so that the person who plows or threshes should expect to receive a share of the crop. 1 Corinthians 9:9-10


This is the main force behind capitalism and the free market system of the United States. A man works expecting to get a return on that work. Companies produce products they hope to sell for a profit. Companies, nor individuals would long endure lengthy periods of non-reward. If a company continues to loose revenue in the course of doing business it would cease doing business. If an individual would be forced to continually work for less or nothing at all, it would not take long before that individual gives up and quits working.

Our economy works the same way. It will cease to operate if all profit is removed from the system through heavy taxation or over regulation. If the cost of doing business exceeds the reward of the same, then business will cease, production will dry up and there will be nothing more to tax or regulate. Therefore allow a workman to make a decent wage, allow companies to operate at a profit, do not MUZZLE the ox that is actually producing. After all if you stop production there will be nothing to take and give to anyone. If however you allow producers to produce there will be enough to not only feed the ox that is doing the work but others as well. Keep the ox happy and you live long and prosper. Bull markets are more favorable then bear markets wouldn’t you think?

Think about it next time you pull the lever for more government taxation, oversight, regulation and intervention.

Pay a man what he is worth and stop muzzling the ox that stamps out the grain. Heavy taxation only stifles the workman because he looses hope in a harvest and gives up. Redistribution of wealth robs a man of his willingness to produce. Taking his hard earned fields in order to give it to someone who has not labored is demoralizing. Heavy taxation upon what a man produces will only cause him to find ways to avoid the heavy taxation or completely give up the process altogether.

Government bailouts are not only non-constitutional I feel they are not even biblical. What say you?
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Pay No Attention to the Man behind the Curtain

Allen Frederick Leave a comment

Insight for your “Journey across the Sky”
A View from the Nest www.eagleviews.org

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men‘s bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” (Matthew 23:27-29)

“[When] the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men‘s hearts… What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.” (1 Corinthians 4:5b; Luke 12:31) (See Romans 12:6; 1 Corinthians 14:25)

Many times I have watched the “Wizard of Oz” and I still find the story enjoyable. A girl gets lost in a strange land and only desires to go home. She runs into others who are seeking something they feel is missing in their life and in the end they find out that the missing piece was inside of them all along.

 

It is what is inside that matters. That was the message that I took away from the film. Although our outward circumstances may appear to be less than satisfactory, if we possess a sense of self and a good moral fiber inside, then we can weather any storm that life may throw at us. We can rise above all obstacles if we possess an ‘inner man’ of character. This is what the kind man behind the curtain taught the wandering travelers in their quest for significance.

That being said, there is a scene in the “Wizard of Oz” that I have especially enjoyed—the scene where Toto reveals the man behind the curtain.

A kind elderly gentleman has gone to elaborate lengths to hide his true-self behind a projected image he wanted the world to see. He had even gone so far as to build an entire kingdom around the image of the ‘Great and Powerful Oz’ when all along he was just a kindly old gentleman behind the scenes.

We all wear masks of some sort, putting our best foot forward when we are attempting to persuade others to follow our plans or objectives. It is really evident when applying for and interviewing for a new job or position. We dust off our resumes and make every attempt to put the best face on our past failures while underlining our accomplishments. We want others to see us favorably, regardless of who we really are.

Some people hide behind masks all the time. Some who are less than ethical in their business practices or political dealings, want to keep all the ‘behind the scenes stuff’ hidden from view. They go to great lengths to keep secret the double dealing and dishonest practices they employ to promote their own agendas. It is to this type of people the bible speaks so specifically.

No matter where we go or what we do, the Lord is always watching. He knows all and sees all. There is nothing hidden that He is not able to uncover. No matter how well we hide from ourselves and others, we are unable to hide from God. When the time comes, God will reveal all hidden agendas and motives of our hearts and we will no longer be able to hide behind a mask of piety while we live a life of sin and deception.

We are currently in the last mile of a marathon political campaign and there is one candidate who has gone to great lengths to hide behind one curtain after another, in a concerted effort to hide his true self from the world. While he prances around the world’s stage pretending to be a messenger of change he is masking his true incentives and motives. He is going overboard to convince others that he is not who he would appear to be behind the scenes. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain is his cry. Look instead at this huge image I have manufactured for your adoration and praise. Look instead on the outward and not what really lies on my heart.

But just like the word reveals, when the time comes, EVERYTHING that is done in secret will be revealed from the housetops. Isn’t it interesting that in today’s high tech world there are hardly any secrets anymore? A whisper can be heard around the world in nanoseconds. What was said in California can be heard in Pennsylvania. What you attempt to keep secret can be uncovered with a few strokes of a computer keyboard.

All efforts to hide one’s self behind a curtain is futile. Just like in the ‘Wizard of Oz‘, a small dog can pull back the curtain and reveal one’s true self. Even a child can see behind a curtain. All those attempts to cover-up can easily be revealed.

Wouldn’t it be far better and a whole lot less work to just be who you are? Wouldn’t it be more profitable to be your true self rather than attempting to live a lie? It takes far less effort to just be, rather than to pretend to be. Maintaining an appearance, takes far more effort than just being true to yourself and to others.

When it comes to those who seek to lead others there is a stern warning in the ‘Word of God’ for those who wish to hide behind curtains. God will reveal to all, who we really are, and if like Dorothy, the tin man, the scarecrow or the cowardly lion, He finds goodness inside, He will reward you according to what lies inside, not on what you build around yourself.

So it is wise to pay attention to the man behind the curtain and not get caught up in all the pomp and circumstance, the smoke and the mirrors, the huge stage production with all it’s theatrical sound and lighting. It is wise to take time out to look behind the curtain and see what lies inside a man before you hitch your wagon to their leadership. After all, that is what God is going to do. Shouldn’t you do the same? I challenge all of us to spend more time working on “the man inside”, rather than the curtains we craft to hide our true selves.

But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness. Isaiah 40:31 (BBE)

 

 

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Accounting 101

Allen Frederick Leave a comment

There was once an accounting firm where the senior CPA knew everything there was to know about accounting. He could answer any question. He knew all the tax laws. There wasn’t a better accountant anywhere.

Every morning when he came to work, he would unlock his desk drawer, open it up and look inside for a moment, and then close and lock it again. This puzzled all of his co-workers, because it was the only eccentricity that this genius exhibited. For years no one dared to breach etiquette and snoop through his desk, but his odd behavior became something of a legend around the office.

One day when the elderly man was home sick, one junior accountant could control himself no longer. Taking a letter opener he carefully pried open the desk lock. Inside he found one sheet of paper, and written in large letters was:

“DEBITS ON THE LEFT…CREDITS ON THE RIGHT”

It would appear from today’s headlines that someone moved the debits to the right side and hoped that credits would appear on the left. Of course it was the left side of the political aisle that wanted all these credits given to those who were on the left with them.

Unethical people led this parade down ruin street, keep marching along and you will get more of the same.

NO money down, no interest until the twelve of never, and 0% financing looked good on the front end but how does it look now?