tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76238788184569093062024-03-25T02:09:23.845-04:00Citizen OversightIt is my hope that these posts, and the issues they raise, inspire average citizens to proactively conduct their own oversight and demand more accountability at all levels of government.Scot Faulknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17079954397157252754noreply@blogger.comBlogger322125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7623878818456909306.post-81470905787097456362023-12-24T14:19:00.025-05:002024-01-17T21:58:34.047-05:00TRUMP's PERSONNEL BLINDNESS<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1kPEmMpnofCfDkWte5Gg6r1VtQyR-Es4H2_24ZBhbcPAEq_twgfH99zd7UBBobEGl9EickfZh7Luvi3qP4ptF65cWuLRQQn24xd5n6PEzXJPi3EihZiepHIPhfGmSFSg0s1fIxHoxRrG859kPLcmtYj20nR-NhAEJynp1-rdeVE3eQ4QFisw8BMw53Fw/s980/TRUMP%20PRIEBUS.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="551" data-original-width="980" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1kPEmMpnofCfDkWte5Gg6r1VtQyR-Es4H2_24ZBhbcPAEq_twgfH99zd7UBBobEGl9EickfZh7Luvi3qP4ptF65cWuLRQQn24xd5n6PEzXJPi3EihZiepHIPhfGmSFSg0s1fIxHoxRrG859kPLcmtYj20nR-NhAEJynp1-rdeVE3eQ4QFisw8BMw53Fw/w400-h225/TRUMP%20PRIEBUS.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">[Published in <a href="https://sundayguardianlive.com/investigation/trumps-blind-spot">Trump’s blind spot - The Sunday Guardian Live</a>]</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Republicans are
rejoicing that Donald Trump says he has learned lessons from his first term and
will unleash a full-scale assault on big government and the Deep State.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Democrats are raising alarms that Trump will exceed
his powers to wreak vengeance and settle personal scores.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Trump’s recent musing about being a “one-day
dictator” inflamed his critics and enraptured his supporters.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">They will all be
disappointed.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">President Trump completely
failed at personnel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He never grasped
the concept that “people are policy”. Unfortunately, Trump and his transition
planners are already ignoring this maxim and heading for disaster.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Many of the people
being discussed for Trump’s second term were ineffective in the first. Learning
from one’s mistakes is a key to successful leadership.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not happening.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Trump and his
Second-Term planners continually refuse to look to the Reagan Transition
(1980-81) for inspiration and its leaders for advice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Reagan Transition is considered the best
planned and executed transition in history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Even liberal historians admit this. Its success was based on ideological
alignment of all participants and a clear plan for how Reagan’s Revolution
would become an operational reality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">During the 2016
campaign and transition, Trump and his advisors repeatedly ignored those who
led the Reagan transition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eventually,
some of these experienced “Reaganites’ were allowed into his transition, but in
minor roles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their detailed reports and
recommendations were tossed aside.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Instead, Trump relied
on former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Republican National Committee
Chair Reince Priebus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Trump felt he had
to reward them for defending him at critical points in the 2016 Presidential
Campaign.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, they filled his
transition and White House with their friends drawn from Bush, McCain, and
Romney political circles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These Christie/Priebus
cronies never respected Trump or supported his populist, “America First”
policies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They went onto to undermine
Trump at every turn.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Trump was his own worst
enemy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He shut out potential allies
among the Reaganites and welcomed anti-Trump activists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He compounded his mistakes by not filling key
positions, thinking this crippled the bureaucracy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead, it empowered the Deep State players,
as no one was monitoring them.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">The result was Trump never
achieving operational control of the Executive Branch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Obama holdovers remained astride key
functions. “Washington Swamp” operatives pursued their own agendas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Disloyal appointees, even among his senior
staff, leaked sensitive information and ingratiated themselves with the
opposition media.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">There were attempts
during Trump’s final year in office to correct these strategic mistakes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They failed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Biden was handed the gift of leftist programs, policies, projects, hires,
and contracts that were started while Trump was still in office.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Trump’s last wave of loyalists was blindsided
because there were too few placed in the wrong places.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Except for judicial
appointments, Trump’s legacy was swept away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>America, and the world, are suffering the consequences.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">The opportunity to
bring fundamental, and lasting, change to the Executive Branch during Trump’s
second term is already slipping away.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Planning for the next
Republican Administration is fragmented among five competing organizations: The
Heritage Foundation, the Center for Renewing America (CRA), Conservative
Partnership Institute (CPI), Personnel Policy Organization (PPO), and the
America First Policy Initiative (AFPI).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Besides duplicating
effort, these five entities are competing with each other to raise millions of
dollars to finance their operations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
conveniently ignore that volunteers prepared for the 1980 Reagan Revolution and
that the Reagan Transition’s federal support was supplemented by only $2
million in private funds from his “Kitchen Cabinet”.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">The Trump Transition
money chase has led to leaking detailed plans to the media. News outlets have
published insider accounts of private meetings and decisions. The transition
planning groups hope donors will be impressed with their proposed actions and
write big checks. It is like General Eisenhower leaking plans for the Normandy
Invasion to promote WWII War Bonds.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Leaking details may
inspire donors, but it allows opponents to develop counter measures. It
violates timeless wisdom, “boast when coming from battle, not going to it”.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">They are ignoring a
fundamental truism: change occurs because there is a mandate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These competing organizations, along with
Republicans everywhere, need to be making the case for their revolution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Otherwise, they may not gain traction for
their plans, and even lose the 2024 election.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Trump’s key strategy is
to remove merit system protections for thousands of career government
employees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His advisors dismiss the fact
that this could be derailed by Congress (if in Democrat hands) and the courts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, retroactively removing protections
is probably unconstitutional.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Trump likes “blunt
instruments” to get his way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reagan’s appointees
“sweated the details” to establish complete control of the Executive Branch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His appointees, and their political staff, thoroughly
studied each agency and methodically implemented substantive and sustainable
change.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Establishing a compelling
mandate for change, and effectively implementing it, can be summarized by the “<b>SARS</b>”
strategy: Stop; Abolish; Reverse; Streamline.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Every day, until the
election, a vivid case must be made to:</span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>Stop</b>
Biden’s Leftist assault on America. Detailed lists of executive orders, policy
memos, budget plans, regulations, court cases, hires and contracts must be
compiled and exposed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every agency and
program must be searched.</span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"><b>
</b></span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>Abolish</b>
every entity and program started by Biden and Obama.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We must roll back big government back to at
least 2009.</span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"><b>
</b></span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>Reverse</b>
Biden/Obama decisions, especially personnel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Most Americans don’t realize there are countless advisory boards within
each department and agency that shape policy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Their members are selected by agency heads not the President. Reagan established
a special unit to select loyalists for these panels.</span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"><b>
</b></span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>Streamline</b>
the Executive Branch. Republicans should cite hundreds of reports generated by
the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the 74 Inspectors General among
Departments and agencies. Each one exposes waste, fraud, and abuse, which can
guide revolutionary change.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">These “SARS” actions are
opportunities to educate and motivate voters to elect a Republican President,
Senate, and House in 2024.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ignoring them
places America’s future in jeopardy.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><i><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Scot Faulkner served as Chief
Administrative Officer of the U.S. House of Representatives. He was Director of
Personnel for the 1980 Reagan Campaign, served on the Presidential Transition
team, and on Reagan’s White House Staff. He currently advises
corporations on strategic change.</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Scot Faulknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17079954397157252754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7623878818456909306.post-58394852530179763022024-01-10T21:36:00.021-05:002024-01-17T21:44:44.803-05:00CANCEL BIDEN's ADDRESS<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7UeWymuWCwtTb3G-hE3w_zYMjn7B68U714c6GyLAtkGuv3g5fqEBz7iZ7hgawxHMCYF4ba-yGMDmKCRshAiBQLI5aCXL8tB3PZpfFvtfAKhXSlgzViMi3oV9uKUxaoSYpD6q-8w8BvXszwx6sNqndUmHVBPnFBNQRxfbBXgKLQv85CFz02VHMdG-9b3A/s1600/BIDEN%20SOTU.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7UeWymuWCwtTb3G-hE3w_zYMjn7B68U714c6GyLAtkGuv3g5fqEBz7iZ7hgawxHMCYF4ba-yGMDmKCRshAiBQLI5aCXL8tB3PZpfFvtfAKhXSlgzViMi3oV9uKUxaoSYpD6q-8w8BvXszwx6sNqndUmHVBPnFBNQRxfbBXgKLQv85CFz02VHMdG-9b3A/w400-h225/BIDEN%20SOTU.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">[Published on Newsmax </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.newsmax.com/scotfaulkner/clinton-constitutional/2024/01/09/id/1148904/">SOTU Would Only Let Biden Trumpet His Hollow 'Accomplishments' | Newsmax.com</a>]</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Republicans should uninvite
President Biden giving his State of the Union Address in the House Chamber.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;">Republicans can use this historic opportunity
to draw attention to everything President Biden is doing to America. They know
they will not convict Biden, or any of his Cabinet, using Impeachment.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;">Instead, Republicans can, in one master stroke,
sanction Biden and realign the balance between the Legislative and Executive
Branches.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;">
<span style="background: white;">There is no official reason for the speech.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;">There is not a requirement for it to be annual.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;">Article II, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution
only requires the President to “<em><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">from time
to time give to the Congress information of the State of the Union</span></em>”.</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">There is no requirement for Congress granting
the President the use of their Chamber for this ritualized taxpayer-funded infomercial.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Republicans would prove that the Congress is a
co-equal branch, not subservient to the President. They would not be seen as a
pack of trained seals clapping at dozens of cheap applause lines. They would
not be the stage for ritualizing Biden's trumpeting hollow accomplishments and
demonizing Republican opposition.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;">
<span style="background: white;">They would also avoid being put in awkward political
binds as the President introduces controversial people seated next to the First
lady, daring the Republicans not to applaud. Speaker Johnson would not have to
maintain his dignity as Biden promotes the destruction of everything he holds
dear.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Not inviting the President also brings the State
of the Union back to its traditional position in American government.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">President George Washington delivered the first
State of the Union speech in person before a Joint Session of Congress on
January 8, 1790. Since then, there have been 232 opportunities for Presidents
to deliver their report before Congress. Presidents have delivered their report
as a speech before a Joint Session of Congress only 108 times (46%).</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;">The other 125 times were through written
communication.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;">
<span style="background: white;">George Washington and John Adams delivered their
State of the Union reports as speeches, but Thomas Jefferson was more
comfortable with the written word. For 113 years, no other President delivered
a State of the Union speech before Congress until Democrat Woodrow Wilson on
December 2, 1913. This was part of Wilson’s elevating himself to new regal
heights.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;">President Warren Harding continued this new
practice. President Calvin Coolidge delivered his first and only State of the
Union address on December 6, 1923, then went silent.</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">For ten years, Congress did not have to arrange
a Joint Session for the State of the Union Address. Then Democrat Franklin
Roosevelt asked for the forum in 1934. In 1946, President Harry Truman opted
out of a formal speech because, during the previous nine months, he had spoken
to five Joint Sessions of Congress relating to the end of World War II. In
1956, President Eisenhower opted out of the speech because he was still
recovering from his September 24,1955 heart attack.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">No one really missed the Presidential vanity
hour. Twenty-six Presidents, including two of America’s greatest Presidential
orators, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt, choose not to speak to the
Congress. Congress still operated. Legislative business proceeded. America
survived.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Presidents issue a detailed Budget Message a few
weeks after the State of the Union Report. This is a more tangible and
actionable communication of the Administration’s priorities. Far more budget
initiatives become reality than the dozens of empty promises made during a
typical State of the Union address.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;">Americans have grown tired of this annual narcissistic
charade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>President Bill Clinton’s first
State of the Union Speech (SOTUS) was watched by a record 70 million.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The television audience for Biden’s 2023 SOTUS
was only 27.3 million.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;">
<span style="background: white;">Congressional Republicans can reprimand Biden
while reinventing government in the 21st Century.</span></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;">Let the President speak from the Oval Office
and send a written version to Congress - that would more than meet the
Constitutional requirement.</span></p><p></p>Scot Faulknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17079954397157252754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7623878818456909306.post-88974852609509229112023-11-29T14:09:00.018-05:002024-01-06T14:18:46.244-05:002024 WAKE-UP CALL<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixzd6SpENTN3y6PLu3bPrnYaXrsJadQKvkIQNSx3TjYL292r_nbPsK6gmbTq19LTbxsxiLwKSOqWyrJzZdNSWxsYWWC6MTb9xt0isJuHEhpd6n-bV2-LNVwaEKomF0wRfh15MjBm-Wmdj8TUyYqHaIWuu2qm546fDoTB1OIlnZqBXmY1HTzcmNx6mGpTA/s312/ROAD%20AHEAD.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="188" data-original-width="312" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixzd6SpENTN3y6PLu3bPrnYaXrsJadQKvkIQNSx3TjYL292r_nbPsK6gmbTq19LTbxsxiLwKSOqWyrJzZdNSWxsYWWC6MTb9xt0isJuHEhpd6n-bV2-LNVwaEKomF0wRfh15MjBm-Wmdj8TUyYqHaIWuu2qm546fDoTB1OIlnZqBXmY1HTzcmNx6mGpTA/w400-h241/ROAD%20AHEAD.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">[Published on Newsmax. <a href="https://www.newsmax.com/scotfaulkner/2024-gop-wake-up-call/2023/11/29/id/1144043/">2024 Wakeup Call | Newsmax.com</a>]</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Republicans are euphoric about
Biden’s slump in the polls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They must
realize that their path to victory on November 5, 2024, is not assured.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Biden’s latest poll numbers
are terrible, but not historic. They pale in comparison with other Presidential
low points: Nixon (23%), Carter (28%), Bush 41 (29%), Bush 43 (19%), Trump
(29%). A large plurality of the electorate remains loyal even with everything
falling apart.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The 2023 elections should be a
wake-up call.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Once again, Republicans under
performed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They lost both houses of the
Virginia Legislature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The parental
revolt went nowhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Conservative,
pro-parent Schools Board candidates made little headway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No change in Loudoun County, the epicenter of
the parents’ revolt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A pick-up of one in
Prince William County. A complete shut-out in Fairfax County.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Loudoun County’s Leftist
Commonwealth Attorney, Buta Biberaj, was defeated, but only by 300 votes.
Amazing given everything that was exposed about her ideological reign.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Across America, voters ignored
parent rights candidates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This raises
the question as to whether Youngkin’s 2021 narrow upset victory over Terry
McAuliffe had more to do with the Democrat ignoring calls to step aside and
letting two African-American women compete for the Governorship.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The lessons of 2020, 2022, and
now 2023 need to be understood if Republicans have any chance of retaking the
White House and Senate, while maintaining their razor-thin majority in the
House.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Money is one factor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Republicans were out-raised and
outspent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While some candidates can
overcome the money deficit with tireless door-to-door campaigning and imaginative
social media, money remains a major determiner of success.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The biggest issue is
abortion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Fear drives votes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When fear goes away so does the fervor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Dobbs Decision turned fear for the unborn
turned into fear for those seeking an abortion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Republican turnout faded as Democrat turnout soared.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Something similar happened
after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Legions of “Cold War” conservatives
and “Captive Nations” activists declared victory and retired.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They won the war, but few remained to win the
peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Balkan wars and rise of Putin
are just some of the results of those leaving the battle.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The same thing is happening in
the wake of the Dobbs decision.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Justice Samuel Alito’s
brilliant ruling should have ushered in conservative ascendancy. Unfortunately,
pro-life activists bungled their messaging.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Even with a two-month head start from the leaked opinion, Republicans
and their pro-life allies ceded the initiative to pro-abortion forces.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Fear became the message.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Leftist media and candidates declared
Republicans would make the fictional totalitarian story of the “Handmaid’s
Tale” a reality.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">In
Virginia, </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: rgb(248, 245, 215); color: #1e1b15; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; line-height: 107%;">Democrats
poured nearly $17 million on abortion-focused ads, warning that if Governor
Youngkin won legislative majorities he would “ban” abortion. Republicans spent
less than $2 million in counter ads.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: rgb(248, 245, 215); color: #1e1b15; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; line-height: 107%;">Republicans undermined their cause.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Alito built a constitutional firewall around
his decision.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He countered the
dissenters by explicitly asserting Dobbs only applied to abortion not other
rights. He established the threshold for reviewing future state abortion laws,
“</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">abortion is not a fundamental right, the lowest
standard of review must apply to abortion laws, under which the laws must
be sustained if they rationally relate to a legitimate state interest”.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Unfortunately,
Alito’s firewall vanished before the decision was officially released.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In his concurrence, Justice Clarance Thomas opened
the door for challenging other rights granted under “substantive due process”,
including contraception, gay marriage, and private sexual acts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Republicans
in Congress introduced national abortion bills, completely misreading Alito’s
decision.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Republican Governors and
legislators pushed for severe abortion restrictions and hinted at pursuing
Thomas’ concept of eradicating other “rights”.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">This
messaging disaster was a windfall for Democrats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They will build on their 2022 and 2023
success by amplifying the “Handmaid’s Tale” theme in 2024.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Democrats
are shaping the Republican apocalypse: Trump is a crook, Trump is dangerous,
January 6 must be avenged, Republicans are racists, Republicans are coming for
all your rights.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Republicans
must fight back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They will not get a
perp walk for the Biden family, they will not get a Senate conviction if they
impeach Alejandro Mayorkas or Joe Biden.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Republicans
need something huge to breakthrough the Left’s media wall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While Fox News programs beat the competition
one-on-one, the Left drowns it out 8-1 for total television news audience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Left’s margin among major print media is
worse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Biden corruption, crime stories,
and economic woes are not even covered by most media outlets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Republicans
confronting hate may trump Democrats promoting fear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few Democrats broke ranks on Rashida Tlaib’s
pro-terrorist remarks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Donors to some
colleges and universities pulled their funds to protest religion-based
assaults.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Reacting
to the Democrat’s reality is a recipe for failure.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Republicans
must shape a resonant reality to gain victory in 2024.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Scot Faulknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17079954397157252754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7623878818456909306.post-77396269205216563192023-11-08T15:18:00.010-05:002023-11-11T15:25:53.378-05:00GERALD CARMEN - LEGACY OF A LEADER<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEii7pEvlhwpE751BkEaGkfUInQaMOHXVT0mDIZ-WYs2uLzGUuq3waC5yGzBvBvpViCdanyxHStM9qLZwS-QYaBo_gaptcoeHko2QPBBQqmj2yabSMstJn6CTLpwE0ePMRSzMi166i_Kk1obvdq7YTy4cWWd0JeqIA9HfIFH6oZhQkHW4i0XDjP_qrVoQpY" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="1480" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEii7pEvlhwpE751BkEaGkfUInQaMOHXVT0mDIZ-WYs2uLzGUuq3waC5yGzBvBvpViCdanyxHStM9qLZwS-QYaBo_gaptcoeHko2QPBBQqmj2yabSMstJn6CTLpwE0ePMRSzMi166i_Kk1obvdq7YTy4cWWd0JeqIA9HfIFH6oZhQkHW4i0XDjP_qrVoQpY=w292-h400" width="292" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In March 1980, President
Ronald Reagan asked Jerry Carmen to lead the General Services Administration
(the GSA).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">At the time the GSA was the
Federal Government’s most corrupt and wasteful agency.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Jerry’s mission, direct from
President Reagan, was to clean-up the GSA or shut it down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Three years later the GSA had
dropped from 36,000 employees to 12,000, thanks to the most thorough hiring
freeze instituted under Reagan.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The GSA’s duplicative offices
and obsolete operations were gone.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In its place was the best run
Federal Agency in 1984.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Jerry saved tens of billions
of taxpayer dollars.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This is how bad it got.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">An employee cabal orchestrated
an insider contract scam to renovate the 8<sup>th</sup> Floor Utility Rooms at
the GSA Headquarters Building.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It wasn’t until they requested
a contract extension that people remembered the GSA Headquarters only had seven
floors.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Jerry created a secure “war
room” where we placed the entire GSA organization on its walls. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We then rolled plastic sheets
over the personnel charts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Using grease
pencils, we “x-ed” out offices and operations that were flagged by Inspector
General Reports and Whistle Blowers, marking them for extinction. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Once personnel actions were
recorded, we erased the notations.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">When Leftist Congresswoman,
Pat Schroeder, demanded our work files we were able to honestly say there were
none.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Jerry was “laser focused” on
his mission.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">A Union official met with
Jerry to protest the hiring freeze.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">A few minutes into the
meeting, Jerry picked up the bowl of Jelly Belly candy on his desk and began
picking out and eating the red ones.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The Union official noticed
this and commented, “You really like those red ones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What makes them so special?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Jerry answered, “The meeting
is over when the red ones are gone”.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Jerry’s main achievement was
creating a business-based culture grounded in honesty and integrity.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The Director of the
Springfield Supply Depot called Jerry declaring that he needed to buy 12
additional forklifts to meet the new work deadlines.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Jerry immediately drove
himself to the Depot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He rushed past the
guards and raced through the warehouse counting twenty idle forklifts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The Director was immediately
removed from his position and fired within the week.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Jerry embodied the commitment
to excellence, the courage of convictions, and the bravery of a true leader.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Jerry’s accomplishments, and
how he accomplished them, will inspire generations to come.</span></p><p></p>Scot Faulknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17079954397157252754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7623878818456909306.post-51812914310323397842023-11-05T15:07:00.002-05:002023-11-11T15:17:23.963-05:00IRAN - CARTER's BLOOD-SOAKED LEGACY<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivQmFCyfUVZPD_X0z-guSDo3Ix9wtATv3798owRp3y2VZz05Ei5guthQQ6jmOJGJo6Oye6aQJNb4ITLH3hLPP9MBa3zXhBCi078FXm0_vO_3Yq0QgNkDYolt6rg7rz4qxKm7BMPTA93BbZkCDoI8UEZhoXrOooS9UavgSvEb53xq6H2JnNKLslwIQAjSI/s1500/CARTER%20IRAN%20PHOTO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivQmFCyfUVZPD_X0z-guSDo3Ix9wtATv3798owRp3y2VZz05Ei5guthQQ6jmOJGJo6Oye6aQJNb4ITLH3hLPP9MBa3zXhBCi078FXm0_vO_3Yq0QgNkDYolt6rg7rz4qxKm7BMPTA93BbZkCDoI8UEZhoXrOooS9UavgSvEb53xq6H2JnNKLslwIQAjSI/w400-h266/CARTER%20IRAN%20PHOTO.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">[Published in the Sunday Guardian of India - </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://sundayguardianlive.com/investigation/the-day-that-changed-the-middle-east">The day that changed the Middle East - The Sunday Guardian Live</a>]</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">November 4, 2023, marks the 44<sup>th</sup> anniversary of
the Iranian Hostage Crisis.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">It is a pivotal event along the path of Iran becoming the world’s
primary supporter of Islamic terrorism. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">For 444 days, 52
Americans were imprisoned in brutal conditions. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The story of how Iran went from a reliable pro-West ally to
the center of Fundamentalist Islamic Terror begins with President Jimmy Carter,
and his administration’s, involvement in the Iranian Revolution.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Islam’s
three major sects, Sunni, Shiite, and Sufi, all harbor the seeds of violence
and hatred. In 1881 a Sufi mystic ignited the Mahdi Revolt in the
Sudan leading to eighteen years of death and misery throughout the upper
Nile. During World War II, the Sunni Grand Mufti of Jerusalem
befriended Hitler and helped Heinrich Himmler form Islamic Stormtrooper units
to kill Jews in the Balkans.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">After
World War II, Islam secularized as mainstream leaders embraced Western economic
interests to tap their vast oil and gas reserves. Activists became
embroiled in the Middle East’s Cold War chess board, aiding U.S., or Soviet,
interests.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The
Iranian Revolution changed that. Through the success of the Iranian
Revolution, Islamic extremists of all sects embraced the words of Shiite
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">“If the form of government willed by Islam were to come into being, none
of the governments now existing in the world would be able to resist it; they
would all capitulate.”</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Islamic
dominance became an end in and of itself. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">This
did not have to happen.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Iran was
a pivotal regional player for 2,500 years. The Persian Empire was
the bane of ancient Greece. As the Greek Empire withered, Persia,
later Iran, remained a political, economic, and cultural force. This is why
their 1979 Revolution and subsequent confrontation with the U.S. inspired
radicals throughout the Islamic world to become the Taliban, ISIS, Hamas, and
others.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Iran’s
modern history began as part of the East-West conflict following World War
II. The Soviets heavily influenced and manipulated Iran’s first
elected government. On August 19, 1953, British and America
intelligence toppled that government and returned Shah Modammad Reza to power.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">“The
Shah” as he became known globally, was reform minded. He launched
his “White Revolution” to build a modern, pro-West, pro-capitalist Iran in
1963. The Shah’s “Revolution” built the region’s largest middle
class, and broke centuries of tradition by enfranchising women. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The Shah
was opposed by many traditional powers, including fundamentalist Islamic
leaders like the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Khomeini’s agitation
for violent opposition to the Shah’s reforms led to his arrest and exile.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Throughout his reign, the Shah was vexed by radical Islamic and communist
agitation. His secret police brutally suppressed fringe
dissidents. This balancing act between western reforms and control
worked well, with a trend towards more reforms as the Shah aged. The
Shah enjoyed warm relationships with American Presidents of both parties and
was rewarded with lavish military aid.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">That changed in 1977.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">From the beginning, the Carter Administration expressed disdain for the
Shah. President Carter pressed for the release of political
prisoners. The Shah complied, allowing many Islamic radicals the freedom to
openly oppose him.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Not satisfied with the pace or breadth of the Shah’s reforms, Carter
envoys began a dialogue with the </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Ayatollah Khomeini,
first at his home in Iraq and more intensely when he moved to a Paris suburb.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Indications
that the U.S. was souring on the Shah emboldened dissidents across the
political spectrum to confront the regime. Demonstrations, riots,
and general strikes began to destabilize the Shah and his
government. In response, the Shah accelerated
reforms. This was viewed as weakness by the opposition.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The
Western media, especially the BBC, began to promote the Ayatollah as a moderate
alternative to the Shah’s “brutal regime”. The Ayatollah assured U.S.
intelligence operatives and State Department officials that he would only be
the “figure head” for a western parliamentary system.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">During
the fall of 1978<span style="background: white;">, strikes and demonstrations
paralyzed the country. The Carter Administration, led by Secretary of State
Cyrus Vance and U.S. Ambassador to Iran William Sullivan, coalesced around
abandoning the Shah and helping install Khomeini, who they viewed as a “moderate
clergyman” who would be Iran’s “Ghandi-like” spiritual leader.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Time and political capital ran out. On January 16, 1979, the Shah, after
arranging for an interim government, resigned and went into exile.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The balance of power shifted to the Iranian Military. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">While
the Shah was preparing for his departure, General Robert Huyser, Deputy Commander
of NATO, and his top aides, arrived in Iran. They were under
Carter’s orders to neutralize the military leaders. Using ties of
friendship, promises of aid, and assurance of safety, Huyser and his team
convinced the Iranian commanders to allow the transitional government to
finalize arrangements for Khomeini becoming part of the new
government. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Subsequently,
many of these Iranian military leaders, and their families, were slaughtered.
Khomeini and his Islamic Republican Guard toppled the transitional government
and seized power during the Spring of 1979. “It was a most
despicable act of treachery, for which I will always be ashamed” admitted one
NATO general years later.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The radicalization of Iran occurred at lightning
speed. Khomeini and his lieutenants remade Iran’s government and
society into a totalitarian fundamentalist Islamic state. Anyone who
opposed their Islamic Revolution were driven into exile, imprisoned, or
killed. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Khomeini’s earlier assurances of moderation and working with the West
vanished. Radicalized mobs </span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">turned
their attention to eradicating all vestiges of the West. This
included the U.S. Embassy.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The
first attack on the U.S. Embassy occurred on the morning of February 14,
1979. Coincidently, this was the same day that Adolph Dubs, the U.S.
ambassador to Afghanistan, was kidnapped and fatally shot by Muslim extremists
in Kabul. In Tehran, Ambassador Sullivan surrendered the U.S.
Embassy and was able to resolve the occupation within hours through
negotiations with the Iranian Foreign Minister.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Despite
this attack, and the bloodshed in Kabul, nothing was done to either close the
Tehran Embassy, reduce personnel, or strengthen its defenses. During
the takeover, Embassy personnel failed to burn sensitive documents as their
furnaces malfunctioned. They installed cheaper paper
shredders. During the 444-day occupation, rug weavers were employed
to reconstruct the sensitive shredded documents, creating global embarrassment
of America.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Starting in September 1979, radical students began planning a more
extensive assault on the Embassy. This included daily demonstrations
outside the U.S. Embassy to trigger an Embassy security
response. This allowed organizers to assess the size and
capabilities of the Embassy security forces. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">On
November 4, 1979, one of the demonstrations erupted into an all-out conflict within
the Embassy’s Visa processing public entrance.<span style="background: white;"> The
assault leaders deployed approximately 500 students. Female students
hid metal cutters under their robes, which were used to breach the Embassy
gates.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Khomeini immediately issued a statement of support, declaring it “the
second revolution” and the U.S. Embassy an “American spy den in Tehran”.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">What followed was an unending ordeal of terror and deprivation for the 66
hostages, who through various releases, were reduced to a core of
52. The 2012 film “Argo” chronicled the audacious escape of six
Americans who had been outside the U.S. Embassy at the time of the
takeover. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">On April 24, 1980, trying to break out of this chronic crisis, Carter
initiated an ill-conceived, and poorly executed, rescue mission called
Operation Eagle Claw. It ended with crashed helicopters and eight
dead soldiers at the staging area outside of the Iranian Capital, designated
Desert One. Another attempt was made through diplomacy as part of a
hoped for “October Surprise”, but the Iranians cancelled the deal just as
planes were being mustered at Andrews Air Force Base.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Carter paid the price for his Iranian duplicity. On November 4, 1980,
Ronald Reagan obliterated Carter in the worst defeat suffered by an incumbent
President since Herbert Hoover in 1932. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Unfortunately, the world continues to pay the price for Carter unleashing
Iranian terror.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Scot Faulknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17079954397157252754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7623878818456909306.post-34386645008567670522023-10-31T13:54:00.003-04:002023-10-31T13:54:56.844-04:00EVICT THE UNITED NATIONS<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-VqUgzj81k3NRaXLPp2hYATGMfi3HdnqIdfvP3pGKiDMl7WqMv_HL77rv7UL3kZCLKH8z2pikajIZeXobyBZcQpb2oTKTDf-tb3WLBxyBold6G1WpVtcWlXetJDl9AJ2lu5sEAxMNyLYpU3me0wNDVICeyRkAW2CANJR_JRYDBtyzsG0WNxtijFV7OF8/s1199/un-resolution-israel-gaza-conflict-20231028115832.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1199" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-VqUgzj81k3NRaXLPp2hYATGMfi3HdnqIdfvP3pGKiDMl7WqMv_HL77rv7UL3kZCLKH8z2pikajIZeXobyBZcQpb2oTKTDf-tb3WLBxyBold6G1WpVtcWlXetJDl9AJ2lu5sEAxMNyLYpU3me0wNDVICeyRkAW2CANJR_JRYDBtyzsG0WNxtijFV7OF8/w400-h225/un-resolution-israel-gaza-conflict-20231028115832.webp" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">[Published in Newsmax <a href="https://www.newsmax.com/scotfaulkner/assembly-brics-guterres/2023/10/31/id/1140398/">Show UN the Door | Newsmax.com</a>]</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It's time for the United
Nations (UN) to leave America.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The UN has definitely
overstayed its welcome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Recent remarks
by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and the overwhelming adoption of a Hamas
inspired resolution by the General Assembly, crossed the line of decency.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">These actions should be the
last of many straws that the UN has heaped on American soil.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The UN’s being on the wrong
side of issues is terrible by any measure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It turned a blind eye to the tens of millions killed by Communism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The UN continues to ignore the lives
destroyed by slavery and tribal wars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The UN ignores those suffering under tyrants who lead many of their
member nations. The UN ignores how corruption and waste infests every aspect of
its operations.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">On December 10, 1945, the U.S.
Congress formally invited the United Nations to have its headquarters in
America.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Congress can formally uninvite
the UN.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The New York City School
System spends $80 million a year for educating the children of UN Diplomats. It
spends $8 million a year on protecting UN Diplomats and handling the traffic
snarls during the annual opening of the General Assembly. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The U.S. State Department spends $31 million a
year on protecting UN Diplomats.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">NYC annually loses $72 million
in property tax revenue as the UN Headquarters sits on tax exempt land. UN
employees are tax exempt from federal and state income taxes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Annually, this revenue loss is approximately
$400 million in federal and state taxes and $26 million for NYC.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The NYC government will not
miss $16 million in unpaid parking tickets from UN Diplomats.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The U.S. will not miss
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Intelligence agencies consistently describe
the United Nations as a “spy nest”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On
February 28, 2022, the Biden Administration exposed and expelled 12 spies
within Russia’s UN delegation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How many
spies are operating under diplomatic cover among the 193 member delegations?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So where should the United
Nations go?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Johannesburg, South Africa.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The current political environment
of South Africa is a United Nations creation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Starting on November 6, 1962, South Africa’s government was singled-out
for extinction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over the years, harsher
measures were implemented to pressure South African leaders to share power with
their native population.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This included
suspending South Africa’s UN Membership on November 14, 1974.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 1994, the UN welcomed South Africa back
into the fold after democratic reforms were implemented.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Moving the UN to Johannesburg
would bring its policies “home to roost”.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Johannesburg has the third
highest crime rate in Africa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While it
is cheaper to live there than NYC, it has terrible public transportation, high
air pollution, and prone to power outages.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Third world dictators may have
difficulty enticing their delegations to work in Johannesburg once the swanky
apartments and lavish NYC expense account restaurants are a thing of the past.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The most compelling reason for
the United Nations to move to Johannesburg is the BRICS.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Formed in 2010, the BRICS
nations – Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa have established an
alternative global reality to the G7 and G20 nations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The BRICS nations hope to overtake the
western-oriented groups of nations as the focus of 21<sup>st</sup> Century
economic and political vitality.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Moving the UN to Johannesburg
places it at the center of BRICS’ geopolitics. That is a plus for them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The $2 billion in local job
creation would be the West’s final gift to South Africa’s economy.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It is also a plus for the
G7/G20 (all BRICS countries are members of the G20).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having the UN “out of sight, out of mind”
places it where it should be - on the other side of the planet wallowing in its
anti-West, anti-freedom, anti-capitalist agenda.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rants of its leaders and its resolutions
will not have the same “gravitas” deprived of its “New York City, USA”
imprimatur.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>UN diplomats will not have
easy access to the U.S. media being 7,900 miles away.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Having the United Nations out
of the United States would be a giant step forward in clearing the West’s
political landscape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Congress can go on the record
now for sending the UN packing. It will take a Republican President to make it
a reality.<o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Scot Faulknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17079954397157252754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7623878818456909306.post-67130254812761168012023-07-14T16:31:00.127-04:002023-08-31T10:27:53.863-04:00RED LIGHT THERAPY SAVING LIVES<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuLJGZkTlYS2IbqaXsr4dzpxJbFj0ZWlJkPe_8yJjIhIpSYllA8nr_GDfkAYD1TRLleYpRlT0_PtN7wZSDt6isbXbih8Iz-b6ABX9-vrKFw37runQo5PlS6TNJGwE5SEBhGG5ZBfNoSJmJz9v7TA03nL0uJ4Wx35WAUq9bBZnNF7sqYXoNNiQzyHHdmlk/s970/Slide%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="553" data-original-width="970" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuLJGZkTlYS2IbqaXsr4dzpxJbFj0ZWlJkPe_8yJjIhIpSYllA8nr_GDfkAYD1TRLleYpRlT0_PtN7wZSDt6isbXbih8Iz-b6ABX9-vrKFw37runQo5PlS6TNJGwE5SEBhGG5ZBfNoSJmJz9v7TA03nL0uJ4Wx35WAUq9bBZnNF7sqYXoNNiQzyHHdmlk/w400-h228/Slide%201.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">This is the Transcript of Scot Faulkner's July 9, 2023, presentation to the Doctors for Disaster Preparedness in Tuscon, Arizona</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c31ZbUGBOZY&t=401s">Red Light Therapy: Saving Lives, Revolutionizing Healthcare - YouTube</a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt;">Red-Light Therapy is revolutionizing Health Care, literally,
as we sit here.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">[Slide 1]<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">A number of you over the last day and a half have shared
some of your stories with me. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">When we were together in Las Vegas last year I presented an
overview and an awareness of Red-Light Therapy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Some of you have tried it out in the last year and have come up with
some amazing results!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Literally, as we're sitting in this room, Red-Light Therapy
is saving a life. Red-Light Therapy is improving a life somewhere in the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Military forces are using Red-Light Therapy
in their conditioning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Navy Seal units, Special
Forces for the United States Army, NATO Pilots, Israeli Defense Forces -
they're all incorporating Red-Light Therapy into their conditioning - building
endurance, speeding recovery from their exercises, and improving their
performance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">At the same time, we have young people, at places like
Saint Jude, are having their lives saved with Red-Light treatments that take
care of the side effects of cancer chemotherapy.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Every major sports team in the world is now using Red-Light
Therapy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every NFL team has either a
handheld or a light bed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every NBA team,
every World Cup soccer team, and most Collegiate athletic teams now are using Red-Light
Therapy.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">It is truly the future of medicine but is actually becoming
the present of Medicine.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The mechanism of action for Red-Light Therapy is Photobiomodulation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLK7EiSt83NIXeoRc_R4dPxQmE2B9RzC-6SR-4R3FRYXEJ9zcMeGhZwgCuUyEgYXuqfbVoSPeSS6jpli9oSG3iSlNITyUZZXf4r6hoezQU73q_YMZXIo4M4xZj-BXsuhJwhNt0QzsSZ8q-FlZlpBTSWSqGxIyB1_Y1ilr73S85FhpWR0h6FjSc2hoIuu4/s1064/Slide%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="591" data-original-width="1064" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLK7EiSt83NIXeoRc_R4dPxQmE2B9RzC-6SR-4R3FRYXEJ9zcMeGhZwgCuUyEgYXuqfbVoSPeSS6jpli9oSG3iSlNITyUZZXf4r6hoezQU73q_YMZXIo4M4xZj-BXsuhJwhNt0QzsSZ8q-FlZlpBTSWSqGxIyB1_Y1ilr73S85FhpWR0h6FjSc2hoIuu4/w400-h223/Slide%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">[Slide 2]<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">To explain this, think of ourselves as warm-blooded plants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We turn color in the sunlight. We like sunny
days. We need our Vitamin D.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
mechanism of action within photosynthesis in a plant Photobiomodulation is
almost the exact same mechanism within a human.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We literally are absorbing the sunlight with all the ambient parts of
the spectrum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Photobiomodulation in part
of the light spectrum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yesterday we
heard a little bit about the Ultraviolet end of the spectrum dealing with ozone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ultraviolet light is a cleanser.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we shift over to the Red/Near-Infrared
we're into Photobiomodulation - 500 to 1200 nanometers.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Red-Light is now everywhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you watch Fox News you've got the Tommy Copper
ads.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They show little dots you can wrap
around your arm. These are “consumer grade”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They are not what we call “medical grade”. It is all about focused light
and intensity. Photobiomodulation is measured in joules per centimeter square. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can shrink the light spectrum and focus it
on the 500 to 1200 nanometers and you amp up dosage, or the intensity, you are approaching
the medical grade part of Photobiomodulation.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRS2w5FxLjFuMgjSNS6PsIX4YybM4cP9Mg0_gEGqydYFJTbhrM7HV9ieRCEOMEL5QAgcrc-YL0JqZz0pWgm6p-JNOxmaFbsH7_09Pm6hXF6qxGBoTtvEjnhQ2DzVheGtGAI3adUoUcMBcO_GE1xbBiFjE_SbVOQwkoJscwZ8irL4GU3KgEibXtMgAntA/s1033/Slide%203.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="1033" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRS2w5FxLjFuMgjSNS6PsIX4YybM4cP9Mg0_gEGqydYFJTbhrM7HV9ieRCEOMEL5QAgcrc-YL0JqZz0pWgm6p-JNOxmaFbsH7_09Pm6hXF6qxGBoTtvEjnhQ2DzVheGtGAI3adUoUcMBcO_GE1xbBiFjE_SbVOQwkoJscwZ8irL4GU3KgEibXtMgAntA/w400-h219/Slide%203.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">[Slide 3]<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Since we last talked Photobiomodulation has really made it into
the mainstream of medicine.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">We have 70 articles a month now being published dealing
with Photobiomodulation, clinical studies, animal studies, and human studies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have 200 human studies currently
registered with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that are being
conducted. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc5IY0iTx0QCzGsHvRQ1JXZqIwVotZu05pNnVeBBv9vuLJjS8lrVU8DOSbY_WhvS0ofMkmeHAjEE7A6Vt2y33mpnh4v6wcaNCxka5iUjHFjG6S4YrK3IxB8lJXxaYyGs65U3wl85SjLtUoPz6xfLCbpBzLol1FfzZeAK97QZsZaQzGIGezALtzwT0ZOiA/s1026/Slide%204.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="1026" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc5IY0iTx0QCzGsHvRQ1JXZqIwVotZu05pNnVeBBv9vuLJjS8lrVU8DOSbY_WhvS0ofMkmeHAjEE7A6Vt2y33mpnh4v6wcaNCxka5iUjHFjG6S4YrK3IxB8lJXxaYyGs65U3wl85SjLtUoPz6xfLCbpBzLol1FfzZeAK97QZsZaQzGIGezALtzwT0ZOiA/w400-h225/Slide%204.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">[Slide 4]<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">So what is Photobiomodulation? What does it really do?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Think of the fact that we have 32 trillion cells in our
body and within each of those cells there are literally thousands and thousands
of Mitochondria. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mitochondria are the
energy units within the cell. They process nutrients and take sunlight to
generate the energy that drives the cell.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Within each one of these mitochondria, at the subatomic
level, we have the electron transport chain. Literally it's like four different
subatomic components, and there are thousands and thousands of them within each
of these mitochondria. If all goes well nutrients and sunlight come into the
chain. They stimulate different ions and molecules and atoms to change and swap
out, driving energy forward through the chain. The final stage is like a
subatomic generator that spins and drives cellular functions.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">When we get a disease, when we're injured, when we get older,
that four-step process closes up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That's
called inflammation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When it closes up,
and the atoms can no longer move, they swell at the subatomic level.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">How Photobiomodulation works is if you direct enough energy
with enough dosage joules per centimeter squared, in the right part of the
light spectrum Red and Near-Infrared, it unclogs the electron transport chain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When you're dealing with that kind of
subatomic activity, multiplied thousands of times, within the electron transport
chains thousands of times, within the mitochondria trillions of times, within
the cells of our body, it doesn't take that much unclog things and reduce
inflammation. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioaufh8p1rpx8iGamp7bZvcW7P2fHRbZI3Q6dUpnvEQC0Btxl6zp3_wJ1_q-5aOucV44zJ8-FnHSNeonNj2RwZHBfXps8GPto8iKyERPi_lBUMQSpAxYRPyld5fSArRI-5cvn5zWFK3xj9qM_xC1sDHGtiYJsfwXCPpL92Nw5qU-IKlE390M5HoD_4U20/s1014/Slide%205.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="1014" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioaufh8p1rpx8iGamp7bZvcW7P2fHRbZI3Q6dUpnvEQC0Btxl6zp3_wJ1_q-5aOucV44zJ8-FnHSNeonNj2RwZHBfXps8GPto8iKyERPi_lBUMQSpAxYRPyld5fSArRI-5cvn5zWFK3xj9qM_xC1sDHGtiYJsfwXCPpL92Nw5qU-IKlE390M5HoD_4U20/w400-h228/Slide%205.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">[Slide 5]<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">That's what Photobiomodulation is all about. 80 percent of
what ails us, what ages us, what hurts us, what gives us creaky joints, relate
to some aspect of cellular function.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Therefore, Photobiomodulation does one thing really well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By unclogging the electron transport chain Photobiomodulation
can literally address any number of medical conditions.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">We're going to be talking about a few of those because, since
Las Vegas last year, we've had some amazing progress and some amazing
endorsements.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzfmI93m7RzrwgWX0riLTzuqsVNYfRiL0L65BIG64zXfxbhNQ_OdR9BEB_vOmhtrJgSh4837T2v2IoSRq5WO_HA6xl3OdTiQCv8cYTZ1ioUgUfa-XDP8MrdnGAeJOxLYjx3PZo5Ais5Mwn5wq8sguo3vRM8fFdY-Dbk_pNVCs8zEkPQUG5zqjmjvkWTI/s1001/Slide%206.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="1001" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzfmI93m7RzrwgWX0riLTzuqsVNYfRiL0L65BIG64zXfxbhNQ_OdR9BEB_vOmhtrJgSh4837T2v2IoSRq5WO_HA6xl3OdTiQCv8cYTZ1ioUgUfa-XDP8MrdnGAeJOxLYjx3PZo5Ais5Mwn5wq8sguo3vRM8fFdY-Dbk_pNVCs8zEkPQUG5zqjmjvkWTI/w400-h226/Slide%206.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">[Slide 6]<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Let’s start with the tale of two patients.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">In the first instance a Pope, in the second instance an
amazing athletic star from the Olympics.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHcgnUOV6KWDLcgkab2jACPGukdpEiNhFwIGrSP_3-dMb3t8jNXRZ2_gxeLQimvUuNy0eSdDA58Ov11pvE2wa6OR0aHcRv2YXaWBgX5NZLBHNF5JPRL2-4uXDQJn9i_ZGXpLWwqhooshCns8BpS-ZZNo6tJdrqKsNLGsRIyMVrAF3nWr3Mllin_NcBd4M/s1014/Slide%207.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="1014" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHcgnUOV6KWDLcgkab2jACPGukdpEiNhFwIGrSP_3-dMb3t8jNXRZ2_gxeLQimvUuNy0eSdDA58Ov11pvE2wa6OR0aHcRv2YXaWBgX5NZLBHNF5JPRL2-4uXDQJn9i_ZGXpLWwqhooshCns8BpS-ZZNo6tJdrqKsNLGsRIyMVrAF3nWr3Mllin_NcBd4M/w400-h228/Slide%207.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">[Slide 7]<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">In the case of Pope Francis, last year he fell and really fractured
his knee. I mean he literally shattered his knee. The Vatican covered up for a
while, but ultimately the Pope couldn't walk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He was in a wheelchair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was
concerned about going under general anesthetic and getting some sort of surgery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Enter one of our colleagues in Europe who knew
the Vatican physician.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He provided a Photobiomodulation
device to the Physician who started treating the Pope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After only a couple months, the different
parts of the broken bone started to fuse and the muscle came back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Pope started going through physical
therapy, supported by the Italian Photobiomodulation device.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">He's walking again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">A couple months ago, the Pope goes to Budapest and holds a
special ceremony at one of the main churches in Budapest to honor Adam Meister,
son of Andre Mester, the inventor or Discoverer Photobiomodulation.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCISn5kfDisbRBdG3k43ECH0AZUUi8nGBtj_dDZgWuwBb7Z-GMVQFsXtDiIxBfvvBN5OQl8ZjButR90TEc9_2xgKADQTI9vWp9RGx10g_FPMmyGX-VzP3Vu9K22V7Ykize2D2YXGeYdDNlQpeVxwS69Dwt-JUq7Q2pfmcF22x9jS3DOgny8C4hdPEAddY/s958/Slide%208.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="958" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCISn5kfDisbRBdG3k43ECH0AZUUi8nGBtj_dDZgWuwBb7Z-GMVQFsXtDiIxBfvvBN5OQl8ZjButR90TEc9_2xgKADQTI9vWp9RGx10g_FPMmyGX-VzP3Vu9K22V7Ykize2D2YXGeYdDNlQpeVxwS69Dwt-JUq7Q2pfmcF22x9jS3DOgny8C4hdPEAddY/w400-h241/Slide%208.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">[Slide 8]<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">During the ceremony and in his interviews, the pope
endorsed for PBM. So, he embraced the Bible and now he’s embraced the light.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a big deal to have somebody of world-renowned
who can say that “the only reason I'm walking today is because Red-Light Therapy”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Photobiomodulation healed my knee”. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mean that's huge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We've never had a world leader be able to say
that.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvti-7TPqQ-jQbJLSdSaIGhsq7PU0ymfRkbMq3Zw9wb0S3wZ60qlHSKEjYLt2EZqmI40oAqyOEGyu70WpGEIjUawTwLeA3L73O7033bfIyPBLF0NFOWxI4_iwIdRXa02Z8pcu8_OBcrEtokN9HsPz880qQ8EttA1auSi9UMejhuMWQBe4fNxL9ERZtLRE/s1045/Slide%209.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="1045" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvti-7TPqQ-jQbJLSdSaIGhsq7PU0ymfRkbMq3Zw9wb0S3wZ60qlHSKEjYLt2EZqmI40oAqyOEGyu70WpGEIjUawTwLeA3L73O7033bfIyPBLF0NFOWxI4_iwIdRXa02Z8pcu8_OBcrEtokN9HsPz880qQ8EttA1auSi9UMejhuMWQBe4fNxL9ERZtLRE/w400-h216/Slide%209.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">[Slide 9] <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">In that special ceremony the Pope formally endorsed PBM.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He presented a special papal medal to Adam
Mester.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In exchange, Mester gave the
Pope a Hungarian made PBM device.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">So who is Andre Mester? Andre Mester was a brilliant
scientist working behind the Iron Curtain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In 1967, he was concerned about whether lasers, which had only been
developed since 1962, might cause cancer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So he takes a bunch of mice, shaves them, and applies the laser to see
if they start to develop tumors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What he
discovers is the mice that were receiving the laser started growing hair real
fast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mester called it Bio-stimulation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That's how PBM was discovered with shaved
mice.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">You've probably seen ads where you have these baseball
helmets that you put on with lined with LED lights to grow hair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It goes back to the roots of PBM.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Andre was a brilliant scientist, but he had the misfortune
of working behind the Iron Curtain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That's
why even though PBM was discovered in 1967, it did not come into the West until
the fall of the Berlin Wall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you go
on and go on to the like National Institutes of Health and look at their
libraries, all of a sudden there's this burst of PBM-related research papers
showing up in 1991.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That's when his work
finally made it to the West and started going into general circulation.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Since that point, we have had over 100 million patients treated
with PBM. During that entire period there's been no documented side effect,
because it's a natural process helping a natural process.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">We are that warm-blooded plant getting this infusion of Red
and Near-Infrared light.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whether it is a
broken ankle, a sprain, muscles sore from working in the yard, all the way up
through neurological conditions you are getting your life improved.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">PBM heals. PBM helps with wellness, and therefore it's
starting to finally get the traction it deserves.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1bwC7rjh6fY6QuKgiep0oHwXPhEq43Td2dlV4jUWpbAzOrl-X83yojeMXU57MXcXZLZiqz7LzkVYPqqydYN88gc40wrw-OQBvUNrKNJXwHWwz5LDzos9NTHufszB9q_OO9qfLYf8zFtApjvHMsvhgknu8_eCyK61aazWKB1VIUGpnneopLGzsUwIO5xo/s1014/Slide%2010.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="1014" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1bwC7rjh6fY6QuKgiep0oHwXPhEq43Td2dlV4jUWpbAzOrl-X83yojeMXU57MXcXZLZiqz7LzkVYPqqydYN88gc40wrw-OQBvUNrKNJXwHWwz5LDzos9NTHufszB9q_OO9qfLYf8zFtApjvHMsvhgknu8_eCyK61aazWKB1VIUGpnneopLGzsUwIO5xo/w400-h226/Slide%2010.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">[Slide 10] <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<span style="outline: none !important;">Our second patient is Anne Abernathy. She is an absolutely stunning individual. She holds two records. She is the oldest woman to ever compete in the Winter Olympics and the first to ever participate in 6 Winter Games. She is now currently training to qualify for her 7th Olympics but this time in a Summer sport.</span><div style="outline: none !important;"><p class="yiv4038374307MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; outline: none !important;"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; outline: none !important;">Anne started out in the Winter Olympics as a single woman's luge, clocked in excess of 100 miles an hour going down that ice track. She was nicknamed “Grandma Luge” and was a pop hero. In fact, IBM, during the Nagano Games, used her as an ad spokesperson and won a CLEO award. Anne is just one of these most dynamic people - she's a cancer survivor, she's also a born-again Christian. She’s a guest speaker and performer at churches, schools, and conferences. She's an amazing multi-faceted individual.</span></p><p class="yiv4038374307MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; outline: none !important;"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; outline: none !important;">After retiring from luge following her last Winter Olympics, she decided to pursue a “safer” sport. So she shifted over to archery. She found that the upper body muscles you use to launch and drive a luge are almost the same for pulling a bow. Remarkably Anne leapfrogged straight onto the World Cup Circuit and became World Ranked. Anne turned 70 this last April, in June she and her Mixed Team partner finished 6th at the Archery World Cup in Columbia.</span></p></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Why Anne comes into our world is that last Summer she had a
severe bout of COVID and she got Covid-related brain fog. Had she taken the Pharmaceuticals
that were being recommended she would have been screened-out of the Olympics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anne came Dr. Bob Bowen, one of our PBM
Foundation Trustees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was doing a
proof-of-concept study saying that if we direct red light into the brain we can
solve and treat brain fog he succeeded and let's talk let's look at the video:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">[Slide 10 – Video]<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">“While the COVID-19 pandemic has
ceased to be a public health emergency many patients continue to deal with post-pandemic
complications known as long covid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One
such complication is brain fog characterized by cognitive dysfunction and
chronic fatigue systemic inflammation. Vascular damage following COVID-19 is
believed to hinder cognition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately,
there are no therapeutic options available for the recovering patients. Photobiomodulation
therapy (PBM) has shown promise in treating cognitive decline by boosting
antimicrobial immune responses and reducing inflammatory cytokine damage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Interest has therefore shifted to using PBM
for treating long COVID symptoms as it targets the underlying processes of the
immune system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, delivering
precise PBM doses to targeted sites remains challenging. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a recent open label pilot human clinical
study researchers from Shepherd University, University of Buffalo and West
Virginia University evaluated the efficacy of transcranial PBM (tPBM) and whole
body PBM (wbPBM) in treating long COVID induced brain fog.</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">A total of 14 patients who had experienced
brain fog for at least five months were enrolled and divided into two groups
seven patients per group. Group 1 received tPBM treatments administered using a
new radiant LED helmet emitting light at 1070 nanometers while group 2 received
wbPBM with NovoTHOR a light bed with LEDs emitting lights at 660 nanometers at
850 nanometers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The subjects were
randomly allocated to receive either PBM treatment and received a total of 12 treatments
over a four week period. They were evaluated pre and post-treatment using a
battery of neurophysiological tests and the wavy quantitative electroencephalography
(eeg) system. The researchers found that both PBM therapies improved brain
performance and resulted in significant improvements in neurophysiological test
scores following treatment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Furthermore,
the wavy data of the subjects supported these findings by revealing increased
brain processing speed and power following treatment. Additionally, the wavy
eeg system was shown to be a practical and effective biometric for evaluating PBM
treatments in real time in a clinical setting. These findings thus show that tPBM
and wbPBM could improve clinical outcomes in patients diagnosed with COVID-19
brain fog and other chronic diseases”.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOUIOuYGNwQ9wklceQjEPd8dHkccgBwr7nFyxtuSW1NJJykFUKHhlPumcb6xtVDh9arViwwM2OCI3_wpDyxHJe8knHlmYN2YYTfPw_Si54wJfO9LcdHQklhI7PIHL8EdT0nmIuScU3lEeWxloF8YNROPplezPQab9tN5J4B8WVgskjItpJcOip8MfuEZI/s1001/Slide%2011.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="1001" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOUIOuYGNwQ9wklceQjEPd8dHkccgBwr7nFyxtuSW1NJJykFUKHhlPumcb6xtVDh9arViwwM2OCI3_wpDyxHJe8knHlmYN2YYTfPw_Si54wJfO9LcdHQklhI7PIHL8EdT0nmIuScU3lEeWxloF8YNROPplezPQab9tN5J4B8WVgskjItpJcOip8MfuEZI/w400-h231/Slide%2011.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">[Slide 11]<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">When Dr. Bowen was trying to explain all this to me and he
said “you know you don't have brain fog, but let me run you through the whole
thing”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The brain scan on the screen is
mine, and so the test results.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He put
the Neuronic helmet on me for 14 minutes and ran me through the Baseline tests.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">You can see for even a normal brain how brain activity increased
after only 14 minutes of using this kind of bicycle helmet device. He ran me
through all the Baseline tests they mentioned on the video. Every one of my
test scores doubled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That improvement
after those 14 minutes “blew my mind” literally and figuratively.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the case of Anne, she used the light bed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The PBM Foundation is an honest broker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We're there aggregate-curate-disseminate the
most important research and applications within the PBM world and to then
Advocate it being a mainstream medical treatment.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">We have about two dozen industry partners that help us out Neuronics
from Philadelphia is one, NovoTHOR, which is made in Vermont, is one of our
other ones. That's the NovoTHOR bed she used.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The photo is from the competition where she came in sixth. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was out of 291 competitors. It looks like
a modern-day version of Agincourt. I just learned that in the Pan Am games down
in Honduras she again came in 14<sup>th</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She's on her way to Paris!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the
PBM Foundation are sponsoring her seventh Olympics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It's a great honor from our standpoint to
help this amazing person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If PBM had not existed, she could not have
competed.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Just last week, the trial of one of the more promising
brain fog drugs was stopped, because it was revealing severe side effects with
absolutely no efficacy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Currently
there's no drug anywhere in the regulatory pipeline to treat brain fog. PBM's
the only thing out there.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhanTGZysn7YChqqu8cslhCn_FDQEolb9zvK1yCylBZruHOuxS7gMlcxJv6plNiEANwEWZZXfDav1H_4uizWKZcX9FegDmjzd3l8--bPnmG-CPmxMNHidlkjZrxFadygm5imS0KVr5-9ASMU49yoF4Hn0G0-4PbwWj-RbasIdOocXokeO2u7aILR4LbbpU/s995/Slide%2012.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="591" data-original-width="995" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhanTGZysn7YChqqu8cslhCn_FDQEolb9zvK1yCylBZruHOuxS7gMlcxJv6plNiEANwEWZZXfDav1H_4uizWKZcX9FegDmjzd3l8--bPnmG-CPmxMNHidlkjZrxFadygm5imS0KVr5-9ASMU49yoF4Hn0G0-4PbwWj-RbasIdOocXokeO2u7aILR4LbbpU/w400-h238/Slide%2012.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">[Slide 12]<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">In 2019 the Multinational Association for Supportive Care
in Cancer (MASCC) endorsed PBM as a pre-treatment to the throat and mouth area to
prevent the side effects of cancer chemotherapy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you've ever had a loved one go through
heavy duty cancer chemotherapy it can create sores in the mouth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the most severe cases, called oral
mucositis, literally one of two things happen. Either you have a feeding tube
because you can no longer eat or you stop the chemotherapy in order to recover,
at which point cancer progresses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4gh9AZZLshL0cCODOT6_2R4kJ7JoQ-0aQo7Ta08eLgCp_WMndSi7ksUEpKmYR5_KcAGBlvJPXNvA1H8STDs8n-M62uCtNg-grW8heT6DvwPDMFHqb_cdEVqAo0JJG1VpvcvpOtyNsVjSWFoWKSGnIEEZRyQu3Pd9Q2528XvMl3AtsUVUdDi5F71-79B0/s1033/Slide%2013.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="591" data-original-width="1033" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4gh9AZZLshL0cCODOT6_2R4kJ7JoQ-0aQo7Ta08eLgCp_WMndSi7ksUEpKmYR5_KcAGBlvJPXNvA1H8STDs8n-M62uCtNg-grW8heT6DvwPDMFHqb_cdEVqAo0JJG1VpvcvpOtyNsVjSWFoWKSGnIEEZRyQu3Pd9Q2528XvMl3AtsUVUdDi5F71-79B0/w400-h229/Slide%2013.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">[Slide 13]<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Oral Mucositis is a horrible condition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Using PBM as a prophylactic prevents this
condition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIVzb-j0cPOmcFCFM5UlP3t50ynjZ0fCtpw2Zb3Qc3nvL5unhlrpkIUa9TrWOuUtXJQJ5JjmV2MppYpkrpJe61JGmWe9WVjMnQlVcHLUzLTiXM8iZe8JOIkJ6Xgb9JdE_1EnedVnzWR293ySl37IAsSssDHc8cfepQXECiN1nFAk9fxeNobNy69gmHPS8/s1039/Slide%2014.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="1039" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIVzb-j0cPOmcFCFM5UlP3t50ynjZ0fCtpw2Zb3Qc3nvL5unhlrpkIUa9TrWOuUtXJQJ5JjmV2MppYpkrpJe61JGmWe9WVjMnQlVcHLUzLTiXM8iZe8JOIkJ6Xgb9JdE_1EnedVnzWR293ySl37IAsSssDHc8cfepQXECiN1nFAk9fxeNobNy69gmHPS8/w400-h225/Slide%2014.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">[Slide 14]<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">PBM has become a great preventative measure. Oncology and
Endocrinology associations have endorsed this. The three main ones we work with
are:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">[1] The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>UPMC was one of the first ones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They've treated almost 3 000 cancer patients
to prevent the cancer side effects. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">[2] West Virginia Cancer Institute is part of WVU in
Morgantown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">[3] St. Jude is probably our Crown Jewel proving that it is
safe enough for Pediatric cancer patients.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">In all three cases, PBM use is now part of their Standard Order
Set.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those of you who are affiliated
with hospitals know that having a new technology become part of a Standard Order
Set is a big deal. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0-jPXRX4dUHRIzg6oN_2XHrdVUCC282hLmVllQRRZG_3S74OseBsopjzcG5eFl00j9e0OAl2Gu1GgrJ91_j4J9UrXkUvpCORK2YVbjDRLJlUdCCz_RrpjZlOKMitlbrkhd2CHtSu8PuESElaw21Dqrczt8PZyk2TophYDIgT1LRsQLSMfD5hUt0HBzgE/s1008/Slide%2015.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="1008" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0-jPXRX4dUHRIzg6oN_2XHrdVUCC282hLmVllQRRZG_3S74OseBsopjzcG5eFl00j9e0OAl2Gu1GgrJ91_j4J9UrXkUvpCORK2YVbjDRLJlUdCCz_RrpjZlOKMitlbrkhd2CHtSu8PuESElaw21Dqrczt8PZyk2TophYDIgT1LRsQLSMfD5hUt0HBzgE/w400-h228/Slide%2015.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">[Slide 15]<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Another major area is wound healing. This first case used a
THOR unit (made in England).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the
foot of the Dean of Dentistry at Midwestern University, here in Arizona.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She had a compound fracture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She applied the light.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can see the results after only five weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>PBM is literally rebuilding cellular function
at the subatomic level.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>PBM consistently
gets these results.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">People have started to use PBM for severe burn victims.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As you know, with a burn victim you have skin
grafts. You worry about infection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
is scarring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have found, time and
time again, when you start to apply PBM to burn victims, they heal quickly
without complications.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Usually, you
can't tell which hand or part of the body was burned.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzlfjmMe_xIcD0bJzQavt8_72xH1309rOWjnxI7DEIL_gdTRzRvE5xMHR4wCAG9G7pDnxs090cp2B0ch4lRYKik8SPNyrM2CPwsQhIuqNSVOaDICusntjh77ot61AaYxpREJ1zvtPy-fBa5-5oi4RV2ltTn3ex2qAVoty3ZiZcSX-kEGcWds2EdBKose4/s1014/Slide%2016.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="591" data-original-width="1014" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzlfjmMe_xIcD0bJzQavt8_72xH1309rOWjnxI7DEIL_gdTRzRvE5xMHR4wCAG9G7pDnxs090cp2B0ch4lRYKik8SPNyrM2CPwsQhIuqNSVOaDICusntjh77ot61AaYxpREJ1zvtPy-fBa5-5oi4RV2ltTn3ex2qAVoty3ZiZcSX-kEGcWds2EdBKose4/w400-h234/Slide%2016.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">[Slide 16]<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">This case was treated with a device developed by Tom Kerber
out of Toronto. Diabetic ulcers are horrible things usually ending up with an
amputation of the foot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These wounds can
take months, even years, to treat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many
times, the wound won't heal, or if it heals, it's a very painful process.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here, after seven weeks, a foot that would
have otherwise been amputated was saved using Kerber's device.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This person now can walk on two legs.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj41HdDbfTpXu2AxMtB1HX26gKUPMkktw3WSEgbvE02m7L0pxF3ZU5LLpi-Ptfs9UQ12adC3JZ8qmLZCwYN54RhwY0uVh780gBmb1PTJ74GNwyAHkfx8FZAPtAdr77SRiE3Ku5oCFZiETl2Bvywn5xEUBfVrSI1vVWJhesgoIE-WDeJA4OjVg9MNZiTLYw/s1014/Slide%2017.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="1014" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj41HdDbfTpXu2AxMtB1HX26gKUPMkktw3WSEgbvE02m7L0pxF3ZU5LLpi-Ptfs9UQ12adC3JZ8qmLZCwYN54RhwY0uVh780gBmb1PTJ74GNwyAHkfx8FZAPtAdr77SRiE3Ku5oCFZiETl2Bvywn5xEUBfVrSI1vVWJhesgoIE-WDeJA4OjVg9MNZiTLYw/w400-h231/Slide%2017.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">[Slide 17]<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">One of the more famous studies was done several years ago tracking
PBM managing pain.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">When PBM unclogs the electron transport chain inflammation
goes away, and pain goes away.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">This crossover study shows two very interesting things:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">[1] The cumulative effect of PBM. If you look at the chart,
one group was treated Placebo, one group was treated with PBM.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They switch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Look what happens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The group that
shifts from Placebo to PBM catches up with the other group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">[2] The residual effect of PBM. For the group where PBM
treatment stopped, and a placebo is put in its place, the pain is still gone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unlike drugs, that basically mask the
symptoms, PBM truly heals. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_L4zLFYCc6rTMP-MOpz8pXYYaBwR_ymk5iSvebVais8b9SxdvtpMGPFpZq3ZSFqQ3vMvq1N1xpDh9inkebPlCHdwreTgBYSwj3ogZYzJKSB-mEix_3ftGJKR3cx6e5FSXSHG7i3oN5SVBC1wNlWSV6sJfehmH5e4zOgGlf-wCj1Bk7ZYSUo2BZnx-zfk/s1033/Slide%2018.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="1033" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_L4zLFYCc6rTMP-MOpz8pXYYaBwR_ymk5iSvebVais8b9SxdvtpMGPFpZq3ZSFqQ3vMvq1N1xpDh9inkebPlCHdwreTgBYSwj3ogZYzJKSB-mEix_3ftGJKR3cx6e5FSXSHG7i3oN5SVBC1wNlWSV6sJfehmH5e4zOgGlf-wCj1Bk7ZYSUo2BZnx-zfk/w400-h224/Slide%2018.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">[Slide 18]<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">This chart, and the one next to it, track post-operative
pain - the use of opioids versus or Placebo versus PBM treatment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>PBM substantially reduces pain.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Several years ago, the PBM Foundation began working with
the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Pain Management Task Force
to look at the fact that you're not replacing drug addiction with light
addiction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are healing and reducing treatments.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">PBM heals at the subatomic level healing the body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You're weaning people off of light treatment.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">[1] If it's an acute condition - eventually you can walk
away from PBM.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">[2] If it's a chronic condition, or a degenerative
condition, you may start treatments three times a week; and then a few months
later you're being treated a couple times once a week; a few more months it may
be a treatment only once a month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
other words, the cumulative effect and the residual effect of PBM allows you to
scale back to a more manageable course of treatment.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBQp54KreKvbAucjXo5ofYdQmUyPyOA_79OF6QD7Vi1cIkhgPQK05X9d3wuS2-Nkaj8LRAv9xcIgeOpFM34ENay3io-Th4TABsh1Dib0i2i_8gxq2yrgkuG-J0GNMvUHbdQvZcSI_DqsvZ64WTwoRlbp7uyBGcmSrAG3XzJ8x77qhA41td09-SmdUOzY0/s1014/Slide%2019.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="1014" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBQp54KreKvbAucjXo5ofYdQmUyPyOA_79OF6QD7Vi1cIkhgPQK05X9d3wuS2-Nkaj8LRAv9xcIgeOpFM34ENay3io-Th4TABsh1Dib0i2i_8gxq2yrgkuG-J0GNMvUHbdQvZcSI_DqsvZ64WTwoRlbp7uyBGcmSrAG3XzJ8x77qhA41td09-SmdUOzY0/w400-h221/Slide%2019.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">[Slide 19]<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Because of these major clinical breakthroughs, PBM has
received recognition.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">In just the last few months:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">[1] The American Dental Association (ADA) now established a
task force to incorporate PBM as a standard of care for oral conditions <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">[2] The Journal for America the American Medical
Association (JAMA) has formally endorsed PBM for pain management.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">[3] The Center for Disease Control (CDC) issued their new Opioid
Guidelines for prescriptions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The CDC
listed PBM as part of their preferred non-pharmacological alternative to
opioids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the result of the PBM Foundation
testifying numerous times before the CDC’s Board of Scientific <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">[4] Our biggest success is the Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA) formally recommending the use of PBM for the treatment of Traumatic
Brain Injury (TBI) and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKFEVo5JKwgUswQjuSvT4GBISqRTwlk_fVQkv5_Ass4NpkUhKM945epx7KcRc-rUXH2Ybx96P643o0xyd20bhvkhPUdOmq3vG1sPpllTDjSknOmP2HrwpqPPUh2mlYhtM58j9ulhGfFZhKoTjFsMeVs2SSNuyGYWMFMijJW_tYCy3aeYBzTdJ8kJjNDDM/s1070/Slide%2020.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="1070" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKFEVo5JKwgUswQjuSvT4GBISqRTwlk_fVQkv5_Ass4NpkUhKM945epx7KcRc-rUXH2Ybx96P643o0xyd20bhvkhPUdOmq3vG1sPpllTDjSknOmP2HrwpqPPUh2mlYhtM58j9ulhGfFZhKoTjFsMeVs2SSNuyGYWMFMijJW_tYCy3aeYBzTdJ8kJjNDDM/w400-h211/Slide%2020.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">[Slide 20]<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The VA endorsement is huge! Vielight developed a device
that goes over the head for treating neurological conditions. It's made up in
Toronto.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Vielight device was used
treat 214 veterans at the Boston VA Hospital.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They found that it absolutely calmed patients and actually cured them of
traumatic brain injury.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It substantially
“unscrambled” their brain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These results
were echoed in similar trials at Salt Lake City VA and a Denver VA.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The Salt Lake City VA and the Boston VA are also treating
NFL players for CTE.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">PBM is helping veterans reclaim their lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Here is the VA’s endorsement.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg_rXzGqYT7_UAVt1cFIq0tXT-cmZjm9_zQUPTx1kUigyCKPp0kFYbCbcgJ8BxWdMMhUU0yW9CAh63XK8-AFA4NKSFsv6uBYyPMkOPI1KQf5CaPAK3ge78zeVtaxLkHUis2Imv4ZxGhEDUKpYDlRv6zyieEICvjCZ_gJexe2t9t98y-KKfa5Icafbb6EE/s1020/Slide%2021.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="1020" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg_rXzGqYT7_UAVt1cFIq0tXT-cmZjm9_zQUPTx1kUigyCKPp0kFYbCbcgJ8BxWdMMhUU0yW9CAh63XK8-AFA4NKSFsv6uBYyPMkOPI1KQf5CaPAK3ge78zeVtaxLkHUis2Imv4ZxGhEDUKpYDlRv6zyieEICvjCZ_gJexe2t9t98y-KKfa5Icafbb6EE/s320/Slide%2021.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">[Slide 21]</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Neurologists <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>have found
that the moment that you start putting PBM’s Red/Near-Iinfrared light into the brain
cavity you're successfully treat Parkinson's.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is being embraced by the dental Community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If a person has Parkinson's you can't fill a
cavity or give a Novocaine shot because the person is moving around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>PBM is calming them enough where they're able
to treat them for different conditions.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Anne Liebert is brilliant scientist, who's one of the
world's leading Parkinson's experts out of Sydney Australia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anne is doing breakthrough research on this
and what she's also found, in coordination with the Veterans Administration, is
that it's helping calm PTSD<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They're now
using PBM at the Boston VA for pre-treating veterans with PTSD before they come
further into the hospital complex (even for a checkup) because of the
neurological calming that occurs.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">We're all familiar with Moore's Law.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It's working for PBM.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Devices are getting cheaper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They're getting better and simpler to use.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The result is that some “medical grade” cost
under five thousand dollars. Some down to less than two thousand dollars.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Because of reduced costs, Salt City Denver and Boston are
handing out PBM devices for veterans to take and use at home. Instead of veterans
having to come all the way into Denver or Salt Lake City, they can take the PBM
device home.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">This new generation of PBM device is very easy to use.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In most cases, they just turn them on/turn
them off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of them have some sort of
timing mechanism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most treatments last
only three minutes, five minutes, ten minutes tops.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Home treatments, and self-treatment, plus lower per unit
cost, allows VAs to buy multiple devices.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Right now the PBM Foundation is working with the Veterans
Affairs committees in the House and the Senate and with key people on the
Appropriations Committee to get this into all 171 Veterans Hospitals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">PBM is only in a dozen VA Hospitals right now. We really would
like to get PBM into others.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Starting next month, the U.S. Government is into “use or
lose” at the end of the fiscal year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
all know that government bureaucrats love to spend money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They don't want to end the fiscal year with
money left over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here's an opportunity
to knock on the door of a Veterans Hospital, knock on the door of your Congressional
Delegation, and say “spend the money this way because it's getting results”.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">If anyone is interested in the documentation and the
clinical trial data, I have it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Give me your email, I will send it. I would love to get this
information into everyone's hands so that we can actually make something really
wonderful happen.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlvIq0DAxZBJB0NIjeASZTaN80czoWCLVJouMsyCHZYs9y4vBKAr-foR6pRBetDrCOmXUNhuXWVzkZ6E77YO1A6DdztJzTKjipEU_7ognlnMUPW4FZFtIkxvawpsOGfHiayW5bLmL2QsSU80X62LY3yJdvYzXsU-4SBL-r8_1SI6_oWXwuDye9zQirof4/s995/Slide%2022.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="541" data-original-width="995" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlvIq0DAxZBJB0NIjeASZTaN80czoWCLVJouMsyCHZYs9y4vBKAr-foR6pRBetDrCOmXUNhuXWVzkZ6E77YO1A6DdztJzTKjipEU_7ognlnMUPW4FZFtIkxvawpsOGfHiayW5bLmL2QsSU80X62LY3yJdvYzXsU-4SBL-r8_1SI6_oWXwuDye9zQirof4/w400-h217/Slide%2022.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">[Slide 22]<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The PBM Foundation is based at the at Shepherd University
in West Virginia.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">We have a Global Center of Excellence (CoE).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Within the Center of Excellence we have received
substantial private and public funds to do two very important things:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">[1]Testing<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Because you have so many red-light devices, it's really the
wild west out there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A lot of devices
over promise under deliver.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many devices
are from China, which means they break down and, again, they under deliver. We
want to build consumer confidence, not just among individuals, but facilities
and physicians. We have set up a testing protocol.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We're beginning to test devices to make sure that
they are delivering the right dosage, in the right part of the spectrum, with
the right joules per centimeter Square.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>People need to know that certain devices really are what they say they
are.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Last year, we began building a series of online learning
modules. The first three deal are general introduction to PBM, safety, and on
oral mucositis (it has the strongest clinical evidence).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Additional modules will focus on wound
healing, pain management and neurological conditions.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">There are over 800 nursing schools around the country.
Shepherd University is the first nursing school to incorporate PBM as a
graduation requirement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We want to take that
requirement to every other nursing school in this country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are getting that word out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our goal is the “seed the clouds” so the next
generation of nurses are gaining PBM knowledge as an elective, a certificate,
or like at Shepherd University a fundamental graduate requirement for their
degree</span><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Since last year, many pieces are falling into place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is an exciting time for those of us who've
spent so many years trying to make PBM happen.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">As I began speaking here, somebody's life has been saved by
PBM.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Somebody's life has improved thanks
to PBM.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We wake up every morning knowing
it is going to be a better day because of PBM.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">I thank you so much.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">[Applause] <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Scot Faulknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17079954397157252754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7623878818456909306.post-38874713766705850612023-08-27T19:49:00.002-04:002023-08-27T19:49:21.071-04:00FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip2aav05gFPYV4qVK4LpDgbgb4wrywCJ23_976Ce6kR7-hzRQBwEPXWE3zhWTDPsL5UhuTJ04WvbRx68HjR6C9iDd9DqWTiCjtYHtKm1AOW1YKxjI_zfZSaYiSai5oTe2l5RrKfmBsqMJqOwm-oRaoRKXQSQsY9UmHZ7KEyoCk3QP5rC1MmAPrkk9iOkk/s2000/img_5663.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip2aav05gFPYV4qVK4LpDgbgb4wrywCJ23_976Ce6kR7-hzRQBwEPXWE3zhWTDPsL5UhuTJ04WvbRx68HjR6C9iDd9DqWTiCjtYHtKm1AOW1YKxjI_zfZSaYiSai5oTe2l5RrKfmBsqMJqOwm-oRaoRKXQSQsY9UmHZ7KEyoCk3QP5rC1MmAPrkk9iOkk/w400-h266/img_5663.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">[Part of Constituting America's "Ninety for Ninety" Series on America's Founding Principles.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://constitutingamerica.org/90day-fp-principle-of-freedom-of-assembly-guest-essayist-scot-faulkner/">Principle of Freedom of Assembly - Constituting America</a>]</p><p><i><span style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“New
England town meetings have proved themselves the wisest invention ever devised
by the wit of man for the perfect exercise of self-government and for its
preservation."</span></i></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Thomas
Jefferson, 1816</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“Local assemblies
of citizens constitute the strength of free nations. Town-meetings are to
liberty what primary schools are to science; they bring it within the people’s
reach, they teach men how to use and how to enjoy it. A nation may establish a
system of free government, but without the spirit of municipal institutions it
cannot have the spirit of liberty.</span></i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Alexis
de Tocqueville, 1835</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The
concept of people openly gathering to discuss matters of public interest was
developed among the ancient Greek city states in the 6<sup>th</sup> Century
B.C.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It became known as “Athenian
Democracy” under the leadership of Pericles (461-429 B.C.) during Athens’
“Golden Age”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Participation was open to
all adult free male citizens.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In
actions that would be repeated throughout history, Athenian public meetings
were suppressed to centralize government power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This occurred in 322 B.C. by the rulers of the Macedonian Empire, first Philip
II and then his son, Alexander “the Great”.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Freedom
of assembly vanished during the Roman Empire and the feudal states.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People could still petition the chief,
warlord, or king for grievances, but local democracy was lost.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Iceland
rekindled community-based democracy in 930 A.D.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The
<i>Althing </i>(Norse for “assembly field”) was an open area (near present day Reykjavik)
reserved for the annual gathering to discuss and decide issues facing the
community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The presiding official, </span><i><span lang="IS" style="color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: IS; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Lögsögumaður</span></i><span style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> (Norse for “Law Speaker”), stood on a central rock
outcropping known as the <i>L</i></span><i><span lang="IS" style="color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: IS; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">ö</span></i><i><span style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">gberg</span></i><span style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">
(Norse for “Law Rock”).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He established
the procedures for the Althing and declared decisions after open discussion and
voting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All free men had the right to
attend and participate.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The
Althing lost its authority when Iceland was annexed by Norway in 1262.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In
1231, the freedom of assembly, and early federalism, arose among the various
independent regions (Cantons) in Switzerland. </span><span style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The <i>Landsgemeinde</i> (German for "cantonal
assembly) was established as a system of direct democracy, open voting, and
majority rule among the <i>communitas hominum</i> (Latin for “the
community of men”).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This terminology was
to emphasize that it was an assembly of all citizens, not just the elite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Citizens
of the Swiss Cantons fiercely defended their assemblies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 1499, they defeated the forces of Emperor
Maxmillian I, the Holy Roman Emperor, at the battle of Dornach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They retain their system to this day.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The
practice of holding town meetings in Colonial America evolved from 17<sup>th</sup>
Century English “vestry” meetings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These
meetings allowed parishioners to discuss and decide issues relating to their
local parish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These became integral to New
England communities in the mid to late 1600s. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their agendas ranged beyond church governance
to community matters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In
1691, the Colonial Parliament (General Court) of the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts passed a Charter that declared that final authority on
bylaws rested with town meetings. In 1694, the Massachusetts General Court granted
town meetings the authority to appoint assessors. In 1715 it granted town
meetings the right to elect their own presiding officers (moderators) instead
of relying on outside appointees</span><strong><span style="background: rgb(231, 240, 245); border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; padding: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><strong><span style="background: #E7F0F5; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 107%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in;">Colonial meeting houses remain
places of reverence in small towns throughout New England.</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">It is not surprising that eradicating town meetings, and
restricting the right to free assembly, were key elements in Britan’s suppression
of America’s Independence movement in the early 1770s.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Lord North, the British Prime Minister (1770-1790), instituted
harsh measures to suppress dissent and disrupt the culture of self-government,
which he viewed as the root cause of the chaos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span><span style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">On May 2, 1774, North declared Massachusetts
was "in a distempered state of disturbance and opposition to the laws of
the mother country."</span><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"> </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">On
May 20, 1774, the British Parliament passed the <i>Massachusetts Government Act</i>,
which nullified the Massachusetts Charter of 1691. </span><span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">It abolished</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> local town meetings because, “a
great abuse has been made of the power of calling them, and the inhabitants
have, contrary to the design of their institution, been used to treat upon
matters of the most general concerns, and to pass dangerous and unwarrantable
resolves.” Ongoing local meetings were
replaced by annual meetings only called with the Colonial Governor’s
permission, or not at all.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A
series of five punitive acts were passed by Parliament intended to restrict
public discourse and punish opponents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was England’s hope the “Intolerable Acts” would intimidate rebellious
Colonists into submission. The “Acts” ignited a firestorm of outrage throughout
Colonial America.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More importantly, it
generated a unity of purpose and inspired a willingness for collective action
among leaders in the previously fragmented American colonies.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In
a bold “illegal” act to assert its right to free assembly, the First
Continental Congress met in the Carpenters Hall in Philadelphia from September
5-October 26, 1774. Twelve of the thirteen colonies (Georgia opted out) were
represented.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They issued the
“Declaration of Rights and Grievances”, the first unified protest of Britian’s
anti-colonial actions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">The British Crown’s assault on the right to free assembly was
among the top Grievances listed in the Declaration of Independence </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">less than two years later.</span></p><br /><p></p>Scot Faulknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17079954397157252754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7623878818456909306.post-30100383402833329172023-08-18T18:58:00.020-04:002023-08-23T21:09:56.687-04:00DERAILING THE MONEY GRAB<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrZndt_xvNNRP0YkTdcIVha4nWkwuFmIPBRbW5ikJyZf0v-PXxL_TIbPTWsjBvEGsZXGAdTDXw6cT1DOPSAvWMp_2E_okG16eax2V6fKZhAqS2eMXWJB38DGzxKdFthv2YMuA2an1gGfDdbk5Va-y43EH-V3FNKH7QbPHbceB-zme9T0e4GQ4-m94RD_A/s1600/derailment-clipart-18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1600" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrZndt_xvNNRP0YkTdcIVha4nWkwuFmIPBRbW5ikJyZf0v-PXxL_TIbPTWsjBvEGsZXGAdTDXw6cT1DOPSAvWMp_2E_okG16eax2V6fKZhAqS2eMXWJB38DGzxKdFthv2YMuA2an1gGfDdbk5Va-y43EH-V3FNKH7QbPHbceB-zme9T0e4GQ4-m94RD_A/w400-h268/derailment-clipart-18.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>[NOTE: On August 17, the plan of out-of-state billionaires to build an oversized hotel in the heart of the Harpers Ferry Historic District hit a wall. The Jefferson County Commission set aside a $30 million taxpayer subsidy (tax increment financing - TIF) to this private equity firm as local residents raised major concerns. Since 2008, the billionaires asserted that their project was fully funded. Since then, they have sought subsidies and grants, along with waivers from taxes and fees.]</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">JEFFERSON COUNTY COMMISSION</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">HILLTOP TIF HEARING - Scot Faulkner Remarks</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">There are several issues you
need to consider before giving up to $30 million to a private equity company.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">First, this will be the only
hotel to receive a government subsidy from this Commission.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">You are creating a dangerous
precedent.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Government should not pick
winners and losers in the private sector.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">What prevents existing or
future hotels demanding subsidies from Jefferson County Taxpayers?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Second, you are ignoring the
facts.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">When SWaN first arrived in
Harpers Ferry, they promised to shower riches on the community.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Instead, SWaN has been given
waivers from the taxes and fees they promised to pay.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">SWaN has also been given federal
grants and now is asking for $30 million from County Taxpayers.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">During the last 15 years, SWaN
has not provided or promised even one dollar of proffers to the town.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Another fact – the justification
for the $30 million, and all the other waivers and subsidies, is that the SWaN
hotel will save Harpers Ferry. Somehow,
Harpers Ferry will become a ghost town without the oversized SWaN hotel.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Since the closing of the old
Hill Top House in March 2008, Harpers Ferry has experienced a tripling of
visitors. The town is packed with
tourists, especially on weekends.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Over the last ten years, every
major travel magazine, website, and rating has named Harpers Ferry the top
tourist town in America. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">All of this is happening
without an oversized government subsidized hotel.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Third, all citizens of
Jefferson County deserve to vote on whether $30 million of their money should
go to a private interest in the smallest municipality.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Jefferson County voters have
voted on smaller bond issues, including the $19 million school bond in 2016. At
least school bonds benefit everyone, not a small group of private investors.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This Commission has one
vacancy. It cannot speak for the entire
population.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Let the people speak instead. This should go to a public referendum.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></p><p><br /></p>Scot Faulknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17079954397157252754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7623878818456909306.post-22220514391181926832023-06-23T16:44:00.007-04:002023-06-26T14:56:18.358-04:00GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG52mEVNtIA3pnZGBLyLHktbHfV-_9vULnjJtScKKKM3s4lkEfcR1wES3P-g7EOjn0FI2K_u-4r5TPVwhHyc2Uke1kHk1R0y4QklSCq60UR3SjpgHzr-g0DBD2hF2AXtfRo75Q_nkWDGElrtW8CF2Bsj8XvKgHGiH7IaF3-gqV4qGds3gPYkBXrFcZ9Aw/s1400/CONGRESS%201810.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="934" data-original-width="1400" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG52mEVNtIA3pnZGBLyLHktbHfV-_9vULnjJtScKKKM3s4lkEfcR1wES3P-g7EOjn0FI2K_u-4r5TPVwhHyc2Uke1kHk1R0y4QklSCq60UR3SjpgHzr-g0DBD2hF2AXtfRo75Q_nkWDGElrtW8CF2Bsj8XvKgHGiH7IaF3-gqV4qGds3gPYkBXrFcZ9Aw/w400-h266/CONGRESS%201810.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">[U.S. House Chamber 1820]</div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">[<span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px; text-align: left;">Published as part of Constituting America's Ninety Day Study on America's Founding Principles</span>: <a href="https://constitutingamerica.org/90day-fp-principle-of-a-legislative-branch-within-a-system-of-government-closest-to-the-people-guest-essayist-scot-faulkner/">Principle of a Legislative Branch Within a System of Government Closest to the People – Constituting America</a>]</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 11.15pt;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">In advocating for establishing the
Legislative Branch in the U.S. Constitution, James Madison and Alexander Hamilton,
writing under “PUBLIUS”, stated in Federalist No. 52:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 11.15pt;"><i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">“First. As it is essential to liberty
that the government in general should have a common interest with the people,
so it is particularly essential that the branch of it under consideration
should have an immediate dependence on, and an intimate sympathy with, the
people. Frequent elections are unquestionably the only policy by which this
dependence and sympathy can be effectually secured…. It is a received and
well-founded maxim, that where no other circumstances affect the case, the
greater the power is, the shorter ought to be its duration.”</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 11.15pt;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Madison and Hamilton explained how the
Legislative Branch was fundamental to Americans</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">
remaining in control of their own government</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> in
FEDERALIST No. 57:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 11.15pt;"><i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">“The House of Representatives is so
constituted as to support in the members an habitual recollection of their
dependence on the people. Before the sentiments impressed on their minds by the
mode of their elevation can be effaced by the exercise of power, they will be
compelled to anticipate the moment when their power is to cease, when their
exercise of it is to be reviewed, and when they must descend to the level from
which they were raised; there forever to remain unless a faithful discharge of
their trust shall have established their title to a renewal of it.”</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 11.15pt;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Binding the Legislative Branch to the
people built upon the precedents from America’s colonial period.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 11.15pt;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The Royal Charter that established
Jamestown in Virginia evolved from governance by the Charter holders into
governance by the King’s Representative (Royal Governor) and his Advisory
Council. When the settlers demanded their own voice, the Virginia House of
Burgesses, in 1619, became the first democratically elected legislative body in
America. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 11.15pt;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The House of Burgesses became a
proving ground for what would become the U.S. House of Representatives. Drawing
upon British tradition, revenue and spending bills originated in the House
instead of the “upper chamber”. Drawing from British tradition, the members of
the House held their positions for short periods of time, the better to be held
closely accountable by those they represented.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 11.15pt;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Tying government closely to the people
is foundational to America.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The reason
America is a “federal” system, and not a “national system”, is to preserve
state and local government.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This assures
most public policy and public activity is closest to the people it serves and
reflects their diversity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Serving an urban
New York City neighborhood is very different from serving a rural community in
Montana.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 11.15pt;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">America’s diversity is embodied in our
nation’s motto: “E Pluribus Unum” – out of many, one.</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 11.15pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Governing a diverse America is institutionalized in the
Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The powers not delegated to the United States by the
Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States
respectively, or to the people.</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Today, America is governed by 87,576 local
units. This includes 3,034 counties, 19,429 municipalities (cities,
towns, villages), 16,504 townships, 13,506 school districts, and 35,052 special
districts (such as water & sewer, fire, and conservation).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 11.15pt;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Except for Switzerland and Germany, European
governments are national. Their policy and programs are based on “one size fits
all”. National governments ultimately amplify regional and ethnic
tensions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>England’s Acts of Union with Scotland
(1707) and Ireland (1801) spawned countless conflicts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today, Scotland and Wales have separate Parliaments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ireland divided itself into a Free State and
Northern Ireland in the wake of years of violence (1921).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>England leaving the European Union in January
2020 reflected what happens when a weak parliament, which could have embraced
diversity, was dominated by a powerful and unaccountable bureaucracy.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 11.15pt;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">America’s federal structure, emphasizing
government closest to the people, was chronicled by the Frenchman, Alexis
Clerel, the Vicount de Tocqueville.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">“Democracy in America” was published in two volumes (1835
and 1840). It remains a foundational document describing how Americans
benefit from local government.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">“The village or township is the only association which is
so perfectly natural that wherever a number of men are collected it seems to
constitute itself. The town, or tithing, as the smallest division of a
community, must necessarily exist in all nations….”</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">“….local assemblies of citizens constitute the strength of
free nations. Town-meetings are to liberty what primary schools are to science;
they bring it within the people’s reach, they teach men how to use and how to
enjoy it. A nation may establish a system of free government, but without the
spirit of municipal institutions it cannot have the spirit of liberty.</span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">de Tocqueville recognized how Americans preserving local
governance serves as a model for a better world:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">"I believe that provincial [local] institutions are useful
to all nations, but nowhere do they appear to me to be more indispensable than
amongst a democratic people.</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The only nations which deny the utility of provincial
[local] liberties are those which have fewest of them; in other words, those
who are unacquainted with the institution are the only persons who pass a
censure upon it.”</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Thanks to the strength of local government, America remains
an inspiration for all those who seek free and open societies. </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Scot Faulknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17079954397157252754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7623878818456909306.post-23932879757853320712021-07-09T10:43:00.083-04:002023-06-23T20:53:37.559-04:00HOW TO MAKE AN IMPACT<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGFOzc4CAHU-16RqyeUqVytaCmoqxWIhmjFWiUjpCtTj2p9yaKUb4ADVJGrgjmLOXA5LMK1WW7dsEkB3FJKbMN75F6UiYE-3GwtquQNxs-NNnB8ybIVZoH47FKgZdwfgqfK4Yzem7Wn1CXDEna8pulGjCXKeBIwW_mmjfZY-sD4E7uvrFgz6jS0uG5/s480/JENNIFER%20POT%20STIRRING.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGFOzc4CAHU-16RqyeUqVytaCmoqxWIhmjFWiUjpCtTj2p9yaKUb4ADVJGrgjmLOXA5LMK1WW7dsEkB3FJKbMN75F6UiYE-3GwtquQNxs-NNnB8ybIVZoH47FKgZdwfgqfK4Yzem7Wn1CXDEna8pulGjCXKeBIwW_mmjfZY-sD4E7uvrFgz6jS0uG5/w400-h300/JENNIFER%20POT%20STIRRING.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">What does a
homegrown citizen movement look like?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Jefferson
County, West Virginia is a rural county located 60 miles northwest of
Washington, DC.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is known for being
the location of John Brown’s Raid and other significant events in American
history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tourists flock to enjoy
breathtaking scenery.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Jefferson’s
neighbor, Loudoun County, Virginia, is America’s fastest growing county.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the late 1980s, land speculators swarmed
into Jefferson County viewing its untouched farmland as a developer gold mine.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">The speculators
were welcomed into Jefferson County by “Court House” insiders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This web of family and business elites had
run Jefferson since the Civil War. Elected and appointed officials had grown
arrogant, unaccountable, and out of touch with the citizens they were supposed
to serve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the late 1990s, they were
about to leverage their unchallenged power to reap the riches of urban sprawl.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">In 1998, the
developers briefly exposed their agenda by presenting a master plan to run
water and sewer lines throughout the Jefferson County, literally laying the
groundwork for explosive growth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Local
officials embraced the plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More
importantly, they shut down public comment and held countless meetings without
involving, or even informing, the public.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">The water and
sewer master plan, and the blatant abuse of power by the Court House elite, were
the sparks that ignited one of the most successful local reform movements in
America.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">A dozen
concerned citizens mapped out a strategy to create a “level playing
field”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This meant opening-up public
meetings to the public; making public documents readily available to the
public; making sure elected and appointed officials served public, not private,
agendas, and making sure the rule of law prevailed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">The first step
was creating an information network so the diverse and geographically dispersed
concerned citizens could communicate and share knowledge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The “Listener” website and forum quickly grew
to 1,000 participants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It spawned
home-based gatherings to discuss what to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>One group, the “Sewer Underground” met bi-weekly and focused on stopping
the water/sewer lines.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">As local
officials flaunted their conflicts of interest, it became clear that only by
electing “reform minded” candidates would things change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reformers ran classified ads in the local
newspapers to recruit candidates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
2000, one answered the call.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">This first
candidate had never run for office, in fact she broke out in sweats when
speaking publicly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She ran for County
Commissioner against a well-financed and well-connected member of the Court
House elite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She lost, but inspired
others.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">In 2002, “Citizens
for Jefferson’s Future” ran another set of ads for candidates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time they fielded a complete slate for
the School Board and for two County Commission seats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They won them all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their 2000 losing candidate was one of the
landslide winners for the School Board, ending years of nepotism and sole
source contracting.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">In 2004,
Jennifer Maghan, a recently returned veteran, answered the ad for County Clerk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was interviewed by reform leaders at the
local Dairy Queen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a critical
moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The longest serving clerk in
West Virginia was retiring and the Court House elites wanted complete control
of voting and public records.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The local
media consistently supported the Court House candidates and denigrated the
reformers.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Jennifer was
outspent 10-1, but her charismatic personality and the 2002 momentum won the
day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The reformers also won another
County Commission seat achieving a 3-2 majority.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jennifer became the first Republican to
become Jefferson County Clerk since the county was formed in 1803.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She also became the first Korean-American to
be elected to public office in West Virginia’s history.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Emboldened by
two series of victories that shocked the Court House elite, the reformers moved
swiftly to revolutionize the County’s government, digitalizing documents,
creating websites, and ushering in the most open and transparent government in
the state.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Battles were
won, but the war continued.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The developers created their own Political Action Committee (PAC) and hired
consultants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They fought their way back
into a County Commission majority in 2008.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Thankfully in
2010, Jennifer was re-elected by the largest margin in the county’s
history. She was catapulted to national
prominence by turning her opponents attack, “stop stirring the pot”, into her
campaign symbol. Her ads went viral and
were merchandized as t-shirts. They became iconic in the battle to topple the Court
House elite. It bolstered the election of
a reform-minded judge, who won by a landslide.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">In 2014, a
veteran was recruited to run for County Commission.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was the first candidate to exclusively use
Facebook to achieve victory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That same
year, the reformers recruited two faith-based House of Delegate
candidates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both became the “gold
standard” for door-to-door campaigning. One won and one lost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The one who lost ran for State Senate in 2016
and won, having been outspent 21-1!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">2016 was the
landslide year for the reformers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They won
everything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two Commissioners, a new
Clerk (as Jennifer retired), all state legislative seats in the County, and for
the first time since the County was formed in 1803, a Republican County
Prosecutor.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Today,
Jefferson County remains a model for open accountable government and citizen
activism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">The lessons are
numerous:</span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"> Have a strategy.</span></li><li><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Have
a committed core of leaders who will remain involved for years.</span></li><li> <span style="font-family: arial;">Realize
that it will take years to sustainably prevail.</span></li><li><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"> Actively
recruit candidates. Do not depend on party functionaries.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"> Always
look for new candidates as elected ones will retire or run for other
offices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Never let the other side’s
candidates run unopposed.<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul><!--[if !supportLists]--><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">One
way to recruit and credential candidates is appoint them to local boards and
commissions (planning, emergency service, parks & recreations, etc.).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Serving on these panels is a great way to
learn about government processes, running meetings, public speaking, and
messaging.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Losses
are inevitable. Learn and regroup.</span></li><li><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Good
candidates and good issues will live to win another day.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Symbol;"> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">The
opposition will not give up and will fight back. <o:p></o:p></span></li><li><span style="font-family: Symbol;"> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Combine
technology (social media) with traditional actions (door-to-door).</span></li><li><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Money
matters but mobilizing volunteers and igniting “fervor” among your supporters
matter more.</span></li></ul><span style="font-family: arial; text-indent: -0.25in;">M</span><span style="font-family: arial; text-indent: -0.25in;">OST IMPORTANT:</span><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Deliver on your promises.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Voters want change –
give it to them.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Scot Faulknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17079954397157252754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7623878818456909306.post-72799071510805668352023-06-22T14:25:00.006-04:002023-06-23T16:45:55.369-04:00HOLDING GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABLE<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvNXWo9rIcscKjdegMBFT197JkvsxaGY0iBffQfEU0gmyDBTsS-roldfa5-_vKr7nEtEEphLzDjCarQiw5vnHP9LtYnNnsHZZgfCyHE7bbHA2be42kNCiuEIc9VyQCey0cKsH-ZlRp2nN4XaiO-DrTn651-LROAdQAYvBJgfrrBht72O-Bi9zVnS3nkfo/s750/SWEDEN%20ordinance-big.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="507" data-original-width="750" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvNXWo9rIcscKjdegMBFT197JkvsxaGY0iBffQfEU0gmyDBTsS-roldfa5-_vKr7nEtEEphLzDjCarQiw5vnHP9LtYnNnsHZZgfCyHE7bbHA2be42kNCiuEIc9VyQCey0cKsH-ZlRp2nN4XaiO-DrTn651-LROAdQAYvBJgfrrBht72O-Bi9zVnS3nkfo/w400-h270/SWEDEN%20ordinance-big.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>[Published as part of Constituting America's Ninety Day Study on America's Founding Principles - <a href="https://constitutingamerica.org/90day-fp-principle-of-duty-of-american-people-to-continually-maintain-checks-on-government-power-guest-essayist-scot-faulkner/">Principle of Duty of the American People to Continually Maintain Checks on Government Power – Constituting America</a>]</p><p></p><p class="yiv6612584551msonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #202122;">On
November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln spoke immortal words about the
eternal mission for all Americans: “that government of the people, by the
people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth”.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="yiv6612584551msonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #202122;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="yiv6612584551msonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #202122;">Citizens
holding government accountable begins with knowing what their government, at
all levels, is doing.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="yiv6612584551msonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #202122;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="yiv6612584551msonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #202122;">Two long
standing legal concepts provide the framework for citizens being eternally
vigilant and government officials being consistently accountable: government
documents should be public and government meetings should be public.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="yiv6612584551msonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #202122;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="yiv6612584551msonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #202122;">During
the Virginia Ratifying Convention for the U.S. Constitution, Patrick Henry
asserted public knowledge was the bulwark of protecting freedom, “</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: whitesmoke; color: #111111;">The
liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be, secure, when the
transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them.”</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #202122;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="yiv6612584551msonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #202122;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="yiv6612584551msonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black;">“Where are your checks in
this government?…The most valuable end of government is the liberty of the
inhabitants. No possible advantages can compensate for the loss of this
privilege.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="yiv6612584551msonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="yiv6612584551msonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black;">Patrick Henry’s linkage of
protecting liberty to citizen access echoed James Madison’s commentary in Federalist
49:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #242424; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">"As
the people are the only legitimate fountain of power, and it is from them that
the constitutional charter, under which the several branches of government hold
their power, is derived, it seems strictly consonant to the republican theory,
to recur to the same original authority, not only whenever it may be necessary
to enlarge, diminish, or new-model the powers of the government, but also
whenever any one of the departments may commit encroachments…it must be allowed
to prove that a constitutional road to the decision of the people ought to be
marked out and kept open.”</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #242424; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Madison
raised concerns about those who aspire to unbridled power.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #242424; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">“The
same influence which had gained them an election into the legislature, would
gain them a seat in the convention. If this should not be the case with all, it
would probably be the case with many, and pretty certainly with those leading
characters, on whom every thing depends in such bodies…it is the reason, alone,
of the public, that ought to control and regulate the</span></i><i><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #242424; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></i><i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #242424; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">government.”</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Public
access to view the proceedings of House and Senate began in December 1795.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The
rapid growth of the Federal Government during President Franklin Roosevelt’s
“New Deal” raised concerns about public access to Executive Branch documents
and proceedings. Many of Roosevelt’s new agencies had unprecedented powers to
create laws and regulations outside the reach of Congress. On June 11, 1946,
the Administrative Procedures Act (APA) was enacted to re-establish balance
between the Legislative and Executive Branches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The APA also outlined how the public would be informed and allowed to
comment on Executive Branch actions:</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 1.2pt; margin-left: 74.4pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">to require agencies to keep the public informed of their
organization, procedures and rules<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 1.2pt; margin-left: 74.4pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">to provide for public participation in the rulemaking
process, for instance through public comment <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 1.2pt; margin-left: 74.4pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">to establish uniform standards for the conduct of formal
rulemaking and adjudication<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 1.2pt; margin-left: 74.4pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">to define the scope of judicial review</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The
APA had its limitations as bureaucrats continually found ways to avoid
compliance. A more explicit federal law mandating public access to unclassified
government meetings, the Government in the Sunshine Act was
enacted September 13, 1976.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Similar
“Sunshine Laws” were enacted among state and local governments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, to this day, citizens still have to
file lawsuits to enforce public access as elected and appointed officials fail
to provide “adequate public notice” to hide questionable actions.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="yiv6612584551msonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black;">The practice of public
accessing public documents began o</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #111111;">n December 2, 1766, ten years before the American Revolution.
Sweden passed the “Freedom of the Press Act”. Among other things—it gave
Swedish citizens access to uncensored government documents. This was the first
“freedom of information” law in history.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #414042;">The world's first law requiring "publicity for official
documents" was initiated by the Finnish-Swedish enlightenment thinker
Anders Chydenius, a member of the Swedish Diet (Parliament).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="yiv6612584551msonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><a href="https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/foia/2016-12-02/foia250-worlds-first-freedom-information-act-dates-1766">FOIA@250:
World’s First Freedom of Information Act Dates to 1766 | National Security
Archive (gwu.edu)</a><b><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #414042;">“</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #202122;">No evidence should be needed that a certain freedom of
writing and printing is one of the strongest bulwarks of a free organization of
the state, as, without it, the estates would not have sufficient information
for the drafting of good laws, and those dispensing justice would not be
monitored, nor would the subjects know the requirements of the law, the limits
of the rights of government, and their responsibilities. Education and ethical
conduct would be crushed; coarseness in thought, speech, and manners would
prevail, and dimness would darken the entire sky of our freedom in a few
years.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #202122;">Chydenius’ </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Freedom of Print Act was
intended to vitalize political discussions. To achieve this objective, Chydenius
asserted it was essential that the citizens had access to official documents in
order to see how the state was run. Seven of the ordinance’s fifteen paragraphs
were dedicated to detailing this public access.</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #414042;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="yiv6612584551msonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: whitesmoke; color: #111111;">While
the Administrative Procedures Act mandated information access, it rarely
happened. Formalizing “Freedom of Information Access” for American citizens
took longer</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #111111;">. The American Society of Newspaper Editors commissioned
Harold L. Cross, legal counsel for the <em><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">New
York Herald Tribune</span></em>, to investigate the issue of excessive
government secrecy. Cross’s 1953 report was published as a book titled <em><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">The People’s Right to Know</span></em>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="yiv6612584551msonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #111111;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="yiv6612584551msonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #111111;">Cross
wrote that virtually every part of American government operated under what
amounted to an “official cult of secrecy”; that this secrecy had become “a
breeding ground for corruption; that it was leading to a rise in public
mistrust in government; and that all of these things combined were doing
serious damage to American democracy itself.” Cross 400-page report made the
case that Congress must craft new legislation that gave American citizens
greater access to the inner workings of their government. In the early
1950s, <em><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">The People’s Right to Know</span></em> became
a manual for the blossoming “freedom of information” movement.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="yiv6612584551msonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #111111;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="yiv6612584551msonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #111111;">In 1955,
f</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #181818;">ormer businessman John Moss (D-CA) began a 12-year effort to codify
Cross’s recommendation by passing the Federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="yiv6612584551msonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #181818;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="yiv6612584551msonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #111111;">On June
20, 1966, it passed the House of Representatives (306 to 0). It was then sent
on to President Lyndon Johnson.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="yiv6612584551msonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #111111;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="yiv6612584551msonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #111111;">Johnson
opposed the legislation but allowed it to become law on July 4, 1966.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="yiv6612584551msonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="yiv6612584551msonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black;">On this 4<sup>th</sup>
of July we should celebrate this milestone in the public’s power to </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black;">observe government decisions
and maintain checks on government power. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="yiv6612584551msonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="yiv6612584551msonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black;">It <span style="background: white;">reminds us that citizens must remain constantly vigilant to protect our
god given rights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Scot Faulknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17079954397157252754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7623878818456909306.post-20907922157311637782023-06-01T16:25:00.037-04:002023-06-22T14:29:01.776-04:00COUNTRY HEIST<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmd5y6ofCJeG0cBkoIaop4vNcLCYw-hb8EIm0ntv_fjluCgVXM-PfjKjEmVfNouV00h1-hFutKynyA2BYTLBiuRMN8G5g-wLKvpChCxWVddef6x2-s_9XClVFo-Xrz0_svhMkGfEXqiHglegd9LMFX_PmdolBNXat8VNqbxmHGKXdp931LhSohvB6o/s1920/MONEY%20HEIST.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmd5y6ofCJeG0cBkoIaop4vNcLCYw-hb8EIm0ntv_fjluCgVXM-PfjKjEmVfNouV00h1-hFutKynyA2BYTLBiuRMN8G5g-wLKvpChCxWVddef6x2-s_9XClVFo-Xrz0_svhMkGfEXqiHglegd9LMFX_PmdolBNXat8VNqbxmHGKXdp931LhSohvB6o/w400-h225/MONEY%20HEIST.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">[Published in the Sunday Guardian of India]</span></div><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Americans are bewildered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everywhere they look the Left is
prevailing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every day, the Left makes
progress throughout the political landscape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At the same time Republicans seem to no longer be Republicans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Real conservatives fight holding actions but
remain steps behind the Left’s next offensive. The victories are silenced
behind a wall of Leftist media.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">This is happening by design,
based upon a century old strategic plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">To better understand what is happening consider the truism
that “Life imitates art”.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">“Money Heist” is a terrific series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the most watched Netflix series in
history, topping the charts in 190 countries. For five seasons, this Spanish
language thriller has drawn in its audience with plot twists, sex, humor, and
iconic Salvador Dali masks. A mastermind, the “Professor”, plans and achieves
two audacious robberies by preparing years before they occur.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He positions people, structures, tunnels, and
equipment that come into play at the right time. Spanish security officials
remain baffled and outwitted at every turn.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">“Money Heist” delivers great entertainment, but it also
delivers great insights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Left
achieved their heist of America with decades of planning and positioning in advance
of their takeover.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-top: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-family: arial;">In 1927, Stuart Chase, one of the founding members of President
Franklin Roosevelt’s (FDR) “Brain Trust”, met with Stalin and Trotsky to gain
inspiration for taking over America. In his 1932 “New Deal” book Chase mused,
“Why should the Russians have all the fun of remaking the world?” <a href="https://citizenoversight.blogspot.com/2022/02/the-terraforming-of-america.html">Citizen
Oversight: THE TERRAFORMING OF AMERICA</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Guided by Chase’s vision, the Left set about to methodically
capture America’s cultural levers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Hollywood fell first. Most news media fell by the late 1960s. Print
media was corrupted from the start. Pro-America outlets, like Time Magazine,
succumbed as their conservative founders retired or died. Academia was
conquered during the 1960s in the wake of the “free speech movement” and then
the anti-Vietnam War protests.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Corporations were colonized by the Left starting in the 1970s
through control of Human Resources. The Left’s insertion of people resulted in
Wokism and Environmental Social Governance (ESG) dominating leading businesses.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">During the 1980s, the Left targeted </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #191919; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">13,452 </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">school districts. Leftist teachers replaced moderate pro-American
teachers as they retired.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These Leftist
teachers promoted revisionist history supported by new textbooks like Howard
Zinn’s “A People’s History of the United States”, which became the standard
high school textbook for a generation.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Once history became the Left’s “etch-a-sketch” they could
alter facts at will.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They methodically demonized
all that is good about our nation through the 1619 Project, Critical Race Theory
(CRT) and their variants. </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><a href="https://citizenoversight.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-lefts-final-solution.html">Citizen
Oversight: THE LEFT’s FINAL SOLUTION</a></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">The Left downplays commemorations that reinforce American exceptionalism
and our founding values.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have
inserted competing anniversaries that are a drumbeat of Leftist iconography.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="https://citizenoversight.blogspot.com/2020/07/assault-on-july-4th.html">Citizen
Oversight: ASSAULT ON JULY 4th</a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Mundane commemorations, such
as “Heritage Months” for various demographics, have become vehicles for Leftist
indoctrination.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> In </span>West Virginia, the
most conservative Republican state, public school leaders promoted Che Guevara as
their 2022 role model for Hispanic Heritage Month.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Conservatives bear some blame.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They never made September 17, Constitution Day,
a national holiday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They allowed President
Nixon to eliminate Washington’s and Lincoln’s Birthday for the generic “President’s
Day”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The goal of featuring two stellar
role models of leadership and integrity got diluted with the likes of Buchanan,
Filmore, Harding, and Pierce.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Americans did not see the Leftist tsunami coming. Today, the
Leftist echo chamber is supported at all levels of government and society.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Conservatives are outmaneuvered constantly. The recent fiasco
in the Tennessee legislature is emblematic. Two disruptive Leftist legislators
were expelled only to be reappointed and feted at the White House. Worse,
Republicans didn’t expel a third legislator because she didn’t fully
participate in events that triggered the expulsion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, she was White, the two who were
expelled were Black, leading to charges of racism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Doesn’t anyone “war game” these things?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every move and counter move was
predictable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Republicans fell into a
very obvious trap.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">The Left is many moves ahead on a wide range of fronts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are promoting Jimmy Carter for
“sainthood” in anticipation of his death. They have rioters at the ready the
next time a White policeman kills a Black.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They buried the truth about Russiagate, Obamagate, January 6, Covid, and
countless other lies told to Americans. Congressional Republicans have
witnesses who lie or not show up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Documents are withheld or redacted beyond recognition. Impeachments will
fall short of the 66 votes needed in the Senate to convict. Michelle Obama is
waiting in the wings if Biden stumbles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Is anyone planning counter moves?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Conservatives once had the upper hand. They</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">
outmaneuvered the Left in the run up to the Reagan Revolution and they defeated
the Soviets.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The Reagan Revolution was
years in the making.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Conservatives
established a real movement starting after World War II.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First came the philosophical provenance. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Publications, like National Review and Human
Events, were forums for ideas to be tested and refined.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Organizations, like the Foundation for
Economic Education, broadened and deepened the ideas of liberty.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Activist groups, starting with
the Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) and the American Conservative Union
(ACU), operationalized conservative ideas. The Fund for American Studies (TFAS)
became the vehicle for recruiting, educating, and credentialing the cream of
the young conservatives.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The “New Right” took these
foundational elements to a whole new level.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Richard Viguerie, Howard Philips, and Paul Weyrich forged a network of
conservative teams that met regularly to plan and implement actions to derail
the Carter Administration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kingston was
the strategic hub from which Stanton (national security) and Library Court
(faith issues) spread activism to ever expanding circles of influence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These collaborated with issue specific groups
and leaders, like Phyllis Schlafly. Serving as a link to the conservative
intelligentsia was the Heritage Foundation, led by Ed Feulner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The “fighting on the outside”
network supported the “inside fighters” led by M. Stanton Evans, a colleague of
William F. Buckley and author of YAF’s Sharon Statement – the ultimate conservative
manifesto.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Evans launched a generation
of insider “demolition experts”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Monday
Club brought all key leaders together at the Hawk & Dove Restaurant. The
Chesapeake Society was the strategic hub for Members and staff from 75 offices
to wreak havoc on House Democrats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
Dirty Dozen conducted similar guerilla actions in the Senate.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The Conservative Movement was
based upon timeless concepts of liberty, free market capitalism, limited
government, and a bold anti-Communist foreign policy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It found its voice in prominent conservative
Senators and Congressmen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ultimately, it
rallied around national leaders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Senator
Barry Goldwater was the “proof of concept” candidate for successfully thwarting
the establishment Republicans to become the Party’s Presidential nominee in
1964.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His most famous surrogate, Ronald
Reagan, burst on the national scene with his election eve “Time for Choosing”
speech.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reagan made the “proof of
concept” a vibrant reality by winning two terms as Governor of California and
two landslide elections for President of the United States.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The Reagan Revolution changed
the world because it had built a massive infrastructure of dedicated activists
who were ready, willing, and very able to make conservativism an operational
reality.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">This infrastructure was most
clearly manifested in the defeat of the Soviet Empire and the destruction of
the Soviet Union. Stan Evans’ Sharon Statement boldly declared America stand
for “victory over rather than coexistence with” Communism. Conservatives took this
to heart and moved on a massive global front.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Legions of covert agents were brought out of retirement by William
Casey, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). They fanned out to
create chaos and destruction throughout the Soviet world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Legions of “overt” agents of influence took
over global forums that were once the domain of State Department apologists and
Leftist academics.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Reagan sent Bill Wilson, the
leader of his Kitchen Cabinet, to the Vatican.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Wilson supported Pope John Paul II's desire to free Poland, his home country, and the millions suffering under Soviet oppression throughout Central and Eastern Europe. This allowed Reagan,</span> along with his close ties to British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, to forge a “Big Three” that stopped the Soviet’s Carter era momentum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They then coordinated a strategic offensive
that activated the millions living under Soviet oppression. Not since World War
II had such an alliance been so effective.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The lesson is clear, defeating
the Left can be done and has been done. We need to remember this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">We also need to watch riveting
fiction to learn how to do it again.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><em><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black;">Scot Faulkner served as Chief Administrative
Officer of the U.S. House of Representatives. He was Director of Personnel for
the 1980 Reagan Campaign, served on the Presidential Transition team, and on
Reagan’s White House Staff. He currently advises corporations on
implementing strategic change.</span></em><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Scot Faulknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17079954397157252754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7623878818456909306.post-2025042026600587252016-02-02T11:19:00.003-05:002023-06-20T16:28:39.038-04:00PEOPLE EQUAL POLICY<i><u><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"></span></u></i><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PjXUZbhiZys/V2wmoToXBXI/AAAAAAAAA7Q/6Mx0VH1yu2IGPuVjRAucBPLjHT57KFH3QCLcB/s1600/REAGAN%2BCABINET.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PjXUZbhiZys/V2wmoToXBXI/AAAAAAAAA7Q/6Mx0VH1yu2IGPuVjRAucBPLjHT57KFH3QCLcB/w400-h229/REAGAN%2BCABINET.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;">[Also
published in </span><a href="http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/personnel-is-policy/article/2582115"><span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/personnel-is-policy/article/2582115</span></span></a><span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;"> ]</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;">Americans
across the political spectrum are clamoring for real change in Washington.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is going to take real leadership – vision,
strength, and a deep skepticism of the Washington elite – to turn rhetoric into
reality.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;">How
will the next President actually change the Federal Government?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The answer lies in who they know.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;">An
incoming President finds they have a wonderful view from the “pilot house” of
the “ship of state”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They quickly
realize there are no control connections to the ship and the engine room is
still under the control of those loyal to the previous Administration.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;">The
process of establishing control over the “ship of state” makes or breaks a
Presidency.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also determines the
potential for actually changing the system versus simply managing the status
quo.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;">A
new President gets to hire 8,045 new people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These positions are listed in the “Plum Book” published in November
after each Presidential Election.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These
positions are the Cabinet and Agency heads, their teams, White House staff,
Ambassadors, and term appointments for federal regulatory boards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An array of part time advisory board slots
round out the “plums”.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;">In
1980, I served as Director of Personnel for the Reagan-Bush Campaign.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This led to helping plan, and administer, the
Presidential Transition, ultimately heading clearances for Presidential
Personnel in the Reagan White House.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This was a unique opportunity to participate in every phase of how a
campaign becomes an Administration.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;">Reagan
was the first to lead the modern conservative movement into power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was not an easy process.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remnants of the defeated campaigns became
part of the Reagan-Bush team for the general election.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This meant Reagan loyalists had to work with
Bush, Connolly, and Dole staffers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jockeying for power occurred from day one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While the original Reagan team prevailed,
Ford and Rockefeller alumni (turned Bush loyalists), positioned themselves for
the Administration to come.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;">After
the Reagan landslide came an epic behind the scenes battle for the soul of the
Reagan Administration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bush loyalists,
led by James Baker, allied with the Presidential Personnel team headed by Penn
James. James had run Nixon’s transition and was assailed by conservatives in
1969 for his shutting out ideological loyalists in favor of technocrats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This battle was renewed as James and his
team, which included Democrats and nonpolitical corporate head hunters,
declared that experience trumped ideology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Hundreds of Ford alumni poured into the transition and dominated
appointment short lists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reagan
loyalists derisively labeled them “retreads”.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;">It
took the entry of Reagan’s Kitchen Cabinet, allied with Reagan’s Regional
Political Directors and Washington-based conservatives to turn the tide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In early December 1980, conservative icon
Stan Evans convened the coalition under the code name “Inchon”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Inchon was aptly named as staffing the Reagan
era was truly a game changing invasion behind enemy lines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The combined knowledge and access of the
thirty core Inchon members toppled James’ team and opened the door for real
Reaganites to staff the Reagan Administration.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;">Who
among the Republican Presidential contenders have similar stalwarts?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 2012, I participated in the early
transition planning for Romney.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His team
was awash in Bush alumni.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Washington
“retreads” have the connections, and the credentials, to insinuate themselves
into a new power circle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have the
presence to intimidate and dazzle weary campaign staffers with a cacophony of
“if you knew what we knew” to dilute ideological zeal with a status quo mindset.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;">Those
who truly want Washington to change must look beyond the rhetoric to the
Rolodex.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Political personnel decisions
are defined by BOGSAT – Bunch of Guys Sitting Around a Table. Which Republican
candidate will block retreads?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which
Republican candidate will refuse calls from Congress to find jobs for defeated
candidates?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which Republican candidate
will ignore calls from the Republican National Committee to reward donors and
lobbyists?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which Republican candidate
will place their change agenda ahead of demographic tokens who generate
superficial accolades among mainstream media?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Which Republican candidate will avoid “false affinities” (ties to home
state, college alumni, clubs) to make sure their team is up to the task?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;">Another
challenge for the new President is expanding power beyond their 8,045 appointments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do you drive your agenda into each
Department, agency, and program?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;">Except
for the White House and agency support staffers (hired under “Schedule C”
authority), the Plum Book positions directly supervise career federal
employees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This means the President’s
team can hire, fire, transfer, promote, reward, and punish approximately
50,000+ within the career service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
Reagan Transition developed initial lists of these careerists known as “Super
Plum”.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;">Which
Presidential contender has people who understand how to wield this power and
direct real change?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Reagan
transition included a team whose sole mission was to identify the critical
power paths within each Department and major Agency.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What twelve positions actually ran the Department
of Commerce?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This team identified them
and made recommendations for who would be the first wave of occupation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;">Another
team ran the “welcome wagon”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This team
met with every Secretary-Designate, Agency Head-Designate, and their inner
circles, to walk them through “Super Plum”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They helped develop strategies for establishing full control of their
organization and prioritized what Carter regulations and initiatives could
immediately be stopped and reversed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;">The
Reagan Revolution happened by design not by chance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It happened because legions of loyalists came
to Washington to make a difference.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who
among the current Republican Presidential field can deliver real results beyond
Election Day?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;">[Scot Faulkner was
Director of Personnel for Reagan-Bush 1980, served in the Office of the
President-Elect, and on the White House Staff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Later, he served as the first Chief Administrative Officer of the U.S.
House of Representatives.]</span></i></div>
Scot Faulknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17079954397157252754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7623878818456909306.post-32782384223668847512023-05-19T19:05:00.013-04:002023-06-01T19:13:46.285-04:00HOW TO OPPOSE GOVERNMENT OVERREACH<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivAwJ2dY-frdK5oCibypkt96z-uRyZzrUzJsH-Bgx6AwT8Lq1ub_cgW2JjIk-p0IaciAtGu3tr7KNEm_ih0W1N3QgiHfvueT2uq-O7ZXvsMD_oyGH93bRxIQ0Odja_jF-J4WYuSj6AQ60mnkGDQyockq5xsfao1ScdspeiLTIEo0iesQm6iExKnPB3/s1024/Patrick%20Henry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="1024" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivAwJ2dY-frdK5oCibypkt96z-uRyZzrUzJsH-Bgx6AwT8Lq1ub_cgW2JjIk-p0IaciAtGu3tr7KNEm_ih0W1N3QgiHfvueT2uq-O7ZXvsMD_oyGH93bRxIQ0Odja_jF-J4WYuSj6AQ60mnkGDQyockq5xsfao1ScdspeiLTIEo0iesQm6iExKnPB3/w400-h276/Patrick%20Henry.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><a href="https://constitutingamerica.org/90day-fp-a-founding-built-against-unbridled-power-principle-of-civic-duty-to-rein-in-overreaching-government-guest-essayist-scot-faulkner/">A Founding Built Against Unbridled Power: Principle of Civic Duty to Rein In Overreaching Government – Constituting America</a><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><strong><span style="background: #E7F0F5; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-color-alt: windowtext; padding: 0in;">Principle of civic duty to rein in overreaching
government.</span></strong><span style="background: #E7F0F5; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"> <em><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">“They
tell us, sir, that we are weak; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary.
But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will
it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed
in every house?” </span></em>– Patrick Henry, speech delivered at St.
Johns Church, Richmond, Virginia, March 23, 1775 (“Give me liberty” quote was
attributed to Patrick Henry, believed originally from William Wirt).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: #E7F0F5; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">When and how should citizens confront abuses of power by
their government?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: #E7F0F5; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">This is a fundamental question that has shaped political
discourse for centuries.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: #E7F0F5; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Patrick Henry, and the other colonial leaders who
galvanized opposition to the predations of George III, drew upon English legal
precedents and Enlightenment philosophy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They built their rebellion against tyrannical overreach on foundations
laid by their English ancestors.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: #E7F0F5; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">There has always been conflict between those who desire
unbridled power and those they govern.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Often this conflict was settled through force of arms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On June 15, 1215, it was settled by force of
law.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: #E7F0F5; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Rebelling English nobles forced King John to sign a “Great
Charter of Freedoms”, now known as the Magna Carta.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Charter became the basis for English
Common Law and the laws of most English-speaking nations, particularly the
United States.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: #E7F0F5; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">While the Magna Carta focused on individual rights and the
legal system (such as trial by jury), Clause 61 empowered citizens to rein-in
overreaching government. It created a Council of 25 barons to monitor and
enforce King John’s compliance with the Magna Carta.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This included controlling feudal payments to
the Crown, and by implication how the Crown spent “public” funds and
governed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clause 61 included real
sanctions: </span><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">If
John did not comply with the provisions of the Magna Carta, “<i>the 25 barons
were empowered to seize the King’s castles and lands until, in their judgement,
amends had been made</i>”.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: #E7F0F5; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">King John colluded with the Pope to undermine the Magna
Carta, but his successors reissued it and it became a formal part of English
law.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">During
the 13<sup>th</sup> through 15<sup>th</sup> centuries Magna Carta was
reconfirmed at least 32 times. The first item of parliamentary business was a
public reading and reaffirmation of the Magna Carta.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The
Stuart line of kings challenged the four-hundred-year Magna Carta balance of
power to their peril. King Charles I asserted he would not be reined-in by
Parliament.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This led to civil war and
his beheading in 1649.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During the
post-Civil War Restoration, Charles II adopted a more passive approach to
governing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, James II ignored his
elder brother’s compliance with Parliamentary restrictions, which led to his
being overthrown during the “Glorious Revolution” of 1688.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Parliamentary
ascendancy, and ultimate permanent dominance under a “Constitutional Monarchy”,
was buttressed by philosophical publications.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These writings gave broader context to how power must be reined-in and
how it should be done under law.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">In 1680, Henry Care published <i>English Liberties</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It established individual rights as bestowed
at birth, not by government. Care formally asserts,</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> “each
man having a fixed Fundamental Right born with him as to the Freedom of his
Person and Property in his Estate, which he cannot be deprived of, but either
by his consent, or some Crime for which the Law has Imposed such a Penalty as
Forfeiture”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He describes the balance of
a reined-in government, “qualified Monarchy, where the King is vested with prerogatives
sufficient to support Majesty; and restrained from power of doing himself and
his people harm”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Care supported his
philosophical doctrine with a compendium of foundational political
documents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He made the Magna Carta <span style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">central to
history and to the contemporary legitimacy of individual freedom and control of
government overreach.</span> <i>English Liberties</i> became very popular in
British reform (Whig) circles and widely read among leaders in the American
colonies.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Even
more popular among colonial thinkers and activists was John Locke’s <i>Two
Treatises of Government </i>published in 1689.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Locke’s
<i>Second Treatise</i> describes the importance of a civilized society
based on natural (God given) rights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
supports the social contract theory of the governed consenting to limited
government in exchange for a secure and stable environment in which individual
activity and commerce can thrive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
became the primary conceptual work defining traditional 18<sup>th</sup> and 19<sup>th</sup>
Century Liberalism.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Locke’s
<i>Second Treatise</i> was frequently cited in Colonial debates about
George III’s taxes and other punitive measures that comprised the King’s
overreach and over reaction to colonial freedom.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Locke
describes the balance of power </span><span style="color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">between an executive (or
monarchy), which is a "Power always in being that must perpetually execute
the law”, and the legislature, which is the "supreme power of the Common
wealth…governments are charged by the consent of the individual, i.e. the
consent of the majority, giving it either by themselves, or their
representatives chosen by them."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Locke
promotes the proposition that a full economic system could exist within the “state
of nature”. Property predates the existence of government.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Society should be dedicated to the protection
of property.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He expanded on Care’s
“social contract” theory and explains how the “consent of the governed” may be
withdrawn when power is abused, thus serving to rein-in government overreach.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The philosophy
of <i>Two Treatises</i> is echoed throughout the Declaration of
Independence. Thomas Jefferson wrote: "Bacon, Locke, and Newton - I
consider them as the three greatest men that have ever lived, without any
exception, and as having laid the foundation of those superstructures which
have been raised in the Physical & Moral sciences".</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The
foundations of the Magna Carta, English Common Law, and the writings of Care
and Locke birthed our nation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They guide
and inspire citizen oversight and empowerment to this day.</span><span style="background: #E7F0F5; color: #303133; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Scot Faulknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17079954397157252754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7623878818456909306.post-68111841413728918602022-12-15T18:57:00.035-05:002023-06-01T19:04:54.679-04:00PBM's REGULATORY LABYRINTH<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTLGIGaNLW3Isr_3LdNm8hvrsT46IDq3ErS_TGz8h9yXBajTK7rPImymjp010Arr49NMSZqGQTNOXG99EF44WcsunU--_JNM01CUvW1fNumO7SUM3caoOAU9I6uh4oUxgHfx7IxTrjCrgu1plOAdDpEgJBDERBa-I0mM1wFuxqzbSGKGoN85XCQmgK/s3296/PAGE%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3296" data-original-width="2544" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTLGIGaNLW3Isr_3LdNm8hvrsT46IDq3ErS_TGz8h9yXBajTK7rPImymjp010Arr49NMSZqGQTNOXG99EF44WcsunU--_JNM01CUvW1fNumO7SUM3caoOAU9I6uh4oUxgHfx7IxTrjCrgu1plOAdDpEgJBDERBa-I0mM1wFuxqzbSGKGoN85XCQmgK/w494-h640/PAGE%201.jpg" width="494" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMdTGIRowptnaN0sm_cFg6aMZoTZOUSEds7JA643ldInDdZCJbpRRxX8lEa_n3Zgk89I997zYABCEB2LFU-p-5LL3f6bCHlz8pwkC9l69Mji0fkgGWvrriJY96zJnw1ONEqdQ-50p5_Gt8BCEvpC1XJICkRFqtiZaQ1AtDa806veZ3mFlx9g8MPD1Z/s3296/PAGE%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3296" data-original-width="2544" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMdTGIRowptnaN0sm_cFg6aMZoTZOUSEds7JA643ldInDdZCJbpRRxX8lEa_n3Zgk89I997zYABCEB2LFU-p-5LL3f6bCHlz8pwkC9l69Mji0fkgGWvrriJY96zJnw1ONEqdQ-50p5_Gt8BCEvpC1XJICkRFqtiZaQ1AtDa806veZ3mFlx9g8MPD1Z/w494-h640/PAGE%202.jpg" width="494" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOG0i4u9SaYuHMhdB6nCOMx2EleRbm6arYwZkF6yoV-ic54VWIONBGsH0oPJKN_lijF2IYL5-cSYesGzaHWh_pvZSj5ALTsUqPtAeJcXgSuIVYlu6lpYQ8T8ghYRxS5Y18fgPLIvodYoT-iLBu8f5onDgMQNXl8jY3e7Ncq5yD7CBsJbLAL-yMQvbB/s3296/PAGE%203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3296" data-original-width="2544" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOG0i4u9SaYuHMhdB6nCOMx2EleRbm6arYwZkF6yoV-ic54VWIONBGsH0oPJKN_lijF2IYL5-cSYesGzaHWh_pvZSj5ALTsUqPtAeJcXgSuIVYlu6lpYQ8T8ghYRxS5Y18fgPLIvodYoT-iLBu8f5onDgMQNXl8jY3e7Ncq5yD7CBsJbLAL-yMQvbB/w494-h640/PAGE%203.jpg" width="494" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrcxBhzpOAXVn558S6Ml_tOZXHWbcnappkwkllkwrRnHA6HbSkEBjNm83RxcW_Xr6KzPYachx6fgZ24CTyc4OJy38Ytofej1_9igGZG8vY6iQXoZh3hvEsYenKxRv7a7LOYSpmIbl1mZRqEHlUKt20yQU5dGui2off343H5xrkio9KNtRoe2bzYeV7/s3296/PAGE%204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3296" data-original-width="2544" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrcxBhzpOAXVn558S6Ml_tOZXHWbcnappkwkllkwrRnHA6HbSkEBjNm83RxcW_Xr6KzPYachx6fgZ24CTyc4OJy38Ytofej1_9igGZG8vY6iQXoZh3hvEsYenKxRv7a7LOYSpmIbl1mZRqEHlUKt20yQU5dGui2off343H5xrkio9KNtRoe2bzYeV7/w494-h640/PAGE%204.jpg" width="494" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGrMKjkesVPy8gmjXTsAjJ0OkDNsmJ3sVx6SZseGLCdXJOZFwLaByO7BViJN2IdImBIQ5zfupC_tKmJwd2p4hNcyX6Nnwv00tMCwl9xrvUTPcloa1WBSg_OcWXGkjj5gX5BS64Rw0Qp9mlAA3qJwlQ2yDOiXVjIggWqM4K4fFFqbt1zXBPh82aR24M/s3296/Page%205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3296" data-original-width="2544" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGrMKjkesVPy8gmjXTsAjJ0OkDNsmJ3sVx6SZseGLCdXJOZFwLaByO7BViJN2IdImBIQ5zfupC_tKmJwd2p4hNcyX6Nnwv00tMCwl9xrvUTPcloa1WBSg_OcWXGkjj5gX5BS64Rw0Qp9mlAA3qJwlQ2yDOiXVjIggWqM4K4fFFqbt1zXBPh82aR24M/w494-h640/Page%205.jpg" width="494" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAYp8d4sQY3V5gerHo2arPUTBDMVX0SV5poJgNmiHwMxEeMiQZdaDsHYju4itk-ftO-W4tC75UYrUzjlA1_QiEndOfwA47uCLg_JMQHJ5Ky6ecl7PAQlNjnQKIQtRIFyLZCbtgCgCbi-6Cy9mLqWzed7x-0ZPSE8xxxHyEvDf1DO43OUgirBkOk-zy/s3296/PAGE%206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3296" data-original-width="2544" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAYp8d4sQY3V5gerHo2arPUTBDMVX0SV5poJgNmiHwMxEeMiQZdaDsHYju4itk-ftO-W4tC75UYrUzjlA1_QiEndOfwA47uCLg_JMQHJ5Ky6ecl7PAQlNjnQKIQtRIFyLZCbtgCgCbi-6Cy9mLqWzed7x-0ZPSE8xxxHyEvDf1DO43OUgirBkOk-zy/w494-h640/PAGE%206.jpg" width="494" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Scot Faulknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17079954397157252754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7623878818456909306.post-11149870994744274582023-02-03T18:19:00.014-05:002023-06-01T18:30:14.653-04:00LIGHT THERAPY GOING MAINSTREAM<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH9IgvmM5rpYFWIJLoS4CQymSpmGJ5yFX_3MrRbXsCVmw6EV_EDIvaK-Cebb3o-3ePGPf7A9GgLyh6MnjImrAty7FjppyW2NbKUP_dF4h0lTTtVtKYEiFoWC7ARW3s8cZbfd5ehqhlTl8cyidQOb4UuyHs1DDk8Rm9H0xeEbnKdfWDwmqC4Tm9Oe1q/s1080/PBM%20Board%20March%202022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="1080" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH9IgvmM5rpYFWIJLoS4CQymSpmGJ5yFX_3MrRbXsCVmw6EV_EDIvaK-Cebb3o-3ePGPf7A9GgLyh6MnjImrAty7FjppyW2NbKUP_dF4h0lTTtVtKYEiFoWC7ARW3s8cZbfd5ehqhlTl8cyidQOb4UuyHs1DDk8Rm9H0xeEbnKdfWDwmqC4Tm9Oe1q/w400-h195/PBM%20Board%20March%202022.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.shepherd.edu/pbm-home/">Shepherd University | PBM Home</a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Many medical
procedures that are now commonplace were once novel and experimental.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One example is Magnetic Resonance Imaging
(MRI).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When a doctor tells you, “We need
to do a MRI” you say “Okay” and the insurance company you use says “Okay”
without a second thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most patients
do not even remember what “MRI” stands for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is just part of a normal diagnostic process.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">The underlying
concept of MRI was discovered in 1945.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>MRI was first used in 1974.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
whole-body MRI scanner was developed in 1977.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">The Photobiomodulation
Foundation is attempting to make “PBM” the next “MRI”.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">There are many
challenges.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Dr. Endre
Mester, a medical researcher in Budapest, Hungary, discovered the PBM effect in
1967.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His ground-breaking discovery
remained little known for 22 years, until the fall of the Berlin Wall in
November 1989.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>PBM papers began being
published in the West in 1990.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their acceptance
suffered from wide-spread skepticism of research conducted behind the “Iron
Curtain” of Communist run countries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>PBM
also suffered from researchers, inventors, and practitioners creating a
plethora of terms describing the same effect, making it difficult to track
studies and trials.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">PBM’s many
applications, devices, and manufacturers created a “wild west” where consumers
are overwhelmed with terminology, product claims, and company marketing.
Limited anecdotal evidence is comingled with validated clinical trials while
the 9,000+ published papers range from world class seminal works to poorly
written and fragmentary essays.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
cacophony is daunting to all.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">PBM is
segmenting into Medical Grade devices that are used in clinical settings, and
Consumer Grade devices (usually called Red Light Therapy) that are used by
individuals in their homes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are
also trends away from LASERS to LEDs and employing higher light wave lengths
(the traditional 500-900nm spectrum is pushing toward 1200nm).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">The PBM
marketplace is getting more complex as Medical Grade devices are now being used
in home settings and being self-administered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Medical Grade devices are being used for cosmetic purposes, and Consumer
Grade devices are being used for treating medical conditions.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">While PBM’s
popularity is expanding its benefits to a wider population, it is creating a
“buyer beware” environment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Trust among
health professionals and consumers is vital to PBM becoming an accepted
mainstream biotechnology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Leading PBM researchers wrestled with these multiple challenges.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A series of meetings resulted in the
Photobiomodulation (PBM) Foundation being founded in December 2017. There were
already the North American Association for Laser Therapy (NAALT) and the World
Association for Laser Therapy (WALT), along with the oral health focused,
Academy of Laser Dentistry (ALD). These organizations perform the invaluable
role of sharing research and application among PBM professionals. The PBM
Foundation was to be different by being more outwardly focused in communicating
and partnering with policy officials, political leaders/influencers, media, and
stakeholders.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The PBM Foundation’s first task was becoming
“bi-lingual”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This meant translating impenetrable
research papers, that were filled with five-syllable terms, into lay audience
messaging that directly related and resonated to the interests of decision
makers and influencers.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Another challenge was to focus the wide array of PBM’s
health impacts to a critical few, which had the strongest clinical evidence and
highest impact on public health.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
first three were (1) preventing side effects of cancer treatment, especially
Oral Mucositis; (2) Pain management, as it relates to addressing the Opioid crisis;
and (3) treating Veterans for neurological conditions, physical therapy, and
wounds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">October 11, 2018 was the PBM Foundation’s “curtain raising”
event – a formal Congressional Briefing on Capitol Hill focused on how PBM’s
successful management of pain could address America’s Opioid crisis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was followed by formal testimony before
various Opioid and Pain Management task forces within the Federal Government.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Media outreach generated mainstream news coverage of PBM
successfully managing pain and preventing Oral Mucositis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center,
the West Virginia University Cancer Institute, and St. Jude’s Children’s
Hospital formed an echo-chamber of high profile stories on PBM’s life-saving
impacts.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Veterans’ hospitals began using PBM to treat their neurological
patients, led by a partnership with Boston University.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ten other VA medical centers adopted PBM for
physical therapy and healing wounds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Political support for Veterans generated Congressional endorsement,
showcased by Rep. Jim Hagedorn’s and Rep. Alex Mooney’s Keynote addresses at
PBM2021.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Another PBM Foundation initiative is a pilot Equipment Testing
program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The goal is to provide an
independent review of a product’s operation relative to its claims.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
information will allow consumers of medical equipment to make medically and
fiscally responsible equipment choices. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The goal is to build trust among consumers by verifying
viable products in a crowded and confusing marketplace.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">The PBM
Foundation draws much of its inspiration from hundreds of industry associations,
which provide vehicles for competing companies to find common cause, while
improving the professionalism of their industry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This unity of purpose will be the final
element in making the application of PBM the next MRI.<o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Scot Faulknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17079954397157252754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7623878818456909306.post-72423906533937264472022-03-25T18:04:00.001-04:002023-06-01T18:19:12.262-04:00FIRST CENTER OF EXCELLENCE FOR LIGHT THERAPY<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWXNvocuFxQ-RsUyIUxhzBdG_-v6o9ZuzampnKnOEIm1O_HDAk__mm1sMgZlB9zehA2w3QjaBzPEoPWgv27-neVOBKHWKLmwmTQy2UhVC_hTl3Vp2LJKB_FaCuvqrF207ivgZPm5lODXFk6TVGft9fX9okB4MSsGYKaFJolneP3gbiCDeQ1dIdkwQM/s526/Shepherd%20Wellness%20Ad%20October%202022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="526" data-original-width="526" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWXNvocuFxQ-RsUyIUxhzBdG_-v6o9ZuzampnKnOEIm1O_HDAk__mm1sMgZlB9zehA2w3QjaBzPEoPWgv27-neVOBKHWKLmwmTQy2UhVC_hTl3Vp2LJKB_FaCuvqrF207ivgZPm5lODXFk6TVGft9fX9okB4MSsGYKaFJolneP3gbiCDeQ1dIdkwQM/w400-h400/Shepherd%20Wellness%20Ad%20October%202022.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><a href="https://www.shepherd.edu/center-excellence-photobiomodulation/">Shepherd University | Center of Excellence for Photobiomodulation at Shepherd University</a></p><p></p><p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">On March 21, with national and state officials attending, Dr.
Mary Hendrix, President of Shepherd University formally inaugurated The Center
of Excellence for Photobiomodulation (PBM).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">The ceremony was the culmination of many years of work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was an historic moment for the PBM
movement.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">During the October 2017 PBM Strategic Planning Session, the Center
of Excellence was a key priority, along with establishing the PBM Foundation
and a testing program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was deemed
important that the PBM movement had a formal “home” from which to build
collaborative relationships with scientists, practitioners, and industry while
attracting the resources needed to take PBM mainstream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">The Center of Excellence for PBM will become the framework for
aggregating, curating, and disseminating information on discovery and
application of this biotech breakthrough.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Shepherd University was the Center of Excellence’s logical
location. Shepherd University’s School of Nursing was the first in the world to
formally incorporate knowledge and use of PBM into their graduation
requirements.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its 400 nursing students
interact with PBM’s top researchers while gaining “hands on” experience using
the most advanced PBM medical devices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Shepherd’s PBM adjunct faculty is a “who’s who” of global experts.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">President Hendrix also made Shepherd a logical location.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is a leading scientist in cancer research,
writing more than 280 published papers on biomedical research and serving on
national boards relating to health policy and medical innovation.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">This natural alignment was further augmented by relationships
with PBM supportive medical and research facilities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These include the Martinsburg Veterans Health
Center, one of the largest in the nation, the Mountaineer Recovery Center, the
National Conservation Training Center, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s
Research Center.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">In July 2019, the West Virginia state government recognized
Shepherd’s leadership role with a $2.7 million grant to address rural health
and use PBM for managing pain to reduce Opioid use.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>West Virginia remains America’s epicenter for
Opioid addiction and deaths.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">In December 2021, the Governor of West Virginia allocated
$500,000 under the </span><span style="background: white; color: #525252; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic
Security Act (CARES Act) for establishing the PBM Center of Excellence
order to, as the Governor announced, “</span><span style="background: white; color: #29292c; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">develop cutting edge technique that manages
pain and does so many different things that could very well be a breakthrough
in the COVID situation.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: #525252; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">“The Center’s vision is to universally improve
health and wellbeing by using the science of PBM and its devices to deliver
therapies to speed recoveries from injury and illness,” said Dr. Jennifer
Flora, Shepherd’s Director of PBM Wellness. “We are in the business of changing
lives for the better. Our goal is to help people thrive using innovative
technology and it starts today at the Wellness Center with convenient PBM
services for our campus and surrounding community.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Dr. Praveen Arany, the PBM Center of
Excellence’s Interim Executive Director, said the Center’s three core goals are
to “focus on wellness, explore deaddiction to opioids, and treat long COVID-19
symptoms”.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“A lot of people have had COVID-19 and as they
are recovering, we are finding things like fatigue, depression, and chronic
diseases, which are causing concern,” Arany said. “We would like to use this
innovative treatment that is nonpharmacological and noninvasive and focuses on
the host’s resilience. We are trying to make people healthier and better.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Center’s launch lays the groundwork for
further progress on the science and application of PBM and educating the public
about the benefits of this revolutionary treatment.</span></p><p></p>Scot Faulknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17079954397157252754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7623878818456909306.post-73040514068922638052022-08-19T16:50:00.018-04:002023-06-01T16:56:43.390-04:00THE FUTURE OF LIGHT THERAPY<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Fk81cNhX9MRHr-bOns6BwkAOBz7gg6FYJnKitqF7x_8N67ydhNoOotJoa2jSJIA0wSw7Ust5shpg2rdf9Vm7VJnFP_hTVziyEp5-uPbhwEiQZfHaf6OzlNIbHS2Vl3rGWMSVcO5P5kvjjmeFtiAvdduR4Wc_D2Lha9JL3s9CmtVrS43BCe5tA-Bq/s1080/Scot%20Speaking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Fk81cNhX9MRHr-bOns6BwkAOBz7gg6FYJnKitqF7x_8N67ydhNoOotJoa2jSJIA0wSw7Ust5shpg2rdf9Vm7VJnFP_hTVziyEp5-uPbhwEiQZfHaf6OzlNIbHS2Vl3rGWMSVcO5P5kvjjmeFtiAvdduR4Wc_D2Lha9JL3s9CmtVrS43BCe5tA-Bq/w400-h266/Scot%20Speaking.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Scot Faulkner spoke about the science and application of Photobiomodulation (PBM) - "red-light therapy" to the Annual Meeting of Doctors for Disaster Preparedness in Las Vegas.</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://rumble.com/v1grcqt-photobiomodulation-innovative-treatment-for-pain-wounds-and-brain-injury.-s.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Photobiomodulation:
Innovative Treatment for Pain, Wounds, and Brain Injury. Scot Faulkner
(rumble.com)</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Scot Faulknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17079954397157252754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7623878818456909306.post-47957003009295492272022-12-01T16:27:00.012-05:002023-06-01T16:40:08.400-04:00LEADING IN THE NEW CONGRESS<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ljWzHZ7ZstMOdegm8YAVsztdJxswrgOyF6v0ihZyor6XhjvtZENkaiONq2uXTMhdbVklaA8xUwXA6g8BNl2rkHR_S1Gs5XKqEYY8AMBC0Jt5IxLP9dCVhdl3cCLoOXiwRvXxw-uOLwefTbGtuARbA_g6HH0nJzKyUK_9kisGTH2AN_4nEs4tnRgS/s1024/kevin-mccarthy-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="1024" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ljWzHZ7ZstMOdegm8YAVsztdJxswrgOyF6v0ihZyor6XhjvtZENkaiONq2uXTMhdbVklaA8xUwXA6g8BNl2rkHR_S1Gs5XKqEYY8AMBC0Jt5IxLP9dCVhdl3cCLoOXiwRvXxw-uOLwefTbGtuARbA_g6HH0nJzKyUK_9kisGTH2AN_4nEs4tnRgS/w400-h250/kevin-mccarthy-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">[Published on Newmax]</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Republican Congress has a small window of
opportunity to redefine the political landscape.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Will Republicans repeat history or make history?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Remember 2011?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Republicans won an historic number of seats in 2010 only to become
disappointingly ineffective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
thundering herd of elephants birthed mice.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Republicans will need to overcome several
challenges.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">First, most media will declare the “end of days”
and breathlessly report the coming “Republican apocalypse” in detail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They will demonize every incoming Republican
with cherry-picked “facts” and an endless array of fiction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Second, Republicans will not be unified.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They rarely are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Conservatives should remember that just
because Members of Congress are “R”s they are not necessarily “ours”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are moderate and liberal Republicans,
along with swamp dwellers, timid souls, and special interest conflicted.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Republicans, even with a slim majority, can make
a difference if they achieve four major goals: Expose; <span style="background: white;">End; </span>Equip; Endure.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">EXPOSE<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Congress has a fundamental duty to conduct
oversight and hold those in power accountable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This begins with Congress itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Republican leaders must immediately demand that
January 6, 2021, videos from all 1,800 Capitol Hill cameras are preserved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Any cameras “not working on that day”, and
“lost" or “damaged” videos, must be fully explained and documented.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">On January 6, 2023, Congress embraces
transparency by releasing all January 6 videos from all cameras unedited or
redacted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let Americans see for
themselves what happened.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">To follow-up, Congress then identifies law
enforcement shown on Capitol security and news videos helping protesters by
unlocking and opening doors, removing security barriers, waving them to the
Capitol, or standing-by passively.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each
law enforcement officer should be individually brought behind closed doors and
asked, under oath, “who told you to do that?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Those who “were following orders’ will be asked,
“whose orders?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their superiors are brought
forward and asked the same questions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Congressional Q&A continues until top law enforcement officials either
assert they initiated rules of engagement themselves or identify orders from specifically
named elected officials.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These
communications would then be released to the public.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There are countless Biden abominations that
deserve investigation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Republicans must
heed the lessons from their ineffectual pursuit of Obama scandals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Subpoenas will be ignored, documents will be
withheld, slow walked, or become “missing”, witnesses will refuse to testify,
lie, or obfuscate.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The gold standard remains the 1973 Watergate
Committee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They began with the lowest
level people and worked their way up to the top.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Questions were asked and Members waited for answers
instead of launching into finger waving monologues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Public hearings are theatrical events.
Republicans need to manage the plot, characters, and answers beforehand and build
a narrative.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The truth is out there but
is nearly impossible to uncover in a timely enough manner to matter.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Nonpartisan oversight should also occur, using hundreds
of reports published by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the 72
Department and Agency Inspectors General.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Americans need to repeatedly hear about the mindboggling expanse of waste,
fraud, and abuse that is endemic in the Federal Government.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This validates the next Republican
President’s reform agenda.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">END<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Republicans will end new Biden initiatives and
reduce his ability for mischief. They can defund programs, positions, and
people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They can turn campaign promises
into reality by introducing legislation addressing voter priorities.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Justification through hearings and legislation will
reveal and debunk the underlying dogma that is driving the Biden agendas for
climate change and wokism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Deindustrializing America is foundational to Biden’s assault on energy
independence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Showcasing silenced
experts on these matters is vital.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Biden will veto everything Republicans do, and
they will not have the votes to override. Republicans can counter by thinking
well ahead of these predictable moves. Biden vetoes will become opportunities
to contrast Republican voter-endorsed solutions with how Biden’s policies
destroy America. This builds the case for change in 2024.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">EQUIP<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Republicans used the last two years of President
Jimmy Carter to pave the way for the Reagan Revolution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next two years can equip the next
Republican President with ideas and actions that will define the political
landscape for 2024 and beyond. Through hearings, legislation, and floor
speeches, they can build a mandate for the next Republican President to “hit
the ground running”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This change agenda
will generate Leftist attacks, providing insights for Republican counter
measures when they are reintroduced in 2025.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">ENDURE<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Washington, DC swamp is far deeper and
extensive than anyone ever realized.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Republicans
who cannot be bought-off or scared-off will be relentlessly savaged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Democrats are known for locking arms and
never breaking ranks. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Republicans shoot
their wounded, even ones with minor injuries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Time to think strategically and prepare for future battles</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">To save America we must think past one election,
one hearing, or one piece of legislation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It took years for the Left to gain the upper
hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It will take years to end their reign.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><i>Scot Faulkner served as Chief Administrative Officer of the U.S.
House of Representatives and helped lead Speaker Newt Gingrich's Congressional
Transition in 1994. He was Director of Personnel for the 1980 Reagan Campaign
and served on the Presidential Transition team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He currently advises corporations on implementing strategic change. </i></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Scot Faulknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17079954397157252754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7623878818456909306.post-39146349521125455022022-02-23T11:44:00.008-05:002022-02-23T11:45:38.343-05:00THE TERRAFORMING OF AMERICA<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnl2Lu5S9FQ-ic6GsBuO2KZBtYDikN5KKGrFSa2XgpYYi3ZTDZOWf84iXmZc6SsleYnnXnJxAdpQ-kjbyTMXW6fu_DNbu9rbTfrsDiPwEKN8YBXYY0NpbJYAmDIYAbY4Tosl91d9lasTAMoRWCxNXQoFzOAkTRqjaKF3J_Cy-IrEjcXmrajAtJCQFh=s689" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="295" data-original-width="689" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnl2Lu5S9FQ-ic6GsBuO2KZBtYDikN5KKGrFSa2XgpYYi3ZTDZOWf84iXmZc6SsleYnnXnJxAdpQ-kjbyTMXW6fu_DNbu9rbTfrsDiPwEKN8YBXYY0NpbJYAmDIYAbY4Tosl91d9lasTAMoRWCxNXQoFzOAkTRqjaKF3J_Cy-IrEjcXmrajAtJCQFh=w400-h171" width="400" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Published in the Washington Times & Eurasasian Review</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The Left is moving rapidly to
change America forever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Except for isolated pockets of
resistance, as displayed during the 2021 Virginia’s elections, decades of Left’s
preparations are paying off for reshaping America into a unitary totalitarian state.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p>S</o:p></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">tarting with the 1917 Bolshevik
Revolution, the Left has acted like Chess Grandmasters.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">They devised a detailed strategy, thinking
and implementing many moves ahead of their opposition.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The Left’s actions, many
decades in the making, is nothing less than “Terraforming” America into their Communist
vision.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are deliberately, and
systematically, <u>modifying America’s</u> institutions, civic culture, and
society to make them more habitable for their heralded “Great Reset”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="https://www.cfact.org/2014/05/31/john-holdren-in-his-own-radical-words/">John
Holdren in his own (radical) words - CFACT</a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The “<u>Great Reset</u>” is the
global destruction of capitalism, democracy, and freedom in the name of ending
climate change. </span><a href="https://greatreset.com/">The Great Reset |
Reset and shape the future</a><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> It is about eradicating “white privilege”, and
the institutions and culture of “white exploitation”, to remake society based
upon “equity, diversity, and inclusion”.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">It all began with </span><u><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Stuart
Chase</span></u><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">, one of the founding members of President Franklin
Roosevelt’s (FDR) “Brain Trust”. Chase coined the term “The New Deal” and
promoted eliminating America’s free enterprise system “by firing squad if
necessary.” </span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://thenewamerican.com/the-rise-of-the-administrative-state/">The
Rise of the Administrative State - The New American</a></span><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Chase gained inspiration and insights
into how to implement a Communist state during his 1927 meetings with Stalin
and Trotsky. In his 1932 “New Deal” book Chase mused, “Why should the Russians
have all the fun of remaking the world?”</span><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">FDR’s Brain Trust thought well beyond building
the massive New Deal bureaucracy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Rexford Tugwell, another “Brain Truster”, drafted a “<u>Constitution for
the New States of America</u>”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His goal
was nothing less than remaking America as the next Soviet Union.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="http://www.sweetliberty.org/issues/concon/newstates.htm">Constitutional
Convention | Proposed Constitution for the Newstates of America
(sweetliberty.org)</a></span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Tugwell’s Constitution abolished all
aspects of federalism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It eliminated
states, turning them into uninform administration districts with equal
population. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It abolished the “Bill of
Rights”, creating a laundry list of “Rights and Responsibilities” for citizens
to act on behalf of the state.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Any
individual actions could be erased based upon “declared emergencies” and for “conforming
to such standards as may improve health and welfare”. </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Tugwell knew <u>Sovietizing American</u>,
“<span style="background: white;">will require the laying of rough, unholy hands
on many a sacred precedent” </span></span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://thenewamerican.com/the-rise-of-the-administrative-state/">The
Rise of the Administrative State - The New American</a></span><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The Left’s “Terraforming” of
America is guided by the Chase/Tugwell vision.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Capturing the cultural levers, and the media were achieved by the
1960s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dumbing down the youth, and
ultimately indoctrinating them, began with <u>Howard Zinn’s</u> 1980 revisionist
history, “A People’s History of the United States”, which became the standard high
school textbook for a generation. </span><a href="https://www.zinnedproject.org/materials/peoples-history-of-the-united-states">A
People's History of the United States: 1492 - Present - Zinn Education Project
(zinnedproject.org)</a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">A parallel project was
shrinking civics education to the point where only 23 percent of eighth-graders
perform at or above the proficient level on the <u>National Assessment of
Educational Progress</u> (NAEP) civics exam, and only 26 percent of Americans
can name all three branches of government. </span><a href="https://cdn.americanprogress.org/content/uploads/2018/02/19091809/020618_CivicsEducation-UPDATED.pdf"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">020618_CivicsEducation-UPDATED.pdf
(americanprogress.org)</span></a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">An intensified phase of
Terraforming began after a <u>2011 Harvard Study</u> revealed that
participating in historical/patriotic celebrations promoted conservative voting
patterns. </span><a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2011/06/30/harvard-july-4th-parades-are-right-wing">Harvard:
July 4th Parades Are Right-Wing | Politics | US News</a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The Left realized that
America’s history must be reshaped to achieve the “Great Reset”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The Left had to prevent
Americans from separately honoring the morality and integrity of Washington and
Lincoln by, in 1971, lumping all 46 Presidents together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since then, all other Presidents, including
mediocrities like Pierce, Fillmore, and Carter, get to dilute their
commemoration.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Communists usually use
economic jealousy as their wedge issue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Focusing
on America’s racial history was determined to gain more traction.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">In 2019, the Left, through the
New York Times and other media, launched their <u>1619</u> History Curriculum Project.
</span><a href="https://www.project1619.org/">Project1619</a> <span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Under
the banner of “inclusive history”, “Critical Race Theory“ (CRT), and dozens of
other labels, versions of the 1619 curriculum rapidly spread to thousands of
schools.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Demonizing everything that
made America, America, was their final solution. Their <u>mantra</u> became “a
country built on stolen land and slavery”. </span><a href="https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/penny-starr/un-official-us-founded-land-stolen-indians-built-race-based-slavery-blm">U.N.
Official: U.S. Founded on Land Stolen From Indians, Built on Race-Based
Slavery, BLM Movement Is Result | CNSNews</a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">1619’s politically correct “<u>wokism</u>”
declared “everything is racist” and built cases for eliminating the Electoral
College, the Senate Filibuster, the Senate, our Founding documents, the
American flag, America’s National Anthem, and even the nuclear family - aligning
with Tugwell’s Constitution.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://citizenoversight.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-lefts-final-solution.html"><span style="font-family: arial;">Citizen
Oversight: THE LEFT’s FINAL SOLUTION</span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Reshaping our collective
memory, and the physical touchstones that validate our memory, are directly
from the Communist playbook.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Eliminating statues and
eliminating holidays are central to Terraforming America. Once our national
symbols and rituals are uprooted, American society will be adrift, ripe for
reshaping. <u>Juneteenth</u> is now considered more “inclusive” than the July 4<sup>th</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One day only the “woke” holiday will
remain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="https://citizenoversight.blogspot.com/2020/07/assault-on-july-4th.html">Citizen
Oversight: ASSAULT ON JULY 4th</a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The Left is methodically
replacing the existing “pro-America” calendar with their “Advent Calendar for
Anarchy”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;">We are now expected to annually
focus on Floyd, Ferguson, Charlottesville, and January 6 instead of major milestones,
like the signing of the U.S. Constitution on September 17, 1787.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The Left has a hundred-year
head start and commands the levers of power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It will take years of dedication, courage, and providence to turn the
tide.</span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><p></p>Scot Faulknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17079954397157252754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7623878818456909306.post-52662785449924253442021-11-30T15:40:00.028-05:002021-12-10T19:09:50.069-05:00LIGHT THERAPY SHINES THROUGH<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kixyo84nI4k/Yakzo34XC-I/AAAAAAAAKRo/HC3pElDZ5Dkack5X4hvAEgf2dsv3fWSngCNcBGAsYHQ/s866/VIP%2BSPEAKERS.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="305" data-original-width="866" height="141" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kixyo84nI4k/Yakzo34XC-I/AAAAAAAAKRo/HC3pElDZ5Dkack5X4hvAEgf2dsv3fWSngCNcBGAsYHQ/w400-h141/VIP%2BSPEAKERS.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px;">[Left to Right: Rep. Alex Mooney (R-WV); Rep. Jim Hagedorn (R-MN), </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px;">Dr. Tara Schwetz (White House)]</span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">[Published in Newsmax]</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.newsmax.com/scotfaulkner/red-light-therapy-cancer/2021/11/30/id/1046736/">Light
Therapy Shines Through | Newsmax.com</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><o:p></o:p></p><p style="color: #2a2a2a; font-size: 20px; margin: 12px 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Rapidly mainstreaming breakthrough medical research, sometimes called "bench to bedside," has become a bipartisan priority. The rapid development and dissemination of COVID-19 vaccines established a new focus on how lives can be saved and improved if regulatory pathways, research resources, and the medical professional acceptance were better aligned.</span></p><p style="color: #2a2a2a; font-size: 20px; margin: 12px 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Dr. Tara Schwetz, a senior member of the President's Office of Science and Technology, is driving the establishment of the new Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). Legislation to establish and fund ARPA-H is now moving through Congress.</span></p><p style="color: #2a2a2a; font-size: 20px; margin: 12px 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This new agency is patterned after the Defense Department's DARPA, the "gold standard" for creative, paradigm-busting research and application.</span></p><p style="color: #2a2a2a; font-size: 20px; margin: 12px 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">One of the premiere examples of a paradigm-busting breakthrough medical technology is Photobiomodulation (PBM), also known as red light therapy.</span></p><p style="color: #2a2a2a; font-size: 20px; margin: 12px 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">PBM's effectiveness and future were recently showcased when scientists and practitioners presented their latest research to leaders from research institutions, research hospitals, cancer clinics, and medical schools at <a href="https://www.pbm2021.com/program/" rel="noopener noreferrer noindex noskim" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(213, 213, 213); color: #005aab; line-height: 32px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">PBM2021</a>.</span></p><p style="color: #2a2a2a; font-size: 20px; margin: 12px 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Dr. Schwetz joined members of Congress as a keynote speaker to address scientists and medical professionals from 20 countries at the PBM2021 Global Conference on the importance of innovative medical technology.</span></p><p style="color: #2a2a2a; font-size: 20px; margin: 12px 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">PBM is a noninvasive, FDA cleared, medical technology that directs red and near-infrared light into mitochondria to restore normal cell function and reduce inflammation. It is a natural process aiding a natural process.</span></p><p style="color: #2a2a2a; font-size: 20px; margin: 12px 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">PBM has been used in over 100 million patient treatments without any documented side effects. PBM's role in speeding recovery and reducing side-effects from cancer treatments is documented as reducing the cost of care by up to 73%.</span></p><p style="color: #2a2a2a; font-size: 20px; margin: 12px 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">PBM therapy is successfully helping veterans with managing pain, treating neurological conditions, and speeding wound healing throughout the Veterans Integrated Services Networks (VISNs), including the Martinsburg VA Medical Center, the VA Boston Healthcare System, the Salt Lake City VAMC, and the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago.</span></p><p style="color: #2a2a2a; font-size: 20px; margin: 12px 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">PBM prevents the painful side effects of cancer chemotherapy and radiotherapy. <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31286228/" rel="noindex noskim" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(213, 213, 213); color: #005aab; line-height: 32px; text-decoration-line: none;">The Multinational Association for Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC<u>)</u></a> recommends PBM as the standard of care for preventing oral mucositis. PBM is now preventing cancer therapy side effects at leading cancer centers, including St. Jude's Children Research Hospital, MD Anderson Cancer Center, and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at Harvard</span></p><p style="color: #2a2a2a; font-size: 20px; margin: 12px 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">PBM therapy's efficacy is supported by over 800 randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and 8,000 research studies, many published in leading scientific journals, including the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and The Lancet.</span></p><p style="color: #2a2a2a; font-size: 20px; margin: 12px 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">There are currently over 190 active <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?cond=&term=Photobiomodulation&cntry=&state=&city=&dist=" rel="noindex noskim" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(213, 213, 213); color: #005aab; line-height: 32px; text-decoration-line: none;">PBM clinical trials</a>. Awareness of, and support for, PBM therapy is expanding thanks to formal presentations to policy leaders on its benefits for pain management, wound healing, and preventing cancer therapy side effects.</span></p><p style="color: #2a2a2a; font-size: 20px; margin: 12px 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">These presentations ranged from congressional briefings to testimony before the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), federal Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force, the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) Board of Scientific Counselors, and the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).</span></p><p style="color: #2a2a2a; font-size: 20px; margin: 12px 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Photobiomodulation's "light revolution" hopes to follow in the path blazed by other important medical technology that went from exotic to commonplace. MRIs and sonograms are just two breakthrough technologies that overcame initial resistance to become integral to maintaining our health.</span></p>Scot Faulknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17079954397157252754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7623878818456909306.post-10585015856335507762021-09-20T15:24:00.027-04:002021-12-08T15:36:48.538-05:00AFGHANISTAN's TRAGIC LEGACY<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KuLHftiHCeU/YbEXPPbSVdI/AAAAAAAAKS8/WTb-7U_S0QQlzYpuTVWCC666b6p_4418QCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Taliban-parade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KuLHftiHCeU/YbEXPPbSVdI/AAAAAAAAKS8/WTb-7U_S0QQlzYpuTVWCC666b6p_4418QCNcBGAsYHQ/w400-h225/Taliban-parade.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">[Published in the Sunday Guardian of India - <a href="https://www.sundayguardianlive.com/news/9-11s-prologue-epilogue">9/11’s prologue and epilogue - The Sunday Guardian Live</a>]</span></p><p></p><div class="sgAds" id="sGpt4" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #444444; font-size: 16.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 729.838px; word-spacing: 0px;"><div class="desktop_ad" data-google-query-id="CKDdramE1fQCFeW5swodUgwEHw" id="div-gpt-ad-1592052647733-3" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: block; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 20px; text-align: center; width: 729.838px;"></div></div><p></p><div id="dvContents" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #444444; font-size: 16.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">For those old enough to remember, 11 September 2001, 9.03 a.m. is burned into our collective memory. It was at that moment that United Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16.8px;">For the first time since the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, Americans were collectively experiencing horrifying carnage from a coordinated attack on their soil.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The final accounting was devastating: 2,977 killed and over 25,000 injured. The death toll continues to climb as first responders and building survivors perish from respiratory conditions caused by inhaling the chemical-laden smoke. It was the deadliest terrorist attack in human history.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The 911 attacks were central to Osama bin Laden’s goal of luring infidel governments into “long wars of attrition in Muslim countries, attracting large numbers of jihadists who would never surrender”. Bin Laden believed this would lead to economic collapse of the infidels, by “bleeding” them dry. Bin Laden outlined his strategy of “bleeding America to the point of bankruptcy” in a<span> </span><a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/11/01/binladen.tape/" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #007bff; text-decoration: none; touch-action: manipulation;">2004 tape released through Al Jazeera</a>.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The driving force behind Bin Laden’s strategy was Wahhabism, a strict, anti-Western version of Sunni Islam.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It all began with the Saudi Royal Family’s ties to Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (1703-1792). Wahhab envisioned a “pure” form of Islam that purged most worldly practices (heresies), oppressed women, and promoted violence against nonbelievers (infidels), including Muslims who differed with his sect. This extremely conservative and violent form of Islam might have died out in the sands of central Arabia were it not for a timely alliance with a local tribal leader, Muhammad bin Saud.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Bin Saud led a minor tribe, until he and Wahhab realized the power of merging Sunni fanaticism with armed warriors. Wahhab’s daughter married Saud’s son, merging their two blood lines to this day. The House of Saud and its warriors rapidly expanded throughout the Arabia Peninsula, fueled by Wahhabism.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In the early 20<sup style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12.6px; line-height: 0; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">th</sup><span> </span>century, Saudi leader, Ibn Saud, consolidated his permanent hold over the Arabian Peninsula. Control of Mecca and Medina, Islam’s two holiest sites, gave the Saud family the power to promote Wahhabism as the dominant interpretation of Sunni Islam.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In the mid-1970s, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia used the flood of oil revenue to become the “McDonalds of Madrasas”.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Religious schools and new mosques popped up throughout Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, designed to spread the cult of Wahhabism. Pakistan became a major hub for turning Wahhabi madrasa graduates into dedicated terrorists.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Wahhabi terrorists built a diffused terrorist network. Then some decided to exploit the perpetual bloodfest in Afghanistan.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In 1973, a military coup deposed the last king of Afghanistan. In 1978, Soviet-backed guerrillas killed the military leaders and seized control. This ignited an Afghan civil war, which pitted proxy forces against each other. These forces were backed by Pakistan, China, Islamists (known as the Mujahideen), and the Soviets.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">During 1979, the Soviet puppet leader was assassinated and another installed. On 24 December 1979, the Soviet Union took direct action by invading Afghanistan, killing their most recent puppet President, and bringing over 100,000 military personnel into the country. A vicious war erupted between the Soviet military and various Afghan guerrilla factions. Over two million Afghans died.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Reagan Administration supported the anti-Soviet Afghan insurgents, primarily aiding the secular pro-west Northern Alliance. Arab nations supported the Mujahideen. Osama bin Laden entered the insurgent caldera as a Mujahideen financier and fighter. The Soviets, realizing their occupation was failing, removed their troops and equipment in 1988, leaving behind another puppet government.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">After the Soviet Union withdrawal, calls for reunifying Afghanistan by re-establishing the monarchy and strengthening regional leadership went unheeded. Installing a faction-ravaged parliamentary system only led to a new civil war.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">By September 1994, the grisly chaos, and US ambivalence about Afghanistan, opened the door for the Taliban, graduates from Pakistan’s Wahhabi madrasas, to begin their crusade to take control of the country. By 1998, the Taliban controlled 90% of Afghanistan.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Osama bin Laden, and his Al-Qaeda warriors, made Taliban-controlled territory in Afghanistan their new base of operations. In exchange, Bin Laden helped the Taliban eliminate their remaining opponents throughout Afghanistan. Bin Laden completed his end of the bargain on 9 September 2001, when Al-Qaeda suicide bombers disguised as a television camera crew blew up Ahmad Shah Massoud, the charismatic, pro-West leader of the Northern Alliance.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Two days later, Bin Laden set his “lure”, with the hijacking of four planes and turning them into guided bombs headed to New York City and Washington, DC.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Osama bin Laden’s “lure” strategy worked. 911 pulled America into Afghanistan.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The recent horrors prove Bin Laden’s strategy continues to shape events.</span></p></div>Scot Faulknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17079954397157252754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7623878818456909306.post-88984396313807578102021-09-03T16:10:00.001-04:002021-09-05T16:16:15.559-04:00AFGHAN ABANDONMENT<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9Rz_RWNZ2L0/YTUlEHUIouI/AAAAAAAAKO8/r4osUfRr16cvdeStlcT8EcoxipUUTwH3wCLcBGAsYHQ/s600/KABUL%2BEMBASSY.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="600" height="334" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9Rz_RWNZ2L0/YTUlEHUIouI/AAAAAAAAKO8/r4osUfRr16cvdeStlcT8EcoxipUUTwH3wCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h334/KABUL%2BEMBASSY.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><p style="margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 15.0pt;">[Published on Newsmax]</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 15.0pt;">America’s
catastrophic retreat from Afghanistan did not need to happen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 15.0pt;">It
was not just a failure of commonsense. It was multiple violations of State and
Defense Department regulations.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 15.0pt;">There
are very clear and detailed procedures for evacuating embassy personnel,
American citizens, and host country nationals linked to the mission. The
Defense Department has its own <a href="https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodd/302514p.pdf"><span style="color: #005aab; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">very clear and
detailed procedures</span></a>. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 15.0pt;">These
evacuation procedures are institutionalized in the U.S. Code, Code of Federal
Regulations, and Executive Orders.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 15.0pt;">In
July 1998, there was a clear and detailed Memorandum of Understanding signed
between the DOD and State on evacuation coordination <a href="https://fam.state.gov/FAM/07FAM/07FAM0020.html"><span style="color: #005aab; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">“of U.S. Citizens and Nationals and
Designated Other Persons from Threatened areas overseas.”</span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 15.0pt;">Those
responsible for ignoring and blatantly violating these longstanding rules must
be held fully accountable and punished.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 15.0pt;">The
lives already lost, and the many more lives still in danger, are a terrible
price to pay for their criminal incompetence and negligence.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 15.0pt;">The
other outrage is how this widespread malpractice, possibly malicious, violated
the norms of protecting Americans and their allies dating back to our nation’s
founding.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 15.0pt;">James
Monroe, as ambassador to France, embodied the noblest values of America’s
Foreign Service. He established a lasting set of values for those representing
America abroad.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 15.0pt;">When
the horrors of the French Revolution swept over Marquis de Lafayette and his
family, Monroe and his wife, risked their own lives to save them. This was
dangerous.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 15.0pt;">Lafayette’s
wife, Adrienne, had watched her grandmother, mother, and sister die on the guillotine.
She languished in prison awaiting her own execution, while the Prussians
imprisoned her husband.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 15.0pt;">Monroe’s
wife, Elizabeth, braved mobs, and revolutionary guards, to enter the Hotel de
La Force prison demanding to see Adrienne. Her display of resolve ended
Adrienne’s two-year confinement.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 15.0pt;">Monroe’s
Parisian apartment served as a sanctuary for American’s fleeing the Revolution,
including Thomas Paine.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 15.0pt;">This
timeless set of fundamental values was on full display during my tenure as U.S.
Peace Corps Director in Malawi, East Africa.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 15.0pt;">As
a member of the Embassy Executive Team, I was involved in evacuation
simulations. We identified mustering points throughout Malawi for gathering
evacuees and constantly refined ways to quickly move everyone from the official,
and unofficial, American communities to safety.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 15.0pt;">We
slept with walkie talkies by our beds, testing them every Wednesday morning.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 15.0pt;">Visits
from NATO officials, and State Department physical security experts, guided us
on improving site security and transportation options.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 15.0pt;">We
all played a role in identifying and maintaining contact with Americans living
and working throughout the country. These included Americans working with
multi-national organizations, such as the World Bank, UNESCO, and WHO.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 15.0pt;">There
was also an array of individuals and families tied to religious missions,
NGOs and businesses.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 15.0pt;">My
primary role was to keep the Peace Corps volunteers safe. In the mid-1980s
landlines, radios and physical travel were the only means of communication.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 15.0pt;">This
was supplemented by maintaining a seamless relationship with the American
Embassy team and officials within the Malawi government at all levels. I
visited all 28 districts, building relationships with district officials,
mayors and tribal leaders.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 15.0pt;">This
was intended to forge bonds so they would look out for my volunteers and other
Americans scattered across the country.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 15.0pt;">There
was also close coordination between the other volunteer networks from Japan,
Sweden, Canada and the U.K. My tenure as chair of the Volunteer Council
developed collaborative protocols for emergency communication and logistical
support.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 15.0pt;">There
were the volunteers themselves. A Peace Corps Volunteer Council served as an
ongoing forum for improving the effectiveness and health of the volunteers. It
also became an opportunity to coach its members on leadership, communication
and problem-solving skills.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 15.0pt;">The
most able became the informal regional leaders for supporting their colleagues
in the field, and to serve as hubs for disseminating information, and possibly
for mustering in an emergency.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 15.0pt;">Malawi
was generally safe, but the lower third of the country was a peninsula
surrounded by Mozambique. From 1977 until 1992 RENAMO, the Cuban and Soviet
backed government, fought a vicious civil war with anti-Communist FRELIMO. On
countless occasions, the competing forces would transit southern Malawi as a
shortcut.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 15.0pt;">The
obsession with safety and health permeated everything we did at the embassy and
within the Peace Corps. This is what Americans should always expect from their
overseas missions.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 15.0pt;">It
is appalling and abhorrent that these time-honored, and legally binding responsibilities
were so completely ignored in the rush to abandon Afghanistan.</span></p><p></p>Scot Faulknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17079954397157252754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7623878818456909306.post-42201024221640327792021-06-15T16:27:00.016-04:002021-06-17T16:33:56.647-04:00LESSONS NOT LEARNED<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yq3UgDMNNoo/YMuw47fZnvI/AAAAAAAAKL0/O4TIdv3t8rEFd4lDeOVvkOuxjgVRsF73gCLcBGAsYHQ/s750/Reagan%2BGingrich%2BPhoto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="497" data-original-width="750" height="265" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yq3UgDMNNoo/YMuw47fZnvI/AAAAAAAAKL0/O4TIdv3t8rEFd4lDeOVvkOuxjgVRsF73gCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h265/Reagan%2BGingrich%2BPhoto.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">[Also published on Newsmax]</span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Trump’s supporters are
stirring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are aghast at the Biden
era, feeling it is based on years of lies, conspiracies, and “fake news”.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Trump’s detractors continue to
stir.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They hope relentless
investigations will lead to Trump in handcuffs and ultimately in jail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Both sides want
“payback”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The anti-Trumps want finality
and an object lesson, that assures no outsider ever again gets close to
draining the Swamp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The pro-Trumpsters
want to retake the Legislative Branch in 2022 and the Executive Branch in 2024.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Trump’s “populist revolution”
will only succeed if he and his supporters learn lessons from the last four
years.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“Republicans hold office.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Democrats hold power.” mused Mark Steyn on a
recent Fox News show.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Trump and his supporters must
understand this in all its manifestations, should they ever hope to achieve their
vision.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Trump failed at the very basic
level of wielding power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He ignored the
maxims: “People equal policy” and “Personnel is policy”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Adhering to these maxims allowed the Reagan
revolution to eradicate the Soviet Union and its empire, while shifting America’s
political center of gravity for the first time since 1932.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Adhering to these maxims allowed the Gingrich
revolution to reinvent Congressional operations for the first time since 1789,
while re-establishing a competitive Legislative Branch for the first time since
1932.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Reagan’s and Gingrich’s
revolutions made removing their opponents their first order of business.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">All Carter appointees were
removed within the first weeks of Reagan taking office.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their badges were confiscated, and their
security clearances revoked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A team went
door-to-door throughout the White House and Executive Office buildings assuring
every Carter person, every pro-Carter careerist, every pro-Carter detailee, and
every pro-Carter contractor were marched out the door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Careerists were reassigned, contracts were
cancelled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">At the same time teams of
Reaganites took complete control of core operations within every department and
agency: the Executive Secretariats and the offices of Legal Counsel, Personnel,
Finance, and Procurement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Legions of Reagan
appointees instantaneously overwhelmed the Executive Branch, methodically
reviewing every recent and pending action, ending and reversing those not in
full accord with the Reagan agenda. This included personnel actions, training,
contracts, grants, legal actions, regulations, publications, meetings, and
anything else of substance.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In some agencies, such as the
General Services Administration (GSA) the center of government corruption under
Carter, every employee was assessed and a new agency culture, complete with new
position descriptions, hiring & promotion criteria, administrative
processes, and accountability systems were put in place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pro-Reagan whistle blowers, investigative
media, and congressional oversight professionals identified those careerists who
were trustworthy to build viable cores of competent loyalists deep in every
nook and cranny of the Executive Branch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The Gingrich Revolution began
the same way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Within an hour of becoming
Speaker, every top administrator and administrative assistant was fired and
walked out the door. Their files were seized, their security clearances
revoked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>New House rules and reform
legislation eradicated forty years of “kleptocracy” that robbed public funds
and furnishings from the Capitol.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A new
management team completely reinvented Congressional operations propelling the 18<sup>th</sup>
century work culture and processes into the 21<sup>st</sup>.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In both cases, Reagan,
Gingrich, and their operational teams, had a “sense of urgency” that drove them
to clear the landscape of the old guard and ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had a clear vision and detailed plans.
They never blinked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They never stood
still.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They never leaked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They never tolerated disloyalty.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Unfortunately, Trump and his
team did the opposite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were told,
in detail, by Reagan and Gingrich alums, what needed to be done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They heard but never listened or learned.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The result was Trump never having
control over his Administration.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Obama
holdovers ran the White House correspondence unit for the first two years.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Obama, Clinton, and Deep State operatives
remained in control of everything.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Those
who were terminated never had their ID badges or security clearances removed.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Trump was too trusting of
Swamp dwellers.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">His Transition was run
by Bush and Romney operatives.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">His White
House was filled with RINOs.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Confidential
information, even from small meetings, was leaked to the media within minutes.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Trump’s holding back on making
appointments was “penny wise but pound foolish”. He never had overwhelming forces in any
department or agency. He never had
control of core operations. That is why
his initiatives withered after he signed Executive Orders. There was no one there to implement them. On
the other hand, political holdovers and anti-Trump bureaucrats ran
rampant. They derailed pro-Trump efforts
while allowing ongoing Obama/Clinton policies, personnel actions, training,
contracts, grants, legal actions, regulations, publications, and meetings to
continue unabated. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Despite this, Trump hobbled
regulations, made foreign policy strides, and had legislative victories. Unfortunately,
they are all being reversed in the Biden era.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Imagine what Trump could have
done had he learned the lessons of Reagan and Gingrich?</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Scot Faulknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17079954397157252754noreply@blogger.com0