The American Dream no longer exists.

[Bandit]

Lake Michigan lies entirely within the borders of the United States. The other Great Lakes are shared with Canada. That means all of Illinois and most of Wisconsin are not within this 100 mile border. Otherwise I think this whole thing is silly; doesn't the ACLU have better things to worry about. Homeland Security can detain and search you anywhere they want, just like any law enforcement agency or military force can do.

What's the point? Is this a lame attempt to eliminate border security?

But this is declaring that the constitution is no longer needed & the government will see to it that the contstitution of the united states is dead in a particular zone where most people live.

I was thinking about your question and the only thing I can come up with at the moment is
a) that it is cheaper to turn on your own taxpayers than it is to protect them...that is of course when you live in an constitution free country, or
b) attack those who live here legally and keep letting the illegals walk, float & fly in undetected.

[JRScott]

Although Lake Michigan is within the borders of the United States all of the great lakes are considered coastal waters, including Lake Michigan so the ACLU map is correct.

The main problem I see with their case though is how is the border agent suppose to know its an American citizen unless he asks. Basically this suit by the ACLU seems to be a case to stop any sort of border security in that you wouldn't even be able to stop and ask from their suit without probable cause. It seems a way to allow illegal immigration to me.

Now I'm fully for putting up a wall on both the northern and southern borders of the United States. If such a wall was built and then the coastal waters patrolled sufficiently then you wouldn't need a 100 mile search zone around the borders, I mean that's only like 2 hours travel from the border.

[BankruptPinoy]

J. Croft has written (as well as John Taylor Gatto-NY Teacher of the year) about how the American Dream no longer exists:

Americans are the most mind conditioned, mind controlled people on Earth. Even more so than North Koreans, who at least know they’re enslaved, Americans are subjected to a psychic cesspit of suicidal liberal pacifism, crass materialism, unquestioning obedience to authority, and worship of traitorous politicians. All with a underlying sense of “superiority” because slogans like “land of the free” are repeated ad nauseum.

Americans are first hit from the television, which under control from a handful of CEO traitors. The very signal, the image is at a frame rate designed to induce a hypnotic state that makes the victim susceptible to all manner of messages-whether they be from the stories told, or from hidden visual cues, or from hidden subliminels inserted in the video feed. From this insidious technological base come all manner of lies and deception. All designed to make you passive, to believe in some implied inherent good in those who scheme to usurp public office for personal gain. All designed to accept said authority when they usurp and steal your Rights. All designed to cloud and deaden your automatic reflex against their lies and deceptions.

Americans are also targeted by the food choices they’re given-nearly all from agricorporations that consist of items that have had the nutrition leached out of them, replaced with frankenstein genetics, pesticides, and outright poisons like aspartame. Said “food” is then lathered in monosodium glutamates, cooked in transfats or made all the way dead in microwave ovens. All to deaden our reflexes, our minds, and sabotage our health.

Americans are subjected to a state run “education” designed to kill imagination, curiosity, free will-kill it and replace with operant conditioning designed to produce good worker drones. For twelve stultifying years Americans are ruled by rigid learning plans filled with lies, with no allowance for independent exploration of interests, and constantly interrupted by that bell and a mad scramble to get to the next class-or face punishment for being “tardy”. Get in trouble, and you can expect no justice from administration which punishes guilty and innocent alike-the guilty gladly accepting the break from class and the innocent suffering, wondering why they too were targeted. Thus the genesis of the passive, hapless ‘Murkan mainstream herd of sheeple, and the criminal sub culture that targets them.

After about twelve years of this evil subjugation Americans are classified and herded into “careers”. Those that still show some aptitude after a childhood filled with poisoned food and propaganda, and are willing to take on a lifetime of debt slavery go to college. Here is where the “inteligentsia”-as these marxist traitors fancy themselves-spend the next two to eight years packing these poisoned, enfeebled minds with a screwy brand of elitist thought. That just because you have a degree you’re superior to the wage slave masses. These Americans are then turned against their own countrymen; serving in government or a big corporation to enforce the agenda to further destroy their own nation, their own Freedom, their own lives. And they have no clue what they do as their fellow Americans struggle under the tyranny they mistake as the “American dream”.

It wasn’t always like this. Once upon a time in America we could think for ourselves. Once upon a time, we founded businesses, settled a continent, built cities, won wars. We were the most educated, the most inventive, we could argue our own cases in court without a attorney. We could plant and harvest our own crops, make our own guns and use them to free ourselves, help each other to rebuild after a catastrophe, watch over our children. Once upon a time America was the envy of the world. Everyone wanted to come here, to have a new start, to be Free. To live in a country with Free Speech, Rights to Property, Privacy, Arms. Where the government is restricted by law.

We don’t live in that America. We live in an America that perpetrates the above as implied myths while our Freedom is usurped and subverted on a daily basis. The America we believe in, that we want is a myth precisely because we and our ancestors did not remain eternally vigilant, did not rise up as the Militia when Robber Barons manipulated the laws to steal homesteads. Or those that illegally passed the 16th amendment that saddled us with the income tax and the IRS-and the illegal federal reserve system that’s privately owned. Or hustled us with staged events like the USS Maine explosion in Havana, or the sinking of the liner Lusitania-loaded with munitions for the British Empire, or goading the Japanese to bomb the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor. Or 9/11 with three buildings perfectly demolitioned-allegedly from two jet liners the buildings were designed to survive impacts and fire from-and a 16 foot hole in the side of the Pentagon that was allegedly from another jet liner that was many times bigger and left no wreckage.

[JRScott]

The American Dream is not dead. It is still there, if your willing to work for it. I've seen folks who saved money for almost 20 years to buy a home. It can be done, if your willing. The problem is to many Americans feel they are owned something for nothing. To many of us are not willing to work for what we want. We want the easy path, and yes that includes electing politicians that will promise to give you almost anything if it gets your vote. What we should ask each election is, what did they promise me last time? Do I have that? In most cases the answer will be no. If they promised it and you still don't have it and you vote for them again for the same promise you're wasting your vote.

The American Dream was never free. It always required hard work. It still does and it is still achievable if we are willing.

[HRx]

The American Dream is not dead. It is still there, if your willing to work for it. I've seen folks who saved money for almost 20 years to buy a home. It can be done, if your willing. The problem is to many Americans feel they are owned something for nothing. To many of us are not willing to work for what we want. We want the easy path, and yes that includes electing politicians that will promise to give you almost anything if it gets your vote. What we should ask each election is, what did they promise me last time? Do I have that? In most cases the answer will be no. If they promised it and you still don't have it and you vote for them again for the same promise you're wasting your vote.

The American Dream was never free. It always required hard work. It still does and it is still achievable if we are willing.

You have completely missed the point of this senitiment. It's not that people aren't willing to put in work to achieve thier dreams/goals, or that they think that things should be handed to them, or that they expect things should be easily achieved. But yes, the characteristics you described are important "must-haves" if a person wishes to "succeed" or "accomplish" various things in life. More importantly, what is the American Dream? It's meaning will vary greatly from one person to the other in this day in age.

[AngelinaCatHub]

You are seeing a planned take over of our Country. It started with FDR introducing something called welfare. This as a way to get us out of the Great Depression. It was enhanced extremely by LBJ. One of his remarks to a subordinate was, “I’ll show you how to get every black vote in this Country". The Great Society was born. Gun and Butter and inflation started as we then started to dumb down America. Take Algebra and Civics and of course History out of all the schools and teach “fairness” and equality, and give people money for not working and more money whelping off children. Ask any college Freshman if he can name the 50 states, or even ask them to point to their own state and you are likely to get a ‘duh’ out of them. College degrees are not worth the paper as to show up is to pass.

Carter came in and manufactured a fake fuel crisis. His answer to the fake fuel crisis was to raise prices and test what the American people would do. Throw on a sweater and turn down your thermostat. Not go out and unload the low floating tankers off our borders. I have seen and even talked to guys driving their gasoline tanker trucks off loading gasoline into closed gas station tanks, while I waited in line for an hour on the even days of the week and could only get ten gallons.

Our next new president is so ill informed, and reminds me of a “Manchurian Candidate”. He knows the people now have been trained for self indulgence and laziness. After all, he’s been to all of the 57 states campaigning. He has stated bluntly he was going to ‘redistribute’ wealth. His solution to our again manufactured fuel shortage is to pump up your tires. Talk about a stupid solution when the Chinese are drilling sideways under our feet and taking our resourced that we ourselves cannot go after as the far left does not wish to hurt some damn bug or lizard.

No one will convince me that this has not been a well orchestrated take over and strings have been pulled as to make most of us watch sit-coms, than understand what a candidate stands for. Vote on looks and appearance and “faint” if a candidate is handsome, but has a head full of red mush.

I see a red sky in the morn’. ‘Hub

[HRx]

You are seeing a planned take over of our Country. It started with FDR introducing something called welfare. This as a way to get us out of the Great Depression. It was enhanced extremely by LBJ. One of his remarks to a subordinate was, “I’ll show you how to get every black vote in this Country". The Great Society was born. Gun and Butter and inflation started as we then started to dumb down America. Take Algebra and Civics and of course History out of all the schools and teach “fairness” and equality, and give people money for not working and more money whelping off children. Ask any college Freshman if he can name the 50 states, or even ask them to point to their own state and you are likely to get a ‘duh’ out of them. College degrees are not worth the paper as to show up is to pass.

Carter came in and manufactured a fake fuel crisis. His answer to the fake fuel crisis was to raise prices and test what the American people would do. Throw on a sweater and turn down your thermostat. Not go out and unload the low floating tankers off our borders. I have seen and even talked to guys driving their gasoline tanker trucks off loading gasoline into closed gas station tanks, while I waited in line for an hour on the even days of the week and could only get ten gallons.

Our next new president is so ill informed, and reminds me of a “Manchurian Candidate”. He knows the people now have been trained for self indulgence and laziness. After all, he’s been to all of the 57 states campaigning. He has stated bluntly he was going to ‘redistribute’ wealth. His solution to our again manufactured fuel shortage is to pump up your tires. Talk about a stupid solution when the Chinese are drilling sideways under our feet and taking our resourced that we ourselves cannot go after as the far left does not wish to hurt some damn bug or lizard.

No one will convince me that this has not been a well orchestrated take over and strings have been pulled as to make most of us watch sit-coms, than understand what a candidate stands for. Vote on looks and appearance and “faint” if a candidate is handsome, but has a head full of red mush.

I see a red sky in the morn’. ‘Hub

Interesting write-up. Now how do you suppose that the great McCain and Palin duo will fix all country's social, economic, racial, etc problems? These two bozos are a mess made in heaven and will only offer another fours years of high gas prices, global recession, rich getter richer, middle income progressively getter poorer, inflation, continued American casualties in Iraq in search of WMD's, etc...Voting white is neccessarily right especially when it comes to the option that we have...which is a fundamental problem that many voters have against Obama. McCain isn't a more "experienced" or "qualified" candidate, the man is just older, and is only offering solutions and polices that will likely fail and carbon copy GWBush.

[allavdj]

You are seeing a planned take over of our Country. It started with FDR introducing something called welfare. This as a way to get us out of the Great Depression. It was enhanced extremely by LBJ. One of his remarks to a subordinate was, “I’ll show you how to get every black vote in this Country". The Great Society was born. Gun and Butter and inflation started as we then started to dumb down America. Take Algebra and Civics and of course History out of all the schools and teach “fairness” and equality, and give people money for not working and more money whelping off children. Ask any college Freshman if he can name the 50 states, or even ask them to point to their own state and you are likely to get a ‘duh’ out of them. College degrees are not worth the paper as to show up is to pass.

Carter came in and manufactured a fake fuel crisis. His answer to the fake fuel crisis was to raise prices and test what the American people would do. Throw on a sweater and turn down your thermostat. Not go out and unload the low floating tankers off our borders. I have seen and even talked to guys driving their gasoline tanker trucks off loading gasoline into closed gas station tanks, while I waited in line for an hour on the even days of the week and could only get ten gallons.

Our next new president is so ill informed, and reminds me of a “Manchurian Candidate”. He knows the people now have been trained for self indulgence and laziness. After all, he’s been to all of the 57 states campaigning. He has stated bluntly he was going to ‘redistribute’ wealth. His solution to our again manufactured fuel shortage is to pump up your tires. Talk about a stupid solution when the Chinese are drilling sideways under our feet and taking our resourced that we ourselves cannot go after as the far left does not wish to hurt some damn bug or lizard.

No one will convince me that this has not been a well orchestrated take over and strings have been pulled as to make most of us watch sit-coms, than understand what a candidate stands for. Vote on looks and appearance and “faint” if a candidate is handsome, but has a head full of red mush.

I see a red sky in the morn’. ‘Hub

Interesting write-up...now how do you suppose that the great McCain and Palin duo will fix all country's social, economic, racial, etc problems?

I totally agree Hub

I personally don't think it matters who gets elected at this point, our country has been directed down a winding road of socialism, and our political system is so corrupt none of them have our best interests in mind.

To the original topic of the American dream being dead...it's not dead, it just does happen instantly like we've been conditioned to expect (credit cards, internet, interest only home loans with 10 minute approvals).

[AngelinaCatHub]

Interesting write-up. Now how do you suppose that the great McCain and Palin duo will fix all country's social, economic, racial, etc problems? These two bozos are a mess made in heaven and will only offer another fours years of high gas prices, global recession, rich getter richer, middle income progressively getter poorer, inflation, continued American casualties in Iraq in search of WMD's, etc...Voting white is neccessarily right especially when it comes to the option that we have.

Oh I agree. We don't have any good choice. AND AGAIN I vote whom I think is the lessor of the evils. Now I disagree about Palin. She is sharp as a tack and if she was running as pres, I would then vote FOR someone as I last did with Reagan. I also voted for Carter to my dismay. 'Hub

[AngelinaCatHub]

I totally agree Hub

I personally don't think it matters who gets elected at this point, our country has been directed down a winding road of socialism, and our political system is so corrupt none of them have our best interests in mind.

To the original topic of the American dream being dead...it's not dead, it just does happen instantly like we've been conditioned to expect (credit cards, internet, interest only home loans with 10 minute approvals).

Yeppers, you got it. 'Hub

[JRScott]

You have completely missed the point of this senitiment. It's not that people aren't willing to put in work to achieve thier dreams/goals, or that they think that things should be handed to them, or that they expect things should be easily achieved. But yes, the characteristics you described are important "must-haves" if a person wishes to "succeed" or "accomplish" various things in life. More importantly, what is the American Dream? It's meaning will vary greatly from one person to the other in this day in age.

While having a place to live is important, it is not necessarily important to own it early on. In fact most of the last few generations did not start with a home of their own. They either rented or lived with parents for the first few years. Then they got a modest home and moved to a larger one if they could. However since about the late 80s we've been skipping that modest home stage and its landed a lot of us in trouble.

It is a good question what is the American Dream? I've always assumed it was to own your own home

[JRScott]

Interesting write-up. Now how do you suppose that the great McCain and Palin duo will fix all country's social, economic, racial, etc problems? These two bozos are a mess made in heaven and will only offer another fours years of high gas prices, global recession, rich getter richer, middle income progressively getter poorer, inflation, continued American casualties in Iraq in search of WMD's, etc...Voting white is neccessarily right especially when it comes to the option that we have...which is a fundamental problem that many voters have against Obama. McCain isn't a more "experienced" or "qualified" candidate, the man is just older, and is only offering solutions and polices that will likely fail and carbon copy GWBush.

At the same time I could ask you what you expect different from Obama/Biden. Obama has been in politics for over a decade, and Biden has been in the Senate longer than John McCain. In 2 years in the US Senate Obama has missed 2/3rds of all days the Senate was in session (to be fair McCain did too). As such they neglected their duties as duly elected representatives of their states and the people have suffered because of it.

No blue collared American who missed work 2/3rds of the time would keep their job. That alone is enough for me not to vote for McCain or Obama. If you want an example of the change they'll both bring look at the Bailout Package loaded with pork that both men voted for and neither man decried. That's what you'll get, yep more of the same. For all the rhetoric neither man has ever been a successful agent of change. While McCain does have a record of reaching across the aisle in legislation most of the legislation is trash, and Obama has never reached across the aisle in Illinois nor in Washington, not once. In fact Obama is probably one of the most partisan voters there is in Washington.

I had wanted to vote for Chuck Baldwin but alas NC has taken that choice away by not allowing him as a ballot or write in candidate so I'm voting for Robert Barr. Not that I think Barr will do much in office even if he was elected, but because I realize that so long as we keep just sending R and D to Washington nothing will change.

[HRx]

At the same time I could ask you what you expect different from Obama/Biden. Obama has been in politics for over a decade, and Biden has been in the Senate longer than John McCain. In 2 years in the US Senate Obama has missed 2/3rds of all days the Senate was in session (to be fair McCain did too). As such they neglected their duties as duly elected representatives of their states and the people have suffered because of it.

I can tell you this much, I'm not expecting or hopeful for any miracles, considering all the mess the country is in. Not a single living person could fix the the bulk of problems this country is facing. Furthermore, in the grand scheme of things Obama's vision, policies, solutions, leadership et cetera represent a more realistic and beneficial outcomes that will benefit many more people than McCain's.

[allavdj]

I can tell you this much, I'm not expecting or hopeful for any miracles, considering all the mess the country is in. Not a single living person could fix the the bulk of problems this country is facing. Furthermore, in the grand scheme of things Obama's vision, policies, solutions, leadership et cetera represent a more realistic and beneficial outcomes that will benefit many more people than McCain's.

Like Obama's tax policies of heavier taxes on the wealthy and free money to the lower/middle class? Sure that "helps" a lot of folks by giving them a free check every year, but in the end it helps nobody because the people getting the money spend it on consumables. Why do you think the last stimulus plans have had marginal at best results? The lower/middle class doesn't need the "free" money, they need the government to get the heck outa their lives, outa their retirement, outa their medical care, and get the government back into the business of simply making sure the state governments are following the United States Constitution.

My wife and I are barely holding out income-wise, we make enough to get by, but I guaran-damn-tee we'll never get on welfare and we'll never get food stamps. We don't want the governments help, it's bad enough we had to use medicaid with our unexpected pregnancy. We enjoy earning whats ours and our proud of the baby steps we are taking in becoming financially secure. Nothing in this world is free...somebody somewhere pays for it. As far as I'm concerned, if you make a million dollars a year, congrats, keep it, spend it, invest it...I don't want it, I'll make my own money thank you very much. The government can take it's socialist welfare programs and cram it.

[JRScott]

I can tell you this much, I'm not expecting or hopeful for any miracles, considering all the mess the country is in. Not a single living person could fix the the bulk of problems this country is facing. Furthermore, in the grand scheme of things Obama's vision, policies, solutions, leadership et cetera represent a more realistic and beneficial outcomes that will benefit many more people than McCain's.

Actually I think Romney could have made a difference. The only reason I say that is because he did use his veto power as Governor often to veto all kinds of bills loaded with pork. In MA though the legislature is 85% Democrat so they just overrode his vetoes and then afterward have tried to blame it on Romney when it was really their own shortsightedness. In the Federal Government the Democrats would not have that same margin of control and thus a veto there would have stuck I think.

I don't see Obama or McCain either using their veto power as often as needed. The Bailout package is the prime example. Both men had a chance there to show that they were for change and against wasteful government spending. Neither man chose to do so and I think we'll see more of the same.

In an Obama administration, assuming Pelosi keeps her seat and Reid his (although I'm not sure Reid's up for reelection this time) then what I expect to see is much like the first 2 years of Carter's administration. Basically Obama will just rubberstamp anything they send him just like Bush rubberstamped everything the Republican Congress sent him and Carter did as well. Then probably the Senate will flip back to the Republicans and the House though the D will lose some seats will remain with a Democrat majority.

The greatest danger is that if the economy continues to tank and Obama cannot pull the country and congress together to fix the problem which can only be fixed by returning to personal responsibility and moving away from debt then I do believe someone will try to assassinate him, possibly more than one. I don't mean these clowns that keep getting caught either, I mean a real serious assassin who is willing to die for his cause because he has nothing else.

There will be no national health care as there is not money for it. Unemployment will rise as the tax increases cause stagnation. Probably economically would be like the mid 70s, possibly as bad as the 30s.

In a McCain administration I see basically a status quo government. McCain is not really liked well by many Republicans or Democrats in Washington. Most likely he'll find it hard to get any legislation through without massive pork in it, and he'll have to sign it because 'there was no other way to get it passed and we had to do something'. He won't be able to make the changes he'd like to make and most likely will only be a one term President. Like Obama if he can't get the economy under control he may well face an assassination attempt. In the event that he is assassinate or dies in office then I do believe Palin would attempt to do some reforms, however much like Bush she would ultimately become frustrated by the partisanship of Washington and realize that any change will be slow at best. She'd probably be an able administrator and she probably could win her own term as the first female president but I think ultimately she'd only serve one term unless the economic conditions of the US improved drastically in the short term which I don't see. If she was to become president look for a oil windfall tax, much like Alaska's. It is something she could get through the Democrat led Congress.