The advent of Gunpowder and the Social Contract

You see the kings were dependent on the nobles for armed force and kings dont like to be dependent.
Yet, as long as the ruler  needed nobles  there were limits as to his or her  power. The Nobles had their rights and the force to protect those rights.
Around 1600 things started to change;
Gunpowder and cannon began to replace the noble as the deciding factor in war. At the same time many nobles  found it more convenient  to pay a fee and sit the war out at home on the estate.
Little by little, the ruler found that hired men at arms were better in war and more easily controlled in peace . You only have to pay  hired troops  when you need them and they have NO official political rights..the ruler's word is the LAW.  The hired army can also keep the kingdom in line. Kings and Queens like that.
However ...hired armies cost  a lot.  The money to pay the men at arms  came as tax  the towns paid the monarch in exchange for charters( bills of right)  the spread of the printing press, the protestant  revolution, and of education  made the commons of the towns start to think that they commons,  had or should have rights. Shocking idea for the time!!!
Yet at  first the Queen or King liked that idea. The commons could be used to balance the power of the annoying nobles and being stinking commons could never it was believed, ever question the word of the monarch..But over time, the COMMON PEOPLE started to question  the word of the king and the the idea of blue blood and divine right..That path leads to our concept of the Social contract.
Tomorrow: Rule not by divine right but by social contract.

Constitution 101 Rule by the sword..

Rule by the sword..

One of the more foolish statements you hear is "A idea cannot be killed or a people cannot be conquered!!"   That is a lie. History shows from the israelites  and  vandals to the mongols to the Normans to the Zulus to  the Reds under Stalin, that if you  ruthlessly kill enough people, the ones left WILL submit. Before you go any farther,  look that up. That has to be understood.
 Rule by the sword WILL work; but it is expensive, you must keep many men under arms and the conquer will be hated as well as feared . If the conquer can hold on over generations and comes to be seen as the lawful  ruler; control is easier, but that takes generations. The conquer like the Romans and the Normans and the Zulu etc;  must be seen by the conquered  people as providing  "peace' that is security from a worse fate.
Over time the conquer becomes the noble or ruling class as did the Romans over the British Celts, the Saxons over the Roman Britians and the Norman over the Saxons. Indeed the right and use  of arms becomes the mark of the ruler. The lord has the sword and the common person  if he or she wants to keep his or her head had best remember that. .Over time people come to accept  the king and noble rules becouse God wants them to. Understand that men do NOT like to think of themselves as cowards  so  they convince themselves or are convinced, that the gods or GOD ordered the world as it is; so submission is honorable  or at least not disgraceful.  "That is the way things are meant to be" ..is a very old line in history.
Until the age of gunpowder there was little the common man could do. It takes a lifetime of training to learn the sword or axe well enough to stand against knights or men at arms. It is only in the movies that  a serf picks up a sword and defeats a trained knight. 
Question; If you the reader, picked up a pair of gloves and stepped into the ring with a professional boxer or a trained MMA fighter' who would win?

Tomorrow:
The advent of Gunpowder and the Social Contract  
   

Constitution 101.

History says that the power to govern comes from force or right.If government is by force by the sword, and  you are not one of the conquers, you are a serf, or a slave. 
If by "Right" , where does that "RIGHT" to govern come from? Americans, and so far as I know all peoples.,except communists, who are atheists, believe that the right to govern comes from God.
Now in that view; there are TWO paths in history: Divine Right or Social Contract.
A. Divine Right holds that the nobles and the King or Queen inherit their position by birth ..or ..by victory in battle ,that God gives to the right and just new king victory over a sinful old king or fallen ruling family, therefore they, the victors, again rule by the will of God.
The commons are born commons and MUST obey. It is the "natural order'. To disobey your "betters" is to defy not only the state but the very order of God and nature.
B. Social Contract says that people were born free or created free and the they, the people, created government to serve their needs.
Tomorrow: Rule by the sword..

Dont say " I did not know.".You have been warned

Sit up and pour one. I got a sad story.
Back in 1992, I did not like NWO HW Bush and I did not like his telling the families of missing Nam pows to "shut up and sit down" I heard him say that. Nor did I like him going back on his "read my lips" no new taxes. Ross was, and is in my opinion a true hero..Look up his record. Now I know something of American History and the sad fate of third party splits. BUT I just could NOT see how a draft dodging pot smoking ex hippy who even went behind the Iron curtain on a vacation and even then had a string of sex scandals could win. Impossible! I figured this is time to vote reason and LOGIC Ross has to win. Well Ross LOST and we had eight years of Clintion! SO. If you want another 8 years of President Clinton..Be a big boy or big girl and have the guts to say so and vote for Clintion. If you dont, vote for Trump.
It is Trump or Clintion and it is that simple
PS dont say " I did not know.".You have been warned

Grrr calling from free Britain..

Grrr went to Britain to join his old pal Gorgo the English Dino in the celebration.

"Grrr old chap!  Jolly decent of you to cross the pond!" Roared Gorgo.
"Hey pal, you know that I would not miss this. I was worried that you guys might lose but I gotta say ya came through like true dinos!"
"That is very kind Grrr. but of course in the end there was nothing else we could do."
"Proud of ya pal, Gretta is talking talking to your lady seems that they are happy to see eachother again too,!"
"I am sure.  She was very pleased to hear that Gretta could visit. "We laid in a good supply of the yank root beer you favor and of course organic tea is not a problem."
To be Continued.

My Plan

One more time.

I favor a path to citizenship as the best thing
A, Secure the border.
B. if the illegal is working.not on welfare and has no record. they get a month to sign up, if they have family and they, the family, are not employed but YOU will sponsor them, old folks, wife at home etc..they are covered. BUT they must also pass step E.

C. Anyone found working without the card after the month is deported and the people employed fined:100 per day for an individual and 1000 a day for a firm with 1 year in jail for the second conviction.

D. The now legal guest worker. must get FULL American rates of pay and benefits, we will have no serf class in this free land.

E.They .must learn English American History. Constitution and renounce all foreign allegiance, pass the citizenship test with in 5 years..Once that is done WELCOME new chum..

That is My plan.

Grrr, Holden and Wolf at the Book store.

Grrr was on his way home from his job in the "Wellness Center" when he decided to stop into the bookstore.
He know that there were some history books his human pal Bob we looking for and " I think I will surprise the old ape." said Grrr to himself. He had  had a full day "counseling" and his boss the kindly old hadrosaur, Dr H always said reading was good for a dino.
Using his size changing ring that S/F folks had made for him on JP l,  he made himself human size and went into the book shop. As he was looking at books;  two small humans Holden and Wolff followed by their mom Beth walked up to him,  and the smaller lad, Wolff  pulled Grrr's mighty tail! Grrr's eyes flashed red as he turned his terrible T Rex head... but he give his happy Rex grin when he saw the boys and their mom.
"I am very sorry if he disturbed your reading..he loves dinos." said the mom.
"Miss Barrett?" asked Grrr "Well yes. I am Mrs Lai now..I ..Grrr?" "Yes" Grrr said with a happy ROAR!  Long time no see. Are these your nestlings?"
Holden asked " Are you a real T Rex sir? "  "Sir" replied Grrr "I am THE T-Rex"                                    "Grrr was my Class T Rex "said Beth
As they  looked at their  mom in wonder; "WOW" said Holden and Wolff
Grrr walked around the bookstore with the boys as their mom relaxed over a cup of coffee with Gretta  Flower, the hippy raptor, and Stef who had just come in.
As the group;  boys and  T-rex walked around the store Grrr told them stories and reaching into his pocket..a sort of a sort of dino fanny pack, even a T rex needs a place to carry stuff. Grrr gave the boys autographed pictures.
Holden and Wolff were very happy to make a T-Rex as a pal and Grrr was mighty pleased as well.
The boys asked if they could visit Grrr again, and Grrr replied that if they were good boys and did as their mom told them and she gave permission; he would be happy to see them at the bookstore again.