Current Account Weakness

By Colin Twiggs
November 18, 2008 4:00 a.m. ET (8:00 p.m. AET)

These extracts from my trading diary are for educational purposes and should not be interpreted as investment or trading advice. Full terms and conditions can be found at Terms of Use.

Imprudent Investors

President Bush and the Group of 20 blame the global recession on imprudent investors who "sought higher yields without an adequate appreciation of the risks" (Bloomberg). That is an interesting statement considering who suppressed interest rates to artificially low levels — forcing investors to assume greater risk in order to earn an adequate return on their investments. Was it not the major central banks, at the urging of their governments? The attempt to engineer a soft landing in 2002/2003 caused far more pain than it saved. The cure almost killed the patient. Political leaders are not prepared to admit that we are currently reaping the results of their past intervention. And they fail to realize that further intervention to prevent falling prices is likely to cause more trouble in the future — prolonging the current recession.

Another Rate Cut

The spread between the New York Funds Rate (1-month) and the fed funds target rate returned to 50 basis points, typical of normal market conditions. The Overnight Index Swap Rate (OIS), reflecting traders best estimates of the effective fed funds rate, is significantly below the target rate of 1.0 percent — signaling another 0.50 percent rate cut. Confidence is not yet restored, however. Financial markets remain on life support with massive injections of liquidity by the Fed.

Gold

Spot gold continues to consolidate between $700 and $770. Breakout above $770 would offer a target of $840, calculated as $770 + ( 770 - 700 ). Reversal below $700 remains more likely, as gold is in a primary down-trend, and would offer a target of the June 2006 low of $550.

Source: Netdania

You Cannot Get Even
By Hans F. Sennholz

Dr. Sennholz heads the Department of Economics at Grove City College and is a
noted writer and lecturer on monetary and economic affairs.

Government affects individual in­comes by virtually every decision it makes.
Agricultural programs, vet­erans' benefits, health and labor and welfare
expenditures, housing and community development, federal expenditures on
education, social insurance, medicare and medicaid programs, and last but not
least, numerous regulations and controls affect the economic conditions of every
citizen. In fact, modern gov­ernment has become a universal transfer agency that
utilizes the political process for distributing vast measures of economic income
and wealth. It preys on millions of victims in order to allocate valuable goods
and services to its beneficia­ries. With the latter, transfer pro­grams are so
popular that few public officials and politicians dare oppose them.

The motive powers that drive the transfer order are as varied as human design
itself. Surely, the true motives are often concealed, and a hollow pretext is
pompously placed in the front for show. And yet, man is more accountable for his
motives than for anything else. A good motive may exculpate a poor action, but a
bad motive vitiates even the finest action. Conscience is merely our own
judgment of the right and wrong of our action, and therefore can never be a safe
guide unless it is enlightened by a thorough understanding of the im­plications
and consequences of our actions. Without an enlightened conscience we may do
evil thor­oughly and heartily.

An important spring of action for the transfer society is the desire by most
people to get even in the redis­tribution struggle. "I have been vic­timized in
the past by taxation, in­flation, regulation, or other de­vices," so the
argument goes, "there­fore I am entitled to partake in this particular benefit."
Or the time se­quence may be reversed: "I'll be vic­timized later in life,"
pleads the col­lege student, "and therefore I want state aid and subsidy now."

This argument is probably the most powerful pacifier of conscience. It dulls our
perception and discern­ment of what is evil and makes us slow to shun it. After
all, we are merely getting back "what is right­fully our own." With a curious
twist of specious deduction the modern welfare state, which continually seizes
and redistributes private property by force, is defended by the friends of
individual liberty and pri­vate property. "Man is entitled to the fruits of his
labor," they argue, "we are merely getting back that which is rightfully and
morally our own." They borrow the arguments for the private property order to
sus­tain the political transfer order.

Surely getting back that which is rightfully and morally our own is a principle
that is rooted in our ina­lienable right to our lives. It is a property right
that springs from our human rights and from the right to life itself. It is the
right to restora­tion of the fruits of our efforts and labors of which we are
deprived by deceit, force, or any other immoral practice. It is a specific right
to re­covery or compensation from those who are wronging us or have injured us
in the past.

This right to restoration does not beget the right to commit the very immoral
act from which we seek restoration, to imitate others in act­ing immorally, or
to seek revenge against the trespassers or innocent bystanders. But this is
precisely what the "get-even" advisors urge us to do.

In an unfortunate automobile ac­cident we are hurt or injured, or our vehicle
may be damaged, because of the negligence of another driver. This gives us the
right to demand restoration and compensation from the guilty party. But it does
not give us the right to seize another car parked in the neighborhood, or
re­turn to the road and injure another driver. Or, our home is burglarized and
we suffer deplorable losses in personal wealth and memorabilia. This does not
bestow upon us the right to do likewise to others. But the "get-even" advocates
are draw­ing this very conclusion.

He who is desirous of "getting even" in the politics of redistribu­tion longs to
join the army of benefi­ciaries who are presently preying on their victims. They
would like to get their "money back" from whomever they can find and victimize
now.

Like the victim of a burglary who becomes a burglar himself, they are searching
for other victims. But in contrast to the new burglar who may be aware of the
immorality of his actions, the "get-even" advocate openly defends his motives
while he is pursuing his political craft.

We cannot get even with those individuals who deprived us of our property in the
past. They may have long departed this life or may have fallen among the victims
them­selves. We cannot get even with them by enlisting in the standing army of
redistributors. We merely perpetuate the evil by joining their forces. So we
must stand immune to the temptations of evil, regardless of what others are
doing to us. The redistribution must stop with us.

The redistributive society has vic­timized many millions of people through
confiscatory taxation, infla­tion, and regulation. Government, acting as the
political agency for coercive transfer, seized income and wealth from the more
productive members and then redistributed the spoils to its beneficiaries.
Although many millions of victims and benefi­ciaries were involved, which often
obscures the morality of the issue, the forced transfer took place be­tween
certain individuals. It is true, the beneficiaries, who used political force to
obtain the benefits, cannot easily be recognized in the mass process of
transfer. But even if we could identify them, and establish a personal right to
restoration, our property has been consumed long ago. A vast army of
beneficiaries, together with their legions of gov­ernment officials and civil
servants, consumed or otherwise squandered our substance. There is nothing to
retrieve from the beneficiaries who probably are poorer than ever be­fore,
having grown weak and depen­dent on the transfer process.

When seen in this light, the get-even argument is nothing more than a
declaration of intention to join the redistribution forces. It may be born from
the primitive urge for revenge against government, state or soci­ety. But it is
individuals who form a government, make a state and con­stitute a society. By
taking revenge against some of them for the injuries suffered from the hands of
others, I am merely reinforcing the evil.

Revenge is a common passion that enslaves man's mind and clouds his vision. To
the savage it is a noble aspiration that makes him even with his enemies. In a
civilized soci­ety that is seeking peace and har­mony it is a destructive force
which law seeks to suppress. But when the law itself becomes an instrument of
transfer, the primitive urge for re­venge may burst forth as a demand for more
redistribution. It becomes a primary force that gives rise to new demands or, at
least, reinforces the popular demands for economic transfer. The common passion
for revenge, no matter how well con­cealed, undoubtedly is an important motive
power of social policy that leads a free society to its own de­struction.

No wealth in the world and no political distribution of this wealth can purchase
the peace and har­mony so essential to human exis­tence. Peace and harmony can
be found only in moral elevation that reaches into every aspect of human life. A
free society is the offspring of morality that guides the actions and policies
of its members. To effect a rebirth of such a society is to revive the moral
principles that gave it birth in the beginning. It is individ­ual rebirth and
rededication to the inexorable principles of morality that are the power and the
might. The example of great individuals is useful to lead us on the way, for
nothing is more contagious for greatness than the power of a great example.

To spearhead a rebirth of our free society let us rededicate ourselves to a new
covenant of redemption, which is a simple restatement of public morality. In the
setting of our age of economic redistribution and social conflict it may be
stated as follows:

 No matter how the transfer state may victimize me, I shall seek no transfer
payments, or accept any.
 I shall seek no government grants, loans or other redistributive favors, or
accept any.
 I shall seek no government orders on behalf of redistribution, or accept any.
 I shall seek no employment, or accept any, in the government ap­paratus of
redistribution.
 I shall seek no favors, or accept any, from the regulatory agencies of
government.
 I shall seek no protection from tariff barriers or any other institu­tional
restrictions of trade and commerce.
 I shall seek no services from, or lend support to collective institu­tions that
are creatures of redis­tribution.
 I shall seek no support from, or give support to associations that ad­vocate or
practice coercion and re­straint.

We do not know whether our great republic will survive this century. If it can
be saved, great men of convic­tion must lead the way—men who with religious
fervor and unbounded courage resist all transfer tempta­tions. The heroes of
liberty are no less remarkable for what they suffer than for what they achieve.

You Cannot Get Even| The Foundation for Economic Education: The Freeman, Ideas on Liberty
Foundation for Economic Education
30 South Broadway
Irvington-on-Hudson,
New York, 10533
1-800-960-4FEE •                                    

The Freeman: Ideas on Liberty - June 1978
Vol. 28 No.  6

©2007 Foundation for Economic Education. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.fee.org/publications/the-freeman/article.asp?aid=6015

If you are not familiar with the story of Kevin Kammerdiener and his trek into the Army and Afghanistan and back you are missing an important one.  Kevin was injured by a suicide attack on his convoy and his single mom (Leslie Kamm) had started this blog prior to his deployment.  I have linked this to the beginning page as the whole thing should be read in chronological order starting 24th February 2008.  So you'll have to read from the bottom up to get it in the appropriate chronological order.  It is a journal detailing everything from attending his Airborne jump class and graduation to receiving the news of his injuries through present day struggles and progress in recovery.  This is an important story being lived by thousands of our brave men and women and their families and rarely told via the major media outlets.  Please take the time to familiarize yourself with this very uncommon journal of very common stories of our military volunteers' and their families' sacrifices for our freedom and security.  It is a journey you will not want to miss.

For those with shorter attention spans, this video relates visually the modus operendi of the survivor mentality.  When the worst thing you can imagine has happened and there is nothing left but the consequences, you can either give in and let your life pass before your eyes, or you can take whatever options left available to you and do with them what you can.  You might be amazed at how well you come out of it.  In other words, sitting their like a victim and letting the inevitable happen ensures your victimhood.  Fight it!  Fight it to the bitter end and write your own destiny for as long as you possibly can.  You can always deal with the victimhood after the opportunity to fight is passed.

A chemical attack against pro-lifers on their own property.
Terrorizing a Catholic church in meeting.
Calls to burn Mormon temples were sent out via gays' blogs and threats against Mormons and Catholics were posted there.
Anthrax scare at the HQ of the Mormon religion.  Churches being vandalized.
Anthrax scare at the Los Angeles Ward.
Anthrax scare at a Catholic Knights of Columbus HQ in New Haven, Connecticut.
Man received 16 stitches after being struck by a "No on Prop 8" advocate.
Burning copies of the Book of Mormon on the steps of local Mormon Wards

Theater director driven out over gay marriage

From intimidation tactics to outright violent attacks are being perpetrated on the organizations who supported Prop 8 all across this nation.  This is terrorism and in every case, if the roles had been reversed the legal actions that would have been taken not to mention the media coverage that would have been dedicated to 'informing' the public would have sparked an outrage that would have undermined any credibility of those organizations.  However, since the crimes are being committed by a protected group, the media have been all but silent and in at least one case the commentator equated the criminal activity with that of the victims of that crime calling both sides hate filled and angry.

This episode of obfuscation is but one more step toward the outright persecution and expunging of religion and conservatism in our land.  City councils have in the past condemned the religious organizations for their stance on the issue of family values in opposition to calling the same sex relationship equivalent and God ordained marriage.  We are headed for dark times in this world as believers.  Though there are official gay voices denouncing this behavior, they are being drowned out by the vast numbers of very vocal proponents of their agenda. 

Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council
"We are going to see, I think, unprecedented attacks against our faith through measures like the hate crimes [legislation] to the Employment Non-Discrimination Act," he says. "We're going to see attacks on innocent human life through the Freedom of Choice Act, trying to erase all the gains that have been made in the pro-life movement. And I think even our freedoms are going to come under attack." 

Please act immediately to defend the pro-family victory won in California last week when the people of California passed a constitutional amendment (Proposition 8) by a 52%-48% margin to protect marriage as the union of a man and a woman.  Since Election Day, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) has made statements supporting demonstrations against Proposition 8, and urging California 's Supreme Court to block the amendment's enforcement.

History Of Man:  from bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependency, from dependency back to bondage – Alexander Tylers

The great cycle of faith living can be modified, interrupted, as seen in the several Jesus movements over this past century.  The Azusa Street outpouring and many other examples were exactly that.  A movement back toward Christ and the faithful church.  We who believe should first pray and then act in accordance with the Spirit who guides us.  It is very likely that the California Supreme court will again try to thwart the will of Californians to support this lobbying agenda to ruin everything this country was built upon.  Its not just the issue of homosexual marriage, its naming pornography free speech and devaluing the life of every human being.  There is so much more going on than destroying the family values that have made and kept this country strong.  Eventually, it will come down to the demonizing of our world view.

I knew it.  I knew it all along.  Now a noted psychiatrist confirms it.  Here's a recent article from WorldNetDaily.com :

Liberals clinically mad, concludes top psychiatrist
Eminent doctor makes case leftist ideology is a mental disorder

Posted: November 12, 2008
6:33 pm Eastern

© 2008 WorldNetDaily

WASHINGTON – Just when liberals thought it was safe to start identifying themselves as such, an acclaimed, veteran psychiatrist is making the case that the ideology motivating them is actually a mental disorder.

"Based on strikingly irrational beliefs and emotions, modern liberals relentlessly undermine the most important principles on which our freedoms were founded," says Dr. Lyle Rossiter, author of the new book, "The Liberal Mind: The Psychological Causes of Political Madness." "Like spoiled, angry children, they rebel against the normal responsibilities of adulthood and demand that a parental government meet their needs from cradle to grave."

While political activists on the other side of the spectrum have made similar observations, Rossiter boasts professional credentials and a life virtually free of activism and links to "the vast right-wing conspiracy."

For more than 35 years he has diagnosed and treated more than 1,500 patients as a board-certified clinical psychiatrist and examined more than 2,700 civil and criminal cases as a board-certified forensic psychiatrist. He received his medical and psychiatric training at the University of Chicago.

Rossiter says the kind of liberalism being displayed by both Barack Obama and his Democratic primary opponent Hillary Clinton can only be understood as a psychological disorder.

"A social scientist who understands human nature will not dismiss the vital roles of free choice, voluntary cooperation and moral integrity – as liberals do," he says. "A political leader who understands human nature will not ignore individual differences in talent, drive, personal appeal and work ethic, and then try to impose economic and social equality on the population – as liberals do. And a legislator who understands human nature will not create an environment of rules which over-regulates and over-taxes the nation's citizens, corrupts their character and reduces them to wards of the state – as liberals do."

Dr. Rossiter says the liberal agenda preys on weakness and feelings of inferiority in the population by:

• creating and reinforcing perceptions of victimization;
• satisfying infantile claims to entitlement, indulgence and compensation;
• augmenting primitive feelings of envy;
• rejecting the sovereignty of the individual, subordinating him to the will of the government.

"The roots of liberalism – and its associated madness – can be clearly identified by understanding how children develop from infancy to adulthood and how distorted development produces the irrational beliefs of the liberal mind," he says. "When the modern liberal mind whines about imaginary victims, rages against imaginary villains and seeks above all else to run the lives of persons competent to run their own lives, the neurosis of the liberal mind becomes painfully obvious."

The first rule of tyranny is to quiet the resistance.  If you speak out against the ruler coming to power, you must be silenced through slander, intimidation or prosecution.  This is not new, all the tyrants of history used both intimidation and propaganda to gain power.  Obama had already begun this type of power push in his campaign from his league of "investigators" trying to dig up dirt in Wasilla against Palin, to his team of lawyers trying to prevent the opposition from airing ads about his terrorist associations.  Now that he's been elected, before he has even been sworn in, citizens who speak out against him on their own private webpages are being "probed".  See this article: Remarks Against Obama Probed.  It will make you shudder; if it doesn't, it should.
Ironically, the left has made death threats against our sitting President!  They've made movies glorifying his assassination.  They've made propaganda films blaming him directly for 9/11.  Yet, none of that is quieted.  It's not even questioned by those who should be the public watchdogs, our media.  But one man writes his personal feelings about the President-elect on his private webpage, and he's being "investigated"?  What's wrong with the people in this country?  History warns us.  This is always how it begins: fear, propaganda, slander, bullying.  We must stand against this tyranny!
Here is an article from American Thinker along these same lines.  It is an excellent piece worth your time to read.

I was raised in one country but my father was born in another.  I was not his only child.  He fathered several children with a number of women.

I became very close to my mother because my father showed little interest in me.  Then my mother died at an early age from cancer.  Later in life, questions arose over my real name.  My birth records were sketchy and no one was able to produce a reliable birth certificate.

I grew up practicing one faith, but converted to Christianity because this was widely accepted in my country.  But I practiced non-traditional beliefs and did not follow mainstream Christianity.

I worked and lived among lower-class people as a young adult before I decided it was time to get serious about my life and I embarked on a new career.

I wrote a book about my struggles growing up.  It was clear to those who read my memoirs that I had difficulties accepting that my father abandoned me as a child.

I became active in local politics when I was in my 30s and then burst onto the scene as a candidate for national office when I was in my 40s.  I had a virtually non-existent resume, very little work history, and no experience in leading a single organization.  Yet I was a powerful speaker who managed to draw incredibly large crowds during my public appearances.

At first, my political campaign focused on my country's foreign policy.  I was critical of my country in the last war.  But what launched my rise to national prominence were my views on the country's economy.  I had a plan on how we could do better.  I knew which group was responsible for getting us into this mess.

Mine was a people's campaign.  I was the surprise candidate because I emerged from outside the traditional path of politics and was able to gain widespread popular support.   I offered the people the hope that together we could change our country and the world.

I spoke on behalf of the downtrodden including persecuted minorities such as Jews, but my actual views were not widely known until after I became my nations leader.  However, anyone could have easily learned what I really believed if they had simply read my writings and examined those people I associated with.  But they did not.

Then I became the most powerful man in the world.  And the world learned the truth.

Who am I? 
 
DO YOU THINK YOU GUESSED?......

CAN YOU BELIEVE .....

 Adolph Hitler
 
and heaven forbid that there is No Other???

No, it's not a cuss word…yet.  FOCA stands for the "Freedom Of Choice Act", but like the "Fairness Doctrine", the title is deceptive.  This isn't about freedom, it's about tyranny: radical abortion laws forced on the American people, over-riding both state law and current federal laws.  Even if you are pro-abortion, you don't want to support this horrible piece of legislation.  It would actually endanger women.  FOCA would establish the right to abortion as a fundamental right (like the right to free speech) and wipe away every restriction on abortion nationwide.  It would eradicate state and federal laws that the majority of Americans support, such as:

• Bans on Partial Birth Abortion
• Requirements that women be given information about the risks of getting an abortion
• Only licensed physicians can perform abortions
• Parents must be informed and give consent to their minor daughter's abortion

FOCA would erase these laws and prevent states from enacting similar protective measures in the future.  Please read the expert analysis provided by Americans United for Life (AUL) and sign the Fight FOCA petition at: FightFOCA!

Here is an excerpt from AUL's Denise Burke on FOCA: "If implemented, FOCA would invalidate common-sense, protective laws that the majority of Americans support. It will not protect or empower women. Instead, it would protect and promote the abortion industry, sacrifice women and their health to a radical political ideology, and silence the voices of everyday Americans who want to engage in a meaningful public discussion over the availability, safety, and even desirability of abortion."

Wafa Sultan is a psychologist.  An Arab born and raised woman who has rejected Allah and has come into the knowledge of his prophet's murderous ways.  Its all well and good that you come to know the truth about people in your life, but it is known as backbiting and gossip to go discussing those faults with anyone other than the person with whom you have found fault.

Dr. Sultan goes on al-Jezeera TV and makes her case with the religious authorities of the land.  Her criticism is against their religion, their government, and their proponents.  I have transcribed the entire video for your perusal.  

Quote:  When I examined the Koran, the hadiths, and the Islamic books under my microscope, I came to the absolute conviction that it is impossible - impossible! - for any human being to read the biography of Muhammad and believe in it, and yet emerge a psychologically and mentally healthy person.  Do you remember the way that (the prophet Muhammad) killed 'Asmaa bint Marwan?  His followers tore her body apart limb from limb, while she was breastfeeding her child.  When they returned to him shouting "Allah Akbar," he said; "No two goats would lock horns over her."  As you know, goats lock horns over the most inconsequential thing.  For Muhammad, however, the killing of a woman while breastfeeding was too trivial an incident for goats "to lock horns over."  Is this a prophet of God?  It makes me very sad that al-Jazeera TV allows an insane and terroristic creature like al-Qaradhawi to use it as a medium for the spreading of his poisons, his terroristic fatwas, and his babbling.  The words he used against me incited many young Muslims who have been brainwashed and blindfolded and who have programmed to hate, to rain curses and threats upon me, right after the show in which he discussed my appearance on al-Jazeera TV.  When Islam considers women to be deficient in reason, and I refute this assertion - in that case Islam attacks me, and I am merely attacking back.  When Islam calls to kill whoever does not believe in it and I refute this, in that case Islam attacks me, and I am merely attacking back.    I do not attack Islam, I criticize it, but unfortunately, we the victims of Islamic upbringing, view any criticism as an attack.  I always focus on the language - the language of Islam.  The language of Islam is a negative, dead language, replete with violence, anger, hatred and racism.    Man is the product of language, the outcome of the negative and positive language to which he is exposed in his lifetime.  If his life is dominated by negative language, he will emerge as a negative, reckless, and non-productive person, who rejects everything.  On the other hand, if positive language dominates his life, he will emerge as a positive, happy, and productive person.  This is why the negative language of Islam has failed.  It has failed to produce people with a spontanious and positive outlook.  It has produced negative people.  If we take a look at Islamic societies, we see what that negative man did.  I do not view Islam as a religion - according to my notion of religion.  Islam is a political doctrine, which imposes itself by force.  Any doctrine whatsoever that calls to kill those who do not believe in it is not a religion.  It is a totalitarian doctrine that imposes itself by force.  When I read, for example, the verse:  "The adulterer and the adulteress - flog each of them with a hundred stripes, and do not let compassion for them move you."  I do not discern any spirituality in this verse.  When a certain faith manages to strip its believers of their last grain of compassion, it strips them of their spirituality as well.  Jesus Christ is the symbol of peace.  He did not carry a sword, chop off heads, or accuse anyone of heresy.  The problem in Islam is that if we were to act similarly to the Christians of the Middle ages, and were to model our lives after the life, actions, and words of Muhammad, we would find ourselves in an even bigger mess than the one we are in, and we would end up with Osama bin Laden and his ilk.  Read about the life of Muhammad.  What do you find there?  Nothing but his raids and his wives, in addition to his hadiths, some of which make you shudder.  I shudder when I hear the hadith:  "A woman's paradise is under her husband's foot."  The Islamic teachings have become dreadful in the skulls of the Muslims.  I see no alternative but to open up these skulls, and to clean the life-threatening cancerous cells in these brains.  When the Syrian people swarmed the Danish embassy and burned it down, it burned my heart too.  Why?  The Syrian people is dying of hunger.  The Syrians, despite their (ancient) civilization, chase after their daily bread.  Why don't they swarm the palace of their president, who has 40 billion dollars in European bank accounts, and burn down the palace, along with its occupant?  They swarmed the Danish embassy giving the West the wrong image of the moral and civilized Syrian people.  Therefore, I describe their conduct as barbaric and backward.  The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a religious conflict.  I support the Palestinian cause.  I support the Palestinian children.  I lose sleep over the suffering of Palestinian women.  I cannot even step on an ant, so how could I possibly be against them?  This is inconceivable.  This is a political conflict, and they should ask their leaders about what they have done to resolve this problem.  But the problem is rooted in religion.  A week or two ago, I read a short story in an Islamic book, according to which Muhammad was walking with some of his followers when they heard a commotion.  They asked him:  "What is this, Messenger of Allah?"  He said:  "These are the Jews being tormented in the grave."   Regardless of the conflicts Muhammad had with the Jews back then, this statement indicates that the graves of their ancestors were in Saudi Arabia, correct?  -Yes.  They are people of this region as is evident from the Islamic books and the Koran itself.  The problem with the Muslims is that they do not distinguish between their prophet and their own noses.  When you criticize Muhammad, his actions, and his life, it is as if you chopped off their noses. 

Dr. Sultan is risking her life to speak the truth to the very people she is criticizing.  So it should be with you, if you are an honorable person, that you would take your criticism to the person you have complaint against.  If you they will not listen, the Bible says that you should then bring a brother, that is to say somebody you both trust and respect.  If they still will not listen, then you are to take the matter to the elders in your church and hopefully your pastor will come with you to speak your complaint.  In a secular format, this advice still applies.  You find somebody you can both respect and have them come with you to speak to this person and if they still will not listen, then who do you go to?  The police?  Maybe you can go on TV?  Again, there is real value in having a religious group with whom you can appeal your case.

Yes sir, we held the line.  Those elitist judges didn't get to make that law stick.  The law they legislated from the bench.  We've amended the California state constitution to specifically define marriage as between one man and one woman.  Other states also held the line during this election cycle as well.  In fact, everywhere it was placed before the people, Red state, Blue state, it didn't matter.  The people want marriage defined as between one man and one woman.