Power to the People or to the Government

Posted on March 17, 2012 by Mr. Decal

The following phrase should never be uttered in our nation, as a debate subject or under any other premise.
A Post-Constitutional America: Your Basic Rights Are at Greater Risk Than You Think
The author, ‘Mark Levin warns that we are living in a post-Constitutional America.’

The question we have to ask ourselves, do we as a people cherish the rights outlined in the first ten amendments of our constitution? If any of us believe that those rights are given by God, and not won from a government.
If any of us have forgotten he is the list our rights:

First Amendment

This amendment guarantees freedom of religion, speech, and the press, and protects the right of assembly.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Second Amendment
This amendment protects the right to keep and bear arms.
A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

Third Amendment
This amendment guards against the forced quartering of troops. (In the years before the American Revolution, British officials forced the colonists to quarter—to house and feed—British troops.)
No soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Fourth Amendment
This amendment protects against unreasonable searches and seizures.
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Fifth Amendment
This amendment guarantees a trial by jury and “due process of law,” and guards against double jeopardy (being charged twice for the same offense) and self-incrimination.
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Sixth Amendment
This amendment outlines the rights of the accused, including the right to have a “speedy and public” trial, the right to be informed of the charges made against him, the right to call witnesses in his defense, and the right to have an attorney in his defense.
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.

Seventh Amendment
This amendment lays out the rules of common law.
In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

Eighth Amendment
This amendment protects against “cruel and unusual punishments.”
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Ninth Amendment
This amendment ensures that the individual rights that are not enumerated in the Constitution are secure—that is, that these rights should not be automatically infringed upon because they are omitted from the Constitution.
The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Tenth Amendment
This amendment limits the power of federal government by reserving for the states all powers that are not explicitly granted to the federal government by the Constitution, nor denied to the states. This amendment counterbalances Article VI, which invests the federal government with ultimate legislative authority.
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.

The federal government is currently trying to erase or breach these rights. Well meaning people tell us these compromises of our rights are to protect the public welfare, for security reasons.

However, the villain that can snuff out liberties glare is within all of us. When we as a people believe it is ok to bargain with the darkness of oppression, then we are doomed.

The darkness is gathering and this blackness is the federal government or any leader who negotiates with oppression for the common good. Even our first president George Washington knew even a well-meaning good leader cannot be trusted with absolute power.

I adjure each denizen of this great country to consider and ponder the ten amendments listed above. Are we willing to allow the federal government to be our master and deny us our God given rights?

The following video discusses the above.

http://www.pjtv.com/?cmd=mpg&mpid=105&load=6735

Posted in Bill of Rights | Leave a comment

The Debt

Posted on December 23, 2011 by Mr. Decal

The search for truth was the desire of the seeker. The quest began with a question. Because the seeker is a human man, the question easily formed.

What common denominator links all of creation, of both man and beast?

To answer this query the seeker thought, “I need to define the difference of the beast of the field, and man.”

Therefore, the seeker surmised, “The beginning is where I shall start…”

Then a thought stopped the seeker’s surmising. Oh not just a thought, but at that very moment dawn broke, and the darkness of night replaced by the suns glory. As the seeker witnessed this daily celestial event with awe, he realized the answer to his first inquisition.

The seeker spoke the answer into the empty room. “A man can appreciate a sunrise.” He paused to collect his thoughts. Then the resolution form in his mind. In fact, the seeker’s excitement caused him to spat out the obvious, “A beast cannot describe, the beauty and splendor of a simple dawn!”

Man was different from the other beast that roamed the earth; man was self-aware the beast of the field were not.

Now the more difficult question loomed before the seeker. “What similarities did man and the beast of the field share?”
The seeker studied and listed the parallels: Two eyes, legs, teeth, hair, or fur, a nose. Moreover, what he knew of biology, a heart, lungs, the list seemed endless.

The seeker examined beast in a zoo and the same beast in its natural environment. The seeker saw the caged lion did not have the look of a predator in its eye. Nevertheless, the lions he saw filmed on the Serengeti Plains had the look of a hunter.

The seeker said again, with excitement, “To be free is the desire of a man and beast. Free to be what they each were born to do.”

The seeker knew that the beast of the field were free. However, man formed into communities, which soon formed into town, cities, kingdoms, empires, and nations. Then each group elected a leader, to protect the common good. Then darkness fell as each leader subjugated his fellow citizens.

This reality almost caused the seeker to halt his investigation. The seeker spoke as tears tracked down his cheeks. “All beasts were born free. However, men, women were born into slavery.”

The seeker struggled forward as he scanned the historical accounts. Darkness of oppressive societies filled his vision even to the horizon. He penned what his research found in the following account.

Thousands of years of oppressive darkness ruled the earth. Kingdom after kingdom, one despot replace by a crueler ruler, each tyrant dominated his own citizens.

Then seeker learned what evil existed under heaven. These dictators made slaves of men and women of the vanquished foes of the despot. The seeker discovered evil piled onto more evil. The dominated subjects of these kingdoms enslaved people who were different. The subjugated endured the bitterness of their existence by enslaving those of different skin color, religious, and political beliefs.

The seeker in his search realized the enslavement of the many by the few. Not only did these rulers subjugate the body, but also they destroyed the spirit of men.

The seeker found this evil continued year after year, then decades became centuries. As the centuries piled one upon another, the domination of the many by the few, continued as the epochs became thousands of years. Freedom was all but a forgotten idea.

Then the seeker saw a light of hope, the narrative of his research continues.

Then the seeker saw a spark that lite a candle. This small flickering light pierced the darkness, and the oppressive night fled. This small flame of a candle gave hope to the hopeless. The seeker witnessed how this small insignificant quivering flame set the spirit of men, and women free. Free to choose, free to dream, free to hope, and to live by the rule of law, instead of the rule of the one.

This shinning flame the seeker learned its name, and its place among the epochs of time. The candle that assaulted the darkness of oppression called liberty. The time 508 B.C., the place in Greece the flame is the Athenian Democracy.

The seeker witnessed as the flame of liberty warmed, and illuminated the world. The small flickering flame of liberty grew into a blaze. Liberty’s warmth freed the human mind to imagine. The fervor of liberties flame was the freedom for each individual to choose: new ideas, the beauty of art, the poet, and the idea of possibilities.

The light of liberty illuminated the universal realities waiting for the freed mind to discover. The freed mind found the universal tools of math, science, and philosophy. These tools allowed man to explain and to understanding how the world worked.

The seeker saw liberties light did not vanquish all of the darkness. This light did not and could not conquer the blackness of oppression in the hearts of men. The flame of liberty even though glowed brightly, which appeared unquenchable, was not an eternal flame. This liberty was fragile, and the flame we must guard the flame. Liberty death comes from within, as freedom negotiates with the darkness.

Then the seeker saw as this flame of hope again extinguished by the oppressive darkness. Once again, the world was dark. The enslavement of men and women seemed even more oppressive.

The seekers tears again stained his face. However, now he searches with a hope again to find that light of liberty. The catalogue of his findings continues.

The seekers research found Caesars, emperors, kings, popes, and religious orders oppressed the people. Then again the years gave way to, decades became, centuries into millennia.

Suddenly, the hope that drove the seeker, burst into joy. As the seeker found a hope after more than two thousand years of unbroken oppressive darkness, the seeker witnessed a spark.

With tears of joy blurring his vision, the seeker continued his chronicle.

The spark again lite the flame of liberty the flint was a simple declaration of independence from the rule of the few. The Declaration of Independence of 1776 declared that a government governs at the consent of the governed. Furthermore, the rights of liberty are inalienable.

The seeker saw, as the flame of liberty became a bonfire of hope. The new flame had a name, The United States of America. This blaze of liberty became a fervor, which burned in the heart of every denizen of this new land.

The seeker witnessed as the light of liberty became a beacon welcoming all those who desire freedom to come. Even to this very hour, The Statue of Liberty is the iconic image of the beacon welcoming all who dare to be free.

However, the seeker’s analysis came to one conclusion. Liberty is not free or self-sustaining. The ever-present darkness desires to extinguish the flame of freedom.

The seeker is your fellow citizen, and we enjoy liberty’s warmth together. However, the seeker tenders a warning to his fellow residents; the darkness of oppression is now crouching at our door. Fear not, the darkness of oppression of a Hitler, or some Asian despot will not, and cannot extinguish the flame of liberty.

The foe of liberty the seeker presages of is more insidious, than a mere outside adversary.

The villain that can snuff out liberties glare is within all of us. When we as a people believe it is ok to bargain with the darkness of oppression, then we are doomed.

We whom enjoy, and live in liberties protective glare; our debt is to protect the flame of liberty. We also owe a debt to the ancient Athenian’s of Greece because it is the headwaters of our freedom. Our obligation to our founding fathers is not to change the terms of our liberty on its head for selfish reasons or for security concerns.

Every man, woman, and child’s debt is to protect this fragile flame of liberty. Our debt paid in full when we leave for our descendants the legacy of liberty.

It is as simple as this; if we are not all free then none of us is free.

Author: Douglas Bryant

Posted in Freedom, Hope, Liberty, Rule of Law, The Declaration of Independence | Leave a comment

Reflective Security Signs

Posted on August 11, 2010 by Mr. Decal

The typical road sign such as warning, informational, and speed signs are manufactured with traffic and engineering grade reflective sheeting. The reflective properties are achieved using beads of glass that will reflective light from any angle. The road signs would be considered the high end of the reflective sign products.

There are two types of plastic security signs, the first a non-reflective, the second, is a reflective security sign. This article will highlight only the reflective security signs.

The reflective security signs are not to be confused with self- luminous materials. Reflective materials require light to illuminate or reflect. These signs are similar to the road signs we all observe while we are driving. The reflective materials used to manufacture a reflective security sign also employ the glass bead to reflective light.

The yard security sign is the best advertisement for the home owner, because the sign communicates to a potential burglar that this house is protected. Since most criminals are opportunistic and will gravitate to the path of least resistance. These home thieves’ will not attempt a B&E because of the security devices in situ in a home. Most burglars’ do not want to be caught they will move on to a home that does not have a security system.

The reflective security sign continues to advertise after dark that a home has a security system. The potential home invader then chooses a home without a security system to burglarize. The reflective security sign increases the security customers’ peace of mind.

There are two schools of thought of how a reflective security sign should be printed. The first idea states, that the sign must be printed with transparent inks, so the entire sign reflects light. This is similar to how road signs are printed; the whole sign reflects when automobile lights illuminate the sign.

The second proposal of how reflective signs should be manufactured. The inks on the sign should be opaque. The areas of the sign without ink will reflect the lights of an automobile.

The background of the sign would be printed, utilizing opaque inks. The letters or words of the sign would be reflective as they are reversed out of the opaque background. The following is an example of this process. If a sign had the imprinted message, HOME SECURED BY ABC SECURITY, only the words, HOME SECURED BY ABC SECURITY, would reflect the illumination of cars lights. The background of the sign at night would be invisible.

Both printing paradigms are valid, and will convey the message desired, by the security company and the home owner.

If I had to choose I would rather have a reflective security sign protecting my home.

Doug Bryant

The Decal Factory – The best decals, signs, labels, posters, stickers and banners in the industry for business and hobby.
Toll Free – (800) 369-5331

Posted in Branding, Customer Service, Decals, Four-Color Process, Promotional Products, Screen Printing, Security Dealer, Security Signs, Small Business | 29 Comments

Brewing Beer Process Continued

Posted on August 2, 2010 by Mr. Decal

Brewing beer is an interesting process.  Basically what you are trying to create is an infection in the beer.  I will explain about that later.

The night before brewing, I had to cold steep coffee in other words I had to take my ground coffee add cold water to it and let it sit overnight.  Then the next day we added that coffee mixture to the water.  Because the coffee has certain oils in it, it will actually kill the head of a beer.  So as part of the grain mixture we had to add carapils.  These make the head frothier to counteract the oils in the coffee

You start off with 6 gallons of purified water (which gets boiled off to 5 gallons).  Once you bring the 6 gallons to a boil you start adding the ingredients.  The first thing you have to do is add the barley grains.  You can use wheat but for my brew we used barley.  You use a grain bag which is essentially a mesh bag you use to put the grains in and steep the grains.  Much like you would steep a tea bag in a hot cup of water.  However this cup is 6 gallons.  After the water has cooled down to 170 degrees you put the grains in the bag and you steep them for about 20 minutes.  Basically you are adding the grains for color and flavor only.  You are not extracting sugar from the grains with the steeping (which is called mashing).  The reason you are not extracting the sugars is because I bought a recipe that had an extract in it.  Once you add the extract the mixture is now called the wort.

Once the extract is added then you bring the wort to boil.  Then once the mixture is at a rolling boil you start a timer for 60 minutes and you add the hops.  When you add hops this early in the boil you will not get any of the aroma or the flavor.  These are called the bittering hops.  They add bitterness to the beer.  The reason these are bittering the beer is because all of the boiling you have to do is extracting the alpha acids out of the hops.  Once you add those hops it gets boring because you are just letting the wort boil.

Just before the boil ends I had to add the lactose (which is milk).  I wanted to brew a coffee milk stout so I have to have lactose in there. Now the lactose has to be un-fermentable sugars because I wanted the milk taste in the beer.  I did not want the yeast to eat the lactose sugars.

Once the boil ends things get very fast and interesting.  You have to take the wort off of the burner and you have to put a wort chiller in the wort.  Basically it is a heat transfer system.  It is a very long copper tube that is twisted around and around in a circle and goes in the wort.  You run cold water through it and the cold water cools down the wort, to the point where it is safe to pitch (add) the yeast.  Basically you have to pitch the yeast at a certain temperature.  Too cold and the yeast takes longer to get active.  Too hot and the yeast dies.  You want to infect the wort with the yeast ASAP.  Basically you are infecting the wort with the yeast so that nothing else can infect the wort.

Once the wort is chilled, you transfer it to a car-boy.  A car-boy is a 5 gallon glass bottle.  Up until this point it has been very easy to keep things sanitized because everything that you are working with is at a boil so anything that got in there was killed instantly because it was boiling.  Now that we are no longer boiling it can get infected very easily, and everything must be sanitized.

Once the wort is transferred to the car-boy you pitch the yeast.  What the yeast is going to do is eat all the fermentable sugars and poop alcohol, and fart CO2.  That is how the beer gets its alcohol content.

That is basically how you brew a coffee milk stout.  Or at least it was my observation of the whirlwind of activity in the process of brewing beer

Jason Bryant

www.decalfactory.com

Posted in Banners, Branding, Brewing Beer, Labels, Promotional Products, Screen Printing, Security Signs, Small Business, Uncategorized | 29 Comments

Fading of Color Printing

Posted on July 29, 2010 by Mr. Decal

What You Did Not Know to Ask

 

First we must set a baseline for the discussion about the fading of color printing. Fading of color is a dilemma common to all industries. The plain truth is all color fades. Products such as carpeting, cars, decals, signs, banners, and a host of other products printed or pigmented with color fade.

The question we need to ask, “How quickly does a products color fade?”  This answer to this inquiry depends on the method of how a product is tinted.

The product that is pigmented implies the product’s color  is imbedded into the substrate. The pigmented product such as carpeting fades very slowly, but the product still fades. The product that is painted such as automobiles also fades gradually, but still fades.

The products that are printed such as decals, banners, signs, and other products exposed to sunlight. The process of printing these products utilizes two methods of printing, digital and screen-printing. The other methods of printing such as, flexography, offset will not be considered. These techniques are exclusively for indoor use.

I will highlight one product line, the plastic security sign. The plastic security sign is printed using the screen-printing method of printing. This technique is extremely fading resistance, but as noted before everything fades.

The question again, “How quickly does a products color fade?” The answer to this query depends on a few factors. The security lawn sign printed correctly will never fade to white. The printed colors will lighten over time, red may morph to an orange, dark blue may lighten.

The factor that lengthens or shortens the fading effect of a security sign is placement. The sign that is mounted facing north will not have significant color modification for five or more years. The security sign that is placed on the southern exposure will see color transformations in shorter durations. The east and west placements also have varying times of color degradation.  

Little known fact

Screen-printing companies test the veracity of their inks, by placing the security sign on a test board facing south. Every month a sign is left on the test board is equivalent to four months of sun exposure.

To conclude plastic security signs will not fade to white. Color changes will occur differently due to sign placement. So the question,” How long will my plastic security sign last”?  The answer is a general between 3-10 years.

The Decal Factory’s first and foremost desire is to make sure our customers are satisfied. When we print your decal, sign, banner, or security sign, we desire to keep printing your products for ever. The company has a long history of servicing our customer for decades. The Decal Factory works for you.  

Doug Bryant

<br><a href=”http://www.decalfactory.com“>The Decal Factory – The best decals, signs, labels, posters, stickers and banners in the industry for business and hobby.</a> <br>Toll Free – (800) 369-5331

Posted in Banners, Branding, Counter Mats, Decals, Four-Color Process, Labels, Screen Printing, Security Signs, water Slide-off Decals | 50 Comments

Fiduciary Relationships Do They Still Exist?

Posted on July 13, 2010 by Mr. Decal

In general as consumers we purchase many various products, and services. Can we rely on the perceived fiduciary relationship as presented in commercials, or by sales people, or is it truly buyer beware.  

We as a society have become very specialized in our chosen expertise. We call the Plummer to fix our broken pipes because they are an expert. We use an accountant to file our taxes, because they are an expert in their field.

This idea of a fiduciary relationship is seen more clearly when you either sell or buy a home. Most of us understand that if you are purchasing a home, you enter into a purchase agreement using your own real estate agent. We would feel uneasy about purchasing a home from the seller’s agent.

The reason we employ our own real estate agent is because by law, they represents you in as fiduciary. Your, purchasing agent looks out for your interest, not the seller’s interest. In real estate by law there is a line of demarcation separating the selling agent from the purchasing agent.

The agent that represents the home seller and the home purchaser must by law inform the purchaser and seller that there is a dual fiduciary. By informing both parties of the dual fiduciary the agent is communicating that the fiduciary relationship is in question.

The captured sales agent for a printing manufacture has a fiduciary relationship to that manufacture. Those agents only sell what that company manufactures, and will not inform you if their products do not fit your need.

The Decal Factory® is not a captured agent of any manufacture. Therefore The Decal Factory® can promote and nurture fiduciary relationships, because we answer only to our customers.

The singular fiduciary relationship is practiced by many printing distributors like The Decal Factory®.

Doug Bryant

<br><a href=”http://www.decalfactory.com“>The Decal Factory – The best decals, signs, labels, posters, stickers and banners in the industry for business and hobby.</a> <br>Toll Free – (800) 369-5331

Posted in Banners, Branding, Counter Mats, Customer Service, Decals, Four-Color Process, Labels, Promotional Products, Security Signs, water Slide-off Decals | 24 Comments

Brewing Beer

Posted on June 21, 2010 by Mr. Decal

I have to admit I had absolutely no intention of brewing beer.  I was perfectly content drinking my friends beer or buying it at the store.  I did not want to put that much work into what is supposed to be a relaxing time (kicking back with a beer).  I had so many choices to choose from.  There was porters, stouts, IPA (india pale ale), and pale ales. 

Each one had their own strengths and weaknesses.  Some had a lot of strengths with very little weaknesses.  However as I became more of a conisuer the weaknesses  in each of the beers became more and more noticeable.  I had in my mind what the perfect beer ought to taste like how dark it should be, and how creamy the head must be.  I knew what it must taste like, I knew what it must smell like.  It was a coffee milk stout.  Just writing and thinking about this beer now makes my mouth water.

There was one problem.  I could not find it in the stores.  Still I was content just buying beer at the store or drinking my friends home brew.  Then one Christmas a friend of mine bought me a  home brew beer kit.  As I opened the package I knew my time had come.  Only one problem, I had no idea how to brew beer.  Luckily this kit was a no-brainer.  You boil the water open the can pour it in stir it add yeast let it sit.  Easy.  However the kits were sub-par at best.  Not even close to what I was looking for.

So I turned to my blue ribbon winner home brew master (we will call him brewmister).  I asked brewmister why the kits were not to my liking.  He said something very interesting and true.  Those kits are made up by a person and that person’s likes and dislikes.  In order to have a brew you like you need to brew your own.  As soon as I heard that I knew what I had to do.  I had to brew my own beer.

Brewing beer is a very interesting process, and a lot of work.  First you have boil 6 GALLONS of water.  Yeah you heard me.  6 GALLONS.  (the second time is for theatrics).  I asked brewmister “Soooo are we going to do that on the stove?” He laughed a man your dumb laugh.  After he was done with his pity laugh he said “There is no way you can boil 6 gallons of water on the stove.”  After thinking about it for a while I decided he was right, I wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, and that you can’t boil that much water on a stove.  He told me they use a propane burner.  When he lit that thing up it sounded like a jet engine.  In fact it takes so long to brew beer that you start off with 6 gallons but end up with 5 gallons because so much of it boils off.

Once you have the initial boil done then you start adding all of the ingredients.  Barley, hops, malt extract, coffee, lactose (the coffee and lactose are for my coffee beer). 

On my next blog I will tell you how the beer is made.

Jason Bryant

 www.decalfactory.com

Posted in Brewing Beer | 49 Comments