Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi, and Harry Truman are all reputed to have echoed the message of Matthew, Chapter 25: A society is ultimately judged by how it treats its weakest members. Contrasting this humanitarian view is the vision of Sovereign Deed, as stated by its colorful founder Barrett Moore:
Sovereign deeds are those actions we take that guarantee our...independence...actions that make us less reliant and... empower us to protect... ourselves.
Thus, in Moores cowboy world, if you happen to have fifty thousand dollars to spend, you, the self-reliant individual, might survive the next major disaster. If, however, you are just part of the collective, dependent rabble, you probably wont survive.
Ironically, the fittingly-trademarked motto of Sovereign Deed was the guiding principle of our government from the New Deal to the dawn of Reaganism. The government existed to attempt to plan, protect, and provide welfare for all its citizens. Tragically, however, since Reagan, and the rise of Chicago School economic acolytes, the notion of a commonwealth, and common good has been scrapped for social Darwinist anarchy. In this Blade-Runnerist, laissez-faire nightmare, New Orleans, for example, is literally left to drown.
The social concepts of planning, protecting and providing care have become trademarks for a company like Sovereign Deed. In this world, Paris Hiltons life is intrinsically more valuable than that of a Pellston firefighter.
Embracing fear and exclusivity is not the answer for ending the economic malaise of Pellston, Michigan, or the United States. The true answer is to embrace hope and inclusion - to imagine a reawakening of the New Frontier dream of John F. Kennedy. The answer is to spend a fraction of what is being wasted in Iraq on developing alternative energy sources and transportation services.
Governor Granholm should be ashamed of herself for accepting the promises of a late-night TV snake-oil salesman.
Matthew Malpass East Jordan
Only the Wealthy
I just wanted to thank you for publishing the article about Sovereign Deed. Im sure Im not the only person, who at first thought this sounded like a wonderful opportunity for a small town. Thank you for revealing the true intentions.
I had no idea it was a service that only the wealthy can afford. No wonder they picked such a small town the better to protect themselves from an invasion in a time of need.
I hope that Emmet County and the state reconsider giving this company incentives, and look further into the origins of this company.
Erin Early Bellaire
Kings or Jokers?
Thank you for the enlightening article regarding sovereign deed (S.D.). Im a resident of Petoskey but away from the community for the next six months or so.
I‘ve been following S.D.s financial backing and also questioning the possible other reason for establishing their company in Pellston... if I could throw out a few names/or sites that were not mentioned, but I wonder how much of a critical playing card they are:
1) Richard Rainwater, Texas millionaire, who is financially backing S.D. has been/or is still in business with:
2) Boone Pickens, another Texas oil millionaire who admits he is searching for water to control, and as the Internet shows in many articles, is starting to buy property because he feels water is the next oil... (current holdings for water in the Texas panhandle, but there had been sites mentioning other states, even Canada).
3) The lease between S.D. and the county, which is found online. I could be wrong, but there seem to be some rather large loopholes in several key issues that have not been mentioned.
4) The bill put forth dealing with IMS (the speedway) and its S.D. connection as far as having the land and tax abatement, etc.; also on the Internet.
Bonnie Elkins Petoskey
Style and Democracy
I want to thank Andrea Stewart for writing about how she is offended by the My Style column. I love to read the Northern Express and agree with Andrea that this column is offensive. I too couldnt care less about what someone else is wearing, let alone how much it cost them. I hope that Northern Express seriously considers replacing this column with something of substance, like Andreas suggestion of a write-up on local folks who work or volunteer doing something that helps people in our region rather than a listing of how much money someone spent on their style and where it is they spent it.
Also, in regard to Marian Johnsons Many Voices, I would like to gently remind Ms. Johnson that there is a separation of church and state in our countrys democratic government.
A government where the people who hold office and the people who are employed by the government are God-fearing and listening for Gods leading voice occurs in a theocracy, not a democracy.
A democracy is a government by the people in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.“ There is no mention of faith or religious views in the definition of a democracy.
One of the main reasons our founding fathers created a democracy is because they didnt want to live in a church-run state like England had. Whether or not our founding fathers were faith-full people is not relevant to how democracy works.
I am just grateful God guided our founding fathers to create a democracy for the common good and not a theocracy!
Janette Grice Lake Ann
Wouldnt it be nice if both Ron Paul (R) and Dennis Kucinich (D) were deemed Electable candidates for President? Of course, theyre not. The mainstream Media says theyre not Electable, so apparently its a fact. Dark Horse candidates today are put down as they leave the gate.
All the other candidates must have a crimson E burned into their foreheads, but the letter sure isnt visible on TV. If Paul and Kucinich were deemed Electable by the Media, a large number of Americans who want the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan stopped would be able to vote for candidates who agree with them. Of course, we cant have that!
The same would hold true for issues like Universal Health Care, Waterboarding, the Patriot Act, Wiretapping, Global Warming if those two candidates were considered Electable, we could all vote for someone who actually advocates our opinions and preferences.
The strange part of this anomaly is that those of us who would like to vote for a compatible candidate who happens to be deemed Unelectable by the Media are in the majority in America.
Or does that crimson E stand for Empire, which is what makes all the other candidates Electable?
Weird, isnt it?
William F. Brabenec - Attica