Runaway Train

Provided the internet remains free and uncensored, future generations might well hit upon the archives of The John Batchelor Show (blog) to find out what exactly happened to America during its last dying days. Here, they will marvel at seemingly articulate and, for the most part, well-read individuals discussing the placement of tiffinware on the kitchen table while the nation as a whole is careening into the abyss.

Kenneth, it's not about loving liberty or hating liberals - or even loving (anything) enough. It's not about liberals and conservatives. It’s about saving ourselves from the practical consequences of this administration's mindlessly aggressive and irresponsible behavior. Both, liberals and conservatives will suffer equally from the fallout.

Had it only come as another attack like the ones on Pearl Harbor or on the World Trade Center, all of us would have instantly known what's at stake. As it came by stealth, wrapped in false promises with a pretty bow and irresistibly sexy skin, most of us still are clueless. We’re not stupid, but remain willfully inattentive.

We’re everyman investor who has dutifully sacrificed a part of his or her income to some company-sponsored or private investment plan every blessed pay period in the hope of being able to retire in relative comfort. Our government itself encouraged us to do this, providing tax incentives to encourage our discipline. Now, we find our nest egg has all but disappeared. 'Dollar cost averaging' was to be a fail-safe strategy with which we would achieve our retirement goals. It all sounded reasonable enough – even logical – as long as the U.S. remains the U.S. We’re not some third world nation of cool-aid drinkers, after all; where any Svengali thug can suddenly come along and nationalize banks and industries; nullify and re-write contracts at will; stuff the courts with reparations radicals (what have I forgotten?)

But this is precisely what happened. I remember seeing a great flick called ‘Runaway Train’('85). We’re on that train. While we were tucked into our gently swaying bunks, the train lost its brakes. Now we’re all hungry and expecting our breakfast. Except, the train is out of control and traveling too fast. It’s all we can do just to keep the orange juice from spilling. I remember, in the movie, all those on board tried very hard to save themselves. We, on the other hand, seem quite content to “…Go Gentle into That Good Night."

Competition from Oversees

Rush was wrong on this one. The question that should have been asked was, “How could the American people elect someone like Barrack Obama to the highest office in the land?” Elections have consequences. People deserve the government they get. It’s been said so many times, in so many ways; always by smug, modern Americans talking about other countries. What possessed these same Americans to throw it all in the trash can for a system of governance that’s only brought pain and suffering every place it’s been tried?

Now the whole world is laughing themselves silly at us. Try Gerald Warner of Telegraph.co.uk writing in response to Kim Jong-il’s missile launches last week: “School's out! Suddenly it is playtime for all the naughtier elements in the more "reclusive" parts of the world who enjoy kicking Uncle Sam's butt but didn't much relish tangling with Dick Cheney and (what was that other guy's name?). This time Comrade Kim is really throwing his toys out of the playpen. He has even unilaterally revoked the 1953 armistice between the Korean War belligerents, which means, in case anybody is interested, that North and South Korea are once more at war.”

Warner, in his blog entitled, “Barack Obama: all the bad guys are giving President Pantywaist the finger” concludes by saying, “President Pantywaist's enemies are taking his measure and they are liking what they see. Perhaps, in some Machiavellian way, Obama thinks the appointment to the Supreme Court of a Latina woman of apparent bias, who seems unlikely to find favor with white male Americans, will either appease or frighten his foes. Come back, Dick Cheney, all is forgiven.”

Try Pravda: In a piece entitled, “American capitalism gone with a whimper” Stanislav Mishin launches with, “It must be said, that like the breaking of a great dam, the American decent into Marxism is happening with breath taking speed, against the back drop of a passive, hapless sheeple, excuse me dear reader, I meant people.”

He then continues lethally on point, beginning with the failure of (in his words) the “dumbed down (populace) through a politicized and substandard education system based on pop culture, rather then the classics”.

He continues, “Then (the peoples’) faith in God was destroyed, until their churches, all tens of thousands of different "branches and denominations" were for the most part little more then Sunday circuses…”

He closes thus, “The final collapse has come with the election of Barack Obama. His speed in the past three months has been truly impressive. His spending and money printing has been a record setting, not just in America's short history but in the world. If this keeps up for more then another year, and there is no sign that it will not, America at best will resemble the Weimar Republic and at worst Zimbabwe.”

It’s interesting reading. I'm no fan of the Russians, but they certainly seem to have our number. I wish some of our own news media would begin taking the blinders off for a closer look at where we’re headed as a nation.

Mr. Mishin leaves no stone unturned. He singles out Senator Barney Frank, (again, in his words) "a social pervert basking in his and his Marxist enlightenment” as having led in the effort to first destroy, then nationalize the banking system.

It’s beginning to look like Limbaugh might soon have some competition from oversees.

History Re-Written To Suit

In his latest series of missives, B. Raman has been chronicling the ongoing chaos in Pakistan. There are many details to digest - different groups; different motives - but only one overarching emotion: a foreign presence in the Middle and Near East. Even those who are said to be friendly to us are at best playing both sides. Any tribal engendered brutality can ultimately be laid at the feet of the Americans whose support of Israel is seen as an unacceptable intrusion in the region.

If America were to reduce its influence, what would happen? It is doubtful that sentiments would change overnight. Obama’s hard line on Israel is likely to impress no one. They would not understand the nuance that would dictate the framing of the argument. The only expedient solution for the U.S. is to advance a one-state template: not Israel, but Palestine. Anything less only prolongs the agony.

Our new administration in Washington appears to have already decided. Israel is beginning to realize that she has been left utterly alone now to face the final assault. Israel too is divided. She will have to decide whether to go down swinging or march obediently into the hell's rings of certain defeat, leaving God to sort out the rest.

It will soon become clear (if it hasn’t already) that America is quite willing to do whatever it takes to endear itself to Israel’s enemies. Will the turmoil in the region cease? Not likely. It will remain, as it has for centuries: a kettle of warring tribes.

The damage will be to America. How will America handle the stain of genocide? It is sure to leave a festering wound – one that will never heal. The apologies will be endless and sincere – not like the tepid, perfidious and relatively harmless apologies of today.

Yesterday, I saw Mel Gibson’s “Apocalypto”. I was channel-surfing and this one caught my attention. I didn’t know what it was until the first commercial break. And then it dawned on me. This was Mel’s vision of America’s future. The film is said to begin with an epigraph from Will Durant: "A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within." No wonder the libs screamed like stuck pigs when the film was first released. Gibson had scored a direct hit on the sensitive underbelly of history re-written to suit.

Doing Better Next Time

President Obama seems to be having such a laughing good time re-doing America. But why stop at the water’s edge? This, from an opinion column by Caroline Glick in today's Jerusalem Post: "Yediot Aharonot reported that at a recent lecture in Washington, US Lt.-Gen. Keith Dayton, who is responsible for training Palestinian military forces in Jordan, indicated that if Israel does not surrender Judea and Samaria within two years, the Palestinian forces he and his fellow American officers are now training at a cost of more than $300 million could begin killing Israelis."

It seems to me that Obama's plan for Middle East does actually represent a new approach: Wipe Israel off the map and we’re sure to have peace at last. Gee, it seems so simple! I wonder why nobody else has thought of this before.

It occurs to me why capitalism has suddenly become so despised throughout much of the world. I used to think it was envy – but it’s not. It is because capitalism is equated with making money. We ourselves have come to regard money as dirty. We’ve become very puritan in this respect – eating sprouts and twigs; eschewing meat; recycling and all the rest. Years of a soft tyranny in our schools have taught us that ‘green’ is better.

Hollywood has been instrumental in portraying capitalism (or making money) in a negative light. The hugely popular Godfather trilogy (USA) is an example that illustrates that crime pays. Wall Street (USA) tells of insider trading and stock manipulation. If only for a short time, the perps are (anti)-heroes who are able to indulge in living gluttonous lives.

Surely, the writers, producers and directors of such movies do not intend this lesson. Their aim is likely innocent enough: a barn burner of a story - not necessarily to cast a wide net - meant simply to entertain. The people in other countries (and some in our own, including our current president), however, see this and say, “This must be what life in America is like.” Seldom do they grasp the nuance woven into the fabric of the tale, the humor; the pyrotechnics; the art; and often the pathos meant to show the desperate aimlessness of criminals condemned to compulsively repeat their crimes; attempting to fill the vacuous void in their hearts with mansions and women; more money, and senseless, robotic sexual encounters. Cops are often shown to be corrupt as well; as are politicians. All are portrayed, if not rich, at least as well off. In Hollywood movies, the innocent are mere fodder for capitalists’ bottomless longing.

I’ve been watching a lot of foreign movies lately. All these seem to echo similar themes. In “Your Name is Justine” (Polish), a young girl is abducted and sold into prostitution. The culprits are made out to be almost human. The difference between them ranges between ‘bad’ and ‘very bad”. Justine is an innocent, driven to murder. She serves her time and is released. She finds she has lost a significant part of her life – to other’s pursuit of (what else?) 'capitalism'.

“PU-239” is a HBO film in which a dying man tries to sell weapons grade plutonium to anyone who can come up with $30,000. He contacts a gang who live by extortion, kidnapping, protection, drugs, you name it… All this is done in the name of 'capitalism' – or making money.

In “Grimm” (Dutch) and “The Harvest (USA) human organs are harvested from the living for profit.

Foreign movies tend to be far less nuanced than American ones. They reflect their American counterparts only in that robbing a bank, for instance, is likely to produce less attractive consequences than say, Redford, Pitt and company sitting smartly in an airport lounge after having just robbed a Las Vegas casino. American movies are fun, often funny. American audiences (except Barrack Obama and his supporters) do not (yet) equate them with real life where people work hard (and legally) for what they happen to be in the process of building and can claim as their own (though under the current administration that too may change).

Foreigners look at Americans and see they are rich. An American in India is always assumed to be rich. From the movies they watch, they would naturally assume that such riches must have been ill-gotten at the expense of the meek. “How much blood on American’s hands to be able to exhibit so much wealth?” they ask, exercising their curious nature. “How much blood to float the mighty ship called the ‘USS Capitalism’?” they question, their voices soaring in righteous indignation. “It couldn’t possibly be our own system of government that has failed us,” they murmur just before burying their faces in what passes for popcorn in their variously assorted native places.

Their leaders reflexively deflect blame from their own corruption and bad policies by blaming ‘The Great Satan'. “Look, Americans are eating steak and eggs for breakfast in contrast to the anemic gruel on your own tables,” they say in five-hour speeches in the proverbial ‘Plaza de la Revolucion’. “Time to turn the tables; let them know what it’s like.” And, we, like the fools we’ve become, agree with them and go around apologizing, promising to do better next time.

ENLIGHTENMENT

A child with a pink ball is running and laughing out loud. A few steps behind, her parents are locked in a muted but bitter dispute. All three are heading down the steep, narrow path leading to the Japanese stone garden. Upon reaching it, the child bounces her ball across the meticulously raked sand.

Her father shouts and runs to catch up with her. He grabs her roughly from behind and spins her around to face him. Then, he slaps her hard with his open hand. The child staggers and falls.

She is stunned and silent now, whimpering softly to herself at the edge of the garden; while her mother retrieves the ball, leaving the imprint of her footsteps in the sand.
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Kyoto, Japan (1976)
There is one garden in particular which struck my eye and imagination. It is the 500 year old rock garden at the Ryoanji Temple in Kyoto. It was constructed by a landscape artist in accordance with the principles of Zen Buddhism.

The scene, briefly, is this: a rectangular sea of small white pebbles in which 15 rocks of varying sizes are arranged in groups. One is supposed to sit quietly and meditate. The mind struggles for comparisons. Depending on the vividness of one's imagination, anything is possible. Given that one sits there long enough, the mind will at some point cease its struggle and see the garden simply for what it is: a semi-random arrangement of stone.

This final stage is difficult to achieve, even under the best of circumstances. And here at Ryoanji, conditions are far from perfect. Loudspeakers drone on intermittently. Hordes of tourists are continually either arriving or leaving. Their faces are infinitely more arresting than this simple study in serenity. And the eye and heart are so easily nudged away from the disciplines required to...
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In the mid to late ‘70’s, I discovered an exact replica of the garden referenced above at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in New York City. The following is an excerpt from my notes:

I sit down at a point just to the left of center near the front edge of the platform. The two young people behind me glance up from their pamphlets. The boy returns to his reading presently, but the girl's eyes continue to linger over the somber shades of the garden.

I am startled when I realize that it is precisely from this same perspective that I had viewed the original garden in Japan. As then, my eye glides naturally to the open area of crushed rock directly in front of me. (None of the major configurations of stone interest me for the moment.)

The bright bed of finely fractured stone blinds me to detail at first. But soon, the parallel patterns - drag marks left by the points of a rake - begin to emerge throughout my field of focused vision. The patterns appear to be shifting under my steady gaze, almost as if something were about to materialize in this vast illuminated field.

If light is energy, and energy is indeed merely a manifestation of mass, then there might almost be enough of the stuff here to create something from light alone. Perhaps this explains the five islands of rock and moss which are only now beginning to intrude into my consciousness. Perhaps someone long ago - or was it I, myself, even - had stared long and hard at the brightness and had organized it into stone; from there creating the rest: moss and ants and men with rakes...

The people behind me are stirring. They get up and head for the exit. The girl looks back at me before rounding the corner. A pale smile flickers across her painted lips.

Finally, just two and a half minutes before closing, I do manage to attain some sense of unity when a slight movement distracts me. The static perfection of the garden becomes momentarily unhinged and I recognize my opportunity. My senses respond to a single sound: that of a dry leaf scratching across the white surface of raked stone, propelled by a hesitant breeze. Its brittle points leave no mark on the stone (the way the rake did). Soon it will have reached the wall where, in time, it will disintegrate to become the stuff from which new living shapes are spawned.

The guard has entered the garden. He walks silently across the platform. His size twelve shoes leave odd-shaped patterns of moisture and mud on the wooden surface. I remain unaware of his approach. The guard puts his gnarled hand heavily on my shoulder. I start, and turn to look up into the old man's tired eyes.

"I must lock up now, son," he says. "Do come back tomorrow."

Puppet Master

Perhaps B. Raman said it best in yesterday's posting, "After Obama assumed office on January 20,2009, whatever hesitation was there in North Korea's policy-making circles regarding the likely response of the Obama Administration has disappeared and its leadership now feels it can defy the US and the international community with impunity". This analysis was not arrived at arbitrarily. It was gleaned from Obama’s own statements and infantile decisions since his election.

To be fair, we must recognize that Kim Jong-Il, has been conducting himself belligerently even during the Clinton and Bush administrations as these too were judged to be soft towards NK’s blatant extortion ploys. Raman writes further, “A series of actions taken by the Obama Administration have created an impression in Iran, the Af-Pak region, China and North Korea that Obama does not have the political will to retaliate decisively if they act in a manner detrimental to US interests and to international peace and security. Among such actions, one could cite the soft policy towards Iran, the reluctance to articulate strongly the US determination to support the security interests of Israel, the ambivalent attitude towards Pakistan despite its continued support to anti-India terrorist groups and its ineffective action against the sanctuaries of Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Pakistani territory, its silence on the question of the violation of the human rights of the Burmese people and the continued illegal detention of Aung San Suu Kyi by the military regime in Myanmar, and its silence on the Tibetan issue. Its over-keenness to court Beijing in order to seek China's support for dealing with the economic crisis and its anxiety to ensure the continued flow of Chinese money into the US for investment in the US Treasury Bonds have also added to the soft image of the US.”

I would only add that everything North Korea does, it does with China’s blessing. Jong-Il’s regime could not continue to exist without Chinese support. To ignore the fact that China is the ultimate puppet master in the region is simply delusional. How smart it would be for the U.S. to pressure China at this point – China, an important customer of U.S. Treasuries – is quite another matter.

Watch the Dying

Accepting, even as Christ Himself suggested, that salvation (immortality) is not only quite probable, but entirely unavoidable, puts us in the unenviable position of Jorge Luis Borges' "(The) Immortal"(s) who are said to exist largely within the sordid labyrinths of pure thought where infinite time and possibility render any given circumstance impossible not to be; where "no one is anyone; one single immortal man is all men... god(s)... hero(s)... philosopher(s)... demon(s)... world; which is a tedious way of saying that I do not exist."
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– Taken from the short story, "The Immortal", chapter IV, by Jorge Luis Borges. LABYRINTHS: Selected Stories and Other Writings, copyright 1962 by New Directions Publishing Corp., pg. 114-5.


Despite its endless appeal in the temporal world, immortality is a position so desperately untenable, even God Himself seems loath to endure it; and so, the story goes, He sent His only son (for what?) to die, or, at least to give the appearance of such. As Borges writes three paragraphs later, "Death (or its allusion) makes men precious and pathetic. They are moving because of their phantom condition; every act they execute may be their last... Everything among mortals has the value of the irretrievable and the perilous."

As John Batchelor himself has often illustrated, the Republican Party is dying. There are of course those who seek to keep it alive, each for their own (often nostalgic) reasons; but word out on the street has it that extraordinary life-saving measures will no longer suffice. There continues to be some justification for keeping the brand alive. Third parties have seldom fared well in American politics. Colin Powell, ‘moderate’ Republican, continues to plead that the only way to expand the Republican tent is to become more like Democrats. Rush Limbaugh, along with the other radio talk firebrands, promotes just the opposite. He is banking on the belief that when the American voters are given a clear alternative, they will vote Republican. He further stipulates that the Democrat brand is seriously flawed, which Democrats have accepted as a declaration of war.

No doubt, at the moment, Democrats appear to be winning. These are difficult times, however. The public is no longer interested in partisan political squabbling. It is widely accepted that the person who can end the squabbling will be king. Policy never enters into this two-dimensional ‘solution’. Obama was elected for his potential to end the squabbling while his policy positions were largely overlooked.

Now policy differences are once again beginning to surface. In order to maintain the ‘no-squabbling’ fiction, there is only one way to go: go with the winner. This is the policy Colin Powell has adopted. Obama too seems to be following a similar track when dealing internationally. He obviously thinks Marxists and dictators are winning as he appears to have decided to play on their team.

Limbaugh, on the other hand, offers an untested (since Reagan) alternative which is making Democrats and Republican moderates nervous. Many have settled into comfortably lucrative government careers; they have no stomach for confrontation. They have no taste for enduring the inevitable flogging in the public square with the (partisan) press presiding.

Whenever a politician speaks and someone responds, and then the first one speaks again in response to the response, you can bet a strategy is underway. Colin Powell, reacting to Limbaugh’s criticism signals that Democrats are making their final assault on the Republican Party. The plan is to topple it from within; to hollow it out until the walls collapse. The name will be retained to give the illusion of a multi-party system, but the fangs will have been extracted and replaced with rubber stamps. It’s meant to perpetuate the fiction of two parties working together in sublime harmony for the good of the nation, world, solar system, universe…

Obama has been chosen almost by divine decree to accomplish this and more. A king’s motives are never questioned. As such, whether we realize it or not, we have freely chosen to scrap democracy in favor of clearly antiquated feudal governance. Limbaugh and others who are screaming bloody murder, have been given the role of court jester. The king will decide whether they’ll live or die.

But, as we have seen, nothing ever dies. Limbaugh will continue in his various avatars; the Dems will stumble on the very notion they are banking on: being too big to fail; and all will continue as before. It’d be the illusion of death that would give us the surge. The caution for Democrats is to closely watch the dying. It is they who are the most dangerous – for the have nothing to lose.

China

I do not see the defense of the nation as being one of President Obama's primary concerns. While it's difficult to judge which - military objectives or man's innate curiosity - is the driving force behind space exploration, it is certain that it all has resulted (and will continue to result) in military advantage to those chiefly involved as well as in the practical availability of new gadgets for the public to enjoy.

My own instinct tells me that human curiosity will continue to be the primary impetus for exploration of any kind. A secondary motive stems from man's eternal struggle to break free of the chains of bubble earth. This speaks to the reason why many mainlanders, after having reached the Hawaiian island paradise, find themselves feeling unaccountably vexed. This is because they instinctively know that driving only for a short time in any direction will land them on some shore that blocks any further progress. This phenomenon, by the way, applies even to people who might never even have thought of leaving the confines of their own towns while living stateside.

As such, we continue to scan the sky for signs of intelligent life, or for planets that could in theory support any life at all. Please allow me to mention a planet that has been slowly and steadily ascending while we quite unnecessarily run ourselves ragged trying to slay the phantoms of our own making: China.

According to B. Raman’s missive today, China has been working hard to expand its consumer base. It’s been doing so with a combination of tax cuts and incentives - ironically, just the opposite of what the Obama (yes we can) administration has been doing. China has also reaffirmed its willingness to continue buying U.S. Treasuries, thereby keeping the Americans on a short leash. China is hardly suicidal as Iran (or even America) appears to be. It is actively planning for the future, securing energy and other resources wherever it can. They’re strengthening their military capabilities. They’re quick to deal with international issues that affect them directly while pursuing a hands-off strategy towards those that specifically serve to weaken the West. Again, every and all China’s policies are directly antithetical to those currently being pursued by the West.

On it’s present course China cannot help but succeed while America fails. This will not happen tomorrow or next week. It is the long term strategy of a patient people. But it is bound to happen unless a black swan intercedes deus ex machina to reset the table.

Something Deadly Serious

pulp - Your observation raises important questions. Why (indeed) wouldn't a president make his birth certificate public and quash any spurious claims? Is it just a childish 'stick in the eye’ prank to agitate and confound critics? Or is he really hiding something - foreign birth, perhaps; or his (true) religion at birth? Foreign birth would disqualify him from being president. His religion would not. Still, it might have caused him to lose the election had something like this come out in time.

Foreign-born or not, there are other unsettling mysteries: Obama's school and health records (under seal) for example. Obviously someone wanted Obama elected very badly. It is interesting to note that all the media outlets that have so staunchly refused to delve into Obama's past are now struggling financially. Who specifically was it that propped them up during the campaign? Have the same entities (or entity) withdrawn their support now that their man is comfortably ensconced?

More questions than answers. No doubt, something big has occurred. We all sense it. Some already see the outlines of it - those of us who can read between the lies (lines); those who have not totally swallowed the fiction. All the rest is denial which is rampant in America today. America is in a coma, waiting for a prince to kiss her awake; waiting for a child to shout, “Look everybody! The emperor has no clothes!”

Spencer has it wrong when he says that there's no difference between Republicans and Democrats. To the extent that Bush had fallen away from his 'conservative' principles only shows he too was compromised in some way by the same dynamic that ultimately brought Obama to power.

It’ll be interesting to read Bush’s autobiography provided he tells (or is allowed to tell) the truth. I have always thought of Bush as a ‘good’ (if weak) man. I believe he knows the answers to many of the questions some of us have been asking. His silence now only underscores that something deadly serious is afoot.

Ersatz Substance Mine Sweeper

In politics, hyperbole is ersatz substance. The Dems are keenly aware of how they’ve been able to bring down one Republican after another. To avoid a similar fate they have created the Mine Sweep division of (GE’s) NBC, patterned after the HRC-Ickes White House damage control unit during Bill Clinton’s two terms. Given the now obvious blurring of lines between industry, the press and government, it is perhaps appropriate that White House damage control functions have now been assigned to the (perceived) private sector.

In any case, the Schultz-Maddow-Olbermann team can expect to find itself busier than a one-armed (wall)paper hanger during the next four years as Obama has been described by some as a walking gaffe machine. His use of the teleprompter has succeeded in blunting the stooge effect somewhat. There has also been a move - admittedly still in its exploratory stages – to have the White House broadcast events and functions on its own dime, without involving the national press corps.

All this expense and effort is in recognition of the fact that Obama is not yet prepared to lead; that he is still in campaign mode and will likely remain that way for the foreseeable future.

Incompetent, or Diabolical?

Michael Steele now says we didn't know anything about Barack Obama when we voted for him. I beg to differ. We did know – at least those of us who were paying attention knew. Not knowing, in many ways, is the same as knowing; if we had only asked, “Why don’t we know? Is there a problem?” Some still don’t know – or choose not to know – even though the evidence has now become overwhelming. I’m beginning to hear people talking, saying they were duped. And I can only answer, “You have duped yourselves. The information has been out there all along.” Not that McCain would have been any better. In many ways he’d have been worse. …and Bush was bad enough.

Questions are now being raised at home and abroad, giving rise to this debate: Is Obama merely incompetent or outright diabolical? Perhaps Gerald Warner of Telegraph.co.uk said it best in an April 24th blog: “If al-Qaeda, the Taliban and the rest of the Looney Tunes brigade want to kick America to death, they had better move in quickly and grab a piece of the action before Barack Obama finishes the job himself. Never in the history of the United States has a president worked so actively against the interests of his own people - not even Jimmy Carter.

“Obama's problem is that he does not know who the enemy is. To him, the enemy does not squat in caves in Waziristan, clutching automatic weapons and reciting the more militant verses from the Koran: instead, it (the enemy) sits around at tea parties in Kentucky quoting from the US Constitution. Obama is not at war with terrorists, but with his Republican fellow citizens.”

BTW, the same question might be asked of the leadership in Pakistan. Incompetent, or diabolical? For us, it’ll all comes out to the same thing, no doubt. The only difference being, how severely karma will judge these political perps. Obama can likely expect to get off relatively easy as he is accountable only for lying to a feckless public, whereas Zadari’s lies (according to B. Raman’s latest missive) are complicated by extortion.

Freude, Schöner Götterfunken

Before coming to India this time around, I packed the recorder I had been presented in third grade by our music teacher (perhaps in recognition of the notion that sound came first). I thought it would be a good way to while away the hours while waiting for the tropical Chennai heat to subside. As the instrument is nearly sixty years old and has formed blockages in key internal pockets, I find it only allows me to play six or seven notes (which is hardly enough for most songs).

Having become somewhat familiar with Indian music over the years, I understand (particularly as pertains to the raga) that it invariably begins with a thorough exploration of a given set of notes. During this time, patterns will begin to emerge – patterns that can be repeated and repeated again. Enter the tabla, and you have the makings of real music.

Similarly, my six or seven notes suffice as elements to explore. Eventually, patterns present themselves (sometimes unexpectedly) – patterns I try to repeat, merging these with other patterns – and soon, I find myself gleefully engaged.

It occurs to me that during last November’s election, most of us simply wanted to add another note – a black face – to the music of America. We thought it would enhance our already successful American experiment; give it depth and open ourselves up to exciting new variations. Some of us had been made to feel guilty and we felt Obama would soothe that wound as well.

What we hadn’t counted on was that the new note would clash with our old ones; that Obama’s patterns would throw off our own. We made him chief executive and didn’t realize that the post holds real power. We wouldn’t have known it from our experience with Bush. We got so used to mocking him, we felt empty when it ended. Obama is not Bush. Obama can’t be mocked.

What do we do now as we try to come to grips with all the changes Obama is inflicting on our nation? Our old songs no longer fit. Dylan, Seeger, Young, all made a careers of mocking authority. After all that, are we really prepared to embrace “Freude, schöner Götterfunken”?

American Culture Wars (nobody's covering)

I’d like to alert you to something that is not being covered by the mainstream media, either here or in the U. S. Watching television news here (in India), including the BBC, CNN, etc. or reading “The Hindu’, you would never get the idea that President Obama already finds himself in deep trouble with the electorate. While it is true that the Republican opposition has been beaten down to the point where America now has essentially one-party rule and it is unlikely that the new president will encounter any significant roadblocks in pursuit of his far-reaching socialist agenda, the American public is worried stiff about their jobs, taxes, out-of-control government spending (and likely ensuing inflation), health care, social and foreign policy, etc.. The press is making short shrift of such concerns. It is in their best interests to continue promoting the fiction of Obama as he has been promoted all along.

Before the election in November, the press made virtually no effort to find out anything about the first black Democrat candidate. To this day, his birth certificate, his health and school records are sealed and have never been seen by the public. This is unprecedented.

News outlets, particularly in the U.S., have suffered severe financial pain because of their single-minded intent to portray Obama as ‘savior’. Major newspapers in the U.S. are closing their doors; others like The New York Times are laying-off people and trimming their editions as customers cancel their subscriptions in droves. Before I left the U.S. back in March we were regularly receiving both ‘The New York Times’ and ‘The Newark Star Ledger’ delivered to our doorstep; this, in addition to ‘The Wall Street Journal”, the only daily paper we had actually solicited and paid for. Similarly, the networks are hurting, particularly the 24-hour news channels, the ones known all over the world, like CNN, (General Electric’s) MSNBC, PBS, CBS, all of which have earned a reputation of pushing Obama down the public’s throat.

The mainstream media has come up with all sorts of excuses for its financial woes attributing these to hard times; an overall decline in literacy, and competition from alternative niche media usually found on the internet or on (foreign) cable feeds. The truth be told, they’re in denial. They are losing audience right and left for the same reason we ourselves canceled our subscription to the NYT among others (incl. magazines) because we got tired of being subjected to insults day after day; all, under the banner of mainstream, impartial reporting.

Meanwhile, as the new administration’s policies unfold, many Obama voters are experiencing what has been termed, ‘buyer’s remorse’. Many, especially those in the financial sector, now see themselves as directly targeted by what has emerged as Obama’s anti-capitalist policies. There have been massive, peaceful protests (tea parties) in a number of cities around the country. The press refuses to report on the thousands participating, preferring instead to focus on the dozen or so counter protesters that may turn up with their ‘we hate Bush’ signs. Mark Levin’s book, ‘Liberty and Tyranny’ has been number one on the NYT’s best seller list for 7 weeks as I write this. No major news outlet has yet bothered to mention, much less review it.

The opposition Republicans lack leadership. They lack focus because they are divided. Most are resigned to the fact that their depleted numbers in Congress prevent them from having any impact at all on policy. They are content to sit back and allow Democrats to hang themselves. In two years' time, when the pain of Obama’s re-distributionist policies is expected to begin having maximum impact, they hope to be swept back into office on public sentiment alone. They are sadly mistaken. Bush’s precipitous drop in his approval numbers was not due to his being too conservative; it was due to his not being conservative enough.

The electorate identifies three kinds of Republicans: (1) Those who would move the party towards adopting a socialist-lite model (as opposed to the Marxist template the Democrats are seen to be toying with). (2) Those who would advocate strict adherence to the Constitution and the freeing up of financial markets and industry from (what they see as) excessive regulation and onerous tax policies. (3) Those appearing to chart a middle course between the two extremes.

As I see it developing at the moment, numbers (1) and (3) will not have a chance in the next election. They will be swept aside. (Might as well re-elect Democrats.) Number (2), however, is pining for leadership. Democrats, hand in glove with the press, have been successful in thwarting the aspirations of anyone who would dare to come forward to claim that mantle as was clearly evident in the (to some, merciless and undeserved) hi-tech lynching of Sarah Palin.

Yet, I sense a tsunami-like groundswell building that has the potential of sweeping all three - the Democrats; moderate Republicans and the mainstream media – off their hinges. The media (as mentioned above) is already struggling. And Obama’s economic policy is likely to remain in trouble because it depends heavily on the public to participate, i.e. return to spending. So far, the public has adopted the passive aggressive stance of a petulant child toward (government) promises it essentially distrusts.

The most visible expression of voter’s remorse is most evident nation-wide on talk radio, a phenomenon which almost totally eludes the radar of the global media. It is nevertheless the most potent political force in America today. Marginalized variously as ‘right-wing extremist’, vaudeville entertainment’ or just plain ‘loony-tunes’ by major media and Democrats, it has been tremendously successful in drawing vast audience numbers. (Interestingly, left-wing efforts in similar format have consistently failed.) In fact, it has been so effective to the Conservative cause, Democrats are currently seeking a way to ban it.

‘The John Batchelor Show’, though considered ‘conservative’, does not fit this or any mold. It is unique in its approach to radio programming. For one thing, John does not take random callers. All his guests are experts in their varied fields. As such, one can expect much greater depth to satisfy one’s cerebral longing. Generally, talk radio tends to emphasize emotion and stir outrage. Contrary to what Democrats and the mainstream media would have you believe, however, such emotion and outrage is NOT manufactured by the talk radio personalities alone. It is already out there - literally seething throughout the nation - seeking a way to articulate the sentiments large numbers of Americans currently feel, particularly those in the non-governmental productive sectors.

It has never been my intent to champion one type of media over another; or one political position over another. (Though, I admit, that I too nurse my bias.) This is just to point out that pressure in the kettle is building; that Democrats, though seemingly comfortably ensconced, are hanging on by their fingernails. The next two elections have the potential of amounting to a virtual massacre involving anyone in elected office today, both Repubicans (sic) and Democrat alike. Americans have been asleep at the wheel but are wide awake now; just itching for a do-over of last November’s election. Limbaugh continues to be at the forefront of this movement. To ignore his impact is folly.

Linda, John (Batchelor) admits he does not listen to Limbaugh. For one thing he likely does not have time. With his hectic schedule it’s a wonder that he even finds time to breathe. Therefore, he cannot know what you and I know. He knows only what others tell him. Even self-styled conservatives have trouble unabashedly endorsing Limbaugh. He’s the elephant in the room that nobody admits to seeing; for, by doing so, one becomes uncomfortably aware of one’s own puniness. Why? Because he is so damn effective! It’s no wonder the Dems want him silenced.

It’s a bit of an irony to know that by just turning off his hearing aid, he can reduce his critics to silence.

BTW, I’ve heard few giving Rush credit for the hell the man’s had to through to continue his show right after his hearing failed. I remember, it made even me cringe. All you hear about is Limbaugh’s Oxycontin addiction (over and over again).

…the desperate carping of very small minds.

Cop or Abutment

Why does nearly every administration get itself involved in a war it can't win? Is it the same impulse that goads a kid, after he's scrimped and saved to buy his first car, to take her out on the highway to see how fast she'll go? He'll never consider any possible speed bumps, like a cop or a bridge abutment. His parents know he's gonna do it and pray the cop will get to him first.

John's right, Pakistan is a disaster already. It's been a disaster since the partition. Now it's likely to be Obama's disaster as well. What I'd like to know is who gives them the guns? Who arms the Taliban? I'm sure that Sam could give me an answer - but I wouldn't necessarily believe him. Anybody?

If we would know that much, we could work on drying up their seemingly endless supply of arms and explosives. Don't tell me it's Iran? If it's true, it should be easy. Why, Obama could go over to Tehran and talk to the mullahs and ask them to stop being naughty. He could present himself as the 12th imam. He could prove it by personally pulling the trigger on Israel. They would have to believe him then. ...and the war would be over.

Windows

Thanks for your insightful comments, Michiel. Most of us think from within the confines of our ‘comfort zone’ which can be seen as a room with only windows – no doors. Though we may label the various structural elements of such rooms as ‘tolerant’ or ‘liberal’, this does not essentially change the dimensions of these rooms. We still continue to linger at the windows, looking out. And if some notion, like that of ‘religion’ or ‘conservatism’ should appear, we simply draw the blinds and do not allow them to touch us. The same is true of the devoutly religious and the most rabidly conservative.

In order to end the gridlock, there must first and foremost come the recognition that ‘atheism’ for example is merely the flipside of ‘theism’; that ‘conservatism’ is merely the flipside of ‘liberalism’; that when any concept segment (with one extreme at the top and its opposite at the bottom) is bent to form a circle, both extremes meet at a single point.

Nowadays, the distinction between windows and doors has largely eroded; one-eyed peepholes (in doors) have evolved into sliding plates of solid, shatterproof glass. Our houses always tend to have many more windows than doors. (I count TV sets, computers, books, newspapers and magazines as windows of a sort.) Still, a door implies some kind of journey, perhaps - a becoming.

Nothing changes when we look through a window. In this, whether we like it or not, we tend to closely mimic God for He (actually) is eternally condemned to living in an (admittedly) large room with many windows and no doors – we, on the other hand, are not. (For one thing, we are allowed to die.)

Clear-cut Military Defeat

The Sri Lankan army’s announced defeat of the LTTE separatist group yesterday and the killing of its entire top leadership effectively puts an end to the quarter century long conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives. N. Ram, Communist Party member and editor-in-chief of ‘The Hindu’ (South Indian newspaper) writes in today’s lead editorial, “It might have been very different had an organization (LTTE) that started out in the 1970’s with some kind of emancipatory political vision and even idealism not turned Pol Potist in its extremism, cruelty, and horrific disregard for human life and welfare.” Today there is celebration on the streets of Colombo.

B. Raman of the ‘Institute for Topical Studies’, Chennai, however, counsels caution. Rust never sleeps. In today’s world of journalistic activism it is always possible to re-constitute the defeated in conjunction with mocking and/or holding the victor to account for collateral damage. Already there are protesters on the streets in Europe and elsewhere wearing t-shirts bearing the likeness of Velupillai Prabakaran, demanding ‘justice’. This should suffice to re-inflame the passions of surviving separatists (and their allies in Tamil Nadu) who might be delusional enough to deny the reality of a clear-cut military defeat.

White Elephants

When word came of Uncle Earl’s passing, it was the first news we’d had of him in many years. Rumor had it that there had been bad blood between Dad and his elder brother – somehow involving our Mother – ever since our parents married.

It was therefore doubly surprising that Earl left us his powder blue 1960 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz. The car was simply gorgeous! She had some mechanical problems which kept her from passing inspection. She also sucked gas like a banshee. It cost us money just move her around in the driveway so that our other cars could pass. Irrespective of her color, she came to be known as our ‘white elephant’.

It took me years to understand the connection. ‘White elephant’ seemed somewhat appropriate for a car that had white leather seats; that we would finally end up selling at a ‘white elephant sale’ for a pittance. It was only when I learned a little about India that the true meaning of the allusion dawned on me.

India was at one time divided into princely states, each one ruled by a maharajah who lived in a palace. These palaces were not immune from palace intrigue: people plotting to usurp power and such. To his most formidable opponent, the maharajah would bequeath a white elephant. The expense and care the animal would require was certain to keep the man distracted and drive him to ruin.

President Obama is like one of the maharajahs of old. He is trying to tempt us with universal health care while at the same time promising to clean up the planet of pollution and nuclear weapons (and don’t forget guns). It is the promise of utopia - consisting of a virtual herd of ‘white elephants’ - to which we all feel curiously attracted. It’s designed to keep us distracted and drive us to ruin.

Now you know who has been tagged a threat to the Obama administration.

Separated at Birth

India and Pakistan are children of the same mother, forcibly and violently separated at birth, the result of political expediency (payback) by shortsighted armchair politicians. The great Mahatma Gandhi agreed to it without recognizing the potential for disaster that has loomed ever since. Pakistan has chosen the path of theocracy while India has remained staunchly secular. India’s commitment to secularism has once again been underscored by recent elections in which the (often referred to as the muscular) ‘Hindu’ party (BJP) was roundly defeated – even in the aftermath of the outrageous attack on Mumbai by Islamic terrorists. (Is it still permitted to say ‘Islamic’ and ‘terrorist’ in the same sentence? I wonder…)

India strives to be a secular nation. The attack on Mumbai is seen here as political, not religious. There were no reprisals against Indian Muslims to speak of. ‘Secularism’ here is seen differently than it is in the West. In India it means that any and all religions are equally respected (as opposed to the view that all religion is in some way unnatural and must at the very least be marginalized). Gurcharan Das, speaking in a debate in London on May 12, 2009, in support of the motion entitled, The Future Belongs to India, Not China, compares India to “a salad bowl in which the constituents retain their identity”. China and the U.S., on the other hand, must be seen as ‘melting pots’ in which (religious) homogeneity is variously enforced. They fail to understand that in their zeal to (selectively) wipe out religion, they merely supplant it with something equally potent but apt to have far worse effects: the tyranny of ideology.

I have often argued that the commerce of ideas must be free and unregulated. It is those who seek to isolate themselves within the silent tombs of religious dogma or ideology who tend to succumb to madness. Pakistan is on the brink by virtue of its theocracy. There are now many others, of course, suffering from a similar affliction. America is on the brink by virtue of its newly minted (socialist) ideology. Caught in the middle are the people escaping the ‘Swat Valley’ of their 401K’s. …while the rest of the world watches horrified as the train wreck unfolds.
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Slick Dog – Thank you! Have you any idea of how difficult it is to get published these days – especially if you write from a decidedly ‘conservative’ perspective? I’m just happy to have found an outlet; a forum significant enough to spur me to write (which is always the first crucial step, after all). I’ll let you in on a little secret: My most successful posts are the ones in which I learn (or have learned to articulate) something new as I write. I never proceed from a position of attempting to impart ‘stored knowledge’. John Batchelor’s varied approaches to the news that interests him give me the fuel to start my own engines that invariably launch my own imagination on flights of discovery.

As you very well know, a key ingredient in this is India itself. It prompts you to forget all you have ever known; to reset your parameters almost daily. I agree, it’s a fascinating country, now poised for ascendancy. Its core principles of acceptance and tolerance, as enshrined in its Constitution (“JUSTICE, social, economic and political; LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship” – 11/26/49) have not yet been corroded by rogue influences, chief of which is indifference.

Continuity vs. Change

The world’s largest Democracy (India) held elections in stages over the past month. It played out relatively quietly. Early on, Maoist separatists attacked polling stations in the semi-lawless north-east of the country, killing about sixty people. Since then, the Indian Election Commission has stepped up its efforts, beefing up security – calling out the army where necessary (in places like Kashmir among others considered to be flash points) - at polling stations nationwide and there have been no reports of trouble since.

Voter participation has been awesome! Almost twice the entire population of the United States cast their ballots. My wife signed up to vote within the proscribed time period but found that her name was never added to the voting list. This has given rise to intimations in some quarters that the parties in general do not care about the middle class vote. Bolstering this view was the (to us obvious) fact that our illiterate maid was taken through the steps of registering early in the process and received her voter card well before Election Day.

It must also be added, however, that any number of respected, non-partisan organizations exist here who are dedicated solely to get people to exercise their franchise. These are said to consist of virtual armies of young, well-educated volunteers who recognize the people’s right (and obligation) to vote as sacrosanct in a democracy. They are said to refrain from promoting specific candidates over others. In this respect, they appear to resemble our ‘League of Women Voters’ rather than, say, ACORN.

Yesterday, the Indian stock market rallied when it became apparent (from the exit polls) that the ruling coalition will continue. The Indian people, it seems, want continuity (as opposed to change). Today is the counting. The exit polls appear to have been correct. What has been surprising is that the election has not been as close as predicted. Also, the Communists appear to have lost some ground (and influence). At the same time the (what has been described as the muscular) right-of-center Hindu Party (BJP) has fallen far short of expectations. This is said to be largely due to the decision by Atal Behari Vajpayee (considered by many to be a great statesman of exceptional maturity and depth) not to run.

From the vantage point of an outsider, who is not familiar with the daily ebb and flow of political fortunes here, I hear the usual cynical carping of dirty tricks and corruption. But all in all, nobody running can be accused of being in league with the enemy (Pakistan).

It is interesting to compare the Indian elections with our own in which the deciding issue was ‘change’ without the slightest curiosity what such ‘change’ would actually entail.

The Writing on the Wall

Author Profile Page Peter Koelliker | May 15, 2009 6:06 AM | Reply

In one of his first moves after taking office, US President Barack Obama signed an order banning harsh interrogation techniques used since 9/11, which critics have consistently denounced as torture. This includes ‘waterboarding’. As we now know (or should know), this was not just crumbs thrown to a certain segment of Obama's supporters a la Bill Clinton's random 'don't ask; don't tell' affectation shortly after he took office.

No, this was a part of a far more ambitious ploy. It was the opening salvo in the strategy we now see being executed: the criminalization of Bush administration policy and subsequent legal action that will most certainly result (either here or abroad). Obama cannot appear to be too eager for this to happen – but he obviously wants it badly. It is key (in his view) to presenting himself as legitimate - the genuine article - to his specifically targeted international audience which includes Iran, Cuba, Venezuela among others (the U.S. be dammed). In the end he will say that he couldn’t have stopped it, even while pouring gas on the fire.

This is why Cheney is speaking out now. He has seen the writing on the wall – and he does not fancy prison. As things progress, we’ll be hearing from others as well: Bush, Condi, Rumsfeld, etc. But they won’t be able to stem the tide. We’ll also be hearing from a cadre of turncoats, attempting to save their own skins.

Whether or not the criminal prosecution of Bush administration officials and advisors will actually materialize, is yet to be seen. Some may want to dismiss the prospect of such unpleasantness as ‘Democrats overreaching’. I am not so optimistic. Who would have thought that American-style capitalism would give way to full-blown socialism and many of its consequences in less than three months’ time? Already most on our side are resigned to it and making excuses. “Capitalism was bound to fail anyway (along with democracy),” they say.

Those who are banking on Obama’s inexperience and perceived missteps do so at their own peril. This man is out to re-do America in ways unimaginable to Americans who have never indulged in reading Alinsky, Marx, Engles, Trotsky, Ayers and the like. Most Americans have never attended a black liberation (theology) church service. They have no idea of where all this is leading. The time to stop Obama is now. Already there are more than a few of us looking around, saying, “What the hell happened?”

Tamil Nadu Fishing Stories

Author Profile Page Peter Koelliker | April 20, 2009 4:53 AM | Reply

Chennai Journal; Dateline: Bay of Bengal, South India - April 13, 2009
I woke up earlier than usual today. The people next-door set off cherry bombs in celebration of the Tamil new year. It was still relatively cool outside (80’s), so I decided to go down to the beach (Bay of Bengal) and watch the sun rise. What I witnessed was timeless, almost biblical.

A fishing boat was about to leave for work. I noticed the silhouettes of an unusually large number of people, all clustered around an open skiff, against the rapidly brightening eastern sky. As I approached with my camera, nobody paid me much mind. All were busy loading their nets and gear. The light was amazing! It had an almost surreal quality to it; one, I had previously seen only once before in re-print (bookmark) Bible scenes the impoverished German country priest had given us kids in an effort to tack our imaginations in a proper direction. This particular one, of course, was the one depicting St. Peter braving the storm on the slats of his own boat while fishing the Sea of Galilee.

Each sailor knew exactly what to do. Each had performed is assigned ritual countless times before – same as his father and his fathers before him had done. It seemed like absolutely nothing had changed in this routine since the dawn of time. Though I had seen motor-driven skiffs along this particular beach about a year ago, this boat had no modern accoutrements save for the brief glint of the occasional GPS-equipped cell phone. Even the nets were of ancient hemp and not of the razor blue plastic distributed in the thatch-roof fishing villages by the Dutch after the tsunami.

Finally, after everything had been checked, re-checked and loaded; the rudder and oars attached; the sailors in their places, it was time to push off. Now, they waited for the wave that would float them. A tangle of brown brawn was poised along the hull like netting, prepared to push the boat out to sea. The oars were set, and time stood still.

Sand crabs went on about their business as usual, flitting in and out of the holes of their own making. Finally, the anticipated wave rolled in (sending them scurrying) - followed by another. The men shouted and pushed; pushed and shouted. Reluctantly, the craft freed itself from the sandy grip of shore. The rowers rowed desperately. And before long they were out of shouting range. They had entered their water world to which they all carried well-worn keys.

Some were left behind with instructions to meet them again later that day. Hopefully today’s catch will validate their effort. Hopefully, the well-dressed middle men who will have come down from the city to certify their labor will be pleased and throw them something extra along with the normal reduction of debt incurred by unspeakable vices. But all this is forgotten at sea where only enough leeway exists for God and man to rub shoulders without chafing; where man’s habitual vanity needs be restrained and twisted into a sequestered knot; where only one intimate dance at a time is allowed and both partners can be assured of salvation.

A Fresh Sailing

Peter Koelliker replied to comment from John Brown of Kanzas | May 14, 2009 5:18 AM | Reply
John Brown - I know there are Republicans/Conservatives with fire in the belly out there. Unfortunately they're not in Washington. There must be something in DC's water that neuters them. We're a people with a great ideology that lacks a human face. “A swirling mass of grays and blacks and whites” just won’t do anymore. We need a leader! We allow ourselves to get sucked into pointless debates about torture; abortion; presidential IQ’s, even. In the meantime, we totally miss the larger point - like, ‘Is Socialism right for America?’
We’re just as likely to turn on our own and drag them through the mud, happily casting them from our ranks for the Dems to resurrect as straw dogs every time they see themselves as falling behind. The Dems never waste bullets on their own. They’ve even been known to rehabilitate their fallen. Is it any wonder that good people with strong conservative leanings are reluctant to enter the fray where it counts?
I dare say, if Rush or Levin, Hannity (or any of them) were to run for political office, they would win. Yet we dismiss them; we’re ashamed of them. Why? Precisely because we know they could win. We’re basically afraid of winning; of actually taking the reigns. Iraq was no different. Ditto, Vietnam. We fear the press. We so afraid about what Whoopi or Katie might say. We think we couldn’t survive should Britney decide to move to France. Better to just sit this one out and, when elections come around again, say, “I told you so,” from the proverbial armchair sidelines.
Well, we all know it won’t work this time. The donkeys have the elephants sewn up in body bags. It’ll take a hell of a lot more to bust them out than a full-blown depression. But, get real for a moment. Shouldn’t it be the other way around?
It’s bound to happen, of course. It always does. The puzzle now facing us is whether or not someone will step forward and take decisive charge before a war comes and clears the decks in preparation for a fresh sailing.

Torture and Blow-Up Donkey Hot-Air Balloons

Peter Koelliker | May 14, 2009 2:29 AM | Reply
"Torture", for the newly minted 'Democrat Socialist Party' is a gift that keeps on giving. The issue is eagerly embraced by the press and blown up into full-blown media frenzy any time anybody mentions it. No chance of anything of consequence happening to anybody. Too many willing fingers were found in that particular pie.
It's now descended to the level of pure propaganda. Whenever the Democrat hot-air balloon looses altitude, the Dems just drop a little ballast in the sacks marked "torture" and the blow-up donkey soars again.
It works every time - at least, for those who only talk to each other on college campuses and on New York and Hollywood sound stages - but, believe me, the general public is royally sick of it. For them it's more of the same of what they've been hearing for the past eight years: Bush sucks, Cheney sucks, America sucks, Palin sucks, Americans suck, the military sucks; and now: torture sucks; Bush/criminal; Cheney/criminal; America/criminal; global warming; SUV's/criminal; Republicans/criminal -- 'Democrat Socialist Party'/good.
I dare say if the issue were put to a popular vote right now - (alleged) torturers vs. (Dem) accusers – the torturers (as they are currently defined) would win hands down.

Refugees Abandoned

Author Profile Page Peter Koelliker | May 13, 2009 11:45 PM | Reply

Re: Pakistan: Obama reminds me of a small boy attempting to drain a swamp with a thimble. All he's managing to do is to stir up the reptiles. Those up in the hills of the North-West Frontier Province haven’t gotten the message yet; that the savior has already arrived. Hell, they don’t trust what their own government is saying – and with good reason.

America isn’t much different. People no longer trust their government. They feel abandoned, victimized. They’ve had to flee their 401K’s. God knows what they did with all the money that was left. They sure as hell don’t want to risk it again in anything even remotely related to the government. They’re not buying cars or houses, even clothes. Passive-aggressive is the correct stance these days. What to buy with those government rebates and welfare checks? Food, seeds and guns might yet turn out to be the best investment of all.

Who do you turn to when you don’t trust the government? There’s only yourself and the family; friends. God help us! We’ve got to live in our basements for the next 4 years. It’s a good thing we got kids who can keep watch over the vegetable patch while we sleep.

It’s summer now. There’s plenty of rain and things are growing like crazy. We’ve got some canning jars somewhere. I tried to get more, but the stores were all out. Winter’ll be the real test. If we can make it through, there’s only three more to go. They say it gets easier as you go along. Can’t expect much help from abroad, I’m afraid. Bush took care of that.

Rudder, Anchor or Paddles

Peter Koelliker | May 13, 2009 3:17 AM | Reply

It’s interesting, John, that you've woven the STAR WARS analogy into your observations. It demonstrates that we are no longer living on the same planet. All the narratives and arguments so prevalent under past administrations no longer apply today. Bush/Cheney took the task of protecting our nation seriously. They did so within the context of their Weltanschauung which delineated the world as consisting of enemies on one hand and friends on the other.

Under Obama, the old alliances are no more. Most nations have not yet fully absorbed the implications of the Obama sea change. May 18th, when Obama is scheduled to meet with Netanyahu in Washington, will go a long way toward throwing down the (new) markers for all to see.

Cheney is still arguing from a now defunct paradigm. His words mean nothing to this administration. They do not fear a 9/11 style attack. They continue to argue that these attacks were in essence America’s fault; and they aim to change the priorities of U.S. foreign policy so that no (former) enemy would ever think of attacking us again.

The most efficacious way to accomplish this is to make nice with one’s enemies and dump on one’s friends. Throw in a blizzard of mea culpas for perceived past digressions; criminalize past policy; hold show trails involving one’s own; disarm; appease, and you’re well on your way to creating a conflict-free utopia. Obama has cleverly chosen to align himself with the most radical and virulent trans-national factions, dismissing those that, in his estimation, are incapable of mounting an effective challenge. The victims of Obama’s realignment will likely be Israel; Bush/Cheney; and the American people.

Such a strategy can be comprehensible only to one who considers himself as stateless - like today’s academics and members of the international press corps. It may make sense in theses contrived in ivory towers but will ultimately fail (in the real world). Russia, for example might not agree to erase her history and traditions (such as these are) in order to validate Obama’s (or anyone other than Putin’s) perceived sainthood.

Should we in the meantime be attacked again, they will spin it as residuals of past policy and do nothing. They may even succeed in claiming that such attacks are entirely homegrown and carried out by (preferably) right-wing talk radio inspired extremists. The MSM will promote this view all too eagerly as they will see themselves as protecting their own stretched-to-breaking credibility.

I sense all too often – even on this site – an unwillingness to let go and to realize that ‘change’ actually means ‘change’. Americans voted for change without wanting to know what it could mean. During the campaign, they showed no interest in finding out. Now they’re beginning to realize what has happened. I keep hearing that Obama is personally popular while his policies are not. This is hogwash! A man is known by his deeds. Gandhi did not look like a huge sex symbol. Neither will Obama after four years on the high seas without rudder, anchor or paddles.