Heavy On The Gas

"...we like natural diasters as bookmarks in our chronicles. Earthquakes, flood, tsunamis, volcanoes all appear to be outside of history and non-partisan." - John Batchelor.

I really like your description of natural disasters as ‘non-partisan bookmarks’. I guess it’s been in the back of my mind ever since RE uttered the words, “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.”

I just finished listening to Aaron Klein’s Sunday show in which he parsed Barack Hussein Obama’s speech last week re the Middle East. Aaron’s weekly radio program is the kind of radio The John Batchelor Show used to be; and, in somewhat diluted form, still is.

Putting aside what Aaron actually had to say, the very fact that we cannot comfortably take Obama’s words at face value is troubling. Does he support Israel, or does he not? The jury is still out on that. An argument can be made either way. Does he understand the linkage between Israel and America as it has traditionally served? And, in a more immediate sense: What does he intend for America? Again, a variety of opinion prevails.

We’ve come a long way from trying to figure out whether Bill Clinton had sex with Monica Lewinsky or not. The argument we’re having today brings it much closer to home. It puts us in the crosshairs. After two and a half years, we are still at a loss to explain who our president is and in whose interests he might be working. Meanwhile all the metrics by which we have traditionally judged administrations are telling us we’re going down.

It seems what we write here has very little impact; that even what JB and his guests may say on his mighty New York ‘blowtorch’ megaphone is but a thimble’s worth of utterance tossed into the great torrent of popular babble. I think we’re all smart enough to know that no one really cares what we say or write. If people should actually begin to care, it would probably be wise to stop. Mitch Daniels and Donald Trump (among others) seem already to have reached this conclusion.

It is, after all, only ourselves we aim to please. Unfortunately, whether by design or accident, we remain our own severest critics, forever seeking approval from someone ‘outside’. The more astute among us, perhaps, eventually come to realize that there is no one really out there – never was; never will. Call this futile exercise good old-fashioned ‘blame-shifting’.

At one time, there was a great debate to determine the center of the universe. As is customary in any such endeavors, the first three reports were wrong – and from the look of things, all subsequent reports may be wrong as well. In fact, the question may be so absurd as to not even deserve consideration.

Given all we have to worry about, it’s a small matter indeed, intended only for GPS fanatics – as is worry about apocalypse; rapture; the 12th Imam’s well; etc. These are not things we can actually do anything about. What does appear to be possible is for us to handle our own affairs with due care and dignity. And even in that we too often fail (Schwarzenegger, Strauss-Kahn).

When a nation fails, it seldom fails from the outside. It fails from within. It fails due to the fractures and divisions induced by uneven emphasis. By that score, we have failed already – even before Barack Hussein Obama started sporting his first legitimate tooth. Our president is merely the driver whom we have chosen to drive our bus. Netanyahu happens to be on that bus as well. He now wishes he weren't - as he now raises the alarm, saying that our driver may be a little too heavy on the gas.

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Circling the Bases

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Not surprising that Joe Biden fell asleep. We’re in a holding pattern. Our plane has been circling the airport for two and a half years. With the air traffic controllers asleep, will the pilot figure out how to land this plane already? There is no indication of that. The passengers are divided. “Should we attempt this landing anyway, or should we go back and try again with a different (flight) crew?” It’s no wonder that some of the passengers have been dozing off.

There’s been round condemnation of the president’s speech this morning. And this too is not surprising. As soon as the president - of any party - utters a word, the sports fans arm themselves with tomatoes. Clinton, Bush, Obama - it’s been all the same: The incredible shrinking American presidency. Sure, there’s always the inevitable cheering from out in the bleachers, from those too drunk to know any better.

The rest of us are out for bear, thinking we matter; while all the action takes place in the club house - and not on the field.

“Dysfunctional?” you ask. Not dysfunctional at all. You do keep coming after all - to see the games - and paying through the nose for tickets, hot dogs, souvenirs, and beer.

Let’s think for a moment, what if the president actually were able to land this thing. Where would you think we’d be? Would we now be able to balance our budgets? Strengthen our dollar? Would we now love each other more? Would peace break out in the Middle East? Could we all go home now and get a good night’s sleep?

The answer, most would agree, is a resounding no. We now know enough of our president’s skills to not dare risk it. Every day we delay is a gift. Will we be able to last long enough till the weather clears? How much fuel do we have left anyway?

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They All Were Despised

Pawlenty, Shmawlenty! This is the first time I’ve heard of this man. We know nothing about him except that he can talk and say all the right things in a campaign commercial while a rousing dirge plays in the background. Where has this man been for the past two years? He should have been shouting ‘Fire!’ in this crowded American theater all along – along with everybody else. Now it may already be too late. Reminds of that sorry-looking fish he’s holding on the cover of TIME. (What is that? Buckshot?)

Pawlenty is portrayed as a loser with close similarities to McCain. He even lost to Palin when it came time for McCain to pick a running mate. No, I’ve actually been reduced to looking at Kucinich for leadership. At least he had the guts to call for Obama’s impeachment. Wouldn’t it be delicious irony if Obama’s greatest threat came from the left?

Maybe it is right what Islamists say about us; that our days are numbered; that we have lost our way; our will; our resolve to fight and prevail while dancing pointless pirouettes on White House parkette, just marking time before the barbarians arrive and knock down the gates. Perhaps it’s already happened and we’ve got our heads so far up..., we can’t even see what’s being done to us. And that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? - our precious, gilded as*es, making believe our sh*t doesn’t stink.

That’s how they see us – our enemies: faded prima donnas in drag. There won’t be much to sweep away after it’s all over; our egos lying shattered on the ballroom floor. It shouldn’t take much to clean up the mess. Hell, we could do it ourselves – but we won’t. There are certain jobs Americans just will no longer do.

Right now our enemies are doing a pretty fair job of cleaning our clocks. One janitor is as good as the next. Maybe we’ve cried ‘wolf’ too many times: We can no longer tell the difference between them. Clinton, Bush, Obama (actually it started in earnest with Reagan). They all were despised.

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Romney: Didn't We...

When people are taken hostage they are customarily bound and gagged: bound, as to prevent escape; gagged as to prevent them from speaking.

Though I have no proof, I believe that years ago the Catholic Church was deliberately infiltrated by elements that were intent on sowing mischief. There was much to be gained by the diminution of the Church’s credibility and power. Offshoots and lesser Christian denominations were targeted as well, but there the approach was more directly ideological. These would essentially evolve into politically-driven social clubs.

In politics, a similar strategy has now become apparent. The Democrat Party - the weaker of the two American political parties, weakened primarily by the indiscretions of Bill Clinton - became a cesspool for leftist tripe. The Republican Party also would not remain immune to anti-American trends.

In our last presidential election it was interesting to note just how the strategy works. The people were presented essentially with a Hobson’s choice. On one hand, a known entity, saddled with all of the trumped-up failures of the past; a war hero, who quite appropriately wrapped himself in the American flag, but was a ‘progressive’ (new word for ‘socialist') nonetheless. On the other, an unknown. “Let’s try something different,” became the excuse of the duped who thought themselves as modern and, above all, (oh so) tolerant. (The Islamization of America had not yet entered the frame.) The office at stake was not that important after all. We’d been attacking it, belittling it, mocking it for eight years without seeing much of a difference.

As the table is now being set for the 2012 election cycle, we see more of the same. No doubt, Obama’s record constitutes a serious drag for Democrats as Republicans continue to poll well. But far from taking the opportunity to change course, we’re merely changing masks and party labels. Romney should be out by virtue of his health care blunder in Massachusetts alone. The real standard bearers of conservatism continue to be demonized by both the Left and the Right. ‘Centrist’ and ‘no labels’ are exalted, but stand firmly for the status quo: a sometimes rapid, sometimes slow descent. When what we really need to do is tear up the tracks going forward and turn this train around.

As I’ve said previously, Obama’s election was no accident. All was in place to bring it about. I maintain, that under McCain it would now be no different. In some ways it might even be worse.

I am simply amazed how many who claim to be on our side are perfectly willing to denounce Palin; how many laugh and nod their heads knowingly when someone outrageously and publicly claims she is no more than masturbatory material.

Romney looks good on the golf course. I may be mistaken, but didn’t we just try that?

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Flipped

Both China and Japan - (we could even go so far as to say) all countries - face challenges in implementing policy. There are always approaches that warrant tweaking. Since there might be questions as to the underlying assumptions that would presumably lead to improvement, it is possible that any given policy (based on such assumptions) might ultimately fail to produce the desired result. So far, China has done things pretty much by the book.

There is, however, nothing to guarantee that ‘the book’ - even the American book - is always right. Time is like a train rushing ahead. There also needs to be some measure of faith that the tracks will continue to be there.

There is no doubt in my mind that - although China has made some serious mistakes in the past, giving birth to any number of Albatrosses around its neck - China aims high. It wants to be top dog. As such, it intends to surpass America. This does not necessarily imply evil intent. It proceeds out of a sense of national pride. The leaders of China believe in destiny. They feel that their time is at hand, and that they must now prepare as much as possible and, when the time is right, ‘seize the day‘. Apart from China, there are any number of signals that the U.S. itself has been sending that confirm China’s suspicion that its own turn at the wheel is near.

When my wife queries me if I would prefer eggplant or carrots for supper, she immediately jumps to the conclusion that I don’t like carrots and will never buy them again. In truth, I don’t mind carrots at all. Confronted with a choice, I inevitably fall into a trap of my own making as soon as I voice an opinion. Carrots, after all, are different from eggplant.

I agree with a liberal friend of mine that we should not be in the business of exporting ‘democracy’ throughout the world. We should persuade by example. China has been watching us and has adopted many of our ways. It has helped them to become relatively successful in a short period of time. China also sees us now, and intends to avoid making our mistakes. The point is, the leadership of China seeks to do what it feels is best for China. We may or may not agree as to how China‘s ascendancy would ultimately affect us.
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Interesting opinion piece by Michael Medved in this morning’s WSJ, entitled, “Obama Isn’t Trying To ‘Weaken’ America”. The pull quote from it reads “Some conservatives call the president the political equivalent of a suicide bomber: so consumed with hatred (for America) that he is willing to blow himself up in order to inflict casualties on a society he loathes.”

It goes on to list various failings of past presidents from Franklin Pierce to Bill Clinton, implying that we have well survived all their foibles; that Obama’s fumbling in office is of no more consequence than Clinton’s diddling with Monica Lewinsky in an Oval Office anteroom. Medved’s grand proof that people like Rush Limbaugh - who has said, “I think we face something we’ve never faced before in our country; and that is, we’re now governed by people who do not like the country.” or Sarah Palin, who said, “...he (Obama) is hell-bent on weakening America.” - are imbecilic. He bolsters his argument by saying, “None of the attacks on Mr. Obama’s intentions offers an even vaguely plausible explanation of how the evil genius, once he has ruined our ‘strength, influence and standard of living’ hopes to get himself re-elected.” - as if elections would be of any concern to ‘evil geniuses’ in the first place.

I used to like listening to Medved’s radio program when he was here in New York years ago. I especially liked his movie reviews. It could be that he has flipped, like Philadelphia's Michael Smerconish, and as John Batchelor himself is forever threatening to do.

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CLOSE OUT: Everything Must Go

Knowing and comprehending are two entirely different animals. Caring is a third. We actually don’t know what POTUS knows. We’ve never seen his college transcripts. We don’t know what courses he’s taken. It’s all a closely guarded secret.

What we do know is that POTUS has a short attention span. He does not absorb new material readily. He has a flair for spectacle and self-promotion. Hu Jintao knows that something in America has gone terribly wrong. He has come to see for himself.

I do not agree with John Batchelor that the Chinese leader sees himself or his leadership either as fragile or illegitimate. There are templates out there other than ‘democracy’. In fact, democracy seems to be on the wane the world over. It has lost favor in the same way that capitalism has. This is in large part because we’ve abused ours.

There has even been the suggestion that our very own government (under Clinton) gave away military secrets to the Chinese with full approval of the military itself. Why? Because they thought in doing so they could exact more funding from the Congress to build even bigger and better projects. Corruption everywhere.

In fact, ‘democracy’ has always been a shill for power. Power is all that ever really mattered. Since Obama, our power (under the guise of ‘democracy’) has been proclaimed illegitimate. Our enemies have been singing this tune for a long time. This is the first time we ourselves have picked up the refrain.

To view Obama as impotent, derelict or incompetent is a mistake. He is doing exactly what he set out to do. The world’s leaders are beginning to take note. Hu Jintao is no exception. The doors to the whore house have been thrown wide open. The gang rape of America is on. Everyone gets what they want.

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I'll Eat My Hat

There are people all over the country who now claim that Mr. Obama is now finally positioned on the right side of things due to his stance on the Bush tax cut (sic). However reluctantly, Obama appears to have bitten the bullet and done what’s right. Let’s say the Bush tax cuts (sic) are extended for a year or two. For ordinary families it would simply mean that the status quo has been maintained. Hurray!

Keep in mind, we will have done nothing to reverse our downward slide. In fact, we have made our situation worse by accelerating our descent into debt via the pork that has now become attached to this bill. We have set ourselves up to fight this fight again the next time it comes around - hence, there continues to be uncertainty. Not even the president is fully on board which he made perfectly clear at his (not Bill Clinton’s) presidential press conference. So, if it fails to ‘stimulate’, which it will, for there is nothing to suggest that (contrary to the opinions of Pelosi and Reed) paltry unemployment checks magically turn anybody into big a spender.

We have become so desperate as to grasp at mere straws just to prove that our bold new experiment with socialism works, that we are now quite willing to overlook the big picture. Hitler was the impetus behind the concept of the Volkswagen. It was a huge success and has survived to this day, yet we are not prepared to proclaim the Hitler years a triumph based on this alone. What’s scary is that Obama himself could dive into the frigid Potomac and save a drowning child just before the 2012 elections and we would potentially reward him with an additional term in office, overlooking the fact that every one of his major policy initiative is geared to diminish our nation in some significant way.

I hold to my prediction re the fate of the Bush tax cuts. If it turns out that I am wrong, I will admit it. If anyone should demand that I eat my hat, I will gladly do so. It should be a relatively easy feat as I don’t wear hats in any case.

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Chavez U.

Again we are asked to follow the narrative: Obama the shirker, the incompetent. When, in fact, the Clintons are being set up for the fall. Bill stumbles into it. He suddenly finds himself alone in front of the Washington press corps, defending the tax cut (sic) compromise. Obama knows full well it will destroy the Democrat party - what’s left of it. Clinton is invited to the White House. He can’t stay away. Too many painful memories to reawaken and wallow in. It’s his chance to make good (perhaps). Hillary, if she had been around, would have advised against it.

Who is Obama’s primary challenger? The Clintons. Only Obama knows the Bush tax cuts will expire in January. He can claim to have been on either side of the issue. Bill has no clue about all the backroom wheeling and dealing. He goes out there and defends the already failed proposition to the hilt. His words have no effect on the eventual outcome. He’s simply there to absorb some of the heat.

The economy will tank. That is the plan. People will blame Congress. Some will blame Obama. And now, some will also blame the Clintons. Blame all around.

Obama is the only one left with a leg up on this one by virtue of being president. Once the dominoes begin to fall, everyone will be wiped out. Only Obama remains - by virtue of being president. Chavez will run a course on the internet about winning friends and influencing people. He will claim Obama to have been his first successful graduate.

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A Third Way

Much has been made of Obama leaving Bill Clinton to conduct a presidential presser. It’s even worse than it appears: Both Obama and Clinton are effectively endorsing Bush (tax cuts), fueling the conviction of some that there’s not a dime’s worth of difference between the parties.

Both parties are under assault. It makes no difference, Democrat or Republican. The American version of British royalty must fall. They no longer offer viable alternatives. All either one can say is NO. There is no leadership on either side. Our nation is running on empty.

Now, here comes the tricky part: What will replace them? The tea parties? Unlikely. They have the spirit, but lack organization. The hard-left commies? No. It goes against the grain of everything our country stands for. Independents? No. Everyone is in mortal fear of them ever since the Perot debacles in the 90’s.

What may be needed is a ‘third way‘. Those who may be familiar with the term’s connotations (especially on this site) will bristle at this. It, like most terms used for political purposes, has been corrupted to favor one side over another. Even in its preferred usage, it refers to a compromise between the Left and the Right - hence, Center. None of this will work. A ‘third way’ must shun both Left and Right, and start from scratch. It must have an appreciation for what has made our nation great. As such, its approach must be practical. Its creed must be to preserve and protect. It’s thrust must be problem-solving.

If and when such a force were to arise from the shambles of our current political landscape, all this will be embodied in a leader. We will not fail to recognize him (or her). Current leadership has strayed from doing what’s good for America, concentrating instead on what’s good for the party. The Obama - Bush - Clinton paradigm has spent itself. There are only two ways in which a third way can assert itself: One is for a leader to appear; the second is by outside events conspiring to forge a ‘third way’ from our existing reservoir of the myopic and the timid. At this point it looks like that the proverbial Zen slap-in-the-face is what's needed.

It is interesting to note that every one of our enemies possess that which we lack: identity. It is identity that fuels their passion. We must display an equal or even greater passion in order to defeat them. They are growing stronger. We must lead by example. We must learn the definition of ‘winning’ - not whining. I understand that’s a tall order for a people who still have to learn what the definition of ‘is’ is.

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Quotable, Quotable Quotes

People, especially pols, do so much talking, yet it’s so hard to remember what anybody might ever have said. We only remember a precious few quotes precisely; quotes, that have risen, or are in the process of rising, to achieve the status of bone (sic) fide ‘quotable, quotable quotes‘. Here are a few that come immediately to my mind:

Obama: “They talk about me like I’m a dog.” My comment: Not true, most Americans love dogs. It’s Muslims who don’t.

Bill Clinton: “I have never had sex with that woman...” My comment: It depends what the definition of ‘sex’ is.

Boxer: “I worked so hard to get that title.” My comment: You certainly did.

Bush: “Mission Accomplished”. My comment: He never said it.

Michelle Obama: “Barack will never allow you to go back to your lives as usual…” My comment: We’ll see about that.

Former Governor of NJ, Jim McGreevey: "My truth is that I am a gay American." My comment: So what?

Mayor Michael Bloomberg: …"[h]ome-grown, maybe a mentally deranged person or somebody with a political agenda that doesn't like the health care bill." Notice mention of the term ‘mentally deranged’. We’ve heard some variation of it ever since. They mean to divide the nation into nuts and bolts. Government-run re-education facilities are on their way.

Soros: “Even I Can’t Stop a Republican ‘Avalanche‘…” My comment: Do you really want to?

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Who Will Be Left Standing?

We tend to be arbitrarily selective in weighting individual events as to their relative importance. Almost every pundit concerns him or herself with simply categorizing the flotsam to satisfy some curatorial interest or bias. Officially, our country has already become a museum - desultory displays in every room - static, enforced silence; no running; no cameras allowed. No hint of the wave that continues to build.

During Clinton’s term in office, some tried to make hay of his brother’s cocaine use. It fell flat and was quickly dismissed as irrelevant - yet, it most likely occurred. Then, Republicans made a lot of Bill’s peccadilloes outside the sacred vows of marriage. That too fell flat, though it did ended in impeachment; in this case, merely a technical term - an asterisk - that essentially meant nothing.

Then there was Gore’s stolen election, which, as far as it went, only proved that a “bird in the hand…”

Then, it all started with 9/11.

In my view, Bush was an adequate caretaker, but the wave was already building: a hardening of positions, a disrespect of government in general. A whole line of American presidents had already been discredited, reaching back all the way to our founding.

The Left was the first to take advantage of our political chaos. Republicans had to be defeated at any price, even at the expense of the country - and things went from bad to worse. Obama was elected in ’08. He was supposed to be the messiah who was sent to bring us together and heal us. The country had been proclaimed a basket case - but, at least, we still had a country.

Obama changed things alright. He cut us loose from our moorings. It’s become clear to many of us that the Left has managed to hoist its red sail even without openly stating our destination. Meanwhile, the Right has dropped anchor. Horse latitudes. We’re not going anywhere.

Meanwhile, the wave is building. It is expected to crash on shore in early November, scattering flotsam all across our beaches. The clean-up may cost us more than we can afford.

Already the tourists are leaving the continent. The tsunami flags are flying. Both Democrats and Republicans are running for the hills. Losing has become as risky as winning. Who will be left standing? Who will right the ship? Who will clean up the beaches?

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Clinton's Legacy (Redux)

It seems incredible to me that the Dems would stoop to bringing back a man who single-handedly destroyed their party. To be sure, back when he did it, the party was in much better shape than it is today. It must also be noted that Bill Clinton is not out there campaigning for Obama or any of his lackeys; he is campaigning for his wife who he hopes to take over party leadership after Obama has been disposed of.

To remind readers of just how it went; what ruptured the old-style Democrats and allowed the anti-American, hard Left to take sole possession, I reprint a post written back in January of this year:

“I am just now beginning to see how the Bush presidency was doomed from the start. My clue came from an off-hand remark made by my wife. 'Clinton was the one who damaged America’s standing in the world,' she said. This thought had never occurred to me, especially since he (Bill) is routinely held up as the gold standard of American politics by the mainstream media. Yet, what he did - what he will forever be known for - was so outrageous; it blindsided everyone. Any corporation executive, anywhere in the world, could not have survived a similar situation for ten minutes. Any self-respecting wife would have walked away. Any court would have been justified in sending Bubba to prison.

“None of this happened. Republicans were too cowardly to act. Those assigned to the matter were ceaselessly attacked. Meanwhile the Clinton spin machine went into overdrive, besmirching America’s founders one by one. 'See, what Bubba did wasn’t so bad' went the drumbeat day in and day out on the front pages of newspapers and on network TV. It went on for months; the public felt hurt and humiliated; ashamed that the man, in whom they had placed their trust, would act like a cad. They felt sorry for his wife and especially for his daughter. Eventually everyone would get tired of this sordid business and tried to pretend it never happened – just like they do now with respect to 9/11.

“The entire world watched in disbelief as Bill Clinton continued to be defended by his party. The effort continued throughout the Bush/Cheney years: In order to excuse the inexcusable, the man who would come after (Bush) had to be destroyed. It was the only chance the Clinton legacy (as well as the Democrat party) would ever have for redemption.”

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We Will Succeed

In a normal political climate the polls would mean something. Americans’ dissatisfaction with government would cause the leadership to moderate and reassess its policies. But just the opposite is happening. Democrats are doubling down.

“Every Action has an Equal and Opposite Reaction.” This is the third of Sir Issac Newton's laws of physics. Where’s the reaction in our political world? Only the Tea Parties at the moment. And we’re the ones that Bill Clinton calls insane, and Obamaites call racist. All these folks are going to needing our support if they want to continue in politics. Unless they know something we don’t. So, why do they talk that way?

Hillary is staying out of it. She may be the most dangerous of them all. She’s not talking because she’s stealth - like Obama was once upon a time. They all think they’ve got us by the short hairs; that we’ll heel - like obedient dogs. I don’t think so.

What makes them so arrogant? They don’t even try to hide their radicalism anymore. That’s because they think they’ve got the ‘Big Idea’; the momentum. Speed bumps no longer matter.

I think they’re wrong. I believe in Newton’s laws. I think there is a reaction that’s building - a wave. Our ‘Big Idea’ is AMERICA! There’s no bigger idea than that. I believe, the way they’re going, speed bumps are going top rip out the under carriage; their wheels will go flying.

I believe someone will step forward and focus our raw power against them. (I know some of you don’t like the idea of being led. That’s why I phrased it the way I did.) I’m really talking about leadership. Look at it in terms of liberation; rolling back all the myriad of oppressive laws, regs, and taxes; and getting our country to function again.

So far, all we’ve seen from our side is Lilliputians. This would include Palin among others. The person we’re looking for will be Gandhi-like, or Churchill. He hasn’t declared yet for strategic reasons. He’ll (and, yes, he’ll be a he) be the one who leads us out of this wilderness. Well all know it as soon as he declares. We’ll know it’s him by the deafening howls from the Left. They will know it too. They will know that they have lost.

I have my suspicions as to who he might be. I’ve alluded to it in previous posts. I won’t go any further at this time. He’ll choose his own moment.

All I can say is, we will defeat them - our Bolshevik tormentors. And we will restore our nation (and science) to it’s proper place. It’ll be a nail-biter, but we will succeed.

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Prairie Fires

Oliver Stone views the world through an ideological lens. Boring. Still, it’s instructive. Stone likes Castro, Che, Chavez and Obama. He is telling us exactly who Obama is: an out-and-out communist.

Was gratified today to hear that William Ayers was denied emeritus status by the University of Illinois. Ayers’ bid was blocked by Christopher Kennedy, a son of the late Sen. Robert F Kennedy, a Chicago businessman, who insisted he did not want to honor a man who dedicated one of his books, “Prairie Fire”, to his father’s killer, Sirhan Sirhan. The vote last Thursday by the University’s Board of Trustees was unanimous.

Ayers is said to be close to Barack Hussein Obama. This is just another indication of how far the Democrat Party has drifted to the Ultra Left. When we talk about our country having been taken hostage by the Democrat Party we err. The Democrat Party itself has been taken hostage. It is no longer the Party of the Kennedys, or the Clintons for that matter. (Though Hillary bears watching closely.) It has retained the name ‘Democrat’ and even claims to support such trappings as free and fair elections, checks and balances, and the overall idea of representative government. (Every totalitarian regime does the same to project the illusion of legitimacy.)

The fact is that the Democrat Party of today is a party with all the bells and whistles of Marxism. Whereas Obama may just be a puppet, the amiable, partying, putting face of the party, those pulling the strings are revolutionaries. Their game plan is well underway and they will not rest until every American is enslaved by an uncompromising, unworkable ideology in the rubble of what once was a free and proud nation.

Every Tea Party member understands this on some level. The counterforce is considerable and growing. In fact, going by the numbers alone, it has become overwhelming. Numbers, however, mean nothing to revolutionaries. They will use every means possible to achieve their goals.

We’re in for a rough ride, folks! For those of us who align themselves with the ideals that have made America great in the past, it is apt to become the fight of our lives. Losing is no longer an option.

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Third Party

The wave is certainly building. Already of tsunami-like proportions, it is poised to sweep everything out to sea. Democrats - partially by chance, partially by their own effort - happen to be situated closest to the shore. Republicans are just behind. There is reason to believe that ultimately no one will be spared.

John Boehner’s taking over the reigns of congressional power will prove to be temporary. Politics as usual can no longer stand - particularly the practice of entitlement by seniority. Boehner will have to pull off a miracle in order to survive the public mood. There is no reason to believe that he (or any Republican) is up to the challenge.

This does not mean that voters will automatically jump back to supporting Democrats. This is where most pundits get it wrong. Let me be clear, the Democrat Party for all intents and purposes is finished. Bill Clinton finished it off with the Lewinski scandal. By forcing it to defend the indefensible, it would become an empty shell, retaining only its name. That’s how the socialists were able to fill the vacuum and take it over.

Republicans are blamed for letting it happen. Republicans were expected at the very least to keep watch. They failed to do even that much. They slept at their posts, allowing the enemy to breach the defensive line and create major havoc from within. Republicans are seen as being ineffectual at best, or somewhat corrupt at worst.

Voters will give them a very short leash should they come to power as now seems likely. The ineptness of The Republican Party will be exposed in all its amazing colors of Joseph’s Technicolor dream coat. The state-sponsored press will make sure that the news of Republican ineptness is well disseminated.

All this amounts to is that we could be seeing the birth of a wildly successful third Party in the next election cycle. All it would need is for a leader to emerge - one, capable of speaking the language of the American people.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Sniveling Cowards

Recovery or no recovery - it depends on who you listen to. Even bad numbers can always be worse. I honestly don’t know any more. If Obama is such a disaster, how come roughly half the country still supports him?

There are people who I respect that continue to believe that Obama is leading us along a proper path. They acknowledge that there will be pain in the short run, but are confident that Obama has what it takes to lead us out of the woods - if those pesky Republicans just would let him do it.

Obama has yet to confess outright that he is a communist (or a Muslim) who wants to reduce our nation to ruins. Without that confession it’s hopeless I’m afraid. People no longer trust what they see. Any criticism of the president is seen in significant quarters as extreme, racist, homophobic, fringe.

The major media certainly is buying it. Case and point: Attendance at Glenn Beck’s Washington rally was either in the tens of thousands or upwards of a million. Not counted, of course, are the millions who wanted to but could not go.

We no longer trust numbers. Even science has been perverted. Everything is a lie. We’re flying blind.

Clearly, I remain of the old school. Aside from the numbers, I don’t see how centralized autocratic government can work. History has taught me that much. But history is being rewritten as we speak. The young are taught a different history than I was. They believe they are right. They trust their teachers. They trust their teacher's excuses, their misdirection, their lofty claims.

So, no matter how bad it gets, they’ll always have an out. The entirety of American history has brought us to this point. The chickens have come home to roost.

In my heart, I believe that most people believe as I do. But I can no longer be sure. It’s the ’sitting on the fence’ types that’ve got me stumped. Bill Clinton introduced the concept of ‘triangulation‘. By triangulating he sought to appear as being above the fray.

I don’t think this will work again. Either the Left or the Right - along with the triangulators - will be swept from the pages of American history. The time will come when triangulators will be asked to declare themselves. Those who refuse to, will be left homeless. High principles involving moral equivalence (or neutrality) will not save them. They will be despised by all sides as the sniveling cowards they are.

There Is a Difference

The clip above (Ben Quayle campaign commercial) does not sound convincing. Why is Ben Quayle running? Is it to avenge his father’s lynching? Not good enough. Is it to worry Barack Obama? Unlikely. The way they went after Dan was either because they were scared he would score, or because it was a way to get at Papa. Probably the latter. Either way, it was shameful. But what can you expect from potato eaters.

People go into politics either for power (Obama) or money (Clinton). There is a difference. People go into journalism to change the world. That’s why the journalists of today are sitting around inert on their laurels. They’ve already succeeded in doing what they set out to do. Now they see their job as protecting the sandpainting they’ve sponsored.

They’ve managed to affect the biggest change possible. They’ve painted America evil, and America’s enemies with bold, shining halos. They did it without regard to allegiance. They did it because they could. They’ll retire to their graves toothless but smiling.

Checkerboard America is on its way. Already the country is divided into red and blue states. As the Federal government becomes increasingly intrusive, demanding ever more from us; states will begin thinking about seceding. Already lawsuits are flying back and forth; populations are on the move; treasure is leaving the country.

There will be fences alright. We won’t be shy about building them - and prisons. These will be designed to keep people in - not out. There is a difference.

Old Brown Shoe

Even as we continue to strive to be like France, we still cling to some of the old American taboos inherent in a stubborn streak of our puritan tradition. To be sure, Bill Clinton’s dalliances were a game changer. Although we would never - now 15 some odd years later - think of impeaching a man (or woman) for casual private affairs, we’re still not comfortable with it. I have previously (on this blog) enumerated the consequences of the Monica Lewinsky affair and defended my contention that it was precisely this - not the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan - that, in a real sense, brought us to where we are today.

In order to maintain any semblance of old brown shoe prudishness (which seems to compliment our unctuous leanings), we’ve had to introduce money into the equation. New Jersey governors Corzine and McGreevey as well as New York’s Elliott Spitzer all fell under this sword. Corzine was said to have had improper dealings with the someone in a public sector union; McGreevey was said to have given a plum job to a lover; and Spitzer was said to have paid actual money (God forbid!) to the madam of high-end call girls. It is no wonder that the Hurd affair is now couched in similar terms.

Only someone of such immense political stature as Bill Clinton could get by and change the game once again, removing even the last remaining vestige of fig leaf with regard to the sex trade.

Admittedly, the whole notion is preposterous, especially in the face of all our other problems. It is infinitely more palatable than looking a train wreck straight in the face, especially while standing on the same track. Guilt weakens; and, as such, renders a powerful man vulnerable. Still, it would allow him at least some space in which to squirm. A good lawyer can always find enough wiggle room for the perp to slip the cuffs. A train wreck, on the other hand, spells closure. The paints are dry; the brushes broken. Nothing can be done anymore to alter even a single brushstroke of the finished dystopian masterpiece once it has been released for public endurance.

George Soros: Kingmaker

Many people in Utah are still angry about then-President Bill Clinton's designation of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in 1996. It put the area off limits to further development – especially mining. The Grand Staircase contains one of the two major sources of highly prized clean-burning coal. This type of coal is only found in one other place in the world: Indonesia.

Questions were raised at the time about Clinton’s connections to a wealthy mining family in Indonesia from which it was alleged he received beaucoup campaign contributions. - Quid pro quo?

There’s more than one way to skin a cat. Follow the money is usually a good bet. The Clinton co-presidency was after money. To Barack Hussein Obama money is strictly secondary. Obama’s currency is ideology. By rendering idle the Gulf’s oil rigs and auxiliary equipment, he makes certain that such equipment will be forced to move overseas. In addition, two billion of our tax dollars will soon be going to the (left-leaning) state-owned Brazilian oil company, Petrobras, to explore drilling in the off-shore Tupi oil field in the Santos Basin. The WSJ wrote, “The U.S. Export-Import Bank tells us it has issued a ‘preliminary commitment’ letter to Petrobras in the amount of $2 billion and has discussed with Brazil the possibility of increasing that amount.”

Now it begins to make sense: why the slackness in the Federal government’s response to the Gulf oil spill; why the moratorium on drilling. If you still want to ‘follow the money’ consider this: George Soros remains a major private investor in Petrobras. There was no one more eager to remove George Bush and Republicans from U.S. governance. Soros, a Hungarian-born Jew, understands the nexus between money and political power. He single-handedly funds every left-wing organization and cause in America. He contributed liberally to Democrat (including Obama’s) campaigns over the years. – Quid pro quo?

Slouching Towards Serfdom

The lasting legacy, I fear, from this, loosely referred to as the Obama administration, will not be from oil gushing into the Gulf; from value evaporating from our paper currency; from American influence eroding abroad – all of which can be reversed and made to look whole again. Instead, it is the abrasion of (our) trust in elected officials.

There was a hint of it already back in the Bush administration when some people insisted that 9/11 as well as the aftermath of Katrina were part and parcel due to Bush’s evil designs: the first to provide Bush-Cheney with an excuse to invade Iraq; the second, because both men hated blacks.

The concept of the possibility of a rogue government was now out there. Clinton supporters (or even Clinton himself) enhanced its legitimacy in the political realm when they lamented that 9/11 happened during Bush’s tenure. If it had happened when Bill was in office, he could have been a great president.

“Disaster” as political tool to advance policy objectives and to strike crippling blows at the opposition was already well rehearsed by the time Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States. Some even claim that the pre-election fiscal meltdown was instrumental to Obama’s installation. Rahm Emanuel emblazoned the concept into the national dialogue by dropping all pretence with his “Never let a crisis go to waste” comment.

Here we are now, wondering why the oil continues to spill; why there are an ever growing number of victims? The suspicion is that, even if it wasn’t sabotage, why is it taking so long (to plug the hole)? Clearly, the outlines of a solution are beginning to emerge: The policy objective of choking off America’s energy supply seems to be gathering steam; the prospect of a large pool of money for the federal government to waste on unprofitable ventures looms large, as does the demonization of Big Oil, Big Coal, Big Nuclear, paving the way for yet another government takedown and thrusting another huge number of people onto the welfare rolls.

All this talk about Obama feeling dispirited and actively thinking of voluntarily forgoing a second term is just that: talk. Barack Hussein Obama is doing just fine (at our expense, I might add). In short order, we can expect the private sector to be just that: private Obama. We’ll all, in one way or another, be working for him. We will live or die as he decides. He will elevate those who support him, while those of us who do not will find the yoke becoming ever tighter; the load ever heavier.

We are seeing the birth of a Chavez-style total socialist takeover. Even with the systems he himself has installed failing on all fronts, I don’t see Chavez in political trouble. Castro has managed to hold on for decades. Don’t think it’s because the people are particularly enamored of them. Ditto, Kim Jong-Il; Ahmadinejad; Mugabe; etc.

We are well along on a similar path, even with a Congress of elected, essentially rubberstamp officials standing in whispered opposition. And yet, the country on the whole is continuing to say, “It can’t happen here” – like a diabetic progressing through the stages of his irreversible disease. It has happened!

'Disasters' have become political bots to keep us in line and make us depended on the good graces of whoever has the audacity to declare himself king. Don’t tell me bots don’t work. They work just fine. Bots are but tools, the extensions of human hands. Unless we begin thinking critically, we openly embrace the prospect of serfdom.