Rubber Duckie Congress Down The Drain

Note that POTUS never seems to stick around when big things happen. This week saw Benjamin Netanyahu - our only reliable ally ‘east of Greece and West of India’ - come to Washington. Why? Because something is not right in Washington – and all Israel knows it.

We saw two leaders side by side – only one of which is actually a leader in the traditional sense. The other showed himself as a ‘leader’ in name only. The difference between the two men was obvious for all to see. Some stated publicly that our president stood out as an utter embarrassment. While Mr. Netanyahu was still in Washington, Obama fled to Europe - the latest hotbed of anti-Semitism – looking for LTC. Good for him! As the saying goes, ‘If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.’

What’s wrong in Washington is not that Obama is not an effective leader; or, as some have suggested, that ‘he leads from behind’. What’s wrong in Washington is that Obama sides with the Palestinians. Many in Congress – even Democrats – have already spoken out, saying they disagree with Obama’s approach. In Europe he will not likely encounter that particular sentiment. Note: While the Palestinians speak openly about what they intend for Israel, our president speaks merely in broad, platitudinous arcs that can be interpreted anyway you want; but his actions are unmistakable. Netanyahu has figured it out. That’s why he is in Washington. Israel is in trouble and Washington won’t help. It’s not even help the Israeli PM is pleading for. All he wants is for America to stop making it worse.

Unfortunately, foreign policy is something that falls totally under the purview of the president. Congress does not have much if anything to say about what the president does. Everyone now seems to accept the president’s contention that he is not subject to the war powers act as pertains to Libya, for example. And on a whole host of other issues, Congress has already been edged out of its traditional ‘checks and balances’ mandate as proscribed by the Constitution.

So, what Netanyahu says to Congress is just talk. Congress has stood idly by while this president has turned it into a rubber duckie stamp; and, along with it, the people have lost their franchise as well. What is never said or even whispered has now become true: The United States of America has become a dictatorship: one vote, one man, one time.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Bretton Woods' Smoke-Filled Rooms

I have recently devoted considerable space on this blog to corruption in India and to India’s way of dealing with it once it came to light. We’ve seen that the Indian government had to be dragged kicking and screaming into cleaning up its act, largely by the efforts of one, Anna Hazare, who had begun a protest fast till death.

The Indian media jumped on it and splashed it all over the country, and the entire population – particularly its youth – mobilized to force the government to confront various issues. [Kudos to the Indian university professors who must have exerted considerable (positive) influence over their legions of ‘skulls-full-of-mush’ scholars.]

May I be so bold as to suggest that the corruption that has come to light in India so far – bribery, money laundering, dipping into the public trough, influence peddling; trial fixing, cover-up, etc. – is peanuts when compared to what’s going on in the United States today? Bluntly put, there is a cadre of crafty individuals who are working on stealing no less than an entire nation - lock, stock, and barrel. (Let’s just call a spade a spade.)

For a long time now, we’ve had a feeling that something is terribly wrong. It first showed up in policies that seemed utterly insane. It snowballed into the dubious results we are seeing today. These were entirely predictable but are somehow being summarily ignored. People who were beginning to smell a rat were systematically neutered, ridiculed and marginalized.

The things we presently argue about on blogs and on talk shows – the usual Democrat/Republican divide – are now utterly beside the point. This is pure diversion and blame-shifting fun. Even the Islamic vs. infidel argument, as well as the Socialism/Democracy debates we endlessly engage in, are hardly worth mentioning anymore. What is truly important is routinely hidden or swept into inaccessible places - like what’s happening as we speak up at Bretton Woods.

None of the usual left-wing rabble showed up to protest – only a handful to ‘tea party’ people. They were barred from the (closed door) proceedings.

What is going on in New Hampshire is a long way from having to hand a judge a few thousand rupees to get a favorable ruling in a traffic dispute. Though annoying to the individual parties involved, the outcome would hardly determine the fate of a nation.

We often wonder how it is possible to shred our Constitution in plain sight; how we can ignore our border security; how we can nullify contracts with the stroke of the executive’s pen; how we can allow our dollar to slip into oblivion; how we can elect a man to the highest office in the land about whom next to nothing is known; how we can tolerate a Congress that is predominantly ineffective except when it comes to rubberstamping outrage after outrage; how – with all that is happening around us – our media remains silent.

I’m not saying that the kinds of solutions to come out of Bretton Woods palaver are necessarily bad. It may well be the best thing since sliced bread. What is suspect, however, is that the public has been excluded. We are being shaped, and herded into taking positions without explanation. Thanks to our media, which have become pure, unadulterated left-wing propaganda mills; our universities, which have become (in essence) madrassas promoting hatreds and Pavlovian response – thanks to our educational system overall, critical thought in our nation seems to have run its course. We’ve all become victims of an uncertain scheme that, by my calculations, can only end up in servitude for most of us. This is not how it was supposed to be.

It is significant that the one man who had both an inkling of what is going on and the skill to impart its essence, has now been forced from the stage. His departure is being heralded by professional left-wing and right-wing talkers alike. Now, tell me again that we’re not being played by both sides; that there is not effectively only one side: Soros’ side.

Watch closely the choices we will be presented with in our next election charade. The whole thing will hinge on what Republicans manage to come up with. As it looks now, they’ll serve up losers. And even if some standard-issue Republican should catch the public’s fancy, he’ll most likely turn out to be a ‘schlemiel’ like the rest.

Look too at the ones who draw the lion’s share of the Left’s condemnation (Palin, Trump). It is they who, if given even half a chance, are most likely to buck the trends that have been carefully mapped out, and promoted for years - that are only now coming to fruition.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Traipsing Around In The Hallway

There have been other instances when we first sent in ‘advisors’; then we armed our preferred side; then we provided air support; and, finally, we put American boots on the ground. It did not end well. You’d think we would learn. But aren’t we starting the same cycle all over again in Libya?

There was a time when we went all out in support of the notion that we are killing our planet, based on ‘irrefutable’ scientific evidence, graphs and projections - which were then proven to have been manufactured for political advantage. Yet, we are still operating on the original premise and demanding wholesale changes in the way that we live.

There was a time when Keynesian economics was the talk of the town. It dictated hiking Federal spending in order to increase prosperity and jobs. We were told that that economic activity increases by $2 for every dollar spent on unemployment insurance, and the like. We were told, we had at last discovered the golden goose; we had invented a perpetual motion mechanism that would spew greenbacks forever. Two for one. The more unemployed, the better for our economy… It’s not working.

The result of all these things should have been foreseen by those who promoted such policies. They should have known that it wouldn’t end well. These are the brightest among us, after all. If they don’t know, how should we with our mere high school education and a couple of college credits in basket weaving?

I maintain they did know – maybe not the first time it was tried, but certainly the second and third. And here we’re repeating all the same mistakes over again. Why?

Isn’t it obvious? Redistribution of wealth. It’s a core belief among those now in power that this must absolutely be done. They know the people bought it the first time around. And they know the people will buy it again: all the same promises; all the same lies. And then, when they figure out it’s not working, we’ll simply say, “Oops!” And they’ll assume we noticed our mistake and will correct it. This will give us time to do it again. And, again, we'll say, “Oops!” And “Oops!” it is until they’re ready to revolt, but by then it’s too late. They will have been bled of all their power to seriously resist.

Why Libya? It’s the same principle that applies: “Oops!” and “Oops!” again, until our precious army has been discredited beyond redemption. With the economy in tatters; Congress in tatters; the military in tatters, America’s enemies will have won. That’s when we’ll get Israel!

Don Trump has been getting a lot of press attention for keeping Obama’s birth certificate controversy alive. He himself is not exactly strident about it, knowing it’s become the third rail of American politics …and he does want to be president. It does give an opening, however, to those who want to keep the issue going. Why is it an issue in the first place?

Carter made a lot of mistakes, both in foreign policy as well as domestic. These can be filed away as teachable moments for future American presidents. These were teachable moments too for America’s enemies.

The law draws a distinction between someone falling asleep while smoking a cigarette in bed and someone deliberately pouring gas into the stairwell of a building and setting it on fire. Granted, the end result is the same.

Obama has been in office long enough for us to question his motives. As such, it is logical for us to question which team he’s actually playing on. His birth certificate would provide a clue; as would his school records. The fact that these are unavailable to us just goes to intensify our suspicions. Obama’s reluctance to provide this evidence is an indication of something being seriously amiss: Someone has been, or is about to be, snookered.

At the very least, we would find out if our president is merely a guy with a cigarette, or the guy with the red 5 gallon can, traipsing around in the hallway.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Dilma's Dilemma

Another teachable moment. Another glimpse into the mind of our president, Barack Hussein Obama. How he is handling Libya could have been foreseen long ago. Other commanders-in-chief have done as much at the mere drop of a hat. It’s not what happens there that should be of concern to us. Of far greater concern should be what we ourselves have become.

We have become a nation of lawless and corrupt governance. Our Constitution specifies that Congress must be consulted, and be made to approve any deployment of American troops overseas. Barack Hussein Obama is the first president to bypass this convention. Instead, he claims to derive his power from what he refers to as the ‘international community’ (UN). As such, he has further shredded the Constitution of the United States. At the same time, he is continuing to marginalize the role of Congress. So much for representative governance.

Again, all this could have been foreseen. Months back, I wrote that the deliberate chaos in the 111th Congress would serve to discredit the institution irreparably. Here we have it in black and white. What does this say about the sanctity of our vote? In a short two years we have devolved from a constitutional republic to a tyranny.

Our media does not appear to grasp the enormity of what has happened to us. Small wonder. The success or failure of any quasi-democratic setup depends on an educated public. Our schools have become mere cookie cutters. The level of understanding among recent graduates is astoundingly below par. It cuts across the board from math through English. “When NEWSWEEK recently asked 1,000 U.S. citizens to take America’s official citizenship test, 29 percent couldn’t name the vice president. Seventy-three percent couldn’t correctly say why we fought the Cold War. Forty-four percent were unable to define the Bill of Rights. And 6 percent couldn’t even circle Independence Day on a calendar.”

I understand that polls are often skewed to elicit certain answers; to show specific results, most likely ones that grab headlines and spur magazine sales; and, don’t forget, of course, to promote the urgency for more money for favored institutions (such as teachers unions) and in NEWSWEEK’s case, Democrats. In this particular survey, published this week, I suspect, the numbers are probably even worse. The teaching of civics and history has perhaps suffered most in recent years. It’s natural that these would be edged out by an ever greater emphasis on ideologically based solutions. Let’s face it, Marxism is now in vogue.

As our president travels splendidly throughout Brazil, burnishing his Marxist credentials, his unconstitutional behavior with regard to Libya goes almost unnoticed. Obviously, most Brazilians have not yet gotten the message that he is one of them as evidenced by the feisty street demonstrations against him. But Dilma knows why he’s come. She’ll let him grovel and beg for her validation. Still, she must weigh her ultimate approach to him against her own need for a demon. The U.S. has always served admirably in this regard.

Even if the new Brazilian president should withhold her favors, the trip should still be regarded as a success. When things go wrong in Libya, Obama can always say, “It wasn’t me. It’s all Hillary’s fault. I wasn’t even there.”

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Holding the Bag

What we are witnessing on every front is quite remarkable. It’s tough to keep up with it all and even tougher to make sense of it. Whatever happens in Libya, we now own it. There’s one school of thought that thinks it’s already too late; that the civil war there is already over; that Kaddafi has won; that to interfere at this late date will only serve to forestall the inevitable.

So why did we do it? My guess is we were stung by the Saudi’s sending troops into Bahrain without telling us. To make up for it, we decided we must do something to show that we’re still relevant. (Democrats are always asking themselves if they’re relevant.) Never mind; when push comes to shove, our allies can be expected to excuse themselves to go to the bathroom. Many in our Congress know this; that we’ll be left holding the bag. They also know that we’ve had no time to prepare. It took Bush many months to launch an invasion into Iraq. I remember, even the weather became a factor. It pays to remember that initially Bush was hugely successful. Our troops hardly had to fire a shot. We could hardly believe our luck when our objective was met in record time.

But we just couldn’t leave it at that. We just had to embark on ‘nation building’, changing hearts and minds and all such rot. And even this would have succeeded if we hadn’t politicized it here at home. Democrats wanted Bush discredited at all costs. They were quite willing to gamble away all just to see it happen. As such, they happily undermined America’s effectiveness and prestige. They destroyed the levee known by its age old dictum that ‘politics stops at the water’s edge’, inviting a flood of recrimination and abuse from abroad. It worked and we lost our way.

What a price we’ve had to pay!!! Now we truly are irrelevant. Nobody takes us seriously anymore. Even the guy at the gas station on the corner can hardly stand to look at us. We have shamed ourselves in the eyes of the world, hastening our own demise to no purpose.

I say this in response to John Batchelor’s words last night when commenting on the self-immolation of a Tunisian fruit vendor and likening it to the recent self-immolation of a Tibetan monk. These were brave and honorable deeds that will go down in history as important turning points. When a rich and powerful country does the same, however, it is seen as utter folly.

What exactly is our goal in Libya? When will we know we have won? What exactly will we have won? And should we lose, and Kaddafi stays in power?

It has been my contention from the start that Obama is out to wreck every one of our key institutions. Already he’s done a fair job of it. The only thing remaining is the military.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Pretty Pink Ribbons

Conservative media is awash this morning - all asking the same question, “Where in the world is Barack Hussein Obama?” It’s as if they all received the same memo overnight; sent out by the Koch brothers, no doubt. And indeed, the question is quite valid. It seems that the Saudis have already decided that their partner in the West is and has been MIA for far too long; that it’s high time they begin taking things into their own hands. Israel is rapidly coming to the same conclusion. Turkey, Brazil and others have already fled; while still others are scrambling to find new, more reliable partners. Russia and China see untold new opportunities.

The only ones stuck in the pretense of American leadership is us. Our hands appear to be tied by convention. It’s not that we’re not aware. In fact, it becomes clearer by the day; that we’ve have jettisoned our rudder, our engines and our sails; that we are now drifting and (perhaps) worse: being blown about aimlessly by outside currents and upheaval. And that’s the best case scenario (not yet time to throw the horses overboard). The worst being, that it’s deliberate and done from the inside with a brick on the gas pedal.

This now should become critical to our calculations. If our leadership is indeed just taking a hands-off approach, then we might just eke out another year and a half. Even a clock left unwound is right at least twice a day. If, on the other hand, it’s being done deliberately, then all bets are off. We’re practically guaranteed never to catch a break. By 2012, we’ll have fallen so far; it’ll be moot to even have elections.

While there are now a few new faces in Congress who are raising concerns; at the same time, they’re already throwing up their hands. They find the institution has been eviscerated and reduced to the level of straw man. Our Republican leadership seems quite content to assume this role and appears eager to stand by and watch. The strategy, as far as I can make out, appears to center on handing the administration enough rope.

It won’t work. By the time 2012 rolls around, there just might not be much of anything left to tie up in pretty pink ribbons.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Living By The Sword

Good if it were true; that ‘those who live by the sword, die by the sword‘. POTUS’ reaction to the Iranian protesters (if any) should be indicative. Obama also faces revolt - both from the right and from the left. There is no middle. His budget is widely seen as a joke. Money for increasingly heavy-handed IRS enforcement can only serve to annoy. It reflects the mindset of one who continues to believe that taxpayers are not paying enough; that wealth re-distribution, as he envisions it, has not yet reached its full potential.

For the first time, I concede, that this whole revolution thing could be tracking the other way. People appear to have figured out that tactics usually attributed to the Left could also work for the Right. Will the opposition in our Congress be enough to stop Obama’s and the Leftist’s merry-making? Will our state-run media finally come to recognize the damage that is being done to our nation?

When the media flips, the Obama regime is done. The roll-backs can begin unimpeded. …and the prosecutions.

Historians will note that the American Left actually had a chance during the first two years of the Obama administration; that what they failed to do was criminalize Bush policy. It might have worked: send Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, et al for trial in The Hague and, afterwards, sequester the lot in Guantanamo. Now, that the tide appears to be turning, the Right must not shrink from doing exactly this. There is now more than enough evidence that Obama and Democrats’ handling of affairs went far beyond incompetence. If the Right is to succeed, the Left must be held criminally liable. It would amount to ‘the shot heard ‘round the world’ and the revolution against real oppression could finally begin.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Circuses and Rights During Wartime

Interesting how Congress has been reduced to gimmicks. Interesting how appearances are used to overshadow fundamental differences that are said to exist between Republicans and Democrats. Perhaps the lesson here is that there really is no difference; that it’s all a part of the same dysfunctional, irrelevant stew - or worse. The only voice that matters is POTUS’. Without cut-out POTUS, no one would be there, dressed in finery, kissing and hugging; beaming and patting backs. It’s a carnival barker‘s paradise put on every year for the amusement of themselves, and so-called political pundits. “…and let’s all meet afterwards for drinks.”

The public remains the foil. All that will be said and done will be tailored to appeal to TV couch potatoes. Remind that last year’s theme was ‘focusing on jobs‘ (like a laser). What happened to all those jobs? Fool me once…

The most memorable of these presidential high-performances (in my lifetime, at least) was back when LBJ announced he won’t be running for a second full term. Now that was news! It sent shock waves throughout the nation. Dare we hope for anything of substance?
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Make no mistake about it, yesterday’s bombing of the airport in Moscow was an attack on all of us. We diminish what happened when we ask why? The fact is, we do not understand the motives of terrorists. In last night’s interview with Stephen F. Cohen the word ‘Islam’ was mentioned exactly once.

The word ‘terrorist’ explains nothing - no motive; no philosophical or historical underpinnings - only nihilism. Seeking explanations under such conditions inevitably brings us back to ourselves. We are at fault - the enduring mantra of narcissists.

There are infinite explanations for why this may be so. The most plausible both start with ‘p’: ‘poverty’ and ‘politics’. There are infinite reasons that argue against both. This whole terror thing has become a (war) dance. The terrorists lead; we follow. We screen ourselves before getting on an airplane. The terrorists change tactics. They target innocents waiting for loved ones to arrive. We increase security perimeters. The terrorist target public places. We put up cameras on street corners. They send mail bombs consisting of wires, then powders, then liquids…

There is no winning this. We must be persuaded to lead. We must fight fire with fire. We must do as they do. Only, we must be smarter about it. We must lead. It does us no good to chuckle about Mr. Putin’s embarrassment as he chuckles about ours. We’re all in this together. We must work together - not celebrate momentary relief that it wasn‘t us (this time).

This is war. All is fair in love and war. In war, conventional niceties go out the window. We must do what they do. We must blow up their stuff. We must not play footsies with nations who sponsor terrorism - as Putin continues to do wit Iran. We cannot continually appease and change the language to reflect a fiction.

We must begin to close their mosques, bar them from our shores and send home those who are already here. Sure, it’s unfair. Many good people will suffer inconvenience. But aren’t we inconvenienced by them. Never once have anyone of us heard anything even close to condemnation from their side. Their silence makes them accomplices. Change must come from within. Perhaps once they are back home, they will change things. Why is the onus always on us - to change?

Muslim countries routinely attack Christians and Jews. In some, Christians and Jews are prohibited from even being there. Fine. It’s their turf. I know many families who wont allow smoking or guns in their homes. It is their right.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Empty White House?

JB, your way of looking at this is not dissimilar to Obama’s. You’re both looking at the same thing, but from different sides. Things or people exist only in relation to something or someone else; and then, only if there is a common element in both. There is no common element between you and POTUS. You watch Obama from afar and your expectation of what he should be doing does not match up with what you see. Therefore you say, “The White House is Empty.” If the moon should fail to rise on a night it is expected to, what would you say? “The sky is empty”? No, of course not. But most would recognize that something of profound significance had occurred.

Similarly, POTUS has taken a measure of what he understands his own sacred mission to be and decided that both the people and the Constitution (which he has sworn to uphold, by the way) are an impediment to him. Therefore, he has seen fit to sever these from his consideration and is now operating rogue. He has said in effect that the people and the Constitution do not exist as far as he is concerned.

That’s how we have come to the point where much of the legislation that has been passed already (during the past two years) is patently unconstitutional. But who would challenge it? Congress - the people’s representatives? Hardly. Congress, as an institution, has debased itself by flagrantly shirking its duty to represent the people; by governing against their will; by making disparaging remarks about constituents and their Constitution; by exempting itself (and ‘friends‘) from it’s own laws. Can you say ‘corruption’?

Much hope is being heaped on the incoming Republicans - particularly Tea Party- supported Republicans - in their ability to sweep in and clean up the mess. Too much hope, if you ask me. They will be faced with a stacked deck; tilting machines; computer keyboards with the ‘W’s’ removed; etc. Much of the damage has already been done (and is now irreversible), especially to the honor, credibility, and legitimacy of the concept of representative government overall.

Obama exists alright, in that everything he does affects us both directly and indirectly. He moves us willy-nilly, like sticks of furniture, around the room. We cannot respond - or, our response goes unheard and unheeded - while the wheels of what has already been set into motion grind on. It is we who do not exist. It is we who inhabit empty rooms. Obama is still president. He can do as he wants.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

No Alternative

Congress has once again disgraced itself. It’s getting to be a common theme. The way START was passed is an outrage. Such congressional outrages can be expected to continue into the next session.

This Congress has reduced itself to the level of ‘dog and pony’ show. Only 13% of the people support what this Congress has done. Even with the infusion of Republicans, it will be difficult for the institution to climb back from such depths.

The clear winner is the president. He has been able to amass powers that go far beyond mandated constitutional limits. Anyone crowing that the next Congress will succeed in putting the brakes on what has essentially become a runaway executive branch has another thing coming.

2011 will see more of the same with the added drama of even more partisanship and blame shifting. Meanwhile, Obama’s overall agenda advances.

By 2012, there may well be no alternatives. Obama will own it all. Depending on the public’s mood for continued left-wing gavage, we may yet escape the indignity of civil unrest of the kind we see in Europe. Though it’s unlikely, with fires burning everywhere, that the people will remain in their houses hunkering down with the doors bolted shut.

There will be push-back.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

We Are All Socialists Now

We can now put another ornament on Obama’s socialist (mop) Christmas tree: net neutrality. Nobody can yet exactly say what it means. The full text of the new rules haven’t been released yet. But, putting yet another chunk of the free market under government control should tell you all you need to know.

As with other legislation that has passed this year, the new rules basically amount to a framework that allows government to regulate as issues emerge. “At the digression of…” appears to be a ubiquitous phrase in any such legislation. It is also important to note that no such legislation - from ‘health care’ to FINREG to START - has been assembled willy-nilly and without purpose. All of it has been carefully crafted and been filed away from public view for a long time to be taken out at a time most favorable to passage. Law makers have had virtually no way to assess the merits of any such legislation and were required to vote in hurried fashion, strictly along party lines.

Net neutrality, of course, bypassed Congress altogether. There was no opportunity to probe the past associations and affiliations of those who crafted and promoted it. Suffice it to say, that those of us who suspected Obama’s socialist bias all along were right. Vote socialist, and you get socialist - and worse.

At this pace, we can expect a seemingly legitimate bill to slip through a rubberstamp Congress within the next two years that gives Obama the presidency with unlimited power for life. It’ll all be done under the rubric of crisis - Chavez style.

Crisis is the mother’s milk of authoritarian regimes and as such we cannot expect much to improve our situation. Crisis is one of the easiest circumstances to manufacture. Socialism thrives on it. It has never played to finding solutions anywhere its been tried. It just dissolves the parameters by which to judge success or failure.

Republicans and tea party members will have their work cut out for them. Rolling back or de-funding existing open-ended legislation is, they will find, is much like trying to nail Jello to a wall. Their best bet will be to proceed with hearings, focusing on constitutional grounds. This will, however, leave them open to the charge of practicing McCarthyism. The public at large will not be encouraged to support such dramatic high-profile displays. It will judge any effort on the part of Republicans as grandstanding, racism, and rank partisanship. They can be expected to fold like cheap cameras and just go along.

It’s been coming for a long time. It’s all been planned so meticulously, down to the last detail. The shame of it is that we too had a chance to stem this socialist tide. Bush too had control of Congress for a time, but squandered the opportunity to gird us against the threat. The Right has done nothing but capitulate. We now face a situation not dissimilar to our fight against Islamic terrorism in which a whole roster of clarifying terminology has been swept off the table. Mention ‘socialism’ and the full weight of political correctness comes crashing down from the sky to stifle any further hope for honest debate.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

How Bad Can It Get?

Okay, I get it! Back in 2008, when Bush and Republicans were sent packing, we thought it couldn’t get any worse. We had hit bottom, we were told. We ignored all the signs - the storm clouds gathering in the distance: questions about the birth certificate, grades, allegiances, past associations, past affiliations - all the warnings. We accused those who counseled caution of alarmism or worse. A new day was dawning after all. The new administration would bring the economy back, heal racist divides, solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, fix health care, lower the tides, etc. In fact, the new president was said to be able to walk on water. People would literally swoon in his presence. We referred to him as ‘the messiah'.

It didn’t take long for the veil to slip. We became concerned. We phoned and e-mailed our elected representatives in Washington. No response. We attended town hall events. No response. We marched en masse on Washington, hoping somebody would notice. No response. We voted…

At each juncture we were brimming with hope. Obama would hear us. He would change direction and pull us away from the brink. Instead America’s decline accelerated: jobs lost, inflation (though nobody is willing to admit it), mortgages underwater, ‘for sale’ signs sprouting like mushrooms, 401k’s drying up, dollar down.

Now we’re asking ourselves, “How bad can it get?” Plenty. Just look what’s happening over in Europe, in the Middle East, in S. America, in the Far East. Could all this be in anyway connected? I would have to say yes. All of it started right here at home. Anyone who fails to note the trench warfare aspect of what’s going on in Congress right now has their head buried in the sand. America is slipping.

And we’ve done it to ourselves. We haven’t done our homework. While we’re mindlessly humiliating grandmothers and cripples at our airports, we would never insist that our highest elected official produce all relevant papers.

Folks, we still don’t know who he is. And we’re growing increasingly suspicious. We leave things hanging to fester. Fact: North Korea and South Korea are literally - not technically - at war! China is at war with us. Iran is at war with us. Half the nations in South America are at war with us. The Left is at war with us. All have said so.

Which side is our president on? The answer gets murkier with each passing day. The implications are enormous. It’s the elephant in the room that everybody tries to ignore. It’s like trying to impose peace in the Middle East while one side refuses to recognize the other.

In a way I’m sorry that I shamed the Azulia Restaurant in Chennai into changing their menu that had a map of the Mediterranean region on its cover. It had left out the State of Israel. On my last visit there I noted that they had corrected the oversight. Now I realize it might well have been right in the first place. How much longer will they be printing maps with America on them?

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

The Panic Room

Everything Obama has touched during his first two years in office has gotten demonstrably worse. Sure, he’s been successful in passing significant legislation - perhaps more so than any other president in U.S. history. But where has it led? I challenge anybody to tell me how any policy thrust of Obama’s has led the nation (as a whole) to a better place?

Then there’s the way it was done. Some would even call it illegal. Certainly, it was done against the will of the people. Certainly, every underhanded trick was used to pass Obama’s legislative agenda. In every case, bills were rushed through Congress without members knowing what they were voting on. There is even evidence to suggest that the president himself didn’t know (or care).

Bolton makes a good point. If Obama’s goal in all this is to marginalize Congress (and, by extension, the people’s input to governance overall) he is succeeding. It is a point not to be overlooked. It usually ends in tyranny.

Now we stand on a precipice once again; and this time it actually does involve our national security. Bolton makes any number of cogent arguments against passing START. He is in a position to know, having served as UN ambassador under Bush. His caution should at the very least be considered in open debate.

Bolton’s larger point is equally compelling. Who in their right mind would keep going to the same plumber over and over again once he has proven himself to be dangerously inept?

In India, self-styled sidewalk dentists sit on straw mats with their box of unwashed implements. They provide basic service to the poorest of the poor for scant compensation. But would anyone of the middle class avail themselves of their services? America is at the very least ‘middle class’ I should hope.

Then, one might also consider why Obama would risk once again being accused of operating with a total lack of transparency? Perhaps the deal does not bear scrutiny. Perhaps, after all is said and done, it is bad for America. Perhaps that’s the point. (Oops! I have just inadvertently entered a room into which few would venture.)

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

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.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Hot-Button Issues

This president does not retreat. He dances: Two steps forward, one step back. What are we going to say if come January the Bush tax cut are not extended; if benefits run out for the unemployed? You got it! It’s the Republican’s fault. They wouldn’t play ball.

Everybody agrees, if nothing happens, it would be a disaster for the economy. So, according to Obama, nothing should happen. He doesn’t want the economy to improve. Neither can he say so directly. Therefore he must offer the fig leaf of impossible compromise. This is his policy. If the Republicans can be tagged with failure, it’s a bonus for the president.

I predict nothing will happen beyond what’s already been set in motion. The Bush tax cuts will expire, as will unemployment benefits. Republicans will be blamed along with the Dems who’ve gone over to the other side. Effectively, this will also demonstrate the futility of elections and the impotence of Congress. This, in marked contrast to the power of the presidency.

On the bright side: The longer Congress wrangles with the aforementioned issues, the less time it will have to finger other hot-buttons - all of which are already set to trip the wrong way. For the next session of Congress, the die has already been cast, the template set. Congress will be unable to stem the red tide. Congress will be blamed for any (deliberate) policy failure (sic). The people’s wrath will be directed primarily at Republicans in Congress. Only POTUS will appear to be acting in the people’s best interest (or not) - by fiat.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

No Sushi in the Lobby

When will we finally take the leap from viewing this administration as incompetent to accusing it of criminality? If there had been only one plane to hit the World Trade towers, we would no doubt still be saying that the pilots slipped up. We’re practically doing that now, even though we know. What does it take for the good people of this country to wake up and realize that we are deliberately being taken down? So many mistakes, all pointing only one way; and we still can’t seem to connect the dots!

“Fiddling while Rome burns,” I think, is the expression that applies. More to come… Arguing over tax cuts/hikes no longer matters. What happens in Congress no longer matters. What happens to our economy, in our schools, churches, synagogues; in our banks, hospitals; State Department, cookie fundraisers - all amounts to kabuki theater. Nothing happens till the end.

I don’t know if you’ve ever seen Grand Kabuki. It’s boring and atonal as hell. You sit there, trying to read what it says in the program. And you try to find some connection between that and what happens on stage. It’s usually a lost cause (unless you’re Japanese). You look around to see if anybody is walking out. No such luck. You try to meditate and it doesn’t work because for some reason you’re roiling inside. You wonder if they’re selling sushi out in the lobby. At this point you’d pay a fortune even for bait.

And then it all happens so quickly. Crescendo. Trap doors opening and closing. People appearing and disappearing. Choreographed chaos - like the finale of a fireworks display. Death; fake blood, unbelievable acrobatics. You’re stunned. You can’t take it all in. It’s slipping by so fast. …and then its over. The curtain falls, and opens. The players take a bow.

“What the hell just happened?” you’re thinking as you’re walking away. You look, but there’s no sushi in the lobby.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Building Guillotines

God bless Charlie Rangel! Nobody could have done better to expose Congress as petty, pompous, ineffective and irrelevant. Republicans beware! All your planned investigations will come to naught. Charlie has shown the way out of this theater of the absurd.

You don’t even know it yet – you, with your eyes shining so eager and bright. You, with your arcane tea ceremony skills, do not even realize that you have been deputized by a people who don’t exist in this government’s eyes – which means, you don’t exist. The best you can do is to blend in, to play the game and appear to fit in; to rubberstamp decrees sent from on high, while the people find new ways to distain you from afar.

It’s already started – the people’s revolt – at airports, in the marketplace, on the radio. Wherever people meet, know that you are despised, Democrats and Republicans alike. Do what you will on the hill. It’s got nothing to do with us. We are the ones who will survive, our women knitting to prepare for certain winter while our men are busy building the guillotines.

God bless Charlie Rangel for peeling yet another layer of paint off the salt pillar saint of two-tier privilege, and letting us know in no uncertain terms that we stand alone and can no longer expect any meaningful benefit from partnering with Washington.

The Man Who Died

My wife tells me that Obamacare has now reached India where she (and others) are busily engaged in editing the document. She is simply amazed by what has been written there. There is of course the mandated fine for anyone who may not choose to participate. But even more ominous is that doctors will now be required to write prescriptions for simple over-the-counter remedies. Talk about overwhelming the system! It takes practically an act of congress now to get any kind of prescription filled (especially on weekends), never mind the expense. If doctors are to be inundated with people hoping to purchase a simple bottle of Aspirin or package of band-aids, I can see no end to delay and confusion.

They say Obamacare will be rolled back by the new Congress; that the president himself will come to his senses and moderate his stance. I see no sign of it so far, primarily because his goal is and has always been to overwhelm and wreck the system(s).

All is in place as we speak to accomplish this. It extends far beyond health care. The dollar is at risk as well. Ditto, race relations; education; foreign policy… You name it. It’s all going down.

Meanwhile the president is off to India, a colorful and exotic backdrop for Obama‘s victory lap. (Just like the American economy, the midterms might have turned out worse.) Obama does not particularly care for India. India is not taken seriously by the West precisely because she poses no danger. Only 'dangerous' countries - like China and Iran - are taken seriously. The West's policy towards them is one of appeasement. As such India (and Israel) is seen merely as a bargaining chip, one that is happily sacrificed if it means that the West is allowed to live one more day. India will have to come to terms with the fact that she stands alone.

Even with America out of the picture, there will by no means be peace. The yellow man and the Muslim will not get along. America will be watching from the sidelines to find out to which stake she’ll be tethered - like the cock in D. H. Lawrence’s “The Man Who Died.”

It's Just Beginning

Today, the training wheels are set to come off - helmet, knee pads, and all. The depth of trouble in which the Obama presidency finds itself will be fully exposed and amplified. This is when Obama will be shown at his most vulnerable - politically speaking. In the short run, his ace in the hole will be foreign affairs. Not surprisingly, the president will be leaving the country soon (with an entourage filling no less than 40 aircraft) to seek safe refuge on non-partisan soil (to give his ego a chance to heal).

Furthermore, after today, expect a full-blown circus the likes of which we haven’t seen since Bush - Gore 2000. As we speak, there are lawyers and activists thick on the ground, ready to contest every vote. Close election results will be challenged. Things will be said that are patently untrue or contrived (similar to the Rachel’s Tomb controversy that was discussed on the JBS for the past two nights). It will serve to throw our whole election process into high confusion. I doubt if the new Congress will be ready to seat for some time to come.

There will be accusations, recounts, court challenges, hanging chads - the whole works, including the proverbial kitchen sink. Expect to be dazzled by the drama, and thoroughly disgusted as well. This election will serve as the template to further discredit our electoral process. It will amount as a textbook case on how to go about overwhelming and rendering useless a system that is essentially based on good will and trust.

The Left will not quit. It will do anything it can, not so much to address legitimate grievances, but to pile on and inject lunacy in order to bring about utter and complete meltdown.

Hang on, folks! It’s only just beginning.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Scapegoats

It’s quite enough for me to know that Obama supports and actively campaigns for Alexi Giannoulias. As I said before, the midterms have turned national. Local issues are strictly incidental. On the other hand, POTUS must know that his endorsement is poison. Perhaps he wants the Republicans to win after all, and is only going through the motions. Clearly, Obama shows no sign that he fears a Republican majority. Is it out of resignation? Or is it a strategy?

Perhaps the name of the game is to determine who will preside over America’s collapse? With Republicans taking charge of Congress, it is they who will likely suffer the slings and arrows of the state-run media. POTUS - always pure as the wind-driven snow - could come out the winner.

I know it’s cynical to suggest that Republicans - even while victorious - are quietly being made into scapegoats. I know it’s cynical to assume that Republicans do not see the trap - just as I see the our economy so booby-trapped that even the mere prospect of optimism could serve to set off the (inflation) bomb.

The fact is, we’re playing catch-up. Things may have gone too far already; I doubt it can be reversed piecemeal. I’m still amazed that nobody on our side is seriously talking impeachment. That would settle it.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/