The Trash Police

Your reference to ‘Dickens’ threw me. I thought for a moment you had double posted. In fact, I had just put down a book that makes a similar point by name: James Baldwin’s “The Fire Next Time”.

Baldwin writes well, but is far from profound. He wallows in his hatred and uses the wide brush whenever he can. This book - the first I have ever read by this author - could have been written by anyone with a grudge. It is the corners of self-loathing turned outward. By changing just a few of the words around, one might imagine a rabid feminist writing thus - or a misogynist, a Democrat, jihadist - or a committed Marxist.

Jihad among young Muslims around the world seems to have become a trendy lifestyle issue, like being ‘green’. I remember going to Germany last in order to sell my grandmother’s home. We only had a week or two to do it. Everything had to go. Most things were given away, but there was also a lot left that had to be taken to the dump. So off we went with load after load.

In Germany, you practically have to have a degree in what can be thrown away and what can’t. There’s a wall with razor wire surrounding the dump. Inside, there are no less than 20 receptacles that precisely specify what can be put inside. People are closely watching all the time, and they don’t hesitate to dress you down if you happen to make a mistake. After all was said and done, there was still stuff left over which couldn’t be dumped. We drove away red-faced and stopped to get gas. It was there we stuffed the garbage cans to overflowing.

In Germany, recycling has become a religion. People who do not tow the line are excommunicated or worse. The catechism of eco-terror as practiced by the state is unforgiving - and it’s catching on here in America.

The jihadis of Great Britain are getting sloppy. They understand the part about sacrificing themselves for a cause, but they no longer take the time to plan carefully. Their numerous failed attempts prove as much. They just want to get it over with as soon as possible while imagining their names in celestial lights. The Germans, on the other hand are mechanical, dogged and precise. It’s all the same game, fueled by generous doses of righteous indignation and ending in control.

“Two little Hitlers will fight it out until, one little Hitler does the other one’s will.” - EC

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Great Britain: Brown Says Good-Bye

It’s sad to watch the former Empire (on which the sun never set) strangling itself even further. Unlike America, the voters there have not yet formed a clear consensus as to the best way forward. Look for infighting and gridlock as outside events will no doubt continue to heavily influence the political narrative. While it is true that the ruling class has been toppled, its replacement will likely find itself without mandate to tackle all the internal and external challenges facing the country. Suddenly deprived of the roadmap a heretofore dependable ally was happy to provide, Britain will find itself alone to work out its problems.

Clearly, Britain can no longer depend on even minimal tea and sympathy from America. Obama has made it clear that the fortunes of Great Britain are no concern of his. Its leaders must now find their own way. Whether this means teaming up with Russian-German axis or going it alone still remains to be determined.

If Britain should choose to go it alone, the choice is between bringing its own fiscal house to order or depending on the Keynesian model that promises much; but, in practice, has never had much to show for itself. The most likely outcome will entail a series of compromises that will nevertheless steer the country further left and to increased fiscal vulnerability. Social instability can also be expected to rise.

Sad to see Brown go. Gone are the leaders who ended their tenure with the vengeful intrusion of old age. Gone are the days when certain closure (death) necessitated the taking of a new direction. It wouldn’t surprise me if in a few years British voters were to once again clamor for Brown’s return. Such is the warm reassurance and comfort inspired by the re-appearance of a familiar face – all sins forgiven.

Oddly enough, for Britain and countries around the world, the example may once again be set in America, where Barack Hussein Obama will likely show no sign of ever leaving.

Soapbox Derby

Lou - I appreciate your comment. However, you make two assumptions that do not necessarily hold water. First, the market did not ‘recover’. It went down almost 350 points yesterday. Today, it went down another 140 even despite all the optimistic talk about the latest unemployment numbers. Second, there is not only one single enemy attacking us. We are being attacked from all sides by a broad base of bad actors - including from within. We’re quite on the ropes already.

Picture one of those soapbox derby races we used to get roped into back when we were Boy Scouts. We’re going downhill, hoping that our wheels don’t fall off before we reach bottom. They won’t come off this time. The skids have been carefully greased and each little push only makes us go faster. They’re all out there pushing: the progressives, the communists, the unions, the anarchists, the atheists, the illegals, the environmentalists, the gays, the blacks, the browns – every malcontent who’s ever had a hung toenail is pushing. …and while they’re pushing, they’re spitting at our flag.

It doesn’t stop there. Internationally, we’re being pushed as well. Look at the military build-up to our south - courtesy of Russia and Iran - in the fallen dominoes of South and Central America. Look at who’s threatening our allies around the world. Look at the oil exploration about to begin practically in our own backyard by the likes of China, while our own hands remain tied. The Deepwater Horizon ‘accident’ sealed out fate in this regard. Instead, we’ll now concentrate on building windmill farms. Pretty soon it’ll be raining birds.

One plan is to choke off our energy supply. I can’t see it any other way. It’s already been decided at the highest levels of our own government that we should come begging for our energy needs. The rationale is that it would save the planet, but it’s really not that. It’s to diminish our influence and power. Some would say, it is to destroy us as a nation; to reduce us to that gushing wound that once was America; or Greece; or Rome or Great Britain (the empire on which the sun never sets).

The Islamists and the communists are all in this together. Their mission is to destroy America; capitalism. Once that’s done, they’ll sort out the differences amongst themselves by killing each other. We’re so rattled now that every time someone drops a pack of Lucky Strikes on the sidewalk somewhere, we close down Times Square. Don’t tell me it’s not having an effect.

We can be reasonably certain by now that our president is a communist. Until I see his birth certificate you can’t convince me that he isn’t a Muslim as well.

A Great Foot-Dragging

I don’t think it’s simply a matter of (a lack of) jobs either here or in Great Britain. In countries that have essentially become prisons, in which there are essentially only two classifications of people - wardens and prisoners – there is simply not much incentive to work. Where governments routinely demand upwards of 50% of every monetary unit of sweat in return for shoddy and insufficient services, it has become far more productive to just lie low and wait for the economic climate to improve. The commonly heard complaint about high unemployment, therefore, is merely shorthand for the frustration felt by employers and employees alike who find themselves trapped by ideologically-driven policies that make little sense in the real world.

Add to this the assault we are witnessing on a daily basis on tradition and values, and many consciously (or unconsciously) decide to quit the system voluntarily. We are essentially on strike. Any time kids are sent home from school for the crime of wearing tee-shirts displaying the flag; any time terrorists are given milk and cookies while being read their Miranda rights; any time Al Sharpton opens his mouth; any time a crèche is ordered dismantled at ‘holiday’ time; any time lawmakers vote themselves a pay raise in the dead of a Friday night, we are reminded that this is no longer a country we can wholeheartedly support.

Unemployment, much more than governments’ failed effort to artificially ‘stimulate’, represents a great foot-dragging by the American and British people. Unless and until this is recognized for what it actually is, there will be no improvement in the numbers. We will continue to sit on our hands.