Stinks To High Heaven

‘Purposeful’? Please! The (UK) Telegraph reports that Barack Obama is set to release up to 2000 photographs of prisoner abuse by U.S. military personnel. This comes at a time when he decides not to release pictures of the dead Osama bin Laden. While it is likely that both issues are still in flux – as the WH has been known to waver – the fact that this is even being discussed at this time is nothing short of a slap at America.

There is your reason for why former President Bush will not be seen with Obama (at Ground Zero or anywhere. I would even go so far as to suggest that everyone stay away from today’s wreath laying.) I have often said that the primary aim of this post-American administration is to sow chaos. We have chaos in our financial markets; we have chaos in our energy sector; we have chaos in our government… Everywhere you look there is chaos and no attempt is being made to steer away from what appears to be total collapse.

This incident involving the release of photographs shows as clearly as anything I have seen what Obama is up to overall. It can no longer be regarded as isolated happenstance; a mistake; second thoughts; inexperience – what have you. The pattern is unmistakable.

There is now an attempt to pull Pakistan into it. It is said, they couldn’t possibly NOT have been involved. Pakistan could actually be cleaner than we think. Maybe Pakistan knew that bin Laden was already dead. They were simply paid not to interfere with Obama’s Hollywood photo shoot. I’ve seen the pictures purported to be of the dead bin Laden. I see a dead man. I don’t necessarily see bin Laden. For all I know, it could all be a hoax. The argument against it, of course, is that too many people had to have been involved. Somebody would be bound to talk.

It’s not that there haven’t been hoaxes before. Do I have to list them? ‘Global warming’, for one. Many also suspect the financial meltdown just before the 2008 election. What about the current American presidency itself? You would have to agree that the way in which Obama was elected was highly unusual. (No background checks; no checks at all.) And you’ve got to ask yourself: Would America really have elected a Marxist, had they known? Come to think of it, the last thing I saw on television that was real was the World Trade Towers coming down. Since then, it’s all been pap, and us trying so hard to believe that we haven’t been played for fools.

BTW, I continue to be astounded by Larry Kudlow’s continued optimism. I see nothing on the horizon that would justify this. I agree that if a proper election were held in 2012, our skies would brighten. At this point the leg of a stool would be an improvement over the current WH occupant. And yet, every day we are told that Obama could and will win reelection. I, for one, am wondering if we’ll even make it that far.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

View from India: DEATH OF A JIHADI FRANKENSTEIN’S MONSTER

by B.RAMAN

(Written at the request of the Editor of the “Economic Times”, New Delhi)

Osama bin Laden (OBL), the head of Al Qaeda, was killed by the U.S. Special Forces during a past midnight chopper-borne raid on his hide-out at Abbotabad, a garrison town, about 100 kms from Islamabad, on May 1. He influenced thousands of young Muslims, who grew to adulthood in the 1980s and the 1990s, to take to jihadi terrorism as a weapon of defiance. He wanted them to use this weapon to correct what he looked upon as the historic injustices done to the Ummah by the non-Islamic world.

Among such instances of historic injustices to the Muslims, he cited the Jewish occupation of Palestine and the occupation of lands, which, according to him, had historically belonged to the Muslims by non-Islamic forces. He also wanted the Muslims to take to arms against ideological influences that tended to corrupt Islam.

He initially fought against the corrupting influence of the Marxist ideology in Afghanistan against the Soviet and Afghan troops in the 1980s. He saw nothing wrong in accepting the assistance of Western ideological forces for countering Marxism and to force it to quit Afghanistan.

He might not have acquired the iconic image which he developed subsequently but for the use of him by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIAS) and the agencies of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia which projected him as a jihadi fighter par excellence in order to use him for mobilising Muslim youth of the Arab world for the jihad against the Soviet troops and the Marxist ideology.

With the assistance of these agencies, he forced the Soviet troops to withdraw from Afghanistan and helped to bring Afghanistan under the control of medieval Islamic forces in the form of the Taliban. His medieval version of Islam, which is condemned today by the U.S., was encouraged by the U.S. in the 1980s to use it as a strategic weapon against Marxism .

Having tasted success in Afghanistan, he and his force of Arab youth, trained and armed with the help of these agencies in secret camps in Pakistan turned against their Western benefactors and mentors and transformed their jihad against Marxism into a new jihad against the Crusaders and the Jewish people in the 1990s. The icon of the 1980s, toasted by the U.S. because of his success against the Marxists, became the dreaded Frankenstein’s monster of the 1990s and thereafter.

This jihadi Frankenstein’s monster, jointly created by the agencies of the U.S., Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, became the world’s most dreaded terrorist who spread death and destruction across the world through his Al Qaeda and International Islamic Front (IIC) starting from 1996. The 9/11 terrorist strikes in the U.S. Homeland made the U.S. realize that the reach of this monster of its own creation had extended up to the U.S.

The slaying of this monster became the driving force of the so-called war against international terrorism. It has taken nearly 10 years and an expenditure of billions of dollars to slay this monster. At the end, the death of this monster came at the place where it was born, namely, in Pakistan. After 10 years of search the monster was traced .

The monster was found hiding in the place where the Pakistan Army was born and where its new officer-recruits are trained every year. Abbotabad is the cradle of the Pakistan Army and in that cradle was found the monster. There were indicators of a cosy relationahip between the monster and one of its original creators----the Pakistani Army and intelligence.

The death of the jihadi Frankenstein’s monster in the cradle of the Pakistan Army has thrown the spotlight even more intensely than till now on another Frankenstein’s monster --- namely, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan.

Since the 1980s, the ISI was was pampered, fed and fattened by the U.S. along with the Pakistan Army. The U.S., which closed its eyes to the pernicious role played by this State Frankenstein’s monster in sponsoring terrorism of various kinds against India, Afghanistan and other countries, is confused and does not know how to act against this State Frankenstein’s monster after having killed the non-State monster.

The end of OBL will not be the end of international jihadi terrorism. The non-state head of international jihadi terrorism may be dead, but the State of Pakistan, which continues to use this terrorism, lives in a denial mode. Neither the State of Pakistan nor its civil society is prepared to admit that Al Qaeda and its surviving leaders have managed to escape arrest, prosecution or death so far, because of the support extended to them by the State of Pakistan. The same is the case with the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LET) and other jihadi affiliates of Al Qaeda.

Unless the U.S. and other members of the international community are prepared to draw the right lessons from the discovery that OBL had been living and surviving in an important garrison town of Pakistan and force the State of Pakistan to stop using terrorism as a weapon of the State, OBL’s death may not mark the beginning of the end of international jihadi terrorism.

OBL may be dead but jihadi terrorism in some form or the other will survive so long as it enjoys the support of the State of Pakistan.( 3-5-2011)

(Bahukutumbi Raman is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India)

Off The Record (in Brazil)

O – “Like you, I am a Marxist/Socialist. In addition, I am a Muslim – born and bred. I see my job essentially as an opportunity to erase the hegemony of the West in general and America in particular. To this end, we are working to choke off America’s energy supplies. As you may know, America actually does have the world’s most abundant resources of carbon-based fuels within its own borders. We have succeeded in halting oil exploration, drilling, refining, etc. In addition, we have been able to severely restrict coal mining operations by encumbering companies thus engaged with so many government mandated regulations and restrictions; it’s become impossible for operators to maintain profitable margins.

“Additionally, we’ve managed to create instability in the Middle East. It should soon become impossible to procure oil from any of these sources. Also, under our green energy initiative, we have succeeded in creating the perception that the use of carbon-based energy is damaging to the planet. We are now also in the process of banning nuclear energy outright (thank you, Japan).

“We have expanded baseline government spending to unprecedented levels, all but insuring the collapse of our currency. In relatively short order you will see severe inflation, shortages and, with it, a rise in civil disturbances. By maintaining a high degree of fiscal uncertainty, we can assure that the powerhouse American economy cannot recover.

“None of this happened overnight, of course. Many brave comrades have worked diligently for many years to break down our network of primary and secondary education as to destroy the people’s ability to engage in critical inquiry. As such, we’ve been able to accomplish much under cover of darkness. My own popularity is still relatively high, even as our systems and institutions are grinding to a halt one by one.

“It must be kept in mind that our efforts are targeted primarily at the West. The East should remain largely unaffected for now. It will be up to my successors to more or less finish the job. In any case, Brazil – and South America in general – should remain relatively unaffected by the change.

“For now, in order to keep up appearances, we have set aside considerable sums for you to develop your oil industry – just to maintain the impression that we are still dealing with the fear Americans have of running out of gas(oline).

D – “I can see some pitfalls in your plan, especially as it pertains to us. Many here see it as yet another attempt by your arrogant nation to reduce us to just another of your Middle Eastern gas stations. It’s a perception of distrust that has built up over many years."

O – “Never mind. Accept the money and do with it what you want. As I said, it’s mainly just to give the impression that we are doing something about energy – to placate the masses, so to speak – while we are turning off the spigots one by one.

“BTW, put in a good word to Hugo, Fidel and the others for me. Do let them know that we’re all on the same page.”

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Reply to Corlyss: Trouble in Egypt

Corlyss - You knew this was coming. Always looking ahead. Here, in America, it’s already happened. Both in Egypt and in America the people were made to so despise the status quo, they would stampede for ‘change‘. Both in Egypt and in America, there are (and have been) good people in support of ‘revolution’. Mubarak was a dictator, Bush was an incompetent who insisted on playing by the Queensberry rules. But both were more or less benign.

In Egypt, the mullahs painted Mubarak black. In America, the press painted Bush black. The people were riled up. They were told it couldn’t get any worse. In Egypt, they are now taking to the streets. In America, they went to the ballot box (2008).

Ours was a bloodless revolution. We had money as a buffer to absorb the shock (of revolution). When the money runs out, we too will take to the streets. We’re apt to suffer our own Tehran moment. Egypt, on the other hand, is a relatively poor nation. The only option for them is (go directly to… Do not pass GO) civil unrest. In both countries, the revolution was carefully orchestrated. As I said, a lot of good people were enticed to join in. They will be the first to be crushed in what follows.

The revolution is not over - neither in Egypt nor in America. In Egypt, Iran’s “Moslem Brothers are hanging back“. In America, the Marxists radicals are hanging back. Both revolutions are made to appear as a grassroots movement attracting only the pious. In America, we ended up with a dictator. The same will result in Egypt. In America, things will get worse; in Egypt things will get worse as well. Both freedom and any hint of optimism will suffer - along with tolerance, civility, and fair play. Israel should be worried.

Israel has been painted a pariah. Israel is the ultimate target - the jewel in the crown of dictators. America will not help. America’s conscience has been severed from its body politic in the interest of (short-term) expedience. America is going down the same road as Israel (and Egypt). The difference is that America has already had its revolution and the bad guys won. “The Marxists (sic) are patient and relentless.”

By the time the dust has settled, America will be already be preparing for its next ‘revolution’. The military will take the side of the people. The next one should be relatively brief as all of America’s enemies will be residing at close quarters - in Washington/DC.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

I Want Kelly Evans Back

“POTUS cannot solve the possibility of a challenge from the Left of the Democrats.”

First off, let me say, I want Kelly Evans back. As to the Batchelor quote above, how does that square with the opinion of many pundits (including the WSJ) that the Left is finished in this country? This has to be thought through. If the Left is finished, so is the Right. The problems this country faces - both foreign and domestic - are no longer solvable. Game point, POTUS.

And this has been the whole point of the Obama presidency thus far: to erase any distinction between Democrat and Republican, Left and Right, economic success or failure; winning and losing re foreign policy; etc.

That has been the ‘game’ all along - a classic Marxist ploy, meant to prepare the field for takeover. By the time it’s finished, there will no longer be any way to judge the best from the worst. There will be just one choice. It will masquerade as harmony.

The Kucinich play will fade to sideshow (if it hasn’t already), as will the Tea Parties, the Clintons and all the rest. The action will be in the main tent; and the ring master will be Barack Hussein Mubarak (or any other dictator you wish to name).

All the partisan hand wringing; all the endless talk about this and that was over once Barack Hussein Obama got elected. He has forged (and is still forging) a new way forward - new for America, that is. The sooner we recognize this, the sooner we can get down to the business of restoring the country. Otherwise, don’t come whining to me if, when 2012 comes ‘round, Obama gets ‘re-elected’ (again and again…)

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

They Are Mocking Us

“Stop following me.”

“Stop following me.”

“Go away!”

“Go away!”

“Leave me alone.”

“Leave me alone.”

“Stop hitting me.”

“Stop hitting me.”

“I’m telling Mom.”

“I’m telling Mom.”

Remember when the bully in the schoolyard or an older brother, perhaps, used to do this: repeat everything you said with the smirk of superiority on his face? He was mocking you and you would eventually dissolve into tears. This is exactly what the infantile, bullying Left is doing in response to Glenn Beck’s 8/28 gathering in Washington at the Lincoln Memorial. They are mocking us. They are attempting to diminish the gravity and sacredness of what happened there. They are showing themselves as arrogant, as disrespectful of the genuine impulse that had brought so many people from all over the country together.

Just the other day, they mocked Congress itself by inviting one of their funnymen flamethrowers to discuss a dead-serious subject on Capitol Hill. They’ve been mocking Sarah Palin and the Tea Parties and anyone whom they perceive as a legitimate threat to the continuance of their disastrous policies for as long as I dare to remember. Their attacks on these good people have been constant and merciless

Every word out of the mouth of our historic president is a mockery. He talks about the failure of education, about the failure of the housing market, about the failure of journalism, the auto industry, banking, the military, etc. never mentioning that it was he and his party that were the primary reason for these failures. And to drive the point, he recklessly proposes more of the same. Failure has become the new norm.

He mocks the polls, elections, democratic governance in general. He is mocking us as if he knows enough is in place to deny us the power to affect even an iota of change. He is supremely confident that his Marxist revolution is close to fruition on American soil. If history is any gage, he and his minions will gather on the National Mall and spew anti-American obscenities on this sacred ground.

He is confident that the mosque on Ground Zero will stand to be celebrated throughout the Muslim world on the tenth anniversary of 9/11.

They are mocking us daily. In order to get them to stop, we must think back to the schoolyard and figure out what we eventually did to put the bully his in his place.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

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.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Running Out The Clock

I don’t believe this president is ‘running out the clock’. Only someone who feels he’s on the ropes will try to run out the clock - the boxer who has lost all confidence that he can defeat his opponent with a single decisive blow. POTUS is not there yet. He still has two more years. He’s done a lot already, perhaps more (legislatively) than any other president in history.

He’s also put in place a mechanism that will make America bleed for years yet to come. He has had to give in a little from time to time - at least verbally - to throw the hounds off his trail. But he will continue to do just what he has set out to do.

Ahmadinejad works the same way, mouthing petty lies now and then as to give the Russians and others cover for continuing to honor their agreements with him - financial, technical and otherwise. We all know he’s lying through his teeth, but it’s enough to placate those who are desperate to believe in the essential goodness of evil men.

In the meantime, the clock is running unimpeded, allowing the Hitler of Iran to have his nuclear arsenal and Obama his re-making of America into a Marxist Utopia.

The reason Obama has lost his magic is because he knows that a growing number of people have become dead certain of what it is he is doing. With each apparent capitulation, his argument grows weaker in the face of what’s continues to happen.

Summers and others are gone because they too have figured it out. There’s no chance of Obama’s policies working. There’s no chance of better times returning without changing course - ...unless, of course, the president intends exactly what is happening.

The media focuses on Velma Hart as someone capable of articulating exactly what it is that has America‘s panties in a knot. She is a rabid supporter of the Obama fiction and even she has doubts.

No doubt, the media want’s Obama to change course. They can see that what this administration has put in place has not worked. Their distaste of Republicans trumps all, however. They will never support Republicans. They need Obama to change course; adopt Republican policies if need be. Even this they can handle, like counting Iraq as one of Obama’s foreign policy successes, or counting ‘jobs saved’ as his domestic triumph.

Unlike Obama, The New York Times is not necessarily unpatriotic. It is simply pro-Democrat. It defines their hopelessly entrenched tradition. They would rather go out of print than portray Obama for what he truly is. Like Obama, they will double down when push comes to shove, even while precariously perched on a knife’s edge.

I realize that, like any man of a single physical body, Obama's personality oscillates between infinite poles. I realize it is simplistic - moronic even - to ascribe a single motive to any living man. I draw my conclusions (wrongly perhaps) from what I see. America is waning under this president, whatever the reason. To deny this is no reflection on Obama, perhaps; but it is a fact. Neither will Obama’s eventual electoral defeat solve the problem. This hydra has many heads, many of which combine to define very an essence within every living American soul. Even the most virtuous among us is afflicted. And it is there that we must ultimately find the cure.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

The Big Tent

There’s a lot to hate about Republicans. They allowed this whole Clinton-Obama cabal to happen, all the while claiming to have answers. How are we to trust them in leadership positions? Answer: We can’t.

Unfortunately, at the moment, the Republican political machine is all we have to counter Democrats. Whereas Batchelor’s disgust for Republicans is entirely justified, it is also somewhat of a meaningless indulgence on his part. His satire, ridicule and wit would be more properly directed at Democrats. In Batchelor’s world, Democrats come off scot-free. I suppose he considers them to be like bears, and simply accepts what bears do (in the woods or otherwise).

Batchelor is only partially right about one thing though. Republicans are by nature subservient; it‘s true. Batchelor goes wrong, however, when he cites Republicans’ greatest sin as being subservient to their creaky old leadership. It’s actually far worse than that: Republicans, even when in power, are subservient to Democrats. Republicans whine and moan, and compromise endlessly. This is the main reason why we have ultimately come to this sad point in our history.

Democrats, turned rabid Marxists, now control the levers of power. They will do things simply because they can. Republicans are running around yapping. We, the people know that this can’t go on.

They (Democrats) have the guns; we have stones. We will not throw them. They don’t need to fire. They know our weakness: We will castigate our own before standing up for what is right.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

A Cry From Hell

“Where did we come from?” I add, Where are we going? Both questions are entirely legitimate. Both require a modestly broader view to understand and formulate a response. Not only are we shutting the door on the physical universe, but we’re closing our eyes also to time (history). I’m not even talking ancient history. I’m talking just three years ago. Who would have thought then that we would have a Marxist Muslim president running the country (into the ground)? (Yes, I said it!!!) So when Mr. Doakes says he didn’t vote for Obama, I am compelled to ask, Who the hell did?!

Just yesterday I was sent a video of Muslims stoning a young girl to death. There were roughly a dozen young men eagerly participating. The rest were busy taking videos. It reminded me of the beating death of Abelino, the Ecuadorian dishwasher, in a wealthy suburban enclave on the Jersey side of New York City, which was also video taped. At the time I thought this the height of depravity.

I have since altered my view somewhat. The video that was sent me was so graphic, it literally turned my stomach. No human being on earth could have committed so serious a crime as to deserve the punishment that this (what looked like a) 14-year old was subjected to. And yet, no one decries it. No one condemns it. Abu Ghraib was the big story in the headlines day after day during the Bush presidency - American prison guards draping women’s underwear over accused terrorist’s heads. Then there was the relatively gentle art of waterboarding. And now there are tomes of restrictions our soldiers have to deal with about how to treat the enemy. It’s no wonder that so many of our own have been dying needlessly, snared by endless regulation demanding tea and sympathy - on the battlefield no less.

True gratuitous brutality is routinely ignored. Every adherent to the Muslim faith should be outraged and condemn the stoning of women in the name of their god. Yet, they are silent. In fact, they demand that all nations adopt shariah. Where are the women’s groups? Where are is Amnesty International? Where is our president? Where is every human being who still manages to maintain a shred of conscience to draw a line in the sand and say this cannot be tolerated in the 21st Century? Where is the UN?

Everyone participating in such a stoning should be hunted down and hauled off to The Hague for prosecution and punishment. Otherwise the phrase 'crimes against humanity' rings empty as a bell. But nothing of the sort ever happens. Instead, the men wearing the white hats are condemned to suffer death by a thousand cuts while the brutality of shariah advances even to desecrate the sacred cemetery of 3000 killed on 9/11.

Still, we watch as our enemy advances - and we say nothing. In fact we encourage his advance. We condemn ourselves instead of him. In another three years, we will look around and see the stain of slowly bled goats spreading on American soil, and we will ask ourselves, How has it come to this? We will read increasingly about honor killings, beheadings and shariah based banking, and we will ask again...

Now is the time to stop it. Just as Barack Hussein Obama should never have been elected senator.

I’ve altered my view of those who video tape such Islamic horrors as the stoning of women, the deliberate amputation of healthy limbs, and public execution in the market square. Rather than a gratuitous wallowing in blood, I now see it as a cry from hell - a warning. “This is how it is here,” they desperately try to tell us. “Please don’t let it happen there. Even if hell on earth is here, we can still maintain the hope that we can escape it. If the whole world should be consumed by this sort of savagery, there will be no where left to run; nothing to do but to strap on a suicide belt in the hope of saving as many as possible from the inhumanity of this, our most shameful experience."

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Surviving the First Wave

Larry Kudlow is a brilliant economic analyst. That’s why I listen to him. For some time now I’ve been frustrated with him (and others) for saying all the right things but being unwilling to pull the trigger. It’s always Obama’s policies that are misguided, never Obama himself. He consistently subscribes to the notion that if voters were to send the president a loud enough message (as in the midterms) he would then turn it around and begin to pursue policies designed to actually stimulate economic growth.

Kudlow has a ‘shtick‘. His signature approach to the economy as well as to politics in general is optimism. He recently interviewed Tim Geithner who told him that taxes would indeed increase but not by as much as everyone expects. Larry took this as a cause to trumpet his legendary optimism and told the story over and over again. It was simply infuriating. But, I have since noticed that Larry Kudlow - like any amateur poker player - has a ‘tell’.

Larry takes an awful lot of calls from people who are telling him exactly how it is; that Obama is a Marxist whose ultimate aim is to destroy the U.S. economy. He allows them to talk but always lets them know that he is unwilling to dip into the realm of anybody’s motivation. But I’ve come to recognize his ‘tell’. When someone begins to articulate their deepest suspicions about Barack Hussein Obama, he always makes that peculiar laugh of his that tells me that he basically agrees with the caller.

I now understand that that Kudlow knows precisely what’s going on and why. He maintains his shtick to keep from getting lumped in with the political shock-jocks. Given our present circumstances, it’s probably also a good idea to remain within the good graces of the FCC.

It’s a good bet that new rules for over-air broadcasting are in the offing. At first only the most forthright critics of the government will be directly affected. Kudlow, like anyone smart enough to read the writing on the proverbial wall, is simply making sure that he survives the first wave.

Shut Up Already

As I read the WSJ every morning, listen to talk radio, and hear talk in town, I am struck by the deepening suspicion going around that our government has not been working in our best interests ever since Barack Hussein Obama has been in office. It reminds me of the incessant, gratuitous attacks on the previous administration by mainstream media types, academe, and the ‘comedy’ shows (I use the term ‘comedy’ advisedly). Whereas these focused on the mispronunciation of common words and awkward gestures - easily mocked, and designed to serve primarily as a vehicle to elicit laughs - Bush policy itself was mostly bruised by association with bumper sticker-size political slurs alone. Today, it is policy that is consistently questioned and immediately let slide, while invariably utmost care is taken to promote every silver lining, however fleeing, to improbable prominence.

Every criticism is couched in, “they all do it”, “we all did it”, or “Republicans and Democrats, alike…” We try to make sure that blame falls on no one in particular; that, collectively, we all are responsible (for the spread of nuclear weapons, Darfur, people starving in Africa, Wall Street’s excesses, ‘global warming’, and the like). …and when all are at fault, no one really is.

The polls tell a different story. They tell of a government that is has gone beyond deserving of mockery; a government that is recklessly out of control, feeding its voracious appetites at the expense of the people, even while it appears to distain them. Bill Clinton’s message to Americans was essentially to “shut up already”, accompanied by a threat based on a baseless comparison. Implicit in this was that the government would be forced to act if things were to get out of hand.

I am not one to resort to indiscriminate name-calling. When I say that Obama is a Marxist, it is not a slur. I say it because Obama’s own actions and words since he’s been in office (and even before) brand him as a Marxist (by the dictionary definition of the word). I have never compared Obama to ‘Hitler’ or ‘Stalin’, etc. because, clearly, no man is another. I may have pointed out suspiciously similar trends in the interest of drawing attention to what has happened before and what, by extension, could happen again. I risk doing so once more, mentioning a soon-to-be archaic, but pertinent comparison with regard to how the media today covers Hitler as opposed to how Obama is being portrayed.

It is still inappropriate to talk of Hitler as ‘good’, saying that he did ‘good’ things by having opposed communism, having loved dogs, painted nice pictures, and having invented the Volkswagen. We overlook all the ‘good’ things he might have done (and believed) knowing that Hitler was inherently a bad man. Nothing good that may be said about him can mitigate the evil he subjected the world to.

Yet, today, we focus on every shred of what can be construed as the positive attributes that got Obama elected POTUS. We say he has great pecs; he has a good-looking wife; two lovely children; he cares for the poor; the disadvantaged; he speaks well; etc. And yet, we know what he’s doing: He is destroying his Party; and the other party along with it. He is destroying our system of ‘checks and balances’. He is destroying our financial system; our influence in the world. He is destroying our future generations. He is destroying our history. He is destroying America before our very eyes. And yet we focus on his beautiful wife as she plants a vegetable garden on White House grounds.

Obama is a bad man. He should not be president of this once great nation. He must be removed from power.

According to today’s WSJ, the White House is still smarting over what happened in Honduras. It is doing everything in its power to re-assert its influence there. For the White House the Honduran matter is not yet settled. It intends to wield its big stick to get what it wants. It is not coincidence. There are no coincidences. It fits a pattern. It reflects Obama’s vision for America. Honduras mirrors the pressures we ourselves are under to yield to what is essentially alien to us. Whether we prevail or not depends on our willingness to confront the truth.

Rubber Rooms

I love the way the money we would save by abandoning our efforts overseas has already been spent by the progressive Left. No doubt, we need more teachers to teach about the evils of capitalism; the evils of Democracy, and of racism in America; the evils of fossil fuels; the cancers of freedom, liberty and of the anachronism of humanity in general.

There are never enough teachers, whether in the ‘rubber rooms’ or in the classrooms to bone up and teach - not math, history or language – but of the yet unrealized glories of Obama's Marxist vision of vast plantations worked by sweat, brawn and the rotting carcasses of the infirm. Teachers who by rote say only one thing: 'Arbeit macht frei', which equates roughly to the ball and chain metaphor without the actual ball, without the actual chain; Pol Pot’s vision of workers abandoning the cities to the ravages of ruin for the ideal of Schlaraffenland, the bountiful earth, the miracle of the loaves and fish; for the unsullied human imprint that excludes individuality, inspiration, exceptionalism, imagination, talent and failure – and, by extension, of course – success.

What is success anyway, if not the desire to make someone else look bad? Strike it from the face of the earth, and there will be true equality without stress and acrimony.

I went to the MoMA in New York this weekend. I’d never seen so many people there before, prompting my nephew (from Brazil) to remark, “In New York nobody works.” And so it seemed – on a weekday, no less - so many people, milling aimlessly around among the ghosts of past masters, seeking what?

I would soon find out why. The draw was an exhibit of a new art form - outside the box - involving live humans sitting or standing still without blinking, facing each other or looking away; expressionless. Some were alone; some were naked, not even allowed the dubious dignity of porn: photography prohibited. Ironically, these were precisely in a box, constrained by the space of a frame; constrained by directorial decree; the opposite of dance. I was saddened to see it. I don’t remember their faces. I only saw submission to the artist’s triumphant straight jacket (display) that kept them unnaturally motionless. It reminded me of Seaworld where dolphins are made to jump through hoops – or circuses. And yet, these were especially distressing to watch being denied even motion. A forthright display of corpses would have made far greater sense.

Then, this morning, one of the talk shows had Michio Kaku on. This is a man who had at one time inspired me with his folksy explanations of string theory. I heard him say that he had been receiving e-mails asking if God was mad at the world, causing earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, rain and flooding, and such. Kaku is a pleasant, gregarious intellect, much admired by the self-proclaimed intellectual elite for his way with words. He explained in plain language the workings of the earth’s tectonic plates and seemed to dismiss the hand of God entirely. No doubt, the e-mail writers were greatly relieved to hear that the terrible hand of God had nothing to do with recent disasters. No doubt, they felt assured that the demon head of their crushing guilt would remain hidden in the recesses of their exploding hearts - disguised as calm - for yet another day. It is God they fear the most.

Finally, the discussion turned to ‘global warming’, as every conversation by convention must. Kaku supported the concept, explaining it in tortured economic terms (new to me, but just as implausible). I turned the radio off. Such a brilliant mind bound by popular orthodoxy was too much for me to take this early in the day. Kaku reminded me of those living, inert human figures at the museum who could not move, despite nothing obvious restraining them, except the dictate of the artist/Kommandant who pays their bills.

Collapsing Puppet Theaters

Civil War? About what? Who are the antagonists? All these are questions that are unanswerable to most Americans. If asked, they would hesitate; they'd stumble. And yet, all would feel the answers just on the tip of their tongues. It's just that if they were to allow them to slip (out), they would invariably be made to sound foolish.

The truth is, although Americans know something momentous is underway, most have no idea of what's truly at stake. A 'Civil War' implies at least two sides. Most Americans are reluctant to take sides. Taking sides implies a commitment similar to adopting the mindset required after just having been told one has cancer. One problem is that the sides in this nascent struggle cannot be defined by visible – geographical or racial - markers. Neither is it a war between Republicans and Democrats (which is usually the first default answer given). It's not even between conservatives and progressives; or between blacks and whites, young and old, male or female, etc. All these are purely proxy skirmishes that are always enlisted in service to a greater cause. The real war pits the American people against big, bloated, arrogant, unresponsive and corrupt government.

Whereas one might say that a ‘conservative progressive’ or a ‘totalitarian democrat’ are oxymorons and cannot be; I would say, all these can and do exist as long as they exist in the right measure. Nobody (in theory) would mind a small Marxist dictatorship in Washington if that dictatorship would not intrude on our (the peoples’) liberty and hobble the private sector. But that is exactly what we’ve come to. Our political leadership – right and left alike – have brought us this nightmare whereby we, the people, are being literally enslaved to irreconcilable debt for generations to come. Washington has broken our savings plans, our business plans and is trying to interfere with our natural instincts for self-preservation.

We, on the other hand have refused to cooperate. We have decided we will break Washington even if it means we break our own legs in the process. We will stop doing what we do best. We will not expand our businesses. We will not create jobs. We will not spend our money. We know we’re the ones who keep this big economic engine running – not Washington (that keeps promising better times ahead). Washington has nothing to say about it. Washington will have to backtrack on that promise time and time again because we will see to it that nothing happens. We will only resume pulling our share again once Washington becomes more acceptable to us – and that means primarily ‘smaller’ and less intrusive into our personal lives.

So far, neither side has blinked. Washington thinks it’s in charge. Career politicians of both parties think that if they can just choke the golden goose a little bit harder, it’ll cry ‘uncle’ and begin genuflecting. The people are beginning to understand that they themselves are in charge. They know they alone can bring this government to its knees by simply sitting on their hands.

Little by little, as the truth of it leaks out, the antagonists reveal themselves. On one hand there’s a handful of puppet masters with strings attached both to themselves and their fingers; on the other, there are the good people of the America who have vowed that they will no longer bother to come to the show. Once the elites finally get it, their puppet theater will collapse and they will be forced to move out of town.

No Reluctance To Help

The American people will have to learn to figure out which news stories are legitimate and which aren’t. Haiti, big; Health Care, big; Brown vs. Coakley, big; Tiger Woods, not important; what Harry Reid said (about anything other than Health Care), not important; NBC’s nighttime scheduling problems, not important.

I listed both the Haiti earthquake and the Brown vs. Coakley contest next week as seminal. They are both equally important. No priority should be ascribed to either one at the expense of the other. There may be those who would seek to diminish the significance of the Massachusetts Special Election by talking about Haiti or Tiger. Haiti is by far a most immediately compelling issue. The tear in the fabric of humanity is palpable. The cries are real; the pain runs deep – as does the desire to do what we can to help.

The Massachusetts Special Election fight is real as well. It offers us a chance for at least a token roll-back of the Obama Administration’s Marxist agenda for America. I’m not so naïve as to think that a Brown win would automatically stop Health Care legislation. Neither will it undo other, to my mind, detestable things that have already been done. It’s the symbolism here that’s important. It’s to show that there’s still some fight left in the opposition; that there’s still hope; that there might still be enough of us to right this listing ship of state. And that if this spirit can be found in Massachusetts (of all places), it can surely be found anywhere else in triplicate. Were such a signal heard throughout the land, momentum would build for the consensus to do something – NOW. Not next year; not next election; not two elections from now.

Barack Hussein Obama must be stopped NOW. He and those encouraging him must be shown that they are cutting against the grain of the American experience. They must be convinced that by pursuing this course, they will suffer consequences. Nothing short of a solid Brown win in Massachusetts next week could do more to nudge the current administration toward epiphany. Yes, the earthquake in Haiti deserves coverage and personal effort. But so would an earthquake along the political fault line that runs through Massachusetts at the moment.

Lastly, I would ask everyone to consider just how we would find ourselves in a position to help out in Haiti or anywhere else where disaster might strike if all the egalitarian policies were to become part and parcel of ourselves like Obama wants. I don’t see any of his good socialist buddies from around the world offering to help. Neither have I noted any reluctance by our own country – still operating under the burden of residual (Bush) evil – to do so.

Heart of Darkness

Today, B. Raman writes that Obama clearly seems to be favoring China over India and lists his reasons. He notes this as being a change from Bush administration’s policies.

In the past, a country's democratic credentials held some sway when it came to being seen by America in a favorable light. All that ended when Obama came into office. It not only ended, but actually reversed the equation. American President Barrack Hussein Obama seems much more at ease with despots, dictators and oligarchs than with the democratically elected representatives of a people. He clearly favors Iran over Israel; Venezuela over (constitutionally grounded) Honduras and (as B. Raman says) China over India. Neither can we say that any of this is pragmatic or strategic. Instead, it is becoming increasingly clear that Obama's agenda is solely ideologically driven. He is at heart a Marxist (which he hid from the American electorate) and aims to turn the U.S. in a hard Left direction and/or destroy it altogether.

In this way he seeks to curry favor with the kindred of Cain who continue to despise him; not, as he believes, for not moving fast and/or decisively enough to eliminate what is commonly regarded as a cancer in those ideological quarters but, quite simply, for being a traitor. In almost every case ‘traitor’ trumps ‘dogma’ as applies to the hierarchy of reasons usually put forth as an excuse to shun a person, as it speaks of a cold but erratically beating heart that is adversely affected by some kind of virulent affliction.

Peace in Our Time

Did you hear the latest? Obama has, or is about to solve the problem of illegal marijuana - by making it legal. Similarly, all around the world, he has shown our enemies that he is willing, even eager, to join their ranks. This way, he figures, there will be no one to fight, and no one will want to fight us. Hence: PEACE in our time; the peace dividend to blow sky-high; and accolades from the likes of the UN and Nobel.

Imagine the world without enemies (excepting, of course, FOX, talk radio and Republicans)! Imagine a world without Israel, Taiwan, India and Eastern Europe. Imagine a world without America.

It’s no longer difficult to predict our future. Yet, there are too many who still don’t see. It may already be too late to reverse course. We’ve already traveled too far along this road.

There was never a reason for why we should lose a war. Yet we’re about to lose our second and third in a row. We’ve tied ourselves into knots for too long. Our whole nations has become the like the Republican Party which is afraid to win. Even when we win, we don’t act like winners – we apologize. It’s no wonder that the Marxists were able to step into the breach (no apologies there).

Nothing new on talk radio either. “The next election; the next election”. Over and over again, “the next election”. And what happens in the meantime? We argue about health care and cluck our tongues. “Did you hear what Rush Limbaugh said about slavery?” Did you read Helen Thomas’ latest book? How come Borders isn’t stocking “Liberty and Tyranny” anymore?

Meanwhile the country is slipping out of our grasp. What march? What tea parties? Did you hear? Obama had a party at the White House where ‘Earth, Wind and Fire’ performed. Awesome, dude!

We’ve got to do better than this. At this rate, we won’t last until the mid-terms. Never mind 2012. I no longer worry so much about Obama serving multiple terms. When things get this hot, there’s usually a world war. As soon as that happens, all bets are off.