Organized Water

Zuidplaspolder marks the lowest point (-7 m) in The Netherlands (Holland) which is famous for its dykes. In fact, much of the landmass of this country lies below sea level. Were there no dykes, even Amsterdam could not have been built.

Similarly, about 50% of New Orleans lies below sea level. Levees have been built to protect the city. As we have so painfully learned during Katrina: when the levies are breached, the city floods.

Much money is required to maintain dykes and levees. When this money is diverted to corruption and other uses and the levees are allowed to deteriorate, it puts protected areas at severe risk.

Hosni Mubarak represented a political dyke in the Middle East. He stood between the radical Islamization of the country and what we see today - a semi-modern society exhibiting western friendly values. There is some question as to just how successful Mubarak actually was. Just last week I happened to see a picture (it might have been in the WSJ) showing an Egyptian beach some 20 years ago with an insert showing that same beach today. The first showed a typical middle class family picnicking on a beach blanket dressed in western swimwear; the second showed that same beach haunted by the dark shadows of women in burkahs.

Water is 'organized' as to always pool in the lowest places. The Muslim Brotherhood, is said to be the most 'organized' faction in Egypt. Many predict that with Mubarak gone - the dam is broken, and - the Brotherhood will come to dominate the country, turning it into a harsh, restrictive, anti-western, anti-Israel theocracy.

We have seen this before in the Middle East: Iran.

The people, so enthusiastic and hopeful in anticipation of a loosening of shackles, will have little to say about how the worm ultimately turns. They are not (nuts and bolts) 'organized'. They will fall victim to the demands of 'organized' water that always seeks the lowest point in which to pool. Tyranny is always the lowest point.

It’s the same here in America. The Left is organized beyond belief while the Tea Parties are not. The Tea Parties are merely united by a vague sense of tradition and fear. They are being swept away as we speak by 'organized' political water. Like the Facebook warriors of Egypt, they do not stand a chance.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Lessons Unlearned

The next time you’re tempted to disparage somebody, Kaddafi, Mubarak, any nation, bedbugs, fleas - anything - make sure you know what you’re doing and why. (I’d be interested in knowing just how many of you still get a chance to listen to Glenn Beck since he’s been dropped from several major radio markets including mine. It’s still possible to hear his radio show on the internet. The connection is often tenuous, but it does appear to run in a continuous if erratic loop on Mercury Radio Arts.)

Anyway, today he gave one of his more lucid rants. Without necessarily meaning to, he described precisely how we got Obama. It started with Bush. Hatred for Bush and anything Republican was whipped up into a frenzy. It came to be known as ‘Bush Derangement Syndrome’. Everyone was invited to join in - and everyone did. By the time the 2008 elections rolled around anyone who was neither Bush or Republican could have been elected, no contest. And ‘anyone’ was. To this day most of us still don’t have no clue just who our man in the White House actually is.

I dare say, we no longer remember exactly why it was we hated Bush so much. Nobody has much scar tissue to show from when Bush was in office. We just hated him, for no particular reason. We hated him just to give expression to our hatred. It was cool to hate; it was the ‘in’ thing to do. The media drove it; Hollywood drove it; universities drove it - and we all went along for the ride.

In our mass-induced hypnotic state, nothing we could foresee could have been worse than Bush. We all fell for it. ‘Anybody’ would save us and cleanse us of the dirt in which we wallowed.

It was perfect. It was like using a saw to cut wood. Two separate pieces. It works every time. We never once asked ourselves who started it and why. Who stood to gain by Obama coming to power? Who supported him? Who also hated Bush so much that they were prepared to cut off their noses to spite our faces? As such we stood with the Left, we stood with Rev. Wright and his liberation theology; we stood with Ahmadinejad, we stood with Chavez and Castro. We stood with the socialists, with the jihadist. We stood with every one of America’s enemies.

What did we expect to happen? Not one of us said, “Hey! Wait a minute. What exactly is going on here?” Instead, we’re still trying to make the wicked step-sister’s foot fit into Cinderella's glass slipper.

It’s a lesson that remains unlearned. To this day we are spurred on to hate our own: Rush, Beck, Savage, Palin and anyone else who might have even a smidgeon of conservative credentials. Tea Parties in the crosshairs; Michelle Bachman, John Bolton, Clarence Thomas, Carl Rove - all strategically lined up for target practice. And shoot we will, as long as we’re served the rhetorical bullets on a silver platter by the media.

If you notice, Obama remains curiously absent the sniper’s target. No one would dare say a thing outright against him. He remains a victim - a victim of the targets he himself has set up. …and victims can never do wrong.

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Kaddafi Blames bin Laden

Three days ago, JANA (Libya’s official news agency), blamed Israel for the unrest. It didn’t convince anyone (or at least not enough) to unite the country. Now, the blame shifts to bin Laden, self-declared - raised to the status of mythical arch - enemy of the West. Kaddafi is grasping at straws. In some part of what's left of his mind he remembers how the West is in the process of destroying itself with the notion that ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’.

Not everything Kaddafi says is mad. In fact, when viewed objectively, he makes several good points - and all, seemingly without the help of a teleprompter. No one can doubt that at least some of what he says about AQ is true. No one can doubt that, to some extent, children have been deliberately wrested from their parents’ beliefs and control. Hell, it’s happening in our own country; schools teaching kids a lot of BS that their parents would never openly approve of! Parents, in both subtle and overt ways, are routinely accused by their kids of committing crimes against the planet; against humanity. It’s well documented that parents often find themselves on the defensive. As such, many have taken a back seat in hopes of avoiding arguments with their eco-fascistic offspring whom they are condemned to love.

With Kaddafi it’s not so complicated. I don’t know to what extent bin Laden is involved in the Libyan turmoil (if at all). He mentions bin Laden merely for the effect it might have in the West. Will the West mobilize to save him under the notion that ‘the enemy of my enemy…”? Probably not. Still, it was worth a try; and it does prove that he’s still out there punching, and not folding like a cheap camera - like Mubarak did.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

What's In A Name

There are the drawbacks to globalization. When the fabric begins to tear in one part, expect the whole thing to be in shreds soon thereafter. Printing money won’t fix it; buying gold won’t fix it; whatever Kaddafi or Mubarak or Obama do is irrelevant. We can abandon the dollar and use chopsticks instead - nothing is likely to work and no one is immune from the hammering storm that has been gathering for some time in the heart of darkest Africa.

Of course, the world’s most fragile will be the first to suffer - the hallowed poor, for the sake of whom anything and everything is done. The fact is that all of us are in trouble - collectively.

Everything is always in balance. We may not necessarily like some of the items that are used to keep our world in balance, but balance is still preferable to chaos. For some still unexplained reason America has decided to jump off the see-saw. This has sent the see-saw and all who were on it crashing to the ground. The chaos will no doubt coalesce, and whatever emerges will be in balance. It will likely not look the same as what we are used to seeing. There are many ways in which things can be balanced.

Sometimes, it’s just a matter of re-naming things without really making any changes. We put a lot into a name. We name streets and airports after people we may have heard made a (positive) difference.
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It was another beautiful sunrise at the top of the world. Mt. Everest awoke and decided that he no longer wanted to be a mountain. He wanted to be a man and move about on his spindly legs. He no longer wanted to block the winds trying to move willy-nilly from here to there; he no longer wanted to anchor the earth’s crust to keep it from moving; he no longer wanted to stop the magnetic poles from shifting erratically as the earth groans on its axis. No, he wanted to be a man, digging inconsequential holes in the ground.

By it, he would satisfied two desires simultaneously. He would satisfy man whose boundless egotism is always eager to embrace both praise and blame for anything that has ever happened. And he satisfied himself, as he was tired and bored with performing his traditional functions.

Of course, it was all just a matter of semantics. Nothing was to essentially change; except that what had been called ‘mountain', was now called ‘man’ and vice versa.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

How We Came To Be A Day Late And A Dollar Short

The following is taken from a transcript of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad’s address last Friday to mark the 32nd anniversary of the Islamic revolution as reported by AFP:

"We will soon see a new Middle East materializing without America and the Zionist regime and there will be no room for world arrogance in it."

Addressing the people of Egypt directly, he said, "They (the United States) have adopted a friendly face and saying 'we are friends of people of North Africa and Arab countries', but be watchful and united. You will be victorious.

“(The) Iranian nation is your friend and it is your right to freely choose your path. (The) Iranian nation backs this right of yours.

“(The United States is an) accomplice to the oppression by the Zionist regime.

"Come and take away the Zionist regime which is the source of all crimes... take it away and liberate the region. Free the region and give it to the people and take this regime, which is the child of Satan, out."

This is the second time Ahmadinejad has made such statements since the Egyptian protests began. The first time he proclaimed that every government in the region that has aligned itself in any way with the United States will fall.

This got me to thinking (again) that these people are serious. Their hatred for Israel is the cause they are willing to die for. Israel knows this. It has been in its interest to promote the notion that the destruction of Israel will not be the end of it; that Islamic appetites will also aim to devour Europe and even America.

Nobody has been listening. And I myself predict that once Israel has been destroyed, the West will remain quite safe for a time. Islamic hatred of the West is solely focused on the West’s recognition and support of Israel.

Today Mubarak resigned. The Muslim Brotherhood will assume power. The rest of the Middle East will fall into Islamic extremists’ hands. Ultimately, Israel will be attacked. This time, the Islamists will win.

At this point, the West will mobilize to defend itself. (It has always been in its power to do so. All it would ever have required is tapping its heels together.) There will ensue a great purge of everything Islam. At the same time, the Left - which has aligned itself with Islamic extremism - will be sent packing. The world will return to some semblance of normalcy; now, of course, burdened by the stain of momentous, insufferable guilt.

Already today, the leaders of Europe have come out with a statement proclaiming that multiculturalism is not working. It can only get worse from here.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

The Philadelphia Route

Besides showing that Obama has no credible plan (that he can publicly articulate) for the Middle East, the current crisis in Egypt points to America’s waning influence in the region. Yesterday, our president was absurdly trying to position himself to take credit for what he thought was about to happen from reading headlines in the papers. It is clear that his name had been struck from the list of those who need to know. As such, he knew as much as we do. So much for the billions our government spends on intelligence.

It might be useful to remember why Mubarak has been in power for 30 plus years: Egypt is the only country in the Middle East to sign a peace treaty with Israel. This means that Egypt has been the only country in the region to acknowledge the fact of Israel’s existence. Previous American administrations understood that this was the only requirement for Mubarak to stay in power.

As our current president has continued to make it clear that Israel no longer matters to him, Mubarak’s role also diminished in importance. Other aspects of Mubarak’s rule were now subject to full exposure.

Mubarak was basically America’s cop in the Middle East. He was properly rewarded by the U.S. to keep the peace within his limited jurisdiction. He has done an admiral job of it, suppressing the murderous attitudes among his own people, sometimes by force. He essentially put those who were crying out for Israel’s destruction in jail. We do the same with people who repeatedly voice threats of bodily harm towards others.

In recent years, it has come to be widely accepted that it is Israel that is actually at fault here; that Israel no longer deserves our protection. Therefore, the cop, Mubarak, was no longer needed. The Muslim Brotherhood - long committed to Israel’s destruction - had now served its sentence (and had hopefully learned its lesson) and was now to be released from confinement.

As the Brotherhood enjoys great influence and popularity throughout the Middle East (where Israel is universally despised), Obama initially thought that freeing Mumia Abu-Jamal (sic) would earn him some accolades. There have already been prison breaks in Egypt. Mumia (sic) will be freed (if he hasn‘t been already). Accolades for Obama? No (neither here nor there).

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

There Is No Middle Ground

‘Common ground’, ‘working together for the good of the American people’, ‘getting the job done’ - all wonderful sentiments, designed to say nothing and, at the same time, placate the masses.

There remain huge differences in the underlying understanding of just what ‘the job’ actually entails. Oh, we can talk about getting unemployment down to 8%, especially if it involves fudging the numbers. We can cut the federal budget the same way. We can improve our education results by giving every graduate a test showing three objects and asking which two are alike. We can offer the people healthcare, houses, and rice (cakes on the fourth of July). We can even fly the flag at sporting events and ‘cut and paste’ the words of the National Anthem onto a teleprompter. We can open our borders and invite everybody who wants to come in. We can export our industries, our secrets and our livelihoods to the hungry abroad. We can take a hands-off approach to brutality and genocide. We can do all these things, but there is one thing we can never do: regain trust in our government.

The way things are today, you’re either for something or against it. It all depends on what you ultimately wish to accomplish. It’s like we’re surrounded by trees in the forest and we can’t find our way out. Each tree demands our undivided attention - each one, a life and death decision - sapping our strength and resolve. Every step involves us in banal argument. What we lack is the long view.

The long view is out there. It’s being consummated right now as we speak - while we argue about this and that.

Egypt is a perfect example. Listening to today’s developments, you’d get the idea that it’s complete and utter chaos over there and that our government doesn’t have the slightest clue about what to make of it. I don’t happen to buy that. I think they know exactly what they’re doing and that it’s playing out exactly the way it was envisioned. No surprises there.

I had to laugh when I heard that Mubarak wants to go to Germany after he steps down. He was our dictator, after all! You mean to say we don’t have a place for him right here in the good ol’ USA? Or maybe, he doesn’t really want to come here, knowing what we did to him.

I still remember how we kept saying that Bush single-handedly made us into the most hated nation on earth. From what I can see, this hasn’t much changed under Obama. In fact, we’ve managed to lose quite a few friends along the way. We certainly haven’t made any new ones. We’re about to lose Israel, and the Suez Canal to boot. What’s that supposed to get us? In case nobody has noticed, the Latin American dominos are falling one by one. What does anyone want to bet we won’t have a communist government on our border with Mexico after their next election?

John Batchelor cites ratings, civility and a depth of understanding the issues; when he should be shouting from the rooftops. Ditto, John Boehner, Eric Cantor, Kevin McCarthy. Either you want to kick over the sand castle or you don’t. There is no middle ground.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Blame America First

Frank Wisner speaks the obvious. But, it goes counter to what POTUS and Hillary are saying. It goes against reported public sentiment on the streets in Cairo. It goes against what most pundits in our media are saying - that Mubarak must go, YESTERDAY!

The ‘blame America first’ crowd has staged a significant comeback. There’s fresh wind in their sails. Throughout major media reporting, the narrative developing is that we are singularly responsible for maintaining Mubarak - a tyrannical dictator - for so many years; that we (America) have been in support of nasty tyrants all over the world who make their populations suffer; blah, blah, blah… It even cropped up on this mornings ‘Religion On The Line’ radio program and remained basically unchallenged.

We seem to feel totally comfortable with the notion of blaming ourselves for all that’s wrong everywhere. How narcissistic we are, believing that the whole world turns only around us! If we can take credit for every evil, it’s still about us - isn‘t it? And that’s the point: I, me, mine - us - America. We may be the ‘Great Satan’, but we’re still ‘great’ and that’s all that counts.

Besides, Barack Hussein Obama has promised to single-handedly turn us away from the dark side and into the light. That’s why we elected him.

Before the 2008 election VP Biden said at a fundraiser: “Mark my words, it will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama… Watch, we’re gonna have an international crisis - a generated crisis - to test the mettle of this guy (Obama)… And he’s gonna need you… to stand with him. Because it’s not gonna be apparent initially… that we’re right.”

Well, it took longer than six months (unless you want to count the post-election protests in Iran), but let's not quibble. And ever since, in my own humble estimation, we’ve been holding back or doing the wrong thing entirely. Biden warned us of that back when. He essentially said, “Trust us. We know what we’re doing.”

Well, the jury is still out on that. Not sure if the White House is as confused as we are about what’s happening in Egypt. At the end of the day, confusion is only a temporary smoke screen. It might well be that all will be revealed in due time. As one left-wing clairvoyant so aptly put it, "We have to pass our bill so that you can find out what is in it". Nice string of alliterations, but otherwise quite perplexing. Looks like, as in everything else Obama has tried, chaos is the goal.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Being There

It has been duly noted that once again we seem to be on the wrong side of things. We’re supporting a rag-tag army of assorted leftists and Islamic radicals, and throwing Mubarak - a U.S. ally - under the bus (so to speak); that, for all our efforts to help lift the Egyptian people out of the tyranny of what essentially amounts to (we are told) U.S.-sponsored poverty, we are inadvertently abandoning them to another kind of tyranny - one of Islamic fundamentalism which would likely put Israel - another so-called U.S. ally - at risk, as well as the Suez Canal, a major shipping lane (primarily for oil) which is likely to affect even Europe - more U.S. ‘allies’ - adversely.

Nobody asks why the people of the Middle East are in perpetual poverty, despite untold billions pumped in by the West (for oil). Nobody asks why conditions for Muslims in India continue to be markedly worse than they are for Hindus (and others), despite government efforts to give them every possible advantage.

Perhaps we haven’t exactly thought it through all that well; perhaps we haven’t considered all the implications of embracing shariah and treating it on par with what our own sacred texts espouse. Perhaps we thought that by siding with a seemingly ‘popular’ movement all else would fall into place; and we would be loved as we’ve never been loved before.

Such miscalculations are easy to make. Carter miscalculated Iran and we’re still paying the price. They still hate us. But he meant well. At least, we think he did.

We’re also giving Obama the benefit of the doubt in the current situation. We seem to have forgotten his stance on the Iranian popular uprising a year or two ago. We seem to have forgotten his stance when Honduras went through its constitutional travail, as well as so much else that has been plaguing us domestically since this man assumed power. We’ve refused to connect the dots.

I still remember as a child, the seemingly endless wait at restaurants for the waitress to bring our food was made tolerable by the table mats I was given. The ‘connect-the-dots’ game was always a part of it. The game was relatively easy. The dots were always numbered; and I knew my numbers. I knew what order they came in. Yet, I would always hesitate to start, trying to predict before-hand what figure would ultimately emerge.

Today, connecting-the-dots seems to have become a lost art. While it’s true that the dots are no longer numbered, they are self-explanatory nonetheless. We have been reading the newspapers, after all. We can remember what has happened previously and in what order it happened. We have seen enough of it to know what is likely to happen next - and afterwards…

Still, we act like every day is a new day. All events are random and unexpected. Obama has been in office two years - and unpleasant things have happened and are continuing to happen. Where is all this ‘hope and change’ thing taking us?

While all our problems have been attributed to Obama’s inexperience (including, of course, his constant hectoring of Israel to mind its ways), a pattern seems to be emerging.

Heads of state are beginning to notice and draw conclusions. While we gnash our teeth, seemingly finding ourselves at the mercy of unrelated events, our enemies are beginning to take liberties. Our friends are beginning to distance themselves. Our economy is going to the dogs. Our ‘fixes’ only seem to be making things worse. And throughout it all, our government media tells us that all is hunky-dory; that we are doing just fine; and that the light at the other end of the tunnel is straight ahead (under the inspired leadership of Imam Obama).

Things are falling apart. Despite removing ‘mother’ and ‘father’ terminology from U.S. passport applications and replacing it with gender neutral verbiage (‘parent one’ and ‘parent two‘), junior Obama is finding that it still takes either Mom or Dad to drive the fambly (sic) sedan.

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What If...

What if Mubarak were to ride this one out? The thought came to mind when pro-Mubarak supporters stormed into Tahrir Square, attacking western news crews and shouting anti-American slogans. Could Israel do the same?

It seems that a display of anti-Americanism is quite in vogue in the Middle East. Heck, it even works in America.

What if it turns out that Egyptians have had enough. It is my understanding that the grocery shelves stand empty. Not a cigarette to be had. Who is responsible? Who is in a position to do anything about it? ElBaradei? The rabble in the streets?

What about those whose houses and properties remain at risk from criminals and looters? Who will they turn to for relief? It looks like they’re prepared to look after themselves. Neighborhood posses have been formed to drive hooligans away.

This is similar to the 1967 Newark riots. While the city burned, residents of the Ironbound set up armed sentries to keep the lawless out and they succeeded in protecting their holdings. While Newark is still clawing its way out of the abyss, the Ironbound has been thriving.

How would Obama react if Mubarak holds on - by popular support, even. How would the American media spin it?

Maybe Israel should do the same: Send masses of people out into the streets with signs (in English) condemning America. Now they’d all be brothers. Who needs the West?

http://peterkoelliker.blogspot.com/
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We Are Building a Religion

As we go back and forth and speculate about what might yet happen (in Egypt), we should go straight to the horse’s mouth. Let’s ask our president directly what it is that he wants to happen. And while we’re at it, let’s ask him straight out what he has in mind for the U.S. Let’s ask him to explain why he is doing what, and what he is hoping to accomplish by doing so. And let’s pretend to believe what he says.

By the way, there’s a great opinion column in the WSJ this morning (Feb. 1) by Bret Stephens entitled “Being Mubarak”. It takes an interesting slant, speculating that the old fox (Mubarak) may yet have some tricks up his sleeve.

It is what it is (and has been for some 30 odd years). There was a reason for why we supported Egypt and, I might add, Israel. With the election of Obama, those reasons have eroded. We turn our backs to both - and things happen. Read Caroline Glick’s column in the JPOST today. What we (in the West) define as ‘success’ is not defined as ‘success’ among Islamists (or communists). Our metrics are not valid there. Any attempt at such comparison may be regarded as ‘category error‘.

What if the revolution succeeds? What if the dominos fall, one by one; and an Islamic Caliphate emerges - one that is hostile to the West? And there is a genocide? Would it end with the destruction of Israel? Maybe so. Or would it gather steam and push into Europe? By the way, would Europe be capable of defending itself?

What if it were found that the American president actively participated in engineering the revolution in the Middle East by withdrawing key supports; manipulating food prices world-wide; deliberately crashing economies by way of monetary policy; supporting radical elements in the name of ‘social justice’? Would we be spared the indignity of shariah? Would he? Not likely. Traitors are universally despised, even under the minimal discipline of chaos.

The twelfth imam is likely to credit his own and pay scant attention to the welfare of foreign accomplices.

In any case, it’ll be the Atlantic that will shield us from the worst of it. Having allowed ourselves to come to this point, however, will haunt us into eternity. We will spend the rest of our lives apologizing, wearing sack cloth, wailing, and tearing our hair. No more arrogance; no more illusions of ‘American exceptionalism‘. We’ll have to rebuild slowly and painfully; our civilization will re-emerge, (this time) stripped of excess and bravado. We’ll have to harden ourselves to the hurled scorn of the betrayed, and forever suffer the weight of insurmountable guilt.

Only the Germans currently have a sense of it. They have been blessed with every attribute that would facilitate achieving unparalleled success; but, at the same time, they know they have forever forfeited their chance at enduring greatness.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Staring Us In The Face

As Egypt’s travail progresses, I increasingly hear glowing reports in the media about the demonstrators and their ‘legitimate’ grievances. This may all be well and good. There hasn’t been a legitimate election in Egypt since Mubarak assumed office in 1981 (following the assassination of Anwar Sadat). In all that time it would not be an overstatement to say that the Egyptian people have gotten the short end of the stick.

However, Egypt is not America or any other nation where elections have paved the way for a smooth transfer of power. (We let it happen it in Gaza and it didn’t work out so well.) It might even be said that Egypt has been held together by ten-cents worth of salt water taffy and glue, courtesy of (who else?) Uncle Sam.

There are those who now joyfully opine that this may not have been our best policy - especially now that the jewel in our Middle East crown (Israel) stands somewhat tarnished by events. This view contends that Israel should be left alone to see to itself, allowing for serious reform to develop among its neighbors.

There is every indication that the current American administration is now prepared to do just that. This would release a lot of water currently dammed up. Not sure if Israel could survive the flood.

Leaving the issue of Israel’s survival aside for the moment, there’s now a different, more ominous narrative emerging. Increasingly one hears about this initially noble revolution (throughout the Middle East) being hijacked by extremist elements. No doubt Iran and its proxies, as we, have a stake in its eventual outcome. We hear that we shouldn’t worry; that Iran will never get a foothold (in Egypt) because their population differs from Egypt’s in significant ways. We can only hope.

When Obama was elected, we also had hope. Now, we might say that, first, our Democrat party was hijacked; and, then, our government. We look around and might say that our universities and our media were hijacked by a radical fringe. We might even say that our financial institutions, our churches and our unions were infiltrated and hijacked while we weren’t paying attention. Now, even though we still think of ourselves uniquely as Americans, we find it difficult find a solid hold to steady ourselves. We’re just ‘the people’ who sense that something has gone terribly wrong. We speak out, but our voices trail off into the ether. We gather to show our solidarity with what? - Some guy on the radio? Ourselves?

Meanwhile, the government grinds on along its merry way with seemingly no regard for us. In fact, it is ruling against our will. We find ourselves working for it, even as we thought it was working for us. This is tyranny.

Not exactly sure how long it’s been this way. It’s just that we woke up one morning and saw it staring us in the face.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Irish Potato Famine

“…widespread opinion among the Cairo elite that the US aided the foment”

I’d go easy on that one. If proven, it could be blockbuster. It’s like the birth certificate fracas. (Quite possibly a trap.) But, as of now, there’s nothing much there (but the obvious). I’m sure Aaron Klein will be giving us the latest on his Sunday show.

It’s funny, though, that none of us would be so reckless as to bet the farm either for or against. We should know by now that Obama dislikes Israel intensely. He also dislikes the old guard that has brought us to this point. I can’t see him sitting around with Mubarak and chewing the fat for old time’s sake. It’s born of an inferiority complex stemming from not being facile with the facts. He knows that Mubarak would immediately size him up as a lightweight. Obama would feel much more comfortable sitting down with the likes of Ahmadinejad who’s a crazy as he is.

As for JB’s contention that Egyptian Muslims share nothing in common with Iranians, I beg to differ. As I’ve said before, the one issue that cements the Ummah into one cohesive unit is its hatred of Israel. This trumps any and all differences they might have among themselves. They stand united in their desire to rid their shores of the Jewish State. Whosoever achieves it will go down in the annals of Islamic history as no less than divine. Not only is it a big issue for them; it’s the only issue.

We ourselves went through the same thing here in America. The Democrats succeeded in cobbling together a coalition of splinter groups into a powerful force to unseat Republicans during Bush’s terms. These groups may not have agreed on every issue; but, on Bush and Republicans, they stood as one. They were successful. Their differences would emerge to haunt them later.

So too, it is in the Middle East. The various factions will unite against Israel (and its supporters). Even those who remain silent regarding this issue remain at risk.

We may very well witness the coalition breaking up under traditional stresses after the dirty deed is done. But this would amount to no more than being of curatorial interest as we spend the next century re-creating the Irish potato famine.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Cowering In Egypt

Egypt is in the grip of a classic revolution. It begins with chaos and ends in tyranny. This is not to say that Mubarak represented anything other than tyranny. He knew that it was the only way he could keep his country together - that is, to keep it from descending into the even deeper hell of Tehran’s sadistic hordes. In his particular neighborhood, Mubarak knew, he was essentially spitting into the wind. Not much use in pretending that he would not eventually succumb either to death by natural causes or to go down swinging. He held up his end as long as he could.

When the Left decided to join up with the Muslim Brotherhood, he knew it was over. When the West - and, especially, the United States - turned its back on Israel, he knew it was twice finished. He sent his successor son and his family to safety. He himself would stay and fight and, if need be, go down with the ship.

Not much help from Obama who would pepper his stammering response to the chaos with “the people” to the point where it became embarrassing to listen.

In the past, the U.S. could always be counted on to intervene. It was Mubarak’s reward for making peace with Israel. With Obama’s rise to power, the contract became null and void. Mubarak would have to go it alone.

The plague haunting the world remains anti-Semitism. It’s what unites all the players in the Middle East. Once it became apparent that no one would be spared, the faint-hearted veered to the dark side. Israel was declared a pariah nation and even the West would follow suit.

Israel reminds of an Islamic woman who has sinned. Her fate is determined by shariah. They will want to dig a pit for her. And the bloodlust of their god will be satisfied (now that the secularists have also joined in the clamor).

Besides the Israelis, the secularists will also be losers. They confuse secularism with a total ban of religion. They think that this would help them escape the twin burdens of guilt and duty, not realizing that these, in the hands of men, would become even more oppressive and arbitrary. They further delude themselves in that their 'secular humanism' is much different from religion. It is as crude and intolerant as Islam itself. And its high priests are every bit as extreme as the most radical jihadist.

If you want true 'secular humanism', you need only look to India where it is not unusual for an extremely competent high-tech worker to stop at a temple on his way home to circumambulate the idol of his choosing (always keeping it to the right of him) three times before receiving the priest’s blessing and be sent on his way; or, a humble rickshaw driver inviting his priest to bless his brand new vehicle; or the bus driver stopping at a temple to have his upcoming journey blessed… Religion is woven into daily life. No one mocks it. No one feels slighted. No one is cursed, even if they choose to shun ritual.

The Muslim Brotherhood is not like that. They insist on shariah (for everyone). Atheists are not like that. They insist on religious ritual being hid under a bushel. Communists are not like that. They ban any religion, not understanding the concept of ‘giving unto Caesar…’

Islam is not celebrated for being enlightened or tolerant. It is fear that spreads it. It gives off the illusion of power. Who can resist cowering before madmen after the doors of the asylum are thrown wide open and it becomes no longer possible to avoid them?

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/