Guest Contributer: Tom From NJ: Big Starker & Little Schnook

Support for public unions certainly is the Progressives' current litmus test and grand tactic, so it is right to identify the unions as part of their sine qua non. But I'd like to take things a step further. In terms of strategic goals, the Progressive sine qua non is POWER, grabbing it, using it, keeping it. This is why the public unions are playing such a critical role in the Progressive coalition because they understand power and will let nothing -- not the law, the constitution, or the political process -- get in their way. The rest of the Progressive coalition is composed mainly of eggheads, far-left ideological cranks, MSM types, Alinsky disciples, elderly hippies and others of the drug-addled classes, professional agitators (aka. Community Organizers), permanent collectors of welfare and SSI, etc., and therefore lack the muscular intimidation factor that union thugs always bring to the table, even when allegedly "representing" school teachers (Miss Bishop and Mr. Chips are long gone!). As Andy Stern said when he was still head of the SEIU, "If the power of persuasion fails, we will use the persuasion of power."

The Progressive movement of today reminds me of the ninety-pound weakling in school who gives his lunch, his allowance money, whatever it takes, to make some muscle-bound brute his loyal protector and keep him that way. Thus can Little Schnook talk and act big, because he knows he has Big Starker around to do his dirty work for him. Despite his "cool" self-image and basketball pretensions, Barack Obama is Little Schnook. His alleged street smarts and Chicago toughness are a pose made even remotely credible --although not abroad, apparently -- largely by his association with Big Starker, i.e., the labor movement, especially the public unions. BTW, Saul Alinsky was just the same, basically an egghead sociologist who liked to pose as a streetwise tough guy, especially when safely in the friendly company of real tough guys. But I digress.

The American political "game", if you will, has rarely been played for stakes higher than those on the table right now and right through November 2012. The Progressives know this and so do their great comrades, the public unions, and they do not intend to give up power no matter what We the People may say at the polling place. What is the true Progresssive idea of "democracy" today? Check out Wisconsin 2011 or -- same thing --St. Petersburg, Russia, 1917. In both cases, the Little Schnooks cheered on the Big Starkers as they applied "the persuasion of power" to their opposition. Of course, the Russian "workers" were far more successful in grabbing, using, and keeping power than their American counterparts have been to date. However, hope springs eternal, especially in those radical precincts where, in the end, power is really the only sine qua non. Of course, between now and 2012 it may become increasingly unclear who is master and who is servant, Little Schnook or Big Starker.

Schoolyard Games (and Accidents)

Even more interesting to me than what’s happening at the moment is to watch the tectonic political plates of world alliances shifting. The heavy dude jumped off the see-saw, which sent all the other kids flying. Now the heavy dude is scrambling to get back on, but he’s hurt and someone’s taken him to the nurse’s office. She determines that the heavy dude is essentially out for the count; that there’s something other than just scratches, bumps and bruises ailing him. He may be insane.

Meanwhile, all the other kids are still crawling around on the ground. Some had their glasses knocked off. Now they’re trying to find each other. The see-saw has been abandoned. A new game must be found; new teams chosen. Turkey to Iran. Bahrain to the Saudis. Israel is the kid that no one will pick.

Germany to the Russians. The French want to go it alone. Pakistan to China. Brazil to Venezuela. India, alone. May have to form leagues with an eye towards finals. The fat kid still in rehab. Can no longer be counted on to do anything.

As the world turns: uncertainty and confusion. Posturing. Pawns are bleeding. Scramble, scramble. Where it ends up, nobody knows. ... and where the hell are the teachers? Union meetings, no doubt.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Sleepless in Chatham (NJ)

Obviously, not everyone agrees. There must then be more than one side to the story. Russia, China, India, et al were maneuvered into ‘agreeing’. They agreed by voting ‘present’ – which is a way of saying, “Do what you want, but we’ll have no part of it.”

Action involves risk. Risk must be balanced by benefit. For far too long American foreign policy has excluded any notion of ‘benefit’. It has been unbalanced. In Iraq we never insisted on payback. Its oil is now going to our rivals. As the chaos and killing there continues, we cannot even claim ‘victory’ on that front. Neither do we insist on Libya’s oil in exchange for our effort. And indeed, Libya’s oil is already spoken for and going to those who voted ‘present’.

You would think that Obama, of all people, would understand the benefits that accrue by voting ‘present’; that voting otherwise engenders risk which, in turn, invites loss. It has been my contention that Obama – whether by way of retribution or an affinity for victimhood - deliberately invites loss. Neither revenge nor national suicide are attractive to anyone but himself.

Saw the French film “Of Gods and Men” last night. As my friend and I settled ourselves outside afterwards to discuss the merits of the film, a woman approached us. She clearly had been disturbed by it. She said it was the worst film she had ever seen. She said it was good to have someone to talk it out with and hoped that she would not have bad dreams.

It was basically an anti-war film. In addition, it blamed the West. As such, it entered the realm of propaganda. Propaganda can never rise to the level of art. It targets those lacking any clear cut principles …and leaves them sleepless.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Pretty Pink Ribbons

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

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

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

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

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

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

America: Not For Profit

There have been calls for revolution right here in America. Most prominently such calls have recently been heard at the protests in Wisconsin‘s state capital. Neither did the oft stated comparison to Egypt’s revolution escape public notice.

As in a series of strokes, first symptoms are seldom recognized as dangerous. Our first rattling of the cage came with the election of Barack Hussein Obama. We’ve been in revolution mode ever since. It’s reached a point where a counter-revolution is now building: the Tea Parties.

When Americans speak of revolution as pertains to their own country, it is difficult to determine what exactly they are talking about. ‘Revolution’ has become a sort of shorthand for ‘change’ popularized in 2008 during Obama’s election bid. Back then, it essentially meant nothing. Change would happen no matter which candidate were to be chosen. Bush was no longer on the ballot after all.

Perhaps, revolution can be identified as ‘accelerated change'. No doubt, this is what we got with Obama. Few would have envisioned how much this administration would be able to accomplish in just two short years. In the process, it has managed to bludgeon any number of sacred cows. (We’ve already gone through the list dozens of times.) These are now screaming to high heaven.

What we are seeing now can perhaps more properly be termed ‘civil war’. Revolution always comes first. With Obama’s election in the history books, the revolution is effectively behind us. Conventional wisdom has it that those best organized tend to come out on top (in a revolution). The American Left was far better organized than the Right, evidenced by the Left winning hands down.

Conservatives may be late to the dance, but they are organizing. There are other factors, of course, that will determine the ultimate result. Of these, enthusiasm may be the most potent. It can gather itself into real momentum. Momentum can only be temporarily halted by ‘organized’ force.

And this is where we find ourselves today. With the media being on the lam, it’s hard to tell at the moment which side will ultimately prevail. Libya is far easier to predict. Kaddafi will use all he has to quell the uprising. Unlike other Middle Eastern tyrants, he must have been planning for this eventuality all along. It won’t be pretty.

Any outside help offered to his regime will be handsomely rewarded. No doubt Russia and others are considering it. We have already stated publicly that we will not make any move that could be construed as an attempt to profit. This makes us unique among nations; and is yet another indication of the direction in which our own revolution is headed.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

'Check Engine' Light

For the first time I see U.S. oil dependence as a real existential threat. The perfect storm is raging while we are agonizing over Charlie Sheen. Oil prices alone will crush our economy. We can now appreciate the efforts of previous administrations designed to keep it all together. ‘Containment’ had become an intricate game that demanded increasingly complex solutions. Clearly, our present administration does not know how to play.

We went to war in Iraq in response to 9/11. It was not something we could avoid. Admittedly, we ran the risk of destabilizing the region. It did not destabilize. We actually were on the right track. The countries of the Middle East were reminded to mind their manners. They did - for a time. When it became clear that America was crumbling from within and that we would not be able to sustain the drive, they began to bolt. The election of Barack Hussein Obama confirmed to the world that we were finished.

Now, voters' remorse. We don’t even have it in us to criticize our president’s handling of the job. We’re just desperately hanging on till the next election cycle, watching as we circle the drain. Our fear that we won’t last that long is already palpable.

Russia and China will survive. It’s not that our past presidents were so much smarter or capable than Putin or Hu Jintao. But at the very least it was a more or less even match. Now, ‘the U.S. is out of the game’. We’ve left the stadium and taken our ball.

There is one attribute that elevates the leaders of China and Russia (and those of most other nations) to the status of players on the global gridiron: patriotism. Most leaders take pride in their countries. They may have different ways of expressing it; different approaches; different ideologies, etc. But, in almost every case, they do what they do to give their nations a chance to survive. Even Kim Yong-Il rattles his bones of a nation to fair advantage. There are only two notable exceptions: Iran and the U.S.

Iran is so locked into an eschatological vision, it pays no heed to possible consequences. This, while current U.S. leadership wildly pursues some utopian ideological throw-back to some unworkable drug-induced version of a coma. Both are so arrogant as to ignore any and all warning signals.

I’ve been driving for years with my ‘check engine’ light on. So far so good. I haven’t had problems. It’d be a bit different if I still had to ferry kids to and from soccer practice. Or, if I were running a country with over 300 million people in it.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Before They Gouge Out Our Eyes

Obviously it won’t be Obama who rides to our rescue. He’ll be the one seen as having run the country into the ground. No doubt, accusations will continue to fly from both sides. So who will it be? A Reagan-like figure? Or someone more centrist? Left? Anybody (again)? Will it even matter?

Hard to say at this point. I maintain we’re already ‘landing softly’. This is not enough for these people. The plan appears to be global. The action will center on the Middle East. That’s where the die will be cast. Everything will radiate out from there. Oil.

What struck me was how desperately Obama wanted to take credit for what happened in Egypt. It’s not yet over. If the worst should happen (and I don’t see how the worst can be avoided under our present leadership), will our president again seek to claim credit? Probably. But it won’t wash - not here, anyway.

A war in the Middle East, whether America is involved or not, will act as a ‘reset’ button for - not Russia, but - America. (How the Russians must have laughed!)

It’ll happen soon enough. While economic collapse could drag on for years, the Middle East - from Turkey to Pakistan and down into North Africa - has reached the boiling point. I have no clue if Israel is even prepared to defend itself. In any case, it’s probably out of Israel’s hands as well.

The era of cheap oil is be over. We hear it over and over again - like self-fulfilling prophecy. Oil has been the lifeblood of American ‘success‘. Our worthless dollars will no longer buy oil from the Middle East. And then there’s the matter of retribution. Venezuela will go along with it and cut us off.

Cloward-Piven has already achieved its aim. This can be illustrated in any number of ways. We’re now into our post-revolution. The point is, we no longer control the ropes. Who will come to our rescue (with some version of the Marshall Plan) should we stumble? (Again, we have already stumbled.) The sainted Brotherhood? The Chinese? The Russians? It’s likely that we’ll continue to wallow in our own stew for some time to come.

Doubtful too that Obama will be granted a villa in Shiraz (believe me, I tried to find some sort of beach resort for the family) to live out his miserable life. Though, it might be thrilling to catch a glimpse of Michelle’s ankle just before they gouge out our eyes.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Would You Marry Him?

A little girl I once knew would always ask when someone said they liked so-and-so, “Would you marry him?” The truth be told, I don’t much care for Putin. I know he’s corrupt and vindictive. There’s not very much that speaks in his favor.

What I do care about is my own government spouse, the one with her hands perpetually in our pockets: Barack Hussein Obama. I used to think that Obama and Putin were very much alike. My only published article (on another website) made the point that Obama was not so much a Marxist as he is corrupt. I have since tempered my assessment somewhat; recognizing that, in the end, it probably comes out to the same.

Obama, unlike Putin, appears to be ideologically driven. Does that make him less or more dangerous than someone like Putin? Hard to say. In Obama’s case it only complicates things. No one rightly knows where Obama’s corruption ends and his ideology begins. The two appear to run parallel. Whereas ideology can be excused by the faithful (and even by those in the loyal opposition), corruption remains a crime in any language.

What is surprising is that Putin appears to be getting away with it. The mechanisms he has put in place are virtually foolproof. Only the truth seems to be leaking out albeit at the edges.

Whereas we can ague openly amongst ourselves as to Obama’s true motives (obviously, ‘socialism’ does not scare anybody anymore), we waste precious time while the dissolution of our nation continues. In Russia, the argument is over. The only thing left is government spin with an occasional endorsement from outside.

Russia is in deep doo-doo. That is, its people are not free. That is to say, it’s people are poor and destined to remain so. There is no ideology to cushion their pain.

It’s winter and it’s cold in both Russia and America. It is of no benefit to share a bed with either one of their leaders.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Leech Treatments

I seriously doubt that countries like China and Russia will ever become a target of Wikileaks. These remain vulnerable only to the extent that they have had dealings with the U.S. and that such contact may have compromised their integrity in some way. To me the aim here is clear: It is to isolate the U.S. diplomatically; to marginalize any association with the U.S. by declaring it risky to engage her in the first place.

By it, other countries are warned to keep away; that they run the risk of being exposed. It is a part of a continuing worldwide campaign to reduce America’s influence on the world stage (which may explain Obama’s reluctance to do much of anything about it). It is to force other countries into the arms of lesser powers who are just now beginning to make moves to fill the (world) leadership vacuum and, at the same time, distance themselves from what is now seen as the American leper.

Still, you've got to admit Wikileaks represents what has become a classic strategy - whether successful or not - coordinated attacks from within and without. Sapientia is right, Venezuela and S. Africa among others will never be targets.

It's a shame that there are now nearly as many Trojan horses (Bradley Manning, et al) inside as out. It has become fashionable to draw American blood. Perhaps we can withstand it for now - but for how long? Those who claim that we are invincible should remember that George Washington too was considered to be basically healthy before his leech treatment commenced.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Bringing Down the Roof

Ordinarily, the agreement between China and Russia to abandon the dollar might be met with a certain skepticism and seen as just another poke in the eye, all in good fun, by our traditional irritants. Today, however, I don’t see it so.

For months now, both China and Russia have been begging the U.S. to get its economic house in order. No response. In fact, we’ve been doubling down on destroying our own currency, claiming that it’s all the others’ fault for the world’s economic malaise. We’ve already forgotten that it was we who exported toxic financial instruments all over the globe after our housing bubble burst. We’ve forgotten that the still spreading financial mess started right here in America.

I don’t have to go into all the details. Others have done so far more effectively than I ever could. And it’s not, as the Soros-sponsored documentary “Inside Job” suggests, that all our nation’s bankers should be frog-marched to the wall and shot. Rather, that it was the result of left-leaning politicians who, in a concerted effort, succeeded in deliberately bringing our economy down in order to elect their own.

China and Russia are not stupid. They know perfectly well what’s been going on here, and they’re simply protecting themselves. The dollar is heading toward worthless and the world has lost confidence in it. They see no attempt being made to rescue it. In fact, they see just the opposite.

Politically, economically and militarily our nation is in steep decline. It no longer makes sense for anyone to align themselves with us. We have ceased to be reliable partners. Even our enemies are torn between euphoria and fear. We’ve always been able to project ourselves as a worthy opponent. Under Obama’s leadership, our nation is seen as rogue and unpredictable.

The world looks ahead and see no change in our crazed suicidal stance for at least the next two years. They rightly assess that, at our current pace, two years is quite enough to bring down the roof.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Even As Everything Else Lies In Ruins

The unspoken voice in every region (of the world) is the U.S.’s It is the dog that isn’t barking. Every one of our foreign policy thrusts in recent years has failed precisely because we have refused to back it up with sufficient resolve, especially in terms of military power. In an effort to appease the anti-war crowd, we have hamstrung ourselves, bending our worldview into utopian hookah smoke rings. We have come to rely solely on empty rhetoric, endless negotiations, and paying out IOU bribes and/or ransom.

It’s all come to a head under Obama who will not even defend America’s political parties, its people and borders. He asserts time and time again that war is never an option; that we can and should not interfere; that our interference is (and always has been) intrinsically evil; that he will now lead by example; that we will disarm unilaterally; get out of the Middle East; continue to whittle down Israel’s defenses; and leave Asia to sort out its own. The planet can ultimately only benefit if mass slaughter should ensue.

We have boldly retreated from the world of Maya. If there are battles to be fought, they are to be fought here at home. We must accommodate the lecherous demands of thieves and tyrants. We must abandon our principles. We must surrender.

Any opposition to our new, progressive policy of appeasement must be severely dealt with; backbones surgically paralyzed. We must shun nationalism - especially our own. Tyranny is relative and will play itself out when one of the combatants - under spell of epiphany - voluntarily leaves the ring.

The world has noted the change. Though it’s been long in coming, under Obama it’s now official. This is why now all the would-be tyrants are making their moves. They’re out looting the granary while the going is good.

I’m not saying there’s not a kind of textbook elegance to what Obama believes. However, it’s a fiction. It can never be real. While the people can absorb a good fight for God and country, they will never stand idly by and watch their identity be trampled. In this, the leaders of Russia, Japan, China and Iran are far more ’democratic’ than our highly ‘enlightened’ ivory tower policy wonks. They are playing to their people directly, while we leave ours dangling over the abyss - with nothing to believe in; nothing to fight for or hold dear.

The end game is at hand. Both, the king and queen are in mortal danger. Once the queen is sacrificed, checkmate is at hand. Game over never involves the actual taking of the king. Obama is betting that this last convention will hold. He means to remain, even as everything else lies in ruins.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

And What's Our Excuse?

POTUS does not show much capacity for conducting a war. The overall vision is all that counts. Details - win or lose - are unimportant; merely incidental. My concern is how our mucking around in AfPak will affect the region in general. B. Raman has been wringing his hands for weeks now, believing U.S strategy will affect India adversely. In this he is correct. His mistake is in believing that there actually is a strategy that involves India. I continue to inform him that there is no strategy; that POTUS is simply going through the motions; that POTUS does not care a whit about India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, Israel or anything else; that his primary concern is the war he so doggedly fights against those he perceives as the enemy within our own borders: the Tea Parties and all those who may already have figured out what he‘s up to.

We’ll be out of there next year in any case. The press will paint it as a great achievement; the triumphant fulfillment of a campaign promise. They’ll never set foot in the region again. We won’t know what happens there next; and we won’t care. We’ll have too much on our plates right here at home.

Meanwhile Pakistan and China are growing closer. All kinds of joint infrastructure projects are already well underway, involving roads, ports and railways. I have news for China: They won’t fare any better than we - or the Russians (did when it was their turn). Pakistan is a failed State and will continue to be that. No outside force can turn it around. The best thing for Pakistan would be for everyone to just walk away and leave them to sort out things for themselves. Sure, they’re said to have nukes - and that has been our excuse all along - but I’ll bet you dollars to donuts they don’t work. They’re more likely to blow themselves up before anybody else.

It’s a shame really, Pakistan being what it is: a welfare client. It started out with the same good will and promise as India did. It squandered its opportunity and became an incorrigible child; a throw-back to the 7th Century; a whiner, ill-prepared to change its own diapers. Its troubles - Pakistan’s angrily stunted growth - can be laid directly at the doorstep of Islam.

…and what’s our excuse?

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Winner Takes Nothing

Like it or not, whatever strides the U.S. has made since WWII has had a tremendous impact on the rest of the world. In every way, America has defined the standard of modernity. Every success, every setback, receives huge coverage in the foreign press. Often our political travails influence the policies set by governments around the globe.

It is normal for us - even regarded as inconsequential - when our political parties bad-mouth each other. Republican administrations are regularly attacked by Democrats who have been known to say anything they think they can get away with. We pretty much expect as much: Bush accused of favoring the rich; Bush labeled as war-monger; Bush blamed for Katrina; Bush blamed for the World Trade Center bombing. We take it all in stride, even if The New York Times, standard bearer for the Democrat Party, presents it as truth and then retracts it on page 47 a month later. Then there is ‘global warming’, a clever send-up to label America as excessively wasteful, even to the detriment of the planet. There’s the perennial issue of the poor, the homeless, the hungry (never mentioned during Democrat administrations) and, now, the overtly greedy that are said to deny the rest of the planet its daily bread.

Every bit of such claptrap originates from within our own borders. We can identify it as an effort to score points against the opposing party. Much of it is eventually discredited as pure rhetoric. But once its out there in print or on the net, others pick it up and build their case against America.

A prevalent notion abroad, for instance, is that America is a racist country. In fact, any opposition to Obama’s policies, for whatever reason, is liberally portrayed as racist sentiment against a black president. The fact that we elected a black president in the first place is conveniently forgotten.

You hear it everywhere - in India, in South America, in Africa - that America is a racist nation. They get it from reading the likes of Paul Krugman and Frank Rich, whose opinion columns are read widely throughout the world. It is only those who have actually traveled and lived here who know that race is not an issue for ordinary Americans; that England and Russia are far worse when it comes to that.

We’ve been accused often enough to understand it’s just a political ploy. We no longer take it seriously and tend to ignore it completely. It’s simply our own political operatives attempting to score points, points that are then picked up overseas to serve more sinister purposes.

It might have been good if we had nipped our tendency for engaging in some of our more extreme rhetoric in the bud sooner. Democrats, now turned Fabian socialists, in particular have succeeded in turning the domestic propaganda wars into a worldwide crusade. What started as domestic political rhetoric has grown hotter and is now threatening to topple the very foundations of our way of life. They have recruited allies among the ranks of our enemies; and, now, we are finding our nation in peril.

To a large extent, what we are experiencing today has been self-inflicted. The poison wells up from within our own institutions which have been infiltrated (by ourselves) and corrupted. Our present troubles are a consequence of our two-party system being at war rather than cooperating. It’s a repeat of Sherman’s (march to the sea) scorched earth policy. Winner takes nothing.

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/

Bold Moves

Where in the world is Zhou Xiaochuan? The first three reports are always wrong. What we do know, however, is that an explanation will follow (after the dust has settled; after Monday's market close).

The continued perceived weakness of the Obama administration on virtually every front, is inviting bold moves. When the North Koreans attacked the South Korean war ship, Cheonan, and the Obama administration did essentially nothing, China knew it can do whatever it wants. America is no longer an impediment to whatever goals it might set for itself.

That much is true: America no longer has a foreign policy. As long as Obama remains in office, America will maintain the classic stance of the ‘see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil’ monkeys. The sole challenge Obama acknowledges is the one here at home where he has deemed the American people the enemy.

Abroad, countries are scrambling to get what they can before America regains its senses. China has been building infrastructure throughout Asia to accommodate its ever growing military might . Just this month, Chinese naval vessels made port call in Myanmar for the very first time. Major Chinese construction projects are ongoing in Pakistan and Sri Lanka. China has been busy making deals all over the world to secure exclusive rights to important natural resources. China is putting all its ducks in a row.

Clearly, China is readying for war. Why, you might ask, is China so intent on positioning its military favorably at a time when the U.S. is in clear decline? China does not view the U.S. as the enemy. It is not the U.S. it must be ready to fight. It’s the chaos that will ensue once it has become clear to everyone that the U.S. has exited the world stage.

China is already in a position to push the U.S. over that edge. Its holdings of U.S. debt give it that power. However, China feels, it is not yet ready. When she moves, she will move fast. Much of her U.S. holdings will go up in smoke. But it won’t matter. America will lie in ruins. Taiwan will assume the position of low hanging fruit.

The current act is simply a way for the gamers to squeeze some temporary cash out of the markets. Strictly small stuff compared to having to face the Russian bear …later.

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.

I Ching

Asia (and the rest of the world) is in trouble alright. America’s withdrawing from the world stage is having the effect of casting yarrow stalks. It is now open season; anything goes. The game of 'pick up sticks' will consume the rest of the century. Old and new players will attempt to fill the vacuum and dominate. It is unclear who will prevail. India is not yet ready; China will screw it up; Russia will end up eating itself. Israel has been left to dangle in the breeze. Iran is making big, strategic moves. At least I Ching can predict an outcome. I see only chaos for the foreseeable future.

Unless America can re-establish some semblance of gravitas, notwithstanding its hopelessly intellectually impoverished population, she will be left in the dust, exposed to plunder and the enslavement of her people. Obama will stand by and mock her humiliation. He will miss no opportunity to fan the flames of chaos. He will encourage the forces that are dead-set of her total destruction. He will proceed with his mandate (as he sees it) to wipe her off the face of the earth, after which he hopes to flee into the embrace of the last tyrant left standing.

When I was back in high school one of the factoids we were taught was of the role of the Nazi propaganda machine that turned an entire nation into salivating Pavlovian dogs. We dismissed it summarily and thought, “How stupid!” - thinking we were so far above it; that we ourselves would never fall for something as ridiculously obvious as The Big Lie. And yet, we are seeing it every day. The propaganda mills are working incessantly; with considerable success, I might add. It comes from distrust; refusing to talk with one another; from ideology having trumped all reason.

Fearing Fire

Any human interaction involves partners that are not precisely matched in terms of confidence, intelligence, determination, power of personality (aura), etc. It exhibits itself in the weaker mimicking the stronger’s gestures, vocal inflection; and, most commonly, the weaker summarily agreeing (nodding) with what the stronger is saying. The bitch rolls over and submits to the male.

Obama is weak, at home and abroad. He has nothing going for him except a highly suspect ideology. He is propped up by a bitch press and a rag-tag army of malcontents. By sending Obama out on the world to represent our nation, we project weakness. He is incapable of holding his own among men who have actually achieved something – however nefarious – besides winning an election in which only the comatose can be said to have voted. In other words, we are getting fu**ed.

Russia, China, Venezuela, and even Afghanistan have succeeded in publicly humiliating us and bending us to their will. Republicans, historically, have been suffering from a similar disease, rolling over at the drop of a hat. Modern progressives on the Right, RINO’s, Blue Dogs, Moderates, Middle-of-the-Roaders feign shock and outrage at the lack of nuance, bipartisanship, reaching-across-the-aisle, comity, civility, etc. whenever the extended open hand is spat on, and run crying to the media; themselves, a collection of venomous, scribbling paper tigers, horrified by mere fire.

Moscow Subway Bombing

Looks like a classic example of the dog turning on its master. (Note: I make no qualitative distinction between dog and master.) From these (cyber) pages we have learned that Russia encourages Tehran; that Tehran encourages terrorists. Will Russia now cooperate with America to defeat terrorism?

Answer: No. Putin does not see America as a credible partner in any serious area of endeavor. Putin has looked into Obama's eyes and saw nothing useful there - only immense pride and unearned arrogance. Putin will handle this on his own. He will be utterly ruthless. He can be expected to take full advantage of the crisis. He will make heads roll publicly to distract from his own failings.

Americans watching from the sidelines will not feel encouraged. They will despair at what they see as their own president's efforts to counter terrorism. FBI raids of Christian militia groups will fail to allay fears.

Since passage of the health care bill, there has been much talk in the media about right-wing violence. The NYT – party organ of our current administration - has suggested that the tsunami of public disapproval of the bill has nothing to do with the bill itself; that instead, it has become an excuse by white males to attack a sitting black president. We are now to believe that any criticism of Obama’s policies is the result of racism. This is a dangerous tact this administration is taking.

Obama was elected primarily to vanquish white guilt. It appears to have backfired. Obama’s election is about to give race baiters a field day. I propose we shut down all conservative websites, and silence conservative talk radio. Why, when disagreement alone is deemed sedition, hand them more nails with which to crucify us?

Insufferable

I don't think we can trust the Russians to do our bidding. The Russians are like a rusty old knife - impossible to cut anything without mangling it. If anything, China is the sharper tool in the drawer. We, remain the only ones with some inkling of reality. We are the last hope of having it be right for at least some of us.

Unfortunately, we're in the midst of a class struggle. It's been called other things, but it's basically about class. The elites have grown too big for their britches and have become insufferable to the rest of us. They got the shock of their lives when they discovered that not everybody thinks they're so great. Before we solve that particular problem among ourselves, international intrigue remains off limits for us. We may even have to leave Haiti and Israel go.

I doubt if the next couple of elections will solve much of anything. What it will do is separate us according to where we are willing to take a stand. Then comes the battle. The losers won’t want to throw in the towel - and it'll go on like that for a while. Who knows how it'll end up? All I know is that the rift has grown too deep. It can't possibly come together in my lifetime.