Cornered Dogs Bite

Every human thought leaves an imprint. When I look across my front lawn in the morning after a freshly fallen snow, I see it crisscrossed with animal spoors. Each one is different. It is not the difference in the appearance of the tracks that is significant; rather, it is the fact that there was movement: each animal wanted to get from one place to another. It is doubtful that two or more animals ever met because each track was likely made in its own time. If there had been some threat, all the tracks would show the animals running in one direction – away from the danger. In the absence of a threat, the pattern is quite random.

Reading this morning’s headlines, we find that the stampede against the U.S. dollar continues, now with the IMF chiming in. We read that long-standing alliances are rupturing with nations fleeing U.S. entanglements and influence, seeking something more stable, more predictable. They do not make a value judgment as to what’s right, wrong or fair. They simply look to attach themselves to what they perceive as power that would serve to protect them.

The USS America is sinking – whether by benign neglect, sabotage or by deliberate design – and the whole world is running away from the disaster that has become rap America. The pattern in the snow is now discernible. Argentina is now embracing the Venezuelan model. Venezuela has adopted the Tehran model (as have Turkey, Syria, Egypt, etc.) Israel remains undecided. She finds herself cornered. What Israel is likely to do remains a mystery. India too is at a loss to know which way to turn. China faces internal problems. She is keeping her powder dry, knowing that chaos will arrive at her doorstep soon enough. She is doing her best to shore up her defenses (while the West views it as aggression). Japan has her own problems.

We can sit here and evaluate each turn of the screw within its own frame. Every happenstance is quite worthy of a tome or two – even an entire library of tomes. We can go back in history and learn what has happened before, how it developed and the ultimate result - all of it, simply to keep the blogs pumping out words like the ash from a volcano that obscures its source.

The source is America’s continuing disintegration. It’s not true, as some would proclaim that America’s sinking would leave nary a ripple. It has and will produce wave after wave and the result is all but certain: chaos, dislocation and bloodshed. Cornered dogs have been known to bite. We all will be tempted to bite in a last-ditch effort as we dig deeper and deeper down into our emptying pockets to appease those with tyrannical intent - the ones with the biggest clubs and the willingness to use them. Thoughts of freedom and liberty – even dignity - will become subservient to our will to survive.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Chucks

We basically see what we want to see. In the process we miss what is actually there. In 2008, we pinned our hopes and dreams on Barack Hussein Obama. It soon became apparent that we had grossly miscalculated.

In her column, entitled, “Turkey’s Cautionary Tale”, in today’s Jerusalem Post, Caroline Glick cites Turkey as just one example of ’Dreamland’ having been hyped by the western media as the modern face of Islam and portrayed as an example of an Islamic country that the West can actually work with. Not so fast. Glick skillfully ticks off the steps that Turkey has taken since Erdogan’s election in 2002 that puts the lie to any idea of Islamic rapprochement with the West that the western media incessantly claims. I urge you to read it.

Similarly, we’ve been steadily backsliding into the ‘Dreamland’ fantasy of ‘global warming‘, even after the whole thing has been exposed as a hoax.

We continually hear that our economy is improving. But is it? Is this even within the realm of possibility given our present leadership?

Which brings me to Trump. The Left has launched an all-out assault against Trump. This is because it fears him. Again today, on Glenn Beck’s program, Beck’s sidekicks were hammering him, replaying old sound bites in which Trump bashes Bush. Let me remind you, in those days everybody was bashing Bush. In fact, it became our national pastime (sans hot dogs and beer). You could instantly advance to your 15 minute celebrity status by bashing Bush. That’s how we got Obama.

Obama now pretends that all the criticism he’s receiving is just a part pf presidential scenery. Not so. Bush bashing was fun. Now things have turned serious and most of us have sobered up.

In those days, Trump did not speak as a politician. He spoke as himself in the current vernacular. Now he speaks as one of us, alarmed by what has happened. Sure, he knows Schumer and all the rest. He sat at their tables, and they at his. They did not speak politics per se; they spoke deals.

As I’ve said before, Trump seems a patriot; he does not seem ideological. He appears to love America. He understands what has gone wrong. He is confident inside his own skin. He feels he can make a difference.

There are those who say he would split the Republican party and hand a win to Obama. It may well happen that way. But then again it may not. Look at it as a ’hail Mary pass’ by our side; one last chance for us to throw chucks under the runaway chuck wagon. If the wrong Republican is elected, we lose anyway.

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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/

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/

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/

Tunisia: From the Frying Pan Into the Fire

I don’t claim to know the particulars, but the pattern seems set: corrupt governance the world over, often supported by the West (particularly the United States) and kept in place for its own geopolitical game-board advantage; the locals - as always, getting the shaft - are unhappy. They seek alternatives. The alternative in that part of the world is invariably state(Iran)-sponsored Islam. (Note: the words “state” and “(any)religion” used in the same sentence always amounts to an oxymoron.)

Islam offers the illusion of escape from tyranny while imposing its own tyranny, but the people do not yet know it. They embrace the notion of a caliphate which promises liberation from outside influence. In a single stroke, they think all their ‘enemies’ will now be humbled - and, for now, that is enough to rally in support.

Home-grown tyranny is always preferable because its home-grown.

Why all this now? Because the U.S. under the leadership of Barack Hussein Obama has made it clear that America will no longer fight to preserve old ways; that, frankly, it no longer cares who is in charge or what happens. Algiers, Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon are all on the chopping block, along with Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Turkey has already decided to place its bet with the strong horse. You bet “Israel is watching closely”. She will soon find herself surrounded by an ever-rising (green) tide. She watches in despair as her ship takes on water: Islamic fervor from without; liberalism from within, while Gibraltar America fades in the distance.

As I continue to say, America’s break with the past - brought to the fore in its last presidential election - will continue to reverberate around the globe. No one will be spared. No one can anticipate where the chips will end up when it’s over. No one is prepared. All are in deep denial. Only China is trying. You’ve got to give them credit.

The irony is that America will be blamed for whatever happens. Despite our considerable resources, we seem to have adopted a deliberate stance of not caring - primarily about ourselves.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Horse Trading

Anwar al-Maliki is the modest leader of a fledgling nation that is determined to survive. He does not aim to change the world. As such, he is out shopping for alliances.

Shopping for alliances is somewhat akin to horse trading. You hope to secure the strong horse. Tehran is the strong horse at the moment - not necessarily the good horse, or the kind horse, or the enlightened horse; but the one that can be reasonably expected to get the job done.

Tehran has an impressive resume. Of all the horses in the field, it is currently ahead of the pack. It will soon be able to claim a nuclear arsenal; already appears to have firm control of its political process; and enjoys an ever widening circle of influential friends that reaches to the very doorstep of universally despised America.

Iraq now finds itself in the position of Israel in the early years of its founding. Israel too bought the backing of the strong horse. It has served her well. Surrounded by openly hostile nations, Israel with the support of strong-horse America has been able to keep them all at bay and preserve its territorial integrity.

Things change. America is in decline. America hasn’t successfully prosecuted a serious challenge in some time. In fact, America seems to be locked in a life-and-death struggle with itself.

Neither Iraq or Israel can stand alone. At the moment, there is grave doubt if America will even come to Israel’s aid should the fur begin to fly. There is no question that Tehran is already licking its chops in anticipation of U.S. departure from Iraq. Iraq has to make peace with the strong horse. Iraq will do its bidding and in return it will be allowed to keep its name.

Should Israel fall - as seems more likely each day - regional accolades will accrue to Tehran. Iraq will be allowed to join in the celebration along with Turkey, Brazil among others. Like I said, Malaki has no intentions of changing the world.

When parents are (some would say) burdened with a handicapped child, they continue to love him and try to integrate him into the workings of normal society. Although they might not give him the keys to the car, they may give him a shovel and tell him to dig. Next, they might tell him to fill the hole up again. The child will be busy working and feeling good about himself. And mother might be granted a moment to rest. It’s called ‘make work’ and is commonly used in the army to forge character, strong bodies and discipline. The work itself is quite useless and adds little to the overall scheme of things.

This the is the level to which the office of the president has fallen in our nation. We obviously do not consider the job important enough to seriously consider background and qualifications. Maliki, on the other hand, is skilled. He has (as JB points out) the trappings of a statesman and an instinct for survival. He is doing what he thinks is best for his country at the moment. No doubt, as conditions change, he will change his stripes - again.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Media Hype

In order to keep a nation from descending to the status of prison colony, it is essential for its people to be involved in governance. The Afghans seem to understand this. At the same time, they are highly suspicious of foreign influence in their domestic affairs. And that too is natural. Whoever came up with the idea of ‘changing hearts and minds’ and made it U.S. policy did us a great disservice. The best and only effective way to influence the course of events on foreign shores is to lead by example.

I’ll be the first to admit that our example has not been stellar. Since we installed the current administration, it has become painfully obvious that the voices of the rank and file have been systematically excluded from the national conversation. We have marched; we have attended town hall meetings; we have written letters, telephoned and e-mailed – and Washington never once acknowledged us. We have been made to feel that we no longer matter.

We’ve fought back. We’ve cancelled our subscriptions to state-controlled media in droves. Their financial plight has become obvious. Now, plans are being hatched to bail them out. At the same time, new regulations on media in general are being seriously considered. I think most people participating on this blog realize that the whole thing has Stalinist overtones.

It is interesting to note what has happened in Turkey. Most observers find it difficult to believe that Turkey has gone over to the dark side in the space of a single election cycle. Controlling the press was key. For months now, Turks have had saturation coverage promoting the idea that America went to war in Iraq in order to harvest body parts. Israel, of course, was in on the scheme.

What would you think if perky Katie Couric were to tell you nightly that Bush was an idiot? What would you think if Brian Williams were to tell you nightly that Barack Hussein Obama had come specifically to save the world? How would you feel if Bob Woodruff were to tell you nightly that the world’s glaciers are melting, the oceans are rising – and that it’s all your fault.

Yes, kids; we too have fallen for our share of hype. Some of us have come to feel comfortable with it; some have benefited from it financially; some have used it as a bludgeon; and some have used it as a reason to become cynical. Once government – any government – has got its hooks into media, we will have forfeited the right to lecture anyone about anything.

Tehran Won't Have to Lift a Finger

Even Israel’s ‘friends’ are now blaming Israel for what happened. It’s spirit broken, Israel is even blaming itself. The whole thing amounted to a huge victory for Israel’s enemies. It reminds us of how during the Iraq war every suicide attack – every death - was blamed on the U.S. At home, Democrats made sure that every American casualty accrued to Bush personally. The networks made it their business to keep a careful daily count. It is a tactic that makes it impossible for an enemy to lose.

In America, there were huge consequences. It is what brought Barack Hussein Obama - an avowed vocal critic of western values - to power. It inspired the re-write of history. It helped create a core of opposition to everything American within America itself.

In Israel, the tactic succeeds in isolating the country and making it into a pariah state. Israel is now primed for a huge military defeat. It can do nothing to help itself. Like a rat in a corner it can only bite a finger or two in anticipation of the final blow. Facts no longer matter. Nobody will ride to Israel’s rescue amidst the cheering of the bloodthirsty crowd.

Erdogan knows this. He is determined to save his nation. He will not allow himself to be caught on the losing side. His actions are designed to ingratiate himself to the Ummah. For far too long Ankara has been playing footsie with Europe to no avail. Turkey has watched both Europe and America fading in power and influence. He knows that the center of the western-style secular state has been hollowed out and cannot hold. In order for his own nation to survive, it became essential that it forge links with the strong men of the world. Currently, Tehran and Brasilia look strong.

For Turkey’s past association with the West to be forgiven, Ankara must bring something to the table. Israel is the scalp Turkey is hoping to deliver to Ahmadinejad, the Kurtz of the Middle East. Obama has been trying to do the same. As America’s influence continues to erode, you will see every nation comprising the Ummah and beyond coming forward to enthusiastically participate in this project. Tehran will not have to lift a finger.

A Benefit of Doubt

World reaction to Israel's intercept of Turkey's 'Free Gaza' flotilla has been predictable. Israel stands alone. Interesting how our vocabulary has changed. Every word we now use has come to mean its exact opposite. Only the logic remains impeccable. In a world turned upside down, words have lost their meaning … and all that is left is the stench of anti-Semitism which speaks harsher than words.

The cast of characters who believe Israel is always in the wrong is the same as those who believed in ‘global warming’; the same as those who came down with cases of severe BDS (Bush Derangement Syndrome). They are the same ones who believe Barack Hussein Obama is the messiah. They believe anything that is anti-Israel, anti-American, anti-capitalist. They are playing with fire.

This reminds me of an incident years ago when our kids were still small. In those days we were still in the habit of going to church regularly. The sermons were often long and boring – especially for the kids. There were crayons and coloring pads in the pews. Our youngest and I were talking (and giggling) – quietly enough, I thought. Nevertheless, our eldest, Ivy, got annoyed. She felt it was inappropriate for us to be making a spectacle of ourselves. Not wishing to add to our noise, she took a red crayon and carefully wrote “Will you PLEASE shut up already!” in large letters on the face of her bulletin and passed it over to us.

Properly chastised, we handed it back to her. In the meantime, the pastor was coming down the aisle. He was off on some tangent. He stopped suddenly across from where Ivy was sitting. He admitted that he had lost his place and asked to see her bulletin. He fell silent when his eye fell on what she had written (to us).

We all snuck out through the back door after the service was over – never to return.

Though clearly a shameless provocation, the stunt by Turkey’s 'freedom' flotilla produced predictable results. It required the partnership of the world press whose bias against Israel has been well documented. Also well known was Israel’s tendency to hamstring itself. Can you imagine a similar rag-tag flotilla in support of the Iranian opposition washing up on Persian shores? And while we’re at it, where was the international condemnation re North Korea’s sinking of the Cheonan?

Words will be written, purposely distorted and misdirected. Facts will be rearranged to fit agendas. Unlike in our more innocent time so many years ago, when situations also sometimes culminated in misunderstanding, the free world has become drawn into all-out war. Israel stands in the front lines. India is next. In a war no adults are present to mediate disputes. Dictionaries no longer contain proper meanings. No pastor will suck it up quietly and simply walk away, scratching his wizened head, struggling to find a way to give benefit to a doubt.

Surrender or War

Today’s drive to establish an Islamic caliphate roughly approximates the drive by the Left to rule globally under a single red banner. So far, the ominous similarities have escaped notice because the two have been working largely in tandem toward more or less the same purpose. As such, they have sought to minimize the frictions between them (for now) in view of their overriding objective: to defeat western values and, especially, capitalism.

As nothing is ever new in any matter, the strategies employed here have also been seen before and are based on the domino theory. It involves flipping individual countries form one camp to the other. I first heard of it by name when our government claimed that if the spread of communism isn’t halted in Vietnam all of Asia would fall.

The latest countries to flip over to the dark side are Turkey and Greece. Increasingly, people are realizing that one can now also add the U.S. to the list. Turkey was a heartbreak. Not that it couldn’t have been foreseen. As in the U.S., there were plenty of warnings of what could be expected if Erdogan were elected. Although, I don’t understand the intricacies of Turkish politics, I must assume a similar pattern of deceit and false promises were employed there to bring radical Islamists to power.

Greece, of course, has been subject to leftist sabotage for decades. Leftist union and student pressure have managed to ruin their economy which has now put the entire EU at risk. Leftist instigators have as recently as yesterday pulled out of serious negotiations with the government and declared that the battle would henceforth be fought out in the streets.

Compromise in Greece and elsewhere is no longer on the table. Hence, the only option free market advocates have is appeasement. The latter always serves to contain the ugliest part of it, but at a cost. The remaining democracies that are still functioning now find themselves with their backs to the wall. In order to appease the Left they have to increasingly put their economic principles at risk. In time, there will be no margin left within which to pursue the fiction of negotiation with people who have no interest in solutions. At that point there will be only two options: surrender or war.

Osama To Obama

Osama (to Obama) seems not to know that America is a polyglot society. He does not know which part he is addressing. He is either ignorant (or impatient) of the facts on the ground. He does not know (as Obama asserts) that a nation is not a speedboat; that it cannot be turned on a dime. Has he been unaware of America's incremental distancing (itself) from Israel; from its incrementally building hostility towards it? He may think that Turkey has successfully made the turn – and it has at that. Osama forgets that the U. S. is not Turkey; that it has a long history of obligation, innovation and freedom (that acts as ballast). Neither does Osama understand elections, and the damage they can do to a chief executive.

Osama addresses Obama to taunt him; in the same way I sometimes address the American people, to open their eyes - that Zen slap in the face - to warn, not necessarily of what will happen (I am essentially an optimist, though some will no doubt dispute it), but to warn of what could. This is not pessimism; it is to motivate; to get them off their asses and take a look around.

Osama is prodding the POTUS to double down on Israel; to deliver that scalp. In turn, he promises that we will be allowed to live free from fear. Now isn't that the odd 'stick and carrot' routine?