Small Things

Hey, we voted for the guy! Next time (if there is a next time) we’ll be more careful. Mr. Batchelor is only half right when he says: “POTUS disdains foreign policy. POTUS disdains domestic policy.” Obama distains foreign policy because in this he has already failed. His apologetic overtures and pathetic prostrations in foreign capitals have not had their desired effect. Nobody out there - in the real world - takes mere palaver seriously. It’s got to be backed up with something more substantial than small things and a preparedness to commit treason.

Domestic policy is quite another matter. This is an area in which POTUS feels he still has some leverage. Indeed, domestic policy will be by which he will measure success. If he should succeed in turning his ship of state on a leftward course, all else can be expected to fall into place.

What has become clear is that the American people are jumping ship. Obama had hoped for - but did not expect - their support. As it is, only one arrow remains in his quiver: revolution. To this end he will continue to prod and poke, trying his best to whip the people up into a lather. Once this happens, he will have achieved his goal. He can then impose draconian measures that most will find preferable to chaos.

We saw the same MO employed with regard to the oil spill. Nothing yet as to its cause, which appears to be a closely held state secret. Though, speculation abounds. It provided the rationale to impose an oil drilling moratorium. Now that the threat is over, we don’t see the moratorium lifted. It will remain in place to put pressure on America’s lifeline (energy). Eventually prices will rise beyond what can be sustained, putting additional strain on an already faltering economy. When everyone begins shouting ‘collapse!’, Obama will have achieved what he set out to do.

November’s midterms will not change the script. Conventional wisdom has it that Obama will have been sent a signal and that he will change course. He will not. Besides being a committed ideologue, he is also a realist. He knows that what he has already put in place can not be reversed. He knows that economic collapse is at hand. Perhaps he’s getting cold feet. Perhaps he is already looking for a place to hide. All that is possible.

A suicide bomber seldom detonates his own vest. It is usually detonated remotely by someone watching from afar (just in case the bomber loses heart).

Faisal Shahzad: Nuts and Bolts

And yet we are terribly frightened of these characters, so much so that we are willing to remove even our shoes before boarding a plane. Think about it. We fear their condemnation, their wrath and their sweating bombs. We submit to spending untold sums on security. Yet we hesitate even to address them by name.

I remember being inordinately affected by the picture (in the papers) of a Vietnamese monk on fire. What has changed? Today’s suicide bomber is beneath our contempt. We see him as a collection of nuts and bolts. He is bloodless. We fear only his nuts and bolts. As such, we are incapable of accepting his sacrificial blood and call it victory.

They are winning. They are united in their hatred of us - in their ignorance; in their misplaced anger - while we are fractured along degrees of skill, commitment and the willingness to defeat them. Half of us suffer from Stockholm Syndrome while the other half buries their heads in minutia, busy at building a case - an excuse - to effectively counter their thrusts. If I see another book that tells me that Obama is a socialist; that Muslims want to kill us; that communists want to lynch us by our own ropes, I think I’ll go mad.

Enough already! We know who Barack Hussein Obama is and who is aligned with him. It’s beginning to dawn on us that they all hate America; that we can do nothing to make them love us; that we stand eternally condemned in their eyes. Time to face facts. We are stronger than they. It is entirely possible to defeat them. But we stand no chance if we defeat ourselves first.

Stop Punishing Us!!!

Let's see now if I can follow this: Because we aren't allowed to 'profile', every airline passenger must be viewed as a potential suicide bomber; and air passengers, are therefore expected to sacrifice that uniquely American convenience of being innocent until proven guilty. This approach is already flawed because, clearly, not everyone is a terrorist – please excuse me, I forgot for a moment that we aren’t allowed to use that word anymore. Let’s substitute ‘terrorist’ with the old Cherokee term, ‘one who smells of explosive substances’. Let’s continue…

Since it is impractical to screen every passenger, we must go by the numbers. This means, we screen every tenth (or any number) person. If the tenth person happens to be a four-year old child, or a 97-year old grandmother - or, heaven forbid, a 23-year old Caucasian male - these folks will be pulled from the line for special attention (from now on surely to include a rectal exam by a certified government health professional as well).

By the same token, if the eighth person in line happens to be a guy named Mohammed who’s on the terror list (there goes that banned word again – I guess, the list , by extension cannot be said to exist either), paid for his one-way ticket with cash at the airport, has no luggage or passport, and has wires sticking out of his shoes, we can’t touch him because (1) he’s not the tenth person (and we wouldn’t want to be sued if it turns out that he’s not planning anything). And (2) he’s obviously not white and we wouldn’t want to be seen as being racist. In fact, it’s been quite permissible in the past to bend the rules a bit in this situation, for, even if he happens to be the tenth person, we’re allowed to pretend he’s #11 or 9. As a person of color, he wouldn’t understand the self-imposed hoops we're required to jump through – and we wouldn’t want to offend, after all.

What to do? Profile! Use your brains!! Use your common sense!!! Realize we’re at war with these people!!!! Stop punishing us for what they do!!!!! Damn it!!!!!!