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Benghazi Bullchips
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Loose Canons
Oh, Thank Heaven It’s 2011
Is 2010 finally over? It must be, because the 111th Congress is gone at last.
(Page 2 of 2)
Marines don’t need to be told to man up, because they perfected the concept in 1775. Two Marine Commandants — Gen. Jim Conway and his successor Gen. James Amos — both stood fast against the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law prohibiting homosexuals from serving openly in the military. But the hyperlibs and RINOs of Congress believed themselves better judges of the effect of DADT repeal.
The repeal may be a supersecret strategery to help win the Afghanistan war. Thanks to WikiLeaks, we know the sexual proclivities of many Pashtun men, who apparently embrace a liberal interpretation of Islam as well as each other.
Long will historians ponder why — upon the repeal — the first communication from the Senate Majority Leader was to a creature of unknown biology known as Lady Gaga. The only discernible connection is that Army Pfc. Bradley Manning — accused of passing hundreds of thousands of classified documents to WikiLeaks — reportedly copied them onto rewritable Lady Gaga music disks. Manning is enthusiastically gay, but we will refrain from speculation of any connection between or among him, Senator Reid and Lady Gaga.
The Kabuki troupe performing security theater at airports have yet to stop a would-be terrorist, but they have determined how Superman’s x-ray vision benefits him when he isn’t out fighting crime. Some of the TSA goons selected former “Baywatch” babe Donna D’Errico for personal naked x-ray screening and, according to the lady in question, she observed them chuckling furtively at what they saw.
I’m pretty sure that the TSA fondlers will not be able to touch a woman’s padded bra and tell if it’s padded with cotton or PETN, the explosive du jour among the bad guys. We have enough money to put TV’s up in all the Wall Marts to show Big Sis warning us to say something if we see something, but not enough to train screeners to do it as the Israelis do. I’ll say something: stop performing security rituals that don’t make us safer, fire Janet Incompetano and train profiling screeners to keep the underwear bombers off my next flight.
Thanks to the greatness of the American people, voiced through the election by the Tea Party Movement, there is hope. As Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell spoke of his Dem colleagues at the end of the 111th Congress, “If they think it’s bad now, wait till next year.”
Now that’s a promise that must be kept. Happy New Year.
About the Author
Jed Babbin served as a Deputy Undersecretary of Defense under George H.W. Bush. He is the author of several bestselling books including Inside the Asylum and In the Words of Our Enemies. You can follow him on Twitter @jedbabbin.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (73) | Leave a comment
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Appleby| 12.30.10 @ 6:54AM
2011 has got to be better than 2010; everybody I know is saying that 2010 was the worst year he could remember at least since some year in the 1960s when bad years could still shock us.
One hopes this is the last gasp of the Sixties, and that 2011 at least will begin the long hangover with a hope that by 2012 (assuming it isnt the end of the world) will see the adults back in charge.
That is, assuming we can FIND any adults.
MikeD| 12.30.10 @ 7:27AM
Is anybody surprised? Stupid is as stupid does. (Thanks, Forrest!) Any country with enough stupid people to elect barry the muslim, peloshit, and harriet reek deserves what it gets. It was once written that NOTHING is a total loss; it could always be used as a bad example. All this example has proved is that demoncraps lie, cheat, and steal. They will do ANYTHING to gain power over the American people.
I read a manuscript of a really good potential novel. It went like this:
America discovers that their first purple prez got into office through a campaign of foreign money, vote fraud, and outright theft. But, nobody could ever find anything about him; he paid a fortune to keep EVERYTHING about his background secret. (Why would he do that?)
For three years, his party, the 'Crudeaters' hid the truth until one special prosecutor dug around and actually found the purple prez's REAL history. The people were furious, but the purple prez just continued lying and stealing until he made the mistake of trying to starve the country of their energy by stopping drilling and refining; and his background was found to prove that he was a member of the Sandy Armenians royal family.
Furious Americans stormed the White House and dragged the purple prez out and stripped him naked in the rose garden, along with his closest group of 'henchpeople'. When they got the 'gang of three' naked they discovered that the weren't purple at all! The had just been partially dyed! Then, they went through all the things the "Crudeater's Party" did and found out the same things; the folks at the top were getting rich on payoffs from the Sandy Armenians! The "Crudeaters" were declared a foreign hostile force and the entire country went on a rampage to dig all the "Crudeaters" and send them to their just rewards with their 72 pigs that were promised in the "Crudeater's Kill America" handbook, the Queer-run. (Of course, this name would never be remotely intended to cause any issues with any of the "Crudeater's" 'Protected Groups'!) And they all lived happily ever after. Wow! Fiction sure is funny; isn't it? (Fiction or funny?)
Ned the Red| 12.30.10 @ 7:33AM
These liberals haven't even begun to fight. They are falling back on the same old faithful strategy that is used against us every time we have them on the ropes.
They know how much our politicians want to be loved by the media, and how they will make a deal with the devil to have this happen. So for a while the left will back off, act hurt, all to bring out our sympathy, while attacking in more culvert ways. On the service they will make deals they have no intention of keeping, deals that make our guys look, not so mean, to the media.
The big question is, will our guys and gals fall for the same line of crap or will the guys grow some balls and the gals keep theirs? I'm betting on the gals.
Rather than read the constitution at the beginning of the new session, besides the fact that it is to noble of a document to be read in the sausage factory, David Kahane's "Rules for Radical Conservatives" should be read out loud and free copies handed out to the staffs of our guys. The new gals don't need them, they know how to fight.
Bill Hussien O'Stalin| 12.30.10 @ 7:52AM
Here's a song from the Marx movie Duck Soup, which predicted the Obama administration and this Congress in all it's infamy:
These are the laws of my administration
No one's allowed to smoke
Or tell a dirty joke
And whistling is forbidden...
If chewing gum is chewed
The chewer is pursued.
And in the hoosegow hidden...
If any form of pleasure is exhibited
Report to me and it will be prohibited.
I'll put my foot down, so shall it be.
This is the land of the free.
The last man nearly ruined this place
He didn't know what to do with it
If you think this country's bad off now
Just wait 'til I get through with it
The country's taxes must be fixed
And I know what to do with it
If you think you're paying too much now
Just wait 'til I get through with it...
I will not stand for anything that's crooked or unfair
I'm strictly on the up and up
So everyone beware
If anyone's caught taking graft
And I don't get my share
We stand 'em up against the wall
And pop goes the weasel.
If any man should come between her husband and his bride
We find out which one she prefers
By letting her decide
If she prefers the other man
The husband steps outside
We stand 'em up against the wall
And pop goes the weasel.
JimH| 12.30.10 @ 10:06AM
Hail, hail Fredonia, land of the brave and free.
Skippy| 12.31.10 @ 2:48PM
"We got guns; they got guns; all God's chidren got guns!"
Libertytim| 1.1.11 @ 7:12PM
It just didn't predict Obama's administration and Congress.
I think it pretty much predicted how the Whitehouse (regardless of tenant) and Congress has been doing business since...oh about since the time of at least F.D.R.
Melvin| 12.30.10 @ 8:17AM
Yesterday was a remarkable day in American Spectator. I thoroughly enjoy this website and the many, many terrific individuals that have posted on this web site through the years.
"Berwick Sets Up Death Panels By Fiat" brought out what I think as the best of us, as far as our analysis of the overall situation with government.
For lack of a better phrase, it seemed many of those who posted yesterday were in sync.
Yesterday brought to my attention, or at least focused it a bit more, that all is not lost in this Country because try as hard as they may, they don't control our minds yet. And there are still thousands even millions of us who refuse to capitulate to the status quo, or the new age flavor of the day.
Last night while preparing to snooze, debating with an overly hogish Walker Hound who was determined to hog the bed, I mused over of what many of the posters had said.
You know people, we are not whipped, beaten up a little maybe, but as a Country we are not whipped.
The leviathan of the American people has slowly awakened from it's slumber and is shaking the legarthy that the Liberals/Progressives place us under.
I just wanted to let many of you know who posted yesterday, it was a fine day, maybe not our finest, but nevertheless it was a good day to fight back.
Redstateboy| 12.30.10 @ 8:35AM
If someone has a better way of saving our beloved Country other than to begin the systematic dismantling of this Federal Government; I'd like to hear it. Defund: EPA, HUD, HEW, PBS - for starters!
chuck| 12.30.10 @ 9:30AM
Cut federal pay 20%(except active- duty military),eliminate Commerce, Education, Energy, NEA,NEH,Housing,Labor, just to name a few. Reform Social Security(privatize), repeal Obamacare, return spending levels to 2006 levels, institute the FairTax and eliminate the IRS,institute term limits,return to State assembly appointed Senators.................oh, and eliminate all unions for all government employees, reform tort laws, loser pays...................
MikeD| 12.31.10 @ 9:03AM
Are you reading this GOP? You'd better be or you'll be out on your collective butts too. It's a tragedy that we are forced to rest ALL our hopes on a group with a history of "spinal deficiencies"; ie., lack of backbone. Not this time...
coal carrier| 12.30.10 @ 9:05AM
You got it, Redstate. Our money is the life blood of the left. Starve the beast and it will collapse.
da monk| 1.1.11 @ 9:18AM
Then what? What's your plan?
geokster| 12.30.10 @ 9:37AM
IMHO, one of the the largest drain on the American economy is the huge, and mostly unnecessary, transfer of American dollars overseas in the form of Petrodallars. We need a president who will unleash the energy, oil, and gas finders here at home, we have the technology, the manpower, the resources, and the power, if only we are willing and allowed to use it.
For example: Did you know that huge strides are being made in coal liquefaction, heretofore prohibitive expensive, but oil from coal costs are now in the $30/bbl range which is far less than the current $90/bbl we send to the middle east for a barrel of their oil.
This is a tremendous savings over the cost for the much less efficient wind and solar efforts that are the apple of the greenie's eye at the moment. So, ask yourself, who among the political contenders are making noises about a sound, solid, and sane domestic energy policy?
Offhand there's a pretty little lady from Alaska who comes to mind.
LiveFreeOrDie| 12.30.10 @ 4:48PM
Yes she does, which is why they trashed Palin's presidential campaign several years in advance.
A genuine, real person with good intentions will not be elected, period. Reagan was the last one, RIP.
Dale Cord| 12.30.10 @ 9:42AM
2011 a year that will live in Infamy. Future school history books will read: The year the Muslims conquered the United States of America. With not so much as a whimper from its cowardly military leaders, and name calling armchair patriots. Disgraceful,Shameful there are no words to adequately describe her defeat. As the 300 Spartans strength and ingenuity conquered all of those who challenged them, so a small band of renegades conquered the greatest country the world has known. When Davids rock slued Goliath. It also foretold a warning. "The bigger they are,the harder they Fall." Our country lost its battle of survival when it became intoxicated with its deceptive mentality, that it did not need its Creator anymore, and wisdom no longer was apart of its citizens physiology to survive.
C. S. P. Schofield| 1.1.11 @ 1:19PM
The Radical Islamic camel pesterers are not capable of conquering this country. I doubt that they would be if it were empty from sea to sea. What concerns me rather more is what they might provoke us into becoming.
Scenario: Islamic Radicals manage to set off a really big bomb in a major United States city - Detroit for choice, since it effectively has no infrastructure left with which to detect such a plot. Not a Nuclear bomb, but something on the order of destructiveness of a fuel-air bomb. The actual damage to us is trivial (I think that if Detroit vanished tomorrow it might be three or four days before anyone noticed), but the common folk are frightened and enraged. The Democrats, desperate that that rage not be pointed at THEM, and angry as only an exposed fraud can be, lash out at the middle east. Things snowball, and before you can say "Boo", we have a draft, a million boots on the ground in Arabia and other trouble areas, and the beginnings of a REAL American Imperialism. Mecca and Medina glow in the dark (remember, for all their posturing, the only Atom bombs ever deliberately dropped on people were on the orders of a Democrat), the Palestinians are behind barbed-wire, and so are whatever Leftie types have the audacity to call for Obama's impeachment.
Yuck.
Dale Cord| 1.3.11 @ 9:48AM
Yes they are my friend, when you have a very young Muslim at the helm of the most powerful country in the world.
MikeD| 12.30.10 @ 9:57AM
I am continually amazed by the lengths the demoncraps and their willing lackies in the lamestream media are going to to descredit Gov. Palin. If she was as insignificant as they want us to believe, why are they doing this? They must be terrified of her. I wonder why?
One reason might be that they can no longer play the 'inexperienced' card since their own G.S.P (george soros' puppet) has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is completely incompetent. So, if they play that against Gov. Palin, that certainly bounces right back to barry's total lack of achievement in any field that didn't involve crooked politics, vote fraud, and theft of taxpayers money. He and his gang from Chicago play the 'wink, wink, nudge, nudge' game as if everybody in America realizes that's just "the Chicago way", and should somehow be dismissed since 'everybody out there does it'.
I love my daughter dearly, but she lives in Chicago and has become addicted to the kool-aide. Before the 2008 election she lamented that there were people in Chicago who had no homes and no food, and it had to be George Bush's fault. When I reminded her that the democrats had had a stranglehold on Chicago's government for about 100 years she refused to believe me. That's the mindset we're dealing with. May God help us.
Melvin| 12.30.10 @ 10:15AM
Don't feel alone Mike. My son who was Conservative mailed the Welfare Queen from Hell. Don't ask me how those two polar opposites got connected, but they did.
Now junior has also drunk the Kool-Aid and thinks government is the answer to all his problems.
If there is any solace to this. I always end my political discussions with him. "Who paid for the birth of your children, you or the taxpayer?" He always gets beat red and storms off. You hit them with the truth, the lock up like a computer.
Steve A| 12.30.10 @ 11:31AM
Melvin, Be patient. He turns red as he still knows, deep down, that the Welfare Queen is wrong. He now must choose to live with it & agree so as not to get berated constantly or take a stand. He will eventually realize that it is simply not worth it to pretend to go along with the liberal garbage & confront her & let the chips fall. Or, he lives miserably ever after by supressing himself.
I hope it is option 1.
Joe Oliva| 12.30.10 @ 12:31PM
Here's another sad story.
My brother, who claims he is a true conservative, got so caught up in the BDS, that he actually voted for Obama. Then, he became so disappointed that he refused to vote at all in the 2010 election.
In addition to all that, he thinks the Tea Party is being controlled by the GOP and he now has been infected with the Anti-Sarah fever.
And once upon a time he really was a conservative. Oh, and my nephew, having been corrupted by his dad, thinks that maybe communism is a good system.
Needless to say, Thanksgiving and Christmas were hard, but I put up a good fight. I think I have him coming around to understanding that the Tea Party really is "we the people" not controlled by any of the elites.
Keep praying for a spiritual revival because that is the real cause of our woes. Happy New Year everyone.
Steve A| 12.30.10 @ 12:39PM
Joe, Find a way to ship your nephew to Havanna for a week & buy your brother a round trip bus ticket to Detroit for a week as well. Have them report back on the blessings of Progressivism.
DeJa| 12.30.10 @ 1:11PM
Can we PLEASE split the country in two? The other side will run out of their own money and can't take ours. We'll close our borders. Well, it's a thought.
LiveFreeOrDie| 12.30.10 @ 4:50PM
Amen!
RCV| 12.30.10 @ 7:19PM
What delusions! The "Red States" have been sucking money from the liberal "Blue States" for years. Don't believe it? Go to the website of the Tax Foundation. They've been tracking the amount of money paid by citizens of each state into the federal treasury vs. the amount of money received by those states.
Who are the consistent deadbeats? Alabama, Mississippi, Alaska, North Dakota, South Dakota.
Who are the consistent overpayers, who support those red states? You guessed it: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, California, Illinois and Minnesota.
Such hypocrisy.
bus| 12.30.10 @ 9:24PM
Its because of the Indian tribes and the federal control of most of their land. The individuals citizens don't get much out of the deal.
RCV| 12.30.10 @ 10:05PM
.....riiigghhttt
Skippy| 12.31.10 @ 3:01PM
It is right and just for the Blue states to support the Red ones, in terms of taxes paid vs. redistributed benefits.
If for no other reason than it drives you crazy!
RCV| 12.31.10 @ 8:47PM
Happy to do so, Skippy. Somebody's got to take care of you guys. The notion that you could survive on your own is too much to bear.
Occam's Tool| 1.1.11 @ 1:31AM
Also, RCV, the Feds tend to "Federalize" the South. For example, the State Mental Health system in AL was under Direct Federal Control in the 90s.
I seem to recall, though, that there are a lot of missiles located in the Dakotas.
RCV| 1.1.11 @ 2:20PM
You can scramble around for politically-consonant explanations, but the reality is that states like California, New York and Illinois are economic and creative dynamos that generate tax revenues and attract energetic, creative (and progressive) people. Life is generally slower in the red states. Not making judgments about what lifestyle is better but the reality is what it is.
Clint| 1.1.11 @ 4:52PM
Look at the per capita income of those states, then look at the per capita federal income tax of those states.
Those lesser per capita federal income states would have to pay higher federal income tax rates to even out that argument.
The only exception is Alaska's numbers.
Clint| 1.1.11 @ 7:24PM
Oooor, Cut The Federal Subsidies.
"Rather than being deprived, state and local governments have developed an unhealthy dependency on federal money. In a way, the states have become an extension of the federal government. This is at odds with the Constitution, which clearly intended for the federal government to have specific limited powers. As the 10th amendment states, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” There seems to be very little reserved to the states anymore, and even less to the people. "
"Here are the changes by federal budget function in state aid since 1960, in billions of 2010 dollars:
Health: $1.5 to $310.7 (+21,128%)
Education, Training, Employment & Social Services: $3.7 to $103.3 (+2,723%)
Community & Regional Development: $0.7 to $20.3 (+2,674%)
Other*: $0.7 to $12.0 (+1,707%)
Natural Resources & Environment: $0.7 to $7.8 (+966%)
Income Security: $19.0 to $113.8 (+498%)
Transportation: $22.0 to $73.5 (+235%)
General Government: $1.5 to $4.7 (+221%)
Administration of Justice*: $2.6 to $5.3 (+100%)
Agriculture: $1.5 to $1.0 (-32%)
*Administration of Justice begins in 1975. “Other” begins in 1965 and consists of grants for national defense, energy, social security, and veterans’ benefits and services.
All of these categories are at or near their high water mark in constant dollars with the exception of Natural Resources & Environment ($13.8 in 1980), Agriculture ($4.5 in 1985), and General Government ($26.9 in 1975). "
russel| 12.30.10 @ 10:11AM
Our representative is on an appropriations comittee and does she ever have a big pair of shears ready to roll . I think zero " er , I'm not a socialist " can tell his folk no more freebies are coming . Good article Jed , the last line says it all .
Oldefarte| 12.30.10 @ 10:31AM
While China, Russia and the Middle East [Egypt,etc] all act in their own best self interests and progress; we [and Europe] are slowly death due to the radical-liberalism takeover of our countries. Do we survive? This country now has two choices: [1] eventually become BANKRUPT from excessive governmental spending and debt or [2] defeat the radical-liberals now in charge of our country, continue to elect alternative/conservative politicians and eventually survive and prosper!!!!!
Melvin| 12.30.10 @ 11:59AM
I'm starting to see some things starting to swirl within the political dust of a clash of the titans. For simplicity's sake we'll call it Old Republican Money, and the New Conservative Money. This will be a battle the either the Democrats will exploit or sit on the sidelines and see who is left alive to walk out of the cage match.
John Boehner who is of Old Money will either crush or severely marginalize the New Conservative Money people or capitulate their ascendancy to control of the Republican Party.
But it is a battle that will and must take place. The New 112 Congress will be the pathfinders to the new direction that this Country is going to take or it will mean a defeat to the Conservative Tea Party Movement at the hands of the Old Republican Money establishment.
The old bulls might be minus a few teeth and have scars form this years election battles, but they are very, very, very dangerous. I can name one of the type of my head that is a severe threat. Her name is Lisa Murkowski. This Senator is very bad juu juu.
She was scorned by the Republican establishment and the woman wants revenge, because hell hath no fury than a scorned woman.
Rinophobe| 12.30.10 @ 3:09PM
Bet thatMelvin. She's already started to unleash her wrath, voting in favor of DADT. Wonder if the Rino's have their own caucus, or just hate true Republicans and are scared of Democrats?
Louis Jenkins| 12.30.10 @ 12:26PM
It's like asking the proverbial question: Live or Die? Granted, they haven't taken over some of the minds, but a good number are dead meat. As Archie Bunker once said, "Would it make you feel anybetter if they was jumping out of windows?"
Who Knows?| 12.30.10 @ 1:54PM
I always read what Jed Babbin has to say; he's in my "must read" pantheon.
“The bourgeois is consequently by nature a creature of weak impulses, anxious, fearful of giving himself away and easy to rule. Therefore, he has substituted majority for power, law for force, and the polling booth for responsibility.
It is clear that this weak and anxious being, in whatever numbers he exists, cannot maintain himself, and that qualities such as his can play no other role in the world than that of a herd of sheep among free roving wolves. Yet we see that, though in times when commanding natures are uppermost, the bourgeois goes at once to the wall, he never goes under; indeed at times he even appears to rule the world. How is this possible? Neither the great numbers of the herd, nor virtue, nor common sense, nor organization could avail to save it from destruction. No medicine in the world can keep a pulse beating that from the outset was so weak. Nevertheless, the bourgeoisie prospers. Why?
The answer runs: Because of the Steppenwolves. In fact, the vital force of the bourgeoisie resides by no means in the qualities of its normal members, but in those of its extremely numerous ‘outsiders’ who by virtue of the extensiveness and elasticity of its ideals it can embrace. There is always a large number of strong and wild natures who share the life of the fold.” Pages 60-61
"Steppenwolf", by Herman Hesse
Yes, goodbye to another year, 2010, dominated by acts of the "bourgeois -- by nature a creature of weak impulses, anxious, fearful of giving himself away and easy to rule."
Who Knows?| 12.30.10 @ 2:04PM
Diary from:
Thursday, November 06, 2008
The Age of Naivety
Naïve: [[ Fr. fem of naïf, L nativus, natural, NATIVE ]] 1 unaffectedly, or sometimes foolishly, simple; childlike; artless 2 not suspicious, credulous
The word, “naïve”, implies a lack of worldly wisdom.
Well, my “friends”, get ready for a wild ride as the “world” begins its journey into the dark night of the Age of Naivety!
Oh, how many people in the fat nation of America are suicidally naïve--- the vast wrong wing majority, including so-called elite geniuses on the conservative right wing!
The unchangeable laws of physics and economics and politics are about to be followed to the T, and the people have unwittingly chosen to suffer the consequences of their blatant naivety.
As the smart money takes stock markets ever lower, logically following the dire results of the federal election, we can see how one of my favorite hoary realizations yet again inevitably plays out---
If you have power and you don’t use it, you don’t have power.
Let me list the ways this has been proven, and is about to be applied.
The top of the “loser” naïve pile of dung is GWB, who is best marked by the failure to use the power of the veto, among other ways he wimped out over a long EIGHT years.
NOW, having been elevated to almost martial law POWER by the naïve American voters and the myriad fraudulent voters, the far left “Democrats” are licking their chops in anticipation of USING their almost total POWER to, for once and for all, take over this country.
Yes, America is about to witness how POWER can be used to "change" this heretofore somewhat free collection of souls into something resembling the one-party “countries” of China and Russia.
Outside the borders of the soon to be benighted USA, those all-powerful leaders in Russia and China are likewise about to USE their POWER to, once and for all, try to conquer the last hope for human freedom, America.
Don’t be NAÏVE, about this!
One of the ways physics rules the landmass “waves” can be easily seen by those with eyes that are not NAÏVE. Right NOW I can look at a map of the world showing the boundaries between all the nation states. Using physical features such as oceans, rivers and mountains, humans in the past FOUGHT with whatever POWER they could muster to MAKE those lines in the land that created the parceled out fields NOW accepted as nation-states.
So, after November 4ht, humanity has chosen a double whammy dose of Dark Age naivety.
Inside the probably dying bastion of freedom, America, Obama and his eager-to-use-POWER fellow travelers are hot to trot in emulating the Putin model, which looks like it will not be much of a problem, given the powerless state of their opponents. Therefore, follow the market’s slide as a predictor of the existential mess that naïve people have chosen for themselves, and those few who are NOT naïve.
Outside this country, the POWERS that be who hate and oppose everything America stands for, with the coming of “Obama”, have been given the bright green light to strike in every way possible, because the state of affairs in the USA is unmistakably permeated with a likely irreversible case of naivety, unto a whimpering demise.
Naïve is as naïve does---ergo: the inevitable “weight” reduction about to be “enjoyed” by the naïve fools of the world. Naïve hubris will bring horrible forms of nemesis!
The simplest way, perhaps, to expand on this is to come to grips with the likely fact that the popping of the housing bubble was just the start of this POP goes the naïve weasel dance. That is, besides the over-ripe “correction” in monetary net worth, on the political dimension a similar “bubble” is quickly imploding to the nothingness that an “Obama” promises, as the “change we’ve been waiting for”.
How amazing! The naïve voters elect a most naïve flim-flam man, along with his enablers, and so far the naïve joy is another bubble about to be rudely POPPED!
It all is enough to make one vividly recall First Principles, in order to stay somewhat sane and to handle the future.
Thus, I will end today with one of my seminal glimpses from the Only One Who Is---
“This moment is the moment of reality, of union, of truth. The only truth is radical truth. Even the moment of self-indulgence, of avoidance, of separativeness is the moment of reality. Nothing needs to be done to it, or to you, for this to be so. Nothing needs to be avoided, transcended or found for it to be so. This is the greatness of truth, of understanding, for it disarms all fear, all circumstance, all dilemma. It is always already the case.
We are never at any moment in the dilemma we fear ourselves to be. Only this radical understanding in the heart of life is the ground of real peace and joy. All else is seeking and strife and fear.” Page 224, “The Knee of Listening”, by Franklin Jones, 1973
I can’t resist quoting one more paragraph---
“Where there is understanding in life, what is actually being known is consciousness, unqualified reality. Thus, the understanding of experience by observation leads to the recognition of the avoidance of relationship as a radical activity. And even where this recognition arises it will also cease to be the fundamental object or activity of conscious life. It will simply give way to the fundamental perception prior to avoidance, which is reality, unqualified relationship, consciousness.” Page 163
So, “yes we can!” understand and be consciousness, even in the midst of the current NAÏVE meltdown.
chuck| 12.30.10 @ 10:10PM
Does anybody ever buy shit from people like this?
Seek| 12.30.10 @ 4:07PM
Suddenly, many GOP commentators are speaking of the greatness of George W. Bush. "Miss me now?," seems to be a tag line for the past two years. What's the general consensus on this website about Mr. Bush? Should we long for his return?
LiveFreeOrDie| 12.30.10 @ 5:02PM
NO! While I'd gladly swap him out for Hussein-Obama, Bush had his chance and in my opinion, completely blew it.
Over 8 years and accomplished almost NOTHING on the conservative wish list. As long as he was going to anger the country into veering far left why not actually implement some conservative policy?
Obama is doing the same thing as Bush, pissing everybody off so they veer back to the right except one major difference. He's been successful at implementing his horrid policies. I'll probably get bashed for this but in that regard, Obama has been a more effective president in two years than Bush in eight!
MikeD| 12.30.10 @ 9:58PM
George Bush stood on a true crossroads of history on Sept 11th, 2001; and indicated true greatness with his next three years of decisive leadership...in the international arena. Then, his mommy called him home and did the same thing to him that she did to his father: she snipped off his 'gonadal spheroids' with one fell swoop and locked them away in her pretty pink jewelry box.
Georgie turned from a decisive leader to a worthless wimp. When he commanded the largest Republican majority in both houses of congress in history; since he had given his 'gonadal spheroids' to mommy, and thus had no power to do a damned thing; he did exactly that: Not a damned thing. He might as well have stayed at home and mailed in his last three years. Frankly, he became a lame duck the day he won re-election.
That was particularly galling to me because I had ruined my rapidly declining health to work feaverishly to get him re-elected over the traitor kerry; who deserved a dishonorable discharge and convictiuon for treason by consorting with the enemy in time of war while still in uniform. (Check it out in the Uniform Code of Military Justice) So, in 2004, our choice on the demoncrap side had gone from a draft dodger/rapist down to a traitor who recorded his fraudulent quest for military decorations for use in a later political campaigtn. I didn't think the dems could stoop any lower after those two, but they really hit bottom in 2008; getting a non-American muslim-loving communist elected. The party of Roosevelt and Truman should be disgusted by what they had become, but they wallowed in it like filthy pigs in mud and crap. How much lower can they go? Don't even speculate because you'll just give them a target to surpass.
The main turning point in Bush II's administration came when the new york crimes printed treasonous material that caused pain and death to Americans and Georgie did... nothing. That was the beginning of the slide; apparently because he didn't want to upset his warm and devoted 'friends' in the media. (If you believe that...)
Both bush presidents will watch their 'legacy' dwindle day by day. Perhaps fortunately the elder Bush will not live to see him reviled as much as his son; a son who had so much going for him and turned into a ball-less coward.
I despise the demoncraps with every fiber of my being; but the difference is clear between the parties. The dems don't give a damn about anything but their own aggrandizement and power, and the repubs are generally spineless cowards. And we're pinning the survival of our nation on them?
Occam's Tool| 1.1.11 @ 5:03AM
Nope. Bush-style "Compassionate Conservatism" is a crock of crap. Small sizing government is compassionate.
He did OK on foreign policy, though. But we have a chance at having someone awesome in 2012---Looks like John "Titanium Testicles" Bolton is going to run. Yeaaaaahhhhh!
RCV| 1.1.11 @ 2:22PM
The thought genuinely nauseates me, Occam. Non-professionally speaking, the man is deranged. Just sayin.
Happy New Year!
Margie| 1.1.11 @ 5:57PM
OT,
News of John Bolton's running for President is definitely cause to celebrate the new year!
RCV| 1.1.11 @ 8:51PM
The man has all the charm of a wet mackerel, and couldn't get a quorum of his own family to elect him to anything. I'd stick with Sarah if I were of your persuasion.
Margie| 1.2.11 @ 12:43PM
"Charm is deceitful.." Prov. 31:30.
People of the conservative persuasion know that charm is deceitful. We look for actual quality in a person, not how good (or bad) they can speak with a teleprompter.
RCV| 1.2.11 @ 2:12PM
That may be so, but a minimal amount of personality is necessary to connect with voters. John Bolton falls below the threshold. Even conservatives who worked with acknowledge his lack of people skills, which made him a poor administrator. He's an idea guy -- ideas with which I profoundly disagree with often -- but he is simply unelectable. That's a fact.
da monk| 1.1.11 @ 9:25AM
Seek, seek mental health, you're in need of a good shrink
Pat| 12.30.10 @ 6:33PM
Can a state go bankrupt? Cities have successfully filed for bankruptcy, so are states next? The lawyers are jabbering about it, which section of the bankruptcy code applies, who would have jurisdiction over such a proceeding? Lawyers love this type of legal hairsplitting; their lobbyists are researching how attorneys can profit from representing states or their creditors as clients in bankruptcy court, even as we speak. But the average Joe hasn’t said much as yet about viewing their state government as not only corrupt but flat broke as well.
And what can those citizens of flat broke states like California, Illinois and New Jersey do about it? Sure, California will be the largest bankruptcy, you knew that right – and most Americans know Californians always set the trend, no matter what the latest fad. Some would say Californians deserve it, we probably do for many reasons, but if you live in a red state should you just shrug it off? Can Obama keep the money spigot open to these blue states on the brink of bankruptcy by using your tax dollars, does he even want to?
Yet what many will overlook when the dam breaks is that a change in management usually accompanies bankruptcy in the business world. Someone has to take the fall, the investors demand it for many reasons, you shake up the Board of Directors, you fire the CEO, a human sacrifice is necessary although no one ever calls it that. But government employees have always been exempt from paying the piper due to mismanagement of taxpayer money, exempt for “reasons of incompetence”. We’ve always believed government employees should be held personally accountable for taking bribes, treason, favoritism in awarding contracts, an entire range of “no-no’s” but never for incompetence, they seriously blunder and we take our revenge at the ballot box, nothing more is said about it.
However, in changing times, maybe we should revisit our thinking, maybe harsher measures should be taken when government employees, elected or otherwise, just plain screw up. Lose their jobs, lose those fat pensions which contributed to the bankruptcy, maybe even some jail time playing tennis in a nice federal corrections country club. One can only dream, right? But is it such a farfetched idea? We put the Madoffs of the world in jail when the few benefit at the expense of the many, should the governors and key legislators join these swindlers from the business world?
Must the politicians and high officials in state government continue to sleep soundly at night, secure in the knowledge their job is protected even as they direct their state’s bankruptcy? But would it be justice to blame them and then make them pay for these failures? Would it ensure future government employees will think twice before letting their constituents suffer as a result of sheer greed or calculated indifference? After a little time to get used to the idea of whether we should hold government employees accountable for their fiscal incompetence, the appropriate question might be: Why not?
Lost Hope| 12.30.10 @ 8:15PM
You are absolutely right. Lots of ideas like stricter term limits, single purpose bills etc are all workable, relatively simple solutions that could improve congress.
Too bad they'll never make it out of committee or be debated on the floor let alone ever see a vote. You already know all the reasons why. Congress will never self-police itself back to a respectable organization. Unfortunately, until an angry mob storms the capital nothing will change.
If I'm wrong tell me why? Every trend is moving negative. Waste, fraud and abuse of our money. Corruption, often blatant is the norm. Re-election at all costs, candidates bought and paid for, not one senator who is not a millionaire. Nothing against millionaires as I'd like to be one. But how well are "the people" represented? This country started a slow swirl towards going down the toilet 30 years ago and it just keeps getting faster and closer to the center.
goatlocker| 1.1.11 @ 11:00AM
Your points are all valid. Sadly, even those legislators who articulate their interest in doing "the will of the people" lose all perspective and become hostage to the mindset that they and their cohorts in Washington are infallible and know more that the rest of us.
handbags | 12.30.10 @ 9:55PM
good post!
Pat| 12.31.10 @ 1:47PM
Talking about financial problems among the states is quite common nowadays, but what about bailing out pension funds for state employees? New York Governor David Paterson had a few things to say about that problem and English translations are included below for those who speak Liberal only as a second language. First, Paterson warned us of a terrible crisis heading our way – public employee pension funds could face significant write-downs. Paterson stated: “these problems were not created in a single year” (English translation: “it may look like my fault but don’t blame me because I only tried to give public employees as much taxpayer money as possible, just like those governors before me did”).
Paterson goes on to warn us: “we all have a stake in this problem” (English translation: “this nonsense logic worked perfectly for Obama when he decided to bailout out the auto workers”). Now, as a tire store owner in Boise, Idaho or a very hardworking waitress in Nashville, you’re probably wondering how, and why, these problems within New York’s Public Employee’s Pension Fund would have anything remotely to do with you. Well, hold on to your hat, or rather hold on to your wallet, because this is a disguised plea for a federal bailout – President Obama, are you hearing Guv. Paterson? And New Yorkers are secretly hoping Obama is planning on giving New York public employees your tax money because they believe he and the other Democrats know what’s good for this country and are convinced that’s exactly what you would want done with your tax dollars.
So what exactly is Paterson’s specific solution to this crisis? Well, he went on to say much more about the problem using clever, although somewhat vague, generalities but he didn’t offer a single concrete solution. Ha-Ha, the Liberal mainstream journalists got us once again – 8 paragraphs of welfare state rhetoric from a Democrat and which contains absolutely nothing of substance. Sure, Paterson warned us several more times we’re all in deadly peril if these pension funds should crash. And he did state we must come together, Wall Street must join hands with government officials to help these pension funds recover (English translation: “whenever us Democrats are having money problems, we always move to the political center and say stuff like: join hands, work together, voters seem to like hearing such phrases).
Paterson’s parting benediction was: “Solving the public pension fund crisis is both a financial and moral challenge.” (English translation: I have absolutely no idea what that means but, hey, I sound profound, don’t I? Plus, I know the mainstream media will discover plenty of insights within my comments on what to actually do about this problem, solutions usually involving taking money from other people like you and giving it to my crowd of supporters.) So, there you have it, public pension funds are in serious trouble, the politicians have no clue how to solve the problem but they’re counting on your financial support.
OK, you’re insulted by that kind of thinking, how could these politicians believe we’re so stupid as to buy into such an obvious con job? But what they’re actually counting on is that you personally know a government worker who will someday depend on a pension fund. Maybe he lives next door to you, he has a wife, he has 2.3 kids, and that point 3 is just the cutest little devil. He’s a very decent guy, his wife is kind to a fault and he let you borrow his electric hedge trimmer last fall and hasn’t asked for it back yet. He’s the real face you associate with this issue and now you’re thinking maybe we should do something about the pension fund problem. See, that old Liberal magic is still working, the politicians screw up but are counting on you to take the fall, to pay for their mistakes because you personally know somebody who will suffer from these mistakes and your heart simply won’t let you ignore your friend’s misery.
Paterson’s speech is a prelude to a kiss, or more like a rape, but definitely the start of a “bailout” dialog between the taxpayers and the various states Pension Fund beneficiaries – with the Pension Fund beneficiaries winning of course. On second thought, maybe you should just keep that electric hedge trimmer.
Poppakap| 1.2.11 @ 7:10AM
Pat, while I'm sympathetic to some of your views, please stop writing extra-topical novellas here in the comments section. We're supposed to be discussing the pros/cons of the article just read, not using this forum as a vehicle for unpublished writers.
goatlocker| 1.1.11 @ 10:56AM
Each year Obama is president is worse than the one before. Therefore, we will have to assume that 2011 will also disappoint in retrspect.
toadold| 1.1.11 @ 1:56PM
Sirrahs! I must protest the comparison of what the American National government does to Kabuki theatre. While Kabuki has ancient formalities it follows them consitently and it does do new material. The audience, except for school kids, are not forced to watch it or forced to pay for it. In addition Nancy Pelosi would never be allowed on stage, as all the female parts are played by men, and they do a much better job of it than she does.
go fuck a bible| 1.1.11 @ 5:15PM
you people are just mad that not only has the black man stolen your women, but now they've stolen your politics. And god do they deserve it, too. So what do you do? Make a complete mockery of your entire race. No, treating Muslims like the new Jews is NOT COOL. only ignorant rednecks like you think it is. Same things with gay people. I don't like them either, but I dont think making them second class citizens helps any. If somebody said I couldn't marry the person I loved, I'd do alot stronger than protest.
P.S. All you white rednecks are pussies when you are alone. You only get loud in groups, and hiding behind the internet.
Stick that in your pipe and smoke it
Wayne | 1.1.11 @ 11:07PM
So tell me where, did you learn your bigotry? It has no relationship to reality. As far as marry the person you loved. Nobody stops you unless their is incests involved, or the other person is underage. Somehow I don't if white rednecks even visit this site.You obviously have an anger problem.
Poppakap| 1.2.11 @ 7:05AM
Methinks the troll above believed his lib-loving principles so strong he could absorb some conservative thinking without blowing a fuse. Clearly, he was wrong. I chuckle at the frequency of leftist troll non compos mentis on this site.
In addition, the editors should review the post of "go f**k a bible" and consider striking it since it runs afoul the acceptable use/abusive posting rules.
Negro X| 1.2.11 @ 5:26PM
Spoken like a true white gulity islamic apologist.
Islam is cult and your post proves why it needs to be eliminated.
Pat Henry| 1.2.11 @ 9:06PM
My pipe is already full, thank you very much!