Am I Paranoid?

Dear Friends,

There is a little hot dog stand near my office that I don’t visit too often because the Polish Dogs are soooo good, but they are so unhealthy.  The other day when I stopped by, something triggered a discussion about the current millieux we find ourselves in.  I started by using an illustration that a friend told me one time of a five gallon carboy filled with water.  One can slowly drop red dye in the carboy, drop-by-drop, and it seems like forever, the water will develop a pink tinge.  This is what we are faced with under Fabian Socialism, i.e. the incremental introduction over time of increased socialism leading to oppressive communism, i.e. socialism with a gun.  The owner of the hot-dog stand was really listening, but there was a foul-mouth airhead sitting there that always seems to be there, and he asked me what I’d been smoking.

I’ve seen this going on for some time with the increasing number of edicts from Washington putting more and more restrictions on our freedoms and liberties via unread and unpopular legislation and executive orders by the poseur in the White House.  Recall the left’s exaggerated reaction to the Patriot Act under Bush.  Why are they so quiet now?

The last couple of weeks, I’ve become addicted to watching Glenn Beck’s program and his focus on history.  I really believe the man has found a vital programming niche and it is reflected in his rising ratings.  He spends a lot of time going over history and connecting the dots of current events.  Anyone who has been keeping up on things would find little or no flaws in his analysis.  This has been driving the left nuts.

This week, Glenn reminded us of the stated communist goals that were documented in 1963 below.  Please read them and then think about what is currently happening.  You should be able to find a tangible example for each.  I would remind you, again, that this IS NOT one force by the Communist Party USA, but it is multiple forces dispersed through our society as special interest groups: George Soros, PACS, teachers’ unions, MoveOn.org, Media Matters, Code Pink, NOW, Planned Parenthood, SEIU, etc., etc.  Overwhelming, isn’t it?  How many people do I meet on a day-to-day basis that are mindless drones for these forces.

As Beck says, using his hands as a megaphone, “Wake Up America!!”

GEA

Communist Goals (1963)

Congressional Record–Appendix, pp. A34-A35

January 10, 1963

Current Communist Goals

EXTENSION OF REMARKS OF HON. A. S. HERLONG, JR. OF FLORIDA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, January 10, 1963

Mr. HERLONG. Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Patricia Nordman of De Land, Fla., is an ardent and articulate opponent of communism, and until recently published the De Land Courier, which she dedicated to the purpose of alerting the public to the dangers of communism in America.

At Mrs. Nordman’s request, I include in the RECORD, under unanimous consent, the following “Current Communist Goals,” which she identifies as an excerpt from “The Naked Communist,” by Cleon Skousen:

[From "The Naked Communist," by Cleon Skousen]

CURRENT COMMUNIST GOALS

1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war.

2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war.

3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament [by] the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength.

4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.

5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites.

6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination.

7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N.

8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev’s promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N.

9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress.

10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N.

11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.)

12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party.

13. Do away with all loyalty oaths.

14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office.

15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States.

16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.

17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers’ associations. Put the party line in textbooks.

18. Gain control of all student newspapers.

19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack.

20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policymaking positions.

21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures.

22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to “eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms.”

23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. “Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art.”

24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them “censorship” and a violation of free speech and free press.

25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.

26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as “normal, natural, healthy.”

27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with “social” religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a “religious crutch.”

28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of “separation of church and state.”

29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.

30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the “common man.”

31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the “big picture.” Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over.

32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture–education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.

33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus.

34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities.

35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI.

36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions.

37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business.

38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand [or treat].

39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals.

40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.

41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.

42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use ["]united force["] to solve economic, political or social problems.

43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government.

44. Internationalize the Panama Canal.

45. Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction [over domestic problems. Give the World Court jurisdiction] over nations and individuals alike.

Regulations are the perverse vehicle to remove all possibilities of critical human thought

Dear Friends,

Obama sees Obamacare in sight and he is already campaigning for more financial reform.

One must ask why the right attempts to reduce regulation, and the left attempts to increase regulation. To me, it is clear.

The right knows that freedom and liberty depend on the free flow of ideas and a reasonable amount of risk taking. The left is risk averse and therefore is, to paraphrase Churchill, good at redistributing misery with other people’s money. Their solution is layer after layer of suffocating rules and regulations.

If you analyze all the great financial fiascoes, there were rules in place, but they were either not enforced or a “legal” bypass was devised. It has become too difficult with conflicting regulations and arcane interpretations to clearly lay blame. So, in one respect, this has become a big game fed by the bureaucrats, the legal system, and the crooks.

This is, more and more, leaving the average citizen with invisible handcuffs on. Recall the stifling number of agency approvals needed to open a business in San Fransicko.

I think this problem is sinking in because it has been years since I’ve heard the refrain, “There oughta be a law!”

GEA

Irrational Government / Irrational Business

Dear Friends,

Some time ago, I’d complained that the government reaction to lower usage of mass transit or parking was to raise fares or fees. Business is a bit quirky in this regard, as well. Recall the flood of paperwork earlier this year surrounding fees, etc. for credit cards. Some held their position… very few did that. Citi raised one of my credit cards from 13.9% to 21.9% for no reason other than to get by coming legislation that would limit such usury. I complained and they gave me 50 bucks. Hmmm. Needless to say, I am looking for a new credit card company that doesn’t yank my chain every other month with new rules or reduced benefits.

The latest debacle is with Anthem Blue Cross. As we watch this health care fiasco, one has to wonder what Anthem Blue Cross was thinking when they announced a nearly 40% increase in rates at such a sensitive juncture. If I were the chairman of that company, I would have fired the CEO for such a blunder. One can only think conspiracy theory and that we are all being set up. I.E. Obama and his lackeys have been chastising Insurance Companies when they take time off chastising Wall Street. Suppose there was government/insurance company collusion on this issue to help the passage momentum Stretch Pelosi is trying to muster in the house. We’d all heard that certain mandates would be a short-term windfall to insurance companies until the illusive government option puts them out of business long after the current Blue Cross CEO is out of the picture. Be watchful.

GEA

The Illogic Of The Left…

Dear Friends,

Michael Savage stated, "Liberalism is a mental disorder". I have since substituted "Leftism" for "Liberalism" since the leftists keep moving the label target.

But I digress… At issue here is to accurately portray in as few words as possible the mental problems of the loony utopian left. I do this with a quite contemporary role playing skit:

=================

Mr. Leftist: "We must pass this healthcare bill at all costs! Think of the children! I know this woman who is using her dead sister’s teeth."

Mr. Conservative: "We have no way to pay for it and it will, as written, cause prices to rise and service levels to fall."

Mr. Leftist: "Why are you against healthcare reform, you selfish and cruel un-nuanced moron?"

================

Overlay this template on ANY leftist/conservative discussion and you will find the true illogic of the left. If this three-liner is too obtuse, let me know, but I am attempting to portray the parallel universe in which these utopians live.

GEA

Intellectuals Versus Intellectualism

Dear Friends,

The constant accusation from the left that conservatives are morons, anti-intellectual, and anti-science is a bit tiresome.

The reality is they should look in the mirror and they would find this is simply a reflection of their own short-comings. This is often the case when one entity criticizes another. I chalk it up to a defence mechanism for the very insecure circumstances the entity may be in at the moment.

For the record, conservatives ARE NOT anti-intellectual, but I do believe they are against intellectualism. With apologies to Webster’s fine volume of words, I use this last term as a catchall religion (“ism”) for discussion.

My new definition(s) for “intellectualism” is…

1. Imposing untested theories on humanity in order to: gain power, achieve some ideological goal, or do what an elite group believes is good for humanity at the moment.

2. Using the word “nuance” to imply that solutions to humanity’s problems are too complex for the average person to deal with and must be assigned to a ruling elite to solve.

3. Using “intellectual” arguments to demean segments of our civilization to be able to lord over them.

4. Undermining our intellectual standards to be more inclusive of those that may agree with or support the ruling elite.

…can you add to the list? This IS NOT a slam against intellectuals, but a slam against elites and statists that think they are intellectuals.

A necessary caveat must be inserted. As our detractors on the left continue their various character assassinations to divert attention away from their hollow ideas, conservatives also follow blindly behind right-wing concepts that are generally established as polar opposites of a related concept on the left. Don’t follow such ideas blindly but use your mind to discern the underlying merit or truth. Don’t shoot the messenger, but to wake you from your slumber, you must remember that even Hitler did some good things.

GEA

Tolerance

Dear Friends,

Has anyone taken note of how the word “tolerance” has sort of disappeared from the leftist lexicon these days?  What other mischief are these wordsmith revisionists up to?

GEA

To Pass Or Not To Pass, That Is The Question…

Dear Friends,

We certainly do live in “nuanced” times. I had some communications with two PhD’s on opposite ends of the globe. Both had served as instructors during their careers. The not-so-hypothetical situation posed was…

A university class was given a test (pop quiz, mid-term, final, whatever). The best student (s) in the class only got 50% of the test correct. What grade should be given to the top student (s)?

There are two readily apparent answers… Either a failing mark OR an “A”.

How can that be if certain standards are to be kept in our institutions of higher learning?

For the instructor giving the failing mark, the reasoning is quite straightforward… “I have given this test before (assuming the solutions were not widely published on the web) and students have passed it to my expectation.” (The difficulty arose when the department head came in and insisted that one could not fail the whole class in this manner. For the sake of job security, some flexibility was introduced, as I understand.)

For the instructor giving the passing mark, the test was probably graded on the curve (a certain percentage getting passing grades and a certain percentage failing based on the distribution of the results), because the instructor assumes that he may be fallible in the sense of asking material that was TOO difficult or was not properly covered, etc. My instructors often put in “zinger” questions they used to separate the men from the boys, as they put it.

Who is correct or who is wrong is difficult to ascertain in this circumstance. One instructor came to the conclusion that this whole class of that year may not be worth its salt. That happens, you know…. a wave of ignorance and stupidity. Who will carry the flame of excellence?

There are so many subjective factors driving the above examples to the proper conclusion. In this age of political correctness, social promotion through the grades, unbridled self-esteem, etc. our civilization and society will continue to suffer if we water down our standards of education to give equivalency to the lowest common denominator of intelligence in our community.

It goes back to my Fabian Socialism concept. It is the slow progression of communism on our society rather than the abrupt methods used in Russia and China. Put the doctors and intellectuals in the field to tend the crops and elevate the morons to the ruling elite. You must agree with some of this given recent events in our government.

What do you think?

GEA

Sarah Palin’s Book “Going Rogue, An American Life”

Dear Friends,

I don’t wish to compete with all the reviews that exist in the Amazon.com link below on Sarah Palin’s book, “Going Rogue, An American Life”, which I have just read: 

http://www.amazon.com/Going-Rogue-American-Sarah-Palin/dp/0061939897/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261262842&sr=1-1

I do wish to make some observations about the situation, however.

We know the left loathes her, not because of the contents of their criticism having a modicum of substance, but because she represents EVERYTHING they aren’t. Read the book to find out what they aren’t.

They are deeply threatened by this woman and actually fear her. What better way to get rid of her than to attack her and her family personally and not go after her ideas… something they would surely not be able to overcome. This has become the worn out play book of the left and the news media.

They are not the only ones. There is a surprisingly large contingent on the right that loathes her as well.

Since there is very little, if anything that I politically can agree on with the left, I am somewhat baffled by this phenomenon on the right, since about 99% of what Palin stands for and talks about is in line with my attitude and thinking.

Putting the Palin controversy aside, we should look long and hard at ANY “conservative” or “Republican” that easily dismisses this woman. I have come to the conclusion that this will become a litmus test for purging the Republican Party of undesirables and getting the party back on track.

GEA

P.S. This is the very last paragraph of Palin’s book in the Acknowledgements section:

“And I do know there is a God. My life is in His hands. I encourage readers to do what I did many years ago, invite Him in to take over… then see what He will do and how He will get you through. Test Him on this. You’ll see there’s no such thing as a coincidence. I’m thankful for His majestic creation called Alaska, which has given me my home, and for His touch on America, which has given us all so many opportunities. By His grace, an American life is an extraordinary life.” 

A Third Party?

Dear Friends,

Many of you and I have discussed the issue of moving to a third party or possibly re-register with no party affiliation.  Clearly, if you belong to the Republican Party, a lot of frustration has built up stoked by continual requests for money accompanied by those silly RAH-RAH surveys.  If you are a registered Independent, I hope you will follow my thought process.  If you are a registered Democrat, you have probably already hit the delete button.

In a frustrated outburst about a year ago, I told my cousin that we have to scrap our form of government and start over.  She said, “Hold your horses!”  She continued by saying that our government according to the Constitution, is excellent.  It is just the rot within that is bringing it down.  A good housecleaning is in order.

Can a third party bring this about?  I’ve toyed with the idea many, many times and I’ve come to some conclusions.  They are definitely not the mocking and negative solutions that Michael Medved puts out on third party issues.

What happens when third parties gain traction?  The Democrat lost one because of Ralph Nader (Yeah!!)… but we got Bill Clinton because of Ross Perot.  Hmmm.

Since our system is “winner-take-all” in fundamental outcomes (Obama won, so now everyone has to shut-up.), we don’t have the luxury of forming a coalition similar to a parliamentary system.  As a result, fractures within an opposing party CAN easily destroy their chances to win.  It really forces the two parties to get their respective acts together as the Democrats apparently did during this last election.  McCain was a very divisive candidate that left most Republicans wondering what happened.  Palen saved a lot of votes, but the venom on the right (let alone the left) about her is a truly remarkable phenomenon to me.  It brought to the surface the party elites and the rest of the people for all to see.

Honestly, these various parties continue to pop up and some look very attractive, such as the Constitution Party.

IT JUST WON”T WORK.  The ego of the party leaders insists on putting forward a candidate and they lose and gum up the works for the rest of us.  Ron Paul is a strong Libertarian, but a registered Republican.  I am still trying to understand that one, but he may have realized he had no chance to forward his agenda within the Libertarian Party, which one key libertarian stated was being taken over by anarchists, at least in California.

What will work is PRESSURE from like-minded groups within the party.

What we have to do is to gather momentum and reshape the party around conservative ideals (not sticks on the mud from my detractors).

It is not easy.  It will not be easy.  Look at what has happened, as an example, to the mighty Anglican/Episcopal Church.  Rot within has caused a major schism.  Fortunately, they were not vying for the control of the United States.

As always, your comments are welcome.

GEA

Terminology (Review)

Dear Friends,

A friend used the word “liberal” this weekend and it sounded so odd at this point in time.

The looney left, for a least 50-60 years, has made very good inroads into redefining our language to suit their perverted needs:

liberal
inclusive
celebrate
diversity
tolerance
progressive
racism
gay
marriage
choice
etc., etc.

The focus of this missive is to discuss the evolution of the word “liberal”.  F.A. Hayek, in his “Road To Serfdom”, noted, to my surprise, how leftists had appropriated the word “liberal” over half a century ago.  My opinion is that it evolved over time since classic liberal circles were fertile grounds for discussions about other economic systems, be they communist or Nazi or socialistic or capitalistic.  The problem is there was a disconnect around the end of World War II and most non-USA countries clung to the old definition of “liberal”, while, in the U.S.A., the communists and leftists and socialists and their ilk gradually changed the hidden meaning of liberal such that true classic liberals were sucked into a new way of thinking and seemed to have no way to escape.

Recently, Hillary Clinton was labeled as a liberal and she said she preferred the “progressive” designation.  Hmmm.  Watch for shifting terminology use.  It seems the word “liberal” has become diluted, much the same as the word “racist” is now becoming.  Progressive is a very old term that has come back into favor since it has such a nice ring to it.

Let’s cut through the bovine excrement and just call them “leftists”.  If these leftists start to use force, call them “communists”.  Using the word “socialist” as a economic descriptor is difficult because most countries use varying levels of socialism and this can lead to endless arguments about what level of government control of an economy is too much or too little.

I’m pretty sure I got one “conservative” talk show host to change his terminology from “liberal” to “leftist”.  I can only hope you will do the same.

I regret that Michael Savage’s saying, “Liberalism is a mental disorder”, will have to be changed to, “Leftists need psychiatric help.”  Someone needs to wordsmith this a bit.

GEA

P.S. I will avoid the “conservative” definition can of worms for the moment.  ;-)