Harvard University Press released a digitized version of 1740 book on Stonehenge titled, Stonehenge, a temple restor’d to the British druids, written by William Stukeley, according to The Heritage Trust blog (a fascinating blog to check out btw).
Where have all the real men gone?
I came across this article, “The 5 Traits The Modern Man Is Missing”, from a news/blog site called Elite Daily: The Voice of Generation-Y, via another blog Musings from a Middle-Aged Man, written by a retired police officer. I read his blog frequently, because he comes up with many interesting links to stories about government overreach into our lives and is particularly interested in the federal gambits on gun control. Now, being of a pacifist nature (ok, that’s a lie – I fight when severely provoked……… usually by bullies), but hey, I don’t own any guns, never even thought about owning a gun, but I sure understand the views of those who do own guns. And I understand where Obama’s fundamental transformation is leading us: courtesy of Allen West, in simple cartoon format, “Barry Explains Cloward-Piven Strategy”.
Barry, of course, fits into this thread so well, as he exemplifies, the modern man, described in the Elite Daily article. At the risk of being called a racist, right-wing extremist, Barry rode the Affirmative Action train all the way to the White House, despite not ever holding down any job outside of the far-left political agitating sphere. That provided the springboard into politics and the rest is history. Five years into this gig, even many of his supporters admit he doesn’t seem competent to do this job. Honesty checks itself at the partisan political gate, so these same folks will still support him. Just speaking as a mom and a grandmother, President Obama’s worst failing sure seems to be laziness – yes, I know, I have one kid like this too – brilliant, but sadly, very lazy. We have a President who glories in the public acclaim and perks of being President, but he has no real interest in actually working hard to perform the duties that come with the title. On the right we have weepy Boehner and McCain, reminiscent of Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now………. ready to wage his own wars everywhere. Enough with these milk-toast specimens of manhood, where are all the real men? Are they extinct? Do great men still exist? Let me know when you find one, please, we might need to clone him.
Filed under Culture Wars, General Interest, Gun Control, Politics
Israel hunkers down
The Middle East continues to destabilize and Al Qaeda is definitely on the run………. sweeping across the entire region, deep into North Africa and beyond. The only one hunkered down in fear is President Obama, desperately trying to bury his head further in the sand. Israel sits in the midst of this epic power vacuum in the Muslim world, stuck resorting to what the New York Times refers to as a “castle strategy”. We are witnessing one of those epic historical civilizational eruptions stirring and sadly President Obama remains clueless of the national security implications. (story here)
Filed under Foreign Policy, General Interest, Politics
Our Gumby really does have feet of clay…..
The time warp continues as the mainstream media emerges from self-imposed hibernation from reality, yawns a few times, shakes the dust devils from their eyes, meandering about in dismay and confusion. Could it possibly be true that their revered leader, The One, coldly and calculatingly used American troops for cannon (or IED and small arms) fodder for gross personal political purposes and not for a mission in furtherance of American national interests? Oh, I’m shocked, I tell you, this just can’t be…. “President Obama didn’t believe in the mission he sent young American soldiers to die fighting?” they murmur. Now, the reporters stumble about realizing, that not only did he lie about his “surge” in Afghanistan and happy talk about “winning the hearts and minds” of a populace ensconced in corruption, which is inherent in a narco-state run by assorted theocratic thugs and opportunistic criminals, but he lied about Al Qaeda being on the run too.
Of course, I posted, “Afghanistan already a lost cause?” in December 2012, but a lady should never brag and of course, a real military expert, unlike my amateur blogging, had penned an excellent piece, which I cited in my post, “The Endless and Unwinnable War” , by Carlo D’Este. To the larger question on this president’s character, well, I am very good on judging character. Yes, I am. I listen closely to what people say, I watch their mannerisms and non-verbal body language too and sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but President Obama is a Gumby of a man – he’s a malleable glob of clay, willing to remold his words for political expediency, as needed. He lacks character – he lies a lot and why Americans choose to be duped by political partisans and invest so much emotional energy into propping up these types of political charlatans, eludes me. Watch not only what people say, but look at what they do too – ahem, I’ve been yammering to the wall that President Obama announced his surge and simultaneously announced his withdrawal date since General McChrystal fell under the media spotlight in 2010. That oil and water combo never mixed – ie, it was obvious he was lying. Yes, Virginia, there is no Santa Claus, but rest assured Osama bin Laden’s spirit still lives on. Oh, no, another horrific moment for the Obamaite faithful, “Al Qaeda controls more territory than ever in the Middle East”, brought to you courtesy of Peter Bergen, the reporter who came to prominence snagging the first TV interview with an elusive bin Laden in 1997.
I’ll end with a quote from a May 2013 blog post of mine, “Al Qaeda is not dead, in fact, it has been breathed new life by the Arab Spring revolutions and these Muslim Brotherhood dominated countries will aid, fund, arm and utilize these al Qaeda groups to do their dirty work.” (full post here) Time to go do some real work – laundry, dusting and vacuuming await and I’m thinking about putting a pot of ham and great northern beans on to simmer away this afternoon. Now, the important question, should I bake cornbread or biscuits to go with the ham and beans?
Filed under Foreign Policy, General Interest, Islam, Military, Politics
Sans context: America’s foreign policy adrift
The political instability in Iraq should come as no surprise to anyone. To add my two cents worth to the big picture chaos in the Mid-East, here are a few quick thoughts, which I’ll elaborate on later – after I read through a pile of information in my in-box, courtesy of Justin. All the history plays into the centuries old Shia/Sunni power plays, it seems to me. Beyond wanting to annihilate the infidels and use our technology to buff up their killing potentials, Muslims are like the Las Vegas commercial – “What happens in Vegas- stays in Vegas.” We are peripheral to their internal divide in Islam.
Rest assured, whichever moves would be in our strategic interests, this administration will move posthaste 180 degrees in the other direction. While Obama isn’t at “fault” per se and even the Republicans get it wrong in the ME too, the real things we should have done decades ago to distance ourselves from being beholden to any of these Muslim/ME strongmen is to develop American energy independence. On a smaller scale, I’m also alarmed at how our military now utilizes non-US acquisition sources for weaponry and such – really bad idea there, imo. All the sensible things, to distance ourselves from some of these complex wheeling and dealing antics in the ME, we haven’t done and the only option we ever talk about is the military option. The American Left always lacks strategic vision and their entire operational modus operandi is reactionary, consistently lacking any deep thought process or dedicated historical research and analysis – they only seek “facts” which will bolster their political viewpoint.
The Republican strategic camp vacillates between the brain trust (term used very loosely here) of the McCain/Graham camp and the more serious-minded types like John Bolton. The McCain/Graham camp can be counted on for grandiose reactionary military gambits, which play fast and loose with historical reality and they simplistically wrap up all their high-flown rhetoric in the American flag. John Bolton, a very brilliant strategist, can be counted on for clear-sighted analysis, replete with solid historical scholarship to back his position and the only fault I can take from his policy advice, is that often the things he suggests require a stronger political backbone than exists in either political party. We don’t have the political will to tough out many of the actions required to actually be successful, especially in this hotbed of sensationalized journalism in the modern era. We capitulate to third-world propaganda fueled by the ubiquitous photos, sans context, hitting the internet and airwaves. Here’s a very good Bolton piece on the Kerry ME peace initiative.
What we should start doing before we plan any foreign policy is devote more time to looking at maps, thinking about the big picture and asking ourselves what issues about the various regions matter to our own interests. Most of our foreign policy debates become entangled with and controlled by people who have vested interests in particular regions of the world and it behooves us to always step back and refocus on the big picture, which for America should be our own national interests. Only after we’ve studied maps a good bit and done some background historical research should we begin formulating policy. Then we should always put the horse before the cart, which sad to say isn’t our usual reactionary response mode. We need to formulate the big picture foreign policy goals first and then we would be prepared for the little picture crises that keep flaring up. Yawn now, it’s okay, this lecture is over. More to come though, after I read through a lot more information. Yes, Justin, covers everything from modern jihadis all the way back to Tamerlane, but I sure appreciate all the links he sends my way!
Filed under Foreign Policy, General Interest, History, Islam, Military
Fear, the great political motivator
Lacking the required science/math gene, I don’t engage in debates over matters pertaining to these two fields. You won’t find posts here on the merits of lack thereof of global warming, because truthfully who am I to judge the merits of the research? However, politics is another matter and the hot button global warming political issue sure seems to be a case where the science follows the political dictates. Ethan Epstein presents an interesting look at climate science’s recent history (The Weekly Standard: “What Catastrophe?”) and introduces Richard Lindzen, the contrarian Alfred P. Sloan professor of meteorology at MIT, a leading critic of the global warming alarmist stance:
“If Lindzen is right about this and global warming is nothing to worry about, why do so many climate scientists, many with résumés just as impressive as his, preach imminent doom? He says it mostly comes down to the money—to the incentive structure of academic research funded by government grants. Almost all funding for climate research comes from the government, which, he says, makes scientists essentially vassals of the state. And generating fear, Lindzen contends, is now the best way to ensure that policymakers keep the spigot open.”
“Lindzen contrasts this with the immediate aftermath of World War II, when American science was at something of a peak. “Science had established its relevance with the A-bomb, with radar, for that matter the proximity fuse,” he notes. Americans and their political leadership were profoundly grateful to the science community; scientists, unlike today, didn’t have to abase themselves by approaching the government hat in hand. Science funding was all but assured”.
Epstein writes, “But with the cuts to basic science funding that occurred around the time of the Vietnam war, taxpayer support for research was no longer a political no-brainer. “It was recognized that gratitude only went so far,” Lindzen says, “and fear was going to be a greater motivator. And so that’s when people began thinking about . . . how to perpetuate fear that would motivate the support of science.” So, here the issue moves from the science to the political realm and therein lies the problem with so much of the global warming hype – a crisis creates a political nudge (to borrow from a Cass Sunstein book on political propaganda about how to motivate people and get them to accept changes deemed for their own good – the nanny state guidebook, if you will). Among academia there has been a narrowing of the mind in recent decades and those who dare challenge the prevailing orthodoxy quickly find themselves publicly cast into the marginalized Fox News viewer pot, as just another far-right loon. Climate change, née global-warming, rests as settled science and no skepticism or questioning is allowed.
Filed under Culture Wars, Education, General Interest, Politics
Some more links
Bizarre reporting angle on CNN: a young Iranian woman dies from injuries sustained from her husband beating her and CNN fixates on her touching death story??? Oh, the wonders of technology, where the hospital staff located this woman’s family in Iran and linked up. The two female reporters wax on about how this woman’s death helped 7 other people with organ transplants. The glaring omission – NO details about the assailant or crime. We know she was beaten to death and all they emotionally fixated on is the marvels of modern technology, which allowed her family thousands of miles away to watch her die…. Was the husband arrested? What charges is he facing? Any clues as to motive?
From Kerry’s mouth to Allah’s ears: “We are going to do everything that is possible to help them.” (Washington Post story here). In the same article, Kerry’s new Middle East policy explains it all so clearly (sing along…… “walking away from the troubles in my life”….)
CNN reports on the same Kerry statements emphasizing, the US will help the Iraqis fight Al Qaeda, but we won’t put any boots on the ground.
A vision of the future perhaps, a bookless library in Texas leaves me feeling rather cold and empty inside. Now, here’s a cute idea I came across last year that runs back in time: setting up your own Little Free Library.
Filed under Culture Wars, Foreign Policy, General Interest, Islam, Politics, The Media
“the best opportunity to succeed” (code for lower standards)
Here are two small news bits that demonstrate the big picture/little picture way strident feminists view issues and tool their propaganda accordingly. For these women, men are the problem, but hey, they’ve won every battle thus far and in the halls of power in America, men behave like cowed eunuchs, ever-cautious to fetch and carry the feminist agenda load. Hanna Rosin penned a short opinion piece, “Men Are Obsolete”, in Time, which offers a few bullet-point statements to make the big picture case and it behooves men to avoid beating their chests, screaming about how life has gotten so unfair for them or huddling in safe tree houses, where they can defiantly post a sign, “NO GIRLS ALLOWED”. Ms Rosin’s sentiments rise far above snarky bravado. In point of fact, from Obamacare’s forcing equality in requiring men to pay for maternity coverage, in the name of “fairness”, to President Obama opening combat positions to women, the ardent feminists have won and they’re declaring victory.
In the little picture world, where the political plays out in the real world, the feminist vision collapses and puts a lie to Ms Rosin and the Sisterhood’s cocksure(less) world view: “Marines delay female fitness plan after half fail” (USA Today). Having been a guinea pig in the feminization of the American military plan for a very short time decades ago, I’ll share with you how this goes. The political factions within the Pentagon will begin tinkering with new ways to make it appear that women can do these heavy-lifting, grueling combat tasks by eliminating as many of the tasks from the physical standards as necessary to get women into these positions. The physical standards for men will lower and all sorts of concessions will be made to soften the ride for women to succeed in these jobs. They’ll desperately seek a few über herculean gruntettes to become the face of the new Amazon band of sisters for the full court press, to “prove” women are just as strong as men. Here’s the Marine Corps capitulation to political correctness:
Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Amos wants training officials to “continue to gather data and ensure that female Marines are provided with the best opportunity to succeed,” Capt. Maureen Krebs, a Marine spokeswoman, said Thursday.
You can be sure the data gathered will be sufficiently adjusted to insure the previous upper-body strength standards weren’t really necessary and next will be lowering the weight loads for combat troops to carry on their backs and oh, of course, those grueling 12 mile foot marches carrying 70 lbs of gear in three hours will be deemed superfluous too. No need to be strong enough to scale walls or carry your own gear, the argument will go, after all, this is the modern military and we travel by vehicles now. Yep, expect to hear a full-throated diversionary argument for mechanized infantry to emerge……..
Filed under Culture Wars, Military, Politics
Worth a rerun
In April 2013 an Hungarian dance group, Attraction Shadow Theatre Dancers, performed on Britain’s Got Talent 2013: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4Fv98jttYA
This performance left such an impression that I’ve watched this video several more times throughout the year. Who says a dance routine can’t speak to big geopolitical issues and they did it without saying a word….
Filed under Food for Thought, Foreign Policy, Military, Politics
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