Andrew McCarthy, who writes for National Review and PJ Media penned a very nice tribute to the late Judge Robert Bork (here). He lists some of Bork’s writings and I just downloaded Bork’s “Slouching Towards Gomorrah: Modern Liberalism and American Decline from amazon.com (here), which I’ll start reading tomorrow. I could have been reading Antonin Scalia’s new book, “Reading Law”, but my one son called my other son to discuss whether Mom (me) would like this book. The other son told him that he didn’t think so, because it’s detailed, technical stuff about law. I told both sons, that I get it, “you don’t think I can understand the nuances of law.” Both rushed to assure me that wasn’t the case and the son who was thinking of giving me that book, sheepishly admitted he bought the book for himself and he’s started reading it. So, while I’m waiting to borrow my almost Christmas present, I can enjoy “Slouching Towards Gomorrah”.
Thoughts on the Arab Spring
Yes, I know it’s Christmas and I’ve already got my Christmas dinner started, so between dashes back to the kitchen to keep dinner moving along I’m going to jot down a few thoughts on why just about everyone in punditry, left, right and in between, gets it wrong on the Arab Spring. The first mistake many people make is what I’ll call cultural relativism, a natural off-shoot of our moral relativism, where we try to replace moral absolutes (i.e. right or wrong) with some ever-shifting sliding scale of excuse-making and finger-pointing of causes.. Once we muddy the water on defining behavior as right or wrong, we quickly get sucked down by underwater currents , akin to swimming in water-filled old quarry holes that abounded where I grew up in rural PA. As years of this muddled thinking spread by that contagion, I’ll refer to as the loons of academia, well, now many people hesitate to take a moral stance on just about any behavior, or they try to rationalize away individual responsibility for bad behavior. That same type of brainwashing on evaluating cultures spread like kudzu took root here in the American South, leading to our present strategic failures. If we start with all cultures are of equal merit and no culture has a superior value system, to better the life of its citizenry, then we end up quickly drowning in this swimming hole of cultural relativism. If we survive, we end up flailing about looking for some sound underpinnings to our understanding of what is going on in the world, what the likely outcomes of unfolding events will be and what these events mean to American interests.
The petals of optimism about the Arab Spring faded quickly, spreading seeds of discontent, disillusion and disconnected reasoning blowing across the strategic plain. Americans like everything fast, not just their cars and food, no, we like fast solutions, even when dealing with conflicts and cultures, dating back two millennia. I’ve read so much about the Arab Spring written by supposed experts on the Middle East, yet sadly most of these pages would serve a more useful purpose lining the bottom of a birdcage to catch the droppings. I’m quickly going to run through a few common fallacies that weave an uneven magic carpet of Arab pipe-dreams. My Christmas ham is happily baking so lets start with Islam (okay, I apologize that wasn’t culturally sensitive). Islam does not mean peace, it means submission to the will of God and obedience to his law. So, in Islam, God’s law is defined by the prophet, Mohammad and every aspect of Islamic culture is defined by this. The concept of separation of church and state falls as an anathema to Islamic teachings. Holding “democratic” elections does not a free, democratic, pluralistic society make. Cultures still steeped in tribal forms can’t jump the arc of historical enlightenment and instantaneously fall at the end, finding Jeffersonian democratic pots of gold. . And a last point is Islam lends itself more easily to autocratic forms of government, because the overwhelming consensus in these countries is that they want sharia law, which sets the stage for a theocracy (hint, that can never be a free, pluralistic society). Even the Puritans who fled persecution in England initially set-up a theocratic form of government and while lots of historians tend to miss this fact, cherry-picking only American themes they like (like how they tried communal living and it failed – strike one against communism in America) , the truth is they weren’t a pluralistic, welcoming group initially. There’s an excellent five-volume set of “The Life of George Washington” written by John Marshall and Volume 1 deals with a very detailed history of America’s founding from the very beginning (long before Washington’s birth). Marshall explains how other Protestants were run out of some Puritan towns, because they didn’t allow free exercise of religion, except for their own. This changed over time, but Catholics faced persecution in other colonies, as did various Protestant sects. So, our religious tolerance wasn’t at the high-water mark at America’s founding. The Marshall series is available for free at amazon.com (here) or volume 1 is at gutenberg.org (here).
So, then we reach the conundrum of why do some countries make successful democratic breakthroughs and others don’t and why are there so few successful democratic breakthroughs. There’s no exact recipe for democratic success, but having the basic mix of vital ingredients (free enterprise, democratic institutions within the society, property rights to list a few) helps increase the odds for success. The Mid-East, except for Israel, has none of the ingredients on hand. Trying to wing it with rhetorical substitutions and pie-in-the-sky wishful thinking won’t produce the desired results. I kept noticing this entrenched belief system when that clamor arose about the Palestinians and all the Jimmy Carteresque blather about holding elections, which led not to joyous democracy, instead it led to the posthaste election of Hamas. Even western-style image makeovers can’t turn a sow’s ear (like Arafat) into a silk purse and we end up with the same old dictators and tyrants. Here’s the best analysis of why the road to free, pluralistic, democratic governance has more potholes and road construction signs than highways in PA. It’s a book (sorry the kindle version isn’t free and the formatting is lacking) titled, “America’s Inadvertent Empire” by the late GEN William Odom and Robert Dujarric. GEN Odom’s wisdom will be sadly missed and I greatly admired him, in fact, I long for generals of his stature (alas, we’ve sunk to the GEN Casey/Petraeus/ Clapper politico types) . As a starting point in getting back on rational strategic terrain, this book maps out an excellent route toward understanding the landmarks to look for along the difficult road toward democracy. These are a few of my thoughts on what’s wrong with our American foreign policy in the Arab world. I’m not an expert on much of anything except needlework and homemaking, so I welcome opinions and comments. Time for Christmas dinner. Merry Christmas everyone!
Filed under Foreign Policy
Merry Christmas!
“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the LORD” (Luke 2:11).
Filed under Uncategorized
Suggested Reading
Just think about how much better off we would have been advising our young officers to download a free copy (here) of “The Story of the Malakand Field Force” written by Winston Churchill rather than trying to feed them slop about “winning the hearts and minds” and handing them copies of the fabricated tripe in “Three Cups of Tea” by Greg Mortenson, which GEN Petraeus was so fond of passing out. Just a thought.
Filed under Foreign Policy
“Disposable People”?
I often read news from foreign news sites and considering our Cold War focus on the USSR, I’ve got a particular fascination with Russia. Yes, the Cold warrior mentality lives on in some of us. We were living in West Germany when the Soviet menace collapsed. For those in the US military that meant training to defend the Fulda Gap.
For the best ever depiction of what that war might have looked like, nothing tops Tom Clancy’s “Red Storm Rising” (my all-time favorite Clancy novel, bar none).
So, despite the entire defensive posture changing for western Europe, the same old geopolitical points of friction remain. Geography doesn’t change, nor do deep-seated cultural perceptions. Too many geography deficient morons and clowns without a clue about history, within the highest levels of our government, provide little more in the way of meaningful analysis than potted plants.
I came across this opinion piece (here) in Pravda. Sadly, this is the sort of ridiculous drivel that our kids often hear from their college professors. While courses for cultural studies abound in American colleges, courses on military history have been almost completely killed off by the leftist loons who control academia. Thus we get intelligent people spouting drivel, like “Islam means peace”, to try and rationalize away the expanding threat of Islamism. And this educational void on teaching military history and insisting that you can’t understand other cultures (or our own) or have a clue how the world operates, if you don’t understand military history needs to be addressed.
We shouldn’t have people working within the State Department (to include Madame Secretary) or Pentagon, who are completely uneducated on the history of war. Oh, no, that phrase “history of war” brought to mind one of my favorite military historians, John Keegan, who passed away recently.
Okay, back to the subject at hand. We have to understand not only what our allies think of us, but it behooves us to learn as much about our adversaries as possible too. The piece contains this pearl of wisdom, “The capitalist system sees people as a disposable commodity, to be thrown out if not productive or useful in some way.” It felt almost like I was in a time warp back to the 8os.
Filed under Foreign Policy
Watching Elephants Dance….
Well, we’ve just witnessed another GOP spectacle of ineptitude with the Plan B collapse. It’s way past time for the GOP to have a “come to Jesus” moment and figure out what the heck the party stands for. It’s like watching elephants doing the hokey-pokey, while the Obama spinmeisters perform complex media waltzes. Last week I came across this short piece (here) on why conservatives are worried that there’s no way to stop Obama. It hit me as probably the closest to the truth take on President Obama. As this writer suggests, the Obama fundamental transformation doesn’t include any concern about the “fiscal cliff” or safeguarding America’s future. This past election has left me feeling very discouraged about our great country, because I truly believed the vast majority of Americans cared about the direction our government has taken in the past four years. A young man at work, who just graduated from high school told me this election was his his first time voting. He voted for Romney and he seemed perplexed why Romney hadn’t won and his take was , “I guess most people want free stuff.” I’m afraid he’s right, except all these people wanting “free” stuff seem totally oblivious that other people have to work hard to provide all this “free” stuff. Watching the deliberate escalation of class warfare leads me to believe that Obama truly intends to alienate conservatives and attempt to take down The Constitution and replace it with his regulatory tyranny. And he’ll do it with smiley face populist appeals and duping people into believing it’s because he cares. Lord, protect us from utopian do-gooders!
So, what stands in President Obama’s way? Not much, really!!! I’m already sick to death of Republican pundits offering up all these watered down values that they think will attract particular demographics of the electorate, where they think the GOP needs to pick up voters. What the GOP needs to do is define the party around clear-cut values and fundamental constitutional principles. If it becomes some progressive-light party, then I want no part of it. Our politically correct culture brainwashes people into believing that not offending a single person and appealing to everyone (branding above principles) lights the path toward GOP ballot success. I always told my kids that whenever they join any group in life, “you are joining them, they aren’t joining you”. By constantly chipping away at core beliefs and foundational principles, many great private organizations crumble into dim shadows of their original group. Purpose before polls has got to be the GOP mantra. Every parent uses the home truth rhetorical question, “if your friends jump off a cliff, are you going to jump too?”, yet at every turn the media throws out a poll number as if that denotes whether a stance has merit. It’s way past time for the American values reeducation tract to begin. So what if only 49% or 25% or even 5% of the public agrees with us! Stop falling for that mainstream media trap and feint right with core principles over polls! If we believe in the principles behind our policies, that should motivate our party’s leaders to knuckle down and sell our ideas. Most important changes in American culture were met with public distrust or disapproval at the beginning, so being on the wrong side of the polling curve shouldn’t be a reason to fold up our tent and hike over to set up camp with our ideological foes. After we’re clear on what we stand for, then it’s time to move on to explaining our purpose in ways that appeal to various demographics.
Enough of weepy John Boehner and the man for all sides of political issues, John McCain. And is there any Republican that isn’t sick to death of Lindsey Graham’s grandstanding and hypocrisy. Oh, yes Lindsey and John, you pushed for military intervention in Libya and Syria, then when it blows up in our face in Benghazi, you turn tail and attack the President’s policy failures…. I’ll hold my specific comments about foreign policy disasters and muddled military thinking for another day, but it’s clear that no one in Washington seems to understand long range strategic planning or even has a clue what America’s long range strategic interests are. I see a bunch of knee-jerk reactionary claptrap and flimsy psycho-babble disguised as strategy (thank-you General Petraeus and your COINista nonsense). I long for some inspirational leaders in our country – people who can get us to quit wallowing in despair and move purposefully toward rebuilding America’s greatness. Yes, I admit it, I’ve been wallowing and it’s time to regroup and not get sucked into all these noxious remedies that amount to little more than purging our core principles for political expediency. It’s way too easy to tune out and throw our hands up in despair, but I’m reading De Tocqueville again to inspire me;) We need to take heart that America’s greatness lies not in the yahoos in Washington, but in “We the people”! Federalism must be our starting point to revitalize our great country.
Filed under Politics
Time For A Classic Christmas Story
I love the short-stories of American writer, William Sydney Porter, who wrote under the pen name O. Henry. In my teens, I used most of my babysitting earnings to buy books, thus commencing a lifelong obsession with books. I still have my copy of “Tales of O. Henry” I bought decades ago and the very first story in the book, “The Gift of the Magi”, is the one that I urge you to read. Take a break from the dismal news, prop up your feet, and read a few of his wonderful short-stories. You can find it for free (here).
Filed under Food for Thought
Thank-You President Obama
Well, with the US economy on the edge of the fiscal cliff, the US credit-rating in decline and unfathomable wasteful spending by this President, who would think that all it takes is a few words (here) from the President to energize an industry (here) and (here). At least one industry is entering the new year with record profits.
Filed under Uncategorized
Some funny YouTube Videos
2012 And The End Of The World (here)
Can Texas Secede From The Union (here)
History Lesson For The History Channel (here)
Filed under Uncategorized
Gimme A Knife (Written by Gladius Maximus)
Last Sunday the Pastor posed the question of what we would consider to be necessities in today’s life. He gave some statistics from an earlier, time, maybe 50 or so years ago, wherein there were only about 19 things listed whereas in the current time were listed about 98 items. I’m not sure of the exact numbers, but those are close. Wow, 98 items considered necessities for an American.
Well, me being me, when he said “necessities” I immediately began thinking of survival, as opposed to microwave ovens and hand-held devices. The first item on my list was a good knife as I figured with a good knife I could either build or kill my way into most everything else. With some effort, after reaching only about five essential items on my list, I quit the inventory and got back to the sermon. Since then, though, I’ve had a chance to reflect on that question and the meaning of it to our society.
It came to me that our inability as Americans to survive in meager circumstances, or put another way, our dependence on technology, gadgets and the government, is evidence of the decay of character in our society. By that, I mean, our inability to be independent, innovative and willing to put up with hardship reflects how truly weak we have become. Our lack of perseverance in the face of adversity is evidence of our impotence. Unless we are surrounded by what many in the world would consider sumptuousness, we don’t believe we can make it.
If we don’t get our water out of a tap from a government approved water system, where will we get it? If we don’t get our protein from the local mega-store, sliced, diced, shrink-wrapped and priced, how do we get it and process it? If the burners on the range don’t work, or if we at least can’t get charcoal for the grill, how do we cook it? Need vegetables? How do they grow? Where do we get seed? When our shoes wear out, what do we do? When it’s cold outside, how do we stay warm?
I understand that folks growing up in the cities don’t have some of the outdoor opportunities that some of us have, but I am convinced that there are opportunities to develop individuality, independence, self-confidence and other survival skills without having to spend a year in the Rockies on some kind of sabbatical. Survival is more a mind-set than a setting. Attitude is everything.
Being innovative and imaginative is essential whether you’re in downtown Houston or central Nebraska. Skills of observation and patience are not natural talents, but acquired skills; both are essential and both can be acquired through discipline. The ability to reason and employ a rational, decision making process is needed in order to survive and thrive. Again, that is an acquired skill. Determination, grit if you will, is a trait to be cherished, not erased.
Why do I address this idea of necessities and survival in this column? What, you may ask, does that have to do with Taking Back America?
Our nation was founded by independent free-thinkers who were able to craft in their collective imaginations the essence of liberty. That imagination did not come from a dependence on the Crown of England to provide for their every need, but a willingness to be innovative; a willingness to persevere in the face of scarcity; a willingness to survive. The lack of that spirit is at the heart of the troubles we now face in America.
Health care issues; let the government fix them. Poor education in our schools, the government will fix it. Lack of discipline in the schools, we will regulate that by the government, too. Economy is weak; the government will provide for us. Coffee too hot at McDonald’s, let’s file a lawsuit. Offended by someone’s callous comments, get legislation to make that a hate crime. Don’t want to pray in public, make sure nobody else can either through lawsuits and legislation. Too lazy to work, go on welfare. Too lazy to get job training, get welfare. Want to make the stupid decision to quit school; that’s ok, there’s welfare for that, too. Have babies out of wedlock because of dumb decisions; that’s ok, we will give you money, medical care, food stamps and tell you it is a personal decision (even though tax money from productive citizens supports your dumb choices).
Whatever the problems we may face, the government will take care of us; cradle to grave. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the problem.
We have lost our independent spirit. We have lost the ability to innovate. We have lost the desire to stand on our own. We no longer want to be self-sufficient. We no longer teach our children what discipline is and why it is important. In short, we have become a nation of parasites.
Fortunately, not all of us are parasites as there are still enough productive tax payers out there to support the rest who are, but the numbers are dwindling. The decisions being made in congress will continue the crippling of our society until finally, the parasites will be the majority. And, when the parasites are the majority, we will be finished.
As for me, though, I’ll take a good knife.
Filed under American Character, Food for Thought, Gladius Maximus
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