It Always STARTS as an "Option"

When a "compromise" is reached, those who started the whole fight, and continue to dissent NEVER lose. Instead, the Will-Not-Be-Appeased agree - grudgingly, and only after a lot of drama, hurling of Hate Words (Hater, Racist, Sexist, Homophobic, Transphobic, etc.), and publicity that puts THEM in the position of Officially Injured Party - to be given a Separate (but Equal?) organization.

Paid for, BTW, with the same funds that only official organizations have access to.

That's just the first step in the long fight.

You see, they have now gotten the funds, and official recognition, to fuel their continued Long March. That phrase, BTW, is taken from the story of Chinese Communists, when, after defeat on the field, the rebellious forces retreated to their new headquarters, from whence they began to plan their final takeover.

The New Long March, through the institutions of the opposing side, has been ongoing for a long time. The person who came up with the slogan was influenced by the Italian Communist, Gramsci, (see my work on explaining Gramsci, Part I, and Part II).

 a slogan coined by Communist student activist Rudi Dutschke around 1967 to describe his strategy for establishing the conditions for revolution: subverting society by infiltrating institutions such as the professions. The phrase "long march" is a reference to the prolonged struggle of the Chinese communists, which included a physical Long March of their army across China.^[1]

 Dutschke also got support from Marcuse:

Herbert Marcuse corresponded with Dutschke in 1971 to agree with this strategy, "Let me tell you this: that I regard your notion of the 'long march through the institutions' as the only effective way..."^[4]

 And, as I said, a major part of the grab for public funds is intentional subversion, and eventual control, of those institutions.

The long march includes the concerted effort to build up counterinstitutions. They have long been an aim of the movement, but the lack of funds was greatly responsible for their weakness and their inferior quality. They must be made competitive. This is especially important for the development of radical, "free" media. The fact that the radical Left has no equal access to the great chains of information and indoctrination is largely responsible for its isolation.

Now, how will this happen at UT?

Note that the Left has pressured the university to set up an Alternative Power Center - the "alternative" band.

From that publicly-funded power base, the students - and their Leftist leaders - will grow in size. They will do that through a variety of ways:

• They will suggest different insignia on their uniforms - a badge, an armband, a scarf - and conspicuously wear it in performances. They will also use it to try to gain 'allies'
• Allies are those who aren't ready to commit to directly working with the organization, or who actually have no interest in their aims. But, by asking for a small commitment, such as wearing the same color, periodically, or putting a button/sticker on (it doesn't matter that it's not on the official band uniform, it matters because, once they buckle on one little matter, they are on the slippery slope).
• They will join with other organizations to provide public support, and further marginalize the UT band.
• Eventually, the band members will find themselves shunned by other UT students. Particularly for the women, this is a profoundly uncomfortable position. Some will cave.
• Eventually, the pressure will mount for a joint performance - "in the interests of Unity". Funny, that unity never involves THEIR making compromises - they are obdurate. All change must come from the other side. Their only assent to Unity will be their "gracious" acceptance of the other side's words of "Unity". Unity, my A$$.
• This may well be a multi-year project. It doesn't matter how long it takes, it just matters that the Left never give up.

And, speaking of Never Giving Up, I understand the the Dodder-in-Chief was able to stay awake long enough to deliver a speech to Congress.

I didn't watch it. Forcing that kind of torture on an old lady is some kind of Human Rights violation, I'm told.

For those who care, here's a synopsis of the speech.

It's worth reading the report from Fox News, that mentions a telling phrase that relates to the tactics I mentioned at the start of this post.

 He got a rather icy response from Republicans when he pushed for bipartisan negotiations on his "American Jobs Plan," a spending plan the White House is selling as an infrastructure effort. 

"I'd like to meet with those who have ideas that are different, they think are better. I welcome those ideas," Biden said. "But the rest of the world is not waiting for us. I just want to be clear, from my perspective, doing nothing is not an option."

In other words, we are Fine with Compromise, as long as you accept that the line is moving - in OUR direction.

Little by little, like a horny teen edging his hand further and further into the Forbidden Zone.

Until - SUCCESS! 

There is a Reason that Free Speech is in the FIRST Amendment

And, a good place to start learning out why, and how that right is under threat, is here.

Threats against those using that right to say things you oppose is just ONE of the actions that is designed to make sure that, even if the Right to Speak Freely is not officially stricken from the Constitution, it is neutered.

I strongly suggest that you view the actual video of the event. It has so often been reported to be a White Supremacist, Nazi-supporting speech, that the truth will astound you.

The fact that the leadership of this Cancel Culture is female is deeply painful to me. We have come a long way - down a very dark and dangerous road - from the days when women seeking to empower themselves sang "I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar".

For Modern Women, it is "I am a TERF (But Don't Hate Me Because of That), Hear me Whimper".

And, So It Begins

Actually, it started a long time ago, with the fringe monthlies that didn't kowtow to the Established Thinking.  There have always been those, largely mimeographed sheets of paper staples together, circulated by the convicted.

Don't know what a mimeograph is?  Ask your granny - maybe your great-grandpappy.

Or, just Google it.

The Samizdats did it, even earlier, with their revolutionary documents re-typed, from one to another.  Think of the work it would take to reproduce a book by re-typing it, or copying the book into longhand.

I teach American kids for whom cut-and-paste is too much work.

The trend accelerated with the introduction of fax machines.  What, they're lame technology?  Tell that to the Chinese youth that spearheaded the Tiananmen Square revolution.  They did that armed largely with fax machines to spread the word.

Oh, sorry, you probably CAN'T tell them - they are dead, in prison, or cowed into submission.  A few are still under house arrest or living abroad.

Fast-forward to recent times.

Today's kids use their cell phones to organize their social and political activity.  There is a downside to their method.  It is ephermal - lasting but a short time, and with no quick way to archive the conversation.

However, the videos/Vimeo/Snapchat means they most like to use have been mastered, and used to spread the memes of the Left.

Where does this leave blogs?

You are unlikely to make a financial killing with political blogs.  Sorry, that's just the way it is.  If money is your prime motivator, get a sales job.

The real effect of the political/cultural blogs is to Spread the Learning.  To provoke thought, to educate younger people about historical events that they have MIS-learned, and to build coalitions.

Alternative Ways to Spread the Learning:

• Pass on videos - on Facebook, on Google+, on your and others' blogs.  They should be SHORT, memorable, and educate the viewer.  Think of Andrew Klavan, Bill Whittle, and other Conservatives who currently dominate the media.  You could try producing your own, if you are inclined.  If so, send me a message, and I'll respond.


• Circulate static media - someecards, LiberalLogic101, photos with captions, etc.  To the above places to circulate, try SnapChat - the under 21 crowd ALL use it.  Your objective is simply to provide an alternative voice/meme for people to pass on.  Remember, the goal is to Spread the Learning.


• Read HARD copies of political/cultural books, and pass them on to your friends/library/school.  By doing so, you will maximize the effect of your buying dollar.


• Continue to educate yourself.  Read, discuss, take notes.  Try meeting with others in a book club, if you can.  If that's not possible, try the Ace of Spades online book club.  It's primarily for fiction, but you can also look around to find a like-minded group of readers for political/cultural discussions.  Try Joining Conservative Mentors, or another group - they exist in a wide range of philosophies.  I've also joined the Bible-a-Thon, which is set up to complete reading the entire Old and New Testament in a year.


• Right now, Facebook is experiencing a pushback from those on the Right who are concerned about its evident Leftist bias.  But, let's get real - Conservatives skew older, and FB serves to keep up with the kids and grandkids.  There have been rumblings about an alternative FB, but I haven't seen it happening yet.  There are some things we could try:
  
  
  
  • Migrate to Google+
  
  
  • Try to set up a No Facebook Day - pick a date at least 2 months in the future, and publicize it via - I love this - Facebook.  For 24 hours, set your picture to the logo, and refuse to use FB.
  
  
  • If successful, try setting one day a week - Sunday would be appropriate - to NOT use FB.  Again, make your reason clear with a picture logo, and a statement about your decision.
  
  
  
  

Feel free to add any further idea to this list.

PRO-Western Civ

Isn't it funny that such a statement makes me stand out?  I'll make it more pointed:

I am devoutly, unashamedly in favor of teaching ALL students who are on track to be high school graduates, the Foundations of Civilization, from the perspective of Western History.

This DOESN'T mean that students shouldn't learn about other cultures, just that we shouldn't glamorize them at the expense of their own culture:

• Learn about Japan, including its history of rule by military, its current political and economic structure, and, by the way, Japan's complete exclusion of other races/ethnic groups from full participation in that culture.  They are quite racist, as well.


• China - its colonization of other countries, including the country of Tibet.  Its shaky economic structure, its refusal to allow Free Speech, Freedom of Religion, and its use of political prisoners as slave labor.


• France - its interlocking elitist governance, its abandonment of elderly people to die, its colonizing past (which, when they left Vietnam, did nothing to restore the country and led the condemnation against America for stepping into the breach), and it willingness to cooperate with vile dictators, while villifying Israel.

I could go on and on.  We need leaders whose first impulse is not to apologize for our country, our culture, and our history.  We need students to learn about the GOOD our country, and the whole of Western peoples have done.  We need proud defenders of democracy, freedom, and Western culture.

Read more here.

Elitist Snobbery - And What It Means for America

America, we are told by Progressives, is FILLED with those icky people who are not comfortable with those that differ from them ethnically, culturally, or religiously.

Progressives, on the other hand, PRIDE themselves on their carefree ability to associate with - well, just about ANYONE (because they are so cosmopolitan and worldly).

This is shown by their patting themselves on the back for having a passport, and using it, preferably in out-of-the-way places.  They sneer at those who travel by group; it shows their discomfort with cultures and places that are not familiar.

There is one ethnic group, and culture, that the Elites are afraid of, suspicious of, and nearly totally ignorant of - the White American.

Oh, the Elites will tell you exactly what the White American believes, thinks, does, and IS.  They KNOW.  Without any attempt to actually spend any time with "Those People".

Such ignorance, combined with disdain, is what Elites accuse "Those People" of (Yes, I do know that I am ending my sentences with a preposition.  That's what we Ohioans do.  Get over it.).

Muffin top on White Americans?  Evidence of their inability to control their appetites.

Muffin top on an Elite?  A relaxed attitude towards media-imposed conventions.

Drug use in White Americans?  Evidence of their laziness, criminal tendencies, and poor self-control.

Drug use in Black Americans?  Evidence of the oppression of them by White Americans.

Drug use in Elites?  Oh, come on!  EVERYBODY does it - totally unimportant.

Removing White American children from public schools, due to concerns about academic quality and poor cultural influences?  Evidence of Racism, a whole lot of -Phobias, and anti-intellectualism.

Removing Elite children from public schools, due to concerns about academic quality and poor cultural influences?  Just protecting their own - Totally justified (after all, the Clintons and Obamas did it).

White American not making the grade in school?  They're just stupid - probably a result of all that inbreeding.

Black American not making the grade in school?  Oppression by White Americans.

Elite not making the grade in school?  Child is (pick one or more): Learning Disabled, Autistic, Brilliant, but not understood by those mediocre teachers, Learns by a Different Modality (and, the teacher BETTER completely accommodate that difference - or ELSE).

Whatever the problem, Elites are excused from responsibility - unlike White Americans.

 

 

A New Term for an Old Concept

Anarcho-Tyranny

I was introduced to this idea by Francis Porretto of Bastion of Liberty (and Outlaw Bloggers).

It perfectly explains why the government is so obsessed with micro-managing the Libertarian impulses of the American people, but refuses to deal with ACTUAL crimes.

In short,

Sam Francis's most enduring, as well as trenchant, political insight may have been his perception of what he caustically described as "the unique achievement of the political genius of the modern era." Francis dubbed this "anarcho-tyranny"-"a kind of Hegelian synthesis of two opposites," he explained, in which the failure of the state to enforce protective law is coupled with the enforcement of oppressive law by the state to tyrannical ends. Under anarcho-tyranny, the underclass-rampaging blacks, illegal aliens invading from south of the border-is by and large tolerated or ignored in its behavior, while the law-abiding middle classes and that part of the upper class that is not directly incorporated into the ruling elite is criminalized through unfair taxation, social engineering, anti-gun legislation, "hate crime" statutes, and other forms of legislative and judicial harassment. Anarcho-tyranny is the strategy by which a dictatorially-minded ruling class exploits the lower orders for the purpose of grinding the middling majority between upper and nether millstones.

Bold text defined by me.

This is one concept that Conservatives and Libertarians need to become familiar with.  We also need to develop strategies to deal with it.

Something to Think About - A LONG March for Conservatives

Bookworm's Link - you need to read it.

In some respects, our current situation with the nomination is our own fault - for too long, Conservatives have been narrowly focused on POLITICAL solutions:

• Passing legislation to stop Obamacare, keep the status quo regarding man-woman marriage, stop abortion clinics from exploiting women, etc.


• Suing in courts to enforce Constitutionally-guaranteed rights


• Electing reliably Conservative politicians

After all that effort, we find ourselves watching a NON-Conservative wanna-be candidate taking over "our" party, and being unable to stop that juggernaut, despite the Republican party having a RICH trove of potential candidates standing by.  One by one, they have been savaged in the media, until, we are down to 2 top choices - either Trump, or a man that - although I support him - is not exactly Mr. Charismatic.

Folks, we need to focus more of our attention on the CULTURAL hegemony.

What is "hegemony"?

Progressive/Liberals/Leftists have imposed THEIR Cultural Hegemony on the rest of us - the majority - to the extent that it can be worth your life, your livelihood, and your reputation to challenge that Belief System.  From Wikipedia:

In Marxist philosophy, the term cultural hegemony describes the domination of a culturally diverse society by the ruling class, who manipulate the culture of that society — the beliefs, explanations,perceptions, values, and mores — so that their ruling-class worldview becomes the worldview that is imposed and accepted as the cultural norm; as the universally valid dominant ideologythat justifies the social, political, and economic status quo as natural, inevitable, perpetual and beneficial for everyone, rather than as artificial social constructs that benefit only the ruling class.

As Saul Alinsky said, "Make them live up to their rules."  Make the Progressive Rulers live up to their cultural norms - force them to accept alternative viewpoints by challenging them in their own words.

 

According to Hoyt

She has the neatest blog - politics, culture, and, of course, fantasy and sci-fy (she is an author, having been published both IRL by Baen and in digital form).

One of the best things is the way she analyzes America from the standpoint of an outsider, which she was, initially.  Sarah was born and raised in Portugal, and retains the ability to see us at a distance.

"The Long March" is 2 days old, but worth the time reading it.

Probably  the most crucial part?

There is strife.  Strife means the old blood and the new don’t agree.  Another way to look at it is renewal.

Problem is advocates of liberty are about as good at coordinated action as a bunch of cats

It's true, the Left outflanks us at unified action.  Gone are the days when Democrats proudly proclaimed, "I'm not a member of a political organization - we're not organized at all".

Mao and his ilk would be bursting his jacket-buttons at the way modern American Leftists have managed to corral ordinary American citizens into lockstep.  They've done it by the time-honored manner used by so many Leftists - enforcement of cultural norms and social shaming, pressure on their peers to banishment the non-conformers, and threats - threatened and actual - against employment.

Who could have predicted that the Woodstock Generation would turn to methods they ridiculed when they were the outsiders?

What You Sow You Reap

I, like most Conservatives, already knew most of this.  But to see all of these Constitutional abuses laid out at once was  a bit of a shock.

 

Ending the Subsidization of Our Own Downfall

The next President must dedicate at least a little energy to halting the free reign of 501(c)4 organizations.

They are organizations that are not supposed to be overtly partisan or political.  However, in practice, they usually are.  One such organization is Organizing for America (really, it's Organizing for America's Downfall!).

Here are the rules for 501(c)4's.

On a related note, universities seem to be particularly exempt from rules of basic decency.  They scream about "equal pay for equal work", yet ignore on of the most egregious examples of its lack on campus.

Equal pay for equal work may be a national rallying cry. Yet for some reason, academia expects that it can pay a graduate-student teaching assistant or a PhD-holding part-time instructor a fraction of what it would pay a tenured full professor for teaching the identical class. The gulf between a full professor and a part-timer — in terms of money, power, and status — far exceeds that between the WalMart manager and his greeter at the door. And at least the latter pair have far different tasks. Is such disparity liberal?

Read more at: National Review

 

Candidates - Bernie Sanders

He LOOKS like such a kindly, if slightly cranky, uncle.  His appeal is that he is for the "Little People".

But, is that reality - or a carefully crafted misleading of the American people?

[caption id="attachment_1037" align="alignleft" width="275"] Lovable Lil Socialist[/caption]

Let's start with his record on Free Speech - he's against it - at least when it comes to speech HE and his Progressive Friends don't approve of, like the right of corporations to lobby for their interests, those opposing Conventional PC Thought, or those who would dare to disagree with the Fashionable Left.

Sanders was against American involvement in Vietnam - BUT, it was NOT because of his deep love for humanity - like most Progressives/Leftists, he averted his eyes to the atrocities of the South Vietnam bloodbath after the Americans left.

[caption id="attachment_1038" align="alignleft" width="278"] Not As Far Left As Bernie[/caption]

Honestly, if you want to know just how Bernie will destroy America, just look at this list:

1. Rebuilding Our Crumbling Infrastructure
   
   
   
   1. Now, this could be CHEAP - ONLY $ 1 trillion!
   
   
   
   


2. Reversing Climate Change
   
   
   
   1. He wants to "transform our energy system away from fossil fuels and into energy efficiency and sustainable energies." He thinks the Federal government should weatherize our homes - last time I did so, I paid for it myself.  Guess that makes me a chump, doesn't it?
   
   
   
   


3. Creating Worker Co-ops
   
   
   
   1. He likes the idea of workers owning their business in common with their co-workers.  So much for job mobility, diversifying your investments, or not taking your work problems home with you.
   
   
   
   


4. Growing the Trade Union Movement
   
   
   
   1. Now wait a minute!  I'm confused - is he anxious to make workers fat-cat bosses, or angry proles?
   
   
   
   


5. Raising the Minimum Wage
   
   
   
   1. "The current federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour is a starvation wage." Can't wait until those worker-owners hear that demand!
   
   
   
   


6. Pay Equity for Women Workers
   
   
   
   1. "Women workers today earn 78 percent of what their male counterparts make." De-bunked repeatedly.
   
   
   
   


7. Trade Policies that Benefit American Workers
   
   
   
   1. He will "develop trade policies which demand that American corporations create jobs here, and not abroad."  Can't wait until he finds out that the President does NOT control every business in the USA.  Which, if he wins, will be VERY few.
   
   
   
   


8. Making College Affordable for All
   
   
   
   1. This is too amazing to cut short - here it is, complete.  "In today's highly competitive global economy, millions of Americans are unable to afford the higher education they need in order to get good-paying jobs. Further, with both parents now often at work, most working-class families can't locate the high-quality and affordable child care they need for their kids. Quality education in America, from child care to higher education, must be affordable for all. Without a high-quality and affordable educational system, we will be unable to compete globally and our standard of living will continue to decline."  So, in addition to taking over the cost of college, the federal government will also pay for child care.  At least, the Institutional Kind of Care - not that sweet grandmotherly woman who watches your kids now.
   
   
   
   


9. Taking on Wall Street
   
   
   
   1. "The function of banking is to facilitate the flow of capital into productive and job-creating activities. Financial institutions cannot be an island unto themselves, standing as huge profit centers outside of the real economy."  Boy, oh, Boy!  I guess no one has let him know where the majority of the money the Democratic Party has came from!
   
   
   
   


10. Health Care as a Right for All
    
    
    
    1. "We need to establish a Medicare-for-all, single-payer system." Ya' think we should let him see the figures for Obamacare?  Better not - he might stroke out.
    
    
    
    


11. Protecting the Most Vulnerable Americans
    
    
    
    1. Except for those oooky little bundles of tissue.  Those Americans only live due to the benevolence of their Parental Unit - the XX ones.  Or if both are XY, the most Twinkly one.
    
    
    
    


12. Real Tax Reform
    
    
    
    1. " It is not acceptable that major profitable corporations have paid nothing in federal income taxes" - however, it IS acceptable that almost 1/2 of the working age population pays NOTHING, and is a net beneficiary of government money.
    
    
    
    

From all of this, I'll bet that you have figured out that "Uncle Bern" is unlikely to receive my vote.  In fact, I think it's a fair bet that Al Sharpton is likelier to get my vote.

NOT Pushing a Single Candidate...

I thought a USEFUL task for me would be to pick a single candidate each post, and focus on what is GOOD about that candidate - no matter what the party.

No one does this, to my knowledge.  Feel free to pass on links to those acquaintances who might not be getting this information from the media.

Today's candidate, in no particular order, is:

TED CRUZ

You may be most familiar with him from his sterling defense of the Republican candidates from the media's shameless attacks disguised as questions.  Here is a video, along with an explanation of that fighting tactic.

The Wall Street Journal had good things to say about Cruz's Flat Tax proposal. This could lead to REAL GROWTH in the economy, which we haven't had in years.  I'm generally for flat taxes, because they benefit the frugal, who DON'T buy a house that is way too expensive, on the grounds that they will make up the cost on mortgage deductions.  In the business world, this would lead to encouragement of more frugal management practices (which would lead to more profits).

It would also benefit many people who pay no income tax (but do pay other taxes), by giving them some reason to care about government spending - which helps us ALL.

I'm Beginning to Lean Towards Several Candidates

I've been only sporadically keeping up with the Republican "pit bull fights" - er, "debates".  Not disinterested, just REALLY busy with other things in my life.

So, I really do depend on analysis of their performance from trusted sources on the Internet.  What do I consider a trusted source?

• Someone who cites reputable sources, with links, for their argumentative points


• Someone who is upfront about their affiliations, donations, and political leanings/votes


• Someone who does not merely repeat talking points


• Someone who does not demonize or smear the opposing side

This is a relatively small group.  They support different candidates, but generally will order that support on a continium - Prefer X, but Y is OK except for issue B, and Z would be terrible, because of....

That sort of reasoning, that is an assist to, but not a replacement for, keeping up generally on the candidates' progress/statements/background (verifiable).

What I read of Cruz's work on modifying/eliminating FTC regulations makes me willing to give him a second look.

Starting to Climb Out of the Hole We're In

It's pretty clear that we're in a precarious position - we're fast running out of OPM (Other People's Money), any proposed changes are resisted - with FEROCITY! - and the clanging timpani of the Progressive cymbals is limiting our ability to think clearly.

So, what to do?

We have to look at a multi-pronged attack - fight on many, many different fronts.  In short, we have to form coalitions:

• Those that work to gain back our Constitutional Rights


• Those that dismantle the bureaucracy - getting rid of jobs/divisions/sections that are not the work of the Federal Government, flat-out working to GET RID OF newer departments - Education, Energy, Labor, Agriculture, for example.


• Those that chip away at the entrenched "civil" workers who are, variously - thugs, lazy, self-importantly building empires, unnecessary, and stealing - or, any combination of the above.  This group needs to build a case (criminal) and use that as leverage to force those employees out - WITHOUT their pension rights - they may reclaim the money they PERSONALLY put into the system, if any.


• And, my personal favorite - start a bounty system that allows those with verifiable clean records to be bonded by a COMMERCIAL firm (with NO guarantee from the government - they will personally take any risks) to get rid of a LOT of scammers, frauds, and cheats with "entitlements".  A set percentage of whatever they turn up and can prove.  This could provide employment to a lot of ambitious Millennials, who could both build up their bank accounts, get experience in doing something USEFUL, and gain a lot more skepticism about those who are collecting these taxpayer-provided monies.

I'll admit that the last idea was sparked by this.

Have You Ever Been Confused About This Hegemony Thingy?

The term "hegemony" is a Leftist buzzword - funnily enough, I've NEVER heard a coherent explanation from one of them as to its exact meaning. I suspect that they don't even really understand it, other than to know it's VERY, VERY BAD!

A good starter explanation.

If you understand the bureaucrats and "intellectuals" as the deputies or agents of the ruling class, you will understand just who rules America, and it AIN'T Conservatives!

Yet another explanation.

To hear a Leftist Professor tell it, hegemony is a BAD THING. So, why are they so eager to impose THEIR hegemony on the rest of us?

It's a puzzlement.

Understanding the Beginnings - The Frankfort School

The Frankfort School - how Marxism married Freudianism for a Lethal Prescription for American Culture.

The Authoritarian Personality - what is it?  Scroll down the page about 1/2 way.

The F Scale - which SAYS that it can predict the incipient Fascist. If you'd actually like to take the test, here's a link. Keep in mind, it's HEAVILY biased against Conservatives.

 

The Armenian Genocide

It's the 100-year anniversary - a very sad anniversary - of the Armenian genocide.  Even today, the Turks refuse to accept that it was a deliberate attempt to wipe a people off the face of the Earth.  Not unlike Japanese refusal to accept their nation's responsibility for atrocities committed by Japanese forces during WWII.

Here's a link to a thoughtful piece about HOW these actions occur - afterwards, too many people have trouble understanding just how a seemingly civilized nation could possibly be complicit - even directing - deliberate murder, rape, and attempted annihilation of their own citizens, based on cultural/religious factors.

In 1915, radio was in its infancy and few in Turkey were literate; most government messages of demonization were spread by word of mouth. According to Vahagan Dadrian, an historian of the Armenian genocide, the vilification of the Armenians was spread mainly through sermons by mullahs and by town criers who sprinkled the news about Armenians with words such as “traitors,” “saboteurs,” “spies,” “conspirators,” and “infidels.” Other means included dissemination of photographs of weapons that were labeled to convince Turks that their Armenian neighbors were storing up arms for use in plots to slaughter them. By stirring up distrust and fear of “those people,” a program of genocide can gain at least tacit if not open compliance from the population at large.

It sound not unlike the deliberate attempts to create hatred and mistrust of non-Black people by the Obama administration.  Americans, traditionally a people that avoided tribal/cultural divisions, are being herded into cliques, tribes, and deeply divided political entities.  Your political opponents are not merely those with different experiences and viewpoints, but actual demons.

Here's a list of those who call the Armenian genocide what it was.

Recently, Pope Francis stuck his neck out, and called a spade a spade - he garnered a lot of criticism for it, but he did it nonetheless.  For that reason, and because I'm generally a hopeful person, I have some optimism that the Catholic Church, and the papacy, will survive its Liberal/Leftist collaborators.

Here's a link to a LONG post - about divisiveness and politics, and how friendship can provide links that bridge the gap.  I think it's worth reading, and considering how we might put friendship at the service of re-building our country.

Here's another post - about brainwashing - which I think is relevant, as so many of the techniques used by Leftists - Social Shunning, Thought Control, Consensus, The Delphi Techniques - are designed to coerce obedience to authority through psychological pressure and specific, teachable techniques.

I'm luckier than most.  My father was a West Virginian, and after moving to Ohio, an outsider.  As such, he had a long experience with NOT conforming to groupthink.  Some of that must have rubbed off on me, as I've often been on the other side of conformity.

One of the most valuable things we can teach our children and grandchildren is that they won't die - they will find inner strength - by NOT conforming to the pack.  They need to learn this before they get sucked into the Great Progressive Mind-Molding Machine.

The Political Significance of Knowing the Left's Philosophers

I've long had an interest in promoting self-education in the Everyday Conservatives (that is, people who almost instinctively support Conservative Principles, but haven't studied the philosophical underpinnings of it).  As the Leftist Philosophers are HEAVILY entrenched in the educational establishment - first, in higher education, and, now, moving fast into secondary and elementary education, as well.

When your kid or grandkids come home, confidently spewing the Leftist crap they've been taught by their teachers, you want to know enough about the philosophy to refute its conclusions.

That's where I come in.

When I first graduated from high school, the Leftist professors were just beginning their Long March into the Ed Establishment.  They were the Assistant and Associate professors (along with some grad students) who promoted the anti-war movement of the 1960s and 1970s.  They wormed their way into classes, institutes, student organizations, and conferences.  Over time, they not only got themselves tenure, but they used their positions to bring in like-minded hires.

As a result, the entire college and university establishment is heavily soaked in the Leftist Philosophy Bible, which includes the Leftist Prophets:

• Antonio Gramsci - his work is revered by Leftist "scholars" (I put that word in quotes, as too many of them sacrifice their claim to scholarship by the bias they bring to it).  A fuller treatment of his thinking on education is here.  A quote about his thinking on Cultural Hegemony (a term that had been often used in grad school classes, without ever explaining just what it was - below I'm quoting from Wikipedia, which has the best explanation of CH that I've ever read):

Orthodox Marxism had predicted that socialist revolution was inevitable in capitalist societies. By the early 20th century, no such revolution had occurred in the most advanced nations. Capitalism, it seemed, was even more entrenched than ever. Capitalism, Gramsci suggested, maintained control not just through violence and political and economic coercion, but also through ideology. The bourgeoisie developed a hegemonic culture, which propagated its own values and norms so that they became the "common sense" values of all. People in the working-class (and other classes) identified their own good with the good of the bourgeoisie, and helped to maintain the status quo rather than revolting.

To counter the notion that bourgeois values represented "natural" or "normal" values for society, the working class needed to develop a culture of its own. Lenin held that culture was "ancillary" to political objectives, but for Gramsci it was fundamental to the attainment of power that cultural hegemony be achieved first. In Gramsci's view, a class cannot dominate in modern conditions by merely advancing its own narrow economic interests. Neither can it dominate purely through force and coercion. Rather, it must exert intellectual and moral leadership, and make alliances and compromises with a variety of forces. Gramsci calls this union of social forces a "historic bloc", taking a term from Georges Sorel. This bloc forms the basis of consent to a certain social order, which produces and re-produces the hegemony of the dominant class through a nexus of institutions, social relations, and ideas. In this manner, Gramsci developed a theory that emphasized the importance of the political and ideological superstructure in both maintaining and fracturing relations of the economic base.

Gramsci stated that bourgeois cultural values were tied to folklore, popular culture and religion, and therefore much of his analysis of hegemonic culture is aimed at these. He was also impressed by the influence Roman Catholicism had and the care the Church had taken to prevent an excessive gap developing between the religion of the learned and that of the less educated. Gramsci saw Marxism as a marriage of the purely intellectual critique of religion found in Renaissance humanism and the elements of the Reformationthat had appealed to the masses. For Gramsci, Marxism could supersede religion only if it met people's spiritual needs, and to do so people would have to think of it as an expression of their own experience.

For Gramsci, hegemonic dominance ultimately relied on a "consented" coercion, and in a "crisis of authority" the "masks of consent" slip away, revealing the fist of force.

If you'd like to learn more, here's a link to The Gramsci Reader - translations from his work.

• Paulo Freire - again, I'm  linking to Wikipedia as a starting point - yes, they are generally biased in their articles on politics and culture, but it's a good primer on Leftist Thinking.

Freire's thinking permeates the Educational Establishment at most colleges and universities.  He is even more revered than Dewey.  The core of his philosophy is that education HAS to be revolutionary, or it will support "the system".  For him, there is no such thing as a "neutral" education.

• Frantz Fanon -

Fanon was a political radical, and an existentialist humanist concerning the psychopathology of colonization, and the human, social, and cultural consequences of decolonization.

In the course of his work as a physician and psychiatrist, Fanon supported the Algerian War of Independence from France, and was a member of the Algerian National Liberation Front. For more than four decades, the life and works of Frantz Fanon have inspired movements in Palestine, Sri Lanka, the U.S. and South Africa.

Fanon was a supporter of the revolutionary liberation movement in Algeria.  He believed that ALL colonial governments were inherently violent, and that, therefore, violence was totally justified against those governments.  That viewpoint provided the basis for much of the 1960s revolutionary movements, in Viet Nam, Burma, Cuba, and other locations.

I'll be adding more information about prominent "Progressive" and Leftist thinkers.  We need to become familiar with their work, to be able to effectively argue against their agenda.  Look for this Continuing Conservative Self-Education in the Tab at the top of the blog.

WWJD?

How will you vote this fall?

What are you currently doing about the Mid-East situation?

Let's start with the second part.  For many of us, it's hard to know WHAT to do.

• Calling, writing, faxing, and emailing our representatives in Congress, Senators, and the President and the administration have led to one outcome, for me.  I get a nice letter on letterhead stationery that assures me they have listened to my concerns, appreciate my contacting them, and that they will keep my thoughts in mind - and, BTW, don't forget to vote.


• I have written in online comment boxes on news sites, blogs, magazines.  I Share, Comment, and Like posts that reference the conflicts and urge action.  I've signed the online petitions.


• I bring up the subject with almost everyone I know.  They are generally sympathetic to the fate of the Christians and Jews in the region, but, when asked for more, say "What can I do?".  They are not asking the question, but justifying their decision to put the issue to the back of their mind.


• I pray - daily.  I have no doubt that the practice has efficacy, but truly think that the time for action is here.  There is a legitimate time for "Praise the Lord, and Pass the Ammunition".  It's the idea of a Just War.

Nonetheless, I am opposed to any American action that puts our military representatives in danger.  I have NO confidence that the current administration will be effective - they seem to just want a photo op that bolsters the leaders for their next election.  They want to convince the public that there is an action called the "surgical strike" that will ONLY kill the ISIS members who are engaged in an atrocity at that moment, but leave all others in place to - what? - regret their actions?  Like that would happen!

One of the few politicians who seem capable of speaking the plain truth in public is Newt Gingrich - yes, I know he's not the greatest representative of Conservative philosophy in action - 3 marriages would, for many, disqualify him from commenting on SSM - but, he does not shy away from telling the truth in public.

So, yes, voting will have SOME effect.  I'm also going to be writing to our pastor, and urging several actions:

• Practical help - donations, resettlement assistance, prayer


• Preaching about it - each week, there should be BOTH prayers for our Christian and Jewish brethren, AND suggested actions for the congregation to follow - petitions, letters to the editor, distribution of fact sheets that they can copy and use to educate their neighbors, friends and family, workplace (NOT political, but educating about the concept of Just War, links to donation sites, etc).

I do plan to continue to post on Facebook, but do not consider that effective action.  Just hitting the Like button is not enough.  Sharing is not enough.  It is, however, a start in spreading information.

I like FB.  I use it to keep up with friends and family.  Sometimes, it can be a part of your toolbox in educating the people you are connected with.

But, by itself, it is NOT enough.  We need to move beyond FB "activism".

Amnesty - Cui Bono?

Latin for "Who Benefits"?

Well, it sure isn't the poor.

Steve Camarota and Karen Ziegler of the Center for Immigration Studies reported last month that “since 2000, all of the net gain in the number of working-age (16 to 65) people holding a job has gone to immigrants (legal and illegal). This is remarkable given that native-born Americans accounted for two-thirds of the growth in the total working-age population."

[Bold is mine]

So, any gains in the economy have gone to NON-natives.  This would explain the "improving" job stats (I still think his people are playing with the numbers - each month, there has been corrections after the rosy improvements).  Better numbers, but, Americans are still jobless/temporary/part-time.

This is why we can't afford another minority in the White House - Non-White or Female - for some time.  Not because they wouldn't do a good job - they could hardly do WORSE - but, because they won't get a fair appraisal of their performance, which, in this case, is abysmal.  Minorities are still praising the President who has stabbed them in the back, all for Progressive ideology.

I don't get it - it's like watching a friend with an abusive spouse - you can use logic, but she's still going to defend the one that is slapping her around - "but he LOVES me!"  NOTHING you say - however true - gets through her defensive fog.  I don't know how to open her eyes to the truth.

Eventually, it will happen.  Eventually, there will come a moment that CAN'T be denied, when the obvious fact of his indifference to her welfare becomes clear, even to her.

Until then, don't waste your time.