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.

Saturday Randomness

I was reading Fred on Everything (he is interesting - an ex-cop with a jaundiced view of some of them, an expatriate living in Mexico, who contradicts many of the stereotypes about Mexicans, etc.), and he posted on a hot topic - police presence in Black neighborhoods.  His take is - refreshing.

Another column of his that is worth reading is his analysis of how America is already in the dumps - BEFORE Trump.  We've already been taken over by special interests, and no longer live in a democracy (or republic).

If, like me, you want to return to a time of more freedom, pre-Federal-government-runs-everything, we might want to start planning how to take the Feds down - NOT with warfare, but with resistance, tactical refusal to give them our money, and state-by-state resistance.  I'm NOT talking revolution - that's a dead idea.  Instead, let's work incrementally, to chip away at Leftist strongholds.

Some starting points:

• Stop sending them money.  Find work that can be done under-the-table.  No taxes, no Social Security.  That last part would be difficult, but COULD be made up by the local authorities, who could collect at that level what is needed by people with no other resources.  The fact is, most people have other resources (and, when they don't have to pay Federal taxes, they have more).  Stick your extra money under the mattress - you don't want to leave it in banks, where it is vulnerable to being confiscated.


• Refuse to give ONE penny to any college for worthless degrees.  Tell your kids - "I'll pay for you to get a trade".  That's likely to be the best thing you'll ever do for that kid - it's a way of earning a living that is less likely to be outsourced.


• Maine is one of the states that reduced its welfare rolls by insisting on able-bodied people actually looking for work, enrolling in job programs, or working at part-time unpaid activities.  Surprise, surprise, as Gomer Pyle would say - almost all said, "Not worth it", and dropped off the rolls.  Other states could do this.


• Return the Federal lands to the people.  In several states, this could be a new Settlement Rush.  If there are FEMA-type trailers stored in the state, let them be re-purposed (NO complaints about their condition - the receivers fix them up themselves, and Caveat Emptor).


• Take back the schools - clear out much of the administration, turn them over to local organizations, who are responsible for finding the funding.  Except in the poorest sections of town, schools should be fully funded by the LOCAL neighborhood.  Yes, I'm talking breaking up the big city schools.  With the administration gone, costs should drop, while STILL allowing the teachers to get paid reasonably.  Replace the assistant principals with recently retired military - the AP's are mostly used for muscle to control the students, so let's get in people who know how to keep people in line.  Actually TEACH reading - anyone who cannot read at grade level should spend 1/2 their day in disciplined phonics-based reading programs - reading content-rich practical text, or NON-dystopian literature.  Anyone who cannot do math at grade level should be spending the class time on old-fashioned programs, like Saxon Math.  What little time remains should be spend on civics education that actually teaches about the Constitution and other foundational documents and principles, and practical science.

This is a link to a VERY pessimistic column.  I'm not so sure they are right - while the young seem to embrace the Socialist Revolution, at this point, it's theoretical, and their "enlightened" attitudes don't cost them.  Once the impact of the price exacted comes home, I doubt they will continue their "yeah, let's spread money around" thinking.

One MAJOR reason that the country has changed is that there are a whole lot of women who are supported by government, whether directly, with welfare or government employment, or indirectly, in nonprofits and niches like Human Resources, which are required to be so bloated because of governmental regulations.  Take away the regs, and many women in these staff positions will find themselves on the street.  At that point, they MAY come to their senses.  Either way, citizens will no longer be funding their hectoring.

I'm thinking divide & conquer:

• Use legal means to reduce government.  Fewer regulations, liberation of federal lands (with encouragement to settle on them, we might reduce the numbers in the cities), reduction of administrative bloat in government.


• Write GOOD curriculum for all ages, to explain what good government looks like, and what limitations on the federal government already exist.  Offer it, free, to schools, along with e-books telling stories that reinforce those ideas.

Lastly, here is a link to someone who, like me, supported Cruz.  Now, she has to decide which candidate will do the LEAST damage to the USA.

I've been getting rosy economic stories from Liberal/Progressive friends.  Apparently, thinking that Obama's disastrous economic policies have created a hollowed-out economy is blatant racism.

Mea culpa.

Of course, there is this, and this.  BTW, that last stat?  Straight from the Labor Dept.



 

Apparently, no matter how you massage numbers, the damned things just keep adding up to the same conclusion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

What Education Has Become

I'm a teacher. The "Progressive/Social Justice" model was just beginning when I was certified.  I gotta be honest, at that time, I was all in on that approach.

Fast Forward 30 years:

Now, the SJW (Social Justice Warrior) model is the ONLY one. Those not toeing the line have been tossed out/retired/hounded by the RE-gressive Mob. As a result, the ONLY teaching model the younger teachers have been exposed to is SJW.

What has happened to education?

It's NOT a pretty sight.

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.

 

Sunday Leisure to Worry

This is my last day of the weekend, during which I usually prepare for my next week's classes.

Today, I've been looking at the news and analysis of that news, and it's not a calming scenario.

We have a "Progressive" administration that believes in re-writing history (shades of 1984 and NewSpeak!).

Central Command has been under investigation by the Pentagon's inspector general since last year when scores of CentCom intelligence analysts complained to the watchdog that their findings were being selectively edited to paint a far rosier picture in 2014 and 2015 about the U.S. campaign against the Islamic State than the facts warranted.

The New York Times reported in November that military officials alleged that important e-mails and files that should have been turned over to the inspector general had instead been deleted. But that report also said the Pentagon's inspector general could not verify the files had been deleted. At the time, Nunes himself queried the inspector general about these deletions.

Well, at least the "Progressives" are getting good information about the Energy Crisis!, and can make their plans, sure that the mass transit they are committing the American Taxpayer to pay for will, at least SAVE us money.

Eh, not so much.  In fact, not at all.

Why you should stop bargaining with your principles - if you just read ONE thing this month, read this.

Ben Carson - a Virtual ATM for his money people.

Speaking of scams...

Oh, I'm SURE that NONE of that money that was released will go to fund terror operations!

Sanders' money problems - of course, he will NOT face charges about his violations, unlike D'Souza.

Conventional Wisdom

One major aspect that is wrong with American Life is that minority viewpoints use our basic desire to compromise as a way of "pushing the camel's nose into the tent".  What is that?  Here is one example of the story:

One day an Arab and his camel were crossing the desert. Night came and the temperature became colder. The Arab put up his tent and tied the camel to it. The Arab went to sleep.

The temperature became slightly colder and the camel asked the Arab if he (camel) could just put his nose in the tent to warm up. The Arab agreed that the camel could just put his nose in, because the tent was small and there was no room for 2. So the camel's nose became warm and after a while the temperature went down even more.

The camel asked the Arab again, if he (camel) could just put his fore legs in because they were very cold. The Arab reluctantly agreed that the camel could only put his fore legs in and no more. So the camel moved in his fore legs and they became warm. After sometime the camel asked the Arab again that he had to put in his hind legs or else he won't be able to make the journey the next morning with frozen legs. So the Arab agreed and once the camel moved his hind legs in, there was no more room in the tent for the Arab and the Arab was kicked out.

The concept of conventional wisdom is always defeated by an entity determined to get its way, first asking for a "harmless" concession of a tired opponent, then, incrementally, continuing to push to achieve its long-term goal.  Just keep that in mind next time you're asked to make ONE TINY compromise.

Hold firm.

In other news:

P. J. O'Rourke has gone out of his mind.

He is foaming at the mouth about Ted Cruz.  Yes, TED - Blanking - CRUZ.  According to P. J., having Cruz as the Republican candidate would be THE Ultimate Worst Thing (I assume that he is patenting the phrase).

Why?

Because Ted is not fervently in favor of SSM (Same Sex Marriage) and legalized marijuana.

Really.

That's it?  One of the most qualified Republicans - one that ACTUALLY held the line when the Dems tried to push their agenda on the Senate - and the problem he has with Ted is that he thinks we ought to not upset a socially-recognized marriage tradition that has lasted for all of recorded history.  Oh, and, that, absent GOOD - not anecdotal - scientific evidence that pot is worth legalizing, we shouldn't change its status.

Really.

Now, many disagree about the SSM thing.  I do understand that.  From my perspective, I'd rather the government get the Blank out of the marriage endorsement altogether, and just institute Civil Unions.  Those who WANT to get married, can - assuming that they can find a minister, Internet-ordained person, Cultic Leader, or other person that can persuade a religious/spiritual/frankly-nutty-offbeat-organization to handle the ceremony.

No - absolutely NO - pressure on churches/temples/mosques to marry people against their principles.

Got few problems with that.

Oh, and, if someone has a preferred title - Mr., Mrs., Miss, Ms., Supreme Leader, whatever - let's accept that addressing them by that title is optional, not mandatory.  Most people will go along.  Some will have objections.

Let's just decide that "Citizen" is the acceptable alternative for those with philosophical objections.  As in, Citizen Cruz.  Citizen Clinton (either).  And, Citizen O'Rourke.

And, the pot thing?

Listen, I've taught for many years.  Before that, I often encountered people under the influence of Wacky Weed.  Including one of my roommates, and her friends.

I can assure you, with absolute confidence, NOT ONE of those so impaired was in any way smarter, more rational, or having razor-sharp reflexes.

In fact, there was little to distinguish them from someone born Lazy, Mentally Slow-Processing, and, to be honest, Dumb as Dirt.

NOT what I want to see as the norm for American Citizens.  Nor, for that matter, those under the age of 18.

Oh, but, legalization will only affect those OVER 18.

Right.

Sure.

Of course, the fact that buying or using pot by a minor will be against the law will TOTALLY stop them from doing it.

Just like the fact that it's illegal now stops them.

/sarc

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 is Dumber Than a NYT Columnist?

The answer is:

Nothing.

Nothing is dumber than a NYT Columnist.

A perfect example of that is the mindless regurgitating of an academic study that explores why some people, in extreme situations, freeze in place.  The brain activity that causes it, the possible alternative ways to keep that from affecting peoples' survival in crisis situations, and all of that other academic hedging is explained.

Why?

Because the academic has explored bold new territory?  Come up with novel solutions?

No.

Towards the end, only a hint of POSSIBLE ways to fight the freeze are given.  No doubt, this "conclusion" will be used to argue for more money to study the problem further.

Whereas any "uneducated" Redneck could tell you the solution to the problem.

Join the military - particularly the Marines.  I guaran-damn-tee you that your "hard-wired" tendency to freeze will completely disappear.  It will be replaced by practiced, rote training that overrides your instinctual freeze.

Funding agencies, please contact me for information about where to send the check.

The Gathering Storm

In the aftermath of the recent shooting - both in America, and in the rest of the world (the media focused on Paris, but just about totally ignored the kidnapping of a Malaysian engineer, who has been reportedly beheaded) - the American people are nervous.

For a very good reason.

Unlike truly random attacks, the Islamic terrorists aim at maximizing Christian deaths.  It is for this reason that the "holiday" party was targeted - the killers could be reasonably sure that those of the Christian faith would be present.  Other groups that have faced terror from Islamicists are the Kurds, the Druze, and, of course, every whacko group's fave, the Jews.

The Progressives have been wrinkling their foreheads at the perplexing actions of ordinary Americans, who - despite the number of shootings by random crazies and "Peaceful Muslims" (trademark pending) - are reacting by choosing to increase the number of guns owned by citizens.  It's "truly a puzzlement" (to quote the King of Siam from the musical) why any sane person would react to the increasing violence with purchases to defend themselves and those they love.

/sarc

I personally know 1/2 dozen or more Democrats who've either bought guns, or are contemplating a purchase.

Hmmmmm.

Whatever COULD be causing people to feel unsafe?

Why, it's as though these nervous people don't fully trust their government to protect them.

They must be paranoid.

[UPDATE]  I know it reads like an Onion article, but apparently the appropriate response to the CA shooting should be attendance at a radical mosque:

A handful of House Democrats are expected to meet Friday afternoon at a Northern Virginia mosque that has reported ties to terrorists.

The Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church is where Anwar al-Awlaki, an accused recruiter for al Qaeda who was killed in 2011 by a U.S. drone strike, was an imam at the time of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. It was also widely reported that some of 9/11 hijackers attended the mosque, and that Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan worshipped there

Have we morphed into Bizarro World?

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.

Why Do We Argue Politics?

After all, so few people will change an entire way of life, based on the arguments.

What do I mean?  For many, self-identification is a gateway to relationships, self-esteem, cultural and religious affiliations.  Their friends all agree with them politically - "arguments", for these people, amount to a spirited discussion of tactics and interpretation, not any kind of attempt to put forth the reasoning behind their stands.  OF COURSE, all rational people agree on general principles:

• Abortion is ABSOLUTELY necessary (not exactly wanted, but needed for their personal fulfillment).


• Conservatives are stupid.  Even if they have degrees, publications, or high IQs, they are stupid.


• Religion is OK, but must be tepid, willing to bend to more "modern" ideas, and not inhibiting any sexual activity that the adherents really want to engage in.


• Your sexual identity is NOT determined by your DNA or exterior body, but by how you "feel".  And, although Liberal women would be OUTRAGED by a biological and identifying man in a women's locker room, a biological man who identifies as a woman is PERFECTLY OK.


• Your racial identity is determined by whether you have a single Black ancestor - at that point, no matter how White you look, you will always be Black.  Those people (Southern Democrats) who originated that "One Drop" rule?  TOTALLY racist.


• Money is horrible when someone has worked hard to earn it, but wonderful when they have inherited it from an ancestor who earned it - at least, if they are Liberal.  If their ancestors were Conservative, it is still horrible, and government should punish them by taking it away.


• Power concentrated in the hands of elected Boards of Directors is just one more example of the Oppressors in action.


• Power concentrated in the hands of non-elected Boards composed of family members and friends of the organization, as long as they fund Liberal groups, is just peachy.


• Adultery is:
  
  
  
  • If committed by Conservatives, grounds for firing, shaming, and forced removal from office/employment/any influence whatsoever.
  
  
  • If committed by Liberals - oh, those Rascals!  How adorbs!  Look, a Conservative trying to make Liberals face the same consequences - GET those prudish Conservatives!
  
  
  
  


• Truth:
  
  
  
  • Falls like precious pearls from the lips of Liberals.  Don't you DARE say that they are lying!
  
  
  • Cannot be found in the vicinity of Conservatives - they ALL lie.
  
  
  
  

Can you use FACTS to change these preconceptions?

No.

All of the above stem from an emotional attachment to Liberal Values.  It is a given of their thinking that all virtue stems from their Liberalism.  They are good BECAUSE they are Liberal.  Conservatives are bad BECAUSE they are Conservative.

Although emotionalism is often a trait of women, many Liberal men fall into that category.  It seems to be a trait encouraged by the Liberal/Leftist Power Structure - they HAVE to base their politics on emotion.  If they used their brains, they would be Conservatives.

Jeanine Turner has some advice on how to talk to Liberals.

I'm a Woman in a STEM Career, And...

...I can attest to the fact that sexism against women is almost 100% B$.

Men have been my champions, mentors, and supporters - not to mention friends.  I've gotten - on the mere request - a recommendation YEARS after we last were in touch.

And, I married a man in Tech.  There is a saying in STEM - even <s>UGLY</s> not pretty female engineers can find a husband - they are that rare.  The ones on the job are treated like Queens - VERY respectfully.  And, engineers make GREAT husbands (well, except for that annoying thing about always having to FIX everything).

Oh, sure there is the random woman who is sexually harassed by the boss, but, what you find out is that she is NOT a coder, but in PR, or HR, or some such.

A boss would NEVER give a gifted coder a reason to leave.

This article is spot-on.

Some Random Thoughts NOT About SSU (Same Sex Unions)

I bought the Kindle version of Ann Coulter's new book about immigration.  I find her TV appearances to be kind of snotty, and there is that think with her endorsement of Romney, but...

The book is good.  So far, I'm enjoying it.

Her point about amnesty?

Everyone knows that one amnesty begets ore illegal aliens, which begets another amnesty.  It's called an "incentive."  There's less of an incentive if the gate is locked.

I mean, picture it - you have people trespassing on your property, causing damage, drinking and stealing things.  Which will best get them to stop?

1. Providing food, water, and the keys to your house, along with leaving your minor children in their custody while you go to work to pay for all of that.  If they happen to drink and drive your car, bail them out of jail, and pay all fines.  Free school, food, medical care, lawyers for their "mischief" - whatever their illegal little hearts want.


2. Meeting them at the edge of your property, armed, and prepared to back up your demands to leave, pronto.  Keep patrolling until the threat of trespass is over.

If you are a Progressive, you chose (1).  BUT, you don't ACTUALLY give them the keys to YOUR house - you live in a gated community.  Instead, you drive them to a working class neighborhood, and demand that the residents provide all of the things you have promised - free school, "entitlements", tax credits, medical care.

The sane members of our society chose option (2).

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.

Are We Being Manipulated?

I tend to think:

YES!

based on articles like this.  I'm starting to feel like a lab rat.

This is not a new phenomenon - a book I read a few months ago (written by Leftists, but worth buying because of the insight into the methods they are now using to push, prod, and NUDGE the population towards their way of thinking, acting, and being) is Nudge.  It opened my eyes to the various ways you can incrementally move people's actions and thinking towards your goals.

One way to APPARENTLY change the political line-up is to make it as easy as possible for people to "join the club" - that is, to align themselves with the Popular Kids - which Facebook did with the rainbow-colored overlay for profile pictures.  After seeing most of your peers and family show up with the rainbow hues, many people follow the crowd - rather like how after sufficient numbers of people on a city curb jaywalk, you will usually find yourself crossing the street with them. It's human nature - we are a generally social species, and most people find it uncomfortable to stand apart from the crowd.

I don't, personally. Whether it's my Dad's hillbilly ancestors, my whole family's quirkiness, my oddball status during school, or my nerdy nature, I've just always stood apart from the crowd.  This tendency made adolescence acutely painful for me - that's the age of maximal pressure to conform - but, once past that point, I've generally shrugged off attempts to corral me. It's put me in conflict with many, including DH, who, at heart, is a conformer (that's not a bad thing, just who he is).

Whatever method the Leftists used against Justice Kennedy, it worked - and how! As the article pointed out, the Leftists on the Court vote as a block - they don't have to work to decide the issue, it's a reflexive action.

And the pressure to conform is being enhanced by social media. Most people are even less likely to express opinions different from their friends on Facebook and other media sites - so, for many people, the online world is becoming an echo chamber.

This would explain a thing I've noticed - so many people, when I've mentioned an issue, or a story I'd read about, respond by saying "where did you HEAR about that?" in a tone that indicated that they assumed that I'd been loitering around lurid conspiracy sites or neo-Nazi hideouts. In fact, it usually was something I'd picked up reading relatively mainstream outlets - Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Foxnews, CNN, Huffington Post, Instapundit, etc. Not crazed, fevered loners, just news aggregation sites or original reporting.

But, they weren't hearing about it. In part, because their news/information was largely supplied by sources like Facebook and Twitter, they had narrowed their information inputs to that introduced by people who already thought like them. Rather than search out new thoughts or interesting ideas, they had become passive consumers of oddities, "everyone agrees" posts, and superficial news digests/headlines only info.

The feed was passing on only filtered news and opinions, not the broad range of viewpoint that actually existed.  So, when I brought up information that hadn't hit their feed, it was as strange - and, to them, unbelievable - as a lone transmission from another world. It was rejected automatically, dismissed as a quirk/rumor/hoax, and, ultimately, forgotten. Didn't matter that I provided plentiful links to the original sources - they never checked them out.

Over time, since so few people seemed to agree with them, many relatively conservative people moved to embrace, or at least, accept as inevitable/normal/unremarkable the Progressive/Liberal/Leftist views on social issues. They fell victim to the Spiral of Silence. I highly suggest you check out that link.

The Precious Little Snowflake Syndrome is going to be contributing to the homogenization and conformity of Future America. Too many kids are being raised to value approval, rather than autonomy.

My concerns are primarily about the natural consequences of the decision - imposition of taxes on non-conforming churches (Catholic and Mormon, to start with), push for loss of employment and other sanctions on those who dissent, particularly in public employment - cops, government workers, teachers. At first, it will be VOLUNTARY posting of Rainbows in the classroom or wearing Rainbow Ribbons on your lapel, followed by "suggested" attendance at gay weddings/events of other staffers. Later, it will be more blatant coercion to contribute to Gay Causes, "include" Gay-Friendly content in courses (Math & Science teachers might find this tough to implement), and pressure to PUBLICLY AFFIRM GAYNESS/Trans People/Whatever. Make no mistake about it - You will be WATCHED, not only for YOUR actions/lack of action, but to make sure that you don't support those who publicly dissent.

Some are looking for a Saint Thomas More for our times.  Perhaps rather than looking for a saint, we ought to be acting like saints.

While I can, I'm going to watch A Man for All Seasons - before some Censor decides that it's a thinly veiled piece of H8 towards GAY MARRIAGE!

The Confederate Conundrum

I posted yesterday about the Confederate flag controversy. I came down on the side of removing the flag from the Capital grounds at that time.

Iconic flags, the ones that appear at most Southern state capitals, to the one painted on the top of the  Dukes of Hazzard's car, General Lee, are being targeted for removal.

Breitbart's Ben Shapiro compares the bloodlust frenzy to the destruction of previous civilizations by ISIS.  And, in fact, it has similar roots - the victors want to energize their troops by a public tearing down of any symbols that represent the defeated.

Funnily enough, most people disapprove of the ISIS actions; many are quick to emulate them in this matter.

I'm NOT a native Southerner - I was born in Cleveland, OH, and I still identify as such.  However, I've lived, worked, and voted in this state for almost 10 years, which, I suppose, gives me a stake in the matter.

The Shapiro post is particularly good - I recommend that you read it.

I did come up with ONE useful idea about the SC flag.  In the legislation about it, make it clear that this is the LAST time a Confederate memorial would be touch, by including a clause that renders the action null and void if any further legislative or court action is introduced to extend the ban of the flag from Capital grounds - any attempt to remove other artifacts, names, memorials, or to bar private citizens from displaying Confederate lags on their own property.

Unfortunately, the madness is on the Left, and they are unlikely to be deterred from continued actions.  I expect that the effort will extend until - of course - the next election, in 2016, when they will expect to waltz into the White House, House, and Senate on the basis of this issue.

De-Mystifying the ISIS Successes

According to this site, it's not rocket science, but known principles of war and politics.  Here's a link to some free pdfs detailing Boyd's thinking.

Want to know more about the Future of War?

SOME of the current state of pre-war is being conducted via hacking cybersystems.

SOME of it is by the usual means of controlling/enabling lazy/reflexively anti-American media.

And, most troubling, some of the pre-war is being won by the same TROLLS that are "winning" the war for SSU (Same Sex Unions) or other Cultural Battles.

For example, I wouldn't be surprised to find that THESE globes will be widely available in the USA.