Thursday.....Politics.....No Longer Lemmings

Talkers Magazine caters to those who are interested in talk radio, whether the programs be conservative, liberal, sports or any of a number of specialty topics. The February issue gives the latest annual Heavy Hundred talk show hosts, or 100 top radio talk shows. Rush Limbaugh was on top, of course, followed by Sean Hannity and then Glen Beck and Michael Savage. A few of these men have openly criticized Glen Beck for his recent comment in his speech at CPAC that there is little difference between Democrats and Republicans. The thinking is this: everything is looking good for the elections in November and again in 2012 and the last thing we need is anyone encouraging a "third party." Under normal circumstances, I would heartily agree with all three of these assertions, but these are not normal times, the potential calamities are too near. I'm not exactly what you would call a Glen Beck fan and wrote a critical blog last week about his American Revival Tour; not to silence him but to let it be known that there are other issues to be considered. Like him or not, he is very effective... more effective than most of those criticizing him. My primary concern about these salvos is this; liberals have perfected attempts to silence conservatives through targeted coordinated talking points and attacks on one's character. (Robert Bork?) If the conservatives use the exact same strategy to silence an opponent so that they themselves can set the agenda without being opposed or even questioned.....then they would have proven Glen Beck's charge that the two parties are alike!!! You cannot demand fairness from liberals and then not extend it to those in your own sphere. A second point of concern to me is that if one thinks that any election result this November can fix the problems that have come upon us like a flood, then they are the ones that have come up drastically short in discernment, not Glen Beck. No election returns can fix this mess. It can only stem the tide. This, in no way says or insinuates that we should not work as hard as we can in this area. These coming elections might be tourniquets, they might even be preventions for future diseases but they will not be cures for where we are now, nor should they be looked at as providing a clean bill of health. A third concern that I have is that "if" the American public gravitates towards a third party due to a lack of trust in the two major parties (large differences acknowledged) then so be it! Attempting to stymie this would be usurping control from the people which is what we have been fighting against! By all means, argue against a third party, present your evidence, but do not coerce, bully or seek to rule with an overbearing arrogance. One last comment, although I am not for a third party, it is my opinion that with the high level of disapproval of the current administration, even a third party could not keep this radical leadership in office. If Glen Beck digs a hole that he could stumble into, and he is very impulsive therefore that is a possibility, then that is his business. We need humility in this party and this movement more than we need the same old political strategies, backroom negotiations and condescending lip service to the constituents.

Wednesday.....Culture.....Practicum

I'd like to speak to a few young people here, hopefully anyway, those who have an interest in the political future of America...and the world, and their own future and that of those they love. I may seem old to you but it seems like yesterday that I was enamored by Robert Kennedy in his 1968 campaign. I know what it's like to get sucked in by charisma, to have comedians as political mentors, to read a book, any book, and have it immediately convince me of its premise simply by the fact that it did not find a lot of ideological competition inside my skull. I never really worried about the youth vote in the elections of 2000 or 2004, for I knew that they would not come out. Thy were too busy watching MTV. I wasn't as confident in 2008 but still had to have it proven to me that they would turn out at the polls. Well, they did, and it was an absolute disaster. Sour grapes? Over two centuries of American economic and political history are in jeopardy, as well as our national security itself. The American Creed that cemented us and defined us, that we were one out of many, is being relegated to the dust bin of history by multiculturalism and the Constitution itself is next. The Progressives who have been knocking at the door for the last century, are bullying their way through now that they have the power, with totalitarianism right behind them. Well, the ball is in your court now! The information age gave you a seat at the table. If you just sit back, put a campaign pin on your lapel, define your political acumen from SNL or Comedy Central, throw sound-bite comments around as if it is some sort of political discourse and read one book a year... you will become known as the worst generation. My generation has that title right now, and we're not going to give it up easy! The 60s were a decade of rebellion and we ran out of time or would have destroyed this nation then. We thought we had answers...we had none! Here are a couple of hints if you are interested: 1) Don't burn bridges "until" you are sure you are on the right track. It a royal pain to say you are this and find out that this ain't what it was supposed to be, so now your that, and then that lets you down. 2) Don't place too much value on conferences, marches, tea parties or even talk radio. The emotion of these events is deceiving. Speech is generally at a level that is dumbed-down so everyone can understand, and consequently you find that you need continuous conferences, marches etc. for you cannot match the "excitement" of these events without a stimulus of some sort. 3) Give yourself a few short years without saying much one way or another. Be patient. Be prepared for when you take the podium for the first time. Then seek that avenue for the future where you can reach more people, with concise arguments, and full confidence that truth will win out. 4) You will not stop or even inhibit the bullying methods of the radical. The subterfuge and deception will continue and will be successful in the short run. The good news is that there is no foundation in this practice, no nourishment, no growth. They are forced to repeat their methods ad nauseum while you will pass them up. They tend to burn out and discombobulate before your very eyes. Every age group has to understand its limitations, its responsibilities and its potential. You just happened to be born at the beginning of a tumultuous period! Come and join the fray that others of your generation so nobly have, lend a hand, find your place, do your part for there is not much of a future if we do not discern the times and endeavor to do our best.

Tuesday.....International.....Pledging The Greeks

         Nearly 2000 years ago the Apostle Paul wrote two short letters to the people of Thessalonica. One of the warnings given was against idleness, using as evidence his own habits, nor did we eat anyone's bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. The socialist policies of Greece, unreported income, the entitlement culture, bad leadership and a total lack of financial wisdom, have placed Greece near collapse, and therefore are threatening to the European Union itself.
         The debt that Greece finds itself in right now is beyond severe. Europe has demanded that Greece not only come up with some major austerity measures, but do it now and prove them. So, Greece essentially became an isolated state for 24 hours for the second time this month. Trains and ferries stopped. Travel in and out of the country was suspended in money saving measures. Hospitals operated on skeleton staffs. Civil servants have taken the brunt of the cost saving measures so far, for this is where the government can arbitrarily cut wages, entitlements and other benefits. Tens of thousands have gone on strike, Thessalonika included, to protest these beginnings of austerity measures while the violence has been minimal so far.
         The question is, in my mind anyway, is this a preview of where we will be going in the United States? The public tends to read these stories about countries around the world and then retreat to the safe confines of America, where these things cannot happen. Here, we tend to tax to pay bills in difficult times, or print money if it really gets bad but if the reality of today sets in here as it has in Greece, the civil service workers may be among the first to see multiple benefit cuts.
         It's only human nature that one can sit relatively untroubled while watching others squirm but then begin to sweat a little bit themselves when the problems come closer to home. The public is used to Congress coming to them before giving new benefits, indeed shouting these benefits from the rooftops for they are too often bestowed to secure support in future elections; so, to have the situation reversed where not only are the benefits taken away, but they the public, are not even asked their opinion let alone permission, would be a rude awakening in itself, and making matters worse -some money would be taken from organizations our society truly needs while some earmarks would continue to cement certain politicians seniority. We are pledging this fraternity of I. O. U. right now and a paddling may be ahead.

Sunday.....Christianity.....Pilgrim

On a few occasions I copied prayers from a book that I have used daily for quite some time. The book is The Valley Of Vision. It is a collection of Puritan prayers and devotions edited by Arthur Bennett. It can be ordered from a Christian bookseller at www.cvbbs.com for $9.95 plus S&H, and also from Amazon. The isbn for the paperback is 0851512283. I want to add another prayer here, the reason being the attitude of whomever wrote it, an attitude that the church once had but is rare today. Some might think that this attitude is depressing or pessimistic and want no part in such thoughts. Others...might embrace it.

O Lord,
My every sense, member, faculty, affection, is a snare to me,
I can scarce open my eyes but I envy those above me,
or despise those below.
I covet honor and riches of the mighty,
am proud and unmerciful to the rags of others;
If I behold beauty it is a bait to lust,
or see deformity, it stirs up loathing and disdain;
How soon do slanders, vain jests, and wanton speeches creep into my heart!
Am I comely? what fuel for pride!
Am I deformed? what an occasion for repining!
Am I gifted? I lust after applause!
Am I unlearned? how I despise what I have not!
Am I in authority? how prone to abuse my trust,
make will my law, exclude others' enjoyments,
serve my own interests and policy!
Am I inferior? how much I grudge others' pre-eminence!
Am I rich? how exalted I become!
Thou knowest that all these are snares
by my corruptions,
and that my greatest snare is myself.
I bewail that my apprehensions are dull,
my thoughts mean,
my affections stupid,
my expressions low,
my life unbeseeming;
Yet what canst thou expect of dust but levity,
of corruption but defilement?
Keep me ever mindful of my natural state,
but let me not forget my heavenly title,
or the grace that can deal with every sin.

Italics mine.

Friday.....America.....Pathological Narcissism

One spouse might look at the other as they go over their bills at the dining room table and say something like We spent far too much and are deeply in debt. The hot tub can't be returned, the vacation is already over, the kids would never give up the Home Theater Big Screen TV, the money is already spent. We, as a nation, are in such a situation only exponentially worse. A new political party in power can nix new acquisitions but still has the debt to deal with. Many in Congress know the perilous financial situation America, and the world, is in but the public doesn't want to hear news as ominous as this. Normally, advice at a time like this would be to save and prepare for lean times but try winning reelection on a platform like that? Taxes, hidden taxes and de facto taxes will be demanded even though this hastens the inevitable. It has been 30 years since I read Christopher Lasch's bestselling book The Culture of Narcissism. It's one of those type of books that the whole political spectrum (conservative and progressive) seems to use to prove its point. It might be wiser for all those involved to look only at Lasch's criticism of themselves. We have had a passion for defending an unfettered free market as if it were some kind of god that would "always" lead us to prosperity if we would just leave it alone. This philosophy seems to lead us only into a pathologic (to use a familiar word of Lasch's) greed. Nor is the answer government planning (socialism) that leads to misery and tyranny. Any answer has to come from wisdom in the people who generate a market as well as those who prosper from that market. A man might choose to have one or two beers a week, or one or two six-packs a night, his household suffering if he chooses the latter. The Biblical account of Nebuchadnezzar is one of a supreme narcissist. This brought him seven years of grazin in the grass. Howard Hughes wasn't far behind. In only the latest of ridiculous stories that have increasingly plagued us in recent decades, 12 year old Alexa Gonzales was handcuffed and led away to the police station for writing I love my friends, Abby and Faith on her desk. This should make us wonder if we are losing it like Nebuchadnezzar and Hughes? Is this zero tolerance or zero common sense? Part of Alexa's punishment, after admitting that the procedure to handcuff her was wrong, is to write an essay on her experience. One idea would be a two-part essay, the first emphasizing that she learned her lesson about obeying her teachers, school regulations and respecting other people's property while the second part could be her renewed desire of education, for her experience taught her that her future, her country's future and Abby's and Faith's future are in jeopardy, in no small part, due to our education system's primary attention to diversity, multi-culturalism, relativism and self-esteem at the expense of common sense, traditional values, truth and a liberal education. Alexa, those who collared her, and all of us are subject to narcissistic tendencies. God may permit us to lose control of our faculties, or He may give us seven years of famine, and then again, He may bring about a reformation in His church and a revival in this people.

Wednesday.....Culture.....Iron Lady or Iron Maiden

I was at work when I first heard of John McCain's announcement that he chose Alaska's Governor Sarah Palin for his running mate. Putting it mildly, I wasn't very happy. It was important to me that John McCain choose someone that could step into the Oval Office in an emergency. AP National Political Writer Liz Sidoti wrote a column today titled Analysis: Celebrity, yes, but can Palin be more? Sidoti's description of Sarah Palin is... potent: an enormous dose of celebrity, striking good looks, an ability to captivate America with witty one-line zingers. And above all, a constantly developing story line tailor-made for a drama-hungry culture of 24/7 media and instantaneous Twitter updates. Sidoti questions Could she become a serious contender for the White House? Sarah Palin, at this time, is a phenomenon and it has not been proven to me yet that she has what it takes to be the President of the United States. The article did have its moments of absurdity as the author correctly commented on a culture that is trending towards electing celebrity but could only describe Ronald Reagan as a B-movie actor, failing to mention his previous experience as an administrator or that he became one of the most dominant, successful, honest and capable government leaders of the last century. Sidoti does mention Barack Obama's celebrity but in a way that makes you wonder what she had been smoking as she writes of a possible campaign against a popular incumbent Democrat. Here is my own analysis: Sarah Palin, should she be the nominee, would not be facing Barack Obama. She would be running against a moderate Democrat, for the radicals have had their day. The populist advantage would be less effective here. She doesn't have to have Newt Gingrich's or Karl Rove's endorsement but she does have to earn Dick Cheney's. I say this not because of the former Vice President's influence or even that he would endorse the best person, but rather that she has to pass muster with someone like him who knows what the job entails and has had the personal responsibility. If he hem-haws around as he reportedly did on a weekend television interview, she will not have progressed where she needs to be. I've heard Sarah Palin interviewed a number of times. She has the discernment on the problems plaguing us today. That's vital, and she knows a scam when she sees one. She is quick in answering questions...too quick. Slow down Sarah. They are coming to you for the interviews, answer slowly and with confidence. The American people want to see a determined look but also a patient, examining mind. The media is always going to try to set you up, to torture you as you well know. If you answer quickly and defensively, you will legitimate their intent and they will control the tempo. To paraphrase Margaret Thatcher If they see you walking across the Potomac, they'll say that you can't swim. The conservative radio talk show hosts will try to help you too much. They know what their audience wants to hear but, depending on the particular radio personality, not necessarily what other Americans need to feel. You have to show yourself as a listener, not only from the complaints of the conservative, but the concerns of the Democrat and independent who needs to see the real person and not the portrait. This isn't my advice on being a successful politician but an effective statesman. George Will made this comment in his latest column, She (Sarah Palin) is not going to be president and will not be the Republican nominee... It's unusual for a syndicated columnist to make such a bold prediction. He's right in that Sarah Palin, as she has presented herself up to now, will not be the nominee. She knows she is in for a challenge but thinks that this challenge is political. The essence of the challenge is personal. Becoming a talking head on Fox News is not the answer, nor is being mobbed at Daytona. The challenge is understanding that she has been given a popularity, in effect, a chance to help this country, and now she must learn, not how to win an election, but how govern if she was to win that election. This could only come through studying history, and not prepping for her commentary spot. It has to be done in an armchair with a good reading light and not a podium in front of thousands of adoring fans. It must needs go through interaction with people like Dick Cheney and George Will, and most of all it has to be done through introspection and a realization that although God is not bound by George Will's prophesy, neither is He seeking her willingness, but is bringing about His own will, of which we desire and pray that it might also be one of mercy.

Tuesday.....International.....Olympics of Wall Street

Ancient Greece gave us the concept of the Olympics and held the first Olympics in modern times in 1896 while today Vancouver is holding the world's attention through the winter sports, but the real attention concerning Greece is in its sovereign debt. At least four countries (Greece, Spain, Ireland and Portugal) are in serious trouble. They borrowed money and are in jeopardy of defaulting on that debt. We are not learning from our mistakes. Bad decisions, lack of foresight and shady financial dealings brought about this crisis in Greece. Since they are a member of the European Union and the euro enters into he equation here, Europe is debating, even promising, to come to their aid. An article in Barrons from this past Monday titled There's Greece-and Also Some U.S. States by Jacqueline Doherty, applies the same problem to a few states here that are in danger of defaulting. For Europe or the U.S. to help out their various states jeopardizes their own bond rating. If this rating lowers, the value of their money decreases followed by the economy in general. It's a vicious cycle. Large investors watch this with intense interest but the small, everyday investor can be effected also, even those who rely primarily on the more conservative, and safe, 401k options that their investment portfolios offer. I'm not an investment counselor but common sense would seem to say that if one is bullish on the political stability of the world's nations then that stability would lead one to consider the advice given to us from economic theory alone. One could look at the trends of bond markets in various situations and the multitudes of indicators that point to recessions or bull markets to make their decisions. Conversely, if instability is the word of the day, and extreme instability is the phrase as it is today, then it might be wise to wait out the tremors that globalization is experiencing everywhere. Even these market and monetary concerns pale in comparison to the sharp external barbs out there that can bring down, all at once, the greater bubbles forming than even those of last years collapse.

Saturday.....Valentines Day.....Easy To Do Justice, Very Hard To Do Right

Playwrights have an advantage over novelists. The novelist can write for a thousand pages detailing the scene, the person, even the history of the age, but the playwright spends all of his time on dialogue. I can read and enjoy a Neil Simon play almost anytime. Terence Rattigan wrote The Winslow Boy which has been turned into two films. One in 1948 starring Robert Donat and the more recent film from 1999, directed by David Mamet. The plot is that of a young boy at a prestigious military school in England (circa 1900) who is accused of stealing some money. His father and sister set out on a seemingly impossibly task of forcing the government to withdraw the accusations against him. Enter the most famous jurist of England, Sir Robert Morton, who takes on this case to the surprise of even his loyal friends. The film is a remarkable story of a father's love for his son, a sister's quest for fairness and justice in society, and a barrister's pursuit of right. It is also a love story but if you ask ten people who saw the film they might wonder where the romance was. The boy's sister and the famous barrister are poles apart politically in an age that is seeing women take their place in society. An unlikely couple if their ever would be one. Indeed, there is no romantic dialogue, not even the holding of hands. What there is, is one or two looks given for a second and two comments at the end of the film that says it all. The trial is over and essentially the film. Miss Winslow and the barrister are parting, what would seem to be forever, but she had to make one last comment on the emotion he displayed at the verdict for she doubted any sincerity in this lawyer of lawyers. She elicited from him a parting comment on her continuing feminist activities of which he said Pity, it's a lost cause. Her final words were Oh, do you really think so Sir Robert? How little you know about women. Goodbye, I doubt that we should meet again. She may have been correct about the future of women's suffrage in England but that was not the issue on trial in this dialogue here as he parted with, Oh, do you really think so, Miss Winslow? How little you know about men. I have never been a fan of Valentine's Day for it seems trite. We are submerged in a culture of words and phrases such as Erich Segal's, given to Ryan O'Neill, Love means never having to say your sorry. It's too late to recommend The Winslow Boy for Valentine's Day but then it fell on a Sunday this year and that is another love story altogether and it would probably be better to view it without all the trappings of hearts and candy anyway.

Friday.....America.....Breakout Capability

I checked the news a few minutes before 3 pm on Wednesday, the 10th, for it was about midnight in Iran, the morning of the 11th. This was the day that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would identify the threat to the West that he mentioned in a speech the previous week. There was nothing on activity in Iran but the United Stated Government announced that it would bring increased sanctions on Iran, more specifically on the holdings of the Republican Guard so, as not to effect the ordinary Iranian citizen. There was nothing new about Iran for the rest of the day but the headlines the next morning on the web were all similar, Iran Is Now A Nuclear Nation! What Iran had done is formally announce that they had indeed achieved the breakout capability that Scientists describe as the moment when a nation proves it can enrich uranium to weapons grade. This is what Ahmadinejad had announced. They had produced their first product of 20% enriched uranium. The headlines on the web lasted most of the day but were superseded by Former President Clinton's trip to the hospital. By the time the next day's newspaper were out there were no such headlines in bold print as when North Korea had detonated its first device; but then an announcement of enrichment capabilities is not exactly an earthquake producing underground explosion. Ahmadinejad's strategy is startlingly successful, for now. It is successful in the enormity of the announcement and blase' response. He basically admitted that he is making a bomb but no one seems to care. Of course we all knew that, except those who Robert Gibbs speaks for, but the time element is what is important here. Our intelligence agencies, officially, have stated that the earliest Iran could produce a bomb would be around 2013 while various independent scientists have said that they have the capability right now. The latter were right, but it's no big news! Iran has the capability to go from 3.5% to 20% enrichment through the centrifuge process. This is the breakout. Advancing to 80% or 90% enrichment is simply a matter of time and this is not a long process. The reliability of Iran's centrifuges is the only hindrance in their producing enough enriched uranium for one bomb now and many others in short order. This is assuming that Iran does not have secret facilities, and that is in no way out of the question. What we have known all along is that Iran has a problem with quantity of uranium to be enriched. Before you relax, the problem is that they do not have enough uranium for uses in nuclear power plants, but they do have enough for producing quite a number of bombs. There is an elephant in the room at the Oval Office and it's not a Republican. It is Ahmadinejad with nuclear weapons capability. How is your geography. Iran borders Afghanistan on the east and Iraq on the west, both of which have large numbers of American troops. It essentially is the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian border is roughly the distance of Pittsburgh to Boston, from the border of Israel. It has access to the Arabian Sea and therefore the oceans of the world. The news reported yesterday that a son of Osama bin Laden, who has rejected the tactics of his father stated that his father is mild compared to the fanaticism of his cohorts. This is the same with Ahmadinejad. There are those of influence who even he distances himself from, officially. I have stated many times in this blog that Iran's missile technology is not the most pressing issue with a nuclear weapon, rather who might they give a device to when built, if not already built? One intelligence analyst actually said that it may be beneficial for Iran to have nuclear weapons for stability, a la the element of MAD (Mutual Assured Destruction) among contentious Arab states. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu may be a politician, but he made an emotional statement that I believe, it being that he will not let another holocaust happen, and he also gave this answer to a question that shows his patience is wearing thin, This means not moderate sanctions, or watered-down sanctions. This means crippling sanctions and these sanctions must be applied right now. Even with Netanyahu's comments an Israeli former top general said that it might be too difficult to end Iran's nuclear proliferation all by themselves. Meanwhile Iran is attempting to limit its citizens communication with the outside world, and tampering with satelite transmissions into the country.

Monday.....Miscellaneous.....Intellectuals And Society (4)

Thomas Sowell leads off this chapter, Intellectuals and Social Visions, with the charge that everyone has a vision and intellectuals are no different. What that vision is, what theory and what hypothesis it leads to is the question. His answer is not pretty as he categorizes intellectuals as the anointed elite. He takes us back to the thinking, therefore the influence, of a number of people. Rousseau is representative of many who base their thoughts on the ingrained goodness of man and therefore social contrivances of all sorts are the source of our problems. Sowell labels these as holders of a constrained vision as opposed to those representative of a tragic vision who see barbarism always waiting in the wings. That old theological bugaboo shows up in Sowell's thoughts, is man essentially good...or bad. He describes the constrained vision as being held by one where personal exaltation (exists) resulting from those beliefs. The tragic vision merely holds to opinions that bring no such self aggrandizement. Another criticism of the intellectual is that they tend to argue without confronting the evidence. They might dismiss an opponent with the argument that there is no golden age to go back to, to avoid empirical evidences of successes in the past. The anointed, as he calls them, tend to consider opponents as unworthy. A Bertrand Russell quote is given as he commented on a middle-aged man who says with a sneer "Wars will never stop; it would be contrary to human nature." Russell's comment on this... it is quite obvious that the man who says this delights in war, and would hate a world from which it had been eliminated. On the other hand, an Edmond Burke quote is just one of a number of examples given from tragic vision which was more conciliatory, men may do the worst of things, without being the worst of men. We hear a lot today of how these New Progressives talk about man's various rights that are determined by a third party (them) with no mutual agreement from the parties involved in these ordained rights. There is a left-right dichotomy today according to the author and this part of the chapter is essential as he, clearly and concisely, does what Jonah Goldberg did in his book Liberal Fascism. He ties the Progressive Movement to the beginnings of Fascism. The evidence on this conclusion is weighty and the American public needs to be aware of this argument for it is the basis of much of the complaints against agendas on the front burner of our newspapers today. So what is this change that is being promoted today? Sowell explains how Progressives hold no patent on change, that progress in the mind of the Progressive is always assumed to be beneficial, without empirical evidence. As for the constrained vision of the left, the radical, the Communist, the totalitarian or the Fascist he writes, [their] vision is one of surrogate decision-making by those presumed to have not only superior knowledge, whether these surrogates are political leaders, experts, judges or others. Sowell contrasts the free market vision where the only commonality of purpose is among individuals and organizations, as opposed to Mussolini's vision in the motto everything in the State, nothing outside the State, nothing against the State. Sowell contrasts the rhetoric vs the results of that rhetoric. The minimum wage or living wage is given as an example. The Progressive congratulates himself on defending the poor but ignores the empirical evidence that, according to Sowell, shows the misery that comes along with it. Sowell tackles youth and age and points out that generally knowledge and wisdom comes with experience, therefore age, and that to seek to indoctrinate the youth from the minds of the anointed is to ignore the benefits of this age and experience. Sowell concludes the chapter saying that Intellectuals deal in the abstract and fail to see the real people or the differing circumstances in different people, in different places, at different times. His last paragraph in the chapter is Empirical equality never has to be demonstrated in the world of contemporary intellectuals. Equality is the default setting by assumption and the burden of proof to the contrary is put on others.

My blog on April 22 of last year is on Jonah Goldberg's book Liberal Fascism.

Sunday.....Christianity.....Curl Up With A Good Book?

Marylin had had enough with Tom. It seemed so innocent at first. Tom was going to church every Sunday. He had quit spending all hours of the night at the bar playing pool with his buddies. He seemed to be changed for the better and that was good, but it had gotten out of hand. She and the kids had gone with him as he looked for a church. The big Presbyterian church on the corner would have been OK, as would the Methodist church in town, but this wasn't good enough for Tom. He had to have a particular church where the people seemed to do nothing but pray and read their Bibles. She was sick of it. Their old friends no longer came over and the new friends were b-o-r-i-n-g!!! Tom had thrown the Ouija Board out and that was her nap time babysitter. Arguing about it wasn't doing any good. She called two of his old friends for help and they showed up at the house while Tom was about to get in the car and go to another bible study.

Jim: Hey Tom! Whats happening?
Tom: Oh. Hi Jim. Hi Bill. I was just heading out to a Bible study.
Bill: Tom. you are going way overboard on this religion stuff!
Tom: Thanks Bill.
Bill: Come on Tom. It's one thing being religious but you're taking this too seriously.
Tom: It is serious Bill.
Jim: What's so important about it Tom?
Tom: Jim. I know what I was like. There was no future in that, no happiness....true happiness anyway. I found out that it doesn't matter what a person is like, that God is a forgiving God.
Bill: What about your wife and kids, Tom?
Tom: What about them? I'm now a husband and father who wants to live as I should and hopefully my wife and kids will see this.
Bill: It seems to me like you are driving them nuts, Tom.
Tom: Jim. You and Jill are separated. What has this life gotten you?
Jim: I screwed up. I admit it.
Bill: These people are going to take you for a ride, Tom. Don't you remember how whacky those guys are on television?
Tom: I don't know about them Bill. I do know about me. I have a peace in my life for the first time.
Bill: And how about Marylin? It sounds like she is at war.
Tom: I have a lot to learn. I don't think that God is shaking me up like this just to dump me.
Bill: If you don't wise up Tom, Marylin is the one who will dump you.
Jim: Whoa. Hold on Bill. Give the guy a break. Jill dumped me and not because I became a Jesus freak.
Bill: Well Jim. You can have him. I got better things to do than argue with a Bible thumper.

One month passed and Jim went to church with Tom hoping that it would bring Jill back home, but it didn't work. The divorce came through and Jill was remarried within the week.

Tom: Hi Jim, ready for church?
Jim: Tom. I listened to you and what did I get. Jill was at least talking to me last month. When she heard that I was going to church, she knew she had a patsy and took me to the cleaners at court. I'm outta here.

This was a really poor modern interpretation of the first few pages of John Bunyan's book The Pilgrim's Progress. Bunyan uses allegory: Tom would be Christian, Bill would be Obstinate and Jim would be Pliable who went along for a short distance until he found out that Christian's description of the Christian life was incomplete, the difficult times they both experienced labelled the Slough of Despond in the book. I just turned 60 years old and there is an aspect of Bunyan's book concerning age that hit home. Christian does not age in the book but the passing of much time is obvious. Time passes but we are still on the same journey with different stops along the way. We just dug ourselves out of a major snowstorm here in Pittsburgh and most of the bones in my body ache. I can feel 60 in my body but the purpose of life is the same. I can read The Pilgrim's Progress today and enjoy it as much as I did in every individual reading in the past. The Bible itself is like this. I remember seeing a 96 year old man interviewed on the television show 100 Huntley Street. He was frail in body but strong in his mind and made the statement that he learns something new in the Bible every day. If the winter is getting you down, or the news, or American Idol, I recommend you curl up with Bunyan's book and I can tell that there is a happy ending in more ways than one.

Saturday.....War On Terror.....Deja Vu, All Over Again?

The headline across the top of the New York Times on October 9th, 2006 proclaimed North Korea's first test of a nuclear device. They had entered the exclusive club of nations with nuclear weapons. The Times had continuing stories for the next few days and every other day for a little more than two weeks. On May 25th, 2009, the same newspaper gave only the far right column to North Korea's second, and more powerful, nuclear test. Judge Sotomayor's nomination took over the headlines two days later. The North Korean situation did not make the front page the rest of May although the 31st had seven pictures of Barack Obama on it along with an article on how his picture was dominating the web. The German newspaper Stern reported in July of 2009 that a German intelligence analyst believed Iran could have the ability to test their first device in six months and recently another German newspaper reported that Iran has the capability for a test right now. The United States threatened air strikes after North Korea's initial test but sanctions were the course they and the U. N. pursued. Iran has announced that it has developed, domestically, an air defense system that rivals the system Russia promised to sell but has not delivered. It also said that it will produce unmanned planes that have attack capabilities. Should Iran conduct a successful atomic test before sanctions kick in, would the game plan change? Would the probability that they might have another device if they were successful in developing the first change anything, or would it simply become an established fact that Iran has entered this arena?

Wednesday.....Culture.....Bildung in 2012

There was a time when the best scholarship was written in the German language. I'm sure that much of the problem with liberal theology in the Christian church in America today has it's origins in the scholarship of Higher Criticism that came out of Germany over a hundred years ago. Single German words that are deep with meaning, and have no equivalent in English, would come up often in my college courses in Higher Education. The mobile Fox News web site's headline story about the problems of Toyota was titled As Toyota stumbles, schadenfreude lurks. The meaning behind the German word being that other companies might be taking pleasure in the misfortunes of their leading competitor. Dan Quayle was a United States Congressman, Senator from Indiana and this country's 44th Vice President. Three episodes in his political life have defined him. As Vice President, he visited an elementary school and misspelled the word potato. He gave a speech criticizing the television show character Murphy Brown, and he was levelled with a comment by Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Lloyd Bentsen in a debate, the comment: Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy, I knew Jack Kennedy, Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy. None of his accomplishments in the corporate world and government matters. Today, President Obama pronounced the word corpsman as "corpse man" three times and he is being battered by our side. Michele Obama is being taken to task for words about her children that, to some, did not seem to be appropriate. I don't take any pleasure in his miscue or the comments about Mrs. Obama. Maybe I'm just being fair. Maybe I know how I often wince as I read my own old blogs. Maybe it is influenced by my opinion that too many Conservatives are acting like giddy school kids over their prospects in the 2010 elections, and this with serious issues at hand. I'm not concerned about being overconfident for I cannot imagine any turn of events that would quench the fire of the American people towards the economic suicide, government power grabs and textbook political methods of Saul Alinsky and Joseph Goebbels that we have experienced. Barack Obama is allowed, in my opinion, to make simple mistakes like this. Dan Quayle and George Bush should also have been. As for Hillary, she is something like the German word bildung that no one seems to be able to define. It has something to do with image, something to do with an acquired learning of some sort, from somewhere. She is articulate and purpose-driven. It is that purpose that I'm concerned with, as with Barack Obama's.

Tuesday....International.....Contingency Plans

All of a sudden Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said sure, we'll pass on that uranium to be enriched and returned at non-weapons capability. A day later he offered to talk about swapping the three American hikers he has imprisoned and North Korea's Kim Jong-il said that he will release an American held prisoner. Yesterday (Feb 3) it was reported that Iran tested a rocket that purportedly dealt with space technology but our analysts say that there did not seem to be anything new in this test. What are we to make of this posturing that was preceded by statements that the West would be dealt a blow to global arrogance on February 11th, the end of celebrations in Iran of the revolution of 1979? One possibility is that Ahmadinejad is backing off of his nuclear ambitions but that is highly unlikely. Historians have studied Japan's actions before their attack on Pearl Harbor and much has been written on Hitler's plans on attacking its neighbors even as he talked peace with England's Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. Are we being taken in by such designs right now? The latest of the warnings of an al Qaeda attack on America came this week as CIA Director Leon Panetta said that he loses sleep at night over the communications traffic going on now that indicates something immanent may be in the works. A Syrian official warned Israel that if there is another Middle East war it will be fought in Israel's cities. General Petraeus commented that an attack on Iran might stir up nationalist feelings in that country even with the opposition today to Ahmadinejad, who is a man who believes that chaos is necessary for the coming of the 12th Imam and who has met with representatives of Pakistan and Qatar in the last few days. One thing that he could have influence in is in the flow of oil from the Middle East which would directly effect the world's economy. It is said that Bobby Fischer could see twenty-some moves in advance on the chessboard. It was very hard, nearly impossible, to surprise him with an attack that he wasn't prepared for. Hopefully, contingency plans have been wisely devised. America has experienced numerous crises in the last 50 years but the Cuban Missile Crisis did not compare with what we face today for the Soviets had a plan but nuclear war was not a proactive part of it. We lived through Watergate but that may pale in comparison to the secret financial wheelings and dealings going on today. We experienced a few stock market collapses but if the situation today implodes, it will be worse than all of them put together. The situation is grave . Thomas Paine said in 1776 that these are the times that try men's souls and we have much more unsettled and unstable conditions today.