And Apologies Too! Obama apologized for American culpability for the meltdown. But wait: Iceland melted without us. No American forced Austrian banks to lend 100% plus of their worth to eastern Europe. What did Wall Street have to do with the crazy Spanish or Aegean real estate market, or the nutty spending habits of oil-drunk Russians and Middle Easterners? If he wants to apologize (this is going to be a long Carter/Clinton “I’m sorry” Presidency), then, for God’s sake apologize for the new borrowing, and draining the world’s available capital to finance our out of control budgets.
Re: the new relations with Russia. I hope all the happy talk leads to less tensions. But it is easy to sort of promise to be nice, to push the “reset” button, or to talk grandly of new protocols; but the fact is that all this rhetoric means nothing.
What Obama must answer is to what degree is he going to turn Ukraine, Georgia, and other former Soviet republics back over to Russian influence, to what degree is he going to ignore Russian gas/oil blackmail over energy-hungry Western Europe, to what degree is he going to tsk tsk Russian complicity in Iran’s nuclear program, to what degree is he going to drop talk of protecting eastern Europe (and Western) with an anti-ballistic system aimed at Iranian missiles, etc. If those really are issues, then we will have problems with an authoritarian and dictatorial Russia bent on restoring former grandeur.
Hope and Change. In every case, a democratic Russia, integrated within the West, could solve such tensions fairly easily. But I fear now that all of them are challenges that Putin, Inc. will see as means to an end, such as restoring domestic pride, restoring Russian hegemony in areas encroaching upon Eastern Europe, and creating more problems for the US that will check our power.
I fear that the Russians will leave praising Obama to the skies, while delighted that Iran’s new bomb will cause us problems untold, that those in the East cannot trust us in a crisis, that Europe will learn to respect Russia if their flats are to stay warm—and that a rogue’s gallery of global fascists will begin to look to Russia, in Cold War fashion, to deal with us to further their aims.
Bottom line: this is the first global summit that I can remember in which the United States is occupying a position to the left of all our allies, and, in our fiscal promiscuity, to the left of our left-wing rivals as well.
Holy moley. I can hardly believe what is happening. It feels like the morning of 9/11 in slo-mo.
Yet another insighful article from Mr. Hanson. Overall, the “inherited financial crisis” has become a very current debacle with blinding speed. He’s literally outrun any opposition we have thus far been able to mount.
My wife rang me up a few times from work yesterday and asked me what was going on atthe G20, each time I said I have no idea, when Bush was there I knew at least one remotely sensible leader was there, but now I can’t bear to see what these loons come out with, the one sensible country is now the leading loon as your article so rightly points out.
As for Obama’s treatment of Brown, even though this comes from Obamas anti-English attitude, I do however love seeing Brown getting the benefit of it…, someone should tell Obama that Brown is Scottish…
The parasitical Europeans have long acted like immature teenagers testing their parents. They yell and scream and demand more independence—and are shocked when one day daddy and mommy finally tells them to move out of the house and start taking care of themselves. Gulp, they really didn’t think the parents were actually going to take them seriously!
Another great article Doc.
Everything you say is true, yet a recent Washington Post poll has Obama’s approval rating at 66%. Real Clear Politics has him at 61%.
The recent New York election was hoped to result in a big victory for the Republican as a signal the public’s mood has changed. Guess the mood didn’t change, the Democrat won.
I visited a couple of European capitals in the past few days. The Euroweenies still love Obama and are quick to tell me how happy they are that Bush is gone. They also tell me that the present financial crisis is Bush’s fault because of the costs connected with the illegal Iraq war. Despite the gaffs (which aren’t reported, by the way) Obama is far from being toast.
It will take Russian tanks rolling into Berlin or Iranian nukes hitting Stockholm before the Euros re-evaluate our very cool president.
Many people are reminded of the old 1950′s film “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”. Something weird and very scary has clouded the minds of human kind. I hope I don’t wake up someday to find a VDH article praising Obama on PJ.
French Poodle: Our attitude toward Britain has taken on an air of the PKO. (polite kiss off) A tinge of arrogance, dismissiveness, indifferent sophisticated airs wrapped in thinly- veiled disdain. Its’ absolutely French in demeanor. Brown has been repeatedly rapped across the nose with a rolled up newspaper (NYTimes) and has been treated as if he had an accident on the rug. Not sure the administration is aware he is Scottish, they all look alike anyway, you know, now don’t they?
Ponzi’s Pocketbook: Debt, debt and more debt …giving birth to Socialism is a messy affair. Socialism is simply a Ponzi scheme in which one taxpayer needs to be bilked out of his money to pay for the prior taxpayer who was bilked out of his money. This is Bernie Madoff on steroids. Soros is the proud papa and the American workplace is still suffering the contractions. Our conspiratorial media made it all so much easier with an information epidural and massive doses of hope and change Pitocin to speed along the delivery. Imbeciles like Gail Collins wanted a C section, or perhaps a W section, but that was too much even for the Pelosi, Reid and Frank midwives.
Patty Duke Redux; Many decades ago there was a show featuring a young Patty Duke with the rather incestually tinged notion of “identical cousins”. One was British and one was American. “They laugh alike, they walk alike, at times they even talk alike…you could lose your mind…”. The premise of the show is how the influence of each made them turn more into each other’s persona. America is becoming Europe…a soft, squishy, feel good Aristocrat…casting rose petal benevolence and lessons of morality to the great unwashed, while feigning an apologia for all that was “inherited”.
Europe, not used to be on the receiving end of this treatment…doesn’t know whether to sit, shake or roll over. (witness Brown, currently on tour as the subject in stupid pet tricks). They wish to flex their pipe cleaner muscles…atrophied after decades of lack of use. While radical Sharia fanatics kick sand in their faces, and Big Brother has decided to join a commune and contemplate his navel…scrawny Europeans are left to pray that a half century of weakling politics can be transformed by those ads in the back of comic books, so they can stand up to the world’s bullies.
Maybe at the same time, they can order a decoder ring in case Joe Biden shows up there and gives a speech on how we all are gonna think this is so very, very wrong.
funny thing is that since Obama won I snapped out of the depression that I was falling into, because at that point I came to the simple conclusion that we are now in the death spiral stage which with luck will create a rebirth. No point in railing against the inevitable and keep hoping that someone would be able to come along like Churchill and sort this out.
Its going to be like the Roman Empire in its scope, no doubt about it and do you know what, as a Brit I am going to watch many of my countrymen screaming at the last why and my reply is only now are you asking that, then you deserve your fate, at least try to accept it with the dignity that you never showed in your previous life and the same can be said of the majority of Europeans and sadly now a majority of Americans, but if we go down oh I hope we take Islam down with us…
Re: #8 cfbleachers: “information epidural”. That is one awesome turn of phrase. And the Joe Biden decoder ring… priceless! I always love reading your views. Thanks.
VDH said, “Odd to see anarchists trying to burn and loot while some are text messaging and cell-phoning in the news clips”. I was struck by the number of expensive cameras and the cool outfits.
Two games are at play: 1) Musical chairs, and 2) Hot potato. When the second game really gets going look for a serious response, such as war!
Smoke and mirrors can be fun, but when was “hot potato” ever fun? Think the Chinese want to play this game?
What happens if our beloved Detroit City government goes broke? Or the state? Pick any city, state, etc. as long as it is government. What will HopeyChangey and his boys do? Print more dollars?
There will be no Portia to come save our Bassanio when it comes time to pay up or else.
It’s the “else” that has me worried.
cfbleachers:
I am sure that you can’t bear the idea that Mr Hanson didn’t mention the French as being poodle, but the very Anglo-Saxon leaders of your common ancestry, by us, poodles are pets, though if you want doggy equivalent image for us, then the bulldog would be accurate LMAO
“The message seems to be that we Americans need new entitlements that we cannot pay for…”
Sounds like good ol’ Europa and South America to me. All together now liberals- and in your best faux alto- Viva la France! Liberte’! Bring on the Revolution!
Anarchists with Ipods and Iphones…Che…Che…Cheme on you.
That is rich. RICH. And I don’t mean in a capitalist way.
Well by contrast George W Bush was eloquent, fluent, informed, and jocular with a sense of gravitas and respect. What you have now is crass and inarticulate, ponderous and vacuous….and that is not simply the Obamas but Geithner is even worse than Paulson who was awful.
Where are men like James Baker nowadays ?
2 great articles in NRO back to back – outta the park. And now this. Somebody got a second wind.
Just remember, the dark ages really happened.
To David Thompson: Your reference to parasitical Europeans reminded me of a line from the movie Casablanca, in which the leading man, Rick, tells a self-admitted parasite that he didn’t object to a parasite, he objected to a cut-rate one.
But one can’t blame the Europeans for any perceived parasitical behavior. They did the logical thing. The US was willing to foot the bill for their defense and absorb their exports. Why shouldn’t Europeans take the offer and spend the money elsewhere? I feel badly for the Europeans now that the US is heading down the path of developing its own cradle-to-grave welfare state, vacuuming up all of the available cash to pay for it and starving the European welfare states of funding. (It’ll be interesting to see if any Euro-denominated bond issuings go undersubscribed the way the recent gilt issue did.)
As PM Thatcher once said, “the problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money to spend.”
1. I suppose we can take some comfort from the fact that our “greatest generation” suffered equally idiotic govt. policies for over a decade and was much more isolationist than even our unions want the govt. to be. i hope it doesn’t take a global war and millions of lives to set us straight once again.
2. I can’t yet figure out what currency and what part of the world I want to use as an investment base to weather the coming inflation and stagnation. this is rapidly going to be a key question for many of us.
3. If 2010 is not a tsunami year similar to 1994, then we are obviously in for an extended period of “interesting times.” It will be perversely interesting to discover at what point the world refuses to finance our fantasy world. I am honestly not sure whether I wish it to be sooner or later.
5. I am currently eating great quantities of crow as many friends from developing countries are comparing their governments favorably to mine in policy sanity and competence.
#9 David H:
I completely agree with you. If and when the public wakes up it will be too late. Heck, it’s already too late. We are gonna crash and burn, period.
I share your hope that there will be a rebirth. At least whatever rises up from the ashes will be debt free. I also hope the survivors will have learned their lession. But, after that generation we’ll revert to our selfish ways.
There are reports that Mr. Obama gave the Queen of England, Elizabeth II an iPod with His speeches on it. What to make of such vanity?
My apologies: the iPod had much more content on it than that, as I found here: http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/04/what-does-one-g.html
My deepest apologies.
I don’t believe most polls. They are inherently biased toward the heavily-populated urban areas by the obligatory filter of the area code. Yet the red-blue county map of America for at least the last five elections shows that political sentiment is NOT distributed randomly.
The “blue” urban areas are oversampled in national phone polls, by their very methodology. Since the results make news organizations happy, there is no incentive to correct for this problem in representing political sentiment.
This phenomenon exaggerates polling trends in an unhealthy way. In terms of reflecting political sentiment, sampling downtown Chicago is not the same thing as sampling the state of Utah, but we believe polls that have been compiled as if it is. Pollsters “correct” for other, demographic factors in refining their polling data, but they don’t correct for this one.
That was in response to Pops in Vienna’s mention of the polls, BTW.
Pops in Vienna: The Germans, at least, get very superficial reporting on Obama. If you want an example of the intellectual baseline of Europe (the people who make it onto cultural programs, etc.), see the article by Henryk Broder at New Majority. It’s a John Rosenthal translation of part of a book by Broder that documented reactions to 9/11.
#24: Thanks for the info. I actually do live in Austria and have for many, many years. As you have noted, there is little negative reporting about Obama. I have two english TV stations on my cable service. CNN Europe is a propoganda organ of the Left and I only watch it when there’s a 9-11 type of event
#23: You make a good point but I think we must admit, in the last election the polls were quite good. He probably isn’t in the 60% range but I don’t think he has anything to worry about. So far, there is no Republican on the horizon who has a prayer of beating him.
With the anemic tea party turn outs (most of them) and the weak showing in the N.Y. Congressional race, I’d say we’re going to be dealing with this for 8 years and probably longer.
LOL!
He’s trying to drain the world capital, to bankrupt everyone, ON PURPOSE!
It’s his little socialist revolution, ushering in the new internationalist world order.
He knows exactly what he’s doing.
This globalization is scaring me. I saw a menu today at a local dive with 4,6,and 10-piece Chicom nuggets and hashed gordon browns.
/sarc
I think that Hanson should be renamed “Chicken Little”
Re: “Debt, debt everywhere.” Back in Pericles’ time, if Athenians wanted “entitlements,” they had to go rob other nations for them:
On Plutarch’s “Life of Pericles”
I guess my question is “What exactly has changed?” The argument some use is “not much,” given that we rely on China to finance our debt and China pretty much treats a large portion of its population like slaves.
But it might be the case that the complexity of modern economics makes entitlements for more possible.
If anyone’s got an answer, I’m all ears.
I’m just trying to get over the idea that “The Queen Was Delighted with her Ipod” according to so many news sources… with Il Duce’s Speaches on it… I wonder, did it include that Increadibly Brilliant Poem from the inauguration?
Charles could force his mother to listen to it and she’d certainly abdicate in order to never have to hear it again…
Excellent article, VDH. I was going tongue-in-cheek earlier with the comment about the eaterie menu, but we ARE being fed poppycock in the media about how “big business is evil” and it may be lost on the protesters themselves, who are protesting big business then embracing the technology. That’s why I get a kick when I see a Che Guevara t-shirt with a “brought to you by capitalism” at the bottom. Or people in the city protesting global warming on a bone-chilling cold day last winter…wearing balaclavas, gloves, scarves and red cheeks. Or the movie and recording artists who scoff at corporations, oh, except for ones like the major studios who produce their movies and CD’s or sell them in their stores. Those corporations are OK, dontcha know. And these wealthy trust-fund protestors are given their high falootin’, dress-to-the -nines lifestyle by corporations and investors.
I just keep coming back. The IPOD thing with QE II- She has seen some noble people in her years and some scallywags, I’m sure. I can bet the ranch she knows who she’s lookin’ at now in the US catbird seat.
#6 David Thompson – according to your analogy of Europe, this means I have THREE Europes still living in my home.
VDH: Great analysis on all fronts.
This whole “socialism” thing… Eons ago my ol’ step-dad used to go on and one with conspiracy theories about “One World Order” and “Trilateral” something-or-other and “global monetary system.” He said it’ll start in Europe first, then they unionize (done); next, Europe would adopt a common money system (done); in America the government would grow and grow, taking over major corporations and industry (happening); America would adopt the European money system (being discussed).
He said the socialization of America would happen throught its financial instititions (happening) and control of the market; that public school and universities would be indoctrination outlets (done – his term: “grow them up socialist”).
He had a whole laundry list. I imagine he’s up in heaven clucking his tongue.
Okay, gotta fix those typos!
“used to go on and on”
“through its financial institutions”
“public schools”
28. The Shadow – If you had read the previous post, ‘The Good’, you might have renamed him something else.
I used to think not to underestimate Hillary Clinton and she became peripheral.
But now I really think not to underestimate the president and president he is. Maybe it was The Annenberg Grant. He was a young man throwing around millions of dollars thousands at a time. Giving away money makes manipulation easy. The more you give away, the more people will follow you.
The birth certificate issue is dead. But what about the campaign contributions? First, silly names for contributors, secondly, turning off identification fields on the charge card screens, and thirdly, the odd amounts, not round numbers, which suggests the conversion of foreign currency. With Soros behind the curtain, who know’s how much they can throw around.
There is rumbling in opposition quarters and definately among his own. But maybe the way he’s throwing money around is responsible for his still very decent approval ratings. And much of the media just can’t stop gushing. Maybe there are more people with their hand out than we think.
I don’t think he’s an empty suit anymore, although the gifts were totally off the wall. The British are the epitome of ‘white people’. Maybe it’s his revenge to condescend, to put down, to not care. Racism against whites if just fine. Has Rev. Wright moved into his new house yet?
Knowledge is power. But the golden rule means that the man with the gold rules. We might like to think he’s stumbling. But maybe he’s getting his stride.
It’s an interesting thought: VDH has written often about the advantages of Western culture for waging war effectively.
Western culture has also had advantages for global commerce and trade. Its advantages have not, however, necessarily made that big a difference in diplomacy and negotiated international arrangements.
We don’t really know what is going to happen here. But for the forces that want to corral, suppress, and crow over the “defeat” of Western culture, what they have to avoid is a pitched battle with the remaining outposts of the West. Because Obama, with his juvenile radical-activist perspective, does NOT represent those outposts. He is weak — but they are not.
We look at history only after the fact, and don’t fully appreciate how bad things looked to the people who were inside the problem at the time. In May 1940 things looked very, very bad in Western Europe. It was not at all inevitable that France and the Low Countries would one day be restored to independence, or that England would hold out against Hitler.
In fact, closer in time, we can remember the year 1979, when Americans were taken hostage in Iran, and the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, and we could do nothing about either. It was the culmination of a decade of setbacks and failures, and pundits all across the political spectrum were certain that Marxism would eventually triumph the world over. We were NOT filled with hope in the last decade before Reagan; in fact, he was about the only American who really thought the Soviets were defeatable — and Clark Clifford considered him an amiable dunce.
Or (much) further back in time: does anyone think the Athenians were sure that the Greeks would turn back the Persian army, even after Thermopylae? When Italy was invaded in the Punic Wars, were Romans comforted by a certainty that they would come about, and triumph in the end?
A couple of years ago there was an excellent piece at NRO (by Michael Novak, maybe) in which the author compared Lincoln’s difficulties at the end of 1863 with those of Bush II in 2006, at our nadir in the Iraq occupation. His point was that what history scores as wins often look, during their unfolding, like impossible tasks — like looming failure — to those who have to man the barricades while they are happening.
VDH himself has made this point. It frequently doesn’t look like we are winning, before we do. I guess where I’m going with all this is that, if we had stopped with the assessments of Frenchmen on 10 May 1940, or the assessments of Jimmy Carter in 1979, or the assessments of John Kerry in 2004 or Harry Reid in 2007 — or those of Lincoln’s political opponents in 1863, or those of Revolutionary War critics in 1777-78 — history would look very different today.
I’d urge us all not to write the history of this moment before it actually comes to pass. We have always been slow to organize against the forces that hate liberty, but all the liberty we have achieved has come by opposing them successfully. I see no compelling reason to assume away the possibility of doing so again.
Timonthy Geithner, who failed to pay taxes repeatedly, is now head of the IRS & Treasury Secretary; he also wants absolute price controls on every business in the United States of America. This bill is now going to the Senate after it PASSED the House with 10 Republicans.
President Obama, on the other hand, does not want to govern or be President of the United States; he wants to rule. President Obama wants to be Dictator Obama.
President Obama, who supposedly upholds the Constitution of the United States, wants to remake America into Cuba, North Korea, & China.
When the Sleeping Giant wakes, President Obama, Timothy Geithner, & everyone else associated with his administration will be toast.
Why? America is not Europe. America is not Canada. America is not a Communist country such as North Korea, Cuba, & China. America is founded on FREEDOM & freedom will rise from the chains Obama is attempting to put on us.
The problem is he underestimates Americans. He thinks we’re stupid. The joke is on him. Arrogance, ignorance, & incompetence thy name is Barack Obama.
Your fall from grace is going to be fast. Even the MSM will stop licking your shoes & other places…
Because of the velocity of information in the world, I would predict three phenomena:
1. Increased globalization
2. Increased socialization which is also a factor of population density
3. Increased democraticization because of the breaking of information barriers/borders.
In the U.S.A. I would predict increased federalization, because without sunset clauses, its growth is self-propagating. The underlying equation is that the rate of evolution of technology is expodentially faster than the rate of evolution of humans. I never said that I liked it. Major disasters can change this equation.
The best thing these left wing know-nothing leaders can do for the economy is leave it alone.
America’s leader is in awe of the racist, anti- blue eyed leader of Brazil. it’s going to be a brutal four years. And then the tough slogging clean up will begin when this disastrous experiment ends.
It will take America 20 years to recover from Obama. And that’s without an Overseas Contingency Operation striking the homeland.
sumthin that none seems to remember,
AFP monday 30/04/2007 ” George Bush, Angela Merkel signed an agreement in Washington,
significative for the transatlantic economical integration
seem this was in the line of the same plans that were decided for creating the EU by Jean Monnet, and Roosvelt…
http://www.schillerinstitute.org/fid_97-01/002-3_monnet.html
“Coming: A New Trade Block. Fifty-five U.S. Senators and Congressmen currently serve as advisors to a “working group” for the Transatlantic Common Market between the U.S. and the European Union. “An economist from the World Bank has argued in print that the formation of the Transatlantic Common Market is designed to follow the blueprint of Jean Monet, a key intellectual architect of the European Union, recognizing that economic integration must inevitably lead to political integration.” The idea of this union came to light in April 2007, when President Bush, German Chancellor Merkel, and European Commission President Barroso launched the Transatlantic Economic Council. Efforts are already underway to create a North American Community, including the U.S., Mexico and Canada. This community is to be based on security and economic issues and is intended to be in place by 2010 (WorldNetDaily.com, July 20, 2005; September 25, 2006). The Transatlantic Common Market is intended to combine the North American Community with the EU, creating the world’s most formidable trade bloc—a trade bloc that would be so large that its trading policies would automatically become policies for the world. Plans for this new “common market” are proceeding and are intended to pass through in a “treaty” form, much like the most recent EU Treaty, in order to avoid the scrutiny and debate that often come with more “formal” agreements (January 16, 2008).”
Complete integration will occur in 2015
diabolic ! It appears then that this global mess is quite convenient !
If Blair was Bush’s poodle, then is Brown Obama’s bitch?
It must be strange in the EU to see a Nation that if it wanted to integrate with them, it couldn’t make the necessary checks for debt load to economy that is mandatory… and that Nation is the US. For the first time in decades the US is not coming to Europe to tout trade, tout working together for a common defense of Europe, not coming over to ask for help and is, basically, saying the handouts are over and do you have some spare handouts to give out now? The US, by stepping off center stage and falling off the left hand portion now moves its great shadow out of the way for every one to see the misers in the background, the moochers, those that have hung-on and criticized the US at every turn for not being like them.
The rug, floor and foundation of the house will get dragged along with the US and Europe isn’t ready for that. Now everyone who has complained has gotten *exactly* what they wished for… they forgot to be careful, however, in their wishes.
I think you got this wrong this time. I think Mr Brown, in spite of being treated with disdain by Mr Obama, showed much grace, not obsequiousness, when he greeted Mr Obama and his wife in London. He is a bigger person than Mr Obama, who appears to me at this point to be a rather small and petty person.
Hussein is not the middle name of many true Africans either. The Luo tribe are a bit weird. Despite obviously being sub Saharan Africans they regard themselves as Arabs.
For this reason they are hated and mistrusted by Kenya’s other tribes, particularly the Kikuyu, Embu and Meru which were all involved in the Mau Mau uprising.
Which thows a lot of doubt on Obama’s claim that his grandfather was tortured by the British as a terrorist suspect. Wishful thinking by the terrorist loving Barack Husein Obama perhaps?
Essential vdh
The USA is on the road to failure and perdition.
The left wing loonies however at a time of supposed “triumph” are not smart enough to know it will also be their time of ultimate defeat and eventual destruction.
Parasites can’t live without a healthy host. BHO never got that far into his indoctrination. It did not exist within the Utopian communist dream world. A perfume floating on air–no substance.
BHO’s rationality extends into the future by about 30 min and is within a single set of pronouncements. Pronouncements that cover both sides of the fence. Nothing actionable.
A recognition by BHO that the MSM will not notice, and most of the hanging on listeners will not notice or care if they are told they will be taken care of.
None of the other commies’ promises and pronouncements worked either. They all failed even after killing those who disagreed. Eventually they failed.
Who weeps for those dead sacrificed on the alter of psychotic Utopian dreams,a perfume for scorpions, cynical sly deceit on the left wing inept side.
Where are the men of strength integrity to preserve and protect to develop the strength needed in individuals for the “real world”.
Gone. Into the bottom less pit of Affirmative Action, Welfare, humanitarian lies, like lions born in a zoo being told they know how to hunt as they take “meat” from their masters.
Their life is simply to prowl the cage and growl until the next feeding.
Millions of men women and children died due even to the US’s perfidy during the Vietnam war.
A descent into hell started then along with taking the lives of the most unprotected Americans.
An agreement to support, a willingness to fight for freedom, a betrayal by a US Democratic controlled congress not providing funds.
Millions died, men,women and children—who weeps for those.
The Utopian language designed to perfume the scorpion, still did not and has not changed the scorpion and its sting and thus it ultimate death.
When enough is enough it is and has always been smashed even after applying its sting.
Communism, socialism, feel good Utopian thinking,
“humanitarian” acting and verbiage never did work, even when enforced by PC, social and cultural indoctrination,death or life times of imprisonment.
It only worked in Carl Marx’s psychotic mind in a “coffee house” on the left bank of Paris when everyone was drunk with wine.
A perfume of Revolution was in the air. It was the stink of death in the hangover bad breath of con artists seeking power without needing the means to do it other than to pit human against human.
Like pitting bulls in the ring until one is killed. The manipulators standing in the safe ground.
The “Revolution” including BHO’s is and was like Frat House BS on a Friday afternoon drinking beer.
Millions died for this! Votes stolen in America for this! Western Culture’s high water mark for humanity torn down for THIS!
Europe,Socialism and communism has lost their engine. They can’t function even for a day when the American markets stopped and wondered what will happen. What do BHO’s hair brained pronouncements mean?.
The US economy even now pulls the socialist Euro’s out of the mud. It provided a place for their overpriced, under priced and underpowered trinkets. Communist China’s included.
The American capital market and big business now is no longer functioning. BHO’s pronouncements sow uncertainty and fear.
American big Business has been so seeded with political reactionaries and with Left Wing Ivy league BS artists no one is left in a management position that is not due to their government connections and good ole boy networks. And of course being the right affirmative action color.
THEY DON’T KNOW HOW TO DO ANYTHING.
They wait on the next government pronouncement and “deal”.
Sucking up others peoples money within their institutions. Protecting their bonus’s.
Providing whipping boy status to a perverted Barney Frank. Prostitutes to a Barney Frank pimp.
They are willing to kiss Barny Franks’ ass and “sxxk his dXXk to protect their incomes.
Know it and weep.
It is happening we have all seen it from the bleachers of the MSM cheering sessions. “How Wonderful” say the talking idiots. Looking into the mirrors and the teleprompters.
Roll the sleeves up and get to work at any place, anytime, doing whatever is needed. And make sure you vote the bastards out.
PUT SIGNS UP THAT SAY–A BHO, A JOE BIDEN, a JOHN KERRY, a BARNY FRANK, may not apply for any political office.
They have demonstrated un American activities and should be investigated for treason. For destroying the American Constitution, For not supporting and defending it like they swore to.
Only JOE THE PLUMBERS MAY APPLY.
Only Americans that know how to make a living need apply. Those taking other peoples money for their own to gain or maintain power—the Scorpions must be destroyed now.
The perfume is now a calling card and detectable smell to seek them out and destroy them they are destroying America, the last hope left to develop humanity.
Excellent observations. What really summed it up for me though, as I mentioned to others earlier, was when Obama was speaking at a townhall in France this morning; he was defending democracy (of course defending a republic or republicanism, would be unthinkable) he picked out the selling point of Democracy being that it promotes “liberty, equality and fraternity”, rather than “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”.
Egalitarianism over Individual Rights.
I don’t think he was just being nice to the frenchies, I don’t doubt that he prefers Rousseau and his ilk, to Jefferson and the Founders… the fact that Rousseau ‘inspired’ Marat, Robespierre and the rest of the boys to lead the first fascist revolution, followed by dictatorship, war and a century of revolutions, may or may not have been lost on him.
When talking about how nice it was to talk with Medvedev about reducing our nuclear weaponry, he also mentioned that “We need to reduce our nuclear weapons in order to have the moral authority to negotiate with Iran.”
We need to enhance our moral authority, in order to negotiate with Iran.
Oh my… as someone mentioned above, it is almost like 9/11 in slo-mo.
Pop`s in Vienna #29.The news you are getting about the Tea Parties must be coming from CNN.There have been many of them,quite well attended,without the help of an organization like Acorn to boost the numbers.There are plans for many more.Believe me when a couple of thousand people show up in a town like Ridgefield,Ct. it is newsworthy.It hardly hit the news media.Guess why?
The Congressional race in NY is now led by a slim margin by the Republican.This district was held by a Democrat who won by 24 percentage points.How is this a disaster for the Republicans?
The staff of my Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter (D) had a bit of a scare a few days ago. After receiving a letter containing a mysterious substance they alerted authorities and were told to seek refuge in a safe place. Upon investigation, the deadly appearing substance was determined to be tea. HAZMAT authorities say there are no plans to arrest the tax paying citizen who sent the letter, complete with return address.
Whew. That was a close one. Must be really scary worrying whether an innocuous complaint to your own representative will land you in jail. Or up against the wall.
On the other hand, the symbolic value of this little tempest over a tea bag is priceless. Wait till those Congresscritters see the outpouring of TEA on Tax Day.
Van, Rousseau and the aftermaths you deducted from his writings are more in the american memory than by us, may-be we don’t study his social philosophy, but rather read him like an exotic novel, style Paul and Virginie”, the kind of litterature we read when we are ado.
Rousseau isn’t enough “intellectual” for the french elite
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_et_Virginie
Right now it’s ugly. It’s going to get uglier. I suspect very strongly that it’s going to come to violence in the end. Prepare yourself. When the storm breaks the window of opportunity for preparation will have closed and you’ll have to go with what you have. If it’s not enough…
“I have been watching an interesting phenomenon on the Right, which is beginning to cause me concern. I am referring to the over-the-top hysteria in response to the first months in office of our new president, which distinctly reminds me of the “Bush Is Hitler” crowd on the Left,” — David Horowitz
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=C437EEA9-A9A9-490D-B5E4-CD952FDEEE17
David H wrote:
“funny thing is that since Obama won I snapped out of the depression that I was falling into, because at that point I came to the simple conclusion that we are now in the death spiral stage which with luck will create a rebirth.”
If I remember my history, I do believe that the Byzantine Empire pretty much rose out of the ashes of the Roman Empire, and became, while not perfect a stable one for several centuries. So, perhaps David you have a really valid, hopeful point.
Obama is the messiah! Hahahahahaha
Last I heard, there were over 1,600 tea parties planned for 4/15. I have also heard many reports that quite a few of the cities are trying to shut them down, with the excuse that there will be too many people, overcrowding/traffic, etc. There have been up to 5,000 ppl at some of the previous parties. Someone sent me a link from World News Daily that had a map with the actual parties marked. If that is anywhere near what is coming, then the MSM may ignore them, but I feel assured that not only will that make people tend to have more/bigger parties, that there will be plenty of radio stations, and local tv stations and bloggers putting them out there.
the Obamas have found the new dog for the white house eh?
BHO and his Demonratic Congress will go down in history as the greatest threat to the United States in its history. The enemies within are far more dangerous than any enemies outside the border.
Excellent insight VDH! Sure doesn’t bring me any comfort though.
while delighted that Iran’s new bomb will cause us problems untold
In my former employment there was this Assistant Director of the Marketing Division who we all knew to be the “deep throat” inside our Department that would “leak” scandalous information to the media about the nefarious goings on inside that she knew would fuel public outrage and then she would run to the rescue of the Department Director to defend his actions, or lack thereof. She was very good at this and it didn’t take long for her to strengthen her power position and make herself so invaluable that she created her own new position in the Mayor’s Office.
I see the same scenario with Putin in regards to Iran. Once Iran gets the bomb, Putin will move to bring Western and Eastern European countries under Russia’s protective wings and Putin’s legacy will be the reconstitution of the Russian Empire with a wider influence.
Worked on the Hill over thirty years ago. Strange stuff sent in the mail, but never caused a breakdown.
Interesting take on President Obama from one who knows him somewhat well, Richard Epstein. This video is most interesting:
http://tv.nationalreview.com/uncommonknowledge/post/?q=YWRiOTM2OGU1OGFjMzc4ZjMzYmM4MWE1MWQwNTAzYjY=
Basically, I agree with Mr. Epstein’s view. But, what will cause our president to fail in implementing his socialist policies is his disdain for his so-called allies and his lack of understanding for his country. Still, that will also result in much harm to us all.
Professor, keep on writing and God Bless.
Obama will let America go just like South Africa went. Let the country go back to its roots. It is that simple.
“We have met the enemy, and he is us”
POGO.
The American voter is getting what they have voted for, Congress is full of big spenders, every major city is run by big spending democrats, Liberals all.
We will continue to see the underground economy grow and more and more people will make every effort to avoid paying large tax rates in the future. Welcome to Europe. Next will be a large influx of Muslims and their demands for Muslim society benifits, and we will be there. I see a migration to places like Montana and Wyoming, maybe Texas, any way to get away from Big Liberal Government. Just like Switzerland and Monaco in Europe.
American Constitution guarantees the right to pursue happiness…it doesn’t gaurantee happiness.
The consequences of having a “mea culpa” president are on display in Europe. The gist of Obama’s prepared G-20 speeches was an apologia for America’s “wrongs”. Yet when asked who was to blame for the financial crisis during a press conference with Gordon Brown, Obama babbled on for over two minutes in stream of conscience fashion, without saying much of anything. Clearly, he did not have a pat answer for that unanticipated question. And TOTUS wasn’t there to help him out.
Obama should take note: the epitome of stupidity is to think that public mea culpas preempt probing questions or effect better, i.e. less divisive, relationships between countries. This kindergarten mentality won’t work on the big playground of foreign affairs. Start apologizing for your country’s behavior and someone from the BBC will just ask you to be more specific. After all, the second part of the question, ” …isn’t the debate about that [who's to blame] at the heart of the debate about what to do now?”, implies a desire to fully establish blame before the difficult negotiations on mitigating this crisis begin. You wonder if Obama understands where that leads.
First, some air-head, moron “comedian” comes over here on MTV and tells us those who aren’t going to vote for O’Bama are simply racists. Deep thinker, a real mental giant. Next, England is likely beyond the point of no return in allowing their country to be overrun by Islamists, an act of stupidity possibly unmatched in the annals of human history. For these and other reasons, it strikes me as no surprise they’d elect a man who, deep down inside, wants to drop down to his knees and give the “Plantation Manager” a spitshine. He’s Brown’s idol for God’s sakes!
“The Question that Flummoxed the Great Orator”
When the UK’s Leftist rag of record sees fit to spoof an Obama answer at a news conference, strange happenings are afoot. As noted above, our apologetic president couldn’t give a direct answer to a simple question re who’s to blame for the financial crisis. The Guardian’s John Crace felt it necessary to fill in the blanks in Obama’s thought process during his nearly three minute rambling answer. Read it here — http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/apr/03/g20-barack-obama-nick-robinson-question — for a good laugh.
Why does the Guardian attack the most socialist American president ever? Well, the Guardian of Socialism knows how the financial crisis occurred, and they know Comrade Obama knows as well. They are a little miffed at his evasive response. They were hoping for a President Lula type epiphany from the Sainted One. Something along the lines of “White man’s greed runs a world in need”, right into the ground.
The book is Tiananmen Square by Scott Simmie and Bob Nixon.
It reports that a man named Wei was arrested in the spring of 1979 and brought to trial six months later. Charged with “counter-revolutionary crimes of serious nature,” he was convicted and sentenced to a prison term of fifteen years; his appeal was unsuccessful. “You have read it yourself,” said the prosecutor. “It is decreed in our (Chinese) Constitution that there IS freedom of belief.
“YOU CAN BELIEVE OR NOT BELIEVE IN MARXISM-LENINISM AND THE THOUGHT OF MAO ZEDONG AS YOU WISH, BUT YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY NOT PERMITTED TO OPPOSE THEM….”
Today, Wei Jingshen remains incarcerated near Beijing.
It is indeed going to get far worse for us. The Tea Parties are just the beginning.
obama’s foot soldiers will, very soon, making it plain to the thickheaded who do not yet understand that we surely do have freedom to believe or not believe in him, as we wish, but we do not have the freedom to oppose him.
The banks are finding that out, as he refuses to allow them to return the money they got. Talk about gangster MO (“prepayment penalties don’t apply, because you will not be allowed to prepay–we’re gonna suck you dry, you fools”)
I thought the banks would have understood the dangers of the payday lenders. Oh well.
Never mind that Bush (in his Second term) was good to Europe, or that his positions on immigration…,were hardly conservative.
Your position on the worthiness of a realistic policy of immigration, as defined by both President Reagan and President Bush quite honestly, leaves me scratching my scalp.
While I am aware of the arguments for enforcing the law, and the argument President Reagan made for amnesty while seeking an answer to the massive headache that is immigration and Visa control, I do not think the position of President Bush on our Southern Border deserves that much disdain.
It has been my view that the problems of the southern border would never be resolved by ignoring them, which the building of fences and cries for massive deportations certainly does. The positions of Presidents Reagan, Bush, Clinton and Bush, are very much in agreement that the southern border ought to be open as much as possible for the free flow of goods. A reliance on the rising economic tide to raise the masses in Latin America up a level or two did not anticipate the success of Criminal gangs and the Drug trade but had hoped to provide a legitimate way past such activities.
The entrenchment of those who wish to close the border and no amnesty in any form, is not conducive to a rational debate of the subject. But I understand and respect the necessity of holding politicians feet to the fire. While there was much in the Immigration Reform act to recommend, there was much more to condemn and the very undemocratic method for moving the bill out of committee was as in-artful and uninspired an arm twisting as I have had the horror of witnessing.
Still why can’t the common sense articles and the areas where agreement can be found be used as a starting point to move forward on the intractable question of the Border and the damning aspects of our Visa system. There is no reason why a safe and efficient system of access control cannot be applied to our Ports of entry and our student as well as visitor visa systems.
I believe that President Bush’s view on immigration did not change much re the Mexican border, despite the GWOT. I can guess that there is good reason why. In my opinion, the failure to implement a common sense regimen is a failure of political will. The disdain with which President Bush is held in respect to these positions represents a failure of reason. I also do not believe President Obama has demonstrated any ideas of how to treat this epidemic. I will suppose that his understanding of the enormity of the encroachment is similar to his understanding of the concept of “A Trillion”.
Yet I believe a discussion of Immigration reform with or without the inclusion of the fence first, must be undertaken to define what a conservative vision of Immigration Control and legal immigration ought to be. Such a discussion would do wonders to clear the air I believe and start conservatives on the road to defining what it means to be conservative. Your off handed rebuke of the Conservative credentials of President Bush don’t outline what you think a conservative is not.
Thank you, for you consideration of this conservative’s opinion.
“Odd to see anarchists trying to burn and loot while some are text messaging and cell-phoning in the news clips—as if such ignoramuses can’t grasp that nihilism and anti-capitalist angst lose their authenticity when they depend on the trademarks of the global corporate world”
Ignoramuses? Hey pot. Yo kettle. Anarchists are not the same as nihilists and only cross over with anti-capitalist angst at certain junctures. An anarchist’s central contention is that power concentrated in the hands of the few inevitably leads to corruption. Their beef is with government of any description so a gathering of world govt’s is an obvious target for their concern.
Nihilists, on the other hand, don’t necessarily believe in the goodness of humanity at all so care less about how society is organised. If they appear at riots at all it is to express their disaffection or simply to cause trouble for the sake of bored amusement.
The two groups could not be more different.
As an armchair anarchist who doesn’t believe in throwing bombs I’d have to add that true entrepreneurship is not frowned on in many anarchist circles. A small businessman has a close connection with the needs and wants of his customer and any profits he makes derive from his own efforts and the value of his enterprise. This contrasts starkly with managers in already-established corporations who vote massive benefits for themselves while letting the workers who fix their engines and drive their sales, languish. I’ll take even the most cock-eyed Blackberry-wielding protester over a cynical exec who accepts a taxpayer bail-out and then awards themselves and their cronies million dollar bonuses (basically for failing dismally) any old day. If noticing that these characters are leeches blackening the good name of capitalism makes one an ignoramus, then so be it.
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