Political Correctness

Political Correctness Has Poisoned America

By Thomas D. Segel | Posted November 14, 2009

Harlingen, Texas, November 12, 2009:

It started out as a mild virus initiated by the left of center intellectuals of academia. But, like every virus from computer carried to influenza, it spread rapidly through schools, hospitals, civil service, the media, companies, governance and the armed forces. Political correctness has poisoned all of America.

The famed author of children's books, Anthony Browne has also written a telling examination of political correctness in The Retreat of Reason. Says Browne, "Political correctness is the 'heresy of liberalism' under which reliance on reason has been replaced on the emotional appeal of an argument.

Adopting certain positions makes the politically correct feel virtuous, even more so when they are preventing the expression of an opinion that conflicts with their own. Political correctness is the dictatorship of virtue."

Europe has seen political correctness applied everywhere. They have seen the rise of anti-Semitic attacks in England, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. The politically correct "truth" of these attacks being presented to the public has been White Neo-Nazi skinheads waged the attacks. The reality is, young Muslim men perpetrated most of the attacks.

 

From the United Nations we keep hearing that Africa is getting poorer with every passing day. According to Browne, it is charged that the West not giving Africa enough economic aid causes this poverty. Again, the truth is quite a different story. Africa is getting poorer because its various governments range from corrupt to politically ignorant.

 

Back home in the United States we find ourselves infected with political correctness starting at the White House and reaching into our smallest communities. Political correctness is used to justify the excessive immigration, extravagant guest-worker programs, the overseas outsourcing of job, foolish trade policies, and even more foolish energy policies.

A left of center lap dog media has condoned excessive national debt, unemployment, oppression of taxpayers, and a collapse of the middle class by pointing its long finger at the previous administration. Again, the truth is quite different. If allowed to continue, the policies that created this sick economy and confused electorate will destroy our culture along with our economy.

There can be no greater example of political correctness than the Obama Administration and the Democrat controlled Congress. We are no longer fighting a global war against terror. The word 'terror' has been removed from current political language.

We must understand why the Muslim world is upset with us.

We must dialog.

We must talk unconditionally and on and on.

 

The truth is we are hated by the Muslim world. It is not only political correctness, but also political madness to hear the words of hatred aimed at the West and not accept them as reality. Even the threats of Osama bin Laden were taken from the eighth and ninth chapters of the Koran.

"When you meet the unbelievers strike them in the neck…. If you do not go out and fight, God will punish you severely…Whenever you find the polytheists, kill them, seize them, besiege them, ambush them…You who believe do not take Jews and Christians as friends…The Hour of Judgement will not come until Muslims fight the Jews and kill them".

 

Those are the words of the Koran, yet being politically correct we keep saying Islam is a great culture and a religion of peace and tolerance.

 

Ayan Hirsi Ali is a former Muslim who has been amazed at western denial of radical Muslim terrorism. She says, "This is Islam. This is based on belief."

She is quoted in her book Infidel as saying of the 9-11 attacks, "It was not the lunatic fringe who felt this way about America and the West. I knew that the vast mass of Muslims would see the attacks as justified retaliation against the infidel enemies of Islam." Our own political correctness would not allow us to take the same view.

We are now faced with the new terror attack, striking our nation in Fort Hood, Texas. American soldiers were killed or wounded at the hand of another American soldier who had told everyone he was a Muslim first and an American second. He killed crying out the words Allah Akbar, but we were told not to rush to judgment. Even the FBI said we should not consider this a terrorist attack.

Next we learned that Nidal Hasan has a history of suspicious behavior, including multiple emails to a known radial Islamic cleric. These were passed off as not even being worthy of detailed examination.

There is no doubt that political correctness has brought about a corruption of public debate. The poison of political correctness has spread itself throughout our country. The jury is still out as to it ultimately being the downfall of our society and the country.

Email:  Tom@thomasdsegel.com

Homepage:  www.thomasdsegel.com

 
 

A Turning Point, Swiftly Reached

A Turning Point, Swiftly Reached
By Alan Caruba

The November 3rd elections were a turning point, swiftly reached.

The inauguration of Barack Hussein Obama was followed by Tea Parties around the nation that aggregated into the huge September 12 rally in Washington, D.C. And barely two months later, the election of Republican governors in Virginia and New Jersey. In Maine, the voters repealed the authorization of same-sex marriage, an anathema as morally debased as abortion.

My mind went back to Barry Goldwater’s acceptance speech at the Republican convention in 1964. “I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And let me remind you that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.”

That speech was given when communism, led by the Soviet Union, was challenging freedom around the world. Lyndon Johnson who had assumed office upon the assassination of John F. Kennedy had initiated the “Great Society”, a government program that was the welfare state on steroids. A war was raging in Vietnam. The civil rights movement was gaining momentum.

“This is the Republican Party, a Party for free men, not for blind followers, and not for conformists,” said Goldwater.

Barely ten months after the inauguration of Barack Obama, the blinders had fallen from the eyes of his followers and others beguiled by his oratory, his promise of change that proved itself to be the takeover of the economic foundations of the nation, and his weakness in the face of a world filled with the enemies of freedom.

In 1964, Goldwater said, “We Republicans seek a government that attends to its inherent responsibilities of maintaining a stable monetary and fiscal climate, encouraging a free and competitive economy and enforcing law and order.”

Today, thanks to a profligate Congress controlled by the Democrat Party since 2006, the economy is in shambles, a free and competitive economy is under attack by massive government programs intended to control one sixth of it, the destruction of private property, and borders that remain unprotected against those who would take advantage of benefits intended for our citizens while destroying their lives with illegal drugs.

“I know this freedom is not the fruit of every soil,” said Goldwater. “I know that our own freedom was achieved through centuries, by unremitting efforts by brave and wise men. I know the road to freedom is a long and a challenging road. I know also that some men may walk away from it, that some men resist challenge, accepting the false security of government paternalism.”

To read that 1964 Goldwater speech is to be astonished by its prescience and to be inspired by its faithfulness to the fundamental values of what it means to be an American.

That Americanism filled the street of Washington, D.C. and will do so again for as long as it takes to defeat “amnesty”, to defeat an apologetic and weak President schooled in the tenets of communism and dedicated to a government in complete control of our lives.

Goldwater could have been speaking of Afghanistan when he said “We are at war in Vietnam. And yet the President, who is Commander-in-Chief of our forces, refuses to say, refuses to say, mind you, whether or not the objective over there is victory.”

What followed in the wake of Johnson’s election and the subsequent terms of Richard Nixon was the death of some 53,000 young Americans sent into a war where victory remained beyond grasp because of weak leadership, of moderation, and the misjudgment of the enemy’s devotion to the cause of communism.

Today, the nation faces the horror of a nuclear-armed Iran and the determination of al Qaeda to destroy us.

Americans recoiled from Obama’s world tour of apologies for being the world’s beacon of freedom and protector of the peace. “We here in America can keep the peace only if we remain vigilant and only if we remain strong,” said Goldwater.

“Those who seek to live your lives for you, to take your liberties in return for relieving you of yours, those who elevate the state and downgrade the citizen must see ultimately a world in which earthly power can be substituted for divine will, and this nation was founded upon the rejection of that notion and upon the acceptance of God as the author of freedom.”

A president awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for no discernable reason has discovered a world filled with the enemies of peace and of freedom. He could well have been the subject of Goldwater’s call to Republicans and lovers of freedom.

“It is the further cause of Republicanism to restore a clear understanding of the tyranny of man over man in the world at large. It is our cause to dispel the foggy thinking which avoids hard decisions in the illusion that a world of conflict will somehow mysteriously resolve itself into a world of harmony, if we just don’t rock the boat or irritate the forces of aggression…and this is hogwash.”

A turning point has been reached. Americans will not accept the erosion of their constitutionally guaranteed freedoms, will not accept an all-powerful federal government interposing itself between them and their physicians, will not except the taxation of energy use, and will not accept the “hogwash” of a world we’re told will yield to the soothing charade of diplomacy in the face of naked aggression.

To refresh and renew your dedication to freedom, read Barry Goldwater’s speech, as fresh today as when it was delivered:
www.washingtonpost.com/may98/Barry Goldwater’s speech

Alan Caruba writes a daily post at factsnotfantasy.blogspot.com. An author and business and science writer, he is the founder of The National Anxiety Center.

To Health In A Handbasket

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To Health In A Handbasket

By: Ron Marr

10/22/09
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I'm all for doctors. To me, there is no more valuable service on this earth than the professional care administered by a qualified practitioner of the medicinal arts. I don't particularly enjoy going to the doctor (they always lecture me about smoking) however I can't think of too many things more comforting than the knowledge that an experienced doc is close at hand should I get a treble hook in my eye, shoot myself in the thigh, or get my foot stuck in mouth.
Being from the Missouri Ozarks, I grew up with a lot of "untraditional" home medical practices. We always figured that there was no need to waste the doc's time if you could fix it yourself - kinda' the same theory as changing your own oil on the family Chevy. It’s not that tough a job and the pros have more important stuff on their minds.

Nothing is worse than a hypochondriac (unless it's a sick hypochondriac) and so, like I said, we often doctored ourselves. Bee stings were treated with a baking soda poultice. If you had a sore throat, you got a long Q-Tip and swabbed your throat with merthiolate. Chigger bites? Dry them up with toothpaste (preferably Crest). If you cut yourself, you doused the gash in hydrogen peroxide and connected the escaping folds of skin with duct tape. If you got strains or sprains or bone aches, you just sprayed some WD-40 on the afflicted area.

Many people dislike my usage of WD-40 on creaking joints. A friend of mine just about had a conniption fit when I sprayed a bunch of the stuff on her blown-out knee, but the pain was relieved within forty-five seconds and now she swears by this all-purpose rusty-nut buster/blown-out ACL remedy.

As an aside, WD-40 is also a pretty good scent to spray on nightcrawlers. The catfish seem to love it, and as an added benefit they don’t squeak when you cut into them.

So, I'm all for docs. What I'm against is socialized style medicine ala El Presidente Obama. Both he, and the flaming liberals who sip at his tankard of Koolaid, seem to feel we should follow the lead of rotting countries like England and Canada and dispose of the advances in medicine that occur when physicians and surgeons and such are allowed to practice their arts in a free market economy. Those Socialist types would prefer that everyone have access to free health care, even if the folks who run the el-cheapo clinics can't speak but about ten words of English and nine of those are "You want buy pretty brass elliefant? Only twenty dollar." Have we forgotten that it was the government who gave us Amtrak, the U.S. Post Office, The IRS, Cash for Clunkers, and thousands of other enterprises and programs that work about as well as teats on a bull?

There is much discussion over a “public option,” but lets just face facts here. The entirety of Obamacare is nothing but a giant public option. The quality of care will plummet, and rationing is a given. You best hope you only have Stage One cancer at the time of diagnosis, because by the time you get a second appointment you will either be pushing Stage Four or pushing up daisies. You will wait, and wait, and wait, and it’s very possible that you will end up paying more for the privilege.

There are really only two goals behind federally mandated health care programs. The first is control. The current crop of clowns feel that they should control your every move, monitor your every whim. They believe they should not only tell you how to handle your health concerns, but also be allowed to pry into the most intimate details of your life. What’s more, if you refuse to participate, you will either be fined or tossed in the pokey.

The second goal is the outright destruction of the companies that offer health insurance. There is no way a private insurance company can compete against government insurance. If they even try, they will be fined and regulated up the wazoo. Seriously, how can a private insurance company make a profit if they have to cover those with pre-existing conditions for a minimal sum? This is a little like saying car insurance companies have to provide you with low-cost insurance after you’ve smashed your Camaro into a bridge.

Thanks to the liberals in Congress, there is a very good chance that government-run health care will be a reality. Over fifty percent of Americans don’t want it, but that matters not a whit to the folks in Washington. They view themselves as an aristocracy, and besides, they won’t have to use the crappy programs that you’ll be forced to endure. Your health care, if the government programs become a reality, will be provided by organizations devoted to providing the least amount of care at the cheapest cost and making big bucks by getting chintzy on service, I'd just as soon give my cash to a joint boasting a sign reading "Bar, Grill and Mortuary."

Sadly, for America, it looks like some version of Obamacare will be a reality. The wishes of the citizens don’t matter, for we have a man in the White House who was suckled on the milk of radical socialism.

My suggestion, is that you stock up on baking soda, merthiolate, Crest, and WD-40.

You’re gonna’ need them.

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Ron Marr is the editor/publisher/and janitor of the weekly, online magazine, troutwrapper.com.

He can be reached via his website at www.troutwrapper.com

Rules of Engagement Revisited

By: Thomas D. Segel

Date: September 22, 2009

Website: www.thomasdsegel.com



Harlingen, Texas, September 22, 2009: Active duty military personnel, veterans and retirees alike all expressed their outrage and disdain for the reported Rules of Engagement (ROE) that resulted in loss of life to four United States Marines and nine of their Afghan army allies. In a Taliban initiated ambush the insurgents out-gunned the joint military unit and pinned it to indefensible ground. The NATO advised Afghan force was denied artillery support and did not receive close air support for more than one hour after coming under attack. By that time 13 lives had been forfeited because of a politically motivated ROE that always favors the insurgents.

Why was artillery support refused? Why were the helicopter gun ships needed for close air support late? Why did more Americans die? Many feel it is due to the always politically orients Rules of Engagement, a war fighting practice that is only rarely understood by the general public, and is seldom clarified or accepted by members of the military community.

One person voicing such an opinion is retired Marine Corps Major Frank Stolz. This author and authority on weapons of mass destruction points out that the ROE has been a very controversial issue since before World War II. He explains, “The original rules were formulated through the League of Nations (1929 – 1946) and were mainly written and approved by diplomats, lawyers, peace advocates and many others appalled by the slaughter of millions in World War I.” The actions of that war, according to Stolz, “included the use of poison gases and the destruction of entire cities through artillery, naval gunfire bombardments and for the first time ever, aerial bombardment, often times when the cities were still filled with non combatant civilians.”

Those who formed the first “rules” included a few people who had observed the horrors of war, but most were never in or near the front lines. They formed their opinions on the conduct of war from places of safety and comfort.

Though the League of Nations attempted to stem the threat of wars, success was never seen. The first rules they accepted were No shotguns in warfare; No flamethrowers in warfare; No aerial bombing of inhabited cities; Enemy and allied supply ships were to be stopped at sea, the crews and personnel were then allowed to get into lifeboats with sufficient food and water to reach the nearest land, and then their ships would be sunk. Says Stolz, ”these were but a few of the nonsensical rules made up by pinstripe diplomats and lawyers.” As history tells us, all parties engaged in combat followed few of these rules.

The ROE we find practiced today will vary slightly from one combat zone to another. It combines the old League of Nation rules along with newer insufferable conditions demanded by the United Nations and many of the European countries. As Major Stolz points out the ROE was intended for the conduct of warfare by uniformed combatants. It was not created to deal with terrorists, anarchists, insurgents and criminal elements all hiding among the civilian populations. Stolz concludes by observing, “Either through stupidity or a desire by some to see us fail, we have now given terrorists who indiscriminately bomb and harm innocent civilians, the same “rights” afforded uniformed military combatants. That, to me, is akin to allowing serial killers periodic home leaves in order to get their heads straight.”

The retired military community seems to be angered by the ROE now in place and how our government appears to have little regard for the lives of our many troops now in harms way. Says one veteran, “I believe we are wasting lives in Afghanistan. It cannot be won without taking out all extreme Islamic fundamentalists. The Taliban are ruthless. They follow no rules, period! They massacre at will. They are pure evil. How do we win this? There is no way except massive casualties across the board. It is a useless war and one our brave soldiers should not be fighting.”

Marine retiree William Bloomfield write, “Having lived through more than one tour in Vietnam, in spite of the ROEs, it smells to me an awful lot like “de javu” all over again. Politicians who haven’t a clue in charge of those who do. It is egos taking precedence over good judgment and common sense.”

Master Sergeant John Clayton says he is an old Vietnam combat veteran, who fought in that war during 1967 and 68. Clayton says, “There is no substitute for victory and appeasement leads to defeat, as France found out in World War II. Do our enemies have ROE other than to defeat those who oppose them?” He notes they battle the enemy “kill n any way they can and to hell with humanitarian ROE that our government imposes on our military for political and appeasement reasons.”

One soldier now on active duty, (we will call him Bob) writes, “ I am scared every time I’m told to move into a dangerous area. Most of us know we will receive little support when things get hot. Nobody really seems to care about us. If they did, they would make sure we had the weapons and troops needed to protect ourselves and win this thing.”

General Stanley McChrystal seems to have those same feelings. He has requested more support troops and equipment. He has requested thousands more troops and sent the White House a detailed report of the situation on the ground in Afghanistan. He says he needs this support at once and if it doesn’t come we could lose the war. The report has been sitting on the President’s desk for almost a month and no action has been taken.

While all the political indecision continues, the ROE remains in force. More soldiers and Marines will be sent into impossible situations and asked to win without the tools of combat needed to complete their tasks. More calls for artillery will be made and denied. More calls for air support will be made and delayed. More Americans will die because of indecision and political cowardness at home.

Liberals are Killing America

Liberals are Killing America
By Alan Caruba

It is not a new observation, but it is one that needs review and repeating every so often. Why do liberals always seem to get on the wrong side of any issue concerning America’s future? Its sovereignty? Its financial security? Its defense?

I think this question is particularly timely given the public discussion of Obamacare that included a huge peaceful protest march on Washington September 12th. The President’s non-stop campaign to get “reform” passed and the heated exchanges in Congress do not represent actual healthcare reform, but are testimony to a liberal obsession with a very bad idea.

You know something is desperately wrong when Democrats will not permit the proposed bill to enjoy a grace period of 72 hours during which both the public and members of Congress can actually read it before a vote is taken.

The irony of the current battle is that the bill will significantly change Medicare, a program advocated by liberals and, like Social Security, established by Democrats in Congress. It will destroy a free market for insurance programs individuals may choose to purchase. Or not.

There is no dispute that both programs, safety nets for Americans, have been helpful. Neither is voluntary There is no doubt that both are insolvent because they are unsustainable. This has been exacerbated by the way Congress has dipped into the funds intended to be set aside for them.

Obamacare will end up killing a lot of the people that Medicare was intended to save from the diseases and accidents that afflict the elderly.

It is not so much a “reform” as an admission of the failure of Congress to properly administer Medicare. Moreover, the “reform” will seize control of one sixth of the nation’s economy and dangerously, insidiously come between physician and patient.

It is a reform that is doomed to failure because there simply are not enough doctors, nurses, and other licensed and certified healthcare providers.

The global warming hoax and the arguments that “saving the environment” justifies a horrid “cap-and-trade” bill under consideration is another example of how liberal zeal for apparently noble “causes” reaps more harm than good. In the process, actual known, proven science has been abandoned.

In many ways, America has historically demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to Nature. The set asides of vast tracks of national forests and natural wonders such as the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone attest to this and the national effort to clean our waters and air attest to this.

The problem, one that was anticipated and feared by the Founding Fathers, is the continued expansion of the federal government’s control over all aspects of our lives. The creation and existence of the departments of education and energy have harmed America in countless ways. The Environmental Protection Agency is an assault on science and property rights. All are essentially unconstitutional.

There never was any scientific evidence for “global warming” and yet it has been the all-purpose “go to” justification for restrictions that range from toilets that lack sufficient power to flush and, soon, a prohibition on the incandescent light bulb. Environmental restrictions have done irreparable harm to the nation’s economic growth.

Natural phenomenon from hurricanes to floods to forest fires have been blamed on global warming and this continues even though the Earth has been in a cooling cycle for a decade and what warming occurred after 1850 was a natural cyclical response to a previous little ice age that had begun in the 1300s.

Liberals, however, lack common sense. Environmentalism has transformed from conservation to a wholesale attack on America’s industrial base and, in a larger sense, capitalism. The Left has always attacked capitalism and the free market system that is essentially self-regulating.

This is particularly evident in liberal efforts to render the nation unable to access its own vast energy reserves of oil, natural gas, and coal. Energy is called the “master resource” because, without it, life can be harsh and progress in the form of innovation and invention, slows. Industrialized nations are differentiated from “undeveloped” nations almost entirely on the basis of the availability and widespread use of affordable energy.

Liberals, however, would not just leave vast parts and populations of the world bereft of the energy needed to grow crops, create jobs, and serve the basic needs of their people, but continue to use environmentalism to denigrate everything from driving one’s car to the use of plush toilet paper.

While America has always been “a nation of immigrants”, the process of accepting new citizens has been undermined in recent decades by the ceaseless flow of illegal aliens entering the nation and not merely ignoring the naturalization process, but also taking wrongful advantage of social programs such as welfare, our educational system, and our healthcare system. Liberals, however, continue to campaign for amnesty programs.

The liberal attack on the institution of marriage, on the free expression of religious faith, and other elements necessary to a civil society is yet another example of the way a nation they profess to love is undermined as its core values are systematically destroyed.

And let it be said that in the decades since the 1960s and 70s, men and women who have been elected to Congress and to occupy the White House on the basis of their avowed conservatism, have too often yielded to liberal arguments and programs. Tax and spend is now a bipartisan philosophy.

Liberals now hold majority political power in Congress and the White House, and the nation has been witness to the abandonment of our allies abroad and an appalling level of corruption, wasteful spending on pet projects, of which ACORN is just one example.

Liberals created the programs that led to massive mortgage loan failures; liberal programs enacted to impose “fairness” ignored the inability of everyone to own their own home. Something was desperately wrong when government entitles such as Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac owned over half of all mortgage loans.

The government’s failure to exercise oversight and regulation over all elements of the nation’s financial system, based on existing laws, has resulted in the greatest ponzi scheme of the modern era and the failure of banks and investment houses. The Federal Reserve is neither federal nor a reserve.

Lastly, the grasp for ever more power, the introduction of unelected “czars” in the executive branch, and the possibility that the most liberal president ever elected is seeking the destruction of the nation call for both action and an increased devotion to conservative principles.

Americans are demanding a return to governance based on the limits of the Constitution and the reduction of senseless spending and borrowing. America belongs to “We the People” and We the People must defend it from those who see America only as a nation to be plundered.

Alan Caruba writes a daily post at FactsNotFantasy.blogspot.com. A business and science writer, he is the founder of The National Anxiety Center.

A Return From The Land of Nod?

By: Thomas D. Segel

Date: September 1, 2009

Website: www.thomasdsegel.com

Harlingen, Texas, September 1, 2009: In deference to those on the radical left who may never open the pages of a Bible, the term “Land of Nod” is taken from the Book of Genesis and refers to that locale as a place of sleep. Truly, Americans were in the Land of Nod during the many months of the previous presidential campaign. They had to be sleeping to have allowed such a radical and destructive administration to gain power.

When the army of the far left marched into Washington last January, they were already in friendly territory. A Democrat-Socialist majority in Congress, willingly assisted by the Bush White House, had already poisoned the economic well with massive TARP bailout legislation. It was quickly outdone with a stimulus bill that tacked on another $800 billion-plus in debt.

We all heard about the big financial houses on Wall Street who had their futures assured by the taxpayers. We all read about the AIG bailout that even included enough of our money so the huge corporation could stabilize its foreign investments. We read about the $14.9 billion bailout to Chrysler and the $50.7 billion bailout to General Motors. A few people even heard about the $12.5 billion of bailout funds we handed over the GMAC to keep that segment of the auto lending market afloat. But, we were not too concerned, because we were all off visiting the Land of Nod.

So, now the political elite of Washington is in control of our national financial markets, they will build our automobiles at a design and price the government desires. They will even handle the financing of those cars and trucks through the government controlled GMAC.

Since they were so deep into the business they never wanted to run, it was only logical for them to come up with “Cash of Clunkers”, which might have been a blessing to some taxpayers, but was really another handout to the auto industry.

They next were talking about “Cash for Crappy Appliances” as a bailout. Folks would be able to turn in old refrigerators, washers, dryers, air conditioners and perhaps even electric toothbrushes. They would then get rebates to buy more energy efficient models.

While all of this was taking place the American public quietly continued resting in the Land of Nod. It was so quiet across the country that our caring Congress slapped together a pork laden healthcare bill that promised to help its friends and punish its enemies. It would force every person in America to eventually accept government healthcare. Oh yes, it would also tack on an additional $1.5 trillion dollars to the national debt.

In the space of less than nine months, the Obama Administration and Congress moved us from financial solvency into the status of being the Number One Debtor Nation in the World. There were a few yawns when this happened, but not many stirred from their resting positions.

So, those of the liberal left looked around and pronounced what they accomplished as good. They had already managed to control American education. The teachers unions of the nation were marching in lock step to the socialist drumbeat. But, they needed to cancel those pesky voucher programs just to keep the public school monopoly happy.

If anyone objected to what the political elite was attempting to accomplish, they already had an army of trial lawyers ready to take up their cause. The President also wished to establish his own version of the “Brownshirts”, an expanded Civilian Youth Corps.

The ACLU was so busy attacking everything American its litigators were working around the clock. It was “Change you can count on everywhere. This was particularly true in Congress and the Administration where nobody felt it was necessary to govern according to the Constitution. If there was too much noise about that issue they could always marshal ACORN and MoveOn.org to handle the distasteful tasks of keeping the country distracted. But, why really worry? America was still off in the Land of Nod.

So, the far left thought this would be a good time to expand the agenda. The President suggested that it would be a good idea if the military and veterans of this country paid for their own health care. He said they should pay like everyone else because, “Nobody made them sign up in the armed forces. They were all volunteers.”

He also thought it would be a good idea to cut some of the waste out of Medicare by lowering payments to healthcare providers. This was suggested even though the payments are now so low many in the healthcare profession will not accept Medicare patients. In addition, he thought it would save a few bucks if we canceled the Medicare Advantage program.

The Administration talked insurance companies to back its play by promising they would get more business. The same confidence game was played on pharmaceutical companies, promising them a bigger healthcare pie would mean selling more pills. Some joined in support of the healthcare reform con job. An eye or two was opening up in Nod.

As a tool to keep costs lower, Congress made sure “end of life” counseling was included in its health care reform/health care insurance reform bill. With senor citizens now understanding they could be placed on a death list there were a few more stirrings in Nod. When the VA was instructed to provide veterans, particularly the newly wounded warriors, with the same “end of life” or “quality of life” instructions in booklet form, there were further awakenings.

But, the Administration was still not happy with the controls it was attempting to establish over the citizenry. Diversity Czar Mark Lloyd decided to control free speech on radio and television by using a variety of FCC rules including 100% profits taxation to silence unsupportive or uncooperative radio or television stations. The administration also thought it would be a good idea to move cable and satellite television under the FCC umbrella. And of course, we must have an FCC Czar. If that wouldn’t do the job of keeping the public silent, the Obama Administration wanted authority to take over or shut down the Internet in the event of an “emergency”. Eyes were now opening very wide in Nod.

As Americans started to awaken, they also started to talk, and argue, and yell, and rage at what their government was trying to do to them…all in the name of “Change”. They sent Tea Bags to Washington. They held Tea Parties. They wrote letters, sent emails, used the telephone. They stormed into town hall meetings.

But, the political elite did not like this noise and got very upset at the citizenry. Now they were no longer “My Fellow Americans”. They were mobs, crazies, GOP clones, and radical organizers. Some of the political elite tried to bluster their way past these multiple voiced concerns, but the sound of anger was too much for their timid souls. Most of them just hid from their constituency.

It is now very clear governmental hiding and ignoring isn’t going to work. From California and Arizona citizens are preparing to move. From Nevada they are coming. From Virginia and Maryland and Texas and New Mexico the airline tickets have been purchased and the buses have been chartered. Americans from across the country are marching on Washington D.C., September 12, 2009. They will be presenting grievances against wasteful spending, pork laden legislation, bank and auto bailouts, increased taxation, government control of salaries, the firing of corporation CEOs, unprotected borders, inattention to the illegal alien threat, government control of healthcare, unconstitutional czars, the threat of housing terrorists in the USA, the closing of Gitmo, the movement into socialism and a score of other misuses of their governmental offices.

Most of all, these Americans want their country back. They want limited government and they want The Constitution of the United States of America restored to its rightful place as the binding authority for the governance of our nation. Those in the power seats of government should really start paying attention. Joe Six-Pack and Molly Mall-Shopper are no longer asleep in the Land of Nod.

The Greens Hate Energy, America, and You!

By: Alan Caruba

I doubt that most Americans have a clue what the leading Green organizations like Friends of the Earth and the Sierra Club have as their agenda for 2009. They have already made it known their members, so I will share it with you.

There are literally dozens of these groups in the United States and each has their own particular focus of attention, but the largest among them play well together in the giant sandbox of Green utopian fantasies. That’s why both FOE and Sierra Club announced they are looking forward to “a clean slate” from the Obama administration.

“There’s nothing like a fresh start. On his first day in office, President Obama could make four decisions that would start 2009 with a ‘clean slate’ of energy policies,” said Friends of the Earth at the same time, the Sierra Club announced its own “Clean Slate Energy Agenda” that—surprise—was the same.

The focus of both is on energy use and accessibility. Both want a lot LESS energy use. Along with all other environmental organizations both use the bogy man of “global warming” to demand huge reductions in “emissions.”

The Sierra Club informed its members that it wants to “reduce global warming emissions quickly by making it possible for over a dozen states to implement their clean car requirements.” This is the objective of one of President Obama’s earliest executive orders. Driving up the cost of owning and operating a car directly strikes at the ability of Americans to be mobile and independent. Justifying it as necessary to reduce global warming is just a big fat lie. There is NO global warming.

Friends of the Earth are totally opposed to any economy stimulus that might include improving the nation’s infrastructure of highways. They warned the plan “is in danger of being hijacked by the road-building lobby, which wants billions of dollars for unnecessary new roads that would increase global warming pollution.”

Over the years I have come to marvel at the ability of environmental organizations to conjure up statistics faster than a magician can pull a rabbit out of a hat. “”Transportation is responsible for 30 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and 70 percent of our oil consumption” warned Friends of the Earth. What does it matter that carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) have no impact whatever on the Earth’s climate? And just what is wrong with oil consumption if it contributes to the success and growth of the nation’s economy?

“Just 10 miles of a new four-lane highway lead to emissions that are equivalent to the lifetime emissions of 46,700 new Hummers,” said Friends of the Earth. To which I reply, who cares? With oil prices plunging, those Hummers, particularly in parts of the nation hit by bad weather, look like a good idea. Bottom line: if you can afford a Hummer, where is it written you should not be allowed to own one?

Friends of the Earth, however, want to “shift the debate” in the environmental community to get the nation to avoid “car-centric highways and toward sustainable alternatives such as transit, biking, walking, and smart growth development, that will help fight global warming.”

What are these Green groups going to do when the vast population of the United States and elsewhere around the world concludes that there is no global warming? That day is not far off insofar as the Earth is now fully a decade into a cooling cycle that promises longer, harsher winters and a shift to generally cooler temperatures that will affect all northern hemisphere nations in particular and to an extent those in the southern hemisphere as well.

This explains why the United Nations environmental program has shifted into high gear to get the bogus Kyoto Protocols ratified. Not surprisingly, the U.S. has never signed on to it and even European nations that did are balking at emission reduction mandates. Meanwhile, neither China, nor India, nor many under-developed nations are subject to any of the restrictions. It’s a plan to undermine the economies of developed nations because greens hate humanity in general and successful economies in particular.

We’re not even halfway through the “clean slate” proposals. They include Sierra Club’s call to “require new and existing coal power plants to limit their global warming emissions” and to “end destructive mountaintop removal mining…” Finally, they want to “restore America’s international leadership in the fight to end global warming by publicly committing the U.S. to cut its CO2 emissions at least 35 percent by 2020.”

The Greens are so demented that the American Bird Conservancy released a statement in mid-December hailing the appointments of the new Obama administration. Its idea of stimulating the economy was to “invest $29 million dollars over the next four years in the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act” because “bird watching is now big business.” The Conservancy wants the U.S. to “invest “$540 million in America’s 543 national wildlife refuges” to create more “green jobs.” What a big help that will be to Americans who live primarily in America’s cities and suburbs.

The bird-lovers are a bit conflicted over another recommendation to “invest $30.5 million in the five year extension of the renewable energy production tax credit and making renewable energy tax incentives fully refundable. Wind energy is one of the alternative sources of energy” they recommend, but “if left unregulated, has the potential to kill large numbers of birds and bats and harm fragile habitats.” Well, which is it? Dead birds or more “alternative” energy? Both are extremely bad ideas.

The Greens for all their enthusiasm to spend tax dollars on their favorite notions remain opposed to any real energy generation by coal-fired or nuclear plants to meet current and future needs for electricity. They are utterly opposed to people driving around in cars for any reason and, one must assume, trucks that deliver the goods we require to live.

The longer one listens to what the Greens want, the more one becomes convinced that the members of these organizations must be utterly brain dead and that their objective is to render America a third-world nation by opposing the building of new power plants, along with the exploration and extraction of our natural resources of coal, natural gas, and oil.

Does this sound like a good plan to you?

Alan Caruba writes a daily blog at http://factsnotfantasy.blogspot.com/. Every week, he posts a column on the website of The National Anxiety Center, http://www.anxietycenter.com/.

© Alan Caruba, March 2009