Che Guevera--Hit Man of the Bourgeois

Hollywood types love a revolutionary. Especially the kind that looks like the classic hippie; beard, long hair, a habit of smoking his breakfast. Even better, a revolutionary that hates capitalism. Che Guevera fits the bill perfectly. Here's Che: "Let us sum up our hopes for victory: total destruction of imperialism by eliminating its firmest bulwark, the oppression exercised by the United States of America."


I've made a point in my mind to never buy any product or see any movie involving an actor or author whom I see wearing a Guevera T-Shirt or jewelry, and if I hear any pro-Guevera speil spilling from the blubbering lips of some pseudo-intellectual, be sure that I'll call him on it. That means no Johnny Depp movies. Depp's one more under-educated, overrated malcontent who's prone to wearing Guevera jewelry and bandannas. Capitalists living off the fat of the land, telling others they should follow the lead of Marxist saboteurs. Go away Johnny; you're a loser.

Here's a quote from Christopher Hitchens, author of God is Not Great. The sickness that has infected his mind is obvious: 'His death meant a lot to me, and countless like me, at the time. He was a role model, albeit an impossible one for us bourgeois romantics insofar as he went and did what revolutionaries were meant to do - fought and died for his beliefs.'

Sure Mr. Hitchens, it's all so good in Cuba; every thing's just fine. Please move there. Please. You'll make about five bucks a day, but oh, the euphoria you'll experience for shoving it up the collective rears of Imperialist America!

Here's the real Che:

1) Executed thousands of political prisoners who opposed Castro's rule. Many of them never got a trial.

2)Enjoyed torturing prisoners, children included.

3)Labeled himself "Stalin II" early in his career.

4) Backed a regime that has imprisoned approximately 350,000 people for political dissent.

In the 20th century, communism is directly responsible for the deaths of 100 million people. Any idiot that thinks it was or is a noble endeavor deserves to experience its atrocities. What irks me the most, is that it's not the poor that speak so highly of Marxism or even its neutered cousin, democratic-socialism, it's the rich! They can have money--but not you.

Guevera was a terrible military commander. Like many zealous martinets, his legacy only survives because of the ardency of his beliefs and the unyielding force in which he wrote of them and carried them to fruition.

In the end, Che Guevera showed himself a coward. Before his capture at the hands of Bolivian Special Forces sent to capture or kill him, Che is reported to have yelled, "Do not shoot! I am Che Guevara and worth more to you alive than dead."

The Bolivians sent this so-called hero to the resting place of all who lack a proper respect for liberty: To a thug's grave.

Book Review: Sick Puppy

This is the second book of Hiaasen's that I've read, the first being Basket Case. Hiaasen's uncanny satirical insight carries his novels, and Sick Puppy had me laughing out loud on almost every page.

There are no good guys here. The protagonist, Twilly Spree, is a soft-core eco-terrorist, maintaining himself on a trust-fund and a simmering hatred of all things litter. Eventually, Spree happens upon one Palmer Stoat, big-deal broker and unabashed trash-chucker extraordinaire. Spree eventually follows Stoat to Stoat's home and kidnaps Stoat's Black Lab, holding him hostage until Stoat agrees to back out on a land development deal that's killed off all the poor toads on the island.

Eventually, Stoat's wife, never too enthralled with her shallow husband to begin with, falls for Twilly Spree, and off they go.

The comedy of this book cannot be overstated. Hiaasen sees people's dumb habits, picks up on the everyday quirks and magnifies them to stupendous effect. There's a land developer with a lustful passion for Barbie Dolls. Another developer with a deep hatred for nature, in particular squirrels; the resentment having taken root in an attack on his scrotum by an angry chipmunk. And of course how could we do without prostitutes that only service Republicans and vicious hit-men that collect 911 recordings of people's dying breaths?

While comedy can carry one through boring stories and Hiaasen's command of language and human psychology is undeniable, his politics shine through a little too brightly for me. The book began to seem like propaganda. He takes his shots at Ronald Reagan, Republicans, cigar smokers (I assume it's an oblique swipe at Rush Limbaugh), and the police. He seems to justify eco-terror at times too. While it's best not to read too much into a novelist's personality by the books that he writes, since Hiassen's a journalist in Florida, I'm assuming that he's depicting many of his own views on the environment.

Also, since the book is very satirical, I found myself not caring who lived or died and also not caring if the characters got what they wanted; I was reading for the next joke.

My final complaint: the book is too long; 513 pages. Really, it should have been about 300.

I think that others may enjoy this book more than I, since my political views are at odds with Hiaasen's. He is a great writer, I cannot deny that. However, if I'm going to read this many pages, I need a plot that serves a bit of tension; I never experienced any with this book.

3 1/2 out of five stars.

Next Week: Niall Ferguson's, Colossus.

More proof the surge is working in Iraq:

"[T]he Project for Excellence in Journalism... [found that] 15% of stories across print, broadcast, and online dealt with Iraq-related issues. That is down from 22% during the first quarter of the year." In the second quarter, "Fox News Channel devoted roughly half as much coverage to the war (8%) than its rivals, CNN (18%) and MSNBC (15%)."

I'm shocked! Appalled! And all along I thought the media was unbiased.
Also, this morning I was thinking; ever since I published my article on this blog (here:http://neoconessay.blogspot.com/2007/08/rise-and-fall-of-gorian-empire.html)concerning Steve McIntyre's discovery that NASA's temperature estimates for the last century were all wrong, I have not seen one article on my Yahoo News page. Another surprise. If anyone has found one, send a link to it if you would.

As I said before, Gore and the media are going to try to sneak out the back door on this one. They aren't talking about global-warming at all. Usually the subject is one of the top stories on my news browser. For the last couple of weeks: Nothing.

Why does the truth bother them so? Because it's very difficult to change one part of your ethos without changing all of it. And none of us wants to be wrong about everything in life.

Jesus vs. Nietzsche

Rational egoism states that acting in one's self-interest is the intelligent thing to do. Is this at odds with Jesus' statement: "The first shall be last and the last shall be first."?

No.

It is wise to first strengthen yourself, before you endeavor to help others. Actually, only when you have sufficiently strengthened yourself can you make a positive difference in other's lives. Would you go into battle without your weapons, just because you like a challenge? When you are weak, when you haven't taken care of your own business, you are a burden to others; a decidedly unchristian thing to be. Some Christians may think that because some very famous atheists espoused egoism (Ayn Rand, Nietzsche), that it is wrong thinking. Not so.

Jesus also said, "Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye, but cannot perceive the board in your own?" In other words: Take care of yourself first. And, to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Jesus was a first-class egoist: "Love your neighbor as you love yourself." The assumption was that people loved themselves and Jesus uses that fact to make his point clear.

How can I help the poor, when I myself am poor? How can I strengthen the weak, when I myself lack strength?

That brings me to capitalism. Atheists love to quote the bible just as much as believers do, but the reciting usually takes the form of a psychological crowbar; an attempt to force the Christian to see things the leftist way. So you may hear this in an argument concerning the morality of America's capitalism (accompanied by a wry smile), "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle then for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven." The liberal will wring his hands with glee; he knows he's got you now. Of course he's doing what god-haters have practiced for a millennium: Leaving out half the story. It continues like this:"And they (the apostles) were even more astonished and said to Him, 'Then who can be saved?' Jesus looked upon the disciples and said, 'With man it is impossible; but not with God; for all things are possible with God."

Indeed.

Stop using the "F-word"

Dictionary.com defines fascism as follows:

fas·cism[fash-iz-uhm]
–noun 1. (sometimes initial capital letter) a governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry, commerce, etc., and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and often racism.
2. (sometimes initial capital letter) the philosophy, principles, or methods of fascism.
3. (initial capital letter) a fascist movement, esp. the one established by
Mussolini in Italy 1922–43.

You've probably heard the F-word used if you've ever debated a liberal. Of course, they liken the actions of our government, particularly if a Republican president holds office, to that of fascist regimes. It is typical of the sky-is-falling mentality they have; a pernicious desire for conflict and drama. Hyperbolic garbage meant only to inflame, dragging the word's user and his audience onto an Orwellian stage where he can, for a moment, become a revolutionary.

Let's at once have a writing lesson. Our instructor: C.S. Lewis of Narnia fame.
Lewis stated that a writer should keep in mind never to use the word "Gigantic" when he really meant "Big," because, when later in the story, he creates something that really is gigantic, he'll have no word for it.

That's what the malcontents are doing by use such language. Not only are they feeding America's great cancer--self-deprecating cynicism--they are dishonoring those in history who actually suffered under fascism's boot.

I should point out that the tiresome use of this word is part of the canned-rebellion
so fashionable amongst younger people. They pierce their body-parts, scrape ridiculous looking graffiti across their only true possession--their bodies--and wear their Che Guevara T-Shirts to assure onlookers of their rebellious nature. Yes, they're different--just like everyone else. They like safety in numbers, especially in blogs and forums. It's not uncommon for several undergrads to joyously proclaim their hatred for Bush in a unison reminiscent of religious mantra. Newcomers wanting to join the herd chant the tired old lines when they really just want to belong.

So I'll keep going, allies or no. My thoughts won't be tainted by culture, or group-think. And whether I'm sleeping on a park-bench or in a mansion, I'll keep thinking for myself, welcoming those who agree, making uncomfortable those who don't.

"To make the individual uncomfortable, that is my task."~Frederick Nietzsche.

General Petraeus: Ambitious--and really, really good.

Democrats are afraid of General David Petraeus--because he's succeeding. And success in Iraq equals a death-knell, for their chances in 2008. Fail, please General, tell us how bad things are, how it's all collapsed around our imperialist ears. Please tell us the bad stuff, so the American people will know how horrible everything America stands for is. If you can throw in a couple reports of prisoner abuse, just to spice things up, we'd really appreciate it.

Sorry, Defeat-Mongers. You know what he's going to say. So now you've turned to media-spin to sour American opinion and to water the fast-growing plant that's cast it's shade on all of America: Cynicism about itself. A recent CNN poll showed that 53% of American's believe that Petraeus' report to Congress in September will attempt to show things in a better light then they really are. Democrat think-tankers are also calling Petraeus ambitious. Good. No, great. I like ambitious. I want someone that gets aggressive, just as long as he doesn't fall prey to political correctness. Tell the President and Congress the truth: That destroying utterly a culture that wants to annihilate your civilization is what works, that clashes between cultures of opposite ideologies happened all through history with the weaker culture ceasing to exist. I know you have it in you General. You know military history as well as anyone, you have two PHDs. You are a warrior, not a demogogue or politician.

While you're there, General, remind Americans (whom despite easy access to knowledge, are the worst of historians)that this is one of the easiest, least destructive wars ever fought. I'll give you some stats to take with you.

Here is a list of ten wars fought by the US, from most to least total American deaths.

1)American Civil War: 625,000

2)WW II: 405,399

3)WWI: 116,516

4)Vietnam War: 58,151

5)Korean War: 36,516 (In only three years)

6)American Revolutionary War: 25,000

7)War of 1812: 20,000

8)Mexican War: 13,282

9)Philippene War: 4,196

10) Iraq War: 3,973

Historical context is what Democrats hate.

Why I'll Never Be A Cop Again.

So, at the risk of receiving hate-mail from all of my Chronic-addicted subscribers, I’m coming out of the closet. It’s time that all of the haters know that I was a police officer for eight years in the socialist utopia known as Bangor Maine. While patrolling the streets of said Shangri-La, I saw things that changed me forever—almost all of them bad. Still, I’m glad that I saw them because these things gave me a perspective that I could never have gained in a classroom. Theory got steamrolled by reality.
Many parts of the job were stressful, frustrating and demanding. Nothing disappointed me more then the feeling of alienation, the bare hatred directed at police officers and the jokes that complete strangers felt free to make me the butt of. At the end, my will to do the whole thing lay broken. I was enforcing laws for people that didn’t want me to, unless of course they happened to be a victim; then there was a shrill demand for satisfaction.
Things got so bad that I would go into restaurants and overhear conversations that involved expletives and police officers that I knew. Usually, I walked out. The usual stories that I’d heard a million times: “The cop pulled me over, and I wasn’t even drunk!” or “The cops don’t do anything, they just ride around; you’re tax dollars at work.” I’d ponder how I’d managed to do nothing while at times working 16 hour shifts and 50, 60, sometimes 70 hours a week.
When I try to explain how often this occurs and the debilitating effect it can have on police officers, I’m usually met with blank stares. I’m always met with the question: “How did you like that job?” My answer: “I didn’t.” Again, a look of disappointment.
The reality of it all didn’t seem to sink in with many friends until they happened to be around a few times when the phenomena occurred. Now that I’m done with it, I never freely volunteer what I did for a living. As Jesus said: “Cast not your pearls before swine.”
It continues though, even after almost a year of being done. Examples:
Two weeks ago, I went out to dinner with a long-time friend and three of his associates/friends. I’d never met these people before. One of his friends asked me what I did for a living, and I told her that I used to be a police officer. She of course asked why I'd left the job, and I retorted that it was too negative. She agreed with me and I give her credit for not launching into a bad-cop story. The other female however, couldn’t help herself. “Most cops I’ve encountered were complete assholes,” she said. I looked at her and said, “I want a job where people don’t talk about me like that.” I had only met this lady that day. I wanted to ask her on how many occasions she had encountered the police, seeing how she could not have been more than 25 years old.
Then, yesterday, while I was getting my haircut, the stylist asks me what I had done for a living in Maine. I told her and then explained that I was attempting to starve myself to death as a writer and seemed to have been more successful at the starving part then in any endeavor I’d before embarked on.

Stylist: Why’d you leave the Po-Po?

Me: Because, like you, nobody likes them.

Stylist: Oh no. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve met some great police officers, but I’ve also met some that I’d like to shoot with their own gun. (Yes, she really said that, while laughing.)

Me: (Eying the set of gleaming shears that slashed the locks away from my neck.) Umm, yea.

Stylist: So, do you have a girlfriend?

Me: (Nervously regarding my sub-clavicular notch for laceration.) I’ve dated some.

So that’s why, despite my recent pondering of doing the whole damn thing again, I won’t be part of the Thin Blue Line. You can never go back.

How will I know when I've made it?

I've narrowed down all of the possible ways in which I will know, beyond all doubt that I've "made it." Yes, I will have joined the ranks of brilliant writers and super-bloggers world-wide, be followed by throngs of adoring fans all lauding my latest masterpiece or liberal-shredding post. Perhaps I'll even get a few photos of scantily clad women, detailing how they'll unwind my tightly-wrapped right-wing self(conservative women who can cook, of course).

However not fans, a throne amongst the elite, nor naked ladies( don't be afraid to send pictures though), will convince me that my place in history is secure. Actually there are two things that I'm looking for, one more preferable than the other.

The first thing that could do the convincing is that a Fatwa could be issued, imploring jihadists the world over to rid the land of me--a blasphemer. I would join the ranks of Jerry Falwell--a good man in his day--and Salman Rushdie--an excellent writer. Fallwell's statement that he believed Muhammad was a terrorist and a man of war, promted the death-threats and his views fall right into line with my own. Actually, I see no reason for Al-Queda and their ilk to take offense at this since terrorism is their prime weapon and without it and the media to beam terror's results around the globe, where would the fundamentalists be?

Fatwa is far down on the list of two possibilies though--a distant second because it could result in my early demise via car bomb, drive-by-shooting, decapitation with a hand saw or some other medieval treatment that the terrorists carry around in their bag of tricks. In that event, I would not be able to enjoy my newly birthed fame. That would irritate me. The slight upside would be that even liberals would be forced to admit my success at winning hearts and minds. They do have a tendancy to shed tears of nostalgia upon arch-foes' deaths, such as they did with Falwell and Presidents Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan.

The second occurance would be that John Stewart of The Daily Show asks me to guest on his show so we can debate. John Stewart is a left-wing extremist posing as a funny-guy and spending virtually all of the time on his 30 min. show ripping Bush and the war in Iraq. The other day Stewart actually debated someone; I was shocked. William Kristol, the neoconservative comentator was the guest. Kristol is smart--too smart for Stewart to be sure. As Kristol explained the progress being made in Iraq and the positive remarks made by soldiers, Stewart refused to see his ethos of losing is losing. I have no respect for Stewart: NONE. So Mr. Stewart, if you read this or if anyone knowing or having contact with him reads this, please know that I want to be on your awesomely written show. To be sure, you will do to me what you did to Kristol. That is, prevent me from finishing a single sentence. We could help one another really. Your show would greatly benefit from my churlish brilliance and I would get my wonderful face sprinkled over the airwaves, causing millions of your lib fans to do what they hate the most: Think.

History will get it right.

I listened to Karl Rove speaking on the Rush Limbaugh show yesterday. I know Rove was good at what he did, because he was so hated by the libs. It's great to be good.
Rove said some interesting things. Limbaugh asked him why the president never responded to the personal attacks by leftist weirdos. You know, that he's dumb, trying to destroy our liberties, incompetent. Rove said that the president knows it's not the way to go about things, that responding to garbage with garbage will only bring him down to their level and he also said one other thing: "History will get it right, and you and I will be dead then anyway." I love that answer. That's an answer that Bill Clinton would never have given. His legacy was too important and by making his legacy the most important issue, he actually destroyed what future historians will think of him. The first shall be last and the last shall be first.

Rove also said that Bush is one of the most well-read people he's ever met. Last year Bush and Rove had a reading contest to see who could read the most books in 2007. Rove beat Bush 110 to 94. Bush joked that as leader of the free world, he was at a decided disadvantage.

So here's your dumb president's resume: Graduated from Yale with degree in history. Graduated from Harvard with a degree in business. Fighter pilot. Governor of Texas. Name one other person that's graduated from either of those schools that flew fighter-jets. Anyone you know personally? Some say he's a bad speaker. Nope. You're wrong. People don't like him, so they don't like what he says. Sonorous speeches won't change that. Bush gave a speech to the US Congress right after 911. It was called possibly the greatest speech ever given by a president. I specifically remember that. I listened to it, and I have never heard a more solemn speech, even by Roosevelt or JFK. If you don't remember it, you should, so here's the transcript.

http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/09/20/gen.bush.transcript/

In honor of our president's practice of reading a lot, I've decided to read one book a week and have a review day on this blog. Currently, I'm reading, "Sick Puppy", by Karl Hiaasen. I'll review it on Sunday.

Have a great day.

Why I'm writing this blog

I am an unabashed propagandist for America's military, the war in Iraq, and America itself. As a writer, the only option for me is to tell the truth as I see it, and to avoid any pandering. And the only measure of my success as a writer, is if those who read it come to understand the enormity of our situation. It is no less then the imminent fall of the West. If this way of thinking was good enough for George Orwell, the greatest essayist of the 20th century, it's good enough for me.



America is falling--from within. No power on this earth can defeat us if we can only regain our optimism, remember our great heritage, and raise our children to love what was founded in our land not much more than 200 years ago. Europe may be a lost cause at this point. They wallow in cynical fatalism and are weak to the point of disgrace. We are not lost--not yet. Its spirit pale, its wit dull, continental Europe is decades away from entering a dark age. Watch and see. The rising power of China the new Russian threat will loom. They both smell Europe's indifference and lack of strength. Only a strong America keeps Europe safe, even now.

Until I see some other countries getting things done as well as we do, I will remain a partisan. I will not back down to the leftist media--ever. They are defeatist, ridiculously cynical and intentionally ignorant of historical context. Most of all they savor too much the next scandal; and nothing is more scandalous then American defeat abroad. They don't want victory--which is always possible. No, victory would call into question their very ethos: The weak shall inherit the earth.

The Rise and Fall of the Gorian Empire.

The Gorian Empire is crumbling. Swallowed by its own decadence and lust for Philly Cheese Steaks, it appears that the Colossus of Doom will attempt a silent get away, fading into the night.

You see, a Canadian scientist recently discovered a glitch in NASA's computer models for surface air temperature. After recalculating the air temps for the last 100 yrs, it appears that 1934, not 1998, was the warmest year in the past 100 and that 5 of the last ten warmest years were before WWII. Oops. NASA has ever-so-quietly adjusted their figures, without much of a peep from the media (of course). This is recently-breaking news and I'll try to keep you updated. Here's a link to the new figures: http://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/graphs/Fig.D.txt

The scientist's name that figured out the problem of the GISS (Goddard Institute for Space Studies-An arm of NASA)program is Steve McIntyre. GISS has admitted the error after much study done by McIntyre of the measuring station used by GISS. Not surprisingly, this measuring station is the one most often used by Gore and his alter boys to make their money.

Currently there are so many hits on McIntyre's climate blog, that the server is down and under expansion. Wikipedia has a recent update of the event, so check out McIntyre there. This changes everything.

If we compare The Rise and Fall of the Gorian Empire, to that of Edward Gibbon's Roman Empire I would have to say that we are somewhere around Commodus' rule--177-192 A.D. Not the end to be sure, but the glory days are astern and dark days loom.

Ode to a soldier

Though I do not believe that the morale of our troops is anywhere near the peat-bog levels that the media would have us believe, I do worry that somewhere in Iraq, there is a soldier, perhaps eighteen, nineteen years old, that despises what he is doing. Not so much because he believes it is wrong or because he is afraid, but because he's heard the lies of Michael Moore or watched John Stewart on the Daily Show take his easy shots at our president and America's overseas efforts. So this is for you, soldier-with-a-broken-heart, and for the young man or woman that thinks he's sacrificing for a lost cause. If any of you know a soldier overseas, fighting against apocalyptic terrorism, and if you think my writing worthy, please send him or her this article and be sure they know that buried deep within the United States' heartland, an iron will remains; a will purified in our own past crucibles--a will that cannot ever be shattered at its roots.

Soldier in a dry, alien land, every day you awaken and do your duty. Patrolling buzzing streets and alleys, an enemy in every face, a friend in every place. A man stares too long. Is he merely interested in your strange garb? Or perhaps he's considering what he was taught in childhood about devil-Americans--reconsidering maybe. There's a tightness in your jaw, I think, when you walk the roads. You don't even notice it until you're back at base, when an ache settles into muscles, reminding you that your life is at stake the whole day, every day. You are thankful that you have your comrades to rely on, to wade the uncertainty of the next day by your side

You had the will to walk to a recruiting station, whether it was because you are a patriot or because you saw few other options for yourself is of little matter, because you didn't give up, you knew that you had to better yourself and that is a truly American spirit.

Doubt may have crept into your mind when you watch the news broadcast from your homeland. The cynical, selectively chosen quotes and bits, the ramblings of demagogues and intellectuals, doing little, expounding much.

Do not lose, ever, your faith in the rightness of your work. You are right, Al-Qaeda is wrong. Terrorists playing to their biggest ally--the media camera--are with forethought, committing the vilest of atrocities, and grandstanding before the world and their hateful god, in hopes that their display is glorious enough to guarantee paradise.

How can you know for sure that you are good? Listen, I saw a picture some two days ago. Somewhere in Baghdad a car bomb had just exploded and a photographer caught the instant of chaos in the explosion's wake. A young boy, eight, maybe nine, wearing bright blue sweatpants, had huddled himself behind a US soldier. That, my friend, is how you can know. You can always see the fate and sentiments of a nation in its children. The Iraqis want you there. The children know that you are peace's sentinel, not an army bent on their subjugation. These children are the future of peace; before their heedless eyes, in you, is held the possibility of lion sprawling with lamb.

Remember, victory is always possible. It will happen, as long as your will does not wane like many of our comfortable folk here, shopping in their malls, enjoying movies and restaurants and pining away about the atrocities of war. You will, to be sure, come away from this ordeal with the sharpest view of honor, dedication, sacrifice, and what it means to never give in to evil.

There is shame in me that I am saying this from the safety of my home. Really, I have little more right to say anything with any force, than do those who oppose the Iraq mission. After all, here I am in the greatest country ever, enjoying the ultimate in freedom and possibilities. And there you are, fighting against a vicious enemy. The only reason that I write this is so you never lose that most powerful force of the human heart: Hope.

Come home to your families in one piece.

Atheism- A truly empty answer.

Richard Dawkins has declared himself the supreme being in the known universe. He and his acolytes are the keepers of eternal wisdom, cryptic knowledge that the feeble of mind cannot truly understand, because after all we don't have PHDs in microbiology. But we don't need that, because Mr. Dawkins tells us why we're delusional if we believe in God.

When you listen to the statistics that Bill O'Reilly gives regarding atheism in the world, it is quite clear to me that we are headed into a very dark era. Perhaps not within my lifetime, but I believe, that driven by the innate needs embedded within us all--the need for hope, meaning, the need to belong to something bigger than ourselves--the West will fall victim to another charismatic tyrant, who, seizing upon the aforementioned hungers, will comfort humanity with lies. We blame the Hitlers, Napoleans and Stalins for the destruction they wrought. But it was the people who gave them power in hopes that spiritual, political and military voids would be filled. And those pits were filled; first with euphoric victories, but ultimately with the worst horrors recorded in history.

Whether religion is good or bad is in reality a moot point. Religion is, always has been, and despite the growing number of atheists, shows only transient cracks in its foundation. Man will search for something to fulfill him, no matter if he outwardly expresses atheism. Here's a quote from Blaise Pascal, perhaps my favorite philosopher: "There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus."

The benefits of Christianity to the world are so numerous that I could surely write several books describing them. Even the patterns of thought that atheists and the dwellers of ivory towers expound are actually based on Christian principles. Judge not lest yea be judged, turn the other cheek, help for the poor, the equality of each man, the proper treatment of women. Does anyone think that these were commonly accepted principles before Christianity? But what about what such-and-such a medieval monarchy did back in 1324? Just go back to the statements of Jesus and decide for yourself if these medieval states were acting in a Christian manner. Or were they acting as humans do thus proving the need for a savior?

"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, "I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these,my brethren,you did it to me."

"Love one another."

"Do unto others as you would have them do to you."

All Jesus's sayings. We take these lines of thought for granted, but the peoples first hearing these words did not. Jesus reshaped all of our concious minds and in doing so altered the destiny of the world.

I'll leave you with one last quote and I do hope that Dawkins will see it and rethink his question as to why I don't believe in Zeus or any other pagan god:

"I have read in Plato and Cicero sayings that are very wise and very beautiful; but I never read in either of them: "Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden." ~St Augustine

Congressional Approval Rating

Well lookie here. Congressional Job approval has slipped below that of George Bush's. Not that polls mean anything to me. But for those of you who base your poll answers on the LAST poll outcome you saw on MSNBC, you may be interested to know: Bush's Rating: 32.7%. Congress' Rating: 28.8%.

I thought that Nancy Pelosi and folk were leading our government into a new era. Even with massive media support it doesn't seem to have worked out so well.

Is Helium.com a fraud?

Two days ago I posted a short essay, also published on Helium.com. For those not familiar with Helium, it is a website for writers and provides many categories to publish everything from short stories to essays and book excerpts. Also, if an author's submission's are ranked high enough, they are paid by Helium via a PayPal account. So far, so good.

Stories are rated by other members of Helium. Two stories in the same category appear side by side without displaying the author's name. The reader rates which story is better and by how much. When you first submit, your story goes to the middle of the pack and then moves up or down from there.

I began to suspect problems when I looked at the stories ranked highest in the categories I'd submitted in. I wanted to learn what readers liked and thought maybe the highest ranked stories would have something to teach me. I was appalled at what I found. Not only did these stories exhibit a lack of even basic grammar on the author's part, but the arguments and story lines were both inept and juvenile on many occasions. There were some very good stories admittedly, but not nearly enough.

So I Googled Helium to try to see if others noticed any problems. It seems that this is a severe and ongoing problem with Helium. First, people who rate large numbers of stories can make money, so many are simply rating the stories without reading them. Also, who's to say a person can't create multiple accounts and jack his own ratings? To show you what I'm talking about, here's an article rated 2 out of 31 articles in the debate question: "Should the US continue to be the leader in world politics." It's author is Duane Kuehn. He wrote the article in the "yes" response, implying that the US should remain the world's political leader. Here's the link to his story: http://www.helium.com/tm/500449/united-states-should-continue

If this is 2 out of 31 articles, our nation sorely lacks 1) Critical thinkers 2) Good writers

Let's rip this sucker apart. First Kuehn states that we should remain the leader in world politics, but that we should not have taken the role in the first place. A tenuous line of thinking at best. Kuehn then goes on to deconstruct his own argument that the US should remain the world's leader.

Here we go. He says that if America demands to lead, many future problems await. Sir, you just stated that that we SHOULD remain as world leader! Then he calls us a bully for unilaterally invading Iraq (it was not unilateral), but then says we were the good guys for unilaterally invading Afghanistan.

Deep Breath. Here's the glory of bad thinking and writing: In the final sentence, Kuehn says that the US should step down as world leader, at once contradicting his opening argument and disagreeing with the very category he submitted to! I don't ask him to prove any of his dictates really. I didn't prove that the US is good and moral as I contended in my article. But there must be a consistent argument and stream of thought. Sentences must flow a little, if not like music, at least like a reliable toilet.

Helium will get no more of my fiction, as the rating system has proven to be of little use in judging it's quality. It is difficult though for me to keep my big mouth shut when it comes to a good political debate, so maybe I'll give that a shot again.

UPDATE: I take back everything I said about Helium. My story is #1, Kuehn is #7. (4:07 est) :)

The world will soon end, so buy Al Gore's book. Hurry.

This is Al Gore speaking. You can trust me. If you can read this message, please run to the nearest exit, make your way to your hybrid automobile, and carefully drive to your nearest Barnes & Noble. Or you can fly there with me, in my private jet, where I'm scheduled to meet with dozens of lauding women who don't shave their armpits, don't wear makeup and carry copies of Why Do I Think I'm Nothing Without A Man? in large wicker purses. Within, purchase any one of my books. Hidden in the sacred tomes, you will find wisdom passed down from liberal extremists for generations. I've touched it up a bit so you'll think it's all new. And I'll be on MTV also, telling you that within ten years, we'll all be the proverbial slow-boiling frog, each of us contently watching our skin poach away and smelling the sweetness of our own cooking flesh. Anyway, wanna grab lunch?

Okay, alright, that wasn't Al Gore. I made it up. But it was still good. Admit it, you laughed. I couldn't help but think of poor Al as I read an article from the April edition of Newsweek. The article is written by guest writer Richard Lindzen, MIT professor of meteorology. In it, he expounds many of the things I've said all along about global warming. Like:

-There has been a net warming of the earth of the the last century and a half, though there have been notable periods of cooling too.

-Human greenhouse gasses are probably contributing at some level.

-That being said, Lindzen hits us with a big--SO WHAT?

-There is no scientific evidence to support the statement that global warming will contribute to an impending catastrophe.

-The earth is always warming or cooling

-We don't know what the optimal temperature of the Earth is.

-There is no evidence of increase in the frequency of extreme weather patterns. The World Meteorological Organization says so. Just because the news shows every bad thunderstorm taking place in Zimbabwe doesn't mean it didn't happen that way 1000 years ago.

-Sea levels have been increasing since the last ice age.

-The models have been wrong so far--the temperature hasn't risen as fast as they predicted they would after a doubling of CO2 in the atmosphere.

-There was a large warming period between 1050-1300. As far as I know William the Conqueror and his peeps weren't driving Hummers then.

I've touched on almost all aspects of this excellent article, but here's the link so you can read it for yourself: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17997788/site/newsweek/#storyContinued

Finally, it seems that the only change that liberals really want is an overhaul of traditional Christian values. Conservatives are usually charged with resisting change. I don't see it. Liberals want to make sure that no animal ever faces extinction despite the fact that said animal may be following the survival of the fittest edict. "Curse you Darwin, for decimating the Dodo, but, but bless you Darwin for ridding us of God!"

When change stops, we will die. It's called the heat-death and the universe will face it in some 100 trillion trillion trillion years or so. Everything will be in complete homeostasis and the libs will be in Xanadu.

Short Essay

Here is a very short essay that I published on Helium.com. The essay was posted on the debate page which posed the following question: Should the US remain a leader on world politics?

The question is so absurd to me, really, that I think I could have typed 500 hundred pages as to why we cannot exit stage-left. I managed to keep it to one page or so. It is currently ranked 3 out of 16 submissions for the "Yes" side.

Let us first dispense with the idea that humanity is somehow served by a nation exhibiting weakness, avoiding confrontation and generally burying it's head in the sand.
Point to me, fellow man, where in history humankind has been served by powerlessness. Evil men have always preyed on the weak. Think now, what would the world be like had America remained separated from the war in Europe during WWII? The darkest epoch in recorded history would surely have fallen upon us.
So, now that we've done away with the belief that being strong is tantamount to being evil, let's move on.
Under no circumstances should America withdraw it's international political status. To what end? Be sure that even the western nations that shamelessly complain about America's overseas involvements still want us around should the excrement hit the fan. Who should think that history is merely one giant misunderstanding and that if only we could talk things out, everyone would get along?
There is a time for war and a time for peace. A time for charity and a time for cruelty.
America, upon the study of all historical states, is the most moral country to ever exist. This may sting the psyche of the Sean Penns and Gore Vidals of the world, but as you can see, they still reside within our borders. And having gained the status of strongest and most moral state in history, what good could come from our exit from the world's stage? The complaints of the bourgeois notwithstanding, we are good and because we are good we must remain active in the world, helping where we can, either with the billions of dollars of donations that we send overseas, or with our fighting men, who willingly volunteer for their work, knowing full well that America helps the weak around the world and that at times this may mean the forceful annihilation of tyrants.
Our involvement in international politics, specifically our supremacy in this sphere, has revolutionized the thinking of the common man around the world. No longer is it held that the farmer is somehow the tool of his government or that kings are imbued with divine right. Today's American may take for granted the paradigm of individual rights but a quick look at bygone times shows that we are an aberration, a social experiment in which only far-future generations will be able to weigh the value. For now though, we can clearly see that few of those who experience our kind of freedom, ever willingly shackle themselves with despotism again.
And that is what awaits much of the world should America fall victim to a shame of it's own might. Despotism and cultural darkness.
Dissenters inevitably cast the labels of fascism and imperialism upon the United States' polices of intervention. Pure hyperbolic rhetoric I say. They ignore the good, magnify the bad, and go about enjoying the fruits of the land.
So don't wane now, America. This could be your finest hour. For only in the crucible of difficult times will a nation's gold be revealed. Future generations will all observe, as I see it, that America changed the world and they will know beyond all common doubt, that the Land of the Free should never hide from international injustice.

American's Unhappiness--No sympathy here

A friend forwarded me the following email. I couldn't have said it any better myself. America--You're unhappy with your own existance, but it's not your government's fault. It's spiritual, psychological and philosphical unease.


If you're not a Jay Leno fan read what he wrote anyway. My respect and esteem for him has really increased.
"The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some poll data I found rather hard to believe. It must be true given the source, right?
The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed and 69 percent of the country is unhappy with the performance of the president. In essence 2/3s of the citizenry just isn’t happy and want a change.
So being the knuckle dragger I am, I started thinking, ''What we are so unhappy about?''
Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter? Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job? Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?
Maybe it is the ability to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state? Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter? I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough. Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all and even send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.
Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home. You may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames thus saving you, your family and your belongings. Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes , an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss. This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90 percent of teenagers own cell phones and computers.
How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world? Maybe that is what has 67 percent of you folks unhappy.
Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S., yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have , and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here.
I know, I know. What about the president who took us into war and has no plan to get us out? The president who has a measly 31 percent approval rating? Is this the same president who guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11? The president that cut taxes to bring an economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled ungrateful brats safe from terrorist attacks?
The commander in chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there defending you and me? Did you hear how bad the President is on the news or talk show? Did this news affect you so much, make you so unhappy you couldn't take a look around for yourself and see all the good things and be glad?
Think about it......are you upset at the President because he actually caused you personal pain OR is it because the "Media" told you he was failing to kiss your sorry ungrateful behind every day.
Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in many cases may have died for your freedom. There is currently no draft in this country. They didn't have to go.
They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a ''general'' discharge, an ''other than honorable'' discharge or, worst case scenario, a ''dishonorable'' discharge after a few days in the brig.
So why then the flat-out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent of Americans? Say what you want but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds it leads and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit corporations. They offer what sells , and when criticized, try to defend their actions by "justifying" them in one way or another. Just ask why they tried to allow a murderer like O.J. Simpson to write a book about how he didn't kill his wife, but if he did he would have done it this way......Insane!
Stop buying the negativism you are fed everyday by the media. Shut off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of your bird cage. Then start being grateful for all we have as a country. There is exponentially more good than bad.
We are among the most blessed peoples on Earth and should thank God several times a day, or at least be thankful and appreciative."
"With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, "Are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?"
Jay Leno

Proving the people's capriciousness

Polls. They're bad. They elevate the opinion of every Tom, Dick and Harry to that of all-knowing deity. Does it matter if the seventy nine year old lady in the grocery store line doesn't agree with the Iraq invasion? How about the dude who works the Quizno's sandwich line?

While it would be oh-so-democratic (I use the term in it's Greek sense), to say that all opinions matter equally, when we really think about it, aren't we glad they don't?

Here's some numbers that may enlighten those who think the guy cleaning toilets at the mall knows as much about foreign policy as Condi Rice:

Bush's approval rating after 9/11: 90% (only 5% disapproved)

Bush's approval rating in the spring of 2003 just after Saddam was removed from power: A bit above 70%. It hovers around 30% now. Man it's fun to be the life of the party by throwing the Bush joke out there, isn't it? Chicks dig it.

Percent that approved of Bush's handling of terror just before around the time the war began: 90%.

Current approval of Bush's handling of terror: 39%.

And of course there was the bipartisan endorsement of the Iraq war. Just look at the voting records of Hillary, Kerry and Gore.

So don't try to escape, fellow American. Don't try to hide and tell everyone what YOU would do if YOU were president. We already know what you would have done--the numbers showed that you would have done just as Bush did--rid the word of its worst tyrant. Don't tell me the president doesn't listen to the people's will (i.e. polls). Maybe he listens to your will too much.

Maybe we should take these polls and flush them down the proverbial crapper and let electoral democracy do its thing.

Senators have more rights than you and I

A federal appeals court ruled today that the Justice Department violated the constitution in seizing certain papers in the FBI's investigation of La. senator William Jefferson.

The court ruled that any documents that were seized that pertained to the legislative process must be returned. They did not order the return of documents not of the law-making kind. It made no ruling as to whether the information contained therein could be used in the bribery case against Jefferson. Jefferson, you may remember, was found with $90,000 in his freezer--a common place for innocent senators to keep their money.

The appeals court stated that the initial search conducted by the FBI of Jefferson's office was legal, but that they violated the law when seizing all documents without giving Jefferson a chance to explain if they related to the legislative process.

Huh?

Isn't that tantamount to the police raiding a drug dealer's home with a legitimate warrant, finding white powder on the coffee table, but being required to ask said doper if the stuff is baby powder? "Of course it's baby powder, officer." And of course all of those papers pertain to lawmaking.

But they didn't.

So the court just made law. Not only do the police have to obtain a warrant signed by a judge, but they also have to make sure that everything they seize does not fall into some strange category of untouchability. I know the FBI did their homework before this raid. They have great lawyers, and you don't march into a liberal, black senator without your ducks in line.

As a former police officer, I remember having to write the following from memory something like a hundred times in a search and seizure class--it's our hallowed 4th Amendment.

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Where is the ambiguity? Actually, I believe the whole warrant process has become a muddled overly complicated mess that it was never intended to be. According to the above amendment, the application for a warrant could go like this:

Officer: Hi Judge Kendrick, sorry to wake you.

Judge: I'm used to it. Busy tonight?

Officer: Yup. Joe told me that Steve has three pounds of dope hidden in the back of his toilet. Joe's good for it. We used him on that warrant two weeks ago that you signed. Here's the police report that I took on his statements. We found pot seeds in Steve's garbage too, plus a few baggies twisted off for distribution purposes. I'd like to search his car and apartment and take anything that looks like it could be used for drug use or sales. Any paperwork or computer documents that record illegal drug involvment too.

Judge: Alright. Raise your hand. Do you swear?

Officer: Yup.

Judge: Sign here. I gotta get up early to hit the links tomorrow.

Officer: Thanks. Goodluck.

That's it. That's the way it was a long time ago. But now the whole thing is swamped by rediculaous amounts of paperwork and weird legal terminology. I remember the first time that I saw a drug warrant affidavit. The wording was cryptic in the extreme. I thought to myself: What does this have to do with me telling the judge the facts and him determining if it amounts to probable cause?

And I don't care if Republican Newt Gingrich opposed the raid. They are not above or below us. He should know better.

Media Darling sinking fast

It was only a matter of time. Barak Obama's role as rock star candidate is evaporating. Remembering the early Obama days, his charisma was magnified by the fact that he never gave concrete answers as to what his policies would be, and now that he is, it's evident he won't be president.

Scrambling back to his war room after his gaff in the YouTube debate, the media's new JFK decided that he needed to look tough on terror. Should the intelligence exist that there are terrorists camping in the mountains along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan, Obama assured us on Wednesday that he would use military force to dig them out. His statements brought outrage from Pakistani officials.

Oops again.

I hope that he doesn't think the kitchen is hot right now. He should see what it's like when you actually are in charge, when you actually have to do something. He won't make it that far; Hillary, for all her faults, can sense political currents with the best and she doesn't over reach.

Oh oh.....

Don't look now, but the surge is working. CNN even says so. This is bad for the Democrats--very bad.

Gen. David Patraeus' counterinsurgency plan is showing signs of success. Big time. American and Iraqi security forces have finally gained the trust of rural tribal sheiks, people who have grown weary of Al-Qaeda's monstrous vision. Together, the three are driving Al-Qaeda and its related death-squads into the dirt. Bombings are down dramatically.

Expect rapid backpedaling from Democratic candidates. Their fingers are held to the poll-winds and we'll soon be seeing the wind vane swing a bit. They'll have a ton of explaining to do when our soldiers finally do return, after attempting to starve out their efforts by denying funds. Don't forget that soldiers vote too, Hillary.

And so, I'm sorry to say, this was not Vietnam II. The days of headbands, ryming chants to badly written political slogans and simplistic world views have washed up on the shores of reality. And it's interesting to sift through stuff that washes up on shore, but alas, it's usually just old useless junk.