Thoughts Aloud

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I hereby move that the entire nation heed the demands of the “establishment” and proclaim Mitt Robamaney the GOP nominee by acclimation. I make this move on the grounds that there is no good reason to destroy any more members of the human race who may once have had the audacity to think the American people should choose the nominee.

Of course, this diatribe is prompted by the recent revelation that Dr. Ron Paul is a hate-mongering anti-Semitic racist, continuing a pattern that began with the lynching of Herman Cain over his alleged womanizing and the attempted destruction of Newt Gingrich over past infidelity, being a “bad boss”, having new ideas and every other sort of “crime” one may imagine.

There is a more than clear pattern here. No matter how old or obscure one’s past foibles, real or imagined, they really matter only when one begins to challenge the anointed Mitt.

Truth is, I have no idea what Ron Paul espoused in the late 80′s to early 90′s because I was not watching and it seemed to not be newsworthy at the time. Ditto with Herman Cain and whatever clumsiness he may or may not have had in dealing with members of the opposite sex. As for Newt, the allegations are no doubt true and even more so are beside the point (even though I personally do not favor his candidacy).
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Just a mini-rant this time… As I write this, my life partner, Saint J9, is watching an argument between Mitt Robamaney and some war veteran on the subject of gay marriage.

Why is it so hard for the social conservatives and other bible-thumpers to understand that marriage is a bifurcated state in modern America? On the one hand, there is marriage as an institution sanctioned by the various religious organizations. Given our tradition of freedom of religion, each of these organizations should be free to sanction gay marriage – or not, in accordance with their standards and beliefs. On the other hand, marriage is a legal state, recognized by various levels of government that conveys certain legal privileges. Under our tradition of equality before the law, it should be legal for any combination of people who wish to declare themselves legally married to do exactly that. This is a point of contention that lacks any rational foundation.

Think about it.

Troy L Robinson

We are just back from a road trip to the East Coast (sans RV). Being the type that never met a stranger, I am prone to strike up conversations with any and all who will tolerate me. I never cease to marvel over how much insight one can gain simply by talking to folks.

Among other things I learned this trip is that many people are convinced the world will end on December 21, 2012. Now I grant you, this is an auspicious day – because, it will (would?) be my 70th birthday. But, while I have never doubted my significance, I really never expected this spectacular a sendoff.

It seems that the day in question is also the end of THE (A?) Mayan calendar. It seems that the Mayans knew all there was to know about calendars and dates so there must be something to this. (Hmmm – weren’t these the same people whose kings held ceremonies where, among other bizarre activities, they poked sharp things through their genitalia to promote blood letting? Weren’t these the same people who sacrificed (as in KILLED) members of the losing teams in their ball tournaments? Certainly a civilization of virtual Einsteins!)

At any rate, if this is true, I can’t say I am actually looking forward to it, birthday or not.
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In a number of past articles, I have been known to rail against the so-called “establishment” in a way that rather assumes that you readers automatically interpret the term exactly as I mean it. Of course, this may not be the case. So, I ask your further indulgence as I try to elaborate on the term, as I see it.

To begin with, I see a hierarchy of political influences that drive the thoughts and actions of the powerful, particularly, those we have given control of our government and its money machine. These are (most influential to least influential):

→ Position within the “establishment”,

→ Political party affiliation (Democrat, Republican, Other),

→ Economic philosophy (laissez-faire, socialist, etc.),

→ Sociopolitical philosophy (democracy, republic, monarchy, dictatorship, etc.).

In this context, I use the term “establishment” to mean that conglomeration of people and groups who are principally responsible for a governmental/economic system that operates the way it does for that simple reason that they directly benefit from it operating that way.

Historically, and for obvious reasons, an establishment will do whatever it can to maintain its power and position and will seek to destroy any person or thing that might threaten or even challenge that position.
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In a number of articles in this space, I have implied – or outright stated – that I think it is too late for the United States to recover from its current ills and that, instead, we should focus on trying to rebuild as quickly as possible after what I consider the inevitable collapse. I have often made these statements as if they were common knowledge. In all fairness to the few people who are kind enough to read what I contribute, I realize a more in-depth explanation is overdue. I will attempt that now.

It is human nature to concentrate the hardest on the current circumstance, usually at the expense of any broader or long-term view. I propose now that we take such a view – in fact, views.

I propose that, while there is plenty to complain about in the current administration and the current congress, the ills that are bringing us down are actually long-term trends. I further propose that any real recovery would, therefore, necessarily require a reversal of those trends.

First, let me cite the three trends I think most responsible for our national condition:
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In many of the articles I have contributed to this blog, I have been sharply critical of President Obama – for the simple reason that he deserves it. That said, if one wanted to very precisely place the major blame for the downfall of our republic, one need look no further that that bunch of con artists we call a CONgress.

For example, as I write this, the so-called “Super Committee” is looking for a way to “cut” $1.5 trillion in spending over the next 10 years. Spelled out the long way, this figure is $1500,000,000,000. For each of the 10 years, the “cuts” would then be $150,000,000,000. Or, $150 billion per year.

So, a federal government that currently spends over $3.5 trillion per year proposes to slash its spending by a whooping 4.28%, based on approximate 2011 spending. And, if this is not insult enough, the so-called “cuts” are actually a reduction in the planned increase in real spending. In other words, they propose to very slightly “cut” the projected growth in spending such that “real” spending will actually continue to increase each year.

If any private business in the United States tried to pull off an accounting “con” (fraud) like this, our elected con artists would hold hearings insisting the guilty be carted off to the pen. But, our guys are such good con artists that they have insulated themselves from the rules they would impose on others.
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In the most recent GOP debate, Texas Governor Rick Perry seemed to suffer a “brain freeze” when he could not remember the third of three departments of the federal government that he was promising to eliminate.

Much is being made about whether or not this spells the end for Perry. I don’t presume to know nor do I care.

What bothers me about the incident is that it clearly illustrated something that is very wrong in our system yet, to my knowledge, none of the media have raised the point. The point being that Governor Perry obviously did not forget his own idea. What he forgot is what others had coached him to say – and more obviously, something he did not believe in strongly enough to have it etched into his mind.

In other words, we witnessed the real-time failure of a process that dominates far too much of our current politics. That is, the hiring of a cast of researchers who scan the polls, trying to determine what people what to hear, then pumping the appropriate words into the candidate just prior to a speech or debate.

This does not help us sort out the candidates. Candidates who do this are, in effect, asking us to look into an electronic mirror and see just what we want to see, without regard to what they might intend do if elected. And, the media assist them in this fraud at every opportunity.
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One cannot visit any kind of media without being blasted with rumors that GOP front-runner Herman Cain is a dirty old man.

Maybe so, maybe not.

My first question is why so many of us pay attention to this crap. Now, don’t misunderstand me – actual sexual harassment is a serious thing that should not be tolerated in the workplace regardless of the gender of those involved. But, it has been my observation that true sexual harassment rarely leads to some manner of secret “agreement” between the parties that leaves the offender in place and untouched. And, that is as it should be.

Were we ever to grow up as a nation, we might begin to realize that, lacking open and egregious acts of harassment, much of what goes on in the workplace (and everyplace) is the normal sexual tension that exists everywhere in nature where potential mates are present. Nature designed us this way to ensure the perpetuation of the species.

Next, we must realize that some women are naturally attracted to powerful men. This is a deep-seated instinctual holdover from earlier times when women were quite dependent on men to protect them and provide for them.
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Some stories coming out of the “occupy” where ever movement have reminded me that it is time for my more-or-less annual screed about equality and how an entire nation can be confused about the notion.

We pride ourselves over our quest for equality. After all, our Declaration of Independence contains the noble words that “… all men are created equal…” and that this equality comes from our very existence. How then could anyone, as I do, think of equality in negative terms? Please allow me to explain.

First, Mr. Jefferson said “…created equal…”. He purposely did not add “…and shall remain so no matter what they may do or not do in their lives…”.

Traditionally, the notion of equality was that all “men” were to be treated equally at the bar of justice and further, that all “men” should have an equal right to pursue life on their own terms.

Now, at that time in history, everyone understood that the Declaration was effectively referring to “white males” when it spoke of “men”. The degree to which Mr. Jefferson truly thought that all humans deserved an equal chance to live their own lives was known for sure only to himself and I do not presume to speak for him. However, the events of those times do make their own statement.
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As I have noted before, I consider Austin, TX home, even though I was actually born in Arkansas.

J9 and I are finishing a week in Austin, something we do on a regular basis because: 1) most of our medical practitioners are here (and Austin has some of the best available anywhere) and, 2) my youngest daughter has a lovely family here that we love to spend time with. My two grandsons are growing like weeds and are into every sports and scouting activity one might imagine.

But, that is not the subject of this screed. The point is that my beloved Austin has become a prime example of the hypocrisy of the liberal/progressive mindset.

For those not familiar, inner Austin is one of the very most liberal cities in America. Every law, every ordinance, every act of the city council is carefully crafted to be perfectly politically correct, perfectly in line with liberal/progressive thought, and, above all, totally in keeping with the supposed needs of humanity. Indeed, these folks have so much collective concern for the plight of humanity that it nearly chokes me up to think about it.
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The following is an elaboration of a presentation I recently made at a local Tea Party meeting. My motivation is that the misunderstanding of our Constitution, indeed, of all aspects of our government, is not only appalling, it has become a threat to our very freedom.

As we well know, the most common misconception is that our government is a democracy. In the last week, I have heard at least 3 people make public statements to this effect, including two liberal pundits and one GOP Senator. I understand why the progressives push this idea… why a supposedly conservative Senator would do so is beyond me — unless he too is becoming brainwashed.

Obviously, we know better, as do those making such claims. The problem is that the intellectually-challenged citizens produced by our failed public education system don’t know better -and- given their crippled reasoning systems, most of them allow the media to do their thinking for them.

The problem is further exacerbated by the fact that, at a glance, democracy might seem a good thing. After all, what can be wrong with a situation where the people rule? It turns out, on closer examination, that there are some very significant problems. First, in a real democracy, there is nothing to protect the rights of minority groups from predation by the majority. Second, democracy lacks any semblance of stability. The majority can change the “rules” at any time, based on whims, emotional reactions and the like.
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I have just finished the most informative and most entertaining book I have read in many a year. I refer to THE MAGIC OF REALITY by Richard Dawkins and illustrated (fantastically) by Dave McKean.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004T4KR6A/ref=pe_5060_21019210_snp_oe_kindle_edition

Troy L Robinson

I have been thinking for a while now that I should comment on the “Occupy…” movements. It happens that I actually agree with a few of them, particularly those who want to audit/end the Federal Reserve. However, most of the occupiers are so uninformed that it stretches our credulity to understand the depths of their ignorance.

Now I find that Peter Schiff on Reason.TV has done the job for me. This video is a bit long but it is very instructive (and depressing) to watch.

http://reason.com/blog/2011/10/27/peter-schiff-at-occupy-wall-st

Now, I wonder how these idiots might be turned into “useful” idiots?

Think about it.

Troy L Robinson

In the post A New Ottoman Empire, I offered the prospect that what has become known as the “Arab Spring” (or some-such) might actually be the start of the reformation of the Islamic Caliphate rather than the blossoming of democratic republics all over the region.

With Moammar Gadhafi (or however the hell you spell it) now dead and our pending exit from Iraq, it seems a reasonable time to pause and take score.

So far, the best I have seen is a military dictatorship in Egypt that makes promises of democracy somewhere down the road. In every case where a sitting dictator has been removed from power, the void seems (to me) to be being filled by Islamic rule. After Iraq disintegrates, with Iran taking over the major portion, it seems to me that the real question will be which of the major flavors of Islam will take over the region.

Given what is happening so far, I stand by my earlier prediction. Whether they actually call it a caliphate or not will be beside the point. The monster that results, will be the point!

A new empire in the formation stage while we drift toward 3rd world status — not a pleasing prospect.

Think about it.

Troy L Robinson

With every new debate, it becomes clearer that the media, FOX News included, is trying to determine the outcome of the GOP presidential nomination race. One way to prove this is easy… simply add up the minutes given to each candidate in the debates. The time preferences and distribution will be nearly the same from debate to debate, regardless of who is hosting the event.

More subtle, but even more powerful, is the choice of questions given to each candidate. Again, the pattern will be consistent from debate to debate, regardless of who is hosting the event.

Outside the debates, there is the overall news misreporting. The most obvious and most egregious example was after the Iowa straw poll when the headlines blared that Bachmann had won and Pawlenty had finished third, omitting the fact that Ron Paul had finished second, less than a full percentage point behind Bachmann in what was a statistical tie.
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Since the original ideas expressed in The Slope Just Got Slicker have morphed into a discussion of the meaning and ethics of war, I am starting this new thread for just that purpose. As an aside, it is nice to be having a real give and take again!

At the time our Constitution was created, WAR inevitably meant an armed confrontation between two governing entities, usually ending with one entity surrendering to the other. Over time, a body of ethics had been developed, intending to allow the conduct of a war while still somehow constraining its destructive effects.
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I have waited a few days for the smell of blood to dissipate before writing this. As we all know, a few days ago the Obamanation gave his thugs the green light to assassinate 2 American citizens – Anwar al-Awlaki and Samir Khan. Both were killed by rockets fired from drone aircraft in Yemen.

Before I say anything else, let me assure you that I considered these people bad actors who were intent on killing as many Americans as they could. And, they probably deserved to be executed. But, because they were American citizens, any punishment should have come after due process was served – in a court of law. Our Constitution does not provide for the intentional killing of American citizens by any other process, save that of legitimate self-defense.
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“(CNN)-Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich picked up a big endorsement Monday, from the head of an influential group.

Tea Party Nation founder Judson Phillips threw his support behind the candidate for the 2012 GOP nomination, who’s candidacy suffered setbacks early in the campaign.”

Is nothing dependable anymore? I know that Mr. Phillips does not officially speak for the organization he helped found in making this endorsement – but, I’m not sure everyone understands that. I fear this endorsement will have a negative effect on the GOP primary and on the TEA Party movement.
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Obviously, I have not been much of a contributor lately, mostly because we are traveling in our RV and are more focused on genealogy research than politics. Frankly, it has been a bit of a relief to ignore the political circus for a while. However, the Obamanation’s so called “jobs plan” is simply too much to let go by without a bit of venting.

In the first place, the level of intentional distortion has reach new highs with this latest proposal. And, the dumbing-down of America is paying such rich dividends.
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As I predicted before the 2010 elections, the Obamanation is setting up the GOP so he has something to run against next year. Now, in true Obamanation fashion, he has proposed a “jobs plan” that the GOP should oppose. Now, they are pinned to the wall. If they support this nonsense, they lose much of their base and most independents. Ergo, the GOP loses in 2012. If they oppose this nonsense, as they should, Obama will run against the “party of no”, claiming that he had the answer and the GOP blocked it. Most of the lame brains will buy this. Ergo, the GOP loses.

The GOP had their one big chance with the opportunity to refuse to raise the debt ceiling, thus putting the Obamanation behind the eight ball. But, lacking balls of any denomination, they blew it. Now, they get to reap their reward.

The re-election of the Obamanation will be the end of America. And, the GOP had the chance to change things.

Think about it.

Troy L Robinson