It’s funny the way people hear things. I saw an article on the TV news about a high school teacher in a Colorado town who had been suspended pending a review of his actions in the classroom. Apparently he had been interpreting the Bush state of the union speech or at least relating to the students the way he heard the message. His comments point up the appalling lack of talent in the United States teaching corps and the way liberalism has been twisted so completely out of shape as to have lost its relevance.
This instructor got just about everything wrong. Of course his opinions are valid in the sense that they are his, but his grip on history is a little loose. He claims that Bush and Hitler use the same tones of voice and the comments are ethnocentric in nature. It is impossible to be ethnocentric when referring to the United States. 1930s Germany, yes Hitler was focused on the so-called Aryans. He was also focused on eliminating the Jews.
This Colorado teacher, molder of young minds considers the United States to be the most violent nation on earth. I guess they don’t have newspapers or internet connections in Colorado or he could inform himself about Iran, a country that imprisons and executes bus drivers for wanting a union.
This situation is a prime example of the failure of liberalism in the West. I say again they hate themselves, their country, and their lives. They are embarrassed by their wealth, opportunities, and freedoms. As they look around the world and realize that only by accident of birth are they able to ski, vote, rant, and rave, instead of scratching out a meager existence under the watchful eye of a mullah or religious policeman they feel left out.
Another point this fellow makes should cause each of us to pause before voting for a Democrat who espouses this position; he considers democracy the governmental system of violent suppression. My guess is that he and his ilk know what is best for the rest of us and once in power would like to continue telling us what to do and how to live.
I saw a bumper sticker yesterday and it read “If you are not appalled you haven’t been paying attention, Vote” Its meaning is not clear and can be interpreted in several ways but if it is what I think it is then it means “If you don’t agree with me you are stupid”. Of course it could be a protest against higher property taxes but I doubt it.
Friday, March 03, 2006
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Journalists have a liberal bias
Journalists have a liberal bias, that much is true, but why is this the case? To a large extent journalists feel that they must keep track of government activity and that they are protecting to the public. Maybe this was true at one time. In today’s polarized world this is no longer the case. In the United States journalists are generally Democrat party hacks, except for FoxNews where they are generally GOP hacks. There are exceptions of course. Since the late 1960s journalism has been corrupted by “liberal zeal” and the goal is to unseat the existing government if it has a “conservative” bent. There has never been a case of a journalist making his/her mark by embarrassing a Democrat president. No reporter chased Lyndon Johnson around after he escalated the Vietnam war; college students were much more effective. There were no Dan Rathers. Dan made his bones chasing Richard Nixon around and Dan never got over it. Yet journalists made excuses for Bill Clinton.
Journalists must always possess a certain quality of cynical naiveté with the emphasis on naiveté. Part of the problem is that journalists graduate from colleges where Marxist professors hold sway and this influence is insidious as it makes the prosperous college student feel guilty. As a journalist it is difficult, once one becomes aware of a problem or injustice, to look at it simply as a story and not a crusade. Journalists also tend to look down on their audience on the basis of the experiences they have that the average Joe never will. They begin to have a slight case of egomania. Once awards have been won the authority of the particular journalist is confirmed, they must. This is obvious from the recent Dick Cheney press riot.
Journalism in the past had a conservative bias. The Hearst papers actually got wars started. Liberal bias is a partial reaction to “Yellow Journalism” and is now “Blue Journalism.” Why else do we get the scare stories of environmental catastrophe, health debacles, earthquakes, hurricanes, all of which would never happen if a Democrat were president? Why is the general public so gullible? Well most of the reason for the stories is that there is space in the paper to fill, and if you repeat something often enough it will probably come true.
In the United States and Europe we are rather lucky to have a “free press” which despite its bias is allowed to have one. In most countries there is no such thing. The citizens have no real idea of what is going on around them unless they are able to get information from the internet sources or bootleg radio and television signals. Despite the objections to liberal media they are not a danger. Anyone who wants to can dig deeper into a story to verify or discount its contents. So enjoy your freedom, if you have it, and read on.
Journalists must always possess a certain quality of cynical naiveté with the emphasis on naiveté. Part of the problem is that journalists graduate from colleges where Marxist professors hold sway and this influence is insidious as it makes the prosperous college student feel guilty. As a journalist it is difficult, once one becomes aware of a problem or injustice, to look at it simply as a story and not a crusade. Journalists also tend to look down on their audience on the basis of the experiences they have that the average Joe never will. They begin to have a slight case of egomania. Once awards have been won the authority of the particular journalist is confirmed, they must. This is obvious from the recent Dick Cheney press riot.
Journalism in the past had a conservative bias. The Hearst papers actually got wars started. Liberal bias is a partial reaction to “Yellow Journalism” and is now “Blue Journalism.” Why else do we get the scare stories of environmental catastrophe, health debacles, earthquakes, hurricanes, all of which would never happen if a Democrat were president? Why is the general public so gullible? Well most of the reason for the stories is that there is space in the paper to fill, and if you repeat something often enough it will probably come true.
In the United States and Europe we are rather lucky to have a “free press” which despite its bias is allowed to have one. In most countries there is no such thing. The citizens have no real idea of what is going on around them unless they are able to get information from the internet sources or bootleg radio and television signals. Despite the objections to liberal media they are not a danger. Anyone who wants to can dig deeper into a story to verify or discount its contents. So enjoy your freedom, if you have it, and read on.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
The Axis of Prosperity
There is a new triangle of economic power being made final. The Axis of Prosperity composed of India, China, and the United States, will shape the rest of the 21st century both economically and politically. It is the opportunity of a lifetime and I’m afraid that Europe is going to be left out to a large degree. One of the positive attributes of the United States is its determination to succeed and survive; our left wing politicians notwithstanding. Bush’s trip to India is simply highlighting the situation.
Some may not remember but during the 20th century India and China fought two border wars. Now they are in competition to become the outsource platform for the production of products formerly designed and built in the United States. This economic shift has been going in fits and starts for several years and is now about to really take off. Please note that neither country has a majority Muslim population. Both countries do have large mainly poor populations that are ready to be integrated into the world economy envisioned by One Worlders. This in itself is not bad rather it is a complication, and should provide full employment for protesters for years to come.
President Bush is being lambasted by Indian Muslims, on the orders of their leaders no doubt, but they do so at the risk of their lives. It is well known that Hindus and Muslims do not get along and during their frequent massacres the Muslims usually come out on the wrong end of the body count. That is why we have Pakistan. India, with the earth’s second largest population, is also the world’s largest democracy. They do a remarkable job of maintaining the appearance of democracy and encourage entrepreneurship among the appropriate caste members. This is the fly in the Indian ointment. Until nations can overcome their ancient cultural mores success will continue to be somewhat elusive.
China on the other hand has the world’s largest population and has it almost under control. I don’t think it’s much of a risky prediction to say that in 50 years both China and India will be unrecognizable in their current form. There is no way to centrally control 2 billion people from the top down. This is already evident in the fraying of Chinese society; rampant corruption at local levels of government, increasing instances of demonstrations; usually suppressed by violent police action, and a general discontent about the wealth generation being closely held.
Should the United States be successful in managing its relationship with these two giants and successfully help them manage the transition to come, then the world will be a much better place. Unfortunately there are still the Arabs and Iran to be dealt with in the short term.
My prediction: look for fires in Iran and bombers returning to US bases.
Some may not remember but during the 20th century India and China fought two border wars. Now they are in competition to become the outsource platform for the production of products formerly designed and built in the United States. This economic shift has been going in fits and starts for several years and is now about to really take off. Please note that neither country has a majority Muslim population. Both countries do have large mainly poor populations that are ready to be integrated into the world economy envisioned by One Worlders. This in itself is not bad rather it is a complication, and should provide full employment for protesters for years to come.
President Bush is being lambasted by Indian Muslims, on the orders of their leaders no doubt, but they do so at the risk of their lives. It is well known that Hindus and Muslims do not get along and during their frequent massacres the Muslims usually come out on the wrong end of the body count. That is why we have Pakistan. India, with the earth’s second largest population, is also the world’s largest democracy. They do a remarkable job of maintaining the appearance of democracy and encourage entrepreneurship among the appropriate caste members. This is the fly in the Indian ointment. Until nations can overcome their ancient cultural mores success will continue to be somewhat elusive.
China on the other hand has the world’s largest population and has it almost under control. I don’t think it’s much of a risky prediction to say that in 50 years both China and India will be unrecognizable in their current form. There is no way to centrally control 2 billion people from the top down. This is already evident in the fraying of Chinese society; rampant corruption at local levels of government, increasing instances of demonstrations; usually suppressed by violent police action, and a general discontent about the wealth generation being closely held.
Should the United States be successful in managing its relationship with these two giants and successfully help them manage the transition to come, then the world will be a much better place. Unfortunately there are still the Arabs and Iran to be dealt with in the short term.
My prediction: look for fires in Iran and bombers returning to US bases.
Monday, February 27, 2006
Islam -Its Heart Revealed
Islam is revealing its true nature and is matching up to my view that religion is just another political system that is designed to command and control its adherents. There is peace in Islam. Since its founding in 622 AD by Mohammed Islam has been at war. First with the local populations and then through wars of conquest and of conversion by the sword. Today is no different. Modern Islam is a pale reflection of its intellectual past and its modern leaders are nothing more than thugs and murderers.
What is happening in the world today is the result of ignorance, illiteracy, self-hatred, and fear that Islam is irrelevant. All religion as currently practiced is irrelevant when confronted by democracy. There are no votes in church.
The Arabic contribution to the world is immense, the concept of zero, medical discoveries, advances in mathematics, Algebra ( Al-Gebra) for example are just a few of the ancient human gains from Arabic minds. Where have these thinkers gone? Today they are hiding from the religious police because science can be at odds with religion. The examples from Iran, not an Arab nation, of Islamic death squads prove that individual freedom of thought and expression are inimical to the ayatollahs and mullahs.
Religion is designed to provide guidance, solace, and hope. Islam and many Christian sects are great in the guidance department but need work in the other two. Everything that is transpiring in today’s world is a perversion of religious intent and thought. Of course this is not new especially where acquisition of wealth, power, and domination are concerned. The hypocritical behavior of Muslim leaders is so egregious that they don’t even notice it. They are like children blinded by their own fears and desires, unaware of the rest of the world. The result is piles of dead human beings who should still be alive and striving to make lives. The difference between modern Islam and Nazi Germany, Communist Russia, and North Korea is difficult to discern. It is time to recognize that no amount of appeasement is going to prevent destructive behavior. In fact appeasement will encourage more outrageous acts of violence.
What is happening in the world today is the result of ignorance, illiteracy, self-hatred, and fear that Islam is irrelevant. All religion as currently practiced is irrelevant when confronted by democracy. There are no votes in church.
The Arabic contribution to the world is immense, the concept of zero, medical discoveries, advances in mathematics, Algebra ( Al-Gebra) for example are just a few of the ancient human gains from Arabic minds. Where have these thinkers gone? Today they are hiding from the religious police because science can be at odds with religion. The examples from Iran, not an Arab nation, of Islamic death squads prove that individual freedom of thought and expression are inimical to the ayatollahs and mullahs.
Religion is designed to provide guidance, solace, and hope. Islam and many Christian sects are great in the guidance department but need work in the other two. Everything that is transpiring in today’s world is a perversion of religious intent and thought. Of course this is not new especially where acquisition of wealth, power, and domination are concerned. The hypocritical behavior of Muslim leaders is so egregious that they don’t even notice it. They are like children blinded by their own fears and desires, unaware of the rest of the world. The result is piles of dead human beings who should still be alive and striving to make lives. The difference between modern Islam and Nazi Germany, Communist Russia, and North Korea is difficult to discern. It is time to recognize that no amount of appeasement is going to prevent destructive behavior. In fact appeasement will encourage more outrageous acts of violence.
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