Friday, January 21, 2011
Simply Brilliant Article by Mark Steyn
Mark Steyn's "Dependence Day" really reaches to the heart of the matter. We are losing our nation because it is losing its soul. It is losing its soul because it is losing its character. And it is losing its character because we have forgotten where we came from, what we believe in and what we have accomplished. It is critical that we separate the Left's cultural mantras from the truth of our history and character. Steyn reminds us all what that is.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Soldier of Fortune Turns 35 – an Exceptional Magazine and Much More
By Jim Simpson
SOF is more than that too, for unknown to most people, Soldier of Fortune magazine and its staff of intrepid reporters – almost all with special operations backgrounds, some who paid the ultimate price while on assignment – has voluntarily assisted the U.S. military and our allies for decades, with little or no recognition, providing intelligence, training and combat support to freedom fighters throughout the world. They did so much of this in fact, that they could almost be characterized as the first “private contractor,” except they did all their work for free, with expenses being covered by the magazine itself.
Started in 1975, the year of the Vietnam War’s ignoble end, Soldier of Fortune magazine quickly gained a wide following among Vietnam veterans. It was one of the few journals then in print that gave an honest and appreciative assessment of veterans’ wartime sacrifices, with articles written mostly by fellow veterans who knew about war firsthand, up close and personal.
The magazine remains dedicated to our Nation’s military and is avidly read and appreciated by veteran and active duty alike. As editor Brown stated in SOF’s 25 year anniversary issue:
Americans fed on network news had little idea what was really happening over there. Many still don’t. Shamefully, the mass media (they are not mainstream) has never come clean about their central role in the systematic deception of the American public that led to America’s first military defeat. America did not lose the Vietnam War on the battlefield, despite military missteps. It was lost due to a conspiracy of deliberate misreporting by American media and the incompetent, feckless and in some cases treasonous, activities of the White House and Democrat-controlled U.S. Congress.
In addition to becoming a voice for Vietnam vets, SOF rapidly gained a reputation for cutting-edge reporting at the front lines of bush wars throughout the world, many of which were and still are ignored by the mass media. For example, since 1982 SOF has reported on the plight of Burma’s Karen people, who have fought a war of liberation against that country’s brutal, Stalinist regime for decades.
SOF’s reporting on the Karens inspired Sylvester Stallone to make his 4th Rambo movie about the Burmese conflict. As Sly puts it:
Motley personified the archetypical SOF reporter. A West Point graduate and Special Forces officer, Lance quit the Army out of boredom. He then made a solo trip to Afghanistan. He had no backing from anyone, no knowledge of the people, language or culture, but managed to sneak in, find his way to the action, fight with the Mujahideen against the Soviet occupiers, and help compile a list for the U.S. Congress of weapons the Afghans needed – all in six months! This was before anyone had ever heard of Charlie Wilson. Lance’s obituary is a testimonial to the caliber of men who wrote for Soldier of Fortune.
SOF is about the only journal that has reported on Laos and Vietnam’s relentless genocide against its indigenous tribes. The Degar people of Vietnam’s Central Highlands, known collectively as “Montagnards” (mountain people) fought valiantly alongside American Special Forces throughout the Vietnam War, but were shamelessly abandoned when we decided to pull out. The U.S. government forgot about them, but their former enemies didn’t. Since that time, the Degar have been systematically repressed, with many tortured and killed in “reeducation” camps.
The Laotian Hmong who assisted the U.S. during its CIA-operated secret war in Laos, have suffered similarly. For the last thirty five years, the Laotian communist government has engaged in a bush war with the goal of exterminating remaining Hmong, killing as many as 100,000, including the use of chemical weapons. Remaining Hmong have retreated to remote mountainous areas, where they survive in primitive conditions, living off the land.
To add insult to injury, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, (ATF) saw an opportunity to lure Hmong expatriate leader, then 77 year-old Major General Vang Pao, into a sting operation. Vang led Laotian forces for the CIA during the secret war and has spent his life devoted to the Hmong cause. He remains a widely respected leader, both among the Hmong expatriate community and in Laos. Those remaining in Laos would likely have perished long ago were it not for the external assistance provided to them through Vang’s efforts.
SOF was also one of the few, if not the only, publication that reported on the situation in Afghanistan during the years between the Soviet withdrawal and the rise of the Taliban. By reading SOF, one would come to know the various factions within Afghanistan and especially, dispositions of the large, Soviet-backed force organized to continue the war on the Soviets’ behalf after they left. This force was commanded by Abdul Rashid Dostum, a notorious, brutal communist warlord, who has figured prominently in the post-9-11 Northern Alliance.
During the 1980s, SOF staff took many trips to Afghanistan. One trip yielded two 5.45 mm cartridges for the new Russian AK-74. Neither the weapon nor the ammunition had previously been seen by Western intelligence. This new ammunition was believed to be the culprit in massive wounds reportedly being suffered by Mujahideen in their battles with the Soviets. On a subsequent trip, Col. Brown smuggled out another 5,000 rounds of ammunition and a sample of the AK-74 weapon itself, turning it all over to the U.S. military attaché in Islamabad.
SOF staff has engaged directly in training of allied troops, supplementing the U.S. military’s effort. They were particularly active in Central America’s recent civil wars. A recent Newsmax article by Barrett Tillman relates:
SOF provided similar training to Nicaragua’s Contras during the Nicaraguan civil war. While they were at it, Brown grounded the Sandinistas’ entire fleet of Soviet Hind attack helicopters by posting the advertisement shown here. I interviewed Unintended Consequences author and firearms expert John Ross about it by phone, who confirmed the following account:
“In the 1980s, Danny Ortega’s oppressive Communist regime in Nicaragua received a fleet of Russian Hind helicopters… to put down the Contras. When the Contras started to take heavy losses from these gunships, Bob Brown single-handedly grounded the entire fleet in less than 72 hours. How? By printing a full-page ad in his own magazine offering a million dollar reward to anyone who would bring us one of these choppers. The Russians knew damn well that every Cuban pilot would jump at the chance to fly into nearby El Salvador and get a million bucks and a Miami liquor license for his efforts. Bob’s actions helped cause Ortega’s fall, and stopped the spread of Communism in Central America dead in its tracks.”
Ross’s account is exaggerated but not entirely off the mark. An ABC reporter, Peter Collins, who had contacts in the Nicaraguan military, confirmed to Brown that they had, in fact, grounded their fleet of Hinds for three weeks because it took that much time to bring in trustworthy replacement pilots.
Brown had placed the ad hoping it would have just such an effect. As explained to me for this article, the idea was modeled after a similar PSYOPS plan conducted during the Korean War to ground MIG-15s in advance of an important bombing campaign. Brown had no interest in actually securing a helicopter.
The history of SOF is replete with such examples – too many to mention. Brown himself has received numerous awards and citations for his contributions by governments far and wide. His unique staff of reporters recall the “warrior philosophers” of ancient Greece. Fearless, highly intelligent, well-read and well-educated, (many without benefit of a college degree), they provided on deadline, crisp, clear, straightforward analyses of complicated political/military issues that still vex ivory tower political scientists.
Some paid the ultimate price. Lance Motley was mentioned earlier. Three others were killed in action. These men reflected the dedication and ability of SOF’s unique staff.
Lt. Col Robert MacKenzie was SOF’s contributing editor for unconventional operations. A truly gifted soldier, MacKenzie was retired from the Army 70 percent disabled two years after enlisting, due to a wound suffered in Vietnam. Not to be deterred, in 1970 he joined the Rhodesian Special Forces (SAS) and served 10 years, receiving both the Bronze and Silver Crosses of Rhodesia for bravery and leadership in action. He later served as second-in-command of the Transkei, South Africa Special Forces.
Hired as an SOF journalist in 1985, MacKenzie reported on conflicts all over the globe, including Bosnia and Croatia, African hot spots, Russia, South America and Southeast Asia, to name a few, and was responsible for rescuing seven Westerners held hostage in Africa. He was hired by the Sierra Leone government in 1995 to train government forces, and was killed in an ambush by Revolutionary United Front (RUF) guerillas while trying to assist another wounded soldier.
Mike Echanis was a U.S. Army Ranger, renowned martial artist and martial arts editor for SOF in the mid-1970s. . In 1978 he was he was working in Nicaragua as a contractor for the CIA, and was killed in a helicopter crash after a bomb planted on board detonated. Foreign correspondent George Bacon III was another highly-decorated soldier, who received the CIA Intelligence Star for his work in Laos. He was killed in Africa while fighting for the National Front for the Liberation of Angola (FNLA). Motley, MacKenzie, Echanis and Bacon share a special place on the SOF masthead, along with a list of other noteworthy contributors who have since passed on.
Keep in mind that all these men (and many more) died in the line of service fighting enemies borne of the worldwide communist movement, which has prospered largely because incompetent, cowardly and sometimes treasonous U.S. “leaders” have allowed it to. In this President and Congress, such "leadership" is endemic, or perhaps I should say epidemic. Fortunately, a record number of military veterans are running for national office this year, who, if elected will bring a measure of sanity back to our Nation’s capital. Please check them out at Veterans for Freedom, Iraq Veterans for Congress and Combat Veterans for Congress and do all you can to lend support.
For his part, SOF founder Brown spends little time behind a desk. He was one of the first journalists to enter Kuwait City following its liberation by American forces in 1991 and SOF provided extensive on-the-ground reporting of the first Gulf War. It continues to provide cutting-edge coverage of operations in Iraqi, the conflict in Afghanistan, and other conflicts large and small throughout the world. Through its unique network of contacts, SOF continues to scoop the mass media on major stories involving military and intelligence issues, and brings a refreshing, insightful perspective that you will not find in the militarily-illiterate, anti-American mass media.
Finally, SOF and its editor are tireless advocates for gun rights. Col. Brown has been on the NRA Board of Directors for decades. Over the years, the magazine has featured reviews on new firearms and equipment and columns by noted gun experts such as John Farnam, Maj. John Plaster, Jeff Cooper and others.
In summing up his attitude toward life, Col. Brown says, “Slay dragons, do noble deeds and never, never, never, give up.” That attitude is certainly reflected in the storied history of Soldier of Fortune magazine, 35 this year and going strong.
 |
| 35th Anniversary Issue |
Like most things unapologetically conservative and unapologetically pro-American, Soldier of Fortune magazine has been pilloried for years by the organized Left’s venomously anti-American press and culture. But SOF, founded in 1975 by decorated Special Forces veteran and lifelong adventurer, Lt. Col. Robert K. Brown (USAR - Ret.), stands out as a singular example of American exceptionalism in print media. But that the rest were half as good.
SOF is more than that too, for unknown to most people, Soldier of Fortune magazine and its staff of intrepid reporters – almost all with special operations backgrounds, some who paid the ultimate price while on assignment – has voluntarily assisted the U.S. military and our allies for decades, with little or no recognition, providing intelligence, training and combat support to freedom fighters throughout the world. They did so much of this in fact, that they could almost be characterized as the first “private contractor,” except they did all their work for free, with expenses being covered by the magazine itself.
Started in 1975, the year of the Vietnam War’s ignoble end, Soldier of Fortune magazine quickly gained a wide following among Vietnam veterans. It was one of the few journals then in print that gave an honest and appreciative assessment of veterans’ wartime sacrifices, with articles written mostly by fellow veterans who knew about war firsthand, up close and personal.
The magazine remains dedicated to our Nation’s military and is avidly read and appreciated by veteran and active duty alike. As editor Brown stated in SOF’s 25 year anniversary issue:
Overnight, SOF offered Vietnam vets the recognition they deserved, a home in a sense, a meeting place for like souls. Like a banner, it acknowledged their sacrifices and continues to do so, loudly and loyally.
 |
| Current Cover Features Congressional Candidate Gy. Sgt. Nick Popaditch |
In addition to becoming a voice for Vietnam vets, SOF rapidly gained a reputation for cutting-edge reporting at the front lines of bush wars throughout the world, many of which were and still are ignored by the mass media. For example, since 1982 SOF has reported on the plight of Burma’s Karen people, who have fought a war of liberation against that country’s brutal, Stalinist regime for decades.
 |
| 10th Anniversary Issue |
I think SOF has proven time and time again that it has its thumb on the pulse of what is really transpiring in the remote, dark parts of the world that the drive-by media tends to overlook.One of SOF’s correspondents, Lance Motley, was killed by Burmese forces in 1989 while reporting on the conflict. Wounded three times on previous expeditions around the globe for SOF, Lance was as usual, right on the front lines.
Motley personified the archetypical SOF reporter. A West Point graduate and Special Forces officer, Lance quit the Army out of boredom. He then made a solo trip to Afghanistan. He had no backing from anyone, no knowledge of the people, language or culture, but managed to sneak in, find his way to the action, fight with the Mujahideen against the Soviet occupiers, and help compile a list for the U.S. Congress of weapons the Afghans needed – all in six months! This was before anyone had ever heard of Charlie Wilson. Lance’s obituary is a testimonial to the caliber of men who wrote for Soldier of Fortune.
SOF is about the only journal that has reported on Laos and Vietnam’s relentless genocide against its indigenous tribes. The Degar people of Vietnam’s Central Highlands, known collectively as “Montagnards” (mountain people) fought valiantly alongside American Special Forces throughout the Vietnam War, but were shamelessly abandoned when we decided to pull out. The U.S. government forgot about them, but their former enemies didn’t. Since that time, the Degar have been systematically repressed, with many tortured and killed in “reeducation” camps.
The Laotian Hmong who assisted the U.S. during its CIA-operated secret war in Laos, have suffered similarly. For the last thirty five years, the Laotian communist government has engaged in a bush war with the goal of exterminating remaining Hmong, killing as many as 100,000, including the use of chemical weapons. Remaining Hmong have retreated to remote mountainous areas, where they survive in primitive conditions, living off the land.
To add insult to injury, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, (ATF) saw an opportunity to lure Hmong expatriate leader, then 77 year-old Major General Vang Pao, into a sting operation. Vang led Laotian forces for the CIA during the secret war and has spent his life devoted to the Hmong cause. He remains a widely respected leader, both among the Hmong expatriate community and in Laos. Those remaining in Laos would likely have perished long ago were it not for the external assistance provided to them through Vang’s efforts.
ATF agents convinced Vang to become involved in a plot to overthrow the communist Laotian government. Assured that this was a CIA-backed operation, he agreed. He and his compatriots were later arrested and charged with violating the Neutrality Act. Fortunately Vang’s case was dismissed in 2009. The fate of his co-defendants has not yet been determined. See a very good video about this case and the plight of the Hmong here.
The reality of Southeast Asia’s Communists’ brutal genocide against the Hmong and Degar people stands in stark contrast to their wartime propaganda about “liberating the oppressed.” But for SOF, we wouldn’t know about it.
Meanwhile, American communists like Bill Ayers and Tom Hayden, who actively, blatantly supported communist North Vietnam during the war, have nothing to say about the miserable aftermath they helped bring about. Many of these same Leftists, by the way, were the foremost organizers of Progressives for Obama – just one great big cesspool.
 |
| 25th Anniversary Issue |
SOF’s Brown also became personally and professionally involved in the search for living POW/MIAs after the war, dumping about $350,000 into the effort. This unfortunate chapter in our Vietnam experience had its share of charlatans, who capitalized on the hopes of POW/MIA families and concerned veterans like Brown. SOF, however, wasted no time in challenging those who appeared to be frauds, even fellow decorated Special Forces veterans like Bo Gritz.
SOF was also one of the few, if not the only, publication that reported on the situation in Afghanistan during the years between the Soviet withdrawal and the rise of the Taliban. By reading SOF, one would come to know the various factions within Afghanistan and especially, dispositions of the large, Soviet-backed force organized to continue the war on the Soviets’ behalf after they left. This force was commanded by Abdul Rashid Dostum, a notorious, brutal communist warlord, who has figured prominently in the post-9-11 Northern Alliance.
During the 1980s, SOF staff took many trips to Afghanistan. One trip yielded two 5.45 mm cartridges for the new Russian AK-74. Neither the weapon nor the ammunition had previously been seen by Western intelligence. This new ammunition was believed to be the culprit in massive wounds reportedly being suffered by Mujahideen in their battles with the Soviets. On a subsequent trip, Col. Brown smuggled out another 5,000 rounds of ammunition and a sample of the AK-74 weapon itself, turning it all over to the U.S. military attaché in Islamabad.
SOF staff has engaged directly in training of allied troops, supplementing the U.S. military’s effort. They were particularly active in Central America’s recent civil wars. A recent Newsmax article by Barrett Tillman relates:
The byword is professionalism. For instance, a 1983 report describing the work of a 12-man SOF team in El Salvador covers 47 pages. It includes weapons maintenance, sound discipline on ambush, field medicine and sanitation.On September 30th 1995, the El Salvadorian government awarded Brown their Combat Star medal. The citation reads: “In Recognition of Your Combat Support Services With Units of the Armed Forces of El Salvador, 1980 to 1992.”
SOF provided similar training to Nicaragua’s Contras during the Nicaraguan civil war. While they were at it, Brown grounded the Sandinistas’ entire fleet of Soviet Hind attack helicopters by posting the advertisement shown here. I interviewed Unintended Consequences author and firearms expert John Ross about it by phone, who confirmed the following account:
Ross’s account is exaggerated but not entirely off the mark. An ABC reporter, Peter Collins, who had contacts in the Nicaraguan military, confirmed to Brown that they had, in fact, grounded their fleet of Hinds for three weeks because it took that much time to bring in trustworthy replacement pilots.
Brown had placed the ad hoping it would have just such an effect. As explained to me for this article, the idea was modeled after a similar PSYOPS plan conducted during the Korean War to ground MIG-15s in advance of an important bombing campaign. Brown had no interest in actually securing a helicopter.
The history of SOF is replete with such examples – too many to mention. Brown himself has received numerous awards and citations for his contributions by governments far and wide. His unique staff of reporters recall the “warrior philosophers” of ancient Greece. Fearless, highly intelligent, well-read and well-educated, (many without benefit of a college degree), they provided on deadline, crisp, clear, straightforward analyses of complicated political/military issues that still vex ivory tower political scientists.
Some paid the ultimate price. Lance Motley was mentioned earlier. Three others were killed in action. These men reflected the dedication and ability of SOF’s unique staff.
 |
| Robert MacKenzie |
Hired as an SOF journalist in 1985, MacKenzie reported on conflicts all over the globe, including Bosnia and Croatia, African hot spots, Russia, South America and Southeast Asia, to name a few, and was responsible for rescuing seven Westerners held hostage in Africa. He was hired by the Sierra Leone government in 1995 to train government forces, and was killed in an ambush by Revolutionary United Front (RUF) guerillas while trying to assist another wounded soldier.
Mike Echanis was a U.S. Army Ranger, renowned martial artist and martial arts editor for SOF in the mid-1970s. . In 1978 he was he was working in Nicaragua as a contractor for the CIA, and was killed in a helicopter crash after a bomb planted on board detonated. Foreign correspondent George Bacon III was another highly-decorated soldier, who received the CIA Intelligence Star for his work in Laos. He was killed in Africa while fighting for the National Front for the Liberation of Angola (FNLA). Motley, MacKenzie, Echanis and Bacon share a special place on the SOF masthead, along with a list of other noteworthy contributors who have since passed on.
Keep in mind that all these men (and many more) died in the line of service fighting enemies borne of the worldwide communist movement, which has prospered largely because incompetent, cowardly and sometimes treasonous U.S. “leaders” have allowed it to. In this President and Congress, such "leadership" is endemic, or perhaps I should say epidemic. Fortunately, a record number of military veterans are running for national office this year, who, if elected will bring a measure of sanity back to our Nation’s capital. Please check them out at Veterans for Freedom, Iraq Veterans for Congress and Combat Veterans for Congress and do all you can to lend support.
For his part, SOF founder Brown spends little time behind a desk. He was one of the first journalists to enter Kuwait City following its liberation by American forces in 1991 and SOF provided extensive on-the-ground reporting of the first Gulf War. It continues to provide cutting-edge coverage of operations in Iraqi, the conflict in Afghanistan, and other conflicts large and small throughout the world. Through its unique network of contacts, SOF continues to scoop the mass media on major stories involving military and intelligence issues, and brings a refreshing, insightful perspective that you will not find in the militarily-illiterate, anti-American mass media.
Finally, SOF and its editor are tireless advocates for gun rights. Col. Brown has been on the NRA Board of Directors for decades. Over the years, the magazine has featured reviews on new firearms and equipment and columns by noted gun experts such as John Farnam, Maj. John Plaster, Jeff Cooper and others.
In summing up his attitude toward life, Col. Brown says, “Slay dragons, do noble deeds and never, never, never, give up.” That attitude is certainly reflected in the storied history of Soldier of Fortune magazine, 35 this year and going strong.
Monday, August 2, 2010
By James Simpson
Below is a trailer for a must see new video by Curtis Bowers, Agenda: Grinding America Down. It includes the perspective of many well-known policy experts, including Reagan Attorney General Edwin Meese, III, Trevor Loudon, Phyllis Schafly, Brannon Howse, M. Stanton Evans, Dr. Robert Chandler, and many others. This documentary DVD is well worth the modest price.
Note: while I was also interviewed for this documentary, I will not receive, nor did I ask for any remuneration. My only interest in promoting this video is seeing the facts contained herein communicated to the public -- facts that our media has utterly failed to disclose.
AGENDA: Grinding America Down (Trailer) from Curtis Bowers on Vimeo.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Las Vegas Hotel Owner Tells it Like it is
This is better than Rick Santelli's rant. Here is a successful businessman giving us the reality of the situation.
Hotel owner Steve Wynn describes this administration and Congress's policies. As he says repeatedly, it is a combination of the insane spending and regulatory policies of the Democrats and the complete uncertainty this creates for business.
As I have said, this is a deliberate strategy. Nothing discourages business more than uncertainty, and the Obama administration has introduced a climate of uncertainty in this country that is unprecedented in our history. Even during war, no American ever seriously believed anyone would come along and attempt to change the fundamental structure of our society. But it is happening now before our eyes!
The corruption of this administration, the fraud occupying the White House and the revolting, despicable scumbags running Congress, defy description. They are corrupt, subhuman slugs.
Watch this four minute clip. Right on the money! (HT Allan Erickson).
Hotel owner Steve Wynn describes this administration and Congress's policies. As he says repeatedly, it is a combination of the insane spending and regulatory policies of the Democrats and the complete uncertainty this creates for business.
As I have said, this is a deliberate strategy. Nothing discourages business more than uncertainty, and the Obama administration has introduced a climate of uncertainty in this country that is unprecedented in our history. Even during war, no American ever seriously believed anyone would come along and attempt to change the fundamental structure of our society. But it is happening now before our eyes!
The corruption of this administration, the fraud occupying the White House and the revolting, despicable scumbags running Congress, defy description. They are corrupt, subhuman slugs.
Watch this four minute clip. Right on the money! (HT Allan Erickson).
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Governor Christie Puts Reporter in His Place
This is too good to miss. NJ Governor Chris Christie is showing the kind of leadership the American people are looking for. Straightforward, honest and bold. You must watch this video. It is only two-and-a-half minutes. Christie puts a reporter firmly in his place.
| Gov Christie calls S-L columnist thin-skinned for inquiring about his 'confrontational tone' |
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Is Lindsey Graham Compromised?
South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham is perhaps the most irritating personification of the RINO label in the U.S. Senate. Despite the overwhelming evidence against manmade global warming and the irrefutable damage Cap and Trade legislation will do to our tottering economy, Graham has teamed with leftist Senator John Kerry to resurrect that legislation we all thought was going nowhere. Kerry himself recently noted that the recession has reduced greenhouse gas pollution by 6 percent. He wants to see another 14 percent reduction by 2020. Not one given to heavy intellectual lifting, we'll assume Kerry overlooked the implications of that statement. But others have been explicit, suggesting a controlled recession is what’s needed to achieve that result.
Controlled recession! These people are lunatics defined.
But why would any Republican in his right mind join in with this lunacy? Apparently Graham is looking for more. Now, he has gone out on a limb again to join with Democrats in an attempt to resurrect illegal immigrant amnesty again. There is no doubt where the American people stand on amnesty. This is one of the most unpopular issues in the country, and it is hard to square the notion of a decorated JAG lawyer getting behind a movement that so clearly undermines the rule of law.
We all know why the Democrats’ want amnesty. It is the most promising of their many, despicable, underhanded, self-serving plans to pack voter roles with reliable democrat voters, constitution, rule of law, and the will of the people be damned. But why would Graham be willing to so blatantly stab his Party in the back, especially when the crucial midterm elections appear to be turning in the GOP’s favor?
Admittedly, he is not alone. John McCain has also supported amnesty, although he appears to be backpedaling now, and Graham gets a lot of help from other RINO Republicans on this and other issues in undermining a coherent, principled GOP message.
But Graham always seems to be out front. During the amnesty battle in 2007, Graham was showered with special recognition by the radical amnesty lobbying group National Council of La Raza. And lest their be any doubt, the umbrella group that pushed this legislation in 2007, the Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform, was a virulent brew of radical groups funded in large part by George Soros and following the Manufactured Crisis strategy.
In addition to earning the ire of conservative Republicans, none of this has gone over well in Graham's home state, either. Graham has already been repeatedly censured by members of his state’s Republican Party for his positions that “do not serve the interests of South Carolinians,” and there is a move afoot to replace him when he is next up for re-election.
So what exactly is it with Graham? Well, we may have finally learned. An explosive Youtube video posted yesterday demands that Lindsay Graham come out of the “log cabin closet” and admit his homosexuality to the world.
At a Saturday, April 17th Tea Party rally in Greenville, SC, Americans for Legal Immigration PAC (ALIPAC) President William Gheen demanded that Graham publicly admit what “many people in South Carolina and Washington, DC know.” As Gheen explained:
Here's the ALIPAC video that has gone viral on the web:
Controlled recession! These people are lunatics defined.
But why would any Republican in his right mind join in with this lunacy? Apparently Graham is looking for more. Now, he has gone out on a limb again to join with Democrats in an attempt to resurrect illegal immigrant amnesty again. There is no doubt where the American people stand on amnesty. This is one of the most unpopular issues in the country, and it is hard to square the notion of a decorated JAG lawyer getting behind a movement that so clearly undermines the rule of law.
We all know why the Democrats’ want amnesty. It is the most promising of their many, despicable, underhanded, self-serving plans to pack voter roles with reliable democrat voters, constitution, rule of law, and the will of the people be damned. But why would Graham be willing to so blatantly stab his Party in the back, especially when the crucial midterm elections appear to be turning in the GOP’s favor?
Admittedly, he is not alone. John McCain has also supported amnesty, although he appears to be backpedaling now, and Graham gets a lot of help from other RINO Republicans on this and other issues in undermining a coherent, principled GOP message.
But Graham always seems to be out front. During the amnesty battle in 2007, Graham was showered with special recognition by the radical amnesty lobbying group National Council of La Raza. And lest their be any doubt, the umbrella group that pushed this legislation in 2007, the Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform, was a virulent brew of radical groups funded in large part by George Soros and following the Manufactured Crisis strategy.
In addition to earning the ire of conservative Republicans, none of this has gone over well in Graham's home state, either. Graham has already been repeatedly censured by members of his state’s Republican Party for his positions that “do not serve the interests of South Carolinians,” and there is a move afoot to replace him when he is next up for re-election.
So what exactly is it with Graham? Well, we may have finally learned. An explosive Youtube video posted yesterday demands that Lindsay Graham come out of the “log cabin closet” and admit his homosexuality to the world.
At a Saturday, April 17th Tea Party rally in Greenville, SC, Americans for Legal Immigration PAC (ALIPAC) President William Gheen demanded that Graham publicly admit what “many people in South Carolina and Washington, DC know.” As Gheen explained:
I personally do not care about Graham's private life, but in this situation his desire to keep this a secret may explain why he is doing a lot of political dirty work for others who have the power to reveal his secrets. Senator Graham needs to come out of the closet inside that log cabin so the public can rest assured he is not being manipulated with his secret.If that is Graham's motive, it would certainly explain a lot. It would also provide justification for demanding his removal. Gheen is right that Graham’s private life is no one’s business, but if Graham has bought silence about it by agreeing to back these odious, nation-wrecking initiatives, he has betrayed his country, his Party, and utterly destroyed his own credibility.
Here's the ALIPAC video that has gone viral on the web:
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Mass. Political Earthquake: Everything in Play Now!
Scott Brown’s stunning electoral victory in Massachusetts yesterday confirms to the world what we have known all along: patriotism and common sense are alive and well. Real Americans remain a majority in this country, and the massively-funded, corrupt Democrat machine, engorged with our tax dollars, radical billionaire money and lock-step union support, cannot buy elections, even in hardcore Democrat states, once the sleeping giant has awoken.
And make no mistake about it: we are wide awake!
The Democrats were certainly hamstrung by choosing an impossibly bad candidate. Martha Coakley made a fool of herself repeatedly, yet throughout it all carried herself with an astonishing sense of conceited entitlement, seemingly contemptuous of even having to campaign at all. Meanwhile, her campaign took on an air of ugly thuggishness. Two scenes captured on video during this short campaign say it all. Everyone has seen the first one, where a reporter is pushed to the ground by a Coakley supporter while Coakley stands by doing nothing. Remember, she is the Massachusetts attorney general. The second one has received less attention, but is even more telling: a female reporter getting thrown out of a Coakley campaign office with shouts of "Nazi." Someone even used the "F" bomb. What class acts.
The real problem is that Coakley defines what the Democrat Party has become today: arrogant, boorish, incomprehensibly ignorant and downright thuggish. Former Vermont Governor and Presidential candidate Howard Dean, for example, reacted to Brown's victory by saying that now Democrats have to get tough, and not "deal with Republicans anymore." Stunning. So that’s what we've been witnessing all year, with Democrats violating Senate rules, holding closed-door meetings, locking Republicans out of discussions, rejecting outright any Republican proposals and violating their own promises of "transparency." But they haven't been tough enough. Simply amazing.
Scott Brown's election was certainly about healthcare. Massachusetts already has its own expensive plan. They don't need or want even more government intrusion. It was also about national security. Brown's own internal polling convinced the campaign this was true. People feel insecure with this President and his administration, and with good reason.
But it was even more than that...
And make no mistake about it: we are wide awake!
The Democrats were certainly hamstrung by choosing an impossibly bad candidate. Martha Coakley made a fool of herself repeatedly, yet throughout it all carried herself with an astonishing sense of conceited entitlement, seemingly contemptuous of even having to campaign at all. Meanwhile, her campaign took on an air of ugly thuggishness. Two scenes captured on video during this short campaign say it all. Everyone has seen the first one, where a reporter is pushed to the ground by a Coakley supporter while Coakley stands by doing nothing. Remember, she is the Massachusetts attorney general. The second one has received less attention, but is even more telling: a female reporter getting thrown out of a Coakley campaign office with shouts of "Nazi." Someone even used the "F" bomb. What class acts.
The real problem is that Coakley defines what the Democrat Party has become today: arrogant, boorish, incomprehensibly ignorant and downright thuggish. Former Vermont Governor and Presidential candidate Howard Dean, for example, reacted to Brown's victory by saying that now Democrats have to get tough, and not "deal with Republicans anymore." Stunning. So that’s what we've been witnessing all year, with Democrats violating Senate rules, holding closed-door meetings, locking Republicans out of discussions, rejecting outright any Republican proposals and violating their own promises of "transparency." But they haven't been tough enough. Simply amazing.
Scott Brown's election was certainly about healthcare. Massachusetts already has its own expensive plan. They don't need or want even more government intrusion. It was also about national security. Brown's own internal polling convinced the campaign this was true. People feel insecure with this President and his administration, and with good reason.
But it was even more than that...
Saturday, January 9, 2010
More of what the Dems know: we might have guessed
In a recent article we discussed the possibility that Democrats will introduce universal voter registration (UVR) legislation this year, and offered that as an explanation for their seeming carelessness in the face of plummeting poll numbers. John Fund of the Wall Street Journal was quoted in the article as asserting that UVR will open the nation up to massive vote fraud. The reasons are straightforward and many: 1. registering people using existing government databases will result in many duplicates; 2. many of the lists contain names of illegal immigrants; 3. the list could be expanded to include felons currently ineligible to vote.
The notion of universal voter registration has been, like most leftist agenda items, a long time in the making, but flying beneath the radar for all but those paying close attention. As a result, most of us are behind the curve. The left can thus present universal voter registration as a much-needed "reform," with talking points and ready answers to objections all lined up, while the rest of us struggle to assess the damage it will do. But it will do damage, potentially permanent damage to our representative republic.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
What the Dems Know: Universal Voter Registration
Many are puzzled that Democrats persist in ramming unpopular and destructive legislation down our collective throats while seemingly unconcerned by their plummeting poll numbers. A widespread belief is that the Democrats are committing political suicide and will be swept from one or both houses of Congress with unprecedented electoral losses next November. But since Democrat politicians rarely do things that will not ultimately benefit themselves, this column asked two weeks ago: "what do they know that we don't?"
We may have found out. It's called universal voter registration.
Read more...
We may have found out. It's called universal voter registration.
Read more...
Friday, January 1, 2010
Radical Islam and America's Future
Political Islam, i.e. radical Islam, is actually a cutout for continued communist aggession against the West. This is perhaps the most justifiable explanation for the resurgence of radical Islam in recent years, though it receives scant recognition.
We knew this to be true back in the 1970s and 1980s, when the communist-inspired PLO began its operations against Israel. We knew that Hezbollah and the other Muslim terrorist organizations got their training, weapons and support from Syria - a Ba'athist (Stalinist Arab Communist Party) country. We knew by extension that Syria, like all Soviet client states, was acting on behalf of the Soviet Union.
Read more...
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Drunken, Lying Slob
That is the only way to describe it. Senator Max Baucus's (D-MT) bizarre Senate floor speech of last Wednesday, December 23rd, caps off months of unprecedented, corrupt, dishonest and duplicitous behavior from virtually the entire Senate and House Democrat caucuses, culminating in a shocking violation of Senate rules to ram through almost certainly unconstitutional "healthcare" legislation on Christmas eve.
More...
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Monday, December 21, 2009
Democrats Suicide Strategy - Do They Know Something We Don't?
Much has been made about how Democrats are committing political suicide with the healthcare bill and all the other onerous legislation they have proposed and/or passed this year. There is no mistaking that these actions are extremely unpopular. The widespread uncertainty they have fostered in the business community by coupling job-killing legislation and talk of big tax increases with unprecedented, reckless deficit spending has kept our economy at a virtual standstill. And their insulting, arrogant, dishonest and blatantly corrupt behavior has brought citizen concern and anger to a fever pitch, while Democrat poll numbers plummet.
But those who believe in this "Democrat suicide" model implicitly assume next November's elections will be free and fair. Given ACORN’s antics, Democrat Secretaries of State literally stealing elections, shocking abuses of power by Democrats in Congress and the administration, the blatant thuggery of SEIU and other union activists, while the media covers for them, such an assumption is fairy tale fantasy. It would be funny to think some people actually have that much faith in Democrats, if the implications weren't so disastrous. As it is, one can only cry.
Read more...
Monday, December 7, 2009
The New Pearl Harbor: Safe Schools CZAR Peddles Pornography to Kids
Sixty-eight years ago today, Japan launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor that brought the United States into World War II. In that historic conflict we defeated Japan and its German Nazi ally four years later at a cost of over 400,000 American lives.
Since before World War II however, we have faced a much more subtle foe – one that in many ways has been more deadly. The foe is an amorphous mass, variably called: “Liberal,” "Progressive," “Leftist,” “the Left,” “the Radical Left,” the “New Left,” “Communist,” “Neo-communist,” “Socialist,” “Marxist,” “Neo-Marxist,” even “Marxofascist.”
Lest “liberals” take offense at being associated with communists, Marxists and socialists, it can only be said that Lenin referred to them as “useful idiots,” i.e. those who knowingly or unknowingly assist communists in achieving communist objectives. For this reason communists share the same contempt for liberals that the rest of us do. We both know they are fools. The communists laugh at them because they know the liberals will be joining us in the gulags if the communists have their way.
So forget liberals. Call the foe the “radical left”. It has been the instigator of most of our foreign policy failures, including Vietnam and Korea; failures measured in millions of lives. Practically every public policy failure of the past century, from the healthcare crisis to our addled legal system, from crime-ridden ghettos to failing public schools, can be laid at the feet of the Left.
But many of us have been complicit, in that we either stood idly by, or supported the left’s policies because we saw some personal benefit (e.g. welfare payments, housing subsidies, Medicare, etc.) Many politicians have assisted the Left out of cynical calculation, going along to get along, or downright cowardice. Some of us voted for them. Many pitched in and helped because we thought we were doing good – like Teddy Kennedy used to say, “Fighting the good fight.”
As a result, today this foe occupies the corridors of power across much of the United States, and has penetrated our government at all levels, corporations, foundations and most tragically, our schools.
Read More...
Since before World War II however, we have faced a much more subtle foe – one that in many ways has been more deadly. The foe is an amorphous mass, variably called: “Liberal,” "Progressive," “Leftist,” “the Left,” “the Radical Left,” the “New Left,” “Communist,” “Neo-communist,” “Socialist,” “Marxist,” “Neo-Marxist,” even “Marxofascist.”
Lest “liberals” take offense at being associated with communists, Marxists and socialists, it can only be said that Lenin referred to them as “useful idiots,” i.e. those who knowingly or unknowingly assist communists in achieving communist objectives. For this reason communists share the same contempt for liberals that the rest of us do. We both know they are fools. The communists laugh at them because they know the liberals will be joining us in the gulags if the communists have their way.
So forget liberals. Call the foe the “radical left”. It has been the instigator of most of our foreign policy failures, including Vietnam and Korea; failures measured in millions of lives. Practically every public policy failure of the past century, from the healthcare crisis to our addled legal system, from crime-ridden ghettos to failing public schools, can be laid at the feet of the Left.
But many of us have been complicit, in that we either stood idly by, or supported the left’s policies because we saw some personal benefit (e.g. welfare payments, housing subsidies, Medicare, etc.) Many politicians have assisted the Left out of cynical calculation, going along to get along, or downright cowardice. Some of us voted for them. Many pitched in and helped because we thought we were doing good – like Teddy Kennedy used to say, “Fighting the good fight.”
As a result, today this foe occupies the corridors of power across much of the United States, and has penetrated our government at all levels, corporations, foundations and most tragically, our schools.
Read More...
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Another Muslim Terrorist? Black Muslims Celebrate
Maurice Clemmons, the alleged shooter in the Sunday murder of four Lakewood, Washington police officers, was killed early this morning by a Seattle police officer.
The blogsite Fire Andrea Mitchell reported that a radical black Muslim group offshoot called National Black Foot Soldiers held a protest today outside the Parkland, Washington coffee shop where the murders occurred. The protesters allegedly gathered to celebrate Clemmons as a "Crowned BOW (Black on White) Martyr," calling his attack a "preemptive strike on terrorists..."
The substance of this story was originally announced by a blog called the Last Crusade, which has also claimed that Clemmons converted to Islam while imprisoned in Arkansas. Gateway Pundit picked up the story as well, noting however, that Last Crusade's claim of Clemmons' conversion is unsubstantiated.
A black militant site called "Black Male Felon" seemingly described the protest:
The rally came after a reported emergency meeting held by the [Black Foot Soldiers] movement to to map out plans for a street penitentiary protest and street party that will be held to disrespect tributes, memorials and funerals whites are expected to have for the terrorists.
Whatever the Black Foot Soldiers may be planning, there actually was no "rally." Spokesmen for both the Lakewood and Tacoma, Washington police departments said they had not heard of anything like that going on. The Pierce County Sheriff's office, which is handling the coffee shop shooting investigation, stated unequivocally that there was no such protest.
The truth is actually worse. The Black Foot Soldiers were not protesting, except perhaps online, but they were referring to Clemmons' attack as a protest:
Seattle Black Foot Soldiers say the four people slain in a daring demonstration at the Steele Street Forza Coffee House in Parkland were racist terrorists who caused black citizens to live in fear. (Emphasis added.)
What these groups say is that any killing of whites, including in this case Clemmons' cold-blooded murder of officers Renninger, Owens, Griswald, and Richards, is "a legitimate protest". Black Male Felon celebrates the killings as "Brother Maurice Clemmons' daring stand against white police terrorism." The theme of National Black Foot Soldiers is captured in the slogan: "When whites pay reparations there will be no more black on white crime."
The vitriolic hatred on these sites is enough to turn a person's stomach. The bit of writing contained on these sites is essentially a collage of run-on sentences spewing foul language interspersed liberally with admonitions to kill whitey. They blatantly advocate murder and defend other recent cases of seemingly senseless black on white killings, like the four Oakland police officers killed by Lovelle Mixon, and many, many others.
Many who voted for Barack Obama believed his election would finally put an end to this kind of racist hatred. Indeed, he promised to work toward that end. If anything however, his election seems to have emboldened it. Jeremiah Wright should have been a warning.
It is pointless to argue with the kind of lunatic delusion that motivates these people. They are beyond reaching. It recalls the video of "Professor" Kamau Kambon advocating ing the extermination of white people. The Black Male Felon site defines the terms BOW (black on white) BOB (black on black) WOB (white on black) and WOW (white on white), while the National Black Foot Soldiers objects to black on black killing, but not killing per se, reminding its readers "THERE IS 1 ENEMY. LET US HAVE 1 MIND. [sic]"
It is not known at present whether or not Clemmons was associated with any of these groups, but one post ascribes a quote to Clemmons, in which he says: "Watch the news, I'm gonna kill a bunch of cops."
Whatever the case, it is likely that Clemmons knew he would find police victims at that coffee shop. The Forza Coffee Company was founded by a retired police officer. And while the Steele Street franchise where the shootings occurred had no tie to him, it was apparently a place frequented by local police.
The coffee company has set up a charity for the families of these fallen officers. Learn more by following this link.
Photo: Pierce County Sheriff's Office
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Holder to allow ACORN funding, despite ban
Current law prohibits the community organization ACORN and its associated groups from receiving any federal funds from any federal law currently on the books, (P.L 111-68 Sec. 163). However, the Eric Holder Justice Department has interpreted the law's phraseology in such a way that permits federal agencies to pay ACORN for "binding contractual obligations" the government made before the current prohibition was enacted. This interpretation may go a long way toward effectively neutralizing ACORN's funding prohibition, and it is a questionable interpretation at best.
The actual ban reads as follows: "None of the funds made available from this joint resolution or any other prior Act may be provided to the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries or allied organizations." (Emphasis added.)
The Justice Department has decided that the phrase "provided to" is unclear and "has no established meaning in appropriations law." They cite terms more frequently used, such as "obligate" and "expend," that have widely accepted meaning in spending legislation. They go on to arduously defend their point by exhaustively listing the many definitions of "provide" given in Websters, Oxford and American Heritage dictionaries and even Roget's Thesaurus. Like Bill Clinton, they probably could have found as many definitions for the word "is..."
Read more...
The actual ban reads as follows: "None of the funds made available from this joint resolution or any other prior Act may be provided to the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries or allied organizations." (Emphasis added.)
The Justice Department has decided that the phrase "provided to" is unclear and "has no established meaning in appropriations law." They cite terms more frequently used, such as "obligate" and "expend," that have widely accepted meaning in spending legislation. They go on to arduously defend their point by exhaustively listing the many definitions of "provide" given in Websters, Oxford and American Heritage dictionaries and even Roget's Thesaurus. Like Bill Clinton, they probably could have found as many definitions for the word "is..."
Read more...
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
SEALs Capture Notorious Terrorist - SEALs Arrested!
First we had Congressman John Murtha accusing US Marines of atrocities in Haditha, Iraq - a blatant lie based on false information supplied by the enemy. Those Marines had to face an arduous multi-year trial despite the obvious fabrication of evidence, and it is still not over for some. Next we have the Obama administration seeking to soothe Muslim fears about "backlash" after a Muslim Major commits the first successful act of terrorism on our soil since 9/11, while they withhold evidence about the case from Congress and do lmore to suppress than investigate the nature of the attack. Now we have the spectre of seeing three U.S. Navy SEALs arrested because the terrorist they captured claims he was punched!
Who is the enemy here? Four SEALs captured Ahmed Hashim Abed, codenamed "Objective Amber" on September 3rd. Abed was the ringleader of the group who ambushed four security contractors in Fallujah in 2004, and hung their burned bodies on a bridge. One of the four, Scott Helvenston, had been a Navy SEAL himself for twelve years.
But now Abed is claiming he got a bloody lip. Boo hoo! And the Navy is prosecuting! These people are insane! Give the SEALs a medal for a dangerous, thankless job well done, and suggest that Abed get on his knees and thank God he wasn't captured by someone else.
What I want to see is an investigation of the Navy legal team and the chain of command that ordered and condoned this arrest. This aggressive prosecution of battlefield events, where enemy terrorists are treated as "witnesses" to a "crime" has has always looked more like a deliberate strategy to hamstring warriors and thwart battlefield success rather than merely the misguided application of political correctness.
SEALs are not cops, and no military force operating on a battlefield should be forced to adopt law enforcement procedures for capturing terrorists. These are not purse-snatchers! If the military has adopted such mindless guidelines for handling enemy killers, then it is the military's policy that needs to be examined, not the actions of warriors in battle. And if this policy has filtered down from political leadership, as it probably has, then their fitness for office need to be seriously questioned.
At best these should be considered vindictive prosecutions, but I believe something much more malevolent is at work. I believe the person or persons who find cause here seek to sow doubt, demoralization and bring unbearable stress to bear on front line forces. They are covert agents of our enemies, saboteurs working behind the lines to undermine battlefield effectiveness, and should be investigated as such.
When they are uncovered and exposed, they should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Treason in battle is worthy of execution. But it would be enough to see them stripped of rank and summarily dismissed - perhaps into the tender mercies of Fallujah's Ba'athists. I am sure they would get a warm welcome.
Outrage doesn't begin to describe this travesty.
I'm sure this administration will applaud the Navy's efforts to achieve justice for poor Abed. With their superior global awareness, they will surely want these SEALs given a fair trial in an appropriate setting. To demonstrate their evenhandedness to the terrorists, they'll probably choose GITMO.
This subversive element within our government, this leftist, anti-American cabal destroying our country from within needs to go! Right now!
Monday, November 23, 2009
Questioning Conspiracy
As long as we are facing facts, it is time to confront a long-held, dangerous delusion of the American psyche.
The vast majority of people who have read my series on the Cloward Piven Strategy, including Monday’s post, Cloward Piven Government, have taken the lessons to heart and are justifiably alarmed by their conclusions. Yet, despite the exhaustive wealth of evidence, despite overwhelming documentation embedded within these and others’ essays, some people choose to dismiss the frightening conclusions by taking the easy way out and ridicule them as “conspiracy theories.”
To these people, I have to say, “You don’t know what you don’t know.” The “dismissal by conspiracy theory” argument is the product of a lazy, cowardly mind, unwilling to risk a peek, instead reacting instinctively out of subliminal fear to facts that threaten comforting rationalizations.
The communist method is and always has been conspiracy. Since the Soviet military adopted Sun Tzu’s Art of War as their guiding philosophy, they have almost always utilized the effective tools of slow subversion as a critical component of their overall offensives. One of the foremost experts on Soviet methods even called the Soviet Union the “Counterintelligence State,” based on the idea that the entire society was dedicated in one form or another to “Dezinformatsia.”
The public relations campaign launched against Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s was in fact a full-scale assault led by American communists to discredit the notion of communist conspiracy, which at the time was very widely believed to be occurring. It was an intimidation campaign based on Alinsky’s rule #5: “Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon...”
The effectiveness of this campaign lives with us today as people almost universally shy away from any notion even hinting at that awful word “conspiracy” when it comes to leftists. For example, this manufactured ignorance is so widespread that many people conflate the 1947 House Un-American Activities Committee’s (HUAC) investigations of the film industry with “McCarthyism” when McCarthy hadn’t even been elected Senator.
McCarthy’s 1950s investigations focused on communist infiltration of the Army, especially the Army facility at Monmouth, New Jersey, where atomic spy Julius Rosenberg had worked. Three years after McCarthy had been railroaded for his efforts, that facility quietly closed because of this internal security threat it. Did you know that? Why not?
As commentator Chuck Morse wrote in 2003:
The vast majority of people who have read my series on the Cloward Piven Strategy, including Monday’s post, Cloward Piven Government, have taken the lessons to heart and are justifiably alarmed by their conclusions. Yet, despite the exhaustive wealth of evidence, despite overwhelming documentation embedded within these and others’ essays, some people choose to dismiss the frightening conclusions by taking the easy way out and ridicule them as “conspiracy theories.”
To these people, I have to say, “You don’t know what you don’t know.” The “dismissal by conspiracy theory” argument is the product of a lazy, cowardly mind, unwilling to risk a peek, instead reacting instinctively out of subliminal fear to facts that threaten comforting rationalizations.
The communist method is and always has been conspiracy. Since the Soviet military adopted Sun Tzu’s Art of War as their guiding philosophy, they have almost always utilized the effective tools of slow subversion as a critical component of their overall offensives. One of the foremost experts on Soviet methods even called the Soviet Union the “Counterintelligence State,” based on the idea that the entire society was dedicated in one form or another to “Dezinformatsia.”
The public relations campaign launched against Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s was in fact a full-scale assault led by American communists to discredit the notion of communist conspiracy, which at the time was very widely believed to be occurring. It was an intimidation campaign based on Alinsky’s rule #5: “Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon...”
The effectiveness of this campaign lives with us today as people almost universally shy away from any notion even hinting at that awful word “conspiracy” when it comes to leftists. For example, this manufactured ignorance is so widespread that many people conflate the 1947 House Un-American Activities Committee’s (HUAC) investigations of the film industry with “McCarthyism” when McCarthy hadn’t even been elected Senator.
McCarthy’s 1950s investigations focused on communist infiltration of the Army, especially the Army facility at Monmouth, New Jersey, where atomic spy Julius Rosenberg had worked. Three years after McCarthy had been railroaded for his efforts, that facility quietly closed because of this internal security threat it. Did you know that? Why not?
As commentator Chuck Morse wrote in 2003:
The substantial power the left wielded over our government and media was on full display in the concerted campaign to stop McCarthy, who, in hindsight, has been vindicated of all charges. Politicians who would henceforth be more circumspect when investigating communist or any other subversive element in government heard the lesson of McCarthy's downfall loud and clear. Average citizens, at least subliminally conscious of the auto da fe McCarthy had been put through, would also learn to curb their criticism of the left as well.
While the left ridicules notions of communist conspiracy and we buy it, at the same time they aggressively promote the notion of “CIA” or “Vast Right-Wing” conspiracy as though it’s a given. We buy that too! But if one is possible, so must be the other. Our illogical reasoning is the result of years of popular culture conditioning, not fact. The difference is, with communists, subversive conspiracy is doctrine. With us, it is an alien notion, born witness by the scorn with which counterintelligence and clandestine activities are treated even within the military establishment.
Fast forward.
Cloward and Piven were not merely two lone sociology professors conspiring on teacher salaries to bring down America. They were prominent socialists and lifelong members of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), the largest and oldest worldwide socialist organization. Therein lay their strength, both in recruitment and resources. The leftist Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) held seminars for activists on how to use the CPS. Cloward and Piven’s Nation article was reprinted a record 30,000 times.
These folks were not alone. And they only added to the plethora of anti-American strategies being used, building on the already utilized Alinsky method. Also, we have been infiltrated since the 1930s by the KGB and their sister agencies in other communist countries whose goal has not merely been to obtain military secrets, but much more to create a subversive infrastructure in this country. The IPS, mentioned above, is largely a KGB front. All of its principals are American communists, who, by definition, work for the communist international, still run by the KGB despite the alleged "fall" of communism.
All these groups, the think tanks, the DSA, ACORN, ACLU, the National Lawyers Guild, the Communist Party and all their offshoots are led by people who know each other, have worked in the "movement" for years, and share the same goals, often trading places in the various organizations. It is well organized, powerful, and even deadly when necessary. Connections to foreign intelligence agencies like the KGB are well hidden, but very likely much closer than even a lot of people in the movement realize (those, like many prominent Democrats, are the useful idiots).
Finally, it doesn't take much for a conspiracy to work when you give participants a vested interest. That was an overtly stated component of the CPS. Cloward and Piven said:
First, this plan promises immediate economic benefits. This is a point of some importance because, whereas America's poor have not been moved in any number by radical political ideologies, they have sometimes been moved by their economic interests.
So they were able to mobilize armies of poor people simply because those people saw a paycheck in the form of welfare benefits. ACORN attracted homebuyers in droves by showing them how to get 5% or even zero down payment mortgages, with the implicit promise -- borne out later in some cases -- that they wouldn’t have to pay anything. Countrywide Financial, the "Friends of Angelo" bank, had a direct working relationship with ACORN and by 2006 were holding $600 billion in high risk mortgage investments.
Most communist conspiracies work because, as Whittaker Chambers explained, most people aren't communist and don't even know they are promoting communist causes. They merely work in their own interest, whether that be to obtain a mortgage, get welfare income, or save a tree.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
On the precipice - healthcare disaster looming
This Congress is beneath contempt. What they are poised to pass today – yes I know this is just a procedural vote, but everything turns on it – is an abomination. Since Lincoln and Landrieu have been bought off it is now sure to pass. Landrieu cost the taxpayer $100 million. I wonder what we paid Lincoln to betray us. This bill will not merely ruin our healthcare system; it will impose economy crushing taxes, pushing our already tottering economy ever closer to the abyss.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
No political purge
There has been a story flying around the internet in recent days that the Obama administration intends to purge Republicans from the bureaucracy by using a new federal Office of Personnel Management (OPM) rule requiring that all applicants for career civil service jobs who held political jobs "within the past five years" be approved by OPM. The assertion is that “past five years” can only refer to Bush appointees, and that OPM’s memo authorizes the agency to ferret out Republican civil service hires and find some bureaucratic pretext to kick them out.
A close reading of the OPM memo and statements by Elaine Kaplan, OPM General Counsel, provide reassurance that, however the Obama administration plans to handle Republicans working in the bureaucracy, this OPM rule is not intended to affect them.
Read more...
Monday, November 16, 2009
Hasan Participated in Presidential Transition Task force on Homeland Security
Nidal Hasan, the Muslim U.S. Army Major accused of the mass killings at Fort Hood, is listed as participant in the George Washington University Homeland Security Policy Institute's (HSPI) Presidential Transition Task Force Report. While this is not entirely surprising, given Hasan's former position in the Army, it raises significant questions about White House reluctance to release relevant records allegedly in its possession.
The HSPI is not a governmental organization, and was not directly tied to the Obama administration's transition team. Rather, in its own words, it is a "nonpartisan 'think and do' tank whose mission is to build bridges between theory and practice to advance homeland security through an interdisciplinary approach..." HSPI has already issued a statement on Hasan's participation in the task force as follows:
Read more...
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