How to pass at San Francisco State

Listening to KSFO this morning while driving to work, there was this Russian Jew Immigrant whose accent was so strong that she could hardly be understood, but what came through clear as a bell was San Francisco State had zealot instructors that surpass anything she ever came across in the Soviet Union in terms of their hatred for America and their support of socialism/communism. In another incident on campus, she "insulted" some persons in a gathering that circled and taunted some other Jews, she was hauled away to jail for using "hate speech".

The conclusion that the caller, the host, and the listener came to was that these situations were ultimately being paid for by our tax dollars. These instructors have never really held a "real" job and live in some sort of dream bubble detached from reality steeped in self loathing and hatred. How else can this stupidity be explained? As noted in a previous BLOG, let's cut the government burden down to 20% from its current 40% and see how long these situations continue.

Zell Miller's Speech

(He's the best Republican any Democrat could be!!!)

On C-SPAN
THIS IS A SPEECH (April 8, 2004) BY SENATOR ZELL MILLER.

The PRESIDING OFFICER: The Senator from Georgia.

Mr. MILLER: Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I be allowed to speak up to 15 minutes as in morning business.

The PRESIDING OFFICER: Without objection, it is so ordered.

SUBJECT: THE 9/11 COMMISSION

Mr. MILLER: Mr. President, after watching the harsh acrimony generated by the September 11 Commission--which, let me say at the outset, is made up of good and able members--I have come to seriously question this panel's usefulness. I believe it will ultimately play a role in doing great harm to this country, for its unintended consequences, I fear, will be to energize our enemies and demoralize our troops.

After being drowned in a tidal wave of all who didn't do enough before 9/11, I have come to believe that the Commission should issue a report that says: No one did enough. In the past, no one did near enough. And then thank everybody for serving, send them home, and let's get on with the job of protecting this country in the future.

Tragically, these hearings have proved to be a very divisive diversion for this country. Tragically, they have devoured valuable time looking backward instead of looking forward. Can you imagine handling the attack on Pearl Harbor this way? Can you imagine Congress, the media, and the public standing for this kind of political gamesmanship and finger-pointing after that day of infamy in 1941?

Some partisans tried that ploy, but they were soon quieted by the patriots who understood how important it was to get on with the war and take the battle to America 's enemies and not dwell on what FDR knew, when. You see, back then the highest priority was to win a war, not to win an election. That is what made them the greatest generation.

I realize that many well-meaning Americans see the hearings as democracy in action. Years ago when I was teaching political science, I probably would have had my class watching it live on television and using that very same phrase with them.

There are also the not-so-well-meaning political operatives who see these hearings as an opportunity to score cheap points. And then there are the media meddlers who see this as great theater that can be played out on the evening news and on endless talk shows for a week or more.

Congressional hearings have long been one of Washington's most entertaining pastimes. Joe McCarthy, Watergate, Iran-Contra--they all kept us glued to the TV and made for conversations around the water coolers or arguments over a beer at the corner pub.

A congressional hearing in Washington, DC is the ultimate aphrodisiac for political groupies and partisan punks. But it is not the groupies, punks, and television-sotted American public that I am worried about This latter crowd can get excited and divided over just about anything, whether it is some off-key wannabe dreaming of being the American idol, or what brainless bimbo "The Bachelor'' or "Average Joe" will choose, or who Donald Trump will fire next week. No, it is the real enemies of America that I am concerned about. These evil killers who right now are gleefully watching the shrill partisan finger-pointing of these hearings and grinning like a mule eating briars.

They see this as a major split within the great Satan, America . They see anger. They see division, instability, bickering, peevishness, and dissension. They see the President of the United States hammered unmercifully. They see all this, and they are greatly encouraged.

We should not be doing anything to encourage our enemies in this battle between good and evil. Yet these hearings, in my opinion, are doing just that. We are playing with fire. We are playing directly into the hands of our enemy by allowing these hearings to become the great divider they have become.

Dick Clarke's book and its release coinciding with these hearings have done this country a tremendous disservice and some day we will reap its whirlwind.

Long ago, Sir Walter Scott observed that revenge is "the sweetest morsel that ever was cooked in hell.''

The vindictive Clarke has now had his revenge, but what kind of hell has he, his CBS publisher, and his axe-to-grind advocates unleashed?

These hearings, coming on the heels of the election the terrorists influenced in Spain , bolster and energize our evil enemies as they have not been energized since 9/11.

Chances are very good that these evil enemies of America will attempt to influence our 2004 election in a similar dramatic way as they did Spain's. And to think that could never be in this country is to stick your head in the sand.

That is why the sooner we stop this endless bickering over the past and join together to prepare for the future, the better off this country will be. There are some things--whether this city believes it or not--that are just more important than political campaigns.

The recent past is so ripe for political second-guessing, "gotcha,'' and Monday morning quarterbacking. And it is so tempting in an election year. We should not allow ourselves to indulge that temptation. We should put our country first.

Every administration, from Jimmy Carter to George W. Bush, bears some of the blame. Dick Clarke bears a big heap of it, because it was he who was in the catbird's seat to do something about it for more than a decade. Tragically, it was the decade in which we did the least.

We did nothing after terrorists attacked the World Trade Center in 1993, killing six and injuring more than a thousand Americans.

We did nothing in 1996 when 16 U.S. servicemen were killed in the bombing of the Khobar Towers .

When our embassies were attacked in 1998, killing 263 people, our only response was to fire a few missiles on an empty tent.

Is it any wonder that after that decade of weak-willed responses to that murderous terror, our enemies thought we would never fight back?

In the 1990s is when Dick Clarke should have resigned. In the 1990s is when he should have apologized. That is when he should have written his book--that is, if he really had America 's best interests at heart.

Now, I know some will say we owe it to the families to get more information about what happened in the past, and I can understand that. But no amount of finger-pointing will bring our victims back

So now we owe it to the future families and all of America now in jeopardy not to encourage more terrorists, resulting in even more grieving families--perhaps many times over the ones of 9/11.

It is obvious to me that this country is rapidly dividing itself into two camps--the wimps and the warriors : the ones who want to argue and assess and appease, and the ones who want to carry this fight to our enemies and kill them before they kill us. In case you have not figured it out, I proudly belong to the latter.

This is a time like no other time in the history of this country. This country is being crippled with petty partisan politics of the worst possible kind. In time of war, it is not just unpatriotic; it is stupid; it is criminal.

So I pray that all this time, all this energy, all this talk, and all of the attention could be focused on the future instead of the past.

I pray we would stop pointing fingers and assigning blame and wringing our hands about what happened on that day David Acuology has called "the worst day in all our history'' more than 2 years ago, and instead, pour all our energy into how we can kill these terrorists before they kill us--again.

Make no mistake about it: They are watching these hearings and they are scheming and smiling about the distraction and the divisiveness that they see in America . And while they might not know who said it years ago in America , they know instinctively that a house divided cannot stand.

There is one other group that we should remember is listening to all of this--our troops.

I was in Iraq in January. One day, when I was meeting with the 1st Armored Division, a unit with a proud history, known as Old Ironsides, we were discussing troop morale, and the commanding general said it was top notch.

I turned to the division's sergeant major, the top enlisted man in the division, a big, burly 6-foot-3, 240 pound African American, and I said: "That's good, but how do you sustain that kind of morale?''

Without hesitation, he narrowed his eyes, and he looked at me and said: "The morale will stay high just as long as these troops know the people back home support us.''

Just as long as the people back home support us. What kind of message are these hearings and the outrageously political speeches on the floor of the Senate yesterday sending to the marvelous young Americans in the uniform of our country?

I say: Unite America before it is too late. Put aside these petty partisan differences when it comes to the protection of our people. Argue and argue and argue, debate and debate and debate over all the other things, such as jobs, education, the deficit, and the environment; but please, please do not use the lives of Americans and the security of this country as a cheap-shot political talking point.

I yield the floor.

The Stench From The Bench Makes Me Clench!

Although this phrase is borrowed from Michael Savage, it is so appropriate where legislation is routinely blocked by a inferior court judge sought out specifically to do just that. There has also been an increase in little despots around the county doing damn well as they please even after hearing public input. There are recalls in the offing as a result.

A recent exchange about the insertion of "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance yielded this reader response in the April 9, 2004 issue of the Gualala, CA Independent Coast Observer. It illustrates the twisting of meaning and interpretation that is rampant in the current progressive or liberal movement to gain freedom from religion.

"Those who insist that the rest of us either acknowledge their deity or refrain from pledging allegiance to our flag are the ones who are attempting to impose their beliefs on others.

In our democracy, the majority do not always get to make the rules. If they did, whites and blacks might still be going to separate schools and sitting at opposite ends of the bus. Our Constitution is designed to prevent the majority from ramming its views down the throats of the minority. Say "Under God" all you want. Why must you insist that I say it too?"

This is typical of the double standard that this minority is placing on the rest of us. First, no one is insisting they say "Under God". This is a blatant attempt to push the "Freedom From God" movement forward a notch. Second, the legislative branch make the rules by majority vote and after much debate. This person is advocating anarchy or, as currently manifested, legislation from the bench. Whatever the issue, many useful items are hog-tied due to a judge in a remote location that sympathizes with the minority opposition and issues an injunction. This is lunacy.

The recent Gay Marriage debacle is a perfect example of a minority opinion running amok. This is what this misguided fellow is advocating.

In the old days, specifically the civil rights issues, were brought to the forefront by public protest and civil disobedience. Ultimately, the country, as a whole, saw the light and started taking steps to fix a very old injustice. The way the writer stated it, however, minority rule was what made it happen. NOTHING happens until an issue is considered, debated, and voted on until recently.

This warped view of how our country is run indicates a very poor understanding of our government and is letting his feelings govern his actions.

Why did I choose to pick on this particular fellow? This very minority rule making phenomenon seems to be circulating as the latest strategy in the progressive play book, just as the vitriolic personal attacks against President Bush were. I.E. another pattern of attack has developed.

One person can make a difference in this country, but that one person must build a supportive coalition to carry the idea forward to implementation. One person cannot expect instant gratification, as seems to be the growing trend at the moment by legislating from the judicial bench.

The Fence Sitters

I am amused by a group of self-proclaimed intellectuals, who consider themselves above and slightly detached from the fray of the current cultural war. This is mostly composed of centrists, center right, and libertarians. The progressives are pretty clear on where they stand...get George Bush out of office or they are leaving the country (As I've heard some say). Hmmm...a hidden incentive to assure George Bush gains reelection.

While I consider myself a conservative libertarian, having a discussion with a dyed-in-the-wool libertarian is enlightening at best and totally frustrating at worst. As far as I am concerned, libertarians, as a group, would do great in Siberia or Alaska with at least one mile between family groups. I subscribe strongly to the libertarian ideal of minimal government. I do not subscribe at all strongly to the distorted live-and-let-live mantra they govern their actions by. As long as you are not doing anything that would harm me, I won't bother you and I expect the same from you. Goodness, this is as utopian a view of human nature as you can get and does not take one ounce of consideration for the unintended consequences from the actions of persons or groups of persons that cannot be seen immediately. In short, they are bloody naive.

These are very strange times we live in. Every particular party or group has some extreme view of the future and the moderates or centrists have no clue what to do but to be seduced into following one of these radical groups, be they left, right, up, or down.

30-40-30

30%, 40%, 30%

This is a very unscientific representation of the current cultural war and the percentage of combatants in three significant areas. Both 30%'s represent very, very different world views. The 40% represents the battlefield of ideas with the spun, the sheeple, the uninvolved, the too-busy ones. What about that "silent majority" we heard about in the '80's and 90's? I don't know. I do know that this "40%" now has unprecidented power to shape the future of our country...in fact, the future of the world. Unfortunately, they are mostly disenfranchised, either by battle fatigue or ignorance.

Now is the time to make a choice for:

The good feelings group

or

The logical and grounded group

There is no middle ground anymore.

Forbidden Words

Most of us had heard of George Carlin's Seven Forbidden Words (not necessarily the words themselves), although they don't seem so forbidden in the media these days. When I was trying to look up the reference to such matters, I was surprised at the number of web sites that talked about "forbidden words". Usually, my forbidden words are the trite words of the year or month. The word "scenario" nearly drove me nuts in the early seventies. The word of today is "space" to describe a marketing segment or any particular grouping with common elements. Every year we are faced with a new fashionable word or phrase that all the up and comers use with reckless abandon.

Friends, there is a much more insidious group of words, however, that is undermining our civilization, and I would respectfully request that they be taken out of the daily lexicon for a period of no less than five years. This is a preliminary list and subject to revision and suggestion (with their brief equivalents):

ACLU = A Catastrophic Legal Undermining
ADD = Another Dumb Disease and generator of pharmaceutical revenue and doctor fees
ADD (2) = Adult Discipline Deficiency
affirmative action = lower standards, quotas, discrimination, racism...oops
compassion = wealth redistribution or ideas crammed down my throat
diversity = quotas, victimization, racism...oops again
fairness = let the minority call the shots
GMO = Inadequately tested genetically modified organism foisted into our food supply
inclusive = lower standards
International A.N.S.W.E.R. = Accumulation of Nonsensical Scum Which Evades Reason, aka neo-communists
MoveOn.org = Don't we wish they would?
racist or racism = prejudice at worst, high standards at best
self-esteem = emphasis on feelings rather than personal growth
social justice = balance the scales to my world view or I take that which is not mine to take
starvation = wealth redistribution with no reduction of starvation
termination = uninformed choice supporting multibillion dollar industry
tolerance = tolerate everything in line with my world view
undocumented worker = illegal alien
UN = UnNatural way to resolve international conflict

Religion is the opium of the masses...

Karl Marx would roll over in his grave if he knew his theories, which are supported by the radical left, would yield the a revised version of this slogan to be: Liberalism is the opium of the masses...

I think Lenin already knew that when he described Western communist apologist leftists as "useful idiots".

I just had an epiphany of sorts a few minutes ago on how all this is tied together. For you Baby Boomers with specks of gray in your hair, remember the saying, "If it feels good, do it?"

Connect the dots...opium...good feeling...do what ever your heart desires...

I made a decision about a month ago to avoid association with anyone even close to the radical left's mindset. Frankly, it is not very intellectually stimulating. To talk to them is like talking to a tape recorder. They all say the same thing. There is no other truth except their truth and they, at all costs must maintain their loving and compassionate stupor AND most importantly, hate Bush.

As Mr. Stossel would say, "GIVE ME A BREAK!"

Clarity

If the Internet is good for one thing, it's got to be the most efficient distribution tool for the latest joke and retreads of old jokes. But, more than that, it has become a tool for fighting the cultural war that we have found ourselves immersed in. A friend from New Zealand sent me a link to a columnist named Dennis Prager. What I admire about his writing is the moral and cause/effect clarity that he brings and records on a weekly basis. His site (http:www.dennisprager.com) seems to be down these last few days, however, here is an archive of his recent pieces: http://www.townhall.com/columnists/dennisprager/archive.shtml

Curiously, when I first started reading his work, my first impression was that he was a conservative Christian. However, it was soon revealed that he was a liberal Jew who had become a conservative Jew. He goes into that a bit.

Dennis pulls no punches about his view of the destructive force modern day liberalism is having on our society. I am certainly interested in your impressions, so let me know.