Marxist Left, Fascist Right: Twins!

Last week, a self described "liberal" accused me of blind allegiance to Ron Paul.

Today, a "Conservative Animal" (blog name) called me a "paulie" (sic).

For the record, I do agree with Ron Paul, but my opinions were largely in line with his before I began to pay much attention to him, about six years ago. Plus, whatever is wrong with my opinions, a lot of thoughts go into them, and so ad hominem arguments are resented, chiefly because they indicate no respect for my time.

The "Left - Right" paradigm in which we frame political discussions seems more absurd to me everyday.

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"Left" and "Right" have much more in common than their shared disdain for the simple honesty of Ron Paul.

* They both have the exact same plan to deal with our national debt problem - blame the other party.
* Democrats spoke against Bush's military adventurism; Republicans decry Obama's. But in the end, both keep funding our unsustainable worldwide military presence.
* Neither has any respect for the Constitution: Conservative Animal is offended by the confidence with which Ron Paul supporters cite the Constitution (it's our fault that hardly anyone else reads it?), and  thinks the Federal courts are the sole arbiters of its meaning. Animal thus affirms the hubris of Chief Justice Hughes: "...we are under a Constitution, but the Constitution is what the judges say it is..." My "liberal" critic thinks the Constitution is subservient to popular opinion, and inadequate for modern life, and since his view is shared by the statists who dominate the federal judiciary, he, like Conservative Animal, is happy for our country to be governed by de facto tribunals of judges.
* Both quickly play the race card when they have no answers: the liberal thinks objections to Obama's massive expansion of the federal government is rooted in racism; Conservative Animal accused me of being anti-Semitic because I think Israel deliberately attacked the USS Liberty in 1967. Since I didn't mention the Liberty attack in my post on Mr. Animal's blog, I'm guessing somebody searched out my comments about it elsewhere online. I'm opting out of participation on that blog, as the proprieters are given to overbearing and verbose tirades full of ad hominem arguments, red herring, and ipse dixit assertions posing as axioms. See for yourself here.
* Both are ignorant of, or OK with, the President having authority to imprison American citizens indefinitely without charging them.

The Left side of the box is still the box. Ditto the right side.

Ron Paul's ideas are not really profound. He just cuts through the bullshit; and millions of people are ready for someone to do that.

Unfortunately, many more millions are still thinking in the box.

Pray and think. Please.

Branson Tea Party Chooses Stripjoint Patron over Constitution

September 28th, 2012

Two thoughts: I miss the old Dairy Queen in downtown Branson, and Cynthia Davis is running for Lieutenant Governor.

How do those two items go together? Glad you asked!

I drove by the old DQ today. Lots of good memories. The owners of a restaurant I worked at as a teen let me drive their Cadillac to take their younger kids there for treats after a busy night.

Alas, now the old DQ has been taken over by Tera-rists. It is inaptly called "Tea Party Patriot HQ" - ostensibly the go-to place in these parts to learn all about patriotism, the Constitution, and family values. Tera Sukman reportedly paid about $200k for the property. In the name of God and country, the Tera-rists have honored Rep. Billy Long, whose idea of reducing federal spending is to vote for a $2.4 TRILLION increase to the debt ceiling, Sen. Roy Blunt, who, as a House member, got a few Republicans to join the Democrats in voting for Bush's TARP bailout, and Ron Houseman, local politician who added an extra $300k, over and above a $42k salary, of the taxpayers money to his income when he was county clerk.

And today, I noticed a huge banner for Peter Kinder, incumbent Lieutenant Governor.

That would be the same Peter Kinder whose hobby is stalking strippers.

There's a family value for you!

The Tera-rists regard Mr. Kinder as a "real" man.

Meanwhile, one of Kinder's opponents is Mrs. Davis, who as a state legislator received the Locke and Smith (as in John and Adam) award for most constitutional voting record. You'd think that would impress "Tea Party Patriots."

The "Tea Party Patriot HQ" is a fraudulent outfit, a front for the Republican Establishment.

The old DQ once served up ice cream and burgers. Now only baloney is served.

After the Kinder sign provoked me today, I googled, and sure enough this subject has been covered by the best journalist in SW Missouri:

Branson Neocons for Porn

2016: Obama's America

I saw the Obama movie tonight. Very well done Neoconservative election year propaganda - it may succeed where 2004's Progressive election year propaganda film, Fahrenheit 911, failed: it may help defeat an incumbent president.

Much of the content was accurate - Obama has radical, socialist roots, and the anti-colonial mindset of many Progressives (though that term isn't used) is about punishing the rich more than helping the poor.

Nevertheless, the message conveyed by "2016: Obama's America" is very misleading, chiefly on account of what it omits. Example: the peril of our nation's escalating debt is rightly heralded. However, it is presented as exclusively the result of Obama's policies, echoing a theme of this year's GOP convention.  The fact is our journey into bankruptcy has been a bipartisan project with many villains, from Democrats Woodrow Wilson, FDR, LBJ, and Ted Kennedy to Republicans Teddy Roosevelt, Nixon, Bush, Billy Long (my congressman) and many, many others.

Likening our country to a ship, I observe that both Democrats and Republicans are diligently drilling holes in the boat. Democrats drill on the port side, Republicans on the starboard. Both are sinking us! The former oft remind us that Bush presided over the first $trillion dollar deficit, but ignore the fact that he couldn't have done so without a compliant Democrat run Congress during his last two years. The latter point out that Obama has added more debt than any president in history, omitting the fact that they currently control the House, where all spending bills originate, and that they voted to expand the debt ceiling another $2.4 trillion. Democrats cite half a truth in pointing out Bush's fiscal carelessness, but ignore the fact that they did absolutely nothing to reduce spending during the two years they controlled both Congress and the White House. Republicans rightly condemn "Obamacare" as unconstitutional, and far more expensive than advertised, yet they passed "Bushcare" - the ill conceived prescription drug plan - which, besides being unauthorized by the Constitution, burdens our posterity with $16 trillion in unfunded liabilities.

Both parties support bailouts of the uber-rich, a massive and inefficient Welfare State and an interventionist foreign policy that is both immoral and  unsustainable. Their rhetoric differs, but the fact is Paul Ryan's plan only reduces spending by $300 billion the first year, leaving intact a $trillion dollar plus deficit.  Ryan counts on future Congresses, not to be elected for decades, to finally bring spending under control. For his part, Obama promised to reduce the deficit during his first two years. He lied - his party controlled the government during that time and didn't even address spending except to increase it.

Both parties voted for the odious detention clause in the 2012 NDAA, which grants power to the president to detain any American whom he deems a  threat - indefinitely, without a trial or legal representation.  A few principled Democrats dissented, like Dennis Kucinich and Bernie Sanders, but their party leaders supported it, and President Obama signed it. Republicans claim to not trust Obama, but they too went along with this attack on liberty, with only a few exceptions, like Rand Paul and Tom Coburn.

The Democrat and Republican parties are as different as the American League and the National League. You can argue about whether the designated hitter is good or bad, but both leagues play the same game and have more in common with each other than they do with your local softball team.

The Democrat and Republican parties are as different as McDonald's and Wendy's. Each touts its own food as the ultimate value, but continual reliance on either makes us fat and lethargic.

My recommendation in the 2012 Presidential election:

Vote NO.

Mourning Our War Dead

And when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, imploring Him, and saying, "Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, fearfully tormented."Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him." But the centurion said, "Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. "For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, `Go!' and he goes, and to another, `Come!' and he comes, and to my slave, `Do this!' and he does it." Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, "Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel. "I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." And Jesus said to the centurion, "Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed." And the servant was healed that very moment. (Matthew 8:5-13,NAS)

Jesus marveled at the Roman centurion’s faith.

Jesus didn’t endorse Imperial Rome - an officer of Imperial Rome endorsed Jesus. The centurion acknowledged a kingdom other than Rome, and a king other than Caesar. And King Jesus received him.

Were Jesus a modern Neoconservative, he’d have pledged allegiance to Rome, and thanked the centurion for "preserving freedom." (Never mind that Neoconservatives are the enemies of freedom)

But Jesus is no jingoist.

Had Jesus been a modern Progressive, he’d have waxed indignant, chastising the centurion for supporting a regime that upheld slavery, wars of conquest, and occupation of foreign lands. (Never mind that Progressives historically support the worst tyrants)

But Jesus isn’t a political agitator.

King Jesus transcends political views. He called Apostles from the extreme left (Matthew the tax collector), and the far right (Simon the zealot).

He hasn’t come to take sides - He’s come to take over!

Therefore, whether you believe in the justness of some, all, or none of our several wars - don't insult the troops. But don't pretend their deployments around the world "keep us free."

Today, Memorial Day, is supposed to be the day we mourn the nearly 1.5 million who didn’t survive the wars we sent them to fight. They did their duty, and paid the ultimate price.