Thought for Today

"A tax-supported, compulsory educational system is the complete model of the totalitarian state."

~~~~~ Isabel Paterson

Thought for Today

"A tax-supported, compulsory educational system is the complete model of the totalitarian state."

~~~~~ Isabel Paterson

Thought for Today

"Taxation is the price we pay for failing to build a civilized society. The higher the tax level, the greater the failure. A centrally planned totalitarian state represents a complete defeat for the civilized world, while a totally voluntary society represents its ultimate success."

~~~~~ Mark Skousen

Thought for Today

"A tax-supported, compulsory educational system is the complete model of the totalitarian state."

~~~~~ Isabel Paterson

Thought for Today

"The first people totalitarians destroy or silence are men of ideas and free minds."

~~~~~ Isaiah Berlin

Thought for Today

"You and I are told we must choose between a left or right, but I suggest there is no such thing as a left or right. There is only an up or down. Up to man's age-old dream – the maximum of individual freedom consistent with order – or down to the ant heap of totalitarianism. Regardless of their sincerity, their humanitarian motives, those who would sacrifice freedom for security have embarked on this downward path. Plutarch warned, 'The real destroyer of the liberties of the people is he who spreads among them bounties, donations and benefits.'"

~~~~~ Ronald Reagan

Thought for Today

"Twenty years ago this fall, the Iron Curtain was coming down in Europe. Across the Warsaw Pact, the jailers of the Communist prison states lost their nerve, and the cell walls crumbled. Matt Welch, the editor of Reason magazine, wonders why the anniversary is going all but unobserved: Why aren't we making more of the biggest mass liberation in history? Well, because to celebrate it would involve recognizing it as a victory over Communism. And, after the left's long march through the institutions of the west, most are not willing to do that. There's the bad totalitarianism (Nazism) and the good totalitarianism (Communism), whose apologists and, indeed, fetishists can still be found everywhere, even unto the White House."

~~~~~ Mark Steyn

North Korea As Seen by Zack Rawsthorne

Here's the Diversity Lane take on the North Koreans and how not to handle the situation:

Thought for Today

"It is seldom that any liberty is lost all at once."

~~~~~ David Hume

Mark Steyn: Live Free or Die

This month's Imprimis from Hillsdale College features an essay adapted from a March, 2009 lecture by the indispensable Mark Steyn. For the title of his lecture, Mark used the famous motto of his adopted home state, "Live Free or Die."

Reading his lecture is a very sobering experience. As a native of Canada who has traveled widely all over the world, Mark has a greater appreciation of United States exceptionalism than most native-born Americans. He has seen first-hand the rapid decline of the once-great civilizations of Great Britain, France, Germany, and even, to a disturbing extent, Canada.

For several years now, Mark has been trying his considerable best to warn us that we, the last bastion of true freedom in the world, are headed down the exact same path as the formerly great powers of Europe. He sees us heading at breakneck speed for a cliff, and is attempting to warn us to change course before it is too late.

In his vitally important book America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It, Mark discusses the disturbing demographic trends which, if unchecked, will leave us friendless and isolated in a hostile world. In this lecture, he points out that our new administration is trying its best to drive us over the same cliff over which our European and Canadian friends have already fallen.

Here's how he begins:

MY REMARKS are titled tonight after the words of General Stark, New Hampshire's great hero of the Revolutionary War: "Live free or die!" When I first moved to New Hampshire, where this appears on our license plates, I assumed General Stark had said it before some battle or other—a bit of red meat to rally the boys for the charge; a touch of the old Henry V-at-Agincourt routine. But I soon discovered that the general had made his famous statement decades after the war, in a letter regretting that he would be unable to attend a dinner. And in a curious way I found that even more impressive. In extreme circumstances, many people can rouse themselves to rediscover the primal impulses: The brave men on Flight 93 did. They took off on what they thought was a routine business trip, and, when they realized it wasn't, they went into General Stark mode and cried "Let's roll!" But it's harder to maintain the "Live free or die!" spirit when you're facing not an immediate crisis but just a slow, remorseless, incremental, unceasing ratchet effect. "Live free or die!" sounds like a battle cry: We'll win this thing or die trying, die an honorable death. But in fact it's something far less dramatic: It's a bald statement of the reality of our lives in the prosperous West. You can live as free men, but, if you choose not to, your society will die.

My book America Alone is often assumed to be about radical Islam, firebreathing imams, the excitable young men jumping up and down in the street doing the old "Death to the Great Satan" dance. It's not. It's about us. It's about a possibly terminal manifestation of an old civilizational temptation: Indolence, as Machiavelli understood, is the greatest enemy of a republic. When I ran into trouble with the so-called "human rights" commissions up in Canada, it seemed bizarre to find the progressive left making common cause with radical Islam. One half of the alliance profess to be pro-gay, pro-feminist secularists; the other half are homophobic, misogynist theocrats. Even as the cheap bus 'n' truck road-tour version of the Hitler-Stalin Pact, it made no sense. But in fact what they have in common overrides their superficially more obvious incompatibilities: Both the secular Big Government progressives and political Islam recoil from the concept of the citizen, of the free individual entrusted to operate within his own societal space, assume his responsibilities, and exploit his potential.

To read the rest, go here. You can also download the entire issue as a PDF here.

Thought for Today

"George Orwell, in his vision of 1984, got it backward. We do not have to fear Big Brother watching us on TV. In times like these, we have to fear the effects of our watching Big Brother."

~~~~~ Mortimer B. Zuckerman

"In his world … intentions and words do all the heavy lifting."

In Evil Under the Sun – Barack Obama and American exceptionalism, Noemie Emery presents a sobering assessment of Obama's worldview.

Yes, way back on June 17th, I predicted that Obama's Going to Lose, and I still believe it. But if I'm wrong, we're in for a very rough ride during the next few years.

Obama's Marxist Ties

Bill Sammon does a masterful job of explaining Barack Obama's extensive ties to Marxism in Obama Affinity to Marxists Dates Back to College Days. Here's how he begins:

Barack Obama laughs off charges of socialism. Joe Biden scoffs at references to Marxism. Both men shrug off accusations of liberalism.

But Obama himself acknowledges that he was drawn to socialists and even Marxists as a college student. He continued to associate with Marxists later in life, even choosing to launch his political career in the living room of a self-described Marxist, William Ayers, in 1995, when Obama was 34.

Obama's affinity for Marxists began when he attended Occidental College in Los Angeles.

Well, that's not entirely true, Bill. It seems that while he was growing up and attending school in Hawaii, Obama was mentored by the late African-American Communist Frank Marshall Davis. Last February, before Obama had yet won the Democrat nomination, Cliff Kincaid of Accuracy in Media explained the relationship in Obama’s Communist Mentor.

In his biography of Barack Obama, David Mendell writes about Obama's life as a "secret smoker" and how he "went to great lengths to conceal the habit." But what about Obama's secret political life? It turns out that Obama's childhood mentor, Frank Marshall Davis, was a communist.

In his books, Obama admits attending "socialist conferences" and coming into contact with Marxist literature. But he ridicules the charge of being a "hard-core academic Marxist," which was made by his colorful and outspoken 2004 U.S. Senate opponent, Republican Alan Keyes.

However, through Frank Marshall Davis, Obama had an admitted relationship with someone who was publicly identified as a member of the Communist Party USA (CPUSA). The record shows that Obama was in Hawaii from 1971-1979, where, at some point in time, he developed a close relationship, almost like a son, with Davis, listening to his "poetry" and getting advice on his career path. But Obama, in his book, Dreams From My Father, refers to him repeatedly as just "Frank."

The reason is apparent: Davis was a known communist who belonged to a party subservient to the Soviet Union. In fact, the 1951 report of the Commission on Subversive Activities to the Legislature of the Territory of Hawaii identified him as a CPUSA member. What's more, anti-communist congressional committees, including the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), accused Davis of involvement in several communist-front organizations.

As Melanie Phillips asks, Is America really going to do this?

Pruden on the Obama Tape

Karl Marx

In his latest column, A game-changer by Obama, Wesley Pruden comments on the 2001 Obama radio interview in his inimitable style:

If your toilet is stopped up by something really big and smells really bad, you'll probably need a plumber. Joe the Plumber, as it turns out, diagnosed the trouble, and yesterday we learned what it was. It smells really bad.

It's a scorcher. You'll want to read the whole thing.

From His Own Mouth II

Well, whaddaya know? In 2001, in an interview on Chicago Public Radio, then-State Senator Barack Obama clearly and unambiguously stated his position on the redistribution of wealth. No need to take anybody's word for it. Listen for yourself:



Incidentally, notice how even then, the Obamessiah had to exaggerate his own importance by referring to himself as a "law professor" (at 2:29 into the clip) when, in fact, he was a Senior Lecturer, an untenured position slightly above "Graduate Student." It's roughly the same thing as a 2nd Lieutenant passing himself off as a Colonel. Apparently, the man's narcissism is a long established character trait.

Hat tip: Little Green Footballs

If you haven't watched it yet, here's a link to the first From His Own Mouth.

"Is America Really Going To Do This?"

Nashville blogger Kay Brooks highly recommends Melanie Phillips' latest contribution to the British Spectator in her post Getting down to brass tacks. Phillips, a brilliant author (most recent book: Londonistan) and essayist, asks in disbelief, Is America really going to do this?

Kay was particularly struck by these words

McCain believes in protecting and defending America as it is. Obama tells the world he is ashamed of America and wants to change it into something else. McCain stands for American exceptionalism, the belief that American values are superior to tyrannies. Obama stands for the expiation of America’s original sin in oppressing black people, the third world and the poor.

about which she commented "That's as succinctly worded a paragraph about the difference between these two men as I've read thus far."

Particularly for those with an interest in Israel and its fate, I'd recommend reading Melanie Phillips' entire essay. It will be well worth your time.

Another Question from Hannah

Once again, Hannah, my 17-year-old granddaughter, asked me a very good question:
"Can you tell me what is wrong with Obama and his policies?"

Of course, those of us who follow current affairs know the answer already. Unfortunately, there are millions of people out there, many of whom will be voting on November 4th, who have no idea why we find the prospect of an Obama presidency so disturbing. Like my granddaughter (who won't be quite old enough to vote this time around), they have only the vaguest idea of what the two candidates stand for, and the significant differences between them.

Here's what I told Hannah:

Yes. He's a radical leftist who wants to turn the country away from capitalism and toward a system of European socialism in which an all-wise, all-powerful government directs private companies how to run their businesses, and private citizens how to run their lives.

In addition, he is far too comfortable with practices characteristic of fascism, such as indoctrination of children, the cult of personality (in which the "Great Man" becomes the object of adoration, and even worship), and thuggishness (in which mobs of mind-numbed supporters are used to intimidate opposition). If you study a little history, you'll find that it's just a short step from such practices to a totalitarian dictatorship.

You'll probably scoff in disbelief, and say "But that can never happen here!" Again, I'd suggest that you study a little history. For instance, during the first few decades of the 20th century, Germany's was arguably the most highly developed civilization in the world. From Germany came the world's most advanced developments in chemistry, physics, medicine, music, and many other disciplines. Their government was a democracy, in which a president and members of a parliament (the Reichstag) were chosen in free elections. Yet, in 1933, a former World War I corporal with a funny mustache and a mesmerizing way of speaking managed to gain dictatorial power over the country.

Within 12 years, it was all over, and the former corporal had killed himself in his bunker as the allied armies moved into Berlin. But meanwhile, he had turned his whole country into smoking ruins, thrown the whole world into turmoil, and killed millions of people, including 6 million Jews.

(By the way, you may not be aware that three of those Jews would have been your great-uncles – my mother's three brothers who were unable to get out of Poland in time, Aaron, Burl, and Eli.)

In short – Obama is a very, very scary candidate. He is masquerading as a nice, reasonable, moderate, sensible centrist Democrat. Yet his past history and associations indicate something quite different. Those who influenced him, and those with which he associates, are radical leftists, self-professed Marxists, radical Islamists, corrupt Chicago politicians, and other such unsavory characters.

If he becomes our next president – and as of now, it looks as though that's what's going to happen – we are in very deep doo-doo.

Granted, McCain's far from ideal, and is certainly no Reagan – but his long public record indicates that he loves his country, and has dedicated himself to public service, first in the military, then in the political arena. The fact that he was a U.S. Navy aviator – a qualified carrier pilot – makes him part of a very small elite. It takes a special kind of man to take off and land jet fighter aircraft on carrier decks, and John McCain is one of that rare breed. In contrast, Obama's record includes nothing remotely comparable. Basically, all he has ever done is run his mouth and write two books, both about himself.

I could easily have written several more pages on the subject.

Sieg Heil, Mein ObamaFuhrer! Part 2

It's gone beyond the indoctrination of innocent little children, turning them into obedient little ObamaBots. Watch this video:

I got this from The Jawa Report. They've already gotten some perceptive comments on it, including this link to a Chicago Sun-Times story. Go read it, and you'll learn that such thuggery is not the result of excesses by some overzealous supporters, but an essential part of the Obama campaign.

Obama and his brown shirts

Joe Farah of WorldNetDaily has a new column up about the fascistic behavior of the Obama campaign: "Obama and his brown shirts." He begins by stating

One historical fact that has eluded most Americans, thanks to the illiberal education they receive in school and from the infotainment media, is that fascism has always been popular among so-called "progressives" – despite their tendency to mislabel and mischaracterize their political opponents as followers of the national socialist ideology.

Check it out and see if you agree with his premise. I think he's 100% right.

Sieg Heil, Mein ObamaFuhrer!

By now, you've probably seen this truly repulsive video. (If you haven't yet seen it, by all means take a moment to click on the link and watch it now, then read Kim Priestap's insightful comments on Wizbang.)

UPDATE 1: YouTube has taken down the video. If you haven't seen it yet, it's too late. The remix below is hosted on BlipTV, so maybe it will remain up for a while. It'll give you a pretty accurate idea of the original, too.

UPDATE 2: Confederate Yankee has found another copy of the original on YouTube. For a while, anyway, you can watch it here. He has also done a little research and found out who was behind this monstrosity. There are quite a few interesting comments, too. Better hurry if you want to see the original video, though – it's not likely to be available much longer.

Many blogs and other websites have picked up and commented upon that video. The descriptive term most consistently applied to it has been "creepy." While I agree with it as far as it goes, I don't think "creepy" is nearly strong enough. The kids in this video, along with their glassy-eyed parents, remind me of the old black-and-white newsreel footage of the Hitlerjugend (Hitler Youth) from the 1930's. Almost without exception, all of the other monstrous totalitarian dictatorships of recent history followed Hitler's example, and continue to do so. After all, it's much easier to mold people into obedient little Nazis, Communists, Baathists, or jihadis if you can start when they're very young.

The best commentary upon this video which I have yet come across is this masterful video, "Obama Kids: Sing for Change (Pyongyang Remix)" from ReasonTV:


Hat tip: Jonah Goldberg at National Review Online's Liberal Fascism blog

Hey, you undecided voters out there: Is that really the kind of "Change" you seek? Better think before you vote. Before you head down that one-way street and cast your vote for amorphous "Hope" and "Change," you'd better be very sure that you're not making an irrevocable decision you'll come to regret.