Whittle on Power

Submitted by Bill St. Clair on Wed, 01 Oct 2003 12:00:00 GMT
From "Sunbeams" in the October 2003 issue of The Sun:
"I went to the store the other day to buy a bolt for our front door, for, as I told the storekeeper, the governor was coming here. 'Aye,' said he, 'and the legislature too.' 'Then I will take two bolts,' said I." -- Henry David Thoreau
and:
"He who cannot dance claims the floor is uneven." -- Hindu saying

From claire:

"The proper term to use for the gaggle of cut-throats pretending they run the show in Washington these days is not "Bushies." One should always call a thing what it is, and they are, of course, "Busheviks." This alludes to their *true* tendencies and agenda in a nicely historical way, and from what I can tell irritates the heck out of them. As has been pointed out by a better man than I (in the sense of being more widely published... ), Republicans are USED to being called or alluded to as fascists, but casting them in the role of communists is both accurate, enlightening, and strikes past many of their defences." -- Hunter

Bill Whittle - Power - I wish I could be as optimistic about America as Mr. Whittle. I wish I could believe that the Bush administration is filled with honorable men. I probably could if it weren't for the U.S.A. P.A.T.R.I.O.T. act, the Taking Scissors Away goons at the airport, the holding incommunicado without charges of alleged "terrorists". As it is, no way. I ordered (used) from Amazon, the book he referenced: Mark Twain on the Damned Human Race.

I admire and respect much of the man that was Teddy Roosevelt, but in my opinion there is no doubt whatsoever that the fourth face on Mt. Rushmore should have been Mark Twain's. Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln --- and Twain: easily the four greatest Americans -- to my mind, the four greatest people -- that have ever lived.

...

The idea that all would be well if only America would retreat from the world and stay at home is a pernicious and seductive one. It appeals not only to those that hunger after the freedom to do mischief in our absence as it does to our natural sense of isolationism. It has been the mantra of communists, totalitarians and elitists of every vile stripe for well over a hundred years. It is utterly and completely wrong. Political power has never been removed from the world -- it has only been replaced. And so our choice -- now pay attention you No Blood For Oil types -- is not between power and no power. It is a choice only of what kind of power will fill that vacuum. Chinese? Russian? European? We have seen all of these before. The horrors they have inflicted, with far less absolute power than the US wields, do not leave me pining for those alternatives. Someone is going to be the world power, or tear the world apart fighting for it. And no matter how hard we may wish it, the winner will not be a Blindfolded Jury of Archangels.

...

We must face the hard and bitter truth that good people can walk away from a fight, but when they do, bad people will have the field and we have seen the horrors they can inflict.

For there are indeed good people and bad people. We have been, on the whole, the best-behaved, most generous and benign power in the history of the world. But we have had our Ft. Pillows and our Wounded Knees, our Moro Craters and Dresdens and My Lais. We are not immune, no matter how deeply and fervently so many of us which we were.

...

Prior to Iraq, prior indeed to Afghanistan, we were told by the natural cowards that get paid by the catastrophe that to fight back would unleash world-wide Jihad. Suicide bombers would be a weekly -- daily -- occurrence at malls and football games. These deep, deep thinkers assured us that if we so much lifted a finger in our defense our society would collapse in the flames of righteous retribution. We defied these defeatists and fought back anyway. As I have said many times, this was an experiment. The results are

Al-Qaeda, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and all the others have the means to launch a wave of suicide bombings in the US. It is not that very difficult. They have not done so. Why?

Because if current events are any guide, such an action would mean the immediate end of Hamas and the rest of their ilk. They are cold-blooded murderers, but they are not idiots. The cost of terror -- in the US at least -- is nowadays higher than the rewards.

Edgar J. Steele - In Defense of Racism: Part 8 - The Future - Mr. Steele believes that interest rates will rise and the dollar will collapse. War in the streets will be the result, and "your skin color will be your uniform." I also believe we're heading for a world economic collapse, but I don't think the uniforms will be that easy to see. I certainly hope not.

There's another cycle, a view of which perspective born of age affords, something that I like to call the Cycle of Strife. Tyranny breeds freedom and freedom fosters tyranny, regardless of the type of economic or political systems employed. I happen to recall what America was like once, back in the early 50's. Younger citizens lack that perspective. But, things are quickening now, so that the relative freedom of the 80's will seem far distant, too. Trust me, there is a much bigger gulf between the 50's and the 80's than grew during the last 25 years. Nevertheless, Bush and company seem intent upon setting a new land speed record for American tyranny, so that even children have begun to notice the difference.

Patriots like to ask, "Is it time yet?"

Almost, my friend. Almost. I can all but smell the cordite in the air. Remember that the first American patriots shot back; they didn't shoot first.

Bide your time a while longer. When the time is right, our leaders will emerge from our ranks and we will begin to pick up the pieces. America worked once as a constitutional republic. It can work again.

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