On With the Way We Are Now
" . . . the only way a journalist can lose his job is to tell the truth." —Tom Streithorst
Of all the superstitions that plague the diseased public mind, the idea that there are wise men who can “manage the economy” is the most stupid—and among the most dangerous.
Another superstition is that attending college constitutes an education. Society in general has no idea of how catastrophically ignorant the bulk of the rising generation is. Even most of those who are bright and knowledgeable about something are ignorant aliens in relation to Western civilisation.
There was a time when I would never have expected to hear about a Russian stock market. But, I suppose, it is good to spread the misery around.
I see where the government is buying up bank stock on behalf of us taxpayers. Does this mean we will all be rich as bankers?
It is reported that there are 240,000 illegal alien sex offenders at large in the U.S. Could that mean we have a dysfunctional government? In case you have forgotten, a dozen morons with plastic weapons blew up two skyscrapers and part of the command center of "the world's only remaining superpower." Might there be a competence question here? In fact, the emperor is buck nekkid but no one will say so. It would not be nice.
It is claimed that more than 90 per cent of the "detainees" in the "War on Terror" were not captured in arms against the U.S. but were merely swept up on suspicion or sold to the U.S. by enterprising warlords who were rewarded out of the bottomless American treasury.
For years now American society has conspired in the polite fiction that General Colin Powell is some sort of paragon of ability and integrity, though I see little evidence that he is anything other than one of hundreds of similar military bureaucrats, over whom he was jumped in the service of "affirmative action." Being a good bureaucrat, Powell lied egregiously to the American people and to the world in order to justify an illegal and unwise aggression, as ordered by his boss. In a sound country the lies, once exposed, would lead to disgrace and loss of public favour. But one bit of distorted thinking leads inevitably to another. Rather than being accountable for the damage he has done to the country that has showed him such great favour, our Designated Hero is still presented as a great moral exemplar—because he had (in private) "doubts" about the lies he spewed forth. Rather than disgrace, Powell merits our sympathy, we are told, for our hero has suffered "embarrassment" when caught in the lie.
And by the way, the Republicans' years of hyping Powell as a celebrity national leader undoubtedly helped pave the way for the unearned popularity of Barack Obama.
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Here's another: Should we be outraged by the Acorn voter registration scandals? It's a venerable American tradition, invented and perfected by the Democratic Party and only recently learned by the Republicans. In this case, I guess we should say that "It's the Way We Were Then AND the Way We Are Now.
” . . . the only way a journalist can lose his job is to tell the truth.” —Tom Streithorst
"The Business Of Journalists Is To Destroy Truth"
http://www.namsouth.com/viewtopic.php?t=144&highlight=journalist
Dr. Wilson, you're a bitter old man, for which we love and respect you. Come out here where the fruits and nuts grow, and I'll stand you a drink anytime.
couldnt agree more about Colin Powell; this country's ruling class cant wait to stick it to middle america with their globalist non white president
This is the kernel of what I've heard about the ACORN brou-ha-ha, from Steven Rosenfeld in an AlterNet.org posting of Oct. 13, entitled "GOP Attacks on ACORN Are Based on the Fear of 1.3 Million New Voters" and on Saturday, Oct. 10, on This Is Hell, an interview program on WNUR-FM, 89.3, in Evanston, IL:
"ACORN registered more than 1.3 million people in 2008 including 148,000 voters in Pennsylvania, 152,000 voters in Florida, 217,000 voters in Michigan, and 238,000 voters in Ohio. To achieve this, it hired 13,000 people. Some of those hires tried to defraud ACORN by turning in voter registrations with fake names, which ACORN found, tagged and turned over to local police and urged them to prosecute. Most states require all voter applications, even ones with obvious mistakes, to be turned it. It is that record, compiled and released by ACORN, which the GOP is using to accuse ACORN of 'massive voter fraud.'
"At most, the number of questionable voter registrations flagged and submitted by ACORN across the country was under 10,000, according to knowledgeable estimates. None of these registrations will lead to anybody voting, however, as they would be rejected by election officials who process registrations. No "massive voter fraud" has been perpetuated. If anything, the screening process, both by ACORN and election officials, works."
In the on-air interview, Rosenfeld said further that the raid on ACORN offices occurred after the organization had reported the suspected false registrations.
Surely the GOP wouldn't use innuendo and half-truths in its campaign propaganda, would it?
I for one will modify my suspicion that this particular attack on ACORN is unjustified when I receive a detailed, attested report of a different sequence of events.
Mr. Olson. I suggest you watch the documentary "Weather Underground" for additional insight into what we are really dealing with.
Another superstition is that attending college constitutes an education.
Precisely. The Fall occurred when the classics were obliterated from the required curriculum. It was coincident with the rise of "sociology" and the oxymoronically named "political science" as disciplines supplanting history. "Black studies", "women's studies", and buggery studies completed the descent to academic Avernus.
"Society in general has no idea of how catastrophically ignorant the bulk of the rising generation is."
Born in '85, I am a member of it, and I am daily a firsthand witness to their ignorance and depravity. To say they don't use their heads is not going far enough, that is, it doesn't say enough about Generation Y's intellectual uselessness or its lack of wisdom. Their problem of tragic proportions is that they PROUDLY CHOOSE not to think things through. They pride themselves on their recently established tradition of letting all those geeky talking heads in the media establishment tell them what the crisis in the economy is about, and whether they should vote for Obama or McCain if they want relief from it. Then they won't have to do something useful like read a stupid book like Human Action by Mises, Road to Serfdom by Hayek, Economics in One Lesson by Hazlitt, or From Union to Empire by Wilson. George Stephanopolous, Charlie Gibson, Bill Kristol, Katie Couric, Tom Friedman, Paul Krugman, and Bill O'Reilly tell them all they need to know, anyway, right? Then they can go to a few Obama rallies, drink, smoke weed, have tons of sex with people they have no intention of marrying, play with their iPods, and hang out at malls.
I weep for the future.
All our peeves will be remembered as good old days if Obama wins. For it is coming out pretty clearly that he is the product of the alumni of the SDS (students for radical society). These are the people that live on the fringes of the university communities, off the government grants and research scholarships and are professional leftists. They have scored big with Obama, as they managed to keep his ideology under the radar up till now and it may be too late. Obama will however end the war, which may very well be the reason why he is appearing to be unbeatable in the polls. If the nation has to choose between more war with everybody and a radical leftist dictatorship right now they will choose the latter.
You have to give the global elite a little credit because, in light of their failures with the "Project for the New American Century", they simply chose to sabotage the markets in order to further consolidate power. You see, the real crisis has nothing to do with the spoiled Baby Boomers 401ks and "credit freeze"; the problem is the free market principles we have lost to the government.
Alas, America hasn't the perspicuity to distinguish what has happened. Instead, they choose to argue over the platitudes uttered by our corrupt candidates. We are a nation without virtue, governed by fears and passions; we are a nation of intemperate beasts, increasingly patrimonial to the Caesar that is our government.
America will continue to get what it deserves, unless the young men of our country choose action. We must strive, once again, to "know thyself." Our national soul is beckoning us; unfortunately, the ambitious abstractionists are beating us to the task.
"Another superstition is that attending college constitutes an education."
Quite!
This past weekend I attended my wife's 30th reunion. She graduated from a prestigious high school in Montgomery County MD. These were the children of some of the most priviliged parents in the land. Most had attended expensive colleges. Yet many women I talked to had borne no children in favor of pursuing mundane "careers" as secretaries and administrative asistants. Few were in positions of either power or authority, and the conversations I overheard from both the men and the women were either appallingly shallow or mundane.
There are indeed some things that money can't buy.
"the only way a journalist can lose his job is to tell the truth.” —Tom Streithorst
"Another superstition is that attending college constitutes an education. Society in general has no idea of how catastrophically ignorant the bulk of the rising generation is. Even most of those who are bright and knowledgeable about something are ignorant aliens in relation to Western civilisation."
These two truths are related. In the Middle Ages theologians and philosophers could be beaten or garnished with rotten vegetables for speaking gibberish during public debates. Today "educated Americans" cheer and honor public gibberish and argue for days whether scoundrel number #1 or scoundrel #2 should lead them. The good thing about McCain is that he cannot win, the bad thing about Obama is that he might. This is where the last three or four decades of professional college gibberish and the real absence of the classics has lead us: No kids, no families, no jobs, no money,and nothing worth remembering so that we might have debt and death; and death more abundantly.
I doubt even the respectable conservatives can save liberalism for much longer. Chronicles might dare ask that question. Radical social critique works both ways.
Considering our idiotic welfare state encourages the dumbest people and worst parents to have the most children, our future probably will look something like the movie, "Idiocracy."
Brock H,
If what you say is true, and I have no reason to doubt it, then we are creating the types of people that the government and Wall Street want as citizens: robots that will heel at command.
D Simmons,
"I doubt even the respectable conservatives can save liberalism for much longer."
I doubt conservatives have any answers to anything either. Certainly an idea like unregulated markets would be a quaint ideal even if we lived in "Never, Neverland", but in the real world it has shown itself an utter catastrophe.
I now wonder in what way conservatives will blame others in our society for the failure inherent in conservative economics. Conservative economic theory is based on concentrating wealth in the hands of a few while brainwashing the many with the abusrd notion that one can pick oneself up by one's bootstraps even when one comes from poor economic circumstances.
Jack Bailey,
"Mr. Olson. I suggest you watch the documentary “Weather Underground” for additional insight into what we are really dealing with."
Typical conservative mentality - blame a non-existent devil in the ruins of our society which is being destroyed by the pure, unadulterated greed of the richest people in this nation!
Clyde N. Wilson,
I like your profile of Powell. He was not a dupe, just an obedient puppy dog who did what he was told to do in order to get what he wanted. He couldn't care less about the death and destruction that followed. (Shades of Robert McNamara!) The hottest place in Hell is reserved for people like him. Powell will know this when he sees the banner over Hell reading, "Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate!"
Skepsis
"Considering our idiotic welfare state encourages the dumbest people and worst parents to have the most children, our future probably will look something like the movie, “Idiocracy.”
Looks like you're describing the Bush family when you use the term 'dumbest people'! Yes, I agree the Bush family had some real dumb children but let's not blame them too much for their son Georgie. After all, he suffers from a 'rear' medical condition that makes him so stupid: Cerebral Hemorroids!
It's always fun to blame the most unfortunate and powerless souls of our society for the sins of the most fortunate ones! From what I've seen over the course of many years is seems that conservatives follow this philosophy religiously!
david,
"couldnt agree more about Colin Powell; this country’s ruling class cant wait to stick it to middle america with their globalist non white president"
Oh for heaven's sake Dave can't you do better than that? Here you go around blaming someone for being born the 'wrong color' (as if that really matters) and when he turns out successful in life you get pissed!
Regarding globalism, the most globalist of people are the Republicans of the last eight years. Thank heaven that globalism is on its way out as are unregulated markets; paying billions to those on Wall Street who stole, oh excuse me, 'mismanaged', the life savings of millions, and let’s not forget the coming demise the nonsensical mumbo jumbo-based conservative superstition of an 'invisible hand' (I'm sure it must be a 'white' one) that 'mysteriously' guides the market. From what I’ve seen recently, the 'invisible hand' is that of market lobbyists who buy the politicians who then 'guide' that 'invisible' hand on behalf of the richest. Don't you agree or is it too painful to admit???
kmax this is a conservative site and we are paying customers. please go back to your own blog and leave us conservatives alone. we don't like you or your comments. And don't try to brown nose Dr. Wilson either.
jack bailey
"kmax this is a conservative site and we are paying customers. please go back to your own blog and leave us conservatives alone. we don’t like you or your comments. And don’t try to brown nose Dr. Wilson either."
A conservative site! Your posting makes it sound more like a mutual admiration site.
I'm glad to see you're so open-minded.
Paying customers, I'll bet.
I couldn't care less if you like me or my comments. If those who run the site do not want opposing views then have them post a note to the effect that only those who agree with the management are welcome! In that case I'm sure those of different opinions would gladly not waste their time here.
As far as Dr. Wilson is concerned, I agree with a lot of what he says. Agreeing is not brown nosing.
KMAX, you don't know a first thing about paleos and you have no idea what Dr. wilson or anyone else on this panel are talking about. This is probably due to being undereducated. However that can be corrected quite well should you continue to read this site and should you also support the Rockford Institute financially to show your appreciation. Right now it is plain to see that you do not have a clue about paleosconservatism and furthermore it's obvious that you are just following your dear leader's marching orders to "get in their face". Since you are new, FYI most of the people on this site will not be voting for MCCain . However you are doing a great job in covincing them that perhaps they should due to your own ignorance. Do us all a favor and don't clog this site with your sophomoric sentiments.
Another superstition is that attending college constitutes an education. Society in general has no idea of how catastrophically ignorant the bulk of the rising generation is. Even most of those who are bright and knowledgeable about something are ignorant aliens in relation to Western civilisation.
That is perhaps a great understatement. College graduates in English could not pass a rudimentary exam which 8th graders in 1910 were required to pass, and did so with a fraction of the funding present in modern "education".
I teach Latin, and I was recently talking to an Italian about Latin curriculums in Italy. He said that before graduating high school Italian students must be able to translate texts from Seneca and Cicero which American university graduates in Classics have difficulty with.
As a society, we need to focus less on a useless education which costs 20-50k a year, and rather on basic education in the classics, and in trades.
Facts, or what are believed to be facts, can be “cherry-picked” to prove almost any assertion and absurdity. And when our educational facilities teach one of these “conclusions” to the exclusion of all others, it ceases to be education and becomes indoctrination. The question that has to be asked is: How did these people gain positions of such power? Any positive change in this society would have to begin with throwing these people out of position.
We have as Dr. Francis described "anarcho-tyranny." This election cycle it appears that "anarcho" is ahead by 5 points in the polls, the face of tyranny being a bit aged and out of date for the cool loving populace is fading even as its supporters dial up right wing talk radio blubbering to the host, "make it stop" to no affect.
athanasius,
"I teach Latin, and I was recently talking to an Italian about Latin curriculums in Italy. He said that before graduating high school Italian students must be able to translate texts from Seneca and Cicero which American university graduates in Classics have difficulty with."
Things have changed since I graduated high school. I studied Latin for three years and found it a richly rewarding study indeed. It forces one to learn the grammar of one's language. It forces one to reason. It also gives those of us who have interest in the origin of English words a powerful basis within which to work. During my high school days we did in fact have to translate Cicero, Caesar and a bit of other material whose authors escape me.
"As a society, we need to focus less on a useless education which costs 20-50k a year, and rather on basic education in the classics, and in trades."
Though I am undereducated compared to certain posters on this site, I fully realize that the classics are indeed important if we are to have a defined identity as a culture. They are a must to understand how we arrived at this point in time. They can serve as a guide as to what type of future we should seek. However, I must disagree with the last statement of yours to this point: education in science, mathematics and technology are a sine qua non for any nation that wants to compete in this world. The classics however can serve as a guide as to how we should use the knowledge we derive from these other disciplines.
Forgive me for coming late to this conversation. I think some of you are being a little hard on KMarx. I think much of what he says could have been said by a real conservative. He is mistaken, however, if he thinks the neocons and the current administration are conservative.
Concerning economics, here is a link about the bailout sent to me by a former Washington Bureau Chief of Investor's Business Daily (a real conservative):
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/29/miron.bailout/index.html?iref=mpstoryview
(You may have to copy this reference into your browser.)
As for Latin, educated via eight years of Catholic elementary school and four years of Catholic high school in the mid-West, I had two years of that language. (I think there was a plot to turn me into a priest. On registration day, they wouldn't let me sign up for any other foreign language. "Your are recommended for Latin." And there was no acceptable argument otherwise.)
I wasn't a very good student of Latin (and was not a good candidate for the priesthood, either). I struggled to get a "C." However, I scored in the 87th percentile on a nation-wide Latin test my sophomore year. The test was in Latin, but the content was Greek and Roman mythology. Now there was a subject that I knew. The test consisted of passages in Latin followed by a series of questions in Latin that had to be answered in Latin. My knowledge of mythology combined with the little Latin that I knew, allowed me to do a creditable job on the test. After that, my Latin teacher (a nun) was sure that I was capable of better than C work. She was probably correct, but the course material didn't interest me like mythology did. When I went to college, I took two years of Italian, the closest language to Latin, which was not offered. I got Cs in Italian, too. My Italian professor subsequently became a Catholic priest.
Andrew G. Van Sant,
Thanks for the kind words. Unlike you, there are some who cannot see beyond the superficial. I am inured to the empty words of those who jump to conclusions upon reading a few lines of a posting, especially when seeing the moniker KMarx, and then see only "Red"! At that point what rational thinking there is goes out the window on their part. Perhaps someone should tell them that actors and professional wrestlers among others often assume monikers for effect and not necessarily as an expression of a philosophy.
I am not a conservative, liberal, libertarian, etc. I see myself as eclectic. I know it sounds logically inconsistent to some but as I see life no philosophy holds absolute truth in an ever changing and often unfathomable world. I take each matter as it comes in the context of the circumstances within which it develops.
The present administration is full of pseudo-conservatives just as the last administration was full of pseudo-liberals. Neither one had the best interests of the American people in mind. They were too caught up in what was best for their "friends".
BTW: There are some who think I am unable to distinguish between a neoconservative and paleoconservative. If I were forced to throw my lot in with either, there would be only one choice - paleos.
Regarding Latin, I have been out of circulation for a number of years and had heard that Latin is no longer taught in most schools. When I was in high school in the 60's Latin was quite a common and popular discipline. I also took a nation-wide test in Latin as a freshman and scored in the 97 percentile. Such a test can serve as an indication that the teacher was or was not doing his or her job properly.
As my roots are Italian, I wanted to learn the language too but had the opportunity to take only one semester. My grandparents spoke various Italian dialects. I have heard other Italians who spoke the Tuscan dialect, which was chosen as the official dialect in part because of the number of writers who wrote it. It is an absolutely beautiful language with an incredible flexibilty within which to express things in a such coloful way that cannot be expressed in English. From what little I know of Italian I know this, if I had the choice of my primary language, it would have been be Italian.
KMarx,
You're welcome. I'm a long-time subscriber to Chronicles, but new to this website and I notice that some participants get a little carried away when they disagree. I believe that two parties can disagree without being disagreeable.
My wife is Italian on her father's side. (Her mother is a Buckley, but not those Buckleys.) I'm Polish on my mother's side and have deep roots in America on my father's side. I agree that Italian is a beautiful language.