Methinks, then, that belief in conspiracies is a defensive reaction to huge events and the perceived powers behind them. The thought that 19 men could commandeer, so easily, four airplanes and then proceed to cause such destruction is hard to grapple with. There is also the chauvinist factor: how could Arabs be capable of such a complicated plot? How could they carry it off? Like the theorists that postulate the Egyptians could not build the Pyramids, they think that some white guy (Dick Cheney is the white dude of choice) had to organize it. Ergo, this must be an Anglo-Arab alliance? That idea must not sit too well with the “hate Muslims” crowd, that a “Christian” man or men would cooperate to bring down real estate worth a billions of dollars within the boundaries of his own nation’s border.

Truthers believe that the US government brought down the WTC in order to engage us in endless war. That is theory one. The second theory is that the Israeli’s brought down the WTC so that we would engage in endless war in the Middle East thereby fighting Israel’s war for her. They point to Building 7 as the real proof of this because, out of the 47 floors, the CIA had a portion of one of them. Not the entire floor, just a part of it.

The Illuminati is a theory about world control. That means they too must have had a hand in the WTC and the endless war scenario.

Have you ever asked yourself, how big is the Illuminati to take on all that? Are there hundreds or thousands involved? And how, continue the questions, does such an organization keep its communications from spreading out into the unwashed? (That’s you and me.)

The only real theory I buy into is the one about endless war.  That is no hidden conspiracy. That is just a case of people believing the bald-faced lies told by their government in cahoots with their crony capitalist friends. People believe unbelievable stuff when they are scared. And believe me, people are scared. They think their government is keeping them safe. Just like they believe the cops will come and save them from an intruder before he pulls a knife or gun.

Truthers get a lot of FB play because there is a great deal of mistrust in the government. Rightfully so. I venture to say individuals in the bureaucracy foster paranoia because the War Machine likes to see the citizens attention diverted from the real work that needs doing, i.e. throw off the oppressive government to install a liberty oriented one instead. There are Truthers involved politically, but their work would be better served if they were considered mainstream as Truthers tend to hang out with other Truthers.

The Illuminati was a real organization that originated in 18th century Bavaria. As its name suggests, “illuminati” means illuminated in Latin. The 18th century is the era of the Enlightenment and free thinkers, thus the organization was made up of such individuals. The Illuminati was a sort of lodge, with orders and rituals, much like the Masons. Like the Masons, it was a secret society.  Like so many secret societies or churches that do not allow free admission to their services, rumors start and then persist about what really happens within their meetings. The Illuminati was not an organization of the ruling class. Indeed, the ruling class forbade it. Thus the Illuminati disbanded.

Knowing history and how to research it is why I don’t buy into the conspiracy theories.  History and my own eyes tell me that power is up front about itself. Hitler told the world what he was up to. Stalin did not hide anything, but he was ignored. Show me someone who sits atop the power heap for a long time and I will show you the person you really need to be concerned about. Banks, the Fed, the bureaucracy on any level, they are not conspiring, they are just doing openly what they can get away with. National Security? Do they hide? No. We allow this bureaucracy to exist and have its sway over us. You may not like it, but until you band with others to stop it, this full frontal attack on our American way of life will continue.

The endless talk about conspiracies doesn’t provide anyone with a game plan to take on this over-bloated gang of thugs operating as our government. Think instead, Wizard of Oz and you have the gist of it. There is a man behind the curtain, but the libertarians played Toto forty years ago to draw back the curtain, therefore we know the man is a fake. We have known it for a long time. We just haven’t walked over to the booth to yank the SOB out of there. Once we do, remember, he won’t stay gone. The most inconvenient truth is that the price of liberty is our eternal vigilance. Remember, thugs don’t hide.  They sweet talk you first. Know that and you will not be caught off guard. And don’t forget to tell your children.

Do you recall its significance? Right, the “shot heard round the world” was fired at sunrise in Lexington in 1775. Who shot first no one knows. No one will ever know. British Regular or American militiaman, someone fired because the twitch was in the fingers, hearts were beating fast, the sparks were in the air and no one was giving ground. The least little movement, a word misspoken or something seen across the way was all that was needed for that mysterious someone to fire their weapon and let loose the dogs of revolutionary war.

Before things came to a head, there’s a back story. And that back story is of great significance to us in America today. For before the Tea Party in 1773 or the Boston Massacre of 1770, there were the smaller events that set off the greater ones. Both the “massacre” and the “tea party” were the forerunners that peaceful negotiations were coming to an end. Even then, it took another two years, after the Tea Party, for the serious confrontation at Lexington to light the fuse the blew up in the face of the British.

The “taxation without representation” issue was only a part of the overall picture. As I mull over the present day argument with our elected representatives, I understand that yes, we are represented by individuals we, the voters, have put into power. So we cannot claim we have no representation. What we can claim are two other issues. The first being that the people we elected could have lied to us. We the people have known of more than one individual running for office who said anything we wanted to hear in order to get elected. Once in office, the truth came out. The second issue is that once elected, the person representing us needs to take all of us into consideration when making law. For the most grievous sin is to ignore a constituent. The British government, after the first protests by the colonies, began to ignore their pleas for redress. Instead, they stepped up their program of repressions and presto, the colonists began to smolder.

Right now, the members of the tea party movement, and members of the Republican Party are planning to “vote the bums out” of office come November. This may or may not fix the problem that constitutionalists deem most important of all, and that is the direct attack on our way of life by the bypassing of the Constitution when making law. For our Constitution is a unique one, stating what the government cannot do. It’s purpose is to keep government in line. We know how well that has worked out as tyranny has gotten a good foothold in our beloved nation that has held as its highest value the liberty of the individual. If the bums are not voted out then we have a real problem on our hands. Much like our ancestors did. For in fact, the populace of that era was divided. Not all were for the breakup with Britain.

It has been estimated that the population of that time was divided into thirds; a third for the breakup, a third against it and a third that didn’t really care one way or the other or they were “leaners” that is folks that were undecided but leaned towards one way or the other. It was not cut and dried at all and the revolutionaries did contend with the loyalists. Meaning there was a civil war that paralleled the revolutionary war, that was fought both on and off American soil.

Our November elections are crucial. They will be a turning point as well as a time of learning. We will all learn just how strong our American will is in terms of individuals who believe in our system. How many constitutionalists are there? How many collectivists are there? We have, in some pockets, out and out Marxist representatives in firm control of their district. Which means only one thing. The majority of their voters are loyalists. Some of these loyalists, like the ones that surround Nancy Pelosi, are very supportive of her and will fight tooth and nail to keep her in power. It will take strong stuff to defeat her.

Do we have the right stuff? Ponder this question.

Do you recall why the British went to Lexington and Concord? They were going to confiscate weapons. And they were hopeful that they would find and arrest that radical Samuel Adams, cousin to John.

History, when it repeats itself is never exact in its likeness of events. But the reasons are always the same. The greatest of these reasons is that tyranny fears free men and women and will do whatever it can to disarm them, physically and mentally. They are after our souls -it’s the only way they can get our bodies to do the tyrants bidding. Therefore expect the tyrants to ignore the tea party activists, Expect them to belittle the efforts of these citizens when they can no longer ignore them. Expect the tyrants to use violence first and blame it on the Americans protesting the actions of the tyrants. Indeed, haven’t they already used violence of language against the tea party participants in falsely accusing them of racism?

As we remember the past it’s an excellent time to consider our future as we strive to take back our nation. What will it take to accomplish a complete restoration of the living vision as laid out by our Founders?

Happy anniversary.

There are two reasons why I decided to take on this issue. The first is this fear tactic, which I find disgusting. Secondly, I think that time spent worrying over whether or not Obama is a Muslim distracts us.

First, let’s look at fear. Using fear to convince people of a “truth” is an old tactic. It has been used by every scoundrel since the beginning of humanity. Using fear as a way in which to get people’s attention usually gets the wrong sort of people to pay attention.  In our Liberty movement, we don’t want to use fear for that very reason. We need confident people in our ranks. People who won’t fold when the going gets really rough and it can get very rough indeed in the coming years.

Fear is the emotion that causes “flight or fight.” Both not good for the present situation because we are embarking on a long, drawn out affair. We don’t need the flight and our fights need to be of our own making, not simple defensive strategies but offenses on the grounds of our choosing.

Fear can also paralyze.

The use of fear by many of these well meaning folks, and some not so well meaning, shows their lack of leadership ability or they are attempting to manipulate. Manipulators are leading to places where we don’t want to go.  The Liberty leader persuades with the power of inspiration. He or she lays out the facts. The facts can be frightening, no doubt,  but the leader then presents a plan to use in overcoming the obstacles.

Fear doesn’t inspire. Love inspires. Wisdom gives confidence. A leader that will tap into our love of country and give us the reasons why we need to defend our way of life will get the needed results out of us. Therefore, stop this fear mongering. State the facts plainly and then convince us with insight on why this man’s (Obama) religion is so important.

Let’s look at that second reason. That Obama might be a Muslim hangs right up there with the birth certificate hoopla. It’s a side issue that gets us off on a different discussion. It is a well known analysis that the Jihadist Muslims and the Marxists are making common cause with one another in order to bring down Western Civilization. Those of us who have read our history know that throughout the centuries, since its inception, Islam’s believers have aggressively conquered. Yet the same can be said of Christians. For a thousand years, Christians conquered. We too had our Inquisitions and we too put people to death by awful means. So from our perspective of having become enlightened, we know we need to stop that sort of thought and action on any organization’s part, Christian, Muslim or Marxist.  So yes, Jihadists must be stopped. But it would be best if we went beyond that by taking on an even uglier enemy, Marxism.

Marxist are far more aggressive in their murders, take overs, destruction of cultures and their rabid hate. They use fear as a tactic constantly. And many are not afraid to back their threats with action. Indeed, it’s the only way fear can be successfully used as a tactic. But for us, the lovers of Liberty to use fear is to lower ourselves to their, the Marxists,  modus operandi. This I refuse to do.

To be scared of Obama is to lack confidence. And if you are frightened, it is time for introspection on your part to figure out why you would choose fear over love. The best way in which to disarm the Marxists is to not be afraid. Instead, be brutally honest and direct with the next Marxist (progressive or socialist) that you come into contact with. Look that enemy in the eye and then say to him or her,  “I know what you are. I will defeat you.”

I once asked him about the Soviet Union and its version of “socialism.” He laughed.  “America,” he would say, “doesn’t really understand socialism.” Hmm, I thought, what’s he trying to tell me? “You see,” he continued, “America thinks you can have a little bit of socialism. That’s like being a little bit pregnant.” He laughed as he rotated my ankle bringing relief to the muscles in my feet. “You of course cannot be a little bit pregnant. You either are or you aren’t.”

Andrei was correct. One is either pregnant or not pregnant. A nation either has socialism or it doesn’t.

In the hope that some of my readers get ticked at me, I place the argument before you that we turned socialist in the 1930’s when Social Security made its debut. We really joined the European style of governing when we brought in Medicare and Medicaid. And yes, I find it rather ironic that “conservatives” used the Medicare cuts issue as a talking point against Obamacare.

Cuts in Medicare? Oh horrors?  Hell no. Cut the entire program!  I mean talk about an entitlement, you have one, great big fat entitlement with Medicare. And it’s available to some of the wealthiest Americans out there.

To accept Medicare and not Obamacare is, to my way of thinking, intellectually corrupt. For what makes one type of government-run healthcare good and one bad? What is the difference? What makes a senior citizen more worthy than a young person? Could it be we really don’t want to pay for mom/pop/grandma/grandpa? That we want all Americans to foot the bill for longevity? How is that exempt from the term “socialist?”

When a woman is pregnant, she has inside her, a growing life. When you introduce and accept a specific government run program, you have a growing monster. Just like that woman cannot be a little pregnant, a people cannot be a little socialistic.  You either are or you aren’t.

We Americans traditionally are a generous people. We are innovative as well. Put the two together and an answer to the onerous cost of healthcare will be found. Turn the problem over to the citizens. Bright, energetic people who love a challenge can and will find a path that leads to more coverage for folks who find themselves in financial straights. Hey, we would all love to see our insurance premiums go down! But not this way. That thing that the congress just passed is dumb, dumb and dumber. Because like Medicare, it will only cost more than predicted.

At the same time, Medicare is not a sacred cow that is somehow exempt from the tag, “socialized medicine.” Medicare is controlled by the government. That, my friends, is as socialized as it gets. If you have a hard spot in your heart for the insurance companies, just think how Medicare gets insurances companies out of the job of having to provide affordable insurance for seniors. Medicare, like Social Security was created so that seniors could be independent. In truth, it has made them rely on government instead of their families. Social Security is the young paying for the old, so why not simply cut out the middle man, the government, and let families care for the seniors. Sure, it may mean grandpa has to sell his home and move in with his son. But is there something catastrophic in that? It is not independence for anyone when it’s the people’s money paying for it. For just as government controlled programs can be given, they can also be taken away.

Social conservatives like to bemoan the breakdown of America’s families. Do you know where it started? With social programs instituted by “well-meaning” politicians.  It is programs like SS and Medicare that opened the door to start us on our way to Obamacare. To close the door on Obamacare has to mean shutting tightly the door on all government run healthcare programs. All.

You cannot be a little bit pregnant.

The purpose of the words I place before you is to give Sunday’s provocative event, and our reactions to it, an historical perspective. While we are patriots all, it is my argument that too many are the product of an education that lacks in the details of our unique nation’s struggle in its idea, birth and then beginning. We have grown used to our modern world that gives us too much too soon. We, therefore, have lost patience and understanding that to combat a well organized and powerful front takes time. Think, therefore, that the past year has been our boot camp and scouting expedition. For I don’t think too many Americans now have a benign view of the opposition. Those 219 members of the House of Representatives have flown their true colors. We now know who and what the enemy is. That, for us, is a gift.

Let us examine the timeline of events that occurred before the American Revolution began.

Many of our fellow citizens have organized a movement called the Tea Party which is named after the event that occurred on December 16, 1773 in Boston. The original occurrance took place after years of arguments, small demonstrations, a bit of violence and brash acts by the king and parliament that curtailed the rights of the colonists after they complained, vociferously, about the new taxes levied for the sake of paying off the Seven Years War (French and Indian War, 1756-1763.) The colonist argued that they should not be subject to such taxes since they had not voted for or felt the need for the war. In other words it was a European argument that came to blows with the fighting spilling over to America. True, many Americans, at that time British subjects, fought for the crown during this conflict, and the irony is, of course, such leaders of the American Revolution like Washington, received their military training from that war. In addition to the military experience gained as a result of the F & I War, Washington made many new friends and many of these friends came together to organize the Continental Army a dozen years later. Therefore, it can be said that Britain laid the groundwork for her own loss of her prized jewel, the American colonies. The war ended in 1763. The soldiers returned to their homes, farms and businesses. And then a new chapter began.

Parliament passed the Sugar Tax in 1764. It was actually an amendment of the an older tax, dated 1733. The result of this tax was to wreak havoc on the American economy. The next year, the infamous Stamp Tax is passed. The hue and cry raised by the colonist caused its repeal in 1766. In 1767 new taxes are passed, and once again, there is protest. With this bill came the idea that Americans must quarter British Regulars. In New York, the assembly refused to rubber stamp this so the British governor suspended the assembly. In 1768. Massachusetts joined in the protest and its assembly is dissolved for its refusal to collect the taxes. Boston colonist added to this resistance by denying quarter to British Regulars. In 1769. Virginia’s assembly is shut down for protesting treason trials held in London.

By 1770, the colonists have six years of protesting under their belts and still the British government will not be moved to address their grievances.

My fellow Americans, do you think you have put that much time and effort into our own protesting? Obama became the thorn in our side when he won the election 18 months ago. He is bolstered by a majority in the congress so is it any surprise that he has won this round?

Let us continue with our timeline.

In 1770 the Boston Massacre takes place. Two years later, Samuel Adams organizes his Committees of Correspondence and openly, the talk of secession begins. The parliament in London does remove much of the taxes on imports but keeps the tea tax. Thus the Boston Tea Party of 1773. In 1774 Britain closed Boston’s harbor as a punitive measure. In 1775, the shooting war begins.

That means 11 years of protesting and organizing before the situation truly exploded. But wait, we are not finished. The actual war took another 8 years (1775 – 1783.)

Let us now cease our sorrow and turn our thoughts to the actions we must take, and will take for the years to come. For not only the infamous “health reform” must be overturned, there are many other laws and regulations that offend the citizens of the United States of America. Too much muddled headed thinking has wreaked havoc  resulting in all sorts of ideas that cause our Founders to roll over in their graves. To turn this situation around will take years. Therefore, let us cease our weeping, gird our wills and focus our minds on the task ahead of us. Resistance is not futile. It is the American Way.

The Trenton Diary is back because I have to deal with Trenton. Albeit from a distance, nonetheless, I feel like I am there in the city while sitting at my desk in Los Angeles.

I confess. I have a weakness for the older city. Trenton is, factually, a city that can claim “location, location, location.”  The trouble is, the people of the state of New Jersey don’t grasp the significance of the small city’s prime situation. For my friends out west, who have never ventured beyond the Mississippi, or gotten out of Manhattan when they do visit the east, Trenton is located right on the Delaware River, mid-state, and mid-states. In other words, it truly is in the center of things.

The history of Trenton bespeaks of glory in achievement. Because of its location – and it was located on that spot for commercial reasons – Trenton happened to the right place at the right time during the American Revolution. Okay, now it rings a bell to many of you, right? That’s where Washington and Troops ended up after they crossed the Delaware. In fact, it’s why they crossed, to get to Trenton. On December 26, 1776, Trenton was a prize worth chancing an icy river, an all night march in a blizzard and a battle. It was worth dying for.

No Americans died at Trenton during the battle against the Hessians. A few Hessians did including their commanding officer. But that’s not the story I am here to tell. Let’s talk about Trenton today.

Today it sits on that same location. The Assunpink creek runs briskly through the town spilling its waters out into the Delaware. Large trees grow up out of its fertile ground and lawns are green without trying. New Jersey is an abundant state when it comes to her natural bounty. Trenton also boasts an assortment of beautiful old buildings. Of course I love that aspect of Trenton. In addition to all of the above, it is the state capital.

As a small city, (89,000) Trenton aught to be controllable. But that’s not the reality. When a majority of the citizens vote in the same mayor repeatedly, a mayor that has failed to perform well enough to move the city forward, and they vote the bum in 4 times, well, you know you’ve got trouble in the city by the river. It could be said that Trenton’s problems echo the state’s issues.  You know, too much spending on all the wrong things. Too much corruption. Not enough taxpayers while those who live off the fat of the taxes are invited into the city so that their number multiplies therefore doubling the city’s problems.

The problem is this: the city lost too much of its middle class while the upper classes mostly moved to places like Princeton or Lawrenceville or out of the state altogether. That left Trenton with the working class, and even they move when the opportunity presents itself. What’s left is a large body of the poor and many welfare queens, drug dealers and a few coyotes. Not the four legged kind but the human that traffics in other humans.

I don’t want to paint a picture of a war zone. Because most cities, including places like Princeton, have pockets of gang activity that is violent. It’s just that places like Trenton have more of it and since it’s such a small city, it is more noticeable. My personal experience, after living in the city for two years is that I never felt threatened. Sure, stuff happened down the street and across town. But for me it was no different than living in Los Angeles when it comes to the safety issue. In my chic neighborhood here in Los Angeles, where a small 2-bedroom cottage goes for $500,000, we  struggle repeatedly with gang graffiti.

Graffiti is an old problem. We know the Romans contended with it. Whenever there’s a large population, you will find this form of angry expression. That’s not to say it should be acceptable. Fighting back is necessary. Always. So is always keeping alert.

Trenton’s problems stem from the rotten attitudes and mean expectations that are a result of muddle headed thinking. The idea that poverty excuses behavior is an arrogant one. The point of view that skin color or ethnicity is a reason to lower standards is vicious racism. These are points of view readily espoused by progressives. And policies favoring these views have been in place for a couple of generations now. Do you like the results?

Pretty-in-places Trenton doesn’t have a chance until the racists attitudes of more of its citizens change. And then there’s the necessity of an inspiring leader that can point the way while enough others roll up their sleeves to follow. Trenton does have a sizable cadre of intelligent, lovely, responsible folks longing to see their city reborn. The people of the state certainly have cast their lot with a new type of leader, one willing to face reality and do what is necessary in order to restore New Jersey to fiscal health. But in order to accomplish that task it takes a reckoning with the will to take on such a gargantuan and, in some circles, unpopular action. Trenton has an election this May. Let us see what the voters give themselves.

Next week I will tell you the story of my house, the management company and PSEG.

Faust, if you read it in school or on your own (bless you if no one had to force you to do it!) is the man who made a deal with the devil. Faust wants it all; knowledge, the ability to perform magic, beautiful women and the gold to go with it. All he need do is sign his life over to the devil. In blood. After he makes his deal and signs on the dotted line, the devil does deliver. For Faust, it’s a wild, crazy and satisfying ride. But then his time comes up and Faustus, now having those second thoughts, asks for God to save him. For his prayer of appeal, the devils kill Faust by taring him limb by limb.  It’s a bloody mess.

Another European story of this ilk is Don Juan. Mozart made his own musical version to this dark theme story, his great opera Don Giovanni. This is a story of a real son-of-a-bitch, Juan, who lies and cheats and sleeps with any woman, willing or unwilling, that he can. Like Faust, he is not a poor or uneducated man. There is no bleeding-heart reason for his actions except that he will have what he wants and he will kill if anyone stands in his way. Juan kills the father of a young woman that he ravaged. By the end of the opera, half the world is chasing this creep but he escapes human punishment by being dragged down to hell by the father he killed in the beginning of the story.

Both of these narratives are European morality tales. Damn Yankees is strictly an American version because, in the end, the lead character, Joe Hardy, (played by Tab Hunter) finds a way out of the contract by getting the devil to break the deal. Yes! All-American, that Joe Hardy.

I think of Damn Yankees as one of those quintessential American stories that illuminate our culture of optimism and hope that one can overcome the obstacles in life.  In addition to that it is a morality tale just as surely as Faustus and Don Giovanni.  In both of those European stories, the bad guys gets their comeuppance via the devil and are forever denied contact with God. Therefore, those stories are tragedies. Because to be denied the light and peace of God means the end to all existence and that is awful.

Joe Hardy is not a “bad guy” in the traditional sense of the word. He is a middle class man of middle age who is frustrated by the Washington Senator’s dismal record especially against the Yankees. Thus the title Damn Yankees. Joe’s exclaims that if the Senators had one good hitter, they  would do better. Enter the Devil, played by Ray Walston. The Devil reminds Joe that, in his youth, he was a good player being scouted by the major leagues. How would he, Joe, like to have that chance again? Joe is, at first, an unbeliever in the man standing before him is the devil able to perform the magic of returning Joe to his physical state of 25 year previous. When he is convinced, and when he insists on an escape clause in the contract the Devil offers him, the miracle is performed and middle aged Joe becomes young Joe Hardy. And can he hit!

Joe performs well and becomes quite the star athlete. But complications set in when Joe begins to miss his wife. That’s when the infamous Lola (Gwen Verdon) is called in to divert Joe’s attention. But unlike Faust or Juan, Joe is not interested in that part of the life of being a baseball star. He is sincere about wanting to help the Senators. Period. He’s your traditional American male. He understands the word fidelity.

While Joe Hardy is outsmarted by the devil at one point – he misses the deadline for activating the escape clause – because Joe wants to do the right thing, he forces the devil to break the contract thus releasing Joe from it and returning him back to his life before the devil had successfully tempted him.

This musical play illustrates well the vast difference between us and the rest of the world. Certainly we see and act on the dark side, and some Americans are “going to hell.”  But in America there’s always an escape clause. We think we can outsmart the devil. And many times we do. The moral of the tale is that you cannot go back and have what you lost or never had. No one can give those things to you. And anyone who says he can is probably the devil or his minion.  Sure, the devil gives you the desired goodies, but they last only as long as he deems fit. In Damn Yankees, the devil never had any intention of letting the Senators win the pennant.  Evil is a surface thing. Just check and when you cannot find substance, you have found evil.

It is a virtue to be yourself, to develop your talents and to work to make a career doing what you love. If you don’t, you are fair game for temptation. It is so Old World to live someone else’s version of life. Don’t. Live your life. Even if that means you have to start over  during your later years in order to realize your true self. It’s the American way, if at first you don’t succeed try, try again. This is not a question of that cliche of “re-inventing” yourself. This is a question of finding you. Only then can you truly mature into that self-reliant human being that is strong enough to hold out a helping hand to those in need.

When America first formed, her intellectuals determined to shun European ways. From the get-go American writers told old stories with a new twist. Damn Yankees is a fine example of this American genre that is still with us. Let’s keep doing it our way.

What exactly is the “ruling class?” Or for that matter, the “regime?” The official definition is that it is a political or social system. You know, the establishment. Newt is very much a part of the establishment. He is an accepted member, wealthy in connections and cash. That he is no longer in direct political power is only because the present ruling regime is not of his political party. When the GOP gets back in, Newt will be around. Guys like Newt make their fortunes by their political connections. He has earned them. That I would never deny him.

I like it that Newt is out of the closet. It’s good for conservatives to gain an understanding of what has been happening to their nation for the past, oh, 100 years. Our spiral downwards from the uniqueness that was America into some sort of quasi European nation didn’t happen over night. And it did not begin with the current president. He is the recipient of a long line of individuals, within the establishment, who made him and his ideas in the White House possible. Obama is the direct heir of George W. Bush. Gracious I can hear the hue and cry of Republicans everywhere. But that president did his part to get us into the mess we are in. And he inherited a mess from Bill Clinton.

Lest we forget, Newt and Bill managed to co-exist. My theory is that they were able to wheel and deal because they are very much alike. Both are smart men who get along well with people. No, Gingrich doesn’t have Clinton’s charm, but Newt is personable. He could not have accomplished what he has if he were not a likable guy. To continue the comparison,while Clinton did not divorce his wife, he is a known and unapologetic fornicator. Newt has had three wives. And both men are making millions from their past accomplishments in government.

Nice work if you can get it.

Newt and Bill are not alone. Anyone who has worked in government  has a good chance of making a killer living. Once you are thrown out of office it doesn’t mean the American taxpayer won’t still be paying your salary. Ex-legislators get to be high-priced consultants. Ditto bureaucrats. They go to work for corporations, like the pharmaceuticals, as liaisons between the company and the bureaucracies. It’s about networking and connections, but not networking with other people in business. The real gold lies in government connections.  As bad as that sounds – well, it’s down and out corrupt – America’s citizens need to wake up to smell the coffee of what all those Byzantine regulations have done for us. They force more young people into law school than medical school for one thing. The best and the brightest want to learn how to sue a physician, not be a physician.

These are difficult concepts for us to swallow, that we Americans no longer can look up to those who lead us. It is difficult to wrap our heads around the idea that this is not our forefathers’ nation, it’s not even our father’s. It makes a twist in my belly to think that I am at the mercy of so many people who do not know me, who only wish to keep me quiet and want my money at every turn. I hate to say it, but I am disgusted with too many of my fellow Americans. Indeed, I don’t even think of them as Americans any more. They are “Amereuropeans.” These members of the establishment think of themselves as above it all.That means above us.  There is their world and then there is our world. Theirs is a world of privilege and power over the lives of others, namely us. Ours is a world of hard work and the taking of our earnings so that the privileged few can continue their life making decisions for us. They are the aristocracy. We are the peasants, placed here on earth for their benefit.

It is a relief to see  more Americans, mostly conservatives, have made a good beginning in grasping the fundamentals of what is actually going wrong in our nation. It is not about placing the “right party” in power. It is about placing the right people in power, getting virtuous individuals elected, no matter their party affiliation. It may mean that it is time to create a viable third party that reflects the true American values of self-reliance and self-restraint. It does mean that such fools as Mark Sanford, who had everything going for him but gave it all up to fornicate with some harlot from Argentina, will be seen for what he is. A man of no self-restraint who holds only his own pleasures as his primary concern in life. Do we really need such men to lead us? Hell no. The Sanfords of this world are not truly American because our Founders did not engage in such behavior. The men who gave us this nation were men of self-restraint. They set the example. They understood that for America to continue, virtue would have to be our calling card.

There are those who say “you cannot go back” to what was.  Correct. You can’t. But you can reclaim virtue. You can radicalize. You can, shall I say it? be judgmental? That means you will judge everyone by the same virtues you live by. In essence we do that now. Our own moral laziness has caused us to accept others who are morally lazy and look where that has gotten us. Yes indeed, look in the mirror to discover our nation’s shortcomings.

Newt doesn’t get anywhere in this life without you buying into it. You can cut off  his powers to earn and manipulate by shutting him off. Judge him by your own standards. Not by the ethics of others. And when he comes on to the TV to pontificate, that’s a good time to go brush your teeth.

I don’t want to get into a liberal versus conservative discussion here, or a left versus right. My purpose with today’s discussion is the idea of the idea behind the idea. The first “idea” is the one that  suggests everyone should be under a government (bureaucratic) run health care system. The idea behind the first one is that government should be involved in health care. The third idea is that people should to be cared for in some way by their government.

You may have focused on the word “idea.” That’s not the word that deserves your attention. “Should” is the word I want you to pay attention to. For within that word is the idea behind the ideas on health care that has the government involved.

Should: An auxiliary verb used to express obligation.

Ponder it. This is what is at the bottom of many of the bills and arguments for and against them that we Americans are faced with. We are fighting not about health care, but about what is government’s role in this? So I offer up for you another point of view that for me, at least, helps clarify the underlying issues.

The 20^th century thinker and psychoanalyst, Karen Horney made the case that those who self-loath are ruled by the “tyranny of shoulds.” I stumbled upon Horney’s phrase while pondering the question of why Western Civilization is so full of self-haters. Self-hate is a sign of neurosis. Meaning, in a mental health view of the world, the West has too many neurotics. And neurotics love to tell the world how it should be, or shouldn’t be. See what I mean about the “shoulds?” We should help the poor, we should insure everyone, we should tolerate others in spite of their differences; we should not be judgmental, and so on and so forth, ad infinitum, ad nauseam.

In the day-by-day world, you can ignore a neurotic unless they need to interact with you, as in they’re your boss or spouse. Neurotics are difficult to deal with because they are a bundle of fears. Sometimes these fears manifest as the obvious self-hater and sometimes they manifest as arrogance, which is a front to cover their fears. The first type you have to have a lot of patience with. The second are impossible to work with because they are so damned defensive all the time. But what both types do have a tendency to do as to tell us how life should be lived. These are the souls who are behind all the health and environment “shoulds.”

You see how they are trouble? They vote. And they vote for other neurotics.

The difference between a liberal neurotic and a conservative neurotic is only in what they espouse, i.e. a conservative neurotic thinks only a man and woman should marry, and a liberal thinks everyone should pay for it. In other words, if you are about telling me what I (or we) should do in terms of our government, you too are a neurotic. And I would be very pleased if you would stay out of the voting booth.

I think that self-haters are so busy not paying attention to what really irks them that they turn it outward on the rest of us. Dr. Horney addressed the issues of childhood and what we don’t get from our parents can make us suffer as adults. (Ya think?) The theory is that if mommy or daddy doesn’t love the child, the child doesn’t love his own self. Yes, that is a difficult situation to come to terms with. It requires lots of the old soul searching, which we now refer to as depth psychology. It’s what Dr. Thomas Moore refers to as the pain of learning. It means standing in front of the mirror and looking into the self for the answers. ‘Cause you cannot change what happened. You can adjust your own perceptions to gain new perspectives.

Since it takes a lot of painful, laborious work to self-actualize it does become easier to “take on the world” instead. Believe me when I say that for the highly neurotic, the world’s problems are so much easier to deal with than their own. The good thing about dealing with the world’s problems is that they will never go away, so you have life-long employment or activities to keep you from yourself.

Those individuals in the world who like their lives, who understand the difference, of what they can accomplish and cannot, who comprehend that nothing is perfect, that life is messy and there are always errands to run and work to do, understand that attitude is the key to enjoyment of that life. One can be stuck in traffic and listen to music or one can rant and rave that there should be a law or better transportation system or what have you. The individual who is the master of himself does not feel the overwhelming need to control the outside world. The out-of-control individual, i.e. the neurotic, tends to look to the outside world for his fixes. If he can only change the world, he will be satisfied. If only greenhouse gases can be eliminated, the world will be clean. If only everyone can have full healthcare and not have the burden of paying for it, the world will be healthy. If only single mothers had daycare provided for them, the world’s children will be cared for. If only everyone would go to church on Sunday…

If only, if only if only.  I am creating a new diagnosis to go along with Dr. Horney’s tyranny of shoulds. The if only fantasy. If only the world would operate in a safe, humane way.  If only we would accept all people for who they are, feed, clothe and provide affordable housing…

Yes, it does sound good. But it is the fantasy of the unconscious or the not fully conscious individual. Multiply that by a few million and you see that for the rest of us, we have a problem because if these neurotics get their way it places an undo burden on the rest of us. Civilization’s gold is based on a few good rules, that when broken, invites chaos in. After chaos it will invite the strong arm of the narcissistic sociopath who knows an opportunity when he sees one. Because no matter how well the libertarian phrases his argument, no one likes living under anarchy unless they enjoy providing the strong arm.

The rational man and woman enjoy living under a few rules. In the United States we have a rulebook. Its title is The Constitution of the United States of America. Within its pages is laid out the rules on how we are supposed to play this game of life of “republican government, by the people, for the people and of the people.” It is a form of government that was designed for the rational individual. The difference between it and a democracy, a term we so erroneously use, is that safeguards are placed there to help keep the neurotics from manipulating the process.

We are now in danger of allowing the inmates of the neurotic asylum to take over not only the asylum but also the town in which it sits. This state of affairs, I will argue, has come about because these neurotics have been enabled to do so. Yet I won’t sit here and play a blame game. That is not the mission of my writing. My purpose is to make new arguments, to give you a different perspective on an ancient problem. Because it is the neurotics and their narcissistic handlers that cause the wars and the financial crisis time and time again. Totalitarian governments are the bane of the mature and the delight of the infant. Those who enjoy their maturity and adulthood have no problem with free association in all its forms. Those who hate having to grow up, and hate themselves, hate you too.

Christ was right. Love your neighbor as yourself. The reverse is also true. Hate your neighbor as yourself. And wish for misery for all.

The original immigrants were a bunch of individualists who were escaping the collectivist ways of the Old Country. Some escaped for religious reasons, some for mercantile opportunities, both wanted more personal freedom. No matter their issues, these individuals were self reliant. Making the original 13 colonies that spread up and down the east coast  a hodge-podge of various faiths and political refugees. The one thing that bound them together was the fact that they preferred the harshness of having to build a new town in the wild then to deal with what they had back home. Think about this for a minute. Could you do it, build something out of nothing? That is what they did. But philosophically, something new was in the air. We now refer to it as individualism, the concept that a man owned his life. This is the heart and soul of American culture and the American form of government, which was the first liberal Republic established on the planet Earth.

It is this culture of individualism that is under assault. Call it what you will, socialism, fascism, Marxism, or indeed, democracy, the other side is about rule of the collective over the collective. To clarify, a small collective, usually referred to as the ruling class, technically labeled oligarch, makes broad decisions for the larger collective, referred to as “the people” but in reality, subjects. In that you are subject to the laws and edicts of the rulers, and as a subject you have only the rights that are given to you by those rulers.

In truth, all people, unless wild upon the hills or in the valleys below, agree to follow some sort of rule. This is in order for us to live together. The question becomes, under what system will you live?  Will you be ruled by others or by laws that are agreed upon? Culture determines political inclinations. In our culture we are inclined to live with liberty.

In his book, Where Have All the Leaders Gone?, Lee Iacocca admits that while his immigrant father passed on his love of American culture to his children, Mr. Iacocca failed to gift his own offspring with the love and wisdom of the American way. Those of us who love this nation for what it is, that vision of the Founders, know very well that what Mr. Iacocca failed to do, millions of others did so also. Thus we are left with a great many haters of America. Many admit they detest what American stands for. Such an individual is easy to deal with. But others have not a clue why they dislike their nation. That is because they have no understanding of it. They believe the myths, not the facts. Many leaders come from this pool of citizens; men and women brought up on the myths. Is it any wonder we have a problem?

At the end of the movie, “Who Shot Liberty Valance?” the editor of the paper tears up the story that the journalist had written about the truth of an event that had transpired decades back. If you haven’t seen the film – I highly recommend it – the plot evolves around a group of characters in a western town after the Civil War. One of these characters, the antagonist, Liberty Valance (played by Lee Marvin,) is an evil man who is finally shot by, everything thinks, the mild mannered lawyer who ends up as a senator. (Played by Jimmy Stewart.)The truth is, his friend (played by John Wayne,) a rather rough man, but moral, shoots Valance from behind a building because the lawyer did not know how to use a gun. The future senator’s shot misses Valance, but Wayne’s character covers him and kills Valance. Decades later, when the journalist has learned the truth, that it was the Wayne character, not the Stewart character that killed Valance, the reason his editor gives for tearing up the story is because he wants everyone to believe the myth, i.e. that the senator shot Valance, not his friend.

It sounds good, doesn’t it, to let the myth live? But I think it’s a bad idea. When you watch the film there are so many morals in this tale that it almost overwhelms. (In another essay, we will talk about the film in depth.) But now I want to speak to the harm of mythologizing our American story when the facts, or what we have documented in letters, laws, declarations and other such concrete evidence, of the whys and wherefores of this nation, give us a better grounding. Because many of the myths have been used to slander the culture instead of praise it.

Not by any means do I think we were or are a perfect nation. Certainly, that the slavery issue was not dealt with in the beginning illustrates how America was not the dream come true for every human. It also showed that we were human; that our own values would be corrupted over time. Thus 233 years after the Declaration of Independence was written and delivered to a tyrannical king and parliament Mr. Iacocca laments the lack of leadership and his own culpability in our nation’s transformation.

For me, the most important statement in the book is the following: “You can’t get anything done by standing on the sidelines waiting for some else to take action.” Well, Mr. Iacocca, a great many Americans have heard and heeded your advice. They are streaming into town hall meetings, writing emails, calling their representatives, and, as you also suggested, they are coming off the golf courses to take action. What took them so long, I don’t know. But now that they have flexed their we-the- people muscles, my prayer is that they continue to do so. The pure, unadulterated fact is this: liberty is not free. Freedom takes work. And no one who wants it easily will get his wish unless he becomes a dependent of someone or something. As Heinlein so succinctly put it, “The human race divides politically into those who want people to be controlled and those who have no such desire.” It is the our American tradition to NOT be controlled. Such an attitude – we refer to it as self-reliance – is one that built our nation. And that, dear friend, is the basis of American culture.