It’s been a while since I’ve done a “what I’m reading instead of working” post but there’s so much good stuff in my RSS reader today that I feel compelled.
Bill Whittle’s latest Afterburner is classic, especially to Trekkers like me. (Nerd alert!) Make sure you put down your beverage before you watch.
A little pushback against Obama’s moral equivalence re: Israel:
The “student of history” – and his statements about the alleged scientific advances of Islam have been thoroughly debunked – was as wrong about Israel as he was about Islam.
Jon Voight unloads on “False Prophet Obama.” Interesting. I hope he’s made his pile and invested wisely because I’d be surprised if he gets any other work as an actor. As long as I’m linking the Jammie Wearing Fool, Obama displays his utter helplessness and cluelessness on how to deal with North Korea when he ignores a clear and direct question and tapdances around in this enjoyable video. Shocka! Diplomacy only works when both parties have an interest in resolving a problem. And as for our “Christianist in Chief” – just a reminder that the “social gospel” is no gospel at all, and that it glorifies government, not God. I don’t expect his adoring media syncophants to get that, but Christians certainly should.
And can we stop with the stimulus spending already? It’s not working. In spite of the media’s deceptive reporting, we know it’s not working. The fact that unemployment has nearly doubled since the Bush administration (rates that under Clinton were described as “essentially full employment) clearly shows it’s not working.
I’m sick to death of all the demands for big tents and inclusiveness for the GOP. Mostly because far too many of those demands are coming from people who voted for Obama. I have not been a member of the GOP since Bush’s attempt at Shamnesty. But I still managed to squeeze out a vote for McCain, who I despised, because I had the sense to see that Obama was worse. My point is that there came a point where I so heartily disagreed with what the GOP was doing in terms of big government, immigration, and overall spinelessness that I had to leave the tent. Now I’m standing outside the tent, still propping up the tent poles with my vote. While people like Christopher Buckley and an “elite” cadre of Obama supporters stand inside the tent, ripping big holes in it and complaining about people like me who actually vote Republican and who support the stated values of the GOP (though not the actions of many GOP politicians which don’t conform to GOP values.)
Who does more for the GOP, the “purists” like me who actually vote GOP, or the “moderates” who vote Democrat and fight to make the GOP platform more like the Democratic one? Words mean things. Being a member of a group normally indicates agreement with the stated values and goals of the group, and approval of the group’s actual behavior. Since the latter half of that statement no longer applies to me, I left the tent. I’m not happy that Colin Powell is a Republican, since he uses that status to get attention for attacking the Republican party. Which GOP values does he actually agree with? When are we going to hear about that? When is he going to start promoting the party he allegedly loves so much?
If the GOP wants a bigger tent, I suggest two courses of action:
- persuade more people that they are right. And if the GOP actually is right about fiscal conservativism, personal responsibility, and all the other items on the platform, why is this too hard to do? Now, while Obama’s ridiculous lies about how growing government will improve the economy are continually being exposed by the reality that we’re going deeper into debt but still shedding jobs at a record pace, while California, the lab for every social experiement under the sun, collapses. Now is the time to start pointing out the obvious reality of which governmental philosophy works and which doesn’t.
- actually adhere to what they say is right. Lay off the pork. (Right freaking now! Yesterday, in fact.) Start speaking out forcefully in the House and Senate. Quit going along to get along. Start challenging the Democrats; offer real alternatives to what they’re doing, not “Democrat-Lite.” This will bring people like me back to the party, along with my wallet and my volunteer time.
Why I hate feminists, part 8,362. But I will disagree with one thing – the concept that publishing a genuinely offensive article amounted to “cyber-rape.” Rape is such a serious crime that I think we do women a real disservice when we coin terms that tend to water it down. Playboy engaged in some really offensive free speech. Nobody was raped in any sense of the word. No crime was committed. And conservatives reaped the benefit of “liberals” especially liberal women, being exposed for the misogynistic, hateful frauds that they are. An epic win, as far as I’m concerned.
What else am I reading? Preserving Democracy. I started to review that a few months ago, and I’m embarrassed to admit I still haven’t completed it. It’s not the fault of the book, which is really good. It’s just that it’s a “thinking” book and lately I just haven’t had it in me to focus on it. We’ve had quite a bit of turmoil taking place in real life and my reading list has fallen into two categories – devotions and apologetics; C.S. Lewis’ A Grief Observed
