Today the big news attack against Newt is coming directly from the GOP establishment. An impatient, young Congressman Newt obviously felt that the Reagan admin was being too over cautious and moving way too slow in its battle against communism in 3rd world countries like Nicaragua. Mr Abrams does admit, though, that Newt "voted with the President regularly". And I have to believe that Reagan must have had some fondness for Newt in a grandfatherly way.
I do believe this account by Mr Abrams. Newt continues to have that "impatience" although its now tempered with age. More mature and controlled. But its still there and millions of middle Americans share that frustration and impatience with Newt. If we are an exceptional nation, why don't we start conducting ourselves as such? Why do we continue to kowtow to world opinion and world governing bodies?
It'd be fun to get some discussion going about this. Please feel free to comment.
( read Elliot Abrams NRO article in its entirety here )
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Grass Roots / GOTV
5 great ideas for a contemporary grass-roots, GOTV operations – whether you’re on the Right, Middle or Left. Those operating in the political arena and the inner workings of a campaign sometimes get busy/overwhelmed. But they shouldn’t take for granted the efforts of those opportunities to bring in one vote at a time:
“1. Don’t Raise an Issue, Tell a story -
Many of us might start an issue-based campaign by talking about the goal. However, people are drawn in by the story. Build an emotional connection with your audience by sharing a true story of a real person’s life and struggle.
Simply combining facts and emotions into a powerful narrative conveys far more than a 40-page proposal. Through storytelling, you make a human connection between your audience and the cause. . .”
“1. Don’t Raise an Issue, Tell a story -
Many of us might start an issue-based campaign by talking about the goal. However, people are drawn in by the story. Build an emotional connection with your audience by sharing a true story of a real person’s life and struggle.
Simply combining facts and emotions into a powerful narrative conveys far more than a 40-page proposal. Through storytelling, you make a human connection between your audience and the cause. . .”
Monday, December 28, 2009
America Deserves an Award: Great Stewards of the Environment
Americans have been vilified and conditioned to believe that they are the worst polluters on the planet. The USA has the assignment; worlds whipping boy for any and all environmental abuse on the earth. Somehow it’s all our fault that 16 of the worlds 20 most polluted cities are in China. None of the top 20 most polluted cities are in the U.S., however. In fact of the 10 cleanest cities in the world we, here in the U.S., have 3 cities on that list. And that is an accomplishment to be proud of and should not be taken lightly. It wasn’t always so good, however.
It was June 22nd,1969 when Cleveland Ohio’s Cuyahoga River caught fire. That’s right – water so polluted it just started burning. Ignited by a spark from a passing train, some believe. This, of course, made the national news. The incident is credited with motivating the American public to get on about the chore of cleaning up their environment. Not too long afterward came the Clean Water Act of ’72 and Clean Air Act of ’70. And today the Cuyahoga River has recovered and is frequented by local fisherman.
The Great Lakes are also on the mend and a home to a thriving sports fishing industry. Boston Harbor, called the “filthiest harbor in the nation” back in the early ‘80s, is well on its way to a full recovery.
And does anyone remember the “LA Smog Alerts”? Fact: the last LA Smog Alert was in 1997! A monumental accomplishment that Californians and Americans should be extremely proud of. Not just LA but most of the major U.S. cities have decreased Particulate Matter in the air dramatically over the past couple of decades ( link ). Additionally, much of these advances were prior to the introduction of hybrid vehicles. Thanks to technology, vehicle emissions have decreased and we are actually driving many more miles and polluting much less. The reduction of particulate matters in the air have no doubt ( link2 ) contributed to the increase in U.S. life expectancy.
And what ever happened to “acid rain”? Apparently those sulfur dioxide scrubbers in power plants have helped considerably. And the Ozone Hole? Where did it go? And the Whooping Crane? Down to 21 birds in 1941. Now there is a heavily protected population of 300 birds. Successes we get little credit for.
Here’s a cool website: ( link3 ). This site gives the current/daily Air Quality Index status for our nation. The site is provided by our own government. Monitoring the site over a period of time and you’ll have to conclude that our USA is a clean/ healthy place to hang out, for the most part. Rarely an “unhealthy” rating is observed. More and more, the incessant diatribes from our critics simply do not appear to be grounded in reality.
And regarding greenhouse gas emissions. We’re continuously getting chided and berated because of our alleged excessive greenhouse gas emissions, here in the U.S. Its been said that the burning of fossil fuels will cause carbon dioxide to be pumped into the air causing this greenhouse effect (hence warming), yet we continue to have record cold winters and scientists have proven that the oceans are actually cooling a bit. A fairly reliable indication that the earth’s temperature is not rising to any significant or dangerous levels and that the concerns over these emissions have been exaggerated.
Sadly, the recent and tragic emergence of the Climategate emails have deeply tainted all of the Environmental Sciences. Because of the lust of a few for political power and money, the entire scientific community has lost a large measure of credibility. Especially the political-agenda-driven environmental science cabal, headed up by a former vice-president of the United States. It will be difficult for the scientific community to win back that confidence and until that day comes, Americans need not accept or tolerate any criticisms/blame for causing any sort of climate change. And they need not give up their SUV’s!
It is now time to put the man-made climate change debate back on the shelf until we have some solid proof that man is responsible. Not a collection of loose, unproven theories. An honest and open debate must take place with both global warming proponents and skeptics allowed to participate.
In my “layman’s” view it seems there are factors that are not being - factored in. (maybe purposely) Think about plants. During daylight hours plants absorb carbon dioxide and emit oxygen. During hours of darkness that is reversed – unless there is artificial light available. Then photosynthesis continues. Next time you’re at some high-rise office building, do a quick count of all the plants you see - hundreds. Nasa has proven the value of indoor. Plants that may actually save your life. Some plants actually absorb not only CO2 but toxins from the air. Two indoor plants per 100 square feet can make a significant and healthful difference. Another American success story! Yes, we Americans are house-plant fanatics. We love and nurture millions of plants that help absorb many of the impurities out of the air and in return they emit sweet oxygen. How many indoor plants would you estimate are in a 40 story office building under artificial light? It’s a factor!
And, hey, we humans eat many plants. We love the edible ones, too! During the growth cycle of these plants they are absorbing CO2 and emitting oxygen. The more people, the more they will need to eat and the more plants will be grown for the purpose of feeding these people. Millions of acres of plants being raised for food – absorbing/emitting. Another factor!
And what about the Forest Products sector? Almost half of the of all wood supply is now planted and grown on plantations. Yet these plantations make up only 5% of the worlds forests! Which precludes the need for deforestation in the worlds natural forests. One mature tree (whether planted or naturally grown) can absorb approximately 48 pounds of CO2 per year! The Forest Products Industry has been planting and reforesting for decades. Couple that with the number of trees/shrubs that individuals plant on their personal properties. Massive amounts of CO2 absorbed. Massive amounts of oxygen emitted. A massive factor, for sure!
And, lest we forget…our Nations valiant U.S. Forest Service Firefighters who have saved millions of acres of forest land. From the Hot Shot Crews to the Smoke Jumpers. Some have made the ultimate sacrifice…(link). Our gratitude goes to these brave women and men. An ultimate factor.
We get so much negative input from our media, the blogs, the entertainment industry, foreign nations and world governing bodies regarding the damage that we Americans do to the environment. And personally, I don’t want to hear any more of their doom/gloom predictions. I didn’t have to work very hard to find America’s true, positive environmental impact. But I know I missed much. If you readers have other reports of home grown U.S. environmental successes, please add them to the comments. I’d love to hear more upbeat news.
One day, when pigs fly, Time Magazine might once again celebrate the American People as they did back in 1969 by naming them as “Person of the Year”. It was a far different publication back then. But I’m not going to wait. Nor am I going to wait on timid politicians, who run like scared rabbits from this debate/issue and are afraid to heap this sort of praise on you. Think of the political fallout!
Therefore, I am honored to perform this duty. I do hereby name the Citizens of the U.S.A. - “2009 Darvin Dowdy Person of the Year” for being Great Stewards of the Environment. I salute you and applaud you. And I exhort you to hold your heads high and make no apologies. And don’t get rid of your SUV’s! DD
It was June 22nd,1969 when Cleveland Ohio’s Cuyahoga River caught fire. That’s right – water so polluted it just started burning. Ignited by a spark from a passing train, some believe. This, of course, made the national news. The incident is credited with motivating the American public to get on about the chore of cleaning up their environment. Not too long afterward came the Clean Water Act of ’72 and Clean Air Act of ’70. And today the Cuyahoga River has recovered and is frequented by local fisherman.
The Great Lakes are also on the mend and a home to a thriving sports fishing industry. Boston Harbor, called the “filthiest harbor in the nation” back in the early ‘80s, is well on its way to a full recovery.
And does anyone remember the “LA Smog Alerts”? Fact: the last LA Smog Alert was in 1997! A monumental accomplishment that Californians and Americans should be extremely proud of. Not just LA but most of the major U.S. cities have decreased Particulate Matter in the air dramatically over the past couple of decades ( link ). Additionally, much of these advances were prior to the introduction of hybrid vehicles. Thanks to technology, vehicle emissions have decreased and we are actually driving many more miles and polluting much less. The reduction of particulate matters in the air have no doubt ( link2 ) contributed to the increase in U.S. life expectancy.
And what ever happened to “acid rain”? Apparently those sulfur dioxide scrubbers in power plants have helped considerably. And the Ozone Hole? Where did it go? And the Whooping Crane? Down to 21 birds in 1941. Now there is a heavily protected population of 300 birds. Successes we get little credit for.
Here’s a cool website: ( link3 ). This site gives the current/daily Air Quality Index status for our nation. The site is provided by our own government. Monitoring the site over a period of time and you’ll have to conclude that our USA is a clean/ healthy place to hang out, for the most part. Rarely an “unhealthy” rating is observed. More and more, the incessant diatribes from our critics simply do not appear to be grounded in reality.
And regarding greenhouse gas emissions. We’re continuously getting chided and berated because of our alleged excessive greenhouse gas emissions, here in the U.S. Its been said that the burning of fossil fuels will cause carbon dioxide to be pumped into the air causing this greenhouse effect (hence warming), yet we continue to have record cold winters and scientists have proven that the oceans are actually cooling a bit. A fairly reliable indication that the earth’s temperature is not rising to any significant or dangerous levels and that the concerns over these emissions have been exaggerated.
Sadly, the recent and tragic emergence of the Climategate emails have deeply tainted all of the Environmental Sciences. Because of the lust of a few for political power and money, the entire scientific community has lost a large measure of credibility. Especially the political-agenda-driven environmental science cabal, headed up by a former vice-president of the United States. It will be difficult for the scientific community to win back that confidence and until that day comes, Americans need not accept or tolerate any criticisms/blame for causing any sort of climate change. And they need not give up their SUV’s!
It is now time to put the man-made climate change debate back on the shelf until we have some solid proof that man is responsible. Not a collection of loose, unproven theories. An honest and open debate must take place with both global warming proponents and skeptics allowed to participate.
In my “layman’s” view it seems there are factors that are not being - factored in. (maybe purposely) Think about plants. During daylight hours plants absorb carbon dioxide and emit oxygen. During hours of darkness that is reversed – unless there is artificial light available. Then photosynthesis continues. Next time you’re at some high-rise office building, do a quick count of all the plants you see - hundreds. Nasa has proven the value of indoor. Plants that may actually save your life. Some plants actually absorb not only CO2 but toxins from the air. Two indoor plants per 100 square feet can make a significant and healthful difference. Another American success story! Yes, we Americans are house-plant fanatics. We love and nurture millions of plants that help absorb many of the impurities out of the air and in return they emit sweet oxygen. How many indoor plants would you estimate are in a 40 story office building under artificial light? It’s a factor!
And, hey, we humans eat many plants. We love the edible ones, too! During the growth cycle of these plants they are absorbing CO2 and emitting oxygen. The more people, the more they will need to eat and the more plants will be grown for the purpose of feeding these people. Millions of acres of plants being raised for food – absorbing/emitting. Another factor!
And what about the Forest Products sector? Almost half of the of all wood supply is now planted and grown on plantations. Yet these plantations make up only 5% of the worlds forests! Which precludes the need for deforestation in the worlds natural forests. One mature tree (whether planted or naturally grown) can absorb approximately 48 pounds of CO2 per year! The Forest Products Industry has been planting and reforesting for decades. Couple that with the number of trees/shrubs that individuals plant on their personal properties. Massive amounts of CO2 absorbed. Massive amounts of oxygen emitted. A massive factor, for sure!
And, lest we forget…our Nations valiant U.S. Forest Service Firefighters who have saved millions of acres of forest land. From the Hot Shot Crews to the Smoke Jumpers. Some have made the ultimate sacrifice…(link). Our gratitude goes to these brave women and men. An ultimate factor.
We get so much negative input from our media, the blogs, the entertainment industry, foreign nations and world governing bodies regarding the damage that we Americans do to the environment. And personally, I don’t want to hear any more of their doom/gloom predictions. I didn’t have to work very hard to find America’s true, positive environmental impact. But I know I missed much. If you readers have other reports of home grown U.S. environmental successes, please add them to the comments. I’d love to hear more upbeat news.
One day, when pigs fly, Time Magazine might once again celebrate the American People as they did back in 1969 by naming them as “Person of the Year”. It was a far different publication back then. But I’m not going to wait. Nor am I going to wait on timid politicians, who run like scared rabbits from this debate/issue and are afraid to heap this sort of praise on you. Think of the political fallout!
Therefore, I am honored to perform this duty. I do hereby name the Citizens of the U.S.A. - “2009 Darvin Dowdy Person of the Year” for being Great Stewards of the Environment. I salute you and applaud you. And I exhort you to hold your heads high and make no apologies. And don’t get rid of your SUV’s! DD
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Rush Limbaugh: Putting GOP & Conservatives in Harm's Way...
An Open Letter to Rush Limbaugh:
Rush, since I can never get through and have no time to sit and dial, redial, etc. This will have to suffice. Slim chance that you’ll ever read it but maybe some caring person will forward it to you. They do you an extreme disservice if they do not.
Lets just cut to the chase, pal – you’ve been intellectually dishonest. Either intentionally or unintentionally… but either way it has affected your overall impact. Negatively. Rush I know you must be aware of this. You’re far too intelligent not to know that something is wrong. Understandably, a man as busy as yourself has little time for introspection or self evaluation. You probably depend on your pandering friends to watch your back for you - but obviously they’ve failed you. So I’ve taken on this very unpleasant task.
Rush, I felt I had a duty to spotlight your lapse of credibility when I heard you absolutely rip the Drive By Media recently over their silence on Climategate. At first I wanted to cheer, “right on, right on!”. But I couldn’t. In fact a dark cloud drifted into my thoughts regarding you. You Rush! A person I’ve admired, respected and loved like a brother for a decade +. I felt I could no longer pretend that there was not a problem within your message as a whole. After some thought I realized; Rush is being a hypocrite. On the one hand he correctly/rightly/continually blames the Drive-By’s for their glaring, deafening reporting omissions of Climategate (and other major news events). But he has used (and uses) the same tactic of “purposeful omission” himself. In particular regarding the Housing Bubble/Sub-prime issue.
Over the past year, Rush, you have put all of the blame on Barney Frank, Chris Dodd and the democrats for this crisis when you had to have known that the Bush/Rove team, too, was involved neck deep in the process of relaxing the mortgage lending rules and underwriting guidelines!
No doubt that Frank, Dodd and the democrats bear the majority of the blame and both of these individuals (and others) should be jailed. And I believe eventually they will be. “But!” that doesn’t let the Bush/Rove team off the hook, Rush! You’re far too smart to let something of this magnitude slip by you. Even with one hand tied behind your back. So I have to assume – purposeful omission on your part.
You had to have known, Rush, about K. Rove’s absolute and total obsession with acquiring the elusive, unreliable and overrated Hispanic vote ( LINK ). His obsession went so far as to exclude and alienate other large conservative voting blocks! But that didn’t matter to “the architect”. No, the Conservative Base be damned, all speed ahead and make room for La Raza.
And, Rush, what about the “American Dream Down Payment Act”? The pride of the very liberal George W. Bush. You had to have read this speech, Rush! Bush all but admits his intentions to rig the system so that 5.5 million lower income folks can get into a mortgage. Whether they can afford to repay it or not, isn’t of concern. The prime concern for the Bush/Rove team? Bragging rights. Bragging rights before and during the ’04 election regarding the number of minorities who now own homes since George W. Bush took office.
George W. Bush should have lead. Rather than writing the token “strongly worded letter” he should have insisted that Frank, Dodd and the democrats cease and desist in their efforts to pressure banks and other lending institutions to relax their mortgage lending guidelines. Using the threat of turning the whole mess over to the DoJ. As Bill O’Reilly accurately points out to a very uncomfortable and less than candid Karl Rove here: “Bush should’ve made it a central issue”. But all the while “W” had Karl Rove whispering in his ear, “no, leave them be. We’ll let them take the fall for bad loans and we’ll get to take credit for the increase in minority home ownership”. Bush should have fired this misguided snake-oil salesman years ago. (and so should Fox fire him now) But instead, the wink, the nod and the coy smile….
I can hear you Rush; “playing the blame game, Dowdy”. That’s absolutely correct Rush. Its part of the necessary evaluation process. This distasteful task must be done to analyze what went wrong with the GOP on 11/7/06 and 11/4/08. And in order to do this we must examine specific human errors and , yes - name names. And by your purposeful omissions of this aspect of the sub-prime crisis, you, Rush, have robbed the Republican Party and the Conservative Movement of a valuable method of measuring their dysfunction. And without that capability, how can they right themselves? Maneuver themselves back on course? All of this because of your loyalty to your friend – George W. Bush.
You are his friend, Rush, but I doubt he feels the same towards you. How many times have you been invited to Crawford since 1/21/09? I can assure you that neither Bush nor Rove have any deep respect for you. We know that “W” expressed a disdain for the Conservative Movement and arrogantly claimed to have “redefined the Republican Party”. He got that part right, didn’t he? Damaging the GOP worse than Richard Nixon could’ve ever dreamed of doing. Face it Rush – you have been used. They invited you to the Whitehouse. They wined and dined. Mano y Mano with the POTUS. It was all calculated, choreographed and it had its desired effect on you. You never should’ve accepted that invitation. You became nothing more than a piece on their chess board, after that.
And you continue to act like a pawn on their chess board, Rush. It is not a noble thing you do, shielding these individuals. You spend 100% of your time expounding upon, illustrating and spotlighting “the wicked left”. The part of your job that you love. But every job has certain elements that are unpleasant. You are being immature and irresponsible by not performing these loathsome parts of your job, Rush. And you are depriving your listeners, the GOP, Movement Conservatives and your Nation of the tools it needs to get itself back in phase. Back on target and focused.
Don’t feel too bad, Rush. As a Texan, I voted for “W” - 4 times. He fooled us all. Once I too felt an esprit de corps of sorts with the Republican Party. That is until the GOP Hierarchy, under George W. Bush, revealed itself as nothing more than a collection of Transnational Progressives. And don’t be fooled, the GOP remains highly contaminated with their ilk. Which puts them at strong odds with the highly nationalistic Conservative Base. This major split caused 11/7/06 and 11/4/08.
Rush, you continue to unwittingly “carry the water” for a few of the “old guard”. We need you at peak performance during this battle to save our Constitution. Harping on the Constitution-hating democrats all day by you and other conservative commentators does nothing to help put our GOP and Conservative Movement back on course with a winning strategy. In fact, by your neglect and omissions you allow them to remain - in harms way.
Darvin Dowdy
Rush, since I can never get through and have no time to sit and dial, redial, etc. This will have to suffice. Slim chance that you’ll ever read it but maybe some caring person will forward it to you. They do you an extreme disservice if they do not.
Lets just cut to the chase, pal – you’ve been intellectually dishonest. Either intentionally or unintentionally… but either way it has affected your overall impact. Negatively. Rush I know you must be aware of this. You’re far too intelligent not to know that something is wrong. Understandably, a man as busy as yourself has little time for introspection or self evaluation. You probably depend on your pandering friends to watch your back for you - but obviously they’ve failed you. So I’ve taken on this very unpleasant task.
Rush, I felt I had a duty to spotlight your lapse of credibility when I heard you absolutely rip the Drive By Media recently over their silence on Climategate. At first I wanted to cheer, “right on, right on!”. But I couldn’t. In fact a dark cloud drifted into my thoughts regarding you. You Rush! A person I’ve admired, respected and loved like a brother for a decade +. I felt I could no longer pretend that there was not a problem within your message as a whole. After some thought I realized; Rush is being a hypocrite. On the one hand he correctly/rightly/continually blames the Drive-By’s for their glaring, deafening reporting omissions of Climategate (and other major news events). But he has used (and uses) the same tactic of “purposeful omission” himself. In particular regarding the Housing Bubble/Sub-prime issue.
Over the past year, Rush, you have put all of the blame on Barney Frank, Chris Dodd and the democrats for this crisis when you had to have known that the Bush/Rove team, too, was involved neck deep in the process of relaxing the mortgage lending rules and underwriting guidelines!
No doubt that Frank, Dodd and the democrats bear the majority of the blame and both of these individuals (and others) should be jailed. And I believe eventually they will be. “But!” that doesn’t let the Bush/Rove team off the hook, Rush! You’re far too smart to let something of this magnitude slip by you. Even with one hand tied behind your back. So I have to assume – purposeful omission on your part.
You had to have known, Rush, about K. Rove’s absolute and total obsession with acquiring the elusive, unreliable and overrated Hispanic vote ( LINK ). His obsession went so far as to exclude and alienate other large conservative voting blocks! But that didn’t matter to “the architect”. No, the Conservative Base be damned, all speed ahead and make room for La Raza.
And, Rush, what about the “American Dream Down Payment Act”? The pride of the very liberal George W. Bush. You had to have read this speech, Rush! Bush all but admits his intentions to rig the system so that 5.5 million lower income folks can get into a mortgage. Whether they can afford to repay it or not, isn’t of concern. The prime concern for the Bush/Rove team? Bragging rights. Bragging rights before and during the ’04 election regarding the number of minorities who now own homes since George W. Bush took office.
George W. Bush should have lead. Rather than writing the token “strongly worded letter” he should have insisted that Frank, Dodd and the democrats cease and desist in their efforts to pressure banks and other lending institutions to relax their mortgage lending guidelines. Using the threat of turning the whole mess over to the DoJ. As Bill O’Reilly accurately points out to a very uncomfortable and less than candid Karl Rove here: “Bush should’ve made it a central issue”. But all the while “W” had Karl Rove whispering in his ear, “no, leave them be. We’ll let them take the fall for bad loans and we’ll get to take credit for the increase in minority home ownership”. Bush should have fired this misguided snake-oil salesman years ago. (and so should Fox fire him now) But instead, the wink, the nod and the coy smile….
I can hear you Rush; “playing the blame game, Dowdy”. That’s absolutely correct Rush. Its part of the necessary evaluation process. This distasteful task must be done to analyze what went wrong with the GOP on 11/7/06 and 11/4/08. And in order to do this we must examine specific human errors and , yes - name names. And by your purposeful omissions of this aspect of the sub-prime crisis, you, Rush, have robbed the Republican Party and the Conservative Movement of a valuable method of measuring their dysfunction. And without that capability, how can they right themselves? Maneuver themselves back on course? All of this because of your loyalty to your friend – George W. Bush.
You are his friend, Rush, but I doubt he feels the same towards you. How many times have you been invited to Crawford since 1/21/09? I can assure you that neither Bush nor Rove have any deep respect for you. We know that “W” expressed a disdain for the Conservative Movement and arrogantly claimed to have “redefined the Republican Party”. He got that part right, didn’t he? Damaging the GOP worse than Richard Nixon could’ve ever dreamed of doing. Face it Rush – you have been used. They invited you to the Whitehouse. They wined and dined. Mano y Mano with the POTUS. It was all calculated, choreographed and it had its desired effect on you. You never should’ve accepted that invitation. You became nothing more than a piece on their chess board, after that.
And you continue to act like a pawn on their chess board, Rush. It is not a noble thing you do, shielding these individuals. You spend 100% of your time expounding upon, illustrating and spotlighting “the wicked left”. The part of your job that you love. But every job has certain elements that are unpleasant. You are being immature and irresponsible by not performing these loathsome parts of your job, Rush. And you are depriving your listeners, the GOP, Movement Conservatives and your Nation of the tools it needs to get itself back in phase. Back on target and focused.
Don’t feel too bad, Rush. As a Texan, I voted for “W” - 4 times. He fooled us all. Once I too felt an esprit de corps of sorts with the Republican Party. That is until the GOP Hierarchy, under George W. Bush, revealed itself as nothing more than a collection of Transnational Progressives. And don’t be fooled, the GOP remains highly contaminated with their ilk. Which puts them at strong odds with the highly nationalistic Conservative Base. This major split caused 11/7/06 and 11/4/08.
Rush, you continue to unwittingly “carry the water” for a few of the “old guard”. We need you at peak performance during this battle to save our Constitution. Harping on the Constitution-hating democrats all day by you and other conservative commentators does nothing to help put our GOP and Conservative Movement back on course with a winning strategy. In fact, by your neglect and omissions you allow them to remain - in harms way.
Darvin Dowdy
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Can the GOP Continue to Ignore the "Lou Dobbs Voters"?
Chris Gacek of the Family Research Council gave the GOP a stern warning via his October ’07 essay in Politico – “Lou Dobbs Voters Will Decide ‘08”. Of course, the arrogant GOP Hierarchy paid little-to-no attention. Hence, they were punished severely on 11/4/08 by this massive block of former/traditional GOP voters now estimated by Rasmussen to be 12-14% ( link ). By my best estimation that translates into 15-18 million. Think they could have made a difference on election day for the GOP? Instead the disconnected Republicans opted to pander and grovel for the unreliable moderate/centrist vote. And the overrated Hispanic/LaRaza vote. They (McCain and Gingrich especially) even took a shot at the “green” vote. And this overall strategy worked about as well as one would expect forcing 59 million of “us” to reluctantly and dutifully hold our nose and pull the lever for McCain. Lot of good it did, huh?
So, who are these Lou Dobbs Voters? Estranged and shunned by the pompous GOP. They’re not simply the audience of Lou Dobbs former CNN program, no. These folks come out of the heartland of our Nation – coast to coast/Canada to Mexico. They know history, they know the Constitution and they keep up with current events. Also, they’re fiercely nationalistic. If you ask them who Ramos and Compean are – that’ll get their attention. And if you really want to see their blood pressure rise, ask them about Johnny Sutton. These Dobbs voters will also be able to tell you about the 99% effective E-Verify program and the seditious efforts of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to block the gov’t from mandating its use by employers to verify that their employees are, indeed, either citizens or in country legally. The U.S. Chamber, of course wanting to keep the flow of cheap, illegal labor open and unobstructed. News issues that Dobbs bravely reported on regularly.
I’ll wager that if you asked Sarah Palin, Tim Pawlenty or any GOP insider “what about Ramos and Compean?”, they wouldn’t know what you’re talking about. But these are the issues that concern this unique block of voters. Issues that are reported on by very few in the mainstream media – Dobbs, Beck, Ingraham, Malkin and Savage mostly.
I’d challenge some of you, who consider yourselves moderate Republicans to look below the surface of some of these issues. Here’s one. Do some research on Oklahoma House Bill 1804. The good citizens of Oklahoma overwhelmingly supported this bill and it passed the Oklahoma house by a vote of 89-9 which would have protected the state from the costs of rampant illegal immigration. But who do you think used the courts to block it? La Raza? Lulac? The ACLU? No! None of the above. It was our GOP’s best bosom buddy (and best donor) the U.S. Chamber of Commerce again. They went against the will of Oklahoma citizenry and blocked this bill by finding a liberal judge and using the courts. Which explains a lot. Do I have to spell it out? The GOP Base says, “close the borders and enforce existing immigration laws!”. The U.S. Chamber says with a sly smile, “if you do we’ll cut off our major donations”. The Republicans simply can’t wean themselves away from that revenue stream. No matter that its costing them votes. These are the sorts of extremely important issues that Dobbs (and very few others) are reporting on.
The concern over these issues is very consistent with Conservative thought. States Rights, Rule of Law, National Pride and national Sovereignty. And Reagan Realism in the area of international trade. Our military protects our shores even when they’re in foreign battlefields. Shouldn’t we also have an umbrella of realistic global trade protections over our own nations economy? Make no mistake, Ronald Reagan believed we should have them. Somewhere between 1988 and the present we drifted off course in the area of international trade, dealing only with the approval and permission of the WTO and other world governing bodies. Watching helplessly as our wealth was (and is) being slowly siphoned off and our trade deficit ever widening.
Again, these are the sorts of issues that Lou Dobbs and a handful of others report on. These same issues are of deep concern to the Constitution-loving, fiercely nationalistic Lou Dobbs Voters. And as the Republican Party continues to gravitate more towards Transnational Progressivism / globalism, this sizeable block of voters has opted to stop the train and get off.
Once our Republicans get elected they immediately turn their backs on those that put them in office. They shift their focus instead on the requests/demands of special interests, world governing bodies, foreign governments and non-governmental orgs (NGO’s). Hence, it was necessary for the voters to punish them for their bad behavior. And that’s what happened not only on 11/4/08 but also on 11/7/06. And it’ll happen again on 11/2/10 if we don’t right our course.
So, what happened to these Lou Dobbs voters on 11/4/08? Most simply, and respectably “Stayed at Home”. Others protest voted for a 3rd party candidate. Also, understandable. But many (too many) were so emotional and eager to “throw the bums out” that they engaged in a stupid knee-jerk type reaction and – voted Obama. I’m sure they’re kicking themselves about now. And well they should.
It was also very stupid of the GOP Hierarchy to disrespect, ignore and insult the Lou Dobbs voters and similar voting blocks. Can they afford to do that again with the 2010 midterms so close? After all, they must’ve learned by now that depending on the centrist/moderate, Hispanic and green vote did not (and will not) translate into votes for them.
There is another huge factor – Lou Dobbs is no longer some Monday-Friday evening news anchor guy. The GOP now has to deal with the very real possibility of “Lou Dobbs – Presidential Candidate” . And deal they must. Lou Dobbs describes himself as a “lifelong Republican”. Believe me, the GOP and Movement Conservatives want to keep it that way. They don’t want to force Dobbs into some 3rd party option. Wouldn’t it be best for the GOP to stop compromising away its principles and reengage with its principled Base?
Republicans are involved in a very dangerous gamble at present. They have adopted the tactic of spending 100% of their time illustrating the weakness of the opposition and zero time in self introspection/analysis. They seem to think that if they embark on an emotional tirade about the wicked left then the unpleasant task of getting their own dysfunctional house in order will not be necessary. It’s a very childish and irresponsible tactic and in my view it will not attract the Lou Dobbs Voters back into the GOP fold on 11/2/10.
Darvin Dowdy
Note: not an endorsement of Lou Dobbs - DD
So, who are these Lou Dobbs Voters? Estranged and shunned by the pompous GOP. They’re not simply the audience of Lou Dobbs former CNN program, no. These folks come out of the heartland of our Nation – coast to coast/Canada to Mexico. They know history, they know the Constitution and they keep up with current events. Also, they’re fiercely nationalistic. If you ask them who Ramos and Compean are – that’ll get their attention. And if you really want to see their blood pressure rise, ask them about Johnny Sutton. These Dobbs voters will also be able to tell you about the 99% effective E-Verify program and the seditious efforts of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to block the gov’t from mandating its use by employers to verify that their employees are, indeed, either citizens or in country legally. The U.S. Chamber, of course wanting to keep the flow of cheap, illegal labor open and unobstructed. News issues that Dobbs bravely reported on regularly.
I’ll wager that if you asked Sarah Palin, Tim Pawlenty or any GOP insider “what about Ramos and Compean?”, they wouldn’t know what you’re talking about. But these are the issues that concern this unique block of voters. Issues that are reported on by very few in the mainstream media – Dobbs, Beck, Ingraham, Malkin and Savage mostly.
I’d challenge some of you, who consider yourselves moderate Republicans to look below the surface of some of these issues. Here’s one. Do some research on Oklahoma House Bill 1804. The good citizens of Oklahoma overwhelmingly supported this bill and it passed the Oklahoma house by a vote of 89-9 which would have protected the state from the costs of rampant illegal immigration. But who do you think used the courts to block it? La Raza? Lulac? The ACLU? No! None of the above. It was our GOP’s best bosom buddy (and best donor) the U.S. Chamber of Commerce again. They went against the will of Oklahoma citizenry and blocked this bill by finding a liberal judge and using the courts. Which explains a lot. Do I have to spell it out? The GOP Base says, “close the borders and enforce existing immigration laws!”. The U.S. Chamber says with a sly smile, “if you do we’ll cut off our major donations”. The Republicans simply can’t wean themselves away from that revenue stream. No matter that its costing them votes. These are the sorts of extremely important issues that Dobbs (and very few others) are reporting on.
The concern over these issues is very consistent with Conservative thought. States Rights, Rule of Law, National Pride and national Sovereignty. And Reagan Realism in the area of international trade. Our military protects our shores even when they’re in foreign battlefields. Shouldn’t we also have an umbrella of realistic global trade protections over our own nations economy? Make no mistake, Ronald Reagan believed we should have them. Somewhere between 1988 and the present we drifted off course in the area of international trade, dealing only with the approval and permission of the WTO and other world governing bodies. Watching helplessly as our wealth was (and is) being slowly siphoned off and our trade deficit ever widening.
Again, these are the sorts of issues that Lou Dobbs and a handful of others report on. These same issues are of deep concern to the Constitution-loving, fiercely nationalistic Lou Dobbs Voters. And as the Republican Party continues to gravitate more towards Transnational Progressivism / globalism, this sizeable block of voters has opted to stop the train and get off.
Once our Republicans get elected they immediately turn their backs on those that put them in office. They shift their focus instead on the requests/demands of special interests, world governing bodies, foreign governments and non-governmental orgs (NGO’s). Hence, it was necessary for the voters to punish them for their bad behavior. And that’s what happened not only on 11/4/08 but also on 11/7/06. And it’ll happen again on 11/2/10 if we don’t right our course.
So, what happened to these Lou Dobbs voters on 11/4/08? Most simply, and respectably “Stayed at Home”. Others protest voted for a 3rd party candidate. Also, understandable. But many (too many) were so emotional and eager to “throw the bums out” that they engaged in a stupid knee-jerk type reaction and – voted Obama. I’m sure they’re kicking themselves about now. And well they should.
It was also very stupid of the GOP Hierarchy to disrespect, ignore and insult the Lou Dobbs voters and similar voting blocks. Can they afford to do that again with the 2010 midterms so close? After all, they must’ve learned by now that depending on the centrist/moderate, Hispanic and green vote did not (and will not) translate into votes for them.
There is another huge factor – Lou Dobbs is no longer some Monday-Friday evening news anchor guy. The GOP now has to deal with the very real possibility of “Lou Dobbs – Presidential Candidate” . And deal they must. Lou Dobbs describes himself as a “lifelong Republican”. Believe me, the GOP and Movement Conservatives want to keep it that way. They don’t want to force Dobbs into some 3rd party option. Wouldn’t it be best for the GOP to stop compromising away its principles and reengage with its principled Base?
Republicans are involved in a very dangerous gamble at present. They have adopted the tactic of spending 100% of their time illustrating the weakness of the opposition and zero time in self introspection/analysis. They seem to think that if they embark on an emotional tirade about the wicked left then the unpleasant task of getting their own dysfunctional house in order will not be necessary. It’s a very childish and irresponsible tactic and in my view it will not attract the Lou Dobbs Voters back into the GOP fold on 11/2/10.
Darvin Dowdy
Note: not an endorsement of Lou Dobbs - DD
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Palin & Conservatives Have No Obligation to the Media Elitists
“As a public official, I expect criticism and I expect to be held accountable for how I govern, but the personal, salacious nature of recent reporting, and often the refusal of the media to correct obvious mistakes, unfortunately discredits too many in journalism today, making it difficult for many Americans to believe what they see in the media.”
. . .Sarah Palin
Something has happened to the political landscape that most potential conservative candidates aren’t even aware of yet. An astonishing, unintended “change” has occurred that will give candidates from the Right a definite advantage if they choose to take it. A definite chink in the Left’s armor. And that’s a dilemma because charging in and taking advantage of this new breach in the Left’s parapet will take courage and conviction. Assets that even the best GOP politicians are generally in short supply of, especially in the higher echelons. With the exception of a couple of “bold ones” the rest are all playing it safe. Over cautious.
So what is this significant “thing” that has happened? Simple, the biased, autocratic, domineering Main Stream Media (MSM) has clearly given away its position and, as a result, they can no longer be called objective or respectable. “What?” you say. “you’re telling us something we’ve known for years.” True, but the difference is that today, there are literally volumes written that prove, and expose, without a shadow of a doubt, the hatreds and prejudices that the MSM have for Conservatives. It’s no longer just the lone, pioneer voice of Limbaugh talking about it on the radio. Its now categorized and documented by a myriad of learned experts and available for any conservative politician to reference. At their finger tips. Now the possibility of a surprise ambush by the MSM is almost non-existent. This is huge. Conservatives can now make a legitimate case for a major break in relations with the various elements of the MSM.
So, what does this mean? Is it now time to go on the attack? Hit the MSM head on? Kick them where it hurts? No! We can learn from beloved former Washington State governor, the late Dixie Lee Ray who took a confrontational strategy with the state media. When a pet pig had a litter of piglets, she even went so far as to name each of the piglets after some of her worst adversaries in the press. Dixie Lee was a brilliant scientist but she made some serious missteps in her handling of the media which cost her a re-election. Dixie was a no-nonsense gal, God rest her soul. Not enough like her, sadly.
Were I advising a contemporary conservative politician vying for a high public office, I’d tell them to take a look at how ** Danish politician, Fogh Rasmussen handled the situation when an aggressive, left-leaning member of the Danish media began to pressure him to grant an interview. In reality it was nothing but an ambush and Fogh knew it. But he didn’t counter attack. No, Mr. Rasmussen made a simple public statement: “it is an infringement of my personal freedom if I, myself, may not decide who I will speak to on a day to day basis”. Surprisingly, that was the end of it. Fogh simply ignored them, stuck to his principles and kept quiet. I’m sure he then focused on his constituents. Perfect. A simple, respectful refusal – and then ignore them.
Of course we can expect no such civility in our own political process. Maybe from the Conservative side but you can bet that the MSM counterpart will not reciprocate. You see, the MSM considers itself a legitimate and legal part of that process. When in fact they’re nothing more than a business trying to make money and they’ve been given far too much access. They have no more rights than any other business other than their individual right to vote. But they won’t see it that way. Which is why any conservative politician who attempts to quietly banish them from “our side” of the political process will set off an unprecedented political firestorm. And this will be an opportunity for Conservative politicians to, once and for all, forget George Bush’s disgusting “New Tone” and grow a spine. Regain some respect and stop pandering.
Politicians with a backbone? What a concept. They’ll have to learn just as Riot Police must learn. Riot Police are taught to keep their fear, anger and emotions under control. Not an easy task when being verbally attacked by a mob. Only when the rioters cross a certain line and actually assault the police, are they allowed to retaliate. Until then, they remain silent with plexiglass shields locked. The tuning-out and expulsion of the MSM from the conservative side of the political process will cause an intellectual riot of sorts. Depriving these spoiled MSM brats of what they think they’re entitled to will cause the expected destructive conflagration. Something to definitely be prepared for. There may even be some small skirmishes. Extra security might be required for restricted conservative functions so that disruptions don’t occur. Yea, its going to take some real backbone on our part! We’ve catered to these Constitution-hating leftists far too long and they’ve become accustomed to having their way. But it is the MSM, through their own misconduct that have forfeited these privileges. Privileges are not rights and can be taken away.
What would be the positive effects of this sort of decisive and courageous action on the part of Movement Conservatives? Think of the time spent by Conservative politicians preparing for the hostile gauntlet that they require themselves to run through every political season. They must shift their focus away from the Conservative Base and give rapt attention to the enemy in the MSM. They must become as “walking encyclopedias”. With knowledge and the correct pronunciation of every little tinhorn dictator around the world and the tiny nation they lord over. They’re required to know minute details on all subjects or risk looking foolish on national TV. The irony is that the vicious MSM will see to it that they look foolish anyway. No matter how well prepared they are. Can we remember the ’08 GOP debates? The time it takes to maintain this charade totally shifts the politicians focus away from connecting and bonding with the actual voting Base that will, hopefully, elect them. Exactly as the Left has designed and implemented it! Such a tragedy that Conservatives have repeatedly fallen into this trap and allowed themselves to be manipulated to this extent.
It has been Sarah Palin who has taken the worst of the full frontal attacks/barrages of the MSM and certain other well organized, well financed elements on the Left. This fact is telling.
If Sarah decides to pursue the 2012 POTUS, she should consider a departure from the traditional/conventional forms of campaigning and that will also include banishment of the MSM. Going straight to the populace or working through “friendlies” of which there are ample. She can learn much from the mistakes of Fred Thompson and Duncan Hunter. Sarah will need to skirt around the Left’s Maginot Line. She should also avoid, like the plague, the well traveled thoroughfares that other GOP candidates choose to travel upon. They’re lined with trip wires, booby traps and snipers peering down from tree tops. Sarah can reach the same destination by traveling off road along dirt roads and game trails. Metaphorically speaking, of course.
Darvin Dowdy
Self-Appointed Adviser to Sarah Palin
**Danish politician – copy/paste this url: https://www.indymedia.ie/article/82913?comment_order=asc&condense_comments=false
. . .Sarah Palin
Something has happened to the political landscape that most potential conservative candidates aren’t even aware of yet. An astonishing, unintended “change” has occurred that will give candidates from the Right a definite advantage if they choose to take it. A definite chink in the Left’s armor. And that’s a dilemma because charging in and taking advantage of this new breach in the Left’s parapet will take courage and conviction. Assets that even the best GOP politicians are generally in short supply of, especially in the higher echelons. With the exception of a couple of “bold ones” the rest are all playing it safe. Over cautious.
So what is this significant “thing” that has happened? Simple, the biased, autocratic, domineering Main Stream Media (MSM) has clearly given away its position and, as a result, they can no longer be called objective or respectable. “What?” you say. “you’re telling us something we’ve known for years.” True, but the difference is that today, there are literally volumes written that prove, and expose, without a shadow of a doubt, the hatreds and prejudices that the MSM have for Conservatives. It’s no longer just the lone, pioneer voice of Limbaugh talking about it on the radio. Its now categorized and documented by a myriad of learned experts and available for any conservative politician to reference. At their finger tips. Now the possibility of a surprise ambush by the MSM is almost non-existent. This is huge. Conservatives can now make a legitimate case for a major break in relations with the various elements of the MSM.
So, what does this mean? Is it now time to go on the attack? Hit the MSM head on? Kick them where it hurts? No! We can learn from beloved former Washington State governor, the late Dixie Lee Ray who took a confrontational strategy with the state media. When a pet pig had a litter of piglets, she even went so far as to name each of the piglets after some of her worst adversaries in the press. Dixie Lee was a brilliant scientist but she made some serious missteps in her handling of the media which cost her a re-election. Dixie was a no-nonsense gal, God rest her soul. Not enough like her, sadly.
Were I advising a contemporary conservative politician vying for a high public office, I’d tell them to take a look at how ** Danish politician, Fogh Rasmussen handled the situation when an aggressive, left-leaning member of the Danish media began to pressure him to grant an interview. In reality it was nothing but an ambush and Fogh knew it. But he didn’t counter attack. No, Mr. Rasmussen made a simple public statement: “it is an infringement of my personal freedom if I, myself, may not decide who I will speak to on a day to day basis”. Surprisingly, that was the end of it. Fogh simply ignored them, stuck to his principles and kept quiet. I’m sure he then focused on his constituents. Perfect. A simple, respectful refusal – and then ignore them.
Of course we can expect no such civility in our own political process. Maybe from the Conservative side but you can bet that the MSM counterpart will not reciprocate. You see, the MSM considers itself a legitimate and legal part of that process. When in fact they’re nothing more than a business trying to make money and they’ve been given far too much access. They have no more rights than any other business other than their individual right to vote. But they won’t see it that way. Which is why any conservative politician who attempts to quietly banish them from “our side” of the political process will set off an unprecedented political firestorm. And this will be an opportunity for Conservative politicians to, once and for all, forget George Bush’s disgusting “New Tone” and grow a spine. Regain some respect and stop pandering.
Politicians with a backbone? What a concept. They’ll have to learn just as Riot Police must learn. Riot Police are taught to keep their fear, anger and emotions under control. Not an easy task when being verbally attacked by a mob. Only when the rioters cross a certain line and actually assault the police, are they allowed to retaliate. Until then, they remain silent with plexiglass shields locked. The tuning-out and expulsion of the MSM from the conservative side of the political process will cause an intellectual riot of sorts. Depriving these spoiled MSM brats of what they think they’re entitled to will cause the expected destructive conflagration. Something to definitely be prepared for. There may even be some small skirmishes. Extra security might be required for restricted conservative functions so that disruptions don’t occur. Yea, its going to take some real backbone on our part! We’ve catered to these Constitution-hating leftists far too long and they’ve become accustomed to having their way. But it is the MSM, through their own misconduct that have forfeited these privileges. Privileges are not rights and can be taken away.
What would be the positive effects of this sort of decisive and courageous action on the part of Movement Conservatives? Think of the time spent by Conservative politicians preparing for the hostile gauntlet that they require themselves to run through every political season. They must shift their focus away from the Conservative Base and give rapt attention to the enemy in the MSM. They must become as “walking encyclopedias”. With knowledge and the correct pronunciation of every little tinhorn dictator around the world and the tiny nation they lord over. They’re required to know minute details on all subjects or risk looking foolish on national TV. The irony is that the vicious MSM will see to it that they look foolish anyway. No matter how well prepared they are. Can we remember the ’08 GOP debates? The time it takes to maintain this charade totally shifts the politicians focus away from connecting and bonding with the actual voting Base that will, hopefully, elect them. Exactly as the Left has designed and implemented it! Such a tragedy that Conservatives have repeatedly fallen into this trap and allowed themselves to be manipulated to this extent.
It has been Sarah Palin who has taken the worst of the full frontal attacks/barrages of the MSM and certain other well organized, well financed elements on the Left. This fact is telling.
If Sarah decides to pursue the 2012 POTUS, she should consider a departure from the traditional/conventional forms of campaigning and that will also include banishment of the MSM. Going straight to the populace or working through “friendlies” of which there are ample. She can learn much from the mistakes of Fred Thompson and Duncan Hunter. Sarah will need to skirt around the Left’s Maginot Line. She should also avoid, like the plague, the well traveled thoroughfares that other GOP candidates choose to travel upon. They’re lined with trip wires, booby traps and snipers peering down from tree tops. Sarah can reach the same destination by traveling off road along dirt roads and game trails. Metaphorically speaking, of course.
Darvin Dowdy
Self-Appointed Adviser to Sarah Palin
**Danish politician – copy/paste this url: https://www.indymedia.ie/article/82913?comment_order=asc&condense_comments=false
Saturday, July 25, 2009
The Don Quixote's of Our Era...
(1st published on my Townhall blog - http://streetlevel.blogtownhall.com - on 8/20/07
After a busy day of traveling recently on a business trip, I finally reached my hotel room where I immediately unpacked, ordered from room service, found the remote and plopped on the bed. Powering on the tube I found little. Until I happened upon, of all things, PBS. They had a bio of Theodor Geisel. Or as he is better known, Dr. Suess the children’s book writer. I never knew that he came up during the depression/ World War II era and that he was an extreme left-winger. But as I watched the documentary I was fascinated by one glaring fact. And that was the left leaning Geisel and his New York liberal associates were not only for WWII but were aggressive about it. Wanting to contribute in some way to the war effort. As was the case with "most" of the other factions, groups, segments of that particular society during that particular time period in America. And this really started to stick in my craw. "What a rip!", I thought. "Why can't we have that kind of unity in our present generation?" I asked myself. I found myself really coveting what they had and began the process of analyzing why our generation is so different. Because if you stack up the Nazi’s side by side with the radical jihadists it seems to me that our current enemy has at least an equally sinister purpose as the Nazi’s. Or more so. So the motivation should easily be there to unify against this enemy, shouldn’t it? Are Americans so different now than they were 67 years ago?
Of course there is little resemblance between the modern day U.S. citizen and the “Greatest Generation” of World War II, generally. There are many wonderful exceptions, however. But for the most part our present generation has different priorities. Over 9 million Americans enlisted in World War II. Nine million volunteers! Sixteen million served in that war. And today the U.S. Military has some difficulty making their recruiting goals and keeping their 1.43 million troop force (active duty )up to strength. And these valiant few are carrying far too heavy a load. Less than one half of one percent are carrying the load for all of us.
So why the lack of enthusiasm for this war we’re waging against an obvious evil enemy? Wanting to always think “good thoughts” about my fellow citizens I seem to only be able to come to one conclusion. Too many folks these days are in deep denial. They no longer have, lets call it a “higher power” or a long standing set of traditions or values to fall back on or to turn towards for answers or direction. As a result they’re delicate ego is constantly having to balance their id and superego. And as that becomes more and more difficult the ego becomes raw. Inflamed. Threatened. Again, I’m speaking of people here that are on their own. They have rejected the Father/Son/Holy Spirit. The Bible. All legend and mumbo jumbo in their view. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, mind you. Ha! So we have this external threat to the ego. The id and the superego are battling for the ego’s attention. Like the little shoulder devil and angel that we see in the cartoons. The ego gets confused and blows a fuse! Out of this anxiety the ego deploys an ego defense mechanism. Like denial. Another defense mechanism is displacement. How does that work? Well lets use a recent event in history to demonstrate. Terrorists crash multiple jet aircraft into buildings on 9/11/01 killing 3000 innocent Americans. We’ll create a fictional 25 year old "single" male named Tom. Tom is deeply disturbed and horrified by the event. His superego tells him he must do something for his nation in its time of need. His id tells him there’s nothing he can do. Ignore it. Forget it. The inner conflict goes on for months. Years. Tom is afraid to stand up and help his nation. The anxiety gets to be too much and Tom breaks. A displacement defense mechanism is deployed because Tom can’t admit to himself that he is actually a coward. That admission of cowardice would damage his ego. Tom redirects his fears and emotions from the fearful object of the Global War on Terrorism towards something much less threatening. Something that he can handle and deal with. Even if its something that he must invent. Preferably something that can be made to look like a threat but , in reality, is not a threat. Something that Tom can fight against but that won’t fight back at him. Tom is looking to displace his need to be a responsible, courageous citizen of his nation, with something that is less fearful and difficult. Tom has taken the cowards “way” out. The “path” of least resistance. As have millions of U.S. citizens, out of fear and anxiety. Now all possibly on a fast track to mild psychosis. In this sense the radical jihadist has had a certain degree of success by his use of terror as a tactic.
Hence, too many of our fellow citizens have this personality disorder and as a result have invented in their own minds a fixed fantasy. They have imagined and created their own “bogeyman” and have openly challenged this non-existent phantom, Don Quixote style, knowing full well that it won’t retaliate with physical violence. At least they have that knowledge in their subconscious. Which is “the” prerequisite in their choice of an adversary, by the way. Examples: Blaming America for 9/11. Bush Derangement Syndrome (BDS). The “Blame America first crowd”. The continuous villainization of Dick Chenney and Halliburton. And the complete embracement of the Man-made Global Warming Myth. This “Global Warming/Sky is Falling” craze is probably the most common because it is densely populated with others of like mind. And it is headed up by a former Vice-President of the United States who, most likely, has a mental disorder himself. Having never come to grips with his loss in year 2000. Mr. Gore is only making things worse for himself, however. He’s digging himself into a deeper hole than he’s already in. Mentally. He has done our nation a huge disservice by distracting a large, weak minded portion of our population away from the truly serious issue of the Global War on Terrorism towards a non-issue. He has divided and significantly weakened our nation and one day he’ll come to realize what he’s done. And when that day comes it will be devastating for him. He’ll most likely not recover.
So how should we approach these looney nut-cases? Make fun of them? Call them names? That’s the common tactic used by our side. But not by me. No sir. You won’t catch me calling them looney nut-cases. In all seriousness, though, we should have sympathy/empathy towards them. Compassion. They could still be reached. Especially if they happen to be on their medication. We can’t give up on them. However, we can't let them determine the direction our nation takes, either. The scary part being that they do have a vote.
And to you "Tom's" who do know the true peril that our nation is in, recognizing the insidious enemy that we're up against and you continue to opt not to stand up (link) and defend her and do your duty, you deserve no respect. Darvin Dowdy
"A coward dies a thousand deaths, a soldier dies but once" William Shakespeare
"...for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give all of you into our hands." King David to Goliath, I Sam 17: 47
After a busy day of traveling recently on a business trip, I finally reached my hotel room where I immediately unpacked, ordered from room service, found the remote and plopped on the bed. Powering on the tube I found little. Until I happened upon, of all things, PBS. They had a bio of Theodor Geisel. Or as he is better known, Dr. Suess the children’s book writer. I never knew that he came up during the depression/ World War II era and that he was an extreme left-winger. But as I watched the documentary I was fascinated by one glaring fact. And that was the left leaning Geisel and his New York liberal associates were not only for WWII but were aggressive about it. Wanting to contribute in some way to the war effort. As was the case with "most" of the other factions, groups, segments of that particular society during that particular time period in America. And this really started to stick in my craw. "What a rip!", I thought. "Why can't we have that kind of unity in our present generation?" I asked myself. I found myself really coveting what they had and began the process of analyzing why our generation is so different. Because if you stack up the Nazi’s side by side with the radical jihadists it seems to me that our current enemy has at least an equally sinister purpose as the Nazi’s. Or more so. So the motivation should easily be there to unify against this enemy, shouldn’t it? Are Americans so different now than they were 67 years ago?
Of course there is little resemblance between the modern day U.S. citizen and the “Greatest Generation” of World War II, generally. There are many wonderful exceptions, however. But for the most part our present generation has different priorities. Over 9 million Americans enlisted in World War II. Nine million volunteers! Sixteen million served in that war. And today the U.S. Military has some difficulty making their recruiting goals and keeping their 1.43 million troop force (active duty )up to strength. And these valiant few are carrying far too heavy a load. Less than one half of one percent are carrying the load for all of us.
So why the lack of enthusiasm for this war we’re waging against an obvious evil enemy? Wanting to always think “good thoughts” about my fellow citizens I seem to only be able to come to one conclusion. Too many folks these days are in deep denial. They no longer have, lets call it a “higher power” or a long standing set of traditions or values to fall back on or to turn towards for answers or direction. As a result they’re delicate ego is constantly having to balance their id and superego. And as that becomes more and more difficult the ego becomes raw. Inflamed. Threatened. Again, I’m speaking of people here that are on their own. They have rejected the Father/Son/Holy Spirit. The Bible. All legend and mumbo jumbo in their view. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, mind you. Ha! So we have this external threat to the ego. The id and the superego are battling for the ego’s attention. Like the little shoulder devil and angel that we see in the cartoons. The ego gets confused and blows a fuse! Out of this anxiety the ego deploys an ego defense mechanism. Like denial. Another defense mechanism is displacement. How does that work? Well lets use a recent event in history to demonstrate. Terrorists crash multiple jet aircraft into buildings on 9/11/01 killing 3000 innocent Americans. We’ll create a fictional 25 year old "single" male named Tom. Tom is deeply disturbed and horrified by the event. His superego tells him he must do something for his nation in its time of need. His id tells him there’s nothing he can do. Ignore it. Forget it. The inner conflict goes on for months. Years. Tom is afraid to stand up and help his nation. The anxiety gets to be too much and Tom breaks. A displacement defense mechanism is deployed because Tom can’t admit to himself that he is actually a coward. That admission of cowardice would damage his ego. Tom redirects his fears and emotions from the fearful object of the Global War on Terrorism towards something much less threatening. Something that he can handle and deal with. Even if its something that he must invent. Preferably something that can be made to look like a threat but , in reality, is not a threat. Something that Tom can fight against but that won’t fight back at him. Tom is looking to displace his need to be a responsible, courageous citizen of his nation, with something that is less fearful and difficult. Tom has taken the cowards “way” out. The “path” of least resistance. As have millions of U.S. citizens, out of fear and anxiety. Now all possibly on a fast track to mild psychosis. In this sense the radical jihadist has had a certain degree of success by his use of terror as a tactic.
Hence, too many of our fellow citizens have this personality disorder and as a result have invented in their own minds a fixed fantasy. They have imagined and created their own “bogeyman” and have openly challenged this non-existent phantom, Don Quixote style, knowing full well that it won’t retaliate with physical violence. At least they have that knowledge in their subconscious. Which is “the” prerequisite in their choice of an adversary, by the way. Examples: Blaming America for 9/11. Bush Derangement Syndrome (BDS). The “Blame America first crowd”. The continuous villainization of Dick Chenney and Halliburton. And the complete embracement of the Man-made Global Warming Myth. This “Global Warming/Sky is Falling” craze is probably the most common because it is densely populated with others of like mind. And it is headed up by a former Vice-President of the United States who, most likely, has a mental disorder himself. Having never come to grips with his loss in year 2000. Mr. Gore is only making things worse for himself, however. He’s digging himself into a deeper hole than he’s already in. Mentally. He has done our nation a huge disservice by distracting a large, weak minded portion of our population away from the truly serious issue of the Global War on Terrorism towards a non-issue. He has divided and significantly weakened our nation and one day he’ll come to realize what he’s done. And when that day comes it will be devastating for him. He’ll most likely not recover.
So how should we approach these looney nut-cases? Make fun of them? Call them names? That’s the common tactic used by our side. But not by me. No sir. You won’t catch me calling them looney nut-cases. In all seriousness, though, we should have sympathy/empathy towards them. Compassion. They could still be reached. Especially if they happen to be on their medication. We can’t give up on them. However, we can't let them determine the direction our nation takes, either. The scary part being that they do have a vote.
And to you "Tom's" who do know the true peril that our nation is in, recognizing the insidious enemy that we're up against and you continue to opt not to stand up (link) and defend her and do your duty, you deserve no respect. Darvin Dowdy
"A coward dies a thousand deaths, a soldier dies but once" William Shakespeare
"...for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give all of you into our hands." King David to Goliath, I Sam 17: 47
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