Sunday, September 14, 2014
Liberalism is a disease
www.jonmcnaughton.com
We have a disease. It’s infecting every aspect of our society and it’s time we did something about it.
Some of these people I really like and some I don’t, but for the sake of our health, our children and our sanity, we need to take drastic action quickly.
We have a disease. It’s infecting every aspect of our society and it’s time we did something about it.
Some of these people I really like and some I don’t, but for the sake of our health, our children and our sanity, we need to take drastic action quickly.
What if we could bring them all together, put them on a deserted island and quarantine them for say a hundred years?
They believe they have all the answers to everything. But every liberal idea I’ve ever seen has led to total failure. If they were right, their new island home would be a utopia before long.
Let’s look at the most liberal communities in the country. New York City, Detroit, Chicago…how are they doing?
Yes, I say let’s quarantine them and let nature take its course.
You might have this disease if you believe:
We should remove guns from law-abiding citizens who have a right to protect themselves, and leave them in the hands of criminals who will acquire the firearms illegally anyway they can. How many gun-free zones do you know that have low murder rates?
The same liberals who are trying to save us, turn around and demand abortion rights for women at the expense of over 53 million human lives.
Raise the national debt to meet the continued demand for welfare and entitlement spending at the expense of our country’s economic future.
Fight a war against terrorism without identifying who the enemy is because of political correctness and then allow illegal aliens to cross the border by the millions.
Provide kid glove treatment to Islamic radicals and unfriendly regimes and then show religious intolerance to Jews and Christians.
Allow a minority of Gay Rights Activists to dictate the definition of marriage and force Christians to comply.
Use environmentalism to thwart the energy interests of Americans at a time of great financial stress and national security.
McNaughton Answers to Liberal Questions
Why are you making fun of these people?
Most of my paintings are serious in nature, (although liberals find them amusing) this one is more of a satire. This means to me, that although it is humorous on the surface, the underlying message is very serious. Liberals use humor relentlessly as a tool to suppress conservative ideas. As always, if my paintings can cause someone to think about or debate the serious issues, it was successful.
Are you selling prints of this?
No, there are copyright restrictions. There are some things more important than money. My hope is to help people wake up to effects of liberalism in America.
Do you think all liberals are bad?
Well, yes, but I’m talking about their ideologies, which are destructive. I have many liberal friends. I know many good people that for some unfortunate reason are infected by the disease.
How did you decide whom to include in the painting?
I chose well-known liberals in different fields that influence Americans every day. There are many more who I could have included that I think are spreading the disease. Perhaps, some liberals will be pleased if they were included in the painting; like a “badge of honor.”
Why is Satan in the painting? Are you saying these people are Satanic??
I don’t know that. Perhaps most of them are just deceived. Satan is what I call the “Number One Liberal.” Liberalism is about control. Satan wants to promise you everything in exchange for your freedom. He uses lies; deceit and compulsion to have you do his bidding. In the end, you are left with nothing. How has any liberal idea ever ended well? It is instant satisfaction at the expense of your soul. Yes, liberalism is a disease.
They believe they have all the answers to everything. But every liberal idea I’ve ever seen has led to total failure. If they were right, their new island home would be a utopia before long.
Let’s look at the most liberal communities in the country. New York City, Detroit, Chicago…how are they doing?
Yes, I say let’s quarantine them and let nature take its course.
You might have this disease if you believe:
We should remove guns from law-abiding citizens who have a right to protect themselves, and leave them in the hands of criminals who will acquire the firearms illegally anyway they can. How many gun-free zones do you know that have low murder rates?
The same liberals who are trying to save us, turn around and demand abortion rights for women at the expense of over 53 million human lives.
Raise the national debt to meet the continued demand for welfare and entitlement spending at the expense of our country’s economic future.
Fight a war against terrorism without identifying who the enemy is because of political correctness and then allow illegal aliens to cross the border by the millions.
Provide kid glove treatment to Islamic radicals and unfriendly regimes and then show religious intolerance to Jews and Christians.
Allow a minority of Gay Rights Activists to dictate the definition of marriage and force Christians to comply.
Use environmentalism to thwart the energy interests of Americans at a time of great financial stress and national security.
McNaughton Answers to Liberal Questions
Why are you making fun of these people?
Most of my paintings are serious in nature, (although liberals find them amusing) this one is more of a satire. This means to me, that although it is humorous on the surface, the underlying message is very serious. Liberals use humor relentlessly as a tool to suppress conservative ideas. As always, if my paintings can cause someone to think about or debate the serious issues, it was successful.
Are you selling prints of this?
No, there are copyright restrictions. There are some things more important than money. My hope is to help people wake up to effects of liberalism in America.
Do you think all liberals are bad?
Well, yes, but I’m talking about their ideologies, which are destructive. I have many liberal friends. I know many good people that for some unfortunate reason are infected by the disease.
How did you decide whom to include in the painting?
I chose well-known liberals in different fields that influence Americans every day. There are many more who I could have included that I think are spreading the disease. Perhaps, some liberals will be pleased if they were included in the painting; like a “badge of honor.”
Why is Satan in the painting? Are you saying these people are Satanic??
I don’t know that. Perhaps most of them are just deceived. Satan is what I call the “Number One Liberal.” Liberalism is about control. Satan wants to promise you everything in exchange for your freedom. He uses lies; deceit and compulsion to have you do his bidding. In the end, you are left with nothing. How has any liberal idea ever ended well? It is instant satisfaction at the expense of your soul. Yes, liberalism is a disease.
I thought this was an interesting thought that I read this morning:
Every week, pastors all over the world are asked to do something that is almost impossible: preach a message to a group of people that includes...
a. Teenagers to seniors
b. Men and women
c. Mature disciples and not-yet-believers
d. The faithful and the skeptical
e. Regular attenders and first-time guests
f. Singles, married, divorced and “it’s complicated”
g. Those who need comfort and those who need a swift kick in the…
Ask pastors what their toughest regular assignment is, and speaking a message that ministers to everyone is at or near the top of the list.
This is something pastors are expected to do—and do well—that no one else is ever asked to do. Not just once, but 45-52 weeks a year.
All while keeping it fresh and new every time.
And while you’re at it, could you be:
a. Non-offensive, but challenging
b. Intellectually rigorous, but emotionally stirring
c. Scripturally based, but culturally relevant
d. Spiritual, but practical
e. Timeless, but current
f. Humorous, but reverent
g. Casual, but life-transforming
h. and keep it under 25 minutes, please?
No wonder the pastoral burnout rate is so high!
And while you’re at it, could you be:
a. Non-offensive, but challenging
b. Intellectually rigorous, but emotionally stirring
c. Scripturally based, but culturally relevant
d. Spiritual, but practical
e. Timeless, but current
f. Humorous, but reverent
g. Casual, but life-transforming
h. and keep it under 25 minutes, please?
Every week, pastors all over the world are asked to do something that is almost impossible: preach a message to a group of people that includes...
a. Teenagers to seniors
b. Men and women
c. Mature disciples and not-yet-believers
d. The faithful and the skeptical
e. Regular attenders and first-time guests
f. Singles, married, divorced and “it’s complicated”
g. Those who need comfort and those who need a swift kick in the…
Ask pastors what their toughest regular assignment is, and speaking a message that ministers to everyone is at or near the top of the list.
This is something pastors are expected to do—and do well—that no one else is ever asked to do. Not just once, but 45-52 weeks a year.
All while keeping it fresh and new every time.
And while you’re at it, could you be:
a. Non-offensive, but challenging
b. Intellectually rigorous, but emotionally stirring
c. Scripturally based, but culturally relevant
d. Spiritual, but practical
e. Timeless, but current
f. Humorous, but reverent
g. Casual, but life-transforming
h. and keep it under 25 minutes, please?
No wonder the pastoral burnout rate is so high!
And while you’re at it, could you be:
a. Non-offensive, but challenging
b. Intellectually rigorous, but emotionally stirring
c. Scripturally based, but culturally relevant
d. Spiritual, but practical
e. Timeless, but current
f. Humorous, but reverent
g. Casual, but life-transforming
h. and keep it under 25 minutes, please?
This from the not yet President Obama in 2008.
Easy to Monday morning
quarterback. SO how's that working out for ya big guy? This man has no
idea what to do... and he is succeeding in knowing nothing.
On my first day in office, I would give the military a new mission: ending this war.
nytimes.com|By By BARACK OBAMA
I was thinking about a church I know that is in collapse mode.
Then the
Lord Spoke to me (an impression), you can't have a three legged stool
with only two legs any more than build a church on two of the three
parts of the trinity. Trinity means three. FATHER SON AND HOLY GHOST.
IF one part is missing.. you don't have fullness and it collapses.
It's safe and easy to talk about the love of the Father, the
propitiation for our sin by the Son but dodging the Infilling of the
Holy Spirit by soft teaching and preaching makes a church weak. It's
more than telling people they can speak in tongues.. that's a start, a
key in the ignition, but it doesn't drive the car. You have to have all
the operations of First Corinthians 12 for there to be full life in a
church. Or it collapses. Maybe that is why revival tarries.
Does it seem like ISIS is taunting the world.
Using beheading to cause
universal anger and retribution. I have not truly studied the Art of
War by Sun Tzu.. but I have a sense there is something in this... I
wonder what the game is? Again I read Isaiah chapter 13 today and saw
this...
I will stir up the Medes (Kurds) against Babylon, and no amount of silver or gold will buy them off. 18 The attacking armies will have no mercy on the young people of Babylon
There's something to this. They're trying to bait the U.S. to attack them. When the Brits vacillate being allied with us, ISIS beheads a British citizen. I think they want a boots on the ground all out war, then Russia will defend Assad/Syria. They're hoping that the disenchanted radical Islamists will rise up in Saudi Arabia, Jordan and other moderate Muslim states. They're banking on Hamas renewed fighting against the Israeli's in Gaza and hoping that Hezbollah will strike Israel from Lebanon. So while we're all looking at the global war conflagration, they will strike us in the homeland. I think they're trying to cause confusion.
ISIS may have found Saddam Hussein's WMD's, and want to use them against our “boots on the ground.”
Vital in this, regarding Sun Zu, is "the ground". ISIS is choosing the ground of engagement. The Art of War states that you never allow the enemy to choose the time and place of engagement. Hit them where "they are not", in a way that they do not expect - and when they run to you, THEY enter the ground that YOU have chosen.
the jaded warrior.liberty.me Sun Tzu wrote in Chapter 8 of The Art of War: "Do not depend on the enemy not coming, but depend upon our readiness against him. Do not depend on the enemy not attacking, but depend on our position...
I will stir up the Medes (Kurds) against Babylon, and no amount of silver or gold will buy them off. 18 The attacking armies will have no mercy on the young people of Babylon
There's something to this. They're trying to bait the U.S. to attack them. When the Brits vacillate being allied with us, ISIS beheads a British citizen. I think they want a boots on the ground all out war, then Russia will defend Assad/Syria. They're hoping that the disenchanted radical Islamists will rise up in Saudi Arabia, Jordan and other moderate Muslim states. They're banking on Hamas renewed fighting against the Israeli's in Gaza and hoping that Hezbollah will strike Israel from Lebanon. So while we're all looking at the global war conflagration, they will strike us in the homeland. I think they're trying to cause confusion.
ISIS may have found Saddam Hussein's WMD's, and want to use them against our “boots on the ground.”
Vital in this, regarding Sun Zu, is "the ground". ISIS is choosing the ground of engagement. The Art of War states that you never allow the enemy to choose the time and place of engagement. Hit them where "they are not", in a way that they do not expect - and when they run to you, THEY enter the ground that YOU have chosen.
the jaded warrior.liberty.me Sun Tzu wrote in Chapter 8 of The Art of War: "Do not depend on the enemy not coming, but depend upon our readiness against him. Do not depend on the enemy not attacking, but depend on our position...
I think it's time to move to a state with a average IQ above 50.
Any
electorate that would re elect Pat Quinn is beyond help. The worse
economic, social, business and cultural climate in the nation.. and here
we are with Quinn leading. Amazing. Of course this is a state that re
elected Rob Blagojevich, Jesse Jackson JR and a corrupt city council
controlled by mob boss.. Ed Burke. IF people only understood how evil
this whole thing is and how Quinn is deeply involved.. but Democrat
Voters are ignorant and vote blindly committing Hara-Kiri one cut on a
time to the state in which they live. SMH
A
new poll shows incumbent Democrat Pat Quinn with a big lead over
Republican challenger Bruce Rauner in the race for Illinois governor.
abc7chicago.com
I remember during the first Gulf War how fierce the British Fighters were.
They were much more aggressive and lethal than the pulled punches
American Fighters. Now that we have this whimpy commander in Chief,
once again the British will show how it's done. I hope Obama will watch
and learn.. although once a whimp always a whimp. http://www.newser.com/story/195867/uk-to-isis-well-hunt-you-for-act-of-pure-evil.html
David
Cameron emerged from an emergency meeting this morning with harsh words
for Islamic State militants in the wake of yesterday's video that
purports to show the beheading of British aid worker... World News
Summaries. | Newser
newser.com|By Polly Davis Doig
Didn't he long ago say he was Jesus? Didn't the real Jesus heal folks? I guess Kanye isn't him... I wasn't fooled for a second.
Kanye
West is gonna let you finish watching his show, just as soon as
everyone in the house stands up—a demand that didn't go over quite so
well Friday night in Australia, reports the Independent... Celebrity
News Summaries. | Newser
newser.com|By Polly Davis Doig
Time to turn Gaza back into a desert. We can deal with a little radioactivity.
In
case his message that only armed jihad can establish a caliphate wasn’t
fully understood by his congregation, a Muslim cleric in Gaza drove
home his point...
theblaze.com
I just returned from Philadelphia, flew.
. and I've just passed through
airport "security" and was impressed to find it vindictive, petty and
totalitarian even by normal TSA standards - all in all more than
confirming my conclusion that the principal purpose of security theater
is to train formerly free people to behave as a bovine compliant herd.
Heard in a great sermon today
... you don't have to do anything to get
"LIKES" from God. He isn't grading you. He loves you even before you
DO anything. Stop trying so hard to get God to like you.. He cannot
Like or LOVE you more than He already does. Anyone who tells you
different is being religious.
Tuesday, September 09, 2014
Sunday, September 07, 2014
I no longer argue with liberals.
They are the same people who have placed us in the mess we are in because of their ignorance and voting patterns that supported their confederacy of fools. We are at war and they talk about avoiding war. Their timidity and cowardice has placed us in the cross-hairs of the cockroaches of this earth, Islamic Radicals. ISIS and a dozen other names
You don't negotiate with cockroaches, you kill them, eradicate them, exterminate them. Yes these people have souls, some will come to Jesus.. but first fear must be their portion. Most of us came to Jesus when we are in a place of pain and fear. It's not intellectual. It's positional. Slicing the heads from innocent men women and children doesn't put fear in a cockroach... seeing your fellows dropping dead because a better military is coming against you or being blown to micro-bits will bring you to recognition of your mortality (fear).
We must not allow an incompetent administration nor blind insipid
liberal mentality (see MSNBC) to slide us further into the perdition
than we already are. WE ARE AT WAR.. even if you don't recognize it.
Double Minded
She
was raised Lutheran. Her agenda sounds familiar: "Blackmore said the
temple’s plans for Michigan include offering same-sex wedding ceremonies
and advocating for women’s rights — in particular, opposing on
religious grounds the informed consent laws requiring that women
receiving abortions be given certain information. She also is working on
plans to volunteer at local animal shelters and provide other needed
community service in Detroit."
Sounds a lot like the Liberal Agenda. I know no Christian I know would ever vote for a party or a president who supported same sex marriage and abortion. That would be supporting an agenda that parallels Satanism.. and that would be double minded. Schizophrenic. Unstable.
Sounds a lot like the Liberal Agenda. I know no Christian I know would ever vote for a party or a president who supported same sex marriage and abortion. That would be supporting an agenda that parallels Satanism.. and that would be double minded. Schizophrenic. Unstable.
The
Satanic Temple today launches a Detroit chapter – its first chapter
outside New York. But leaders say they don't worship Satan. They don't
practice cannibalism, or sacrifice people or animals.
freep.com
Good News
I
should than President Obama. The RICH are getting Richer. Much
richer. The poor.. bah. Who cares. Forget them. They can't play
golf. And they are such suckers. All the cries for a higher minimum
wage are simply vote solicitations from the confederacy of fools. Those
calls are Clouds without rain. BUT dependably the ethnic poor will
vote for the kinds of democrat policies that continue to widen the
wealth gap. I no longer think it's possible for the poor to wake up.
They will simply wither away. Someday we might actually once again
have leadership that has a clue about economics and how to run a
country, state and city. Till then, where DID I put that jar of Caviar
Jeeves?
The Fed's Consumer Finance Survey shows that a rising tide is not lifting all boats.
bloombergview.com
Losers
Many
of the Westerners flocking to the Islamic State are middle-class
misfits for whom jihad is a radical pose. the Islamic State — and
groups like it — a modern Foreign Legion for losers. When discussing
people who openly boast of rape, murder, and torture, “loser” is hardly
too harsh. But invective is not my intent when I call them losers. These
men — and a few women, too — are losers in a more significant sense.
They are losers at Western civilization.
On
the Internet, you’re never really alone. Name any fad, any cause, any
hobby or passion — Shaker furniture? Dungeons and Dragons, Bolivian tree
frogs? — and you’re only a few clicks away from someone who shares your
obsession. That’s great. It’s also horrible. Because while there’s no
harm in tree…
nationalreview.com
Eliminate the minimum wage.
Do it for the Children and the Poor. Every time
it's raised it makes the poor poorer and the young unable to enter the
workforce. DO IT FOR THE CHILDREN... Eliminate the minimum wage. I'm
not kidding, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and the
Netherlands have no minimum wage adn the people do very well because
they can enter and learn in the workforce as a youth. Something our
draconian minimum wage law prohibits. Watch this education on what is
happening.
youtube.com
Very Sad... but
This
kind of story makes you weep for a town that was once alive and vital
like Gary Indiana. It's a mini Detroit. A mini Southside of Chicago.
The blame is easy to place on the Steel Plants closing. But what didn't
replace them? Why? Who failed to see what was happening? What kinds
of policies resulted in this decline? I can name a few. I'll be you
can too. IF I could make policy, I would put a pin in the center of the
most blighted area of Gary, draw a circle of several
miles around it and declare that a tax free zone. No income, sales or
fee based taxes. Only property taxes. I would create a regulation free
zone. Except for police and courts, no city government at all. All
lawsuits settled by loser pays and arbitration is nearly always the
case. I would create a no minimum wage zone. A government economic
intervention free zone where no unemployment, Snap Card Redemption, AFDC
or Income Tax Credit would be allowed. In other words, an economic
free for all with no safety net. AND to work there you would have to
live there. What do you think would happen? In 5 years Gary would
become the most desirable place to live, work and set up a business.
Money would flow. It would become an economic engine. This of course
cannot happen because it would demonstrate the lie that Socialism really
is. It would demonstrate the power of the free capitalism. That would
be a catastrophe for the left. It would be a lot like the days back in
1955 that you read about in this article. Anyone want to go back? I
do.
GARY
| People used to dress up in heels or starched button-down shirts
before heading to downtown Gary in 1955, when Albert Cohen opened his
furniture store, Union United Corp.
nwitimes.com|By Lee Enterprises
Actually not all bad news
The
chart above helps explain the current state of the US economy: 1.
Measured by the output of real goods and services, the US economy has
made a full and robust recovery from the Great Recession,...
aei-ideas.org
What's the problem?
While
I may not watch him much, I AGREE with this writer. Joel Osteen is
easy to shoot at because he's "Out There". IF you aren't being shot at,
it's because you don't show up on the radar and that's why you probably
don't matter as much as Joel Osteen does. IF the demons say, Paul I
know and Jesus I know, I'm guessing they know Joel, but who in HELL ARE
YOU? Just shut up about him... PLEASE
A
couple of years ago Joel Osteen was preparing to have a “Night of Hope”
at Dodger Stadium. Since the Dodgers are in our home city, Los Angeles,
I wanted to support the effort. I mentioned to our congregation about
the upcoming crusade and helping out so we could be a part of reaching
thousands...
philipwagner.com|By http://philipwagner.com
Friday, September 05, 2014
I no longer argue with liberals.
They are the same people who have placed us in the mess we are in because of their ignorance and voting patterns that supported their confederacy of fools. We are at war and they talk about avoiding war. Their timidity and cowardice has placed us in the cross-hairs of the cockroaches of this earth, Islamic Radicals. ISIS and a dozen other names
You don't negotiate with cockroaches, you kill them, eradicate them, exterminate them. Yes these people have souls, some will come to Jesus.. but first fear must be their portion. Most of us came to Jesus when we are in a place of pain and fear. It's not intellectual. It's positional. Slicing the heads from innocent men women and children doesn't put fear in a cockroach... seeing your fellows dropping dead because a better military is coming against you or being blown to micro-bits will bring you to recognition of your mortality (fear).
We must not allow an incompetent administration nor blind insipid liberal mentality (see MSNBC) to slide us further into the perdition than we already are. WE ARE AT WAR.. even if you don't recognize it.
Thursday, September 04, 2014
Barney is Dead
“The
problem then is that the militarization of the police is only a symptom
of the larger disease: public servants re-conceiving themselves as
public masters who do not need to follow the laws they pass and aren’t
accountable to the people who elect them. I guess we can expect to see
Nancy Pelosi in a SWAT suit right soon!” Andrew Klaven http://pjmedia.com/andrewklavan/2014/08/27/instapundit-on-militarized-police/
Actually goose fat is the best. But using lard is superior to any kind of corn oil
While
coconut oil is becoming more popular as a cooking agent, it can
sometimes make your dishes taste like coconut. Not only is lard a
heat-stable cooking fat, it is also excellent for frying foods because
it doesn't add any strong unwanted flavors.
answers.com
Systemic Timidity
They
rushed the guards and employees. Not a shot was fired. Do we have a
systemic timidity now because of Mike Wilson Darren Wilson? Just
asking.
Dozens of juveniles escaped a Tennessee detention center Monday, authorities said, with many of the teens still on the run.
abcnews.go.com|By ABC News
19 Signs You’re Doing Better than You Think
Even in uncertain times, it’s always important to keep things in perspective.
True wealth is the ability to fully experience life.
- Henry David Thoreau
You are alive.
You are able to see the sunrise and the sunset.
You are able to hear birds sing and waves crash.
You can walk outside and feel the breeze through your hair and the sun’s warmth on your skin.
You have tasted the sweetness of chocolate cake.
You didn’t go to sleep hungry last night.
You awoke this morning with a roof over your head.
You had a choice of what clothes to wear.
You haven’t feared for your life today.
You have overcome some considerable obstacles, and you have learned and survived.
You often worry about what you’re going to do with your life – your career, your family, the next step, etc. – which means you have ambition, passion, drive, and the freedom to make your own decisions.
You live in a country that protects your basic human rights and civil liberties.
You are reasonably strong and healthy – if you got sick today, you could recover.
You have a friend or relative who misses you and looks forward to your next visit.
You have someone with whom to reminisce about ‘the good old days.’
You have access to clean drinking water.
You have access to medical care.
You have access to the Internet.
You can read.
The truth is, you’re doing better than a lot of people in this world. So remember to be grateful for all the things you do have.
You are able to see the sunrise and the sunset.
You are able to hear birds sing and waves crash.
You can walk outside and feel the breeze through your hair and the sun’s warmth on your skin.
You have tasted the sweetness of chocolate cake.
You didn’t go to sleep hungry last night.
You awoke this morning with a roof over your head.
You had a choice of what clothes to wear.
You haven’t feared for your life today.
You have overcome some considerable obstacles, and you have learned and survived.
You often worry about what you’re going to do with your life – your career, your family, the next step, etc. – which means you have ambition, passion, drive, and the freedom to make your own decisions.
You live in a country that protects your basic human rights and civil liberties.
You are reasonably strong and healthy – if you got sick today, you could recover.
You have a friend or relative who misses you and looks forward to your next visit.
You have someone with whom to reminisce about ‘the good old days.’
You have access to clean drinking water.
You have access to medical care.
You have access to the Internet.
You can read.
The truth is, you’re doing better than a lot of people in this world. So remember to be grateful for all the things you do have.
Cockroaches
I
have to agree with Ed. When I heard the word MANAGE ISIS it is like
managing the cockroach infestation of a house. When we moved into an
apartment after first moving to IL the cockroaches were everywhere.
Thick. We didn't Manage them. We killed them. Exterminated them.
Eradicated them. Cleansed our house off them. Took away and cleaned up
anything that might invite them to return. Made our house a cockroach
free zone. It was work. It required diligence. For as long as we
lived there, if we even had a HINT of a cockroach we attacked again.
You don't MANAGE cockroaches. You kill them. Maybe President Obama
never had cockroaches. Maybe he doesn't know what it takes.
Sunday, August 31, 2014
From Instapundit
A FACEBOOK FRIEND WHO’S TOO MODEST TO WANT CREDIT HERE POSTED THIS:
Let’s accept, arguendo, that the outgoing DIA chief is right, and that we are now in an era of danger similar to the mid-1930s. How did we get here? It’s worth looking back into the mists of time — an entire year, to Labor Day weekend 2013. What had not happened then? It’s quite a list, actually: the Chinese ADIZ, the Russian annexation of Crimea, the rise of ISIS, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the fall of Mosul, the end of Hungarian liberal democracy, the Central American refugee crisis, the Egyptian-UAE attacks on Libya, the extermination of Iraqi Christians, the Yazidi genocide, the scramble to revise NATO’s eastern-frontier defenses, the Kristallnacht-style pogroms in European cities, the reemergence of mainstream anti-Semitism, the third (or fourth, perhaps) American war in Iraq, racial riots in middle America, et cetera and ad nauseam.
All that was in the future just one year ago.
What is happening now is basically America’s version of “It’s a Wonderful Life.” The President of the United States — supported to an exceptional extent by an electorate both uncomprehending and untrusting of the outside world — is Clarence the Angel, and he’s showing us what the world would be like if we’d never been born, Unsurprisingly, Bedford Falls is now Pottersville, and it’s a terrible place. Unfortunately we do not get to revert to the tolerable if modest status quo at the end of the lesson: George Bailey will eventually have to shell the town and retake it street by street from Old Man Potter’s Spetsnaz.
But the larger point here is not what’s happening, because what’s happening is obvious. Things are falling apart. The point is how fast it’s come. It takes the blood and labor of generations to build a general peace, and that peace is sustained by two pillars: a common moral vision, and force majeure. We spent a quarter-century chipping away at the latter, and finally discarded the former, and now that peace is gone. All this was the work of decades.
Look back, again, to Labor Day weekend 2013, and understand one thing: its undoing was the work of mere months.
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