We Can Learn a Lot from the Classics

I just read a marvelous essay over at American Thinker. It's called "How Democracies Become Tyrannies" by Ed Kaitz. This should be read by every American.

Mr. Kaitz's essay refers to scenes from Plato's Republic to show how, indeed, democracies become tyrannies, all with the permission, even encouragement, of its citizens. Here are two paragraphs from Mr. Kaitz's essay:

The answers to these questions were famously addressed in a few pages tucked within the greatest masterpiece of the classical world: Plato's Republic. On the surface, and to most reviewers of Plato's writings, the Republic is a dialogue on justice and on what constitutes the just society. But to careful readers the deeper theme of the Republic is the nature of education and the relationship between education and the survival of the state. In fact, the Republic is essentially the story of how a man (Socrates) condemned to death for "corrupting" the youth of Athens gives to posterity the most precious gift of all: the love of wisdom.

In the Republic, two young men, Glaucon and Adeimantus, accompany the much older Socrates on a journey of discovery into the nature of the individual soul and its connection to the harmony of the state. During the course of their adventure, as the two disciples demonstrate greater maturity and self-control, they are gradually exposed to deeper and more complex teachings regarding the relationship between virtue, self-sufficiency, and happiness. In short, the boys begin to realize that justice and happiness in a community rests upon the moral condition of its citizens. This is what Socrates meant when he said: "The state is man writ large."

The essay bears reading, as does Plato's Republic.

Updated to Add: There are two other articles referencing classics that would be a good read for you also. One that also references Plato's Republic is "How Republics Die: Plato's Cautionary Tale" by Mark J. Boone. Another, referencing Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged, is "'Atlas Shrugged': From Fiction to Fact in 52 Years" by Stephen Moore.

My Opinions

I am still pondering all the implications of an Obama presidency, coupled with a Democrat majority in Congress. I try to be optimistic and think that things won't be so bad and we'll get through this and be a stronger country for it. It is, however, very difficult to hold on to that viewpoint for very long.

Although Obama, assisted by the mainstream media, tried to keep the American people in the dark as to his real plans for America, enough information slipped out to cause serious concerns for those who care about our country and its Constitution. One issue is Obama's association with radical leftists. Whether we are talking about William Ayers or Rev. Jeremiah Wright or the others whose names you've seen here and there, we are talking about people who hate America and all she stands for. And we're going to let these people run the country?! Where are Obama's more moderate friends? Did he not have any? Let's face it--friends and associates and allies shape one's outlook a great deal.

Another issue is economics. Obama is definitely a taxer and a spender. He has plans for spending a trillion dollars of our (the taxpayers) money on various programs that have as their ultimate objective redistributing wealth. What Obama doesn't understand is that when there are wealthy people, those people invest, start businesses, and otherwise use their money to strengthen the economy and create jobs for others. The left doesn't seem to understand the difference between equality of opportunity and equality of outcome. The former is good and right and lets everyone have a chance. The latter is bad and wrong and punishes success while rewarding failure (often brought about by laziness). This applies in all issues, not just economic ones.

There are also issues of life. Obama is one of the most radical supporters of abortion in existence. He not only supports early-term abortion, but also late-term abortion, partial-birth abortion, and allowing babies who survive abortion to die alone without any care at all.

President Ronald Reagan said that government isn't the solution, but rather the problem. Yet Obama supports big government to an extent not before seen. He thinks government should rule every aspect of our lives--what we eat, the media available to us, how our children will be educated and at what age, our religious lives (or lack thereof), what transportation we can use, what products we can purchase (are they "green" enough?), etc.

Another issue is energy. Obama has sent signals that he wants to reinstitute bans on drilling, building coal plants and nuclear plants, and other necessary items that will allow America to become energy independent (at least as much as possible) and keep energy available while the various other energy sources (wind, solar, etc.) are developed and experimented with to see if they can become viable (they are not viable now) replacements for fossil fuels.

There are national security issues. Obama thinks he can talk our enemies into being our friends. He seems very concerned with dismantling our military as much as possible. Common sense says that a strong military is the best advocate for peace, but Obama would take that away from us. He wants to prevent our military personnel from being able to do their jobs fully and freely--something that is necessary for success. There has also been talk of his wanting to create some sort of civilian force, ostensibly to do community service, but how long before they would become enforcers of politically correct behavior in ordinary citizens? Obama wants them to be as well-funded as the military is now. What will that mean?

Obama seems to have some dreamy idea of utopia. This is not grounded in reality. If he studied history and economics, he would soon see the massive failures that ideas like his have inflicted on people in the past. Obama also seems to have the idea that once he is inaugurated, he will be the absolute ruler, that everyone will do whatever he wants them to do. If they don't, he thinks he will be justified in suppressing them and silencing their voices. He has already tried this during the campaign.

At his inauguration, Obama will take an oath to protect and defend the Constitution. He has already taken this oath when he has been sworn in to the public offices he has held to this point. He has done nothing to show me that he has any intention of taking this oath seriously. He has, in fact, stated that he wants to break free of the restraints put on us by the Founders in the Constitution. This is not the type of person who should be President (or a Senator, for that matter).

This all sounds extreme, but it is not my opinions that are extreme. It is Obama who is extreme.

So how did this man get elected? I suppose his charisma had something to do with it, although as the campaign progressed and he had to do interviews and not just give teleprompted speeches, it became clear that he was not a particularly good speaker without a prepared text and no interruptions for questions or comments. Frankly, I think a good part of the problem has come from education--from the public schools to colleges and universities. These sources of education have steadily drifted to the left, embracing baseless self-esteem and teaching tolerance of all things leftist--socialism, Marxism, communism, secularism, multiculturalism, and any other -ism you can think of (as long as it is a leftist -ism). Now we have a population who doesn't know much accurate history or civics and has had it drummed into their minds that there is nothing wrong with those leftist -isms. So when anyone tried to warn of Obama's socialist tendencies, they were greeted with a collective yawn and a "So what?"

The left has also been waging a battle for a long time now to eliminate religion from the public square. When religion goes, so do morals and common sense and the realization that there is right and wrong, good and evil. Everything is relative, according to these secular leftists. They have also been fighting free speech, defined by them as anything said that doesn't agree with their views. They are all for free speech and tolerance as long as it supports leftist views. If it disagrees, it has to go. For one example, take Prop 8 in California. It passed and its opponents are acting in very ugly ways. They are also being quite dramatic in discussing their pain at the defeat of Prop 8, but let one person try to inject a little reason into the conversation and the left shouts them down and accuses them of bigotry and hate. If Prop 8 had been defeated, you'd better believe the left would be gloating and would be quite hateful toward anyone who expressed even a little sorrow at its defeat. Yet said leftists don't even seem to be aware of their hypocrisy--they are too busy denouncing those who disagree with them to stop and consider their own viewpoints and those of others and think about whether they might be wrong. Nor can they seem to understand that some things are just plain wrong, no matter how sugar-coated they might be. Those on the left do not seem capable of debating the actual issues. They seem only capable of shouting down the opposition with name-calling.

For too long now, America has been dumbed down. Even those whose values and beliefs are conservative are gullible to the leftist propaganda. Many do not have the discipline or even the interest in educating themselves to correct what they learned in school or see in the mainstream media. Many have just bought into whatever they have been told. To be fair, I believe a lot of ordinary citizens who buy into leftist propaganda are well-meaning people who want to be fair and compassionate toward others. I just think that they aren't thinking the issues through and seeing the problems that will arise down the road.

The whole situation we are in makes me sad and a little frightened. Yes, we have survived many hard times before, but it hasn't been easy, and we were a stronger people then. Are we strong enough now to understand what is right and what is wrong and to fight for the right? Certainly, there are individuals who are strong enough, but are we, collectively, strong enough? I hope so, but I'm not sure. It just seems that there are many people who either don't think at all or at least don't think for themselves--they just buy into whatever the intellectual elite says they must think. This is so ironic because one thing leftists accuse conservatives of is marching in lockstep with their leaders. Yet it is leftists who are the real conformists. It is leftists who would squelch freedom and liberty.

Conservatives are not perfect. Still, conservatives recognize that there is such a thing as good and evil, right and wrong. They recognize that equality of opportunity is not the same thing as equality of outcome. The former can and should be supported, the latter should not be. Conservatives tend to be interested in thinking through the issues. Conservatives tend to be more mature in their outlook on life, recognizing that good needs to be fought for, defended, even sacrificed for. They recognize that life is not easy and it is not about getting whatever we want to satisfy our selfish desires. It is about caring for and about others and being of service and allowing others to be free, as well as themselves. Conservatives are not afraid of change. They just believe in considering the changes carefully and don't get caught up in thinking that change for its own sake is a good thing.

I have not linked to articles supporting my opinions in this post. I have been doing that repeatedly in previous posts. This post is just to express my concerns and the concerns of many other Americans as we face some potentially disasterous changes in our way of life, and to give my readers some things to consider.

Last Minute Thoughts

Three days to go before election day on 4 November. I hope and pray that everyone who intends to vote is studying the issues and the candidates, local and state as well as national.

While I disagree with John McCain on some issues (for example, global warming), I am certain that he will be a better president for America than Barack Obama. Senator McCain is a known man of character and courage. He is far more knowledgeable about foreign affairs and other important issues than Barack Obama. We can count on him to not make foolish diplomatic errors that could prove disasterous not only for ourselves, but for other countries around the world.

Senator Obama is secretive and evasive and a known ally of socialist/Marxist/communist people and organizations. He has lately been lowering the taxable ceiling from $250,000 to $120,000 annual income in various speeches by himself and his supporters. His planned expenditures total several trillion dollars. The only way he can pay for all that is to tax more and more people. Too often, the words "redistribute wealth" make people think of taking money from millionaires and billionaires and distributing it to the poor. There aren't enough millionaires and billionaires to pay for all of that, so much of the middle class will find their incomes taxed to the max. What people aren't thinking about, either, is the fact that it is the people with the most money who invest and start businesses and give to charity (usually--the Bidens and the Obamas haven't been all that generous with their own money). It is the wealthier citizens who do things that create jobs and other opportunities, which is far more helpful to people than just giving them some dollars.

There are also countless questions about Senator Obama's honesty. Why won't he prove that he is a naturalized citizen and therefore eligible for the office of President? Why won't he release his donor lists? Why won't he get specific about his plans for America? And what about the known instances of him and his campaign trying to intimidate to silence those who disagree with him? He's tried that in Missouri and in Pennsylvania, at least. What about ACORN's voter registration fraud being investigated in a dozen states?

Another thing about Obama that would be funny if it weren't so serious for our country is his lack of accomplishments. And yet his campaign dares to claim that Governor Sarah Palin isn't qualified! That is laughable. She has far more serious, executive experience than he has. She is far more ready for higher office than he is. Then, too, there is the race issue. It is Obama's campaign and not McCain's that has been playing the race card by labeling everything as racist.

America was founded on freedom and must remain that way. Why are we strong? Because we have had the freedom to work our way up from wherever we start to wherever we want to be. We have had the incentive to create and invent and improve life for all. We have had the freedom to create a strong military. That will all disappear if Obama's wealth redistribution, reduction in military, and other socialist policies are put into practice.

When it comes to healthcare, the more the government interferes, the more it costs. Let the free market capitalism reign. We will see competition driving prices downward. It's the same with education. Let there be competition among public and private schools. Let people have vouchers so that they can choose the best schools for their children. Competition will improve the quality of education faster than any government program.

And let's talk military. Senator Barney Frank wants to cut the military by 25%. If we do not have a strong military run by men of character who know what is at stake, we will never have world peace. Other countries will see no reason to hold back on their attacks, including here in the United States, if our military is weakened. Preparation for war is the best incentive for peace.

The last thing our wonderful country needs is to be run by liberal Democrats such as Barack Obama, Harry Reid, and Nancy Pelosi. They want to cripple our economy by preventing our use of our own energy deposits, by going along with extreme environmentalists, and by taxing and spending. We all know it was liberal policies by Democrats and a refusal to heed warnings made by conservative Republicans that caused our current financial problems. That is just a sample of what we can look forward to if we elect those who ignore the Constitution or reinterpret it to suit their own agendas. Make no mistake about it--it will not be the elite liberals whose wealth is redistributed. They will exempt themselves from the policies they wish to inflict on the people of the United States.

The problems we have in America today were caused largely by the socialists policies of FDR and LBJ and others who have had the foolish notion that the government can manage our money and our lives better than we can. Government has its essential uses, but interfering in the free market and in people's lives are not among those uses. The more we get government out of our lives, the better and stronger America will be. A free people is far more generous than a forced people, who cannot afford to be charitable because all their money is going to a bloated government who uses much of that money just to pay for administering programs, never mind actually helping people.

As much as possible, government should be small and should be local, where the people can keep a closer eye on what is being done and can put a quick stop to waste and fraud. There have certainly been Republicans who have bought into the tax and spend and big government foolishness. They can be voted out of office, too, if they show no signs of mending their ways.

There is a lot at stake for America these days. Think about freedom and liberty. Reread the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America. Think seriously about the lessons of history. And whatever happens on Tuesday, think seriously about keeping a close eye on government and contacting your representatives at both state and national levels and letting them know how you expect them to govern on your behalf.

And may God continue to bless America.

Socialism Doesn't Help People

It's pretty clear, especially from his remarks to Joe the Plumber, but also from his general viewpoint and alliances, that Obama is a supporter of socialism and would like to take America in that direction. First, I would like to link to some articles that will shed some light on both socialism itself and also on Obama's connection to socialist ideas. These can be found at Thought You Should Know, on the "News" page, along with many other articles of interest. The articles are linked to the original websites they appeared on.

"Is Obama a Socialist?" by Henry Lamb

"Why Obama's Socialism Matters" by Bookworm

"Obama's 95% Illusion" by the Wall Street Journal editors

"It's the Socialists Taking Over Our Country" by Marie Jon

"President Barack Hoover" by Hugh Hewitt

"Governor Palin, 'Joe the Plumber', and the Real Middle Class" by Austin Hill

These articles explain socialism and why Obama can be considered a socialist. They give us a glimpse of what Obama's plans for America are.

One reason that I think people support Obama is that they think he is going to help people and lift them out of poverty, help them get healthcare, and give them money (taken from the wealthy). The problem is that when you take money from the wealthy, you cripple their ability to invest, to start businesses, and generally to create jobs, which is far more helpful to those who struggle than to just hand them a one-time check. You destroy people's incentive to invent new products and systems and start businesses that grow our country's economy.

There are other problems, too, such as universal healthcare. We learn from Canada, Great Britain, and other countries who have this socialist system for their healthcare that many people can't get the care they need when they need it. It may not be a big issue for those with only minor health problems, but for those with serious illnesses, such as cancer, it can mean death.

I suppose there are those out there who think that conservatives such as myself are ready to throw the poor and ill under the bus. No, we are not. We believe that the only real way to help people is NOT through government, but by individual efforts to help family and neighbors, by church help, and by private charities. Some charity organizations are nationwide, but they have local offices all over the country. The positive thing about local, non-government help is that it is where the people who need help are. It is able to get to know people and understand what their needs are and help them overcome obstacles to a better life. We have seen over and over how poorly government performs at most tasks. Why do we want to turn more and more over to it?

The particular danger of an Obama presidency is that he and those working with him won't stop at a little government interference and a little raising of taxes. They obviously plan to keep going until the government is in charge of everything. They plan to shrink the military, get rid of free trade, and oust capitalism. People need to think ahead and see the end results of Obama's plans to "help" people. There are many countries whose histories you can look at to see what happens--Cuba, Russia, China. Look at Great Britain and Europe today and compare that with what they once were. Look at what the UN tries to do to interfere with the governments of individual countries. It is hard to overcome the indoctrination of public schools, but there are sources of true information out there.

Obama has also shown that he is quite willing to try to intimidate those who don't agree with him. He's tried to sue the NRA for its ads and has also tried to prevent disagreement with him in Missouri. Then there's the whole ACORN organization and its attempts to use fraud in voter registration. There are Democrats as well as Republicans investigating that mess.

We have other problems to keep in mind. The great global warming hoax is being used as a tool to try to wreck the economy of countries all over the world, including the USA. Radical environmentalists are also a problem in other ways. We need to use all of our own energy resources (not only oil and natural gas and coal, but also nuclear plants, and we need to work on solar and wind and other sources of energy which are by no means ready to be our sole sources now) instead of sending money to buy from countries who are definitely not looking out for our best interests, yet Obama and many Democrats don't want us to produce our own energy. In addition, Obama has talked of sending $800 billion to other countries under the pretext of ending poverty. We have all seen how various tyrants and dictators do not use such aid to help their poor--they use it to enrich themselves and to tighten their grip on others.

I could go on and on, discussing abortion, the attempts to weaken families, the attempts to weaken religion, the lack of truthful information from the mainstream media, etc. There are very real dangers to America and its freedoms. There are many types of radicals who wish to destroy America as we know it, forgetting that it is America's freedom that has allowed said radicals to flourish. There are serious consequences to the actions of government and the people need to put a stop to the foolishness. One way to stop at least some of it is to NOT put Obama in as president. Another is to elect good people to Congress and toss out those who threaten our freedom.

You may not agree with me, but at least stop and think about what I've written. Read the articles I link to and think about what these writers say. I link to serious, intelligent people. I write from my heart. I just want American citizens to wake up and take a serious interest in their country's future and in all our individual futures. And please remember that we do not have to trash our country in order to help people who need help. The more prosperous and free our country is, the more we have available to help others. Also, when America sets a good, strong example for the world, other countries take heart and work to improve their own situations. There is so much good about America. She should be strengthened and not weakened.

17 Days Until November 4

We have 17 days to live through before the 4 November election. I suspect we will all be immensely relieved to have it over with! It does get tiresome to hear about the election and the candidates 24/7, but this is incredibly important for our country, so try to hang in there with it.

I have a number of articles that I really believe you should read and give serious thought to. There is a lot at stake in this election. First up are three articles about what kind of America we would be facing if Senator Obama is elected. These are from Townhall.

"Socialism! There, I Said It!" by David Limbaugh

"Do You Know the Real Barack Obama?" by Carol Platt Liebau

"Time to Use the 'C' Word" by Laura Hollis

These columns discuss information we've heard bits and pieces about, but have we put the pieces together to understand what Obama is all about and what electing him as President would mean for our freedom?

Since the mainstream media isn't what you could call objective or unbiased, you should counter what you hear from it with some information about McCain from his website. You can click on issues and then choose an issue of interest to read his positions. There are 21 issues listed. You may not agree with everything on each issue, but think also about who is more likely to maintain the liberty and freedom that is America--McCain or Obama.

From Jewish World Review comes Thomas Sowell's column titled "Record versus Rhetoric". He talks about Sarah Palin quite a bit, but also mentions McCain, Obama, and Biden. As usual, Dr. Sowell makes some great points.

Since race is often mentioned in this campaign (mostly by Obama and the Democrats, by the way), please read Charles Krauthammer's column titled "Who's Playing the Race Card?". Think about what he is writing. This column is also found at Jewish World Review. Many of these columns/articles I link to can be found at more than one website.

Pajamas Media has a piece on race and one on violent tendencies among Obama's and McCain's supporters. "PC Effect, not Bradley Effect, May Haunt Obama" by Bernard Chapin. "Obama Supporter Assaults Female McCain Volunteer in New York" by Oleg Atbashian. There are also a couple of other good articles from the same website that I'd want to highlight: "Gore's Dangerous Call for Environmental Civil Disobedience" by Gal Luft and "Obama Sells Out Education to the Revolution" by Mary Grabar. In fact, there are a lot of articles at Pajamas Media that I believe you would enjoy reading. Same with the other websites I link to. You get a different perspective from the MSM with facts to back these perspectives.

From National Review Online, you can read Michelle Malkin's column called "The Left Declares War on Joe the Plumber". At the same website, please read Kathryn Jean Lopez's article titled "The Justice Lets Us Walk Away With a Warning". This is an especially important article about the Constitution and its importance.

I know that I link to a lot of articles without a lot of commentary, but it's because these writers make their points so much more effectively than I could, and they've already done the research! What my point is, however, is that to elect Barack Obama as President of the United States would open the door to socialism, even communism. Not overnight, but steadily moving in that direction. I do not wear a tinfoil hat or see black helicopters everywhere I look. What I do see is that Obama allies with and supports terrorists and America haters. He is closely tied with ACORN who is being investigated for voter registration fraud in several states. He has ties with William Ayers and Bernadette Dohrn. He sat in Rev. Jeremiah Wright's church for 20 years listening to anti-American, black liberation theology sermons. There are a number of other radicals he and his wife have been allied with. If a white Republican had allied with neo-Nazis or the Ku Klux Klan or any of a number of extremist groups of that nature, do you think he would have been nominated for the Presidency? No. He'd have been run out of the race early on. So why is Obama still in the running? And while we're at it, why doesn't Obama answer questions? He either beats around the bush, changes the subject, or denies these documented alliances. Is someone this dishonest, evasive, and radical someone that we want as the President of the United States of America? No. A thousand times no. And there are other issues on which Obama's positions are dangerous--abortion, healthcare, redistributing wealth through raising taxes, etc., etc., etc. And while you're thinking about these things, think about what the chances are that you will somehow get something for nothing or be a part of the ruling elite. In all honesty, your chances are nil.

John McCain disappoints me with his acceptance of government interferance in the finance sector, but he is pro-life, strong on military, strong on the 2nd amendment, and any number of other reasonable pro-American positions. He also had the good sense to choose Sarah Palin as his running mate, a strong conservative woman with sympathy and empathy and a mind of her own, who has more executive experience than any of the other candidates.

While you are contemplating your votes for 4 November, carefully consider who you vote for to put in Congress--either the House or the Senate. Try to find the most honest, pro-American, pro-Constitution, pro-the people representatives you can find. The best thing for America is small government plus capitalism plus freedom and liberty for all. Think about it.

Edited to add:

I have an article about global warming linked above ("Gore's Dangerous Call for Environmental Civil Disobedience"), but I've run across two more that I think you should read. This is one area that I disagree with John McCain about. At American Thinker there is "An Open Letter from the Viscount Monckton of Brenchly to Senator John McCain about Climate Science and Policy". This is long, but a very good read, with lots to think about. I've linked to the first page--there are 3 more.

The other piece is the Saturday, 18 October post at Warning Signs, Alan Caruba's blog. The post's title is "With 'Friends' Like These" by Alan Caruba.

We have a lot of different issues that we need to keep an eye on all at once. Good luck to us, I say!

Politics and Economics and Elections! Oh, My!

Any chance we'll survive the 3.5 weeks until the election? I assume we will, but it is certainly going to take some fortitude to get through it.

First, some links about our current economic situation. You might be interested to read this article written in 2000, discussing the events that today have led to our economic problems.

"The Trillion-Dollar Bank Shakedown That Bodes Ill for Cities" by Howard Husock (hat tip: JR)

A current article is "Econ 101: The Financial Crisis and Danger of Government Intervention" by Gary Wolfram. This article briefly reviews the causes of the current crisis and how government intervention hurts rather than helps. Here is Dr. Walter Williams' take on the mess: "Lessons from the Bailout".

Mixing politics and economics, we go to Frank Salvato at The New Media Journal and his editorial "Obama, ACORN, & Their Starring Role in the Mortgage Crisis".

Segueing into politics and the election, here is Warner Todd Huston's article "Indiana: More Registered to Vote Than Eligible". Hmmmm. Here is an informative article by Thomas Sowell called "The Real Obama". Some important points to consider in both of these pieces.

A number of people have taken to saying than anyone who doesn't vote for Obama is a racist. That's nonsense. It is Obama's worldview, policies, and affiliations that we object to. I would vote for a Thomas Sowell-Walter Williams (or Walter Williams-Thomas Sowell) ticket in a heartbeat. That would truly be an American dream ticket. And guess what? Both men are black. But that is not the point--the point is that they love America and they have a lot of common sense and solid characters. They are great men and Obama is not.

We are going through some tough times, to be sure. The last thing we should do is elect a liberal/socialist/Marxist/communist type like Obama who is more facilitator than leader (see "Obama the Facilitator" by Joseph Rosenberger). The McCain-Palin ticket isn't perfect, but it is far better for America than the Obama-Biden ticket. Many of the so-called flaws of McCain-Palin are spins by the in-the-tank-for-Obama mainstream media, but even so, at least we can trust McCain-Palin to do their best for America. Obama-Biden won't have America's best interests at heart--they are too dissatisfied with America, past and present, and want to change our country into a socialist copy of past failed and failing governments in Europe, Cuba, Venezuela, Russia, etc. Do yourself a favor and read widely about the candidates. Don't stop with the mainstream media. Ask yourself why Obama is given a pass on answering serious questions about his past affiliations and his rise in Chicago politics and the failure of his Annenberg Chicago Challenge.

Think before you vote.

Edited to add the following:

I've come across a couple more interesting pieces to post. First up is an article at American Thinker called "This Could Be the Game Changer" by Thomas Lifson. There is a video at the bottom of the article that explains the lawsuit in Pennsylvania over whether or not Obama is a natural born citizen and, therefore, eligible to be President. This is not a video by crazies. It features the lawyer who filed the suit and he explains what it's all about.

The second article is also at American Thinker and is "Why Obama's Communist Connections Are Not Headlines" by Paul Kengor. This is a thought-provoking piece that raises questions about what students are taught in school, or rather not taught in school, and the repercussions of that lack of necessary knowledge.

Oh, and here are a couple more (don't want you to run out of reading material!), also at American Thinker: "All That Darned Conservatism" by Randall Hoven and "What Happened to the Media" by Karyn Gaidos.

Edited again to add:

More good reading material for you. Victor Davis Hanson writes "Jumping Ship" about some conservatives who are thinking of abandoning McCain and why it would be a mistake for them to do so. The piece is at Pajamas Media. From the calm and thoughtful Michael Barone, we read some thoughts about "The Coming Obama Thugocracy". The list of attempts to shut down/shout down free speech by Obama's campaign and other leftist groups ought to make any American shudder. This piece comes from Townhall.

From Weekly Standard comes an interesting article on the economy. It's called "Economic Upheaval: Surveying the Wreckage for Signs of Life" by Irwin M. Stelzer. And one last one is John Kinsellagh's article "The Media and Barack Obama: Don't Confuse Us with the Facts, We're Sticking with Our Narrative".

The Encyclopedia of Life Has a Lot More Content Now

The Encyclopedia of Life has had a website up for a year or more with minimal content (6 demonstration pages), but now they have 25 complete pages, about 30,000 partial pages, and a million or so minimal pages. If you had given up on them ever getting more up, now is the time to go explore! You can register for free and the encyclopedia is meant to always be free, to provide information about all life on earth to everyone everywhere. Lots of interesting stuff there now and to come in the future. It's scheduled for completion in 2017.

If you register, you can sign up to get their quarterly newsletter in your email. They are having a contest to name the newsletter. Also, later this year, they plan to make it possible for anyone to contribute photos and content to be reviewed for inclusion. This is a great site for anyone interested in science and nature and for anyone taking classes along those lines. Kids will enjoy learning more about common plants and animals they see around their homes or getting information for school.

I know I sound like an advertisement, but I have no connection to the encyclopedia except as an interested reader. I just think that it'll be a fascinating place to learn.

Indoctrination in Delaware

I don't know if you have heard about the program at the University of Delaware wherein they had a "treatment" for the "incorrect attitudes and beliefs" of their students, but I am relieved to tell you that said program has been terminated, effective immediately. FrontPage Magazine has an article about the program and its termination, "Victory at University of Delaware" which recounts the story and provides links to more information about it.

This program was a shocking attempt to "train" students to think in a certain way about various issues of the day. At Jewish World Review, Dr. Walter Williams writes a column titled "Academic Cesspools II" which details some of the insane things that the University of Delaware was doing before the program was terminated. We can all be thankful the program has ended.

I would urge alumni and parents of students to find out what is going on at their universities and get involved in supporting true academic freedom. Voting with their pocketbooks and their feet would be a good beginning.

Musings (or Rantings, Depending on Your Point of View)

Global warming, or climate change, is still making headlines. It gets blamed for everything and mankind gets blamed for global warming, even though there is evidence out there that man does not have that big an effect on the environment. There are ways, of course, that people can be better stewards of the earth, but those ways are best implemented on a local, personal level. Scientists can help, if they will actually follow the scientific method and not get into politics and personal agendas. Real information will help real people make real decisions about their personal stewardship responsibilities.

Education is a major concern, too, because it shapes the thinking of the rising generation. It seems that only liberal ideas and propaganda are welcome in schools these days. A true education comes with looking at all sides of an issue and thinking clearly and critically about them all. It also comes from an honest survey of the past in history and other writings to learn lessons that only history and the past can teach us about what works and what doesn't. Rewriting history or editing some of it out doesn't help anyone--it only hurts us all. Then there is this whole self-esteem thing. What good does it do a child to be praised or rewarded for doing things wrong? Does it really prevent hurt feelings? No. A child knows when he doesn't deserve praise or a reward. And as far as trying to prevent hurt feelings--well, that doesn't do much to prepare someone for real life, does it?

Feminism strikes me as being selective for liberal causes. It also strikes me as training women to see oppression everywhere, even when it isn't there in reality. And what about the oppression of women in the Middle East? That is a real, honest-to-goodness problem and yet feminists remain strangely silent on the subject. I can only presume that it is because supporting change in the Middle East doesn't fit the liberal agenda. It is a larger and more important example of what feminists did with Bill Clinton--sexual harassment was bad unless it was perpetrated by Mr. Clinton. I am sure there are consistant feminists out there somewhere, but I haven't been hearing from them. Certainly they aren't making the news.

Immigration is a tough problem. Yes, we all want to be charitable, but in my view, when someone commits a crime (coming the the United States illegally) and benefits from that crime, then things are seriously out of whack. It's frustrating, too, when some play the race card and accuse those of us who want the laws enforced of being racist. It isn't true and surely they know it, but it gets attention and stops any honest debate on the subject. It's the same with accusing people falsely of being homophobic because they believe that marriage is only for one man and one woman, and that school children shouldn't be subjected to all sorts of indoctrination about what constitutes a family and about what sexual behavior is acceptable.

There are so many ways that we allow government to intrude into our lives and go well beyond what they are constitutionally permitted to do and yet so many don't seem to realize that our freedom and liberty is at stake. Taxes leap to mind. So do things like hate-crimes legislation, laws to ban transfats and other things that someone has decided are bad for us (they may be bad for us, but it is not government's place to decide).

Certainly conservatives aren't perfect, either. The thing is, though, that most conservatives look at the big picture and see the problems that will arise when "feel-good" legislation is proposed and when education is one-sided and when those opposing them indulge in name-calling instead of addressing the actual issues and debating ideas honestly.

I understand that there are those opposed to my viewpoint and that is their privilege. What I can't understand is why they won't even consider that they might be thinking about some things in the wrong way--or, worse, not thinking at all, just blindly following the liberal agenda. Well, I suppose that is what they think about me. I just want people to be more objective and to think things through in a more complete way. I want to see real, honest debate in the presidential campaigns instead of candidates who tailor what they say to fit a poll they've seen or an audience they are speaking to.

What to do About Indoctrination at Schools and Universities

Last week's post was about indoctrination in the educational system in the USA. Today I will link to a place where you can find out what you or your students can do to stop it. First up is a website called Students for Academic Freedom. This organization works to stop the one-sided "education" our kids get. On that site, or at FrontPage Magazine, you can read a letter about what the organization does and what you can do. They have made a little progress, but there is a lot more to do.

There are a couple more articles you should read. They are "I'm OK, You're Not OK" by Mark Bauerlein and "The Peace (Studies) Racket" by Bruce Bawer. These articles discuss the leftist approach to education.

We really need to be concerned about the inadequate education our young people are receiving these days.

The State of Academia

I love education--reading, studying, thinking, writing. It is all so wonderful. Because of my love of learning, it makes me incredibly sad to view the state of our educational systems here in the United States, from kindergarten right on through to the universities. They have been drifting away from teaching and getting into indoctrinating, the very antithesis of what they should be doing to prepare young people for life and for the future.

At FrontPage Magazine there is an article about the University of California at Santa Cruz titled "The Worst School in America" by David Horowitz and Jacob Laksin. While the article could have used some serious proofreading, the content is important information for all of us to know about, whether we are taxpayers or sending children to school or citizens concerned about the direction our country is headed in. The article is long, but well worth the time to read.

UCSC is a public university funded by taxpayers. Yet they are violating academic standards right and left and openly training radical activists of all stripes. Many other schools teach some of these same types of courses. Education is supposed to be about teaching students to read, write, and think with clarity, and to study multiple viewpoints, objective facts, scientific studies, and the like. It is not supposed to be about the egregious violation of these academic principles.

I hope people will wake up and investigate what is being taught at schools they send their children and/or their donations to. This is serious, folks.

Science is Supposed to be About Investigation

Like global warming, another object of scientific study is evolution. And again, a small group of people insist that the debate is over and evolution, like global warming being caused by man, is a fact, even though it is assuredly not. I found an interesting article called "Theory of Evolution" at the Conservapedia. Like Wikipedia, this is a publicly written/edited online encyclopedia, so you would want to do some research of your own to confirm the information. However, this article is full of names and quotes and footnotes, so it gives you plenty of information to research.

My reading on the topic of evolution shows little, if any, evidence confirming it. Yet this is what is taught in our schools, and other viewpoints and ideas and facts are shut out. It can take years, even decades, for such indoctrinated students to realize they've been had. Who knows how much scientific research goes undone because everyone thinks "the debate is over". How many ideas and solutions and new discoveries are delayed or never found because research is stifled in certain directions?

Wikipedia has a good article on "Scientific Method" which should serve as a good reminder of what science is supposed to be about.

This past week, Newsweek had a story called "The Truth about Denial" by Sharon Begley. An excellent rebuttal of this article can be found at Townhall.com in an article called "Paralyzing Fog of Uncertainty on Climate" by Debra J. Saunders.

Just keep an open mind and search out all sides of an issue. You might be surprised at what you find. And don't forget to consider motivation for taking one side or another--the spokespeople might have hidden agendas.

Some Links

I have added links to my sidebar now and again, but there are four new ones I especially want to point out because they belong to a friend, Confutus. He has quite a project started having to do with an outline of knowledge and also showing how various subjects connect with one another. The sites he has set up are as follows:

Sapience Knowledge Base

Independent Learning Forum (can also be accessed from the SKB home page)

Independent Learning (blog)

From the Ground (this is more of a political blog)

Come visit these sites and leave comments on the blogs or discuss independent learning on the forum. Anyone who is interested in continued learning will probably find something they are interested in. Also, homeschoolers and unschoolers (a term new to me!) will probably find this useful, too.

Mid-Summer Thoughts

It is mid-July already. Where does the time go?

It isn't raining today in Oklahoma City. A few days ago, we surpassed our normal yearly average rainfall. Needless to say, there are flooding problems here and there around the state. I feel sorry about that--it can be really hard on people, whether their home is flooded or the road to their home is washed out. Some of the campgrounds around lakes had to be closed because they are flooded. It's a mess in places, but we did need to recover from drought. Nothing is ever easy, is it?

I have been reading an assortment of books--mostly about nature and about writing--lately. I expect to get my book for the next insurance class next week and will have less time for other reading for awhile once it arrives. I hadn't taken a class/test for quite awhile, so this last class was a bit of a warm-up for me--thankfully, it covered a lot of material that I was already somewhat familiar with.

I still feel like my self-education is somewhat scattered. I need to set some priorities, but everything is so interesting to me!

History: Looking Back to Look Forward

I am a great believer in studying history in order to learn what works and what doesn't. This applies to government, but also to one's personal life. One book on this topic that I've really enjoyed is The Lessons of History by Will and Ariel Durant (New York: Simon and Schuster ,1968). I have the audio book on CD and have enjoyed listening to not only the book itself, but also to excerpts from interviews with Will and Ariel Durant.

There are any number of books and websites that can give you insight into history and help you learn facts about what happened. Researching widely will give you a better perspective because it is difficult for even the best-intentioned historian to be totally free of bias. The very act of writing history involves sorting through events and people and deciding what to include and what to leave out. A variety of sources will give you a number of perspectives and help you learn enough to reach your own conclusions about what happened and why and how it influenced other events.

Some internet sources:

MacroHistory: Prehistory to the 21st Century
History Research Online
The History Channel
Conservapedia
Wikipedia
USA.gov

Some books:

America: The Last Best Hope by William J. Bennett (volume 1, volume 2)

Books from Regnery Publishing, including the Politically Incorrect Guides

There are, of course, many others, but these will give you some starting points. As you read and study, think about how the events of the past correspond to today's events and see what lessons you might be able to draw.

"The Encyclopedia of Life"

There is a new web resource just starting up called The Encyclopedia of Life. It is an ambitious undertaking by scientists to post pages on every form of life discovered. The press release says:

Many of the world’s leading scientific institutions today announced the launch of the Encyclopedia of Life, an unprecedented global effort to document all 1.8 million named species of animals, plants, and other forms of life on Earth. For the first time in the history of the planet, scientists, students, and citizens will have multi-media access to all known living species, even those that have just been discovered.

The press release is a fairly long article and you can read all of it on the link provided above. Very interesting. Another paragraph states:

Over the next 10 years, the Encyclopedia of Life will create Internet pages for all 1.8 million species currently named. It will expedite the classification of the millions of species yet to be discovered and catalogued as well. The pages, housed at http://www.eol.org, will provide written information and, when available, photographs, video, sound, location maps, and other multimedia information on each species. Built on the scientific integrity of thousands of experts around the globe, the Encyclopedia will be a moderated wiki-style environment, freely available to all users everywhere.

Demonstration pages are available here. FAQs are here and answer a lot of questions you may have about this project. You can register here and get email updates. I'm going to do that because this looks fascinating. It will be a long-term project, obviously, but a very interesting one. I read a note about it somewhere (I'm sorry I can't remember where.), but I think it will be something we can all enjoy and benefit from.

An Assortment for Your Perusal

Patriot Post has a page with a modern language update of The Federalist Papers. I haven't started reading it yet, but it sounds informative and has information about the original authors of The Federalist Papers. I subscribe to the Patriot Post newsletter (it's free!), but you can also read the newsletter on their site from this page under "Edition Archives". It's a very good newsletter with lots of information and commentary. There are a number of sections listed down the left side of the main page, so you'll find a lot of material there.

There is a website called Reagan 2020 about President Ronald Reagan. It has a biography, texts of speeches, and much more. Quite comprehensive.

For a focus on women and family values, there is the Concerned Women for America website. It features links to news items and commentary about women and family issues of today. Ladies Against Feminism also has links to news items and articles in a similar vein. It's recommended that you read this page first on the latter site to get a better idea of their purpose.

Phyllis Schlafly has a website at Eagle Forum. She has also started a wiki Conservapedia here, as a part of the Eagle Forum University. Lots of interesting information there, as well.

There are, of course, many other sites out there that can give you news and information you can't get from the Mainstream Media (MSM). However, just like the MSM, you do need to use common sense and confirm facts from another source. Bear in mind that the MSM is biased to the Left/Liberal agenda--it isn't any more dependable than anything else these days. The sites I refer to above and have linked on my sidebar lean toward the Right/Conservative agenda--they aren't inaccurate just because of that. In fact, they emphasize truth. I think it is important for people to have access to other sources than the MSM so that they can think for themselves about the issues of the day.

The Government Gets Too Big for Its Britches

What's up with the Government and its entities? Lately, we've watched news stories about scandalous conditions at Walter Reed, giving us a glimpse of what socialized medicine would be like if Hillary Clinton and others get their way. Now we get a glimpse of what public schools can be like if they continue to try to take over the raising of children from parents.

In an article at Concerned Women for America, we learn that "School Tells Kids to Hide Pro-'Gay' Propaganda from Parents". It seems that Deerfield High School in Deerfield, Illinois,

has required fourteen-year-old freshmen to attend a “Straight Gay Alliance Network” (GSA) panel discussion led by “gay” and “lesbian” upperclassmen during a “freshman advisory” class which secretively featured inappropriate discussions of a sexual nature in promotion of high-risk homosexual behaviors.

Not only has DHS required that its young and impressionable freshmen be exposed to radical homosexual propaganda, the school has further required that students sign a “confidentiality agreement” promising not to tell anyone – including their own parents – about the discussion.

This is an outrage that must be stopped, whatever form it takes. Schools have no business keeping secrets from the parents of their students, or from the public in general. Our tax money supports these schools. It is most definitely our business what goes on there.

In addition to having no business keeping secrets, schools also have no business having classes in propaganda. Schools are to teach such things as history, math, science, English, and no more. No wonder our students do poorly academically when schools waste the kids' time and "teach" them things the schools have no business teaching. And guess what?

Remarkably, even after the school district’s surreptitious actions were exposed, parents were nonetheless told that they were not welcome to sit in on the “freshman advisory” and were not permitted to have access to materials used in compiling its activist curriculum.

Go read the entire article. It's quite educational. And that brings up another question--why haven't we heard/read stories about this in the good ol' Mainstream Media?

Political Reflections

I often link to and quote from conservative political articles in my posts here at Scholar. I suppose that I come off as agitating for war instead of peace. Believe me, that is not my intent! However, there are times when we need to stand up for what is right and oppose what is wrong, even if that does mean going to war. When you think about the repressive regime the jihadists wish to force upon the entire world, you understand why they must be stopped.

It appears that many Americans have grown impatient. They want instant solutions rather than long term corrections that will genuinely solve problems. If a war takes longer than a couple of months, they want out. If tax cuts take awhile to work, they want to repeal them. If immigration problems take time to solve, they want to just leave them be. People seem to have lost sight of the fact that problems don't develop overnight and cannot be solved overnight. You have to think deeply and consider all the possible consequences of any course of action. Then you choose the best long-term solution and began, knowing that it will take time--sometimes a lot of time--but that in the end, the problem will be truly solved.

Education in government schools is at least a part of the problem. Our children aren't taught in depth like they were in the first half of the twentieth century (and earlier). Now it seems that they are skimming along on the surface of subjects, not learning the patience and persistence it takes to study something thoroughly. Everyone is praised for everything and no one wants to get into anything too difficult because it might injure somebody's self-esteem or offend them in some way. I imagine the real world is something of a shock to today's young people, a real world in which there is competition and there are difficult problems that render a surface knowledge of subjects useless. This is a real world where there is right and wrong--truth isn't relative like they were taught in school. There really are values and virtues, evils and vices, and they must be sorted out. Some things are of great importance and must be defended. Other things are trivial and time-wasting and need to be let go.

If people don't know how to think things through, they fall victim to every scheme and scam that comes along. They believe everything they are told. They think you can throw money at a problem and solve it. They even think that empty-headed celebrities and politicians always know what they are talking about. Where are people who are able to think carefully and read up on different points of view and consider the ramifications of various proposals? Where are people who have values and standards and understand that liberty, freedom, virtue, morality, marriage, family, religion, and other such things are essential to the development of real civilization? Where are respect and honor? Where are truly good role models?

Being human, none of us are perfect. We make mistakes. We fall short. My concern is that we lack the depth necessary to overcome our imperfections and to correct our mistakes. We are too short-sighted, too impatient. We are too concerned with the politically correct and not concerned enough with what is the truth.

One solution is to teach truth, values, virtue, and morality. If it isn't taught in schools, it should be taught at home and in the community. It can be taught through various forms of media. It can be taught through churches, private schools, and home schools. And there are always some people of depth who survive their public schooling and exposure to mainstream media and learn on their own to study subjects in depth and think things through and consider consequences.

We shall just have to continue to do the best we can in whatever circumstances we find ourselves and be good examples that will reach at least a few people, eventually spreading through society. It would be easy to become pessimistic and give up. That we must never do.