YouTube Wisdom and the American Stock Market

The

D
ropping
ow

Riding the Tube

As I watched the Democrats battle it out in their YouTube debate last night,

Look to your left and say one good thing and one criticism about your fellow running mate.

"The good thing is, he is running so hard to the left that he is jeopardizing his chance in the election.The bad thing is, she will probably try to learn to play the saxophone next."






I estimate that if anyone of them wins the presidency, the loser will be the American economy.

For example, John Edwards, continuing the Democratic populist demagoguery, signaled that they are coming after "big oil, big insurance, and big drug companies." He forgot trial lawyers, I wonder why?

The February "Crash"

Anyway, the last time I spoke to you about the stock market was in February, right after the scare caused by the Chinese bubble. Well, our market, and the Chinese market, continued onward and upward from then.

So, with China again being talked about as a bubble, and the U.S. stock market too, and after today's dramatic drop, I think it's appropriate once again to address the market.

Disclaimer

I inform you that I am a former stockbroker with Merrill Lynch, Dean Witter and Charles Schwab. I also tell you, though, that I am presently not a professional in the financial field, and that nothing I say here shall be construed as investment advice. You must do your own homework, and make up your own minds. I am not liable for your decisions. In fact, I'll add, do not follow any advice I give. Need that be any clearer?

Bragging Rights

Still, I want to gloat. In February, after that dramatic fall, I said the market would rise again, and it did.

Tomorrow's Stock Market Today

What do I say this time, after a 226-point drop in the DJIA today?

First. Tomorrow, Wednesday, July 25, 2007, the market will be up. Some segments may still be hurting, like the financials and the homebuilders, but other stock sectors will rise. Techs will climb tomorrow for sure.

Predicting tomorrow is the easy part. What about the next three months, and the rest of the year?

Subprime and Mortgage Woes

The subprime fiasco and mortgage problems will weigh down some banks and much housing. This will hurt consumers, who will have to pay rising interest rates, and who will lose the cash benefit of refinancing their homes. People selling their homes will find the market soft. On the other side, buyers of homes will find bargains.

Globalization

Contrary to this, though, is our favorite bugaboo, globalization, which will turn out to be the world's savior this time. For you see, the economy is no longer national; it is global. This is why Amazon (a bellwether tech stock) can be up 14% at this very moment in after-hours trading, even on a day when the rest of the market was down, down, down. The reason? Tech will not be hurt by subprime or mortgage woes, and tech is a global enterprise. Everyone buys from Amazon, even the "communist capitalists" in China. So? Tech will survive.

Most sectors that are global in nature, such as energy, tech, infrastructure, and others like those restaurant chains that reach overseas, as McDonald's does, will be fine. The sectors, though, that depend on localized, American-only profits, especially those related to mortgages and homebuilding here, might face a headwind.

Overall? Global liquidity (& see liquidity info) might just be enough to overcome any and all American subprime and mortgage woes, even within continental America. There's a lot of money out there looking for bargains, and the American stock market is still undervalued in several areas.

I'd bet on a continued rise, but with some sectors hurting. Don't quote me on it. I'm just not as panicked as some.

A Bush in Hand is Worth More Than Ten Communist Cuckoo Birds on a YouTube

I believe that Bush has helped us soar to a great economy, and that the Dems might destroy it. In fact, the only thing that can ruin my scenario of a continued rise in the market, will be President Edwards, Obama, or Clinton.

Rock

(*Wikipedia is always my source unless indicated.)


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Guns, Butter, Pollution, and Death

Cinese
apitalism

Aside

This was a difficult article for me to write. I don't know why.

China's Smoking Capitalism

China's economy is exploding to the upside. It's ironic that this communist country is veering towards capitalism, that Germany and France are reducing taxes, but that the U.S. is getting ready to swerve left—which will destroy an economy that is humming along.

The problem in China is, in fact, that it is growing too fast, if you can imagine this. They are paying the price for this unbridled growth with pollution that chokes you with every breath, and a runaway stock market that worries Chinese officials, and the world, for that matter.










The problem is a kind of 1920's scenario, where ordinary folks are making fortunes, and so they sell their homes and valuables to invest. It's a great big Ponzi scheme that eventually will end. The only thing that might keep it from becoming a disaster is that China's real growth is astronomic, about 20% a year or more.

This means that the rise in the Chinese stock market is based on fundamental growth, and not just speculation. Still, if their market rises too much, it will overtake real value, and the last ones to buy in will be left holding the bag—minus their homes and valuables. This is just what happened in the 1920's in America when people could buy stocks on margin, only putting up 10% of the value of a stock to own it. When the market crashed, people couldn't pay their margin calls, and started jumping out of windows.

Again, China is not an exact copy of 1920's America, as China's monstrous growth will cushion the eventual fall of the market. Still.

Discipline, Chinese Style

So, China, aware of the danger, has tried to calm down its market by raising interest rates, increasing margin requirements, and so on. The next thing they are trying is to "eliminate" those who encourage speculation. They've just arrested a blogger who is the most read on the Chinese Internet, because he gave stock tips that work! (See also: Chinese blogger, and Chinese blogger arrested.

You see, there are still differences between how their form of capitalism works and ours. We might want to jail unethical people too, but we have to go through a legitimate trial first. There's always the question of guilt and innocence. Was this Chinese blogger really doing a bad thing by giving good stock tips? I don't know the details—whether he was revealing insider information or something like this. The Chinese, though, don't know enough to charge him with anything specific either. They arrested him simply because they see him as part of the problem of the overly enthusiastic Chinese markets.

Notice too, how they handled an unethical businessman recently. They executed him, within weeks of his being charged!

Now that's a heavy penalty. Our Enron offenders are rotting in jail, but Chinese crooks get shot.

Examples of American "Discipline"

Witness, again, that some of our worst businessmen are rotting in jail, after long drawn-out trials and appeals. Enron, Martha Stewart, et al.

Here is another example of how we handle our business renegades:

See the Pearl Izumi advertisement, (& Pearl Izumi ad) in the window at the top of today's post, which appeared in Runner's World. There has been an outcry against, and for, the ad. People against the ad call it tasteless, and lurid. Those for it call it edgy. No one will arrest the authors, though, nor anyone at Pearl Izumi, nor their parent company Nautilus.

Some people might want to arrest them, but we don't do that sort of thing. The ad was either in bad taste, or was "edgy." You decide.

So, Whose System Is Better?

Dictatorships and totalitarian governments are always more efficient than democracies. They can arrest people without trials and stop stock speculation by banning it, to a certain extent. They can jail people fast, and shoot them too. Who's going to complain?

But then what? They've lost this creative blogger, and they're going to lose a hundred thousand others like him with initiative, who now will be frightened to stand out. If the guy broke a law, the law should be public and known to all, before any arrest; and there should be a fair trial.

While we'd like to execute Martha Stewart some days, it's better that she had a trial and was found guilty, and made muffins for the prisoners. (Yeah!)

Our system is better, believe me.

Unstoppable

Like I said, though, things like China jailing a blogger and executing a businessman after a show trial, won't hurt China's growth all that much. After all, they have unleashed the tiger of capitalism in their country. This beast can be ridden, but it can't be stopped. Who would want to stop it? They will try to slow it down, at the point of a gun, but this behemoth has thick skin. It is mightier than bullets. It is not just a tiger. It is a flaming tiger. Its heat melts bullets, and defies firing squads.

One day, it might even lead to—yes, you guessed it—democracy.

Rock

(*Wikipedia is always my source unless indicated.)


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It's a Wonderful Day in the Neighborhood

I admit it, this is a

R


ant.

Live Earth, Dead Air

Like a lot of people on this globe, I experienced the music on Live Earth. I witnessed Al Gore's hologram and all the brainwashed children brainwashing other children. I found it boring and repulsive, like Mr. Roger's Neighborhood without the intelligence.

Youthful Rebellions Have a Purpose, Sometimes

When I was growing up, we rebelled, like all good teenagers, by absorbing Elvis, Bob Dylan, then the British invasion, headed by the Beatles, and culminating in Woodstock.

Our rebellion with Elvis was the slicked back hair, the swiveling hips, the curled lip, the sex of it all. Our upheaval with Bob Dylan was anti-war and pro-intellectualism.










Our insurgency with the Beatles was against anyone older than we were, the way these oldsters dressed, how they conducted their love lives, and their whole religious and sociological point of view. Woodstock was the ultimate breakdown of society.

All four of these singers, groups and movements led to genuine revolutions. We weren't attempting to emulate Bobbysoxers that loved Frank Sinatra. We were not trying to be anything. We were exuberant youth and actually did believe in the Age of Aquarius.

Heavy Metal and Hip-Hop

The kids of today have heavy metal and hip-hop. Complaining for the sake of complaining. Teenage angst looking for someone to blame, and without a cause.

The Religion of Political Correctness

So, their cause becomes political correctness. They have no religion, so they believe in environmentalism; in the inclusion of all of mankind in their loving embrace, including terrorists; in unbridled hedonism coupled with a hatred of everything military, conservative, and traditional.

Yearning for Woodstock

They've seen Woodstock, and think it was cool, so they emulate it. They lack the revolutionary fervor, though, that we had as kids. They want that fervor, and they think that it consists of chants and slogans and mantras.

True Revolutionaries

I am not totally proud of what we Baby Boomers have wrought on this earth. Yet, we were true revolutionaries. I renounce some of the fanciful ideas of my youth, having seen the value now of business and family and religion. I am happy that we have made advances in environmentalism.

Wannabees

I am not proud, though, of this crop of kids, and this gaggle of celebrities.

Little do they realize that they are the establishment. They are not the revolutionaries.



They agree with all the major news channels and newspapers and PBS and on and on, in their maniacal attack on whatever is good in the world. Their robot-like pronouncements require no moral or political courage. They march in lockstep with everyone else.

The Harm They Do

What's more, they hurt people and damage the world. They slaughter innocents by not supporting the Iraq War. They snatch food away from the poor with their socialism. They bloody the wounded with their socialized medicine. They will wind up mangling the environment too, by not embracing science, and instead praying to their green forest gods in the hysterical religion of irrational environmentalism.

Live Earth is Dangerous to Your Health

The death blow Live Earth strikes is to brainwash our children. There is no room for intelligent discussion on this kind of show. It's all goose stepping and saluting the gods of green and St. Al Gore. The celebrities spout their meaningless banter and proclaim to the world, "See what a good person I am! I am a liberal."

Stop Patting Yourself on Your Backs

Liberals, to me, are not the good people. The saints, the heroes of our society are in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the few back home who speak up for liberty and freedom.

Real Revolution

A genuine revolutionary, with a message worth listening to, will not be serenading ethanol and electric cars. He or she will be belting out pro-American songs that encourage the country in its fight against terror. That person will be the next Bob Dylan. He or she is nowhere in sight.

Let the brain-dead celebrities and vacuous youth show me some courage by speaking the truth, rather than their Marxist slogans, and I'll respect them. I'll worship them, in fact. Isn't that what they want? I'd even bow down to St. Al if he admitted that the sky is not falling.

Common Sense

Yes, let's clean up the environment. No, though, let's not make it a religion. Keep it in the realm of science, open to discussion. There is no room on our planet for Nazi-type propaganda machines, be they Al Gore's, or Michael Moore's, or Madonna's.

Think for yourself people, that's all I ask.

Rock

(*Wikipedia is always my source unless indicated.)


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Bush the Nice Guy: When It's a Good Thing, and When It's Not

Warmth


or

Fire

The Bush Scorecard

I feel like a lot of conservatives these days when I see my beloved right wing of the Republican Party in the descendency. I also continue to get whipsawed when I measure my approval rating of President Bush. Since I am like most Americans, on the side of the underdog, I can't help rooting for George W. Still, this blog is about truth, so here we go. I'll get to the nice guy issue in a minute.

Bush is great so far on:
• The decision to invade Irag and depose Saddam
• His attempt to install democracy in Iraq
• Keeping taxes low and our economy humming
• A cluster of traits including persistence, conviction, loyalty, and integrity
• Personal charm, including but not only when he is one-on-one

Bush, in my opinion, falls short on:
• Winning the war in Iraq
• His immigration policy
• Leadership in showing Americans and the world his vision of peace
• His communication skills in public

Bush the Nice Guy

I've said before that one of Bush's character traits is to want to be a nice guy.He desires to be loved by everybody. As a result, his approval rating is one of the lowest for any president in history.

When is it a good thing for Bush to be a nice guy?

Today was one example. President Putin is visiting the Bush family residence in Kennebunkport, Maine. Putin is a bad guy. He is the one leader in our world that could bring back the Gulags if he chose to do that. He has already nationalized private industries and curbed freedom of the press, and may be responsible for outright murder. We could be hard and say we need to put Putin in his place. Yet, I don't see that we'd get much for this. I think Bush is right to coddle up to Putin and pour on the charm.

Why? There is a time to be Reaganesque and say, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" and there is a time to be Bush-like, and say, "We congratulate President Putin on being the only one today to catch a fish."

Russia is not a democracy like ours. It has returned to a sort of democratic autocracy because they didn't know how to run a democracy. The mob took over and there was chaos. Now the Russians have a strongman again, and 70% of them are happy with him. The people wanted it this way. Bush being harsh to Putin would only alienate a whole nation. Sometimes, diplomacy is the right thing.

When is being a nice guy not right?

When waging a war. If you want to be popular as president when you are waging a war, you must win, period. There is no room to be showing the world and your people, in that war, that you are the fairest guy in the battle. You must win.

Nice Guys Finish Last?

So, is it true that nice guys finish last? No, not all the time. They finish first when diplomacy is needed. They finish last in war. Lincoln was a nice guy much of the time. He was vicious, though, in war. Then, when he won, he was the sweetest guy in the world to the losers. That's how it's done.

Give Putin all the lobster he can eat. Give Al-Queda cocktails, Molotov that is, with a dash of bitters.

Rock

(*Wikipedia is always my source unless indicated.)


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Announcement and Third Party Musings

Technical


Writing



Super


Man

Introducing

Technical Editing/Writing

I wanted to take a moment to introduce my two agencies offering services. The first is, of course, my technical writing firm. I have not built the Website yet, but basically I am offering the service already. I have gathered a team of writers, and we will do any kind of editing or writing, technical and otherwise. You can contact me with projects via this blog, and in the near future I'll have a Website for the service.

Super Man

My second agency has a blog already. This is my Super Man Agency. See the link at the top right of this blog now. I ran this business twice before, once in California and once in Israel, and it was a runaway success both times. This time, though, I want to follow through and make it big.

This is a service whereby I will do anything for you, at your home or office, that is legal.




It is designed to offer unusual or creative solutions to needs and problems, but we'll also do mundane things. I or a member of my staff will go anywhere and do anything that you need.

Examples

The Unusual

We went into a cult and retrieved a boy for his family.
We hired actors to eat at a restaurant the day a buyer was visiting.
We researched a business's competitor onsite to help our client improve his business.

The Ordinary

We arranged to pick up a doggie's poop on a daily basis.
We mowed the lawn of a lady who was afraid of getting robbed by the local help.
We ran errands for an executive.

There You Go

Editing and writing on the one hand, and a service to help you with your special needs.

My Political Comments for the Day

I've watched several political shows this week, including a memorable one on CNBC, where the Republican Party has been written off as dead. Indeed the polls are quite bleak. It looks like it will be the year of the Third Party. One poll shows that folks want a 3rd party more than they want the ones in power now.

I wouldn't mind forming a third party myself. Of course, I wouldn't be the presidential candidate for it. Rather, I'd be a stand-in, until we chose someone to represent us—much like Ross Perot did some years back. If we couldn't settle on a candidate we'd like who'd run, we'd call our party None of the Above, giving Americans a chance to vote for a non-candidate. Who knows? Given the atmosphere lately, None of the Above might win.

Don't worry, I'm just kidding with all this. Well, I'm half-serious, let's say. I still am a conservative and favor the Republican Party. I'm just joining in on the fun, and giving a tongue-in-cheek warning to Republicans that they'd better start representing conservatives, or people like me will form a third, a fourth, and a fifth party.

Anyway, it's an idea.

Peace.

Rock

(*Wikipedia is always my source unless indicated.)


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Whom Do You Love?

The Recent Polls and What They Suggest

P
olls and

erceptions

The '08 Presidential Election

In the most recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll,54% of Americans are inclined to vote for a Democrat for president in the next election; while 31% say they favor a Republican.




Still, in the most recent Quinnipiac University Poll, when the specific candidates are pitted against each other, the story changes.

Rudy Giuliani 44%, Hillary Clinton 45%
John McCain 42%, Hillary Clinton 44%
Fred Thompson 39%, Hillary Clinton 46%

A similar picture manifests with Barack Obama.

Rudy Giuliani 42%, Barack Obama 42%
John McCain 41%, Barack Obama 43%
Fred Thompson 34%, Barack Obama 46%

Presidential Approval Rating

In the most recent NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, 29% of the American people approve of the overall job President Bush is doing in office, while 66% disapprove. This is a drop of six points since April, and it represents his lowest mark ever on this question in the NBC/Journal poll.

Democratic pollster Jay Campbell, attributes this decline to Republicans. Back in April, 75 percent of Republicans approved of Bush’s job performance, compared with 21 percent who disapproved. Now, only 62 percent of Republicans approve, versus 32 percent who disapprove.

Congress

In the most recent AP-Ipsos poll,

WASHINGTON - People think the Democratic-led Congress is doing just as dreary a job as President Bush, following four months of bitter political standoffs that have seen little progress on Iraq and a host of domestic issues.

The survey found only 35 percent approve of how Congress is handling its job, down 5 percentage points in a month. That gives lawmakers the same bleak approval rating as Bush, who has been mired at about that level since last fall, including his dip to a record low for the AP-Ipsos poll of 32 percent last January.

In another measure of popular discontent, the survey found that 71 percent say the country is on the wrong track - about even with the 73 percent who said so last May, the worst level since the AP-Ipsos poll began in December 2003.

What about Nancy Pelosi? The same AP-Ispsos poll found that:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is a more popular figure than the president and her colleagues on Capitol Hill, though she faces a gender gap in which significantly more women than men support her.

Pelosi's overall approval of 45 percent stood 10 points higher than Bush's and Congress'.

She was seen favorably by 52 percent of women, but only 39 percent of men. While whites are closely split about her, minorities approve of her job by a 15-point margin.

The War in Iraq

In the most recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll, 28 % of the American people approve of the way Bush is handling the war in Iraq, while 68% disapprove.

Illegal Immigration

A new Washington Post-ABC poll and follow-up interviews found that:

click to show/hide the rest of the post

Americans remain divided and uncertain about how best to deal with the estimated 12 million people living illegally in the United States.

More than half of those surveyed said illegal immigrants hurt the country more than help it, an opinion voiced by seven in 10 Republicans and about half of Democrats.

A slim majority believe in creating a pathway to citizenship, with younger people and Democrats far more open to the idea than Republicans and those over 55.

State of the Republican Party

Since I favor Republicans at this time in history, this all represents a big mess for me. Everything seems to be going wrong for conservatives at the same time, and at warp speed and with irreversible momentum.

I know some of my readers think highly of Bush, and that 62% of Republicans still approve of the job he is doing. I am not one of these. I continue to admire his doggedness in the War in Iraq, and for the highly effective War on Terror he has waged. For these, I believe President Bush deserves our everlasting thanks.

I am also happy with him over the economy. He has kept our taxes low, and enabled an expansion to continue in the middle of a major war.

On the other hand, I continue to fault him for the politically correct way he is waging the War in Iraq, with his restrictive rules of engagement. I also don't think he has been expert in his handling of other cultures in the Middle East. Mostly, I believe, he continues to try to be a "nice guy," not realizing that what is needed is firmness and ruthlessness, much as we mustered in World War II. I am also unhappy with his amnesty plan for illegals.

Most of all, I am dissatisfied with him over his inability to lead our country to see what he sees concerning the necessity for the Iraq War, and for his vision for the Middle East. He is content to continue to "do the right things" as he perceives them, without understanding that he must also become a great communicator and salesman, despite his shortcomings in this area.

click to hide most of this post

What Lies Ahead?

If things continue as they are now, Republicans will lose some of their base. They can't afford this. It is still possible for one of the attractive Republican candidates to defeat Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama, but even if this happens, Congress will slide even more left than it is now, barring a major shift.

What this means is, look out for your pocketbooks; short the stock market; be ready to join the religion of environmental extremism; expect to lose the War on Terror, for now; and forget about a peaceful Middle East.

Ideally, we'd have some candidate with a world vision that can help shape a more peaceful world. I don't see that candidate yet. Hopefully, someone will be imbued with wisdom and start thinking about the future of the world rather than the next election. I will vote for that person. My suggestion for him or her is, fine—win your primary. Then, however, get serious and start acting presidential. If you can get away with acting presidential even now, do it. Should you still win your primary, you'll have an edge on gravitas over the rest of the candidates in the final election.

Who Has the Potential to be a Great Leader?

Which candidates do have it in them to grow into this presidential persona? I believe they are Clinton, Obama, McCain, Giuliani, and Thompson. Clinton and Obama, of course, have the biggest challenge with this—as they are true liberals, and the world does not need liberal solutions at this time. Yet, Clinton could do it, if she allows herself to grow. Obama could do it if he listens to his innate intelligence, ignoring his poll numbers to an extent.

What about Romney? I doubt he'd have the flexibility to see the world as it really is, but I may be wrong. We'll see. He is, after all, a presidential candidate who would present a pretty face to the world, backed by a high level of intelligence and communication skills.

There, the gauntlet is laid. Who will pick it up?

Rock

(*Wikipedia is always my source unless indicated.)


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The Sopranos

Since I still don't have my computer (I should get it back in time for my next post), and not much computer time, I'll spend this post in a bit of levity, which is always good.



I was very disappointed in the Sopranos finale. It's funny that a lot of people, I hear, were disappointed with the Seinfeld finale some years ago--but I loved it. It had the selfish characters in jail, getting their just deserts. It was perfect.

I hated the Sopranos finale though. I thought it was, forgive the expression, a "copout". I hear that most people are disappointed like me, but you can always get some in the the intellectual crowd who say things like "it ended ambiguously", which is, they say, appropriate. They explain that Tony always lived in Purgatory, and so it is good that he ended the show in Purgatory--not in heaven, and not in hell.

I can understand why they didn't want Tony to get whacked. This way, they can do a sequel or a movie, and so on. But something big should have happened to the principles. Yes, Tony is likely to be indicted, as we learned. He could be killed any day. He could even have been killed at that last dinner out.

The old Hollywood formula, though, is that crime doesn't pay. This principle holds true in great literature, too. I think something major should have happened to Tony, or his family. Or, they should have had a narrow escape that made them regret the life they have invited on themselves.

I'm not just talking about a "moral," "just" ending tied up in ribbons and bows. I'm also speaking about drama. The drama in the piece was unbearable, which was good--but it ended with a whimper. Nothing happened. It sucked.

What do you think?

Rock

Obama Passes Clinton, Thompson to Run

While my computer is in shop being repaired, let me at least say this today--Barack has passed Hillary for the time being in the opinion polls. Secondly, Thompson is already at 13% before he has officially declared.

So, guess what? We've got two socialists on the Democratic side, with socialized medicine and a weakening of the military--versus a staunch conservative, who supports the War in Iraq.

One thing is for sure, we're going to get a real choice.

I wonder if our dear country realizes what they are getting themselves into?

Memorial Day

Heroes




God bless all you people in the armed forces, present and past, living and dead, wounded and whole. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your service and sacrifices.

A Grateful Nation

Four Posts Today

Memorial Day

Plea for a Job

Chavez I Told You So

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee

Plea for a Job

Help


I am desperately looking for a job now.




I of course am most qualified for a writing, editing, proofreading, technical writing, filmmaking or a professional blogging situation, but am willing to consider anything at this point.

I have an B.A. in English, an M.S. in psychology, a diploma in computer programming, and have held positions from registered stock broker to social worker to technical writer.

I prefer a job in the Los Angeles area or one on the Internet, but at this point I'm willing to relocate.

Rock

About Chavez, I Told You So

Free Speech

All of you Democratic and liberal apologists for Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro, are you happy now? Are you beginning to see what a thug Chavez is? Cindy? Do you have eyes and half a brain?

Chavez passed the recent law allowing him to have dictatorial powers. Since then, he has been nationalizing oil, telephone, and other industries and there was nary a peep. He's also been playing games with the gold mining companies, refusing, for example, to give a permit to the Canadian Las Christinas gold mine for years. Is he getting ready to do his dictator thing again, stealing assets? Of course, all of this is for the people, right?

Now, he has gone too far, it seems, closing down a TV station.

This finally gives a clue to his people about what he is really doing. Bravo to the demonstrators!




Not only is he leading his country to financial ruin, he is taking away their freedom. Wake up, Venezuela! Wake up Redford, Fonda, and Sheehan!

Rock

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee

History and


Healing

Note

In this article, I'm not necessarily taking sides. I'm just exploring the forces in play. Still, lessons can be learned.

Coming to Grips with a Flawed Legacy

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee

is a book, published in 1970, written by Dee Brown, detailing the violent relationship between Native Americans and American expansionism.

I just saw the HBO miniseries based on the book, also entitled Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.

There has been the usual criticism of such an enormous undertaking, which attempted to boil down this history of two cultures in conflict into a few moments and characters.

However, I give high marks to the miniseries. It's ridiculous to criticize it as an oversimplification, when it had to be made simple in order to be watchable. The same can be said of Roots, Pearl Harbor, or Flags of Our Fathers. Besides, I did not find this HBO special to be overly simplified. In fact, it attempts to present the complexity of the situation and the conflicts.

The Usual Liberal Interpretation of History

is: white Europeans are the evil monsters of the universe and the cause of all ills in the world.

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee

did not take this easy path, as it very well could have. The Indians were not presented as saints, nor their culture as the pristine ideal. Whites were not depicted as uncomplicated evil. There were men and women on both sides who were sincerely interested in the welfare of the Indians, and working, if naively, towards this goal.

Reality

Both sides bear some blame for what happened to Native Americans; and both sides are innocent.

The Indians themselves were warlike and expansionist, killing and conquering each other for land and bounty. The Europeans, though, just did this better than anyone. They developed the art of war to its highest form, and backed it up with a religious belief in the superiority of their God and Manifest Destiny.

click to show/hide the rest of the post

The liberal ideal now would be for the Europeans to have resisted building a country in America. The Europeans just should have left America in its pristine condition, without railroads and industry, and without the principles of land ownership and capitalism.

No matter how wonderful Indian culture was, and is, this could never have happened. There are forces bigger than any culture. The human race was meant to explore, expand, grow, and develop. This can't be stopped.

Manifest Destiny

If it isn't Manifest Destiny, it is what led natives from Tahiti to paddle to Hawaii 1000 years ago and impose their rule on the natives.

Liberal Mindset

Because they weren't white Europeans, though, these Tahitians are not called evil.

Property Rights

I realize that there are legal questions that do involve broken promises and the theft of lands, and so on. Yet, according to Indian history, they themselves did not have the concept of property rights. How do you reconcile a culture with no property rights and one that has property rights, when speaking about a specific plot of land?

Our courts have spoken, granting Indians the return of some lands, and compensation for other lands "taken." Plus, there is the casino thing.

The First Welfare State

One of the tragedies, though, for America and for its Native Americans, was the creation of the first welfare state. Well-meaning liberals of the time designed the reservation system, in order to be "good" to the Indians and give them their food, clothing, and lodging. It was the first paternalistic government program, and it included all the liberal philosophies. The government knew best what was good for the Indians. They should have Christian names, worship the Christian God, study Christian history and so on.

Gambling on the Future

The only turnaround for Indians in their post 19th century history has been the granting of unregulated casinos on their lands. This was not welfare. It is capitalism, and it is working for several tribes.

The Natural Forces

Whatever happens now, we must realize that solutions must be founded on the natural tides of history. We cannot turn back the clock. Even if we could, would the world be better off today if America was left in its former pristine state? No railroads, no industry, no property rights? What if the Europeans had been saints, and, while still creating a European system in America, had resisted the urge to "steal" lands? Well, and this must be emphasized again, then America could not have developed as it has.

It's not the "evil" Europeans that moved the human race forward. It's the nature of man himself/herself. The industrialization of America was going to happen.

Our Legacy

Though perhaps unjust and unfair, the Indian ideal remains with us in the thousands of acres of land in America granted to no one, owned by no one, earmarked as natural preserves. These lands are open to all. So, industrialization has occurred, and the preservation of pristine land has occurred.

The specific plots of land, though, that the Indians claimed as their natural homelands—were taken earlier from other Indians, by Indians. In the end, the game of musical chairs ended, and the Europeans landed on these lands, and crystallized the endgame into law.

Now, militaristic expansionism is no longer tolerated. Indians will no longer be invading new territories and claiming them for themselves. And Europeans have given up their imperialistic empire.

The Next Natural Tide

What is the next "tide of nature"? I suspect it's immigration, the burgeoning birth rate of Hispanics, and the browning of America. Now that the rule of law is in place, genocides won't work anymore. What is Nature telling us now? Expansionism is happening under the aegis of democracy. One force of Nature is the large Hispanic family, buttressed by Catholicism, supported by Hispanic culture. One political force is American liberalism, which wants all the Hispanics alive to immigrate to the United States, and for them to be fruitful and multiply. An opposing force is some on the conservative side, who want to preserve America as a diverse country, but with one language and culture.

Disappearing Diversity

Oddly, since America will one day be predominantly Hispanic, our diversity is disappearing.

click to hide most of this post

The Lessons of the Indian Conflict

No one can't get in the way of the nature of mankind.

Expansionism will occur, one way or another.

Solutions to the human misery caused by dislocations must be in sync with natural forces.

The welfare state doesn't work. Capitalism does.

The law is mankind's best attempt to be fair.

Violence will occur, and sometimes unfairly.

Part of this is because there are forces of nature bigger than the individuals or cultures involved. Then, though, after the violence, men and women must try to make sense of it all, and bring some fairness and compassion into the equation. The human race must do the best it can to balance the forces of nature with its natural inner yearning for fairness and compassion.

Relavance to Our Present Dilemma

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee shows the complexities of these issues. We must revisit these conundrums now in our handling of illegal immigration matters.

Rock

(*Wikipedia is always my source unless indicated.)


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Handicapping the Candidates

To My Dear Readers

I apologize for missing posts lately. The reasons have been computer and personal problems. For the moment, I have "adequately" fixed the computer problems. As for my personal problems, I am living through a dramatic crisis in my life. I will try to post as usual, but part of this is in the hands of God. I appreciate your prayers and concern. Still, we've got our contribution to the world to take care of as bloggers, so here finally is my next post. I'll get it posted barebones now, and be adding the links in it as soon as possible.


Hope

That Presidential Glow

Nothing is so important for the future of our country than whom we choose as our next president. The reason is that it is likely that both houses of Congress will likely remain in Democratic hands for some time. If the nation chooses a Democrat for president, we will have the danger of unchecked leftism. If the country chooses a Republican for president, we will have the same situation we have now—a sort of lame duck president, but who has at least veto power to stop Democratic excess. In either case, whoever occupies the Oval Office will partially determine the directions we take.

I've already reported on the first Democratic and Republican debates. I've now seen the second Republican debate.

Plus, I've watched the individual interviews of a few of the candidates on the Sunday talk shows. These appearances offer me the chance to amend my impression of a few of the contenders.

Barack O Mania

I'll start with Barack Obama, whom I saw on a few programs. I have to admit that he came across as quite bright. Plus, he is smart enough to stop sounding so exclusively liberal.




He even stated that he is conservative on some issues.

I'm not listening so much to the crafted positions of the candidates, which can be changed depending on the weather. Rather, I am looking for reasonableness, insight, and candor.

One thing I admire about Barack is that he does not use his ethnicity—neither for advantage, nor as an excuse. For example, he states that if he loses the run for the presidency, it won't be because of his race. It will be, and I am paraphrasing Senator Obama, because "I didn't articulate my position clearly and passionately enough for people to vote for me." Bravo!

In addition, Barack is sounding and looking presidential. Nothing he said on the War in Iraq, nor on the economy, sounded unreasonable.

Yes, he remains a liberal, but he's not a liberal I fear. I can start to relax with this guy.

I probably won't vote for him, but at least I'm beginning to feel that he won't ruin the country, as I believe Hillary would.

The Second Republican Debate

I was pleased to see that several of the Republican candidates did better than in the first debate. Of course, they say that Rudy Giuliani won this round, especially with his justified anger at Senator Paul, who implied that the United States brought on the 9/11 attack on itself. Rudy showed his commanding self. He did not, however, win over the conservatives of the party. For example, Bay Bucanan was on the talk shows dissing Rudy as a candidate not suitable for the Republican Party.

John McCain was commanding in this second debate also. He too, though, is not a conservative favorite.

Mitt Romney was pretty good too, and is a conservative favorite, although I guess that his Mormon religion is hurting him with some. He remains the most photogenic candidate, as is his wife; and very articulate.

Hard corps conservatives are waiting for Newt and Senator Thompson to enter the fray.

Handicapping the Race

If this were a horse race, I'd give the following payoffs.

For the Democrats:
Hillary 2 to 1
Barack 4 to 1
Edwards 12 to 1

For the Repulbicans:
Rudy 2 to 1
Mitt 3 to 1
McCain 4 to 1
Fred Thompson 8 to 1
Newt 20 to 1

Just a Guess

Hillary/Barack beats Giuliani/McCain in the general election.

However, Thompson/Mitt beats Hillary/Barack.

What do you think?

Post Coming Tomorrow

Lotta stuff going on. I will get the article out tomorrow. Thanks for checking in.

Plus, I promise to visit this week my favorite blogs.

Rock

Left and Right Turns

The Political Pendulum

The

Right Stuff

Veering Left

The country veering most left at this time in history is Venezuela, with Hugo Chavez going forward with his goal of a "classless society." All the Marxists are cheering him as he nationalizes oil companies and banks, and forces other companies into agreements that will guarantee social benefits. On the one hand, his goals are quite noble. He seems like he is truly trying to help the people (as much as any dictator can and still fill his own pockets). On the other hand, he is outright stealing from companies that came in with agreements and contracts which he has now nullified. The question is, who in the future will invest in Venezuela? If you owned a private company, would you gamble your hard won assets on whether Hugo will honor any agreement you sign with him?

Just as with Castro, Mr. Chavez will find that stealing from companies now will make him a hero short term, but will deprive the people of millions of dollars in the long run. The growth of his country will suffer due to his bad relations with the world.

Marxism has been tried, Mr. Chavez, and it doesn't work.

Veering Right

One of the countries that is veering right at this time is, surprise, surprise—France! I can't believe it. The French have elected a conservative over a socialist, Nikolas Sarkozy. He is going to get tough on immigration, be kind to business, and try to lower taxes. Let's move to France! In addition, he wants to improve relations with the United States.

Don't be surprised, also, if another country known for leftism veers right in the coming years. Fidel Castro is rumored to be in his last days on earth. His brother, Raul, appears to be much more friendly to Western nations, and to capitalism. What will Hugo say? Cuba will explode with growth if this shift happens.

France and Cuba veering right? Are we living in a dream?

Veering Left

Sadly, while France and Cuba might be heading in a positive direction, we, the United States of America, are one of the countries veering left. On the rise are the Marxists of the Democratic Party.

The Debates

I watched both the Democratic and Republican debates. The Democrats all admitted they will raise taxes, increase regulations, force the color green on the world, and decrease world security by marginalizing the war on terror. I could barely force myself to watch. Yet, the country seems dead set on electing one of them.

No wonder. The Republicans were pro-business, but lacked vigor. They were not as passionate as they should have been either about Iraq or the war on terror, with the possible exception of McCain. They appeared meek and back to cowering in Panderland. All of them paid homage to Ronald Reagan, but there wasn't a Ronald among them. The only thing they appeared passionate about was religion. Pardon me, but I don't think faith is the issue. I don't want a president who is pastor-in-chief. I want someone passionate about winning the war on terror, and helping capitalism live and thrive. Let's keep church and state separate.

The Sad State of the Right

Fire in the Belly

I'm not even impressed with Newt anymore. He is "waiting," before he decides whether to run, and on the talk shows he sounds so green he could be Al Gore's brother. I'm not happy with Fred Thompson either, the great conservative hero. He's not in the fight yet either. Like Newt, he's "waiting."

A president needs fire in the belly. If you're not absolutely sure you're the man, or woman, then don't bother running. The U.S. will never elect Newt now. He's demonstrated he doesn't want it badly enough. I doubt they'll choose Thompson either. He's too late, cancer or no cancer.

Weak

Especially weak on the dais was Rudy Giuliani. He still is the frontrunner, but he'd better turn in better performances than this debate if he wants to win. He must come across as a giant, not as a meek defender of his pro-choice views. He's got to get back to the lion he was post 9/11.

A Fair Performance

McCain gave the best account of himself among the Republicans. He had some fire and he distinguished himself with his zeal on the War in Iraq.

Presidential Aura

Looking for the Glow

I try to look for the presidential aura in candidates, and I'm not sure I see it yet in anyone. I cringe when I imagine Hillary back in the White House. I don't see Obama ready yet to make sophisticated decisions. My stomach turns when I think of demagogue Edwards as president.

Yet, I don't see the presidential aura surrounding any Republicans either. I pray they start connecting to their personal power and the supremacy of truth. It can still happen.

Seeking a Leader

It's still early, but I'm looking for a leader that can stop this country's disastrous lurch to the left.

Thank God for France. Vive la France!

Rock

(*Wikipedia is always my source unless indicated.)


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