Occupy… The White House

I have to say that I am a huge, huge huge fan of the “Occupy Something” movement. As a history buff and a firm believer that most other folks don’t pay enough attention to history, this saga has played out before, many times. And that is great news for America.

In brief, the average person values stability and order. The amazing thing about the American experiment is in the balance between ultimate liberty (which is oftentimes called anarchy) and ultimate authority (which is oftentimes called dictatorship). As anarchy by an activist subset grows, the calls for stability & order grow amongst the vast majority of people.

The Tea Party movement is a protest movement of people who want government back under control, but believe in law and order. Hence the peaceful, clean, orderly rallies. The “Occupy Something” movement is a revisitation of the aggrieved left. They are not very good at peaceful, clean & orderly.

Revisit 1968. Did Humphrey win? Or did Nixon? Granted, Nixon led us to Carter, but for other reasons than protests. I’m a huge, huge, huge fan of “Occupy Something”…

Read Full Post »

Terrorist or Brain Dead — It’s Just Joe Being Joe

A few months ago, I was debating 6 liberal friends of mine at a small event (If there had been a couple of more liberals, it would have been a fair fight). One of them stated that the vitriol from the Right was much worse than anything being said on the Left. My response to this individual was that their comment said more about their own balance in their sources of news than it does regarding who is saying what on the Left or Right — which IMHO were identical.

It is clear that in the heat of a political moment, people say things that they shouldn’t, both Right & Left, and then they get caught. But to claim that one side is more mild in its speech than the other was trivial and demonstrated a significant personal bias. The general liberal bias of most self-identified “mainstream” news sources will latch onto the Right a little harder than the Left. But, c’est la vie.

So, now, the Veep is alleged to have said that some folks who think that the Federal Government ought to spend less money are “terrorists”. Asinine to say the least. Childish? Yep. But, frankly, when Scranton Joe called then-President Bush “brain dead”, I thought that was much worse.

Look, I served in the State Senate when Ruth Ann Minner was Governor. When she spoke, I applauded. When she entered the room to speak, I stood up. She was Governor of the State of Delaware, and the office deserved respect — even if I disagreed with the officeholder. To refer to your President, the leader of the Free World, as “brain dead” is offensive. That the “better than thou” Progressives were happy to let Senator Biden run as Vice President speaks volumes about their own cognitive dissonance.

I actually feel a certain amount of pity for anyone who is that self-delusional. Frustration, too, but pity…

P.S. A final thought added a few hours later. Dan Quayle became a laughing stock for misspelling potato (he was given a spelling bee card that had the word misspelled, and he went with it). Frankly, the Left ought to be ashamed of supporting a guy that makes Dan Quayle look “fresh, articulate, and clean”.

Read Full Post »

But the Left is different…

Sarah Palin and others have been roundly criticized for their rhetoric. Where is the criticism today? Must be that this is different. Or maybe just hypocrites.

Read Full Post »

Nobel prize – Should have won two of them…

Last week, the Nobel Committee handed out the Nobel prize for Physics. As a Physics major in college, I always look for this announcement with great interest. Unfortunately, most reporters don’t have science degrees and so the science awards get short shrift. This year the Physics prize was won by three scientists: Charles Kao, Willard Boyle, & George Smith. Dr. Kao invented fiber optics, and Drs. Boyle & Smith invented charge coupled devices (CCD), which are what makes digital cameras work. As I thought about their co-developments, it occurred to me that these terrific scientists working in Britain and the United States should have also won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Why? Because digital pictures and video sent instantaneously around the globe have done more to promote openness, transparency, and democratic revolution than any politician, non-profit, or religious figure. The recent uprisings in Iran were given real impetus because of the picture of Neda Soltan. The Cedar Revolution that kicked Syria out of Lebanon was coordinated through the internet and digital photos. Predator drones that have been so effective in eliminating the top leaders of Al Qaeda would not be possible without CCD’s. The blogosphere wouldn’t be possible without fiber optics. President Obama would not have been possible without CCD’s and fiber optics.

So, please celebrate or ponder the Peace Prize if you want to, but the real heros of peace are the ones who make individual liberty and individual action possible… Congratulations to the Physics winners and the world peace that they have created. Somehow I’m not surprised that these inventions happened in Great Britain and the United States. May the exceptional nature of these two countries continue to guide and lead the world.

Read Full Post »

Left Wing Protests Versus Right Wing Protests – Who is really outside the mainstream?

With occasional over-the-top signs and chants, the 9/12 protest (i.e. the right wing) in Washington DC brought between 500,000 to 1,000,000 million people into our nation’s capital with no arrests and minimal cleanup. As a comparison, the G-20 conference in Pittsburgh brought out a scattering of the left wing to protest capitalism and the West’s success in creating huge, shared wealth and bounty. They came prepared for battle with gas masks and other items. Who really are the evil-mongers (to quote Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid) and extremists?

Read Full Post »

Anti-Government Run Healthcare ad banned by ABC & NBC — Seems tame to me.

The following ad seems pretty tame to me for ABC & NBC to refuse to show it. Makes them look very partisan for no real reason. As an FYI, I don’t know who the League of American Voters is, but the name is no more or less innocuous/anti-transparency/offensive as all of the other 527 groups (on the left and the right) that sprang up after McCain-Feingold “fixed” campaign finance laws.

Read Full Post »

The August Quarterly – Delaware as the First State to Celebrate Religious Freedom for all people

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to, once again, attend much of the August Quarterly — both Saturday at the Tubman-Garrett Park and Sunday at the Chase Center for the church service and later at the park. For those who don’t know about the August Quarterly, the festival, sometimes called the Big Quarterly, is an annual celebration commemorating the founding by Delawarean Peter Spencer (who had been born in captivity) of the first independently incorporated African-American Church in the United States back in 1813. The Quarterly itself began the following year in 1814. Many slave owners in Delaware would give their slaves a 1-day “pass” to celebrate religious freedom with free citizens of all races in Wilmington. Imagine only one day in which to see friends and family as equals; rekindling your emotional bonds and your faith in God and humanity.

Move forward 196 years, and the festival has grown in size due to the dedication of many people, but one in particular stands out: Lawrence “Moon” Roane. He has worked long and hard for several years to grow the Festival and expand its ranks. This year, the weather really worked out for the Festival. On Saturday there was an “open mike” and some amazingly talented celebrants kept the crowd engaged in the positive message of faith. Sunday morning’s service was as jammed and celebratory as ever. From the opening processional, Sister Pat Butler’s Welcome, Rev. Livingstone’s introduction, and Rev. Bullock’s inspirational service (of course, music by the Canaan Baptist Church Choir punctuated everything); there wasn’t a person in attendance who didn’t feel moved and welcomed. Sunday afternoon had more performances at Tubman Garrett Park with a large crowd.

Anyway, for anyone who believes that religious freedom is a central tenet to the strength of our nation, you should stop by the August Quarterly next year and soak up the atmosphere. You won’t regret it, and you’ll be remembering Delaware’s leadership in religious freedom — a history too many have neglected.

Read Full Post »