Third World America

Here we are, two weeks into the Obama presidency. As the Bible says, "You will know them by their fruits". What kind of fruit is evident?

• The President has to retake his Oath of Office---both he and the Chief Justice flubbed it.
• In retaking it later, "in an abundance of caution"- he doesn't use a Bible, because, according to press reports, his staff couldn't find one in the White House!
• The President implements a rule that lobbyists will not be selected for critical positions in his administration (without a time delay period before they are eligible)- and promptly breaks the rule, not once, but twice (the VP actually committed the second offense).
• The President tells congressional leaders that he 'reserves the right to "ignore" any Executive Order that he or any past President has promulgated (translation: "I am the Law and I decide which law I obey, if any, or when I feel like it").
• His first television event is on "Al-Arabiya", a network based in Egypt, Barack Hussein Obama addresses the Muslim world. In his first interview, he tells the them that we are their friends. "I have Muslims in my family", says President Barack Hussein Obama.
• Meanwhile, back in the USA, a Stalinist era 'cult of personality' is developing (OK, has developed and is getting stronger) around the new President, to the point that he is portrayed by one artist as Christ entering Jerusalem on a donkey. (No comment heard from the President on this).

If this doesn't sound like 'third world-ism', let's look further afield:

Blago. Need I say more?

Michigan. Coleman v. Franken. Some counties have more votes counted than registered voters,and of course, Franken gets the "excess"votes! Plus, here we are almost 2 months after the election, and it is still not decided.

Tombstone and The Lady. One member of Congress introduces legislation to amend the Constitution so that Governors can't fill vacant Senate seats; he says this is in response to both Blago and the Caroline Kennedy 'debacle'. We think it has more to do with the latter than the former. Furthermore, to compare the NY Governor's action in not selecting Caroline Kennedy for Hillary Clinton's old seat to those of Blago, who was selling Obama's former seat, among other things---to say the actions of both Governors are somehow equivalent---is incomprehensible. Actually the big objection (unstated)is who Governor Paterson picked, moreso than who he did not. In fact, he was sending a really big message to the rest of the Democratic establishment: 'Ignore or trivialize me at your peril'. They would do well to heed this shot across the bow. Perhaps they will not?

And on it goes. We used to read about these sort of things going on in Taiwan, or the Philippines, or Africa. Now, we read about it in America.

As our economy falters; as our government throws money at problems with no real strategy; as our 'leaders' coddle our enemies and want to bring their agents from a safe place (Gitmo) to our own shores- we will being seeing more of "Third World America" in years to come.

Two bright lights , though, do shine in our present darkness. The selection of Chairman Steele for the top Republican Party post. And the fact that not one Republican voted for the stimulus package. Steele (play on his name intended) in the Republican Party, there may yet be.

If John McCain had really wanted to pull a coup and possibly, despite all the odds, win (after all, in spite of the overwhelming anti-Bush sentiment expressed in the election, and his own ineptitude or hidden agenda, he did quite well, all things considered)- Steele would have made an excellent running mate. And will. No offense to Sarah Palin (who will NOT be on the ticket in 2012).

The Alaska and Hawaii adventures will not be repeated---not the the Alaska part, anyway.

MC

New World Order

Well, shortly, it will be out with the Trilateralists and the like and in with...what? According to recent press reports, it appears that President-Elect Obama is building a coalition government. But this coalition is unlike any seen before in this country.

Carol Browner, the Obama Climate Change 'Czar', formerly DEP Secretary in Florida a few administrations ago and subsequently EPA Secretary in the Clinton administration, has been revealed as a member of the Socialist International! Any mention of this was immediately disappeared down the memory hole by removal of Ms. Browner's name from the SI website once the 'word' was out (although there is still a picture on the site, as of yesterday, of Ms. Browner receiving an award). Interestingly, references to Ms. Browner also disappeared from the Gore and Audubon websites. The old Clinton memory hole is at work in these modern times! Tepid efforts at mitigation were mentioned in some reports, such as "even Tony Blair" is a Socialist. Interesting. The mention is sanitized from the SI and fellow traveler websites but, then the now 'non-existent' Socialist membership is defended. Mixed signals and opinions, one supposes.

Further to the point, Hilda Solis, Labor Secretary nominee has apparently been outed as either a member of, or associated with, the CPUSA. That's right- the Communist Party of the United States. Hmm, sorta makes sense, Labor Secretary and all that. Marx would think it apropos.

And, in the related and always interesting field of Democratic nominees gaffes and slip-ups*, it turns out that Obama's nominee for the Treasury post failed to pay quite a few years of self employment taxes until just before he was nominated. This is however not expected to be a problem since he paid them (and the Democrats are in the majority, after all). One wonders---did he not have the money to pay the taxes, and if so, where did the money suddenly come from? Or, if on the other hand, he didn't think he HAD to pay the taxes, what does that say about him as the Treasury nominee? (* Were this a Republican nominee, charges would be
proferred ever after withdrawal---and of course, the Republican nominee would withdraw!)

Of course, Bill Richardson had to withdraw as a nominee due to a 'hiding in plain sight' lingering investigation that the "Obama vetting team" couldn't "see" ( there is more here than meets the eye, don't believe for a second that the Chicago candidate's team didn't know about this!).

One would think that 'nomination confirmation hearings' would imply a fact gathering process and suspension of final opinions or the taking of positions on the matter until the hearings are at least underway, yes? Not for some prominent REPUBLICANS who felt compelled to announce yesterday and today that they will not oppose Eric Holder's nomination as AG. I guess that will be a pro forma hearing? So much for 'Advise and Consent'! I guess 'Loyal Opposition' emphasis on loyal, i.e. lapdog loyal, is the trend with 'pubbies these days?

And one last note, in the 'why was that questions asked department'. Why did Senator Kerry ask Hillary Clinton in her confirmation hearing what she could say to detail how she would ensure (or words to that effect) that the troops are withdrawn, expeditiously, from Iraq?

Isn't her nomination for Secretary of State, not Defense?

Actually, we think her trajectory will be quite a bit different from the current expectations, over time. Keep an eye on Biden and his fortunes, there's a cross current there that will become more apparent as time goes by; more on this topic, another time.

Next time---how so many science fiction novels in the 50's and 60s have scored direct hits on their 'forecasts' for our times! And more of course.

And, so it goes.

Stay tuned.

M.C.

Quo Vadis?

Quo Vadis---what's going on, where are we going? That's the question for the first days of 2009.
And it's a question that is not likely to have any clear-cut answers any time soon.

And that is why (at least one reason) Samizdat Republic (SR, for short) has been born.It's a new day. I don't just mean it's 2009 (versus 2008). Or, that we are having a changing of the guard, because of the an election- or the results thereof. It's a new America. Or rather, America as we knew it, as it has been, is gone- morphing before our eyes into something unrecognizable and largely unforeseen, and the ultimate destination...unknown.

There is a theory in climate change circles that a critical mass is reached in the atmospheric heat balance and a sudden, violent change in climate occurs. We have reached and are in the grip of just such a violent and sudden change in our culture and body politic. And, since we are in the midst of the sea change, we can't see how it will all turn out. As history has taught many times, we likely won't know when we have 'arrived' until much later. Hindsight is, as they say, 20-20. Right now, we are dangerously myopic...

What has brought this about? A few descriptors to set the frame:

Bush 1
Iraq 1
Eight years of Bill Clinton
Bush 2
Iraq 2
"Global Warming" Hysteria
"Illegal" Immigration
Guantanamo and Rendition
Hamas
Chavez, et.al.
Putin

The liberal press (drops it's pretensions of 'fairness and balance'- and the internet steps in)

Barack Hussein Obama- President Elect, and not clearly qualified by birth to hold office- the question no one in the power elite, on any side, wants to face up to.

There is more of course; any outline is just that---there are details. And that is where Samizdat Republic steps in to the frame.

Samizdat was the term used to describe a whole genre of 'secret writings' that were surreptitiously circulated in the old Soviet Union and Eastern Europe in the Cold War days. Solzehnitsyn, for example, was just one (well known) Samizdat author, whose writings such as "A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch" were circulated 'underground', piece by piece and hand by hand. The writings of this author and others were proscribed by the regimes of the time. Yet, people took risks with their lives and the lives of others to circulate the Truth, and, eventually, the Truth, which never dies, yet indeed, in spite of the oppression, suppression and danger, grew stronger, set the circulators free.

Believe it or not, we are entering into that time in America, where ideas can be classified as dangerous by the state and indeed by the dominant (media) culture, and where uttering certain thoughts, discussing certain topics openly, will release the hounds of Hell on the author and those associated in any way with the 'heresy', the counter to the culture, utterances.

You think not...this is just exaggeration?

Then think on this:

Joe the Plumber, asking his question. Pilloried, 'investigated' under false pretenses.

Sarah Palin, running for V. P. (and still ,the attacks pile up)

A mayor who speaks out against 'illegal' immigration---where is he now?

The wife of a presidential candidate- dissected on the public stage.

Christians accused of 'hate crimes' for expressing their point of view (vs. Islamists who seem to be able to have their doctrines extend to the public schools in ways that would never be tolerated in regard to Christianity---even as we fight hot wars against the very same Islamists!)

I think you can see the point, even if you don't agree with it.

And this is just the tip of what is to come. People are already losing their jobs, their property and being threatened with (and actually being prosecuted for) 'hate crimes' , not only for what they say or write, but for what they think! Right now- right here- in America, the land of the free and home of the brave.

We are going to have to be more brave, because, we are already less free.

So, that's the frame for Samizdat Republic. That's what we are all about. And more. SR will address the unaddressable, discuss the undiscussable---like the Samizdat of old.In our new America---the Samizdat Republic.

Stay tuned.

M.C.