The Definitive Article on Global Warming

does not exist. This will be one of the major points I make. There has not been, and never will be, a definitive article on global warming, or climate change. I’ll try to address this with logic, and science.

I do believe that humans have some effect on climate, but that the extent of this is un-measurable at present. My bias is that other factors, such as

S
unspots



(see the peer reviewed Solar Cycles Causing Global Warming) have a greater effect.

You Can Leave a Comment Here

My Credentials

I completed all my pre-med, attained an M.S. in Clinical Psychology, plus all the coursework for my Ph.D. in that field. I have an extensive scientific and research background, along with higher math, including statistics. I am not paid by any industry for my opinions on this topic.

When someone claims “the end of the Earth is near” and demands tens of trillions of dollars to correct it, people should be a lot more skeptical than they have been.

                                                                                       A.J. Strata

My first argument is logic.

The Earth has had Warmer Periods

than we are experiencing now, before the evil humans walked upon this planet. 1000 years ago the Earth was much warmer than it is today. Guess what? There was no industry then, no cars, and … polar bears survived that period! It is even debatable whether or not the Earth is warming now. Records indicate that Earth’s temperature has not been rising since 1995.

Correlation between CO2 and Rising Temperature

Second, scientists have proven some sort of correlation between an elevation in CO2 with a rise in temperature. But what they have not proven is causation. In fact, CO2 levels rise only after temperature increases. CO2 could be increasing as a result of many factors, even the higher temperatures. A rising temperature, caused perhaps by sunspot activity,

might affect the Earth’s capability to handle CO2. The assumption of a greenhouse effect is still a theory. It is not a fact. See here for how complex the subject is.

The Coming Ice Age

Third, the Earth periodically has global warming followed by ice ages. Climate always changes! Saying global warming is causing climate change, or even climate disruption, means global warming is having no effect on climate, since the climate would be changing anyway. For example, the number of hurricanes and their ferocity goes up and down and up and down, throughout Earth’s history. Some scientists think we may be entering an ice age right now. See New Ice Age Predicted -- But Averted by Global Warming? We won’t feel it for a while, but it will come. If this is true, then global warming will save the Earth, not harm it! We should pray for global warming, then, as an ice age will be much more cruel on life than global warming.

Global Warming as a Good Thing

Global warming over the last 15,000 years has changed our world from an icebox to a garden. Today extreme deserts and glaciers have largely given way to grasslands, woodlands, and forests.

                                           Global Warming:
 A Chilling Perspective

Fourth, why is global warming necessarily a bad thing? Let’s say it’s true to the extent that the alarmists predict. So, sea levels will rise, polar bears will be harmed,

and some islanders will lose their homes. Humans will survive. Some species will actually be happier, like fish. We are so self-centered that we think the universe revolves around us. Global warming can’t “destroy” the Earth. It can only be a factor in the natural ebb and flow that’s been going on for eons. Ice age, global warming. Lower sea levels, higher sea levels. The Earth has seen it all before.

See See Global Warming: a Boon to Humans and Other Animals, by Thomas Gale Moore

Contrary to the doom and gloom scenarios that environmentalists propound, both evidence and theory suggest that global warming would in general be beneficial. Simple logic indicates that most of modern humankind's activities would be unaffected by a warming of five to nine degrees Fahrenheit. Agriculture and some services might actually benefit.

Moreover, past history shows two periods that were significantly warmer than today, and during both eras mankind flourished. The first epoch, which has been dubbed by climatologists the "climatic optimum," brought temperatures that were as warm as the median prediction for the next century. During this period, Homo sapiens shifted from surviving in small tribes through hunting and gathering to settled farming communities and from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age. During the second warming, the "little climate optimum," Europe enjoyed the High Middle Ages and went on one of the largest building sprees ever recorded.

Is CO2 a Pollutant?

I will concede one point. It is logical to me that spewing pollutants into the atmosphere cannot be a good thing. So, I’m happy the air quality in the U.S. is much better than it was when I was a child near Chicago, and my father would drive us along the highways passing paint factories, and I couldn’t see through the acid smog or hardly breathe.

Yet, I’m not willing to concede that CO2 is a pollutant. It is a natural product. Plants love it, in fact thrive on it. And I’m not convinced the Earth can’t take care of it. For example, plant life will thrive at higher CO2 levels, and grow larger, more widespread, and greener, spewing out more oxygen. As stated in Popular Technology

CO2 is not a pollutant, it’s a product of every living creature’s breathing, it’s the product of all plant respiration, it is essential for plant life and photosynthesis.

How Scientific Knowledge is Developed

My biggest complaint about the global warming alarmists, including scientists, is that they ought to know better. Science, including that on global warming, is based on theory. Scientists must try and prove their theories, over and over, and keep adjusting them when new data becomes available. Nothing is ever “decided.” We keep learning and discovering new things, even about reality, new dimensions, E=MC2, everything.

Copernicus said the Earth revolves around the Sun, but all the scientists of his day disagreed with him. Physicians went on TV when I was a child and said that cigarettes were good for your health.

All the scientists in the Middle Ages recommended bleeding patients with leeches to cure them of the plague, which led to their patients’ deaths. The majority of scientists some years ago said that coffee was bad for your health. Now, there’s a sizeable group that say that coffee is good for you. This goes on and on.

There is nothing definitive in science. They can’t even explain gravity yet.

Meteorologists have trouble predicting tomorrow’s weather.

And you’re going to entrust these same people with predicting climate, based on mathematical models? Mathematical models of this magnitude are notoriously unreliable.

Why did we have global warming before industrialization? Why, then, did we have ice ages? What caused them?

Unanswered Questions

These are unanswered questions, even to this day. Global warming can be measured. If it’s happening, it’s happening. Anecdotal reports, though, are useless. And, beyond this, predicting the course of global warming, or climate change, is a science in its infancy. Determining “the cause” of climate change is also quite complex. This is not one plus one equals two. Everything is a guess. If a single part of one of those mile-long formulas is off, the whole prediction goes out the window.

The Hoax of Global Warming

There are tons of articles on the ruse of global warming, including this site, Global Warming Hoax, which has a moving scroll of hundreds of articles written that either show global warming is not happening, including climate change, or that it is not caused by humans primarily. Also see these enlightening videos, Global Warming Hoax, and The Great Global Warming Swindle.

Who Benefits Financially from the Global Warming Hysteria?

The whole green industry. Liberals. The Democratic Party. Al Gore. All liberal and political environmental groups. Independent films promoting global warming hysteria, regardless of the facts. Scientists trying to get grants to prove global warming or develop green technology. And political action groups seeking money for green candidates.

Raising Money for Tom Hayden and Jane Fonda

I know. I used to be a fundraiser for Tom Hayden and Jayne Fonda. Like all these bogus fund-raising organizations, the leaders (Tom and Jayne) gave us the cause we’d be “working” that week. One week it would be environmentalism. Would the money go to cleaning the environment, or promoting green laws? No. The cash went straight into a general fund that Tom and Jayne would use for whatever they wanted, political or personal. Some of the money, of course, went to paying salaries for us workers, and for Tom and Jayne’s political needs, and for ads to frighten people into believing the sky was falling.

Other Benefits for Believers in Global Warming

How else do liberals benefit from the global warming scam? They get to feel like the good guys. They are doing something positive for the world, while the nasty global warming deniers are destroying the Earth.

As a conservative, I feel good by promoting the truth. If I find one day that global warming is real, I’ll say so. And if I discover that humankind is causing it, I’ll write that. Until then, I’ll assert this. If global warming exists, or climate disruption, I believe factors other than humans are the more important ones.

How Can You Recognize a Scam?

Personally, I believe global warming at present is a genuine scam. The day when I start hearing evidence on both sides of the issue, then I’ll know that the global warming advocates are at least allowing debate on the topic. This is not happening. Anyone who believes global warming does not exist, or that it is not man made, is hounded into silence. This is not science. And as long as global warming is treated as a religion rather than a scientific question, it will not pass the smell test with me.

Global Warming as Religion

My personal theory is that many liberals are anti-religion (which I don’t mind), but are not being honest with themselves. Global warming, Gaia, and green are their religion instead. They worship the Earth, animals, flowers, plants, and trees, and no amount of evidence will ever convince them of anything that is against their gods, like Al Gore; or against their bibles, like the hysterical global warming literature and films.

Your Comments are Welcome Here

                                                                                                   Rock

Technorati Tags for this post: global warming, solar cycles, sunspots, CO2, ice age, pollutant, Copernicus, meteorologists, global warming hoax, green industry, green jobs, liberals, political action groups, Tom Hayden, Jane Fonda, environmentalism

Regular Technorati Tags for this blog: politics, political, politically incorrect, no spin, conservative, Republican, right wing, liberal, Democrat, left wing, leftist, democracy, election, peace, war, Barrack Obama, Sarah Palin, Tea Party, editorial, opinion, news, current affairs, media, television, television, Hollywood, books, culture, society, religion, God, fundamentalism, Christian, Catholic, Muslim, Jew, Israel, Palestine, blog, truth, Truth—the No Spin Politically Incorrect Zone, The Truth Zone of Combat

Read More...

Back to Summary only...

The World’s Problem with Islam

We continue to be tested by our relationship with Islam. We are not the only country that faces this problem. Since 9/11, Muslims, in the name of Allah, have carried out 16,003 deadly terrorist attacks. Last month alone there were 196 Jihad attacks worldwide in 23 countries, resulting in 811 dead and 1602 critically injured. This is what liberals and “moderate” Muslims call the Religion of Peace.

You Can Leave a Comment Here

Disclaimer

I realize there are millions of good, kindhearted Muslims in the world and the United States, who are patriotic, wonderful citizens, and care deeply for their fellow man. I salute them. This article is not an indictment of them. Rather, it is a frank examination of the infrastructure of modern Islam and its effect not only on the world, but on these good Muslims who do not condone the violence of their radical brethern. Tiptoeing around the subject does no one any good. We all must face the truth.

The Qur’an and the Old Testament

Violence in Holy Books

It is true that one can find peaceful admonitions in the Qur’an, such as the taking of one innocent life is like taking all of Mankind... and the saving of one life is like saving all of Mankind. Qur'an (5:33)

But there are many more of this aggressive kind of saying, I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them. Qur’an (8:12)

Yes, the Christian Old Testament contains similar violent passages, but there remains some crucial differences.

Christian versus Muslim Violence

Whereas Christianity has had its murderous eras, all its sects have somehow arrived at peaceful postures with the world. As a result, this year’s Ramadan 2010 scorecard shows 226 terror attacks by Muslims, resulting in 1028 dead bodies, as opposed to those by all the other religions—1 terror attack, resulting in 1 dead body. There is no comparison.

Reformation

Most of the major religions went through violent phases. Catholicism murdered via the Crusades to defeat Islam, conducted the Inquisition to torture and kill non-believers, burned witches, and so on. Then, however, the Catholic Church had its Reformation, after the brave rebellion by Martin Luther, and slowly transformed into its modern peaceful, more tolerant iteration.

The problem for the modern world is that Islam has not had a Reformation. It also lacks a central controlling body that could effect one. The only control on interpretation of the Qur'an is at the local level. Islam’s leaders are free to read the Qur’an as they please. What you are left with, then, are several Islams, some “moderate,” and others extreme. It depends on how they interpret the Qur’an. One mosque will be peace-loving and full of wonderful human beings, and another will be boiling with hatred of the infidels.

Rejoicing at 9/11, and Pastor Terry Jones

While many representatives of “moderate” Islam flood our airwaves proclaiming Islam as peaceful and goodhearted, their assertions are belied by internal polling of Muslims, and also by the sheer number of protests across the world in the name of violence for Allah.

The Free Egyptians conducted opinion polls of Muslims soon after 9/11.

To measure the reaction of the educated Egyptian-Muslim middle-class to 9/11, the Free Egyptians conducted opinion polls on a sample thereof on 9/11 and during the ensuing days when an atmosphere of euphoria and rejoicing took control of and overwhelmed the Muslim street.

91% of these Egyptians said they supported and rejoiced over the attacks of 9/11. See here for the other, similar, results.

I’ll show just one of the hundreds of photos of Muslims cheering 9/11 all over the world. They were happy that innocent people had been slaughtered in the name of Allah.

This mob-like mentality is evidenced recently by Muslims calling for death because Florida Pastor Terry Jones was going to burn the Qur’an.

Afghans protesting the proposed Qur'an burning

History of Islam

Just as with Israel and Palestine, I cannot do justice to the history of Islam in a post. Instead, refer to here and here for primers.

Let me say this. By necessity, Islam was born of war. This was not Muhammed’s fault, as it was a demand of the times. Everyone was at war, and battling for existence and for their gods.

The problem is that Islam remains the most CONSERVATIVE of religions, stuck in a time warp, still existing in the battles of its founder.

Israel and Palestine, a Related But Separate Issue

My Middle East Experience

Good People

I lived in the Middle East for ten years. I personally knew both Israelis and Arabs, who were Jews, Christians, and Muslims. I had friends among all these, attended ceremonies, even a Bedouin wedding on camels, and heard their expressed political views.

Bedouin Wedding with Camels

Regarding the individuals I knew, I had a positive feeling about each. In their lives, they held the same aspirations as all of us. They wanted family above all, good friends, fun, a prosperous business life, and peace.

Hatred

Yet, I was also witness to feelings of hatred. I was in Israel during the beginnings of the first Intifada in 1987, where Arabs began by lining the streets to throw stones at passing busses, and which evolved into such things as the murder of sleeping children in Kibbutzim.

The Modern State of Israel

The Jews have a history on the land presently known as Israel dating from 1400 BCE. For an outline of Jewish history, see here.

In the 1940s Jews faced anti-Semitism, pogroms, and finally the Holocaust in Germany. In response to the existential threat to a whole people, on November 29, 1947 the United Nations divided Palestine into two states: one Jewish and the other Arab. The U.N. thus created the modern state of Israel, carving out a tiny piece of land for the Jews.

Israel’s Wars

Despite Jews having lived in the Palestine area for thousands of years, and enjoying kingdoms that came and went in that piece of land, the Arab Palestinians felt that the whole area was theirs, reflecting their centuries old animosity and blood-letting with this other tribe. The Jewish leadership accepted the United Nations’ decision, but the Arabs opposed it and started attacking Jewish settlements from the day of Israel’s conception, initiating the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Israel smashed the Arab invaders.

One Arab state or another continues to attack Israel until today, to no avail. Israel’s wars include: the 1948 War of Independence, the 1956 Sinai War, the 1967 Six-Day War, the 1967 to 1970 War of Attrition, the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the 1982 Lebanon War, and the 2006 Lebanon War.

War has been a constant companion to Israeli life, and the Israelis have always won. Of course, now they face an existential threat, with the attainment of nuclear weapons by Iran, and the super-arming of Hezbollah.

Palestinian Israeli Wars

The essence is that Palestinians have been fighting Israelis for control over this tiny piece of land for centuries. The Israelis have the upper hand at the moment, but that could change. The Palestinians are a “democracy,” and have chosen Hamas as their leaders. Hamas has decided that Israel has no right to exist, and continues to terrorize Israel’s inhabitants.

Israel responds, to save its existence and the lives of its children, and is near universally condemned for it.

The Conundrum

Palestine

History of Palestine

See an outline of the history of Palestine 1948 to present.

Refugees

As a result of the failed pan-Arab attempt to annihilate Israel in 1948, 300,000 Palestinians abandoned their homes and fled the territory. They dispersed in a diaspora into Jordan, Gaza, and other Arab territories, longing to return to their land, and this is the nut of the problem that continues until today.

Unfortunately, they are not satisfied with just Return. They also want the complete abrogation of Israel, or it’s annihilation, and they work for these actively, and support terrorism to attain them. And, of course, because the 300,000 have now become 10,000,000 … any such Return would mean the end of Israel as a Jewish state.

The eternal conundrum.

Palestinian Violence

The level of hatred has only grown over the years until it has reached the present day expression in continual warfare, attacks on Israeli civilians, and suicide bombings against Israelis. The saying in Israel is that peace will come when the Palestinians learn to love their own children more than they hate Israelis.

Attempts at Peace

The reasons for continued war in Israel and Palestine are numerous and intractable. Every U.S. president, including now Barrack Obama, tries very hard to solve the problem. Jimmy Carter is due credit for the 1979 peace treaty between Israel and Egypt. For this, he did diserve the Nobel Peace Prize. He also earns homage for his wonderful Habitat for Humanity. To the contrary, he has been nothing but unhelpful to the world on a range of other issues, including his undermining of peace in the Middle East now by his obvious enmity towards Israel.

One can only wish Obama well in the latest quest for peace there.

Israel as an Excuse for Hatred and Terrorism

The unfortunate thing is, present day Islam uses the continuing Israeli conflict as its excuse for hatred and violence, not only against Israelis, but also against the U.S. and the West. The rationale is that as long as the U.S. and the West support the “murderous” Israelis, Islam will be at war with them too. Israel, they openly claim, has no right to exist, and will be driven into the sea.

The West’s excuses for villainizing Israel are that they conduct an Apartheid, and that they murder innocent Palestinians. The truth is that every attempt by Israel to loosen its control over Gaza and other Palestinian territories results in an increase in terrorist attacks. Why? Because the Palestinians don’t want just the freedom to form their own state. They also want the annihilation of Israel.

As far as murdering innocent Palestinians, there is no more careful country than Israel in trying to avoid collateral damage. The Palestinians, like Muslims in other parts of the world, though, have learned the tactic of preying on weak Western sentimentality, by embedding terrorists in the midst of civilians and using them as shields. Israel is not wrong in defending itself as it does. It defends itself this way or it dies.

And second, using Israel as an excuse for hatred and violence is bogus. The facts more convincingly state that Israel is the peacemaker in the region, and its enemies are the opponents of peace there.

The Real Goals

Moreover, the Arabs and Muslims are deluding themselves, and certainly the world. Let’s assume the annihilation of Israel, the goal of many if not most of the Arab/Muslim states. This is certainly a reasonable aspiration now that Iran is going nuclear. If Israel no longer existed, and if the Arabs and Muslims no longer had the excuse of it as their motivation for inflicting terror on the world, would the terror stop?

The answer is No. Why? Because the defeat of Israel is only a minor stepping stone in their overall plan. Israel is the diversion that the Arab states use to take the minds of their subjects off their ineffective, powerless existences. The real and larger goal is the conquering of infidels worldwide, and the establishment of a universal caliphate, ruled by Sharia law, according to the hard-line edicts in the Qur’an.

Modern Arab Civilization

Despite having great oil wealth, the modern Arab states have not advanced their civilizations much in their territories, and never in modern times have approached the level of culture they once had achieved. Instead, they have created kingdoms and dictatorships that survive by fixating hatred on enemies, chief among them Israel and the West, including the United States.

Arab Contributions to the World

It is not so much a lack of money, or even schooling—witness the high level of education of the Palestinians—but rather a lack of self-actualization that keeps many Arab countries from fulfilling their promise. Too many contribute little to the world except hatred. The one thing many of the haters have become experts at, is terrorism.

Clash of Cultures

The big problem between the Western cultures and Islam is Christina Aguilera,

Christina Aguilera

and Madonna, and Shakira, etc. It is the way of life, and who controls whom.

Western cultures allow freedom for individuals to the extent that families are weakened, there are no tribes or clans, religion is peripheral, and sexuality runs rampant, to the point of Roman excessiveness. The Arab, Muslim world runs by a strict patriarchy where control and the law is entirely in the hands of its men, and where violations are punished by communal strictures on up to public stonings. The population as a whole is controlled by Islam itself, joining the people together in common rituals and beliefs, and with a common enemy, the infidel. The men, and women, in these cultures love it the way it is; so much so, that they are willing to die for it.

I actually can understand their point of view. It is not so much different than the strict Catholic, Mormon, or Amish yearnings. In all these, the family is sacrosanct, religion is primary, God is above all, and the Word of God is sacred. And, sexuality is kept tightly controlled. All these are in a continual fight with Western civilization, as in the battle against unstoppable Internet porn that, they feel, weakens the family, the marriage bond, the purity of their females, and the cohesion of the tribe (community).

The major difference is that Islam so much wants its vision of family, society, and religion that it is not just willing to die for it, but to kill for it. And, it is not just willing to murder its outright enemies and attackers, but also innocents. After all, anyone who is an infidel, they believe, is not innocent at all. They are guilty of the heinous crime of not believing.

Conclusion

Religion of Peace, Reformation, and Staying On Guard

Liberals want to forget all this, and tilt at windmills, saying that most Muslims are moderates and only want peace. One can hope so, but the evidence is contrary. Perhaps by pretending that Islam is peaceful, liberals hope to cajole them into a more noble state. If so, I am all for it.

But at the same time, Islam needs to be confronted and forced into a Reformation. And the world needs to be on guard against them until they do reform.

Reformation would necessarily include creating a central authority that could effect changes. This might require an Islamic Martin Luther, who is brave enough to face death and ostracism, and who could unite a large number of followers. Or, it would demand at least a growing change within the religion from the ground up to reject medieval thinking and practices.

The crucial question is, can Muslims as a whole adjust their religion to a point where they retain their personal and societal aspirations, but abandon imposing them on the world, and give up coercion and violence as a means of attaining them?

What to Do

The Reformation of Islam can only occur inside Islam. However, it might only happen if the West projects a positive vision of its own society and families. Plus, the West must confront Islam with what is not tolerated from any religion. For example, when confronting other religions in the past, we made it clear we won’t permit cannibalism anymore, regardless of which religion promotes it.

I don’t think we can demand of Islam that they abandon their vision of family and control of men over women, and so on. If women attain more independence within Islam, this must be an internal battle or evolution, like what we had. Our changes came from organizations and movements like suffrage and feminism. We can try to convince them we are right, but we can’t force them to listen on these issues.

End the Slaughter of Innocents

What the West can demand, however, is an end to the slaughter of innocents. No more planting bombs in nurseries, or nightclubs.

And, by the way, we can strongly suggest and pressure Islam to grow up and move the Park 51 Mosque away from Ground Zero.

Your Comments are Welcome Here

and please also go to The Truth Zone of Combat to debate the the world's problem with Islam, or contribute by writing an article.

Rock

Technorati Tags for this post: Religion of Peace, Qur'an, Old Testament, Christianity, Catholicism, Crusades, infidels, Inquisition, witches, Reformation, Martin Luther, mosque, Pastor Terry Jones, Allah, Intifada, pogroms, Holocaust, Palestine, Hamas, Law of Return, Barrack Obama, Jimmy Carter, Habitat for Humanity, Apartheid, caliphate, Sharia, Christina Aguilera, Madonna, Shakira, Mormon, suffrage, feminism, Park 51, Ground Zero

Regular Technorati Tags for this blog: politics, political, politically incorrect, no spin, conservative, Republican, right wing, liberal, Democrat, left wing, leftist, democracy, election, peace, war, Barrack Obama, Sarah Palin, Tea Party, editorial, opinion, news, current affairs, media, television, television, Hollywood, books, culture, society, religion, God, fundamentalism, Christian, Catholic, Muslim, Jew, Israel, Palestine, blog, truth, Truth—the No Spin Politically Incorrect Zone, The Truth Zone of Combat

Read More...

Back to Summary only...

Beck, Palin, and the Tea Party

Beck and Palin Restoring Honor

Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, and the Tea Party are intertwined by the audiences they attract and the frustrations they address. Though their publics are not identical, there is some overlap. And for the frustrations they experience, there is some intersect regarding solutions.

You Can Leave a Comment Here

Congratulations to Glenn

on his August 28, 2010 rally, Restoring Honor, at the Lincoln Memorial. Whether you approve or not, it was a magnificent gathering of upwards of 300,000 positive people. See my Twitter assessment of the event.
 

Restoring Honor 8/28/10

Prophet and Mad Man

One day, I can watch or listen to Beck and know that he has pierced through the truth of America so accurately that I understand why this guy has a cult following. The next day, I hear a maniac trying to drag me down into his darkness. I am led to contemplate the end of civilization and the need for canning my beefsteak tomatoes ahead of the apocalypse.

Even on those ugly days, though, he still makes some sense, as you realize America really is on the brink of ruination. And, yes, Obama actually is the worst president in history.

Still, Glenn Beck will be paranoid twenty years from now too, no matter what president is in charge … regardless of how good or bad the country is doing. He’ll be whispering or screaming at you to hoard gold and buy water purifiers for the coming end of times. He’ll be uncovering conspiracies in government forever, with his infamous interconnections on his chalkboard.

Glenn Beck and his Chalkboard

(Here is the
Beck conspiracy generator.)

Howard Beale

Beck compares himself with Howard Beale. Beale is a fictional character from the movie Network (1976), played by Peter Finch , who won a posthumous Oscar for best actor in the role. In his famous speech, Beale said:

Peter Finch as Howard Beale

I don't have to tell you things are bad. Everybody knows things are bad. It's a depression. Everybody's out of work or scared of losing their job. The dollar buys a nickel's worth; banks are going bust; shopkeepers keep a gun under the counter; punks are running wild in the street, and there's nobody anywhere who seems to know what to do, and there's no end to it.

We know the air is unfit to breathe and our food is unfit to eat. And we sit watching our TVs while some local newscaster tells us that today we had fifteen homicides and sixty-three violent crimes, as if that's the way it's supposed to be!

We all know things are bad -- worse than bad -- they're crazy.

It's like everything everywhere is going crazy, so we don't go out any more. We sit in the house, and slowly the world we're living in is getting smaller, and all we say is, "Please, at least leave us alone in our living rooms. Let me have my toaster and my TV and my steel-belted radials, and I won't say anything. Just leave us alone."

Well, I'm not going to leave you alone.

I want you to get mad!

I don't want you to protest. I don't want you to riot. I don't want you to write to your Congressman, because I wouldn't know what to tell you to write. I don't know what to do about the depression and the inflation and the Russians and the crime in the street.
All I know is that first, you've got to get mad.

You've gotta say, "I'm a human being, goddammit! My life has value!"

So, I want you to get up now. I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up right now and go to the window, open it, and stick your head out and yell,

"I'm as mad as hell,
and I'm not going to take this anymore!!"

The speech is entirely apropos for our times, and for Beck, Palin, and the Tea Party.

Huey Long

Beck reminds me a bit of Huey Long. Though holding a few beliefs in common, most of their views were polar opposites. What is most alike in them is their style.

Huey Long 1932

Huey Pierce Long, Jr. (1893 to 1935), nicknamed The Kingfish, was a charismatic, powerful politician who built a ruthless Democratic machine in Louisiana as governor (1928-32) and U.S. senator (1932-35). He proposed his "Every Man a King" plan, to redistribute wealth by an asset tax on corporations and individuals to end poverty and homelessness during the Great Depression. To stimulate the economy, he wanted spending on public works, schools and universities, and old age pensions. He disapproved of the Federal Reserve .

He was popular because of his flamboyant style and soaring rhetoric, and his forceful attack on the nation’s problems. However, he was accused by his opponents of being a dictator, due to his strong-arm control of state government. At his popularity’s peak, on September 8, 1935, at age 42, Long was assassinated by gunshot at the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge.

Although often described as a "fascist," Long eschewed ideology. Historians debate whether he was a dictator, demagogue, messiah, or populist, and whether he was a friend or enemy of American values.

In common with Beck are his charisma, his flamboyant, theatrical, soaring rhetoric, and his self-assuredness in taking on the nation’s problems with remedies that half the country feel are wonderful, and half feel are dangerous. It is debated for both whether they are praiseworthy men, and whether or not they are good for America..

So, Do I Dismiss Beck?

No, I don’t dismiss him. I said that Beck reminds me of Huey Long, but I didn’t say he was Huey.

Beck has more truth than Long did. Beck is right that America has forgotten its history. He is correct in longing for a return to Mom and Dad and everything-will-be-fine. He is accurate when describing the Obama Administration as far-left ideologues who will harm America by turning it into a weak, socialist, bloated-government nanny state.

Howard Beale or Huey Long?

In fact, the Howard Beale character, not Huey Long, is the best comparison when thinking of Beck. Beck is unhinged, perhaps by society, but he’s on to something. He’s not somebody you should empower, but you ought to listen to him, with some skepticism.

The Origin of Beck’s Issues with America

Glenn Beck discovered his issues with America because of his paranoia. Darkness drove him to research like no other talk show host. Add to that the emotions of his inner devils, and his alcoholism, and you get the tears and the sighing, and the doomsday predictions with pleas to start digging underground shelters and buying composting toilets.

I’m With Beck When

he’s calling Obama a Chicago thug leftist. By all reports, Obama is worse than Blagoyavich, and approaches the tactics of Al Capone, politically.

Rod Blagoyavich, Ex Illinois Governor

Beck loses me when he advises Americans to withdraw all their money from the stock market. Doesn’t he realize that if a lack of confidence like this spread to all America, it would spell d o o m? It is a self-fulfilling prophecy. The exact opposite of FDR’s "We have nothing to fear, but fear itself."

Al Capone, 1940, Chicago gangster

Many Republicans and conservative talk-show hosts are making this same mistake, talking down the economy, for political or ratings gains. They lack the perspective to realize the potential harm they are doing to America.


Yes, vote out Obama, but don’t destroy America in the process.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxx                                                                                             Rock

However, in short, Beck is good for America. Yes, you heard me … but only if you listen to him once a week max, and on condition that you take what he says with a handful of salt.

Sarah Palin

Sarah is a different story. She is not a raging, but helpful, demagogue like Glenn. She was born innocent, and remains so. The

Sarah Palin

eternal cheerleader. The mother of all Downs’ Syndrome babies, and irresponsible teenagers. The scrappy basketball guard with a perfect figure and white teeth, Sarah Barracuda—who couldn’t last two minutes on a basketball court with a male midget, but whom men would like to date.

Is Sarah Stupid?

No. Politically, she’s brilliant. Her emotional quotient, EQ, is sky high. Her IQ, though, is admittedly low.

What this means is, she’s the opposite of a nerd, who can repeat all sorts of history, politics, and science. Her vocabulary is challenged, which you might refudiate. Her understanding of international politics is weak, as when she explained to Katie Couric she had foreign policy experience because one could see Russia from Alaska. Intellectually, on the wonk side of things, some national, and all international issues, just don’t interest her. And, she lacks what they accused Bush of lacking, the curiosity to investigate. She is lost on many of the important national issues. Could she learn them? Yes, but she’s not shown any inclination to school herself.

But, what she does grasp, is people. She has leadership qualities and charisma. Up until the Glenn Beck rally, she was the champion on gathering a crowd. Her political skills, in my opinion, reach the level of Ronald Reagan, but not FDR. Her political acumen, in fact, far exceeds Obama’s. She does "get" her followers, speak their language, and fight for them like the mama grizzlies she loves. Palin knows people, kids, friends, public speaking, and regional and local politics.

In Short

Palin is basically a cheerleader with instinctual knowledge and extraordinary appeal, firmly grounded in conservative and family values, who can translate her vision into an attractive package for Americans yearning for tradition and certainty.

The Tea Party

is a social political movement that began in 2008 and 2009 with a number of local and national coordinated protests based on fiscal conservatism.

Tea Party Logo

History

See here a short history of the Tea Party Movement, which owes it’s origin to Ron Paul supporters, stock-trader Graham Makohoniuk, Rush Limbaugh, and activists Mary Rakovich and Keli Carender, and which was boosted greatly by Michelle Malkin in 2009.

Tenets and Goals

A few of the major tenets of the Tea Party are:

- Fiscal Responsibility

- Constitutionally Limited Government

- Free Markets

See here and here for more platform issues of the party.

The Tea Party’s Contract From America , developed by Houston-based attorney, Ryan Hecker prior to the April 15, 2009 Tax Day Tea Party rallies, includes:

• Identify constitutionality of every new law.
• Reject emissions trading.
• Demand a balanced federal budget.
• Simplify the tax system.
• Audit federal government agencies for constitutionality.
• Limit annual growth in federal spending.
• Repeal the health care legislation passed on March 23, 2010.
• Pass an 'All-of-the-Above' Energy Policy.
• Reduce Earmarks.
• Reduce Taxes.

The Tea Party, as opposed to Beck, steers clear of religion, although it does emphasize patriotism and support for the troops. As opposed to Sara Palin, the Tea Party leaves family values out as an issue.

Palin, Beck, and the Tea Party

Sarah Palin, in fact, is active in several Tea Party events, to the extent that some label her as a leader in the movement. She and they, however, demure from this, preferring that the Tea Party remain basically a grassroots uprising, without identifiable leadership. They do love her, though, and vice versa.

And, of course, Beck is a favorite, too, since he believes in many of the same tenets. He also, though, would not consider himself a leader in the movement, though thousands of Tea Partiers did attend his recent rally.

What they all have in common is a feeling that America has gone wrong. They think that government has become too big, and is spending too much money. All three assess that the Obama Administration is taking the country in the direction of a European-like nanny-state socialism, and away from patriotism. They fear a loss of freedom due to massive government intervention in people’s lives. They want a return to the Founding Fathers and the Constitution.

And, of course, they are mad as hell and not going to take it anymore!

Your Comments are Welcome Here

Have a great day!

Rock

Join me in the war on error, in the fight for truth, justice, and the American way! Support this site!

Technorati Tags for this post: Glen Beck, Sarah Palin, Tea Party, Restoring Honor, Twitter, Howard Beale, Huey Long, the Great Depression, the Federal Reserve, fascist, nanny state, Rod Blagoyavich, Al Capone, Sara Palin, EQ, IQ, refudiate, Katie Couric, Alaska, George W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, mama grizzlies, Rush Limbaugh, Ron Paul, Michelle Malkin, Tax Day Tea Party Rallies, the Founding Fathers, the Constitution

Regular Technorati Tags for this blog: politics, political, politically incorrect, no spin, conservative, Republican, right wing, liberal, Democrat, left wing, leftist, democracy, election, peace, war, Barrack Obama, Sarah Palin, Tea Party, editorial, opinion, news, current affairs, media, television, television, Hollywood, books, culture, society, religion, God, fundamentalism, Christian, Catholic, Muslim, Jew, Israel, Palestine, blog, truth, Truth—the No Spin Politically Incorrect Zone, The Truth Zone of Combat

Read More...

Back to Summary only...