Ahmadinejad's Demons

A Child of the Revolution Takes Over · By Matthias Küntzel

During the Iran-Iraq War, the Ayatollah Khomeini imported 500,000 small plastic keys from Taiwan. The trinkets were meant to be inspirational. After Iraq invaded in September 1980, it had quickly become clear that Iran’s forces were no match for Saddam Hussein’s professional, well-armed military. To compensate for their disadvantage, Khomeini sent Iranian children, some as young as twelve years old, to the front lines. There, they marched in formation across minefields toward the enemy, clearing a path with their bodies. Before every mission, one of the Taiwanese keys would be hung around each child’s neck. It was supposed to open the gates to paradise for them.

At one point, however, the earthly gore became a matter of concern. “In the past,” wrote the semi-official Iranian daily Ettelaat as the war raged on, “we had child-volunteers: 14-, 15-, and 16-year-olds. They went into the minefields. Their eyes saw nothing. Their ears heard nothing. And then, a few moments later, one saw clouds of dust. When the dust had settled again, there was nothing more to be seen of them. Somewhere, widely scattered in the landscape, there lay scraps of burnt flesh and pieces of bone.” Such scenes would henceforth be avoided, Ettelaat assured its readers. “Before entering the minefields, the children [now] wrap themselves in blankets and they roll on the ground, so that their body parts stay together after the explosion of the mines and one can carry them to the graves.”

These children who rolled to their deaths were part of the Basiji, a mass movement created by Khomeini in 1979 and militarized after the war started in order to supplement his beleaguered army.The Basij Mostazafan – or “mobilization of the oppressed” – was essentially a volunteer militia, most of whose members were not yet 18. They went enthusiastically, and by the thousands, to their own destruction. “The young men cleared the mines with their own bodies,” one veteran of the Iran-Iraq War recalled in 2002 to the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine. “It was sometimes like a race. Even without the commander’s orders, everyone wanted to be first.”

The sacrifice of the Basiji was ghastly. And yet, today, it is a source not of national shame, but of growing pride. Since the end of hostilities against Iraq in 1988, the Basiji have grown both in numbers and influence. They have been deployed, above all, as a vice squad to enforce religious law in Iran, and their elite “special units” have been used as shock troops against anti-government forces. In both 1999 and 2003, for instance, the Basiji were used to suppress student unrest. And, last year, they formed the potent core of the political base that propelled Mahmoud Ahmadinejad—a man who reportedly served as a Basij instructor during the Iran-Iraq War—to the presidency.

What if You Threw a Foreign Policy Crisis and Nobody Came?

No one showed up, not the corrupt and defunct press, not the President of the United States of America. That's is where we are. We are in the midst of a foreign policy disaster. A vacuum of leadership grows wider by the day. On two fronts we see unravelling. Afghanistan, the righteous war according to the left, and a belligerent, about to go nuclear, Iran. And where is the President? He and the Mrs. are off on separate planes to Copenhagen to win the olympics for Chicago.

Wouldn't this normally be a task for an underling at the State Department? It is another example of Obama voting present, running away to his comfort zone of campaigning and speaking to adoring crowds when the pressure is on.

A Show (Presidency) About Nothing

I will admit that sometimes it is hard to look at things with the stone cold stare of neutrality. Putting ideology and biases aside is not always easy, especially when one is a devout ideologue. I can be certain though it is becoming pretty apparent that we have a complete incompetent in the Oval Office. Something along the lines of an executive level Dennis the Menace. It is safe to predict that if he were anybody's employee in the private sector he’d be fired. If he were an investment you’d sell now just to cut your losses.

He is reminding me more and more of that episode of Seinfeld where Kramer kinda gets a job. It goes like this:

KRAMER: What did you want to see me about, Mr. Leland?

LELAND: Kramer, I've.. been reviewing your work.. Quite frankly, it stinks.

KRAMER: Well, I ah.. been havin' trouble at home and uh.. I mean, ah, you know, I'll work harder, nights, weekends, whatever it takes.. (OK, admittedly THIS part takes MUCH imagination on the part of the reader)

LELAND: No, no, I don't think that's going to, do it, uh. These reports you handed in. It's almost as if you have no business training at all.. I don't know what this is supposed to be!

KRAMER: Well, I'm uh, just--tryin' to get ahead..

LELAND: Well, I'm sorry. There's just no way that we could keep you on.

KRAMER: I don't even really work here!

LELAND: That's what makes this so difficult.

We have Kramer at the helm. Incidentally, there is also an episode where Kramer becomes a communist after he is influenced by Elaine's boyfriend. Except, our Kramer is not experimenting. He is the real deal.

Merkel Wins Another Term

Students of history will remember that Margaret Thatcher was elected as a conservative in England in May, 1979. Similar to today, it was a dark time in America with Jimmy Carter at the helm.

Congratulations Germany! Sie haben gut!

Off to Copenhagen

will return Tuesday...

The Worker's Paradise of Chavez

Chavez Farm Coop (there's that word again!)

Do you need any more evidence?

I keep reading the question--"Did Obama take the wrong side in Honduras". To which the only and obvious answer would be--YES! Obama IS the wrong side.

Would Obama choose to back the Chavez style and backed president, Zelaya, who upon the end of his first term moved to change the constitution so that he may remain in office. Would you expect anything than the answer to be yes at this point? Ofcourse, he did.

Would he still support him even though he did this through deliberately unconstitutional means by way of his own referendum, without the congressional authorization demanded by Honduras's constitution? Without a doubt. And he'd go so far as backing the classification of the military installing the rule of law as a "military coup".

Has it ever been the policy of the United States of America to back the subversion of a democratic country’s constitution in this way?

Honduras’ constitution was changed in the 1980s and it uses the United States constitution as its blueprint. They expressly prohibited any person from holding more than one Presidential term or even suggesting that the constitution be changed specifically due to the region’s history of Marxist dictatorships.

Wasn't it our policy at one time to spread the ideals of democracy and the rule of law?

Zelaya is currently finding refuge at the Brazilian embassy in Honduras. De facto leader, Michelleti has asked Brazil to hand over President Zelaya from their embassy. Some in Honduras believe the only way Zelaya could have gotten in was through Palmerola US air base. Rumors abound that the Clinton/State dept flew him in to the base and them had him transported by helicopter to the Brazilian embassy.

There is no real evidence that points to that occurring at this time. Recent experience and Obama's track record can lead one to their own conclusions. We are, however, left with this impression: Obama involves himself in Honduras to save a fellow leftist who will spread revolution with the help of Ortega, the Castro's, and Chavez. It is most ominous that the government of the United States is condemning and punishing the peaceful, freedom-loving people of Honduras for their refusal to accept communism.

Who They Are

I have to admit I do not watch Jon Stewart, I do not really fit his demographic. However, I am aware of the pull he has in pop culture circles. He tends to appeal to that, "I am so smart, I hate all sides equally but funny how it is I always side with the statists" crowd. They annoy me. They probably annoy me more than the actual statists themselves. I have no use for fence sitters, I find them to be mostly cowards.

That said, I watched the linked clip that Flopping Aces had posted on their blog featuring Jon Stewart commenting on ACORN. Link

What struck me was how honestly surprised Jon Stewart was that this was the face of the Democratic base. Of course, I know of the limousine liberals and the upper echelon white elitists who vote Democrat--the circles Stewart, no doubt, travels in. But, I also know if Democrats had to rely on these people to get elected they might garner 10% of the vote.

I also know a vast chunk of the people who are attracted to the northeastern liberal message are those people in the ACORN videos. Stewart, in his own comedic covered way, seemed really blown away by this revelation. It was not the down trodden guy with his lunch pail on the way to the mine or the single mom working three jobs, exhausted and just trying to get some amoxicillin for her kid's ear infection.

It was the lowest common denominator. People in survival mode putting a very cheap price tag on life. Stewart seemed perplexed that decades of the Great Society have done little but let loose on this country a significant population of feral animals and that many of them vote and are politically active supporting the same people and policies he does.

It is said to get actually "clean" someone's mind of leftism, they need a SEE (Significant Emotional Event) to occur. I have an acquaintance who claimed for him it was watching the Vietnamese leave their country in whatever makeshift boat they could find. Many dying before reaching safe shores. Quite a few, ending up in NW Florida where he was living as a Marxist at that time.

Their relief and gratitude to be in the United States of America hit a nerve with him. Slowly he began to question his beliefs. He started to see there was something very wrong with his world view. That many good people, faced with such traumatizing life or death events, at the hands of a system he completely devoted himself to, could not be wrong. Finally, he witnessed the Cambodian atrocity. He began to think for himself and he was forever changed.

He made it out. We can hope these ACORN videos begin the process in some of the minds of the left. I have to believe many watched in eye opening disbelief as Jon Stewart appeared to.

Joe Six Pack Meet VAT

Until now, the United States has been VAT free. With the signing of socialized medicine we will undoubtedly see the implementation of a VAT or value added tax. I would venture to guess it starts at about 15% and creeps upwards as the program falls further and further into the red. Sweden, where I currently reside, has a VAT tax of 25% on most goods and services. Yes, you read that correctly. 25%.

The VAT tax, basically a sales tax, is a consumption tax. It will be levied on top of your federal and state income taxes, your state sales tax and whatever other taxes you are subject to. It isn't getting much talk in the media leading me to believe Joe Six Pack does not even have it on his radar screen. I don't think he knows it is coming.

Understanding the numbers is paramount to understanding the need for a VAT tax. According to factcheck.org approximately 2% of Americans will make over $250,000 this year. Though the Democrats are operating by giving the assumption that taxpayer funded healthcare will be afforded by taxing this segment of the population, it is painfully obvious that there are not enough "rich" out there to pay for this massive entitlement.

What this is, essentially, is a back door middle class and lower class tax increase and a big one. It is a job killer, a consumption killer and an economy dragger. It increases the price of goods at each stage of production and it ushers in consumer prices far more than simply increasing them the simple percentage of the tax. Here in Sweden, it is not uncommon to pay 2, 3 or more times the prices in the U.S. for common everyday goods.

The result? You think twice before buying anything. Personally, I am waiting for trips back to the US to get much needed items. Jeans, a new iPod, etc. Many Swedes have told me how they "stock up" on items like jeans, foods, liquor when traveling. Not to mention, the black market that begins to flourish in high taxation environments. All opportunity costs that can not be weighed in when figuring statistics and studies.

Fortunately, the taxes come before the benefit with this healthcare scheme. Taxes will begin immediately and the "benefit" does not come until 2013. I am only hoping that the American people will not stand for the Europification of their country and the backlash will be staggering.

Relative Deprivation

Politics today works hand in hand with relative deprivation. Our politicians, primarily on the left, foster it, encourage it and then use it to their own advantage. Relative deprivation, a term used by sociologists, can be described as the state in which a person who is lacking something believes they are entitled to it simply because others have it. It is a condition as old as mankind and has probably been capitalized on since the time man began living in organized settlements.

Relative deprivation gives oxygen to the concept of social justice. Social justice is nothing more than a buzzword of the left to encourage class divisions. It is also a gift that never stops giving. Because relative deprivation is, just that, relative, they could never run out of social injustices. The people always have voids to fill, and what they are hungry for is always something that do not yet have but others may . Yes, the poor will always be with us if the goal post is constantly moved.

Social justice folklore tells us we have rights to many things. Rights to shelter, food, safety, employment, etc. The ever growing list is now inclusive of health care. Common sense would tell you, something that is required to be produced through effort and creativity can never be a right.

In a free society with fluid classes it is the height of irresponsibility and short-sightedness to foster these illusions for political gain. Of course, we have two segments of the political class that are guilty of doing just that. The first would be the actual true believers and the second would be those who do not really believe it, think about it or the ramifications but they know it substitutes for real ideas and solutions. Neither politician has a place in the United States of America.Unfortunately our halls of government are littered with such people starting from the highest office. In short, we have a government of rabble rousers.

Angry Dad at the Podium

If you are not on board with Obama's new vision for America, well then, you are obviously too stupid to "get" it. And if you are caught telling anyone why, well then he is "going to call you out". Admittedly, I was expecting a little more than patronizing parent mode yesterday evening. Honestly, my fear was that he was going to be at the top of his game. After all, he had weeks of off-time to prepare.

Maybe it is that the shine came off. We all have those moments when we go home with our shiny new trinket straight off the showroom floor and suddenly in the dimmer lights of our home--it isn't so shiny. When we go to turn it on, it isn't working quite the way the salesman made it work. When we dig out his phone number to call him and ask some questions, he isn't the same charismatic guy, who hours before, got you drunk on his enthusiasm. That's the feeling a lot of Obama supporters must be feeling.

At what point does your greatest asset become a detriment? Probably when you over use it or use it in every situation especially when it is not called for. So becomes the case with the "magical" oratory skills of Barack Obama. Admittedly, I only watched part of it. It is about as much as I can handle. I have never been moved by any emotion other than revulsion watching the hypnotized masses engage in their twisted cult of personality when witnessing him speak. However, from what I did see and read, it looks like if that is all he has got-Obamacare may well be dead.

Obama went into the speech last night with the charges that he was too vague, speaking in platitudes and not giving enough concrete, nuts and bolts information. Instead he tried to show up and deliver the magic, slip the audience a rufie of feel good platitudes and poetic exaggerations of semi-truths. Except what we witnessed was more of an angry campaign version of Obama. He was working on turning on the magic, and there were hints of it, but frustration, anger and a hint of desperation shined through.

Did the speech change any minds last night? Did he offer any new details? Most importantly is he answering the one question we are all asking, "Sounds great, now how are you going to pay for all this?" As far as I could tell is was the same bill, with the public option at the same costs that magically "won’t add a penny to the deficit”. He droned on about bipartisanship while chastizing Republicans. At the same time promising to "eliminate fraud, waste and abuse”. All in all, nothing new. Perhaps, he just hoped his recently vacationed vocal chords were going to make all the difference.

Too Funny

You're The Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me

If conservatives needed a new theme song, this would be it. Obama is shaping up to be bad medicine for what ails an apathetic nation. He is reminding an opiated with comfort population that was more interested in American Idol or what flavor of latte they were going to order about politics, civics, prosperity and why they matter. It is a painful lesson, but one the country needs.

Contrast that with another Bush or worse, a moderate Republican like McCain. It would have been more detrimental, long term, to have four more years of reaching across the aisle and proliferate spending. At the same time these lukewarm Republicans gave the media the tools it needed to paint "conservative" as something it was not.

No, this is good. Obama is liberalism wide out in the open for all the country to see. Dishonest, fanatical, fascist, tyrannical and dangerous. The more eyes that open, the more angry the public gets. What we are witnessing is a healthy display of appropriate anger. It is important that we not let people immobilized by guilt and timidness describe it as anything but that.

Ofcourse, it could be too early to sing. Looking back to the makeover Clinton made in his floundering first term, to all of us it is apparent what Obama needs to do at this time. Before it is too late he would need to undergo a Clinton-like remaking to make himself more in tune to the middle of the country. However at this writing, he seems to be losing what political instinct he had, the mask is coming off and he seems to be heading toward a point of no return.

The difference is, and it is a significant one, Clinton could do a major rebranding because he was never ideologically pure. He never let anything trump his political survival. Most of all, Clinton wanted to be liked and, at his best, he was likable. Examination of the moves he was willing to make to come back with a vengeance in 1994, signing welfare reform and axing the toxic Hillary healthcare, tells us he was less an ideologue than a pragmatist.

Obama could do all of the same things. He needs to do all of these same things but he doesn't have the the psychological make-up that would allow him to do so. He is an ideologue. More so, his ideology defines him. It is more than the fact that he was raised and steeped in leftist ideology, he was, but it is more an issue of what the ideology has given him. Acceptance, elitist status and a shell of armor for the delicate narcissistic personality. He has never left the shelter of left wing comfort bases: academia, law and political office. In the bubble of leftism, Obama has been twice protected because of his race.

Outside of magic rhetorical skills, he is elitist, condescending and insular. Clinton, for all his faults, was never any of those things. Bush had a stroke of insularity but at the same time he was folksy. You felt like you could belly up to the bar and talk about last night's Ranger game with Bush. Not so with Obama and people feel that. It's almost painful to watch him try to fake it.

Instinctively they seem to be catching on that at the crux of it, Obama appears to be unable to understand just how offensive many of his recent moves are to the vast majority of Americans. He does not feel the patriotism that comes so easily to us. It just does not compute. It is because his mind has been contaminated with leftist ideals hostile to this country. Simply put, he does not come off as one of us--because he is not.

What do you do when your enemy is destroying himself? You become the roadrunner to his Wile E. Coyote. You count on him to continue the pattern of behaviors he is known to engage in. Our task as conservatives is is to shine the light on every move, educate and to be ready in 2010 with a clear alternative to socialism.

Comrade Green Jobs

I have a question. Does Obama have any friends who are not America-loathing, Marxist or black theology types? Actually two questions because the answer to the first is becoming quite apparent. Is there no end to this line-up of, would be comedic if it weren't so damn serious, cast of characters?

Enter stage left, President Obama's controversial environmental adviser, Green Comrade Van Jones. Jones has claimed that he wants to shelve grey capitalism for a green jobs movement, that the USA was an apartheid regime and has stated that he believes Bush has something to do with hatching up the plans for 9/11. He has stated 9/11 was a Republican campaign ad.

I do not know that the Whitehouse has been this big of an embarrassment since Jimmy Carter. To fairly put it in perspective though, I think most of Carter's bumblings in the 1970s were born out of basic misguidance. It was not until after he left office and knew his legacy was being the worst president in recent history and the butt of many jokes that he truly developed an undeniable hatred for his country. Obama's disdain for his country was well established long before he took office.

Let's keep in mind Presidents select appointments from lifelong political circles of friends. The only circle Obama knows is comprised of communists, black radical communists and did I say communists? To any of us that have been paying attention, none of this is a surprise. This is the the trust barrier and in a sane nation would be the barometer of who and what he is. It would not surprise me, in the least, if tomorrow Hugo Chavez was given a Czar's position in his cabinet.

A big show of gratitude to Glenn Beck for exposing Van Jones. Each day Beck puts his neck out there and fights for the survival of this nation. It is rumored that Jones will take him rightful position under the bus with Wright, Ayers and the grandmother. Let us not forget, though, Jones is only the symptom of a much more widespread disease. With Obama radicals like Jones are like buses. There will be another one to come along in fifteen minutes.