AN ISOLATED EXTREMIST?

I was stunned to listen to the president finally speak about the attempted Christmas bombing of an airliner bound for the US. Forget for a moment that it took him three days to respond. Thanks, Mr. President, for interrupting your golf game, to speak to the country about the measures you will allegedly take to make us safer. Damn that Bush.

Read the transcipt of his six-minute speech and you will, I'm sure, be reassured that this administration is on top of things in the terrorist world. The DHS is a joke, so she doesn't even rate much of a response to her two-headed statement to the attack. The system worked, oh sorry, no it didn't. What is that? She's a disgrace. One statement from me, Madam Secretary, there are really terrorists out there and they aren't those evil right wing, military veterans. Say it slowly, "Islamic terrorists."

As for the president, out of this rambling, pointless statement or yours, I picked out a phrase that made my hair stand on end. Our president referred to this incident as being perpetrated by an "isolate extremist." Really? ISOLATED EXTREMIST. How about terrorist? How about a terrorist that is part of a concerted effort by a large group of people to kill as many Americans as possible? How about a war?

The most disturbing part of the speech is this:

"That an alert and courageous citizenry are far more resilient than an isolated extremist."

I'm all for citizen watch programs, but this is not what any of us had in mind. The government is in criminal mode during a war. This is a war. It is not a ring of burglars or robbers who are trying to steal things from people's houses. This group is trying to steal our way of life. They are trying to flush us down the toilet of history, along with the Nazis, Romans, barbarians, and the USSR.

My biggest gripe with the Obama administration is that they don't get it in the war on terror. Hell, they can't even say it. I hate that they are printing money at a prodigious rate. I hate that they feel they know better than us in so many ways. Bailout GM so they don't go bankrupt. Oops, they went bankrupt. Sorry about those billions of dollars, citizens. Oh well, you'll make more. But really, this is serious business. We have a lot of people who want us dead. I would like the president and his people to take this seriously.

Trying terrorists in American courts and moving terrorists into the midsection of the country doesn't make us feel that you get it, Mr. President.

CHRISTMAS MUSIC WITH CELTIC WOMAN

Some of the most beautiful music you'll hear around Christmastime. Enjoy these beautiful singers and their beautiful voices.

With apologies to Z.

LET ME TELL YOU OF TEA PARTIES AND FILIBUSTERS

Two issues have been under the radar screen lately that have been in the news in a peripheral way. Those issues are the Tea Party's new found prominence and the possibility of a third party and the vilification of the filibuster used in the Senate.

Let's begin with some history. The history of third parties in the US is checkered at best. For the most part they have been fringe movements that were like a meteor that shone brightly and then flamed out leaving little evidence of itself. Some movements have, however, been influential, if not electing a candidate, at least changing the political landscape.

The most successful third party was the Populists of the 1890s. They were concerned with securing a fair treatment for the nation's farmers, concentrated mostly in the south and the west. This was the group most negatively affected by the Gilded Age. Most of the benefits were concentrated in the north and the east and gave rise to a group popularly known as the robber barons who numbered among their group such names as John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, Cornelius Vanderbilt, etc.

The Populists' platform featured a graduated income tax, nationalizing the railroads, telephone, telegraph, low-interest loans to farmers, and free coinage of silver. The Populists reached their zenith when their candidate, William Jennings Bryan, was co-opted by the Democrats in 1896, and 1900 to run against William McKinley for president. He lost but he and the Populists placed many of the farmer's issues into the forefront and they gave rise to their spawn, or forward thinkers, depending on your perspective, the progressives.

I offer this passage from the great history text by David M. Kennedy, Lizabeth Cohen, and Thomas A. Bailey, The American Pageant, 12th Edition, page #613 and 614:

Yet the Populists, despite their oddities, were not to be laughed away. They were leading a deadly earnest and impassioned campaign to relieve the farmers' many miseries. Smiles faded from Republican and Democratic faces alike as countless thousands of Populists began to sing "Good-bye, My Party, Good-bye." In 1892 the Populists had jolted the traditional parties by winning several congressional seats and polling more than 1 million votes for their presidential candidate, James B. Weaver. Racial divisions continued to hobble the Populists in the South, but in the West their ranks were swelling. Could the People's party now reach beyond its regional bases in agrarian America, join hands with the urban workers, and mount a successful attack on the northeastern citadels of power?

My point is that the Populists and later the Progressives certainly had a monumental effect on the country. Certainly in hindsight, they should not have been taken for granted by the Democrats and Republicans of the Gilded Age. Can the Dems and Repubs of the 21st century afford to repeat the mistake of ignoring this growing movement? Polls continue to show that dissatisfaction with both parties is growing and unless the parties begin to listen they may suffer consequences at the polls. Memo to both parties: STOP SPENDING WITH NO RESTRAINTS. STOP PRINTING WORTHLESS MONEY AND DRIVING US INTO BANKRUPTCY. START LISTENING TO YOUR CONSTITUENTS. STOP THE POWER GRAB.

As for the filibuster, let's talk. The filibuster in some form or other has been around since the Roman republic. It has always been part of legislating and probably always will. Reading Paul Krugman's column today gave me an unexpected laugh. Paul's a little upset at the filibuster of the Health Care Bill. His main rational was that it wasn't in the Constitution. That's interesting coming from a guy who doesn't let the Constitution get in the way of progligate spending when it's done in the name of job stimulus.

It's not in the Constitution is a statement that is continually thrown back at constitutional conservatives when it is used to make a point about the Health Care Bill, the almost $800 billion stimulus bill, TARP, Cash for Clunkers, seizing GMC, Chrysler, bailing out the big evil Wall Street firms, and the myriad other spending bills that those of us who are too stupid understand what's good for us are against. It's not in the Constitution. Really?

Our Founding Fathers were worried about runaway majorities and the filibuster is a brake on that. They feared a "tyranny of the majority." I would caution my friends on the left who are so put out by the filibuster, be careful what you wish for, you might just get it. With the normal ebb and flow of politics in America, you could find yourself in the minority without any kind of mechanism to make yourself heard. Arrogance can lead you to feel that your power is forever. Remember that ancient tyrants would parade their enemies in chains through the streets of their cities in order to demonstrate their power. But the wise tyrant assigned a slave to whisper in his ear during the procession, "All power is fleeting."

AMERICA-THE FUTURE

I was teaching the Federalist Papers in class the last couple of days before Christmas Break. We were discussing Federalist #10 and #51, both probably written by James Madison. I say probably because while Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay admitted being the writers of the essays, titled "Publius," the authenticated authorship of each essay is still questionable.

I love the fact that my students were able to grasp these two essays because they are smart and now, well educated. Who knew. I thought I would quote from Federalist 51, my favorite of all the essays, in this post.

Oddly enough, the students were very interested in this passage as proof that our government needs to be vigilantly tended to at all times. These students, my students, will be vigilant about government because they are critical thinkers and they care about their future. Here is the passage they picked to be on this blog:

But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself. A dependence on the people is, no doubt, the primary control on the government.

I love being a teacher and at times like this I am amazed at the intelligence of my students. I think we'll be in good hands if the colleges they attend don't screw them up.

TEABAGGERS UNITE!

This is an interesting bit of information. In a poll released today there is more support for a third party identified with the Tea Party movement than for either the Democrats or the Republicans. I have lost any trust in politicians and it seems I am not alone. Their power-grabbing is at least disgusting and at most a death knell for the republican form of government. This is a feeling that is spreading across the political spectrum and has ignited a movement that is taking politicans to the woodshed.

This movement is rooted in the true conservative ideals of limited government, transparency, accountability, and remembering that "We the People" are the boss. Our Founding Fathers had a healthy distrust of government power and they took every opportunity to limit its power. Read Federalist 51 and marvel at the prescience of Madison in his admonition to limit government power. He talked of the delicate balancing act of giving power to men to govern other men while at the same time realizing that they must also govern themselves and their use of power.

It will be interesting to see if this movement continues, I intend to do my part, and if it gains in power. I think it will. Remember, the US is historically a two-party country. Does that mean that either the Democrats or the Republicans are on the way out? A party by any other name.

THE ATTACK MACHINE IS STILL IN HIGH GEAR

Recently, I was reading at some of my favorite sites when I came upon one that was, to put it mildly, insulting to John McCain. Now as a presidential candidate I felt he left a lot to be desired although I supported him. My support was rooted in my personal admiration for him as a man and an American hero. I was particularly upset with some of the comments about the post. They were uniformly sophomoric and obscene. While a little obscenity doesn't bother me very much, I felt this was over the top.

Throughout the '08 campaign I was disgusted with the attack machine of the left and the way they went after John McCain personally. Leave aside for a moment Sarah Palin. That's a post for another day. McCain was continually subjected to the basest and most vile attacks on a daily basis. Disagree with him on policy, that's fair game. But making fun of his physical problems is beyond the pale. These problems were the result of over five years of imprisonment and torture in a North Vietnamese prison camp. Many on the left distorted his service record trying to paint him as a reckless pilot who was dangerous. Really? McCain was shot down on his 23rd mission over North Vietnam.

In the real world McCain would be revered for his service and selfless sacrifice. I wonder how many of these people know that McCain refused an offer from his North Vietnamese captors to be allowed to leave imprisonment early. He realized that it would be a propaganda coup due to his father's command position. Additionally, he chose to abide by the unwritten rule that those captured first should be released first. Sure McCain can't raise his arms above his head, or comb his hair, or type on a computer. Torture causes physical problems.

I realize politics is tough, but the Dems raised the bar to a new level with their personal, groundless attacks in order to win. It is apparently that important, or they have a total lack of ethics and morality. The latter seems to be true if some of these posts are any indication.

What brought this up was my dismay that the personal attacks don't end. Hey, listen up lefties, your guy won. McCain was humiliated on a daily basis and to his credit he stood tall throughout. It made me proud of him all over again. If some of you people want a lesson in being a hero and what it takes to live like one, read McCain's book, "Faith of My Fathers."

You might learn something.

I HAVE SOUL!

I play this song by The Band, for my classes in Advanced Placement US History. Why? I love the little pieces of history. This song is about a group of people, the Acadians, who were displaced in 1755 during the four French and Indians wars, the last ending in 1763. Many of these people ended up in Louisiana and are known today as the Cajuns. The song was written by Robbie Roberston whose wife was a descendant of the Acadians.

I joke with my classes that they have no soul. I ask if they have read the poem by Longfellow called Evangeline. It talks about the fate of the Acadians after being axpelled by the British. Evangeline searches the remainder of her life after being expelled from Acadia, to find her love, Gabriel. She finds him on his deathbed and kisses him as he dies. Most say they haven't read the poem. What a loss.

Have some soul. Read the poem.

Here are the lyrics to the song:

The war was over and the spirit was broken
The hills were smokin' as the men withdrew
We stood on the cliffs
Oh, and watched the ships
Slowly sinking to their rendezvous
They signed a treaty and our homes were taken
Loved ones forsaken
They didn't give a damn
Try'n' to raise a family
End up the enemy
Over what went down on the plains of Abraham

Acadian driftwood
Gypsy tail wind
They call my home the land of snow
Canadian cold front movin' in
What a way to ride
Oh, what a way to go

Then some returned to the motherland
The high command had them cast away
And some stayed on to finish what they started
They never parted
They're just built that way
We had kin livin' south of the border
They're a little older and they've been around
They wrote a letter life is a whole lot better
So pull up your stakes, children and come on down

Fifteen under zero when the day became a threat
My clothes were wet and I was drenched to the bone
Been out ice fishing, too much repetition
Make a man wanna leave the only home he's known
Sailing out of the gulf headin' for Saint Pierre
Nothin' to declare
All we had was gone
Broke down along the coast
But what hurt the most
When the people there said
"You better keep movin' on"

Everlasting summer filled with ill-content
This government had us walkin' in chains
This isn't my turf
This ain't my season
Can't think of one good reason to remain
I've worked in the sugar fields up from New Orleans
It was ever green up until the floods
You could call it an omen
Points ya where you're goin'
Set my compass north
I got winter in my blood

Acadian driftwood
Gypsy tail wind
They call my home the land of snow
Canadian cold front movin' in
What a way to ride
Ah, what a way to go