who's plan

Winning the Unwinnable War
America's Self-Crippled Response to Islamic Totalitarianism

EDITED BY ELAN JOURNO - CONTRIBUTIONS BY ALEX EPSTEIN AND YARON BROOK

I recently had a series of meetings with my State Assembly member. It was to, literally, teach him about the medical science around a law that will force medical treatments on children. He, a senior Democrat, listened intently, and took notes. The law passed, but to my surprise, he voted against it. We bumped into each other briefly since the vote and I got a real sense of gratitude from him, respect even. He even opened up to me a bit about the guff he received from others in his party (which is sad, really). But...he got it. He understood. I punctuated a meeting with the simple statement, "Let's do the studies that are really missing here...BEFORE we force this on people." He's an attorney. I was speaking his language as best I could, using basic ethics. He got it. He's a good man, but he's a democrat. So, his hands are somewhat tied. I respect him for, literally, putting his political career at risk. But, those who voted for it probably have put more at risk.

That's where I still care - children. What our nation is doing to our children is really criminal. The proven ethical standards THAT WE KNOW WORK are being ignored when it comes to children. I don't think it's an accident, either. After the kids, guess who's next.

I totally understand your attitude! I have for some years now not read a newspaper, watched a TV news or talk show. I am a strong conservative and quit the Republican Party when they chickened out re Obama's vetting. It doesn't represent me and never did actually. I began blogging, primarily re individual responsibilities and individual freedoms. Have taken heat for it - but EVERYONE who favors true individual freedoms takes heat for that philosophy. In blogging I have said the same things so often it makes me disgusted, but I continue doing so because there is a slight chance in hell that I MAY reach some mind numbed individual that I can wake up.

Like you, I am not as emotional about losing my country as I was for a LONG time. I have decided to wait until the nation falls into chaos, and that is when I believe there is a chance to develop voluntary anarchy, which I strongly favor. Our Constitution met its match with Obama's angel who got him into office to do the angel's will. The enemy of America found the Constitution's flaw and the left wing felt it now had the strength to defeat America and is doing so. What I think they do not realize is that they have milked it dry, and when they finally come to that conclusion, they will abandon it and then we can fix their screwups. To do so requires EVERY right wing good citizen we have, so I beg you to stay on board for what is coming.......it MAY turn out to be our salvation. You are certainly NOT ALONE!!!! My partner and I have a website I hope you will visit, and everyone is welcome to come by and browse at: http://www.no-ruler.net

Thanks for that.

Possibly my favorite quote is from Voltaire. "Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."

Matters how you define "national security". Does it mean violating the 4th Amendment? Great! (sarcasm)

With the exception of National Security!

Over half of the constituents WANT freebies the other half pays for, however. Thats the basis of the gridlock we see in washington. Until that changes, there isnt much hope for real change. It will just be a matter of whose ox gets gored this election cycle

I'm of the belief that we've passed the tipping point. I don’t think there’s any way to recover; we can only hope to rebuild.

A few years ago there was a quote floating around often (incorrectly) attributed to a former Czech President about Obama and the electorate. While there's a lot of good stuff in it, my favorite line from this quote is this: "Blaming the prince of fools should not blind anyone to the vast confederacy of fools that made him their prince."

The problem is not with the government; it's with the people who keep giving us this government election after election after election.

Our local newspaper has a "reader comments" section called Let It Out. A few years ago, someone wrote in with this: "The problem with our country is that those of you who vote for a living now outnumber those of us who work for a living".

Yeah, Abaco, I share your "couldn't care less" mindset. It's almost impossible not to. While every revolution may start with one man, that man has to have the power to make his revolutionary ideas stick. Our political system has evolved into a system that squashes those revolutionaries before they can do any good.

I'm simply waiting for everything to collapse. I'll vote, because it's one of the very few social obligations or moral responsibilities I have. But I also know it’s an exercise in futility. We (as a nation) prove that in election after election; meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

We need a candidate who blusters antithesis of PC truisms like Trump but runs under a "Leave People Alone" ticket.
His or her platform should be not to things but "to undo things."
First on the list to undue would to nullify all of Obama's executive orders and to make such things as the IRS and the EPA go away.
Hostile nations such as Iran get no deals and no money that the USA does not have in the first place.
Printed money that we do not really have could bring me to other things to undo.
Also, I could undo things like Common Core and Planned Parenthood go on and on and on.
That old Pacman video game now enters Old Dino's mind.

Of course its ultimately a philosophical problem but getting agreement by philosophers on a coherent philosophy that can be adopted by a politician is not going to happen in decades. As a philosopher I can tell you Kuhn was right, philosophy only changes by death of philosophers. So the real issue is how to move the politicians by their values, ie their constituents. One constituent making a case on the campaign trail or in the Washington office is very powerful especially if they have community standing. I.ve done it but the basis has to be rational and produce a positive result in the political world.

This particular thread is to me the most important topic ever. It goes directly to my mind and heart and reflects my deepest fears and most enlivening dreams. I seem to be surrounded by those who think all is well, nothing to be concerned about, and it wouldn't matter anyway. In that arena, giving up seems to be the best way out. Yet that seems so cowardly, and there are things and ideas for which taking a strong stand or commitment is not only appropriate but mandatory. My answer seems to change daily, and simply moving elsewhere geographically (my magic solution so far) has not been effective. At least there are those, particularly in The Gulch, who understand the problem and have the same thoughts, and perhaps at this late point in my life that is enough. I revere the ground of being of those in the Gulch who express what I have not been able to express.

Politics is run by funding and popularity. That's why it doesn't work. Who cares how intelligent or capable a person is, we choose people to make the big decisions that look good on camera, who speak well in public. We need a group of polititians voted into office that had the highest highschool mmat scores, the ones who question things, speak real truth and are willing to accept that truth may offend, but needs to be acknowledged. I am so very sick of political correctness in all of life. In order to fix it, the ammendments, bills, and all other documentation needs to be revised, but not by the politicians that screwed it up in the first place. We need to reevaluate the whole system, like any parishable item, it is rotten and out of date.

Its also ridiculously early for a presidential election to go into specifics. The problem IS philosophy, and none of them really understand that. All we can hope for is a Trump type who will just say what they think regardless of political correctness. I would have been happy with Joan Rivers for 4 years. She wouldnt have held back and the country would be better off for it. The other candidates either are clueless, or perhaps a bit too timid (Ben Carson), or just not electable ( Rand Paul).

I doubt Trump could turn things around in a term as president. BUT, he can tell it like it is and that will go a long way to show people what IS going on. People in general still seem to think that this socialist rubber band can just be stretched and stretched without breaking. The federal reserve can just go on printing money day after day without limit. Venezuela is a great teacher of whats going to happen here if socialism is allowed to continue. We need a Trump who will tell it like it is for once, without worrying about being politically correct. If he thinks Kelly is a bimbo, I would rather him say it along with whats wrong in the USA, than be throttled and quiet about everything.

As has happened all throughout time, when people are prosperous for a long enough period, they slide into apathy and begin to ignore that which lifted them to greatness in the first place. Why do we never find any dynasty on earth built upon the principles of freedom and equality which last more than a short time? Because the prosperity those systems bring gets lost on those enjoying it! If there is no struggle to achieve, there is no satisfaction in the gain and no appreciation! I believe that part of this is the misguided internal drive that many parents have to make their childrens' lives better than their own. What they misplace is that it is not "stuff" which is the measure of better, but how the individual values the things they have. At the end of the day, it is the internal viewpoint which matters far more than their measure of wealth precisely because wealth is only a measure of value - not value itself.

Abaco, I think you have the same feelings as most of us out here. The only reason Trump is doing so well is because the GOP Establishment is not much better than the Democrats. All we can do is come together behind true conservatives and hope for the best. Sure we are pissed, and nothing we do may matter in the long. But make sure you go out and vote for a true conservative at the very least even if you have to write his name in on the ballot!

I think it was Voltaire who, responding to some world situation said something like, "I can only tend my own garden."

That said, I've personally gotten involved in my county Republican party and, with a lot of other liberty minded activists, have taken the party over, much to the chagrin of the state apparatchiks. We have turned it into a bottom-up organization that holds state and local politicians accountable and actually encourages discussion and input rather than waiting for marching orders from the likes of Boehner and McConnell.
It can be done, but decades of complacency got us into this mess and decades of patient, dedicated action will be required to clean it up.

I urge you to not give up and get involved in any you can, however small.

Politics goes to those who show up.

Its a real problem, here is my solution. None of the candidates are expressing ideas which imply knowing what the problem is and how to fix it. Their problem is we, their constituents, aren't telling them we want clear solutions even if not popular on NPR. So do the opposite, speak up be active but be consistent and reasonable directly to the candidates. Ignore the facebooks and TV but talk to the candidates, that will create direction in the primaries. Action does away with the blues.

You have SHRUGGED like I did when our present president was re elected. Lack of capitals on purpose.
You will find in time you are mentally in GALTS GULCH and it's Wonderfull feeling.

The best Republican is so much better for the country than Hillary or any other Leftist potential nominee that it behooves one to not only vote but to learn the candidates and strongly promote the best one(s). At least we may be able to significantly slow down the progress toward full statism in this country.

I agree with you sentiments entirely; except while we agree we still have this churning in our stomachs about what is going on and are resigned to the demise unfortunately.

It seems to me that in a movie or a book I saw something to the effect of "If any part of your uncertainty is a result of conflict between your heart and your mind--follow your mind."

Of course a lot easier said then done. My heart to wishes for a solution, as have many before us, only to watch one government or empire rise up, have an enlightened phase, and then crash into history. It has finally occurred to me that governments are only one percent of the problem. For the first time I didn't listen to the debate because I know that whatever is said will not be acted upon (it never is) and it won't change the momentum that has built up and is shaping history. The mental definition of leadership in the average persons mind is wrapped around "benefits and promises."

Although historians are very poor at recording the why things happen; from what I have been able to learn a lot of Empires followed the same path when the heads of government learned to make promises that they could not possibly fulfill, began excessive control, excessive taxing, and bestowing benefits to stay in power. At some point the producers stop producing and the system crashes.

To me...it feels like the Oval Office and Congress are really just vestibules to the operation that's really running the country. Mainly, the real leadership is a handful of major corporate contributors with one floor of the building reserved for vociferous, leftist, special interest groups - squawking for scraps here and there for appeasement. That's how I see it. It's not going to change until, like a vacuum cleaner consuming itself, there will be nothing left to suck off the body for fuel.

Atlas Shrugged was very accurate in that I don't remember it getting into the partisan fights within government. That's because, based on what I see, any such fights are just theater (the debates, etc.)