Who Needs Numbers?

Didn't go for my walk today --snowstorm-- so made a note in my notebook instead and am going to now type it out:

The state of the nation? Right now I'm more concerned with the state of my mental state. Things are very odd, and it's hard to get a grip on what has happened. All this spending, and no sense that it's money...?

Things are different. The left, as expressed by the media, has collectively gone stir crazy nuts. Nancy and Harry are nuts, most Democrats follow as if nuts themselves (and probably are) and our new President is a loon. But what I always go back to is the media, because it's their propaganda that makes it all possible.

During Clinton's time they just covered for him. His "indiscretions" were charming, his policies either just fine or at least not attacked, and if ever he was attacked, the attackers were destroyed. Sort of typical partisanship.

With Bush things changed. They made things up. Gitmo and Abu Grabid as torture? Repeated and repeated it becomes fact. And Bush a liar? A man honest to the core of his bone marrow? Well of course. Repeated and repeated it becomes fact, no matter the consequences to the nation as the effectiveness of his presidency was destroyed.

Bush destroyed and gone, they now have their own fantasy creation, Barack, and he, as they, is rather attracted to the idea that government can do everything... Of course, it doesn't really matter if it can or not, what they really mean is: Government can control every thing. In this we know they're right. Fidel, Mao, Stalin, they all proved that true, and that in fact is all the left really wants: control. With control Happy Days Are Here Again... because they're on top, never mind the nation.

This is the program for the next many months:

Domestically we're piling up debt that's functionally useless and that can't possibly be repaid. More significantly, within the legislation, regulatory structures are being recast such that, without debate, more power is being given to the government.

Over seas we're offending out friends and giving comfort to our enemies. The friend of my enemy is not my friend. Europe may soon see that, and turn against us. Oddly, that would be good.

Afghanistan? Lost. Without Musharaf it would be a hard fight anyway, but without Bush there's no hope at all. I think the military has to recognize they're slated for defeat. Somehow they have to make this war as quiet as possible. If they don't get headlines, and there aren't too many dead bodies, they'll still get money, simply because Democrats don't want the embarrassment of a visible defeat. Yet. But the jihad's want that defeat, now! Afghanistan is the new flypaper, but instead of Al Qaeda being drawn to the slaughter, it will eventually be the Americans who are... withdrawn... sometime after some Concord of Understanding is signed with somebody wearing a rag on their head.

Russia? They get Georgia and Ukraine.

Israel? They get the shaft. Fortunately they now have Bibi, and Bibi served during Carter. He'll know what it means to go it alone, and will do as well as any leader could. Note: This is interesting. Though Hillary is no friend of Israel, she's far more an enemy of Barack. And they understand each other. Barack is trying to tie her down with people like Samantha Powers and Susan Rice and Charles Freeman. Hill can't possibly out-Hamas those guys. So she might switch. She might go pro Jew. If she does that she'll have a power base here at home. A lot of people support Israel. She could announce "agreements". What's Barry going to do, fire her?

So everywhere there's a mess. --I wonder if Europe, on it's own now, will develop a backbone? --And here on the soil of the States of America we have insanity, as the left runs through the candy store.

How long is this going to last? It's two years before congress can be changed, up until then we've got nothing but public opinion.

There could be some change among the rational left. There are some. There are some who don't want to see things go topsy-turvy. There are some who, though they did their good deed by voting for a black guy, don't really want their good nature to be taken advantage of. They gave him his presidency, that's enough. He should be pleased and not screw around like he actually is a President. A black guy in the White House --Oh, heart be still! --but that's enough, that's all the change they want. If they get more change than that that's ingratitude, and they're going to become very annoyed.

I think many are already annoyed, but it's not an annoyance easily expressed. They can't attack him. Among other, obvious, reasons, that would reflect poorly on their judgment and their vote; so they have to attack something else. That will be "Those around him", and of course the poor policies undertaken because of poor advice --whatever. It will be largely criticism within a created "construct of the proper". The construct (to be worked out) will be fake, but within it, the expression of angers will be acceptable. And once the construct is established, there will be a lot of anger. --I see the possibility of his approval ratings remaining high, at the same time as a lot of people are totally sick of him. People will ba able to say "he's popular", but everybody will know he's not.

But my God, we're only five weeks into the next four years! A lot is going to happen. I think I'm going to take a real big deep breath, and try to make it through one more week.

Ice Is Out

Cold on my walk, about 20, with a wind. All the ice out, except on both shores, where it clings yet as a white beach to ten or fifteen feet out. Three days ago there was just a little water-breach along the East bank, like a meandering stream. The next day, over night, 3/4 of the ice was gone, and over last night, the rest. Strange to see the wide river as open water in the middle of the winter.

The beavers seem not present. I checked where I thought their burrow might be. There are three large trees that yet hold that bank from collapsing. Their roots are undercut, leaving a tangle extending for or five feet up from the gravel of the river bed, which in low water now extends out several feet as a flat margin of narrow shore.

I walked on that margin, peering in through the roots. The three trees are separated each by about twenty feet. It does appear that within those roots there has been a warren of activity. I couldn't establish pathways, but there was something through that tangle that seemed somewhat the arch of hallways, and under the southern most tangle, high up, there appeared a hole disappearing into the bank. I couldn't get my face close enough to peer into it, so can't for certain say that it extended deeply, and it did seem to constrict to only eight inches in diameter, which seems very small for animals so large. Still, if there is a burrow, that's where it's at.

I know the beavers hadn't been there because there were no tracks in the light snow that fell early last evening. Tomorrow perhaps I'll take a flash light and see if I can make better judgments.

Note: Though it was cold, and I'd carelessly dressed one layer shy of warmth, I still was happier with the weather than yesterday when it was so spring-like. Today was winter weather. It's winter. I seem to prefer that the weather be appropriate to the season.

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On the present state of our Republic. It's my idea that the most important part of the Presidency is keeping the other party from having it. Except in foreign policy, the President doesn't really have to do much. If one party has both the Executive branch and the Legislative, the Congress can do all the stuff that's important and the President can just sit there, or maybe give a speech now and then, or shoot some hoops. That may be the Democrat/Obama model. Obama will be media, Nancy and Harry will run the country. That could work. --If it come to be accepted by the country that Obama is just royalty, with no real function, he may very well remain popular, because who's going to bother to dislike a guy who in fact doesn't do anything? Could happen. Change.

It is intriguing that so many people have a need to believe in this guy. I don't understand it. It is going to be interesting to see how Obama plays his role, how the press plays that role playing... --I just have no idea who's making decisions, except that it's perhaps anybody who can.

Perhaps the Stimulus

Ha! I just looked up from my computer and walked to the window and it's begun to snow; --7:26PM. Everything from brown this afternoon to white. --7:28, first car, first tire tracks, so it hasn't been snowing long. Coming down heavy.

Interesting. On my walk earlier, so mild, most of the snow gone, most of the river ice broken open just over night, I felt a little sad. So like Spring, but not Spring; four weeks of winter yet, maybe six. Spring is joyous. Warm weather? a thaw? not so much... It's not actually clear to me why I felt that slight sadness. But it's snowing now, the night is downy, everything is pleasant............

Half Way There

Back from my walk. Pretty leisurely, two hours since I left. You'd think that in two hours time I'd have a deep thought, but it didn't happen.

The big thing today was the grumble mumble of the ice. Standing on the west shore down where I watch the beaver was when I fist heard it. It was a thump, like somebody had dropped down a really big rock about twenty feet out. It startled me. In fact I instinctively glanced behind to see who could possibly have thrown such a very large rock so far. But it was just the ice, expanding. --Or possibly, falling.

We had five days of thaw. The ice was shallow-puddled all over, though there was no open water. It seemed the sodden ice was sinking, and large, half inch deep melt puddle-formed all over. We've since had three days of freeze, this the third day.

Initially I thought the cracking was due to the sodden ice refreezing, expanding, building pressure, cracking. But it seems to me that that pressure-cracking should be like an explosion, sharp. This was more like a mumble grumble thump, sometimes quite a series, and less than as if from out the open air than as if from underneath, beating up, muffled, as if in protestation seeking escape. There is no creature that could make that thump.

It occurred to me that with the five days of thaw we had a substantial run off and rising water. And then three days of freeze. The soft ice would have been refreezing while it was yet buoyed by the higher water. But in the third day now of freeze it would seem reasonable that the high water has passed. It would seem that the grumble thumps are simply the disjointings of the newly rigid ice as it settles to its lower level.

Did see the beaver, didn't see the Titmice.

And I do rest more easily now one month into the Reign of the Obama.

The Sovereign is not savvy, which is good. It means there will be chaos in his government... which would be bad were he a democrat but which is good as he's totalitarian. Such a man I do not prefer be skillful. It does appear his function will be to jut out his jaw and make pronouncements, very much pleased with his own voice, but policy being made by whomever can.

In the congress this will be Nancy and Harry; in the bureaucracies it will be various greens, or similar such nuisance types; and in foreign policy...? I don't know, but it will be a mess, with the Very Important Ones fighting for their own turf and policy. I expect Hillary and Gates, being both reasonably sane, will work together and probably have the most influence on how things actually function.

There is the question of who has the ear of the President. I don't think it matters, I don't think he's capable of making a clear statement, or committing himself to a clear position. The last one who talks to him will think he has his support. This, of course, will be all within a liberal and "international" spectrum, but at least there will be internal conflict, confusion, misunderstanding, hard feelings, ill-will; and sabotage, scapegoating, and back stabbing. This is all good. The nation will drift and be damaged, but at least there will not be developed a well ordered and self-confident tyranny. All Hail the Confuse'd One... at least until Republicans regain majorities.

The press? They'll always be liberal, but liberals do squabble. With no internal enemy now left to be defeated the press will lose unity and begin to differ within itself. Never knowing clearly, or for very long, just whatever the administration's policy might be, they'll advocate their own. They'll argue. Sometimes they won't even like each other. This is good, Blue on Blue. They won't be able to so powerfully shape the opinion of the generally indifferent citizen, who can only receive a simple signal. No signal no ease. The casual citizen wants to know what to believe. It has to be something that can be picked up out of the atmosphere: Truth. Discordance is confusing, they will seek the clearest tune. That could be Republican.

I do think Republicans showed splendid unity in opposing the stimulus. It is a stinker, and will stink more as the days go on. It seems to me it will be a unifying force all the way through 2010; and with more rot and stink to come I'm thinking America's future isn't looking in quite such bad shape as only days ago I had still feared.

All of this pleasure in chaos and in the certain damage that will accrue to American interests is of course respondent on a recognition that it's better to have chaos than efficiency when the intent is the destruction of American values.

The only gift that the Little Indonesian brings to us is his incompetence.

Morning Muse

I've kept up somewhat with the news, I haven't kept up with comment. My primary reason for comment is to keep track of the development of my thought. Thought tends to morph into: I've always thought that. In fact, thought does develop. Insight, of whatever its extent, comes slowly. Seldom are things seen beforehand as clearly as they after are remembered as "obvious". Clarity is always after the fact. Anything before the fact is speculation, and is never so firm as it's remembered. So I try to record my stumbles toward understanding. I've written little because in fact I'm uncertain what's happening. This morning I woke with an "insight". I think rather than an insight it's more just a slightly developed clarity of feeling and expectation. I put it down in my notebook, and now I'll put it down in this blog.

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Woke with some insight on Barack... but it has disappeared. I'm presuming that he has no political talent whatsoever, that he's totalitarian, partisan, and an "internationalist". His appeal is purely that he's black and pleasant. That will wear off on those who are not totalitarian, partisan, and internationalist, and that's most of America (where "partisan" means nut left liberal). So dissatisfaction toward him is going to rapidly become huge, but it may not show itself in the polls. It still is just not acceptable to say nasty things about our first pickaninny as President. The dissatisfaction instead will be expressed towards policies. The first is going to be the "stimulus", which everybody recognizes is just debt. It's the debt that's most scary, across all political lines. The specifics that incur that debt are of course upsetting to Republicans.

The specific question I have --the "insight, (which fled, though remains as a sensation) is just: Is the guy really the dodo bird he seems, or does he in fact have some very secrete (and sinister) political brilliance?

There's always a tendency to believe evil has brilliance. I think that's because evil is felt as a force, not as the choice and act of a specific, limited man. If God is good, and beyond our human understanding, so to, evil, as the intrinsic opposite of the good, is felt as a force beyond our understanding and beyond our capacities. That's why, if Barack is seen as evil, he's seen as brilliant. But he may in fact just be a deceitful little dope.

I'm presuming the later. but still, he does have the Presidency, and the constitutionally ascribed powers of that office; he does have the press; and he does have the congress. He can do a great deal of damage. The question is: How much? For how long? And: Can we recover?

But the question again is: Is there some force out there now that is more intelligent than seen in the normal ebb and flow of liberal and conservative?

Barack, and the Democrats, clearly believe they don't need the center or Republicans. "I won", and "We won, we wrote the bill", that's their attitude. Their intent is simply to muscle things through. Can they do it?

I think their idea is that with the levers of power, and with the propaganda of the press, they can Anschluss through with such force that in two years there can be no recovery. They'll control power, information, money, and elections. They will be rulers, and Americans will be subjects.

This is an attempt to destroy our American democratic experiment. It's no different in attempt and intent than the Lenin/Stalin take-over of Russia. But there is a difference. America is not Russia. We've never had a Czar, and I don't think we'll tolerate one now, whatever it's soft and beguiling name. Slowly we do move toward more government control, but I don't think we're yet Europeans. I think once the push towards serfdom and a ruling class is recognized, there will be resistance. At a certain point there will be Americans who will fight --and if this recognition comes early, and it might, it could be that the resistance will be merely a simple triumph at the ballot box. --I think that to establish servitude simply through manipulation, without an army, is probably beyond the Machiavellian brain of anyone just now heading the Democrat party.

But I do see a time of troubles, and I do see lasting damage. This is not a good time, but I do not yet see an irreversible defeat.

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So that was my note. We are in an ideological struggle, this is between the totalitarian and the free. It's forever. The totalitarian wins, always, in time. Free men are rare in history. But I don't think the time is yet.