{"id":360,"date":"2007-09-21T18:19:24","date_gmt":"2007-09-21T22:19:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.irawagler.com\/?p=360"},"modified":"2007-11-09T13:21:16","modified_gmt":"2007-11-09T17:21:16","slug":"political-musings-from-an-ex-junkie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.irawagler.com\/?p=360","title":{"rendered":"Political Musings from an ex-Junkie"},"content":{"rendered":"

photo-2-small.JPG<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cSwear allegiance to the flag
\nWhatever flag they offer
\nNever hint at what you really feel
\nTeach the children quietly
\nFor some day sons and daughters
\nWill rise up and fight while we stood still.\u201d
\n—Mike and the Mechanics, Lyrics: \u201cCan you hear me?\u201d
\n_____________________________________________<\/p>\n

Since the 2006 elections, when the Republicans were unceremoniously booted from the majorities of both the House and the Senate, I have pretty much tuned out of all things political. This from a man who, in the forty-day standoff of the 2000 Presidential elections, almost lost his mind from lack of sleep and worry and stress. After the 2006 debacle, I decided it\u2019s simply not worth being so keyed up, so strident, so emotional about the outcomes of political events. I quit watching all news and political shows (Good-bye, O\u2019Reilly); it\u2019s just so much blather anyway. But now the 2008 Presidential race is rumbling along in full force, coming right at us like a steam train. The outcome will affect everyone, everywhere around the world. What is an ex-junkie to do?<\/p>\n

Well, I plan to vote. For who, I don\u2019t know. Maybe the Libertarian. Maybe the Constitu-tional candidate, if they can field one. Or maybe the Republican if my vote is needed to beat the Democrat. And maybe not. The Republicans have irritated me almost beyond endurance these last few years. Spending like drunken sailors. Can you say \u201cPork?\u201d They sliced it, diced it, spread it everywhere, including the infamous \u201cbridge to no-where\u201d in Alaska. No fiscal responsibility whatsoever. Personal freedoms flushed away. We\u2019ll soon need a passport to get into Canada. The only thing they really stood for was Bush\u2019s tax cuts, which was great. <\/p>\n

I think the Democrat candidate, as it stands today, has a very excellent chance of winning. Newt Gingerich, a commentator I highly respect (and would vote for if he runs) thinks it\u2019s 80\/20 for the Dems. It could be Hillary. It could be Obama. Or a combination of both. The Bret Girl, John Edwards, is smarmily angling for another vice-presidential slot, with his fake southern drawl and populist talk about the \u201cpoor.\u201d What if they win? What then? Will society collapse? Will we need to head for the hills, or otherwise go underground to preserve what we hold dear, our religious freedoms? Naw.<\/p>\n

We could hyperventilate at length about all the doom and disaster that would follow. But if either of them (Hillary or Obama), or a combination of both, wins, life will go on. The sun will still come up, unless AlGore-hyped global warming causes it to implode, in which case we\u2019ll all be dead anyway. Gas prices will skyrocket; no drilling anywhere in this country or off-shore. Taxes will likely go up drastically, but so what? They take almost half now. What\u2019s a few more percentage points? \u201cFree\u201d medical care for everyone, and thus no quality care for anyone, but take more vitamins so you won\u2019t need to see the doctor. (Superfood would be a good start.) Under socialized medicine in England, a man is now being refused treatment for a broken ankle until he quits smoking. Total control. Do what they want you to do. Or else. It\u2019s coming. Right here. To this country.<\/p>\n

Maybe I\u2019ll get a new bumper sticker on my truck, \u201cShe\u2019s not my President.\u201d I\u2019m sure they\u2019ll sprout up like weeds the day after Hillary wins, if she does. The only real change for me will be that I won\u2019t be watching the State of the Union Address each year, as I have faithfully done since the first days of the Bill Clinton Presidency. As much as I despised him, I always watched the SU Address because he was the President. But somehow I just can\u2019t stomach the thought of listening to Hillary screeching at me for an hour and a half. Obama would be much more palatable to listen to, but I think his policies would be more damaging than Hillary\u2019s. He\u2019s a sixties liberal wacko, policy-wise. <\/p>\n

The country will get the leadership it wants and deserves. And lately, on domestic issues, the Dems seem to have a leg up. I can\u2019t imagine why. But it\u2019s so. Free this, free that, it\u2019s all BS. It can\u2019t work and it won\u2019t stand, but we\u2019ll likely have to go through the experience to learn that. Baby Boomers are a selfish lot. They demand services, cradle to grave care, a government program for everything, including government programs. So expect further erosion into socialism sometime down the road, whether the President is Democrat or Republican. Bush\u2019s prescription drug fiasco is a prime example. <\/p>\n

While Rush Limbaugh (and I\u2019m still a huge fan of his) claims otherwise, there\u2019s really less than a dime\u2019s worth of difference between Republicans and Democrats, long term. Before you break your fingers on the keyboard pounding out a reactionary comment, note that I said LONG TERM. I’m not comparing party platfoms as stated; the Demo-crats are just pure evil, as far as I’m concerned. The party of abortion, the party of death, the party of elitism and all kinds of other vile snobbery. But the current long term policies of both parties lead to one thing: socialism. And there ain’t no way you can dispute that.<\/p>\n

Both parties are corrupt beyond belief, and seek power for its own sake, not for the good of others, as they like to claim. Next time you hear a politician wax eloquent about \u201cservice,\u201d slap him. Or her. Pure, raw power and the ability to impose their vision of utopia is what they really want. The Democrats will accelerate the downward spiral onto the road of secularism a bit sooner, but the Republicans won\u2019t be far behind. Years ago, in the mid-90s, Attorney Jim Clymer, whose firm I worked for in Lancaster, and who has labored in obscurity for decades for the Constitutional Party, told me that less damage gets done to the country with a Democrat president than with a Republican. I thought Jim was crazy. I\u2019ve observed closely since. He\u2019s right. Under Clinton, Republicans were united in opposition. Under Bush, not so. The result: much more domestic policy damage under Bush. <\/p>\n

In foreign policy, Republicans have a slight edge. The war is unpopular, and Demo-crats are beating the drums of defeat every day. Should the US have gone into Iraq? At the time, I thought so, but since then, I\u2019m much less sure. Now that we\u2019re there, we need to stay until the situation is stabilized enough for us to leave. But overall, why do we need to send our troops everywhere around the world, at such stupendous cost in lives and treasure? Why not let things develop as they will and protect our own country and our own shores? We can\u2019t police the world and shouldn\u2019t try. <\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t mean I agree with the current crop of anti-war lunatics. I despise them with a passion. They hate the country and President Bush so deeply that they\u2019d rather see a total collapse before victory in Iraq. They would love to see America humbled and defeated. I think they would rather have terrorists rule over us instead of living with a Bush Presidency. The modern liberals as defined by Moveon.org are devoid of decency and filled with bitterness, bile and vitriol. Despicable, hateful people. And not patriots, regardless of their semantics.<\/p>\n

Long term, I think our entire system will have to collapse, then rebuilt from the ashes. I mean all of it, all the bureaucracy, all the programs, all the services, all the silliness about global warming, all the hysteria against tobacco and about health in general, all the crackpot environmentalism, the public education sink-hole. Taxes drastically lowered so a man can keep the fruit of his own labors. Property rights re-established. The gold standard for our currency. When a man can sit on his porch and watch the sunset, sip a real Scotch and smoke a real cigar without being scolded by anyone but church people. You expect that from church people. Not from your government. I don\u2019t expect to be alive to see it all come down. But the generation now entering life will see it. So teach your children quietly, as the song says. Someday they will rise up and fight where we stood still. Invest in some land. Buy a bit of gold. Get a few guns. Engage in trade and commerce, but be ready to hunker down at a moment’s notice. You\u2019ll need the stuff, one way or another, regardless of who wins in 2008.<\/p>\n

September 11th came and went, and I had intended to write a few thoughts. Not many, as the day has been memorialized ad infinitum. I\u2019m sure we all remember where we were when we heard the news. The brutal and frightening days that followed. I give President Bush all the credit in the world that we have not been attacked here at home since. No one would have taken a bet at the time that such a thing could even be possible. <\/p>\n

For about a year after that date, I would often be drifting off to sleep at night, and just like that, I\u2019d see that plane crashing into the tower, and snap up wide awake. A horrible, unimaginable image. There were people in that plane. I\u2019d think it just cannot be true. But with time, the image has faded and no longer causes any lack of sleep. The next attack, whatever and whenever it happens, and it will, will likely replace the image and cause more nightmares.<\/p>\n

We had a very successful Open House at Graber on Sept. 8th. We fed pork sandwiches and fixins to around 450 people. A very nice crowd. I was so busy showing around a number of my buyers\/builders that the day was over almost before I knew it. But it was fun. <\/p>\n

open-house1.jpg<\/a><\/p>\n

open-house2.jpg<\/a><\/p>\n

open-house3.jpg<\/a><\/p>\n

Well, my Braves seem to have collapsed while rounding third base, and for the first time since 1991, will not make the playoffs. Amazingly, the Phillies are still alive and scrapping, although I expect them to fall just short, as usual. My prediction: the Mets and the Red Sox for the World Series. Red Sox win. The Jets are off to a less than stellar start as well at 0-2. Same as the thug Eagles. Of couse, the vile Bill Belichek of New England was caught red-handed taping the Jets’ defensive signals and using that info against them in the game. As if the Patriots needed that. With Randy Moss on his best behavior and playing in top form this season, New England will be unstoppable. <\/p>\n

ny-jets-small.jpg<\/a>
\nJ-E-T-S, JETS, JETS, JETS<\/p>\n

Finally, I especially appreciate all comments from last week\u2019s blog. When I posted, I thought to myself that I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if there were no comments at all. The story has been in my head for years; all of a sudden it just surfaced and would not subside until it was told. For those who wonder if it was actually that bad, I stand behind every word I wrote. Immersing myself into those memories deeply enough to accurately describe them was difficult and draining. That account was one of the most grueling things I\u2019ve ever written.<\/p>\n

YOU ARE WELCOME TO POST A COMMENT ON THE LINK ON THIS PAGE ONLY.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cSwear allegiance to the flag Whatever flag they offer Never hint at what you really feel Teach the children quietly For some day sons and daughters Will rise up and fight while we stood still.\u201d —Mike and the Mechanics, Lyrics: \u201cCan you hear me?\u201d _____________________________________________ Since the 2006 elections, when the Republicans were unceremoniously booted […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-360","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irawagler.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/360","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irawagler.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irawagler.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irawagler.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irawagler.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=360"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.irawagler.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/360\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irawagler.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=360"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irawagler.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=360"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irawagler.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=360"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}