May 7, 2015
This Is War
Feb 17, 2014
The Ethos of Obama's Change
"None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free." ~ Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
While our freedom has been under siege for quite a while, historians of the future will most likely look back on 2009 as the year that President Obama's pledge to fundamentally transform America would become a reality. With complete disregard to our constitution and the learned wisdom of nation's forefathers, Obama would sign legislation that would in essence subjugate one of our foremost human rights to the dictates and opinions of other men. In October of 2009, President Barack Obama signed into law hate-crime legislation that would criminalize one's very thoughts, thus delivering the coup de grâce for freedom in America. At that moment and with the stroke of a pen, the ardent deep-held religious beliefs and convictions of millions of Americans would no longer be sacrosanct and the free expression thereof criminal...
Obama's change has brought about a Kafkaesque change in America where fear is ubiquitous. It is the fear of being ostracized, the fear of reprisal, of retribution, the fear of financial or personal ruin, that have forced Americans from all walks of life to practice self-censorship in every aspect of their daily lives. It is self-censorship that forces one to choose between their own dignity and self-respect or the safety and security of not only themselves, but of their their friends and family. It is the worst kind of censorship because it thrives on hypocrisy, sycophancy, and mendacity It is self-censorship that infringes upon one's freedom of thought, and it is our freedom of thought that serves as the very progenitor of all our other freedoms. There is nothing in this world more destructive to human rights than self-censorship.
Perhaps even more insidious than the law itself is the continued promotion of the fallacy that the purpose of the law is to protect the rights of minorities. As Ayn Rand so eloquently stated, "The smallest minority on earth is the individual. Those who deny individual rights cannot claim to be defenders of minorities.
Obama's actions are not without historical precedent, from the fires of Qin to the the sinking of the Weimar Republic, it is the breach with cultural and religious tradition that is symbolized in a physical act, but as always, the essence of the ongoing revolution is mental. In the circumstances that we are faced with here it's not just the mental revolution itself but of the profound symbolism of the physical act, for the gay rights movement, this wasn't just another milestone in their campaign for gay rights, this was Barack Obama their ecumenical saviour unsheathing his sword and leading them across the Rubicon.
For a leader to force change upon his people is to lift a sword against them, a sword that's sole purpose is not to preserve life, but to take it. Having chosen the path of the warrior as opposed to that of the statesman brings us to the bitter realization that the êthos of Obama's fundamental change is not egalitarianism it is totalitarianism.
For Obama's ideologues and the gay rights advocates, having now crossed the Rubicon and being inspired not just by physical act itself, but moreso by the outlawry of it, the revolution has taken on a form of totalitarian intolerance. A recent example of this totalitarian intolerance was the lynching of Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty fame for simply expressing his thoughts on homosexuality. Rather than engaging Mr. Robertson, the left exposed their own bigotry and intolerance by virulently attacking him and demanding that he be silenced. Kudos to Mr. Robertson for refusing to apostate himself as the left had demanded. Ironically, this time around, the revolution is not just being televised but downloaded and watched by an audience of millions globally, many who are experiencing freedom for the first time in their lives and who recognize recrudescent totalitarianism when they see it. Sadly the left, remains oblivious to the fact that the world has been down this path before, and yet the advocates of this perverse militant egalitarianism continue to march on, led on by Obama's legions of jackbooted apparatchiks.
For Barack Obama, now refusing to lay down his sword, alea iacta est. Bolstered by his own unbridled narcissism, Obama now wields his sword with a religious fervour against the rest of the world in the belief that "from the ashes will rise the phoenix of a new spirit" of egalitarianism not only in America but throughout the world. Obama's belief is nothing more than an illusion, for it's only in mythology that a sword can cut through Gordian knots.
While our freedom has been under siege for quite a while, historians of the future will most likely look back on 2009 as the year that President Obama's pledge to fundamentally transform America would become a reality. With complete disregard to our constitution and the learned wisdom of nation's forefathers, Obama would sign legislation that would in essence subjugate one of our foremost human rights to the dictates and opinions of other men. In October of 2009, President Barack Obama signed into law hate-crime legislation that would criminalize one's very thoughts, thus delivering the coup de grâce for freedom in America. At that moment and with the stroke of a pen, the ardent deep-held religious beliefs and convictions of millions of Americans would no longer be sacrosanct and the free expression thereof criminal...
Obama's change has brought about a Kafkaesque change in America where fear is ubiquitous. It is the fear of being ostracized, the fear of reprisal, of retribution, the fear of financial or personal ruin, that have forced Americans from all walks of life to practice self-censorship in every aspect of their daily lives. It is self-censorship that forces one to choose between their own dignity and self-respect or the safety and security of not only themselves, but of their their friends and family. It is the worst kind of censorship because it thrives on hypocrisy, sycophancy, and mendacity It is self-censorship that infringes upon one's freedom of thought, and it is our freedom of thought that serves as the very progenitor of all our other freedoms. There is nothing in this world more destructive to human rights than self-censorship.
Perhaps even more insidious than the law itself is the continued promotion of the fallacy that the purpose of the law is to protect the rights of minorities. As Ayn Rand so eloquently stated, "The smallest minority on earth is the individual. Those who deny individual rights cannot claim to be defenders of minorities.
Obama's actions are not without historical precedent, from the fires of Qin to the the sinking of the Weimar Republic, it is the breach with cultural and religious tradition that is symbolized in a physical act, but as always, the essence of the ongoing revolution is mental. In the circumstances that we are faced with here it's not just the mental revolution itself but of the profound symbolism of the physical act, for the gay rights movement, this wasn't just another milestone in their campaign for gay rights, this was Barack Obama their ecumenical saviour unsheathing his sword and leading them across the Rubicon.
For a leader to force change upon his people is to lift a sword against them, a sword that's sole purpose is not to preserve life, but to take it. Having chosen the path of the warrior as opposed to that of the statesman brings us to the bitter realization that the êthos of Obama's fundamental change is not egalitarianism it is totalitarianism.
For Obama's ideologues and the gay rights advocates, having now crossed the Rubicon and being inspired not just by physical act itself, but moreso by the outlawry of it, the revolution has taken on a form of totalitarian intolerance. A recent example of this totalitarian intolerance was the lynching of Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty fame for simply expressing his thoughts on homosexuality. Rather than engaging Mr. Robertson, the left exposed their own bigotry and intolerance by virulently attacking him and demanding that he be silenced. Kudos to Mr. Robertson for refusing to apostate himself as the left had demanded. Ironically, this time around, the revolution is not just being televised but downloaded and watched by an audience of millions globally, many who are experiencing freedom for the first time in their lives and who recognize recrudescent totalitarianism when they see it. Sadly the left, remains oblivious to the fact that the world has been down this path before, and yet the advocates of this perverse militant egalitarianism continue to march on, led on by Obama's legions of jackbooted apparatchiks.
For Barack Obama, now refusing to lay down his sword, alea iacta est. Bolstered by his own unbridled narcissism, Obama now wields his sword with a religious fervour against the rest of the world in the belief that "from the ashes will rise the phoenix of a new spirit" of egalitarianism not only in America but throughout the world. Obama's belief is nothing more than an illusion, for it's only in mythology that a sword can cut through Gordian knots.
Feb 5, 2014
America's Homosexual Jingoism
Imagine in America that as a precondition to receiving your welfare or social security check, the government demanded and forced you to accept homosexuality and same-sex marriage as a normal way of life or imagine that as a precondition to receiving humanitarian aid you were forced to change your religion.
It's an understatement to say that the majority of Americans would be outraged that the government would have the audacity to do such a thing. Not only is it unethical, but it is unAmerican.
The ethics and morality of conditional aid aside, there is something morally incongruous, whereas as a nation we stand for freedom of thought and expression on one hand and then on the other would demand apostasy in return for us granting humanitarian aid or assistance.
It's something that simply can't happen, not in America.
But it is happening and to paraphrase Amon Goeth, "it's policy now". America's foreign policy.
It's an understatement to say that the majority of Americans would be outraged that the government would have the audacity to do such a thing. Not only is it unethical, but it is unAmerican.
The ethics and morality of conditional aid aside, there is something morally incongruous, whereas as a nation we stand for freedom of thought and expression on one hand and then on the other would demand apostasy in return for us granting humanitarian aid or assistance.
It's something that simply can't happen, not in America.
But it is happening and to paraphrase Amon Goeth, "it's policy now". America's foreign policy.
Foreign aid money is now linked to a nation's acceptance of homosexual rights. Countries that kowtow to this cultural imperialism and embrace the homosexual lifestyle by accepting same-sex marriage and all that comes with it will be put on the "good list" and will be eligible for humanitarian aid and support. Those countries that stubbornly refuse to submit to this promiscuous iconoclasm and apostate themselves will be "dealt with" accordingly and will face being denied humanitarian aid.
To summarize that for the millennials .... In an act of cultural terrorism, Barack Hussein Obama a closet fanboi of Bushisms gives the world a good fisting. "Hey, you're either with us or against us!"
In what Russia's President Vladamir Putin accurately describes as "homosexual propaganda", millions of dollars in United States taxpayer monies are now being spent annually proselytizing the homosexual agenda and same-sex marriage overseas. Your tax dollars are hard at work paying for gay-themed parties and contests offering expensive gifts like iPad minis to overseas homosexuals. Incidentally expensive gifts like an iPad mini might serve as a recruitment tool for some poor kid overseas who is confused about his sexuality. United States embassies and government agencies overseas are urging homosexuals to come out and be confrontational by "promoting self-affirmation, visibility as a social group, and celebrating diversity" While this confrontational "in your face" behavior can be seen as instigating the citizens of another country to engage in behavior that can be interpreted as either seditious or crimes of moral turpitude.
Needless to say, the chief obstacles to this policy are the ardent religious beliefs, convictions and traditions of over four billion people throughout the world. What the Taliban in Bamiyan could never completely destroy with dynamite, the United States and Barack Obama are now determined to destroy with policy.
No one could have ever expected that the day would come when Uncle Sam who once stood as a beacon for freedom and democracy around the world would disturbingly morph into the Grand Inquisitor, but then again no one ever expected the American Inquisition.
In a presidential memorandum President Barack Obama, appropriating the language of human rights, states that "no country should deny people their rights because of who they love, which is why we must stand up for the rights of gays and lesbians everywhere."
Exactly what those rights are has left much of the world's intelligentsia befuddled. Attempting to make clear in what can best be described as State Department sophistry Hillary Clinton compared the struggle for gay rights to women's rights and racial equality, and said a country's cultural or religious traditions are no excuse for discrimination, "gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights".
The fallacy in this statement should be self-evident, gay rights and human rights simply can't be conflated. We all have human rights simply by virtue of us being human, without distinction to one's race, color, creed or sexual proclivities. One is founded in the tenets of moral objectivism and the other moral subjectivism, it's antithesis. The mere juxtaposition of the two words exposes not only the antithetical nature that exists but the clear understanding that one cannot be promoted without the expense of the other, logic would therefore dictate that gay rights can only be promoted at the expense of human rights.
Before I get to the point of how gay rights have been promoted at the expense of human rights and how the promotion of gay rights inevitably leads to the decline of freedom, it is important to note that homosexuals around the world already have equal rights which are clearly enshrined in the United Nations declaration of human rights. With regards to marriage, one of the principle complaints of the gays rights movement, is that gays are denied the right to marriage. This simply isn't true. The reality is that a homosexual man or woman for that matter, has every right to get married if they choose to do so. Just not to someone of the same sex. There is nothing discriminatory here, a homosexual has no more rights and no less rights than a heterosexual with regards to marriage. By the same token, sibling marriage or getting married to one of your parents is prohibited. Does a father and daughter who love each other have a right to get married?
Being desirous of certain course of action or simply wanting to do something does not make it a right and certainly not something that requires support at the state level.
"No country should deny people their rights because of who they love...[sic]" - Is is arrogant sophomoric statements of policy such as this which open up Messieurs Obama and Clinton to derision and disdain abroad and bring shame to our country.
God Help Us.
Dec 27, 2011
Malaise Then - Apocalypse Now
There is a certain irony I suppose that I would be writing this from the steamy rainswept jungles of the Philippines not too far from where Francis Ford Coppola filmed the 1979 movie Apocalypse Now.
From the start, Apocalypse Now, the film based on Joseph Conrad's novella, the Heart of Darkness was besieged with problems. In the steamy Philippine jungle, the staff and crew were struck down with dysentery almost immediately, that together with a typhoon, delays and budget over runs, the film now, perhaps one of the greatest movies ever made was almost never completed. Grossly over budget and delayed countless times, the movie was finally released on 15 August 1979.
Looking back, Colonel Kurtz' final words seem today to be more prophetic than apocalyptic.
"Did he live his life again in every detail of desire, temptation, and surrender during that supreme moment of complete knowledge? He cried in a whisper at some image, at some vision -- he cried out twice, a cry that was no more than a breath: " 'The horror! The horror!' "
America's Summer of Madness
It was the summer of 1979, a hot summer plagued by long gas lines and a sense of hopelessness, never-ending that seemed to permeate everything. That summer our nation would be subjected to Jimmy Carter's infamous "malaise" speech. The opening lines of which failed to reassure and instead conveyed a man's impotence. It was as if everything was ending and the cultural decay had hastened. Chaotic and mad, a film released late that summer entitled "Apocalypse Now" seemed just fitting for the zeitgeist.
So where are we today thirty-two years later? Has the erosion of our confidence in the future finally destroyed the social and the political fabric of America? As 2012 approaches how many Americans are confident of what the future holds?
It has been over thirty-two years since and little remains of the film sets at Baler and Caliraya here in the Philippines. The jungle it seems has a way of forgetting the past.
Dec 24, 2011
Dec 4, 2011
Don't Ever Dream Of Freedom
While the international community and much of the world's media has been focused on the so-called "Arab Spring" and on events transpiring across the Middle East, they seem to have turned a blind eye to South East Asia and in particular on West Papua and the plight of the West Papuan's.
There was hope that with President Obama's visit last month, that the United States would take a tougher stance on Indonesia's brutal human rights abuses in West Papua but sadly the people of West Papua are coming to the bitter realization that their cries for freedom and self-determination have fallen on deaf ears.
The only crime of the West Papuan's has been to peacefully raise their national flag and declare independence from Indonesia and for that they have and continue to suffer the wrath of the Indonesian government.
There was a time when the United States supported the West Papuans and their right to self-determination, but it would seem no more.
Less than a month ago this is what Hillary Clinton had to say...
There was hope that with President Obama's visit last month, that the United States would take a tougher stance on Indonesia's brutal human rights abuses in West Papua but sadly the people of West Papua are coming to the bitter realization that their cries for freedom and self-determination have fallen on deaf ears.
The only crime of the West Papuan's has been to peacefully raise their national flag and declare independence from Indonesia and for that they have and continue to suffer the wrath of the Indonesian government.
There was a time when the United States supported the West Papuans and their right to self-determination, but it would seem no more.
Less than a month ago this is what Hillary Clinton had to say...
"There needs to be continuing dialogue and political reforms in order to meet the legitimate needs of the Papua people, and we will be raising that again directly and encouraging that kind of approach....[sic]"
Take a look at the video above, this is how Indonesia deals with the West Papuans. The comments in the video regarding the pig sty deserve a closer examination and give a glimpse into the mindset of the Indonesian soldiers who see the West Papuans, the majority of which are Christians, as infidels.
For the Indonesians, the separatist conflict in West Papua has little to do with state sovereignty and more so to do with religious strife.
The West Papuans deserve more than noncommittal gobbledygook from America. They deserve freedom.
Obama: Throwing Papua Under the Bus
Nov 11, 2011
Curing Alesha's Lesbianism
Looking at Alesha, it is hard to imagine that she is any different than your typical twenty-something girl, petite with colored auburn hair, she goes to college during the day and works at Starbucks in the afternoon as a barista, she listens to Lady Gaga on her Ipod and likes to watch CSI Miami on television when she has the time.
Like anyone Alesha has dreams, she dreams of one day becoming a fashion designer... she also dreams of a day when she longer has to live her life in fear. You see, Alesha likes girls and she lives in Malaysia, a country where her sexual peccadilloes could see her behind bars or worse.
It is not uncommon that Alesha finds herself often preyed upon by vile lecherous policemen and other so-called "authorities". Poking and grabbing at her, her oppressors feel that she is free game and they snicker among themselves as they offer to cure her of her lesbianism. If Alesha had enough to fear, she has more now.
The Malaysian state of Malacca has said it will amend its state Islamic enactment to prosecute gays and lesbians by applying the same type of Shariah legal mechanism used against deviant Muslim sects.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said Wednesday 9 November:
“We will revise the current enactment to specifically deal with homosexuals and lesbians in the state, including groups that promote such uncanny sex.”
It was needed, he said, because no specific law at present exists to prosecute such groups.
“We will suggest the enactment to also cover bisexuals and transsexuals,” he said, adding that action could also be taken against any non-governmental organisation promoting and supporting such sexual practices.
“We don’t want such unsavoury culture creeping in and damaging the moral fabric of our society,” Mohd Ali said.
Mohd Ali also attacked the group Sisters in Islam, calling on them to drop the word “Islam” from their name as he claimed they had been “frequently issuing contradicting and confusing statements on Islam”. Sisters in Islam is one of the groups who supported the banned ‘Seksualiti Merdeka’ festival.
Seksualiti Merdeka has been held since 2008 in Kuala Lumpur, and represents a coalition of Malaysian NGOs (including Malaysian Bar Council, SUARAM, Empower, PT Foundation, United Nations, Amnesty International) and individuals. Apart from the annual festival, they also organize workshops, talks, film screenings and letter writings. It was banned by Kuala Lumpur City Hall who vowed to scupper any attempts at reviving or promoting the “immoral” event.
Sep 15, 2011
Obama's Attack Watch - Comical or Kafkaesque
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| Hu Is Watching Yu |
While many Americans are laughing at the Attack Watch video now going viral on the web or reading how Obama's ominous threats are "pointless", there are some Americans who are not laughing.
Perhaps someone should ask Gibson Guitar's CEO Henry Juszkiewicz just how funny opposing Barack Obama can be.
It's not like Americans were not warned or did not see this coming, before Obama's Attack Watch there was Fight the Smears where Barack Obama's campaign responded that the president would "respond to any smears forcefully with all means at our disposal". Sadly there are some Americans who are finding out the hard way just what that means.
I can't help but ask myself if Americans deserving of freedom or liberty when they seem to have lost all respect for it. Our children are being groped in the nation's airports and now a sitting president is urging his political supporters to spy on and report their fellow citizens. Where is the outrage?
Seriously this is the kind of surreal spy vs. spy crap is something we would expect from some Cold War era totalitarian regime where some poor sod forfeits a kidney for listening to the wrong radio station.
The idea of a government or it's president attempting to restrict freedom of speech and/or inducing and encouraging it's citizens to spy on each other is not representative of a free demographic society respectful of human rights, rather it is the staple of an authoritative and at times totalitarian regime who is unwilling to embrace the principles of freedom or liberty.
Regardless of where Barack Obama was born, he is not an American. He is an enemy of the State and should be treated as such.
Related Posts:
Barack Obama Vs. America
Time Magazine Reporting For Duty
Aug 10, 2011
We Won't Get Fooled Again
"We'll be fighting in the streets with our children at our feet, And the morals that they worship will be gone. And the men who spurred us on sit in judgment of all wrong. They decide and then the shotgun sings the song. I'll tip my hat to the new constitution."
'Won't Get Fooled Again' by The Who
The prescience in Pete Townshend's words ring true across Britain tonight as violence rages in London, Birmingham, Liverpool and other cities throughout England. Impotent to stop the spread of violence the authorities have threatened to use rubber bullets in a sophomoric attempt to establish law and order. Someone might wish to inform Messiers David Cameron and crew that lead bullets are much more effective.
Ask anyone the reason for the devastating riots and you will get a plethora of reasons ranging from economic uncertainty to racial strife. In a supposed rare glimpse of sobriety a couple of inebriated ladettes share their learned thoughts with the BBC and mumble that they are just showing the rich that "we can do what we want".
Well, score one for the ladettes. You see this is not about economics or race, but rather relativism. Reaping what it has sown, England is now discovering that simple aphorism that cultural relativism inevitably drags moral relativism in it's wake.
Growing up in an environment that eschews moral absolutism and embraces cultural relativism and the "diversity of opinions", these drunken ladettes find themselves cursed now with the inability to distinguish right from wrong, where the truth now becomes subjective depending merely on one's point of view. This isn't the first time we have seen this, we saw it in the aftermath of Katrina when countless celebrities and liberal politicians defended the actions of the looters and we see it today with a growing tide of politicians such as David Cameron and Barack Obama who believe that a nation's fiscal ineptitude can be rectified simply by fleecing the rich.
It was another politician, John Adams who in 1787 said - "The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as sacred as the laws of God, and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence. If "Thou shalt not covet" and "Thou shalt not steal" were not commandments of Heaven, they must be made inviolable precepts in every society before it can be civilized or made free."
In the name of tolerance, diversity and political correctness we have drifted away from God and embraced moral relativism. In our arrogance, we as a society have by "secular edict" decreed that sin no longer exists and moral precepts are unfounded. In complete defiance of the laws of nature and of God we have chosen to live our lives as we see fit and by "choice" - not by what is right and what is wrong.
"I'll tip my hat to the new constitution. Take a bow for the new revolution. Smile and grin at the change all around. Pick up my guitar and play, just like yesterday. Then I'll get on my knees and pray We don't get fooled again. Don't get fooled again, no no."
Ask anyone the reason for the devastating riots and you will get a plethora of reasons ranging from economic uncertainty to racial strife. In a supposed rare glimpse of sobriety a couple of inebriated ladettes share their learned thoughts with the BBC and mumble that they are just showing the rich that "we can do what we want".
Well, score one for the ladettes. You see this is not about economics or race, but rather relativism. Reaping what it has sown, England is now discovering that simple aphorism that cultural relativism inevitably drags moral relativism in it's wake.
Growing up in an environment that eschews moral absolutism and embraces cultural relativism and the "diversity of opinions", these drunken ladettes find themselves cursed now with the inability to distinguish right from wrong, where the truth now becomes subjective depending merely on one's point of view. This isn't the first time we have seen this, we saw it in the aftermath of Katrina when countless celebrities and liberal politicians defended the actions of the looters and we see it today with a growing tide of politicians such as David Cameron and Barack Obama who believe that a nation's fiscal ineptitude can be rectified simply by fleecing the rich.
It was another politician, John Adams who in 1787 said - "The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as sacred as the laws of God, and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence. If "Thou shalt not covet" and "Thou shalt not steal" were not commandments of Heaven, they must be made inviolable precepts in every society before it can be civilized or made free."
In the name of tolerance, diversity and political correctness we have drifted away from God and embraced moral relativism. In our arrogance, we as a society have by "secular edict" decreed that sin no longer exists and moral precepts are unfounded. In complete defiance of the laws of nature and of God we have chosen to live our lives as we see fit and by "choice" - not by what is right and what is wrong.
"I'll tip my hat to the new constitution. Take a bow for the new revolution. Smile and grin at the change all around. Pick up my guitar and play, just like yesterday. Then I'll get on my knees and pray We don't get fooled again. Don't get fooled again, no no."
Aug 8, 2011
It's Not The Hat It's The Woman Wearing The Hat
If you ever visit Vietnam you will see many beautiful and charming Vietnamese ladies wearing the Áo Dài (Vietnamese traditional long dress) and Non La (conical leaf hat, Vietnamese: Nón Lá) walking gracefully along the streets. While the hats are worn by both sexes, it is the Vietnamese woman who epitomizes it.
Vietnam's conical straw hat or the nón lá has its origin, coming from a legend related to the history of rice growing in Vietnam. The story is about a giant woman from the sky who has protected mankind from a deluge of rain. She wore a hat made of four round shaped leaves to guard against all the rain. After the Goddess was gone, the Vietnamese built a temple to commemorate her as the Rain-shielding Goddess.
The conical straw hats are used elsewhere throughout Southeast Asia, but they are not as common as they are in Vietnam. The hats are mostly worn in other countries by farmers and those working in the rice paddies. Since I've been living in Southeast Asia I have heard the hat refered to in many different ways, a straw hat, an Asian hat, a palm frond hat, a coolie hat but I never heard the hat referred to in any offensive way until today.
In a post entitled Does American Apparel's Ching Chong Hat Offend You? the website Racialicious asks readers if they find the wearing of the hat by Americans as offensive. The irony of which apparently eludes Latoya Peterson the editor and owner of the site. With a website though entitled Racialicious one might think that both the author and Ms. Peterson would be a bit more sensitive considering.
Remember, it is not the hat, its the woman wearing the hat, and come to think of it, yes Ms. Peterson you would look offensive wearing it.
Remember, it is not the hat, its the woman wearing the hat, and come to think of it, yes Ms. Peterson you would look offensive wearing it.
Monday Bloody Monday
In a few hours from now, the Asian Markets will open, all weekend the concerns have been growing as to how badly Standard and Poor's downgrade of the U.S.'s credit rating from AAA to AA+ will affect the Asian financial markets.
In the city state of Singapore a few money changers over the weekend were either were refusing to accept the US dollar or grudgingly accepting it on parity with the US dollar.
Faith in the greenback and faith in America's financial strength, stability and leadership are now gone. The hardest thing to accept I suppose as an American here is the realization that this dethroning or change as Barack Obama likes to call it is irreversible. The debt crisis was but one of many factors contributing to our fall from grace. It didn't help having a president who did not believe in the greatness of our nation. Needless to say, when our president believes that American Exceptionalism is nothing more than a myth, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Our role as the sole remaining superpower in the world is now over. Our role in Southeast Asia as a partner and defender of peace and freedom has now come to an end. This isn't pessimism my friends this is the reality, a reality that many Americans will ultimately need to come to terms with. You see, at the end of the day, it is all about confidence, and once the confidence is gone then there is not much left. Confidence in our currency and our nation would require a president and government that is attuned to brand-building not to self-deprecation. The world wants to see America as that bright city on the hill, a leader and not simply a nation who sees themselves as one of the guys.
If you are wondering if the confidence can ever be restored - sure it can. Pay back the 14.7 trillion and then the confidence might slowly return. Other than that, no amount of half-measures or talk is ever going to undo the damage done. Paying back the trillions in debt would require cuts in spending that would be too painful for Americans to accept and as such Americans will need to get used to their new role in the world, a role that Obama envisioned for us.
The problems America has are not just financial though, American themselves are to blame. You see it is not Obama that ails us, but a citizenry capable of entrusting a man like him with the Presidency. It will be far easier to limit and undo the follies of an Obama presidency than to restore the necessary common sense and good judgment to a depraved electorate willing to have such a man for their president.
The problem is much deeper and far more serious than Mr. Obama, who is a mere symptom of what ails America. Blaming the prince of the fools should not blind anyone to the vast confederacy of fools that made him their prince.
The Republic can survive a Barack Obama, who is, after all, merely a fool. It is less likely to survive a multitude of fools such as those who made him their president.
Aug 3, 2011
Remember to Behave During Ramadan
Now that the month of Ramadan has begun, Malaysia's channel 8TV thought this would be an opportune time to remind all the non-muslims in Malaysia how to behave by urging them to "please understand and respect the significance of Ramadan".
Released as a public service announcement on 8TV, the three commercials targeting non-muslims depict a socially-inept “Chinese” girl eating in public, wearing revealing clothing and being loud and obnoxious during the Muslim fasting month.
Needless to say a fury of outrage over the condescending tone and racism depicted in the ads on Twitter ensued after which 8TV's chief operating officer Ahmad Izham Omar grudgingly had them taken down.
Oh and to answer your questions, no there are never any public service announcements urging Malaysians to "please understand and respect the significance of Christmas".
Washington's Dog and Pony Show
Across Southeast Asia there is an ubiquitous feeling of repugnance that has replaced the overall malaise here as millions watched America's politicians in Washington sip champagne and celebrate the "victory" of adding another 2.4 trillion to the nation's debt. Many here are perplexed to say the least, asking the simple question - "What is there to celebrate?"
America's talking heads in the media have all spoke about how the markets will rebound throughout the world on the good news, but that has not been the case nor the reality here on the ground. Reflecting not only the mood here but the reality, the markets are down and so is the dollar with the bottom sadly no where in sight. Expect the decline to continue.
Despite what some of our politicians might think, the debt crisis is not rocket science and Americans understand it clearly and so do our creditors overseas. It would be nice if Americans could just dictate to the bank what their credit limit would be but we can't. Sure you might be able to run up a million dollar tab on a black American Express Centurion card, but you can be well rest assured that the good folks at American Express are going to be asking how you intend to pay your bill at the end of the month.
So how does one ever dig themselves out of a US14.29 trillion dollar hole? That is the most pertinent question today that is on everyone's mind, the one that no one seems to be answering is perhaps one of the biggest reasons why the gloom in the markets and the dollar will remain until real change comes to America and to Washington.
The mindless hope and change mantra that has been droning on from Washington for the last few years has become about as welcome here in Southeast Asia as a dengue mosquito. Look around and you see millions here clamoring for Iphones and Ipads not for the right to eat the rich or bugger each other with a government imprimatur. Where are the priorities?
Faith in our nation and our economy will return when meritocracy rules rather than militant egalitarianism and when our nation's president is seen as a true leader and not the ringmaster of some macabre dog and pony show as we saw with the handling of the nation's debt crisis.
Common sense dictates that when you are in a hole you stop digging and it is America's ingenuity unmolested by bureaucracy that will lift us from the abyss and not the government.
Common sense dictates that when you are in a hole you stop digging and it is America's ingenuity unmolested by bureaucracy that will lift us from the abyss and not the government.
Jul 30, 2011
Obama's Army Detweets
Yesterday, Chairman Soetoro issued the following instructions to his legions of fawning jackbooted apparatchiks.
"If you want to see a bipartisan compromise — a bill that can pass both houses of Congress and that I can sign — let your members of Congress know,” Obama said.“Make a phone call. Send an e-mail. Tweet. Keep the pressure on Washington, and we can get past this.”
A short time later, Obama’s official 2012 campaign Twitter account announced to its 9.4 million followers that it would begin publishing the Twitter account names of House Republicans. Over the course of the day, @BarackObama sent out around 100 tweets.
Fed up with his divisive politics, incompetence and spam over 30,000 of Obama's lickspittle automatons detweeted from the battle field.
2012 can't come any faster.
2012 can't come any faster.
Obama: Pride Before the Fall
Peggy Noonan of the Wall Street Journal laments that an unloved Barack Hussein Obama does not seem to be genuine in what he says and does. Noonan's choice of words is intriguing to say the least and is clearly indicative that she is just as out of touch with the American mainstream as Obama is.
Correct me if I am wrong but wasn't it a mesmerized Noonan herself who once held up Chairman Soetoro's hagiography and attempted to school the rest of us yokels on the virtues of Obama's hope and change?
Spurious yes. But the word you are looking for Ms. Noonan is mendacious.
Mr. Obama is worse than a liar, he is a fraud, a fraud that was perpetrated on the American people and that has made America the laughing-stock of the world with many of our own allies wondering how an individual so hostile to America and her allies could have ever been elected president. America's growth in government at the expense of free enterprise is something deeply disturbing not only for Americans but for our friends and allies overseas.
Obama's arrogant attempt to thrust his radical agenda on the world has been met with derision. What many Americans back home and in Washington fail to realize is that Obama's arrogance, mendacity and narcissism extends well beyond our borders.
America's debt crisis has only exacerbated things. The faith that many of our allies have had in America is diminished, this has nothing to do with the current impasse in raising the debt ceiling but everything to do with America's lack of fiscal responsibility. What you won't read in the papers back home is that it's not congress, the senate or even Obama that will ultimately decide whether America's debt ceiling is raised - it is our nation's creditors.
Jul 23, 2011
Obama On Leadership
"The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the US Government can not pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government's reckless fiscal policies. Increasing America's debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that 'the buck stops here.' Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better."
-- Senator Barack H. Obama, March 2006
-- Senator Barack H. Obama, March 2006
It is both ironic and hypocritical that Barack Obama now feels that as President it is his duty to raise the nation's debt ceiling thereby pushing our nation even further towards the brink of default and placing the burden on the backs of our nation's children and grandchildren. It was George Bernard Shaw once said that "When a stupid man is doing something that he is ashamed of, he always declares that it is his duty."
Barack Obama says that leadership means that "the buck stops here", but does Mr. Obama himself truly understand what leadership is all about? Before you even think of answering that question, just ask yourself which is a desirable attribute of leadership, ethnicity or meritocracy?
There's hardly anything worse for the morale of the nation than having a leader who practices the "Do as I say, not as I do" philosophy. I was shocked, but not surprised that Barack Hussein Obama would use the threat of cutting off social security to our nation's seniors rather than leading by example. This is not leadership, this is tyranny.
Perhaps it is high time that both Obama and Congress lead by example and be willing to cut their own lavish salaries and benefits. President Obama could take the first step - the White House has 454 employees who's combined salaries come to an astonishing $37.1 million dollars a year. More than one-third of the White House staff earn better than $100,000 a year! That is more than double what the average American makes a year! The median income in the United States is $46,300 a year and statistics show that 50 percent of the population live on $46,000 or less a year.
Our nation's leaders seem to be more interested in serving themselves rather than the country and that my friends is the crux of our problems. How many of you got an 83% raise in pay last year?
Jul 19, 2011
Upscale Budget Accommodation In Singapore
A recent article in the Jakarta Globe states that some backpacker hostels in Singapore are going upmarket, to cater to a rising number of backpackers with bigger budgets. Well, this isn't entirely true. It isn't just backpackers looking for reasonably priced place to stay but businessmen and tourists as well who have been looking for a decent place to stay without having to pay an arm and a leg.
If you are looking for a hotel room in Singapore expect to pay anywhere from S$200 (US$165) to S$600 (US$493) a night. On the high end, Singapore has some of the finest and most luxurious hotels in Southeast Asia - if not the world, but on the low end, it can be the lowest of lows. In other words, if your idea of an "accommodation experience" is a budget hotel with hourly rates, rubber mattresses and greasy sheets then a cheap room at Hotel 81 will be right up your alley. Trying to find a clean decent budget hotel in Singapore that is below a US$100 a night is for the most part an exercise in futility and the this is the niche that the former backpacker hostels are now starting to exploit.
The competition between Singapore's hostels is booming with many offering crisp linens, hotel mattresses, air conditioning, free movies, wifi and in some places even a free breakfast. Urban Hostel is one of those such places and in my opinion it's one of the best, it's located only a two minute walk from Aljunied MRT station which makes everything convenient and from Changi Airport the fare is just S$1.80 to Aljunied MRT station, so you can skip taking the taxi. Urban Hostel has both dorm rooms and private rooms - with prices starting from just S$15.00 a night - bookable online - and later when you want see the city, just hop on the MRT and you can be at Orchard road is about ten minutes.
According to the Economist Intelligence Unit's recently published Worldwide Cost of Living Report 2011, Singapore is now the 10th most expensive city to live in - in the world. It can be cheaper though when you know your way around.
Sleep on that.
According to the Economist Intelligence Unit's recently published Worldwide Cost of Living Report 2011, Singapore is now the 10th most expensive city to live in - in the world. It can be cheaper though when you know your way around.
Sleep on that.
Jul 14, 2011
The End Of An Era - The Last Shuttle Launch
I will never forget the 12th of April 1981, I was a senior in high school that year. Across the nation in classrooms the televisions were on for the students to watch this historic event of the first shuttle launch. Growing up and going to school in Texas not far down the road from NASA made it all the more amazing that day and gave many us a special sense of pride. It was on that day that we all felt that anything was possible and it was.
It was an event and a time that would forever affect my life in ways that I will never be able to explain to those who did not experience themselves. The pride that we felt as a people and the optimism we had for the future.
Something happened and I'm not sure what it was but along the way the exhilaration and pride that we all felt that day slowly faded. The shuttle launches lost their significance and our desire to explore our universe took a backseat to the more pressing social issues of the day. The space shuttle became a tool, not to explore the unknown but to provide for social justice. Rather than scientific, the accomplishments would become social, and a divisive plethora of "firsts" would follow with each shuttle launch dividing us by ethnicity and gender. No longer was it the human race reaching out for the stars, but the first woman, the first black and the first (insert ethnicity). It was at that time that many of us came to the bitter realization that our journey had come to an end.
Like many I found myself overwhelmed with emotion and nostalgia when I saw Chris Bray and his father's photostream on Flickr. I'm overcome with emotion because I know exactly what Chris Bray and his father Kenneth were feeling that day.
Last week my high school class celebrated our 30th class reunion. Sadly I was in Singapore and missed it, but I'll be sharing this with them and with all of you wherever you are.
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