THE MOUNTAIN OBSERVER

Vol. 1                                           Issue 11                                                 12/24//01

             A FREEWHEELING CONSERVATIVE COMMENTARY DEDICATED

            TO THE DEFENSE OF FREEDOM AND THE NEXT GENERATION.

                                        READER DIALOG ENCOURAGED.

Produced occasionally when I'm good and ready, but probably at least 10 times a year.

J.E. Sohmer P O Box 129, Jefferson, CO 80456

Fly over country, where the air is thin and the hunting and fishing are good

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SECOND AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES:  "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."                               (It's not about hunting ducks)

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"It is the proper function of American Conservatives to steer the course of American thinking between the Scylla of communism and the Charybdis of fascism while trying to keep Liberals strapped to the mast."                                                                                                                                    Myself 08/15/99

Conservatives consider the Constitution to have been chiseled in stone in 1789.  Liberals consider the Constitution to be a kettle of soup that is to be re-cooked daily.                             Myself 09/26/95

Blowing off steam:

I need to address my friends who wish to blame our relationship with Israel for our difficulties in the Middle East.   It has become fashionable in certain circles, in recent years, to examine the distant histories of not only people, but of nations, for whom, by contemporary standards, we choose to take offence, Cuba, China and the Soviet Union excepted.  The study of history and historical relationships is constructive and necessary for an understanding of current events.  I do it myself, ceaselessly.  However, the further we are removed by time from these events, the less relevant they may become to solving current actual problems.  It is my premise, here, that our immediate purpose is to solve actual problems.

I am not, nor have I ever been, a slave owner, so let's not discuss reparations, which I would refuse to pay in any event given my condemnation rights under the 5th Amendment.  

In so far as Israel is concerned, much has been made (or manufactured) of the history of Zionism and the methods of Zionists prior to the creation of the Israeli State in 1947.  While all of that is certainly interesting, I do not consider it to be particularly useful or relevant in considering a solution to current difficulties. The Palestinians, who are unwelcome in any Arab state, and who have repeatedly rejected more than generous offers of accommodation by Israel, at this point have no moral claims to exercise.  Following the holocaust in Europe during W.W.II, there was a determined effort on the part of many Jews to return to a land for which, on their part, there were valid historical claims, and to end the Diaspora.   This was recognized and codified by the winning Allied Powers under the auspices of the United Nations in 1947 as a concluding matter of the war.  (What you and I may think of the United Nations is irrelevant.)  Arab states objected and declared war.  They were defeated.  In the history of the world that is sometimes just how it goes. 

Ask General Robert E. Lee, a man of great honor, whose statesmanship at Appomattox saved the United States in 1865. 

Since 1948 there have been a series of military efforts by various Islamic combinations to literally destroy Israel.  The reality is, my friends, that it is the objective of the Islamic world to destroy Israel and the reasons are identical to what motivated the attacks on America on 9/11.  Israel has defended herself, and won each time. Land won in combat from a defeated enemy belongs to the victor.  There are no occupied territories, but rather conquered territories.  That's the way it has always been and the way it shall always be.

Now if Yasser Arafat, and his Arab cheerleaders, really wanted peace with Israel, they could have had it long ago.  There is no peace because they do not want peace, and the Israeli people, who are generally sensible, are unwilling to subscribe to the suicide of their nation.  For the United States to run away and abandon friends would not only be dishonorable, but would also send a signal that the United States never wants to hoist.  Our colors can't and don't run.  Hamas, the Islamic Jihad and the ubiquitous al-Qaeda do not respect weenie quitters. A seminal lesson of the 20th Century is that appeasement backfires.  This is, and has been for years, a war, and not a debate at Harvard.  Today the United States stands alone in its ability worldwide to defend honor, dignity and civilization itself, and I say this as a very right-wing national conservative who thinks the United States is way over-extended in foreign commitments that have nothing to do with our national interest.  But no, with Israel we have a clear moral commitment and an obligation, and as such, a fundamental national interest.

The surrounding Arab dictatorships, which are all funding international terrorism, have no authority to lecture or eliminate the only regional democracy.   Americans have to address their own moral obligations as a free people.  Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, and the Israeli people, soldier on.  We need to produce and use our own oil.  Tom Daschle, get out of the way.  Substitution of Russian oil for Arab oil is not a solution.  Meanwhile, there is no substitute for victory and the unconditional surrender of Islamic terrorists, everywhere.  As for those of you who blame Israel, I trust you can articulate a valid defense of your position, unknown to me, which is without an anti-Semitic foundation. 

It remains my belief that in the long haul it is the challenge by Communist China to our American national interests that will prove to be our greatest international test.  The Communist Chinese, who are morally challenged, are a very intelligent people.  They are following current events with great interest.  The depredations of Islam against the American nation have been physically severe and intellectually short, but the Communist Chinese are gauging the techniques and results for future reference.  The Communist Chinese are a very smart people who understand that many Americans love sweet & sour pork and that we tend to gauge relations accordingly.   I suspect that the Communist Chinese also understand that the Islamic challenge to the west is culturally very powerful, if only because of the western self-inflicted poison of multiculturalism, racial guilt and secularism.

As serious as this self-flagellation problem is in the United States, we are culturally stronger than Europe, which in many respects is really in the gutter, and even our North American partners.  It is not an accident that we are the world's only remaining "super power", and, in reality, the exclusive beacon of freedom.  However our very success has bred self-indulgence and a uniquely American hubris.  By our own hand we have largely burned down our own Republic.  I suspect that it is the Communist Chinese calculation that the Islamic initiative will serve to further weaken us.  It is time to gather as Americans and raise the bones of a broken Republic from the ashes of 20th Century Statism to stand again as proud Americans.  I believe our survival is ultimately at stake.  Our national response to the events of 9/11 is an excellent start.  It is ok again to be proud to be an American. Yes, America, there are people at home and abroad who really want to destroy the American nation and our heritage, and are capable of doing so if we allow it to happen.

You parents might start by giving serious consideration to where your kids are going to school and what they are being taught.

Meanwhile, Taiwan is at risk, thanks in no small part to the depredations of OJ Billyboy against our military and intelligence establishments. What is at stake with Taiwan is our credibility throughout the Pacific region in support of freedom and democracy, which at the very least is a security issue.  We do not need Communist Chinese missile subs based at Midway.  Reflecting back to the Cuban missile crisis, even you Liberals should be able to understand this.  In spite of what Liberals think, a diplomat without an army behind him is a joke.

Bush Score Card:

            Good Job:

            You are beginning to show some signs of recognizing Israel's predicament.  We shall see.  It appears that the time has come for Yasser Arafat to pass from the scene, which can be arranged easily and quickly.  Frankly, it would be more honest to deal directly with Hamas, which would, for a period of time, require the production of more Uzi’s.   Meanwhile, the program in Afghanistan moves forward very impressively.  We anxiously await your next moves against Islamic terrorism in an internationally target rich environment.

            Finally, your renunciation of the ABM treaty.  Better late than never.  Our partner in this ill-conceived enterprise ceased to exist in 1989.  American Liberals, go sit in the corner.

Not So Good:

As a Conservative, it must be said that you are generally not doing well with respect to domestic issues.  It is clearly true that the political configuration of the Senate is a major difficulty.  I also understand the technique of    making a proposal that appears as a generous compromise coupled with the calculation that it will be refused because the other side has an un-advertised        priority, and then, having set things up, coming through with the "real deal".  You have worked this technique well at the international level, e.g. the Taliban.  Under less polite circumstances this could be referred to as a sucker punch.

However, in the domestic political arena I see some difficulties with this approach that to me, as a Conservative, are very disturbing.  The "real deal" never seems to show up.  Here is what seems to happen:

1. The Democrats, faced with one of your proposals which appears to be a "cave in" to them, do the Texas two-step and manufacture an excuse not to accept your offer.  That appears to be what might be happening now with the "economic stimulus” legislation. (The last thing they want is for it to appear that you "fixed" the economy.)  In the process of their hesitation, their hypocrisy over their alleged concern about Joe six-pack is exposed while at the same time you appear to be the champion.

2. Repeat the first scenario, except that the Democrats suggest that they might consider your idea as the basis for further discussion.  This means they will counter with various proposals that you can't, or shouldn't, consider, but you do.       On the international level, your reply, for example, to the Taliban, is that there was no room for negotiation.  Your reply to Tom Daschle, whatever it is, is not credible.

a)      Unlike with the Taliban, your originally proposed compromise with the Democrats was just that, a compromise from your original position, which, incidentally, back stabbed your colleagues in Congress.

b)  From that position of weakness, additional compromises will necessarily follow, with the result that many folks of my point-of-view conclude that in terms of practical results, there is little or no real difference between Democrats and Republicans and that what you all have in common is that everybody gets screwed in the end.

3 I would add another long-term consequence to this mechanism that I believe has been, over the years, fatal to the Republic.  Going back to the very beginning of the Republic this process only advances in one direction. Every time one of these deals are struck, the Constitution suffers, freedom is set back, big government, huge corporations and "the poor" are further empowered to tap the public till, Liberals are further in my face and my paycheck is further reduced by taxes and regulation.  The political left wins every time.  This is my problem with Northeastern Republicans. They will not fight, and sad to say, at least on the domestic scene, right now you are looking more Connecticut than Texas.  The classic example of my point is the history of the Federal income tax.

And so it is that folks of my point-of-view question your unwillingness to pursue, far more aggressively than you      have, certain issues on the table that we believe can be worked if you would only get a lot tougher and bang some heads together.  You have the political capital to do so.  Rather, you seem to have this notion that you can actually befriend Liberals and realize their cooperation on a reciprocal basis, and that your base can be ignored.      Sir, this will not work, and eventually will backfire.  You are repeating your father's political errors  (His concession on taxes and signing that larded up American Disabilities Act.) and I believe it is a shameful waste.  The American people, especially since 09/11, I believe, are more ready than ever to consider some constructive and meaningful changes on a lot of domestic issues- in a conservative direction.  Give them some credit, and give your base some credit.  Quit kicking us in the face.     Perhaps you should invite Dick Armey and Phil Gramm down to Crawford some weekend for a little chat.

I half expect that in 2004 you'll dump Cheney and recruit Tom Daschle as a running mate.  Not on my nickel.

Now your originally ill-advised education program, expanding the role of the Federal government in what ought to be a local affair, has been co-opted by your buddy Ted Kennedy into a typical Liberal Statist grab for more control from the top down.  Next in line is the so-called stimulus package.

Senate action by Tom Daschle has stalled a package put forth by the House that is already so compromised that if it gets to your desk, you should veto it.  We do not need a new round of government spending which has nothing to do with relieving a weakened economy.  Good Lord, man, everything you start morphs into a new Liberal Statist power grab.  Do us all a favor for the balance of your term and don't do anything on the domestic front except use that veto pen.

Terrible, or, even worse

What is this business about your reported softness toward Abdul Whatever a k a John Phillip Walker Lindh?

I sure hope this is another media screw-up.   Abdul Whatever a k a John Phillip Walker Lindh should be found guilty of taking up arms against us and offered up to the CIA for target practice in memory of Johnny “Mike” Spann.  

Shades of the Spanish Republican (communist) American volunteers in 1938. An American volunteering for duty with the Taliban has forsaken his citizenship and should be dealt with as such.   Let me attempt to be clear.  Abdul Whatever a k a John Phillip Walker Lindh should be shot.   Only American Liberals will hesitate, and search for excuses.

Your fascination with "free trade" appears to include elimination of the anti-dumping laws, the only pathetic defense we have left.  These laws ought to be considerably strengthened, and then I would support all the free trade you can muster, consistent with national security and not killing Christians and Jews.

Wall Street & Main Street:

Speaking of "Free trade", it has recently occurred to me what the real difference is between myself, as an American Nationalist Conservative, and Libertarians, on this issue.  It has to do with recognizing the differences in "liquidity" when considering the value of assets.  The Libertarian premise is that all assets should be treated as totally liquid in terms of eligibility for conversion to dollars.  I just don't see that way, as being quite that simple.  At the bottom of this dispute is the fact that less than 2% of the population knows what a "dead furrow" is or has ever stretched a fence line.  A modern trader can convert ownership of assets with the click of a computer mouse in nanoseconds (the same bunch who are prone to argue that "we simply can't afford to let the airlines fail").  People who have spent their entire lives, perhaps family generations, building a farm, or a ranch or business enterprise piece by piece are understandably protective of their assets.  A free market is necessary to monitor the dollar value of those assets, but a decision to convert is not always easy and tends to lead to accumulated control as land values rise.   Faced with this dilemma, a person can respond in various ways.

1. Demand indefinite taxpayer support.  This is the left wing Liberal "solution", and the dominant creed of the Roosevelt era.

2. Demand strict dollarization in the valuation of all assets, material and human, and full freedom of convertibility.  This is the pure Libertarian message.

3. Recognize the ultimate discipline of the market within the context of a stable monetary system and freedom from direct income taxation. 

In the absence of monetary stability and in the context of a Statist system that imposes discipline by means of a direct income tax, it is only reasonable to expect political pressure to erect what are thought to be countervailing protective barriers. 

A truly American solution would be a dollar linked to gold, constitutional elimination of the federal income tax and a flat, neutral, tariff on all imports to finance the operations of the federal government.  We should also dissolve the Federal Reserve and do away with this hocus-pocus about "Federal Reserve Notes” This approach, properly structured, would have the additional benefit of providing market driven incentives against government growth, which probably the real reason the ruling elites object.  A constitutional prohibition against any form of direct taxation is the only certain way to end political meddling with my freedom as an American citizen.  The flat tax idea is silly because the day after it might be enacted, the politicians will be back at work crinkling the law.  In fact nobody has yet to propose a flat tax that is actually flat.  The sales tax is just as silly because it would continue to require a massive collection bureaucracy in place and an enormous burden on the private sector that would be its hands and feet.  The sales tax idea would also fuel cheating like you've never seen before.  Taken as a whole, one might label my proposals as the "Campaign Reform Program of 20xx".  Then a serious discussion about free trade could ensue.

The current Libertarian fascination with "free trade" is mythological in the absence of a total and permanent elimination of the income tax, and, I might add, a new cultural respect for life.

I would love to share the very recent Wall Street optimism about 2002, but I don't.  The earnings problem, broadly throughout the market, has yet to fully surface, and the technology sector is still well oversold by traditional measures.  There are opportunities out there if one has the resources, diligence and discipline to stay strictly with traditional fundamental analysis, but the market at this time is dangerous and tricky.  Beware of sucker rallies. 

Note: Perhaps one of the best plays out there right now might be Enron.  Check the numbers against the scrap value of the physical plant.  You know it’s worth at least that much, perhaps a little more.

Individuals who are unemployed, or under-employed, do not have discretionary money to spend. 

In response Liberals always suggest that the solution is to provide various forms of direct government assistance, which only tends to end up in the pockets of the bureaucrats who dispense it.           

Conservatives prefer to create new jobs and opportunities by stimulating investment.  This is best accomplished by leaving money in the private sector, where it was first generated, and keeping it out of the hands of the government, which has yet to launch a successful IPO.  Market initiatives, and jobs, are the product of free market investment, not government wealth transfers.    I prefer to manage my own affairs without help from Tom Daschle. 

Further confounding chances of an early recovery are certain problems on the international scene.  The Japanese banking crisis is now truly out of control.  The Japanese government strategy through the 90's of deferring inevitably necessary banking reforms while attempting to pump up their domestic economy with massive public works spending has hit a stone wall.  Deferral of addressing the bank issue worked as long as there was an American market to sell exports into.  Today the American market is off.  The government public works ploy has failed dismally to "pump up" their domestic side and left the government badly in debt, second worst of the G7. (Italy is the worst).  Of all the American ideas Japan has adopted over the years, and there have been many, Keynesian economics has been the worst.  It matters because in the Asian markets I would prefer to see Japanese success as opposed to even the appearance of Chinese success.

Argentina is bankrupt.  They are defaulting on $132 billion in foreign debt.   Even the IMF has given up.  Devaluation is inevitable and riots guaranteed.  This would be a perfect opportunity for Hillary Peron Rodamn.  Do us a favor and take OJ Billyboy with you.

Turkey is also in bad shape, but we will bail them out because, for strategic reasons at this time, we can't afford to let them fail.  Taxpayers grab your wallets.

All of these issues are affecting our ability to recover economically in various ways; we have exposed ourselves to foreign decision making, and that is an invasion of our sovereignty.

Welcome to the "benefits" of the GLOBAL ECONOMY.

In spite of all this baggage, I profoundly hope that I am wrong about the chances for an economic recovery in 2002, but I don't think I am.

As an old fart, I would also point out that prior to the ascendancy of desktop ("distributed") computer systems, followed by the internet, American businessmen generally regarded the expense of this sort of thing as overhead, i.e. a burden on profits.  Similarly so with the telephone.  A newer generation seems to have evolved a different view, regarding "technology", apparently, as an automatic profit center rather than as an expense.  I fully appreciate the contribution technology has made to productivity gains, but I believe it is a major mistake to not recognize these investments as expense items to be measured against increased productivity gains.  Some cost/benefit analysis is called for.  I think this miscomprehension by the 90's generation is part of the current problem with the collapse of real profits.  It is not helpful to go buy a computer unless you have a thought out understanding as to why you're doing it and how it will pay for itself.  Imagined "future profits" and other similar wet dreams don't count.  Reality has re-asserted itself and it is a real nuisance.

Ad Nausium:

I have a tape that I recorded the day after Election Day 1992 on which I expressed my shock and frustration concerning the election of OJ Billyboy to the Presidency.         Whatever my disappointments and frustrations were with Bush senior, the idea that the country could elect to office an individual who was an obvious psychopath was beyond my comprehension.  I predicted then, on that tape, that some kind of military or international disaster was virtually inevitable with this guy. As it has turned out, I was right.  09/11 did not have to happen, and I lay it squarely at the doorstep of OJ Billyboy's conduct of foreign and military affairs during his eight years in office, aided and abetted by the Statist Liberal Democrat Politburo.  The documentation is overwhelming.

            Heather Mercer and Dayna Curry are American heroes.     God bless them.

One flaw in the comparison between 09/11 and Pearl Harbor is that on December 8. 1941 there was perceived to be a serious and legitimate question about our ability to defeat the Axis Powers.  No such question exists today with respect to the current challenge, as to our physical and economic ability, although our cultural condition raises some questions. There is another point: today Americans are not rushing to the recruiting posts as they did in 1941.  It is also amusing to watch the Hollywood left running around trying to distance itself from itself.  Brier Rabbit and the Tar Baby?

I have been advised that the word Islam translates directly as submission.  If I have that right, to describe Islam as a religion of peace is to suggest that such peace is attained through submission.  That is not a concept of peace that is compatible with American thought.  Americans are supposed to be free individuals who empower their government from the bottom up.  Peace, at any level, is supposed to be a product of that relationship, conscientiously arrived at and subscribed to by the people through the republican process.  The only kind of peace that can be imposed downward would have to be accomplished by force (submission).  Perhaps this is the key to understanding the basic incompatibility between Islam and America.  In America we are supposed to enjoy religious freedom, Liberal attempts to suppress the 1st Amendment notwithstanding.

Perhaps, however, there is an opening for Islam.  Is it just possible that in the rubble of Afghanistan some seeds of freedom have been planted?  Is it just possible that among the Afghani young there could emerge a conscious connection between newly found personal freedoms and religious thought and practice and the America that made it possible?   Only time will tell.

I have never accepted the notion of economic vs. social Conservatives.   That is a ploy by Libertarians (and gleefully played up by the Liberal press) to pretend that it is possible to work one side without the other, and that is rubbish.  A typical example of this reasoning is the notion that China can be morally reformed by selling them enough main frame computers and 737s.  Perhaps this same reasoning would also work on the Palestinians?  The Chinese continue to imprison and kill religious dissidents at a record rate.   "Free trade" must be qualified.

Perhaps you will remember a couple of years back when an Egypt Air airliner plunged into the ocean off Martha's Vineyard.  The American investigation of the matter concluded that the only explanation was that the co-pilot, an Islamic Egyptian, decided to commit suicide as he prayed to Allah.  The Egyptian government never accepted this conclusion.  Now it is interesting to begin to hear Saudis engage in defensive assertions that Osama bin Laden was not really the man in charge of al-Qaeda, while pointing fingers at Egypt.  We need not worry about Arab unity.

The B-52 is over fifty years old.  Is anyone concerned about its replacement?   It has been suggested by someone better qualified than myself that the answer is the B-2C. Perhaps, but the requirement to do something soon is obvious.  Bringing a whole new weapon system on line takes time, and the need for a long-range heavy bomber continues to be demonstrated.

Meanwhile, the Interior Department is apparently doing its level best to prove once again that if you really want to screw things up, give the job to the government.  It seems that U.S. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth, to test this theory, installed a spy hacker inside the Interior Department’s Denver computer facility to test security.  The Judge’s hacker discovered that there was no security, which appears to help explain the mismanagement of over 300,000 trust accounts held for American Indians for distribution of gas and oil royalties.  The system is out of control; the Indians are getting screwed, and apparently have been for many years.  Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, you enthusiasts for making airport check-in screeners Federal employees get prepared, because someday I will tell you “I told you so”.

I am all excited about Gary Condit’s decision to run for office again.  Aside from the entertainment value, Republicans can’t lose.   Regardless of the outcome of the California Democrat primary race, Democrats will be distracted and the coverage damaging to the whole party, which will carry over to the national level, even if they win the election.    But the fact is that the circumstances set up the best possible chance for a Republican victory, albeit a California Republican. 

            Meanwhile, where is Chandra Levy?

It is a great pleasure to me to know that Bob Hope has been able to hang on long enough to witness once more our military in action under adult leadership.  Bob, thanks for the memories.

In the long haul a most serious threat to the restoration of our Republic is the enemy within, a component of which is manifested by the New Black Panther Party.  Alone, the adherents of this faith are pitiful and generally harmless outside their own communities.  They are also just plain wrong, and need to be told so.  The real danger lies with the tolerance and absence of challenge by their white Liberal buddies.  Such tolerance encourages strange tendencies among the disaffected and speaks of paternalism toward black Americans by white Liberals ("They need to be indulged since they are too dumb to function on their own and without our guidance.") that is more racist than that of any pre-war southern plantation owner. On the contrary, I, as a Conservative, believe black Americans who accept the challenge of freedom and personal responsibility are fully equipped, if not more so, to function and prosper as successful and responsible American citizens.  A growing list of articulate black Conservatives proves my point. Sadly, it would seem that most black Americans are still unwilling to accept that challenge.   They seem more willing to accept the wailing's of a Malik Zulu Shabazz (who, incidentally, would appear to be setting the standard for the Muslim religion in America) aided and abetted (frequently in the form of silence) by their white Liberal Massas and apologists.   I see no solution in sight, but it is the duplicity of white Liberalism, originating at least as far back as Reconstruction, that is the problem.  No solutions, in fact, are possible, other than free one-way tickets to Africa, without the acceptance of objective reality.  It is clear that the melting pot has finite dimensions.

I would not be surprised if we come to discover that a tunnel extends from a certain Afghan cave to beyond the border with Pakistan.  In the meantime, I recommend that enormous quantities of propane, which, as every farm boy knows tends to settle, be pumped at high pressure into the caves.  This would tend to inhibit the ability of inhabitants to breathe, more especially if an ignition occurred.  This would also help identify other connected exits.  I would be happy to provide matches. 

A.G. John Ashcroft’s testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on December 6th was excellent.    Essentially, he raised a question as to which side Leahy, Kennedy and Schumer were on in the war against terrorism.  Wasn't tough, just spoke the truth. Predictably, the Democrats labored hard to protect the "civil rights" of foreign terrorists, or so it would seem.   These were the same folks who worked even harder a year ago to sidetrack military votes in Florida. 

Certainly, after 8 years of defending the OJ Billyboy depredations against the Constitution, Democrats cannot now claim concern that the proposed military tribunals are a threat to our Constitution.  That is absurd.  The Constitution was adopted to protect the people from the government, a Conservative issue.  We have just witnessed an entire century of effort on the part of "Progressives" (largely Democrats) to turn this formula upside down, capped by 8 years of Clinton hell.  So to propose now that Democrats are motivated by a concern for the Constitution is an utter absurdity.  No, friends, the only motive now of the Liberal Politburo leadership of the Senate is to OBSTRUCT for the purpose of protecting their power to run your life.  They want to obstruct President Bush, Conservatives in general, and arguably any American who puts a priority on freedom and patriotism.  They are also obstructing the war effort.  Now what again does the U.S. Code say about that?

So-called American political moderates, or middle-of-the-roaders, with their wet fingers in the wind, remind me of Afghan combatants whom change sides depending on which side is winning.  Italians also had that reputation during W.W.II.  Liberals and other assorted lefties who complain that I question their patriotism have got it exactly right.  I question their patriotism. My kindest conclusion is that they are political idiots.  However, my most typical conclusion is somewhat harsher.

Fumigation is required of the education system.  The response by many teachers, professors and administrators to expressions of patriotism on campus speaks for itself.  In my opinion, the National Education Association is a defacto subversive organization.  Furthermore, parents writing tuition checks ought to start questioning why the bills have climbed year after year at rates well in excess of the rate of inflation.  What, exactly, is it that you think you are buying?  There are good schools out there, but they are not big names, and they do not graduate intellectual bubbleheads.

Dr. Laura, keep on truckin.

Prediction

The Saudi Royal Family, and their rule of Saudi Arabia, is toast.  These double dealers cannot survive the conflicts about to unfold, nor do they deserve to.  They are, and always have been, a gutless bunch.   Again, Tom Daschle, why do you stand in the way of Alaskan oil, or, for that matter, Wyoming coal?

Heartland rebellion update:

Montgomery County, MD recently made news by attempting to enable neighbors to rat on each other, and impose fines, for smoking within their own houses if the fumes were claimed to be a bother by the neighbor.  This action was short lived when a local and national hue and cry rapidly crested over the issue of property rights, as it certainly should have.

In a similar fashion Santa Clause was outlawed as being "insensitive" when two people complained.  In response, dozens of Santa Clauses showed up at the mall the next morning.  No word on whether the jail was big enough.

CURRENT READING RECOMMENDATION:

1.)     ON LOOKING INTO THE ABYSS

GERTRUDE E HIMMELFARB

ALFRED A. KNOPF                           192 PGS                                $23.00

2.) THE FINAL DAYS: A BEHIND THE SCENES LOOK AT THE LAST, DESPERATE ABUSES OF POWER BY THE CLINTON WHITE HOUSE                                                                   

                                BARBARA OLSON

                                REGNERY                                             258 PGS                                $27.95

3.)  INVESTOR POLITICS: THE NEW FORCE THAT WILL TRANSFORM AMERICAN BUSINESS, GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS IN THE TWENTY FIRST CENTURY

                                JOHN HOOD

                                TEMPLETON                                       308 PGS                                $24.9

MOST SINCERELY, MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HANUKKAH TO YOU ALL, AND TO AMERICAN SERVICEMEN AND SERVICEWOMEN EVERYWHERE, GODSPEED.  YOU ARE IN MY PRAYERS, AS ARE THE VICTIMS OF 09/11.   AND MAY THE PEACEFUL PEOPLE OF AFGHANISTAN FIND THE STRENGTH TO CONFRONT THEMSELVES.

God Bless America

               JIM

            JIM SOHMER

                AMERICAN NATIONALIST CONSERVATIVE

                JEFFERSON, CO 80456

                                                                     IN GOD WE TRUST