The New Year has arrived here at The Thinking Nationalist.
The Holiday decorations have all been taken down
and put away, the leftovers from New Year's have been
cleaned up. and everyone has returned to a normal
routine, more or less.
With that in mind, I have considered and am making
a few changes to The Thinking Nationalist, many of which
were suggested by you, the readers.
To begin with, we are going to a format of more frequent
and shorter posts, to focus more on topical news items
and less on relatively abstract and cerebral topics.
To be sure, we will still cover the interplay of politics
and economics, as I believe that this will become even more
important as the economy continues to lag and the nation
heads into what may be a definitive Mid-Term election.
In this regard, I will still be commenting "pundit-style"
on issues I believe to be important. But, we will add
some "human interest" stories to the mix.
After all, "human interest" is the tie that binds us all
together; whether we are political or apolitical,
liberal or conservative.
Second, as I am based in Las Vegas, and as Las Vegas
in and of itself is a topic of wide interest, I will be covering
events here more frequently. I will have a regular
"Eye On Las Vegas" feature, in conjunction with
a contributor I will be introducing to these pages.
As this person is "connected" to the local power
structure, for the present he will have to remain
anonymous (his request). Even so, his trenchant ,
irreverent, and very original takes
on the Las Vegas scene will be sure to
entertain many of you.
Another change I will be making is is to cross-post
selected material from other blogs and websites,
especially in the economic sphere. Sites such as
Calculated Risk, The Big Picture, and Naked Capitalism are
full of useful insights on economics and finance that
will become more important as we struggle
to emerge from The Great Recession. Other well-known
blogs and columnists such as Mish Shedlock,
Brad DeLong, Ed Harrison (Credit Writedowns) and
the always readable Zero Hedge will be featured here
on a frequent basis.
One change I don't anticipate making is becoming
more "partisan". Readers both on the Left and the
Right have repeatedly asked me to come down on
one side of the fence or the other.
To be sure, much of what I've written thus far has
come down on the "moderate" or even "liberal" side
of the fence. Affordable, comprehensive, universal,
government-sponsored or government-funded Health
Care is to this writer a national must-have.
It is one of those advanced-nation hallmarks that
distinguish a First-World nation from a Third-World nation.
It is the solution that has been chosen, to a greater or lesser
degree, by almost all of our First-World allies and trading
partners. And, with the exception of a few folks at the top
of the income heap and their bought-and-paid-for lackeys
in the Congress, almost no one believes that our present
Health Care Cartel is doing a good job in terms of access,
costs, coverage, or outcomes.
That having been said, I am no friend of the Leviathan
Nanny-State, as Socialism has never delivered the goods
anywhere its been tried. Even the Chinese and Russians
think so. But that is not to conclude that the "Free-Market"
alternative has to be an ever-greater concentration of wealth
and power in the hands of unregulated and unaccountable
transnational elites.
"Elite Influence" has led directly to the financialization
of our economy, the wholesale dismantling of our productive
industrial base, and the concentration of wealth and income
in the hands of an elite, well-connected few to an extent
unprecedented in our history.
The bailout of Wall Street and the slow starvation of
Main Street, to the exclusive benefit of a corrupt
Oligarchy, threaten to make "Capitalism" and
"Free Markets" Two Bright, Shining Lies in the eyes
of the people.
Free Men interacting with each other in a system of
Free Markets and Property Rights, on a level playing field
created by The Rule of Law, have made the United States
the envy of the world. This is far too precious a heritage
to squander for the short-term benefit of a undeserving
few at the top.
Thus, this journal will continue to oppose Predatory
Plutocracy in all its forms. But, we also oppose the
Predatory State, which in the name of "equality",
would despotically reduce us to grinding poverty
and the meanest possible existence.
And the best antidote to either is the vigilance of
Free Men informing and persuading each other through
a Free Press. Whether that press is The New York Times
or The Thinking Nationalist, we serve the same function -
to let those in power know that We Are Watching You
and that we will hold you to account for both your
mistakes and your misdeeds.
As we enter 2010, therefore , I present the following
to our Political and Economic elites for their
consideration:
"The Declaration and Manifesto of The Thinking
Nationalist:
"To Our Political and Financial Elites:
"You have done little to earn our confidence,
and much to merit our suspicion. If you wish
to keep your exalted places, this must change.
And you don't want to think about the alternative.
You would not find that very pleasant to contemplate.
"You might think that this is still open to discussion,
that given your positions of great power and wealth,
we the people should know what we are up against.
That when confronted with the financial and political
power of your social class, we the people should be
reasonable and discuss the matter, on your terms.
"However, we feel that the time for our respectful
consideration of your situation has come - and gone.
Rather, it is you who need to be made aware of a few
things that just might affect the continuation of
your privileged status.
"First, there are many more of us than there are of you.
And many of us are armed. Failing to disarm the
ordinary people and heaping elitist scorn on the
Police and Military could be your fatal mistake.
And the "tipping point" is coming. You are running
out of time - and out of options.
"Your fellow citizens, whom you foolishly believe to
be of n0 consequence, are a patient and resilient people.
We have watched stoically as you have shipped our
jobs to China, India and Mexico for your private
benefit, destroying whole communities in the process.
We were patient when you decided not to enforce our
immigration laws, importing crime, poverty and
terrorism into our midst under the guises of
"multiculturalism" and "political correctness".
And we were patient when you rewarded yourselves
with bailouts and bonuses while we faced bankruptcy
and foreclosure.
"As the Declaration of Independence stated, we are
more inclined to suffer evils, while they are sufferable,
than to right things by changing the forms to which we
are accustomed. But that is now changing.
We are now slowly becoming aware of your evident
desire to reduce us, finally and absolutely, under
degradation and despotism for the financial benefit
of a private and exclusive Oligarchy.
"And whenever and wherever that happens, you get
revolutions. But this one won't look like 1776.
It will look more like France 1789 and be all the
more ghastly because of modern weapons and
technology - on both sides.
" The difference? In 1776, the elites of our nation
pledged their "lives, fortunes, and sacred honor"
in an all-out death struggle against the most
dominant financial, economic and military
power of that time. You, on the other hand,
are thinking of Swiss banks and private islands
and how quickly you can slink away if things
get rough. Like rats fleeing a sinking ship, you
will scurry away from the coming chaos and disorder
you have done so much to create.
" And that's why, if it comes to that "Struggle
both Grim and Great", we, not you, will win.
Having moved "offshore", you'll no longer have
any skin in this game. No friends, no allies, nothing -
because no one here or abroad will risk his life to
save yours. And once we've secured things here, we'll come
for you. There will be no place on Earth either you or
your money will be able to hide. You'll find that
the Intelligence and Law Enforcement services
of the Second American Republic are more relentless
than the Mossad and more pitiless than the KGB
when it comes to hunting you down. And the military?
Once freed of the quagmires of Iraq and Afghanistan,
they'll eagerly put the nuclear pistol to the head of any nation
rash enough to protect you or your ill-gotten loot.
"But, you say, the Military and Law Enforcement are
on our side - and they are constitutionally bound to
protect us. And the courts and Congress will
make sure of that - just wait and see.
"You might have a point there. But, you need to realize
that the Military and Law Enforcement have changed.
The uniformed leadership of the military is more diverse
and less "elite" than at any time in our history. The same
goes for Law Enforcement. You took care of that by throwing
ROTC out of the Ivy League and by making military service
and law enforcement two of the few stable career choices left
for the working and middle classes you have fought so hard
to undermine.
"And the uniformed leadership of our military, even if
not "elite" (as in Harvard-educated), is not stupid. They
study history and politics as part of Professional Military
Education, not as a GPA-padder to get into Harvard Law.
And they know that Ancient Rome deliberately kept
its legions fighting permanent, indecisive wars on the
fringes of Empire, so that elites at home could plunder
the nation more easily. But when the money ran out,
the armies returned, the Empire collapsed, and
that was that for Rome. And they see the same thing
happening with our involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"And Afghanistan is a special case. It wasn't too long ago
that the Soviet Union, beaten down militarily and financially
in Afghanistan, had to conclude a humiliating cease-fire
with the Taliban and withdraw. Two years later, the Soviet
Union ceased to exist. The reason? While its armies were
occupied elsewhere, the Soviet Nomenklatura literally
looted the country bankrupt - even more brazenly than you
looted ours. The only reason it didn't turn violent is that
Russians - unlike Americans - are used to despotism and
corruption and over the years, had developed means of
coping. And, unlike Americans, they never had a decent,
middle-class lifestyle suddenly yanked out from under
them - as you have done to so many of our people in your
pursuit of "globalization" and "emerging markets".
"No, if I were you, I wouldn't count on the Army or the
Marines to protect me if things get rough. And I wouldn't
trust the police or the FBI either. They are not of your social
class - and they don't share any of your other beliefs either.
As a general rule, they are religious, socially conservative,
and fiercely patriotic, even downright nationalistic - all
traits and beliefs that both publicly and privately you go
out of your way to disparage.
"And this "cultural divide" is something you'll need to keep
in mind when the riots and open insurrections start and you
start hollering for the 82nd Airborne to protect you in the
Hamptons or Greenwich. Indeed, you might well find that the
military has "gone over" to our side - as they are far more
likely to have family unemployed, dispossessed, or bankrupted
by your "fairy-tale finance" economy than you are. And the
police will be of no help - since many of them are losing
their jobs or having their pay and benefits cut, they'll
compare their families' situation with yours and then
decide whom to "Protect and Serve".
" Not a pretty picture, is it? But you've got escape plans, right?
The G-IV all gassed up and ready to go - but where? Dubai?
Switzerland? China? Trust me, you don't want to think
about China. After we default on our foreign debt, that'll
be the last place you'll want to go. Over there, they shoot
corrupt executives and politicians - in public, to make
sure the message gets through. Thinking about what they
might do if they got their hands on you brings joy to my
heart and a tear to my eye.
"But, if in the meantime some Patriot in this country
metes out a rough and deserved retribution to you, don't
say I didn't warn you. And I will have neither sympathy nor
compassion for you or your fellows if you get a taste
of "People's Justice". You had it coming.
" So, Elite America, you have much to think about -
and much to answer for. And you don't have a lot of time.
"Think it over and get back to me, will you?"
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment