A Nation in Denial

George Rebane

[This is the addended transcript of my regular KVMR commentary broadcast on 19 September 2014.]

Are we in information overload?  It’s hard to think back to a time when Americans have been in such deep denial about so many things going on in the world – both here and abroad.  When I begin to think about the laundry list of current happenings, it seems never ending.  Let’s just illustrate a few of the major items to which we seem to pay no mind.

The campaign for ever more legislation to stop manmade global warming has always ignored the science involved, and in the last years has ignored and misrepresented hard data about actual things we can see and measure – things like global temperature which has been flat or falling during the last 15 plus years, the extent of polar ice caps which have never been bigger, new low temperature records and early snows, fewer extreme weather events like hurricanes and tornadoes, no catastrophic sea level rises, and the list goes on.  But our government controllers deny all this and are going forward at state and federal levels as if we had a proven climate emergency that needs more draconian legislation and regulation, right now.  We keep hearing ‘the debate is over’; that just is not so.

All over the world the United States has become a paper tiger in the eyes of radical Islam which is now comprised of multiple militia groups spread over vast regions of the Middle East and Africa, and stronger than ever.  One group has even beaten standing armies in two countries, and now rules over 8M people.  They execute our innocents with impunity and vow to raise their flag over our capitals.  And in this war between civilizations we are still playing around with semantics trying to figure out whether to call a war a war.  But it really doesn’t matter.  Because after our leader told us we didn’t have a strategy to deal with the situation, he decided come up with a strategy and make a big deal announcing it, which only confirmed that we really don’t have a strategy, but are instead engaged in a desperate pitch to cobble a coalition of reluctant ‘allies’ who really don’t care how the borders in the Middle East are redrawn.

And all the while we are told that our southern border has never been more secure, while data from Homeland Security and the Border Patrol tell us exactly the opposite, as they report illegal aliens now entering our homeland from over a hundred countries, including many from terrorist groups here to begin a new wave of attacks.  As many of our border regions have now become no-man’s land where even the Border Patrol dare not go, we are told that everything is secure down Mexico way.

Under this administration Washington has yet to put together a working foreign policy while claiming that we have never been more respected by our friends and feared by our enemies.  In spite of that, foreign leaders no longer trust nor attend our president.  Russia’s Putin knows we have a patsy in the White House, and that he must make hay with his ‘near abroad’ neighbors while Obama plays with his reset button.  Russia’s military openly announced that it is reinstating the US and NATO as its prime enemies, and proved it by running a nuclear first strike exercise against our east coast during the recent NATO summit in Wales.  China has emplaced troops on disputed islands, unilaterally expanded its airspace into international waters, and regularly has its fighter jets ‘escort’ and buzz our reconnaissance aircraft over international waters.  All the while it is building its first two carrier task groups to counter our historical presence in the Asian waters.

Meanwhile our government is busier than ever in its domestic war on America’s businesses.  The result is a non-existent recovery that is celebrated every month by the lamestream media while more Americans withdraw from the workforce, companies are punished for hiring fulltime workers, GDP growth is below anemic, national debt balloons unbounded while increased taxes stifle investment, government spending as share of the economy continues to grow, but job creation comes nowhere near the number of people looking for work.

The result of all this is a growing income inequality since government policies hurt the ‘little people’ most because they are the easiest to bamboozle and are neither clever enough nor have the means to escape the impacts of regulatory and tax barriers that the well-to-do have long learned to sidestep or avoid.  But this part of the goings on is trumpeted as the need for a government that is bigger still, one that has to tax more and regulate even more of our lives.

My name is Rebane, and I also expand on this and related themes on georgerebane.com where the addended transcript of this commentary is posted with relevant links, and where such issues are debated extensively.  However my views are not necessarily shared by KVMR.  Thank you for listening.

[Addendum]  Yesterday the Scots decided by a considerable margin to remain part of the United Kingdom.  Given the promised collateral benefits for remaining united, the two-year exercise to debate the matter of independence and negotiate with England was very likely a net gain.  Most certainly it has highlighted the legitimate ambitions and longings of many other cultural minorities embedded in larger countries throughout the world – e.g. the Flemish in Belgium and the Catalans in Spain.

Here in the United States we have had a similar debate about cleaving off parts of existing states and even secession from the Union.  In these pages I have discussed the reasons and ramifications for such under the heading of the Great Divide (which is also an RR category in which these commentaries are collected).  In our country these separationist movements are motivated and defined more by ideological differences than by ethnic differences – although the Reconquista (q.v.) movement by an Hispanic segment in America is a noteworthy exception.

Also noteworthy of these discussions are the responses of denial and ridicule they draw from our more progressive readers.  These denials notwithstanding, the sentiments and sympathies for various kinds of separation are real and range anywhere from California’s nascent State of Jefferson movement to the return of Mexico’s lands lost in 1848.  (Readers may recall that I am a supporter of the SoJ efforts for reasons stated here.)

But if we as a nation are to deal reasonably with such stirrings for more culturally cohesive jurisdictions, we have to first recognize the demographic parameters that surround the issue rather than respond with denial and vituperation whenever such voices are raised.  A regular RR reader and correspondent points us to a recent (Aug/Sep 2014) Reuters/Ipsos poll for some corroborative data reported here by Reuters.  Almost one out of four Americans – more from the west than east - “strongly supported or tended to support the idea of their state breaking away”.  People still want to do all possible not to fracture our country, but do consider it as a definite choice of last resort.  In the middle are many efforts looking for ways to divide their states into parts that would satisfy population segments which feel unrepresented in their states’ capitals (e.g. the SoJ movement).

One thing, however, is clear.  The more the country swings left with Democrat majority legislatures like California’s, the more such sentiments grow in the ranks of working taxpayers who see Leviathan metastasizing into their lives like a terminal cancer.  Reuters reports about such feelings that -

"It seems to have heated up, especially since the election of President Obama," said Mordecai Lee, a professor of governmental affairs at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, who has studied secessionist movements.

The truth of this observation is evident daily as our government identifies the greatest threat to its security arising internally from its own citizens, against whom it is now girding itself with historically unprecedented militarization of all agencies and expansion of its domestic intelligence gathering apparatus.

I conclude this somewhat dour essay with an example of ‘soft denial’ from our own RL ‘Bob’ Crabb filched from today’s 19sep14 Union.  Bob is the eternal mensch who extracts a smile from our own foibles no matter how sinister they may seem.

Comments

[Walt]

Well put Doc, yet those that call themselves "American loving" Democrats will vote for for more of the same. Until Dirty Harry, the current"Price of Darkness" who controls the Senate lemmings, and Nancy P. " Queen of the damned", finally get voted away or lose their control, The good ol' US will continue down the sewer.
"O"'s actions ( or lack there of) speak louder than words. He has no real interest
in our defense. The next golf course is the priority.
I do believe he has issues with "attacking" the religion of his birth.
Good old Rev. Write spilled the beans on that.

[Al]

Don't fence me in, Bro!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OUPizDxHzM

[fish]

Yesterday the Scots decided by a considerable margin to remain part of the United Kingdom.

Old and on the dole vs. Young who see themselves as being on the hook for said government largesse.

(Readers may recall that I am a supporter of the SoJ efforts for reasons stated here.)

I still maintain that there is no need to pursue this matter further. The SOJ people have made their statement. They only need wait until the coming natural fractures occur when D.C. runs out of credit card.

[fish]

Now this is my kind of progressive/democrat!

One who doesn't just let the "happy face let's all hold hands together mask proggie mask" slip, but who takes it off all together all leaves it on display for everyone to see for a while.

http://www.nj.com/middlesex/index.ssf/2014/09/council_candidate_dropped_racist_slurs_pants_at_middlesex_diner_cops_say_now_he_drops_out.html

[fish]

"mask proggie mask"

Well clearly that's not right!

[Walt]

LIBS love to blame the Right for the failings of the Senate, when it's Dirty Harry who won't allow anything of meaning to come before a vote, let alone ANY amendments by the Right. He loves to change the rules to fit the LIBs needs.
This election LIBS who are running for office are running under 'Independent" to try and save face. But will surely vote to keep Dirty harry right where he is if elected.

[Walt]

Then this shows up...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/in-the-loop/wp/2014/09/20/these-days-democrats-arent-talking-much-about-obama-in-congressional-speeches/

[Bill Tozer]

Read a poll yesterday that said one in four people in THIS COUNTRY would like their own state to succeed from The Union. What surprised me the most was this was across all party lines, very widespread, coast to coast, not just a western thang. Good to hear we are not alone in disenchantment.
Can't be good for the Obama legacy or the food/micromanage/thought police.

[Bill Tozer]

Threw the above comment out just in case somebody skimmed over Dr. Rebane 's addendum and went straight to Mr. Crabb's cartoon....er.....RL Crabb's current event drawing, not be be confused with the cartoon character Mr. Crab of Crabbypatties fame, an employer of SpongeBob Squarepants. RL may be many things, but nobody ever has accused him of being square.

[Paul Emery]

Nice job of whining George. Do you think things would be significantly better if the Repubs ran it all? I say dump the Republicrats and start over with independent electoids thatt are not bought out by special interests.

[Walt]

One word Paul,,YES!!!

[George Rebane]

PaulE 422pm - I think you missed the post's point which is about our main street being unaware of all the significant goings on in the world, and remaining focused close to home oblivious to what's really affecting their lives. The easiest way to create an entertaining TV segment is to take a mike and camera out on a city sidewalk and ask a passerby a simple question. (Outlining the realities of today's world is "whining"??)

And do I think that the not-so-perfect Repubs would do significantly better than the socialist Dems? You bet your sweet bippy (now that dates me, please see Walt's 430pm for a translation).

[Bill Tozer]

Paul , Don't think either Bush or a Romney type would ever ever host the Mooooooslum Brotherhood over in the White House for dinner like Obama did. Obama bent over and said "Here my fellow Arabs and friends of my father, please frack me in the ass good and hard. You are the moderates we can deal with and, of course, I have shown more contempt and anger at Israel the Zionists and other allies than I will ever show to you, my brothers. Let's eat, drink, and be merry."

Yep, it's all the republicans fault. Strike that. It's all Bush's fault.

[Walt]

Now does "O" have the balls to finish the job? This is his kin we are giving a new thumping.

[Bill Tozer]

Walt, to answer your question, Zerobama was playing golf while Rome burned and a squirrel ran up his pants leg. Poor squirrel starved to death.

[Brad C.]

Scotland is not the only other place considering sessessionism. "Catalans in Spain, the Flemish in Belgium, Breton independence movement, and Padania in northern Italy are also condsidering the idea."

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/09/18/europe-s-secession-panic.html

The difference is that these cultural regions are many centuries old. Silicon valley is, what, 50 years old? The cowboys and ranchers of "Jeffferson country" invaded Indian land and superimposed their culture and laws on the local inhabitants. If you want to compare the Scotland/Great Britian sessession movement, Native Americans should secede from the USA - not rancher/cowboys, or computer nerd entrepreneurs from California.

[George Rebane]

BradC 714am - Interesting argumentation, but you are again confused. Creating the State of Jefferson out of northern California counties is not secession from the US, but merely a process of dividing jurisdictions recognized by our constitutions. The only thing common between the European secessionists and what's going on in America is that people here also want to be represented in their legislatures, and live with those who are more culturally compatible.

(The Indians are a long-conquered people who admittedly were screwed in the process of stabilizing their new lands in the west. They probably have the best deal they can get with their semi-autonomous reservations, casinos damn near everywhere, and the ability to join the American mainstream any time they want to. Have no idea where your Silicon Valley observation enters here and what point it serves.)

Don't misunderstand me Brad, I welcome and enjoy your comments. But the disjointedness of your progressive logic (much covered in these pages) at times borders on humor, but I'm sure that you didn't mean to inject any in the present comment. I hope you understood my logic.