flatlander

Rochette's performances at the Vancouver Olympics were a couple of major highlights of the games. It is wonderful to see this promising young woman reading Ayn Rand's novels, and publicly praising the philosophy.

Coffee is for drinking, tea is perfectly fine for dumping into harbors and other assorted waterways in large quantities. It is sad and disgusting how CNN is attempting to hype the Coffee Party. The woman leading the meeting in the video was so obviously an Obama campaigner it was laughable. I fully expected her to be wearing an ACORN or SEIU t-shirt. When the first, and most belabored, point written on the memo board is "Support the President," any claims of "grassroots" are out the window. This sorry bunch of people looked bored and lost. There clearly wasn't a large enough group to make them feel like part of a collective. Given that the Coffee Party is assembled on the basis of irrational ideas, we can expect that the more consistently irrational people who join this thing will run it. This will degrade into gangs of leftist "activists" who will be willing to escalate to violence. Obama may get his "civilian security force" after all. Edited for clarity

The ideologies that led to the war's outbreak in the first place precluded any possibility of a cooling of heads and a cessation of hostilities after a mere year. When a statist leader of a modern country is puffed up with nationalism, drowning rational thought in a river of collectivism, and thoroughly convinced that the war is a morally justified crusade of altruistic virtue, the possibility of being convinced to stop the whole affair is nonexistent. Further, huge numbers of casualties would likely have added to the nationalistic fire. National pride was at stake and no one wanted to give up their postage stamp of the French countryside. The armies involved all seemed to subscribe to the "send wave after wave of soldiers into the meat grinder and eventually overrun them with numbers" school of military tactics, at least at the beginning, before the bloody stalemate of trench warfare. Even now when Remembrance Day ceremonies are held here in Canada, the commentary is always about the sacrifice of the soldiers who died "for their country." The sacrifice is held as the primary (no surprise there). It is usually followed up with modern leftist platitudes about how bad war is. What underlying morality led to the war? Blank out.

The Wilson administration was itching to get into the war. Herbert Croly, one of the most influential thinkers of American Progressivism (writer of The Promise of American Life and founder of the journal New Republic), saw the war in Europe as something that could give America the "tonic of a serious moral adventure." Woodrow Wilson stated to Congress that America had "no selfish interest" in the war. Wilson, Croly and others all hoped to use the war to entrench a culture of service to the state among Americans. If anyone on this thread has not read Leonard Peikoff's The Ominous Parallels I highly recommend this book. Dr. Peikoff does a great job outlining the rise of American Progressivism. The parallels with Fascism and Nazism are certainly ominous. The wartime economic controls put in place by the Wilson administration were never repealed. See Chapter 14 of The Ominous Parallels, entitled "America Reverses Direction." I think that Wilson wanted into the war so that he could massively expand the state and run roughshod over the Constitution (and thereby crush individual rights) at home. The war itself was of secondary or tertiary importance. It was all about the power grab. Liberal Fascism by Jonah Goldberg is also a good read for explaining the rise of the Progressives. While this book does occasionally lapse into some fairly typical National Review-style conservative talking points (and typical conservative evasions), Goldberg goes into the historical roots of Progressivism in some depth, including the influence of Fascism on Progressivism. Goldberg even takes the comparison a step further, stating that Progressivism is American Fascism. Whether it was the sinking of the Lusitania, or the Zimmermann telegram, the Wilson administration was likely willing to use any pretext it could to get into the war. I'll bet America would have been in the war even if the Kaiser had done something as trivial as making a "Your mother!" comment directed at Wilson. I don't think Wilson was part of some global Marxist conspiracy. But he and the rest of the Progressives were certainly influenced by Kant, Hegel, and so on; the exact philosophic influences that led to the rise of the Nazis and Mussolini's Fascists. Combine the rise of collectivism with the waning influence of the traditional European absolute monarchies, the destructive power of more modern weaponry with old-fashioned tactics, and you have the explosive mix of WWI. It was new statism versus old statism, and since the individual did not matter to any of the involved governments, the result was unparalleled devastation and slaughter.

I suspect you might be right here. If Joe Sixpack has been bombarded with seemingly incomprehensible and insurmountable numbers with regards to the national debt (in the trillions), the massive budget deficits, "stimulus" programs that reach perilously close to the trillion dollar mark, billion dollar bailouts and so on, his numb reaction could simply be "What's the big deal with a few more zeroes at the end of such a huge number?" Then again it may be just enough to jolt a few more Americans out of their slumber. They will not wake up happy.

A very happy birthday to you Sophia. Cheers!

I was thinking the same thing. Simmons was especially prolific in spouting meaningless bromides such as "support our men and women in uniform" and "public service is a trust." His points seemed very much along the lines of the Bush/McCain manner. For the most part everything he said could have been spouted by one of the more senior Red Tories in Ottawa. Peter Schiff was the only one of the three who spoke of the fundamental issues of government involvement in the economy. He was the only man in that debate who spoke of capitalism. Actually, he was the only man on that stage. Edited for spelling.

2046, I suppose we shouldn't be surprised by the posts you have found on the news sites. The left would love nothing more than to be able to spin opposition to taxation as terrorism. It lets them evade moral judgement when it comes to actual terrorism while simultaneously villifying all of us who oppose statism. My how they love to blank out. These quotes and the others all indicate the direction the statists intend to take this. The left never likes to waste a crisis. There's that moral equivalence/nihilism/evasion again, comparing the "right wingers" to actual terrorists. Do they actually hold classes on the art of smearing? And of course, the obligatory comparison of all non-leftists to Nazis. Interesting how the New Left completely evades their own fascist proclivities. Could this incident be America's modern-day Reichstag Fire?

If it's on the 24th you have time to procure the ownership or use of a video camera and become proficient in its use. I'd actually recommend 2 cameras, and 2 shooters if someone is willing to help. This will give you some angles of coverage to choose from. You can cut and edit A- and B-roll footage into a more polished presentation if you are properly equipped and ambitious enough.

I love the dual exhausts and the massive intakes(?) poking up through the fuel tank housing. Frankenbike extraordinaire!

I thought the ad was funny, in that laughing-at-evil sort of way. The music fits perfectly. As I watched the ad I was struck by all of the eco-fascist positions presented in a humorously over-the-top way. I thought the funniest part was when the Green Police were chasing the man around the pool because his hot tub was set at 105F. But then there's the scene where a man is arrested for possession of an incandescent light bulb. It is sobering to think that here in Canada an allegedly "Conservative" government has committed to banning incandescent light bulbs, and that many Western countries have similar bans in progress. A rational person can watch this ad and laugh at the sheer absurdity of the ecofascists. But if a true believer in the ecofascist plan were to watch the ad, they would approve of everything the Green Police do. Is Audi laughing at evil, or do they support it?

/ Ok, now that I have wiped most of my California zinfandel off of my screen after bursting into uproarious laughter, I can reply. It's funny because it is true. But in all seriousness. It does seem more than a little, well, forced, that Canadian identity is so tied to hockey. As the years progress, it appears that Canadians (of a decidedly collectivist and anti-American bent) seem more and more vocal in their attempts to rally a sort of nationalism around the sport. The whole thing rings rather hollow, it's a massive evasion designed to cover up their extreme hatred-of-the-good-for-being-the-good regarding the USA.

I find it interesting, and more than a little disturbing, that stories like this one emerge in the media at the same time the ecofascists are ramping up their campaign against bottled water.

With our cold winters you would think more Canadians would be in favor of global warming, and actively promoting it!

I was about to post that same link, you beat me to it. Dr. Peikoff's article is a great piece. Before I learned of Objectivism, I had already shed my Christmases of many of the religious/altruistic trappings. I love Christmas, always have. I grew up in a devout Catholic family, and as a child I found myself feeling guilty for sort of gritting my teeth through all the religious stuff. I loved Christmas not just for the gifts (what kid doesn't love to receive gifts?) but for the lavish food, the gatherings with extended family, getting time off school so I could go sledding with my cousins, all of that. As I left religion behind in adulthood, I continued to love Christmas for lavishing gifts upon people whom I valued. I cut all obligatory gift giving out of my life, and focused upon people I truly value. The more properly selfish I made Christmas, the happier I became!

I had exactly the same thought when Obama won and I saw the cult of personality that was being built up around him. I happened to be reading Philosophy: Who Needs Itaround the same time as Obama's election win. Rand's mention of "flamboyant Fuhrers" is certainly an apt description.

To borrow a term from the enemy, it seems there are some "useful idiots" on the NCC. Their milquetoast caterwauling is truly unseemly.

I read 1984 when I was approximately fourteen years old. It certainly ended with a note of despair. Reading about Winston Smith basically having his mind and soul crushed by the tyranny of Big Brother and the Party, to the point , made me think of reality and rights as being sacred. In fact, I remember wondering, even at that tender age, how people could allow the government to gain so much control over their lives. I will probably read The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress and maybe pick up Brave New World later, if at all. Huxley was a rather notable advocate of socialism and fascism, so I suppose I am concerned that reading Brave New World might be the artistic equivalent of swimming in a sewer.

I too am working on a dystopian-themed novel. I recommend one of the classics of dystopians, that being Orwell's 1984. I have not yet read Brave New World, but am considering adding it to my list.

How true. Freedom Party is the only party in Canada that advocates real human rights. I would vote for Paul McKeever without hesitation and if I ever run for political office it would be with Freedom Party. Levant's book illustrates how far Canada has slid down the abyss. Our mainstream political parties are interchangeable and virtually indistinguishable. And arguably irrelevant. The bureaucrats run this country and are so entrenched that no elected politician dares to oppose them, even if they wanted to. The CHRC has become a quasi-judicial thought police force and the silence from our government is deafening.

Those hikes sound fantastic. If I lived somewhat closer than a three days' drive north of Dallas I would love to join some Objectivists in a good day hike. There's nothing quite like being out in nature to make one appreciate the achievements of man's mind and technology that makes it safe to enjoy such outings.

(Belated) Happy Birthday, America. Best wishes for the greatest, most brilliantly shining beacon of freedom the world has ever known.

Ezra Levant, former publisher of the Canadian magazine Western Standard, holds the dubious distinction of being the only journalist on Earth to have faced legal sanction for publishing the infamous Mohammed cartoons that appeared first in the Jyllands-Posten. He was ordered to appear before an investigator at the Alberta Human Rights Commission, and was interrogated over his "intentions" for publishing the cartoons. I read Shakedown recently, and it is a disturbing read. The Canadian Human Rights Commission, along with its provincial counterparts, represent a very ominous threat to freedom of speech in Canada. The cases presented in Shakedown sound like a cross between a Monty Python sketch and a chapter lifted straight out of Orwell's 1984. They are political correctness run amok. Imagine a ridiculous scenario where a McDonalds' worker complains to the government about the company's hand washing policy, and not only is she paid tens of thousands of dollars not to go to work, but McDonalds had to pay her $50 000 for her "dignity" and "self respect". This is one of the more comical cases in Shakedown. Each case presented is more terrifying than the last. Canadians should be horrified by the soft tyranny being perpetrated by our ever-expanding government. Levant's book should serve as a wake-up call to Canadians. I strongly recommend that any Canadian on this board read Levant's book. Our Charter of "Rights" and "Freedoms" already does not recognize property rights. Now freedom of speech (Canuckified into "Freedom of expression" by our bureaucratic elites) is under a full frontal assault as well. Our elected government is unwilling or afraid to stop the erosion of individual rights. Do we have a representative government, or is Parliament mere window-dressing, covering up the fact that we have a tyrannical bureaucracy calling the shots? One begins to think of Ominous Parallels when faced with this reality.

PJTV special report with Dr. John David Lewis. This is from a couple of days ago. The big question is: Are the people protesting the clerics who constitute the regime itself, or merely one presidential candidate over another, all of whom get their marching orders from the Ayatollahs?

This seems spammish. Moderators?