Association of Free Citizens

It has been about a month since I remarked on Chris Christie’s bridge peccadillo.  Since then, predictably, the evidence that he ordered the bridge closure, or that he knew about it and did not stop it or that he did not know but should have remains ambiguous and conflicted.  Despite the evidence, or lack thereof, Christie remains under a cloud, his fortunes waning and any hope of advancing politically continues to decline .  He’s toast.

From last month’s article:

His sin is that he, a Republican, did what the Democrats do all the time.  And yeah, somebody got dead and a lot of people were inconvenienced and it was a nasty bit of a dirty trick.  Does no one remember the recent government shut down fight and the President’s actions?  Hell, for that matter look at the results of Democratic policies for the last 70 – no, make that 170 – years which have resulted in the unnecessary deaths of millions of Americans and the impoverishment of hundreds of millions more.

Waiting for the outrage on that one but all I hear is crickets.

I have said for quite some time now that we are in a war with the Marxist-Leninist Left and we aren’t going to win by playing by the Marquess of Queensberry rules.  I don’t have all that much confidence that Chris Christie is a conservative Republican (Hah!), but I do give him credit for knowing what game he’s playing and playing to win.  I’m thinking that a whole bunch of Republican politicians either need to get a testosterone infusion from Christie or step aside (or get voted aside!) to make way for Republicans who know how to play the rough game and are eager to so.
Alas, it is clear that the Republicans have not rallied ’round to get their testosterone infusion, but have in typical fashion abandoned one of their own to the tender mercies of the Democrat’s political assassination machine, the mainstream media.  The issue isn’t that the media is so unfair, or that the Democrats are so nasty, that anyone with two synapses to rub together knows by now.

The issue is that, no matter what you may have thought about his policies Christie is clearly a forceful and articulate leader.  That is why the Democrats and their baying pack of ideological assassins went after him.

They first separated him from his fellow Republicans.  That was easy to do because so many Republicans are like children from dysfunctional families looking for love in all the wrong places.  Still, after all the evidence, all the broken promises, all the slanders, all the verbal and emotional abuse, all the beatings and jiltings, they still hope for media love and approval. “Maybe if I betray the Party one more time they will finally really love me.  This time for sure, I just know it.  That’s why I’ve got let them have their way or they’ll be mad at me.”

They scattered as soon as the media wolves showed up.  The wolves have been slashing at Christie ever since; because of that he will soon be pulled down.

Which will be a tragedy.  Not because the Republicans will have lost a powerful leader on the national scene, I don’t believe Christie would be a suitable candidate for the White House, but he’s great where he is, a Republican governor of Deep Blue New Jersey.  The tragedy is that the GOP is sacrificing a good man to save themselves.  But they won’t be saved, the media wolves be back to pick off the next one in line.  Who will it be next time?  Scott Walker?  Bobby Jindal?  Who?

Elephants, it will be recalled, travel in herds.  They do so for mutual support and protection.  Is it time to change the Republican mascot from the elephant to the rabbit?

Cross posted at http://www.RepublicanCluboftheFoothills.org.

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Over at The Belmont Club Richard Fernandez has a great post in which he discusses the sad state of the Republican Party. “Why is the Republican Party incapable of putting up a fight? And why is Hillary Clinton “inevitable”?”

Whether the subject is Benghazi, IRS, immigration, the NSA or Syria the GOP performance is shockingly repetitive. First it pauses before the mighty onset, makes a show of defiance. Then it fires off a few desultory arrows at the advancing political machine and disappears under the grinding wheels, a muffled cry of “aieeee” barely audible over the triumphant roar of the Democratic devotees.

“Republicans need to ask what’s wrong with our business model,” said former Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA), after a loss in Virginia. “This should have been a slam dunk. Virginia almost always votes against the president’s party…. All we needed was a mammal up there.”

A mammal and a business model, as Davis should remind himself.

A big part of the problem comes from the civil war between the ‘Institutional Republicans’ and the ‘Tea Party Republicans.’ Essentially these are two incompatible business models competing for market share in the political marketplace of ideas, and only one can survive, the loser goes the way of the Whigs.

The Institutionals don’t see the need to win elections. It is more cost effective for them to consistently get 40% of the dollars in the government trough, especially as the Democrats are better at enlarging that through. 40% of a 200% bigger trough is better than 60% of a 20% bigger trough. They have no incentive to fight for less. Its all about access to the dollars in the government trough. For them traditional American values are symbolic and lip service to them an important part of manipulating the electoral system.

The Tea Party thinks the trough is too big and want to down size it. They see elections as a means to get into a position to effect that reduction, which is itself secondary to reversing the power and over reach of the bureaucratic welfare state and the restoration of traditional American values. They are committed to winning.

Is it any wonder that these Republicans are at war with one another?

Republicans are not the only ones waging civil war. The Democrats are having a similar internecine struggle. Once again it is the Institutional Democrats against the Socialist Democrats. All Democrats are Socialists, but one wing of the party sees Socialism as merely a means to grow the government trough, and the other intends to establish a true Marxist-Leninist totalitarian state.

So who’s going to win? The Institutionals of both parties are merely political hacks guarding the government trough, and will fight ruthlessly to defend their income and their perks. They have the largest numbers already strongly entrenched in positions of power. They are dangerous and cunning and are fighting for their lives.

The Marxist-Leninists are deeply entrenched in the bureaucracy and wield the behind the scenes levers of power. In addition, they are fanatics who, as history has often shown, display a brutal callousness and a reckless willingness to employ extreme violence without regard to consequences.

Conservatives, both affiliated with the Republican Party, the Tea Party and the majority of the American people comprise a vast reservoir of quiet, understated strength and are the largest minority of politically active people in the country. Increasingly they understand the danger from the Marxist-Leninist Left and from the Institutional Elites and are willing to take some kind of action to protect and promote their interests. This was demonstrated by the overwhelming support for ChickFil-A and Duck Dynasty. Get these people to move and they will carry the country with them.

These are the “Silent Majority” of the 1970’s and the growing cohort of people who love the Constitution, understand what it means and want the Constitutional government that once existed, and are very afraid and angry at the subversion of all they believe and hope for.

It is theses people, their values, hopes and aspirations that the Republican Party must either lead or be destroyed by irrelevance.

Cross posted at Republican Club of the Foothills.

Over at Unified Patriots Vassar Bushmills has a legthy post laying out lessons learned from the Phil Robertson victory over A&E, GLAAD and Politically Correct Gaystapo machine. It was a huge victory, no doubt about it, and that in two ways.

First, Roberts told the plain unvarnished Biblical Truth he has always supported and proclaimed. He then let the vile forces of Political Correctness dash themselves to pieces on the unshakeable facts; he didn’t have to do battle to prove the facts, they stood for themselves. Believe the Bible or not, the text is undeniably clear and self evidently says what it says.

Second, the public groundswell of support for Phil and what he stands for proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the spittle flecked screaming meemies of the PC Left are despised by the overwhelming majority of Americans, whether Christian believers or not. And, significantly, that the Left is a tiny minority of Americans that have achieved their position of dominance by being meaner and louder than the vast majority of people who practice ordinary civility. Not only are the lunatics of the Left outnumbered, when the public has had a belly full they can and will stand up and squash them like the insects they are.

All these years we, the conservative majority, have been restrained by learned helplessness that capitalized on our good manners and sense of fair play. Common decency and politeness almost defeated us. Almost defeated doesn’t count for much in war. So, back to Vassar and the point of the article . . .

Here are Robert’s rules for victory against the Totalitarian Left as defined by Vassar:

All we have to do is follow Phil’s “rules on war.”

Mr Robertson’s (I’m older than he is) strategy is simple:

1) Never say anything you don’t mean and you’ll never have to apologize. Besides, it’s a sign of weakness. (John Wayne, Leroy Jethro Gibbs).

2) Stand by your words, even if it hurts as it sometimes may. Be prepared to pay a price, but never retreat. They won’t always surrender, but neither will you. (See Sun Tzu, above.) So calculate ahead, but never be impulsive. Be sure you’re right, then go ahead. (Davy Crockett). You’ve never played the game until you’ve played for more than you can afford to lose. (Steve McQueen), but if you are right on all the right things, you can never lose. (Jesus)

3) Never misstate facts or lie and never get angry, for that makes you equal to them. It gives them an edge. You can never win a battle in which you’re angry. (Vinnie and Augie)

4) Know exactly what or who your targets are. Things, ideas, are better targets than people. Try not to personalize it. Defend Honor, Truth, God, Justice, Integrity, and attack lies, meanness, indifference, cowardice, and sin. This way they will personalize it instead of you, giving you the upper hand. The enemy will come out of the woodwork just to challenge you, only the first words out of their mouths will always be lies, for they have to distort what you said just to get a good running start. They can’t help it. Make them personalize it and they will lie, and you will win. (Vassar Bushmills)

There it is, simple as pie.

I am not an extrovert and a lover of fighting a la Andrew Breitbart, to search out public gatherings of Leftist lunatics just so I can toss grenades at them, but I do have my little ways. For one thing, you could go over the web store and buy one of my patented, Make A Leftie’s Head Explode T-shirts. I’d really appreciate that.

Cross posted at Republican Club of the Foothills.

But at least, According To Hoyt, she needs more.  In essence, Sarah A. Hoyt points out that the current crop of totalitarian wannabes are sowing the seeds of their own destruction by dint of massive incompetence.  Oh, and not controlling ALL of the means of communication.  And you know what?  She’s right.

Their vote fraud mechanism was just as strong when they got a drubbing in 2010.

Also, the idea that they will hold power forever and ever is based on the idea that they will be minimally competent.

What is that you say?  Well, the Nazis and the communists were in a different position.  The Nazis were minimally competent, and the communists moved in on people’s who were used to being pushed around.  (And we’re only going to consider Russia here, and maybe China, because after that they had Russia and China to help and their “takeovers” partook the characteristics of an invasion more than a revolution.)

More both had something that our gang doesn’t have: total control of the means of communication.

Yes, yes, it’s fashionable to hang your head and look sorrowful and say something like “their advantage in propaganda is overwhelming.”

I’ll give you their advantage in propaganda is very great particularly over the very, very dumb – how on Earth could a man saying that he gave preference to women’s resumes become the “binders full of women” attack the left made it?  Easy.  Chickies – and yes, these creatures are chickies, not women – want to go along with the flock and chip chip chip in chorus – but even there it has limits.

Communists and Nazis kept power (and can keep power) only by having iron control over all means of communication, including person to person.

For instance, yesterday I noted that there were the usual trolls out saying that the reason labor force participation is falling is that “the boomers are retiring.”  Let alone the fact that no boomer I know – and this includes some in NYC who really, really, really want to, before the publishing houses they work for collapse under them – is retiring. They can’t afford to.  I think at the rate our labor force participation is falling, boomers would need to be retiring at an unprecedented rate, and it would need to include my cohort who are NOT boomers and who will be aggregated to the boomers ONLY under total anesthesia.  Who also aren’t old enough to retire let alone not being able to afford it.

Again, the numbers coming out are lovely, but you’d have to believe them over the phone call from uncle Vinnie who has been unemployed for three years, despite his top skills.  You’d need to believe them over your Monster.com job search.

They can say the unemployment rate is falling like a stone, and it’s not that bad for college educated, but salaries are at best holding steady, if you browse the job adds (a good way to get the zeitgeist) for professions where you know what they pay, you see pay falling, and you know – because you’re not as dumb as a cabbage – that it’s a buyer’s market out there.

Which means you’re being lied to.

Even ind deepest, darkest Mordor Sam Gamgee, upon seeing a star shining in the darkness, points out to weary, dispirited Frodo, that the power of evil cannot ever conquer all.  There is always a higher realm which not only cannot be conquered, but cannot be touched by the power of evil.

We who can be touched (and I do mean TOUCHED!) need to remember that our origin and our destiny are Love and Light.  To the extent that hold to those, and live them no matter the cost, we will win through.

I recently listened to a podcast in which the authors of the “Leading With Honor – Leadership lessons from the Hanoi Hilton.”  Now THAT was a hard school.  One of the takeaways from that is that those who died were those who lost hope; those who survived were able to maintain hope.  BTW, I have ordered the book and look forward to reading it with dread (I am certain that some of those stories will make me wince, tender, sensitive soul that I am).

Our Republic will survive this crisis if we keep faith with her in thought, word, and deed.  If you love your Republic you can keep it.

Why, thanks!  I believe I will.

Creative Minority Report notes the disingenuous and absurd notions floating around regarding the discussion of ‘gay marriage.‘  How do they ever expect to have a rational debate when they behave like this?  Well, never; that’s the point.

I find it very odd that homosexuality is viewed as being either one kind of monolithic thing or another: either ‘choice’ or ‘born that way.’ I’ve known a lot of people over the years and I’ve noticed that homosexuals, like other folks, are not identical. Given that human beings are enormously complex creatures any effort to lump such a varied phenomena as human behavior in that way is ridiculous and patently false. There are probably a thousand factors that influence that outcome in various ways and in differing degrees, and their combination produces an even more varied etiology.  Of course this is done to facilitate argument and cast one side or the other in ‘good’ vs. ‘bad.’   Which establishes the Exclusion of the Third logical fallacy.

I have heard it said that 80% of prostitutes were sexually abused as little girls, and the other 20% don’t remember. Given the high levels of childhood sexual abuse that actually exists in society, why is this never spoken of as a likely formative element in those who practice a homosexual life style? Of course we would never want to attribute that to the push to normalize sex by adults with children, particularly those advocating lowering the age of consent; why, that would be racist or something. An honest discussion would raise this issue, and others.

I have known men who practiced elements of the homosexual life style and who were married to women and raising families they loved. These men struggled to remain faithful to their marriage vows and I respected them for continuing to try to live up to their ideals.

Finally, on ‘gay marriage:’ If marriage were nothing more than a sentimental fashion accessory to perfectly set off an ideal romance, I would have no problem with ‘gay marriage.’ Marriage, at least among reasonably mature adults, is not that. Marriage is the by far preeminent method by which humans create a stable environment in which to provide for the physical survival of children and to transmit human culture to the next generation. Homosexual unions are inherently infertile (Duh!). Further, they are legitimately seen as inimical to normal behavior (‘normal’ is defined as what usually happens, transgressive behavior practiced by only 3.5% or so of the population is legitimately seen as aberrant) because it undermines community standards which require tremendous commitment and ongoing effort to maintain, thus threatening the society as a whole.

Which is not to say the anybody afflicted with Same Sex Attraction Disorder is evil.  All alike are fallen creatures and exemplify that in many, many ways.  People so afflicted must be respected as human beings, this is non-negotiable.  This does not in any way imply that that we should tolerate their vices, nor that we be silent about those vices. Here’s a useful distinction: tolerance always applies to persons, never to bad ideas; intolerance always applies to bad ideas, never to persons.  It most certainly does not legitimize those vices even when bad law requires me to do so; that those who promote toleration for vice expect others to praise it as virtue is at best sloppy thinking.

Some, but not nearly as much as you might think.  The encroachments of the burgeoning police state have reduced us to virtual slavery.

The Washington Blog documents a long list of infringements our government has inflicted on our liberty as Americans and as human beings.

The good news:

The 3rd Amendment prohibits the government forcing people to house soldiers:

No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Hey … we’re still honoring one of the Amendments! Score one for We the People!

That’s it.  Read the article and the supporting documentation, and weep.

Evidently this video is from a hearing in Ohio in which they are trying to discover why there was such a whopping difference between the exit polls and the actual vote.

Over at the Belmont Club there is an extensive discussion of defiance of the currently ascendant Left.  I think it is entirely appropriate to take a stand against the principles and methods of the Left using whatever means are not actually evil acts in themselves.  So I add my two cents by offering for sale these T-shirts which can be obtained at my online store over here.  Here is a pic of the shirt:

Well, I had a hard time finding it anyway, but maybe my computer is just buggy.  Anyhow, I had downloaded it and so I pass it on to you:

There is another series of videos of him under his assumed Canadian name of Thomas Schuman giving a lecture in 1983 in Los Angeles.

This handy little primer on Community Organizing could come in really handy for those interested.