Prufrockian Paralysis

  
Amid the ranting and raving of the past few days I discovered a “new” word, at least to me, that absolutely describes our commander in chief. If you understand and use the adjective Prufrockian on a daily basis you will find this post contributes little additional knowledge and you have permission to move on to a more productive enterprise.

First let’s have a little background on the word to bring everyone up to speed. This eponym is from a work by T.S. Eliot, penned in 1910, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.” The following is lifted from “linguaphile” web site—just Google it—and captures some popular attitudes coming from the oval office.

“Prufrock, the aging hero of Eliot's 1915 poem, is haunted by his cautious, hesitant approach to life and his conforming existence,

"I have measured out my life with coffee spoons."

He wonders about the possible romances he didn't dare broach,

"Do I dare disturb the universe?"

If only he knew Tennyson's 1850 lines:

"'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.’”

The actual definition then becomes:

‘Marked by timidity and indecisiveness, and beset by unfulfilled aspirations.’

Superficially we see Obama as the purveyor of strong, well thought words. When the crutch of the teleprompter is removed and close examination of the actual language is exercised we see the life “….measured …. with coffee spoons.” No less an issue than the prosecution of the war in Afghanistan is required to make this association.

His ultimate aspirations are not easily identified but are without doubt, unfulfilled. The constant dithering is abundantly apparent and demonstrates his indecisiveness. His reluctance to make a sound, sure decision then satisfies the timidity requirement to completely fulfill the Prufrockian definition. This is not opinion but observable fact. It is lazy to accept that because a man can successfully dress himself, speak (assisted) with golden words in well thought, clever phrases (undoubtedly supplied by others), and maintain a façade of happy family life that it reveals a tower of strength in his inner character. The lack of well-defined action on the war front of Afghanistan is the key to the chimera.

One of the common words in reporting on war is “action.” Killed in action, missing in action, after action reports, bravery in action, are easily understood phrases in reported news from a battlefront. Action then is understood as one of essential synonyms for war. The history of warfare is often a recital of what was not done rather than that which was accomplished. Failure to seize a moment, failure to retreat when necessary, failure to press on, failure to exercise existing resources, are part of the pattern of success or defeat on a battlefield or in a campaign as a whole. Unlike a run for the presidency, where the means to the result can be surreptitiously concealed, wars are mostly calculated by obvious body counts and easily observed territorial acquisition at the maximum cost to the enemy.

Americans for generations have responded to decisive leadership, firm resolve and brave men who have led them to victorious heights. These men have been willing to suffer life-lasting wounds and death to achieve impossible victories when led by leaders with the courage of their convictions and faith in those they lead. All of this was in the name of preserving the republic for their progeny. They do not fight for cap and trade, universal health care, diversity, or any of the other pap which is presented as a noble goal but is in reality a further abridgement of freedom. They fight, inspired by sound leadership, for the freedom to do as they damn well please. It’s called liberty!

J. Alfred Prufrock has no place in any leadership position in the United States of America. We require stout hearted people in charge with an unencumbered understanding of the laws of the land and the will to carry them out. We further require that they understand the mind and will of the people.

In His abiding love,

Cecil Moon

What’s in a Name

  
I am going to pound this thought until we are sick and tired of reading it and achieve the just ends which will be the result. It is imperative that we stop pussy-footing around and assign the proper nomenclature to people who commit attacks upon the United States.. It becomes increasingly obvious to all thinking persons that Maj. Hasan was a dedicated Islamic terrorist who, in the name of jihad callously murdered a dozen random Americans and wounded thirty-one. In an obvious and ongoing process, he repeatedly demonstrated his hatred of the country and all the noble goals his fellow citizens had sought over history and currently.

The path followed by those officers in command and those close to him in the Army shames the service of every man who ever served. That route was cluttered with failure to identify his goals of jihad and his false allegiance to America and its people. In total it was a childish response to an adult problem. Maybe if we cover our ears and don’t listen; if we shield our eyes and don’t see; if we don’t speak ill of a fellow officer; then, perhaps, it will all “go away.” This is how children escape the boogie man. Our Army has a noble history of confronting impossible odds and overcoming our enemies in battle. Apparently the vigilance required in combat has not carried over to stateside duty.

The only way to bestow appropriate honor to those who died at Fort Hood is to STOP IT! Stop the practice of putting icing in pretty colors on pieces of offal who slaughter our troops and defame our traditions. Man up and admit that the system failed—and then make the necessary corrections. Have the courage to call a traitor a traitor and earn the leadership designation which you are tasked to accomplish. If, as an officer, you are reluctant to protect your men, defend the constitution, and have vision beyond your own narrow confines—get the hell out! Make way for those men and women who understand honor, duty, and service to the country without exceptions to accommodate the possibly offended.

Lest you see excessive criticism of the officers of the Army as the goal of this essay, let me assure you that I hold in equal contempt the media, congress, the administration, and that portion of the citizenry who share their dangerous reluctance to call a spade a spade. When you see a man standing with two smoking pistols amid a pile of dead and wounded bodies, how can you use the term “alleged” to describe that individual? That becomes dishonesty in the extreme. How much proof is required to identify an action for what it was—cowardice and premeditated murder!

Those who have come forward with various observations about the previous behavior of the perpetrator of this outrage need to be questioned as well. Did they report the activities of Hasan to their superior officers? Did the FBI follow up on their investigation? Obviously not! Words have meaning but only if they are heard and understood. To dismiss the obvious and not follow up is dereliction of duty as surely as falling asleep on guard duty. How many twin towers, recruiter deaths and Fort Hoods will it take to awaken us to the Islamic threat to our republic? We are at war. If we continue on this road, these rag heads are going to succeed in their avowed intention of killing us all.

I hold no interest in the subtle differences of various sects within the larger body of Islamic believers. When faced with a determinative separation of the nuanced validity and intention of each individual body within the group I tend to lean toward the “kill ‘em all and let God sort ‘em out” school. Their commonality lies in the much verified truth that superior force is about the only thing they understand. For the doubters I would suggest a review of the extremely successful “surge” tactic which provided a large measure of success in Iraq. Once they became convinced that they faced a powerful enemy with virtually unlimited resources they became docile and susceptible to self-governance. Have we learned nothing?

We have learned some valuable lessons here on this bluff top home tucked away in the Ozarks.. One of our primary priorities is to kill each and every Copperhead we come across. You may now send PETA and the rest of the sob-sisters to protest our cruel attitude. While I am quick to admire their ability to become camouflaged in leaves, I do not wish to endure the pain which can be inflicted by failing to see one. If they are no longer present, they cannot bite. It is as simple as that. Any excursion on our twenty acre patch carries the obligation to be armed. We have also learned to trust the warning grandpa gave that “they never die until sundown.” We do not tolerate a threat to our family. The parallels to Islamic extremists are all too clear. Perhaps the government might learn a thing or two from the hicks in the sticks.

If we do not immediately dispense with the notion that hurtful speech will kill us before an attack by Muslim extremists we shall wind up the losers. As a people, we are used to confronting evil nations. We are going to have to learn that concepts, ideas, and ideology are an equal if not a superior threat. If we cannot wrap our minds around that thought, we are doomed to failure as a nation and as a people. Each citizen needs to understand this thoroughly before we can go forth and continue to succeed as a republic. The time has come to put our political correctness in the trash bin of history and speak the truth.


In His abiding love,

Cecil Moon

“Jihad Denial Syndrome” Exposed

  
This piece is copied directly from an email received this morning from Act! For America, a conservative web site dedicated to the salvation of America.

”The facts are emerging. The warning signs were there. Story after story is breaking new information. Even some in the “establishment media,” such as ABC News, have produced news segments revealing the evidence that Nidal Hasan was a radical Islamist.

The FBI had seen warning signs and so had the CIA and the Joint Terrorism Task Force. Numerous fellow officers had witnessed Hasan make statements, even during presentations he gave, that should have set off alarm bells. Some of the latest news to come out is that Hasan had been in communication with an al Qaeda imam — and authorities knew it and dismissed Hasan’s contacts with the conclusion that he was doing “research” for a thesis!

The tapestry of jihad being pieced together has prompted Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman to call for hearings to investigate who knew what, when, and why action was not taken.

How is it possible that so many warning signs and red flags were ignored, rationalized, or dismissed? There are at least two reasons.

The first is that too many in leadership in our country, whether in government, the military, or counter terrorism, do not want to connect the dots between the jihadist ideology, so clearly permeating the holy books of Islam, and the act of jihad.

ACT! has been exposing this failure ever since its founding. Dr. Walid Phares, during his presentation at the American Congress for Truth webcast conference “Radical Islam’s Threat to America” (held this past Saturday), stated astonishingly that eight years after 9/11 there is still widespread denial in our government about who the enemy is and why the enemy acts as he does.

This may help explain why, on the day of the Ft. Hood massacre, the FBI released a statement declaring “this was not a terrorist act.” How could they “rush to judgment” with such a faulty claim so quickly? Answer: “Jihad Denial Syndrome.”

The second reason is linked to the first, which we discussed in our email alert yesterday — a culture of political correctness. College campuses, Hollywood and television, and much of the “establishment media” are principal drivers of this culture of political correctness. In this worldview, there is a denial of fact and evidence that literally boggles the mind.

Our jihadist enemies throughout the world don’t hide the jihadist ideology — they celebrate it. It’s there for the entire world to see — if it wants to. Too many of our leaders don’t want to.

Another enforcer of this political correctness is organizations like CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations. For years CAIR has bullied, browbeat, intimidated and smeared anyone who dares to speak the truth about radical Islam. See our petition calling for a government investigation of CAIR.

Last Thursday night, CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad denounced the violence — and then emphasized that this had nothing to do with Islam. So did other representatives of other Islamist organizations. In other words, they didn’t denounce the Islamist, jihadist ideology that led to the violence. Indeed, they in effect denied such an ideology existed. Awad was crystal clear when he stated, falsely, that no religion or ideology could justify such an atrocity.

And in doing so these Islamist enforcers of political correctness fired a warning shot across the bow of the media, the military and the government. They were making it clear that politically correct “Jihad Denial Syndrome” must be adhered to.

Eleven days ago ACT! for America launched a national petition calling for a government investigation of CAIR, due to the mounting revelations of CAIR misdeeds and ties to terrorist organizations. This petition is even more important now, in the aftermath of Ft. Hood. Why? Because America can no longer afford to be held hostage to a politically correct “Jihad Denial Syndrome” by a terrorist-tainted organization like CAIR.

This is why we continue to urge you, if you haven’t already done so, to sign our petition calling for a government investigation of CAIR.

Senator Lieberman is doing the right thing by convening hearings to investigate the Ft. Hood terrorist act. We can’t change the culture of political correctness overnight, or the “Jihad Denial Syndrome” that political correctness has helped spawn. But we are not powerless. There are actions we can take. Join us today in signing the petition calling for a government investigation of CAIR.”

We at Zion Beckons absolutely agree with this appraisal and urge you to heed their warnings and not be subject to the politically correct versions which are so readily available.



In His abiding love,

Cecil Moon

“None Dare Call It Treason”

“As long as capitalism and socialism exist we cannot live in peace; in the end, one or the other will triumph—a funeral dirge will be sung over either the Soviet Republics or over world capitalism.” V.I. Lenin

Lenin wrote these words which may now seem archaic and inappropriate. On the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the subsequent apparent fall of communism in Eastern Europe we need to reexamine this ongoing struggle.

John A. Stormer wrote his classic None Dare Call it Treason in 1964 to address the ennui of our populace to the threat posed by world communism. It sold well over a million copies and successfully alerted many but not all Americans to the dangers inherent in that vile alternative to capitalism and the despotism required to sustain it. In some quarters it was treated as a hysterical reaction to the progressive cause despite voluminous footnotes and references sustaining the author’s assertions. It also served as a timely alert to millions of Americans by plainly defining the threats mounted against capitalism and the liberty to pursue it.

These threats, although bearing many different identifiers, are unified in purpose if not in nomenclature. Communism, socialism, progressivism, new world order, Maoism, all have one thing in common: state control of every aspect of their followers lives. At that point, they all become fascism. The price is clearly the sacrifice of individual freedom to gain “equality” of availability of resources. A former president once said: “a rising tide raises all boats.” That is certainly true when viewed from a capitalist perspective but when universal dispersal is involved it could as easily be said that “an ebb tide lowers all boats.”

Like most altruistic goals, socialism results in great wealth and power placed in the hands of the leadership at the expense of the people. Once deprived of control of their own destinies, they find their resources delivered to the state for redistribution. The dispersement then becomes one for the people and one for the state. Wealth then is concentrated at the top with resultant cost to the providers. This fiction then continues with platitudes such as “each according to his needs.” In most cases, the state takes and rarely delivers.

Theoretically, we are a society governed by laws and not men. We, because of those laws, do not actually require a charismatic leader to be successful. Even the most clumsy and inept of those who have occupied the oval office have, by law, been replaced eventually by those who restored that same rule. However, each has left a legacy of advancing socialism and a taint of malpractice. This then, defines “creeping socialism.” Social security, Great Society, Community Reinvestment Act—gifts from Roosevelt, Johnson and Carter—are typical of advances made by progressive presidents to the detriment of the republic. We continue to suffer from their enactment and still carry the pain which they caused.

Law and principle survive from generation to generation as the leaders perish. The further we travel from the successful original principles as ordained by the founders, the closer we come to anarchy and the failure of our government.

Added to the mix of names for the enemies of the capitalist state we now find Islamic Fascism. Misunderstanding the wording of the 1st Amendment to the Constitution, we have become tolerant of an all-out assault on the nation in the name of Allah. Our principal enemy then becomes political correctness which clouds the language, and therefore cloaks the villains. The lead picture above demonstrates the horrible consequences which result from respecting ignorant psychobabble over common horse sense.

The enemies of our republic are not always identified as easily as panzer divisions, air armadas, and great fleets of assault vessels have been in the past. We face a far more insidious threat and our leaders are reluctant to “call it treason.” Our sacred constitution is under assault as surely as if it were torched. If we, in the name of tolerance, allow it to continue, we shall surely be consumed as well. God help us all.


In His abiding love,

Cecil Moon

Monday Morning Rant 118

A general statistic of interest has been revealed on recent examination of the StatCounter. Zion Beckons readers are largely absent between the hours of 12:01 am and 12:01 pm on Sundays. I am heartened that you all have much more important things to do within that time frame than read our ramblings. Preparation for attendance at the church of your inclination takes precedence over anything which the miscreants in D.C. could possibly dream up.

Thank you all for reinforcing my belief that you are a faithful and God fearing bunch. That still leaves us 156 hours a week to excoriate the practitioners of the political black arts. They present a fat and lazy target for our disdain. We can even forgive your inattention during the rest of Sunday as you cheer on your favorite gridiron warriors. However, we do expect to see you return after 10:00 pm in the evening.

What’s Up with the Jews?

It has always struck me as strange that a people so persecuted by National Socialism in Germany could go on to embrace socialism in its various versions in other governments. The holocaust resulted in the incarceration of millions of Jews and the accompanying deaths of 6-7 million during the period leading up to and including WWII. When we ignore the pogroms and the horrors of the concentration camps we find an industrious people with inbred talents for entrepreneurship and financial dealings. Socialism is anathema to either ability.

What then, drives them as a people to embrace every lunatic socialist (Marxist) who comes down the pike. On day-to-day social issues, gay marriage, suicide, euthanasia, they continue as the most liberal demographic. Starting with Franklin Roosevelt here in America, they have provided a dependable voting block for Democrats and creeping socialism. Today, according to David Klinghoffer, “An Obama bumper sticker, whether in Hebrew or English, says ‘I’m smart. I’m enlightened.’” Personally, I’d say they would be better to just put a sticker on the seat of their pants which says, “Kick me.”

It sometimes appears that the primary support for the independent state of Israel is to be found in the sanctuaries of evangelical protestant churches. There seems to be a disconnect between the heroic historical figures who fought so valiantly for the Jewish State and those Jews in this country who appear to dismiss it out of hand.

Embrace of socialism, through pleas of compassion, fall on deaf ears when they come from privileged Jewish academics and higher achieving members of the business community. Guilt born of achievement would come closer to an explanation. Contradictions such as these contribute to my confusion of what modern Judaism is all about. Even after review of some of these inconsistencies, I am still no closer to the answers I seek. In discussing any group, it pays to remember that generalizations are dangerous and of course no single person or faction speaks for the entirety.

TANSTAAFL!

It appears that failure to understand this acronym may be the root cause of the misrepresentation of the right wing loonies (that would be Granny and I) who are four square against messing with health delivery systems in the United States. For those who are not Hienlein fans, it is a quote from “The Moon is a Harsh Mistress” and states: “There aint no such thing as a free lunch.” 1.2 trillion dollars, the cost of recent legislation passed by the House, is about as far from a “free lunch” as we need to be..

16% of our total gross national product is huge. This sector of the economy accounts for $1 in every $6.66 that is spent in America. For every case of coke you buy that would be a dollar for health care. $666 for rent or mortgage payment would have $100 for our socialized medicine obligation—every month. If you fail to contribute to this massive pot, under the law, you would be subject to penalties up to and including serious jail time. Yes, you can be incarcerated for failure to comply.

Think of all the massive programs which already exist under the purview of the federal government, the defense establishment, the post office, the railroads, the administrative bureaucracy, plus—yes plus!—the sum total of state and local government spending plus the entire output of commercial interests in sales, services and manufacturing to come up with the gross national product. The result is the total of which the federal government, upon agreement by the senate, will have under their thumb. Given the experience you already have with governmental “efficiency” what could possibly go wrong?

Clearly understand that under current law if you show up at the emergency room with a missing leg they are under a legal obligation to render aid without regard to your financial ability to pay for your services. This is the “free lunch” which every American now enjoys. To further encumber the productive members of society with obligations and penalties will only further separate our peoples and create a drain on those who are the principal support for the existing system.

In many ways this program is a first cousin to Cash for Clunkers. Under that program, distressed manufacturers were allowed to redeem perfectly good transportation and destroy it to create a market. Under this program we will take our medical resources—among the best in the world—tear them apart, lose the practitioners, bury the system under an avalanche of paperwork and turn critical life lengthening matters over to bureaucrats and form shufflers. In the end, the real problems remain unsolved: interstate sales of health care plans, avaricious and unchecked trial lawyers, Medicare fraud and CYA excessive tests and treatments. Each of the former could be resolved with necessary and targeted legislation which is long over due.

This entire program is extracted from the unwritten book: How to Destroy America Without Firing a Shot. Regardless of any former stated senatorial position on this issue, you—yes you—need to be in constant touch with your senators to assure them that you are alert their actions. If their mailbox is not flooded and their phone lines are not jammed I promise they will follow their own self-interest and vote accordingly on this critical issue. If they are unwilling to include themselves in this legislation, through amendment, they simply demonstrate disregard for the electorate by separating themselves from the rabble—that would be YOU! We are long past “casual observation” in this matter as an effective ban to the systematic destruction of the country. What is required is a hands on effort by each and every American to bring this run-a-way train to a sudden stop. Smokey the Bear was absolutely right—Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires—and rampaging socialism.

And finally,

After a week-long drying period, the leaves are now cleared from the four acre lawn. The birds have returned to the feeder. We have two different rose bushes with absolutely full gorgeous blossoms. The temperatures have been at daylight highs of about 70 degrees, God’s in His heaven, and all’s right with the world.

Sunday marked the day we honored the veterans of wars reaching back to WWII. I was proud to stand with those men who offered everything to their country. To a man they stood tall and represented the most faithful contributors of time, talent and faith to the congregation. The oldest was eighty-two (WW II) and the youngest, at nineteen, a fresh recruit in the Army. During a horrible week for the military it was a grand relief to be reminded that some have and still do understand their obligations to their country and their fellow citizens.


In His abiding love,


Cecil Moon