Would That Be So Bad?

With the world falling apart in front of us and Leftists assaulting every sacred and historically treasured traditional value while asserting that the dismantling of our culture is “progressive”, what if we challenged the notion that “there’s no going back”?

What if we were to withdraw our troops from all of our foreign bases and let Russia and China fight it out for hegemony and see what it’s like to be the world’s policeman, getting bogged down in endless wars and, unlike us out of largesse, squandering their resources on attempted world domination?

What if we were to perfect Reagan’s original Star Wars Strategic Defense Initiative, i.e. reproducing the Enterprise’s “shields up”- and photon torpedoes capabilities so as to negate or obliterate anything our adversaries could throw at us?

What if we were to withdraw to secure borders and become completely self-reliant and self-sufficient as we have with oil? Suppress the horror and revulsion that leaps to mind when a 55” flat screen television suddenly but temporarily costs $3,000 again instead of $500. Instead, imagine “Made in the U.S.A.” instead of “China” or “Mexico” on just about everything we buy and consume. And Bass Weejuns were once again made in Maine.

What if we were to withdraw from the United Nations and establish a new organization of free, democratic countries and emerging nations that subscribe to our federalist-constitutional-‘meritocratic’  approach to government and society?

What if we were to roll back the welfare/nanny state and restore an “everybody needs to pull their weight” culture? What if we were to dismantle the safety nets and nanny protections that have made all of us soft-in-the-belly and turned Millennials and Gen Z into snowflakes? How bad would it be if they had to actually work hard and produce things of real value?

What if we were to reduce the size of the Federal government by half? Would we miss having six different departments massaging the same numbers and producing meaningless (and misleading) reports that cast them in 6 x 6 different ways?

What if we were to eliminate abortion-on-demand, restore marriage to what it is and has been for thousands of years, and truly “eliminate welfare as we know it”? Would families matter again? Would “taking care of one’s own” be so bad as they, and their communities, came together to help one another out of necessity because the government handout offices would be closed?

What if continence and self-control, a restored respect for one another in male-female relationships were restored. What if the natural consequences, including stigma attached to divorce, abortion, broken families, of immorality were to come back? Would these constraints on our “anything goes so long as it feels good or doesn’t interfere with what I want at the moment” approach toward life be destructive or beneficial?

What if were to eliminate tenure and “retire-after-twenty-years-with-rest-of-life pensions-and-100%-healthcare-benefits-coverage” and restore the teaching profession to the noble one it once was? What if we taught kids to read using common sense phonics instead of “whole word” recognition. What if we went back to teaching arithmetic and insist there are right and wrong answers rather than “good tries”? What if we only gave real winners trophies? And what if we could once again celebrate victories instead of falling over backwards to ensure that losers’ feelings weren’t hurt? What if we were to show the movie “Rudy” to kids instead of some documentary on turning algae into fuel?

What if we once again started the school day with the Pledge of Allegiance, and allowed assemblies and the start of sporting events to be opened with prayer? And allowed the Star Spangled Banner to be sung at public events?

What if we didn’t reprimand kids for sitting “indian style” on the floor instead of “criss cross applesauce”?

What if we were to celebrate nuclear families again instead of “non-traditional” families? And what if we were to put the “boys” and “girls” or “men” and “women” signs back on bathroom doors?

Would that be so bad?

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts numerous times, our society seems so hell bent on meeting the needs of the few that we overlook, neglect and harm the many.

Real Men Don’t Eat Kale

As the barbs, insults, name-calling and bitter incivility continue to spiral out of control today, I continue to predict that ultimately the conflict will not be between Left and Right, not between Liberals and Conservatives, not between Democrats and Republicans, not even between Secular Progressives and Traditionalists, but between Mars and Venus, i.e. men and women.

With apologies to Bruce Feirstein, whose 1982 best selling book, “Real Men Don’t Eat Quiche” sold several million copies, I submit an update…

I can’t pinpoint when it all started, but I think it was about the time that men started wearing cologne. Not Old Spice after shave, mind you, but Hai Karate, Brut, English Leather and other scents to cover up how we smell. Gone was spray Right Guard; in came a million varieties of anti-perspirant/odor eliminating sprays, gels, powders, roll-ons…all guaranteed to turn the armpits of your white tee-shirts into a brownish/aluminum-ish mess. I guess that was back in the late 50’s or early 60’s.

Today, there are men who actually utter the words “duvet”. No self-respecting man should EVER use that word!

And no Real Man eats avocado toast…

Or kale…no kale…

Or orders vegetables on his pizza, except bell peppers, onions or garlic.

Or drinks blush/rosé wine…

And Real Men don’t get caught dead buying scented soap in a dispenser! Give me a bar of LAVA or lye soap I can roll around in my hands!

Navy blue sweaters are ok. So help me…if I hear a man say he has bought or says he’s wearing a periwinkle sweater, I’ll barf.

Real men actually set the thermostats in their homes using the interval timers. Women, whose body thermostats are fundamentally deficient, must have up or down control…

Real Men grill, they do not sautée.

Real men eat steak, burgers, fries, and drink beer. Fine wine, red or white, bourbon or scotch whether single malt or blends are just fine. Real Men do NOT drink apple-tinis!

Real men do not drive hybrids or all-electric cars.

Real men do not own dogs that hop when they bark (those aren’t dogs, they’re hors d-oeuvres). Real men own Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds, Labradors, Bernese Mountain Dogs, German Shorthairs… and for Pete’s sake, Real Men refuse to acquire or own designer dogs (which are basically mutts) like Maltie Poos, and Lhasa Poos, Sheltie Poos…as far as I’m concerned, they’re all poo!

And real men support the 2nd Amendment whether or not they own guns themselves.

There’s only one convention of modern man that I’ll allow…it’s ok to put the toilet seat back down in a public, (say restaurant) restroom if it’s also used by women. But if it’s a guys only toilet (to the extent they still exist..groan…), leave the damn seat up ok?

All that said, there’s nothing wrong with being a GENTLEMAN. Be prepared to be scowled at if you hold a door open for a femi-nazi, but do it anyway. And yes, you should give up your seat to an elderly man or woman on the bus. You know, all the rules we were taught growing up. Real Men still follow them.

One of the best quotes I’ve ever read on manhood comes from Garrett J. White:

“A man who is more concerned with being a good man than being good at being a man makes a very well behaved slave!”

Fist bump Garrett…

Lies and Damned Lies

Failing to convince half the country that its ideology is replete with “progressive” truth and right, the Left now bypass nuance or even lip-service to honesty and just outright lie to our faces.

I’ve previously railed against economists and statisticians, so I’ll leave off the last third of Mark Twain’s famous statement: “There are three kinds of lies in the world: lies, damned lies and statistics.” I’m going to focus on the first two, which are rampantly manifest in virtually every form of media: print, radio, video and social medium.

It used to be called “spin”. In business schools around the country is was called “creative misrepresentation”. In its most benign form, it was called “casting the facts in the best light”.

Today it’s unvarnished, unsubtle lies.

The Left, masters of form over function, appearance versus reality and impression-creation, use media to touch the heartstrings and sensibilities of “root for the underdog” -fundamentally-good-people, convincing them that their causes and crusades are fair and just, and anything that opposes them are immoral.

It’s not just political theater. It’s mass manipulation.

With great drama and conviction, the Left proclaims as facts things they themselves know are false.

By repeating the lies over and over again, progressively (.sic) increasing the volume level and saturating the media with them, the Left seeks to steamroller their ideology over truth. Even truths that would be obvious and clear to any thinking human being are crushed by the onslaught.

I’m not going to a provide a laundry list of examples…to anyone reading this who has half a brain, the lies are obvious. Rather, I’m going to suggest two approaches for dealing with them depending on whether a) one just wants to be left alone to do what he or she knows is right or b) be an aggressive defender of and fighter for the truth.

For those of us who are simply too busy working hard, raising our families, supporting our neighbors and communities, and who aren’t news junkies suffering continuous blood pressure spikes, here’s my simple advice. IGNORE it all! Just keep doing what’s right, teaching your children the real truth, gently (if possible) correcting the nonsense they’re being taught at school, keep the tv turned off, and to the extent possible, ban all forms of social media from cell phones, tablets, laptops and other conduits to the superhighway of falsehoods called the internet.

For those of us who want to fight…put on the strongest psychological armor you possess, arm yourself with anecdotes, quips, one-liners and witty rejoinders (remember, facts will get you nowhere), and learn how to manipulate THEIR sensibilities and tug on THEIR heart strings. Take acting lessons if you have to, because you’re going to have to clothe yourself in sheep’s clothing while masking the disposition and determination of a wolf. Better yet, become strong enough to be a lion, afraid of no-one, impervious to the slings and arrows that will come at you from a hundred directions. Be prepared to see friends turn into enemies, family members shun you.

Join with others of like mind. There are closet conservatives and traditionalists everywhere…you just have to seek them out. Avoid the temptation to participate in rant sessions. Although the therapeutic value and catharsis of being able to speak freely, condemning with gusto what you know to be Leftist drivel, is great, it doesn’t get us anywhere.

Rather, by word and example cling to, espouse, demonstrate and exude traditional values and principles. Tell the truth. Mind your manners. Speak softly but carry a big stick (something like the guy called Negan had in The Walking Dead) in case you need it. Dress not to impress or to draw attention to yourself (that’s what the Left in its desperation for attention does) but in such a way as to say, “I’m not a fashion hound, I don’t care what the latest and greatest label is”. I also urge you to flee from the slavery of tech…pull out your handheld device only when absolutely necessary, and insist that your kids put a governor on their use as well.

Finally, I urge you to pray to whichever God you know for guidance, wisdom, strength and the ability to fight.

One step at a time…it’s a long way back up the slippery slope.