Seriously, what are we to do?

[LarryW]

I've lived through 13 Presidents and wonder what's next. As a country, we appear to be either at the bottom of a perceived hole (and still digging) or falling over the precipice of an even greater tragedy; the beginning of the end of American Democracy. We have come to this point by the work and failure of many hands, some proclaiming to be patriotic and others not giving a crap at all. The challenge is how to recover and rebuild our country before calamity sets in and we fail altogether. The latter is terrifying, regardless of your politics, as failing could mean the introduction of a holocaust grimmer than anything in history. This isn't the singular fault of BHO. He's just the dumb bastard who happens to be on watch right now. Our ship is headed for shoal water at a great speed, and our rudder is so very small. I need the optimism of youth and no longer have that.

What shall we or can we do? A resolution will be imposed. How do we control that inevitability? I can't readily see the answer, for I have lived through 13 Presidents.

[Dozer523]

Originally Posted by LarryW

I've lived through 13 Presidents and wonder what's next. As a country, we appear to be either at the bottom of a perceived hole (and still digging) or falling over the precipice of an even greater tragedy; the beginning of the end of American Democracy. We have come to this point by the work and failure of many hands, some proclaiming to be patriotic and others not giving a crap at all. The challenge is how to recover and rebuild our country before calamity sets in and we fail altogether. The latter is terrifying, regardless of your politics, as failing could mean the introduction of a holocaust grimmer than anything in history. This isn't the singular fault of BHO. He's just the dumb bastard who happens to be on watch right now. Our ship is headed for shoal water at a great speed, and our rudder is so very small. I need the optimism of youth and no longer have that.

What shall we or can we do? A resolution will be imposed. How do we control that inevitability? I can't readily see the answer, for I have lived through 13 Presidents.

Larry, it'll be okay. Just quit hanging out with NMAP so much.

[Knight]

I'm with ya in your concern LW. I see no way out, and I hate even saying that about anything. Everyday we continue to watch things deteriorate, and the administration, (whoever the puppet is at the time), seems to continue on the same path of inevitable destruction. I truly think that we need total reconstruction of our policies, both political and economic, and those who are in control of them. Question is, "How?".
I worry everyday about the future of our children, and of this Great Nation. It's a powder keg, with pressure building.

[LarryW]

Larry, it'll be okay. Just quit hanging out with NMAP so much.

LOL, thanks, Dozer. I needed that! TMI will be my end...either searching for it or lending it out ("lending" because it always comes back to haunt me).

Nothing would surprise me right now. Not the passing of our current condition like a fart in a whirlwind, not the sweeping horror of anarchy and collapse. Unfortunately I feel compelled to prepare for the extremes. The middle ground evades me.

[Team Sergeant]

Originally Posted by LarryW

I've lived through 13 Presidents and wonder what's next. As a country, we appear to be either at the bottom of a perceived hole (and still digging) or falling over the precipice of an even greater tragedy; the beginning of the end of American Democracy. We have come to this point by the work and failure of many hands, some proclaiming to be patriotic and others not giving a crap at all. The challenge is how to recover and rebuild our country before calamity sets in and we fail altogether. The latter is terrifying, regardless of your politics, as failing could mean the introduction of a holocaust grimmer than anything in history. This isn't the singular fault of BHO. He's just the dumb bastard who happens to be on watch right now. Our ship is headed for shoal water at a great speed, and our rudder is so very small. I need the optimism of youth and no longer have that.

What shall we or can we do? A resolution will be imposed. How do we control that inevitability? I can't readily see the answer, for I have lived through 13 Presidents.

This is where the United States of America is headed, at full speed....

http://directorblue.blogspot.com/200...e-america.html

[greenberetTFS]

Originally Posted by Team Sergeant

This is where the United States of America is headed, at full speed....

http://directorblue.blogspot.com/200...e-america.html

Excellent post TS,I learned something from it that scares me,the comparison is frightening....................

Big Teddy

[Red Flag 1]

Originally Posted by Team Sergeant

This is where the United States of America is headed, at full speed....

http://directorblue.blogspot.com/200...e-america.html

No doubt!!

The liberal agenda is in full court press. The dims are the front men; the power is from the ACLU. It touches everything that is our nation, including the press and education systems.

We hear way too much about the rights or criminals, that an execution should be painless, enemy combatants get their day in court, religious expression has become a vial utterance; the list is endless and growing. This is going on because it is allowed, and now expected to. I have come to believe that those who raise such issues really don't care about anything. Because the ACLU has paved the way for folks to bitch, they do so. The only conviction at play is that I have the ability and power to make you uncomfortable about your values and beliefs. An entire industry is at work with one goal, make others pay for core values of decent and responsible behavior; common sense is now a liability.

I have faith in our nation. I have faith in our citizens. I believe that there is a media ignored ground swell of outrage. Because we are the nation we are, changes will be made in the ballot box and not by violent overthrow. I guess a key here is to insure that our voting registration and votes cast actually reflect the desires of citizens. It took the US Supreme Court to tell al gore to sit down and shut up.....he still is a clueless national liability!!

Things will get better. It will take time and dedicated effort. We will loose for sure if we throw in the towel now.

My $.02.

RF 1

Originally Posted by LarryW

LOL, thanks, Dozer. I needed that! TMI will be my end...either searching for it or lending it out ("lending" because it always comes back to haunt me).

Nothing would surprise me right now. Not the passing of our current condition like a fart in a whirlwind, not the sweeping horror of anarchy and collapse. Unfortunately I feel compelled to prepare for the extremes. The middle ground evades me.

At some point you'll need to head West and remove yourself from the larger population bases. Bring that dog, a hunting rifle or shotgun.

You'd be welcomed as a Tribal Elder, we've got your back.

[craigepo]

Team daddy's post regarding argentina sounds exactly like the storyline from Atlas Shrugged. Pretty scary that Ayn Rand's story came true.
While worried, I am cautiously optimistic. I get out every day and talk to a lot of people. I find that the American people are mad and fed-up, with politicians from both parties. They are tired of american government that spends money like drunk sailors. As politicians generally act in a way to save their political careers, I look for the pendulum to swing back to the right politically.
One thing that we must have in this country is better candidates for office. I continually hear people complain that good people don't run for office. This takes recruitment (as well as the American citizenry to become involved in elections). If you don't know anybody who would make a good candidate, look in the mirror. You don't have to run for US Senate on your first go around---local government needs lots of help, and US politics mandates a farm-league approach to candidates. Trust me on one thing---there is a lot of money out there to fund good candidates, i.e. folks with good resumes, good character, and good ideas.
Sorry to babble for so long, but I spend so much time around government folks, and I see first-hand the effect of both good and bad public officials. One person can make a lot of difference. As Andrew Jackson said "One man with courage is a majority."

[CloseDanger]

Ferfal did one of the finest works I have read on surviving the collapse.

http://ferfal.blogspot.com/2008/10/t...ival-2005.html

Let's arm ourselves with knowledge to replace the dread of the inevitable.

[olhamada]

"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."
-- Thomas Jefferson

[Richard]

Historically - we've faced such perilously trying times many times before in our nation's relatively brief existence - a natural consequence of our being a robustly dynamic democratic-republic - and IMO we'll do what we've always done - 'Cowboy up and drive on'

However...YMMV.

Richard's $.02

[LarryW]

Have hunting rifle, shotgun, a couple of pistols, and a dog with a good nose and a mean streak. Long as fields of fire are somewhat defined I ain't scared of being out there where there's nothing but piss to keep me warm, either. You're probably right...I'm too close to the beltway and the political sewer our Government has become. Need to head west. Park an old Airstream under some pinion trees, learn how to cuss in Apache, hear some new jokes, cook raccoon on a misquite fire, maybe even find out how to listen...(sigh)

There's gotta be something some place!

[Marina]

I agree, the trend is bad and the present is frighteningly similar to Argentina.

But come on guys! America has four hundred years of reinventing itself and self-correcting. That's what a democratic republic does. Even the Europeans are urging us to push the pendulum back toward our natural self-interest. They've seen the future with the EU experiment and don't want to see a repeat their fascist, deadly past.

Competitive challenges from China and India will counter-balance myopic thinking about Islam's most totalitarian aspects before we get to the apocalypse.

America's enterprising spirit is still a beacon to many in the world, even though some of those same people like to kick us in the teeth.

Based on recent polls, I think Americans see the leftward tilt and will self-correct if given a viable alternative in 2012.

[Sigaba]

LarryW--

There are maybe eight advantages to being badly over educated in a humanity that has been supplanted by various social sciences. (Or so we let them believe. Sure, political scientists get the jobs but we historians have the smug [read: misplaced] satisfaction of knowing that we write, think, and read better than anyone else.)

Three of these advantages are as follows.

1. Understanding that throughout American history, Americans have frequently thought that the end was near.
2. Knowing that in many of those instances, the conditions were much more dire than they are now and solutions frequently came from unexpected quarters.
3. Learning time and again that nothing in history is inevitable.

In regards to today's state of affairs, my pie in the sky broad brush long term agenda is:

• Reign in the blogosphere.
• Insist that journalists and politicians rediscover/reinvent their professionalism and re-earn public trust.
• De-polarize political discourse by moderating our tone and but without yielding on principles.
• Reposition American strategic culture as an arena of elite discourse.

In the short term, my preferences are:

• Hold the line against the current administration in such a way that the president's supporters cannot blame anyone else but him for the man's shortcomings, inconsistencies, and amateurism.
• Conduct the national debate on GWOT that Congress refused to have and that the current president believes is unnecessary (because it is essentially a law enforcement issue, not a war).
• Develop and present viable alternatives to the current administration's policies that will (somehow) garner support across the political spectrum and do not compromise on core values.
• Revitalize the dormant concepts of "the Middle Way" (Eisenhower) and the "Big Tent" (Jack Kemp) within the GOP.
• Highlight the fact that the radical left's vision of America is unsustainable so that left of center Progressives can re-discover their voices and exert a moderating influence on the Democratic Party.
• Encourage cultural practices that emphasize core American values such as competition (as an example, a play-off for college football so that we can say that the best team won).
• Expedite the development and implementation of 4G wireless telephony (voice, video, and data).

My $0.02.