Recently posted on Facebook

I recently posted the following message on a group in Facebook.

John McCain's historic nomination of Sarah Palin for VP is a first for the Republican party. Let's join together and help her get there.

In understand that some of you may be reluctant to invite your friends but this is a very important moment in history.  America is faced with a choice. An Obama administration would mean the devastating social and economic effects of European Socialism would be enacted. The current "do nothing congress" (which by the way has the lowest approval rating of all time and is ruled by the democrats) would essentially write Obama a blank check, plunging our economy even further in debt in this tough economic time.  In short the "do nothing congress" would emerge from their hibernation and wreck havoc on the American people and our economy.

McCan and Palin represent the real change.  Remember, both of them have fought AGAINST their own party when the republicans did something wrong.  It's not about political parties. It's about what's right.  McCain and Palin are going to grab the American government/economy by the horns and are going to wrestle it in the right direction.  That is something that Obama will not do.  Oh sure he'll wrestle the american government and economy...but he's going for a take down.

Last but not least, Let's show the liberals that conservatives are not a bunch of sexist, racist, rich, white, male landowners.  Let's show America that there plenty of people with common sense.  Let's help Palin get into the white house so that she can get this country turned around.

It's gonna be a long hard fight.  The liberals though for sure that they would be the ones to claim the honor of the first woman in the white house.  Let's prove them wrong in every way.

Don't be content to sit on the banks of the river of history and watch it flow by.  Be active.  Join the river and help direct its course.  That's what it means to be an American.

Show your support for Sarah Palin and a real change that is worthy of being called American.  The spirit of change is here. Invite your friends and encourage them to help redirect the tailspin America is in.

Invite all your friends to join "1,000,000,000 for Republicans for putting the first woman in the white house".  We still have a long way to go but we can do it. The liberals though that they would be the ones to claim that honor. Let's prove them wrong.

Liars and Cheaters: China Edition

I apologize for my laziness in updating this blog. I have about 300 excuses I could give but I won't.  I was lazy. Again I apologize.

The idea for this post came to me right after the opening ceremony of the Olympics a few weeks ago. Like most of the world, I was awed by the sheer volume and quality of the performance. What was not lost on me however is how the Chinese ceremony was, for the most part, pure propaganda. 

First of all, nearly all of the performers were members of the Chinese Military. 

Second, the flag bearers were Chinese soldiers rigidly goose-walking (which to me at least, looked rather goofy) like members of Hitler's SS. 

Third, the symbol for Harmony was continuously flashed throughout the ceremony.  While in the west the idea of  "Harmony" gives us the warm-fuzzies and makes us want to sit in a lotus position for hours on end, in China, Harmony is the Government's code word for Compliance. If one is not in compliance then he or she is not in harmony with the "people's" (a.k.a. the oligarchy's) will.  Therefore he or she is a threat and must be re-minded, re-educated, or eliminated.  With China's human rights record in mind, none of those options sounds appealing. Better to sit down and shut up. 

Lastly, the sheer vastness and undisclosed expenses of the ceremony was breathtaking. I was amazed when China rolled out that several hundred foot long LCD screen.  However, while I was sitting and marveling at the technology that is possible nowadays, I couldn't help myself from thinking "Wasn't there some big earthquake in China that killed 70,000 people a month or two ago?" 

70,000 people is a lot of people. I went to high-school in a small town of about 4,500.  That is 15.55 times the population of my town obliterated in one day. How many quake survivors could have been fed on the money that it cost to make that screen?  Probably several hundred thousand.  As cynical as it sounds, perhaps it's China's idea of natural population control.  That's 70,000 people that won't be having children anymore. Don't blame the government. Blame nature.

Like many other people, when China disclosed that the angelic seven year old voice that the world heard came from an unseen pudgy little girl I was angry.  Sure the lip-sync was cute, but the emotional letdown of finding out we were duped was a bit like finding out that soylent green is actually people. Finding out that much of the ceremony was computer-generated only made it that much worse. All of fakery coupled with the copious rule-breaking made the Chinese seem desperate and weak, not to mention sinister.

So what does all of this mean?  It means that China wants to play with the big boys. The want to show the world that they too, like the U.S., U.K. and Russia are a military power that should be both feared and respected. The message to the people of China was clear. Power and security rest with the state.  Personal autonomy is not an option when confronted by intentions of the state.  

The world should take heed from these Olympics. China was warning us. They are big, and they are getting stronger.  There is a cultural nationalism and arrogance unparalleled in the west (except in France but the french don't count).  Their patriotism is even more than what one might see on the 4th of July in Texas. 

China controls a huge percentage of the world's manufacturing. It wouldn't take much to transform all those toy factories into ball-bearing plants.  While militarily their technology might not be up to par with the likes of the West, they don't need it.  With 1.3 billion people, the Chinese government could begin conscripting soldiers, arm them with pitch-forks and we would be hard pressed to stop them.  

All in all, The world must keep a close eye on China. The dragon has begun to roar.