The Real Humanists

Revolution from Afghanistan to Iraq.

Victor Davis Hanson brings us another great essay from The National Review. In this article we take a look at the doubting elites at home and abroad who have been both critical, and consistently wrong, about the war against Islamofascism and its ultimate effects. The strategery of the Bush administration is as radical as it is simple. Bring democracy and freedom to those places in the Middle East which foster terrorism and you undermine the entire terrorist enterprise. For terrorism is a function of brutal dictatorships which divert the attention of their own populations from their failure to construct successful, modern societies. Thus the Bush administration fights to pull the foundation from under the terrorist's feet and replace it with some degree of freedom and liberty. Because as history shows, free nations are far less of a threat to their neighbors than dictatorships. And because terrorist groups cannot thrive without state support.

The Killers

The Dutch hit crisis point.

Michael Ledeen also weighs in on the crisis facing the Dutch, as well as the rest of Old Europe concerning the rise of Islamofascism and its most recent consequence; the brutal murder of Theo van Gogh. Will Old Europe come to its senses before it's too late, or will it continue to slide into decay, decadence and a new totalitarianism, this time with religious roots? Only time will tell, but it is worth noting that the killing of van Gogh has caused a powerful backlash among many regular Dutch folk and Muslims have quietly gone into hiding, at least for the moment. But a long term solution will require more than just a spur of the moment emotional outburst. The problem of Islamofascism will have to be dealt with in a serious way by the people and governments of Old Europe if they are to survive the coming storm.

I’m Loving It

Krugman’s post-election meltdown — and more!

Donald Luskin brings out the Krugman Truth Squad and has a bit of fun with the despair of leftists everywhere in the face of a Bush victory. Not only is Mr. Krugman taking two months off to faint on the sofa, but the machinery of leftist agitprop is now begging for more money to keep up the incessant moanfest which failed to win them the election. And it is surely icing on the cake to watch all of the Hollywood celebrities writhe in agony over their failure and the fact that they now have to move to France to get away from the boobs in Fly-Over-Country.

Bush's Secular Triumph

Christopher Hitchens points out that while the left is whining and moaning about religious conservatives, George Bush has done more for the forces of secularism by fighting the war against Islamofascism than all of the members of the left combined. After all, he says, what are the Islamic radicals if not an out of control religious cult bent on the murder and enslavement of millions? And if we have liberated both Iraq and Afghanistan from brutal tyrants, why does the left not celebrate rather than sulk in misery?

The Next Supreme Court and the War on Terror

Henry Mark Holzer is Professor Emeritus at Brooklyn Law School, and in this essay argues that appointments to the Supreme court will be vital for the fight against the Islamofascists. The Democrats have been doing everything they can to prevent conservative judges from being appointed because they know this, and because it would mean the end of their program of leftist judicial activism used to circumvent the legislature. The liberal agenda has been put in place primarily by leftist courts ignoring the will of the people.Now that Republicans are in a position to reverse this program, they should not be shy about saying so and providing the reasons why in a clear and forceful manner. The future of the republic depends in large part on undoing the damage to the courts caused by the left.

Oriana Fallaci on Eurabia

Bat Ye’or provides much praise for Italian writer Oriana Fallaci in this article from Front Page Magazine. Fallaci's new book looks at the problems Old Europe is having, and is going to have, as it deals with the return of fascism, this time in the shape of Islamic radicalism. As always, Fallaci is recommended reading.

Death of a “Blasphemer”

In this essay, Robert Spencer argues that the left's views on multiculturalism and secularism in Old Europe, and America, are on a collision course. The murder of Theo van Gogh, a decedent of the famous painter Vincent van Gogh, has awakened a sense of dread in Europe which may finally get them to notice the growing danger of Islamofascism in their lands. The influx of Muslim immigrants who have no desire to integrate into western cultures and who are often hostile to them represents a grave threat for the future of free society.

Western society values freedom of expression. But this is exactly what Islamic radicals are against. And when a famous artist can be murdered in the street for religious reasons, the multicultural game is up. The left will now have to choose between their claims of support for free speech, and their support for the "underdog" in the guise of Islamic radicals.

Good Riddance

What a pathetic vessel in which to have placed liberalism's hopes!

Marty Peretz runs down the reasons for the failure of the Kerry campaign to catch on with the American voters in the heartland. And the reasons should be pretty obvious. Aside from the fact that the Great Socialist Utopia doesn't sell well in Fly-Over-Country, is the simple fact that Senator Kerry was a weak candidate. And the sad fact for Democrats is that he was the best they had to offer.

Don’t Believe the Hype (2004 Remix)

The “youth vote” fails to materialize — yet again.

Jonah Goldberg points out that the "youth vote" failed to turn out once again for the Democrats. Some young people did vote of course, but their numbers were no greater than they have been in elections past. That was bad news for the Deaniacs who were very vocal about how they were going to change everything. But the "youth vote" never seems to show up no matter how many Madonna commercials are run on MTV. Why the Democrats continue to believe in the "youth vote" is a mystery.

The Liberal Crack-Up

Years ago author and publisher R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr. wrote a book titled "The Liberal Crack Up" in which he predicted the demise of the Democratic party and the resons for its eventual failure. In this essay, he revisits those arguments and reminds us why he was right and the left was so wrong about the future. And that future has come to pass just as Mr. Tyrrell and many others thought it would. The logical end of liberalism is a dead end with no way out, as the Democrats are just now finding out. This election was a disaster for them, whether they admit it or not. Only the courts are currently left to them, at least as far as govenment is concerned, and shortly they will lose them as well. From there it is only a matter of time until their last holdouts in media and education are also finished. And they will go down screeching all the way.

The Republican FDR

Ralph R. Reiland writes about the economic implications of George Bush's second term, and they are large indeed. For sixty years we have lived with FDR's "New Deal", which created a tax and spend government which now takes a huge portion of the national income and spends it on beltway paperwork, or re-distributes it to groups with political pull, mostly those on the left, or wastes it in pork-barrel projects. President Bush means to change as much of this as he can and privatizing some of the functions of government, including retirement investment, seems like an idea whose time has come. An ownership society would be wealthier and more productive than one waiting for government handouts. And it would also help to speed the destruction of the Democrats who need a population which is dependent on them for political favors and government money. Owners don't need handouts.

Looking in the Mirror

Christopher Orlet contrasts liberal intellectuals with conservative ones. Of course, liberals don't really believe that there are such people as conservative intellectuals. Liberals think that they are the only ones who can read and write and thus that they have some sort of natural monopoly on ideas. Imagine their surprise when they find out that this is not true and that those of us in red states actually have libraries and read them from time to time.

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr. takes a look at two things that will keep the Democrats out of power for a very, very long time and they have far more to do with outlook than with policy. The Democrats now are the party of the hard left, as we have all seen this election cycle. And there are two things which they believe with certainty: that conservatives are both bigots and morons. And since much of the country identifies itself with conservative values, it logically follows that this is what Democrats think of Fly-Over-Country. John Kerry tried hard to hide this view from the public, but the Michael Moores' and Janeane Garofalos' of the party were plenty loud enough to "get the message out." And believe me, we heard the message loud and clear. So until the left lets go of the Democratic party or until the Democrats grow a spine and kick them out and re-think their ideas, they are doomed to wander in the desert of political power for a long, long time.

2004's Biggest Losers

How Dan Rather and the media's kings lost their crowns.

In this article from The Wall Street Journal, Daniel Henninger outlines how The Elite Media Monoculture was the big loser in this election. And rightly so, if one looks at the facts. Everyone knows that the media is biased and has been for years. But in this election cycle the media went whole hog for one party, effectively becoming a Democratic party house organ. This change of rules did not go unnoticed by the public at large. And with the CBS fabrication scandal and the attempt to falsify stories about "missing" explosives, the mainstream media has lost all credibility with the public, which is now turning to other, more reliable sources of information.

Bad News for Democrats

Hollywood activists vow to keep it up.

The overpaid and pampered mavens of Hollywood's leftist elite have bad news for the Democratic party; they are going to keep right on complaining loudly about how they hate America, Republicans, Red States and George W. Bush. Some of them may even do commercials about the evils of shopping at Sam's Club.

Life After Daschle

Will a 55-seat majority be enough to end Senate obstructionism?

Kimberley Strassel gives us a run down on what we can expect in the Senate now that Republicans have increased their majority while removing obstructionist Democrats such as Tom Daschle.

Generation Gap

Blue Democrats lost red America back in 1965.

In this article Daniel Henninger looks at the way the 60's baby boomer generation changed the Democratic party and made it the haven of losers and angry psychopaths. Until the boomer generation passes away, the Democrats will be doomed to irrelevance and minority status.

Blue State Blues

This week we were treated to yet more whining and complaining by the left in the wake of the election which carried George W. Bush to victory along with the people in Fly-Over-Country. The results from this election should have been as clear to the left as a two by four to the side of the head. But it would seem that they are not learning from their mistakes. We have all heard by now that the moonbat websites are talking about secession and “JesusLand” as if they were about to fight another civil war. And perhaps in their minds they might think such a thing will happen and is even possible. But the left is losing power and credibility along with their sanity and are no longer willing, if they ever were, to see the dead end at the road they have chosen. There will be no civil war, although we are in for a long cultural battle yet to come in which, I believe, the left will ultimately be defeated as a cultural force. And they have already lost significant ground in this election. They have had their moment on the stage and their influence is now on the wane. It is only a matter of time until they are rendered truly irrelevant.

It’s sad in a way; at least for them.

I selected the tag line for this site, “The View From Fly Over Country” for a good reason and it sums up my motivation for keeping this blog up, even if I don’t post every day and even though it has relatively few readers. There are, after all, thousands and thousands of blogs, many of which are vastly more well known than this one. But that is not the reason I keep this one going. I do so because, like many other bloggers from this side of the political spectrum, I do not wish to remain silent in the face of the continuous assault on the very ideas on which America was founded. And let’s be clear about what those are. The left opposes individualism and individual rights, the objective rule of law, private property, free and open markets and the concept of limited government with all that it implies. And of course they oppose any attempt to defend America from those who would gladly destroy it and everything it stands for. The concept of America as a nation of free individuals is diametrically opposed to everything the left stands for. And what do they stand for when we sweep away all of the spin and hysteria? In a word, socialism.

The dream of The Great Socialist Utopia is the foundation on which the left was built and on which it continues to stand. For the last century, the left has maintained the dream that society could be re-ordered and re-fashioned into that utopian vision described by various 19th and 20th century writers and philosophers. But the dream of socialism brought with it a very high price tag in human lives and misery. Millions have died all around the world in the pursuit of that goal. When socialism is put into practice as its adherents desire, the results are suffering, death and misery on a scale not seen before in human history. Gulags, torture chambers, failed economies, stagnation and war are the fruit which socialism ultimately bears for those who are tempted by its false promise of heaven on Earth.

The left has never come to terms with this fact. Nor do they appear likely to do so even after the failure of their candidate and their party yet again. The desperation which we are seeing, and which will no doubt become ever more hysterical until the day it finally fades into silence, is the long, agonizing death scream of their ideology; Marxism. For while there will always be thugs and dictators who long for power over the lives of others, there will be no moral authority from the left to give them cover for their deeds when they try to brutalize imprisoned populations in countries that still resist human rights and economic progress. The long trend of history is in the direction of more and more freedom for people around the globe as the ideas of the free society are spread more and more widely. The left however has avoided any real introspection which might allow them to see this trend and their electoral failure for what it is. Instead they offer us two views to ‘explain’ why they lost this election, as well as others in the past, both of which are designed to prevent them from taking responsibility for their loss and which blame the American people, rather than themselves.

The first we will call the argument from stupidity and the second, the argument from malevolence.

The argument from stupidity says that the people in Fly-Over-Country are basically a bunch of dumb, uneducated knuckle dragging hicks who don’t know any better than to vote for Republicans. The arguments are all too familiar and all too common. But the argument is a circular one. The results of the election are offered as proof of the stupidity of the red states while at the same time the left claims Republicans, like George Bush, are encouraging ignorance and stupidity in the population. Well, either the red states started out stupid, or they didn't. But they can't be both stupid and not stupid at the same time, which is what the left is really claiming. Just like they want to claim that Bush is a retard and an evil genius as the situation requires. As always, the left ignores the laws of logic when making their claims.

Now they are arguing that all of the talent in the nation resides in the blue states while the red states are living off of the effort of the elites in the land of Kedwards. But they offer little evidence of this either. Just more assertions without merit. And as a matter of common sense, one would have to recognize that talent exists everywhere in the country, not just in Manhattan and Los Angeles. Indeed, much of the manufacturing base of the country can now be found in the south, the very same states that voted for Bush in such large numbers. And many business are leaving the blue states for obvious reasons related to high taxes and a hostile business climate. So if the blue state folks are so smart, why can't they keep the productive classes in their states? No answer is given by the angry left.

The argument from malevolence says that the people in Fly-Over-Country are a bunch of racist, bigoted, greedy, selfish homophobic, religiously fanatic angry white males who would just as soon run you over with their pickup trucks as spit on you, if they even noticed anyone else but themselves. But if the left really believed this, why would they not be leaving in droves to other more hospitable countries? There are plenty of places around the globe which still offer the attempt at the socialist paradise, such as France for instance. But the lefties never seem to act on their complaints; they just complain more. One can conclude from this dichotomy between words and actions that the left is as hypocritical as ever, saying one thing while doing another. What they want is to be free to blame America as much as they can, while still living the good life which America affords. No leftist really believes, deep, deep down, that evil Republicans are waiting just around the corner to accost them; they just want you to believe it when they say it.

Of course both of these arguments avoid the obvious third reason for the continuing demise of the left and their loss in this year’s election; the people in Fly-Over-Country don’t agree with them. And that is the real message of this election. Democrats just can't bring themselves to face the fact that their view of the world and America's place in it does not sell in the American heartland. It is a product which no one wants to buy and a view which no person with any common sense believes. And the elites can't get us to buy it no matter how hard they try. The left no longer has the power to sway the public. The left threw everything they had at the Republicans and George Bush this year, and the result was a big fat zero for the elites. How it must sting them when they realize that their money, influence and power are just so much haze to be washed away by the bright morning sun as it rises over Bush country.

The Moral Minority

Can Hillary Clinton make the Democratic Party normal again?

This article from The Wall Street Journal is not so much about Hillary Clinton as it is about the forces which the Democrats have unleashed within their party and how those forces have brought them defeat after defeat. Who are today's Democratic party representatives? They are big labor, big money millionaires like George Soros, big trial lawyers, big Hollywood stars and big media elites. In other words, people who are not much like you and me. Democrats used to be the party of the little guy. Now the little guy is the servant cleaning Teresa's bathroom in one of her five mansions or the driver taking Julia Roberts to her next chartered jet flight to Paris. Out of touch doesn't begin to cover the problem for the Democrats. And while we're on the subject, it doesn't help to call the people who you need to vote for you a bunch of idiots and morons. That is not, as we say in the graphics business, good marketing.

'He's Got Two of 'Em'

Why I can't stop being happy about the election result.

In this article from The Wall Street Journal, Peggy Noonan writes about her experience in sharing a moment of victory with other Republicans at a Club for Growth symposium. And don't we all deserve a moment of reflection on what has transpired? This was undoubtedly one of the most important elections in my lifetime. It will perhaps be remembered along with the election in 1980 of Ronald Reagan which lead to the end of the cold war and the defeat of communism. In this election the American people chose to finally let go of the faded dreams of the liberals and try conservative ideas for the future. In economics and foreign policy, the two most vital issues in this election, we now have a mandate for conservative ideas. And this bodes well for the future, for it means that Americans have a realistic view of the world in which we live and can see it for what it is regardless of how many lies they are told by the Elite Media Monoculture.

American Exceptionalism

The message of Tuesday’s verdict.

In this essay, Victor Davis Hanson takes a look at how the American electorate voted and what messages it sends to those who fought so hard to eject George W. Bush from the White House. And indeed, there were many, many losers who are now asking themselves what happened. For many of these people are very surprised indeed at the outcome. How could those yokels in Fly-Over-Country be so stupid as to vote for that cowboy? And how is it that all of the money, time, effort and publicity from Hollywood, the UN, academia, Old Europe and The Elite Media Monoculture failed to achieve the desired result?

Certainly the elites all around the blue states, and elsewhere, did everything they could and spent as much as they had in order to defeat the President. But in the end, it mattered not at all and the American people voted in record numbers to keep George Bush right where he is for another four years. The dejection coming from academia, newsrooms and other left-wing hang-outs is palpable. The bitterness which one sees from the leaders of the left and the Democratic party is sad, pathetic and completely predictable, given just how far over the cliff they have gone in the last four years. It is a wonder they are not throwing themselves off of bridges and under buses all across the country.

In the end, a clear majority of the American people sent a clear message to the elites. The message is that the views and values of the leftist Democrats are not those of middle America and will not win votes in the red states. And America is moving more and more in a conservative direction. The country is far more red than blue, if one looks at the county by county map of this election as well as some of the recent elections of the past. The era of Democratic dominance is over and a new era has dawned. The leftist dream of a Socialist Utopian America is dead and gone and the baby boomers who came of age during the 60's, such as John "war criminal" Kerry, and who tried so hard to make that utopia happen, will never see it come to pass. The trends are all in the other direction; the direction of free markets, a strong defense of the country and a resurgence of the basic ideas on which the country was founded in the first place.

To Old Europe the message is, "run your countries as you like, but stay out of American elections, we don't need you as much as you need us. French and German obstruction will not be rewarded." The message to the UN is similar. A debating society of dictators will not get to run our foreign policy and no Massachusetts leftist war protester will get to have lunch and go windsurfing at taxpayer expense while getting to bad mouth America to the rest of the world. The message to The Elite Media Monoculture is that your day is over. The Alternative Media is now on the lookout for perfidy wherever it may rear its ugly head as it did time after time in this election. Try as they might, Dan Rather, The New York Times and the rest of the dinosaur media will not be able to pull the kind of thing that they have in the past. The days of monopoly are over forever. We in the blogsphere will now be watching: Like A Hawk.

And finally, the regular people in Fly-Over-Country delivered a stinging rebuke to the self-appointed guardians of culture in Hollywood and the entertainment media. The message is, "Shut up and sing."

Why Americans Hate Democrats—A Dialogue

The unteachable ignorance of the red states.

Is it not always amusing to see a self-deluded left try so very hard, once again, to explain away their continuing failure by blaming others? Jane Smiley at Slate tries to do so by arguing with all the expected reasons for yet another failure to grab power. As always, the left never, ever takes responsibility for what happens to them. And the excuses are so very predictable; the electorate are a bunch of dumb Neanderthals, we didn't get our message out, the Rethuglicans are just too mean and we are too nice, etc.)

Yawn

Here is the real truth of the matter lefties, so listen up:

The difference between the left and the right exists because of two different sets of ideas about how the world works, and thus how to operate a government in that world. Democrats operate on one set of ideas; Republicans operate on another. Those two sets of ideas are mutually exclusive. They cannot both be right at the same time.

When Americans vote Republican, they are saying that Republicans have a better set of ideas than the Democrats. And Americans are not dumb morons, as you all seem to think. They look at the evidence and they can see for themselves just what happens when you put Leftist Democrat ideas into practical action. And the results are invariably disastrous. That is why you keep losing, and why you will continue to lose.

Until you discard the dead weight of Marxist ideology which is found at the root of your party, you will never win another election in this country again, and you will deserve the minority status you have earned. Your party will now be out of power for at least a generation, because that is how long it takes to rebuild from minority party status. Ask a Republican who remembers the campaign of Barry Goldwater.

You can now look forward to at least twenty years of introspection in which you will be able to ask yourselves why Americans don't vote for you anymore. And perhaps if you are honest enough with yourselves, you might just start to question the ideas which have blinded you for so long.

So go to the library and pick up some books by authors who espouse the ideas of liberty, free markets and pro-western philosophy if you want to learn a few new ideas for the future. You might actually be surprised by the results. And you might begin to understand why you will have to wander in the wilderness for years to come, and how to find your way back to reality where the rest of us all live.

Good luck; you're going to need it.

The Great Relearning

Let it begin.

Bill Bennett points out that cultural and ethical issues played a big part in the election and that this is yet another area that Democrats have had difficulty understanding. I guess they just thought they could buy some judges and push their agenda down the rest of our throats whether we liked it or not. Now, it will be a long time before any liberal judges are appointed by a liberal President. And look for some interesting judicial appointments by Bush after January. Many good candidates have been waiting because of Tom Daschle. Now that the election is over, I expect to see some movement on that front.

A Political Gettysburg

The Dems try to win, against the odds.

Robert Moran writes that the Democrats threw everything they had into this race and have come up against the hard, cold reality of defeat. And not just a small one either. Gains in the House, Senate and in states around the country are very bad news for the Democrats. But they still don't get it. Already they are looking to their favorite excuses to explain their loss. And what it usually comes down to is that all of us are just too stupid to appreciate their desire to control every single aspect of our lives. But then, one might point out that it is not the most intelligent strategy to insult and demean the regular people for three years and then expect them to turn around and vote for your billionaire candidate. Of course as a conservative, I come to this conclusion as a result of simple common sense. I don't need an army of lawyers to tell me the obvious.

Targeted Gloating

YEEEEEEEE-HAAAAAAAAA!

John Derbyshire engages in a bit of directed gloating. Not at John Kerry or John Edwards mind you, but rather at some of the self-satisfied elites who still don't get it and are stewing in their caldrons of rage and hate. For instance, I just tuned into AirMoonbat Radio for a bit and heard Janeane Garofalo refer to those of us here in fly-over-country as a bunch of Archie Bunkers. Well Janeane, fuck you and the broom you rode in on. You are a pathetic waste of skin and your kind are as doomed to irrelevance as the dinosaurs. Your radio network is the leper colony of The Elite Media Monoculture, and that is saying something. Have a nice rest of your life and kiss your career goodbye because you have blown it out the window. Way to go.

The Power of Will

Winning still matters.

Victor Davis Hanson reminds us that in war, certain things do not change. The Islamofascists cannot win against us on the battlefield, thus they fight us where they think we are vulnerable; in the playground of The Elite Media Monoculture and in the haunts of the radical left. Just as in the days of Vietnam, we have a fifth column in this country which is actively engaged in the attempt to see the defeat of America and the west in this fight against barbarism. And just as in those days, the fight is to be found on television, radio and in the newspapers.

But unlike yesterday, the fight is also taking place in the chatrooms, blogs and message boards of the Internet as well as the e-mail messages which regular folk send back and forth across cyberspace. This time around, the playing field is a bit more even and those on the side of freedom can get their message out as well. And the message is that we can win, we should win, and that we have every moral right to win. With luck, the American voters will agree.

K-12 Anti-Americanism

Larry Elder demolishes the child's view of economics and throws in some much needed moral clarity in this short essay at FrontPageMagazine. Is America rich because it takes wealth from other nations? Only in Marxist fantasy land. In the real world all wealth has to be created. Nature does not provide more than raw materials, and even then you have to process those to get started on the road to a developing economy. The real reason America is rich is because we have something which many other countries have lacked. We have a free market economy, rule of law and private property rights. If you want to see economic growth, these are the things you need to have in place.

The Middle East has tons of oil, a valuable resource. But it remains one of the poorest parts of the world. The reason is that the Arab nations lack the freedoms named above. And slave populations do not become rich, especially when half of them cannot read and where creativity and innovation are punished by culture and law. In the Middle East, property rights and rule of law don't exist. Thus they remain at the level of a third world culture, except for the very few rulers at the top. The rest of the population remains mired in poverty. It is freedom and law which create the groundwork for a society such as ours in which progress is the rule rather than the exception. What poor nations need to import is the concept of democratic capitalism and individual rights.

The Shadow Party

Here is a fascinating and lengthy article on what authors David Horowitz and Richard Poe call "The Shadow Party." What is this shadow party? It is the network of 527 groups which have sprung up in the wake of the new campaign finance laws and which are funded with millions of dollars from people like George Soros and his multi-millionaire friends in the media, unions and high-tech business. This shadow party is well organized and very well funded and is the moving force behind the Democrats lurch to the hard left.

Of course special interest groups have been around for years and have had some influence over the Democratic party before. But now these groups are controlling a very large portion of the money which the Democrats need in order to run the party and their campaigns. The new campaign finance laws have effectively handed the major control of the Democratic party over to the hard left, which is in turn being bankrolled by Soros and company. This article is good reading to see some of the important interconnections between these groups and where they may lead in the future.

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