A Historical Perspective on Obama - OUCH!

[chuckakers 370]

A friend sent this to me. I'm sure the libs will focus on any connection this guy may have or had with anyone or any cause that even breaths slightly to the right, but hopefully others will read with an open mind.

I think what Kaiser says is hard to argue with. His facts are in line and hostorically accurate. How can you argue with facts?

Chuck
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David Kaiser is a respected historian whose published works have covered a broad range of topics, from European Warfare to American League Baseball. Born in 1947, the son of a diplomat, Kaiser spent his childhood in three capital cities: Washington D.C. , Albany , New York , and Dakar , Senegal .. He attended Harvard University , graduating there in 1969 with a B.A. in history. He then spent several years more at Harvard, gaining a PhD in history, which he obtained in 1976. He served in the Army Reserve from 1970 to 1976.

He is a professor in the Strategy and Policy Department of the United States Naval War College. He has previously taught at Carnegie Mellon, Williams College and Harvard University . Kaiser's latest book, The Road to Dallas, about the Kennedy assassination, was just published by Harvard University Press.


Dr. David Kaiser


History Unfolding

I am a student of history. Professionally, I have written 15 books on history that have been published in six languages, and I have studied history all my life. I have come to think there is something monumentally large afoot, and I do not believe it is simply a banking crisis, or a mortgage crisis, or a credit crisis. Yes these exist, but they are merely single facets on a very large gemstone that is only now coming into a sharper focus.

Something of historic proportions is happening. I can sense it because I know how it feels, smells, what it looks like, and how people react to it. Yes, a perfect storm may be brewing, but there is something happening within our country that has been evolving for about ten to fifteen years. The pace has dramatically quickened in the past two.

We demand and then codify into law the requirement that our banks make massive loans to people we know they can never pay back? Why?

We learned just days ago that the Federal Reserve, which has little or no real oversight by anyone, has "loaned" two trillion dollars (that is $2,000,000,000,000) over the past few months, but will not tell us to whom or why or disclose the terms. That is our money. Yours and mine. And that is three times the $700 billion we all argued about so strenuously just this past September. Who has this money? Why do they have it? Why are the terms unavailable to us? Who asked for it? Who authorized it? I thought this was a government of "we the people," who loaned our powers to our elected leaders. Apparently not.

We have spent two or more decades intentionally de-industrializing our economy.. Why?

We have intentionally dumbed down our schools, ignored our history, and no longer teach our founding documents, why we are exceptional, and why we are worth preserving. Students by and large cannot write, think critically, read, or articulate. Parents are not revolting, teachers are not picketing, school boards continue to back mediocrity. Why?

We have now established the precedent of protesting every close election (violently in California over a proposition that is so controversial that it simply wants marriage to remain defined as between one man and one woman. Did you ever think such a thing possible just a decade ago?) We have corrupted our sacred political process by allowing unelected judges to write laws that radically change our way of life, and then mainstream Marxist groups like ACORN and others to turn our voting system into a banana republic. To what purpose?

Now our mortgage industry is collapsing, housing prices are in free fall, major industries are failing, our banking system is on the verge of collapse, social security is nearly bankrupt, as is Medicare and our entire government. Our education system is worse than a joke (I teach college and I know precisely what I am talking about) - the list is staggering in its length, breadth, and depth.. It is potentially 1929 x ten...And we are at war with an enemy we cannot even name for fear of offending people of the same religion, who, in turn, cannot wait to slit the throats of your children if they have the opportunity to do so.

And finally, we have elected a man that no one really knows anything about, who has never run so much as a Dairy Queen, let alone a town as big as Wasilla , Alaska . All of his associations and alliances are with real radicals in their chosen fields of employment, and everything we learn about him, drip by drip, is unsettling i f not downright scary (Surely you have heard him speak about his idea to create and fund a mandatory civilian defense force stronger than our military for use inside our borders? No? Oh, of course. The media would never play that for you over and over and then demand he answer it. Sarah Palin's pregnant daughter and $150,000 wardrobe are more important.)

Mr. Obama's winning platform can be boiled down to one word: Change. Why?

I have never been so afraid for my country and for my children as I am now.

This man campaigned on bringing people together, something he has never, ever done in his professional life. In my assessment, Obama will divide us along philosophical lines, push us apart, and then try to realign the pieces into a new and different power structure. Change is indeed coming. And when it comes, you will never see the same nation again.

And that is only the beginning..

As a serious student of history, I thought I would never come to experience what the ordinary, moral German must have felt in the mid-1930s In those times, the "savior" was a former smooth-talking rabble-rouser from the streets, about whom the average German knew next to nothing. What they should have known was that he was associated with groups that shouted, shoved, and pushed around people with whom they disagreed; he edged his way onto the political stage through great oratory. Conservative "losers" read it right now.

And there were the promises. Economic times were tough, people were losing jobs, and he was a great speaker. And he smiled and frowned and waved a lot. And people, even newspapers, were afraid to speak out for fear that his "brown shirts" would bully and beat them into submission. Which they did - regularly. And then, he was duly elected to office, while a full-throttled economic crisis bloomed at hand - the Great Depression. Slowly, but surely he seized the controls of government power, person by person, department by department, bureaucracy by bureaucracy. The children of German citizens were at first, encouraged to join a Youth Movement in his name where they were taught exactly what to think. Later, they were required to do so. No Jews of course,

How did he get people on his side? He did it by promising jobs to the jobless, money to the money-less, and rewards for the military-industrial complex. He did it by indoctrinating the children, advocating gun control, health care for all, better wages, better jobs, and promising to re-instill pride once again in the country, across Europe , and across the world. He did it with a compliant media - did you know that? And he did this all in the name of justice and .... . .. change. And the people surely got what they voted for.

If you think I am exaggerating, look it up. It's all there in the history books.

So read your history books. Many people of conscience objected in 1933 and were shouted down, called names, laughed at, and ridiculed. When Winston Churchill pointed out the obvious in the late 1930s while seated in the House of Lor ds in England (he was not yet Prime Minister), he was booed into his seat and called a crazy troublemaker. He was right, though. And the world came to regret that he was not listened to.

Do not forget that Germany was the most educated, the most cultured country in Europe. It was full of music, art, museums, hospitals, laboratories, and universities. And yet, in less than six years (a shorter time span than just two terms of the U. S. presidency) it was rounding up its own citizens, killing others, abrogating its laws, turning children against parents, and neighbors against neighbors.. All with the best of intentions, of course. The road to Hell is paved with them.

As a practical thinker, one not overly prone to emotional decisions, I have a choice: I can either believe what the objective pieces of evidence tell me (even if they make me cringe with disgust); I can believe what history is shouting to me from across the chasm of seven decades; or I can hope I am wrong by closing my eyes, having another latte, and ignoring what is transpiring around me..

I choose to believe the evidence. No doubt some people will scoff at me, others laugh, or think I am foolish, naive, or both. To some degree, perhaps I am. But I have never been afraid to look people in the eye and tell them exactly what I believe-and why I believe it.

I pray I am wrong. I do not think I am. Perhaps the only hope is our vote in the next elections.

David Kaiser
Jamestown , Rhode Island
United States

Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX

[downwardspiral 0]

Ahem

www.FourWheelerHB.com

[kallend 1,679]

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How can you argue with facts?

Indeed, and you should check yours before posting a lie.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[chuckakers 370]

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Ahem

I stand corrected - copy and paste strikes.

It would be interesting to see the actual content refuted, though. Anyone?

Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX

[yourmomma 0]

You want someone to bother to dispute the facts of a lie. I reckon,like religious discussions, the burden of proof is on you

[chuckakers 370]

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You want someone to bother to dispute the facts of a lie. I reckon,like religious discussions, the burden of proof is on you

The "lie" had to do with who said it , not with what was said. In case you didn't catch it, snopes declared the text an incorrect attribution but made no comment on the validity of the statements themselves.

If it makes things easier for you, I'll try it this way:

Let's say I wrote those words. Now refute them.

Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX

[yourmomma 0]

Again.(This happens way to much in these forums.) There are no similarities between what obama is doing and what hitler did. Exactly like there where no similarities between bush and hitler. There is no need to refute the words when they bear no resembelance to reality.

[GeorgiaDon 340]

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There is no need to refute the words when they bear no resemblance to reality sanity.

also true.

Don

_____________________________________
Tolerance is the cost we must pay for our adventure in liberty. (Dworkin, 1996)
“Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire.” (Yeats)

[Lefty 0]

Rule of Thumb for SC: Never post forwarded emails with political commentary, feel-good gun stories, quotes from Abraham Lincoln, or opportunities to reinstate Nigerian royalty.

It'll bite you in the ass every time.

Provoking a reaction isn't the same thing as saying something meaningful.
-Calvin

[chuckakers 370]

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Again.(This happens way to much in these forums.) There are no similarities between what obama is doing and what hitler did.

You are entitled to that opinion. You're just wrong.

Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX

[councilman24 36]

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Let's say I wrote those words. Now refute them.

Why bother? A few distorted facts about history have no usefulness in the conversation. Anything about current events is OPINION! You welcome to yours. Not worth my time to try to change it or at least bring it into reality.

Example, "We have intentionally dumbed down our schools, ignored our history, and no longer teach our founding documents, why we are exceptional, and why we are worth preserving. Students by and large cannot write, think critically, read, or articulate. Parents are not revolting, teachers are not picketing, school boards continue to back mediocrity. Why? "

This is OPINION! Not fact. Parts of this statement may apply to individuals or even whole school districts. But as a blanket statement for the country? Opinion.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[redlegphi 0]

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Again.(This happens way to much in these forums.) There are no similarities between what obama is doing and what hitler did.

You are entitled to that opinion. You're just wrong.

Yes.
For example, Obama has blamed all of our economic problems on the Jews....just like Hitler!
Also, the DNC has a militant arm of uniformed thugs who carry weapons and who routinely beat people up when they try to ask Obama about health care at town hall meetings...just like Hitler!
Do I even have to mention that Obama has annexed portions of our neighboring countries and is violating the terms of a peace treaty by rapidly increasing the size of the military?
And of course, there's all of the death camps.

[lippy 789]

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And of course, there's all of the death camps.

Just replace 'Jews' with 'Grandmas' and you're right on the money

I got nuthin

[wmw999 2,171]

Dude, you're going about this all wrong.

They both breathe air.
They both have hair on their heads.
They both are male.
They are both good public speakers.
They both eat food.

Dang -- the similarities are astounding. That's 5 I could think of just off the top of my head

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[chuckakers 370]

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Let's say I wrote those words. Now refute them.

Why bother? A few distorted facts about history have no usefulness in the conversation. Anything about current events is OPINION! You welcome to yours. Not worth my time to try to change it or at least bring it into reality.

Example, "We have intentionally dumbed down our schools, ignored our history, and no longer teach our founding documents, why we are exceptional, and why we are worth preserving. Students by and large cannot write, think critically, read, or articulate. Parents are not revolting, teachers are not picketing, school boards continue to back mediocrity. Why? "

This is OPINION! Not fact. Parts of this statement may apply to individuals or even whole school districts. But as a blanket statement for the country? Opinion.

Distorted facts???? Geez man, have you not seen (to address your example) the idiots the public schools have been producing for the past 20+ years??

The FACT is that - on average - privately schooled and home schooled kids perform considerable higher on SAT's and other standardized tests than "graduates" of public schools (which routinely pass kids with FAILING grades).

The FACT is that public schools teach little if anything about the founding of our country and the principles upon which it was founded.

The FACT is that the literacy rate is far worse than it has ever been in the last 50 years in this country.

The FACT is that parents who do revolt by home schooling their kids are being singled out by some governments in an effort to stop them with arbitrary rules and - in some areas - the threat of outlawing it entirely.

Have you not been paying attention or do you just spew whatever you are told by the media and your government??

Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX

[wmw999 2,171]

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Your assertion: The FACT is that - on average - privately schooled and home schooled kids perform considerable higher on SAT's and other standardized tests than "graduates" of public schools (which routinely pass kids with FAILING grades).

That's true. Of course, home and private schools tend to have smaller class sizes, which also correlates well with higher test scores. Maybe there's more than one reason.

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Your assertion: The FACT is that public schools teach little if anything about the founding of our country and the principles upon which it was founded.

Unless you're of the opinion that it's important to emphasize that every single one of the white males who founded this country was a Christian dammit, I don't think that stands up to scrutiny. There are pretty decent standards for American History.

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Your assertion: The FACT is that the literacy rate is far worse than it has ever been in the last 50 years in this country.

That's bullshit. The definition of literacy changes over time, and depending on who's doing the definition. According to some (debatable) sources, 99% of the USA is literate, while according to others it's only about 51%. So it's easy to say that 40 years ago 99% was literate but only 51% is now, but it'd be bullshit. From Wikipedia:

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A five-year, $14 million study of U.S. adult literacy involving lengthy interviews of U.S. adults, the most comprehensive study of literacy ever commissioned by the U.S. government,[2] was released in September 1993. It involved lengthy interviews of over 26,700 adults statistically balanced for age, gender, ethnicity, education level, and location (urban, suburban, or rural) in 12 states across the U.S. and was designed to represent the U.S. population as a whole. This government study showed that 21% to 23% of adult Americans were not "able to locate information in text", could not "make low-level inferences using printed materials", and were unable to "integrate easily identifiable pieces of information."

This study was followed up in 2006 by the same researchers, with a somewhat smaller number of interviewees, and it showed no signficant difference over the previous 13 years. So that assertion doesn't stand up to scrutiny.

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Your assertion: The FACT is that parents who do revolt by home schooling their kids are being singled out by some governments in an effort to stop them with arbitrary rules and - in some areas - the threat of outlawing it entirely.

So you're saying that education should be more centrally controlled? As it happens, again, depending on methodology, homeschooling parents are less likely to be college graduates in any subject than the parents of non-home-schooled children. They are more likely to be high school graduates, however. Unless you can come up with something statistically significant in terms of harrassment of homeschoolers, I'll say that they are individual cases that should be treated on individual merits. Isn't that what our judicial system is for?

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[chuckakers 370]

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Again.(This happens way to much in these forums.) There are no similarities between what obama is doing and what hitler did.

You are entitled to that opinion. You're just wrong.

Yes.
For example, Obama has blamed all of our economic problems on the Jews....just like Hitler!
Also, the DNC has a militant arm of uniformed thugs who carry weapons and who routinely beat people up when they try to ask Obama about health care at town hall meetings...just like Hitler!
Do I even have to mention that Obama has annexed portions of our neighboring countries and is violating the terms of a peace treaty by rapidly increasing the size of the military?
And of course, there's all of the death camps.

Liberal tactic # 126 - blow the opposing viewpoint out of proportion in an attempt to make the opponent appear extreme and irrational.

Death by a thousand cuts, my man. Remember that by the time the Germans saw what WAS happening around them, it was too late. By then, they didn't dare speak out for fear of being on those trains themselves.

And must I remind you of the thousands of people jailed by the Sedition Act just for speaking out against the government? (thank you, Woodrow Wilson)

Go ahead and forget history - so it can sneak up and bite you on the ass.

Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX

[councilman24 36]

Don't bother Wendy. It's 'FACT' if he writes it. Without references.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[redlegphi 0]

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Liberal tactic # 126 - blow the opposing viewpoint out of proportion in an attempt to make the opponent appear extreme and irrational.

You don't really need my help on that one.

My point was that saying Hitler liked government health care and so does Obama, therefore Obama is just like Hitler is meaningless. You could just as easily say that Eisenhower was a Nazi because he championed the interstate highway system, just like the Autobahn. It would be equally ludicrous to say that Hitler was a vegetarian, therefore vegetarians are Nazis. Or Hitler had brown hair, therefore people with brown hair are evil.
All of these comparisons have nothing to do with what made Hitler bad. Specifically, they have nothing to do with promoting racial ideologies, calling for the extermination of a group of people, or aggressively invading foreign countries.

[Andy9o8 0]

At some point, Chuck, doesn't this stupid, stupid horseshit become enough?

[kallend 1,679]

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Rule of Thumb for SC: Never post forwarded emails with political commentary, feel-good gun stories, quotes from Abraham Lincoln, or opportunities to reinstate Nigerian royalty.

It'll bite you in the ass every time.

I hope you paid attention to this, Chuck. Best advice you'll get today.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[chuckakers 370]

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At some point, Chuck, doesn't this stupid, stupid horseshit become enough?

Oh my friend, you miss the point entirely. I do this to get under the lib's skin.

By the way, does the name Van Jones ring a bell?

Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX

[wmw999 2,171]

So in other words you don't really care if it's true or substantive, as long as it pisses someone off?

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[LyraM45 0]

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Let's say I wrote those words. Now refute them.

Why bother? A few distorted facts about history have no usefulness in the conversation. Anything about current events is OPINION! You welcome to yours. Not worth my time to try to change it or at least bring it into reality.

Example, "We have intentionally dumbed down our schools, ignored our history, and no longer teach our founding documents, why we are exceptional, and why we are worth preserving. Students by and large cannot write, think critically, read, or articulate. Parents are not revolting, teachers are not picketing, school boards continue to back mediocrity. Why? "

This is OPINION! Not fact. Parts of this statement may apply to individuals or even whole school districts. But as a blanket statement for the country? Opinion.

Thats exactly what I was just about to point out. There is no use in arguing over OPINION. We'll be going around in circles all day like most already do in SC. I'm not saying there wasn't anything factual that you could look up and back up in that article, but most of it was opinion.

Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

[LyraM45 0]

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Liberal tactic # 126 - blow the opposing viewpoint out of proportion in an attempt to make the opponent appear extreme and irrational.

And the republicans don't do that too???

Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)