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Putting the Valley to Sleep 10 Jan 2017 1:24 PM (8 years ago)

After ten years (and multiple stop and starts), the Valley must rest as I create a new writing platform.

Reclining Odalisque or Woman with Parakeet by E. Delacroix (1827)

This was the Blog that toppled a Congressman in my district (by proving he didn't live here); It was here I engaged in debates about media bias', anti-semitism on the Left (still going at KPFK), neo-conservatism, Paulbot madness and Winning in Los Angeles and California. 

This is a Blog where I promote unique Muses (i.e. Goths) and discuss personal issues.  But sometimes, you must let the past go to create the new.

I still want to work in DC or Sacramento  (State Senate too) doing Policy work.  But, add London (House of Commons) to that dream as well. I know (and can work IRL) Appropriations and Process. With a touch of public relations.  Hire me. 

Again, I will be a Delegate to the CAGOP.  Soon, I will be writing a nonfiction (and fiction) book.  

The Valley will always be here.  The author is moving.  When I have the new Blog (still deciding upon name and platform), it will be linked here. 

The show ends with Film (short and long) and Music. 

The short film is called Sundays, which questions the Nature of Reality;

The Long Film is Six-String Samurai (1998) a cult favorite

And we finish off with Moby, "Flower" which mixes in a Gospel Spiritual with techno. 

Exeunt Stage Right

Thanks RS, Smitty, Wombat, Pam, Dan and Insty!

See you at the NEXT Blog!

Donald Trump, The Joker and Suckers on Three Card Monte 24 Feb 2016 10:49 PM (9 years ago)

As a member of a County Party (RPLAC -- 50th Assembly District GOP), and a Delegate to the State Party (CAGOP), let me ask the NVGOP one thing:

The Joker (Donald Trump) entering the Primaries

Mayor Dinkins [D] and Donald Trump

Trump and Mayor Koch (far Left and Left)

Finally, Trump's own words endorsing Mayor De Blasio in 2013:

Trump with the Queen card

How Trump (Joker) views Republican Primary voters

A Little Song, A Little Dance..... 15 Feb 2016 1:01 AM (9 years ago)

Circumstances have brought me back (slowly, ever so) to The Valley.

Hello all! Missed me?

In a certain sense, 'Tis Election season and I am up for re-election in my district's Central committee (1 of 7, all good people). In another way, there was a bureaucracy in the way. No more.  And finally, on January 11th of this year, I had a (small) heart attack.  

Like Lazarus, I have returned. 

Upon my return, I have a love of TS Eliot poems (The Wasteland and the Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock), Alternate History comics (Pax Romana and East of West) and Weird Westerns.

During the time away, I spend time in the Rainbow Bar and Grill  (Lemmy is G-d!) and The Whisky-A-Gogo.  Great food, good place, kickass music and awesome people. So I love trying to save the historic part of Rock and Roll on Sunset Blvd, if needed.

So, hello again! I hope to do a little more in the Valley after the Long Break.

Enjoy some music and poetry.  If all goes well, my first post will arrive soon.

Happy 239th America! 4 Jul 2015 3:46 AM (10 years ago)

Hello again! Miss me?

There are tales to be told of where I've been (and where I'm going), but for now, let us wish the United States a Happy Birthday!

The Spirit of '76 (Yankee Doodle) by Archibald Willard

Every year, at this time I re-read Patriots by the late AJ Langguth.  For me, no other book has compared because it reads like a novel.  It starts with the Townshend Acts and ends with the Battle of Yorktown, and it takes the reader through the steps of how the Founding Fathers understood why America had to split from England.

If you are interested in history, politics or Government (or curious what inspires JSF to be involved in all three), buy this book.

Now, here is what we all, Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Goths, Bloggers, partisans and politicians are celebrating.  Enjoy!

"'We hold these truth to be sacred and undeniable,' he [Thomas Jefferson] wrote...Jefferson struck out 'sacred and undeniable and wrote in 'self evident,' He continued through the draft, paring words away to make his language bolder.  From 'that all men are created equal and independent,' he dropped 'and independent,'  'Rights inherent and undeniable' became 'Unailenable Rights,' His next phrase came straight from his pen and could not be improved. Jefferson struck off those rights as "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness,"
...

"When members of the [Continental] Congress came to to Jefferson's stirring conclusion, a majority thought it should include one last appeal to the power even greater than George III...

"'And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.'

"On July 4, 1776, independence was declared in language worthy of it."
-- Patriots, AJ Langguth, pgs 355 and 362

Here is the Declaration in full:

The Declaration of Independence

In Congress, July 4 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America 

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.—That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.—That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it; and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. 

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. 

But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.—Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. 

The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavored to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migration hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their acts of pretended legislation:

For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the Lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free People.

Nor have We been wanting in attention to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. 

We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.—

WE, THEREFORE, the REPRESENTATIVES of the UNITED STATES of AMERICA, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do.—And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

Signed by ORDER and in BEHALF of the CONGRESS, 

JOHN HANCOCK, PRESIDENT. 
ATTEST.

CHARLES THOMSON, SECRETARY.
----------------------------------------

Have a great Independence Day!  Enjoy a BBQ and your friends and family.  

I'm back.

40 Months Down and 40 Days Ahead 7 May 2015 12:32 AM (10 years ago)

Be ready.

The New Chessboard for 2016 21 Jan 2015 7:57 PM (10 years ago)

While I was gone on my adventures,  there was an Election.

This post is not  analysis, just reference.

Ready?  Let's read:

First the US Senate:

54 R - 44 D - 2 Ind (Caucus w/D)* *(I predicted 55 R - 45 D)

Now comes the US House of Representatives:

244 R - 188 D

And finally, California:

First, the Assembly:

52 D - 28 R

"California State Assembly 2015-16" by Kurykh - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.


Finally, the CA State Senate:

25 D - 12 R - 3 Vacant

"California State Senate 2015-16" by Kurykh - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

So why did Senator Boxer (D-CA) step down?

The South Bay flipped. In the biggest county of California, Los Angeles.

The Revolution begins!

A New Vision of the Valley for a New Day 20 Jan 2015 11:30 PM (10 years ago)

Remember me?

Superman Returns, in Kingdom Come

After spending time trapezing in the Fifth dimension, fighting to get to the front of a train in the snow and following Death and the Four Horsemen in an alternate America, it was time to come back and write here.

Or actually, I have been doing some mundane work within my own life.  Choose your own story, but paragraph A is much cooler.

Please note that the top of the Valley has changed pictures and theme.

Soon I shall write about the State of the Union 2015 and how the Democratic Party and American society is equivalent to riding the Snowpiercer. a movie and why Governors Romney and Jeb Bush should not run but be available for a cabinet position instead.

I'm back ya'll!  Expect me to knock some sacred cows and open Pandora's box again.

Welcome back to the Valley!

And now, you know you love Point Break!



My question: What do you think of the new picture and theme on the top?

Endorsements November 2014: The Tops, the Props and those with Chops 4 Nov 2014 1:28 AM (10 years ago)

This is the year that has proven that Democrats don't clean their own messes.  I am seeing commercials run on TV scaring the public with lies and untruths.

November 2014 Tip Jar (and an author who is a Gothy Muse) 2 Nov 2014 12:32 AM (10 years ago)

Getting back to the Valley is hard, but I have posts upon posts hiding in the queue.

Author AND Artist

Why You don't mess with Goths: Vampires by their side!

Nicole with Comic Writer Steve Niles

Back From Texas 22 Oct 2014 10:46 PM (11 years ago)

I spent the last few weeks preparing (mentally) for my Sister's and Brother in Law's wedding.

Two wonderful people.  In Honor of the new couple, they get a tag here in the Valley:

A photo posted by @jsf1970 on Oct 10, 2014 at 9:00am PDT

Texas was a nice place with wonderful people and I saw the Alamo!

And I became an honorary Texan (Yay Lone Star Beer!)!

Honorary #Texan! #lonestarbeer with a #longhorn! I fed him, and thus the Honor was bestowed. #sanantonio #thewest #cowboy

A photo posted by @jsf1970 on Oct 10, 2014 at 8:50am PDT

Now that I have returned,  time to Blog about life here in the Southland!

Saddle up!

Hate Speech in NoHo: #KPFK and Margaret Prescod share ISIS' views on Jews and GOP 2 Oct 2014 1:39 AM (11 years ago)

Read this:

Sojourner Truth with Margaret Prescod, August 20 · 

Ten Suggested Discussion Points for Unity

1. Reparations for African-Americans- support the John Conyers Bill H.R.40 Now! (Coates.)

2. Stop the war of genocide against Black America! A young black male was killed by an officer of the US law enforcement agencies every 36 hours alone in 2012, according to a study by the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement. This is Fascism “Amerikkkan” style. Killer cops must go! Stop police killings, brutality and harassment.

3. Fight back against the gentrification against African American working class communities by “globalized” universities, hospitals, and corporate contracting interests (developers).

4. Fight back against right wing (Tea Party) takeover of state governments in eliminating the right to vote particularly for African Americans and the elderly, and attacks against public sector workers and labor. Support “Moral Monday” in North Carolina, Georgia and other places.

5. Fight to save local autonomy (democracy) from corporate takeovers, right wing assaults by emergency fiscal managers appointed by governments (Detroit, Newark, NJ).

6. End all student debt now! (Past, present, and future.) Make education from K to post PhD free – if Cuba can do it, so can the U.S. Fight for academic freedom – 1500 colleges and universities in the US. 

7. Demand freedom for all US political prisoners! End the mass incarceration of African people. 

8. Demand affirmative action now in the construction industry and related organized unions – particularly in the private sector. (Read “Black Power at work”, Dubois, The Philadelphia Negro, pg 331-332)

9. Down with Zionism! Boycott Israel – the New Nazis of the 21st Century. Cut off funding to Israel.

10. Struggle against fundamentalism of all forms – Christian, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Shintoism, etc. and Eurocentric Marxism.

And here is the Valley's response:

From the shadows of North Hollywood and the mind of a KPFK radio host, comes hate speech (again). For a person like Alan Minsky who wants to build coalitions, his morning crew seems set to destroy any chance of them.  For my candidates from San Pedro to Santa Clarita, every Democratic and Liberal candidate should learn about this "unity"

One thing I learned about "Unity," you give to get. AND don't sound like a Hater.  Look at all these requests.  Not one shows understanding of the other side. Not one amount of (as the song for her program ) "One Love,"  

Let's break a few of these down:


How dare you Ms. Prescod?  Have you no shame?

Know who else shares your view about Jews? ISIS.

Allow me to quote:

ISIS has “not only stated intentions to form a caliphate, but named U.S. and Jewish people as targets specifically,” said John Cohen, who until earlier this year was an undersecretary for intelligence and analysis at the Department of Homeland Security. “There’s a significant threat to Jewish communities.”

When you compare Jews and Israel protecting themselves in the ONLY Jewish State in the world to Nazi's, you share the same political bedsheets as ISIS.   Every Jew killed within the sound of your radio show is on your hands.  The blood is yours.

You did not care if Yaakov Naftali, 16, Gilad Shaer, also 16, and Eyal Yifrah, 19 died.  They were taken from their homes and killed.  You claim to care for the youth, except for Jewish ones. Except for Israeli ones.  Hamas cheered every Israeli death, so do you.  

And let me refresh your history.  Remember "Land for Peace?"  Israel gave the Palestinian the land to build and grow their own country. The Gaza Strip has beaches and already built homes.  What did they do with it?

Send missiles into Israel with it. If the Gazans want a country, all they need is to build roads, schools and have elections.  And stop attacking their neighbors.  You wouldn't like it if someone threw bombs in your backyard everyday, especially if you gave them the nice house next door.


I see in number 4 you Hate the Right wing.  You Hate the Tea Party.

But in your show,

A) You never interview a Republican or Conservative or Local Tea Party Member;

B) Every time you bring up the Republicans, Conservatives or Tea party, you get it all wrong.  Even WBAI interviewed Ayn Rand.  Are you so scared of other ideas that you refuse to call up and discuss if a rumor is true?

Apparently your Hate wants the Tea Party (Fiscal Conservatives), Republicans (usually Establishment from DC fighting against the local groups) and Conservatives (You don't even know the branches Ms. Prescod) to stop being part of the American Polity.  That means if anyone of the Right goes to your website or FB page or Twitter, your issues are moot.

If you can't play nice with others (and that goes for my side too), don't expect any give.  If you live in America, you're going to have to meet us and speak to us.

Go back to Haiti if you Hate Jews and Republicans.

Watch this video:





1,2,3,5,7 and 8 all deal with racial issues with a slant that does not say "Unity" but says "America is horrible, let's take from it,"

Now, some good issues are addressed among them: incarceration rates among African American boys and men.  Yes, I would rather that not happen. Before the 1968 social explosion, even if you protested you wore a shirt and a tie.

But Prescod also opposes business' entering poor areas.  OK Ms. Prescod (and Mr. Minsky), hire up the impoverished (such as those on Skid Row) at KPFK.  You don't want others doing it?  Government (local, state and national) is not filled with funds

If you Hate business', don't expect anyone to give funds for the fund drive. There is cultural rot all over, how do you stop the Gangs, the lack of Fathers, and the idea that the current Leadership of Democrats that do not care about these neighborhoods to make change?

Ms. Prescod, you don't want things to get better, you want to complain. 

I'm not even going into your support of Dictators everywhere and dancing on graves of people of the Right.  But this is America, we like fair play and Democracy.

I am willing to look at these issues (as a Pragmatist; 1,2,3,5,7,8 are ideals, what gives Unity? Nothing).  But what will be given in return?

Ms. Prescod, Mr. Minsky, what are either of you doing for "Unity" in America? NOTHING.  

The hate speech on Pacifica is getting known.  Try being nice next time.

My question: Ms. Prescod is an immigrant from Haiti, yet she never reaches out to those who thinks differently.  Why? 

The 12 Monkeys in Foreign Policy: Our President is Jeffery Goines and Our Spies are James Cole 1 Oct 2014 12:19 AM (11 years ago)

When I geeked out to Star Wars back in the 70's, I found Star Trek (The Original Series), and then Doctor Who.  What sci-fi offers is a (hypothetical for now) trip to the Stars, to dystopias, and to other times.

Twelve Monkeys (1995) has been hailed as a film that gets concept of Time Travel (and Predestination Paradoxes) correct.  The movie touches on madness, reality and fate vs. free will.  And yet, even though the plague in the movie was fake, the current fires in foreign policy are just as bad. Both threaten to engulf humanity, what happens next?



Currently, the President, a Harvard Graduate (and legacy like President Bush before him), wanted to go to war against Assad and now ISIS.  It contradicts itself.  As shown in the full 60 Minutes interview:



Throughout the Bush Administration, the Democrats wanted out of Iraq (and Afghanistan too).  They saw the Republican President going to war as end, not a means to an end.  When the failed haberdasher, President Truman helped end the war, he left troops behind to help transition Europe and Japan into functioning Capitalistic Democracies.  And because the non-Ivy League, non-college educated Truman did that, the USSR was caught in check until it fell.

When President Obama campaigned on bringing the troops home (and the Democrats all fell in lockstep with the "Rush to War" bombings of Syria and Libya), there was no "endgame," planned for the region.

So long US troops, hello ISIS! Thank you Democrats, said ISIS!

And how do the Army of the 12 Monkeys fit in?



James Cole (Bruce Willis) is sent back in time to find a pure sample of the virus that kept humans off the surface.  He gets sent back to 1990 (6 years before it starts) and ends up in a sanitarium in Balltimore.  There, he meets Jeffery Goines (Brad Pitt), whose father creates diseases and Dr. Railly (Madeline Stowe), who treats him. 

He bounces through time and place eventually ending up in Philadelphia 1996.  A mysterious message was heard in the future, the most haunting scene is where Dr. Railly calls off-screen.  The quote:

    COLE
  You... you left them a message?
 
    RAILLY
   (impishly)
  I couldn't resist.  I was so relieved.
  Wait'll they hear this nutty woman
  telling them...they better watch out
  for the Army of the Twelve Monkeys...

 Looking at her laughing face, 

 COLE is struck with horror as he realizes the truth! 

 He starts to recite...

    COLE
  "The Army of the Twelve Monkeys --
  they're the ones who are going to do
  it.  I can't do anything more.  The
  police are watching me."

 Now she's stunned.

 She glances back and sees the phone booth twenty yards away.

    RAILLY
  You... you couldn't have heard me.

    COLE
  They got your message, Kathryn.  They
  played it for me.  It was a bad
  recording...distorted.  I didn't
  recognize your voice.

President Bush's strategy was to bottle up Iran and bring more Democracy, thus more peace, into the Middle East (When Thomas Friedman wasn't a hack, he wrote how Democracies don't make war on each other.  A theory I have always subscribed to, see Truman)  The Democrats heard the wrong message, Senator Obama was playing animal activist while the threat of the plague hung over the story.





Now throughout the Obama Administration, the President has ignored the intel briefings on the World.  Thus, any foreign policy that President Obama acted on, he had no sense of causality.  There was a plan to take out troops from Iraq, but there was no Mission Objectives in Afghanistan since 2009.  Thus, without a sense of causality or intel, the World started to burn this past summer.

Sun Tzu made it very clears that without Spies a State is defenseless  

Since the Church Commission, Democrats have made it very clear they don't trust Our Men and Women in the Dark. I do.  

President Obama thought he was smarter then the people extracting the information and only reacted when the news became bad on television. Cole in 12 Monkeys was the scientists spy into the past. 

Cole was a pawn by everyone save Railly.  They were the only ones talking Cassandra like about the danger of Jeffery Goines and the Army of the 12 Monkeys.  No one listened.  Jeffery Goines thought (due to his wealth and madness) he was better then everyone else in the movie; Whether in the Sanitarium or at the party. 

Because there are no Senator Baker's and Goldwater's in the current Democratic Party, there is no one to tell the President to read the Daily Briefing. There are no Goldwater, Rhodes and Scott in the current members of the Left.  Not since 1994. 

What is my solution?

Before the Presidential primary of either side, I would hope the members of the US Intelligence vet the candidate's foreign policy because the media did not (well, with the GOP they will).  If you are a member of that Industry, pleads note that since the Church commission, the Democrats use the members (like Cole was used by the scientists) and throw you away.  

Look here:




There is fire and embers from the Middle East, why is the President re-acting rather then taking the lead? 

My question: Can we now point and laugh at the Anti-Bush protests and Democrats and say their foreign policy endangers us all? (especially our men and women in the US Intelligence)

Future Goals and Dreams (Or the Not-Bucket Bucket List) 19 Sep 2014 1:10 AM (11 years ago)

Later, I shall be getting the Laptop up to speed, but I need help getting back up to speed……

Out from the Summer's Heat, the Valley Opens! 16 Sep 2014 8:15 PM (11 years ago)

The Heat Rises and JSF Returns!

I go away from The Valley for the summer and the World Burns.

Even worse, the World Burns and it seems there is no one running things.

Either the Universe needs my input here in the Valley (or shaping the world some other way) or my absence created a Hole in Reality that was plugged by everything going on…..

Once can only imagine.

Now, where was I, you ask?

Choose one:

1)  Running from some domestic spies because my name matched a fake name;

2)  Shutting down the Electric Church before they made Cyborgs of Everyone;

3)  Trapped at the End of the Universe looking for Utopia;

4)  Looking for another Computer because my Gateway Computer died in July, and has now resurrected as a MacBook Pro;

5)  Lost in Time, Lost in Space; or

6) Tasked to saving the world from San Dimas.

You guess, I leave with music before the next post!

I'M BACK!!!!

Happy 238 Years America! And a Short Lesson How we got the Constitution 4 Jul 2014 1:49 PM (11 years ago)

Signing of the Declaration of Independence by Trumbell

This is the time of year, I re-read AJ Langutth's Patriot's.  It is a great re-telling of whole American Revolution. Here is the best quote of all.  If you don't feel proud today of this, maybe this poll was right....

"When members of the Continental Congress came to Jefferson's stirring conclusion, a majority thought it should include one last appeal to the power even greater then George III....They did not meddle with Jefferson's last oath, more solemn than anything they might devise:

"And for support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortune and our sacred honor'"

"On July 4, 1776, independence was declared in language worthy of it."

July 2014 Tip Jar and (Cyber) Goth Muse 3 Jul 2014 1:28 AM (11 years ago)

Steppin' Razor

Near the Jarre de The

"Crack it," She laughed. "Earn your keep for a change,"

"No games....I'll hurt you real bad,"

"You're Street Samurai...."

A Modern Media Mantra: With Questions @jayrosen_nyu, @GregMitch and @LATimesrainey WON'T Answer 17 Jun 2014 2:04 AM (11 years ago)

Things America agreed upon in earlier times; Today which freedom to defend by the Fourth estate  depends on which Political side you're on

I might not be that old (Born in 1970 when it was bad for Presidents to spy on the public and use the IRS against Political enemies. Times change), but I remember when Newspapers had multiple editions during the same day.

Wagging the Dog: The Fall of Cantor and Whipping the US Chamber of Commerce 11 Jun 2014 4:24 AM (11 years ago)

First some news:

Now, some local news from the Washington Post (which follows Beltway and Leadership Primary Races):

"By Tuesday night, he had suffered a defeat with few parallels in American history. Historians said that no House leader of Cantor’s rank had ever been defeated in a primary.

"That left stunned Republicans — those who had supported Cantor, and even those who had worked to beat him — struggling to understand what happened.

"Several said they believed that Cantor had mismanaged his campaign, with a strategy in which he was too aloof and his tactics too aggressive. In Virginia, some Republicans perceived him as having grown removed from his 7th Congressional District, spending too much time on national fundraising and Washington infighting.

“'Cantor’s field effort was nonexistent. You didn’t see a heavy Cantor presence at Shad Planking, one of the premier Virginia GOP events, and the movers-shakers in the group he works with, YG Virginia, did not have the staff to fully compete,' said Andrew Xifos, a Virginia Republican organizer. 'Brat was always an afterthought to them, even as they spent a lot of money. Central Virginia politics was changing around them and they did not see it.'
...
"Brat was boosted for months by conservative talk-radio hosts, including Laura Ingraham and Mark Levin, who touted him as a contender to their listeners and drove small-dollar donations into Brat’s coffers. 

"Unhappy with what they considered a too-hesitant-to-fight GOP, they championed Brat as a fellow warrior for an ideological cause, lifting him with the GOP’s base as he hovered under the national radar.

"When Election Day came, the turnout was high: About 65,000 people voted, which was up from 47,037 two years ago (when Cantor captured 79 percent of the vote).

"After the race had been called, Brat spoke to cheering supporters in the atrium of a nondescript building at an office park. He told them that he had won by adhering to conservative principles.
...

"If this is the end of Cantor’s political career, he may become a cautionary tale on Capitol Hill. He had tried to please both of the GOP’s warring wings, the staid establishment and the confrontational tea party movement.

"In the end, that approach brought him power, but not enough loyalty to keep it.
"The dour and businesslike Cantor had embraced confrontation enough to alienate some establishment types — in particular, by showing pique in negotiations with President Obama over a budget deal.

"But he also had made moves that alienated the party’s confrontational wing. Cantor, for instance, had championed a Republican version of the Dream Act, which would enable some illegal immigrants who entered the country as children to qualify for in-state college tuition rates. Although he never brought the legislation to the House floor, his support for the idea irritated staunch opponents of immigration reform.

"For other Republicans in Congress, the message of the defeat was that if you try to play both sides of the intra-party divide you will lose. But how Republicans can govern without bringing both sides together remains a question."

----

And finally, a Beltway Blogger and friend, RS (this post is by Subcomandante Smitty):

There were warning signs that kept piling up. In April, Brat supporters vastly outnumbered Cantor allies at local GOP meetings. Then in May, tea party fueled activists knocked off Cantor’s choice for local GOP chair in Cantor’s home base of Henrico County. 

But Cantor’s aides consistently brushed off the challenge, telling reporters and fellow GOP aides that the contest didn’t merit the media coverage it was getting

Brat severely trailed in fundraising, pulling in $200,000 this cycle compared to Cantor’s $2 million.
...
The AP gets to the heart of it:
Much of the campaign centered on immigration, where critics on both sides of the debate have recently taken aim at Cantor. Brat has accused him of being a top cheerleader for “amnesty” for immigrants who are living in the U.S. illegally. Cantor has responded forcefully by boasting in mailers of blocking Senate plans “to give illegal aliens amnesty.”

And so the toppling of Cantor will lead to a gut check for the GOP: go all “scorched earth” and run amnesty through despite the base, or deal with the reality that those spiffy Progressive ideas have all the appeal of a dirty diaper outside the Beltway.

Time to ask: What happened and why?

The story written is part of another story told, the battle between the donor class vs the Volunteer class.  It is playing out on the National level
Here is a song for the analysis:



In President Ford's biography, he mentions how in every generation there is Regicide within the Republican House Leadership ranks (see Gingrich, Speaker and Boehner, Speaker). With the threat of Regicide of Boehner, this was counterattack from the outside forces, also bringing up the one issue that could wag the dog.

The donor class takes the volunteer and staffers for granted.  

The second tale behind this story.

How many times have Republican activists and electeds supported the US Chamber of Commerce from attacks from Democrats and this current Administration?  

To be an activist or Elected, from the ground level it is a simple philosophy which I addressed here.  The economy, no matter how much happy talk the Administration and the media puts out, still sucks. And to throw out an Amnesty Bill, which every Republican activist is opposed to at this minute into the mix?

Whisky Tango Foxtrot William Donohue?  Ever heard the word "Diplomacy?"  Until the economy gets back to under 5% unemployment, why should you push an agenda that helps the Democratic party?

The Donors think they own the Republicans; The Tea Party came about as a rebellion against the Establishment in DC forgetting the public. What just happened last night was a reminder who is wagging the dog.



Rep. Cantor's former job was House Whip.  His job, was to make sure the votes are there for victory (Or take your Francis Urquhart/Francis Underwood).  The donors have forgotten to wine and dine the volunteer and staffers who count the votes.

Mr. Donohue thought he was wagging the GOP (there are local parallels in this, but another post), but it is the on the ground folks (especially the VAGOP) who have been heard.

If the Activists wish to control the GOP, we need to plan a siege of the Donor class unless they help and listen to us.  

This is the First Step to whip the US Chamber; the second step us to speak to their local affiliates and ask them to come visit every County GOP office and offer to help. 

My question: Will the US Chamber of Commerce and the Donor Class listen to the Volunteers and Activists now?

Drop Your linen and Start Your Grinnin': Bringing Together the CAGOP + RPLAC for November 5 Jun 2014 3:01 AM (11 years ago)

If I was in charge post-Primary 2014, here is what should be happening and said:

First, I promise "NO KUMBAYA!" The song gets on my nerve and most of us are professional enough to know that this song below is our theme:


Second, every Statewide Primary (legit) R Candisate should have a public and private meeting with their fallen opponents.  Their Staffs and volunteers should also meet and get together. Discuss tactics against the Majority D's and their allies in the Media.  Get everyone pointing in the same direction.



 Pizza is always good to get people together.  No wars have ever started over Pizza.

[Subsection for Mr. Kashkari: Congrats from JSF in the Valley!  Though I use New Media, I forgot that  Air Forces (i.e. Commercials) defeat Ground Forces.  YOU must publicly reach out to Donnally to stop a Civil War from occurring fast.  I want to help, don't confuse warnings with opposition.  
[I know the stakes, many do not.  This is Politics; You might be at the Top of the Ticket but if the Loyalists on the Ground are ignored or not in your circles, this will be Election 2010 (and 2012) all over again.
[Trust me, some bitter volunteer feeling deja vu (and they are many and legion), might do more harm against you then Governor Brown's dirty Tricks.  Know the best activists in ALL 52 County and tap their brain trust.  Much better then Ivy League]

In each county, do the same. If Primary opponents get together and create strategies (along with staffs and volunteers), we have the beginnings of a United front.

But like the poor Marines in Aliens, they weren't out of the woods when the set up a base.  The place was still ready to blow. (Thanks Bishop!)



Third: There are three major branches in CA Republican Politics.  If I was Chairman, I'd bring the County leaders of those branches (CRA, RLC and Reagan Caucus) to discuss bringing their respective groups together for November.  This is NOT a convention but a private meeting to get everyone in line with one thought:


[Note to Mr. Kashkari: If any of the Down Ticket candidates are being unfairly attacked by the media (not the D's), defend them.  Loyalty goes both ways.  As a former New Yorker, my one worry is if you can take Governor Brown's dirty tricks.  Please, prove me wrong]

Fourth: Our quiet Donor Class.

They have an outright disdain for our volunteers, yet without us on the ground in all 52 Counties, there would be NO Republicans in Sacramento or DC.  I humbly request the presence of the Donors to find the Pragmatic Activists within each County Party.  Meet them and plan for the future.  Donating one cycle at a time leads no one to victory.

[Note to Mr. Kashkari: Whitman's and Romney's staff (the same people) ignored the people who had years and years of On the Ground experience.  When Reagan won in all his elections, he TOOK Los Angeles County. Find those activists. Wine them and dine them.  And get the donors to love these unsung heroes]


Fifth: This all has to be done under six weeks.  If we have a unified front, nothing can stop the California Republicans from shaking the world before 2016.  We have 55 Electoral Votes in this state, if the RNC and every R POTUS candidate wants us, they have to fight with us!

[Note to Mr. Kashkari: Rallies and Fundraisers in all the 52.  Bring in big names from out of state. If they do not help you or the down ticket candidates, let the County Chairs know.  Make Los Angeles the battlefield once you Unite with Donnally's forces. Thank me after you win.  You haven't crossed the finish line yet.]


Finally, there are some people who claim to be in the GOP who will never be satisfied with who the candidates actually are or if you veer from their closed version of the Party.  Don't follow them.  We are the People who are the David's against the bureaucratic Goliath of Sacramento and DC.  How to win CA and LA are future posts this summer.


[Mr. Kashkari, next time you are in LA, contact this only Goth Blogger Republican.  I don't want another Whitman or Romney. We need to fight]  



My question: What are doing to unify for November?



.

May 2014 Rule 5 Tip jar Post (One Gothy Muse I met + One Surprise Muse) 5 Jun 2014 1:06 AM (11 years ago)

'The Valley is back on.....thank you all for being patient.

Note I did not ask (or take...or get...) any Tip Jar requests during this time.  However, good news is that the Valley should be up and running Full Time soon.  For now, it remains on in the Dead of Night.

Please hit the Tip jar for this month...the goal is $300.  Thanks.
(Or go to the Sidebar and donate. Thanks! ---->)

Now, another beautiful Muse I have encountered in the Goth world, her name is Malice (Alice) McMunn. She is sweet, has a wicked sense of humor and is the woman you want having your back in Bartertown.

Before we go forward with this beauty, please hit the Tip Jar. (Some of this will help me take her out to dinner in July; She is also good friends with another Gothy Muse I think is beautiful: Kat Von D).

From Wikipedia! (Alt. Models)  Photo by  © Glenn Francis, www.PacificProDigital.com

Covers of books!

In Rolling Stone Magazine!

Wasteland Weekend

Tough, but a big heart

@thekatvond bahaaaaaaa! ❤❤❤❤🙈 pic.twitter.com/aGqb6jyyax
— Alice Mcmunn/ (@Malice666Mcmunn) June 3, 2014

My Favorite Picture of Malice

Malice, contemplating the Universe.

And her Publicity picture!

California Primary Endorsement Post #2 -- City of Angels (and one in SD and SB) 3 Jun 2014 2:45 AM (11 years ago)

"Hip" Map of LA

Here we go!

A quick Reminder for Endorsements:

RPLAC = Republican County of Los Angeles;
CRA = California Republican Assembly (From the Right); and
RLC = Republican Liberty Caucus (Libertarian and Ron Paul Supporters).

***Also, these are my endorsements.  Though I am part of a few Republican organizations, these choices are my own and do not reflect on any group. *****

First though, I am going to travel south to a contested campaign.  Because I don't like the way he has been treated by some Social Conservatives (This person is particularly homophobic -- Reagan's Eleventh commandment does not matter; Only HER vision of what America used to be.)  I'm a Goth and don't take kindly to people not wanting people in my culture [Goths] and District [Reagan's old Home District has West Hollywood where I have many friends] out of the GOP.

After DeMaio's office was attacked, rather then stand behind each other, Jorgensen did not say anything.  This is not cool.  

I endorse DeMaio in CA52 (SDGOP)

And my friend John A. wanted me to give a shout out to a candidate in San Benandino:

I endorse Lesli Gooch for CA-31 (SBGOP).  She is a Pragmatic Conservative, we need more like that in DC.

State Assembly Districts

Now, welcome to LA!

Here are the Assembly candidates (not all endorsed by RPLAC) and any asterisks means I can vote for them.

AD 36 (Palmdale) -- Suzette Martinez
AD 38 (Santa Clarita) -- Scott Wilk (RPLAC)
AD 43 (Burbank) -- Todd Royal
AD 45 (W. SFV) -- Susan Shelley (RPLAC and she is a good friend. Vote for her!)
AD 46 (Sherman Oaks) Zachary Taylor (RPLAC)
AD 48 (West Covina) Joe Gardner (RPLAC)
AD 49 (Monterey Park) Estrela Siergist (RPLAC)
AD 50 (MY District) Brad Torgan (RPLAC) Vote for this guy, he rocks!*
AD 52 (Ontario) Dorothy Pineda (RPLAC)
AD 54 (Culver City) Glen Ratcliff
AD 55 (Diamond Bar) Ling-Ling Chang
AD 57 (Whittier) Rita Topalian (RPLAC)
AD 62 (Inglewood) Ted Grose (RPLAC)
AD 63 (South Gate) Adam Miller (RPLAC)
AD 66 (Torrance) David Hadley (RPLAC)
AD 70 (Long Beach) John Goya (RPLAC)

SD 18 (SFV) Ricardo Benitez (RPLAC)
SD 20 (Ontario) Matthew Munson (RPLAC)
SD 24 (East LA) William Morrission (Good friend of mine, please vote for him!)
SD 32 (Whittier) Mario Guerra (RPLAC)
SD 34 (Huntington Beach) Janet Nguyen (RPLAC)

And we return to the Big Map for a Big State!

OK! My favorite races to follow!

Let's walk in LA to see all the different districts!

CD 23 (Kern)  Rep. Kevin McCarthy (RPLAC)

CD 25 (Santa Clarita/Palmdale) Steve Knight  -- This seat is where "Buck" McKeon is retiring. A lot of hard words and backstabbing is occurring here.  To keep the past in the past (as it were -- more on the dead at another time), I endorse Steve Knight.  (But I will happily work with Tony Strickland if he wins).

CD 26 (Ventura County) Jeff Gorrell (RPLAC)

CD 27 (Pasadena) Jack Orswell (RPLAC)

CD 29 (East SFV) William Leader (RPLAC)

CD 30 (West SFV) Pablo Kleinman -- Another harsh campaign fr a vote rich territory.  My rule remains the same, my choice for the primary, the winner gets my support for the General.  In this heavily Jewish area, Kleinman represents the area well.

CD 32 (West Covina) Arturo Alas (RPLAC) -- I am happy to support him! Go Alas Go!

CD 33 (MY Home district -- Waxman's old district and Reagan's home district)
Elan Carr.  No one else matters.  He is legit, his campaign is strong and no amount of re-districting should make any seat safe for any party.  The House is still going to be Majority Republican.  If the Westside and Beverly Hills want a voice, vote Carr!*

CD 37 (Culver City) Adam King (RPLAC)

CD 39 (Fullerton) Rep. Ed Royce (RPLAC)

CD 43 (Inglewood) John Wood (RPLAC)

CD 47 (Long Beach) Andy Whallon (RPLAC)




And finally, here comes the Judges! (AL RPLAC endorsed)

Office #61 LA County Dayan Matthai
Office #76 LA County Allison Matsumura Estrada
Office #87 LA County Steven Schreiner
Office #107 LA County Joan Chrostek
Office #117 LA County Judge James Pierce
Office #138 LA County Donna Hollingsworth Armstrong
Office #157 LA County Andrew Cooper
Office #157 LA County Arnold Mednick

See you at the voting booth!

California Primary 2014 Endorsement Post #1: Tops of the Ticket 3 Jun 2014 12:00 AM (11 years ago)

Let's take it from the Top and move down ticket.


First some music:



***These are individual endorsements. These endorsements are not from any Organization from which I am a member.  They are mine, and mine alone.  Asterisks are those Ballots that I can vote for. Enjoy the ride!****


Governor's Race:  Assemblyman Tim Donnally (Endorsed by RPLAC, CRA, RLC)*
This race has caused a little chaos down among the activists; But for me, it is the Honorifics in front of Mr. Donnally's name that helps. He has run campaigns, he has moved among the ground forces.

In the battle between Establishment DC Republicans vs. Local Control, Donnally has taken the time to work the Ground.  Kashkari flew in with his funds and DC backing.  As we saw with Meg Whitman and Governor Romney, that is not enough.  

Lt. Governor: Ron Nehring (RPLAC, CRA)*
I have known Chairman Nehring on and off since SUNY-Stonybrook.  He is a solid leader and would be the best person in Sacramento to keep Gov. Brown (D) in check if he wins; And he can help Gov. Donnally (R) if he wins. In other words, the Valley calls voting for Nehring a win-win!

Secretary of State: Pete Peterson (RPLAC, CRA)*
This is the race where California Democratic Party hypocrisy was exposed in Assemblyman Leland Yee.  (Follow the links for the whole story)

With a Democrat, a former GOP now a NPP [No Party Preference] candidate, all that is left is Pete Peterson. When you go NPP as a candidate, I think "Someone who stands for nothing, etc." As an active partisan, you understand the system then you make it better.

AG: Former State Senator Phillip Wyman (Endorsed by RPLAC, CRA) *

Treasurer: Greg Conlon *

Controller: Mayor Ashley Swearengen (Endorsed by RPLAC, CRA)*

Superintendent of Public Instruction: Lydia Gutierrez (RPLAC, CRA) She is a dedicated school teacher and a friend of mine.  This one I want you to pull the lever for. *

Insurance Commissioner: State Senator Ted Gaines (RPLAC, CRA)*

Now the Tops of the Los Angeles Ticket (after a musical Interlude):



Prop 41:  Yes (in theory), No (due to reality). *
With the spotlight (finally) on Veteran and VA problems, the calling for Bonds for Housing is good.

California can handle the first half (raising the funds) of the equation easy, but when it comes down to following through, I need only drive by Skid Row or walk along Santa Monica Promenade and Venice beach to know of promises broken by the State (including the Federal Mammon).

I endorse the idea, but the follow through failing again does not bring me hope.  

Prop 42:  Yes, yes and YES! *
Local Governments (City and State) are the closest to the people.  If there is no way to keep our local candidates honest, within a one Party system, an Assemblyman Leland Yee appears saying one thing ("Guns are bad,") and doing another (Gun smuggling with criminals)

What our officials say in the Governmental sphere is important.  It is who they are.

Sheriff -- The only legitimate "R" is corrupt; so I had to find a candidate who is not corrupt who errs on the side of treating "Law and Order," by the book: I endorse Bob Olmstead. *

Assessor -- I endorse wholeheartedly (since I have met him many, many times): John Morris (RPLAC)*.
He will clean out the corrupt office of the assessor.  While he might be a prosecuter, he can delegate and has a good sense of who is right and honest.  Both LA papers (the Times and the News) Endorsed him as well.

Finally, who is in charge of tax collecting? Meet your Board of Supervisor member:

District 2  -- George Runner (RPLAC, CRA)*

A Flickering Light.....The Valley slowly turns ON! 29 May 2014 8:47 PM (11 years ago)

For the past 85 weeks or the past year and a half, my situ is not conducive to Blogging.

However, there is a Foreshadowing of good news ahead (of which I cannot write until much later), but suffice to say, the Valley will be active again.  I still follow news, blogs and databases, but I cannot write about them until the Chess Piece that moved 85 weeks ago moves into a better position on the Board.

In less then a week is the California Primary (yay! But Damn Prop 14!) so tonight I will Blog Endorsements from the Governor's race to the Assembly races in Los Angeles (with a note to CA-52 in San Diego because some partisans forgot Reagan's 11th Commandment).

Since I am now engrossed in a Weird West/Sci-Fi/Alternate History/Apocalyptic Comic Book called East of West (Starring Death and the Three other Horsemen - yes, THOSE Horsemen), let's watch a 1971 movie called Red Sun starring Charles Bronson which bring elements of Samurai and Cowboys together.

First some music by the upcoming band Nostalghia, 


Now, Red Sun

Is Jose Aguilar of RPLAC really a Democratic Party Mole? 8 Mar 2014 12:27 AM (11 years ago)

It seems that I am not the only Lonely G-d who demands sacrifice. 

Someone sent out emails asking us not to endorse a candidate for tomorrow.  Follow my FB and/or Twitter feed for more at the Endorsement meeting. 

Now, onto my sacrifice.

Is this Jose Aguilar?

Or is this a better image of Jose Aguilar?

In the science fiction world, there are always tests to see if an Artificial Intelligence can think independently.  Whether it was the Voight-Kampff test of Blade Runner or the Turing Test of Neuromancer, how one distinguishes human from Bot is still something we are working on. 

Many intrepid Liberal reporters and Bloggers go onto Face book of Republican candidates and Parties to see how their supporters act.  One needs only read Memorandum  to see that what goes on Facebook can end up in an opposing campaigns book tomorrow. 

To understand Jose Aguilar, you have to read (or see the movie) 1984 by Orwell.  He, like I have written about Democrats, needs his Two Minute Hate:

Like any good Liberal, he hates neo-cons.

Let me show you:

1) The Nation magazine (Left Wing) Hates Neocons;
2) The American Prospect (Left Wing) Hates Neocons;

3) MSNBC (Left wing) Hates Neocons; and
4) Crazy mass murderers Hate Neocons.

These are the people that Jose Aguilar has aligned with. 

When Aguilar follows Former Rep. Ron Paul's words to the letter, one must ask, is he human or is he a Democratic Party Mole?

Even the Liberty Crowd gets sick of his paranoiac ravings, he has no place in RPLAC unless he understands that Neo-CONSERVATIVES are part of the Republican (i.e. RPLAC) Coalition.  Los Angeles needs a Republican win and I look down upon any person who wants to kick people OUT of the party.  I converted to the GOP in the Summer of 1992, I have voted for more Republican POTUS candidates then Aguilar, he should leave the party if he hasn't followed suit.

If Aguilar wants to fight Neo-Cons, he should quit his position on his Central Committee, fly to DC and join a Democratic Peace group that fights neo-cons. Until then, Los Angeles has the second biggest population of Jews.  

Yelling "NEO-CON," in a crowded Face book room opens up any ally of Jose Aguilar's to charges of Anti-semitism.  

Anyone can say there is bad in the world, anyone can copy and paste articles, but it takes a Human to think about creative solutions that adds more allies.  Children call names, adults work with others to find solutions.

I ask the Liberty Coalition (Nick Hankoff is a person I can work with) and the RPLAC membership to start questioning Aguilar's role. 

If he is not adding anything to building a coalition to help Republicans win in Los Angeles, why is he allowed to write on our Facebook walls?

Only RPLAC members can comment here. 

And Jose Aguilar, here is your questions: 
1) We know you want to rid the world of neo-cons, but what is your vision (NOT Ron Paul's, YOURS!) of the GOP and Presidential Foreign Policy?
2) And then tell us: what is your role in RPLAC?  You anger more people then if President Obama blocked off Olympic Boulevard again.

The Lonely G-d has fed.

The Obama Doctrine? More Like Year of the Four Emperors 6 Mar 2014 3:52 AM (11 years ago)

Can it be quantified?

Can it be debated like the Bush fils Doctrine (which was FDR's and Wilson's -- both Democratic Presidents, funny that)?

2014:

Ukraine in flames

Venezuela on Fire

Or can we finally say, with the world burning, that President Obama's worldview is a failure?

2009:

Iran, 2009

Watch the Fires.....

After 9/11, President Bush and the Republicans on the Hill staked their belief on an old Democratic Party policy:   America believes no person should live under the yolk of Freedom, not the whims of a Dictator.  That was what FDR, Truman, JFK and LBJ believed.  The current crop of Liberals and Democrats opposed President Bush throughout his whole term.

Because the partisans acted crude upon the transfer of power, it begat the opposition conference later that night.

Nero

The Year of Four Emperors began in flames. Nero burning Rome and his subsequent suicide.  For the first time since the rise of Augustus, there was a power vacuum.  Rome, looking for a champion, found Galba.  He had put down an anti-tax riot in Germany.  The Praetorian Guard, as Nero fell, supported Galba. 

Galba entered the Eternal City to cheers on January 1. 

From the moment Democrats took over the Capitol, hatred of Republicans and Bush colored their policies. (i.e. House votes on Obamacare; Senate Votes on Obamacare)  

The Praetorian Guard (the media) and the Democrats hailed President Obama and never asked an important question before inauguration day:

Galba

On the way to Rome, Galba took from the towns near the Eternal City.  Being known as someone who stopped an pro-tax General, he took from the people he needed support from.  The troops under him were not brought into positions of power and some reforms were taken away from the public.

 By January 15, Galba was killed by the Praetorian Guard.  Enter Otho.

And Otho's rise started a trend that ended around 293 (the Year of the SIX Emperors): Bribing the Praetorian Guards.

After the rise of the Tea Party and the loss of the House in Election 2010, President Obama  used the IRS to intimidate the opposition (Democrats opposed using the IRS for political use in 1973, not anymore).  Overseas, the Arab Spring erupted.

Iran and Egypt called for freedom. What did President Obama do?

Say sweet nothings about nothing.

In Egypt and Iran, the Arab Spring shifted to an Arab winter as the protesters were killed.

Democrats gave up standing for people under the thumbs of Dictators; Modern Democrats work with Dictators. FDR rolls over in his grave. 

****Side Note: President Obama went to war without UN or Congressional authorization in Libya to depose Gaddafi. It worked, but the side effects were worse then the cure.  See next chapter.

Otho

Otho's power was limited to the army and the Praetorian Guard.

Otho understand the mechanics of  overthrowing an Emperor, just not understanding the mathematics of Ruling. The people and the Senate were already missing the (somewhat) stable Julio-Claudians.   Galba left a Chief of Staff in charge in Germany by the name of Vitellius.

Vitellius and his veteran troops were advancing on Rome. Otho offered a few peace agreements but with the weapons of support of the military behind him,  Vitellius ignored them.

In March, outside of the town of Cremona, Italy, both men fought. Vitellius won and Otho, following suit, committed suicide.

April 16th, 69 ACE,  Vitellius entered Rome in Triumph.

In 2012, President Obama was cruising to re-election.  He ignored the multiple embassy attacks (on the anniversary of 9/11!)

What is galling to us on the Right, if the Democratic policy is more diplomacy, why the jokes about Benghazi? Very few American Ambassadors died in her history, but Democrats don't care.

And of course, Syria.

Obama drew a line in the sand against Assad, then allowed Putin to save Assad.  Thus, the word of President Obama and the Democrats in foreign policy meant nothing.  

Vitellius

On April 17th, the Roman Senate appoints Vitellius Emperor.  

During his short reign, he expanded the bureaucracy to include knights as well as freedmen.  Also, no Centurion could sell his service to escape the military.

Unfortunately, augurs and debauchery destroyed any goodwill for Vitellius' reign.  When Vitellius took power on the anniversary of the very First Sack of Rome (390 BCE), the Eternal City was concerned.  The partying did not help the Cities coffer's either.

In response, many of the Eastern Armies backed Vespasian. Vespasian was the Roman General during the Judean (Jewish) Wars.  His son, Titus was there at Masada in 71 ACE.  As Rome was without leadership, the military saw this veteran as a way of stabilizing the Empire.

Vespasian held onto the grain in Egypt, cutting Rome off from its supply. The Slavic Legions backed Vespasian as he marched closer to Rome. Supporters of Vespasian battled partisans of Vitellius outside of Cremona, Italy. Guess who won?

As Vespasian entered Rome, his troops found Vitellius hiding;  They [Vespasian's troops] executed Vitellius on the Gemonian stairs.

On December 21, 69 ACE, Vespasian founded the Flavian  dynasty.

President Obama has talked and talked.  But for the nations near Russia's sphere of influence, there are no protective weapons (Poland and Ukraine), and the EU is dependent on Oil from Gazprom.  To President Obama, the Tea Party and Republicans were worse then a foreign power that can attack allies.


When Putin brought the Russian military into the chaos of Ukraine,he knew there was nothing that President Obama could do or would do for American allies.  In foreign policy (and politics in general), if you don't have your Word, you have nothing.  

President Bush might have been flawed, but he protected America's allies by being feared. And also giving his Word and not going back on it.

What President Obama has done is played the role of the Galba, Otho and Vitellius.  He tried hard to protect his own power while the world burns and his Word means nothing.

Vespasian, winner of 69 ACE

America will not have a calming influence in Foreign Policy until a Republican wins the Oval Office in 2016.  Say what you will about Republican Presidents, the world does not burn when they are in office.  As the last Empire (as it were), America is supposed to control the lighter. 

Now?  We are still in the summer of 69 ACE. 

And remember, if Secratery Clinton and Democrats don't care about the lives of Ambassadors or Intellegence Agents, maybe they should not be put forward.  

My question: Is President Obama Galba, Otho or Vitellius? 

***BCE: Before Common Era
***ACE: After Common Era