The other day I was watching Bill Moyers Journal on PBS and his topic was the evangelical view of the end times and how it relates to Israel and the United States. Now, I don't particularly like Mr. Moyers, frankly, I find his reflexive disdain and dismissive attitude for any thing right of center severely off-putting. That's just the way most hardcore leftists are, and this guy is perhaps the worst, but it never hurts to listen to people you profoundly disagree with. Having a mirror, albeit a distorted one, held in front of you still allows you to see some accurate views of yourself - the good and the bad.
What caught my attention was the notion posited by Moyers and his guests that the current world view held by many Americans and especially evangelicals is understandable but it is wrong. Moyers and his guests, Dr. Timothy Weber and Rabbi Michael Lerner seemed bemused by the evangelical narrative, reverent at times and disgusted at others. Me, I am not an evangelical, I wouldn't know how to be. As what I call a born again Catholic I feel a certain kinship with parts of the evangelical doctrine, but honestly, biblical literalists are way off the mark in my estimation. I do, however, join them in an enduring support for Israel.
Quite Simple: Blame America, for everything
When the discussion turned to the direction things are going in the world at large I knew America and particularly the "right wing" were squarely in their sights. They talked of a world-wide psychological depression, a hopeless malaise people everywhere are sinking into. They claim that there is a desperate search by people all over the world for something better than the coming globalization of world capitalism driven by the West and primarily the United States.
And so it is... We hear that people the world over are rejecting the "American" way and are finally pushing back. This is why we see the rise of radical Islam and leftist movements in Latin America. The return to a totalitarian Russian state under Putin is touted as evidence that American-style freedom and free market systems are unwelcome. More and more people are convinced that it is multinational corporations, spawn of the West, who rule - and ruin - the world. The multinationals, they claim, cynically push mankind into a corner where it becomes a brutal game of every man for himself. In this brutish world view it's "I've got mine, to hell with you!" There is, I admit, some truth in that.
According to Moyers and company we need a new world view, a loving world view instead of this confrontational, apocalyptic world view so many hold.
A Loving World View?
What is this Loving World View? What must change in America to move people away from this confrontational " me first" world view we are immersed in now? Is individualism to blame? Is personal liberty a canard? Is wanting to keep the fruits of your own labor selfishness? Are consumer consumption and the profit motive corrupt ideals?
The answer to all of these questions is no.
Is it too much to expect for ordinary men to rule their own lives? Are we incapable of determining what is best for ourselves. Do we need to be "taken care of" by a benevolent government? No! No! No!
To pull people out of this so-called depression over the future of the world and foster this grand ideal of a "loving world view" we need to start by not resorting to self-hatred and self flagellation. When people see the inequities of life they want to lash out at those who have what they don't. This is basic human nature. What they often refuse to see is that with the exception of inherited wealth most of the "haves" attained their station in life with self discipline and hard work. This is something to be admired not disdained. We have to reject the idea that the rich man got his by crawling over the poor, this is almost always untrue. Envy and jealously are also basic human traits but the are unproductive and destructive. Until both the the real inequities and the cancer of envy and jealousy are excised, peace, love and understanding will continue to be a pipe dream.
A World View Starts with A Political View
The political left continually demonizes capitalism and by extension globalization even though it is clear that it has lifted millions upon millions out of devastating poverty over the last 100 years. It's seems all they want to see are capitalism's warts. Amazingly, even while enjoying the benefits of the truly remarkable things capitalism has fostered, they proceed to poison the horse they rode in on.
Why is this? Obviously (or is it obvious???) that top down communism was an abject failure. Dictatorship and military thuggery is unpalatable, right? Is there anyone outside the greater Middle East interested in Islamic sharia law and dhimmitude? (Hardcore leftists support Islam in so far as it opposes personal liberty and capitalism just like they do.) Democratic socialism is held out as the viable alternative to laissez-faire capitalism and theocratic rule, but history is showing that it is unsustainable because, for one, it it represses human reproduction as we are seeing in the rapid decline of nearly all the native European and Japanese populations. Secondly, welfare based systems eventually eat their own. In truth all of these systems fail because they are inherently inefficient. Human progress is measured by ever increasing efficiency.
America's detractors inside and out point to our consumption based economic model as being the root cause of world conflict and the environmental destruction of the planet. This is despite the fact that as globalization plays out the global economy is expanding and people all over the world are living better than at any time in history. Poverty and human suffering are actually decreasing. The places where poverty and suffering are expanding are the places where economic freedom is being repressed.
Africa is perhaps the most abused place on Earth. Many leftists, claiming to want to protect Africans from globalization and environmental destruction, actively work to deny the poor and suffering a better life through the promise of economic opportunity. Why should Africa be left out of the benefits of the integrated world economy? Africans aren't necessarily pleased about it. The repression of thoughtful economic development is actually causing environmental damage as the poor cut down the forests for fuel and grazing land, they have so few options to do otherwise. So much for a loving worldview...
Regardless of the socialist utopian fairytale most leftists pine for, free market based economies offer the most for the most. This is where it must start. But first, before we can dare to dream about a beautiful and peaceful loving world view we need to deal with the 800 pound gorilla in the room.
The 800 Pound Gorilla
While the elitists in Europe and in America - you know, university professors, fabulously wealthy authors, celebrities and media pundits - fall all over themselves citing America as the root cause of conflict in the world today, they refuse to acknowledge what most of the rest of us can see with our very own eyes. Islamism - the rapid and sometimes violent expansion of Islam pushing out from Saudi Arabia, Iran and Pakistan - is the cause of nearly all the current armed conflicts in the world. This is an indisputable fact. Because radical Muslims have successfully framed the conflict as a struggle with America and Israel, the two nations most hated by leftists and socialists, the elitists use some perverse logic that excuses Islamism.
The Palestinian conflict is the banner under which the elitists make their case against the U.S. and Israel and yet it seems to me that President Bush, the man they love to hate, was the first American president to call for a two state solution. Israel agrees. Yet the conflict continues - because they don't want it to end there. They have a bigger fish to fry than Israel.
Corporatism, Worse Than all the Other Ism's?
For all those who despise the United States and the West it all comes down to a fear of soulless corporations blindly driven by the profit motive wreaking havoc on ordinary people and the environment.
This is as rational a fear as it is to fear the spread of radical Islam.
The common thread between the two is that both lay it all out in the open. Islam declares its goal to have dominion over the world. Multinational corporations are clear, they are in it for profit. Neither Corporatism or Islamism have any need for borders or national allegiances. Neither Corporatism or Islamism have any qualms about using any means necessary to achieve their goals. Corporatism seeks to "buy" government off and Islam seeks to "be" the government. Corporations and the governments they support, employ economic hit men whose job is to cut deals for natural resources and human labor with almost no regard for the damage it can cause. Radical Islam recruits and trains terrorists to seek out and destroy vital parts of their enemies with no regard for the innocent.
There is a big difference between soulless corporatism and violent Islamism. Value. There is value in the goods and services offered by corporations. Islam offers death, a glorious death, mind you.
Putting the insanity of radical Islam aside for purposes of discussion, ask the question: can a loving world view be reconciled with corporatism? Well, here is where Moyers, Weber and Lerner got it right. We need leadership, bold and unafraid...
Where Are the Leaders?
Where are the leaders? Has the world become too complicated, are vested interests so entrenched that a mere political leader will never make a difference? Is the current just carrying us along for a ride and all anyone can really do is nudge the rudder a little this way and then a little that way? If we believe that then we ought to just give up now.
So, where are the leaders? Is there anyone on the horizon who can rise above the din? Is there anyone out there who is not a serial liar like the last president, or anyone who can string 2 sentences together and actually convey a better idea, unlike our current president? I don't see anyone.
Where are the leaders that are going reform our tax structure so that it will encourage corporations to keep their domestic enterprises instead of driving them out. Where are the leaders who will reign in the beast that is "government" and force it to streamline its outdated operations, demanding it be made to run efficiently? Where are the leaders who will do the right thing - even if it means stepping on the toes of the special interests that paid their way to Washington DC. It seems there are always only two choices for democratic citizens - we turn over political power to those who will do the bidding for corporations (feathering their own nests in the process) or turn over the power to megalomaniacs who will consolidate political power in their own government institutions while they collect protection money from those very same corporations. So, I ask again, where are the leaders?
So(ros) Goes It
Honestly, I am far more worried about the future if Hillary Clinton and her ideas are unleashed on the land of the free than I ever have been of George W Bush. Bush may have been corporatism's best friend, but Hillary will do the bidding for George Soros. And for those of you who don't know who George Soros is, all I can say is his one goal in life is to destroy capitalism. He intends to replace capitalism with something called "The Open Society" and he needs a democrat in the White House to do it. If he is successful it will be the end of Western Civilization. And when Western Civilization crumbles into dust just what do you suppose will move in to fill the vacuum?
But then how would you know about George Soros and his anti-American designs when the mainstream media is so totally obsessed with hating George W. Bush on one hand and with Brittney, Lindsay and Paris on the other.
We Report, We Decide
There is a poison that is killing America and West, it showed up in the 60's and has become more potent over the years. How long can we watch NBC Nightly News (or CBS, CNN etc etc) only to hear how terrible America is? Even the rare occasion when they highlight something positive and uplifting it is usually something that addresses a shortcoming in our rotten, racist society. How can we ever possibly believe in ourselves or our way of life if everyday we are constantly told how terrible this country is?
Every story in the mainstream media about our president, the current one and to a lesser degree the last one, is laced with disdain and mistrust. This is the old Soviet tactic of maligning the American president, making not only the Russian people but also the American people fear and loathe him.
The mainstream media is actively dumbing down our society politically just as our schools are dumbing down our children intellectually. Standards are set lower and lower everyday. Those of us who partake in what technology has opened up for us can circumvent what the media spoon feeds society at large. Still, by and large the big media conglomerates effectively own the distribution of news and information. In the process we have been conditioned to believe that everything is bad and getting worse in this country, but, strangely polls show we are quite happy about our own individual prospects.
We are not well served by the major news media outfits because they are agenda driven while they pretend to be objective. Internet websites, talk radio and some cable TV channels that do not claim objectivity are often a far more reliable a witness to any particular story - they wear their personal agendas on their sleeves where we can see them and judge them.
Humble, Not Humbled
This elusive loving world view Bill Moyers talked about can never come about if we hate ourselves and our country. A humble America may indeed be good for the world, but a weak and dispirited America is not. The America haters have figured out that if they can dumb down and poison the young mind with porn and filth and junk culture, while pushing pseudo self-esteem instead of self-achievement they can destroy America from within. It makes the job of parenting that much harder. It is amazing to me that so many kids turn out as well as they do - good parents trump negative societal reinforcement. Still, I fear it may already be too late if we don't begin to reverse these assaults on our culture and our power.
The people who believe in the inevitable rise of World Government through the process of globalization are engaged in an elaborate dance that needs America. There is yet to be any nation or movement including Islam that can rival the U.S. The Soviet Union was fundamentally not up to the task. The goal is to get America to empower its own executioner. It is easier with each passing generation as American children are deprived of an adequate education that includes American history. They won't know what they are giving up. The slow drain of our educational, technological and industrial might to China and other low wage states will one day come back to haunt us.
This is not one world. I am sorry to say, a loving world view is a fantasy.
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