George Rebane

“Never seek justice, only mercy.” Coach Dick Beede

- NRA’s deal with the devil
- Secular Islam censoring ‘anti-Islam’ search engines
- McChrystal’s substance starting to seep
- Barry Pruett starts blogging

The latest progressive assault on First Amendment rights is in full swing with Charlie Schumer et al leading the way with the ‘Disclose Act’ that would require advocacy groups to run a new regulatory gauntlet to get their word out.  Old and large single issue (Second Amendment) advocacy group, National Rifle Association (of which I am a member), correctly opposed the bill and said so.  The Schumer socialists then replied with a ‘large and old organization set aside’ that would exclude organizations like the NRA and, of course, big unions.  NRA would then withhold its opposition.  But smaller advocacy groups that come into being to oppose/support timely and important issues would have to run the censorship gauntlet.  (more here)

NRA sent out letters to its outraged members (me included) explaining its position, and claiming total victory in avoiding being muzzled by the Disclose Act.  What the NRA seems to have overlooked is that we defend the Second Amendment only because it is the lynchpin for upholding the Constitution, and all the other amendments starting with the First – free speech.  Allowing the smaller advocacy groups to be bundled and thrown under the bus hearkens back to the Germany of the 1930s – ‘First they came for the Jews, but I didn’t complain because I wasn’t a Jew, then they came for …’.  We must recall that the pen is mightier than the sword only to the extent that it can invoke the sword (one of Rebane's Reality Rules).  What will then invoke the sword when that pen is taken away? 

The left stopped direct assault on the Second Amendment a few years back as a losing proposition.  And now we understand the progressives’ game, and why Congress continues to play footsie with the ‘Fairness Doctrine’.

[update] Meanwhile the leftwing beat goes on.  At a recent forum titled 'The Control of Public Media as a Social Justice Issue', Scott Sanders, a Chicago-based 'media activist' said, "social justice movements need to radically re-invision the US public service media system. It would be almost unrecognizable alongside the current version – alternative democratic structures to govern public media and radio.  Democratic participation in cultural civic production only occurs when the powerless speak to themselves and to wider audiences." (more here)

Speaking of censorship.  Two of America’s historical allies in the world of Islam have been Turkey and Pakistan.  These so-called secular Islamic countries are starting to drift more and more away from America and toward their Caliphate Islamists who enliven their respective populist ‘streets’.  This has accelerated now under the Obama Incompetency Doctrine.  The latest observable of the re-alignment comes with the announcement that both countries will start censoring large search engines like Google and Yahoo in order to block anti-Islamic content.

Upon McChrystal’s dismissal and replacement last Wednesday, the media focused buzz around “suicide bombing of his career”.  My immediate take was to agree with the President’s action, but not ignore the possible substance of McChrystal’s laundry list of Obama administration criticisms (here).  Well, this notion is now beginning to get traction in the media.  For example, take a look at Peggy Noonan’s analysis of the affair (here), and her not so subtle advice to General Patraeus as the man goes before Congress for his confirmation hearing this coming week.  McChrystal spoke with a straight tongue about the Afghanistan war and our effectiveness in prosecuting it.  Patraeus should take the opportunity this week to tell us all what’s really happening, and what it would take to ‘win’ the redux of a war that has been going on and off at least since Alexander the Great first sought to conquer those fiercely independent Afghan tribes.

And while all this important stuff is going on around the world, we here in Nevada County are busy with more parochial problems, like what color political crayons should we use to color the county.  The latest chapter of this is being played out today on Russ Steele’s NCMW where we are engaged in the interminably ‘classic’ lectures we deliver to each other.  Concurrently we welcome Barry Pruett’s announcement that he is starting a new blog in which he promises to get Inside Nevada County Politics.  And it’s about time.  RR is happy to include Barry’s new website in Our Links.