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I have a fresh haircut and a new found hope for America

I have a fresh haircut and a new found hope in and for America.

In my small town barbershop early this morning, I discovered that conservative America still has a pulse. The amazing dialogue that I witnessed (and in which I did, in fact, partake) was as 'dead on' conservative as anything that you could hear at CPAC this weekend. 

With Bonanza as the background noise, I heard more intelligent analysis about everything from the "indoctrination" goals of our educational system to the mandate BSO thinks he has to direct us down our own "Road to Serfdom" with the "porkulus" bill and the proposed "budget" released this past week. From guys with tree bark camouflage and John Deere hats came spewing forth enough fire and brimstone to make a southern Baptist miniter blush.

The thing that struck me was that they "get it".  A bunch of guys who don't have enough hours for a BA between them all described the basic tenets of conservatism as clearly as El Rusbo himself. On a wide range of issues, opinions were articulated which could be talking points for the next GOP candidate for president.

And they are mad. Mad as hell. 

They feel like the government of the United States is heading down a path to take away their liberty, their hard earned dollars, and the future for their children.

They understand that the time has come for their voices to be heard, and they are not going to go "quietly in the night".

I felt like I was sitting in Faneuil Hall listening to Samuel Adams and his cohorts. It made me smile.
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Pragmatism 101-- for those of us with a public school education

pragmatism An approach to philosophy, primarily held by American philosophers, which holds that the truth or meaning of a statement is to be measured by its practical (i.e., pragmatic) consequences. William James and John Dewey were pragmatists
http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/06/war_and_its_moral_equivalent.html
http://www.theobjectivestandard.com/issues/2008-fall/menace-of-pragmatism.asp
William James is technically the founder of American pragmatism, hugely important American philosopher. And pragmatism, basically, all it tried to do was say that all the old rules, all the old dogmas of classical liberalism, of Newtonian physics, all that, they could all be thrown by the wayside, and that truth was now relative, and that we could define truth by what James called cash value. And we now lived in a universe with the lid off, is what James liked to say. And what James and Nietzsche in Europe, and others, what they basically did was they were overturning the settled authority of philosophy, and basically saying that men could will any reality they wanted. And in many ways, what fascism is, is a marriage of James’ will to believe with Nietzsche’s will to power. And it’s not a coincidence that Mussolini often cited William James as one of the three most important philosophers in his life. J.Goldberg As a rule we disbelieve all the facts and theories for which we have no use. William James The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook. William James Religion is a monumental chapter in the history of human egotism. William James It is wrong always, everywhere, and for everyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence. William James The god whom science recognizes must be a God of universal laws exclusively, a God who does a wholesale, not a retail business. He cannot accommodate his processes to the convenience of individuals. William James
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Fascism 101. for those of us with a public school education

FASCISM is a difficult word to define. Its actual meaning (and definition) is  difficult to pin-down even by the intellectuals who talk about this sort of stuff all the time. Michael Ledeen has a very good article, linked below, which does a good job of distinguishing between fascism and socialism (on a simple level, which is best anyway). It is interesting to note (and totally news to most of us) that the idea of "fascism" was very very popular throught the world in the first half of the 20th century. By "popular", I am meaning among the world leaders.... eg Wison, Hoover, FDR, Mussolini, and Hitler (gosh, you really hate to be on a list with Hitler)

Most of us when we hear the word "fascist" or "fascism" think of either a black and white charley chan look-alike running around getting "Heiled" and murdering millions of jews... or a crazed and freakish Kevin Bacon character declaring , in "JFK", that the USA is fascist while being interviewed in prison by Eliot Ness or whoever it was kevin costner was playing in this movie.

But the concept was a "hot one" among world leaders back in the 1920's.
They would complement each other on their ideas and read each others books. Everyone was basically looking for the same "thing" and fascism was the fastest horse for a while.

Clearly, all this ideological unity took a decided turn from Puff-the-Magic dragon land to something...else. But, I wonder: who did it right ?

I digress.

Fascism. definition. (simple and slightly modified by me from acutal dictionary) a governmental system led by a dictator ( or head of state "name" of choice ) having complete power (--ish, having that as a goal) forcibly suppressing opposition and critism, regimenting all industry, commerce,etc, emphasizing and aggressive nationalism (unity of purpose)


http://pajamasmedia.com/michaelledeen/2009/02/12/we-are-all-illiterates-now/


http://liberalfascism.nationalreview.com/
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