Monkey on a Stick . . . (who's the monkey? who's holding the stick?)

There is a feeling of unease, of disgust, of disaster looming, throughout this nation.

Why?

We are under . . . a  Two-Pronged Attack on the United States

one from Socialist-Fascists the other from the Moslem jihadists

whose side is our administration on?
ours?  or the other?

This is the eve before a storm

but . . . ever the optimists, we must see that there is . . .

a red sky

[in '76 the sky was red, and old King George couldn't sleep in his bed--Ballad for Americans, talking about the American Revolution]

but, red sky at night--sailors' delight

In the Meantime, Socialism and National Socialism (Nazism) not versus, because as far as the populace is concerned, both mean living under oppressive regimes:

Fending Off the Egalitarian Impulses of the Socialist State

Posted By Herbert London On September 20, 2009 @ 12:00 am In Culture, History, Money, Politics, US News
23 Comments

via http://neveryetmelted.com/2009/09/21/the-philosophy-of-envy/

Whether it is the socialism espoused by the Nazis or the socialism of the former Soviet Union or the socialism that is emerging in the United States, there is one overarching sentiment, however different socialism in these three societies may be. Socialism everywhere expresses envy of excellence by treating the contributions and wealth of the successful as the wages of sin.

The Nazis saw the sin as a Jewish conspiracy, the Soviets saw sin as exploitation by the bourgeoisie, and what is emerging in the United States is the sin of the wealthy.

In the Obama administration greed is considered the sin that must be opposed. But greed, whatever its deficiencies, is, as Adam Smith pointed out, an incentive for the promotion of capitalism which, in the aggregate, has a salutary influence on the economy. To combat greed, the socialists emphasize envy. Since equality is the goal, even trivial differences in income are exaggerated and the progressivity in the tax system is employed as a blunt instrument to impose equality.

Lincoln said “you can’t make a poor man rich by making a rich man poor.” But President Obama seems to believe that wealth is invariably related to the wages of sin and must be controlled or, to use his language, “spread around.” To make sure this happens, government must expand and, in so doing, the private sector will inevitably contract. That explains why socialism, which purports to represent the interests of the average person, ends in overwhelming government control or outright tyranny.

Just as greed has its excesses, envy manifests excess in schadenfreude, a desire to destroy rivals or, in this instance, penalize the alleged wages of sin. If you assume wealth is bad, invariably a function of illicit or inappropriate acts, it must be penalized, i.e. a surtax to pay for universal health care or a 40 percent income tax. Even though one percent of the population pays for close to forty percent of government revenue, it is still not enough for the masters of egalitarianism. They ask, why should so few, have so much? And they answer by arguing for leveling, i.e., a collision at the income mean point through transfer payments.

Of course, what the egalitarians never realize is that at some point the rich will take their assets to a safe harbor or, assuming there are restrictions on moving capital, will simply be less productive. Contrary to the supposition of the enviers, it takes only about ten percent of the population to be a catalyst for innovation and wealth generation. If there aren’t rewards for this portion of the population, there won’t be the technological breakthroughs that foster economic growth.

That, of course, is the rub for President Obama. On the one hand, he needs to tax heavily in order to generate the revenue for his ambitious domestic agenda. On the other hand, excessive taxation will most likely result in more disappointing revenue projections than he anticipated, since the wealthy will be less productive than they were in a low tax environment

That socialism cannot work is the inevitable conclusion of Ayn Rand’s Fountainhead and the historical experience of the twentieth century. If excellence isn’t the goal of personal achievement, conformity or mediocrity reigns. If wealth isn’t a reward for success, poverty reigns. And if success is a sin, failure is a virtue.

Yet, despite this reality, socialism is a persistent idea. My suspicion is that socialism is related to the belief that most people think they can be free-riders; they can get something for nothing by taking from the rich. But this Robin Hood psychology is, in fact, a form of theft. It subtracts from the fruits of one’s labor and, without apologies, contends arbitrarily that some people simply have too much.

Alas, socialism condemns “too much” and ends up giving too little. What it offers is an ideal, an abstraction of equality that is intoxicating. But its destructive influence inexorably becomes apparent. Why be productive if others produce for you? And why would you oppose high taxes if these revenues offer “free assistance”? As Hayak noted the Road To Serfdom is littered with promises of the golden age, a time when the government provides all that you need.

President Gerald Ford put this matter in perspective when he noted “that a government that can give you everything you want will be large enough to take everything you have.” It’s too bad President Obama doesn’t read history.
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Article reprinted from Pajamas Media: http://pajamasmedia.com/
URL to article: http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/fending-off-the-egalitarian-impulses-of-the-socialist-state/

So much for Fascism and Socialism that is staring us in the face.  What is its face?  Well, look at your TV screen, you'll see it all over the place.

And what about the jihad?  Do you feel safe with who's steering "the ship of state?"  Or is he in league (maybe just a little bit?  Or more?) with those whose ideology includes:

"But when the forbidden months [Ramadan] are past, then fight and slay the pagans wherever ye find them, And seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem of war."
- Qur'an-(9:5)
from http://www.thegreenarrow.co.uk/index.php/writers/arrow-straight/179-while-the-population-sleep

and from the same source. . .
One ex-Muslim put it like this, “Muslims act meekly when they lack sufficient power. Once in power, the Real Islam emerges from its shell of dissimulation and puts free people and their way of life to the sword.”

and . . .

A Picture of things to come?
Venezuelans  under Chavez

CARACAS, Venezuela (CNN) -- Venezuela's most-watched television station -- and outlet for the political opposition -- went off the air after the government refused to renew its broadcast license.

Radio Caracas Television (RCTV), which has been broadcasting for 53 years, was replaced by a state-run station -- TVes -- on Monday. The new station's logo began running immediately after RCTV went off the air.

Leading up to the deadline, police on Sunday used water cannons and what appeared to be tear gas to break up thousands of demonstrators protesting the government's decision to close the country's most-watched television station.
http://islamicdanger4u.blogspot.com/2008/10/under-obama-you-will-shut-your-mouth.html

Rulers come and rulers go, however. (Something to be thankful for)

THE EMPEROR JONES

A play by Eugene O'Neill. Originally called The Silver Bullet, the play is highly effective as pure theater through its use of such elements as pulsing drums, gunshots, and the dramatic jungle setting. Dialogue does little to advance the action. Jones serves as a symbol for a debased humanity . . .
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/186057/The-Emperor-Jones

Eugene O'Neill Play Synopsis at
http://www.theatrehistory.com/american/emperor_jones.html

AND

from http://www.curtainup.com/emperorjones.html, segments from the play

Talk polite, white man, talk polite. I'm boss here. — Jones

He is laughing at, and exploiting the islanders by levying huge taxes so that he can live in luxury. "From stowaway to emperor in two years -- that's going some!" he brags. His behaviour emulates white rulers. When he rings the bell to summon servants all that can be heard is the buzz of a fly.

. . . somewhere, in the background, an African witch doctor dances-- frenetically.

Now for the Title Piece of this post: Monkey on a Stick

Photo: Historical Photo from "The History of Toys" by Antonia Fraser

As to the Title of this Post:  "Monkey on a Stick"

Question is: "Who's holding the stick?"

George Soros?

Mohammed?

Saul Alinsky?

William Ayers?

Jeremiah Wright?

King of Saudi Arabia?

Karl Marx?

Adolf Hitler?

All of the Above?

None of the Above?

the above-named personages either are already dead . . .

. . . or deserve to be

or, is . . .

. . . he who holds his own stick holding a fool?

And the monkey?  Holding his own stick?  thinks he's holding his own stick?  Hardly.

The following is paraphrased from a segment at The Coronation of the Emperor Jones http://islamicdanger4u.blogspot.com/2009/01/coronation-of-emperor-jones.html:

He is laughing at, and exploiting the citizens by levying huge taxes while he and his family live in luxury. "From Community Organizer (read "Rabble Rouser") to emperor in a few years -- that's some accomplishment!" he brags. His behaviour tries to emulate former presidents.

. . . somewhere, in the background, the ghosts of Saul Alinsky and a Kenyan absentee father dance -- frenetically

for the original see http://islamicdanger4u.blogspot.com/2009/01/coronation-of-emperor-jones.html

and . . .

. . . in Vulcan's workshop what is there being cast of silver?

while The Emperor runs endlessly through the jungle of his fears?