As IF Times

Source: Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: Washington Post criticized for austere headline

There’s an old saying that goes, “when your adversary is digging himself into a hole, stand back and let him finish”.  The amusing headline from the Washington Post characterizing the death of the top ISIS leader at the hands of US forces was a backhoe’s worth of dirt, even considering the tons of earth they’ve moved over the years.  Wanting to be known as the beacon of truth, their masthead’s byline reads, “Democracy Dies In Darkness”.  Well someone had better find the light switch over there, because they seem to be vying with the satire of The Babylon Bee for the most preposterous headlines and stories.

The obituary reads, “Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, austere religious scholar at helm of Islamic State, dies at 48.”

We know that very soon, the meme machine will be working overtime on the internet to come out with some other re-writes of famous historical figures.

“Adolph Hitler, Thoughtful art collector and eloquent speechwriter found dead in apparent murder suicide with his wife Eva in the basement of his quiet home”

“Benito Mussolini, journalist, good friend of the art collector Adolf Hitler and respected leader of the Italian nation through the tumultuous years of World War 2,  passes away from assassination by disgruntled soldiers at the end of the war.  A public funeral was held at the Piazzele Loreto in Milan. He was only 61.”

“Mao Tse Tung, leader of the most populous nation on earth passed away at the young age of 82. He was an accomplished  demographics expert, managing to cull over 20 million people from the nation of China during his reign.  He commanded respect from his people and many in the nation took to wearing clothing that emulated his grey tunic during his life.  Actually, everyone did.  To this day, his ideology is celebrated by politicians, basketball players and actors in many western nations.”

“Jeffrey Dahmer, noted gastronomic adventurer, dies at the age of 34 while living in a state sponsored home.  He was apparently killed by a roommate in a dispute over differences of food tastes.”

“Pol Pot, leader of the Khmer Rouge dead at 63.  The Khmer Rouge pioneered the mass deployment of approximately 3 million people into the fields of the country to ease the stress upon the big cities.”

“The Washington Post, in the midst of a protracted death from massive declining readership and interest in fantasy literature.  The writing was on the wall when people stopped keeping birds and no longer required cage liners.”

Amazing at it seems, especially to me, As IF Times has been around for almost 10 years.  It was glaringly obvious that the spin on much of the news stories we are exposed to as consumers are often preposterous and were just begging for rebuttal commentary.  The original intent of the essays were to cast an amusing light on the foibles of the media in all its forms, as they portrayed American life as expressed by their politics, their culture and their entertainment.  With well over 600 articles, it’s obvious that there is no lack of material to write about, most viewed with humor but also with the undercurrent of sad reality in each piece.

What has been noticeable over the past 10 years is that the stakes have increased dramatically for the survival of traditional American culture and society.   It is not hyperbole to state that the very foundations are under attack from many diverse fronts, but all with apparently the same goal; to overturn the great experiment that is America by challenging every institution within it.  We observe more and more assaults on the very foundations of law and order, on the standards of cultural behavior, on social norms, even questioning the most elementary definition of the sexes.  Who would have thought even a few years ago that there would be a question of whether one’s sex was a biological reality or merely a social construct?? We also observe commercial players influencing messages to the consuming public, quite apart from their notional products offered for sale.

Is this organic, representing the natural progression of societies or is it more nefarious, representing a coordinated assault?  Certainly, the United States is not alone since social upheaval is manifest in nations the world over and especially in countries heretofore considered stable and civilized.  But America is important because they are the de-facto standard bearer for all kinds of things and ideals that can be collectively characterized as Western civilization, including the most important ones of liberty, freedom and the notion of fair justice for its citizens.

It’s increasingly difficult to find that balance between the humor that such upheaval brings against the aforementioned sadness that now seems to dominate the stories more and more.  In a slight departure from my usual format, I attach a recent speech given by Mollie Hemingway at Hillsdale College in which she addresses the increasing divide facing America today and her thoughts on its roots.  In a comment near the end of her speech she intones the most insightful line of her excellent presentation.  She states,

“…It is not a political divide, it is so much more than that.  Anyone who thinks that this will be resolved through an election is not thinking clearly…”  It’s a fabulous and articulate speech.