As IF Times

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. 

link Liberals have ‘internal issues’ to tackle: Ignatieff.

Something fun to write about in Canada for once.  This story illustrates the kind of game playing that politics has evolved into on both sides of the border.  Rather than genuinely deal with issues that may affect the people who voted them in, politicians plot at every opportunity to pounce on some event which would give them procedural advantage to take power.

According to dictionary.com, there are a number of descriptions for politics:

1.  the science or art of political government

2. use of intrigue or strategy in obtaining any position of power or control…

In addition, there is to play politics which means:  to deal with people in an opportunistic, manipulative, or devious way, as for job advancement.  No normal person cares about politics per se. To most, it’s just a bunch of lawyers playing slappy slap among themselves.  Occasionally they posture in mock indignation about some issue which if nothing else, is great theatre.  Politics is most interesting when we observe how we’re being sold something we didn’t even know we needed.  Global warming legislation and related taxes is a good example of this.  If you think politicians are in it for altruistic reasons, have a look at who supports the next particular piece of legislation.  Someone always benefits…and it’s seldom Joe or Josephine citizen. 

How apt for what we’re seeing today in governments at all levels but particularly at the national levels.   In our case, the aspirant Prime Minister Ignatieff finds himself not able to corral the gang in his own party to manipulate the ruling Conservative party into  appearing out of touch with the electorate.  Like the democrats in the U.S., the Liberals in Canada wanted to isolate and paint the opposition as socially out of step on issues surrounding health and abortion. 

To his shock, members of Ignatieff’s own party did not support this tactic: