WHY THE LEFT HATES IT WHEN YOU POINT OUT WE’RE A REPUBLIC, NOT A DEMOCRACY
For as long as I can remember, the Left has been sneering at anyone who points out that the United States is a republic, not a democracy.
They find the notion almost as unsophisticated and fascistic as flying a revolutionary-era flag. Others dismiss the democracy/republic debate as pedantic or a semantic distraction. They shouldn't.
The other day, CNN's Donie O'Sullivan tried to make Trump fans who repeat this factual contention look like a bunch of dumb, lockstepping authoritarians.
To explain the problem, CNN even recruited "democracy" expert Anne Applebaum, who noted that, "America is a democracy. It was founded as a democracy ... the word 'democracy' and the word 'republic' have often been used interchangeably. There isn't a meaningful difference between them ..."
Sure there is.
MONTEZUMA’S CASTLE
When American explorers came upon this extraordinary cliff dwelling in 1860s Arizona, they dubbed it “Montezuma’s Castle” on a whim. The Aztec ruler had nothing to do with it, of course. The Anasazi people built a number of these marvelous structures in the Southwest, high up on cliffs above a river that seasonally flooded.
For hundreds of years the Anasazi flourished, skilled agriculturalists and brilliant at constructing vast irrigation systems. Yet it all came to naught with a devastating megadrought with no rain for many decades, culminating in the collapse of the Anasazi culture and abandonment of their cliff dwellings by the early 1500s.
Another lesson that it is nature that control’s the Earth’s climate, not us. You’ll find Montezuma’s Castle above Beaver Creek south of Sedona. It’s a marvel not to be missed. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #194 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
TRUMP 47’s AGENDA
Normally, the self-important, gazillionaire libs of the All In Podcast can be tiresome. But their recent 49-minute Trump interview demands watching, as a window into Trump's agenda, particularly in the economic realm.
Trump's remarkable ability to magnetically pull disparate constituencies into his orbit is proceeding exponentially.
Consider Bitcoin. He has made it mandatory for participants in that sector to support him, otherwise the Janet Yellens and Elizabeth Warrens will outlaw its existence.
Or his tax-free tips proposal, attracting millions of service workers -- a proposal that drew laughter from 80 elite CEOs Trump recently met behind closed doors. Trump will laugh all the way to the November polls.
Trump has adopted politically astute positions for issues across the board. Democrats are trying equally hard to drive away as many constituencies as possible, an extraordinary political moment.
Trump practices unification; Democrats excel at division. When Trump warns what will happen if he is not elected, no one doubts him.
Contrast Trump’s continuous stream of nuance and substance below with fake “news” accounts of his meeting with CEOs: [They] “said that he was remarkably meandering, could not keep a straight thought, was all over the map.”
The reality is quite different.
WE HAVE BEEN SUBVERTED
[TTP: This is quite a long article, but it is so worth the time. The subtitle says it all: “What is at stake in our ability to see the threat plainly? Nothing less than the preservation of our way of life.”]
If you wonder why I—a woman of color, an African, a former Muslim, a former asylum seeker, and an immigrant—look at the antics of today’s anti-Israel, anti-American protesters with such fear and trembling, allow me to explain.
I was born in Somalia in 1969. The country had achieved independence nine years before. But less than a month before I was born—on October 21, 1969—a junior member of the brand-new Somali armed forces seized power with the help of the Soviet Union.
The first two decades of my life were shaped by the upheaval that followed that coup.
The Somalia that gained its independence was a young, optimistic society full of national pride.
We had such hope for growth, political stability, prosperity, and peace. But, in a story sadly familiar to many of my fellow Africans, those hopes were dashed.
What followed was a nightmare.
THE LESHAN GIANT BUDDHA
Carved out of a cliff face of red sandstone on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau over 1,200 years ago by Buddhist monks, the 233 ft-high Leshan Giant Buddha is the largest and tallest stone Buddha statue in the world.
I took this picture from a boat on the river that runs past it. As you can see by Buddhist pilgrims working their way down the stone steps on the side and in front carrying umbrellas, it’s raining. Rain is so frequent here that a sophisticated drainage system was incorporated into the statue when it was built. It is still in working order. Behind the Buddha’s head, between his two ears, and scattered throughout his body, there are several hidden gutters and channels carrying out the rainwater that have kept the inner areas dry and prevented the Buddha from eroding since the 8th century.
Knowing this adds to the wonder of beholding this extraordinary achievement. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #268 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
THE CHINESE GLASS HOUSE
[This Monday's Archive was first written on April 14, 2005. To this day, the Chicoms are organizing anti-Japan protests and demonstrations. This coming July 8, as it does annually, they will commemorate the “Chinese War of Resistance to Japanese Aggression” during WWII. That would be a good time for current Japan PM Fumio Kishida to republish his predecessor Junichiro Koizumi’s 2005 letter to then-Chicom leader Wen Jiabao quoted in full below. Updated from him to Chairman Xi.]
TTP, April 14, 2005
His Excellency Wen Jiabao Premier, State Council, People’s Republic of China Beijing PRC
Dear Premier Wen,
It is understandable that many Chinese remain angry at the crimes committed by Japanese soldiers in China prior to and during World War II. It is further understandable that their anger would be inflamed by a textbook refusing to acknowledge this history.
It is, however, not useful to attempt to instill in Japanese today a sense of guilt over actions committed not by them but by their forefathers, not by their democratic government but by a militaristic regime of the past. The Japanese feel quite strongly that the generation who committed crimes against humanity paid for them in full at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Further, since the end of the war, Japan has enjoyed a democratic government instead of suffering under a totalitarian dictatorship. Japanese have had freedom for almost six decades: freedom to assemble, freedom of the press, freedom of speech, and all other freedoms taken for granted in normal modern democracies.
Thus I must ask you, Premier Wen: how many of these freedoms do the people of China enjoy? The answer, quite frankly is: none. The government of Japan was once a dictatorship and is no longer. The government of China still is.
I, along with many of my fellow Japanese citizens, must admit to being astounded at your admonishing us to “take responsibility for history,” and to engage in “deep and profound reflection” on our history. Astounded because you pretend not to see how much this advice applies to you and the Communist Party of China.
FLASHBACK FRIDAY – YOUNGEST PERSON EVER AT THE NORTH POLE
April 22, 1990. This is my son Brandon, age six, happily atop a small pressure ridge of sea-ice at 90 North Latitude, the geographic North Pole. I started leading expeditions to 90N in 1978. This was my 12th, and the best weather there we’d ever had. A glorious day at the very top of our planet, and a glorious memory for both father and son.
If fortune favors you with the opportunity, have grand adventures with your children or grandchildren when they are young. They will treasure the memories so much they will someday tell their grandchildren about them. Life is short, carpe diem. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #104 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
DEMOCRATS SUE IRAN!
HALF-FULL REPORT 06/21/24
Welcome to the Summer Solstice and the Inversion of Reality HFR!
Today, June 21, is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere – and the shortest, or Winter Solstice, in the Southern. On June 21st, the ancient Incas of Peru held their most sacred ritual of the year at Machu Picchu’s Intihuatana – Hitching Post of the Sun – where the priests would magically lasso and tie the Sun God Inti to the post to ensure it would not die but be reborn so the days would start getting longer again.
First time I was here was in 1960, spending a week by myself exploring it. Many of you have been here yourself. Roping in the Sun made sense, I thought, as from time immemorial everyone “knew” the Sun went around the Earth.
But it doesn’t, reality is the other way around. Denying the reality that the Earth goes around the Sun today would be like, say, a man denying the reality of his not having an XX chromosome and not having ovaries can still get pregnant and have babies because he’s somehow a “woman.”
In fact, the entire Democrat agenda is based on the overt denial of reality no less wacko than someone in America today asserting that the Sun revolves around the Earth. FJB is in full command of his senses, “sharper than a tack.” There is no illegal immigration problem, our southern border is well protected. Bidenomics is reducing inflation, not increasing it. The greatest threat to mankind and the greatest national security threat to America is man-made Climate Change. On and unrelentingly on, a non-stop ubiquitous Inversion of Reality.
MONGOL NOMADS ARE OBLIVIOUS TO US
These Mongol nomads in the vast grasslands of central Mongolia milking their goats have a way of life unchanged for centuries. All of our concerns, worries and fears that plague us are totally irrelevant to them. They don’t know about them and wouldn’t care if they did.
Spending time with people such as these gives you an invaluably broader perspective of life on our planet. Our concerns, the issues that dominate our headline news, suddenly seem more parochial and far less important. An evening drinking kumiss (Mongol beer, fermented mare’s milk) in their yurts, telling stories, laughing at jokes – you realize how easy it is to relate to them through the core humanity we all have in our souls.
Exploring Mongolia in this way is a priceless adventure. We’ll be there again next year, in the summer of 2025. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #9 photo ©Jack Wheeler)