Anyone who now holds to the idea that our political class gives a tinker’s dam about the American people or the Constitution or that we have a remotely representative republic just hasn’t been paying attention.
T.L. Davis says it well:
Now, all of this [the destruction of our home and the futility of voting] is predicated on the simple understanding that our leaders, those we have either placed in charge of this land, or have allowed to assume control of it, will not ever serve the people. They have transcended beyond that existence as have our industries, our media, our churches. They no longer have to appeal to the people for their riches, because no matter how foul they are or how insulting, they have those who cheer on their most base instincts, instinctively knowing that it fundamentally damages a wholesome society.NotesFacebook, Google and Twitter along with millions of other restaurants, stores and service industries can simply tell most of us to go pound sand.[1]
[1] "This Is Our Home." By T.L. Davis, Christian Mercenary, 9/25/18. H/t: Yer Ol' Woodpile Report.
6 comments:
Teddy is reputed to have said at least a couple of things I agree with:
"To anger a conservative, lie to him. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth."
"To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society."
TR said a number of amazing things. And I like what you provided. His view on citizenship broke the mold on that topic and I think it was he who pointed out that the man bloodied in the arena who fought the good fight was better than any of his critics. I'm sure you know the quote. Correct me if I'm wrong.
There was something odd about his big game hunting stupidity and he went up the Amazon and almost killed himself when he charged off to walk through the jungle with little preparation and, I think, zero understanding of where he was going. Risk takers have a special place in my heart but there's controlled risk and then there's crazy risk. Bullfighter versus running weez ze bools.
He had a nasty progressive streak but to his credit was willing to actually use the anti-trust laws, unlike some people I know.
I just have this idea of him as not being right in the head on the power/masculinity thing.
http://www.theodore-roosevelt.com/trsorbonnespeech.html (The Man in the Arena)
I think his childhood was formative on the power/masculinity issue, sickly as he was as a child. I believe his father directed him correctly (especially for that time), but I am certain Teddy never quite felt like he was living up to his father's expectations. Hence the Rough Riders, San Juan Hill, and his apparent habit of taking heavier risks than might have been prudent.
Men were still "manly" back in his day, as opposed to our current crop of metro-sexuals AND men who choose celibacy rather than deal with psychotic feminists such as those Kavanaugh has been suffering. Teddy may have overdone it a bit, but he was always a bit flamboyant, wouldn't you say?
Flamboyant goes a long way in understanding TR. I can actually appreciate that quality, esp. if it's backed up by a lot of competence. I don't see the point of the White Fleet exercise at my present stage of having a jaundiced view of anybody on the world stage throwing their weight around for stupid reasons. It seems a bit much even for then as it's not clear that anyone needed any subtle warnings about our new power. But then, I have a preference for understatement.
TR may have indeed overcompensated to please his father. Known to happen. Personally, though I loved and respected my parents, I can't say I went through life with an excessive focus on what they might have thought. Still, if my father had been more of an intense presence in my early life I might say what I just did.
My real uneasiness about him is over his progressivism. I don't think he had the socialism disease but he seems to have had inordinate faith in man's ability to make things come out right.
Re Theodore Roosevelt and his father, I read a book "The Lion's Pride" some time back, in which the author said TR had been ashamed of his father because he had paid another man to fight in the Civil War in his place.
I surmise that Roosevelt pere was never going to pass muster after TR heard about that. A strange device at the time. An expedient way of dealing with outrage over the draft. I wonder if it bothered those fellows if their replacement was killed or wounded.
Some men drifted West to avoid the war.
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