Various and sundry
From Chronicles’ curmudgeon Clyde Wilson

On a kind of blowback: the ends don’t justify the means (bad legal precedent and statism), or actions have consequences:

That much-acclaimed American achievement, the Civil Rights Revolution of the 1960s, would not have got far if it had not been widely believed when it started that it would affect only the South.

Dr King meant to help all but what really happened as has been explained to me was it opened up competition in white society to top-class blacks like him (not all blacks were poor; upper-class ministers like him went on holiday to Jamaica to unwind), where they’ve made it, leaving most other blacks behind.

Even if someone were to prove conclusively that 9/11 was a Bush false flag operation, there would still be millions of people who would think “our President” could do no wrong.

America’s Reichstag fire setting in motion the plans the PNAC had since the 1990s? (Imperium Americanum, the goal of both the mainstream left and right.)

I wouldn’t rule it out.

Looking at the U.S. government, maybe there is something to be said for “balkanization” after all.

If multinationals and other large corporations actually decreased the power of governments—if they dispersed some government power into private hands—there might be something good about them. But they don’t. They just collaborate with government to add another layer of irresponsible power over the citizens.

Many commentators are worried that Bush’s arrogant incompetence has destroyed the future election chances of the Republican Party. But that is a good thing—the most positive contribution the Boy Decider could make to America would be to put a stake through the heart of the GOP.

Those we know as Liberals do not really believe in majority rule and never have. They don’t really object to the power of corporations either, though Liberals and corporations sometimes disagree on the agenda.

My money is on Obama for the next President. The mainstream politicians and media will never dare to criticize him severely and millions will vote for him out of guilt.

Contrary to popular belief, the “Great Society” and the “War on Poverty” were not primarily designed to help the poor and unfortunate. The purpose was to provide payola for political operatives and white collar jobs for liberal pseudo-intellectuals who think themselves too good for real work.

The U.S. government loses millions of dollars every day to fraud and waste. This has been going on at a high rate for close to half a century and no political “leader” has tried to do anything about. The last time anyone even promised to try to do something about it was Reagan in 1980. But I notice Rudy’s ad men have calculated that it still makes a good sound bite.

Reagan was nice but a big nothing. Government got bigger and the debt deeper all with the charmingly pronounced imprimatur (IIRC quoting the truly great Chesterton and all that faffing about with people like Malcolm Muggeridge; all window dressing) of National Review. (Had to fight those commies, doncha know.)

The guy who came closest to that goal in recent history AFAIK was... second-term Bill Clinton. Box in a harmless, entertaining liberal with a hostile legislature and Bob’s your uncle! Gridlock is our friend.