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NERO'S FIDDLE OBAMA'S GOLF GAME
In the end, modern politics has not been about “public service” but about power.
As we look back through history we can see very few engaged in politics so united as to offer their own lives to a public cause. We can give thanks to the signers of the Declaration of Independence who summed up the document with these words:
“…with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our Sacred honor.”
Further, the Founders delivered a new doctrine for governance in the US Constitution in order to diminish ruler mentality: “We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union…”
“We the people…” Indeed!
RULERS
Insight into a current ruler-mentality is offered in a quote from Valerie Jarrett, key advisor to Barack Obama, who explained in an interview to Tom Brokaw on November 9, 2008, that Obama, “…is prepared to really take power and to rule from day one.”
There are two things the ruler-types will avoid at all costs: (1) promoting Divine Providence (2) and mutually declaring their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor.
To do either puts God before them and diminishes personal power over the people required to achieve their agendas.
PUBLIC SERVANTS:
Wikipedia offers this: “Servant-leaders are often seen as humble stewards of their organization’s resources (human, financial and physical). Then ‘public’ means the people as employers first, and as the word servant implies: ‘Forgetting self in the cause of others.’ ”
USA TODAY reported on 11/10/2010: “The number of federal workers earning $150,000 or more a year has soared tenfold in the past five years and doubled since Obama took office.” One has to wonder at a bloated federal bureaucracy employing 2 million, always crying for more money to accomplish less and less each year. After all, how can one argue that he or she is a “public servant” when the salaries they earn are, on average, higher than the private sector?
The NERO EFFECT:
The story goes that in 64 AD Emperor Nero fiddled while Rome burned. He played the stage as an actor and fancied himself a singer. A populist emperor, the political contests of his day were not unlike ours today; popularity politics over substance, enjoyment of titles and lavish parties, perpetuating impoverishment with entitlements, and condemning enemies without offering any solution to leadership challenges.
Nero’s whims dictated law to the Roman Senate. And though fires were not uncommon to ancient Rome, some suspect that the famous fire and burning of Rome was a distraction set by Nero himself in order to come to the rescue after.
Nero— narcissist ad nauseum—ruled with tyranny and excess. His populist image was crafted by appealing to the “bread and circus” vices of the masses.
If he fed them enough, entitled them enough, created a dependency on him enough, he reasoned they would continue to insulate him from loss of power by those conspiring Senators who would seek his throne.
LEADERSHIP & PRESIDENCY:
Public servants should be offered leadership; at the very least from the executive level. As defined anciently, 4th century Indian political essayist Chanakya, wrote:
“The king [leader] shall consider as good, not what pleases himself but what pleases his subjects [followers]” “the king [leader] is a paid servant and enjoys the resources of the state together with the people.”
Considering the “Nero Effect” one might at least ask, “Do we have an actor playing President?”
Two and one-half years of leadership points to evidence of a “ruling” executive who circumvents the Constitution through myriad of strategies. His rambling monologues scold and condemn potential bi-partisan negotiators on debt or spending. While the country suffers from floods, tornados, and other disasters, 90% of all trips taken by the President this year to date have been for Presidential party politics and fundraising. This between golf breaks.
And the golf weekend tally to date? As of June 27, 2011 73 golf outings as President, two days in a row that week, and 13th straight weekend for golfing breaks. Tough life…
What does the imperious Presidency care about?
Unable to muster the courage to offer 2009-2011 budgets while they totally controlled the government, President Obama’s Democrats continue senseless to fiscal responsibility. Begging to increase the national debt ceiling by two trillion dollars, more national debt has been created in nearly 3 years of Mr. Obama’s rule, than in all the years from George Washington to Ronald Reagan. Called, “Stimulus Spending,” the former one-party Democrat rulers in Washington, DC behave as children with insatiable appetites who have inherited a bottomless checking account. Their purpose?
Added to their “the sky is falling strategy” to get the GOP to go along with increased indebtedness over spending restraints, they cynically invoke class warfare. Indeed, daily Mr. Obama and coterie sanctimoniously offer up those wealthy Americans, already paying 70%+ of all income and other taxes, as the cause of our misery; this while suggesting through coded lingo that “shared sacrifice” and “paying their fair share” are implications that the filthy rich are the only ones who may rescue their reckless debt-driven excesses from the self-serving Republican policies of slash and burn.
Many are coming to grips with a belief that the hired monarch’s only plan for prosperity may be exactly the opposite—to continue to borrow trillions for power-plays and bankrupting America in the process.
Is America burning?
China owns our debt. Unemployment is skyrocketing. States face bankruptcy. Green jobs have shriveled under the light of these facts… Solutionless, America witnesses a leader who seems so disconnected from the reality on Main Street, almost bored by his high call to service, that the people are beginning to suspect Obama’s golf may be to America what Nero’s fiddle was to Rome.
And fixing the America built upon prosperity and fiscal responsibility of the past? Alas, emperors don’t fix things, they conquer and tax…
James Michael Pratt is a New York Times bestselling novelist and non-fiction author, CEO of PowerThink Publishing, public speaker, Op Ed writer for The Daily Caller, and Founder of Reagan Revolution 2.
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EXECUTIVE ORDER "KIDCOM"
TELEPROMPTER & CAMERA #1:
“Good evening my fellow Americans. I’d like to address a topic of concern which haunts America even at this hour. Because of threats from within and without I have signed into law today, “Executive Order KIDCOM.”
“Before I move on, let me make one thing perfectly clear. Recently, tycoon Mr. Donald Trump played a political card no one else had the guts to use. He called my bluff and my staff produced a copy of my official State of Hawaii Birth Certificate.
“I do have an original copy of my birth certificate somewhere, and I publicly appeal to those in the former Bush administration, responsible for its whereabouts, to produce it.
“This unnecessary distraction, brought about by folks who just won’t let go, hurts you and me. Now let me move on to critical issues regarding the framing of current events in a light my communications expertise offers to you.
TELEPROMPTER & CAMERA #2
“My fellow Americans, we live in confusing times. There have been rumblings about my whereabouts during crisis and important matters of state. I wish to demystify those who see things without all the proper background; that is, the heavy burden of saving economies, countries, minorities, special interests, major donors and unions — those things only a President in his loneliness can understand.
“Rest assured that I have listened to voices from all 57 states, the misunderstandings, from this year’s earlier March Madness bracket brouhaha to rising unemployment, raising more cash for payments to the Chinese and the federal debt ceiling, my appearance of insensitivity by taking a trip to Rio de Janeiro to promote Brazilian oil jobs during critical nuclear meltdowns and loss of life in Japan…
“…the quick fly overs of storm ravaged parts of the land you live in, the Middle East Arab spring uprisings by Israeli hating freedom seekers—all this while golfing each weekend, enjoying elaborate partying at the White House with Hollywood celebrities, and seeing Mrs. O off to her next half billion dollar mercy trips somewhere on the planet with my two daughters…
My pollsters tell me this must have you somewhat concerned and confused. But really, would I golf each weekend if I thought things really were spiraling out of control?
“Add to that the confusion regarding my peace initiatives with Middle East dictators and the apparent contradictions in foreign policy made by my administration especially when we have made the limited Air Force and Navy guided humanitarian outreach campaign in Libya to topple a dictator, but not in Syria, Yemen, Bahrain, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan and so on.
TELEPROMPTER & CAMERA #3
“Your confusion is natural. It in large part resides from the conditioning you have received for so long by prior administrations and their hurry to bring the sword instead of plowshares to a troubled world.
“Let me put it this way. Even though the rest of the world saw, within one month of being in office, my intentions and value to an anxious world as a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, I also realize that my policies appear contradictory at times.
“But that’s the point. Surprise, you see, is the key to victory as all commanders who lead from behind in the field will tell you, and the value of my initiatives for peace are reflected in rhetorical bait and switch tactics keeping our adversaries on their toes.
“Neither they, nor my closest associates know what I am really thinking. That is real power, my fellow Americans, which when exercised with restraint, offers remedies that threats and bullying cannot achieve.
“With that clarity offered in all candor to you tonight, and as I have said before, that we are cleaning up the mess left to us, I believe that the same old tricks used on dictators in the past, such as absolute annihilation or surrender, are not sufficient for the changing times.
“For example, just months ago I determined a “kinetic action,” originally designed for two weeks, must take place from 30,000 feet with superior fire power applied to prove a point I made the week before this peace-sensitive initiative began. I admit to saying, ‘Libyan dictator Qaddafi must go.’ Kinetic actions are by nature energetic yet with peaceful intent.
“That is the secret to permanent world peace; kinetics, yet it does not mean the effect of kinetics is permanent.
TELEPROMPTER & CAMERA #1
“In time the confusing signals I appear to make will undoubtedly cause Qaddafi to guess whether I am serious about kinetic joint efforts between allies in waging humanitarian outreach strikes backed by $100 million per day missile expense.
“He will realize this expense can’t go on forever and become concerned. Mr. Qaddafi knows the US has a debt ceiling crisis. He will be forced to wonder how far he may push our combined patience. Realizing this, he will then ‘go’ somewhere else and, in effect, our actions seeming whimsical now, will be validated as well thought out then.
“Now let me make this perfectly clear; there is a method to what appears confusing signals.
“We are an exceptional nation and we want other nations to be equally exceptional. War to simply kill a perceived enemy who only wants to send us a message only kills people who could become voters. Dead people cannot make their nations exceptional.
“To stop this cycle of war we must reject the very word itself. Words matter. They are as kinetic as 2000 pound laser guided bombs. The very act of speaking politically correct words causes world hope and soon change to occur; therefore…
“I will propose some changes via “Executive Order KIDCOM” which may seem academic to most of you, but in truth may just work.
TELEPROMPTER & CAMERA #2
“I now share the essential contents of “Executive Order KIDCOM,” signed into law today, and to be immediately implemented by all branches of our military, federal agencies, and Department of Defense:
DEPARTMENT NAMES:
“By the authority vested in me as President of the United States and as Commander in Chief (CINC) of the Armed Forces I hereby direct all communications from the former Department of Defense (DOD) to come under the new title:
“Kinetic Instruction Department of Contingency Operations—Militar.” (KIDCOM)
“The following changes are instituted in order to show more sensitivity to those nationalities we have overlooked for far too long and whose peoples from around the globe cross our southern border, renamed the “Frontier of Freedom.” (FOF)
CORRECT LANGUAGE USAGE:
“Also we recognize that certain members of Islamic or the “Majority World Faith” (MWF) have been shown disrespect far out of proportion to the few from their number actually perpetrating “Acts of Frustration” (AOF) by violent means.
“A term “Islamic Terrorist,” coined by the politically far right simply due to universally shouted declarations such as, “God is Great,” by MWFers while in the commission of AOFs against us, shall be stricken from all government language and usage, henceforth.
TELEPROMPTER & CAMERA #3
“With the foregoing in mind, and in order to create a more sensitive civil dialogue with those opposed to our seeming self-absorption and exceptionalism taken too far, the following correct application of language and acronyms shall immediately be instituted in all communications on a Federal level pursuant to this Executive Order.
1. The word “Militar” shall replace all reference to “Military” in order to make the meaning more uniform in the Western Hemisphere and help identify our armed forces for those with English language challenges in California and all of the 57 states including Mexico south, past Rio to Puntas Arenas (that’s near Chile just north of Antarctica.)
2. “Commander in Chief” of the armed forces shall no longer be known by the acronym “CINC” but to honor our loyal and under-appreciated friends south of the Frontier of Freedom (FOF) the President shall be now known as “CINCO.”
3. All energies directed at a rogue power or dictator not in harmony with this administration shall now be called “Kinetic Instruction Select Services USA Office of CINCO.” (KISS USA CINCO)
4. The term “Military Actions” shall now be officially referred to as “Kinetics Militar” and the archaic word “war” shall be stricken from all Federal publications.
All communications shall refer to such conflicts of a major scale as, “Contingency Operations of Preferred Status.” (COPS)
5. All branches of the military who deploy ground units (USMC and USA) shall hereby effectively be united under one command (exception Air Force—see directive #6) as the “Kinetic Instruction Select Service Union, USA.” (KISSU USA)
6. Due to an inordinate amount of “Kinetic Instructions” planned by this administration and due to the fears that ground forces may not be appropriate for all Kinetic Militar deployments to COPS, the US Air Force shall be called, “US Air Special Services Administration – Kinetic Instruction Coordinators.” (US ASSA – KIC)
TELEPROMPTER & CAMERA #1
“Such phrases or words as follows shall be changed to offer the correct application as descriptors to those peoples opposed to the policies of the United States as found in all areas of COPS:
1. Enemy combatant and Insurgents – Changed to: “Community Activist & Trainees” (CATs)
2. Islamic Terrorist – Changed to: “Armed Religious In Zealot Operations Named Against USA” (ARIZONA USA)
3. Prisoners of War – “Contingency Operations Detainees” (CODs)
4. CAT or ARIZONA USA Wounded or KIA – “Unemployed CATS”
A correctly phrased description of a Contingency Operation or Kinetics Militar may thus be rendered: (Example)
“KISSU USA initiated COPS as authorized by KIDCOM against CATS in ARIZONA USA territory just north the FOF. US ASSA KIC dropped KISSU USA leaflets prior to kinetics militar in which CINCO promised all CATS would be treated with respect appropriate to a COD, including unemployment compensation should they prefer to receive US ASSA KIC hospitality rather than termination of their employment by ASSA KIC.
Respectfully submitted— Etc…
TELEPROMPTER & CAMERA #2
“Now my fellow citizens, I know some of this seems a bit confusing, but I promise you that it was well thought out. As we respectfully review other inappropriate and out-dated usage of language intended for Contingency Operations and Kinetics Militar, I will be the first to inform the American public.
“As always, I wish all my fellow citizens the blessing of the God, especially of Majority World Faiths, with the knowledge that what Ronald Reagan said still holds true:
TELEPROMPTER & CAMERA #3
“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.”
Good night.
James Michael Pratt is a New York Times bestselling novelist and non-fiction author, CEO of PowerThink Publishing, public speaker, Op Ed writer for the Daily Caller, and Founder of Reagan Revolution 2 online. Email: james@powerthink.com.