EIGHT DECADES OF INSIGHTS 33

Saul Alinsky (Photo credit: Fresh Conservative) Former community organizer in Chicago.

Washington Monument and Flag (Photo credit: Mr. T in DC)

THE ISSUE IS NEVER THE ISSUE

I am not now and never have been a conspiracy theorist. But, neither have I been reticent about going where observation, experience, and study lead me. The issue is never the issue sounds like the mantra of a mystical guru crouched over a small flame in a mountain top cave. It is not. It is the political guidance of a revolutionary American political theorist who died in 1972. His name is Saul Alinsky, whose writing seems to have had a profound influence on President Obama, former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, and the entire Progressive movement.

Alinsky believed the only issue is the striving for power. Power to destroy the existing political system and to create another, more equitable society from the ashes. Issues like tax policy, deficit reduction, gun control, expanding government, medical and foreign policy, military strategy, terrorism, job creation, and immigration don’t matter. They are only useful as opportunistic means to attack everything that is an obstacle to seizing power. Seizing power through revolution is the only end. All means to achieve this end must be used. Ethics, morality, or laws are not considerations. Those Democrats and liberals, who are too squeamish to do what it takes to seize power, will be dumped in the dust bin of history when the Progressives tire of them. There is nothing wrong with flip flopping. Use whatever side of any issue to further your progress toward seizing power. Change your mind any time, if being on the other side is more useful. (Read Alinsky’s book, Rules for Radicals, and David Horowitz‘s, Barack Obama’s Rules for Revolution. Those two sources will clarify the president’s actions since he was first elected.)

Alinsky has taken the writings of other better known radical revolutionaries such as, Marx, Lenin, Hitler, Mao se Tung, and Castro and molded them into a clear modern guide-book for revolutionaries. To judge this administration by its progress on economic and political issues confronting the nation is a meaningless measure. But, if the end game is the destruction or transformation of our society, then the administration is being more successful. For the transformation of America to become fact, all opposition must be obliterated. The Republican Party is in the way and must be destroyed.

Other obstacles to the transformation of America are the Constitution and the doctrine of the separation of powers, our two-party system with two centuries of traditions and rules, the judicial system, the U.S. military with its record of protecting America from foreign and domestic enemies, and an armed civilian population. It is historically relevant that none of Alinsky’s heroes, whether Fascist, Socialist, or Communist rose to power when there was an armed civilian population present. Those same heroes are responsible for killing hundreds of millions of citizens to transform their societies. This could happen in America if we fail to understand what is happening. It is harder to keep freedom than to win it.

My next blog will cover the war between the haves and the have-nots which is the war to transform or destroy the existing American political structure.

By the author of the Jack Brandon thriller series. www.factsandfictions.com

ACE: We Must Do Something About The Media. “It’s important.” So go full Alinsky. Buy stock and s… (pjmedia.com)
LETTER – Obama is transforming Ameri9ca, and not for the better (hollandsentinel.com)
Is there an Obama-Alinsky comparison to be made and will it push us over the fiscal cliff? (itmakessenseblog.com)
National Education Association Raves To Teachers About Alinsky Books (patdollard.com)

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Filed under Alinsky, Capitalism, centralization, class warfare, Conservative views, Eight Decades of Insights, foreign policy, Intelligence & Politics, Obama, Politics, Progressives, totalitarianism

Tagged as Barack Obama, communist, David Horowitz, politics, Saul Alinsky, socialist, United States, White House

by Barry Kelly | July 13, 2012 · 1:12 pm

Eight Decades of Insights – 12

Every civilization is built on a foundation of words. Words are (or were) the measure of a person. As I was growing up in small mill town in Western Pennsylvania, I learned you judged people by how good their “word” was. Wealth, talent, strength, the car you drove, and the girls you dated were important, but nothing was as valuable as the reliability of your word. Your reputation in all fields depended upon the integrity of your word. Once that was gone, it was nearly impossible to get it back. I submit that it is the same with nations, political parties, politicians, and leaders.

I don’t believe that modern-day politicians value the integrity of the words they speak and print. This is dangerous; without truth and honesty, our freedom is at risk. The end does not justify the means. Administrations based on the principles espoused by Lenin, Goebbels, or Alinsky have not lasted. On the extreme right, we find dictatorship of the oligarchies; on the extreme left we find equally ugly dictatorships. Both use words or propaganda to further their goals. The truth does not matter to them. It is good to distort the truth as long as the lies promote the end. The end in political terms is the goal of creating a just and fair society where the rulers know what the people need and use whatever means are necessary to achieve and protect their utopia.

History has seen many examples of a few believing they – not the people – know best. How did that work for the Nazis, the various communist regimes, experiments in socialism and Islam, and for several other ancient empires? They did not leave much behind, except fading memories of ugly repression. None of them could stand the truth. They all used words to further their causes and beliefs. The theory that “the end justifies the means” reigned supreme. Freedom is the final casualty when words are only a means to an end. How can you believe anyone, especially a politician struggling to hold on to power, who doesn’t care or even think about the consistency of his word?

The word of the leaders of a great nation, like the United States, both in domestic areas and foreign affairs must carry the weight of truth and conviction. When leaders change positions, not because of a changed conviction, but merely to support a more expedient political policy, the power of their word is lost. Their conviction is suspect. Foreign powers study the words of our leaders. When they see no consistency or willingness to back words and convictions with action, they will disregard the words of our leaders. Our friends will no longer trust us. The possible examples are nearly unlimited but here are a few.

Remember our secretary of state saving she viewed Assad of Syria as a reformer and only months later was calling for him to abdicate? Remember the president changing words, without a believable change in conviction, over tax issues, war strategy, medical care, and budget issues?

The end justifying the means is the most probable explanation. What does their word mean? Can you trust it? Reading the words of Saul Alinsky, a radical revolutionary writer and former Community Organizer in Chicago, will help you understand. Both our president and secretary of state are familiar with Mr. Alinsksy’s writing. Maybe you should be also.