Marxist Theory and Communist Reality Come Face to Face in Ukraine

Posted on March 2, 2014 by Ann Marie

A Marxist theorist and Communist realist are head to head in the battle for the once Soviet controlled Ukraine. When this is over, one leader will triumph, another skulk away. The differences between Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama and their ability to lead will be more blatantly obvious as this crisis wears on.

With Russian troops reportedly in Crimea, Obama has once again and laughingly taken the step of drawing another red line with a warning. As he was with Syria, he’s full of bluster, but no substance. Against Putin, he is a poor adversary; he agrees with Putin theoretically, but is head of a country that is diametrically opposed to everything Putin stands for.

Obama’s promise to ” fundamentally transform America” is advancing and he’s having great success in weakening this country, The promise has been fulfilled in education with Common Core,  socially with changes in the law toward marriage and attacks on Christianity; one of the cornerstones of this country.  And with the proposed military cuts, sending this country back to a pre-WWII readiness increases the odds of attacks on our assets. Considering the technological advances in weaponry and delivery systems through the decades that makes it even a more dangerous proposal. The mission of our intelligence community is also adversely affected due to Snowden’s  treasonous activities and the infiltration of the progressives. And because of our weakened state, we are more of a target for terrorism and conflicts with other nations.

With the advance of Russian troops on sovereign soil of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin has shown his cards and is positioning himself to be the premier world leader in this struggle for Ukraine. Did anyone doubt that he would take this step as the riots put a strain on the Ukrainian people, military and law enforcement?

Putin is no coward.  His rise to the top consisted of hard work up through the ranks of the KGB, and other areas of the Russian government.  He is determined to re-establish the Soviet Union, but a better equipped Soviet Union, superior to the former one. The new country will be more economically, militarily and socially advanced than the previous one. Putin has learned not to repeat the mistakes of his predecessors who eschewed all free market tactics. He’s learned to use capitalism to further Communist ideals and goals.  He’ll give in a little, so Russian citizens can say they have more independence but he’ll never let go of the reins. His economic policies have enabled capitalism but only to the extent of assisting in enabling his agenda. His experience as former Federal Security Service (FSB) head and former KGB officer has prepared him for this type of conflict. He’s single minded in his goals, ruthless, very intelligent and dangerous. He can make the tough decisions, stand by them and doesn’t have to rely on others to do it.

Barack Obama, on the other hand, has been coddled and spoon-fed Marxist Theory throughout his life. He never had to work for anything he has acquired, including the Presidency. His only claim to fame is that of a Community Organizer, which was basically gathering those malcontents who are welfare born and bred or college students who have either had a bad lot in life and haven’t gotten over it or those who were born with a silver spoon in their mouths and have a great deal of guilt over their good fortune.  He’s skated his way through his life and is not knowledgable of American history, world history, economics or even how the American government is supposed to work. His main objective in getting elected was to bring it down the path to a perfect Marxist nation. No real world experience for Barack Obama: he’s the pampered Marxist theorist. He didn’t come up through the school of hard knocks; he has no work ethic or executive experience. He can’t make the tough decisions; it appears someone else does it for him.

Ukraine is going to be a test for both leaders. This is being played out on the world stage; both our allies and enemies will be watching.  They’ll watch to see who shows leadership, who backs down, who shows decisiveness, who shows hesitation. If we falter, if we show weakness against Putin, we will lose whatever confidence our allies had in us, and will show our enemies our soft underbelly, ripe for destruction. This is probably a tipping point also for a new Cold War between America and Russia.

But the reality is: Barack Obama doesn’t care about Ukraine.  He cares nothing about their history under Soviet rule and the horrors they faced during WWII . He’ll act as if he cares. You’ll see him bluster and huff and puff in front of the cameras and for the world but he won’t really prevent Putin from retaking Ukraine.. Because his mission is not to deter Communism throughout the world. And he couldn’t give a damn how our longtime allies view this conflict.

So, Putin wins, our republic loses and Barack Obama climbs another step in ‘transforming America.’

In the end: they both win.

 

 

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Is it Time to Take the GOP Off Life Support?

Posted on February 13, 2014 by Ann Marie

When something in your life, for example: clothing, wears out to the point you can’t walk in public and be considered decently clothed or a car is beyond repair, you replace it, and throw out the old one, right? I do. It’s the natural order of life. Old things go into the waste can, new things take its place.

Many times it’s the same thing with relationships. Sometimes you have to let them go, for your own well-being as well as the other person’s. Again, it’s the natural order of life.

So I believe it’s time to let go of another relationship. The one that we Conservatives have with the Republican Party. The GOP has outlived its usefulness. They no longer are keeping alive the basic tenets and beliefs of the Constitution. They have assisted the present administration, by their silence, inaction and boot licking in destroying this country. Action must be taken. So maybe it’s time to pull the plug and let it die.

Let’s face it: the GOP is dying and has been for a while. It has stayed alive due to our efforts, money and most importantly: votes. We are the lifeblood of this party and have been for decades. Isn’t it about time we let it die? Why are we continually pumping our blood into the veins of a decrepit, diseased establishment and propping up its leadership? What are we getting out of it? How are our efforts in preserving this party helping America to stay intact as a republic? They’re not. And that’s the point. Nothing we are doing in preserving this party is enabling this country to continue or stay alive.

GOP elites have shown their intense dislike for us, insulted us, made fun of our ideals, our love of this country and its founding principles. Over roughly the past 20 years, many Americans who believe in the Constitution, the separation of powers, checks and balances and the rule of law have had to deal with GOP politicians that don’t.  We have been lied to, scolded, made fun of, denigrated on talk shows. We’ve basically taken on the role of the ugly stepsister. Not useful in public, but damn, we need her when the kitchen or bathroom needs cleaning.

Since Ronald Reagan left office the Republican Party has been beating on us ever since. With the support of the GOP for the likes of  Ford,  (pre-Reagan) Dole, both Bushes, McCain, and Romney they’ve shown their lack of respect for us and our efforts.

The leadership, headed by Reince Priebus, along with the US Chamber of Commerce are working hard to rid the party of Conservative candidates who are not on board with their immigration goals, in other words: amnesty. We want the immigration laws to be followed.. they don’t.

Karl Rove’s ‘Conservative Victory Project’ (not a conservative in the bunch) is also working hard to ensure that the primaries are filled with the establishment GOP lackeys and by G-d keep out those Conservatives. They’re bad for the party, uh, country.

But once the primaries roll around, they have to roll out the ugly stepsister, don’t you know. Signs have to be carried, the crowds have to be large, and people are needed to gush and smile for the cameras for the favored elite GOP candidate. Heaven knows, they can’t dirty their hands to do those menial tasks. So, bring out the conservatives.

But they have to give us something. So we’ll hear conservative talk from the likes of  John McCain during his last re-election bid when he promised to get tough on illegal immigration. We know how well that turned out, don’t we? And remember: some of the candidates that ran with Tea Party backing were elected and lost their backbone once they got to DC. My own state: NH ‘s GOP Senator Kelly Ayotte is one of those people. Once she arrived in DC she went RINO . Her latest verbal piece of gold is to urge the GOP to take up immigration reform in spite of a ‘trust deficit’ with Obama. (in other words: he’s a liar)

So, here we are: continually propping up the GOP year after year. And year after year we get dumped on. We’re thrown bits of conservatives platitudes to garner our money, hard work, time, participation for meet and greets, rallies and most importantly: our vote. The one thing that will keep them in power.

The GOP has become the party of inaction in preserving this country and its basic tenets and beliefs. Barack Obama has continually gone around the checks and balances portion of the Constitution, and instead of three equal branches of Government, he has “a pen and a phone” and is ruling  governing by executive fiat. They do nothing. From gun control changes to immigration laws by way of the Dream Act, increasing the minimum wage, Barack Obama signs executive orders, and they do nothing. He changes Obamacare and they do nothing; even though the President cannot change a law.  John Boehner, Mitch McConnell and the GOP Chairman, Reince Priebus are more interested in keeping their power by keeping conservatives in the shadows, and only bringing us out when they need our vote.  Instead of defending the Constitution as they vowed they would, they assist in tearing it into pieces.

The GOP has lost donors, more and more people are leaving the ranks and registering as Independents or Conservatives, depending on your state’s choices. Four million people stayed home during the 2012 Presidential election, because they didn’t feel Romney was the right candidate.

Many times we’ve told the GOP we didn’t want the moderate candidates they put up for election. We’re told to shut up and vote. Rumors are Jeb Bush or Chris Christie (if he can get through the GW Bridge fiasco) are the top picks for 2016. So, here we go again. The cycle continues. And we’ll be expected to vote.

Let’s face it: the GOP is dying and has been for a while. It’s obsolete. It lumbers, it no longer struts. It walks around with its head down and tail between its legs.

I believe it will be easier to either start a new party or take from the ashes what’s left of the GOP. Many people have said a third party is not the way to go; it will siphon off votes for the GOP and a Democrat will be elected. Well, if there is no GOP, how can that happen? Maybe it’s time we started thinking long, hard and very seriously about cutting ties. If we pull funding, our time and effort and just do: nothing. Don’t say anything, just do nothing. Be mute, turn away. Pull back.

The latest example of idiocy by the leadership is the ‘clean debt ceiling limit bill’. Just when you thought Boehner and the rest of the GOP leadership couldn’t foul things up anymore..they prove you wrong.

I believe in this country, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. By backing the GOP in its present state, we’re enabling the Democrats to destroy all of them.

It’s time for the GOP to go a quiet death. Pull the plug. And may it rest in peace.

 

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Feminism: Degrading America’s Daughters in the Name of Equality

Posted on January 12, 2014 by Ann Marie

Has anyone looked at America’s daughters lately?  Well, actually sometimes you can’t help but look.. Many of them have been turned into the ideal model for feminism, complete with skimpy clothing that would rival the average street walker in any large city, coupled with high rates of teen pregnancies and STDs. Of course in the feminist mind and eyes, this is  liberating and expressing their feminism. But it doesn’t stop at the leaders of the feminist movement; it’s pervasive throughout our society. From politics to our schools and the popular culture the idea of feminism is more sex and less clothing. The most vital issue to these women is sex and all the accoutrements that go with it, whether it be birth control or abortion and advice on how to get both.

Feminists who purported to be out there working for women’s rights in the workplace since the 1960′s complete with bra burning, staging loud and angry protests, proclaiming their independence from the male oriented society have lost their way.  The feminists, in league with Planned Parenthood, elements of the Democratic/Socialist Party,  the education system, and, Hollywood have succeeded in taking what might have turned out to be the next great leader of this country and making her into …..  a sex object. Wait a minute. Isn’t that what those 60′s feminists said they were combating?  Does this make any sense? No, I didn’t think so either..

In the 1960′s cries of equality for women in every facet of life, from equal pay for equal work, equal sexual freedom (thanks to the pill)  thundered in our ears from the shrill women who labeled themselves the leaders of the feminist movement. Well, 40 years later, can they say they’re proud? Unfortunately, they probably would…To them, the ’cause’ isn’t finished until every male in the world walks with their head down and kowtows to any female they come upon.

Hollywood is at the forefront of this new push on feminism. Who could forget Miley Cyrus’ combination striptease and pole dance at last year’s VMA awards, using Robin Thicke as the pole, and that new form of degradation: ‘twerking’?  It was a jaw dropping disgusting display.  There were actually people who liked it, called it entertaining and cheered her on; of course those people were Hollywood hacks and right in the sewer with her. Her ongoing efforts to pull herself away from her Hannah Montana character have  most certainly worked; but this disgusting display substituting for a dance routine is no big surprise. It’s just another expression of that modern feminist..

There are TV shows that take teen pregnancy and raise it to a level of celebrity: most notably, ‘Teen Mom’ followed by ‘Teen Mom 2′ , ‘Teen Mom 3′ and ’16 and Pregnant’. I’ve watched each of the shows and while they purport to be reality shows, just the fact they’re being scripted shows the lack of reality, except that the girls ARE pregnant or have a child. In addition, these girls have made an industry of their pregnancies and now their faces and stories are plastered on the covers of entertainment magazines. To a segment of teenage society, these girls are heroines, somebody to emulate and admire. And in some cases they do emulate them, yet with not the same fanfare, celebrity and money. Those that become pregnant and think their lives will mimic those portrayed on television will be immersed in a genuine reality such as poverty and welfare.

Another great feminist media accomplishment:  ’Girls’  on HBO. This is written and produced by another pillar of feminist society: Lena Dunham.  Lena Dunham is probably better known for her campaign ad for Obama comparing a young woman’s first vote to her first sexual experience. ‘Girls’, is supposed to portray the trials and tribulations of young single women working and making their way in the city: a poor girl’s ‘Sex and the City’. But I think it should be called: ‘Sluts’, since the show deals with talking about sex, having sex, thinking about sex and figuring how to get sex, begging for sex and…you get the picture. Wow, such deep thinking went into the dialogue and plot of that show… Yet, that show has quite a following among teenagers. Shows how low the intelligence level has descended..And Lena Dunham has made her way to the February 2014  cover of “Vogue” Magazine. A lot of photoshop will have to go into that cover….

Summer television brought us “Mistresses” on ABC which tells the tale of 4 women who decide because of love to become mistresses. And, of course, all these women have the best of clothing and look fantastic all the time. Just like all mistresses should. Hollywood takes denigration of women to a high level of elegance.

Now to reality:

Last year some girls at Stuyvesant High School on Manhattan, which is supposedly a top rated high school in that city decided they had enough of the dress code and decided to protest the strict dress code by holding ‘Slutty Wednesday.’ They wore the short shorts, mini-skirts, spaghetti strap tops  and other clothing that the school had deemed not conducive to a learning environment. But in these teenager’s minds, they were asserting their independence. Of all the causes they could take and run with, they chose going slutty..

They weren’t concerned whether the school curriculum would enable them to get into the college of their choice or learn proper skills to go out in the world and get a decent job. No, the cause foremost in their minds was to assert their independence by looking like a prostitute and proudly proclaiming their sluttiness at school.  Excuse me? To be called a slut by someone else is the pinnacle of disrespect to a woman, and yet, this is the persona that these girls embraced. What is even more amazing is that the girls that went against the dress code and wore these outfits had mothers that endorsed them wholeheartedly. Is this what leadership means in this day and age? Twenty years from now I wonder if any of these girls will remember this act as an embarrassment or a proud moment in their lives.

Now,  if any of these girls had been approached by a male wanting them to fulfill the moniker they had adopted for that day there would have been outrage, charges of disrespect and male chauvinism.  G-d forbid if anyone calls them on it..

Let’s not forget the Democrats’ biggest feminist during the 2012 Presidential campaign. Sandra Fluke was right there, loud and proud, proclaiming that birth control was too expensive and the taxpayers should pay for every sexual experience she wanted. Huh?? I though sex was supposed to be a personal choice?  I thought the feminists wanted the government ‘out of’ our bodies.. Guess not anymore if they can get something for free…

And the Girl Scouts aren’t immune to this insanity. In May, 2013, the hierarchy of the Girl Scouts of America (GSA) took part in a global conference called: Women Deliver , “with the purpose of “call[ing] for action to improve the health and well-being of girls and women.” At this conference there were speakers who promoted infanticide and euthanasia, with break out groups dealing with topics on abortion, population control. Exhibitors included the UN, and different offshoots of the Planned Parenthood community.

So, in addition to obtaining  badges for camping, hiking and fellowship, will there now be badges for, oh, I don’t know: assisting in an abortion or having an abortion, or how to drown a child that you don’t want? Sounds ridiculous and utterly insane, but what conclusion can you come to when you see the GSA heads embracing this madness?

Some sobering statistics. Only 38% of teenage mothers complete high school and 50% of those go on welfare within 3 years of giving birth.

Teen abortion  statistics:

  • Teens having unprotected sex have a 90% chance of becoming pregnant within a year, and sexually active teens may also become pregnant when birth control fails
  • 1 in 3 women get pregnant before age 20.
  • About 750,000 teens get pregnant each year. Two-thirds of these pregnancies, however, are 18 and 19 year olds, who may or may not be married.
  • About one third of teens who get pregnant seek an abortion.
  • Currently, 24 of every 1,000 teens has an abortion. This means that over 200,000 teens get an abortion every year.

This is the path that many teens are on. Recently a study was done on ‘hooking up’, a practice that some college students are advocating in which you get together for someone just for sex because even though they’re not ready for a long-term relationship, they still need to satisfy their urges.. And for some college students, this is just part and parcel of their college experience.

The cause that many feminists embraced in the 60′s has been hollowed out. The ideals and beliefs that these women devoted their lives to no longer exist.

But then, they may never have existed and this is what they intended all along.

Sad…

 

 

 

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P-QRM #51: Sellout, Sellout, Sellout…Guess Who

Posted on October 22, 2013 by Ann Marie

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Need I say more??

The GOP has turned its back on the American people and the Dems are laughing…and we’re the ones paying.

What to do?? How can we redirect the country away from the cliff? We go over a few options and let off a lot of steam regarding the issue.

This and more on this week’s Political QRM..

 

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P-QRM #50: 50 Podcasts? You’re Kidding, Right?

Posted on October 14, 2013 by Ann Marie

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Topics on this week’s show: Federal government shutdown, (keep it shut; it saves us money);

Snowden gets an award in Russia for ‘integrity in Intelligence’: uh-huh

The complete disrespect by Obama of veterans who fought for this country and those who have recently been killed in Afghanistan;

All this and more on this week’s Political QRM

 

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Work. Harder AND Smarter.

Posted on October 11, 2013 by Lou

Way back in the day when I lived in the “Apartment Deluxe”, (where I lived for nearly ten years), I didn’t have a television. I didn’t feel like I needed one. At least not one that would have cost me thirty dollars a month for the cable hookup. Can’t honestly say that I missed much.

Upon meeting my wife, I discovered that she was a “TV Baby”. Every day, upon arriving home from work, she would sit and unwind with one or another “mindless sitcom”. No worries. Some folks come home to a martini or a glass of wine. Others to a gym. Still others to the daily chores of cooking and cleaning up. “Mindless Sitcom”? Hey…could be worse. But I’m leading up to something, here.

Mike Rowe is best known for his hosting of a Discovery Channel program called “Dirty Jobs” 1. Sure…you’ve heard his voice endorsing an auto maker and narrating other documentaries; you may have even heard him sing with the Baltimore Opera 2. His big “claim-to-fame”, though, is “Dirty Jobs” .
Mister Rowe is an oddity. Not for his amazingly quick wit or his “everyman” demeanor and sense of humor, but for the fact that he is a “Right-leaner” in an industry that is pointed solidly Left.

In the “Where Is He Now” section of this essay, we find him using his mental brawn grappling with an issue that has been eroding our nation’s foundation for more than a generation. The notion that you can only succeed if you spend at least four years in college. 3

From his website’s opening paragraph:

“A trillion dollars in student loans. Record high unemployment. Three million good jobs that no one seems to want. The goal of Profoundly Disconnected is to challenge the absurd belief that a four-year degree is the only path to success. The Skills Gap is here, and if we don’t close it, it’ll swallow us all.”

The message is clear. MILLIONS of high school kids, (detrimentally), being sold the idea of a college education. Millions of the earlier college-educated managers not only remembering that ethos, but buying in to it so heavily that they insisted on such an education for their employees – even to the point of preferring someone with a degree and no experience over a candidate with no degree and years of experience. In many of the skilled trades, as well – no A.S. equals no job. To the nigh catastrophic loss of American industry. Mr. Rowe rewrites the “typical” college-promoting poster from his youth…we’ve all seen one, (or one just like it), that has the platitude: “Work Smarter, Not Harder” to read: “Work Smarter AND Harder” 4 A fine sentiment, is it not? He gave a talk at a TED 5 conference extolling the virtues of good-old-fashioned hard work, as well as what he learned from people who do the hard work. I found that talk to be so spot-on that it raised the littlest hairs on the back of my neck… HE speaks from MY experience! I’ll go out on my own personal limb, here, and say that we may not have needed to outsource our jobs had we been able to fill them with home-grown labor. There are myriad other factors…so stipulated…but having people with skills and the genuine American Work Ethic we’re famous for could have forestalled this unwise movement significantly.

In these times we owe it to ourselves, our children and our grandchildren…nay…posterity in America, to learn the lessons Mike did, and learn them well. Put those lessons into practice. Today. They can save us, and believe me, we need saving. Visit www.mikeroweworks.com & www.profoundlydisconnected.com today. Read it. All of it. Watch the videos. Make a donation in time, effort, energy or good old American green-back dollars. The country you save may be your own.

1 http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/dirty-jobs/about-this-show/dirty-jobs-about.htm
2 http://mikerowe.com/about-mike/bio/
3 http://profoundlydisconnected.com/
4 http://profoundlydisconnected.com/poster/
5 http://www.ted.com/talks/mike_rowe_celebrates_dirty_jobs.html

Lou has several degrees and professional certifications “under his belt”. Or, more accurately, on his wall. As well as serving in the US Army and in law enforcement, he has worked as a wholesale and retail industrial salesman, a manager in a Harley-Davidson dealership, a DJ and a facilities engineer in several industrial settings.

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P-QRM #49: While Obama Fiddles….

Posted on September 26, 2013 by Ann Marie

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We had a small break from our last podcast, so we tried to touch on as many issues as we could in this session.

The Washington Navy Yard massacre perpetrated by a mentally ill person, another tragedy that could have been avoided if that person was off the streets.

We also discuss the changes pushed by the liberals since the 1950′s to allow mentally ill people out on the streets and the lack of facilities to keep them off the streets and safe.

Syria: Obama and his standoff with Putin resulted in Obama looking weaker than ever..Some American military even went so far as to be photographed in full-dress uniforms with signs over their faces in protest of intervention in Syria.

And 3 US troops were killed in Afghanistan by one of the ‘friendly’ Afghani troops.

A note: the Androscoggin County, Maine GOP is having a fundraiser featuring Madison Rising, October 19 at the Lewiston Armory. Info is here. Partial proceeds go to Wounded Warriors.

 

All this and more on this week’s Political QRM

 

 

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Sidebar for the 2M “Bikers”…

Posted on September 14, 2013 by Lou

This IS awfully brief and somewhat un-”polished”.  It’s more of a “stream-of-consciousness” piece.  It is, however, from the heart.  In light of the estimated 100-150 K turnout, (as opposed to the thousand or so islamists that showed up for THEIR “million”…)

You may or may not know that I worked in the motorcycle industry for many years.  Yes, of-by-for-around-and-about THAT motorcycle company.  They recently celebrated the one hundred tenth anniversary of “The Motor Company” in Milwaukee…if you’re a “local”, “M’wahkee”.

I have MANY friends that attended the festivities, in Wisconsin and elsewhere.  I did not.  Even had I been “able”, I would not have gone.  It’s not MY motor company anymore.  I have, many times, described myself by paraphrasing Shylock:  “If you cut me, do I not bleed Pre-Luxe?”.  Yes, I knelt before the altar of the V-Twin in The Church of The Bar & Shield for a good part of my life.  Since, I think, ’65 or ’66.  I began my life on the fringe, well, on the fringe.  Collecting railroad spikes from along the tracks and salvaged wrought iron fence from my “goombah’s” scrapyard.  Grinding, polishing and chrome plating them to make “custom” footpegs and “sissy” bars.  Even made a set of handlebars, once, from a chunk of power transmission cable I brazed solid and plated.  I went through many of the incarnations, intonations and inflections of a “motorcycle enthusiast”.  Even in those hyper-inflated ’80s years.  When all was beemers and rocket bikes.  When I was at a job where all of “the guys” were going to have a “bring your motorcycle to work day”, my co-workers jaws positively dropped when I showed up that morning with all that iron between my legs.  (A 1950 FL police model, and the only chrome I added to it was a distributor cap.  Then, only because it was the only one in stock at a dealer when I needed one.)  Ahh, the LOOKS I got!  The attitude changes I felt as I shut her off, put the stand down, leaned her over and walked toward the rest of “the guys”!  Funny…only a very few years later, they would all be buying one of their own.  Stickers, tee shirts and chain wallets became de riguerre.  I went from outcast to inside guy.  I knew my motorcycles.  Inside out.  From “pea-shooter” and “pocket valve”.  “J” model.  “K” model.  Servicar.  Knuckle-Pan-Shovel-Iron heads with flat sides.  Toppers and Aermacchis.  Rigids.  Girders.  Choppers, baggers and glides. I could go on and on.  For a long time.  Trust me.

At the end of that weekend I received an e-mail from a very dear friend.  A friend who was also, for many years, deeply involved in the day-to-day of The Motor Company. My last living connection to it all. I was surprised at the timing, considering the anniversary party.  I replied with a very breif “Are you home or on the road?”  I will excerpt her reply here…

“Ah Darlin’ I didn’t go.  Lots of reasons but my love affair [with the factory] is suffering contusions and abrasions of the heart.  I’ve seen too much rawness and depravity than from the day when I fell in love with it all….It’s too bad.  My heart will always beat a little faster when I hear those deep, growling pipes that play the sweetest music of any bike ever made.  I miss a lot.  But I don’t miss the way its corrupted itself…”

I had some hope, a while back, when it was rumored that Willie and Karen (Davidson) had approved the use of skulls at the factory level for paint jobs and accessories.  Only a brief while earlier, flames had been approved.  They flubbed it.  All of it.  They carried some of the simplest forms of “biker” or “hot rod” art and art-nouveau’d it to death.  Wait…I’m not referring to true “Art Nouveau”, I just mean that they took it off to some extreme level of “acceptable palatability”. The kind that bikers and hot rodders would not understand.

When the “OLP” program was fired up, in an effort to control every dollar in the accessory market, They flubbed it.  The truth was, it wasn’t all about the money.  It was image control.  Mind control and attitude control.  “Vee haff vays” of making you like our products.  We’ll just take everyone else’s off the shelves.  This wasn’t just straight-up capitalism.  Straight-up capitalism was the part that brought more than 50% of any motorcycle produced with foreign sourced parts.  You see, they lost more than their identity when they were taken over by American Metals and Foundries.  Enough so that they became more agressively capitalistic than even the company they broke away from.  NOT that I believe there’s anything wrong with capitalism…no no no!  But capitalists without souls go to the dustbin of history faster than those with poor quality products.  Or, at least, they used to.  (All chrome plating outsourced to the Orient.  Sure, it IS less expensive when you can dispose of all the toxic waste in the sea.)

You know…not long ago, whenever I would stop and talk to people in leather, the people on competitors’ motorcycles used to, (but no longer do), preface their descriptions with “it’s not a Harley, but…”  It’s getting harder and harder for Joe Iwannamotorcycle to find a discernable reason to spend an extra $5-10K.  And I can’t say as I blame them.  Especially since that extra five or ten large is the difference between fifteen to thirty grand.  No, we are not talking about a five thousand to ten thousand dollar import versus a twelve thousand to twenty thousand dollar pseudo-American machine anymore.  We’re talking about second mortgages either way.  I have always maintained that “it’s not about what you ride, it’s about whether you ride”.  True enough.  But we have been seeing an “adjustment”.  Now, it’s a question of “progress or die”…read that, “change, (for better or worse, but change, dammit!)”  It hurts, but not nearly as badly as the first time I saw a chrome plated radiator cap.

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P-QRM #48: Things are coming to a head…

Posted on September 9, 2013 by Ann Marie

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This week’s broadcast starts off with the 110th anniversary of Harley Davidson. We discuss what is happening to the brand and the federal regulations affecting that company and many others in America.

Also, we talk about the latest job numbers, the 90Million Americans that have given up looking for work and yet there are the burger flippers and cashiers at fast food restaurants who believe they are worth $15/hour.

Syria, Obama, Putin, the dying GOP, and the New York mayoral race..All this and more on this edition of Political QRM.

 

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Armageddon: Courtesy of Obama and the RINOs

Posted on September 8, 2013 by Ann Marie

Obama wants desperately for the United States to bomb Syria based on an unsubstantiated report that Bashar Al-Assad used sarin gas on his people. Granted, he probably does have the weapons that were missing from Iraq when our forces invaded that country, but there are probably military or civilians personnel in his government that are more sympathetic to Al-Qaeda than loyal to Assad. If they had access to the weapons, they could use it and blame Assad, thereby making him the guilty party. Of course, Assad has not been known to be the kindest leader in the world, but this is the Middle East, where violence among people is the norm.

But Obama is pushing this attack beyond reason. It is almost as if he owes someone a favor and is doing his best to hold up his end of the bargain. He and John Kerry are almost fanatical in their pursuit of military action.

Americans are overwhelmingly against it, with both conservatives and liberals together in pursuit of dialing back the rhetoric on a attack on Syria. Strange bedfellows, indeed…..

The people who are putting fuel into this action on Syria are none other than the RINOs of the GOP.  John McCain and Lindsay Graham are leading the charge, with dire predictions of nuclear war and increased attacks by Assad if we don’t act. Their insistence on military action is beyond reason. Both the RINOs and Obama seemed joined at the hip on this journey toward a certain escalation of tensions and attacks in the Middle East. Iran is already threatening retaliation of this attack on Israel, and Russia and China are warning of dire consequences if we do take military action.

So why? Why are Obama and the RINOs going ahead? Obama is definitely at the end of his rope in convincing the world that he is a leader in words in deeds. Americans wised up years ago and now China and Russia realize that he is nothing but a paper tiger. The rest of the world is now seeing his ineffectiveness as a leader.

The RINOs are almost in the same position. They want so badly to live up to the media’s idea of what a Republican should be and G-d forbid, don’t want to seem racist, so they gladly climb into the same sinking boat as Obama. Both parties are desperately trying to salvage their reputations as leaders so they band together in a project that won’t be beneficial to anyone, least of all the Syrians.

In the end we have a Nobel Peace Prize winner along with a bunch of ineffective, weak-kneed politicians who are all more interested in their reputations and political legacy instead of taking their positions as leaders seriously. Their hubris just may bring about WWIII and certain death to millions of people, not only in the Middle East, but in this country also.

Wow, what a legacy to leave.

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