Stumble It!
"Let me devour your flesh because I know how to use it better than you do"
"In 1981 our last great president, Ronald Reagan, cut tax rates and slowed the growth of government, thereby ushering in 25 of the most prosperous, free and creative years this country has ever known," notes author Andrew Klavan in a totally awesome PJTV presentation that's the best ever explication of what the Tea Party Movement is all about. "Cutting government was so effective that you, not being experts like myself, might have thought that the era of unchecked government was dead. But, it's back. It's the night of the living government."
"I’m just blazing away because I know I’m right, I know I’m good, and when it comes to the love of leftist elites, frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn," best-selling "author of many novels picked up by Hollywood" Andrew Klavan told a Bellum interviewer the other day. We discovered Mr. Klavan in a PJTV blockbuster — "best thing PJTV or just about anybody in the media has ever produced" we wrote Roger L. Simon. Then we took the liberty of sending a news tip with link to Matt Drudge. If Matt picks it up, we will know why we were born. A few more tasty tidbits from that Bellum interview and then on to more of "The night of the living government" and some thoughts of our own:
One of the prime motivators of human action — and one rarely spoken about — is the desire to appear virtuous before those you admire: it soothes the inner sense of shame. Leftist conformity has given American intellectuals and artists cheap virtue-free virtue, really, virtue without deeds or discipline. Vote liberal and you’re a hero no matter what. Do you beat your wife or drive your kids into addiction or drive a car under the influence of cocaine or betray your nation with anti-American propaganda? No worries, dude, you’re a leftist, you’re good. But point out that welfare destroys neighborhoods or that Islamists are evil — and whoa, you’re out of the club.
Can you say music to our ears? Tribalism and its progenitor,"the importance of being noticed," ur theme of our blog, rear their lovely heads. How sweet it is.
"So they came to me, because I've written the screenplays for horror movies," continues Klavan. "Not being experts yourselves, you may not know this, but in many horror movies there's a scene in which the monster is apparently killed. The music swells, and you think the picture is over. Then suddenly the monster reaches up out of the grave and goes on a rampage. This is exactly the situation we find ourselves in today."
"This is an almost perfect metaphor for your government at work," explains Klaven:
I'm sure many of you remember that film, "Night of the Living Dead." Ordinary people take shelter in a house, barring the doors and boarding the windows against zombies, who reach in through any opening they can find in order to devour the people's flesh and turn the living into zombies like themselves …
Zombies are dead creatures that don't produce anything and must devour the lives of others, even though once everyone becomes a zombie, there'll be nothing left for anyone to eat. Government is exactly the same. It doesn't start businesses, it doesn't create wealth, it doesn't invent anything. It devours all the stuff that you make.
You bar the door against property tax, they come in through a sales tax. You board the windows against income tax, they reach in through an energy tax.
Speaking of zombies, it's time for a reprise of this moment of truth from our post-election December 2006 post, "A most eloquent eulogy for the nation's tragic loss":
The year was 1940, two years after the appeasing Chamberlain declared "Peace in our time" as Hitler's forces of darkness were closing in. Bob Hope, who would later become the great white hope of American forces all over the world, delivered the punchline of all punchlines, which resonates big time in this post-election season of our discontent.
Richard Carlson character: A zombie has no will of his own. You see them sometimes walking around blindly with dead eyes, following orders, not knowing what they do, not caring.
Bob Hope character: You mean like Democrats?
Thanks for the memories.
This just in from da man himself, Andrew Klavan, to whom we'd written of our devotion:
Thank you, Sissy. That's so nice to hear, really. It balances the hate mail, lol! Best, AK.
Hate mail? Bring it on! As Klavan himself says, "when it comes to the love of leftist elites, frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."
Update: Now this via email from Andrew Klavan:
You know, I joked with Roger that you must be a lady of wisdom and discernment to say such nice things about me. Now I read your blog and it turns out you actually ARE a lady of wisdom and discernment, making me feel even more flattered and grateful.
But of course.
Update II: More music to our ears from one we admire: Instalanche! Thank you, Professor.
Bob Hope said it all. Not every Democrat knows what he or she does but the liberal leaders are the monsters. Thank god for AK.
Posted by: goomp | April 18, 2009 at 07:40 PM
Sissy, thanks for letting me know about Mr Klavan! And a big thank you to Mr Klavan!
Posted by: Jason | April 18, 2009 at 11:33 PM
That's a good line from Bob Hope. Do you recall the line from Day the Earth Stood Still (the original, not the lame remake)? Patricia Neal's boarders are arguing around the breakfast table, and one man is castigating the government in fierce terms. His wife tries to moderate his language "They're human beings, after all.." to which he snaps "Nonsense! They're Democrats!"
Posted by: Cuckoo | April 19, 2009 at 12:32 AM
Cuckoo: I hadn't realized. Those were the days, when Hollywood could call a rat a rat! :-)
Posted by: Sissy Willis | April 19, 2009 at 05:47 AM
goomp, behind every zombie raising, there's one or more necromancers. You can kill zombies all night, but until the zombie raiser is gone you just won't run out...
Posted by: SDN | April 19, 2009 at 06:33 AM
SDN, that's actually a very creepy thought. How do we (to mix un-dead metaphors) drive a stake through the hearts of the zombie raisers?
Posted by: Stoutcat | April 19, 2009 at 11:13 AM
A fine post, however, to be fair...
GW Bush was Our last Great President.
""In 1981 our last great president, Ronald Reagan, cut tax rates and slowed the growth of government,""
Well, actually, the hero we reference as the Gipper enabled Social Security with the big Democratic Party Chief named TIP, and we are paying for this greatly today.
GW Bush at least tried to reform the entitlement problem, which mandates massive government spending on whoever is in Office.
The great Presidency of Ronald Reagan was focused on priorities, like winning the Cold War, just as GW Bush became focused on winning to the GWOT.
Both had to compromise on a number of issues, to maintain support for the essential focus of their Presidencies.
In fact, after the foolish empowerment of Pelosi and Reid in the 2006 Midterms by Americans, one can consider the resolve and ability of President Bush to maintain the fight in Iraq to ensure success, the stuff of a Reaganesque Legendary effort.
The fashion which is glossing over the reality, like ignoring Mr. Reagan grew a 4.5% deficit of GDP spending, vs. Mr. Bush growing a 2.5 deficit of GDP spending, is hurting the Reagan Legacy within the GOP, which was his proud Party of choice.
One has accepted the worst image of the Republicans, (certainly frustration is understandable with any Politician), with a misguided perception of perfection in the past.
How could any not realize the positive context of most foolhardy effort today in comparison to the past Republican effort?
Even with their overt spending, they still would be far - far - far more preferable than what we see today in the Democratic Party.
Posted by: HNAV | April 19, 2009 at 12:39 PM
I agree with you 100 percent Sisu - we must all go vegan. Meat is murder.
Posted by: steve Quigley | April 20, 2009 at 12:32 AM
I'm sure watching the news on TV extended my recent hospital stay! They were intent on lowering my blood pressure; after watching a news broadcast, my BP spiked some! So I quit watching the news because until it was lower, I couldn't get sprung! And Sam the Wonder Cat was missing me.
Posted by: Gayle Miller | April 20, 2009 at 10:27 AM
Speaking of the undead, check out Dracula v. Obama at the awesome 4-Block World.
Posted by: Amy | April 20, 2009 at 04:07 PM
I'm back. I survived. I missed all the fun but I survived.
Posted by: Laura Lee Donoho | April 20, 2009 at 06:25 PM
I totally agree with you Sissy about our last great President. While no President is 100% to our liking, at least Reagan did more than any other to create a great impetus for our nation to succeed.
Sadly, while George Bush was certainly all for national security, he never met a spending bill he would veto and he never never never made an effort to get his own message out. One of the most frustrating things ever. (sorry - making the rounds and talking to the troops, while nice, doesn't count)
Reagan had zero mainstream press support, but went around them and beat them hands down at their own game. Bush didn't even try - he left it to bloggers. Not to mention, it took losing both houses of Congress before he finally made significant changes in the Defense Department and brought about success in Iraq.
Iraq now becomes a success - but far too late - the media have been left to run wild and tell their lies... the damage is done. All for lack of communication... even badly worded communication.
Bush left the door wide open for the zombies to stroll in. And they did.
Wonderful.
Can we win against them now? I guess we'll see.
Posted by: Teresa | April 20, 2009 at 11:02 PM
could not disagree with Teresa more...
Bush did not even try?
that is simply silly in every aspect.
Posted by: HNAV | April 21, 2009 at 05:40 AM
Teresa's comments resemble a fashionable mindset that only is making matters worse, but not being objective about the past.
Bush tried endlessly to speak directly with the American People, but was far more heavily slandered and demeaned then even President Reagan.
In fact, some Conservative Pundits were part of the problem. Hyperbole run amuck...
No one will ever be able to be compared to the Legendary Gipper, and it is unfair to do so.
But the Bush Administration did try indeed.
Fashion is something enabling a disastrous, corrupt, misguided Democrat Party.
WFB used to empower sound policy with the facts.
How on Earth could anyone say the success in Iraq is far too late?
Are we more concerned with popular fashion, than results? Are we more concerned with political image, than the liberty of millions formerly oppressed and the building of an impressive Democracy which is helping to fight Radical Jihadists in the heart of the ME?
This is exactly what I mean by fashion...
Bush did not leave the door wide open, the zombies are an aggressive bunch of liars, who slandered their way in, and a vast number of Americans meekly ceded their entrance.
It was bloggers who made a great deal of hyperbole, only later to be proven wrong, absolutely wrong.
Ronald Reagan's success, like that in Iraq, had the appearance of victory come long after he left the Office.
The Wall fell years after the Gipper was in Office. Was that too late as well?
The reality is, Ronald Reagan spent enough to create a massive 4.5% deficit of our GDP, GW Bush had spent enough to create a deficit of 2.5% of our GDP.
Ronald Reagan spent to win a Cold War, and enabled a great deal of mandatory Governmental Entitlements with the Democrats in Congress. GW Bush did the same, trying to empower a number of aspects in the GWOT. Bush's resolve in winning in Iraq was the stuff of Legends as well, even if his Administration could have been more focused on reductions in spending.
However, in a post 9-11 environment, facing the most unethical level of partisan vitriol in the biased MSM we have ever witnessed in Modern History (no, Ronald Reagan was not even treated this poorly by those pretending to be journalists), the Bush Presidency proved to be outstanding.
The fashion suggesting otherwise, is only empowering the vapid DNC.
We all want better government, with less spending, but not being objective about reality, the failures of the Reagan Administration (like Lebanon), the positives about the Bush Administration (like the AIDS relief funding), is only making matters far worse.
Posted by: HNAV | April 21, 2009 at 05:59 AM
Thank you - nice to know I'm silly. I see no point in getting into a prolonged argument in comments of a post over the merits or lack thereof of Presidents past.
Mr. Bush was certainly a better option than the alternative in either election. That does not mean I agree with everything he did while in office. Would Gore or Kerry have been worse? Absolutely. But it does not logically follow that this makes Bush an excellent President.
If that makes me silly then so be it. I didn't like everything Reagan did either although in the grand scheme of Presidents I have been alive to witness he stands head and shoulders above all the others. I guess that makes me even more incredibly silly - continuing to hold to my opinion after you have declared otherwise.
Therefore, in my silliness, I bow to your superior intellect and let you win the comment section. Congratulations.
Posted by: Teresa | April 22, 2009 at 03:24 PM