Apologies to the Geto Boys

Damn, it feels good to be Obama
A real radical-ass with skills
Although I was born in Hawaii
Ended up in Chicago making deals
George Soros is my homeboy
And my government's making wheels
I get all my props from NBC
Send contracts to GE
Givin' all support to abortion
Babies don't vote for D's
Is it all about the women?
It's only sex to me
I used to work for ACORN
And they really helped me win
Marxism was finished
'Till I pulled it outta the dustbin
Now all I gotta say to you
Radical Islamic pranksters
Israel gets attacked- - nothin's what I'm gonna do
Damn, it feels good to be Obama

Book Review

The book The Lion and the Unicorn: Gladstone vs. Disraeli by Richard Aldous is the story of how two brilliant men introduced Britain's modern two parties. The current Conservative Party arose from the Tory party, which included refugees from the old Whig party who disapproved of the armed ideology of the French Revolution. Thus, Disraeli's party was reformist and aristocratic at the same time. Meanwhile, the Whig party was transforming from the party skeptical of monarchical power into a party embracing the egalitarianism of the French Revolution. Gladstone's role came in the anti-protectionism and social change of today's Liberal party.

The two men were not emblamatic of their politics- - Disraeli was a liberal conservative who contracted venereal disease and married for money, while Gladstone was a conservative liberal obsessed with sexual guilt.

The Lion and the Unicorn is enjoyable to read, and Aldous gives us a perfect introduction for the neophyte, and a sense of their rivalry to those of us already familiar with the two titans of 19th century British politics.

Friends of Mr. Cairo

She came, as in the book, Mickey Spillane
That Saturday night dark masquerade
Had filled his friend with lead, the same, sweetheart
But then, as nothing happens quite the same
Investigation is the game
He had to check her story right away- he dead
Sam Spade his buddy first to go he got it
She spelt it out, how could they know the "Fatman" got it- he dead
Her sister didn't really live at all- confusion- he dead
His chase led to the Fatman, to face the friends of Mr. Cairo
That night the double crosser got it right
Pretending he was really dim
He slipped to Sam a double gin (Mickey Finn)
He woke, the boys had gone, but not his gun
They left a note to lead him on
The chase to find the Maltese Falcon- you bet
Early thirties gangster movies
Set to spellbound population
From Chicago to Hong Kong
Via Istanbul the Talking Tong
Dirty rats through prohibition
Money flowed through gangsterism
Acting out this fantasy
In Hollywood's vicinity
The best part for the best rendition
Al Capone he sent to prison
Citizen Kane came fast and quickly
Conquerin' ol' New York City
Poking fun at superstition
Media became television -give me Cagney anyday
Or Jimmy Stewart for President
Or Eddie "G" and all those guys
Who always shoot between the eyes, between the eyes, between the eyes
Father love do you work, do you work for mother
Chances could call, and accept that, be no other
Science as it might, disappear correspond with color
Chance is the fruit, will outlive, what is now the brother
Call for total wealth to distribute like a picture
In black and white, give it joy, give it, let it hit you
Spoil our existence by extreme gift to population
Father love do you work, do you work for Mother
Tell me straight be the Godfather be no other
Media Kings give us now give us total movie
Straight right now, give it clear, give us total movie
Now being here, being now, being here believing
One on one to talk to you
Like film stars they get close to you
You've mirrored his appeal
He wants you so, wants to be beside you
Then you pass by giving him the other side of you
Like the mystics do
So that every time he moves, he moves for you
Soul and light can always see the meeting of true love and she
The silent night and I,
I guess a lonely mind might see
I've seen love on the screen
I've seen a screen goddess and me- oh,
How often this, how often, this power of you
And so I must confess
Whatever I see
I'm meant to be there with you, with you, with you
Silent golden movies, talkies, technicolor, long ago
My younger ways stand clearer, clearer than my footprints
Stardom greats I've followed closely- closer than the nearest heartbeat
Longer than expected- there were great
Oh love, oh love, just to see them
Acting on the silver screen, oh my
Clark Gable, Fairbanks, Maureen O'Sullivan
Fantasy would fill my life and I love fantasy so much
Did you see in the morning light
I really talked, yes I did, to God's early dawning light
And I was privileged to be as I am today, to be with you, to be with you

Jon and Vangelis "Friends of Mr. Cairo"

Consolidate, Regulate, Confiscate

There existed, at the turn of the century, two very different types of progressive thought. The thinking of Teddy Roosevelt was that the market should always involve a number of small interests competing with each other to produce at the lowest price possible. Hence, Roosevelt was known as a "trust-buster"; corporations like Standard Oil needed to be broken into smaller concerns.

A very different vision of businesses was held by Justice Louis Brandeis, who believed there was no such thing as a business that was too big. (Sound familiar?) Corporations should, in this view, be allowed to become enormous entities regulated closely by government. Ultimately, this view of business is totalitarian, because it takes no legal skill to nationalize behemoth corporations, making them part of the government.

The Obama administration follows the Brandeis model to a T- - consolidate, regulate, and confiscate.

Irving Kristol, RIP

Estase wishes to express his condolences to the family of Irving Kristol, perhaps one of the most brilliant men in America. Kristol was one of those people like Bill Buckley that Estase would have loved to have met in person, and is delighted to have known in print. God bless, Mr. Kristol.

What Reform Movement?

In November 2006, Estase wrote a blog entitled "Samson Leftism" where he opined Democrats had no policy objectives, and was told with great pride by someone calling himself Causal that

"[Democrats will] Allow the government to negotiate directly with the pharmaceutical companies for lower drug prices for Medicare patients."

was one of Bela Pelosi's great ambitions. However as Oh Blah Blah's health plan has led him to buy off big pharmaceutical, Ryan Grim of the Huffington Post writes,

"Critics on Capitol Hill and online responded with outrage at the report that Obama had gone behind their backs and sold the reform movement short. Furthermore, the deal seemed to be a betrayal of several promises by then-Sen. Obama during the presidential campaign, among them that he would use the power of government to drive down the cost of drugs to Medicare, and that negotiations would be conducted in the open."

Immoral Moralist

Yesterday Oh Blah Blah said we should have government-run health care because Ted Kennedy thought it was a moral issue. Pardon me for looking to someone other than a drunken, lecherous abortion-monger for moral guidance.

Why Systematizers Are Wrong, Part Two

"Metaphysical hypotheses, in short, are not content to account for what may be by what is, nor to improve science according to the conditions of our nature, by raising probability on the foundations of certainty: but the makers of them affect to range in the immense void of possibility, with little or no regard to actuality; and begin very often, as well as end, in supposition(p360)."
Fourth Essay
Henry St. John (Viscount Bolingbroke)

Liberals and Radicals

Liberals wish America was like Sweden.
Radicals wish America was like China.

Liberals like John Meynard Keynes.
Radicals like Karl Marx.

Liberals hate cigarette smoking.
Radicals hate people drinking milk.

Liberals like contraception.
Radicals like abortion.

Liberals fear the CIA.
Radicals fear the FBI.

Liberalism is like malignant carcinoma.
Radicalism is like liver cancer.

My New Favorite Lyrics

You're working so hard
And you're never in charge
Your death creates success
And you'll build and suppress

Change in the air
And they'll hide everywhere
And no one knows who is in control

Muse "Rule by Secrecy"