Culture wars: Religion and the media
Republicans growing more skeptical about evolution
(Washington Post) When it comes to increasing partisanship in the United States, it seems no issue is immune. And that includes evolution.  A new Pew Research Center poll shows a widening political gap over theories about how humans came to be, with Republicans growing increasingly skeptical about the idea that humans evolved over time. Read full article >>

Nathan: IF, of course, government was (a) not involved in education, and (b) not pushing their agenda of humanism, de-facto atheism (except of course, State = God), and a general attack on religion, there would not be a “political” gap.  And there ARE a few Democrats who do not believe in evolution.  Of course, another important aspect is that people can look around and see people and society DEVOLVING – breaking down – and they ask, “and we supposedly evolved to more intelligence, more civilization?  Give me a break!” Of course, the WaPo sees this as just one more way to demonize the GOP: to present anyone who does not agree with them as hicks and ignoramuses, anti-science, anti-human, and just mean.

Mama’s Note: One of the problems in such screeds is the idea that large groups of people with SOME similar ideas, beliefs or goals must necessarily share all of them. It’s an easy trap to fall into. Many individuals and their voluntary associates are “devolving,” absolutely. Other individuals, however, are learning and growing, evolving toward their best potential. And some people seem to have died already, just not having the courtesy to fall down so they can be properly buried. They wear all sorts of labels, and sometimes more than one.

Theft by government – Crash of 2009
Americans Still Driving Less Than They Did In 2000
(CNSNews.com)

Nathan: Gas locally is selling for about $3.12 (near the national average), Diesel about $3.85 a gallon – in January of 2007 it was $2.12 for gasoline (gasbuddy.com; no Diesel info available).  Gee, I wonder why we are still driving less than before the Crash of 2009?  Actually, demand for gas dropped so quickly in 2008 (after HE “won” the election) that price dropped to almost $1.65 a gallon, or about HALF of what it is today.  Meanwhile, although Federal tax on gasoline did not go up, most state taxes and many local taxes DID go up.  Thousands of stations have closed, car prices have jumped, other travel costs have jumped, and individual American’s income has stagnated – not counting the millions of unemployed (estimated at as high as 30%).  Gee, you figure that we can’t afford to just go for a drive any more?  Just run into town for a single item?  But no, they are typically government-stupid.

World Wars – Stupid government
And The Country Posing The Greatest Threat to Peace as 2013 Ends is …
(CNSNews.com) … as 2013 ends a global poll finds that the country seen as representing the greatest threat to peace today is … the United States. Not only did the U.S. top the list with an aggregate of 24 percent, but the runner-up threat country, Pakistan, was way behind at eight percent. China was third at six percent, followed by North Korea, Iran and Israel at five percent each. The survey of opinions across 65 countries by pollster Win/Gallup International … Paradoxically, just because people view the U.S. as the biggest threat doesn’t necessarily mean they wouldn’t like to move there if they could.  The pollsters also asked, “If there were no barriers to living in any country of the world, which country would you like to live in?” Some countries where the U.S.-as-greatest-threat view holds strong are also those where America would be a prized destination as a new home country. .. American respondents named Iran as the greatest threat to peace (20 percent), followed by Afghanistan (14 percent). North Korea (13 percent) – and the U.S. itself (13 percent). – See more at: http://cnsnews.com/news/article/patrick-goodenough/and-country-posing-greatest-threat-peace-2013-ends#sthash.MVqXmwLt.dpuf

Nathan: They DID ask Americans: one in seven of us see the truth that the US has become little more than a bully, a corrupt and sadistic cop on the world beat!  And apparently a lot of people don’t like us, but want to BE us.  Not too much a shock: who wants to be threatened, but how many people are willing to be able to make the threats!  Also, they know that in more than six decades, the one place that doesn’t really get torn up in one of America’s (or anyone else’s wars) is America itself.  Two big attacks in 2001 still are not much compared to business as usual.  So it really isn’t that much a paradox.  And all of us who see the FedGov as a threat to peace (internally and externally) have very good reason to believe that is the case, the way the nation has behaved in the last fourteen years (and more) is a very strong argument.

Congress in action – Islamic wars: North African front
Intelligence Committee Members Dispute NYT Assertion That al-Qaeda Had No Role in Benghazi Attack
(CNSNews.com)

Nathan: Uh-oh!  They are in deep doodoo: the NYT will come out against them, reveal all their sordid little secrets, and tell people to stop making campaign contributions to them.  Couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch, of course, but doesn’t make it right.  And of course, for once this committee seems to have the right of it: and are right in rejecting another attempt to rewrite history.

Islamic wars: Afghan Front – Politics 2013
Afghanistan war more unpopular than Vietnam
(Washington Post)  Public opposition to the war in Afghanistan has hit a new high and is now well above even opposition to the war in Vietnam, according to a new poll.  The CNN/Opinion Research poll shows just 17 percent of Americans support the effort, while 82 percent oppose it.

Nathan: One big difference between 1975 and 2013 is that “democracy” (or a republic) doesn’t matter anymore.  Congress and the White House have no reason to listen, really, to the voters and whether they oppose or support the nasty things the government does.  So they can keep sending Americans to kill and be killed for worthless (or nonexistent) objectives, while refusing to do the things that NEED to be done, in Afghanistan or Mesopotamia or Detroit or Denver or Delta.  (And refusing to allow anyone ELSE to do them.)  Just as the first thing the Allies did after conquering Germany in 1945 was eliminate National Socialism (Nazi-ism) (and not just the “radical” or “extreme” elements like the SS or the Gestapo), so should have been done in Afghanistan and Iraq: eliminate the root and trunk of the evil: Islam.  Not just the radical Taliban or Al Quada, but the whole evil mess and system: the imams and the other clerics should have been treated just like the Gauleiters and the party secretaries: given a choice of repudiating the religion, imprisonment, or death.  Of course, that was not done.  Not even what was done to the Ost Zone, post Reunification in 1993 was done.  Instead, the source of the evil continues to exist.  And America becomes evil in basically square-dancing with Islam there.

Mama’s Note: What in the world makes such destruction the prerogative of the US government? How can anyone grant the US government the power and “authority” to destroy anything in Iraq or Afghanistan, then object when that same government destroys whatever it pleases anywhere else – including in the US. Can’t have it both ways.