Prager University: Should America Be the World's Policeman?

"We teach what isn't taught." - Dennis Prager

"Western foreign ministers - Richelieu, Wallenstein, Talleyrand, Palmerston, Metternich - strove for three centuries to sustain (a balance of power), instead of championing conservative crusades and leftist insurgencies." - Jim Sleeper

The men listed above were genius practitioners of geopolitics, and fully understood the impossibility of 'hegemony' on a large scale - which is why they pursued a 'balance of power' system (or 'spheres of influence') instead of one based on hegemony...In our time, no statesman has understood this model as well as Henry Kissinger.  He understood how to use American power to help it maintain its world position, but also understood the limits of such power.  Limits which allowed other powers to do many things Americans detest and loath to admit they must allow to happen - unless they wish to be at perpetual war with much of the globe. 

Those who pay attention should recognize I prefer a 'balance of power' model over 'hegemony.'  I've often stated the U.S. should use its power to protect the U.S. and it's core allies (a very limited group), ensure trade is kept open and as free as possible, and to brutally punish or eliminate those who attempt to hurt it.  The U.S. should also demand and ensure it is the sole power in the Western Hemisphere (a hegemonic position in our sphere of influence)...I'm quite certain Teddy Roosevelt would be right in line with these lines of thinking.  Interestingly, it was the way every American president prior to Woodrow Wilson pursued American foreign policy.  Sadly, in my opinion, only one president since Wilson has followed the pre-Wilson policy and that was Richard Nixon.

I do not believe we can 'save the world' or make it 'more like us.'  In fact, I think it is Utopian at best and arrogant or ignorant at worst to think we should even try, because our way is not possible or even desirable for much of the globe - no matter how much we may think it is best.

I know many on the Right and Left feel 'balance of power' is a brutal model, but it is the only one which has successfully worked for the majority of human history - even the Romans balanced with the Germanic tribes, Parthia (modern Iran), etc.  The reason for this is the world is too big, the financial costs are impossible, and there are too many diverse peoples.

As such, I am at odds with this semester of Prager University (though not as much as it may seem, because I am not a 'retreatist.'  I simply wish to protect American interests; protect them brutally if needed - in fact extremely harsh to ensure our sphere of influence).  Which is okay, because this is supposed to be the beauty of the 'university' - it is supposed to be a place where thoughtful people go to hash out ideas.  This is what separates Prager U. from most traditional American universities, where only THEIR ideas are what matter; ideas based on pure-power-Liberalism, passed off through unrelenting and uncompromising propaganda.

This semester of Prager University is presented by:  Bret Stephens

"The United States is the world's policeman, because there is no alternative.  And everybody knows it." - B.S.

"[H]istory only settles great debates for as long as people remember the history." - B.S.

THIS (PAST 2) WEEK(s) in PICTURES

LIBERAL JACKASS QUOTE

Robert DeNiro (Hollywood Idiot)

"When you feel that you can't fight it, you just go for it.  When it comes to the arts, passion should always trump common sense.  Yeah you're fucked.  The good news is, that's not a bad place to start."

- Part of a speech DeNiro gave to a graduating class at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.

"Yeah you're fucked."  And "fucked" isn't a "bad place to start"?  These students spent years and probably hundreds of thousands of dollars to hear these rousing lines of genius on their big day...Nice!

This is what you get - and deserve - when you bring such magnificent dignitaries as Hollywood Idiots to your commencement engagements...Though I'm sure the moronic graduates loved it.

I'm sure Bobby had other gems to share.

"A new door is opening for you.  A door to a lifetime of rejection...It's inevitable.  It's what graduates call the real world."

Yes sir!  Great stuff to look forward to.

"How do you cope with it?  I hear that Valium and Vicodin work."

Wow!  I guess it's better than saying cocaine and heroin.

DeNiro is right on one thing, though:  These kids really are "fucked"...Sadly, so are the rest of us, due to 50+ years of Liberals dominating our country in every way - especially culturally.

Vote for Hillary, because...

...because she believes in equal pay for women?

"I think Hillary keeps finding herself in these, uh, awkward positions where the things that she said don't always match up with the actions." - Hillary Supporter

“Either Clinton is guilty of gender discrimination and pays her female staffers significantly less than men, or she is guilty of statistical fraud for spreading misinformation about the alleged gender pay gap at the national level.” - Mark Perry

"I don't even know what to say right now.  I'm kinda shocked...That makes no sense.  That makes no sense." - Hillary Supporter

Ouch!  As Al Gore would say, that's an 'Inconvenient Truth.'

Of course there are factors which skew Hillary's pay scale, but they are the same exact factors Liberals use to beat on businesses which supposedly pay women less than men....What's good for the gander is good for the goose,  "Oh Sheila!" - Ready for the World

This (Past) Week in Pictures

Armed Forces Day

"AMERICA SUPPORTS YOU!!"

To learn more about the men and women of our Armed Forces and their families, and how people and communities are supporting them, here are some helpful links:

Get to know our military and the families who sustain them, and learn about the unique experiences of military life

Check out the amazing support that non-profits and communities provide to our military

Find opportunities to support our military in your community

Thank our Service members

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Reposted from the Joe Foss Institute

By - Edward Palmer

President Harry S. Truman led the effort to establish a single holiday for citizens to come together and thank our military members for their patriotic service in support of our country.

On August 31, 1949, Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson announced the creation of an Armed Forces Day to replace separate Army, Navy and Air Force Days. The single-day celebration stemmed from the unification of the Armed Forces under one department -- the Department of Defense. Each of the military leagues and orders was asked to drop sponsorship of its specific service day in order to celebrate the newly announced Armed Forces Day. The Army, Navy and Air Force leagues adopted the newly formed day. The Marine Corps League declined to drop support for Marine Corps Day but supports Armed Forces Day, too.

In a speech announcing the formation of the day, President Truman "praised the work of the military services at home and across the seas" and said, "it is vital to the security of the nation and to the establishment of a desirable peace." In an excerpt from the Presidential Proclamation of Feb. 27, 1950, Mr. Truman stated:

"Armed Forces Day, Saturday, May 20, 1950, marks the first combined demonstration by America's defense team of its progress, under the National Security Act, towards the goal of readiness for any eventuality. It is the first parade of preparedness by the unified forces of our land, sea, and air defense."

The theme of the first Armed Forces Day was "Teamed for Defense." It was chosen as a means of expressing the unification of all the military forces under a single department of the government. Although this was the theme for the day, there were several other purposes for holding Armed Forces Day. It was a type of "educational program for civilians," one in which there would be an increased awareness of the Armed Forces. It was designed to expand public understanding of what type of job is performed and the role of the military in civilian life.

The first Armed Forces Day was celebrated by parades, open houses, receptions, and air shows. In Washington D.C., 10,000 troops of all branches of the military, cadets, and veterans marched pass the President and his party. In Berlin, 1,000 U.S. troops paraded for the German citizens at Templehof Airfield. In New York City, an estimated 33,000 participants initiated Armed Forces Day "under an air cover of 250 military planes of all types." In the harbors across the country were the famed mothballed "battlewagons" of World War II, the Missouri, the New Jersey, the North Carolina, and the Iowa, all open for public inspection. Precision flying teams dominated the skies as tracking radar was exhibited on the ground. All across the country, the American people joined together to honor the Armed Forces.

According to a New York Times article published on May 17, 1952:

"It was a day for the military to show 'state-of-the-art' equipment to the civilian population they were protecting. And it was a day to honor and acknowledge the people of the Armed Forces of the United States.

"This is the day on which we have the welcome opportunity to pay special tribute to the men and women of the Armed Forces...to all the individuals who are in the service of their country all over the world. Armed Forces Day won't be a matter of parades and receptions for a good many of them. They will all be in line of duty and some of them may give their lives in that duty."

Prager University: Don't Judge Blacks Differently

"We teach what isn't taught." - Dennis Prager

One of the most profound things President George W. Bush spoke about is the "soft bigotry of low expectations" when it comes to the way many Americans treat blacks - particularly, so-called do-gooder Liberals...It's a devastating comment, about a sad reality:  A reality that many of these Americans treat blacks as if they are unable to keep up with whites - or even other minorities - not just because of the history of American racism, but because they are mentally, emotionally and of such low character that they will NEVER be able to compete with whites or other minorities.

Sadly, this is a terrible way to make sure American blacks don't succeed.  Incredibly, it almost seems as if Liberals want this to be the case, because it helps keep them in power in many ways and places.

Also, I hope you notice this presenter refers to American blacks as blacks - not African-Americans.  Thankfully!  Thankfully, because splitting blacks off from the rest of America is a way to keep them 'separate and unequal' to the rest of America...I'm quite certain this is part of the plan for Liberals, as well - to keep Liberals in power.

"There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americanism." - Teddy Roosevelt

Last, I don't want to hear it from maniac Liberals that 'W' didn't come up with the "soft bigotry of low expectations" phrase.  I am very aware his speechwriter, Michael Gerson, did...Speechwriters are nothing without the men/women who put their speeches into place, and it's been a long time since our presidents wrote the majority of their own speeches - including Obama.

This semester of Prager University is presented by:  Chloe Valdary

"[M]any people feel that they have to treat blacks with kid gloves.  They think this is noble, enlightened, progressive.  It's not.  It's demeaning and condescending.  In fact, it's racist." - C.V.

"Anyone, whether white or any other color, who excuses blacks for bad behavior just because they are black obviously doesn't consider blacks their equal.  Rather, they view blacks, in effect, as children who are unable to adhere to the standards to which every other group is held...[T]hose who condescend to blacks cloak themselves in self-righteousness.  So somehow that makes it okay." - C.V.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!

THIS IS AN UPDATED RE-POST FROM THE PAST COUPLE YEARS. I've tried to make new ones, but I don't think I can come close to the emotion and honesty put out in this post...Maybe next year. Maybe not.
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I want to first wish A HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all mothers - ON THIS SUNDAY AND EVERY DAY! This is also extended to any fathers who may be raising their children without mothers, as well.

I am proud to say I have been raised and formed by three brilliant mothers. Melissa, Jackie and Krissi:  Three of the five dominant figures in my life (along with my two daughters).
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Jackie is a great mother:  A woman who gave up her youth and hopes to raise her two children. She is a woman of immense personal pride and perseverance, who rarely asked for help and even less often received it. My mother taught me to survive and to fight, but not to be bitter over life's hardships.

Adding to her greatness, since my sister and I 'left the nest' Jackie has grown to a personal level of success I doubt she could have ever predicted...Such success from the lot she was given is incredible, and has changed the way I live my life. For most of my youth, teens and twenties I lived my life based on 'what I didn't want to be,' but in my thirties my life paradigm changed. I no longer grow from a negative, but instead progress with the goal of growing up to be as successful as my mother.

THANK YOU MOM!!! I LOVE YOU.
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Krissi, my sister, friend and confidant. Looking back, I tormented her terribly as a young girl, and wish I could go back and show her how much I've always loved her. I called her stupid names like "Pigalig" and "Bone," and admit to creating ways of teasing and torturing her, which only ended after she finally broke down and cried...Like I said, I wish I could go back and do it all over.

That said, she will never know how much she helped me as a child and continues as an adult...Through all the years of hardship as kids I always knew I could lean on my sister. I've never been a 'little guy,' yet Krissi has always been there for me to fall on. I can only imagine how heavy the burden as a child and teen it must have been to carry the weight of her big brother.

Brilliant, beautiful, successful, strong willed, and driven. I admit to being a little jealous, but not over her success. If anything my jealousy has been over my inability to keep up...I'm sure this surprises her, because I was always the "golden child" of the family; first born, good athlete, a boy, etc. And all of this was true when we were kids, but Krissi has found ways to keep up, catch, and pass her big brother in many ways. For this I am extremely proud, and happy to have her as a benchmark to work towards.

Finally, my sister is the mother of two daughters. She is proving to be a great mom, and a loyal wife...Both of which are proving to be her real strengths, and what I am most proud of her for.

THANK YOU KRISSI!!! I LOVE YOU.
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Melissa, my wife, my life...Chronologically the last woman in my life, but definitely not last in my heart.

We met by chance, and on that first meeting I fell in love with her. I know it sounds impossible and corny, but from the first time I met Melissa I knew she would be the woman I'd grow old with...At first we had a long-distance, pen-pal type, relationship, and then took turns leaving home to be with each other, proving the strength of our relationship as well as our desire to be together.

I couldn't ask for a better spouse: A partner with the tenacity to ensure our marriage works, and the will to help me grow from a boy to a man...When my children were first born I swore it would be easier to be a parent than a spouse. Surprisingly, as time goes by I am finding this isn't the case. One, being a parent is much tougher than I ever figured. Two, my relationship with Melissa is becoming stronger and stronger with each succeeding day. We have both changed much in the last 20 years, but more than anything we are growing into each other and our marriage. It is something I'm extremely proud of, and hope will last till my dying day.

Finally, my daughters couldn't be more lucky to have a mother like Melissa, who in her own way reminds me of my mother in that she will not allow her children to fail, while at the same time helping them succeed. Just as she is in our marriage, she is as a mother - a strong determined force in the lives of my children, as well as a tender, nurturing, loving presence.

THANK YOU MELISSA!!! I LOVE YOU, AND LOOK FORWARD TO OUR LIFELONG VENTURE AS PARENTS AND SPOUSES - AND GRANDPARENTS.
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Above I have mentioned the three most important mothers in my life, but there is another I have to recognize as well: Patty...This is my sixth Mother's Day without Pat, and she is missed terribly. Unfortunately, it took me too long to appreciate how good she was to me as a step-mother, but I truly hope she is looking down and knows how much she was loved and is missed.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO EVERY MOTHER!! For the sake of your children, I hope you have the same strength, determination, will and courage to be as great a mother as the women listed above...Failure is an easy route to take, and I venture to say without each of them I wouldn't be in a very pretty place. As parents, spouses, siblings and friends yourself, you can have the same powerful affect on those in your life as my 'four mothers' have had on mine.

THIS WEEK IN PICTURES