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I.D. Obama, your writer with a fanciful if perhaps presumptuous nom de plume, recently declared himself to be a student of history, having written 16 books in six languages. I, on the other hand, have been a student of archaeology, and admit to having written only seven books in one (perhaps one and a half) languages. So, Mark Twain might say, he has the advantage over me, unless like Richard III, I.D. is a hunchback, in which case I have the advantage over him.
But history, vis-a-vis archaeology, IS a hunchback, or at least disadvantaged. History is fact charged with meaning, whereas archaeology is pure fact. And in the process of charging facts with meaning, historians may tend to stray off target. In his scary depiction of Barack Obama as a nouveau Hitler, I.D. makes a certain amount of sense.. And occasionally nonsense.
First, stumbling through an astonishing morass of mixed metaphors (from a perfect storm to gemstones’ facets), I..D. proceeds to expose his total ignorance about business in general, markets in particular and especially central banking in particular particular. Next he reels off a cacophony of our society’s shortcomings, real original stuff like the inadequacy of our school system (for which as an admitted school teacher he is partially responsible), and thence he dishes into the vague implication that Barack is to blame for all this.
That may well be true, although the thesis is reminiscent of Rush Limbaugh’s assertion that Obama is also responsible for the current recession, not only in absentia but also post hoc propter hoc.
Moreover, it appears that the President-elect has surrounded himself with ‘radicals.” Paul Volker, Paul Krugman and Robert Bates and I suppose, that arch anarchist Teddy Kennedy. I.D. neglected to include, of course, Jeremiah Wright and William Ayers.
At long last I.D. segues into his principal polemic, which is that he, I.D. the teacher-writer-fearless historian, is shaking in his boots because he perceives that Barack Obama, if not the anti-Christ, is at least Adolph Hitler reincarnated.
Geez, look at the obvious parallels: Obama, president of the Harvard Law Review and sometime teacher of constitutional law at the University of Chicago, is obviously a dead ringer for that little creep who may not have chosen to do community service in a disadvantaged neighbourhood, but at least succeeded in a successful putsch in a Munich beer garden
You need more proof? Obama wrote two autobiographies; Hitler settled for Mein Kampf. I admit I haven’t read the latter, but I’ll take I. D.’s word for it that they’re all the same sort of radical, anti-semitic stuff. There’s nothing like growing up in Hawaii and Indonesia to solidify your Aryan sentiments.
And, by Gott, here’s the clincher: Hitler, that other “smooth-talking rabble rouser” built the Autobahn and commissioned the building of the Volkswagen to run on it, and – wait for it – Obama wants to rebuild the Interstates and encourage the Japs AND Detroit to build those freakin’ little fuel-efficient cars.
“ I have never been so afraid for my country and for my children as I am now,” says I.D.
And you know what? With the possible exception of growing up in the 1930’s , watching people exist on a diet of flour and water, and being 16 the day the Japs landed on Kiska, (close but not quite visible from Sarah Palin’s verandah) and remembering the Cuban missile crisis and possibly the current globabl financial implosion, I kind of agree with old I.D.
Up to a point.
I don’t go along with the notion that Obama is another Joe Stalin in disguise, or perhaps a sly Idi Amin (he kind of looks like him, doesn’t he?) But I am a little uncomfortable about one or two things I.D. dwells on, but for different reasons and to a different degree.
I don’t like the continuing existence of Obama’s internet network of 3.5 million cheering fans, each of which pitched in an average $100 to defeat the likes of Hillary and McCain. EVEN THOUGH I WAS ONE OF THEM.
I don’t like hearing from David Plouffe regularly STILL, telling me that while Barack doesn’t need the dough now, the Democratic National Committee still does. (Well screw the DNC, for all the reasons that I supported Obama’s need for change, away from partisan politics in the first place.)
And belike, our support will still be needed in future as a sort of people’s army of lobbyists if the President should ever have a special cause he’d like to promote. Like abolishing filibusters or perhaps invading Mexico.
Especially, I don’t like being part of an ongoing elite which could be compared with the Hitler Youth, or more particularly, the S.S. Because these things do happen. Emiliano Zapata started out as a hero of the people and ended up a tyrant. And closer to home, I don’t even have to mention Huey Long.
So I note – and understand - I.D..’s trepidation on behalf of his children. But I happen to have more confidence in my kids and grandkids. Mostly because they don’t agree with a damn thing that I do. Especially my belief in Barack Obama.
And I’m sure they’ll be watching his ass very carefully.
www.williamannett.com
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