Evil Empire Arising

Hey All - back in business.  Little let down that Chile lost to Brazil and Greece lost to Costa Rica, but soccer's an unpredictable sport.  

Anyway, the individuals that I still consider a bunch of gangsters apparently want to restructure the Middle East by eliminating the current international boundaries and restoring the Muslim Calphate that ruled for centuries.  This may or may not mean another Cold War, if not WWIII.

As I posted last week, sending troops over there yet again is a mistake.  But before long, this Caliphate will outgrow its anticipated borders.  If it truly does accumulate enough power, it may very well seek another attack against the United States.  

Why do we fear these gangsters so much?  Because they want to wipe away our values and impose their own on us.  Because they want us to dispense with liberty and individualism and force us to conform to one way of living and thinking.  Because they want to impose an all-encompassing law that suppresses critical thinking, dissent, and common sense, for the sake of submission to the will of an angry and punitive supernatural authority, with any and all violations punishable by death.

Unfortunately, they are not the first society to demand such submission from its subjects, or to seek conquest of all realms that have not yet submitted.  The Nazis and the Soviets had very similar goals, and racked up large body counts on order to achieve them .  Thank G-D , they failed.  Will the Caliphate?  It's a scary thought.

What troubles me most, besides the gangsters and the force they use to conquer, are the so-called "moderate" Muslims who profess to be innocent bystanders.  They claim that the gangsters do not speak for all Muslims, but the gangsters are still there.

When I write about alpholes, I hear people's offense-o-meters going off.  I hear that I'm being too judgmental and closed-minded because there are "good alphas" and "bad alphas."  But I don't see how the existence of these "good alphas" immobilizes the alpholes, or mitigates what the alpholes do.  Likewise, the fact that "moderates" exist does not stop the gangsters from building the Caliphate.  Honestly, nothing can.  But it's up to us to block it.

I've urged my readers who are beta males to reject the alphaganda because it does not apply to them.  By the same token, if the gangsters try to expand the Caliphate's territory to this continent, we should put up the same resistance to Sharia law.  It doesn't apply to us.  The notion of using violence to enforce any law, restricting the conduct of either gender, and crushing the life out of any and all non-believers is unacceptable, and we have an unquestioned duty to ourselves to reject it.

G-D willing, those gangsters won't make it past Israel.  But let's be prepared anyway.

DISCLAIMER:  This message is not anti-Muslim.  This is America, you are free to practice whatever religion you choose.  Instead, this message is anti-terrorist.  In theory, there should be no reason to explain the obvious, but in this politically correct world, sometimes it must be done.

How Do We React?

Hey All -- Doing the blog out of order this weekend -- gotta catch up on some work, so duty calls.

This week, we have seen a terrorist gang threaten to topple a government that we left in place in Iraq.  After all the lives given up, after all of the blood spilled, and after all of the damage sustained in this backwards, tribal, and bitterly divided country, this is the fruit of our labor - a country thought to have been liberated from a bloodthirsty dictator and utter lawlessness is now only falling to fanaticism and death-worship.  Frustrating.  Agonizing.  Infuriating!

This follows on the very heels of five other gangsters being released from Guantanamo Bay in exchange for one soldier captured by the Taliban, who may have actually been more than willing to join them.  Clearly, there is an anti-American element in the Middle East that has been gaining more and more strength, and the possibility of another attack against the United States looms large.

So what's the right way to respond here?  Another war?  Another surge?  Sending in more men and women to face an even more dangerous environment?

No.  How about this instead:

(1)  Increase CIA presence in that region.  If we want to shut down likely terrorist camps to train more American-hating gangsters, let's first find out where they are.
(2)  Persuade our only true ally in that region, Israel, to attack those camps once they are located.  They're a little better at that than we are.
(3)  In exchange for this favor, which Israel may or may not be willing to grant, stop negotiating with the Palestinians.  They are as interested in peace with Israel as most teenagers are interested in geometry.  Their eyes glaze over . . . .
(4)  Further pay Israel back the favor by aiming our famous drones at Hamas and Hezbollah gangsters.  One hand washes the other, that's real diplomacy.
(5)  Once all of these terrorist gangs have been disbanded, de-fanged, disarmed, and safely neutralized, invite all "moderate" Muslim leaders to voluntarily confirm that these gangsters do not represent the true spirit of Islam, and that they do not sympathize with their ideals.  No coercion, no threats, not like how the gangsters forced their prisoners to rail against their own countries.  Just give them the choice to go on record and condemn the terrorists, or not.  Everyone else can form their own opinions as to that action or inaction.

There should be no fear of reprisals because the threat will be contained.  There should be no "terror" because that's what these "terrorist" gangsters want us to feel.  And most importantly, we would not be sending in more soldiers to stabilize a region that does not understand how to live in peace.

No, all we need to do is take action against the actual threats to the United States.  Other than what I mentioned to preserve a strategic alliance, there is no need to intervene in the affairs of that region ever again.  Let them resolve their own problems once we've eliminated the threat against our country before someone decides to go on an anniversary flight into the Freedom Tower, and not afterwards.

Once this threat against the United States is eliminated, just like the Nazis and the Soviets eventually lost their empires, we can concentrate on the 83 million other problems our country faces.  Since we will not use military action to solve a problem that clearly was not solved earlier, there will be no hand-wringing over our allegedly imperialist nature.  Just simple research and alliance-bolstering, with the further proof that Islam itself is not the enemy, but gangsters who just happen to be Muslims most certainly are.

Much as I encourage the readers of this blog, the United States must be bold and bulletproof.  We have to be willing to make tough decisions, much like those described above, instead of always "just working it out."  We also have to be ready to face whatever reaction can be aimed at us, and to neutralize it once it's aimed at us.  I can only hope that we really can be.

Last but not least, I'd like to wish a very Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there. Specifically, I wish it to my own father, who always taught us that he who does not learn the lessons of history is forever condemned to repeat them.

DISCLAIMER:  I have no plans to run for office anytime soon, and have no intention of re-educating our diplomats, intelligence, or military brass.  I am also no bigot.  Criticism is welcome, but reading into things that are not here is strongly discouraged.

Standing Alone

Hey All -- it's about that time again!

The big issue in the news -- besides watching my team's biggest rival digging a hole in the Stanley Cup Finals -- the release of a soldier held hostage in exchange for five terrorists.

As my regular readers know, I'm a big advocate of individualism and independence.  I value doing the right thing instead of conformity.  That means being comfortable in your own skin.

Most of the time, the right thing means doing what serves you the best, over what serves others.  However, once in a while it's right thing to do a little something to make someone else happy.  For example, let's say a friend of yours is throwing a party for someone else, and wants everyone to dress a little nicer than they ordinarily would.  So you bite the bullet, get some office dress-down clothes, and show up there.  And you see EVERY OTHER GUY THERE wearing the same jeans and boots they do every day, despite the assurance that "everyone" was going the khakis route.

A little annoying, of course.  Ironically, the intent was to conform, but the result was to stand out.  Still, if your host asks everyone to dress a little nicer just because it's a special occasion for a guest of honor, and you actually oblige, given the small effort it takes, it doesn't go unnoticed.  In that circumstance, standing alone and doing what you know is right is a good thing -- a very good thing.

But recently, we've heard about someone who followed his convictions to the detriment of those who needed him not to as a matter of life and death.  This man put on a uniform and took an oath to defend his country against "all enemies, foreign and domestic," and reconsidered that oath at the worst time possible.  Emails back home revealed his dissatisfaction and disillusionment with the army's presence in Afghanistan, and gives credence to the story that he voluntarily deserted his unit and was captured by the Taliban.  Reports indicate that while in captivity, he willingly adopted the language, religion, and worldview of his captors, and they eventually treated him less like a prisoner and more like a comrade.

Unaware of this soldier's all-too-willing conversion to the enemy's way of life, the Army made at least one attempt to rescue this soldier, resulting in the deaths of those who were loyal enough to seek out their captured brother.  While clearly aware of what happened to this soldier behind enemy lines, our executive leadership chose to negotiate for his freedom, in exchange for the release of five known terrorists from Guantanamo Bay.

We've all heard the story and the reactions.  But I want to concentrate less on the reasons why the White House made this choice, and on its likely ramifications, and to concentrate more on what this soldier thought and did.

The United States of America has the mightiest army in the world.  Sometimes it has been sent to engage in popular and justified actions in other areas of the world, and sometimes it has participated in less popular ventures.  However, it is not up to the soldiers to decide if they like it.

Our military is there to protect our freedom, and in doing so, they must give up their own freedom for a time.  This is why they are sent to boot camp, where they are trained to keep their heads under life-or-death situations and to follow orders without question.  This is why they are also trained in combat and firearms.  And this is why they take that oath to give the Army their utmost loyalty.  Every soldier is trained to back up his brothers and to act as teammates.  In this circumstances, the group is fundamentally more important than the individual.

If this soldier was unhappy with this Army's presence in Afghanistan, he could have done his job anyway, regardless of his opinion, and then waited until he rotated back to the world to tell us all how horrible he felt about that war.  Given recent history, that kind of timing might have gotten him appointed him as Secretary of State one day.

It is often said that before one can truly be an individual, one must first conform.  Stated another way, to be a leader, one must first be a follower.  Unlike the party and its guests I referenced above, Bowe Bergdahl had a duty to his unit, his superiors, and his country, and he violated this duty.  Voicing his opinion and following his conscience in the middle of a war zone was a horribly selfish and unbelievably dangerous thing to do.  Party guests have a simple duty to not kill one another.  Soldiers have a duty to remain loyal to each other, and not the enemy that they are fighting.  They have a duty to follow orders and to further their superior's objectives, and not expose their comrades to attack or ambush by seeking out the enemy.

Beta males are not subject to the rules of the alphaganda.  We have not been impressed into the Alpha Army, and we are not subject to their orders, and cannot be taken prisoner.  However, those who join the military actually are subject to something bigger than themselves, and put their own dissenting opinions on the back-burner.

Does this mean beta males should not enlist?  Not at all.  The party dress code might not be the best analogy, but it demonstrates that beta males are loyal.  We commit ourselves to principles that satisfy the highest good.  Sorry to disappoint the opposition, but the alphaganda ain't it.

So, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, here's the deal.  Despite your initials, you are not Bold, you are not Bulletproof, and you are certainly no Beta!  If anything, you may be a deserter or a traitor.  I hope you considered that as your good friends in Helman province indoctrinated you in their interpretation of the Koran.  I hope you consider it further as the Army decides what's to be done with you in the face of such disloyalty to the nation you swore to defend.  I hope you wake up and realize that you have made a most devious bargain with the most notorious alpholes the world has ever seen.

Then again, so did . . . no, I won't go there.

Night All!

The Last Word on Elliott Rodger

Hi All, Welcome to June!

By now, most of my regular readers will have viewed my video about Elliott Rodger and the rampage he committed on May 23rd in Santa Barbara, California.  I have one last thing to add.

My deductive reasoning tells me that there was one source of his anger that not everyone has touched upon yet.  This anger he had towards the supposed horde of women that rejected him in favor of "real men" originated somewhere.  And that origin simply must have been the alphaganda.  This unsupported, invalid, and blatantly false assertion that if a male has not had sex with a woman by the time he is 16, no 14, no 12, then he is somehow a lesser man.  Unfortunately, instead of realizing that the alphaganda had as much truth behind it as Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, Elliott Rodger bought the alphaganda.  Being deceived by this fraudulent way of thinking led him to believe that (a) the women who rejected him forced him into a lower level of the pecking order, and that (b) as a man, he needed to have sex with them in order to increase in rank.

Someone needed to explain to this young man how untrue this was.  Someone needed to explain to him that being a virgin after high school age was not a badge of shame, a sign of weakness, evidence of unmanliness, or anything negative at all.  Or better yet, they could have simply flipped on MTV, made him watch a few episodes of "Teen Mom," and asked him how he'd feel being one of the "teen daddies" on that show.  I guarantee all of those boys thought they were men before they got the news - how manly or studly do the producers of that show make them look now?  Don't get me wrong, I don't think of the teen moms as innocent little angels, but they are made to seem blameless in comparison to these "cool kids" who know nothing of responsibility.

If somebody could have set him straight, and if he himself could have learned that the alphaganda was false, chances are he would have lived a much more normal life, and not caused all of this senseless violence.  Unfortunately, the alphaganda is sometimes more persuasive than any positive male role models that are available, and that's very unfortunate.

If there are any would-be Elliott Rodgers out there, I hope you're reading this.  I hope you can think first, actually think several times first, and act later.  I hope you have the critical thinking skills to see the flaws in the alphaganda.  I hope you can realize who's an alphole and who's not.  And I hope you can accept the fact that these girls or women, no matter how good, nice, handsome, or funny you are, may still reject you, and hating them for it will not change their minds.

And more than anything, I hope you can realize that the fact that the alpholes claim to have started having sex the day they finished going through puberty has nothing to do with you.  If they are having sex (allegedly) and you're not, that's completely irrelevant.  It is their choice of morals, or complete lack thereof, and it does not mean that you are automatically less than them because you didn't emulate them.  Come to think of it, most families would be better served if more people elected not to have sex until at least their mid-20's.  However, this can only be a choice.   If we lived in a society that regulated morality with painful consequences, we would be no better than the Taliban,

So again, I say to all those Elliott Rodgers out there, never let the alphaganda get under your skin like it did with him.  Learn that it is baseless, groundless, and fraudulent, and that you have no need to follow it.  If you are the same age as this young man and are frustrated that you haven't "done the deed," look at your pay check stub and be thankful that there is no "CHSUPP" deduction.  Be thankful that your last doctor's visit did not include any bad news regarding your health.  Take a good look at your life and realize that you are exempt from the requirements of the alphaganda, and that you fall well outside its jurisdiction.  Let those who choose to follow it make their own mistakes, while you choose your own path in life.  Chances are, you may be ahead of the game and not even know it.

And even if someone turns you down now, at the very least you made a decent effort.  Maybe tomorrow someone else will reward that effort, and that someone else will be worthy of you.  Don't worry so much about you being worthy of someone else.

I EXIST.  I MATTER.  I BELONG.   I DESERVE.

I AM BOLD.  I AM BULLETPROOF.  I AM BETA.

Night All!

A Beta Male Reacts to Santa Barbara

Wanting to Win

Hey all - made my annual sojourn to Buffalo.  Ran a good, hard, fast race today, and shared it with some good people.  I gotta say, I got high hopes for this year's NYC, if the last two Halfs I've run are a good indication of things to come.

This race comes on the wings of a recent field day story.  An elementary school sent out a flyer to parents expecting that any competitiveness was to be kept to a minimum.  This brought outrage from many - how can we keep rewarding kids for doing the bare minimum, and telling them that winning and losing don't matter?  They'll never make it in the real world, where winning and losing do count!

They're not wrong to say this.  However, I think that school took this approach to stop bullying more than they did to neutralize the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.  I don't think children are damaged so much by "sucking" at some game as much as they are by having that fact rubbed in their face by someone else who thinks their win gives them free reign to bully and harass those they defeated.  If they were able to accept defeat without these undeserved consequences, the growth needed to accept defeat, but use it to learn how to win next time, would be more likely to happen.

For example, look at my sport.  In running, the fastest athletes do not shame those who are not as fast.  There is no trash-talking, no nose-thumbing, no jeering, and no "you suck" chants for those who fall short of the Olympic ideal. Instead, there is plain old sportsmanship.  Sometimes, the faster runners will stop by the finish line after their race is over and cheer for the slower runners.  

Nobody wants to hear that "we're all winners."  But in running, it's true.  In this sport, the main idea is not to compete against someone else to win a race over them.  The fact that each runner has chosen to sacrifice creature comforts simply to enter a race REALLY DOES make each runner a winner, whether or not they place.  This attitude is adopted and encouraged throughout our sport, and it persists.

I think that's the message the field day organizers really wanted to convey, but didn't.  It's not about discouraging the more athletic kids from doing something they're good at, or selling short their accomplishments for someone else's bruised self esteem.  It's about letting those who are NOT all-stars realize that there is merit in making an attempt, that there is pride in taking your best shot at any goal, win or lose, and that every defeat, setback, or mistake has a lesson hidden within that just begs to be learned.  But those hard lessons are best delivered with a sense of respect, and not with being booed off the "field," if you will.

As beta males, we are living proof that "hard knocks" and "tough love" are not the fail safe methods some believe them to be.  Sometimes they make things  worse.  Sometimes a pat on the back does more good than a smack in the ass.  Maybe if these field day organizers had recognized this, instead of punishing athletes for being athletic, this story would not have been newsworthy.

That's my story from the Frontier.  Congrats to everyone who ran the Buffalo Full and Half Marathons this year - a great day for a great race.  And I invite all of you Western New Yorkers to come on down to the Big Apple and watch the City play host to a race that runs a close second to Buffalo in friendliness and encouragement from the crowds along the course!  :)

The Place I Became A Man

Hi All -- hope you had a good weekend!

Mine was pretty good -- I ran in the increasingly popular Brooklyn Half Marathon for the first time.  This race is so hot it sells out faster than Billy Joel!  Started out in beautiful Prospect Park, then took Ocean Parkway down through the next three neighborhoods, all the way to the Coney Island Boardwalk!  Stuck with my usual tactic of drinking fruit punch flavored Powerade, courtesy of my fuel belt, every two miles like clockwork.  Felt like I was pulling 8's, turned out to be a little bit faster than that, so I was pretty jazzed.  Several of us runners went over to a bar called Peggy O'Neill's, on the Surf Avenue side of MCU Ballpark (home of the minor league Brooklyn Cyclones), and had to be patient with our bartenders, who were clearly not used to a Saturday morning rush.  :)  Still got my Sammy.

Next week, I'm hoping for a similar experience -- going up to the farthest reaches of our state to run in the Buffalo Half Marathon.  It's become my annual Memorial Day trek, looking forward to running this new course that includes Delaware Park, and seeing some good friends of mine.

Yes, we always look forward to our old traditions, and sometimes start new ones.  But what about the ones that disappear?

My childhood synagogue is closing its doors.  The congregation is merging with another temple on the other side of town, but the building is for sale.  It seemed like the temple would be there forever, but all good things must end.

It brings back memories.  Learning the traditions of my ethnic group.  Preparing to lead services on my Bar Mitzvah day and beyond.  Feeling the comfortable, safe, and home-base feeling that I got within its walls.  

The Bar Mitzvah day stands out, of course.  The satisfaction of learning to recite sacred and ancient words in a language difficult to pronounce.  The rewards of preparing for a performance that your entire family and all of your friends appreciate.  The knowledge that, in some circles, you're recognized as a man, and no longer as a boy.

And, oh yeah . . . I got to give a speech, too.  :)  Now that I think about it, that was David's first blog post, before there were blogs!  Preparing for it helped me develop confidence, and performing it taught me to love having an audience.  :).  Oh yes, I did become a man in that sense -- I was no longer shy, looking for excuses not to speak.  Once I got over that hump, my years on stage in drama club and college theater were a breeze.

It was also the place I got close to G-D, appropriately enough.  I learned that there was something bigger than me, that handled all things in life beyond my control.  A source of justice truer than anything that could be handed down by any mortal authority figure.  And sometimes, when I didn't really expect it, it "saved" me from possible and unpleasant consequences.  Lesson really learned when that happened!

Ironically, my high school was just down the street.  The values one learned in that building were like night and day, in comparison from the values learned at temple.  Yet some people think that's the place a boy becomes a man.

I respectfully disagree.

Rather, for a true example of manhood, I look at the elders who organized our old temple, and their actions.  Giving of one's time.  Kindness towards children and the elderly.  Respect for tradition.  Greetings and friendliness towards all who entered.  Pride and values.  They had lives of their own, they could have chosen to let someone else "run things," but the leadership roles they took in synagogue life were rewarding in and of themselves.  

Yes, that temple is gone forever, but I still owe it a great deal.  It connected me with a tradition dating back millennia.  It gave me a chance to learn and express some good talents.  Most importantly, it taught me examples inspired by G-D, and those values made a man of me.
  

And so let it be with the rest of this beta tribe.  Gentlemen, don't recite or adopt the falsehoods of the alphaganda.  Don't be led astray by groupthink.  Don't bow down to false gods, and don't give them the power deserved only by Him.  You're better served to emulate the kind of righteousness those gentlemen showed.

So MUST a beta male believe in G-D?  Entirely up to you, friends.  I have no authority to save or damn any soul in my audience.  I can only vouch for my own, and nobody else's.  But I gotta admit, faith in a higher power and trust in all things beyond your control (provided you've handled everything within your control) is a far better way to go through life than to dread and malign one's own existence.

That's my sermon.  I've already discussed how my religion is disappearing.  Here's to finding a replacement once it does.

DISCLAIMER:  The above is not meant to besmirch, smear, undercut, or look down upon, those who belong to other faiths, or to no religion at all.  And trust me, I'm not saying that I'm perfect.  It's nothing more than memories of a treasured and uncorrupted part of my youth.  Please indulge me.  :)