Professional Sports Take a Knee and Take a Dive

Last week, I was getting my car tuned for a long road trip.

The car shop owner told his buddies how fed up he was with the politicking that has taken over the NFL. "I just want to watch the game. I don't want to hear the politics. I want to see them play."

Exactly, and that's about as political as most Americans want to get.

They would like to see the government machinations and identity politics put out of their faces. They would like to see the state do its basic job: protect our rights and secure our persons.

Yet for the past 8 years under Barack Obama, everything was politicized. Marriage, life, the role of the government, the basic services of the military--Obama forced his perverse, anti-American agenda onto this country.

Thank God for Trump, and thank God for him calling out the hateful rhetoric of the professional sports leagues.

Now that their guy Obama is out of office, and now that they see that the Democratic Party has no real chance of regaining political power in Congress for the foreseeable future, they have resorted to their anti-Trump, anti-American temper tantrums in the public square and in every major facet of American culture.

They are losing. Do they not realize that politics may be a zero-sum game, but in the private sector, including the entertainment industries, we have even more power as individual consumers? We don't have to watch sports programs, LeBron James and Stephen Curry! If you want to dishonor our President, fine, but we do not have to wait for the next election cycle to let you know how we feel. We can just turn the television off and watch your franchise go down the tubes.

The NFL Commissioner Roger Goddell is fighting back against President Trump, claiming that the President has no right to comment on what the players do--or refuse to do--during the national anthem. Actually, the President has every right to signal his displeasure with the disrespectful professional athletes who have overstayed their welcome in the country's national political discourse. Just because they are celebrities does not mean that we need to hear what they think on contentious issues of the day. In many cases, they have too little insight or information to share. They have confused their past honored popularity with cultural authority. They have none. In fact, when President Trump signals that the football players should be fired, he is voicing the frustration that many have toward these professional elitist entertainers. His outrage goes after Hollywood and Academia, too, not just professional sports.

While Colin Kaepernick wants to take a knee because of the supposed injustices of the criminal justice system--as if he would event know--President Trump and the vast majority of Americans, even those men and women in otherwise overwhelmingly Democratic states, are taking a knee to these elitist groups and taking their business elsewhere.

Of course, President Trump's visible opposition to this disrespect has only lead to major sports franchises doubling down on their disrespect to the American flag. The entire Pittsburgh Steelers team has refused to leave the locker room, so that no one stands or kneels during the National Anthem.

Baseball players are now following in the dissimulation.

Keep it up, liberal academics, professional athletes, and celebrities. The more that you rage against the President, dishonor our flag, and disregard this country, the more irrelevant you make yourselves, and the more that we will win the fight to Make America Great Again!

The Bleeding Deacons: Why Political Movements Suffer

There is a lot of division within movements.

The mainstream media likes to play up the divisions about Republicans, since they are so liberal, so committed to the regressive Left and their destructive agenda.

They attack free-market innovations like Uber and Lyft. They also cover bad stories related to AirBnb. The anti-capitalist bent of my newspapers and editorial pages should alarm anyone looking for something close to objectivity.

The truth is, however, that the Democratic Party is so riven with division, one has to wonder if they will survive after the next election cycle. Will there even be a viable candidate running for President in 2020? Remember that the Democratic Party was so weak in Alabama in 2014 that former US Senator Jeff Sessions ran unopposed!

Now he is the Attorney General, and the contested primary run-off is so heated, that millions of campaign dollars have been pouring into the Yellowhammer State to fix not just the fate of the state, but the contour of the Republican Party.

So, what is it about political movements that divisions arise?

What I have discovered is that the Old Guard vs. the New Guard get into fights over pre-eminence.

There are activists who have been fighting on the front lines for an extended period of time, but then a new crop of activists and fighters show up. They want to strike out on their own or make a difference as they see fit. They chafe under the rules and expectations imposed by the Old Guard.

But something else is happening. In the Trump movement particularly, men and women new to the fight are getting more done. They have connections to social media, to Internet skill sets which the previous activists, especially those fighting illegal immigration, did not have before.

Instead of learning from the new to enhance their experience, the Old Guard get bitter.

We can find another way of looking at this establishment arrogance in an idea from the otherwise discredited cult of Alcoholics Anonymous. From the Urban Dictionary:

In the context of a 12-step program like Alcoholics Anonymous, a bleeding deacon is someone in the group who is overly preachy and considers themselves to be the lone voice of reason and source of wisdom. In the eyes of the bleeding deacon, the group would fall apart without them.

Alcoholic 1: "Randy really droned on for a while about the eighth step -- I get it, we're supposed to make direct amends. Sheesh."

Alcoholic 2: "Yeah, he's a real bleeding deacon."

A Biblical example of this sad human failing appears in 1 Kings 19, when Elijah becomes self-righteous and despairing, then complains to God that he is the only one fighting for Him in the midst of an evil, perverse nation given over to idol worship and Satanic lawlessness.

God rebukes Elijah:

Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him." (1 Kings 19:18)

In short order, God then instructs Elijah to complete three tasks, but he only finishes one: the anointing of his successor Elisha. This second prophet is  picture of the New Covenant. Never once does Elisha trust in his own efforts, but rather depends on the double portion of God's grace and blessing.

He brings dead children back to life and helps feed thousands. He has a posture of rest and refreshment, whereas Elijah ministered condemnation and death.

The point of this account in relation to this post? The moment that any man thinks that he is indispensable to a movement, he brings conflict then inadvertently ushers in his own replacement.

This arrogance is stifling among the Old Guard. They are absolutely convinced that everything good that has happened before, during, and after in any conservative movement is all due to their efforts.

Such thinking, however, is simply untrue. 

I think of the 2010 Tea Party compared to the Trump Movement of today. I even attended a few Tea Party rallies leading up to the 2010 election. They spent a lot of time rallying votes and holding parades. That was great.

But the veneer of political correctness still hung heavy over the country. The need for confrontation with bad politicians at the local as well as the state and federal offices had not begun.

Then came President Trump, and before that the terrible, arrogant, anti-constitutional agenda of Barack Obama. Not just Obamacare, but the steady drum-beat demands to undermine life, family, the Second Amendment, and worst of all immigration--all of these incursions against our country and our culture pushed people to get off their butts and fight, not just rally on sidewalks and street corners.

Marc Langsam, a photographer in Ventura County, has said that people like me, Harim Uzziel, and Robin Hvidston are "The New Tea Party", because we are taking the Trump fight and agenda to historically Democratic communities. If Donald Trump could do it--and win--why can't we?

The Bleeding Deacons of the conservative establishment want all the name recognition and power. They want to rest on their laurels, too (another phrase from Alcoholics Anonymous). We need people who are more interesting accomplishing major wins, not just hanging onto previous victories!

Because of the uncalled for rancor from one Bleeding Deacon, I wrote out the following letter, letting him know how disappointing he had become, and how the movement to Make America Great Again exceeds the efforts of anyone person.

With this letter, these will be my final comments:

To R---- O-----:

I am saddened at your bitter hatred. Now you choose to lie about me. I have been an activist and freelance journalist for the past two years -- and people have provided me funding to continue to do what I do. I do not engage with wicked people and push against illegal immigration, LGBT perversities, etc. in order to get paid. This is just what I do. I fight against this anti-American corruption, and people provide me resources so that I can continue to do this. Would you call Joseph Turner, Robin Hvidston, or anyone else paid protesters, too? Shame on you.. You have chosen to lie, and now I confront you. This is to your shame. The narcissism falls on you. Reminder - I was not wearing political colors and I was recording the event for the world to see -- my Facebook Live video provided the first record of what happened at Chicano Park -- WE set the narrative, not the corrupt media, and the Brown Supremacists have the black eye now. They had to play defense for the indefensible, hateful behavior of the Chicano mob which threatened to kill us!

By the way -- I can go to any national park I wish to R---- O----- You have neither right nor authority to tell me NOT to go somewhere or anywhere. Once again -- who is the narcissist?

I am not surprised that everyone has walked away from you. You are a selfish man who is easily hurt--and you even cursed at me, saying "F--k you!", when I had shared with others that you helped expose Huntington Park. I am half your age, R------, yet you act like such a child. I am saddened at your moral decline, R-----.

With these remarks, I let you go, as I maintain God's gracious promise in the face of your unjust slander (Isaiah 54:17).

Sincerely,

Arthur Schaper

Intellectuals: Society, Trump, and Liberal-tarians

Intellectuals are a fairly modern invention for our society. 

One study I had read labeled the prophets in the Old Testament one type of intellectual. I disagree, since they operated as revelators to a nation which had rejected the laws of God and rejected His precepts. The philosophers of Ancient Greece and Rome fall into this “intellectual” category more accurately, since they praised their reasoning, research, and logo ahead of revelation and physical effort.

The common denominator among them? They were spectacularly wrong on a number of issues, whether in science or sociology.

Modern Day intellectuals spend more time thinking that they themselves are God, and that their take on issues is the ultimate statement of truth and error in our culture.

What is it about these towering minds (in their own mind), and their increasingly negative impact on our culture?

Thomas Sowell shares his well-studied views on intellectuals in this interview:

 https://youtu.be/Wln6lNTxVpY

Uncommon Knowledge: Thomas Sowell on the Vulgar Pride of Intellectuals youtu.be Peter Robinson talks to economist Thomas Sowell about his book "Intellectuals and Society." Robinson and Sowell discuss the fact that intellectuals play a di...

What is about these wannabe brainiacs?

They are a lot like Millennials. Because they have a degree--actually a series of degrees--they are convinced that they have the top-notch knowledge on all the latest issues. The bubble-culture of universities tends to reinforce the false notion that they know more, that they know better about society. They surround themselves with flatulent

It's the fatal conceit, as identified by Friedrich Hayek in his book published in 1988.

The truth is they are actually very limited in their full understanding of many issues. The work-a-day experience of the common man often exceeds the self-absorbed arrogance of the white-collar intelligentsia.

Another reason why the degree chattering classes want to have and impose their opinions on current events. It's all about power. They believe in a world of aristocracy run wild. Of course, their political aspirations are nothing new. Plato and then Aristotle of Ancient Greece advocated this kind of governing structure with "Rule by the best", and they thought themselves as the right people to fill those seats. During the Enlightenment, German thinkers invested their hopes in benevolent despots like Frederick the Great, even though he was more despot than benevolent.

Just because someone is smart does not mean they have all the answers.

Many people mocked President Trump because of his shaky grasp of some issues, or his less-than-polished rhetoric. Other destructors, both Republican and Democrat, slammed Trump because he did not have prior experience as an elected official. After 100 days he has proved himself an admirable executive. His "lack of experience" has not prevented him from governing effectively. Reminder: James Buchanan, the 15^th President of the United States, commanded consummate experience, holding political office from both chambers of the Pennsylvania state legislature, to both houses in Congress and even key executive offices. He was one of the worst presidents in the nation’s history, doing nothing while the country split up over slavery.

And he was an experienced intellect, too.

This intellectual bias is not unusual among young people, too, especially in today’s political discourse. I have found a particularly aggressive form of it among young libertarians, or should I write "liberal-tarians." They are convinced that they see the world in a better light, with not only less government, but the disregard for family values and life. They are wrong.

The very voters who can help the state of California bounce back from its illiberal doldrums is a focus on Judeo-Christian values and regard for the well-being of lie and family. Liberal-tarians are convinced that they are the more progressive, more modern purveyors of future victories. Yet they are still losing. The very culture which permits free markets and free enterprise depends on regard for life and respect for individual families.

All of this is under attack, and the fight for limited government will fail as long as these so-called experts ignore the most important institution for any society: the family.

Final Reflection

The intelligentsia impulse is all about power. It's about a small faction of academics, intellectuals, and arrogant eggheads who think they know better than everyone else. After years of study, however, how many of them have any record of accomplishment to show for their "elevated" views on anything?

True intellect depends on wisdom, which includes the deep understanding that individuals, no matter how educated, do not have all the answers nor probing information on every issue. Furthermore, "being smart" is not the calling card to justify having a statement on everything, and more so dictating to others what they should do, say, or believe.

The True Face of Ilegal Aliens--Hate-monger Harrasses LA for Trump at LAX

Lots of left-wing, pro-illegal alien amnesty panderers love to claim that the vast majority of men and women who break into this country--and who put their children into unlawful status--are respectful, otherwise law-abiding citizens

But now illegal aliens, especially in California are getting arrogant and abusive.

And entitled!

Check out this poor excuse for a human being:

and here

All this man did was shame and curse at us.

He then presumed to lecture We the People because we don't know what our constitution says?

This man was a total coward, running away from me when I pressed him to explain his lawless status.

Don't let anyone tell you that illegal immigration is a victimless crime with no adverse consequences.

Miscreants like the little man in the videos above need to be DEPORTED!