The march to socialism

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction."
- Ronald Reagan

History is heaped with failed attempts to create a Utopian society. Included in those attempts are societies that began with no such intention, but, in pursuit of the concept of a socially enlightened, advanced and forward thinking people, shunned their initial values and fell victim to their ideology.

The collapse of a civilization is not a simple thing and in its analysis, history typically points out several contributing factors. Is it a stretch to suggest that changing values and government mismanagement occurring within the Senate played a part in Rome's fall?

That our societies demise might rise up from within is not a new idea in America either. In 1838, speaking to the Young Men's Lyceum of Springfield, IL Abraham Lincoln declared, "At what point... is the approach of danger to be expected. I answer, if it ever reach us it must spring up amongst us; it cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time, or die by suicide."

Utopianism has long promoted the idea of a paradisaical existence and advanced concepts of an ideal society in which a heroic despot, a benevolent sovereign, or an enlightened oligarchy claims the ability and authority to provide for all the needs and fulfill all the wants of the individual - in exchange for his abject servitude.

In Plato's Republic where the chronically ill are not beneficial to the city and will not be treated, and Thomas More's Utopia where bedtime for everyone is 8pm, we learn that the inhabitants of these ideal societies are necessarily constrained in their daily activities and behaviors in everything from their line of work to sexual reproduction. Indeed their is no  freedom of choice in exchange for all of their 'needs' being prearranged. In Marx's Communist Manifesto, the first sentence reads, "The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles." If memory serves me well, neither Stalin or Castro did anything to improve class struggles. For that matter, what has Obama done for class struggles but make them worse?

The proponents of socialism claim that all past failures (and remember - every attempt has failed) are a result of the wrong people in charge. With that in mind, in 2008, candidate Obama stated "We are the one's we've been waiting for."

So - at this weeks Countering Violent Extremism summit we learned that (cannot say Muslim) violent extremists are killing Christians and Jews and Muslim's of dissenting beliefs because of "class struggles". They can't find a job. And we are to believe that one - despite Obama's inability to create jobs in America, he is going to help create them abroad - and two - the manager at the new Starbucks in Yemen will hire a barista whose previous employment includes rape, murder by beheading, and trafficking human slaves. Watch out if you don't leave a tip for that guy...

I find it interesting that after 6 years of implementing his socialism ideology, Obama's America is more divided racially, economically and politically than at any point in my lifetime and the very people who voted for his hope and change are madder now then they were before he took office. What happened?

Obama's attempt to march us to socialism is exposing the failures of previous experiments and while it is happening in ultra-slow motion, Americans are waking up to the consequences.

We want our government to be accountable to us - not for us.

We want the opportunity to advance our social and or economic position to be based upon our individual effort, not our groups list of grievances.

We do not want the government controlling our health care choices.

We expect our government to uphold and protect human rights around the world.

This last point, one which directly challenges the isolation tenets of the Utopian societies identified above, is extremely important. All Americans, regardless of political affiliation, are becoming weary of the cognitive dissonance displayed by the Obama administration towards the years long killings of hundreds of thousands in Syria and the recent brutal and savage killings by ISIS throughout the world. Obama seems willing to wait this one out and let the next president deal with it while he focuses on more important issues like how Fox News is responsible for making Islamic extremism a bigger deal than it really is.

Jeez - I thought the radical Muslim's were doing that. What do I know...

Civilization, the US government - Not ready for prime time!

According to Secretary of State John Kerry, today's massacre resulted not from a conflict between civilizations but rather, one between civilization itself and those who are opposed to a civilized world. Ok, I can buy that. But why didn't he name the "those" supposedly opposed to our civilized world? My guess is because he and his boss are still searching for more civilized terms for radical Islamists or Muslim extremists. They might check out CNN;  anchor Christiane Amanpour called the terrorists activists.

Unless history is corrected, according to the Obama administration we are to know these facts:

1. The 2009 massacre in Fort Hood, killing 13 and wounding 32, was workplace violence.

2. The 2015 massacre in Paris, killing 12 and wounding an as yet unspecified number, is being described as an act of terror but according to Homeland Security Secretary "we don't yet know the nature of the attack".

This despite the assassins pictured above stating, according to multiple witnesses, "Allahu Akbar", "We've avenged the honor of the prophet", and "we are Al Qaeda from Yemen". And just a reminder, Hasan Nidal also shouted Allahu Akbar during his killing spree. Oh, and his business card identified his occupation as a Soldier of Allah. Yeah, I guess in both instances it is hard to say with certainty that these killers were Muslim extremists.

In 1988 a 'fatwa' was issued by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the Supreme Leader of Iran, calling for the assassination of Salmon Rushdie for his book The Satanic Verses. That event seems to have ushered in the current crusade of Muslim extremism and they have been out for blood ever since. Literally. Well, we can go back further. Thousands of years, actually. But the Christians appear to have become more civilized in their approach to their faith. In fact, if there is one significant difference between the way Christians and Muslims approach their faith, it is in the way they interpret their religious doctrines. How else can you explain it when the stories of the Bible and the Koran are so similar and many are actually intertwined? Think about the difference between the year 1600 and 2000 and consider what Muslims and Christians were doing then and now on these two issues: the treatment of women; the adaptation of faith to current accepted societal practices. One faith has advanced and one has not even budged.

Civilized (siv-uh-lahyzd)
 adjective

1. having an advanced or humane culture, society, etc.

2. polite; well-bred; refined.

3. of or relating to civilized people:

  -The civilized world must fight ignorance.

4. easy to manage or control; well organized or ordered:

  -The car is quiet and civilized, even in sharp turns.  

Our governments inability to identify or even recognize our enemy is dangerously undermining American freedom at home and around the world.

 



In a broader perspective, this same blame game is playing out on the very institutions put in place to protect us. They are under fire, rather than the real culprits, blamed by the current administration for the ills of society in general. All because the administration is unwilling to call a spade a spade. For you politically correct Oceanian's, before you contact Winston Smith to have me tried for "thoughtcrime's", there is absolutely no racial inference in my previous statement. Jeez. I can't believe I have to qualify that...

Consider the following:

Resisting arrest in two recent cases has, sadly, resulted in the death of those doing the resisting. Completely ignoring the fact that crimes occurred and police orders were not followed, government officials including President Barack Obama, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Missouri State Senator (white privilege) Maria Chappelle-Nadal, have blamed the police, prematurely I might add, (as Obama did in what resulted in the now infamous Beer Summit with James Crowley). Apparently it was everyone else's fault they chose to attack the cops and resist arrest.

Dianne Feinstein recently outed the CIA's enhanced interrogation techniques in what appears to be a parting shot as she exits stage left. Can anyone really blame our leadership (Bush) for giving orders to protect America from further attack, when after September 1st, 2001 the CIA was authorized by congress to use extreme measures? After the Justice Department finished it's "get out of jail free card" now known as the Torture Memos,  Condoleezza Rice told the CIA the harsher interrogation tactics were approved, in July 2002. Dick Cheney stated "I signed off on it; so did others." In 2010, Cheney said, "I was and remain a strong proponent of our enhanced interrogation program." In 2009 Rice stated "We never tortured anyone;" she maintained the abuse was "not torture," "legal", and "right". In addition, in 2002 and 2003, several Democratic congressional leaders were briefed on the proposed "enhanced interrogation techniques." By labeling the attack an act of war, we keep all options on the table; there is no final option or limit to our actions. Ultimately we must do whatever it takes to protect ourselves and insure the survival of America. Don't like it? Move to Cuba.

As been his wont, Obama continues to ignore American allies while encouraging and even propping up American and our allies' enemies. There exists considerable history...

A sampling of nations - all American allies - who have received a backhanded slap from the Obama Administration. We assisted in toppling the thoroughly intimidated neo-American ally Muhammar Gaddafi in Libya, and replaced him with a bloody Islamic extremist state. Obama insulted Britain by returning a Churchill portrait given to his predecessor by Tony Blair. He has double-crossed Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary on missile defense, and wonders why Vladimir Putin feels emboldened to threaten and pressure Ukraine. Obama has ignored Chinese aggression in the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean, to the consternation of our Japanese, South Korean, and Thai allies (and our former Vietnamese enemies, as well as the non-aligned Indians, and Burmese). In a fit of petulance, Obama balked at Iraqi requests on a Status of Forces Agreement, and thereby threw away a hard earned victory, and we are now witnessing the same type of fumble in Afghanistan. Most worrisome, two weeks ago the Chinese and the Russians agreed to bury the hatchet, and have in fact inaugurated a new Sino-Russian Alliance, aimed squarely at the United States of America. This is a geopolitical fact of stunning, and quite worrisome proportions...

This time the president was in Australia for the G-20 Summit in Brisbane. Unlike Britain’s David Cameron, China’s Xi Jinping and India’s Narendra Modi, he apparently had no interest in speaking to the Australian Parliament or making a formal, bilateral visit to Australia while in town.
Instead, Obama made a speech to the Australian version of his political core audience back home - undergraduates at a metropolitan university. Much of the speech at the University of Queensland in Brisbane was standard boilerplate. As usual it lacked a plot but hit the reliable notes, such as the U.S. commitment to Asia, defense of gay rights and the like. Actions often speak louder than words and in their absence, words, or the lack thereof, tell the story.

"In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."
-Martin Luther King, Jr.

Thus it appears that while much of the world trails America's civil growth, I caution you, dear reader, that neither are we where Big Brother will tell you we are. History has always been written by the winners and therefor cannot be factual. It is inherently subjective. Oh yes, I have seen the enemy and he is us!

1/12/15 UPDATE:

The silence is deafening...

Don't gruber me bro!

The new face of the United States Government

 

 

 

Stuart Smalley would be appalled. According to the advisers hired by our government, and our government representatives by virtue of their choice of these advisers, we are not good enough, we are not smart enough and doggone it they really don't seem to like us. 

 

The contempt which Barack Obama holds for our constitution and US laws, along with his misguided arrogance as an 'I know better than you' academic, has been on display through a series of videos of Johnathan Gruber explaining how and why he helped the president craft the ACA.

 

It appears that Professor Gruber is well versed in the formulas used by the CBO to score legislation and determine its viability. Except it turns out that he knows the CBO's methods so well, he had to create a fictional event to assure the auditors could not dismantle the ruse. Enter the Cadillac Tax. 

 

The bottom line of the Cadillac tax is to tax your employer insurance benefits which are currently not taxed and to make it seem as if this tax will not affect you but rather be a tax on big business. 

 

The now-famous former outside adviser on ObamaCare, Jonathan Gruber of MIT, spoke about the Cadillac tax before an audience at the Pioneer Institute in 2011, saying, "It turns out politically, it's really hard to get rid of. And the only way we could get rid of it was first by mislabeling it, calling it a tax on insurance plans rather than a tax on people, when we all know it's a tax on people who hold those insurance plans." He called that a "clever" exploitation of Americans'  "lack of economic understanding."

 

In addition to this fictional event, Gruber structured a $500 billion 'savings' in the ACA to assure the math worked for the CBO.  Nearly $220 billion of this savings comes from reducing annual increases in payments that health care providers would otherwise receive from Medicare.

 

Have you noticed doctors cutting your bills lately?

 

Other savings include $36 billion from increases in premiums for higher-income beneficiaries and $12 billion from administrative changes. A new national board -- the Independent Payment Advisory Board -- (AKA "Death Panels") will be tasked to identify $15.5 billion in savings, but the board is supposedly prohibited from proposing anything that would ration care or reduce or modify benefits.

 

Is that like saying the IRS is prohibited from targeting you based on your political affiliation?

 

Then there's another $136 billion in projected savings that would come from changes to the Medicare Advantage program, an alternative to traditional Medicare that has turned out to be much more costly than expected. About 25 percent of Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan.

 

What changes? Seniors will have to somehow receive $136 billion less in care for this to pan out.

 

Anyway, no drug, not even alcohol, causes the fundamental ills of society. If we're looking for the source of our troubles, we shouldn't test people for drugs, we should test them for stupidity, ignorance, greed and love of power.

-P. J. O'Rourke

 

The governments seemingly insatiable appetite for your hard earned money, taken from you in the form of taxes - seen and unseen - can at times be justified but make no mistake about it, this must be controlled lest we become Japan: here is a loose summary of Japan's tax rates. Individual - 50%, Payroll - 25.6%, and VAT (coming soon to a country near you) 8%.

 

Tithing 10% will leave you with 6.4 cents of every dollar you earn! Not sure you could even pay the deductibles on those new ACA health plans with that.

 

This well thought out and not so well executed con (passed under reconciliation - on straight party lines - and without a single member of congress reading the bill) lies squarely at the feet of President Obama.

 

To be fair - this is not an Obama phenomenon. It is the path the American government has been tracking regardless of which party is in charge. And parties aside, the current trajectory takes all of us to a very bad place indeed. I'm afraid not even Stuart's optimism will save us then.

 

Wake up America!

 

 

 

 

PDB - So now we know

The art of politics, unfortunately, requires deniability. The Obama administration has become Putin-esque in their execution of this skill.

Sure, the skill's necessary to convince most of your citizens and a large part of the world you didn't do it after you shoot down a commercial airliner or invade and take over a country are beyond Obama's dreams, but rulers are like everyone else; competitive and driven to be better than their peers.

Ruler you say? Well, let's be honest, this administration stopped behaving as a democracy and started functioning as an autocracy the moment our leader told us that without congress taking some sort of action he would act alone. Fear of this behavior is exactly why the founders created our style of government; three separate branches designed to prevent any one branch from assuming too much power.

The PDB, Presidents Daily Brief, historically has been presented to the president and supported by dialogue, a format whereby the president is able to gain the proper perspective of the intelligence directly from its authors or their representatives. Under President Obama, the format has changed to a word document submitted electronically and read in private by the president, allowing for perspective to be framed by personal beliefs or opinions.

A news story today suggests Obama received regular 'exquisite intelligence' through his PDB's on ISIS' capabilities and potential beginning over a year ago. Long before his "JV" comment. So assuming he read his electronic PDB's and further assuming his world view allowed him to fully comprehend the information provided, why would he put forth the JV narrative? Could it be the same reason he stated Osama Bin Laden is dead and Al Qaida is on the run? (Public relations preceding his run for re-election - in this case preceding the mid year elections.) Could it be his desire that all societies behave as advanced intellectual beings rather than the animals we are? Maybe it was a Freudian response to the memories of his time on the JV basketball team at Occidental  (if he really played  - remember we haven't seen his grades from that college either). Or by reading his PDB's in private and therefore preventing a clear perspective on the information, was it simply one more skillfully placed layer of deniability?

I give him credit for the aforementioned desire. In a dream world where all societies are moving toward a singular society, one where everyone agrees on and works toward common goals, there might exist greater civility. Might. And some day, we might get there. Some day. Might.

In 2014, in the real world, however, negotiating with ideological terrorists hiding behind religion (IS, Hamas, etc.) or tyrants who change their countries constitution in order to stay in power (Putin),  is like trying to conciliate with a Great White Shark before he eats you. Should you have the terrible misfortune of winding up in his neighborhood, even if you spoke his language, you would absolutely and without question, not be able to reason with the shark. You would become lunch.

"What’s unique about our times is the nature of the threats—suicidal, homicidal, genocidal terrorists, well armed and organized, seeking the destruction of the United States. The other difference: the lack of Western leadership, starting with the president himself. …"

What does the body language and facial expressions in this speech say? I see unleashed emotion, anger, determination, a plan to deal with anyone possessing a different view.

How about this one? I see passivity, restraint, a lack of emotion, no plan for addressing those with a different view. Even though the scum possessing those views are killing Americans, taunting our way of life, and threatening the very existence of individual freedom around the world.

Am I crazy or does this president have it backwards?

For my money, I am staying out of the water and when circumstances dictate I must confront the Great White, it will be with a harpoon.

"Today we did what we had to do. They counted on America to be passive. They counted wrong."

- Ronald Regan

Time to join the Varsity team Barry!

 

 

 

The height of hypocrisy

Dear reader, when last I wrote to you, I asked if government paid attention to anything. It was a rhetorical question because of course it does, but generally only when the issue can somehow further the government's agenda.

And so today the FAA announced that all flights to Tel Aviv were prohibited for 24 hours. They stated that their decision was based on the fact that missiles being fired into Israel from Gaza are too close to the airport making travel unsafe.

So we are supposed to understand that in light of the downing of a commercial airliner, Malaysian flight MH17 over Ukraine by Russian supported separatists that it is suddenly not safe to fly into Israel. OK - but why now instead of 5 days ago when this terrorist attack occurred? Or 22 days ago when Hamas lobbed the first missiles into Israel? For the record, it will make no difference if it turns out that MH17 was misidentified as a military target - it was terrorism and Putin played a role.

My guess is that it has less to do with protecting airline passengers and more to do with economic pressure on Israel to halt the unquestionably justified defense of their nation.

In a pathetic attempt to capture worldwide sympathy, Hamas has launched an Internet campaign to highlight their casualties of war. Blatantly missing from their campaign, at least to those who pay attention [see furthering the government's agenda above], are the two primary causes of the loss of civilian lives:

1) Unprovoked, Hamas or their affiliates began firing rockets at Israeli civilian targets.

2) Israel is using missile defense to protect civilians, and Hamas is using civilians to protect missiles.

What does all this have to do with hypocrisy?

President Obama has refused to cut aid to the Palestinians while they repeatedly launch missiles into Israel and at the same time he has now placed new economic pressure on Israel for defending themselves. Hypocrisy.

Hamas is spreading propaganda through social media claiming civilian deaths are the result of Israel's aggression. Israel could reduce Gaza and other Hamas areas to rubble if they desired. Instead they are purposely conducting a ground offensive with the intent of minimizing Palestinian casualties. Hypocrisy.

Recently General James Amos spoke out against Obama's handling of Iraq. There can be no question that President Obama does not understand history and believes his ideology will trump evil.

There can also be no question that President Obama does understand fundraising. He has successfully raised money during a European countries invasion and capture, an American border - and potential humanitarian - crisis (invasion), and now amidst the intentional killing of nearly 300 innocent civilians, he has managed to raise thousands more dollars for the Democratic National Committee.

So it is, with head in hands, I return to you only to admit I was wrong. The government is paying attention.

The real question is - are you?

"Hypocrisy can afford to be magnificent in its promises, for never intending to go beyond promise, it costs nothing."
-Edmund Burke

Does government pay attention? To anything?

Besides their own reflection in the mirror, that is.

                        Really?


One is inclined to believe that the controlled release of these photos demonstrates both a perceptive ability into just what their "subjects" desire, and a willingness of these world leaders to comply.

Not exactly.

It appears that "ego" is playing an increasing and ever more frightening role in the direction of our worlds many governments. After centuries of moving away from disastrous results of totalitarian rule, Americans and citizens throughout the world seem complacent, fat and happy with government 'hand feeding' them and are fast becoming willing participants in the precipitous slide into state run territories.

Not so in part of the former Soviet Union. Protests in Kiev continue as Ukrainian citizens reject principals of Lenin in favor of those established by America's founders. Recently a seething crowd toppled and smashed a statue of Lenin, the most prominent monument to the Communist leader in Kiev. The act was heavy with symbolism, underscoring the protesters’ rage at Russia over its role in the events that first prompted the protests: Mr. Yanukovich’s abrupt refusal to sign sweeping political and free-trade agreements with the European Union. Yanukovich only added to the demonstrators’ anger by stopping, on his way back from China, to meet with President Vladimir Putin of Russia. Rumors immediately began swirling that Yanukovich had cut a secret economic deal with Putin that would lead to Ukraine joining a customs union with Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, a step that many Ukrainians believe would deliver their country’s future into the Kremlin’s hands. Both governments denied the rumors, but the protesters do not trust either Putin or Yanukovich, and opposition leaders used the matter to whip up the crowd in Kiev. “Today, they fall on their knees in front of the president of Russia and surrender us to the customs union,” said Oleg Tyagnibok, the leader of the nationalist Svoboda Party. “We demand to make public what these secret negotiations were about. They bring us back to the time of Stalinism. Is this 1937?”

Surely, Lenin is turning over in his grave, er tomb, uh mausoleum, display... whatever. Surely he is turning over again because dictators just cannot get it through their heads that people will only tolerate so much.

The peoples acceptance of rule by decree died with the era of kings and emperors. Sadly, and in sharp contrast to those in Kiev protesting to attain greater freedom, in the Yin Yang cycles of our world those with freedom are slowly exchanging it for handouts and the seemingly 'life-easing' that accompanies dependence.

Tales of virtues and ruggedness of the American Frontiersman (Yeah - sexist, I know. Get over it.) will soon be closer to Aesop's Fables than real American history. A willingness to sacrifice life or limb for reward has been replaced by pajama boy, a flannel footie wearing young adult (27 years old or older - remember, he was just dropped from his parents insurance) drinking hot chocolate, sitting on his parents couch and discussing how to take advantage of the latest government handout.

So despite the NSA's excessive and on-going efforts to spy on everyone everywhere, American leadership is not getting the general message we are sending:

We accept that life is not fair and desire to create equal opportunities for all that pursue them; we do not want you to assure us of equal outcome.

To the people of Kiev, time is on your side. You will get what you desire and exactly what you deserve. Persevere! Just take note: Americans are currently getting what we (thought we) desired and it too is exactly what we deserved.

In your quest for freedom from Putin's influence and oppression of totalitarian rule, I for one stand with you.

“I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations.”
James Madison

The Emperor's New Software

A Modern Fable...

In a not too distant land there lives an emperor who loves control so much that he spends all his kingdom's money on creating new regulations for his subjects. His only interest is in going to the theater or in riding about in his carriage where he can show off his dominion as he secretly creates new obstacles for the people to enjoy the same freedoms. He has a different speech for every hour of the day. Indeed, where it was said of other kings that they were at court, it could only be said of him that he was in his handlers prep room practicing with the teleprompter!

One day two community organizers came to the emperor's city. They said that they were programmers, claiming that they knew how to make the finest website imaginable. Not only were the colors and the pictures of the pages extraordinarily beautiful, but in addition, this website had the amazing property that the  truth was to be invisible to anyone who was incompetent or stupid. And since the emperor thought that most of his subjects were just that, he knew that this website would support the legacy he would leave for all the people of his land; the legacy which would henceforth be known as EmperorCare.

"It would be wonderful to have a program made from that vision," thought the emperor. "Then I would know which of my subjects are unfit for their positions, and I'd also be able to tell clever people from stupid ones." So he immediately gave the two computer programmers a great sum of money to weave their website for him.

They set up their networks and pretended to go to work, although there was no language at all in the computer program. They asked for the finest hardware and the purest gold, all of which they hid away, continuing to work on the empty programming, often late into the night.

"I would really like to know how they are coming with the website!" thought the emperor, but he was a bit uneasy when he recalled that anyone who was unfit for his position or stupid would not be able to see the truth. Of course, he himself had nothing to fear, but still he decided to send someone else to see how the work was progressing. "I'll send my honest old minister of health to the programmers," thought the emperor. She's the best one to see how the site is coming. She is very sensible, and no one is more worthy of her position than she.

So the good old minister went into the hall where the two swindlers sat working at their empty monitors. "Goodness!" thought the old minister, opening her eyes wide. "I cannot see a thing!" But she did not say so. The two community organizers invited her to step closer, asking her if it wasn't a beautiful design and if the colors weren't magnificent. They pointed to the empty screen, and the poor old minister opened her eyes wider and wider. She still could see nothing, for nothing was there. "Gracious" she thought. "Is it possible that I am stupid? I have never thought so. Am I unfit for my position? No one must know this. No, it will never do for me to say that I was unable to see the website."

"You aren't saying anything!" said one of the community organizers.

"Oh, it is magnificent! The very best!" said the old minister, peering through her glasses. "This pattern and these colors! Yes, I'll tell the emperor that I am very satisfied with it!"

"That makes us happy!" said the two swindlers, and they called the colors and the unusual pattern by name. The old minister listened closely so that she would be able say the same things when she reported back to the emperor, and that is exactly what she did.

The programmers now asked for more money, more hardware, and more gold, all of which they hid away. Then they continued to type away as before on the keyboard attached to the empty computer screens.

The emperor sent other officials as well to observe the programmers' progress. They too were startled when they saw nothing, and they too reported back to him how wonderful the website was, advising him to have it made into a single-payer program and that in the spirit of never wasting a good crisis, he could announce in a grand procession. The entire city was alive in praise of the soon to be rolled out website.

"Magnifique! Nysseligt! Excellent!" they said, in all languages.

The emperor bypassed his ministry and signed an executive order awarding the organizers with medals of honor, as they seemed to be cut from his same cloth, bestowing on each of them the title Programmer Czar.

The swindlers stayed up the entire night before the roll out was to take place, burning more than sixteen compact florescent light bulbs. Everyone could see that they were in a great rush to finish the emperor's new website. They pretended to access the various menus from the site. They typed as if they were enrolling. They selected from the choices which were not really there. Finally they announced, "Behold! The website is finished!" "Now all the kingdom will have unfettered access and unlimited entitlements!"

The emperor came to them with his most distinguished cavaliers. The two swindlers pointed to the computer monitor as though something was there and said, "Just look at this homepage! Here is the where you register! Here is where you enroll and make your selection! And this is the secret IRS / NSA information gathering page!" and so forth. "It is as deceptive as your previous Minister of State! You might think that you were exposed, but that is the good thing about the website".

"Yes," said the cavaliers, but they couldn't see a thing, for nothing was there.

"Would his imperial majesty, if it please his grace, kindly upload his new website." said the swindlers. "Then we will make it accessible for your subjects; do it here in front of the large mirror." The emperor uploaded the program, and the organizers pretended to walk him through the various drop down menus, page by page, of the website that wasn't there. They took hold of his waist and pretended to tie something about him. Then the emperor turned and looked into the mirror.

"Goodness, this website suits you well! What a wonderful fit!" they all said. "What a pattern! What colors! Such complete control over the people!"

"The canopy to be carried above your majesty awaits outside," said the grandmaster of ceremonies.

"Yes, I am ready!" said the emperor. "Doesn't the website define my leadership well?" He turned once again toward the mirror, because it had to appear as though he were admiring himself in all his glory.

The chamberlains who were to support and sell the illusion to the emperor's subjects sat at their desks hands just above their keyboards as if they were beginning to register. As they typed they pretended to be amazed by the choices and savings available to them in the website, for they could not let anyone notice that they could see nothing.

The emperor walked beneath the beautiful canopy in the procession, and all the people in the street and in their windows said, "Goodness, the emperor's new website is incomparable! What a beautiful legacy for his people. What a perfect fit!" No one wanted it to be noticed that he could see nothing, for then it would be said that he was unfit for his position or that he was stupid. None of the emperor's regulations had ever before received such praise.

"But the website has higher premiums and greater deductibles!" said a small child.

"Good Lord, let us hear the voice of an innocent child!" said the father, and whispered to another what the child had said.

"A small child said that the website is deceptive!"

Finally everyone was saying, "The website has misled us!"

The emperor shuddered, for he knew that they were right, but he thought, "The procession must go on!" He carried himself even more proudly, and the chamberlains typed away on the website that wasn't there.

“There is not a crime, there is not a dodge, there is not a trick, there is not a swindle, there is not a vice which does not live by secrecy.”
― Joseph Pulitzer