PSYCHOLOGICAL DEFENSE MECHANISMS - A Review

Psychological defense mechanisms are psychological strategies used by individuals (and by extension--groups of indidivuals and even entire nations at times) to cope with reality and to maintain self-image intact.

A healthy person will use many different defenses throughout life, including immature and/or pathological ones. A defense mechanism becomes pathological when it is used persistantly and leads to maladaptive behavior that will eventually threaten the physical and/or mental health of the individual; or, when it distorts reality to such an extent that it puts an individual's life or health at risk.

Since all of the psychological defense mechanisms can be used by adults to adapt to life, the question becomes: When is a defense mechanism considered really "adaptive" and when is it considered "pathological"?

What we call "mental illness" is actually a manifestation of an individual's continued pathological adaptive response to events in his/her life. The following factors make a defense "pathological":

-the defense is used in a rigid, inflexible, and exclusive manner
-the motivation for using the defense comes more from past needs than present or future reality -the defense severely distorts the present situation
-use of the defense leads to significant problems in relationships, functioning, and enjoyment of life
-use of the defense impedes or distorts emotions and feelings, instead of rechanneling them effectively

The use of "mature defenses" generally allow people to channel negative or destructive feelings and/or behaviors into more socially appropriate types of behavior that bring pleasure to both the user and to the world at large.

Art can be a perfect example of the mature sublimation of negative emotions to create something that is beautiful, pleasurable, and/or compelling to experience. Art may also be a way to manifest destructive emotions-- in which case it may bring some temporary relief of those emotions, but rarely brings pleasure either to the artist or his audience. In the latter case, it is a less mature defense called acting-out rather than sublimation. Here is an example of art used as sublimation; and here is one of art as acting-out.

Here is a listing of some of the most common psychological defenses from the Psychotic defenses to Mature defenses:

Level 1 Defense Mechanisms (Psychotic) - Almost always pathological; for the user these three defenses permit someone to rearrange external reality (and therefore not have to cope with reality); for the beholder, the users of these mechanisms frequently appear crazy or insane. These are the "psychotic" defenses, common in overt psychosis, in dreams, and throughout childhood. They include:

Denial - a refusal to accept external reality because it is too threatening. There are examples of denial being adaptive (for example, it might be adaptive for a person who is dying to have some denial (EXAMPLE, EXAMPLE, EXAMPLE, EXAMPLE )

Distortion - a gross reshaping of external reality to meet internal needs (EXAMPLE, EXAMPLE, EXAMPLE)

Delusional Projection - frank delusions and paranoia about external reality, usually of a persecutory nature (EXAMPLE, EXAMPLE, EXAMPLE, EXAMPLE)

Level 2 Defense Mechanisms (Immature) - are seen frequently in adults and are common in adolescents. For the user these mechanism alter distress and anxiety caused by reality or other people; while for the beholder, people who use such defenses are seen as socially undesirable, immature, difficult and out of touch. They are considered "immature" defenses and almost always lead to serious problems in a person's ability to cope with the world. These defenses are seen in severe depression, personality disorders, and adolescence. They include:

Fantasy - tendency to retreat into fantasy in order to resolve inner and outer conflicts (EXAMPLE)

Projection - attributing one's own unacknowledged feelings to others; includes severe prejudice, severe jealousy, hypervigilance to external danger, and "injustice collecting". (EXAMPLE, EXAMPLE, EXAMPLE, EXAMPLE, EXAMPLE , EXAMPLE (remember that projection is a primitive form of paranoia, so it is common in today's world)

Hypochondriasis - the transformation of negative feelings towards others into negative feelings toward self, pain, illness and anxiety (EXAMPLE, EXAMPLE)

Passive Agressive Behavior - aggression towards others expressed indirectly or passively (EXAMPLE)

Acting Out Behavior - direct expression of an unconscious wish or impulse to avoid being conscious of the emotion that accompanies it (EXAMPLE, EXAMPLE)

Level 3 Defense Mechanisms (Neurotic) - are fairly common in adults. They can have short-term advantages in coping, but they often cause long-term problems in relationships, work, and enjoyment of life for people who primarily use them as their basic style of coping with the world. They include:

Intellectualization - separation of emotion from ideas; thinking about wishes in formal, affectively bland terms and not acting on them (EXAMPLE)

Repression - seemingly inexplicable naivete, memory lapse, or lack of awareness of physical status; the emotion is conscious, but the idea behind it is absent (EXAMPLE and, of course, Scarlet "I won't think about that today" O'Hara from Gone With The Wind)

Reaction Formation - behavior that is completely the opposite of what one really wants or feels (e.g, taking care of someone when what one really wants is to be taken care of; studying to be a pilot to cover-up being afraid to fly). Note - this can work in the short term as an effective strategy to cope, but will eventually break down. (EXAMPLE)

Displacement - separation of emotion from its real object and redirection of the intense emotion toward someone or something that is less offensive or threatening in order to avoid dealing directly with what is frightening or threatening (EXAMPLE, EXAMPLE, EXAMPLE, EXAMPLE, EXAMPLE)

Dissociation - temporary and drastic modification of one's personal identity or character to avoid emotional distress (EXAMPLE , EXAMPLE, EXAMPLE)

Level 4 Defense Mechanisms (Mature)- are common among most "healthy" adults and are considered the most "mature". Many of them have their origins in the "immature" level, but have been honed by the individual to optimize his/her success in life and relationships. Use of these defenses gives the user pleasure and feelings of mastery. For the user, these defenses help them to integrate many conflicting emotions and thoughts and still be effective; and for the beholder their use by someone is viewed as a virtue. They include:

Sublimation - transformation of negative emotions or instincts into positive actions, behavior, or emotion (EXAMPLE, EXAMPLE, EXAMPLES, art, sports, hobbies, or even one's choice of profession)

Altruism - constructive service to others that brings pleasure and personal satisfaction (EXAMPLE)

Suppression - the conscious decision to delay paying attention to an emotion or need in order to cope with the present reality; able to later access the emotion and accept it. (EXAMPLE)

Anticipation - realistic planning for future discomfort (EXAMPLE)

Humor - overt expression of ideas and feelings (especially those that are unpleasant to focus on or too terrible to talk about) that gives pleasure to others; (humor lets you call a spade a spade, while "wit" is actually a form of displacement) (EXAMPLE, EXAMPLE, EXAMPLE)

Research on the use of mature defenses (Level 4) has shown that they lead to:
1) excellent adjustment as an adult,
2) happiness(by self-report),
3) job satisfaction,
4) rich friendships,
5) fewer medical hospitalizations over life,
6) better overall health;and
7) a lower incidence of mental illness.

OTOH, use of immature Defenses (Levels 1, 2, 3) is related to:
1) poor adjustment as an adult,
2) higher divorce rates and marital discord,
3) poor friendship patterns,
4) higher incidence of mental illness,
5) greater number of sick leave days taken,
6) poorer health generally.

You can see from some of the examples of these defenses I have chosen, that defense mechanisms are not limited to individuals. Societies also sometimes need to protect their self-images and cope with events in the world. They need to explain why their society is failing; why the ideologies or religions they embrace aren't successful in relieving their misery; why they are not as important in the world as they feel they should be, etc. etc.

Societies, like individuals, can adopt mature defenses and deal with reality; or they can deny reality and look elsewhere for the source of their problems. Many countries, like individuals, prefer to put the blame for their own failures onto an outside source, since that is safer for the self-image. A "healthy" country, like a healthy individual will evaluate the facts and utilize mature defenses to cope with and change the situation they find themselves in. They are not afraid of their aggressive impulses because those impulses are reigned in by reason and not indulged in lightly. When necessary, healthy societies look inward. When necessary, they focus outward.

In a recent post I focused on the importance of psychological defenses in our lives:

I say this over and over, but it bears repeating: psychological defense mechanisms (which include some relatively primitive psychological responses like projection - the mechanism involved in most forms of racism, for example) are not diagnoses. The very dysfunctional ones might be conceptualized as a process of the psychological self that is somewhat similar to when the physical self experiences a fever.

A mild fever suggests that the body is coping with an intrusion into its physical defenses. Most often the fever itself becomes self-correcting, setting off a series of defensive actions that lead to a return to normal functioning. If the fever persists and becomes too high, it becomes a red flag that something serious might be going on and the underlying cause needs to be found.

It is likewise when the ego deploys a psychological defense (especially one that persists despite reality; or one that is severely dysfunctional and causes great problems in the person's life). We do not say that "fever" is a diagnosis. It is a symptom that when it doesn't go away makes us take action. A defense mechanism is also a symptom that suggests our psychological self is trying to cope with a disturbing reality. If an individual has insight and self-awareness (the ability to objectively observe and be conscious of one's own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and their meaning), then the defense mechanism can even becomes a valuable tool with which to understand our own fears and prejudices - just as a fever becomes the red flag that leads us to look for an underlying problem.

Feel free to add your own examples in the comments if you think they are applicable.

DEAD-ENDERS

Those who worship at the altar of multicultural tolerance and political correctness should take note that the subject of the following article is the inevitable intellectual and moral dead-end of their precious ideology.

Let us all be tolerant and sensitive to the feelings of genocidal cultures led by homicidal maniacs.

RELEASE THE HOUNDS

The Iraqi elections last Thursday--which may well be considered the greatestAmerican foreign policy achievement in the last 10-12 years since the collapse of the USSR; vindicated in every way possible the difficult choices made by President Bush since September 11, 2001. Remarkably, they also highlighted the effectivenesss of this administration --despite much work which still needs to be done--in protecting America from another major terrorist attack.

Since that triumphant event a few short days ago, the American public has been subjected to the following:

- DENIAL - by the MSM and key Democrats about the significance of the Iraqi elections. When they were not ignoring it completely, the achievement was couched in the typical "Yes, but...." terms used by the self-destructive passive aggressive to undermine anything positive and accentuate everything negative.

- PARANOIA, DISTORTION with overtones of HYSTERIA : as extreme and completely unjustified accusations of "abuse of power" by the President --except of course, that the pissant Congress (including the Democrats) knew full well what was happening all along since they had been briefed on it from the beginning almost 4 years ago. AND they concurred. AND they knew it was well within the law and fully applicable to the war situation. Nevertheless, this did not prevent the Dems from jumping on the paranoid bandwagon and suggesting that we are imminently under a threat of a "police state".

- ACTING OUT BEHAVIOR : as a news organization that once, many years ago used to be the most respected in the media; deliberately and with malice aforethought completely disregard the national security interests of this country during a time of war in order to promote a book by one of their own. This is usually called high treason. and as rogue intelligence service deliberately seeks to undermine the executive branch of government by "leaking" classified information on supposedly "secret" detention centers (except that all the host countries knew full well about them, as did the Europeans who are "shocked, shocked".)

- PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR - as Dems launch the threat of a filibuster on the Patriot Act; thus resulting in no vote to extend its provisions. Rational people can argue about some of the provisions in this, but to eliminate it altogether is the act of a willful child, who wants to have his cake (security and protection from terrorism) and eat it too (thus making it easy for terrorists to operate freely in this country). The Republicans are even more to blame on this one.

- FANTASY: as the whole concept of torture is redifined and "compassionately" dumbed down in the middle of a war, when our enemy is the most violent, barbaric and fanatically uncivilized entity; having signed no international agreements and recognizing no limits to their own depraved and murderous behavior.

All of this has occurred within the last week. All of this DEMented behavior when we should be celebrating a great victory over the Islamofascist enemy and an triumph of the human spirit that was not believed possible a few short years ago. I will leave it to you to make your own conclusions about the motivations behind such incredibly destructive hysteria.

I feel like I am in the middle of some alternate universe, where the good is always made out to be bad; where distortion and paranoia rule; and where evil effortlessly triumphs.

In The Simpsons it is usually humorous as the aging, but still malevolent Mr. Burns turns toward Smithers and gleefully yells, "Release the hounds!" whenever some poor, unsuspecting individual upsets him. But in the cartoon, noone is ever really injured and even Mr. Burns' worse behavior always comes to naught.

The Left has indeed released the hounds; and they are wringing their hands with glee at all the destructiveness and rage that has been unleashed.

But, somehow, I can't bring myself to laugh at their undiluted hatred anymore. Life is not a cartoon, and there are consequences that we all will have to pay for their malice.

CARNIVAL OF THE INSANITIES

Time for the weekly insanity udate, where the insane, the bizarre, the ridiculous, and the completely absurd are highlighted for all to see! This has been a week of rare idiocy (as always!). Calling all bloggers! Be sure to send in your entries to the Carnival, which will be posted every Sunday. Entries need to be in by 8 pm ET on Saturday to make their way into the list that week. Only one post entry weekly per blogger, please. Thanks for all the submissions. I use as many as possible!
SO MANY INSANITIES! SO LITTLE TIME!
***NEW*** Feel free to add your own insanities in Trackbacks to this post!
***NEXT WEEK WE WILL HAVE A SPECIAL "CHRISTMAS" EDITION OF THE CARNIVAL! If your Christmas post didn't make it in this week's, watch for it next week
*************
1. Trouble in a Communist paradise. Alert Hugo Chavez!

2. Yes, I can believe it.

3. Cell phones and terrorism. (hat tip: SC&A)

4. Now why would they do a thing like this? Usually they're totally preoccupied with corruption....

5. A foolproof nominee for this week's Carnival was recently observed leaving the solar system... (that happens a lot on Larry King!)

6. Behavioral patterns of the North American Tube Sock.

7. And this is newsworthy because....?? However, it might partly explain this.

8. Global warming from a Narnian perspective?

9. Mona Lisa: 83 percent happy, nine percent disgusted, six percent fearful and two percent angry.

10. Someone get this woman some help--quickly!

11. More proof that Nobel Prizes (in Literature and Peace, anyway) do not mean anything anymore, sadly. I expect this program will be nominated soon.

12. Congratulations to the Dhimmi winners! I don't understand why the lady in #10 wasn't nominated.

13. Judy Blume he wasn't. Dr. Seuss this isn't - I really like the "keep us safe" part (see #14)

14. Poor Zarqawi- with jihadis like these who needs enemies? But the MSM demonstrates once again which side they are on. Zarqawi should be proud of them, at least.

15. Waiting for just the right moment to actually have an idea!

16. This is clearly more of a national priority than any of these issues. Here's a good explanation of politics in a nutshell-- or how not to solve real problems.

17. If this new drug doesn't work, you can always try this one. (hat tip: Shrinkette)

18. The Iraqstreet Boys??

19. A mini-Carnival of Insanities for your reading pleasure!

20. WOW! There's a blog for everything ! Really!

21. The state of Idaho really likes this movie.

22. Definitely over the (lap)top !

23. Only in Academia! The oxymoron of the day: Participatory Dictatorship. Yeah, right. They dictate, you participate--or else.


Carnival of the Insanities can also be found at The Truth Laid Bear's ÜberCarnival.

***************************************

If you would like to Join the insanity, and add the Carnival of the Insanities button to your sidebar (clicking on it will always take you to the latest update of the Carnival), click on the "Word of Blog" below the button to obtain the html code:

Heard the Word of Blog?

The Power of the Blogsphere?

Hmmmm. Somebody may have recently been surfing the internet to look for ideas on how to deal with the situation in Iran.

SADDAM'S WMD vs MY DEATH-BY-CHOCOLATE-CAKE

In light of this interesting tidbit of information, I thought I would revisit the entire issue of Saddam's WMDs (and also because I will be busy today with Christmas preparation stuff!) and recycle two posts from early 2005. The Death-By-Chocolate Cake recipe should come in handy for you chocoholics during this Christmas and Hannukah season. More blogging (maybe) tonight!
*******************************************

It is probably a good time to refer you once again to Alpha Patriot's excellent roundup from last July of the WMD's that supposedly don't exist in Iraq. Why the press persists in pushing the delusion that no WMD's were found is beyond me. Why President Bush does not trumpet this information is also a mystery, since what is listed at the link are real, verifiable items that were found and are known.

I suspect it is a type of "concrete thinking" (see here) that is to blame for this situation; or possibly an unbelievable lack of imagination. Presumably, the skeptics expected to find nuclear missles conveniently lined up and pointed at the U.S. ; or warehouses of biological weapons with labels and detailed plans of how to distribute the stuff attached to each vial. Or maybe they even expected to find a written, signed confession by Saddam admitting that he had plans to develop and use whatever weapons he could find that would kill large numbers of people.

Or maybe, just maybe, no amount of evidence would ever convince some people that Saddam was a threat to the U.S. and the entire world and that he had the WMD's we saw him use and that he threatened to continue to use.

Let's use an analogy! Let's say that people in my neighborhood got together and voted (in the interests of neighborhood health) that I couldn't bake my "Death by Chocolate" cakes anymore (these cakes have been known to be lethally caloric). I reluctantly agree, and say I am complying with this order, but refuse to let anyone check by looking in my pantry for the key ingredients.

Finally, tired of being manipulated by me, and concerned that I might go ahead and bake one of those destructively high calorie cake things, my neighbors force their way into the house and find THAT I HAVE NO CAKE SITTING ON THE COUNTER WAITING TO BE EATEN! How foolish they were to doubt my word! How stupid they were to imagine I might be up to my old chocolate baking tendencies!

On the other hand, they discover while carefully going through my pantry that there are 2 boxes of devil's food cake mix; chocolate bars, hot fudge topping, cake pans, pudding mix, flour and sugar, mixing bowls and a number of other questionable items. They even find a recipe book which includes several variants on the "Death-by-Chocolate" Cake theme--muffins, breakfast loaf, etc. And, on top of that, they have a video showing me carrying a cake-like item out of the house the day before they barged in to verify my compliance with their silly order. They suspect that I took one of the cakes to work to share with my co-workers. I calmly refuse to tell them anything.

So what is the conclusion? That I had no pre-existing cake, waiting to be eaten? Or, that I had all the ingredients to make that cake at a moment's notice, despite my having said I wouldn't; and that I even made one just before they came to check, but had taken it somewhere else to eat?

I don't know about you, but I think if you conclude that I haven't been making my famous "Death-by-Chocolate" cake because one isn't sitting out on the counter for you to find, then you are more foolish than even I could possibly have imagined. BWAHAHAHAHA!

And for those of you who are interested, here's the recipe--just in time for the infidel holiday:

Death-By-Chocolate Cake (without WMDs!)

It's very simple to make and my family really likes it. I've been making it for several years now and probably originally got the recipe from some magazine, which one I've long forgotten (otherwise, I'd mention it). I prefer to eat it either unadorned, or with a high quality vanilla ice cream, but if you are a purist, you are free to use chocolate ice cream instead.

1/4 c. oil
2 eggs
1 1/3 c. water
1 chocolate cake mix (get your favorite--I like devil's food chocolate cake)

Mix the above ingredients by hand (do not use electric mixer). Pour into greased 9x11 inch pan. Sprinkle 12 ounces Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips on top (I like Hershey's). Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

Cool about 5 minutes. Poke holes in cake (it should still be warm) and spread with 1 large jar of Smuckers Hot Fudge Topping. ENJOY

THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVE INFIDELS

Inspired by the National Review cover on the right, I would like to present Mr. Abu Musab Al Zarkawi singing "These Are a Few Of My Fave Infidels" (sung to the tune of "These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things") **

Congressman Murtha and Ms. Cindy Sheehan
ANSWER and MOVEON and Boxer and Dean
All those who buy what the NY Times sells--
These are a few of my fave infidels!

Nancy Pelosi and Georgio Clooney;
Moonbats and Lefties and all that are looney;
All those who protest with loud, angry yells--
These are a few of my fave infidels!

Feminist nazis and darling Code Pinkers;
Kerry and Kos and those other deep thinkers;
Secular nuts in their own little hells--
These are a few of my fave infidels!

When The Bush speaks,
When Iraq votes,
When I'm feeling sad;
I simply remember the the brave DNC
And then I don't feel so bad!

**Note to my long-suffering readers: I really promise I won't do any more of these for a while!! When I'm in a good mood they just come to me and I feel compelled to write them down. I'll enter a therapy program in 2006 to eliminate this horrible addiction.

The Ulcer of Discontent

If you read nothing else today, read Victor Davis Hanson today. His is a voice of sanity and wisdom.

THE DEMENTORS OF THE LEFT

I was in the process of writing a post on the dementors* of the Left (thanks to The Anchoress for giving me the idea - I hope she gets better soon!), when I came across this wonderful post by Gaghdad Bob at One Cosmos, "The Envy of the Left (or No Good News Goes Unpunished)":

What is critical--and so perverse--about envy, is that it is not an attack on "the bad" or frustrating, but a hateful attack on what is good. As a result, the psyche of such individuals confuses what is bad and what is good, and cannot experience a sense of gratitude toward the good, the sine qua non of happiness and mental health. The envious person does not want to have a relationship with the good object, but wants to be that object. If it cannot be the object, then it attacks it to eliminate the tension.

Yesterday was an instructive but disturbing case study in the many ways of envy. Here we had such wonderful news coming out of Iraq, but the left found a multitude of ways to devalue, attack, and "spoil" the news through their excessive envy--by ignoring it, by downplaying it, by qualifying it, and by completely assaulting it with near-psychotic delusions.

I went trolling around the darker precincts of the blogosphere yesterday in search of envious attacks on the good news, and they weren't difficult to find. These samples are mostly taken from dailykos and the Huffington website. Note the specific quality of infantile spoiling:

--"Both sides are participating in these elections to screw the other side and not for any real reason beyond that (although promises to end the occupation, even if lies, represent a tasty carrot)."

--"This is our last chance to leave on terms where we can still claim some marginal success. Because it's all downhill from here. It's the Joke of the Week. An inside joke that few seem to get."

--"Democracy isn't elections. Many a dictator has won an 'election' by overwhelming landslide."

--"This is precisely what BushCo want us to believe. Distract us from the violence and the deaths, of both U.S. and coalition forces and the Iraqi people, by staging these phony elections and giving us these photo ops."

--"Earlier this week, on Air America, I heard about a truck of ballots being intercepted on it's way from Iran. With Iran & the U.S. both wanting a desired outcome, I don't think it matters what the Iraqis want. Either Iran or the U.S. is going to win this election, votes be damned."

You simply must read the whole piece; and when you do, you will understand the nature of the Left in this country. They are the dementors; the suicide bombers who don't care even that they themselves will be destroyed as long as they kill others; the infantile, childish, perverse, destructive--the insatiably envious.

This "reality-based" community simply cannot tolerate the fact--not even when it is staring them in the face as it was yesterday in Iraq--that they are the ones completely out of touch with reality. They have become the foul creatures who delight in sucking anything positive out of the soul. They stand for nothing but destruction. They feed on it; they believe they will grow strong on it.

With the complicity of the MSM, these soul-less beings are determined that no good news will be unpunished. Their unrelenting attempts to ensure that this country is defeated in Iraq; and in the greater war on terror simply to undermine the current President and his administration is beyond belief. If I weren't witnessing it every single day, I would have a hard time believing that such insanity could be so pervasive in this wonderful country.

But the sad truth is that I cannot even drive down my own street without seeing the signs that say "Impeach Bush". I cannot go to a "Holiday" party and not hear the glee and enthusiastic response by many when some BDS-inflicted individual predicts that the Iraqis will "never be able to handle a democracy" or that the only reason we went to Iraq was "for the oil" --yes, they are STILL saying this blessed mantra. They are still saying that BUSH LIED. They are still saying that it was an ILLEGAL and UNJUST war. They are still saying that there is no such thing as terrorism and that the only fascism they see is the Bush administration.

They themselves have suffered the ultimate "kiss" of a dementor-like ideology. This ideology has sucked them dry and destroyed their own spirit; and now they too must go out and destroy all that is good and hopeful--lest it remind them that once, long ago, they had a soul.

Their envy is palpable. It is malignant and it is consuming them. But they don't care. They have convinced themselves that they stand for things like "peace" and "freedom" and "truth"--but they have really chosen to ally themselves to the side of darkness and despair, slavery and oppression, lies and distortions; and they can no longer even appreciate when a truly magnificent achievement takes place before their very eyes.

They only believe in empty words. The wondrous reality completely escapes them.


*Dementors - "Dementors are among the foulest creatures that walk this earth. They infest the darkest, filthiest places, they glory in decay and despair, they drain peace, hope, and happiness out of the air around them....Get too near a dementor and every good feeling, every happy memory will be sucked out of you. If it can, the dementor will feed on you long enough to reduce you to something like itself...soul-less and evil. You'll be left with nothing...." (from The Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling)

WHAT TO DO ABOUT IRAN?

Charles Krauthammer today discusses the psychosis of Iran's president--and to get the most chilling effect, you must read the entire piece:

Lest you get carried away with today's good news from Iraq, consider what's happening next door in Iran. The wild pronouncements of the new Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have gotten sporadic press ever since he called for Israel to be wiped off the map. He subsequently amended himself to say that Israel should simply be extirpated from the Middle East map and moved to some German or Austrian province. Perhaps near the site of an old extermination camp?

Except that there were no such camps, indeed no Holocaust at all, says Ahmadinejad. Nothing but ``myth,'' a ``legend'' that was ``fabricated ... under the name `Massacre of the Jews.'''

This brought the usual reaction from European and American officials, who, with Churchillian rage and power, called these statements unacceptable. That something serious may accrue to Iran for this -- say, expulsion from the U.N. for violating its most basic principle by advocating the outright eradication of a member state -- is, of course, out of the question.

The question is, what to do about Iran: its genocidal maniac president; its lunatic mullahs; and, of course, its soon-to-be-operational nuclear weapons program?

While Europe has diddled around, even the Iranian regime's lying reassurances that its nuclear program was strictly "peaceful" has gone by the wayside. The Iranians see clearly that they needn't bother to reassure people who are willfully blind, particularly since Europe isn't going to do anything about it even if they opened their eyes.

While the UN and its chief appeaser negotiator bask in the glowing warmth of the entirely meaningless Nobel Peace Prize; they can rest assured in the knowledge that, because of their institutional incompetence and fundamental stupidity, the world teeters closer toan Iranian-style armageddon. Always put off to tomorrow what you can't blame the US for today.

I suspect that both Europe and the UN intend to leave the dirty work to Israel--that way they can have their cake and eat it too. By that, I mean that these courageous international leaders can continue to pretend that Iran is peaceful; or that they are even reasonable, in order to justify not doing anything themselves to upset the mullahs; while at the same time they can freely able to point any finger of blame at Israel--whether it is successful in destroying the Iranian nuclear program (the ideal situation) or not. In either case, Israel will not generate any feelings of gratitude in the world community, but will continue to be the world's beloved scapegoat.
Much has been made about the fact that the Iranian nuclear program is hidden and well-protected; and that there is no hope of a single strike that would "take out" facilities there (the way Israel once did with Iraq and Saddam).

But here are a few modest suggestions:

- Is there a reason why the US cannot arrest Ahmadinejad the next time he is in New York--particularly since there is every reason to believe he was involved int he Carter-era Iranian hostage taking of Americans. He needs to be held responsible for that criminal act. His arrest would definitely stir things up and that might not be a bad thing if the Iranian death star is not yet fully operational. Why not?

- Sherlock Holmes once wanted to find out where someone had cleverly hidden something he needed. He correctly reasoned that if it was something precious to the individual who hid it, that when threatened, the first thing they would do is to check and make sure it was still intact. Such a strategy could be very efficient.

- There are other targets besides the nuclear weapons facilities that--if taken out--would effectively neutralize such facilities; e.g., certain religious persons.

- There are other targets besides the nuclear weapons facilities that are precious to the President of Iran and if taken out would further destabilize him (clue: one of them is mentioned in Krauthammer's piece). Mentally destabilizing him before Iran becomes capable of using nuclear weapons would be better than after.

- There is a strong freedom movement in Iran, which, given the chance (and enought firepower) could make a change in leadership possible. It would seem that practically anyone else in the position of power would be a better bet for, not only the Iranians, but the rest of the world.

I'm only a blogger (and hence can say some things that the State Department would be unlikely to say), but it seems to me (to quote a well-known source) that "the time has come; the time is now; ; [Iran's nuclear capabiltiy] must go go go; we don't care how." It is really that simple, and even those who habitually put their hands over their eyes and refuse to look at what disturbs them, are able to at least smell the stench of mortal danger that emanates from that country.

And, I concur with Mark from Mexico in suggesting that, whatever is done should be "appropriately lethal." AMEN

UPDATE: Sigmund,Carl&Alfred link to a video demonstrating how Hizbollah has been inspired by the antics of the President of Iran.

Listen To Your Grandmother

The old saying, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" would indeed seem to apply here; but if they really believed in the truth of that grandmotherly admonition, then they would never be able to say anything about anything at all....

And wouldn't that be a pleasant change?

THE COUNCIL HAS SPOKEN !

This week's winners in the Watcher's Council are now posted at the Watcher of Weasels. Every week the Council nominates posts from the blogs of the Council members, and posts from around the blogsphere. The Council then votes to select the "Best" of all these posts. I'm proud to have been selected two weeks in a row for the honor of Best Council Post! Congratulations to all the other winners.

BEST COUNCIL POSTS:

First Place

America's Kids and Two Days of Infamy The Education Wonks

Second Place

George W New World Man

BEST NON-COUNCIL POSTS:

First Place

An Open Letter Silent Running

Second Place

Living Tribute Florida Cracker

Be sure to check out all the winners at the Watcher's site. It makes for great weekend reading!

HERE'S TO FREEDOM !

Raise a purple finger for Freedom!




UPDATE: The Officer's Club takes a look at the trivialization of the Iraqi elections. Betsy notices an interesting omission; And Scrappleface headline: Iraqis Vote in Droves, Bush Awaits Concession Call!

And finally, John Kerry, who continues to find novel and ingenious ways to express his malignant narcissism (and thoroughly disgust me in the process) is currently pacifying his loser leftist friends (and probably his wife) with talk of impeachment. That this appalling excuse for a human being (and I don't say that lightly) has any credibility after his treasonous behavior in two separate wars, is a testament to the lunacy of American politics. No matter how many times he is appropriately squashed, the man springs back like a the political cockroach he is.

TODAY'S NEWSFLASH to John Forbes Kerry - YOU LOST (again). THE IRAQIS WON.

UPDATE: Some Democrat-type sites deplore the lack of a sense of humor of some bloggers who actually took Kerry seriously--he was joking! It is a legitimate point, but then I'd like to ask them where all the signs saying "Impeach Bush" on people's lawns in Ann Arbor suddenly sprang from? There is a joke in here somewhere, I'm sure. We just probably don't agree on what--or who--it is.

TRUE COLORS OF THE LEFT

In a comment on this post, we can see revealed the true feelings that the Left have toward the professsionals in the U.S. Military services, who have taken on the responsibility of defending freedom for all of us. They normally hide these feelings underneath the cloak of "compassion" and "peace" and general caring about humanity. And, of course, their "bring the troops home" and "not another mother's son" is all a carefully constructed smokescreen to disguise their hatred of all things military. But sometimes, that unfiltered hatred and contempt comes shining through without all the usual trappings of their superior intellect. In response to a comment that suggested that military personnel were proud to serve and that it dishonored them to suggest that their sacrifices were useless or meaningless, this diatribe was posted:

Dishonor the soldiers?

There's an inherent honor in joining an organization that must destroy free will and independent thought in order function properly?

Sorry to disillusion you chumps, but striving to be a drone among thousands of other drones doesn't, by any logic, seem honorable does it? It seems like the the sort of endeavor that would appeal to the insecure and incompetent--Not able to go it on their own in life. Need the group identity and all that... I've known plenty of dedicated soldiers and they do have a tendency toward imbecility.

I was just reminding you that your moronic sentimments about the laughable undertaking in Iraq, and 'supporting our troops,' is actually supporting the sacrificing of these revered (by you) young people for a highly questionable cause.

For myself, I see it as a handy sort of Darwinism. We're overpopulated anyway. But the army is undermanned--I'm sure everyone who responded could come to such terms with local recruitment officers that you all could ship out within a few months and go help spread freedom. What's keeping you? Are you homosexuals? Or just dispensers of bullshit and cowards?

Besides displaying a profound lack of understanding about the military (what else is new for the Left? They don't care enough to even try to understand this particular "culture"--which of course, has no place in their "multicultural" utopian paradise); this is pure, unadulterated and unvarnished prejudice and bias--with obvious overtones of hate and bile. I am sure that all on the Left agree that it must be a sign of serious mental illness.

Without making any diagnosis, however, I can say with absolute certainty that this individual certainly captures the spirit of projection, paranoia and denial that is so pervasive in today's Left and clearly demonstrates the Left's true colors. I once referred to those colors as a "rainbow hypocrisy." The irrational and hysterical prejudice against all aspects of the military is simply another of many examples of the intellectual and moral bankruptcy of many on the Left, who sincerely cheer and support people like Tookie Williams and Saddam Hussein even as as they call Arnold Schwarzenegger a murderer and refer to our troops as "terrorists".

In the real spirit of Darwinism, I can only hope that this friendly and compassionate commentor has not managed to reproduce himself/herself. If such is the case, then s/he may continue to live free without any interference from me.

S/he may also continue to dispense bullshit and be all the coward s/he can be.

AHHHHH, INSIGHT !

This is what happens when you break out of your self-imposed template, and actually take a look at reality:

Think about everything you’ve heard about the conditions in Iraq, the role of U.S. forces, the multi-layered complexities of the war.

Then think again.

I’m a journalist. I read the news everyday, from several sources. I have the luxury of reading stuff newspapers don’t always have room to print. I read every tidbit I could on Iraq and the war before coming.

Everything I thought I knew was wrong.

Maybe not wrong, but certainly different than the picture in my head.

I liken it to this; It was real struggle for me to choose to see the Harry Potter movies. I had read the books and loved the pictures I had in my mind of the details I read. I didn’t need to see a movie; I had a movie playing in my head of exactly how I perceived the stories.

I had similar notions about Iraq, Mosul, the war and what exactly soldiers do. And it was handily shattered like glass today by a group of soldiers, half of them younger than myself.

There are houses of this city that by Fairbanks standards are luxurious. Or at least they were at one time. They are ornate and gated and in neighborhoods with schools, stores and mosques. They are also ghosts of what they once were. They are still lived in, but after years of war and lack of many basic municipal services, the houses look spent and tired around the shutters.

There is garbage on the streets, in yards, in open areas. There is a stench. There is grime. But there are also people.

They are vivid, unlike their surroundings. They are excitable and friendly and conversational. They live in conditions I hope I don’t have to experience in my own life. Yet, if my neighborhood saw two wars, the breakdown of the national and local governments and decline of municipal services, I’m not sure I wouldn’t be in the same boat.

I still haven’t seen U.S. troops engaged or encounter car bombs or explosives. But I did see them play backgammon with some local police and Iraqi soldiers. I saw them take photos with more locals and make jokes mostly lost in translation. They gave advice and expertise to local troops on how to conduct a neighborhood patrol. They drank the local customary tea, and many admitted they’ve become addicted to it. They know several locals by name. I didn’t hear one slight or ridicule of a very distinct culture. One soldier mentioned it might be a good idea to clean up the trash around one polling place, and another commented on the status of women in the culture, but they were nothing but respectful, friendly and buddy-buddy with the Iraqis they mingled with today.

And this is good stuff.

More than anything in the last few days I’ve heard from soldiers and commanders that people back home don’t quite get it. They don’t see the real picture. They don’t get the real story. Some of them, like Lt. Col. Gregg Parrish, look seriously pained in the face when he says only a part of the picture is being told; the part of car bombs and explosives and suicide bombers and death. It’s a necessary part of the picture, but not a complete one, he says.

Read it all.

Ahhhh, insight! It's amazing what facing reality can do for your perspective.

WE WIN, THEY LOSE

The day before the Iraqi vote, Mohammed at Iraq the Model says:

Tomorrow it’s going to be us who decide and I can feel the greatness of the responsibility because the result will draw the shape of our future and will determine how long it will take till we can announce victory in this war; our war against the past, against the past’s illusions and the past’s mistakes; with our hands we can make this war last shorter… with our own choices.

One year ago we wanted to defeat terror and the shadows of dictatorship and tell them that we are not willing to go backwards and that we’re ready to build a new Iraq where the people choose their representatives…
The choice didn’t matter then as much as voting itself did; all we wanted to do was to go and cast our votes regardless of the choices we made.

Yesterday we were sitting together with our friends talking and discussing our points of view. We found that our ambitions are way bigger than the mere idea of voting or practicing our right to elect, now we feel that our votes are a responsibility and a heavy one.
We are hesitant and worried about our choices and maybe the opinion polls results that we’ve seen-or at least from what I hear from people I meet-indicate that there’s a higher percentage than normal of people who haven’t made up their mind yet on who to vote for.

Me and my friends were sitting discussing “who’s best for Iraq?” and the reasons on which each one of us based his/her opinion. I was seeing a drastic change in the sense of the historic responsibility we shoulder.
I see my friends call their friends and acquaintances encouraging them to vote for this candidate or that list and putting effort in convincing them with this or that idea.

In a matter of one year questions and answers changed a lot; less than a year ago the question was “will you vote?” But now the question is “who are you going to vote for?”
We are making progress, definitely we are!

Meanwhile the peripatetic and chronically depressed Senate Minority Leader, Harry Reid said in his usual bland monotone that [the president] "is still not focused on what needs to be done in convincing the American people and showing the American people what his plan is in Iraq."

He wants timetables, timelines, measurable outcomes; powerpoint bullets; and all the other bureaucratic accoutrements that are the hallmark of official bulls***. Having worked for the Federal Government for far too many years in the past, I am perfectly aware of the the complete uselessness of these time-wasting and completely fantasy-driven types of documents that appease the bureacrats and managers, but have nothing to do with reality. They are about as useless as....as a Democrat in wartime.

I will leave it to the commanders and the men and women on the ground to develop the specific tactics necessary to achieve victory. Those tactics are never condensable to a powerpoint presentation with its pretty bullet charts and timelines; since in the real world they must be adaptable, flexible and proactive depending on the situation on the ground.

As far as our overall strategy, we should simply adapt President Reagan's well-known strategy for victory in the the Cold War, to the Iraq War and the GWOT: "WE WIN, THEY LOSE" . We also need to remember another profoundly true point made by Reagan: "No arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women."

And as the Iraqis have already demonstrated twice before and will demonstrate again tomorrow: WE ARE WINNING.

IT WILL ALWAYS BE A HOPELESS QUAGMIRE FOR SOME...

As proof of this, I cite the neverending press negativism about Iraq from Media Reality Check and practically anything said on the subject from instant hero John Murtha (never heard of him before his famous hopeless remarks about VietnamSomalia Iraq) and the usual Democratic knights who say NIE.

...So, I dedicate this song to the pessimists, doomsayers, the Looney Left and all the negative and hopelessly depressed Democrats.

NOT GETTING BETTER (EVER)

(Sung to the tune of "Getting Better" by the Beatles)

It's fun to get mad at the Prez
And trash everything that he says
He's holding us down, making us frown
We'd rather have Hugo Chavez!

We'll never admit it's getting better
Here at home or in Iraq
We'll never admit it's getting better
Until we get the White House back.

We used to be happy, you see
But now we're the knights who say NIE
Iraq gets to vote
But we really hope
That noone pretends they are free.

We'll never admit it's getting better
We stand for nothing and have no plan
We simply hate to admit it's getting better
And we hate that we lost and now he's the boss
And we'll thwart him as much as we can.

We'll never admit it's getting better
Here at home or in Iraq
We'll never admit it's getting better
Until we get the White House back.

THE SAME WAVELENGTH

A spirited 70 year old Iraqi woman has voiced my sentiments exactly:

"Anyone who doesn't appreciate what America has done in Iraq ... what President Bush has done ... can go to hell."

I am just too polite to say it myself.

We Are Approaching A Moment....

Hugh Hewitt comments on the coming showdown with Iran and its not-so-secret-plans to wipe Israel off the map:

On March 7, 1936, "a small token of German troops paraded across the Rhine bridges at dawn...and entered the demiliterized zone," wrote William Shirer in The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. "As [General] Jodl testified at Nuremberg, 'Considering the situation we were in, the French covering army could have blown us to pieces.'"

"It could have," concluded Shirer, "and had it, that almost certainly would have been the end of Hitler."

We are approaching such a moment.

All Things Beautiful is also concerned that a confrontation is coming and discusses the metastaticizing cancer of Iran.

...if we do not help Israel stop Iran from going nuclear, it will be the last Chamberalinean move we will get to make.

And finally, Solomon2 thinks that--in addition to the saber-rattling of Iran's president towards Israel--that there is a media war being waged against the Jewish state.

There is no way to predict with any certainty what the future will be. But we cannot passively wait for the reason-impaired president of Iran to see the "light" and hope that he is only joking about his plans for dealing with Israel. A moment is fast approaching when a decision will have to be made about how to deal with Iran--and no matter what the enlightened journalists or members of the Left say, the problem is not Israel.

Israel wants nothing more than to be left in peace by its neighbors. But its neighbors cannot deal with the shame they feel about either the mere presence of a Jewish state in the Middle East, or the incredible economic success of that state compared to their own oppressive economies.

The Palestinian issue could have been solved two decades ago, if the Palestinians wanted it solved; and if the other countries of the Middle East wanted it solved. The truth is that Israel is the only country that desires peace. And they are surrounded by countries that would prefer a different "final solution."

The thought of any of those countries controlled by the "religion of peace" possessing nuclear weapons is absolutely bone-chillingly frightening. Is there anyone who has paid attention for the last 20 years --or even the last few weeks--who could doubt the purpose of those weapons?

Who do you trust? And if you reply that you trust Iran; or the PLO; or the UN; or even the anti-Israeli Media; ---then the moment in which we could change history has already passed yet again; and we might as well proceed to the beginning of the next holocaust.

Because it is coming. And we have been warned.

Listen Up, Dowd

The Anchoress has some really really good advice for Maureen Dowd. And if Maureen doesn't take it, I'll know she has been spending her time reading and taking tips from the book mentioned in my previous post.

THE IDIOT"S GUIDE TO VICTIMHOOD - Getting It and Keeping It

Neo (that's her new nickname, I understand!) speculates on the way the minds of people like Bianca Jagger and Ramsey Clarke operate. She correctly concludes that they consider "victimhood" the key quality deserving of their attention and pity. This is in part because they have an intense narcissistic need to see themselves as "champions of the oppressed", hence the constant need to find and maintain an oppressed class of people to champion.

It particularly seems to help their egos if those they champion are, what I would call "undeserving victims" (just like Alfred P. Doolittle's "undeserving poor")-- they have needs as great as the most deserving of victims; in fact, their needs are even greater!

The following excerpts are reprinted in its entirety without permission, from Worlwide Victimhood, Inc. (WWV) a wholly owned subsidiary of Dr. Sanity Enterprises, a multinational conglomerate (just kidding!):

A SHORT COURSE ON HOW TO BE A VICTIM

Chapter I: THE ADVANTAGES OF VICTIMHOOD

This brief guide is for those searching for an expedited pathway into the exalted status of Victimhood. Becoming a victim --as we all have learned from famous TV stars, prominent politicians; religions, races, and even nations--is an advantageous state of being in many ways, several of which are:

-You are not responsible for what happened to you
-You are always morally right
-You are not accountable to anyone for anything
-You are forever entitled to sympathy
-You are always justified in feeling moral indignation for being wronged
-You never have to be responsible again for anything

As you can see, these are some heavy-duty privileges; and they are not given to just anyone. This list is not exclusive. There are many benefits of Victimhood; and in our current society, new rewards are continuously being discovered! You, too, may be someone who blazes a new path for future victims!

The badge of victimhood must be "earned" (ha ha, just kidding!) by one of two methods: (1) Membership in a special "victim" class; or (2) having something bad actually happen to you. Method 1 is definitely is superior in every way since it eliminates the need for something bad to actually happen to you (as long as it once happened to someone like you--you are set); thus this method is preferable and automatically puts all sorts of celebrities and famous people on your side. They will not be concerned if you are a good person or a bad person; just as long as you meet the basic victimhood criteria.

You are probably tempted to ask what that basic criteria is for most famous people to support you? Here is a tip (keep it under your hat): most famous people--especially undeserving famous people (i.e., people who are famous not for any particular talent they have, but because they might have a good publicist, for example) have an intense need to feel that they are "champions of the oppressed." This relieves them of the pervasive feelings of guilt under which they must function. Hence, all you have to do is to convince them that you are "oppressed" by one of a number of usual "oppressors", and you are home free!

Here is a handy list of possible oppressors that can be used by almost anyone searching for victimhood status:

- caucasian, heterosexual males
- Republicans (either male or female)
- conservatives (either male or female)
- businessmen or women (commonly referred to as "little eichmanns")
- capitalists
- rich people
- Christians (particularly Republican or conservative)
- the U.S. Military (all services)
- Americans (as a general group)
- Israelis (Jews)

Note: This list is not exhaustive, but it is a good place to start if you are pursuig victimhood for fun and profit.

Chapter II: THE BADGE OF VICTIMHOOD

Victimhood is automatically conferred if you are a member of one or more of the following groups:

- An underrepresented race (whoever is in the minority--the majority are barred from victimhood)
- An underrepresented gender(males are prohibited from victimhood)
- An underrepresented sexual orientation (heterosexuals are not allowed to be victims)
- A nation without land (e.g., Palestinian)
- Any nation the U.S. has a disagreement with
- A religion stuck in the Middle Ages (e.g., Islam)
- A person in jail (your crime is immaterial, but the worse the crime, the better)

Other individuals or groups may petition for Victimhood if they meet the following criteria:

- The Liberal Media confers it on them
- You appear on talk shows and spill your guts about some distasteful event that happened to you
- You use drugs or alcohol but get into treatment after you get in trouble
- You find God after you get in trouble
- You are very sorry for your reprehensible behavior or actions and have a reputable person to blame for why you did it (President Bush is always a good choice, but any parental figure--even God-- will do)
- If you are a nation or religion, it is always safe to be a victim of the Jews
- If you are incompetent at your job and unable to get ahead it is generally due to someone else's behavior; or it might be due to Adult Attention Deficit Disorder-- either way works.
- If you haven't achieved your proper level of power in the world (even if you are a dictator, surprisingly) you could be a victim of American foreign policy
-If you have economic problems, it is likely you are a vicitm of Capitalism (remember, that socialism, communism, fascism, and other ideologies are completely off the hook since they proactively blame Capitalism for all the problems of the world)
-If you are addicted to ANYTHING, you are likely to be a victim!
-If your feelings are hurt by someone--either intentionally or unintentionally-- you are a victim (call our toll-free number above if you have any questions, but most Universities have special policies that cover you)
- If you can attract Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Ramsey Clark, or Bianca Jagger to your cause, you are, by definition, a victim! Case closed!

Having something bad actually happen to you is the second method of achieving Victimhood. However, as mentioned in Chapter 1; it is a much less direct method than the methods listed above and is not recommended.

Why, you might ask? Simple! Waiting around for something bad to actually happen to you is an extremely inefficient way of becoming a victim. After all, you cannot control when or where natural disasters occur. Statistically, other disastrous events (e.g., lightening striking; plane crashes; etc.) do not occur frequently enough to be reliable. And it is important to note that many people who suffer victimhood in this natural way will eventually get on with their lives! And that is the LAST THING YOU ACTUALLY WANT TO DO! Remember the most politically correct type of Victimhood is the kind you can inflict on yourself! Be professional! Our motto at WorldWide Victimhood, Inc. is "Take Control of Your Victimhood!".

IMPORTANT NOTICE: If you are lucky enought to already be a member of an approved victim group AND something bad happens to you (e.g., a hurricane or other natural disaster) well, that is, as we say in the biz, the best of all possible worlds (assuming, of course, that you survive the experience). Then you are a victim twice-over, and entitled to what we will refer to as the Platinum Club victimhood membership rewards. (Discussed in a Chapter yet to be written).

Chapter III : HOW TO EFFORTLESSLY MAINTAIN YOUR VICTIM STATUS

Here are a few helpful strategies to maintain your prized Victimhood status in spite of all efforts to placate, apologize to; help, or support you.

- Resist Resist Resist taking any responsibility for your own behavior. It can always be made to seem like someone else is at fault
- Have a ready list of other people, nations, religions, groups etc. to blame for your situation and do not accept help from those on your list
- Constantly demand your rights
- Use the medium of Television to tell your story as often as possible; however, any member of the media (print, TV, radio) is usually supportive of your goals and will work with you to best frame your victimhood to elicit optimal sympathy.
- Did I mention that you must NEVER take any responsibility for your own behavior? If I did, it is because it cannot be mentioned too often.
- Play up the victim's position of enhanced moral authority. Weep about your plight whenever possible. Do nothing to make things better.
- Become a spokesperson or a media darling for any of the groups who make up International A.N.S.W.E.R.
- Make commercials for Moveon.org; or at least let them use your story to explain how oppressive one of the oppressor groups listed in Chapter 1 are.

When using any of the above strategy, make sure you ACT like a victim--crying, whining, using anger effectively--all these can enhance other's perception of your Victimhood

NEVER take any steps to improve your situation--that way is the OPPOSITE of true, enlightened Victimhood.

Frequently going to see a psychiatrist or mental health professional can improve your Victimhood credentials (and you can apply the other strategies to resisting therapy to change); Other medical professionals are also useful in this regard, and a side benefit is that YOU CAN SUE THEM LATER if you don't like what they say; thus insuring further victimization!

Suicidal gestures are VERY helpful and can garner much sympathy. It is noteworthy that even large groups can use this strategy by encouraging suicidal behavior (or even homicidal behavior--which is counterintuitive, but fortunately often true!) on the part of the most vulnerable of their members (e.g., children or teens are good choices)

As you can see, there are many paths to Victimhood. Keep your head up and really look around for opportunities. One group in particular deserves special mention for their unfailing and extraordinary efforts at maintaining and feeding their Victimhood for decades. I am speaking of course, about the Palestinians. Through their previous president, Yasser Arafat, they creatively resisted worldwide attempts to ease them gently from their role of victim. Their efforts have inspired many others --especially people and nations in the Middle East. But the Palestinians are, without a doubt the Gold Medal Winner of our WorldWide Victimhood, Inc. Annual Awards. Note how, their current president has just provided lifetime benefits to those lucky enought to be members of the family of a suicide bomber! This deserves its own unique award as it represents extraordinarily creative efforts in the annals of victimhoodology.

We at WWV, Inc. encourage all of you potential victims out there to watch and learn from real professionals. They are out there--everywhere you are--and their example can be an inspiration to strive for failure and achieve nothing in Life but to make others pay for their sins against you.

************END EXCERPT******************

DR. SANITY DISCLAIMER: To all those real victims out there, who are struggling to overcome diseases; recover from disasters and events; and move beyond those traumas that have temporarily and painfully interrupted your lives--I heartily salute you and in no way aim to denigrate your efforts. Taking responsibility for your life will empower you and enable you to grow beyond whatever you have experienced. May you always rise above what Life has presented to you and exceed all expectations--even your own.

UPDATE: Additional information and tips on calculating the level of victimhood (called the "PC factor") for the victimhood-seeking individual can be found here.

Iraqi Elections

Keep checking over at Iraq the Model this week, as the Iraqi elections take place. He is posting frequent updates. The voting has already begun today, and there should be a lot interesting information you won't see in the MSM (what else is new). Gateway Pundit is also keeping close watch on events.

Kudos to the Iraqis, who have definitely earned a joyful celebration of dancing as they assume all the rights and privileges of a free society.

UPDATE: Sorry about the links!! They're fixed now. I don't know what I was thinking!

WHO SAYS THERE WAS NO IRAQ - AL QAEDA CONNECTION ?

I really liked the part of President Bush's speech today at the World Affairs Council (a private, non-profit, non-partisan educational organization in Philadelphia), when he reminded us of Osama Bin Laden's 1998 Fatwa. Here is what Bin Laden said in that document:

No one argues today about three facts that are known to everyone; we will list them, in order to remind everyone:

First, for over seven years the United States has been occupying the lands of Islam in the holiest of places, the Arabian Peninsula, plundering its riches, dictating to its rulers, humiliating its people, terrorizing its neighbors, and turning its bases in the Peninsula into a spearhead through which to fight the neighboring Muslim peoples.

If some people have formerly debated the fact of the occupation, all the people of the Peninsula have now acknowledged it.

The best proof of this is the Americans' continuing aggression against the Iraqi people using the Peninsula as a staging post, even though all its rulers are against their territories being used to that end, still they are helpless. Second, despite the great devastation inflicted on the Iraqi people by the crusader-Zionist alliance, and despite the huge number of those killed, in excess of 1 million... despite all this, the Americans are once against trying to repeat the horrific massacres, as though they are not content with the protracted blockade imposed after the ferocious war or the fragmentation and devastation.

So now they come to annihilate what is left of this people and to humiliate their Muslim neighbors.

Third, if the Americans' aims behind these wars are religious and economic, the aim is also to serve the Jews' petty state and divert attention from its occupation of Jerusalem and murder of Muslims there.

The best proof of this is their eagerness to destroy Iraq, the strongest neighboring Arab state, and their endeavor to fragment all the states of the region such as Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Sudan into paper statelets and through their disunion and weakness to guarantee Israel's survival and the continuation of the brutal crusade occupation of the Peninsula.

In fact, if you read the entire paranoid rant, you will discover that one of the major justifications of the fatwa was Iraq. In Bin Laden's mind, the "aggression" against the Iraqi people after the 1991 war that contained Saddam and freed Kuwait from his invasion; gave him the right to order the indiscriminate murder of Americans.

As Bush so appropriately commented in his speech today (I'm paraphrasing and when I get a link I'll put it up), "It is Bin Laden and his followers who are inflicting devastation and ruthlessly killing and oppressing the people of Iraq."

No connection, huh?

UPDATE: Still no link, but look what the MSM considers the most important part of Bush's speech (this actually was spoken in a Q&A period after the speech). Typical.

UPDATE II: Here is another link to an article about the speech. It again emphasizes the death count of Iraqis; the allegations of abuse in Iraqi prisons, and makes these snide comments:

Bush needs a relatively smooth showing during Thursday's elections in Iraq to hold up as a sign of progress and try to counter daily news of suicide bombings and U.S. troop deaths that have soured the American public on the war.

Bush is fighting to get his second term back on track after a year in which Americans lost faith in his ability to manage the war and a growing number came to believe his administration misled them in making the case for the U.S.-led invasion.

Boy, I am sick to death of these yahoos. I'm glad I listened to the speech for myself and don't have to rely on them to tell me what was important.

UPDATE III: Here is the White House fact sheet on the speech, but no text yet OK, here is the text of his speech; and the part that particularly interested me is the following:

In a 1998 fatwa, Osama bin Laden argued that the suffering of the Iraqi people was justification for his declaration of war on America. Now bin Laden and al-Qaeda are the direct cause of the Iraqi people's suffering.

Too bad that the Muslim world didn't do anything about the suffering of the Iraqi people under Saddam and his brutal regime. Osama was silent then. And after Saddam invaded Kuwait, I don't remember hearing Osama condemn that either.

The Whos Have Had It

John Leo at RCP says it's beginning to look a lot like...something else:

A Christmas quiz:
The "winter program" at Ridgeway Elementary School in Dodgeville, Wis., changed the lyrics of the Christmas carol "Silent Night" to the more inclusive "Cold in the Night." ("Cold in the night, no one in sight, winter winds whirl and bite.") After this success, the program's next step will obviously be:

(a) Changing "O Holy Night" to "Uh-oh! Wholly night!" a song about a lunar eclipse.

(b) Singing "O Little Town of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania."

(c) A song celebrating the comeback of the American auto industry, "Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Ford."

(d) A ditty about hoping for snow at the Panama Canal, "I'm dreaming of a white isthmus."

The modern name for Christmas trees is now:

(a) Giving trees

(b) Trees of color

(c) Seasonal conifers

(d) Inclusion bushes

(e) Tall lit-up flora

(f) Those pointy green things with needles and lights

What I want to know is, have we all been sleeping these last --oh, I don't know--10 years or so? How in heaven's name did all the political correct assininity become so prevalent? How did it sneak up and like the Grinch, sneaking down from his mountan, steal Christmas away from us?

Isn't it time to say "enough is enough" to this mind-boggling insanity? "Cold in the Night"? Trees of color?? Red and Green offensive? What is the matter with these people? Who died and made them holiday fuehrers? Does the multicultural mob live in thrall to the White Witch? Or are they simply PC Grinches?

Whos like me are just about fed up with their shennanigans.

Right about now these Christmas Grinches are up the side of Mt. Crumpit:

"Pooh-Pooh to the Whos!" he was grinch-ish-ly humming.
"They're finding out now that no Christmas is coming!
"They're just waking up! I know what they'll do!
"Their mouths will hang open a minute or two
"Then the Whos down in Who-ville will all cry BOO-HOO!

"That's a noise," ginned the Grinch,
"That I simply MUST hear!"
So he paused. And the Grinch put his hand to his ear.
And he did hear a sound rising oer the snow.
It started in low. Then it started to grow...

But the sound wasn't sad!
Why, this sound sounded merry!
It couldn't be so!
But it WAS merry! VERY!

They can try all they want, but they haven't stopped Christmas from coming at all.

HEH

Glenn Reynolds with his trademark, "Heh" , captures the growing despair of jihadists around the world.

With Saddam loyalists recognizing that if they don't vote they will be left out of the new democratic Iraq; Zawahiri admitting that AQ is losing it; and the moderates in Bangladesh and Indonesia standing up against the killings---what's a poor Islamofascist to do these days?

Of course, since most of the Democratic Party think this war is unwinninable; that Iraq was a strategic mistake (even as they position themselves to take credit for victory there); and that American soldiers are terrorists--I suppose that Bin Laden et al could turn to them for help and advice.

2006 should be extremely interesting!

UPDATE: And let me add, that as the party of donkeys "tests out" some themes for 2006 and 2008 to see which ones will "resonate" with their base (do they believe in anything except polls anymore?) ; history will simply pass them by. Heh.

DEMOCRATIC DEPRESSION

BizzyBlog reports on some extremely good economic news for Americans (news that made it into a Chinese newspaper, but not into any American paper except the WSJ:

In a separate editorial later in the week (requires subscription), The Journal noted that household net worth has increased $10 trillion since the Bush tax cuts took effect in 2003. That’s a 24% increase in roughly 2-1/2 years. The negative financing gap means that companies were, on the whole, able to finance their capital expansions out of profits instead of borrowing money or selling stock.

Read all the good economic news, and consider that we've had major disasters and rising gas prices--neither of which has slowed down economic growth.







The MSM is trying hard to keep this information close to the vest, but the true state of affairs is "leaking" out (Quick! Where's Fitzgerald??). With Iraqi elections to be held this week and likely some troops coming home next year, the positive economic outlook has really induced a serious depression in the Democrats.

TOUCH AND GO !

Here are few quick touch and go's to direct you to some interesting reading around the blogsphere:

Solomon's House has a fascinating piece up about "Millions for Defense, Not One Cent for Tribute" referring to the ransoms for American citizens demanded by Ottoman Empire Barbary pirates.

Meanwhile, The Anchoress discusses the "socially acceptable" prejudice (which I talked about in the run-up to the 2004 election here. )

Over at Camp Katrina, guest blogger, Amal Chaaban offers news analysis and refreshing Muslim perspectives on world events. This week she covers "The Good, The Bad, And the Ugly"

Dymphna at The Gates of Vienna is keeping a close watch on what's happening in Pakistan, and thinks trouble is brewing...

GM's Corner is hosting the very first Carnival of German-American Relations...

and, be sure to regularly check Iraq the Model this week for newIraqi election updates!

NARNIA

Last night the family went to see Narnia. The Boo, who is grounded for reasons we won't go into, had not wanted to go, saying it was "for kids" (she is 13 years old). She promised to sulk the entire movie, and made sure we knew how displeased she was to be dragged along.

I was enchanted. Never before have I seen a movie so absolutely true to the book; so beautiful visually; and so well-acted and moving. I had read the books many years ago, and had forgotten how incredibly relevant they were now--especially as I heard Lucy and Peter argue that they could not possibly leave Narnia and its people to the destructiveness and malevolence of the White Witch. In a flash of insight, it occurred to me that the hostile reception of Narnia on the part of many of the "anti-Christian coalition" (see here for example) had less to do with the movie's underlying (Christian) theology/mythology (which I thought was not at all emphasized) than it had to do with what must have been their intense identification with Edmund, whose inner conflicts and whining bitterness with its concomitant desire for power (especially over his siblings) leads him to betray his family and Narnia to a cold and ruthless evil. Edmund's deliberate refusal to acknowledge what both he and Lucy see at the beginning of the adventure eerily parallels the present; and his redemption at the end was so well-done that even the most cynical among us could feel a spark of hope for the human race.

But I don't want to get too caught up in the movie's parallels with today. Basically, it is a story about good and evil. About the choices each of us make in confronting the world and coping with its unpleasant and painful realities. The opening scene of London being bombed and the Pevensie's reactions set the stage for the entire drama. Even sent far away into the calm and peaceful English countryside by a well-meaning and loving parent, the children are still confronted with the reality of good and evil; still have to make choices about which side they belong on and who they choose to love and support. These issues and conflicts are so well-dramatized in the movie, that--even though there were small children all over the audience--I did not hear a sound from them throughout.

At the end of the movie, the Boo turned to me with tears in her eyes and hugged me. "Thanks for making me come to see this, " she whispered, "it was an absolutely fantatstic movie."

Now, that is extraordinarily high praise coming from a teenager.

(PajamasMedia has a roundup of reviews; as does RadioBlogger)

CARNIVAL OF THE INSANITIES

Time for the weekly insanity udate, where the insane, the bizarre, the ridiculous, and the completely absurd are highlighted for all to see! This has been a week of rare idiocy (as always!). Calling all bloggers! Be sure to send in your entries to the Carnival, which will be posted every Sunday. Entries need to be in by 8 pm ET on Saturday to make their way into the list that week. Only one post entry weekly per blogger, please. Thanks for all the submissions. I will use as many as possible!
SO MANY INSANITIES! SO LITTLE TIME!
***NEW*** Feel free to add your own insanities in Trackbacks to this post!

1. This will be blamed on Lieberman. Just watch.

2. Euphemisms for the Mafia and Star Trek!

3. Gee, no kidding ? Who would have thought it?

4. Equidistant from Kyoto and Reality and Agence France-Presse Freaks Out

5. Library loonies. Blogsphere loonies. Compassionate lefty loonies.

6. Has he beheaded anyone yet? Meanwhile, Media Matters seems to be rather tolerant of this guy But then, he's just speaking truth to power. And he has important demands!

7. A response by the warmonger and puppy-kicker community. Also, Rumsfeld gets fiesty and proves turnabout is fair play...

8. Is she ever in any other mode?

9. It might also be said, "Pro-unionionism is the syphillic infection of the corporation." We all have our favorite metaphorical styles.

10. Now this is an incredibly creative victimhood whine.

11. Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! She can't do that to us!

12. Some good reasons why military people tend to vote Republican.

13. Sandwich monkey?

14. I think somehow, we should not expect a correction from the Times.

15. The aptly named "People's Republic of Seabrook" weighs in on the "glorious leader". Get ready for yet another Hitler reference.

16. The ACLU digs for dirt (and doesn't find it). You'd think they were frustrated journalists or something. Meanwhile, someone actually trusts the U.S. --what a concept!

17. OIF blogging--simplified!

18. Earthlings can rest easy. (via Betsy's Page)

19. New Canadian strategy to get young people to the polls: fear!

20. No faith in rice, or in the price of cookware either! (via Instapundit)

21. Recently leaked blogger archives from 1863...

22. Princeton is always considerate of terrorist's feelings. In other academic news, poor Ward Churchill is being harassed!

Carnival of the Insanities can also be found at The Truth Laid Bear's ÜberCarnival.

***************************************

If you would like to Join the insanity, and add the Carnival of the Insanities button to your sidebar (clicking on it will always take you to the latest update of the Carnival), click on the button below to obtain the html code:

Heard the Word of Blog?