THE CULTURE WAR IS NOT SETTLED

THE CULTURAL WAR IS NOT SETTLED

By Domenick J.  Maglio Ph.d. traditional Realist

No matter how much the progressive media, the university and political indoctrinators attempt to convert America to a progressive perspective, it is unable to close the deal. Changing our culture can only be accomplished by citizens forsaking traditional morals and values for a modern non- judgmental egalitarian society.  This does not seem to be happening regardless of the media claims. The  majority of citizens are adhering to the traditional views and resisting radical change.

The progressives are realizing that their politically correct strategy has resulted in traditionalists taking a low profile to fight a guerilla war. This struggle to maintain their beliefs is occurring in their minds and with their families and friends. They are resistant fighters who against all odds have retained strong traditional beliefs.

The media’s reaction to Duck Dynasty’s patriarch, Phil Robinson, has been an illustration of the perseverance of America’s traditional values. Television network company A&E like most progressive media organizations, thought by suspending Phil Robinson indefinitely they would win brownie points with other progressive elites.  At the same time they would cause Mr. Robinson to squirm, denouncing his Biblical views and beg for his job back.  They thought he would fold to continue to rake in the “holy dollars.”

The American people powerfully voiced their objections to A&E censorship of his free speech right, on and off his comedy/reality show.  They petitioned and bought Duck Dynasty products to show support for his right to express his traditional beliefs. They turned the tables on A&E.

This spontaneous support surprised and infuriated the company’s brass for nine days. Quickly they realized they were quacking up the wrong duck stand. They had to do an about-face and surrender to keep the number one cable show in their flock for the big bucks.

Phil’s reinstatement resulted in a spastic media meltdown. They quibbled with a story line until they settled on making it about corporate America’s right to make money. All of a sudden A&E’s inexplicable reversal was heralded as a smart and rational business decision not a surrender to the staying power of Judeo-Christian moral values. The company had a right and a responsibility in our corporate structure to maximize their profitability for their stockholders.

The rest of the media cabal did not like this business cop-out on this significant cultural issue.  They could not allow this Neanderthal to continue with impunity to express these vile Biblical references. They increased their attacks by referring to a magazine interview where he states he is “with the blacks: I’m white trash.” He stated that they worked side by side. He summarized that, “the blacks were godly, they were happy and no one was singing the blues.”  This, according to the media pundits, was played up as an insensitive racial remark. These observations of Phil were from his working alongside blacks who possessed the same moral values and behavior as he did. This was an inclusive, not a derisive statement.

After a short period when the saga was losing traction, the media attack dogs introduced a four-year old video to contrive another controversy.  In his speech to a group he made a joke about marrying a teenage woman instead of an “older” 20 year-old woman who would be looking to pick his pocket. This was pointed out as further verification of his “character perversion” of liking young girls. This statement was an attempt to discredit him for his attraction to younger women since he married his wife when she was 16 and he was 20.

The fact that they have been married for decades was irrelevant to the cartoon characterization of Phil Robertson they are trying to create. This strained line of demeaning him only reinforces how out-of-touch the media is with the average American audience.

The only way the Robinson family loses this battle with the media is to sell out their values and beliefs to appease the media elites so they stop the attacks on them. They would lose their credibility as Freedom of Speech heroes. Duck Dynasty members would become just another in a long list of weak, hypocritical entertainers.

No matter how much the media relentlessly derides traditional values, the American people continue to stand by them. Duck Dynasty’s continuing success shows the American people will not be brainwashed to abandon what they know is right and decent.

Americans may remain silent or not answer polls the way they really feel so as not to be seen as politically incorrect in front of progressives. Nevertheless American people will continue to support and believe in traditional moral values. The culture war is silently being fought in the minds of the majority of American people. The end might shock the elites that they cannot snuff out traditional American no matter how sophisticated and pervasive their use of Marxist propaganda.

Domenick Maglio, PhD. is a columnist carried by various newspapers, an author of several books and owner/director of Wider Horizons School, a college prep program. You can visit Dr. Maglio at www.drmaglio.blogspot.com.

Lack of Punishment Results in Dishonor

America is becoming a weak nation. There is no longer agreement on what is right or wrong or decent. This confusion has lowered our ability to establish and maintain high standards. People are not sure what is expected of them anymore.

We see the effects on the disintegration of our moral values in all aspects of our lives. Our society is producing weak and overindulgent parents. Our schools are inflating grades and do not give consequences for inappropriate behavior. Corporations are providing poor customer service and producing inferior products. There is no institution in the United States that is sending a strong and clear message of what it takes to become excellent in any role.

Our politicians are not being held accountable for the most flagrant incompetence and disgraceful behavior imaginable. There are few honorable people willing to risk their positions to lead us back to being an exceptional nation. Citizens are beside themselves attempting to comprehend what is happening to our country.

The answer is simple. Who rocks the cradle, controls the nation. When a nation does not emphatically teach moral values to the children everyone does his 'own thing.' Without a moral compass, any deviant actions can be and is rationalized. Pathetically we are perfecting the art of not taking responsibility at an early age, which continues throughout adulthood.

When a young child hurts another child the major consequence today is being made to say 'I'm sorry.' Everything is forgiven and forgotten. There is no sufficient punishment to give enough pain to learn a moral lesson. The actual lesson learned is that 'after I get caught as long as I act contrite, I can do anything I want.'

The opposite is true of a strong parental figure that clearly establishes parameters through appropriate consequences. Children respond positively to strong parents and listen to them. Employees listen to the man in charge who sets the rules and enforces them and follows them himself. They respond by meeting the boss's expectations or face his wrath. The employee looks over his shoulder to see if he is satisfying the boss. In the same manner the child looks to his parents to see if he is meeting their expectations.

The person in charge confirms he has the authority and power every time he metes out consequences by promotions or salary increases or by demoting or firing an employee. External discipline breeds internal discipline for people of any age. This is the reason all healthy people want to know where they stand. Children want discipline because then they know their parents care. Dedicated workers feel more appreciated and safer in an environment where they know the expectations and standards on which they will be judged. Authority figures are slacking in this area.

Political leaders are poor role models when they are not telling the truth or enforcing the same rules for everyone. They say one thing and do the opposite. Lying is so prevalent that we joke, "what can we expect, they're politicians?"

These mixed messages are allowed because we, the citizens are not holding them responsible by firing them through the ballot box. Like parents who refuse to punish their children, politicians believe they are entitled to be revered. Citizens like children are becoming cynical and disrespectful of authority figures.

President Obama's press conference about the security lapses of the underwear bomber was a virtuoso performance of double talk. According to him it was a systemic problem but he did not define the specifics, take responsibility for the fiasco or say how he would fix it. This meant no one including himself would be punished for not performing his duty.

The inability to say what he means and mean what he says creates a muddled message. After the investigation of this incident the administration made no operational changes and did not fire anyone. The tone set was business as usual: sloppy and corrupt. This means everyone is secure in his position and no one is in charge.

Under pressure it is easy to place the blame anywhere rather than making the right decision. There is a big difference between throwing an innocent person under the bus and exonerating a guilty one. An honorable civil servant of the president, if wrong, should not wait for a presidential decision. He would admit his mistake and resign to save the president from any embarrassment. No one has yet done so.

Our lack of respecting right and wrong has weakened the quality of our performance and ability to know the honorable thing to do. 'Falling on one's sword' in this society is incomprehensible for there is nothing more important than protecting oneself.

Dishonor becomes commonplace in a culture that promotes arrogance and getting ahead by any means. Tragically this weakens the entire society.

Our duty as citizens is voting. When we do not study and know a representative's record we are being as delinquent as an appeasing parent or boss. It is time for honorable people to fulfill their responsibility to support the conscientious servant or kick the bums out. Honor will be served.

Dr. Maglio is the author of Invasion Within and Essential Parenting. He is a psychotherapist and the owner/director of Wider Horizons School. Visit: drmaglio.com.

Embarassing Ourselves in the Eyes of the World

As a world power we think we can dictate our cultural ideals no matter how alien our culture is to others. Our overly pampered teenagers are frequently given vacations to foreign countries. Instead of acting reserved and being concerned about how others view their behavior they act as if they are putting on a show. Our teenagers are often loud, silly, sexually provocative and become intoxicated while their parents or chaperones look on unconcerned.

The reality is everyone watches an American. Foreigners are fascinated by our actions, dress and lack of manners. When we allow our youngsters to drink because the country they are visiting or cruise ship they are on has no age restrictions, the young teens’ obnoxious drunken actions are a reflection on all Americans.

The ugly American has changed from wealthy, older people to teenage “MTV celebrity wannabees.” We Americans are not demanding courteous and dignified behavior from our children when visiting foreign nations. We act as if “what happens there stays there.” When something tragic happens we do not question our supervision nor the obnoxious behavior of our youth but arrogantly blame the authorities of the foreign nation.

We have punished Aruba for the “Natalie Holloway” debacle. We now know a token four chaperones were given the responsibility of supervising over 100 American high school seniors. Natalie Holloway was allegedly drunk and drugged the night she was last seen with three young Aruba men. There is ample evidence that the partying was voluntary.

There are people in all nations and social classes who will take advantage of a vulnerable person. Predators are waiting in the wings for these young girls. They are merely doing what they do best: prey on others. It is the parent’s responsibility to keep their children’s behavior under control and to let them know that evil is waiting for any person who loses his faculties or is in an altered state.

Natalie’s parents and stepparents, with the help of the media, put the government of the small Caribbean island on trial for several years. America’s power has devastatingly harmed Aruba’s tourism by painting their judicial system as corrupt and incompetent. It may well be although the root of the problem is our cultural naiveté of human behavior. Drunken boys do obnoxious things that often end in brawls. Young “loose” appearing girls are going to be sexually harassed by high testosterone boys and men in any culture.

Too many modern “I want to be your friend” parents have moved so far away from human nature that they believe their personal power can protect their children and control everyone who comes in contact with them. This is delusional.

All of our expended energies after a preventable tragic incident do not bring the person back to life. The ultimate anguish and often guilt is experienced by the parents. Only by acknowledging the real dangers of existence can children live more safely and peacefully with others.

Most foreigners and traditional Americans believe parents and chaperones have the responsibility to demand appropriate and moral behavior from their children. No aware and rational parents can believe they have the power to control the reactions of others to protect their child. Our culture is foolish if we believe we can dictate to others what we want rather than live reasonably within the boundaries of human nature. Ignoring evil does not magically make it disappear.

Bad things happen when youngsters are left to their own devices. We are all at fault if children are not taught this by their parents and culture. No parents should believe they possess world power to change human nature. Attractive teenage “hotties” acting uninhibited places them in a vulnerable and dangerous position. Many males will follow their base instincts and seize the opportunity these girls provide.

Americans are not inherently better or worse than other people from other nations. The majority of Americans who choose morally responsible lifestyles create safe and respectful environments. We must recognize that others live an undisciplined or even criminal life-style. We need to make our children aware that their stupid actions attract dangerous people who can harm them.

Any and all obnoxious or immoral behavior of Americans overseas affects our reputation as a nation more than any presidential actions. We the American people are either good or bad will ambassadors. Our actions out of the country do impact all Americans.

Dr. Maglio is the author of Invasion Within and Essential Parenting. He is a psychotherapist and the owner/director of Wider Horizons School.

Parents Against Sexualized Culture

The pharmaceutical company, Merck, the Center for Disease Control and the mental health industry all have a vested interest in hyping a sexual epidemic amongst teens. Merck is producing Guardisil, a vaccine for the Human Papiilloma Virus, the CDC will lobby for more federal grants and the sexual experts will increase their relevance when our perception is that our teenager’s sexual activity is out-of-control. Each of their agendas is served.

It is difficult to accept the reputable Gullmacher Institute’s statistic of only 46% of high school students having had sexual intercourse. This is down from 54% in 1991.

Too many of us have been propagandized that this statistic is in the range of 80-95%. When the media says often enough that all teens are sexually active we begin to believe it. Perception is reality.

“One in four teenagers has an STD” is spread all over the media. When the truth is 1 out of 4 sexually active teenagers has an STD. This means 1 out of 8 children have an STD when you factor in that less than one half of all teens are sexually active.

Story after story in the mainstream media is a distortion of the truth. A man is pregnant. The “man” turns out not to be a man after all but a woman who has not completed her series of shots and operations to appear like a man. We live in a world that attempts to distort reality in engineering an ultra sexualized world. Too many parents believe the negative picture the experts and the media are painting of our youth.

Our youngsters have an even more powerful and extreme exposure to a sexualized destructive culture. Ignorant “wanna be gangsta” peers communicate it. It happens in actions and gossip, in video games, in school, daily IM and browsing the Internet on phony MY Space pages. Children watch MTV that displays the glorification of an immoral lifestyle. MP3s are plugged directly into their brains feeding them vulgar trash.

This generation’s culture civil war is being fought to some degree in every American home. Parents are losing because they foolishly believe by going along with their child’s sexual precociousness their youngsters will not rebel against their authority. The parent’s appeasement never allows them to establish their power, which is the basis of all authority.

Parents should fight to win keeping their children on the right path or will suffer the anguish of witnessing the unfulfillment of the potential of their child. Parents can teach their children to be decent, moral adults but not by being weekend parents. They need to dedicate themselves from the child’s birth to their 18th birthday. It takes nothing less from the parents than dedicating themselves to their children to maximize shaping good human beings especially in this culture of unrestrained temptation.

The strategy for winning the culture civil war is for parents to train their children to listen to them not to MTV. When children do not learn to listen to their parents they do not learn to listen to what comes out of their own contaminated mouths. Their inability to monitor their own speech prolongs the dishonesty and disrespect for their parent’s position as head of the home. If children do not listen to their parents when they are toddlers they do not listen to them as teenagers.

The highest chance of success in raising a well-adjusted child is to start training the child as early as possible. The battles won with infant/toddlers mean the parents have established structure and rituals that minimize opportunities for conflict. When the child has learned to be obedient it will be more difficult for him to openly lie to his parents and everyone else on MY Space about his fantasy lifestyle.

Ultimately it is the responsibility of the parents to guide their children through a minefield of perversion that can encourage their children to make negative life altering decisions. Parents must stay a step ahead of their children to resist giving them permission to think and do things that will have harmful consequences or suffer the pain of being involved with a dependent parasitic adult child.

Parents need to be tougher in this open sexualized society than their parents were. They must limit video gaming, Internet access and sleepovers with families they do not personally know to protect their children from making poor decisions. Children need to be kept innocent until they are mature enough to make intelligent decisions.

Uniting with their spouse and other like-minded parents can strengthen parents resolve to keep children from following the celebrity path of being sex objects. Only by parents having a stronger will than their children will the children be saved from their arrogance of ignorance in a world where evil abounds.

Aware parents and adults can shield their children from being part of a decadent existence and put America on a more solid moral footing.

Dr. Maglio is the author of Invasion Within and Essential Parenting. He is a psychotherapist and the owner/director of Wider Horizons School.

Schools Promoting Sex Over God "Day of Silence"

The April 15, 2008 front page of the Tampa Tribune read: “Final Four Gives Lesbians Forum to Celebrate Women. Parties, basketball-and a sense of camaraderie- draw crowds to what some call the lesbian “Super Bowl.” Many indignant letters to the editor did not appreciate the Tribune’s promotion of the lesbian agenda.

It is one thing for a political newspaper to advance a homosexual agenda; it is another for our supposedly non-political educational institutions to do the same. Government schools should expose students neither to a religious way of believing or towards an uncommon sexual orientation. In a totalitarian country indoctrination of a particular belief system is accomplished by the state, while in a free nation moral values are taught by the family and church.

Our government has banned prayer in ceremonies in school. Even one minute of silent prayer has been viewed as an infringement on religious freedom. On April 15th Marcus Borden a sports coach for two decades in East Brunswick High School, was found by the Third Circuit Court to have crossed the line of an unconstitutional endorsement of religion. His crime was to kneel in silence before games with his team even though this ritual is common in college and professional sports

On April 25th many of our government schools throughout our nation are sponsoring not one minute but an entire “Day of Silence.” The Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (GLSEN) to promote acceptance and support of homosexual behavior in our government schools initiated this event. Teachers are encouraged by many school districts to participate as well. Online at afa.net the schools are by state that are honoring this event.

When our government attempts to repress any mention of God in our schools while encouraging the acceptance of a Biblically deviant homosexual orientation over the majority heterosexual behavior, it is a blatant reverse discrimination against the moral majority of Americans.

This “Day of Silence” discriminates against heterosexual parents and their children. There is no day of the year where we celebrate the normal opposite gender attraction. It serves no reasonable purpose to coerce youngsters into committing themselves to a lifestyle before they are sufficiently mentally and physically mature to understand the long-term implications of their choices.

Teenage students are solidifying their sexual identity. All students have a right to choose to identify himself or herself as either a homosexual or heterosexual. Normalizing homosexuality is not a function of the state in a free country. The vast majority of heterosexual parents want their children to live a normal life of marrying a person of the opposite sex and having a traditional family.

Peer group clubs like GLSEN often are informally sponsored and led by people who have a strong homosexual agenda. These clubs should not be allowed to indoctrinate our children. Our sexuality is a personal choice not a decision to be made by a government re-education program.

“Normal,” in a free America, is what the majority of the people are and what they do. Schools should remain in the business of educating not changing the norms of society by manipulating the minds of students. Our government needs to cease social engineering and leave personal sexual choice to the individual.

If we are going to radically misinterpret the constitution to exclude any mention of God in our nation, then there is no justification for changing the moral values of our children.

There should be the same separation between school and homosexual indoctrination that there is between church and state.

We can send a clear message to government schools by encouraging our children to ask questions in school on this absurd “Day of Silence.” Questioning is a necessary element of freedom in a society. We pay for our children’s education through our taxes. Our children have a right to learn and should not waste another day. Silencing questions for an entire day is not sound educational policy: it is propaganda.

Dr. Maglio is the author of Invasion Within and Essential Parenting. He is a psychotherapist and the owner/director of Wider Horizons School.

Visit: www.drmaglio.com.

From Zero Population to Global Warming

"People did what worked. Now people are doing what sounds good. " Thomas Sowell

The Florida insurance company's skyrocketing rates on homes was scientifically justified using meteorological models to predict hurricanes in 2006 and 2007. The scientific agreement on an active hurricane season for these years was absolutely wrong. None occurred although there were no rebates for the exorbitant rates. So much for certainty of scientific predictions.

These are the same models that have difficulty predicting tomorrow's weather. Computer programs are only as good as the programmer and the data used.

In the 1960s sitting in a university classroom studying Malthus's theory of overpopulation written in 1798, it sounded inevitable that as the world population increased man's ability to supply ample food would lead to worldwide famine and disease. This Maltusian doctrine was the rationale for the Zero Population movement.

The world's population has exploded from less than a billion in the 1700s to over 6 billion yet the food supply has increased to more than meet the demand of the increased population. Today, instead of famine and disease we have obese people living longer than ever.

This theory based on consensus science to control world population has been a dismal failure. It has not curbed the earth's population but has politically destabilized the most environmentally concerned nations on earth, the western societies.

Zero population has reduced European and North American birth rates causing modern nations to rely on a large influx of immigrants to remain economically viable. At the same time the developing nations' population has exploded. The world's population has grown rapidly even with western nations reducing their birth rate to zero. This has undermined the ability of these nations to survive not from over population but from under population.

The same arrogance of changing the world on what sounds dreadfully plausible is seen in the "bird flu pandemic" scare, the "Y2K" fiasco and the hysteria over nuclear energy plant meltdowns. Bird flu has not mutated, computers functioned as the millennium barrier was crossed and not a single person was killed by nuclear energy even though France has cut its reliance on oil by using nuclear energy.

The latest "scientific sky is falling " consensus fad, global warming, is taking the world by storm. Extrapolating from the fact the earth's temperature is rising, a host of dire predictions for mankind has been trumpeted throughout the world's media. The theory behind this warming says it is caused by manmade CO2 emissions. The world can only be saved by humanity cutting back on the production of carbon dioxide. "To capture the public imagination, we have to offer up some scary scenarios, make simplified dramatic statements and little mention of any doubts one might have. Each of us has to decide the right balance between being effective and being honest." Stephen Schneider (the lead author of the 2007 UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report )

There is no demonstrative evidence to prove the global warming hypotheses that manmade CO2 levels are going to devastate the earth. Disregard other possible explanations for the sake of argument and let us assume this global warming thesis is true.

The UN's IPCC solution is the Kyoto Treaty. This protocol would limit developed nations' CO2 emissions to 1990 levels and exempt developing nations like China and India from any CO2 or other pollutant requirements.

Obviously by adopting the Kyoto protocol world wealth would be redistributed from once prosperous western nations to underdeveloped nations. "Climate change provides the greatest chance to bring about justice and equality in the world." Christine Stewart, Canada's former environmental minister. Government and corporate elites will increase their power and riches from their ability to tax some industries and grant waivers to others. This Kyoto agreement would eliminate free international trade replacing it with a world centralized economic system. Jacques Chirac: "Kyoto is the first component of an authentic global governance."

Before we are swept away by another rationale for saving the planet let us remember the subjective opinions of a group of experts, even scientists does not mean following them will result in a better existence. Science is based on the scientific method and replicating of studies, not a group of experts proclaiming consensus. This pop science's bandwagon led us to addictive prescription drugs, the housing and dot.com boom and bust.

We cannot rush to judgment. Rational thought, not hysterical fear, leads to healthy decision making. Only through careful step-by-step evaluation of the unfolding facts can we reach a rational policy on global warming. It is ridiculous for global warming alarmists to censor open discussion by claiming scientific certitude through consensus. This has been tried over and over again with negative consequences to the world, from the earth is the center of the solar system to zero population growth.

"Historically, the claim of consensus has been the first refuge of scoundrels: it is a way to avoid debate by claiming that the matter is already settled." Michael Crichton

Dr. Maglio is the author of Invasion Within and Essential Parenting. He is a psychotherapist and the owner/director of Wider Horizons School.

Inflated Wallets, Arrogant Egos

The housing boom has turned into the mortgage bust. Financial experts are stating that people with “upside-down” houses, houses valued less than the mortgage, have no obligation to continue to pay. Their advice is “walk away and in several years you can restore your credit.” It is clear to these experts that money consideration trumps all other values.

Moral considerations of fulfilling one’s contract, keeping one’s word have been tossed out the window. They have been replaced with “it is all about money.” This is our new amoral guide to existence. The more we measure ourselves in material wealth, the less we follow what is right. Our humility plummets while our arrogance skyrockets.

Our corrupting materialism has trickled down to the youngest members of society. Children are blasé about even the most sophisticated gifts losing interest shortly after unwrapping them. The more people of any age receive something for nothing, the less gratitude and appreciation they can be expected to feel.

Even people who break our laws entering our country illegally demand the benefits of our social welfare system to which they are not entitled or deserve. Our unaware citizens pay in full. K-12 education, healthcare, subsidized housing, food stamps and college tuition for illegal aliens. Again it is something for nothing. Too many of us unconsciously believe our national treasury is limitless.

Disaster victims and our poorest citizens demand the government do for them instead of the citizens doing for themselves. Too many of us no longer feel it is our duty to help ourselves and our loved ones. Instead we expect the government do it for us. Our entitlement mentality has spread to every crevice of our nation.

Even financial mega corporations and affluent people who make risky investments in the stock or home market want others to bail them out. Financial decisions are being made under the assumption that they are going to make money, not lose it for companies as well as individuals. Presumptuously they believe since they made money in the past, the government has the responsibility to guarantee it in the future. The social welfare or “the government should save me from my poor but freely made choices” has caught on with all segments of society, even the wealthy.

Recent college graduates feel they should start at the top of the ladder. Their degrees should place them at the zenith of the pay scale, give them a great office with no supervisors above them since they already know everything. Their lack of professional experience is a non-issue. They have been told by their instructors that they have the latest knowledge and methods of doing any job. The professors’ hype and the parents’ material power have created an attitude of conceit that is detrimental to every aspect of their lives.

When the thickness of our wallet makes us feel good about ourselves, then the thinness of it makes us feel like losers. Many of us have gotten into the habit of buying something to make us feel good. People will no longer be able to use money power as their financial situation deteriorates. They will suffer the loss of a falsely inflated identity. The inability to continue to get a shopping adrenaline rush and no longer being able to hire people to do our menial chores will breed resentment.

People are already so desperate they are willing to raid their retirement funds. Using a debit card to withdraw their 401K is only delaying the pain of not being able to buy whatever they want whenever they want it. Eventually the person will deplete his nest egg and demand a social security government bail out.

What goes up must come down to earth. Losing the security of being rich on paper has a deflating effect that can reduce some to chronic depression. The worship of the amount of money accumulated leads to temporary arrogance and elation as well as inevitable disappointment. As the adage about money clearly states, “you can’t take it with you.”

The best antidote to corrupting materialism is to stop believing life is all about money. It is more about spiritual values: goodness, kindness and doing God’s work in every way Being rich in virtue can never be taken away no matter how poor one may become in material goods.

Thick or thin wallets can be a measuring gage of our monetary wealth but not of a life well lived. The measure of a rich man is not how much he has but how little he needs and uses to live a good life.

Dr. Maglio is the author of Invasion Within and Essential Parenting. He is a psychotherapist and the owner/director of Wider Horizons School.

The Internet is Vital to Avoid Becoming a Nation of Sheep

America has gone from a nation of hard working independent individuals to an educationally credentialed bureaucratic people. These modern Americans are so harried trying to impress each other in order to gain acceptance and advancement that they have no time to think about long term personal issues and less to think about local and national ones. Following the latest fads in dress, entertainment and celebrity political causes is easier than developing one’s own opinion based on facts.

We are a nation of people who are vulnerable to conform to the power elite’s agenda. Unfortunately America is fast evolving into a nation of pseudo-intellectual sheep.

Most of our immigrant ancestors had involvement with and knowledge of the land with strong family ties. We are changing. We have become “book smart” moving away from doing most things for ourselves. We now hire nannies, landscapers, mechanics, pool cleaners, handymen and others to take care of us. We are losing our ability to be the “jack-of-all-trades”.

Our careers have moved from generalist to specialist. We work longer and harder in our narrow positions to stay afloat in the material rapids. Most of us live in the fast track with little time to learn from the earth, our elders or history.

Moving up the ladder used to mean learning a trade or a profession through on-the-job training. Many professionals in the pre 1960 open college admissions era rarely had to obtain a college degree to prove competency. Their job function and performance entitled them to their professional position. These professionals were goal not credential driven. Office politics were overshadowed by one’s accomplishments. Getting it done was an indicator of competency rather than who you knew and to whom you “kissed up.” Young people were supposed to immediately compete in the adult world.

Today many young adults are perennial teenagers. These aspiring young people have to spend years on the university level before they can even begin to practice their chosen career. They have to attend many hours in opinion classes, which turn into years. Instead of the instructors talking about how things work and are used in their specialty they opine about how the world should be. In other words they are B.S. courses.

Students are required to go along with the ranting or risk failing the course. The drip-by-drip drivel is the price of indoctrination. It does not encourage critical thinking. It dulls the brain, preparing individuals for passive acceptance of propaganda.

The pervasive media through headline news, polls and dubious studies continues the process of “group think”. The secular brainwashing is constant. God, family, marriage, the work ethic, personal responsibility are bad. Rehabilitation, no punishment- only positive reinforcement, zero population, the UN, Castro and Chavez, hedonism, criminal rights, abortion on demand, homosexual rights and illegal immigration rights are unquestionably good. Anyone who doubts that mental health rehab and drugs cannot erase evil acts or that man is the main cause of global warming is committing blasphemy in our modern secular world.

Americans are becoming less people who make judgments from observation of reality, and more people who make judgments based on the emotional response to a sound bite. Analyzing factual evidence and logic take too much work. It is easier to rely on choosing viewpoints that make us feel good rather than having to determine if they will work in the real world.

Most of us have become passive gatherers of information from 3-6 minute headline segments of news with a specific secular message. We hear the same agenda distortions night after night with little to no analysis of opposing thought. This lack of counter perspective conforms to the definition of indoctrination.

Many of us may consider ourselves intellectuals because we have obtained a credential of higher education. If we do not examine all the evidence available on an issue and reach our decision on a repetitive emotional appeal we are no more than pseudo-intellectuals or even better, a flock of sheep.

It takes time and effort to discriminate between propaganda and the truth. We need to be open to hear and research all the major events of our time. We need to set aside time to keep abreast of a rapidly fluid world.

The internet in the hands of a truth seeking people, not the government, is the most powerful 21st century innovation to counter mass propaganda. As long as individuals can use the internet to have a free exchange of ideas, secular elites will not be able to dull our intellectual powers. Many Americans will be able to avoid becoming pseudo-intellectual sheep.

Keep the internet free from the clutches of the government.

Fighting is Necessary to Limit Evil: The right to bear arms is an American value that must be preserved

Fighting has gotten a bad reputation. Anyone who fights is wrong in our modern culture. Both the aggressor and the person attacked are equally culpable to our authorities. The image of warriors fighting for good too often is perceived as malicious rather than noble. In the recent past standing up for goodness especially when it meant putting one’s life on the line was considered a courageous act that deserved admiration not condemnation. It still should for the peace and welfare of our country.

In a recent highly publicized incident in New York a mugger had the audacity to snatch the purse of Rose Moret, a 101 year-old lady, in the lobby of her apartment house. When she tried to hold onto it he punched her in the head. We were shocked back into reality that the older generation has more guts than the younger generation in responding to evil with indignation. This heroine knew right from wrong and automatically did what was right. In our hearts we cheered for her and at the same time felt ashamed we have lost our courage.

It is safer and easier to ignore injustices and brutality that occur smack in front of us. In this politically correct society we have been conditioned to turn our backs on people in harm’s way. We have become a society of self-centered wimps. We need to regain our courage.

Combat on any level is a dangerous proposition. No rational person wants to risk his life and limb in a fight. However, fighting is justifiable when it is done to protect ourselves, loves ones, family or nation.

In America each person has a responsibility and a right to protect his body, his family, innocent people and his property from unjustifiable attack. People are evil when they force others to do things against their own self-interest and will. The satisfaction of their desires drives them without any regard for decency and the rights of others. Evil people have always and will continue to exist as part of the human condition. Self-defense against evil is a responsibility of any spiritual person. Placing oneself in a dangerous situation to help another is a kind act.

Mugging, home invasion, rape, childhood sex abuse, stealing, domestic violence and killing of the innocent exists throughout the world. Depending on the time in a country’s history evil acts will be minimal or they will be rampant although thet will never be totally nonexistent. The level of evil is determined by the willingness of good men to take a stand. When courageous people fight against any type of evil it retreats.

We need to teach our children and remind ourselves that weakness in confronting evil causes it to flourish while strength results in its diminishing. Too many Americans have forgotten this historical reality and believe appeasement will magically bring an end to destructive behavior. This is false. It only emboldens evil.

Every humane person who desires a peaceful and good world has no right to do nothing when confronted by evil even if they fear bodily harm. Doing nothing is the surest way to lose our freedom and a just world.

Strongly fighting against evil is a less dangerous approach to insure our country’s existence than attempting to negotiate with it. Diplomacy with evil men buys them time to successfully launch lethal attacks that can culminate in our defeat.

Most Americans have no idea of the real consequences of losing the war to a belligerent civilization. Rape, pillaging and occupation will result in the eradicating of our freedoms, rights, prosperity and the optimistic spirit that has defined us for the past 250 years.

No greater legacy has a man than to sacrifice his life to protect the liberty and life of others. Being a victim or dying a coward while watching innocent people being abused or killed is a disgrace to the individual and a sign of moral decay of a society.

No civilized nation can depend totally on its police force and military to control and stop evil acts domestically and internationally. The people of the nation must be encouraged and allowed to stand up to evil acts. Without high societal expectations of valor on the part of all citizens a chaotic and violent world prevails.

Our founding fathers put their lives, families and personal fortunes on the line to fight the British abuse and exploitation of Americans. The novel Bill of Rights was created to list our inalienable rights as citizens of America. The second of these amendments clearly affirmed our responsibility and right to bear arms to keep evil people at bay. Let us return to the root values of America to preserve our nation.

Playing the Race or Ethnic Card is Offensive

Throughout history people have gone to the Kilarney Castle in Ireland to kiss the Blarney stone to hopefully become eloquent and articulate. According to some elite Blacks, the word “articulate” can be a racial code word.

Lynnette Clemetson wrote an article in the New York Times, titled, “The Word that Makes Black’s Blood Boil: Articulate”. She related in the piece that President Bush innocuously described Barak Obama as “articulate” which somehow was supposed to have racial overtones. This is ironic since President Bush is constantly attacked for being inarticulate himself.

In the same article University of Pennsylvania professor, Michael Eric Dyson said, “the implication is that most Black people do not have the capacity to engage in articulate speech, when White people are assumed to be articulate.” This is an absurd stretch of reality as there are few White, Asian, Hispanic or Black people who have the eloquence or charisma of the senator from Illinois.

A miniscule number of African-American elites feel they have the right to use their prerogative to establish a double standard. Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rev. Al Sharpton and Whoopie Goldberg have supported making the “N word” a “hate crime” for Whites while excusing its use among Blacks. These “so called” leaders are perpetuating not easing racism.

By deciding arbitrarily when any word strikes them as insulting the elites are even more dangerous. Even though the word “articulate” has a positive connotation in mainstream culture these elites reserve the right to use their peculiar sensibilities to dictate what is appropriate and what is not. This is ridiculous.

Using the same type of illogical reasoning any compliment by a racial or ethnic minority to a Caucasian could be interpreted as a racial slur by a few White elites. Substituting Black for White and White for Black and changing “articulate” to “athlete” the above mentioned Dyson quote would read “ the implication is that most White people do not have the capacity to engage in athletics when Blacks are assumed to be athletic.” This would make any mention of Bret Farve as a good athlete a racial slur towards Whites. In this bizarre logic minorities are ridiculing the athleticism of the White race by saying Bret Farve is a good athlete.

In the same way an Hispanic saying to a White that you have a “green thumb” may be turned on its head from a compliment to a derogatory racial comment.

Anytime a group has the ability to determine when a word is offensive to them they are in a superior position and everyone else is in a subservient position. This ability for one racial or ethnic group to randomly determine what is offensive places any other group in an unenviable position of having to defend themselves against being racist.

This use of the race card is not isolated to Blacks. Whenever any American, especially a Caucasian, demands our borders be secured against the invasion of illegal immigrants, or logical and reasonable profiling for security at the airport, the race card will surely be thrown. It doesn’t matter if they are recent legal immigrants or a tenth generation American of Black, Asian, or even Hispanic or Middle Eastern background, they will probably be considered by many to be an anti Mexican or Middle Eastern racist.

It appears in the United States Whites are between “ a rock and a hard place”. When they say anything critical, no matter how accurate, they can and probably will be called a racist. And if they say anything complimentary, no matter how true, they can and probably will be called a racist.

Walking on eggshells regardless of the situation is not a good way to exist. All of us should become aware of what are the “hot button issues” for individuals, racial or ethnic groups and attempt to understand them. For everyone’s long term well being, this game of “I gotcha”, has to be exposed not avoided and alternative ways of relating must be developed. In the long run the method of ignoring or appeasing another group does nothing to bring people together.

By all of us courageously and honestly expressing our feelings and thoughts openly we will increase understanding between all Americans. It will make it very difficult to get away with using an “offensive racial or ethnic card.”

Shrewd and Crazy People are Shaping Our Culture

Unbelievable as it may seem, it is no longer acceptable to hold irresponsible people accountable for their crazy and immoral behavior. Instead we are magnanimously changing our culture to prevent them from hurting themselves and all of us. It is eroding our freedom and robbing our pockets of our hard earned money.

States with no-fault auto insurance force the hard working people to pay extra for uninsured drivers. Even though the injury rate has substantially decreased, our auto insurance has gone up. Barbara Langland-Orband, “Blame Higher Car Rates on Pricing, Not Accidents” Tampa Tribune, Friday, March 23, 2007.

Affluent people build mansions on the edge of the ocean. They have every right to do so but we have no personal responsibility to bail them out after a storm. The fact is the insurance industry is paying them off for their insane gamble with Mother Nature. The insurance companies have no problem reimbursing these risk taking homeowners. These companies through donations have bought favor with the state regulatory agencies who reciprocate by raising the rates of the majority of the low risk insurees to pay for the few who are abusing the system.

Guess who is paying for the “no money down sub-prime” loan’s avalanche of defaults? Again, we are, not the mortgage company who made these ticking time bomb loans. Our interest rates for new loans are going up to keep the loan industry afloat. The middle class gets hit again.

We now have elaborately fenced over-passes at great taxpayer expense on our highways and bridges to prevent suicides and hateful people from throwing heavy objects down on innocent drivers. After spending time and money apprehending these fools, our judicial system dismisses them or at the worst gives them a slap on the wrist.

We use this shortsighted “humanitarian” philosophy of changing the culture to protect nutty and deviant people from receiving logical consequences for their irresponsible behavior. Child sex offenders, rapists, home invaders, terrorists and other violent criminals are shielded. The defense attorneys play to the jurist’s sympathies by directing their comments to their serial abusers less than ideal childhood. These deviant’s past circumstances are supposed to erase their evil deeds. The good and rational taxpayers pay the price for these hideous acts over and over.

Our lives are negatively altered to protect the deviant’s rights. We Americans are forced to not allow our children to play outside in the yards of our homes, place security cameras and alarms around our homes, carry mace or pepper spray and wait in long security lines at our airports.

Richard Ried, the “shoe bomber”, who was a failure at exploding his shoe on an airplane has been immortalized every time a traveler is required to take off his shoes to have them x-rayed to get through security at the airport. This “loser” is a cult hero amongst terrorists not for what he successfully did but how America has responded to him.

Our elites continue to dilute our quality of life to appease the clever cons. We now have to place all liquids in bottles no bigger than 4 ounces, use security wands on humped-back 80 year-old ladies and wait for the next bizarre bureaucratic command handed down. This is to divert the public’s attention away from rational “profiling” and issuing of a security card for low risk honorable U.S. citizens. Instead we pass unnecessary hours in the airport playing charades to pretend everyone is an equal risk possessing the same constitutional rights. We must discriminate between psychopaths and law-abiding citizens to preserve our heritage.

We are creating a bureaucratic culture that is protecting evildoers while punishing the good ones.

We the people are allowing utopian, international elites, a small percentage of the population, to corrupt our way of life. Accommodating shrewd and crazy people by sacrificing the freedom and rights of responsible people is a losing proposition.

Enough is enough. We must stop allowing our freedoms and rights to be chipped away to placate people’s insane actions. We must:

• Vote out special interest parasitic officials and replace them with patriotic, responsible and moral Americans.
• Stop supporting immoral and indecent entertainment.
• Teach our children historical facts that have made America great not place the deviant above the law-abiding citizen.
• Demand high moral standards from ourselves and others.

This is a culture war that must be fought to win. Sitting on the sidelines will result in defeat. Winning will only occur when we decide to stand up as traditional Americans.

The "No Spanking Bill" Abusive to All

Everyone knows an out-of-control child is a nuisance to everybody. On January 24th a three-year-old child and her parents were removed from an AirTran flight to Boston. The child was climbing under the seat, hitting her parents and screaming, annoying the 112 other passengers on the plane.

These types of incidents are becoming commonplace. The ever-increasing bleeding heart’s pressure to prohibit parents from using any forceful “No” with a slap on the hand or behind to prevent unruly behavior has taken its toll on all of us.

The war against parental rights continues. California Assembly woman, Sally Lieber, a 45 year old, unmarried woman with a cat but without children, has proposed a law making it illegal for parents to spank a child under 4 years old. A law-abiding parent could be incarcerated for a year for tapping a child on the behind. This would potentially make criminals of 90% of our parent population.

Ms. Lieber and her ilk obviously believe the state is superior to the family in raising American children. They want to ban centuries of time-tested child rearing methods of training toddlers replacing it with nothing except psychobabble. This line of reasoning would totally destroy the family, cause the child to lose his parents and be placed in the infamous state foster care system.

Moderate spanking is not abusive. Even one of the most extremely liberal universities in the nation cannot find any evidence to support the ridiculous notion that moderate spanking is detrimental to children. Diane Baumrind and Elizabeth Owens from the University of California at Berkley in a 12 year longitudinal study of 100 middle class children found no negative effects on cognitive, social and behavioral skills with mild to moderate spanking. R. Ballie, "Spanking Gets Big Play in the Media", Monitor of Psychology, Vol. 32, #11, Dec. 2001.

Infants and toddlers cannot understand lectures from adults. They are concrete in their thinking. When “no” is stated, with a tap on the hand or behind, they know to stop immediately. Parents are responsible for teaching their children to survive. Running into traffic, putting keys in an electric socket or not coming when called or stopping when a child is told are things toddlers need to learn for their own safety.

The fear of the state intervening in the life of a parent is paralyzing. Parents are no longer performing their difficult responsibility of raising children. This relinquishing by the parent of reprimanding their child’s misbehavior verbally or physically is abusive to the child. Young children are not being taught there are consequences for doing the wrong thing. Discipline is love. Love is discipline.

There are already ample child abuse laws on the books. This no-spanking law will not stop criminal abuse. Criminals do not follow the law. In the same way making guns illegal does nothing to prevent criminals from using them. It will only frighten law-abiding parents to be neglectful of their responsibility. Banning parents from using reasonable corporal discipline will make those who properly discipline their children criminals.

The Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, Cuba and numerous African and Latin American dictatorships have proven that the state cannot effectively replace the family. When government interferes with the rights of parents to fulfill their duty it crosses over into totalitarianism. The intervention of bureaucrats into the family has proven to be more disastrous to children than the average family.

We cannot stand silently by allowing ignorant, self-serving politicians to lead us down a worn path that ends in the annihilation of the freedom of the individual and society. To prevent this from going any further we need to take the following stand:

• Vote out representatives who limit our freedom to perform our duties as parents.
• Have the courage to discipline children appropriately in our homes.
• Inform the child who misbehaves in public that he will be given consequences for misbehaving when you get home.
• Speak out against advocates of the escalation of governmental intervention in the family.

When parents are prohibited from disciplining their own children everyone will suffer, in the grocery store, on airplanes, everywhere. The one who will suffer the greatest abuse is the child who will grow into a dysfunctional adult.

American Idol: A Reflection of Our Dishonesty

Our modern culture is producing dishonest people who are especially dishonest about themselves. When young people can go in front of an audience of 37 million people without any shame of how pathetic they appear, something is radically wrong. Apparently many teenagers have been cheated out of their ability to see themselves realistically.

It is we who are mean, not Simon Cowell, one of the hosts of the “American Idol” show. Mr. Cowell, at times may go “over the top” saying degrading things which are not helpful in critiquing the contestant. He probably does this to be obnoxiously “cute”. Although for the most part, he is doing the difficult job of “separating the wheat from the chaff.”

Parents seem to have lost the understanding of how to prevent their children from being ridiculed by others. We are no longer teaching our children to be self-critical. The unwillingness of loved ones to confront children with negative reactions to their often outrageous behavior is creating delusional freaks.

In our politically-correct child rearing world of only using positive reinforcement, our youngsters have become victims. We have lowered our standards at home, school and at work while handcuffing parents, teachers and employers from demanding better results. Our children have interpreted these phony positive comments from authority figures to validate their delusion.

Modern children believe they only have to think it, to make it real. This is obviously not true but no one has been kind enough to teach them the fallacy of their thinking.

Our dishonesty is mean, not Simon’s curt dismissal of nauseating displays of behavior that are far off the mark. We laugh or cringe in disbelief that this is not a “put on”. These youngsters are not acting, they believe in their fantasy of being a super star when in reality they are buffoons. They have not learned to see themselves as others see them.

It is not healthy for people like Paula Abdul to feel sorry for these fools since it increases their ability to lie to themselves. In fact it is beneficial for wannabee celebrities in the long run to appraise them honestly in order to encourage them to improve or abandon their naïve dream. This will allow for the pursuit of a more realistic career.

Good teachers, coaches and parents are often strict appearing to be mean when in reality they are telling the truth. They are teaching us the skills to create the habits that lead to success. Anyone who loves another and wants the best for him cannot be fearful of giving honest feedback.

American Idol’s popularity highlights a societal problem. We are producing too many people with high false esteem who are destined to live a life of disappointment, depression and anger.

The Paula Abduls of the world are not doing our children any service. Regardless of our intentions children cannot forever be shielded from reality. By coddling we are only delaying the inevitability of an incident bursting their bubble..

In order to correct these destructive trends where people tell lies so they do not hurt others feelings we need to do the following.

• Give honest, concrete and clear feedback on how to improve.
• Instill a sense of pride in children by demanding they do their best.
• Upgrade your expectations in order to foster optimal growth.
• Stop defending your child’s inadequate performance at home, in school or on the job.
• Thank your spouse, teachers and employers for giving honest and critical evaluations.

Forty years ago “American Idol” never would have become a phenomenon. Children were taught not to embarrass themselves or their families. The fear of honest peer feedback kept most of us straight into the adult world. We learned to be realistic about what it takes to be successful.

In this modern culture things have been reversed. Most people act sympathetic to the loser freaks in front of them while laughing at them behind their backs. For the most part adults and peers are doing little to assist unrealistic children to turn away from their delusional dreams before the inevitable crash with reality.

Human Rights for Terrorists

Are we in a war against terrorism?

Can the loss of this war result in the end of our constitutional rights by our victorious enemy?

People answering “no” to the two questions above would have no urgency to protect America. They would grant terrorists the same constitutional rights as American citizens and would focus on winning over the hearts and minds of “the Arab street.” The UN anti-American bias and the State Department’s undermining the war effort would be highly valued. National sovereignty, the military and border security would be low priorities. Our humiliation in the war would level the playing field of America’s dominance ushering in a one-world government to fill the vacuum created by our downfall.

People answering the two questions “yes” would have a different set of priorities. Survival would be the overriding objective. All resources would be provided to military and intelligence gathering agencies. Victory to preserve our freedom, prosperity and leadership of the world would be the goal.

These two diametrically opposed viewpoints indicate we are in a Culture War as well as a War on Terror.

Many elites are more concerned with impressing others instead of doing what is right for the American people. They are arguing to allow terrorists to see classified information exposing our tactical strategies to our enemy. This grandstanding for national and international audiences jeopardizes all of us. These self-centered actions are weakening our nation.

Colin Powell, former Secretary of State, is worried about clearly defining the Geneva Convention for it would “encourage the world to doubt the moral basis of our fight against terrorism and put our own troops at risk.” Mr. Powell ignores the reality that leaving the vague and subjective language of Article 3 of the Geneva Convention places our interrogators at risk of criminal charges for doing their job to protect Americans. He does not seem to understand that the barbaric behavior of terrorists towards our soldiers will not be any more humane no matter what we do.

Beheading, cutting off limbs, dragging soldier’s bodies through the streets will not be reversed using “kid gloves.” Any handcuffing of our efforts to win will be seen as weakness. The Geneva Convention of more than 50 years ago was a treaty to protect a nation’s soldiers from facing a horrific fate by hostile armies. Terrorists are not covered under this treaty.

Even if terrorists were recognized by the Geneva Convention it does not mean our soldiers would be protected. John McCain would say that the Viet Cong did not follow the Geneva Convention in Vietnam. A nation of law does not mean it has to agree to international law that would hamper self-defense. Thwarting a terrorist plot though harsh interrogation is preferable to deaths of innocent citizens. This is not humane. It will only prolong the killing and the war.

A divided Supreme Court unilaterally undermined our ability to protect ourselves. By changing the rules of fighting this global war it usurped the power of the office of the president to do his duty as commander and chief. It arbitrarily assigned the legislative branch to define the procedures for military tribunals.

John McCain is the spokesman who states no valid intelligence can be gained from coercive interrogation. John McCain insists that torture does not produce truthful information. He demands the end to any form of coercion including many used by local police officers. Loud music, sleep deprivation, water boarding and even grabbing a suspect’s shirt could be “an outrage upon personal dignity.” The same John McCain said on page 198 of his book, Faith of Our Fathers, “I should not have given information on my ship and my squadron and I regret very much having done so.” His torture as a P.O.W. produced accurate information for the enemy.

Torture does work. Brian Ross investigative reporter for ABC News, stated on the O’Reilly Factor on September 20, 2006 that Kalid Sheik Mohammed and eleven other high level terrorists gave valuable information after tough interrogation methods were used. You cannot use the manners of Emily Post to fight homicidal terrorists intent on killing innocent people.

The advocating of “human rights for terrorists” who vow to annihilate us is contrary to self-preservation. Traditional Americans are either scratching their heads or are outraged by this suicidal thinking. U.S. citizens have constitutional rights: the right to self-defense and the freedom to debate how we want to conduct ourselves in a war without an identified nation or soldiers.

Americans should demand their leaders do their patriotic duty to protect us from cultural and terrorist enemies. Divided we fall even with our constitutional rights. United we will stand with our rights intact for our citizens not the enemy.