Since my anti-Communist satire, Vampire Nation, was published over a decade ago, it has drawn a surprisingly large number of complaints from self-styled Communists who voice an identical theme: That Communism as practiced to date is not "true Communism," which remains noble and viable and should not be judged by its past history. . . .
David Solway thinks that the West is exhibiting “[t]he symptoms of an imperium in its dotage”: The greatest civilization the world has ever known has lost confidence in itself, infected by a plague of self-doubt and self-recrimination. Having lost its bearings, it is no longer willing or able to think clearly, to make difficult choices, to defend its patrimony and resist demographic subversion, to accept the need for sacrifice, to value the radiant catalogue of its triumphs and achievements in art, science, technology, medicine, and…
Much has been made of the “unholy alliance” between the imperial left and a triumphalist Islam in advancing the cause of the modern totalitarian project. The left wants to see a top-down socialist utopia supplant the international order as we know it and militant Islam is determined to impose a Shariate upon the world. Indeed, as Norwegian scholar Hege Storhaug documents in But the Greatest of These Is Freedom, there is a brisk migration “from left-wing totalitarianism to religio-political totalitarianism.” The totalitarian mind is identical…
So what is socialism? It is a sort of modern version of Louis XV’s “Après moi, le déluge” – an unsustainable Ponzi scheme in which elite overseers, for the duration of their own lives, enjoy power, influence, and gratuities by implementing a system that destroys the sort of wealth for others that they depend upon for themselves. Once the individual develops a dependency on food stamps, free medical care, subsidized housing, all sorts of disability or unemployment compensation, education credits, grants, and zero-interest loans…
By Mike Gray To sum up [Dag] Solstad’s contribution to Norwegian society and culture: few of his countrymen in the postwar era have done more than he has to normalize, mainstream, and render acceptable extreme leftism, including the monstrous ideology of Mao Zedong, the greatest mass murderer in human history. Alas, it is in the nature of the current socialist regime in Norway that such an achievement is not held in contempt but is rather honored as a contribution to the nation. To put it…
By Mike Gray “The entire slant of the book is you’re getting used to the idea of government running your life,” said Cindy Rose, a parent who requested that the book be removed from the county’s curriculum. “Government is setting the rules. We’re all going to live by it and we’re all a collective society,” she said. Is it possible to disentangle socialism from multiculturalism? Mrs. Rose has taken issue with several chapters in the book, including one that explains how many Americans struggle to…
By Mike Gray Bait-and-switch, for those not familiar with the con man’s lexicon, is promising one thing but steering people into accepting another. A classic example is the appliance store that advertises an attractive microwave oven for $20, but when customers stream into the store, explains that the last of the $20 ovens (if such ovens ever existed) was just sold, and further explains that there are some wonderful $60 dollar ovens that are just as good. Having expended time, effort, and money, many people…
by Mike Gray In his book Socialism (1922), libertarian economist/philosopher Ludwig von Mises scathed the millennialist maunderings of otherwise smart people: Socialist writers depict the socialist community as a land of heart’s desire. Fourier’s sickly fantasies go farthest in this direction. In Fourier’s state of the future all harmful beasts will have disappeared, and in their places will be animals which will assist man in his labors — or even do his work for him. An anti-beaver will see to the fishing; an anti-whale will…
By Mike Gray Until three days ago, I’d never heard of ‘food deserts’; their first mention—for me—was on a local TV station news report concerning how much and where tax revenues should be spent on what is euphemistically called ‘community development.’ An article on Wikipedia tells us A food desert is a district with little or no access to foods needed to maintain a healthy diet but often served by plenty of fast food restaurants. Without defining ‘a healthy diet,’ the article goes on: The…
The new adaptation of A Christmas Carol from Disney and director Robert Zemeckis opened unexpectedly weakly at the North American box office. Lead actor Jim Carrey’s comments slamming market capitalism probably didn’t help, S. T. Karnick notes.
Recent controversies over sex "jokes" exemplify the valid concern over the loss of decency in public discourse. The real victims are the American public, S. T. Karnick writes.
Yes, vampires are still a hot media commodity, but zombies are vying to knock them off the cultural pedestal. S. T. Karnick considers the terrifying facts.
Economist and Heartland Institute think tank president Joseph Bast looks at what the recent elections say about the basic ideas and attitudes of the American people today.
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