COLLECTIVE MADNESS


“Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Meet Michelle Obama at Villanova University (Real Video)


Click Here to meet Michelle Obama at Villanova You may want to go ahead to the 15-20 minute mark where she gets on a roll with her Left Wing agenda.

Here to Download Real Network Free Software
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Michelle Obama thesis was on racial divide
By: Jeffrey Ressner Politico
Feb 22, 2008 04:20 PM EST
Updated: February 23, 2008 09:51 AM EST


Michelle Obama's senior thesis at Princeton University shows a young woman grappling with race and society.

Michelle Obama's senior year thesis at Princeton University, obtained from the campaign by Politico, shows a document written by a young woman grappling with a society in which a black Princeton alumnus might only be allowed to remain "on the periphery." Read the full thesis here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.

"My experiences at Princeton have made me far more aware of my 'blackness' than ever before," the future Mrs. Obama wrote in her thesis introduction. "I have found that at Princeton, no matter how liberal and open-minded some of my white professors and classmates try to be toward me, I sometimes feel like a visitor on campus; as if I really don't belong. Regardless of the circumstances underwhich I interact with whites at Princeton, it often seems as if, to them, I will always be black first and a student second."

The thesis, titled "Princeton-Educated Blacks and the Black Community" and written under her maiden name, Michelle LaVaughn Robinson, in 1985, has been the subject of much conjecture on the blogosphere and elsewhere in recent weeks, as it has been "temporarily withdrawn" from Princeton's library until after this year's presidential election in November. Some of the material has been written about previously, however, including a story last year in the Newark Star Ledger.

Obama writes that the path she chose by attending Princeton would likely lead to her "further integration and/or assimilation into a white cultural and social structure that will only allow me to remain on the periphery of society; never becoming a full participant."

During a presidential contest in which the term "transparency" has been frequently bandied about, candidates have buried a number of potentially revealing documents and papers. In Hillary Rodham Clinton's case, there's been a clamoring for tax records, White House memos and other material the candidate's team has chosen to keep from release. The 96-page Princeton thesis, restricted from release by the school's Mudd Library, has also been the subject of recent scrutiny.

Earlier this week, commentator Jonah Goldberg remarked on National Review Online, "A reader in the know informs me that Michelle Obama's thesis ... is unavailable until Nov. 5, 2008, at the Princeton library. I wonder why."

"Why a restricted thesis?" asked blogger-pastor Louis Lapides on his site Thinking Outside the Blog. "Is the concern based on what's in the thesis? Will Michelle Obama appear to be too black for white America or not black enough for black America?"

Attempts to retrieve the document through Princeton proved unsuccessful, with school librarians having been pestered so much for access to the thesis that they have resorted to reading from a script when callers inquire about it. Media officers at the prestigious university were similarly unhelpful, claiming it is "not unusual" for a thesis to be restricted and refusing to discuss "the academic work of alumni."

46 comments:

  1. Barack was at a townhall meeting yesterday. He started talking about the first three things he would do as President.
    Number 1 - Review every executive order to see which ones he would repeal. He gave an example: Order upon order has been signed making it harder for people to organize themselves into unions.

    As he was moving into number two, CNN which had carried minute after minute of his "soaring saynothing" chose to cutaway to a commercial break. Can you believe it? After all these months, Barack is finally getting specific and CNN cuts away.

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  2. Whit, thank the heavens for the blogosphere. At least me no longer have to suffer alone.

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  3. Michelle Obama:

    I am a product of public school education.

    Childcare is expensive and unaccessible, education is too expensive, seniors are struggling to pay their rent and mortgage and presription drugs.

    No Child left Behind

    The folk are having a harder time making it.

    The decline has been continuous. This is the neighborhood I live in. There has been no boom in my neighborhood. No uptick in the economy for my neighborhood. Through Republican and Democratic administrations, it just hasn't happened. As Barack understands, I greatest challenge as a nation is not that we are suffering a deficit of resources, we are wealthy, there's money in this nation, we're one of the wealthiest nations on the planet and Barack also understands that we're not suffering from a deficit of policies and plans. Look, we should all want a President who understands these issues. You don't want somebody who doesn't have a plan. Doesn't understand the challenges they will face. Doesn't have an approach that makes sense. But in reality, we know what we need to do. A lot of this stuff isn't rocket science. With public education we know what we need to do.

    Barack says our greatest challenge is not policies, and plans or money. We're suffering from a deficit of empathy. We have lost the understanding that in order for a democracy to work, we have to have a mutual obligation to one another. People have to be prepared to compromise and sacrifice for one another.

    We have been led to believe that if we just take care of our own, that's good enough.

    Our souls are broken, we've lost our way as a nation.

    When soldiers come back from Iraq, they don't have jobs, they don't have healthcare and their kids can't go to college.

    Imagine a President who understands global poverty because he has lived it.

    Live by the principle "To whom much is given, much is expected."

    Barack's a lawyer, I'm a lawyer, everybody we know is a lawyer. Barack could have made millions but he chose to become a community organizer. He's brilliant and knows how to get things done.

    Exhibit A: The War in Iraq. We're in this war because our leadership manipulated our fear. No one had the courage to express a contradictory point of view except Barack Obama. They said there was no way, folks in downstate Illinois would vote for a man named Barack Obama.

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  4. Yes, you're up very early.

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  5. Actually, both Barack and Michelle are charming and engaging. They seem like good people. Endearing people.

    But let's face it, they're leftists and what she is talking about is maintaining the status quo of the teachers unions, resurrecting welfare , and redistributing someone's else's wealth. She makes a stirring speech about grammas, single mothers and struggling students but not a word about the crime and mayhem in the neighborhood. Oh, I'm sorry, she did say that when Barack was in the Illinois legislature he worked on racial profiling and capital punishment cases.

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  6. A few years ago, my wife and I made the acquaintance of an up and coming young black politician and his wife. He is a jovial man, conservative in dress and appearance and grew up in the area. She is a beautiful woman of Ethiopian origin and is a lawyer for the National Education Association.

    Over several dinners, he and I engaged in friendly debate over issues such as affirmative action, "set asides" and the good ol boy system. Of course, he is a proponent of all. I tried to tell him that the time had come for an end to these practices. I told him that in this day and age, business was all about production, more so than networks based on skin color. Not being a business man, he couldn't see this. From his viewpoint, it was still all about the wealthy, the powerful, the established, maintaining their positions and status quo at the expense of the poor struggling upstarts, (read African Americans.) I tried to explain that it is human nature to work with and associate with those we know and are familiar with, those we think we can trust. I haven't talked to him in years, but I wonder if he now realizes and understands what I was saying. For years now, nearly every major city in the US has been run by blacks. Government at all levels has blacks in positions at all levels who have hired other blacks. Admittedly, less progress has been made in the business world can anyone deny that the opportunity exists and that the great majority of people are more interested in better service and value than the color of someone's skin?

    Over one of our dinners, I told him how it appeared to me that the black community was placing a guilt trip on its brightest and most successful. I told him that appeared to me that young black people who were not being allowed to succeed as individuals. They seem to demand that every successful young black "give back". While this is noble, it shouldn't be mandatory. I told my politician friend that the danger is that in "reaching back" to his community, a successful individual can be pulled back by that community. This is also human nature. His "whirled view" was such that I doubt he ever heard me.

    Barack and Michelle Obama seem to see the world in their own narrow way. Their views have been formed in a tough town, Chicago. Their spiritual viewpoint has been molded by a tough former Marine turned Liberation Theology preacher whose own worldview seems to be one of bitterness and hatred.

    It is unsettling to hear them speak of "hope" when the hope they offer seems to be that of a "hand-out" more so than a "hand up."
    I don't want to generalize and label all, but too many blacks seem to nurture the grudge of slavery. It is one of our baser human natures to blame others for our shortcomings rather than accepting personal responsibility for our bad decisions. Too many blacks do not seem to recognize that whites too must overcome the obstacles of life. Yes, some families have a headstart by several generations but down through the years, except for a fortunate few, most Americans have had to overcome the same challenges that the poor face today. Blacks like countless other Americans must break the cycle of poverty and self-destruction. Government can't do this for them. It must be done person by person and family by family.

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  7. "set asides" and the good ol' boy system. Of course, he is a proponent of all.

    Correction: He said that the "good ol boy system" was still in place and that is why "set asides" for minority contractors had to be maintained. (He was a school board member at the time.)

    I tried to tell him that it wasn't like it used to be and that I as a "new" contractor faced the same challenges as anyone breaking into the business.

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  8. The point is, when they talk about "compromise and sacrifice" we know who they have in mind for doing the sacrificing.

    It sounds good and has a siren appeal to the "folk" but socialism is a killer.

    The British found out the hard way what effect strong unions and socialism have on an economy. They are still suffering with their disastrous post-war socialist policies.

    The French, whose wonderful socialized system let 35,000 people die in a 2005 heatwave, have just begun to realize how destructive their unions have been.

    Why, when the European socialist system seems to be exposed as failing and unsustainable does the left in America cling to the hope of dragging us down those same bad roads?

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  9. When does "To whom much is given, much is expected" become "From each according to his means, to each according to his needs"?

    The short answer is: When the wrong person or group has the power to take your money.

    Why, when we have the emperical evidence that government is inept and uncapable of curing all social ills, do we have to refight these debates of left v. right.

    Its a shame that at a time when many of us are already being taxed out of house and home by these same inept leftist local and state governments that we have to fight back the resurgent insurgent mentality.

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  10. Margaret Thatcher said a socialist is someone who is good at spending other people's money. By Sept. 30, the U.S. will have spent almost $800 billion on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Bush prescription-drug benefit for seniors costs almost $80 billion a year. The federal debt will have climbed to $9.7 trillion by the time Bush leaves office, a rise of $4 trillion during his administration.

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  11. '20 dead' in missile strike
    At least 20 people are thought to have been killed in a missile strike near Pakistan's border with Afghanistan, according to reports.

    The strike destroyed the house of a suspected militant leader, according to a local tribesman.

    It is understood that seven missiles were fired in the strike in the tribal area of South Waziristan, the television report said.

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  12. I have thought Obama was a fraud and showman the first time I saw him. Nothing has changed my mind.

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  13. So, Aenea, do you propose that we continue down that path of social spending? Do you support massive tax increases? Do you think Bush did this on his own? Will the Democrats restore fiscal sanity?

    Curious minds want to know.

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  14. The cowardly imperialist Predator drone has destroyed another Taliban day-care center like the ones Senator Patty Murray was talking about, killing 16 children.

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  15. 2164th: I have thought Obama was a fraud and showman the first time I saw him. Nothing has changed my mind.

    You must know by now that the actual candidate doesn't matter, he's just a front for a party brand.

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  16. "Why, when the European socialist system seems to be exposed as failing and unsustainable does the left in America cling to the hope of dragging us down those same bad roads?"

    Euro hits new high against dollar

    Schmieding said that "apart from the housing market correction in Spain and Ireland, the eurozone has no major domestic problem," while Jennifer McKeown at Capital Economics noted: "The eurozone hasn't built up the same kinds of imbalances that we've seen in the US and the UK, too."

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  17. how dare we raise our kids to question, be skeptical or to cynical...

    she KNOWS "folks"... I bet she does... after all simple folk like her make only $989,000 a year...

    all because the white man oppresses her...

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  18. How a couple that have graduated from the two most elite universities in the United States, and oh by the way are serious contenders to lead the US.... never mind. you get it.

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  19. I for one think it might be a good thing to have a Commander in Chief that is aware of his or her surroundings. Barry, as he is called by those who love him, seems to fail this test, by his own words. After twenty some years in the good pastor's curch, he was unable to get the 'tenor' of the man, the man he calls his 'uncle'. All those hours in the pew, and never did hit the Sunday when something other than love was preached, all those personal conversations, hardly even a rumor arose of anything amiss....unless of course Barry is pulling our leg. And the matter of Rezko, unable to catch the tenor of that man either...

    Billary at least would catch the tenor of the man, in a heartbeat.

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  20. And if Mrs Obama is so hot to integrate, why join an Afrocentric church with a primary allegiance to Africa in the first place?

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  21. I think Mrs O is very nice looking, they make a handsome couple.

    Patty Murray's the biggest airhead in the Senate.

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  22. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  23. I'm with you bob but do you think that will matter to those who were going to vote for him anyway?

    BTW - I love your photo. Classic Americana.

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  24. I think those that love Barry won't be dissuaded by anything, save perhaps a murder conviction. Fence sitters might be having some second thoughts.

    I don't know where that photo came from or who the fellow is, my daughter stuck it in here, the imp:)

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  25. wow, you are worried about the candidates Ph.D. thesis yet you were unconcerned about the current first ladies history as a librarian. What high school papers did she write? Did you care? How about Bushie history in business or the military? Did that even pass your attention when you decided to vote for the man?


    whit wrote:

    "The British found out the hard way what effect strong unions and socialism have on an economy. They are still suffering with their disastrous post-war socialist policies.

    The French, whose wonderful socialized system let 35,000 people die in a 2005 heatwave, have just begun to realize how destructive their unions have been.

    Why, when the European socialist system seems to be exposed as failing and unsustainable does the left in America cling to the hope of dragging us down those same bad roads?"

    Not that I'm a fan of big unions, protectionism, or high taxes but the mantra from the right can be pretty dang depressing as well.

    The irony of the rants against illegal immigrants depressing the wages legal folk can make bring to mind the union stance. The wailing against the left on taxes bring to mind the massive deficits of the republicans and the problems these pose for our future; god forbid we should cut back on military spending or our foreign adventures...

    ...you know what that would do to the bottom line of some of our corporations...


    ...and the fear of regulation! Are you watching the problems unfold in the credit markets? They are serious, damn serious, and unregulated predatory capitalism play an important role in the pain that we are experiencing - actually the pains is just beginnin because this is even going to effect the 'real' economy. The ability for individuals to reap huge personal returns based on short term gains and then walk with their stash while the fruit of their labor crash and burn is but one part of the beauty the idealogues on the right have bestowed upon us. The house of cards built through fees through sales that came with little to no liability grounded in mortages to folk but which permeates the system right through to the top -- another the idealogues have wrot. Damn the regulation, damn taxes, let the free market rule 'cause the business cycle has been tamed by the maestro at the fffffeeedddd. bah! But hey, huge monstrous luxury yachts sales are booming.

    And all through this the 'right' are all up in arms about someone having the gall to say "goddamned America".

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  26. Democratic Race Begins To Resemble The Trenchs Of WW I

    Plenty of time for Hillary to bring up whatever dirt she's got on Obama, if any.

    I've got this figured that Hillary can't win the general election, because if she's nominated too many people will be really ticked off by that happening. But, my punditry is terrible.

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  27. Preach it brother!

    As long as America continues to protect what leftists (and Islam for that matter) regard as the global order of social injustice, all reforms and social advances within the existing structures of American democracy are illusory.

    I want to hear more about this "goddamned America" and why it is such an oppressive society.

    Who is this brotherhood of oppressors and subjugators?

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  28. hallijah brother elijah, it tis but a rehtorical flourish

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  29. eh, some perty dern gd spellin dere!

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  30. America is oppressive and will continue to be so until we allow one and all to fornicate in the public parks as they are going to do in VondelPark, Amsterdam.

    FreeLarryCraig!

    FreeSpitzer for that matter!

    When love is free hookers will be unnecessary!

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  31. The figures were released as the conservative government announced plans to "speed up the processing of permanent resident applications, ensuring shorter wait times and making Canada's immigration system more competitive."

    Immigration To Canada--Masses Fleeing Oppression

    If the Canadians think they can compete with us on immigration, they've got another think coming.

    If I was a Canadian, I'd feel the same as I do about it here, enough is enough.

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  32. bobal, do you hate all foreigners coming to your country (immigration) or just the ones who come in without permission (illegal immigration)? Personally I think immigration is a good thing and if you are a free market proponent you should seriously take a look at the free movement of people.

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  33. "Personally I think immigration is a good thing and if you are a free market proponent you should seriously take a look at the...free movement of people."

    There you have it -
    there can be no invasion if there are open borders with free movement of people, and therefore there can be no imperialism

    Some on this site may want to debate you on the point Ash

    What is odd however, is that millions of immigrants are freely crossing into this "goddamned America" and "oppressive society."

    One might assume that immigrants see a heaven in Mr. Wright's and his congregation's hell.

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  34. As for me, Ash, maybe it's because I come from a state that has had so little population, and is booming now, I think with 300 million and rising, it's enough. I've seen a lot of ruination of beautiful places. Sun Valley as an example. Even Las Vegas. Coeur d' Alene, Idaho. I see visions of China and India. More is not better, at his point. Yes, I'm an equal opportunity excluder. Let them build their own societies. I don't think I hate anyone because of their background alone. I hope I don't hate anyone at all, hate being a negative emotion. But.. Enough, already.

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  35. It's not a matter of economics, for me. It's more an Ed Abbey way of looking at it. When I first read Abbey, I thought, here's a guy that agrees with me, but can express himself. The human race is a good thing, up to a point.:)

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  36. Maybe some immigrants see an opportunity for them to do some oppressing of their own in god-damed america.

    MS-13 has done an outstanding job of oppressing ghetto folk. Muslims seem to be on track for carving out sharia friendly zones to oppress god-damned american nativists. All based upon the model that blacks have used to oppress me into paying to raise their children based upon the model tribal breeding practices straight out of deepest, darkest africa.

    Immigrants just want their fair share of opportunity to oppress in post-modern god-damned america.

    Bring on the Thunderdome. I'm locked and loaded and ready for the game.

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  37. Funny enough,it is OK to family plan and restrict the size of your own blood. Not have them until you are ready. Eliminate the unwanted and those poorly timed. Now that is a permanent decision, but anyone else, any stranger from anywhere should be able to come in whenever and wherever, and do not say one word about big family planning.

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  38. US Vice-President Dick Cheney left yesterday for the Middle East to raise concerns about high oil prices, push Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, and seek support for Iraq, where war began five years ago this week.

    ...

    The United States wants Saudi Arabia, and other Arab allies like Egypt, to set up a diplomatic presence in Iraq by appointing an ambassador and opening an embassy in Baghdad.

    ...

    Cheney throughout his trip will discuss the situation in Iraq, where security has improved, but violence persists five years after the US-led invasion. Bush will soon receive a new assessment from Gen David Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq, and US Ambassador Ryan Crocker, that he will weigh in deciding whether any changes to US strategy are needed.


    Trip Agenda

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  39. JPMorgan Chase Buys Bear Stearns for $270 Million (Update1)

    By Yalman Onaran

    March 16 (Bloomberg) -- JPMorgan Chase & Co. agreed to buy Bear Stearns Cos. for about $270 million after a run on the company ended 85 years of independence for Wall Street's fifth- largest securities firm and prompted a bailout by the Federal Reserve.

    The deal values New York-based Bear Stearns, with 14,000 employees, at $2 a share, compared with $30 at the close on March 14. The central bank will provide financing for the transaction, including support for as much as $30 billion of Bear Stearns's ``less-liquid assets,'' the two companies said in a statement today.
    -------
    I was talking to my banker the other day, at Banner Bank, which isn't a big bank, real small, local, and pretty much problem free. Their stock has gone from 42 to 20. And they didn't get into the housing problems, he said.

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  40. Bobal: I was talking to my banker the other day, at Banner Bank, which isn't a big bank, real small, local, and pretty much problem free. Their stock has gone from 42 to 20. And they didn't get into the housing problems, he said.

    In the 30s when they did a run on the bank they literally ran to the bank. These days they do it with a click of the mouse.

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    ReplyDelete