The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

I’d Always Taken ‘Valley of the Shadow’ As A Psalm 23 Reference

Posted on | December 18, 2012 | 19 Comments

by Smitty

Joe Fein has an important post up about dealing with existential issues. Go read/comment/link.

Americans come in all manner of shades, sizes and ideals.
One of the first lessons I learned in NYC was not to stereotype anyone.
All I can hope for is that we are treated as individuals, not as a group.

If I may offer a positive, non-prescriptive observation, I’ve never heard of a major atrocity committed by someone who:

  • Got decent rest,
  • Took exercise,
  • Ate reasonably, and
  • Was active in some community of faith.

The possible exception that comes to mind is Charles C. Roberts, but even the extreme case gets at my point: be engaged. The well-reflected life is not lived passively, disconnected from those in the immediate vicinity*. The social and political order of the country depends upon Americans NOT being sheep. Progressivism wants to build some Orwellian/Huxlian paradise, where Statism supersedes the Judeo-Christian emphasis upon the individual/family as the unit of societal analysis.

The struggle to be who we are and carry out or individual destinies is really where life is located, at least from a temporal sense. So be about that. Sorry, I can’t pull a “Just do what I did.” My own path was unique to an introverted Navy brat. Though, to divulge a secret, taking a prayerful read through the Bible was life-changing. Especially Ecclesiastes, for whatever odd reason.

The alternative is to permit these political creeps to sell your liberty short on the market for political power, and then use that power to beat you down.

Fight the good fight, Joe.

*Significant medical barrier notwithstanding, obviously.

Category: Valley of the Shadow

Comments

19 Responses to “I’d Always Taken ‘Valley of the Shadow’ As A Psalm 23 Reference”

  1. Joseph Fein
    December 18th, 2012 @ 8:24 am

    Thanks Smitty. The fight goes on every day.

  2. TheOculists
    December 18th, 2012 @ 9:26 am

    Smitty, on your four point observation of those who don’t do attrocities, see: Ft. Hood and Maj Nidal Hassan.

    People seem to have erased this incident from their brains.

  3. smitty
    December 18th, 2012 @ 9:51 am

    Fair point.

  4. Eric Ashley
    December 18th, 2012 @ 10:08 am

    Unfortunately, Mr. Fein seems to be of the solib pov pushing the line ‘gov’t shouldn’t care what you do in your bedroom or your wallet’. Really? Then is it okay if I go and buy nerve gas from the nearest terrorist and use it on my wife in my bedroom?

    And he’s advocating for the loser (Bush Sr., Dole, McCain, Romney) point of view as if it was Da Winnah. Well, even if it was Da Winnah, I’d have to ask ‘what exactly did you win?’ but we’ll let that lie since the answer is Total Democratic Power. Its almost as if Libertarians are paid by the DNC…

    And oh, yes, one only tries to get political purity when one had had power for decades. Sigh. Just sigh.

  5. Robin
    December 18th, 2012 @ 10:18 am

    You were probably drawn to Ecclesiastes because it explains why we exist. We are here to enjoy life and praise God. Very simple and comforting. This world is a gigantic playground that God created for us to enjoy. HE really does deserve our praise and thanks. My favorites are Proverbs, Psalms, Ecclesiastes and the Book of James. Enjoy.

  6. Evi L. Bloggerlady
    December 18th, 2012 @ 10:18 am

    I am glad Joe Fein has found the healing power of pasta.

  7. Bob Belvedere
    December 18th, 2012 @ 11:01 am

    I think we have to separate-out Muslims because many of them are acting out of religious fervor for a demonic book and are not, therefore, necessarily mentally ill in the sense we are talking about.

  8. Joseph Fein
    December 18th, 2012 @ 2:49 pm

    Then I guess you haven’t explored the Valley much. I fight the Establishment GOP for throwing Romney down our throats and chastise them for not fighting everywhere.

    Most of LA is filled with artists; They are natural allies of Grover Norquist’s ‘Leave us Alone’ coalition which is directly expressed “No Gov’t in bedroom OR the wallet,”

    And this weekend, as I was sworn into my party position, I had to fight with paulbots who wanted control of our County.

    To win in LA, (and get CA + 55 Electoral Votes), you cannot be a cookie-cutter Conservative. Even Smitty, Wombat and RS know that.

  9. Wombat_socho
    December 18th, 2012 @ 4:14 pm

    Your reading comprehension skills need work.

  10. Joseph Fein
    December 18th, 2012 @ 4:25 pm

    Sorry Wombat!

  11. Joseph Fein
    December 18th, 2012 @ 4:27 pm

    EBL, trust me — no matter how stressed I get at the world (or at individuals), it all fades away as I stir the noodles.

    I have never seen a bad conversation happen over Pizza or pasta. Hey, I think I just solved the middle East issue/ joke!

  12. Finrod Felagund
    December 18th, 2012 @ 6:31 pm

    Heh. My favorite pizza has on it ham, bacon, and extra cheese. I call it ‘the Infidel’.

  13. Finrod Felagund
    December 18th, 2012 @ 6:43 pm

    Yeesh, you’re as clueless as a certain RedState moderator that I butt heads with on a regular basis that claims that fiscal conservatism doesn’t exist and that libertarians that want to decriminalize marijuana are intellectually inconsistent if they don’t also want to legalize murder.

    Since you’re so down on libertarians, let me remind you that Ronald Reagan said quite forcefully that the heart of conservatism is libertarianism. If you want to evict Ronald Reagan from the Republican Party, well, Good Luck With That.

    And your final statement is completely bogus. Certain types of social conservatives have been trying to ‘purify’ the party for years, usually as a response to losing the most recent election.

  14. Quartermaster
    December 18th, 2012 @ 7:33 pm

    In some ways the “true believer” syndrome is the most dangerous form of mental illness. This is most certainly true when you have a Muslim or Thugee on your hands.

  15. Quartermaster
    December 18th, 2012 @ 7:40 pm

    We SoCons have not been trying to purify the party. We simply want consistency and to stick to principles. We get dissed almost anytime the GOP shoves a Mittens down our throats, wants our votes, then, if they win, we are told to go sit in the corner until the next election.

    The GOP has lots elections because they have been cutting off their collective noses to spite our face. Now that they are brought face to face with the effects of allowing moral depravity down the throats of our kids, and they are harvesting the shame of their stupidity, we are supposedly to blame. Sorry, but we warned the GOP for years that morality can not be separated from the rule of law. The GOP Progressives and weak kneed establishment have brought us to this point regardless of the warnings. I have no sympathy for the so called FisCons who will never see what they want without the moral component that will yield responsibility.

  16. Finrod Felagund
    December 18th, 2012 @ 8:07 pm

    Social conservatives get told to ‘sit in the corner’ when they try to impose Big Government solutions on us all. They’re the one branch of conservatism that has the most members that haven’t figured out yet that Big Government Does Not Work and gives liberals license to impose their own Big Government on us. You complain that other conservatives don’t respect you in the same breath that you diss other conservatives. Well, suck it up, buttercup. Go read the Golden Rule again, since you seem to have forgotten it. For that matter, go back and read Ronald Reagan’s Eleventh Commandment.

    You also seem to forget that social conservatives aren’t the only conservatives that loathed Mitt Romney. I for one called him a ‘lying suckweasel’ on more than one occasion. But people like you often jump on conservative bandwagons and then try to take them over: the Tea Party for example, which was founded by the very Fiscal Conservatives that you rail against.

    That is why I have no sympathy for your whining.

  17. GAHCindy
    December 18th, 2012 @ 9:36 pm

    Only one read-through? You should go again. It gets better every time. 😉

  18. The Spot-On Quote Of The Day… « The Camp Of The Saints
    December 20th, 2012 @ 4:12 pm

    […] retired Admiral Of The Afghan Seas and Groom Of The Stool to Prince Niklas, for coining a term that accurately names the destination the Left in America wants to reach as it drives us down the Road To Perdition: […]

  19. Eric Ashley
    December 22nd, 2012 @ 7:39 pm

    Joseph,
    No, I have not. But certain statements are red flags that make further exploration unneccessary to draw a conclusion. If for example I saw a person blog about the Stolen Election of 2000, I can safely draw the conclusion that I am in Liberal Land.

    If…
    Purity counts in politics when you’ve had decades long majority. (Incorrect, basic misunderstanding of successful electoral strategy.)

    Or…
    If you look to the sidebar –> the simple ideal of the GOP is “Commerce, Democracy and Rock & Roll,” (False. Conservatism is not identical with Libertarianism.)

    Or…
    I’m a Social Libertarian. The Government should have nothing to with our wallets or our bedrooms. (Well said…for a Libertarian. Also, as I pointed out in my first post, nonsense.)

    Or…
    But if you think every Republican is a Social Conservative, then why should I fight for your cause? (Here comes the typical SoLib threat.)

    And…
    You also don’t want to stereotype people. In my experience, the people who don’t like labels are generally people who know if they are clearly understood then people will run away from them. Liberals say…no to labels, but Conservatives are proud to claim the name.

    Now I’m aware most of your post was about other topics, buts it is useful to remember the source of advice. It does not mean its not good advice.

    Wombat, I’m reading closely is all.

    Finrod, you’re just like that idiot libertarian who wrote that six year olds should have guns. Oh….but I don’t actually know you, and maybe you don’t actually think that way, and ….

    Second, Finrod, this is where I ask you what color the sky is on your planet. It is obvious to all fair minded that the Libertarians are the ones picking the fight. It is further obvious that the they are the ones seeking ‘purification’. And if anyone needs a dose of the 11th Commandment its the Libertarians.

    Now, I used to be a believer in fusionism, but no more. And so yes, I am down on Libertarians.