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The View From 1776
§ American Traditions
§ People and Ideas
§ Decline of Western Civilization: a Snapshot
§ Books to Read
Thought Police & PC
Monday, August 03, 2015
A Lament For Freedom Of Belief And Expression That No Longer Exists
Politically-correct liberal-progressives strive to revive the Inquisition.
"It's A Free Country"
By Robert Curry
Recently it occurred to me that I don't hear this expression any more.
Growing up, I heard it all the time. Now, never.
It used to come up, for example, in discussions about choices others were making. In these discussions someone might declare "I don't know what she sees in him" or ask "Why would he give up a perfectly good job to pursue such a nutty idea?" Various factors would be considered, and anecdotes were generally offered. Finally, one person would say "Well, it's a free country", at which point everyone nodded in agreement, and the conversation moved on to a new topic.
In retrospect, what was most remarkable was that perfect agreement. The phrase simply stated a truth everyone accepted without hesitation.
When I've tried the phrase out recently on people at random, their responses have been interesting—"As if", "If only", snorts, shrugs, puzzled expressions, head shakes. It has not elicited that perfect acceptance of a truth universally acknowledged I remember from earlier times in America.
According to my very unscientific survey, Americans are no longer certain that America is a still free country.
If you have been around for a while, is it your experience that the phrase was once in common use, but now you hear it rarely or not at all? I'd love to hear back from you on that. Maybe it is different in your neighborhood or in your part of the country.
If you are young, trust me, there was a time when it was in common use, much like today's phrase "It is what it is".
In fact overhearing that newer phrase being used got me thinking about this. Two women sitting behind me on a train were coaching each other on how better to play the various systems of government benefits to maximum advantage. As their mutual coaching session wound down, the unseemliness of their discussion was left hanging in the air, calling for some kind of comment. After a pause, the older woman offered "Well, it is what it is" whereupon the younger woman snickered her consent. They then moved on to other topics.
If you begin to pay attention to how this phrase is used I am guessing you will quickly find it harbors an unappealing cynicism. You hear it from the paper-shuffling bureaucrat. It rounds off conversations about yet another instance of collapsing standards in our society, by those who play an active role in that collapse as well as by those who don't like what they see but only use it to register their resigned acceptance.
If you think about it you will I believe realize that it stands in near perfect opposition to the American Founders' belief that we each have a natural and unalienable right to judge for ourselves. It says personal responsibility is out the window. This much is certain: the spirit of "It is what it is" is a far cry from the spirit of "It's a free country" in those conversations about our American liberty I remember from earlier times.
Robert Curry is the author of Common Sense Nation, published by Encounter Books. You can preview the book at:
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Saturday, July 25, 2015
Spanish Civil War: A Case Study Of Propagandistic Distortion
Robert Stapler reviews and assesses the many distortions, mostly by liberal-progressives, of causes, effects, and participants in the 1930s Spanish Civil War.
The International Brigades in Spain
By Robert Stapler
While researching the period between the World Wars, I came across a British website (see http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/ ) representing itself as 'educational'. The site is the creation of a secondary school (UK version of high school) history teacher claiming to prepare students for the GCSE (graduation) exam. I was appalled (though not actually shocked) by the degree of historical inaccuracy, lack of citations, revisionism, misinformation and outright disinformation I found at his site. It unabashedly praises the International Brigades who fought in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). The brigades fought as volunteers, but were, in reality (for the most part), composed of communists and radical-socialists. And for he most part, they were communist led operations whose objectives and methods were less praiseworthy than we are given to believe. Considering the wealth of available and verifiable information on the subject, the article was inexcusably sketchy (doubly so for a teaching site); and, clearly, this was by design so as not to reveal the article is 4/5 propaganda.
I am not picking on this site as being outside the norm for 'educational' websites as propaganda mills, as it is only a little less scholarly and objective than most, and falls within the norm for what passes as education and educators in our times. Rather, it is but one example (out of many I might have chosen) to illustrate the ideologically-debased condition of education and scholarship today. Indeed, it has become increasingly rare to find educators who don't peddle such tripe to children; so much so that fiction has supplanted reality in the zeitgeist even among well-read adults; and, we have to first 'un-teach' such fiction before we can begin to see the past realistically.
My purpose here is not to acquit Franco, Nazis, Fascists, and others on the right in that war and/or their contributive abuses leading to war and pursuant to war and its aftermath. It is simply to set the record straight and to alert the public to how the Left perverts history to hide its own atrocious misbehaviors. Make no mistake; there were monsters on both sides. But, the Left's portrayal of these events and behaviors are absurdly lopsided, and are devoid of any mention of their own culpability, brutality, and subversions.
The Left has acquired a reputation for manipulating history to fit its own unsupported narratives (aka, revisionism). We conservatives have our faults too in this regard, but this article is not meant to mock or make unflattering comparisons. Rather, it is to explore and inform how radicals (of every stripe) intentionally misinform, and how the disinformation gets absorbed and passed on by willing dupes who then perpetuate said disinformation until it acquires an aura of incontrovertibility. Propaganda once circulated, takes on a life of its own; effectively warping reality. It serves a further purpose (to its authors) of justifying political objectives beyond the immediate scope of originating actions. For example, the Left created the myth illegal aliens do not burden support systems created for the benefit of citizens. Everyone knows this to be false, yet the lie persists and serves the additional purpose of expanding governmental programs beyond the immediate cause du jour, and of making citizenship elastic (which is useful if you want to manipulate election results). Thus, the Left is far more likely to eschew evidence as does not fit re-conceptions they themselves devise.
Radicals do read history, so it is unfair claiming they are unscholarly or illiterate. But they read their own tripe uncritically, view the world through a fictional lens of their own making, and go to extremes assuring their fictions are what get taught in our schools. Where conservatives (and others) have a keen interest in their own country's history and culture, leftists are far more interested in other peoples' histories and cultures, often to the exclusion of their own. I realize this is a sweeping generalization with notable exceptions; but I believe it to be true in the main. We can even extrapolate from this a bit, that conservatives tend to be those who, having studied their own histories and finding something laudable about it, build upon that foundation; whereas radicals are those who, for whatever reason and early on, decide their own country is in some sense defective; and so lose interest in it. Retaining an interest in things historical and cultural generally, however, they shift that remaining interest to other shores and grow enamored of other cultures; even to extolling that of aliens above their own on any pretext. And, of course, whatever they find to fault in ours, they broadcast to a less radical, 'liberal-progressive' audience. I believe this helps explain why so many liberals appear misinformed on so much.
Once formed in our opinions, conservatives can be every bit as stubborn in defense of that which we believe as does the Left. The radical-Left shows, however, by its constant revisions and contradictions, it cannot long abide evidence having its own say if it, in anyway, undermines the narrative; and will go to extremes manipulating evidence to suit 'a higher wisdom'. Hence, we see countless writers of articles, books and journals working feverishly to reinvent the past and reshape the present, rather than simply reporting and allowing facts, people and events to tell their own stories. Because unsupported, today's fiction becomes tomorrow's embarrassment; leading to still more revising. We see this whether the subject is comparative religion, interpreting the Founding, the so-called Palestinian Right-of-Return, a madman shooting up a school, or global-warming.
Returning to our British teacher-essayist and my theme, the above linked radical rendering presents us with an opportunity to combat this tendency by exposing its self-serving fictions. The essay here under examination romanticizes Spain's 'Republican Army' and its allies (Soviet backed International Brigades) while vilifying Spain's more conservative elements (monarchists, nationalists, church, businessmen, &c) and their allies (Nazis & fascists) in the most extreme terms; and by making it seem the Spanish people overwhelmingly opposed the Right and supported the Left in that conflict. I will show that anti-communism was, then, at least as strong in Spain as anti-fascism (if not greater). Despite the propaganda vilifying Spain's military exclusively as fascist hijackers and merciless killers, Spain's 'republicans' were just as complicit in fomenting civil war by their class warfare, disregard for valid complaints, confiscatory policies, disastrous economic blunders, relentless attacks on the church and individual Catholics, open favoritism in labor disputes, muzzling of opposition parties, and attacks on the military.
Almost all the standard narratives leave out the war had been brewing for decades (not mere months as usually implied) and with both sides inflicting damage on the other to the degree possible (politically and physically) short of all out warfare. Republican government was first tried in Spain in the late 18th century, as an effect of the American Revolution. Republicans, radicals and monarchists could agree on nothing, and, so, that experiment failed in less than two years. Class divisions and long festering hatreds simply proved too strong for the experiment. Results of this failure included restoration of the monarchy and an enduring mistrust of republicanism among upper and middleclass Spaniards. Moreover, Spain's upper and ruling classes stood to lose too much by liberalization to be willing partners in their own downfall. 19th century Spain witnessed recurring clashes, class warfare, economic failures, colonial revolts, peasant revolts, labor disputes, dynastic disputes, and encroachments (both sides) which had the effect of further polarizing Spanish society. Moreover, due to the rapid loss of Spain's empire, the role of Spain's military dwindled to the point its military were reduced to idleness, limited opportunities for promotion, and resentment.
Spain's military included republicans and socialists, many of whom deserted to the Republican cause, somewhat undermining the assertion Spain's military was totally conservative. While, the military did include some actual 'fascists', most, including Franco, appear to have been, more simply, loyal soldiers terrified of radical changes wrecking [in their view as well as others] the country, church, military, economy, order and their way of life; as well as by the speed of the changes. The reality was: both Spanish groups had some validity, both had legitimate complaints about the other, both accepted outside help that was (then and later) condemned and/or regretted, and each side acted sometimes nobly and sometimes atrociously. The Left's narrative, as handed down via our institutions of learning, therefore gives a lopsided, one-dimensional portrait of these rival factions, and goes something like this:
"The International Brigade is an umbrella term given to numerous groups that arrived in Spain to help the Republican cause – the overthrow of the Nationalist attempt to take over the country. Members of the International Brigade came from numerous countries – Great Britain, France, the USSR, and the former Yugoslavia for instance. However, while they may have had the same desire, the International Brigade was a collection of mainly men who had no loyalty to other groups within the International Brigade and followed no other leader than their own. Whether as a unified and cohesive force the International Brigade could have made any difference to the final outcome of the Spanish Civil War is open to conjecture." – http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/modern-world-history-1918-to-1980/the-spanish-civil-war/the-international-brigade/
"The International Brigades were military units, made up of volunteers from different countries, who travelled to Spain, in order to fight for the Second Spanish Republic, in the Spanish Civil War, between 1936 and 1939". – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Brigades
"The number of combatant volunteers [is] estimated at [as] between 32,000–35,000 … with no more than about 20,000 active at any one time. A further 10,000 … probably participated in non-combatant roles and about 3,000–5,000 foreigners were members of CNT or POUM. They came from [over 50 countries] to fight against the Spanish Falangist forces led by General Francisco Franco, who was assisted by German and Italian forces". – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Brigades
"Spanish Civil War amounts to the opening battle of World War II, perhaps the only time in living memory when the world confronted—in fascism and Nazism—something like unqualified evil … a progressive Popular Front government was elected in February 1936, with the promise of realistic land reform one of its key planks, conservative forces immediately gathered to plan resistance … What the military did not anticipate was the determination of the Spanish people … the Spanish Civil War became a literal and symbolic instance of the growing worldwide struggle between fascism and democracy." – http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/scw/overview.htm
"Communists and their allies in the People's Front were key in establishing a democratic government in Spain. The Spanish Republic was created in the aftermath of a mass revolt of workers and peasants. After the country's first democratic election, Spanish government included conservatives, liberals, Social-Democrats, and Communists. The new, elected government began carrying out many popular reforms. Land was re-distributed, and literacy campaigns taught impoverished Spanish people to read … In response to the popular reforms, and the upsurge of democratic participation in society by the masses of Spanish people, General Francisco Franco launched an armed revolt against the democratic government. Franco was funded by Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini to attack the Spanish Republic with his army called the Falangists. They were supported by the Roman Catholic Church, and many wealthy bankers in Spain, the United States, and Europe." – http://journal-neo.org/2014/09/01/ukraine-international-brigades-reborn/
As you can see, all of these sources read from the same basic script regardless they are mainstream or derivative. If they vary at all, it is only with regard to how strongly they vilify and falsify the right, praise and validate the Left, minimize (or fantasize) the role of communism, or distort the record for reasons we can only guess at. The first citation above mischaracterizes conservatives (aka, 'Nationalists') as "… attempt[ing] to take over the country". If anyone had 'taken the country over', it was the left as they were the clear agents of change. 'Reactionary' is, by definition, a 'reaction' to someone else imposing their will on others; an attempt to stop or slow the rate of radical change, or to revert to things as they were just before the most recent change. Thus, the more accurate rendering would be conservatives "… attempted to take the country back". Before the socialists came to power, the country had been a constitutional-monarchy with long established norms. We may not agree with those norms, but there is no gainsaying it was the Left (and not the Right) that was imposing its will on an (about equally) unwilling populous in ways that can only be described as radical, confiscatory, destructive, and consciously unconstitutional.
The citation next disingenuously characterizes the brigades as "mainly men who had no loyalty to other groups". This too is patently false. Almost to a man (and woman) the brigades were composed of communists, radical-socialist and/or those with a strong associations with socialism. Most exhibited a clear preference for communism, or something very near to it. Some could even be classed as fascists, despite they fought against fascists (socialists are often confused just who they are and who fighting; victims of their own propaganda). Few could be legitimately characterized as being without such an affinity. Many had histories of radicalism in their own countries, including brushes with the law. If not actually pledged (i.e., a party member), they, at least, were willing accomplices to the spread of communism, and perfectly conscious communist brigade dominance meant Spain's future government would be dictatorial regardless who won.
The Wikipedia citation is better, yet it too leaves us with a one-sided interpretation. It claims brigade volunteers came to fight for the 'Spanish Republic', but only someone ignorant of history (and I believe the wiki article to have been written by a scholar) would be fooled by the 'Republican' moniker applied to men who were decidedly socialist in their objectives and overt distain for republican niceties. The wiki article goes on to tell us who these volunteers were, even to personal details as makes them human, but little about the opposition; the better to make valid comparisons. Leaving them indistinct gives an impression of faceless, inhumane and rapacious hordes. Were they really inhuman, did every German and Italian soldier think in lockstep with Hitler and Mussolini? Were even Hitler and Mussolini quite as monstrous at this particular moment as they were later? Or, perhaps, are our less than objective historiographers projecting later crimes onto earlier events? Again, there is that little matter of sequence.
The fourth citation above was written by an English Lit major with a confused and weak grasp of the times, events and actors. His sequence is badly botched you might almost think his essay a work of pure fiction. The world did not know, in 1936, that Nazism and fascism would prove as terrible as we now know it was, yet that is the impression he gives. In 1936, fascism, national-socialism and their variants, were praised in West as often as were international-socialism, communism, progressivism, and liberty. If anything, socialism and liberty were regarded equally valid, equally commendable, and combinable within the same system (a belief that persists to this day, despite we've yet to see evidence of it). The two leading forms of socialism (communism and Nazism), however, were rivals after competing hegemonies. Popular opinion regarding them (outside their immediate spheres of influence) was generally positive despite the disturbances attending their rivalry. Each of these movements attracted roughly equal numbers of outsider adherents. Hitler and Mussolini were, in 1936, still reaping praise from Western intellectuals, journalists, businessmen, labor-unions, pedagogues, fraternal orders, and political leaders for their 'wonderful accomplishments'. In the so-called 'democracies', politicians and progressives alike toyed with adopting fascist & communist programs in their own countries; and the media fell all over itself praising aspects of first one and then the other. In general, the press favored the international variety of socialism more than the national, but typically praised such shared agendas as planned-economy, educational reforms (i.e., indoctrination), welfare programs, lobotomizing the insane, selective breeding, population control, euthanizing the old and unfit, and ethnic-cleansing schemes. So, as far as the world was then concerned (prior to the propaganda campaigns), meddling in the Spanish Civil War did not represent democracy slugging it out against fascism on a truly democratic field, nor did it see the contest as confronting extraordinary 'evil'. It was, more simply, a contest between national and international socialisms over a failed republic rent by its own internal squabbles, which few had expected to succeed anyway.
Of the two outsiders, it was communists who, to that time, had the more fearsome reputation. The Nazis were a relative unknown; and all the allegations raised against them by leftist were obviously attempts by Soviets to turn tables on an ideological and territorial adversary. By that time, the West had realized the Nazis were bad actors too (and, yes, it was perfectly possible to predict they would prove the greater or more immediate danger), but all that was irrelevant to brigade self-justification. Ergo, the propaganda campaign waged against the fascists by communists was really about keeping the West from looking too closely at the brigades' communist composition and objectives.
Non-interventionism was the overriding principle in the West just then, and both communist and fascist meddlers exploited the Big Powers' unwillingness to defend Spain. It was dogma that world wars could only recur as a result of obligatory alliances and/or outsider interventions because those had played a critical role in igniting and spreading the First World War. Spain without intervention would have been just one more European conflict, or so went the theory. To the big powers, intervention by any of the pact's signatories represented a breach of trust and principle of greater importance than 'which meddler was the bigger aggressor' or 'how Spain and peace were best preserved'. I doubt any of the big powers (Britain, France or America) realized how strong the fascists would soon become, or how strong the communists would become with us supplying them with war material and cash (all that would come later). If they had, they probably would have dropped their lofty insistence on non-intervention, and kicked both fascist and communist out of Spain. But, of course, that is hindsight and unrealistic to expect they were any more prescient than we are.
Spain's coalition government of 1936 included a variety of rival groups, and the resulting coalition called itself a 'Popular Front'. But, isn't that just typical of radicals to call themselves a 'front' and 'popular' regardless they are neither. No party won a clear majority in the election, the Popular Front simply got enough votes (after pooling) to win under Spain's then election laws. If it was a front, it was a mighty shaky one, as its member groups loathed and feared each other almost as much as they did the opposition, and fought amongst themselves incessantly. In fact, it was partly this infighting the military responded to, as that was inflicting greater damage and confusion to the country (and to its conservative elements) than had the coalition had been more stable. Instability can be as dangerous as confiscation; and does, in some cases, provide sufficient justification to take action. The standard narratives fail to even mention this as a possible or contributory motive for the action taken by the military despite it was clearly spelled out in Franco's declaration of 17 July (see https://teachwar.wordpress.com/resources/war-justifications-archive/spanish-civil-war-1936/ ).
Despite the Popular Front winning a majority of seats in the election of 1936 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_general_election,_1936#Seats ), they did not win the popular vote (47%). Neither did conservatives with 49.8% of the vote. The left simply proved more successful in forming a coalition, and did so sooner than the right. Moreover, there were widespread voting irregularities on the left as casts even that outcome into disrepute. While many of the left's unrealistic reforms were indeed popular, those reforms rapid disruptions of country and economy were not. Despite the article's false allegation of the speed with which conservatives reacted, they were not all that quick to revolt given how fast the country was falling apart. A few did, but most, including Franco, were hesitant to unwilling. As to the suggestion the Spanish people overwhelmingly opposed the conservative reaction, the division of Spanish combatants suggests the conservative cause enjoyed slightly better support than did the socialists (514,000 vs 407,000). Still, that does not necessarily prove conservatives had a popular edge in the fight, only that they were better organized and more effective in their recruiting. What we do know is that we don't really know (and can't know) how the 'average' Spaniard felt about the war, then or soon after. Ergo, this writer is simply projecting his own ideologically rooted assumptions.
As scholars, we ought to be asking: what is missing from all these readings, and might they be biased in some degree? It is easy to believe that just because almost all give out (roughly) the same story, they must be true. But, with propaganda supplanting reality it is all too often not the case. One thing that is obviously missing (and this is as true of the full citations as the excerpts) is the other side's (i.e., Spanish conservatives') version of the events. Due to the wide dissemination and acceptance of leftist renderings and crowding out of conservative testimony, it takes a great deal of searching and sifting today even to find an opposed viewpoint or testimony on this topic. Forty years ago, I remember reading conservative accounts that told a different tale. I did not then believe those reports (because I considered myself a liberal) and gave them short shrift; and, so, did not think to preserve and can no longer find copies. This suggests a gradual purging of the literature over time in addition to the original narratives favoring the left's version. Some of that is natural (one side's narrative gets refreshed, the other does not), but I also suspect some conscious pruning has happened.
Some of the confusion stems from a failure to place events in their proper order. Propagandists of the time (both sides) made a hash of this sequence in the reportage (newspapers & radio) in order to justify their own behaviors and discredit an enemy's; so we should not be too surprised leftist intellectuals and teachers imbibing this bilge continue to believe the shuffled version. For a relatively factual timeline of the war, see http://spartacus-educational.com/SPAchronology.htm (correct as to sequence, but descriptions are, in some cases, unenlightening without a thorough reading of links).
For purposes of examination, I have broken the overall myth into sub-myths as follows:
Myth #1 – the brigades consisted of 'democracy loving' volunteers.
Myth #2 – a) the brigades responded to attacks against a government that was popularly & legitimately elected and appropriately democratic; and b) it was this which justified the brigades' intervention (whereas fascist intervention was merely criminal).
Myth #3 – Franco was a Falangist.
Myth #4 – acceptance of Nazi and fascist aid proves Franco and his Falange led coalition were likewise fascist.
Myth #1 – brigades were 'democracy loving'
A key justification in the left's portrayal of the conflict (and their part in it) was this idea one side fought for democracy and freedom in the Western sense of those terms, while the other fought to enslave a people under the fascist banner. The reality was both sides enlisted outsiders to aid them, both sought to warp the outcome to suit totalitarian objectives, and both outsider-forces were rife with socialist radicals,. They were also about equally brutal, deceitful and callus in their methods. Although the Soviets (and their western socialists volunteers) often used these two terms ('freedom' & 'democracy') to justify their meddling, it was pure propaganda; and no more (or less) sincere than Nazi professions of the same false declarations of self-determination. In the West when we say 'freedom', we mean each individual should be left, to the degree possible, to his own devices to work out his/her own destiny. When a socialist says 'freedom' he/she means a safety net protecting the individual (as part of some larger group) from the consequences of his/her own actions, and protecting the group from the actions of individuals also. These are antithetical definitions, as the latter precludes the individual acting, in any sense of the term, independently of the group.
Democracy is one of those terms everyone uses as though clearly understood, but usually isn't. It is most often ascribed to prevailing systems of government in which top officials are 'democratically' elected to office. The actual form of government, however, is typically 'republican' else a 'parliamentarian-monarchy'. It can also be oppressively socialist or dictatorial. Even our elections vary to the point many of them insults to their democratic intent. Thus, calling most of these systems a 'democracy', is not only misleading, it imputes a sense of virtue to frequently unvirtuous governments into order to fool the politically-naïve into going along with actions they'd otherwise oppose.
Real democracy is a form of government in which all citizens participate directly in decisions of state; in which rules and actions (e.g., declare war, send emissaries, judge an offender, &c) are decided collectively. Democracy is impracticable except in a population small enough all citizens can gather at a single place (or concurrent venue) so that each can have his/her say in the proceedings (e.g., tribal gatherings of native-Americans, town-hall meetings).
When the Brigades, their Soviet manipulators, or historiographers claim they fought for 'democracy' (in the Western sense), the claim fails on two counts; a) that a 'democracy' was, in fact, under attack (Spain has never been a democracy) and, b) it was not really 'democracy' they defended but, more obviously, wanted everyone to think that was the objective in order to reap a propaganda bonanza.
Myth #2a – Spanish Republicans: a popular, legitimately-elected, democratic government
Even evidence gathered from leftist sources demonstrates this to be a false claim. Spain's form of government (before, during and after the war) was a parliamentary-monarchy; which though electively 'democratic' was far from being a 'democracy'. The monarchy had largely been abandoned as a result of a socialist-led military coup d'état in 1923, and Spain's king self-exiled following the socialist dominated elections of 1931; but it was still a constitutional-monarchy. A great deal of propaganda emphasis is placed on the military having 'plotted' an overthrow, but violent reaction and plots were even more the norm on the left (whether in and out of power). For example, an election victory by conservatives in 1934 prompted the left to stage a violent strike that effectively paralyzed conservative reforms, and the government the left claimed was under threat of assault by 'reactionaries', in fact, had already been usurped by Popular Front radicals on the eve of the war. Street violence by organized gangs was also a frequent tactic used by the left to obstruct government, force changes and sow discord (Germany was not alone in having squads of 'brown-shirts').
At the time of its civil war, Spain had had a republican form of government less than five years. Within that span, faith in republicanism was mostly absent in any of its political factions (monarchist, nationalist, anarchists, progressives, socialists or communists), and even less obvious in Spain's apolitical classes. Moreover, at the time of the nationalist revolt (July 1936), the so-called 'republican' government then in power was fracturing over differences of agenda and personality. The Popular-Front government was composed of left-republicans, socialists, anarchists, and communists, none of whom achieved a majority in the elections. In fact, it was radical-socialists within the coalition that initially staged a coup, ousting their own moderate-socialist president; and it was that (plus cumulative attacks against the church, businesses, land-owners & military) that triggered the civil war.
Therefore, the political system of Spain in this period was, at best, in a state of flux (see http://spartacus-educational.com/WARspain.htm ), was inherently unstable and weakly supported, and 'democratic' in name only.
Myth 2b – brigades justified in meddling / fascist meddling criminal
The picture we get is that the Brigades were justified in their meddling because the fascists a) meddled first, and b) were dangerous to established forms of government and personal freedom.
Forgotten in this portrayal are the Brigades, as a communist led organization and socialist spearhead was just as dangerous. Also missing from the narrative is that, although fascists did indeed introduce their resources and 'volunteers' into the conflict first, both the Soviets/socialists and Nazi/fascists began to mobilize almost simultaneously. That the fascists were able to deliver men and material faster and more effectively is largely a case of shared borders and modes of transportation with Spain which Soviet Russia lacked. For the Soviets to catchup in the meddling required they come up with some novel means to move men and material into the fight, and to simultaneously persuade the big powers (Britain, France, and America) their invaders wore white hats and did not violate neutrality restrictions. The method they settled on was to work through proxies, and the proxies they naturally turned to were their own network of communist cells, socialist sympathizers, and socialism-favoring press in Western countries closer to the action.
Another criterion often used to justify brigade intervention implies they responded to protect and not destroy a stable, legitimate system of government and decent way of life for ordinary Spaniards. But, is this really true? Clearly, many of the brigade's volunteers believed they were doing just that, but some too quickly realized that was not the situation or not how they were being exploited in the fight; and deserted when they realized the brigades were just as evil or the cause they were fighting was a farce. If the Nazi/fascists were evil, so too were the communists; and it was the communists who dominated the brigades.
But, 'What of the government of Spain?', you will say. If it was, in fact, a legitimate government, doesn't that justify outsider volunteers coming to their rescue? So, what if those volunteers had ulterior motives given the only alternative is an unchallenged fascist victory.
The problem with this argument is that it hinges on a single presumption the 'Republicans' then in power were not instigators of their own demise. If (contrary to the standard narrative), the republicans were really socialists who had already usurped more than was allowed by their constitution, and showed every sign of further traducing their constitution and of crippling political enemies by unjust means, that argues against them and for their opponents. And, if the more radical members of the ruling coalition ousted the legitimately elected leader of their faction in order to force changes beyond their mandate, through violence, or by illegal means, that too argues against their supposed legitimacy.
In April/May 1936, moderate socialist Zamora was forced out as President and Azana, a radical-socialist and Popular Front's real organizer, assumed power without calling for a referendum. This alone made this government illegitimate. In February 1936, the Falange was forced to close its Madrid office and was banned altogether in May. Also in February, General Franco was relieved of his command and sent to the Canary Islands to get him out of Spain. Other officers were similarly abused, demoted and/or reposted where they could not oppose or protest radical changes. The military was legislatively barred from political involvement around this time. In March 1936, Rivera was arrested and charged with arms trafficking, and by November 1936 he was executed. Around this time (April-May), a vendetta street-war began between those on the right and left; which is where much of the propaganda fodder begins alleging conservatives plotted all along to overthrow the government. In May 1936, the government ordered the closing of Catholic schools due to frequent arson (i.e., churches were being burned, so let's punish the Catholics). There was a long history of anti-clericalism by radical-socialists enabled by this so-called republican government that included vandalism, looting, desecrations, confiscations (by government), beatings, and even murders (see https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=7999 ).
Myth #3 – Franco was a Falangist/fascist
One of the hardest things in historiography it determining 'what was the guiding philosophy or ideology' behind events or participants, and is tantamount to 'reading tea leaves' for enlightenment. Where historical persons have declared the philosophy guiding them, this is fairly easy, but where (as in Franco's case) our subject fails or refuses to declare himself, we can only guess. All of the sources objected to herein, have projected their own beliefs onto Franco that he was a fascist or Falangist, and that he sought absolute power from the outset of the civil war. I do not believe the evidence supports any of that.
Prior the civil war, the Falange (Phalanx) was an insignificant political group with few adherents. There is some debate the pre-war Falange should even be counted on the 'right', as its platform consisted of: republican reforms, modernization, poor-relief, and opposition to communism and monarchy alike. In 1934, the Falange combined with a syndicalist/trade-union group to become the Falange Española de las Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista, or FE-JONS. It was but one of many groups in opposition to socialists masquerading as republicans, and a tiny group at that. The Falange had some friends and admirers on the left, and, until hostilities broke out was considered a left of center organization. But, was it 'fascist'. I find little evidence to support that argument either, just lots of accusation and innuendo. Yes, it shared certain fascist traits (e.g., syndicalism), but few of those traits for which they can be rightly condemned as thuggish totalitarians. If the potential for becoming a fascist were a legitimate criterion, then all of us, Left and Right, can be legitimately condemned as 'proto-fascists. Fortunately, the evidentiary bar is set higher than that, requiring some actual fascist behavior combined with self-justifying rhetoric to be on display. The FE de JONS is, at most, guilty of syndicalism and of bullying businesses into unionizing. But, then, so did the New Dealers, British Labor Party and French trade-unionists. Were those groups fascist also? If not, what are the key criteria? What is it that fascists advocate or do that others do not, as makes the former reprehensible and the latter acceptable, even admirable? Wikipedia says Mussolini's fascists were not bullies by accident but by design; who, as early as 1925, advocated an authoritarian-totalitarian state and conquest of 'lost territories' in their doctrine. The FE-JONS had no such territorial ambitions, no totalitarian doctrine, and their violence was not directed outside the confines of Spain.
There is no evidence Franco was ever a Falange member prior to the war, nor of any other political group. He was a military officer, plain and simple, who was dedicated to king and country (common among Spain's officer corps; see http://www.biography.com/people/francisco-franco-9300766#the-spanish-civil-war ). Clearly, he was something of a monarchist, but, if so, he can't also have been either a fascist or Falangist as both those groups opposed monarchy.
It was the Left's open attacks on and abuses of the military, royal family and church that finally drove Franco and his fellow officers into open rebellion, and not a lust for power as generally portrayed. Franco did adopt some of the methods of the Left, including propaganda posters and leader cult, but this was little different from the same means used by Americans (FDR), Soviets (Stalin), British and French (de Gaulle) … and Spanish Republicans/Brigades … to rally support behind every new cause.
The Falange are lumped with conservatives in the 1936 election results; but that was more because, like conservatives, they were anti-communist, not because they were conservative or willing to work with or support conservatives.
Contrary to modern mythology, fascism does not equate to conservatism or 'the Right'. Fascism and Nazism are radical socialist movements; and that places them squarely on the left. The Spanish right was composed mainly of traditionalists and special interests (e.g., businessmen, the military and the church), and it is only irony that some leftists joined conservatives in fighting fellow leftists.
Likely reasons Franco incorporated the 'Falange' brand in naming the Right's new coalition are mixed and varied. He needed a recognizable name to give his umbrella coalition. The Falange's leader (Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera) was martyred/murdered by political enemies on the left soon after the war broke out (but before Franco assumed leadership), and the martyr happened to have been the son of a prominent conservative (Prime Minister in the 1920s), giving his some credibility among conservative upper strata. The Falange, without Rivera, was leaderless; making confiscation of its brand a simple matter without the usual rivalry. Moreover, Rivera's followers were probably content following a leader who opposed communism as much as they did. The largest faction on the right (after the church) were the Carlists. Choosing a name for this new movement (Franco refused making it into a party) with the name 'Carlist' in it would have caused problems for Franco, primarily because the Carlists favored an alternate line of descent to the throne than the current one; and Franco was loyal to the current, if self-exiled, king. Giving precedence to any other rival conservative group, therefore, would have ignited jealousies. Ergo, it is my interpretation that Franco's inclusion of Falange in the new party name was not because he favored the Falange over other parties, it was because Franco was shrewd enough to avoid favoring any one party too much.
Myth #4 – Nazi/fascist aid proves Franco & Falange were fascist too
The term 'fascism' in the context of the Spanish Civil War, its aftermath, and propaganda intended to vilify one side only, requires we avoid too loose a definition and that our definition matches how it was then understood. It is not fair or valid to make comparisons based on how it is now understood, used or abused.
There is no question Franco and associates were sometimes brutal, dictatorial, despicable and oppressive. But, fascist is a term the Left misuses to tar anyone and everyone who disagrees with their dogma. As a highly-charged emotional term, it is used to put an opponent off his game by putting him/her on the defensive by making the dissenter appear odious to an under-informed audience, regardless they are not in the same league with real fascists. It is this abuse of term which has made it almost meaningless and unintelligible. Tellingly, the Left never smears using such pejoratives as 'commie', 'socialist' or 'radical' (terms with a far bloodier connotation than even 'Nazi') because that would expose their own association in the process. The Left has created and maintains a self-serving myth that fascism is synonymous with the political 'Right' in every country in order to demonize those who, for one reason or another, oppose them. Thus, it is our opposition and not our ideology that is objected to. At least in the West, the Right of today consists of those who, 100 years ago, were commonly identified as 'liberal'. Communists were, in that same era, even more repressively brutal and inflicted more death and damage than all fascists combined (then to now). Yet, today's leftist propaganda persists and has succeeded in confusing the public regarding this history and these terms to the extent it is acceptable (even fashionable) being tagged a communist … but never a fascist.
It helps to start with a verifiable definition of what constitutes fascism. A grossly simplified (and misleading) definition goes something like this one:
"An authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization; (in general use) extreme right-wing, authoritarian, or intolerant views or practice."
Some of the above traits are valid for fascism, but not all. First and foremost is that fascism and Nazism were not ideologies belonging to the Right, but of the Left. The Right in Europe and America consists of those wedded to some elements of the past, to the status quo, or to Enlightenment principles of limited self-rule. In Europe of the time, conservatives consisted of those who defended monarchy, religion, or an economic system against radical pressures to overthrow entire systems that had worked adequately (some, though not all) for centuries, substituting untried, often impractical schemes likely to cause more harm than good. The European Right includes also, any who saw dangers and moral dilemmas arising from the various socialisms, and therefore opposed socialism based on principle or foreboding alone. These latter belong to no definable ideology, and are defined only by their opposition. In America, conservatives include all of the above categories except monarchism. American conservatism is also distinct from the European variety (and most other continents) as it is, first and foremost, about preserving liberty and of maintaining that particular system of limited self-government devised by our Framers which, thus far, has proved the greatest prescription for liberty and surest bulwark ever devised against tyranny (when diligently maintained) by man. Fascism, by comparison, is inherently despotic; and, therefore, the complete antithesis of American-conservatism. Western European conservatism, for its own reasons, is nearly as incompatible with fascism as the American variety, because fascism is inherently hostile to those allegiances regard by conservatives as sacred or worth preserving. For example, you can combine fascism with monarchy, but not for long because fascists will not long tolerate power sharing and will exploit demagoguery to eliminate their partner/rivals.
Here is a little better definition of what constitutes fascism (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascism ):
• a radical form authoritarian-nationalism of the early 20th-century in Europe strongly influenced by syndicalism
• [political ideology strongly] opposed to [classic-]liberalism, Marxism, communism, anarchism and traditional-conservatism[s]
• Citizens, production and industry are mobilized & martialed to serve the state in time of war; total mobilization of society under a totalitarian single-party state necessary to prepare the nation for armed conflict
• unprecedented authority to intervene in the lives of citizens
• liberal democracy rendered obsolete by WWI
• a strong leader and a martial government are necessary to overcome economic problems, to forge a national unity and to maintain a stable, orderly society
• rejects assertion violence automatically a negative in nature; regards political-violence, war, and imperialism as legitimate means for achieving a national reinvigoration
• advocates a mixed economy with a goal of achieving economic independence through protectionist and interventionist economic policies
There are other traits we can assign to fascism, and the wiki article discusses some of those. But, these I believe to be core features and terms reasonable people will recognize and accept. Moreover, most of these are regarded objectionable features of fascism in historical hindsight. Many of them non-unique to fascism, however, and it is that which is often exploited by radicals (or some ignoramus) to conflate fascism with some non-fascist behavior in order to deflect criticism from their own agenda.
So, was Franco a fascist or a Falangist? There is no way to be certain, but I don't see that the evidence supports such an assertion; and, if unsupported, it should be dropped from what is taught about him as spiteful maligning. Franco has enough else to answer for that tagging him as a 'fascist' is just piling it on. The danger from doing that (and letting it slide) is that our own narrative becomes false, leading us (and our children) into increasingly greater error, until we become the very thing we are trying to avoid.
Additional readings:
http://orwell.ru/library/articles/As_I_Please/english/efasc – difficulty defining fascism & socialism
Perspectives from the left
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/modern-world-history-1918-to-1980/the-spanish-civil-war/the-international-brigade/ - perfect example of 'unscholarly' muddled misrepresentation of the brigades as somehow independent of communist influence, and that these 'independents' flocked to Spain 'overwhelmingly in defense of 'democracy' rather than to impose anti-democratic communism, socialism and/or radical anarchism. There are two problems with this narrative: 1) Spain wasn't and had never been a democracy, and 2) it wasn't brigade members who defined brigade objectives but their communist manipulators (i.e., a Republican 'victory' would have made negligible difference to the outcome). In fact, all most all volunteers backed one kind of socialism or another, including those professing 'democratic-socialism' (an oxymoron, or something very near to one and with the half-life of a gnat – see http://www.susanfleck.com/Philosophy/505_Democratic_Socialism_w2w.htm ). These volunteers were every bit as fuzzy on the concept of 'democracy' as are modern democrats, and truly believed democracy and socialism compatible. Worse, they were all too willing to be duped into fighting on behalf of communists whom they must have known were as terrible as the fascists. They were marginally clearer on the idea of a republic, however, and honestly defended what they thought a 'legitimately-elected republican system (too bad no one told them even that was a farce. The Spanish Civil War was triggered by a coup initiated by one set of radical-socialists edging out legitimately-elected moderate-socialists (aka, 'democratic-socialists). That said, however, there were also large numbers of brigadiers who did understand these distinctions and were perfectly willing to exploit the situation to transform a purely local fight into one more conquest for communism, and many of these in positions of leadership.
pubs.socialistreviewindex.org.uk/isj84/durgan.htm – from the horse's ass, ah, mouth
http://spartacus-educational.com/WARspain.htm - left leaning, yet considerably more balanced view by an actual historian; plus http://spartacus-educational.com/SPelections.htm and http://spartacus-educational.com/SPgermany.htm
Some non-partisan perspectives (or nearly so)
http://history-world.org/spanish_civil_war.htm - a mainly factual rendering (though a bit dry)
http://www.shmoop.com/for-whom-the-bell-tolls/politics-theme.html - an interesting attempt to draw others into debate regarding the Hemingway rendering
/www.oberlin.edu/library/special/political/spanish_civil_war.html – a more balanced narrative, note the Spanish republic was in its infancy. Outside the cities, Spaniards had little appreciation of democracy and tended to be more politically radical or conservative according to class. As noted in some of the above links, by 1936 socialist policies had wrecked the economy, exiled military leaders as politically non grata, and were in the process of wrecking the church. Standard narratives paint the military, church and capitalists as the great villains of this tragedy, but this was purely Marxist propaganda that, along with the advent of civil war, became embarrassing for more liberal governments to later gainsay. And, so, they participated in the fiction and it stuck in the zeitgeist down to this very day. Clearly, the military, church and business interests were already under attack by the left prior to the rebellion. Yes, the right shared some ideological baggage with fascists and corporatists, but so did the left; or in any of the other so-called 'democracies, for that matter. Socialism, in its various guises, was the next big thing of that era; and everyone was toying with it (especially Europe). Had the first convulsion resulting from radical socialism gone amuck occurred in Greece or the Balkans, I have no doubt it would be Greek conservatives who'd be vilified today instead of Spanish conservatives. Spanish conservatives quite rightly feared their country would soon fall victim to communism. Many conservatives also feared a fascist takeover, but, in 1936, communism had the longer and stronger reputation for aggression. So, they responded as any patriot would.
In hindsight, it is easy (and convenient) condemning conservatives like Franco for the pact they made with fascists. But, in 1936 it was far less clear just how evil the Nazis would prove to be (Mussolini and fascists were light-weights by comparison and easily dealt with). It was already clear to most (including many liberals) that the Soviets were frightful and not to be trusted; which is why they and brigades went to such lengths to disguise who they were and what they were up to behind a cover of 'volunteers'. The 'democracies' were refusing to help conservatives restore political order (i.e., far left coup) and favored the left regardless due the fiction (accepted among liberals) equating 'moderate-socialism' with democracy. So, Spanish conservatives, ignored (or despised) by the 'democracies', and facing a Soviet-backed invasion (Soviets had already infiltrated military advisers into Spain) were left with few options; and, did the obvious thing … accepted outside help from the only ones willing to help them – the Germans and Italians.
Some conservative perspectives
http://www.crisismagazine.com/2013/the-spanish-civil-war - a Catholic writes …
https://www.commentarymagazine.com/article/the-spanish-civil-war/ - testimony of a civil war baby
http://www.conservapedia.com/Spanish_Civil_War - While Conservapedia sets some minor points aright and provides ideological 'balancing', scholarship is not their strong-suit, and this site lacks many details and depth I hoped for.
Miscellaneous links:
http://www.newcriterion.com/articles.cfm/andre-malraux-politicizing-literature-fictionalizing-politics-1287 - Malraux's fraudulence exposed
http://www.spainthenandnow.com/spanish-history/19th-c-spain-overview-politics/default_133.aspx & http://www.spainthenandnow.com/spanish-history/20th-c-spain-overview-politics/default_13.aspx – gives a clearer picture of Spanish politics of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Spain attempted republicanism several times, but never got the hang of it; and many Spaniards (middleclass especially) became disillusioned with republicanism as a result. Spain also lacked Britain and Spain's centuries'-long experience of personal rights, legal basis, and theorizing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Constitution_of_1931 - from this and other titles I have read, it does not appear Spain's constitution was ever ratified by popular referendum, which somewhat undermines the 'popular government' argument used by the brigades. It may have been popular despite strong evidence (either way), but unless or until such evidence can be demonstrated, I have to think the country and its people were polarized right down the middle.
Some 1930/40s Propaganda Posters
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Monday, May 25, 2015
The Boy Who Cried Wolf
The president continues to assert global warming effects that are not factual.
From the Forbes website: Updated NASA Data: Global Warming Not Causing Any Polar Ice Retreat
Updated data from NASA satellite instruments reveal the Earth's polar ice caps have not receded at all since the satellite instruments began measuring the ice caps in 1979. Since the end of 2012, moreover, total polar ice extent has largely remained above the post-1979 average. The updated data contradict one of the most frequently asserted global warming claims – that global warming is causing the polar ice caps to recede.
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Monday, April 06, 2015
The American Mobocracy
A hate crime is becoming whatever private thought or belief fails to conform to the liberal-progressive shibboleths of the moment. Mobs are at the ready to crush dissenters.
Thanks to Barton Bennett, who alerted me to this post on the Vox Populi website:
The Gates of Hell shall not prevail
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Friday, April 03, 2015
Liberal-Progressive Tyranny
Not thinking the way liberal-progressives demand is becoming a social crime that must be punished by destroying the lives of dissidents. Big Brother will find you.
Read Seth Mandel's post on the Commentary website:
Mob McCarthyism, Zaiavleniia, and the Corrosive Culture of Denunciation
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Saturday, February 28, 2015
The Nature Of Evidence
Some leading advocates of man-made global warming and of regulatory actions to terminate use of the world's cheapest and most efficient sources of energy admit the truth: it's a secular religion masquerading as science.
Read U.N. Official Admits Belief In Global Warming Is Religious, posted on the Investors.com website.
We are repeatedly told by President Obama and mainstream media that all the world's scientists support the global-warming tenet. This is a lie in the nature of, "If you like your health insurance and your present doctor you can keep them." Increasingly so-called evidence of global warming is steadily being revealed as creation of fraudulent data or mendacious manipulation of data.
Global-warming believers nonetheless blandly assert the opposite.
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Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Socialists Perfecting The Human Race
Liberal-progressive-socialists apparently are ignorant of their own history and unaware of the implications of their feminist doctrine.
Read this article by Paul Kengor in The American Spectator.
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Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Even Great Britain Admits That "Warmest Year" Is Unconfirmed
The UK has been one of the staunchest advocates of global warming and the need to wreck the economy with energy strangulation, on the assumption that liberal-progressive minds have god-like powers to control the universe. God-created nature, however, has for the last couple of decades failed to bend to liberal-progressive minds.
UK Met Office Confirms 2014 Continues Global Warming 'Pause'
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Thursday, January 22, 2015
Main-Stream Media's Tabloid Sensationalism
Wall Street Journal columnist Holman Jenkins uncovers the distortion and misrepresentation, either through ignorance or through propagandistic intention, characterizing main-stream media's reporting of recent false claims that 2014 was the hottest year on record.
Climate Reporting's Hot Mess
AP takes the cake in the relentless campaign by global-warming journalists to discredit their own profession.
By HOLMAN W. JENKINS, JR.
Jan. 20, 2015 8:07 p.m. ET
News reporting of the latest climate alarm was not uniformly bad. Among hundreds of publications in the Factiva database, exactly one—the Mail on Sunday, one of those derided London tabloids—injected the phrase "statistically significant" into consideration of whether 2014 was in any meaningful sense the "hottest year on record."
A nonjournalistic source and not exactly an outfit of climate-change deniers, Berkeley Earth, also noted that, when it comes to 2014 and the other "hottest year" candidates, 2005 and 2010, the observed temperature difference was smaller than the margin of error by a factor of five, adding: "Therefore it is impossible to conclude from our analysis which of 2014, 2010, or 2005 was actually the warmest year."
To its credit, the Washington Post alluded to the possibly more important fact that "rising temperatures have not kept pace with computer simulations that predicted even faster warming."
The New York Times contributed nothing to reader enlightenment as usual, and the Associated Press committed a howler by claiming that "nine of the 10 hottest years in NOAA global records have occurred since 2000. The odds of this happening at random are about 650 million to 1, according to University of South Carolina statistician John Grego. "
This might be true if Earth's climate were dice, where rolling a six has no effect on the odds of the next roll being a six. But climate is a continuous process of incremental change. A unified theory of media idiocy on climate is beyond the scope of this column, but even someone with the apparently parched intellect of an AP editor should be able to look at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration charts and notice that cool years are grouped with cool years, warm years with warm years, and in-between years with in-between years.
Either NOAA's entire temperature history is a statistical anomaly of incomprehensible, galactic proportions—or AP has peddled itself a faulty assumption. And sure enough, Mr. Grego tells me AP specifically instructed him to assume "all years had the same probability of being 'selected' as one of the 10 hottest years on record." This is akin to assuming that, because you weighed 195 pounds at some point in your life, there should be an equal chance of you weighing 195 pounds at any point in your life, even when you were a baby.
The real mystery, though, would be if the warmest years did not bunch up in the post-1998 period, given the sharp warming observed from the late 1970s to the late 1990s.
When climate reporters robotically insist, as they did again this week, that the 2000s represent the hottest period in the rather skimpy, 134-year historical record, they are merely reiterating that the pre-1998 warming happened. No clear trend up or down has been apparent since then.
The bigger problem, of course, is that evidence of warming is not evidence of what causes warming. One would be astonished if mankind, with its prodigious release of greenhouse gases and other activities, were not having an impact on climate. But how and how much are the crucial questions.
But all this is magisterially beside the point in a sense. If the decades have validated any set of propositions, it's the following: Mankind is unlikely to do anything meaningful about carbon dioxide as a matter of concerted public policy, and anything it does will be in the service of domestic pork interests, having no impact on climate.
Even if humanity could assert bureaucratic control over climate, the cost-benefit case would remain problematic—the costs being huge and the benefits necessarily being as uncertain as man's role in causing climate change.
A carbon tax as part of pro-growth tax reform is one measure that might pass a cost-benefit test, thanks mainly to the nonclimate benefits of tax reform. Alas, no sign exists that a quorum of countries is ready to march together down this road. President Obama this week decided to use the tax-reform opportunity to pursue partisan class-warfare themes rather than advance a carbon tax proposal in exchange for lower rates.
So the climate problem, if there's a problem, likely won't be solved by some supreme effort of global bureaucratic will. But one could easily imagine it being solved by the normal, unwilled progress of technology. A battery—pick a number—five or 10 times more efficient than today's, holding more energy and charging and discharging faster, would so revolutionize world energy practices that scientists would have to consider how a sudden decline in human carbon-dioxide emissions might affect the climate.
Solar and wind collection don't have to be particularly efficient if storage becomes efficient. More solar energy reaches the earth's surface in a year than is contained in all remaining reserves of fossil fuels and uranium. And to the inventor the financial and reputational rewards would be extravagant—which explains why billions of dollars are flowing into battery research.
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Tuesday, January 20, 2015
United Scoundrels Of The World
In the name of "science," worshippers at the altar of man-made global warming excitedly misrepresent the facts.
The Most Dishonest Year on Record
If we take into account this margin of error, the most we can say is that 2014 was, so far as we know, just as warm as 2005 and 2010. There is no significant difference between these years. And that gives the lie to claims of runaway global warming. As the redoubtable Judith Curry recently pointed out:
"The real issue that is of concern to me is the growing divergence between the observed global temperature anomalies and what was predicted by climate models. Even if 2014 is somehow unambiguously the warmest year on record, this won't do much to alleviate the growing discrepancy between climate model predictions and the observations."
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text:
October 25, 2010
By Melissa Lawmaster
On Wednesday, October 27, 2010, UCLA Anderson School of Management will host a symposium on social entrepreneurship and the Latino community. The seminar will examine whether or not businesses can solve the problems of this community, while also generating financial benefits. The question to be introduced and elaborated upon is whether or not business can solve the social problems facing the Latino community while also generating a financial benefit. Panelists for the event -- all of whom target the Latino community through social initiative -- include Amir Hemmat, founder and CEO of SABEResPoder, Arnulfo Ventura, founder and CEO of Bonadea Drinks, and Yolanda Ruiz, vice president of Pacific Community Ventures.
The session will be moderated by Fernando Espuelas, host of Cafe Espuelas on Univision 1020-AM, the highest rated Spanish language talk show in Los Angeles. The event is sponsored by the Net Impact Club, Latin America Business Association and the Latino Management Student Association. This function is open to all interested parties. There is no cost to attend. Food and beverages will be provided. As space is limited, it is recommended that interested parties RSVP at: http://qtrial.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_0oinVz9jp6LcAUk

subset: commoncrawl


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Which region will be the next VR hub?
Can you learn customer service skills through virtual reality?
If you ask Best Western, the answer is yes. The hotel chain has worked with a University of Central Florida program called TeachLivE to train roughly 15,000 front-desk staff members—and Best Western reports a 32 percent improvement in customer satisfaction.
That's just one of countless applications for virtual reality and augmented reality, a sector that experts predict is about to take off.
In a February 2017 report, the market research firm iGate Research forecast that virtual reality would become a $40 billion market by 2020, while Goldman Sachs expects that figure to double again in just five years, to $80 billion by 2025.
"The way we see virtual reality is like the internet back in 1995," says Jason Cooper, director of multimedia for Durham, N.C.-based Horizon Productions. "It is this transformative technology that's going to change so many industries, but it's still in its infancy."
While video gaming applications have taken the lead when it comes to VR applications, the range of possibilities is just being tapped—whether it's walking inside a simulated jet engine to learn how it works or taking homebuyers on virtual property tours. Now, it's just a question of which industries will buy into VR—and which regions of the country are poised to take the lead. Though Florida and California are known for their strength in VR, many cities are making a play.
As Brian Moyer, president and CEO of the Nashville Technology Council puts it, "The virtual sky's the limit."
From the East Coast...
North Carolina businesses blazing the virtual reality trail
Virtual reality is the next big thing for Nashville businesses
Raleigh-Durham firms take VR power to Duke, UNC, Amsterdam
Florida's tech sector turning virtual dreams into successful reality
VR company TRICK 3D wants to make Atlanta an industry hub
In Connecticut, VR is all about specialized applications
Baltimore, Washington startups seizing VR revival
to the Midwest
Genesys to bring augmented reality to contact centers as part of 'tech disruption'
Schell: VR faces 'serious obstacles to growth'
State's universities envision VR resurgence
including Texas
VR is big business for several North Texas companies
VR tech thriving in surprising ways in Texas
and the Western U.S.
Denver startup sees VR disrupting the real estate world
Made for each other: Vegas already an early VR adopter
From arcades to immersive worlds, Phoenix firms on VR's cutting edge
IdeaSuite blends VR capabilities with real-world research
Bay Area firm focuses on social side of VR
From healthcare to family fun, virtual reality is a hot commodity in Sacramento


text:
Yellow Brick Roads: Shared and Guided Paths to Independent Reading 4-12
Stenhouse Publishers, Jan 1, 2000 - Education - 304 pages
Provides teachers with research, practical methods, detailed strategies, and resources for read-aloud, shared, guided, and independent reading.
From inside the book
22 pages matching academic journals in this book
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Review: Yellow Brick Roads: Shared and Guided Paths to Independent Reading 4-12User Review - LNimz - Goodreads
I was hoping for a fresh infusion of guided reading ideas. Didn't happen, but I did get a good list of short story collections. Read full review
Looking for the Wizard
Establishing Environments That Support Reading Diversity
What Gets in the Way of Reading Success?
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Actress Eliza Dushku is probably best known for her role as Faith on the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" TV series.
Dushku started acting in the early '90s with a role in the movie "That Night," which also starred Juliette Lewis. Her other film credits include the cheerleader movie "Bring It On" and the thriller "Wrong Turn."
In 2009, Dushku reunited with "Buffy"creator Joss Whedon for the Fox series "Dollhouse."


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What Is George Will Doing At Fox News?
Blog ››› ››› SIMON MALOY
Here's a quick synopsis of George Will's last five columns for the Washington Post: bemoaning the politicization of the Federal Reserve Board; tracing the history of isolationism; counseling Republicans to let Obamacare stumble on its own; inveighing against college football's corruption and lawlessness; and examining the legacy of the Bay of Pigs invasion. In those five columns, Will cited a proposed constitutional amendment from 1938, used the phrases "semantic infiltration" and "perverse fecundity," and quoted Ernest Hemingway and H.L. Mencken. He has degrees from Oxford and got his Ph.D from Princeton.
All this to say that George Will is a brainy fellow who enjoys a broad array of scholarly pursuits and has a long-running reputation as a public intellectual. And that's why it's kind of baffling that he's joining Fox News.
To be clear, Will's conservative politics and his counterfactual denialism of climate change fit the Murdoch network hand-in-glove. And he's an old, white conservative man joining what is basically the ongoing televised celebration of old, white conservative men. But the barking partisanship of Fox News and its crude appeals to cultural resentment don't mesh with Will's style of commentary and analysis. You look at George Will, in all his carefully cultivated patrician nerdiness, and the Fox News environment just seems wrong for him. He revels in elitism, whereas Fox News sops to Tea Party anger. Being associated with that does nothing for the George Will "brand," if that's the right word for it. In fact, it probably hurts it.
Will spent the past three decades as an analyst for ABC News, and according to news reports he left the network in part because This Week, on which he appeared regularly, is now filmed in New York instead of Washington, DC. It's not certain how Fox will use Will -- Huffington Post reports that he is "set to contribute to programs across the channel" -- though it seems likely that he'll follow the example of his Washington Post (and now Fox News) colleague Charles Krauthammer and appear mainly on programs like Special Report and Fox News Sunday, which tend more staid than the primetime shouting matches. Of course, Krauthammer (who does have more of a partisan edge to him) has appeared on Hannity's and O'Reilly's programs over the years, so anything is possible. But can you really imagine George Will on the set of Hannity, referencing the Battle of Agincourt or quoting Kenesaw Mountain Landis in between Sarah Palin's "you betcha"-spiked word salads?
To that point, what does Fox News think they're getting out of George Will? Yes he's conservative and yes he'll throw a few harsh ten-dollar words at Barack Obama or whichever Democrat happens to be in the news, but they already have a deep bench of pundits who fit that description. He's not the most exciting television personality, though ABC's George Stephanopoulos praised his departing colleague as "brilliant" and "a consummate gentleman," so he'll be hugely popular among the Beltway types and establishment Republicans who have a weakness for measured tones and gravitas.
However, Fox News' simpatico relationship with the Tea Party has led it to be at times openly contemptuous of those same establishment Republicans and conservatives. Back when Donald Trump endorsed Mitt Romney for president, Will derided Trump on ABC, in typical George Will style, as a "bloviating ignoramus" whose endorsement would only harm the Republican candidate. Fox News' pundits and talkers sided with Trump over Will.
"You know what Donald Trump represents?" asked Eric Bolling on the May 29, 2012 edition of The Five. "He represents a new Republican -- a new GOP, a new conservative, where it's not old, established George Will, boring out of their mind. Bore out of your mind listening to him in Washington." Bolling's co-host Andrea Tantaros chimed in: "He seems so snobby, George Will, when he said that. That just seems like a cliquey, snobby, elitist comment he made."
And now this cliquey, snobby elitist is, for some reason, their colleague.
- Network/Outlet
- Fox News Channel, The Washington Post
- Person
- George F. Will
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Friday, April 30, 2010
Lacquered Walls: A Maximalist's Dream
Another great living room from Miles. The sophisticated, rich color of Farrow & Ball's Hague Blue is really at its best in a high gloss. Where the light hits it, the color reads as a peacock blue, while in shadow the gray undertones give it a quieter elegance.
I love the raisin-colored walls in this study. It's the perfect backdrop for the salon-style art hanging and looks wonderfully fresh with the black and gold writing desk and the animal print fabrics.
While this Houston entryway (featured last year in House Beautiful) looks like it has black lacquered walls, it's actually a glossy vinyl wallpaper (Phillip Jeffries' "lacquered walls" wallcovering in eyeliner), which is a quicker (and cheaper) solution to a true lacquer finish. According to the designer, it's also more kid-friendly.
And finally, another photograph that I wish I could credit to the talented designer but can't (anyone? Bueller?..Bueller?). You don't frequently see white lacquered walls (furniture and accessories, yes, but not walls) but I think they really work well here in this more modern interior. And I absolutely love the finish allows the light from the wall sconces to positively glow. The touches of turquoise in the cushions on the dining chairs (which are a beautiful shape in their own right) and in the equine statue on the coffee table add a hit of fun and color to the otherwise neutral and more grown-up space.
35 comments:
- SogniSorrisi said...
Love lacquered walls! And I'm also of the same "go big or go home" sensibility.
- April 30, 2010 at 9:14 AM
- Poindexter said...
ultra glam. It's a definite look. Some of these rooms are incredibly gorgeous.
- April 30, 2010 at 9:35 AM
- Isabella & Max Rooms said...
Whenever I see lacquered walls I think of an amazing client (clothing) I had in San Francisco. She had yellow lacquered walls inside her front door, running up a long staircase into the main floor entry. It was amazing...and this was nearly 10 years ago. She was ahead of her time. Janell
- April 30, 2010 at 9:40 AM
- Karena said...
Averill, I adore lacquered walls. The blue are fabulous, that kelly green really speaks to me as well!
- April 30, 2010 at 9:52 AM
- Kathysue said...
Averill what a beautifully constructed post. You out did yourself on this one. I would never be brave enough to do a lacquered walls but loved looking at them. I must admit the black walls were my favorite and I do love Steven Gambrels designs. Wonderful Post my friend, Kathysue
- April 30, 2010 at 10:44 AM
- Bold and Beautiful said...
WOW! I loved this blog! I have never even really noticed these walls in any of the photos before. They really reflect light and are beautiful. Thanks for sharing. xoxo
- April 30, 2010 at 10:49 AM
- VictoriaArt said...
Wow! The heat is on! I love those laquered walls, particularly the blues!
Great post!
Happy weekend!
- April 30, 2010 at 10:55 AM
- Dayka (Life +Style) said...
i love lacquered walls, and love how you included rooms that are more understated.
- April 30, 2010 at 11:27 AM
- blydesign said...
What a thorough post! I highly enjoyed reading it! Love the color in that Katie Ridder room!
- April 30, 2010 at 11:48 AM
- Aesthetic Oiseau said...
This has to be my favorite post...ever. Oh my gosh...I'm in fits over your collection of photos - I love them all! Great post, Bueller.
- April 30, 2010 at 12:08 PM
- Laura@JourneyChic said...
I've never seen lacquered walls before, so it's great to learn something new. I just can't get on board with them, though. I like several of the designs you shared, but would like them more without the lacquer - I guess I find it distracting. In our small guest room I chose a satin finish for the chocolate-colored walls, and thoroughly regret the decision because it's just too shiny. Oh well - to each one's own!
- April 30, 2010 at 12:12 PM
- Chic Coles said...
I would love to try this in my home! I think it is such a fun yet sophisticated look!
- April 30, 2010 at 12:18 PM
- Nichole@40daysof said...
Love every single picture. "Bigger is better" - you are a true Texan!
- April 30, 2010 at 12:38 PM
- walrus studio said...
Amazing collection of photos. I love lacquered trays and furniture, and now, walls!
- April 30, 2010 at 12:45 PM
- Starfish and Sundresses said...
These are gorgeous! I'd imagine it feels like living in a jewel box. I definitely wouldn't mind that! xx
- April 30, 2010 at 3:48 PM
- Mary Catherine said...
Melissa Rufty of MMR Interiors in New Orleans is designer of the gorgeous den with turquise lacquered walls.
- April 30, 2010 at 3:52 PM
- Style Redux 2 said...
I of course love this look. A wonderful roundup of rooms.
- April 30, 2010 at 4:00 PM
- Lisa said...
One of the things that this post helped me come to realize about myself is that I am definitely not into maximalism; I can't even imagine living with the shiny walls and large expanses of intense colour. I have to admire your more is more attitude though, to each their own!
- April 30, 2010 at 4:21 PM
- The Zhush said...
As usual...I am SO right there with you! Inspired by Katie Ridder, I had my painter do up our "homework room" in HIGH gloss paint on the wall of bookcases and trim, and then paint a pottery barn train table as well! Love this...and now looking around to see, what else I can dip into some gloss! :)
- April 30, 2010 at 4:45 PM
- The Shiny Pebble said...
I have been wanting lacquered walls in my study since I moved to this house a few months back. Peacock Blue. Wouldn't it be fab?! I can't believe I wasn't a follower before? Your neighbors in Houston, Catherine.
- April 30, 2010 at 6:33 PM
- Fran said...
Wow! Amazing post - I love how you analyze each room! I love lacquered walls and would love to experiment with it. They are so sensual!
- April 30, 2010 at 6:38 PM
- Sanity Fair said...
My gosh - you could SWIM in the walls of that first Murphy room. It's like a pool! I'm on board with more is more - and I love your term 'Maximalist!' That should probably go after my name, like M.D. or something :)
These are beautiful, but the one I'd most like to live with is the white - still so simple, but so rich. Pure luxury.
- April 30, 2010 at 7:22 PM
- Jeanette {A Passion for Home} said...
This is a new discovery for me as I recently saw a lacquered ceiling at the DC Design House by Barry Dixon. It was amazing and very inspiring.
- April 30, 2010 at 9:48 PM
- Karen@StrictlySimpleStyle said...
I am a real DIY girl, but this is one project that I'd be willing to pay someone else to do for me. I'd imagine that application for this must be precise.
- May 1, 2010 at 5:04 PM
- Life of Style said...
I love all the images you selected and the lacquered walls...they are fantastic! I love the teal blue of Melissa Rufty from New Orleans MMR Interiors, she has amazing taste. Great blog!
- May 2, 2010 at 2:34 PM
- Alicia said...
What a stunning collection, which isn't surprising since you showcased my favorite designers of that ohh so fabulous look. I still confess though Miles' room with the red doors are the peak of chic!!!
- May 2, 2010 at 3:56 PM
- Bromeliad said...
Very pretty look.
Must have very very smooth walls because every flaw will show.
- May 2, 2010 at 6:10 PM
- KJJ Houston said...
Hey catching up on your blog and read the guest where she talks about Round Top. Have you ever been? I havent and really want to go!! Maybe one weekend we can get some girls together and go!
- May 2, 2010 at 9:45 PM
- Marija said...
I think I'm half maximalist and half minimalist. Is that possible?! Either way, I love lacquered walls - in small or large doses!
- May 3, 2010 at 7:53 AM
- Sarah Klassen said...
What a wonderful post, Averill. I am a bit of both, to be honest...in some ways, I love a minimalist appeal, and in others, maxi.
I especially love the dark, cozy den by Steven Gambrel! The goldenrod colored ceiling is a great touch -- I totally agree. The room feels masculine for some reason, and I just love it. I could live in that room, gloss especially :)
Hope you're having a wonderful Monday.
- May 3, 2010 at 2:29 PM
- Kara said...
I love the look! Black and glossy is soooo pretty!
- May 3, 2010 at 2:37 PM
- Design Darling said...
i don't know if i'm quite as daring as you (i think i'll stick to lacquered furniture for now!) but the orange dining room and blue amanda nisbet space are stunning. i don't know, maybe it's growing on me...
- May 3, 2010 at 3:24 PM
- Robin said...
I came across your blog doing a little research as to how to "lacquer" walls in a small 1/2 bath. The designer wants a deep eggplant in a high shine. I wasn't sure until I saw your collection of pics. Now I feel like this can be a successful project...thanks!!
- June 20, 2010 at 7:58 PM
- Anonymous said...
I love this exclusive finish: where could I get the product? I have a showroom of kitchen cabinets and will be interested to have the wall painted with the lacquer. Looking forward to receive any lead.
Haute Couture Kitchens
- January 3, 2011 at 11:30 AM
- Dane said...
I love the lacquered walls! Steven Gambrel's are the most timeless for me as well as the last one which was taken for the New York Social Diary. I blogged about lacquered walls too ;)
I did a blog post after talking to Melissa Rufty. She dishes how to get the lacquered walls and I give the details!
- April 5, 2011 at 6:18 PM


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The only thing less complicated than replacing a battery, it putting air in tires. UNTIL YOU TRY TO RESET Throttle Position Sensor.
Sure, if you work on BMW motorcycles for a living or have replaced many batteries in K1200GT's, it is a no brainer. BUT, if you never did it before and you try to follow instructions in the Clymer Manual, you might have problems like I did.
According to Clymer BMW K1200RS, GT & LT 1998-2005, page 267,
"Substep f must be performed to maintain the safe and functional operation of the motorcycle. If any fault codes were set before the battery was disconnected, the will be reset as soon as the motorcycle is ridden as short distance.
"f. Do not start the engine. Turn the ignition switch on and then fully open the throttle once or twice to allow the Motronic control unit to register the throttle-valve positions."
I tried this many, many times and it did not work. The bike would idle ok once it started up. But once the engine rpms were increased and then brought back to what was to be idle the engine would stall and die. Over and over and over again.
Then, I looked up my problem on the internet and found this on k-bikes.com:
"BTW- Since you disconnected the battery, don't forget to re-set your fuel delivery. Kill switch on, key on, (DO NOT START THE BIKE) roll the throttle full open three times then turn the key off. You're now re-set."
Note that there is nothing about the kill switch in the Clymer instructions and nothing about turning the key off. This may be already known by some, or most, but it was not stated in Clymer and since this was my first battery replacement on the K1200GT, it was not at all helpful. Why? I followed the instructions in Clymer to the letter.
Lesson learned, Clymer assumes you know what you are doing, you have experience.
Here is what to do after replacing the battery,
1) Turn the ignition key on
2) Turn the kill switch to the on position
4) Roll the throttle full open, hold open for 2 or 3 seconds.
5) Roll the throttle off.
6) Repeat steps (4) and (5) three times
5) Turn the key off.
You're now re-set.


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