A Time for Truth

 

by

Gadfly

The title of this article is inspired by William Simon’s book, A Time for Truth, published in 1978.  In his Preface to the book, Milton Friedman observed, “The socialists and interventionists, who have wrongfully appropriated in this country the noble label ‘liberal’ and who have been the intellectual architects of our suicidal course, will suffer no severe personal injury—at least in the near future—if they fail to recognize the error of their ways.”

The book was a serious look at the state of America and the evolution of our political institutions in an apparent deliberate drift toward socialism.

I read A Time for Truth on a French troop train as an Air Force captain and fighter pilot with my wife enroute to Berlin in 1980.  Berlin was an occupied city in communist-controlled East Germany.  We had an opportunity to see and taste the stark contrast between socialism’s austerity and the American-led West’s prosperity.

That was 40 years ago.

A Domestic Enemy Hiding in Plain Sight 

           Now for a bold headline in the Air Force Magazine, dated December 22, 2020: “Brown: ‘Shame on Us’ if Military Diversity Efforts Falter.”  Brown is the Air Force Chief of Staff Charles Q. Brown, Jr., who took command of the Air Force on August 6, 2020.  As a black officer, it seems ironic that his advancement to the very pinnacle of success in the Air Force is in stark prima facie contrast to his call for more diversity and inclusion.

              To justify his emotionally judgmental call for change, Brown uses as a springboard a recent Inspector General (IG) report that documents racial disparity based on some disciplinary statistics and anecdotal evidence.  The report provides two very important qualifiers.  First, the report does not complete a root cause analysis to understand factors contributing to the disparities (i.e., do most recruits come from inner cities that do suffer from systemic racism?).  Second, the report states: 

Finally, please note that the identification of racial disparity does not automatically mean racial bias or racism is present. This Review focused on the existence of racial disparity, but it did not specifically assess racial bias or individual acts of racism within the DAF, which may cumulatively contribute to racial disparity overall. Thousands of black service members and civilians reported experiencing issues ranging from bias to outright racial discrimination. These experiences indicate bias and isolated individual acts of racism may contribute to the racial disparities identified in this report (bold italics added for emphasis).    

What is wrong with this picture?  For decades now, the military has installed Equal Opportunity (EO) offices in all units.  They are required by law to collect, process, and adjudicate complaints of racial discrimination.  EO offices are also mandated to submit quarterly, semiannual, and annual reports.  The IG report mentioned above provides absolutely no data from decades of EO reporting.

Moreover, when the US Air Force Academy football coaches published on July 7, 2020 a video in support of Black Lives Matter and the Superintendent claimed systemic racism, I filed two Freedom of Information Act requests for: data on the number of racial discrimination complaints filed for the past 15 years, of those filed how many were validated, and of those validated what was the nature of discipline imposed.  Over five months later, I am still waiting for answers.     

Is it possible that facts do not support the narrative? 

More seriously, how does such a diversity narrative affect the cohesiveness of a fighting force? 

If blacks feel oppressed and whites are being shamed, how does that unify?  It does not.

Manning Johnson, a former American communist (who happened to be black and now deceased), bemoans how he was duped by the Communist Party USA (CPUSA) in his book, Color, Communism, and Common Sense (available here).  The thesis of his book, based on his lived experience, is that the Communist Party in America deliberately exploited black racism before the Civil Rights movement in the 60s.  The animus from perceived discrimination or oppression was easily weaponized. 

The Manning Johnson experience was not isolated.  One can easily visit the CPUSA website here to see the comprehensive and extensive involvement in American politics.  CPUSA has been in continuous existence since it was established in 1919.  As one can see from its website, it has successfully infiltrated and coopted America’s Democrat Party.  Its National Chair gave CPUSA credit for the successful 2018 midterm elections.  It is not yet known to what extent the CPUSA influenced the outcome of the 2020 election.    

Our institutions, to include our military, have been infiltrated by a dangerous ideology:  Critical Race Theory (CRT).  CRT derives from Critical Theory, advanced in the early 30s by scholars with the Frankfurt School.  Critical Theory puts an academic happy face on Marxism.

The Air Force’s affliction with ideology--and submission to a domestic enemy--is not an isolated case.

Knock It Off, Knock It Off, Knock It Off[1]

As we reach the end of the year, 2020 anno Domini (AD), it is a good time to reflect upon this particular year within America’s historical context.  This has been a troubling year for Americans, as well as the world, mostly stemming from ideology and actions imposed upon others by political elite.

Context

           Let us start with a brief discussion of time.  We are all aware of the passing of time, a concept that connects past with present realities and an anticipated future.  Time is an a priori concept:  we know it exists, yet we cannot prove it through mere observation of phenomena in a scientific sense.  For each of us, there is a beginning and an end—a finiteness of time.  Yet, our finite time is a subset of a larger set of phenomena that has no beginning and no end—the infinite unfolding of reality.

           History is a concept that involves the recording of observable past events with some analysis for meaningful explanations of motivations and implications related to events.  We link these events to a lineage of time based on a Gregorian calendar (named after Pope Gregory XIII).  My graduation diploma recorded my Bachelor of Science degree “. . . in witness whereof we have set our hands and fixed the seal of the United States Air Force Academy this sixth day of June in the Year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and seventy-three.”  This background is important in realizing that two thousand and twenty years later, our historical timeline begins with the birth of Jesus Christ.

           One’s view of the world (epistemology) can influence how one observes reality and then processes it.  For example, a positivist makes no prejudgment about phenomena.  She observes it and then analyzes/evaluates data associated with a phenomenon to draw conclusions from it.  A positivist typically begins with a hunch (a “small t” theory) based on already being somewhat familiar with the phenomenon.  This is how Charles Darwin developed his seminal work, On the Origin of Species.[2]

           Then there are normativists who observe the world the way it ought to be, based on an adopted set of norms, and set about to make it so.  This view often involves denying tradition, rewriting history (such as The 1619 Project), or erasing history to make an imagined future possible.  This is what progressivism is all about.  Political elite, with a normative world view, impose ideology and corresponding values on others, even if it requires coercion, to progress toward utopia.

           The famous British scientist and atheist (and apparent normativist), Richard Dawkins, in his book, The God Delusion, implies Darwin was an atheist by quoting a passage from the first edition of The Origin of Species.  It is a powerful closure to Darwin’s research:

There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being evolved.

There are six editions of The Origin of Species.  In editions two through six, Darwin inserted “by the Creator” to say more clearly “. . . originally breathed by the Creator into a few forms or into one . . ..”  For Dawkins, it appears acceptable to deceive the reader.  Moreover, if the idea that science is the discipline of knowing (i.e., “scio” is the Latin root verb meaning “to know”), then to imagine the possibility of an atheistic scientist seems oxymoronic.[3]  On the other hand, in his own book, The God Delusion, Dawkins does conclude from his tortured logic that “God almost certainly does not exist.”  This may explain why those with a normative worldview prefer ideology over truth.  They can choose what to believe, whether true or not.

           Human behavior is a challenge for scientists.  Unlike physical phenomena, such as weather, human beings have intention and motivation that influence actions (behavior).  Scientists can observe behavior, yet only infer motivation or intent; even asking a person what motivated her action assumes honesty in the response.  Of all the living creatures, only human beings possess the capacity to lie, which makes ethical and moral behavior a mixed bag.[4]  For example, a behavior may appear to be noble while the motivation is based on devious ulterior motive.

Truth versus Ideology

           Let us begin with definitions. 

Truth is “the body of real things, events, and facts: ACTUALITY.”

Ideology is “a manner or the content of thinking characteristic of an individual, group, or culture.”

Ironically, many people treat ideology as if it is truth.  A good way to understand the difference is in Plato’s set analogy as depicted below:

Beliefs can be true or false.  Many beliefs are fictional, based on myth or folklore.  Only when a belief can be validated as truth does it become knowledge.  Thus, science is the pursuit of knowledge based on truth.  Yet, when truth is available in the form of data from EO reports, the myth of systemic racism is a preferred belief (ideology) because it better supports the power of political elite (even those in the military uniform[5]).

America’s Drift Away from God

The first half of the Twentieth Century involved major foreign wars—World War I, World War II, and Korea.  The latter two involved opponents characterized by godless ideologies--communism and fascism.  These ideologies contrasted with a very religious America. 

Ideology tends to conflict with faith in a supreme being.  In America, secular humanism (a “demigod” religion) now competes with traditional religion.  This accelerating trend appears to have begun around the 1960s symbolized by the US Supreme Court ruling in Engel v. Vitale, which claimed prayer in school was unconstitutional.

Satan has lieutenants working on his behalf.  Saul Alinsky, who dedicated his book, Rules for Radicals, to Lucifer, trained or inspired many lieutenants, such as Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.  Mikey Weinstein, an Air Force Academy graduate, represents a campaign on behalf of the Aesopian Military Religious Freedom Foundation to liberate America’s military from religion. 

While many would have no interest in Engel v. Vitale and others would consider it trivial in the grand scheme of things, this one act changed conditions in a way that opened the door for socialism (as well-documented in Simon’s A time for Truth). 

To further develop this point, the following is an updated excerpt from my article, “Socialist Infiltration of America,” published August 9, 2019: 

Younger generations have not been taught any of socialism’s history.  Rather, the focus has been a new form of patriotism:  a progressive patriotism that looks toward a perfected future—utopia.  It is pure socialism.  Progressives have been successful in taking prayer out of schools and other public venues, facilitating a trend toward atheistic nihilism.  According to Gallup surveys, those affiliating with Judeo-Christian religions have decreased by well over 30% since 1956 (when 99% of those surveyed affiliated with Judeo-Christian religions).  Other surveys show similar declines in church membership, with Catholics showing the sharpest decrease (likely a result of the public narratives on abuse scandals—even though there are mitigating circumstances such as communist and homosexual infiltration as reported by Bella Dodd in her memoir, School of Darkness, and Enrique Rueda’s analysis of the homosexual political movement in The Homosexual Network:  Private Lives and Public Policy). These trends allow the state to increasingly fill in as the moral authority.

Karl Marx would be proud of socialism’s success in America.  Education has played a critical role.  In the Manifesto of the Communist Party, education is mentioned 68 times.  The Manifesto states: “All children will be educated in state establishments from the time when they can do without the first maternal care.”  Last year, Democrat-led Colorado approved funding for all-day kindergarten.  Nation-wide, teachers’ unions exercise tremendous power in classroom curricula, manipulating the composition of school boards, and funding political candidates.

Conclusion

As we approach a new year, it would be prudent to understand where we are as a Nation and to be prepared to surrender to its current drift or to resist it to restore the essence of what America was intended to be as a Constitutional Republic.  For those in America’s military in particular, to include its veterans, be prepared to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic. . . . So help me God.” This truly is a time for truth.

 

---

[1] In a fighter training scenario, when circumstances are getting increasingly dangerous, at least one fighter pilot in the scenario is expected to call over the radio “knock it off, knock it off, knock it off” to reset the conditions.

[2] The complete title is The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life.

[3] Francis Collins, the Director of the National Institutes for Health, was an atheist until the age of 26.  Then, to find justification for his atheism, Collins read C.S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity.  According to Collins, this book shined a light on a reality beyond pure science and compelled his conversion to Christianity.

[4] For an excellent treatment of this topic, see Christian B. Miller, The Character Gap:  How Good Are We?

[5] For more on this theme, see my article, “A Praetorian Guard?”

October Surprise: Truth versus Ideology

 

by

Rod Bishop and Ron Scott

           On October 14, 2020, The New York Post broke a story (here and here) involving Hunter Biden.  

            The leftist mainstream media worked hard all week to discredit the story (see here, here, and here, for example). We watched with dismay that none of the major networks even mentioned the story at all on their prime-time news programs the day the story broke in The New York Post. Crickets.  Absolutely no mention of the story.

           Here is an important article that speaks from first-hand associations and authenticates the story (note: in the interest of full disclosure, the computer repair shop owner is Ron’s nephew).  More importantly, the revelation demonstrates how the FBI sat on the story since December 2019 when it could have provided exculpatory evidence during the impeachment proceedings.

           For an organization that should be apolitical, the FBI has demonstrated that it has an ideological allegiance.  This was clearly demonstrated in July of 2016 when the Director of the FBI provided tremendous details of crimes committed by Hillary Clinton but exonerated her because there was no evidence of “intent” to break the law.  How deep is ideological corruption?

           Developments at our Service Academies, which should represent one of the purist crucibles for an apolitical culture, provide additional evidence to the extent political ideology has infiltrated these institutions.  The U.S. Naval Academy is in the process of discharging a senior for violating its policies against racism.  This midshipman (MIDN), who has roomed with a fellow black cadet for three years, issued a Tweets while COVID-19 evacuated to his home in L.A.  His parents are police officers, who at the time were working overtime to provide some safety for the citizens exposed to Black Lives Matter and Antifa riots.  The MIDN tweeted that he was concerned about his parents’ safety, yet some of his tweets were not without some controversy.  The issue is how the leadership conceptualized “racism” and to the extent that it violates policy.  This “interpretation” in and of itself is controversial because it appears to stem from an ideological perspective as opposed to a legal one.  Here is an excellent article, “US Naval Academy’s Cancel Culture Targeted the Son of Two LA Police Dept Officers for Expulsion,” that partially describes the circumstances. 

Two excerpts speak loudly regarding the ideological disposition of the USNA Deputy Commandant:

 The “adjudication” before the Deputy Commandant was straight out of Franz Kafka’s “The Trial.”  Ignoring our legal arguments, he made clear to MIDN Standage that there was only ONE acceptable position with respect to the subject matters of the tweets – the Command’s position (informed by the BLM and Anti-Racism movements), and that MIDN Standage’s statements to the contrary were racist and prejudicial to good order and discipline. The Deputy Commandant’s comments and his rant about the supremacy of the football team left no doubt that the Deputy was pandering to the Brigade’s social justice warriors. It is also important to note that one of the clear undercurrents of the adjudication was the Deputy’s contempt for the President. For example, he asked Standage, “You really think the President sets the standard of conduct for officers?” The specifics of his comments are in the complaint filed. MIDN Standage was found guilty of both charges, received the max on demerits and restriction, and his case was forwarded to the Commandant recommending separation from the Naval Academy.

“You were not found guilty for what you said, but how you said it.”

           Other relevant articles related to these issues can be read here, and here.          

The U.S. Military Academy at West Point provides mandatory courses on critical race theory.  Recent graduates, one a former Corps Captain (#1 cadet within the cadet organization) who is black and a Rhodes Scholar, authored a 40-page document complaining about systemic racism at West Point.  On its face, one cannot help but wonder, that if systemic racism did exist, how did the cadet rise to be the number one cadet in charge of the entire cadet corps?  Why is “systemic racism” only being discovered now if it has been existing? Military ranking is based on peer evaluation.  The Superintendent, a black lieutenant general, initiated an investigation (no published results as of the date of this article).B

           Traceable ideological indoctrination began to seep into the culture of the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) following the Michael Brown incident in Ferguson Missouri.  According to The Atlantic Monthly, the Superintendent, at the time, presumably with every good intention (but perhaps without full knowledge of the ideology of the institution), arranged for the Knapsack Institute from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs to conduct seminars with the cadets.  Here is an excerpt from their website:

The name, “The Knapsack Institute” hails from Peggy McIntosh’s renowned article, "White privilege and male privilege: A personal account of coming to see correspondences through work in women's studies,” in which she states: 

"I have come to see white privilege as an invisible package of unearned assets which I can count on cashing in each day, but about which I was 'meant' to remain oblivious.  White privilege is like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, assurances, tools, maps, guides, codebooks, passports, visas, clothes, compass, emergency gear, and blank checks."  (Peggy McIntosh, 1988 "White privilege and male privilege: A personal account of coming to see correspondences through work in women's studies."  Excerpted from Working Paper 189, Wellesley College Center for Research on Women, Wellesley, MA.)

The outgoing USAFA Superintendent achieved national notoriety when he lectured Academy cadets about racism and acceptable values following an incident at the Academy Preparatory School on the same campus.  Ron wrote about it here.  The incident turned out to be a hoax perpetrated by the same black prep school student who made the complaint.  One of the USAFA’s Superintendent’s themes during his tenure at this time was the existence of “systemic racism,” as indicated in this letter to the “Academy Family.”  A review of minutes from the USAFA Board of Visitors provides absolutely no evidence of systemic racism.  Further, we filed a Freedom of Information Act request for documentation on racism complaints back on August 4, 2020.  Despite the statutory requirement for a response within 10 work-days (or 20 for exceptional circumstances), the only response received so far was to let us know we went from number 64 to 48 in the queue.

More egregiously, the Air Force Academy football coaches posted a video on their Facebook page supporting “Black Lives Matter” seven times during a three-minute video.  We learned about the video from a Colorado Springs Gazette article, “Air Force football takes firm social stance with video in support of Black Lives Matter,”  on July 7, 2020.  Two days later, Ron posted a rebuttal here.  The issue is that whether wittingly or not, the coaches supported a Marxist organization that created the expression “Black Lives Matter.”  A group of Academy graduates have invested a considerable amount of time to convince the coaches that the video presents false information and apparent support for a Marxist organization.  To this day, the coaches, supported by USAFA Superintendents (outgoing and incoming), have refused to take the video down.

           On September 14, a group of Academy graduates filed an Inspector General (IG) Complaint at the Secretary of the Air Force level expressing concern about the Air Force Academy coaches’ video.  There are four concerns:  (a) the video violates Air Force Instruction 51-508; (b) the video violates DoD Directive 1344.10; (c) the video violates the President’s Executive Order; and (d) the video is extremely divisive.  A subsequent addendum, September 28, 2020, provided additional arguments/evidence for the complaint.  The complaint referenced OMB Memo dated September 4, 2020 and the President’s Executive Order, dated September 22, 2020.  We are still waiting for an answer, which strongly indicates the issue is political—perhaps waiting for the outcome of the Presidential election to determine how to respond to the IG complaint?

           The “slow-rolling” status of the above actions speaks volumes as to the political and ideological transformation of the Department of Defense.  If the military is to preserve the essence of its apolitical nature, we would suggest that some actions are in order, at least for the U.S. Air Force:

·       Direct the football video be taken down from social media;

·       Initiate a review of the Academy academic curriculum to eliminate Marxist indoctrination (i.e., critical race theory); and

·       Through the Center for Character and Leadership Development, develop a case study to (a) analyze the emergence of indoctrination, (b) integrate the importance of recognizing such indoctrination and (c) apply measures to stem it.

The Secretary of Defense should advance similar considerations for other Service Academies in accordance with the OMB Memo and Executive Order from the Commander in Chief addressing Critical Race Theory Training (referenced above in the IG Complaint). 

The phenomena described above are not unprecedented.  History has documented similar developments.  Hannah Arendt in her seminal work, The Origins of Totalitarianism, analyzed and explained similar examples.  The Dreyfus Affair (which justified political divisions and a systemic anti-Semitic ideology) represents the manifestation of ideology similar to claims of “systemic racism” in today’s American narrative.

More existentially, current movements are contrary to the essence of the inalienable rights asserted in our Declaration of Independence and codified in our Constitution as a system of self-governance.  Current movements are multicultural, secular, and antithetical to the unifying constructs of a Constitutional Republic.  Human nature has not and will not change.  Thus, history can and does repeat itself.  Cicero observed similar dynamics when he wrote: 

A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. For the traitor appears not a traitor; he speaks in accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their arguments, he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation, he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of the city, he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to fear.

Evidence on the Hunter Biden hard drive provides a glimpse into this type of behavior.  The left diminishes it, even dismisses it in favor of their favorite Russia conspiracy meme. 

America faces a similar existential moment as she did in 1860 when America was confronted with acquiescing to an ideology of slavery versus the ideals of her Declaration of Independence.  America risks enslavement by ideology as opposed to being liberated by truth.  The dangerous ideological culture at our Service Academies is just one example.

Rod Bishop is a retired Air Force lieutenant general, member of the Class of 1974, U.S. Air Force Academy.  Ron Scott is a retired Air Force colonel, member of the Class of 1973, U.S. Air Force Academy.

I Agree with Gadfly

by

An American Citizen with an Inquiring Mind

Gadfly’s recent essay, “Are You Stupid or Smart?” is one of his better ones. "Stupid" does get the attention of the reader, that is, until the reader self identifies with "Stupid". Gadfly admits we cannot educate “stupid” by insulting stupid. However, Gadfly is frustrated and perhaps very angry with his fellow man. Many of us are angry with our fellow Americans. It is not pleasant to watch a large part of our society being fooled.

In today’s world of instant access to all information, there can be no reason for citizens not knowing. The fooled choose to not know. It’s Forrest Gump on steroids. Some call this civic ignorance; however, I believe what is happening today goes beyond stupid or civic ignorance. The fooled have no conscience and no ideology. They, like Forrest Gump, just exist. They, like Hayek said and Gadfly quotes, imitate what they are fed. They are prey. They are for the taking and they vote.

Ah, but the “foolers”; they are the radical left, the popular media, the crony capitalists and the Washington elites. They are partners. Their ideology is grounded in a secular cause which defies reason, ignores history, tramples the constitution and uses a political party as a platform (until there is no longer a need for a party as their objective is total domination and control). They believe they have all knowledge and have defined absolute truth and their self-destructive ends justify their means. By any reasonable, moral or historical standard, they are insane.

The United States is in a Civil War - a war of ideas. Congress is polarized, paralyzed, feckless, emasculated, without common values; has delegated its law-making authority to administrative agencies and is unable to govern. An ineffectual legislative branch and ignorant citizens embolden the enemy and weaken our Republic.

Our home-grown socialists have hijacked the (once a great) Democrat party. Republicans such as Mitt Romney and the late John McCain put conservative values to shame. JFK or Harry Truman could not even get on the democrat ticket today, let alone get elected. We are no longer governed by the Constitution. We are governed by the administrative state

.

Judging by the events and what we have learned since the 2016 election, we know that had Trump lost the election we would be on a fast track to socialism and the loss of our Republic. We learned this ideology of the self-declared socialists in Congress and our federal agencies is so self-righteous it compromised the State Department, the CIA, the FBI, the Department of Justice, NSA and, possibly, a past president.

With a weak president and without Fox News and talk radio; Muller, the hijacked democrat party and their media partners would have brought about a successful round one, the impeachment of a president, and round two, the denial of seating a president’s supreme court justice selection.

     

Old Gadfly is right. We are in trouble. Socialists and political elites have studied Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals and know that to succeed they must be relentless, vile, lying, evil, and feed off civic ignorance. A Republic is a fragile thing. What do we do to prevent socialist ideologues from destroying our Republic and turning our country into what has happened to other great societies that have failed?

There is an answer. This answer is disruptive, non-violent, requires Americans to reset their priorities, sacrifice some of their non-essential pursuits and reassess patriotism. Kind of like what the Founders had to do when they were in trouble after the American revolution and knew that they had to have a Constitution that would allow this hard-fought freedom from an oppressive Great Britain to be permanent. I believe this is what Old Gadfly may write about in his next article.

Miserable Creatures

         Abstract:  Many privileged Americans wearing National Football League (NFL) uniforms have decided to use their celebrity status to make a political statement.  This is their choice.  They are free to do this in America, even in London.  They obviously have no idea that to express such political freedom is an American right, a right that does not exist in other parts of the world such as Cuba, Venezuela, North Korea, Russia, or China.  In expressing their right, they insult the millions who have given far more to protect this right.  Perhaps someday they may finally realize what it means to truly be American.  This article examines these circumstances in a conversation between Old Gadfly, an American citizen with an inquiring mind (IM), and a seasoned combat aviator with an inquiring mind (AM).  Gadfly closes with a reflective observation from John Stuart Mill about the American Civil War.

Old Gadfly:  Gentlemen, I woke this morning to a headline in USA Today:  “Jaguars owner Shahid Khan joins in on NFL's national anthem protests.”  To aggravate the act, it took place during an exhibition game in London.  Then, throughout the day other teams in America participated in similar protests.  AM, like these NFL players you and I wore a uniform, you for over 35 years and I for over 34 years.  What are your thoughts?

AM:  My first thought was disappointment that Americans, especially on foreign soil, would disrespect the flag and the national anthem—symbols of America that represent the idea of what America stands for: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  Many of our fellow Americans gave life and limb to protect and to advance these rights for America and other nations.  I pictured the thousands of crosses, and among these crosses Stars of David, strewn across Europe and the Pacific Theater marking the graves of fellow Americans who gave their lives liberating others from the tyranny of socialist fascism.  Fascism and socialist communism in the Soviet Union and China were and are oppressive ideologies.

The image above is from Lorraine American Cemetery in France.  None of these individuals had a labor union to keep them from working more than 40 hours in a week, to insist upon overtime pay for more than 40 hours, or to sideline for a concussion.  The image I saw this morning was a stark contrast:  privileged athletes making a political statement, apparently about racism.  My first reaction was to break out in uncontrollable laughter.   Not a single one of these athletes was forcefully hauled to this field, suited up, and then released from ankle chains to harvest a win for the team owner.  In fact, all the athletes wearing a uniform on that field earn more in one year than 95% of Americans earn in several years.  What racist institutions kept them from this athletic achievement?  The majority of NFL players do not represent the nationwide demographics.  So, if America was racist, then why are there so many minority players wearing NFL uniforms?

Old Gadfly:  Keep in mind this is all a reaction to President Trump’s public language in (a) suggesting the NFL should fire players that disrespect the flag and National Anthem and (b) disinviting the NBA basketball player that publicly proclaimed he would not attend the White House celebration.

IM:  The President campaigned on Making America Great Again.  The professional athletes in the NFL and NBA are apparently not happy about that.

Old Gadfly:  They certainly are not alone.  Others feel the same way.  For example, look at the push back Denver Bronco Derek Wolfe received when he disagreed with kneeling during the National Anthem.

AM:  Thank God for red blooded Americans with NASCAR!

Old Gadfly:  I think this all boils down to a fundamental understanding of what America is all about.  There are Americans who believe in the American dream—that through hard work and perseverance as good patriotic citizens of a Constitutional Republic the pursuit of happiness is real.  There are others that believe differently.  They believe in a large central government that promotes social justice in the pursuit of utopia this side of death (read Bernie Sanders' book, Revolution).  Thus, America is in the midst of a culture war.  Amazingly, today’s conversation began in London.  At the start of the American Civil War, a British political philosopher, John Stuart Mill, convinced the British government not to intervene in the American contest.  In his article, he made this closing observation: 

War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things: the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks nothing worth a war, is worse.  When a people are used as mere human instruments for firing cannon or thrusting bayonets, in the service and for the selfish purposes of a master, such war degrades a people.  A war to protect other human beings against tyrannical injustice; a war to give victory to their own ideas of right and good, and which is their own war, carried on for an honest purpose by their free choice—is often the means of their regeneration.  A man who has nothing which he is willing to fight for, nothing which he cares more about than he does about his personal safety, is a miserable creature, who has no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.  As long as justice and injustice have not terminated their ever renewing fight for ascendancy in the affairs of mankind, human beings must be willing, when need is, to do battle for the one against the other.

           I would submit that those taking a knee are not doing it for patriotic reasons.  To the contrary, they are instruments—they are miserable creatures serving a master's cause.  Who is the master?  The master is an ideology that is Marxist and that can only be justified by a belief in oppression, whether real or imagined.  Where are these players in expressing outrage about the real oppression in Cuba, Venezuela, or North Korea?  The NFL players should stick to the direction of their coaches since this is a business contract.  If they want to protest the social contract with the American society, then they should do their due diligence to see where the real injustice exists, such as our inner cities managed for decades by a particular political party.  The majority of Americans believes in the idea of America and wants to Make America Great Again—for ALL Americans.  NFL players can become great again and real American role models, if they stop serving dangerous ideological masters.