Josef Goebbels, besides being a dude who sat even 98% of the National Socialist and other parties on their ears, was originally a student of romantic (including mythic) literature; he received a PhD from Berlin University in 1921.

Goebbels said that propaganda does not have to be intelligent, it just has to succeed; he otherwise knew propaganda to be that which facilitates the triumph of personal leaders’ will.

By “not intelligent”, sure, thugs with rubber hoses on posters saying “do it or else” would be propaganda; but most usually, unintelligent propaganda means that stagecraft/cinema/media event which is either grounded in no evidence that should be there (opinions only made), or ignores data which tends to negative what the pomp and circumstance/talking head opinions blurt about.

A rhetorical example: say a State, the SWAs of which are part of a Federal unemployment system, aks its regulated professions to make outrageous enticements to pull in people (formerly with good wages, but now in foreclosure, stamps, etc) on UI extensions with no real experience; next, say regulators know a charade of completing necessary initial licensing/registration forms and ephemera will be included but nobody will have employers submit (contrary to apparent law); then, say as “newbs” such new hires are run ragged or otherwise made to leave the new jobs; next, maybe many such employers don’t pay for training “made pursuant to law” on applications they know they won’t submit, nor pay for first work done; last, say the State’s SWA ends UI for all such people as they”quit”, otherwise refuses to pursue wage claims for them, and regulated agencies back up that mindnumbingly even by the tons no such people “did regulated work” so no ticks to employers; now say as a result UI claim figures go down, and some official(s)prance around saying how messianic they must be just to have a low figure and be thus improving lives, “need we say more?”. This example would be “unintelligent”, as the officials’ claims would be based on an absence and further contradiction of certain facts.

For more on Goebbels or the communications philosophy he merely engendered, visit fifth heading down “Propaganda Minister” at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Goebbels .

President Obama has this year represented that his critics should just shut up and let things lie and expand as they are; you know, he may be right!

Yes, there are a slew of critics ranging from his own party to secular to religious objectors, but does anybody notice that they’re all running out of money, as those they claim support them (at least in petitioning or opinion polling style) also run out of cash, credit, and aid? Most importantly, does anyone notice that most people just want whatever degree of consumerism is meted to them until it’s “their time”, without thought of or to anyone else and without real expectation the New Culture will change or fail to touch them? So it goes in Illinois, Tennessee, Oregon, Idaho, name it.  

It’s as if most USA folks of every origin collectively say: “Yep, it’s global totalism now, what from money to anything else is out there FOR us to do besides peck at each other, watch sports, and go to movies until it’s our turn to go? They’ve taken global rights, personal economic control, creative aspirations, property upon which to build or retain houses of worship (indicating a non-existent, dead or weakling Creator) and need for ambition or even exercise away from most of us…even foreign dictators have always needed someone to dictate TO, let’s stick with the statism, the sports/celebrity/talk radio fan as the only group dynamics left to us, and maybe they’ll take more people ahead instead of us…yeah, it’s crummy to be a kept State hamster if a pollster asks but really, do most of us even seem capable of taking time away from our sports, movies and managed consumerism except for ‘tea bag moments’ and election year blogging?”.

If that or something close to it IS the reality of the majority population, then President Barack Hussein Obama is absolutely correct that most people don’t WANT to be educated, work, create businesses, get married or care who is, otherwise be equity parts of society, or have liberties protected…in such case, don’t blame atheists, Hu Jintao, Osama bin Laden, Democrats, Republicans, Putin, Satan, God, whoever; in a democratic Republic, where the majority of people do not care what needs to be done even to them or their children to permanently simply exist (and no more), and have a pattern of being self-absorbed armchair quarterbacks letting everyone else fix everything even back in “better times”, then even if critics of the government make scholastically lucid, legally sound, and generally accurate gainsays or constructive alternative plans these are NOT things the majority public wants…and though it’s extreme to label critics generally as DHS report fodder, still, critics need to see Obama IS giving the mass population what it wants as it manifestly partakes of handouts with minimal grousing, sort of the way one feeds a cat and might get hissed anyway yet the cat submissively returns for more.

Indeed, it appears Obama critics need to face the reality that they ARE “revolutionary” in nature, where they transcend ministering to shrinking numbers at all interested in hearing about peaceful alternative life philosophies or religious living; Obama critics need to accept that most people today would rather re-arrange their aimless day to see the OSU Ducks vs. U of O Beavers “civil war” football game than help or even talk to a stranger, or than picket the State capitol for jobs 24/7/365 (in a State with massive unemployment, more coming). Now THAT’s putting the body where the soul truly is, all such gamesters’ faint mewing notwithstanding as they freely act in the nature of trotting next to their keepers hoping for more scraps…Trent Lott’s book title was too limited, as it seems “Herding Cats” is not just for the Senate Leadership anymore.

Wherefore, the spirit of Jesus through Gandhi through Dr. King is manifestly kaput in today’s USA, and thus it might be nice if PACs and Churches/Similar limit talking to their own choirs…we must stop the “concept revolution” against ideologies the manifest USA population wishes to tolerate. To keep face with the Hegelian notion that ANY system (including secular) which does not admit of unbelief is a mere convenience, I would respectfully submit that hermeneutic peaceful religions and ministers respecting the USA State as giving the majority population what it wants (including LBGT marriage, less labor, CCA and other imprisonment for distempers, military escalations, aid to Ladenist nations, abortion, and actual or perceived moral relativity) should not be included as being “false religious” or barred from assembly/expression due to their own opposite views, and that their admittedly minority actual adherents be able to object and withhold their service(s) on conscience grounds where enough secular or other parties in simpatico with the majority are easily available.

Folks, those of us who want to resist intellectual or ethically rhetorical “evil” today can do it but one way, if you’ll take a sober look at reality: if you see it, don’t do it yourselves; if you give money to a PAC or Church, expect it will sustain the choir alone at best; if you’re going to “make” an unbeliever(s) hear you, no matter how “compelling”, even Thomas Aquinas would tell you harming unbelievers is against the will of Jesus and God (“Summa Theologica”, Volume Two, Part Two, Question 10, Articles 1 through 12) unless they force themselves upon you in your physical person (actual personal attack, only force enough to stop it kosher)…and secularly, even I would detain the true armed, egocentric and dangerous.

After all, in this economy at a time of sluggish Christmas sales and rising domestic abuse, who packs in more of those attendees and viewers: Lou Dobbs, the RNC/DNC, some union, any nature of any faith’s Church/Mosque/Temple/House of Worship, or Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon for the OSU v. U of O “civil war” game? (Hint: Statewide here today, ala those 1936 Mercedes touring cars back in Germany’s Dolf Days, all you see are fender flags for either the Oregon State or University of Oregon football teams.) Fans, if you feel a bit the same the next morning, please don’t vent on others or officials; and again, even I would detain the socially lazy, egocentric and dangerous.

One sees that next on the whirlwind of ideas not tethered to causations is Obama saying he'll crack down on energy traders...let's just assume he's going to be for cracking down on anything that moves, IF it ever actually contributes to a problem, causes one, or both; surely, even Obama would have introduced a bill or something at the State or later Federal level if he actually had proof of anything he's "out to get" during campaigns only. Insofar as that, there isn't much energy stuff to hit OUR traders for, since it's all controlled by the likes of Iran and Chavez in Venezuela as nationalizers, raw product producers, or both.

As to the limitless stuff Democrats and Obama are out to get IF they ever have evidence to support such "getting", this includes nationalism, xenophobia, and of course racism. The biggest "amen" choir Obama has there is the UCC, Roman Catholic priest Pfleger, and USA Roman Catholic Bishops and Cardinals such as those in Chicago.
 
In the stunning absence of how all this organized racism and nationalism is happening, line by line, chapter and verse, Obama and his choir expect us to just PRESUME it goes on AND is keeping folks of color or tongues other than English (so you can also slap at diverse ethnics and races citizens for generations) from some 1960's or way bigger industrial-military edifice dripping with jobs and dignity.
 
That's canard one for consumption to non-nationals. Number two: the "you're all low-brow cretins and apes who need tender mercies and nurturing from the poor natures your leaders at home cultivate in you, you poor victims of your society". These days, social liberals and Pfleger types literally are banging non-stop to suggest all non-whites and foreigners, you see, are natural born killers without the mental capacity for behaving nicely...which is why, for example, it's become stylish to actually come out and say things like "oh my God! The police somewhere shot another non-White or non-citizen who, after all, was only armed in violation of carry or gun possession laws and actually was intending to shoot other non-Whites, Whites, police, oh, who cares...amen and verily, the Christian thing to do is harp about gun violence and harsher laws, then say that police are race and ethnic cleansers for even daring to think a non-White or non-national has the ability to know what they're doing".
 
See, canard one is the lure for immigrants, canard two is the "tolerance" of certain violence in the same nature as the European Union Parliament does; plus, canard two is the basis for quashing and re-arranging or jailing or whatever one's own nationals and even other immigrants, ala said Parliament's Article 13, to make room and tolerance for the violence and deaths caused by terrorists and anyone the government deems the proper party for raining havoc and death upon at-large populations.
 
To reiterate, it seems poor service to imply all non-Whites and non-English speaking people are nothing but killer drones who need tender love no matter how long they conduct ethnic cleansing at home, terrorism for any reasons, and so forth; as the Democrat 2007-08 security agenda stands unaltered to date, including by Obama and Clinton, HR 1955 to quash USA nationals WILL happen, LOST WILL give away our ability to process or produce ANYTHING considered fuel and with ot without Socializing/nationalizing all necessary business to avoid discussions, and the USA WILL adopt the same sweeping powers to re-arrange any immigrants and nationals in ways exactly like Qaeda, Hamas, Chavez, Mexico, Darfur's Janjaweed, and others do, making said folks and places something to expect immigrants to run from and need compassion against (and we're SURE even non-Whites and most immigrants want that?).
 
I for one believe that most folks can easily live in diversity within the USA and elsewhere, and don't need a life "keeper", especially in some nature of New Urban minimum security/trail by video or GPS lockdown with "income" limited to some kind of subsidy or "credit" good only for what the warden can get his hands on or feels like meting out at politically orthodox realtors and providers (GUM or "feel lucky" socialized/totalized medicine sound familiar?).
 
Let's not stoop to the raw racism, again ala the 1960's, that assumes non-Whites/non-English speakers are all bloody animals in need of keepers...and further that putting all of us together in the ultimate national housing project minus farms, jobs, and social dignity is doing more than creating a horror which otherwise has no life.
 

The Madrid agenda is right to stress that "While poverty is not a direct cause of terrorism, economic and social policy can help mitigate exclusion and the impact of rapid socioeconomic change, which give rise to grievances that are often exploited by terrorists".

When it comes to religious faith, or degrees thereof up to atheism, although I’m a Roman Catholic I don’t tell anyone else what to believe or not believe re God…I would publicly puzzle, however, why anyone expecting better accountability out of government and populations at large would vehemently protest not JUST the Ten Commandments even if not identified AS upon religious monument styled works, but a religion with diverse sects predicated upon light (wisdom, truth, accountability) coming into darkness (under-exposure, ignorance, deceit, ad infinitum) in a wholly peaceable way.

In such milieu, it would be awfully easy for anyone to blame others constantly for why they themselves do what they do when they have a choice not to, the velocity and depth of blame being exculpatory and thus not conducive to improvement.

Scanning the gamut of Democrat and republican themed rhetoric, it looks like THE 2008 pretense for super-charged emotionalism, while bands play on, which will by itself “change” all apart from Iraq, is: blame Churches as the tools of Conservatives and the GOP for mis-spending faith based funds through them, yes, even when spent to the tunes called by Democrat States and Towns as THEY distribute it, no Federal strings yet attached and upon suppression of fact they do receive and distribute such funds.

Whatever actual officials do or don’t say on the matters, the private cheering sections are rife with such elitist manipulations. Before anyone yells “Commie pinko!” or “Catholic Nazi!” or “GOP lickspittle!” at me, please know that in late 2002, in a National Review piece, famed Catholic/GOP/Skull & Bones/wealthy guy William F. Buckley, Jr., said of government funding of Church and charity that such things and the State needs lives of their own, I then and since concurring…especially since now so many amorphous elitists are globally involved in their own bailiwicks of State-religion partnering, in the case of Chavez resulting in little more than taking care of their whole populations for the dictator until the same care under same expectations can be transplanted elsewhere, and as the dictator uses his own resources to advance his own power globally. Surely, not that many of ANY officials truly supports de-constructing USA defenses and accommodating dictators as long as a few in private enterprise can profit therein with blind eyes to gathering foreign takeover ambitions. And the private interest political camps do appear to be urging such direction, some on precept from their own mouths they’ve “bought and paid for this or that party, so pay off!”.

Yesterday at my post office box, I received a six-page PSA from People For The American Way (PFAW), founded by Norman Lear, which PSA begins: “When you have folks from the Religious Right invoke God’s name to promote discrimination, undermine civil liberties, and limit free speech…do you think that’s not the America you believe in?”; perhaps that’s PFAW’s way of “explaining” how all immigration and fundings thereof are “used by religions to twist people around instead of talk about real issues common to all”. At page two of relevant PSA, bulleted point four says: “And, they’ve directed millions of taxpayers’ money into their own pockets and Churches under the guise of the Office Of Faith-Based Initiatives”, PFAW linking ONLY the GOP to same…see, per PFAW, either this isn’t going on in Democrat areas, or even 100% Democrat-run Illinois HAS to partake and so proceed due to a “Bush they’re afraid to say no to or talk about” if the obvious use of Democrat faith funding surfaces…the permanent status of “never-changing victim” does often get called the whole point of any blame game strategy, even outside politics.

Oh, ad damnum, GOP, ad damnum and mea culpa! But in Illinois, Democrat run entirely at the State level and home of Durbin and Obama and birthplace of Hillary Clinton, the use of State-directed faith funds and spending thereof by assorted faiths is such an orthodoxy unto itself, not even most Illinois Catholic Churches will say they have even one USA national parishioner who needs any nature of social justice themselves, nor will any such Churches normally even mention the existence of contrarian opinion channel EWTN (global Catholic network). Maybe the State Bogarts the Churches, maybe the Churches Bogart the State, maybe they Bogart each other; who knows, but a good example of why Church and State should be completely separate.

Something to think about, because politicians are famous for waffling so they always were “on the winning side” of everything in their careers, and some are saying that through HR 1955, LOST, and the Global Poverty Act, through appeasing current and future dictators through acting just like them,, the USA can be secure even economically and with a State/religion partnership undisturbed, all the globe’s people CAN under all this flourish beyond imagination.

Thus, good questions for ANY candidate arise: WHAT needs to be changed re faith funding in their own opinion; on WHAT should such funds be spent? After all, any President including Bush and his successor of any party will ex officio hand out such funds by Congressional mandate the President do so, any President thusly just a figurehead to such affairs.

After all, PFAW may come well-late to Buckley’s table insofar as separating Church/charity and State simple, yet exhortations to abominate GOD as the responsible party through his ministers as if THEY are pushing politics is not only totally off the mark, such exhortations forget to mention that PFAW colleagues are presently musing over ways to make the 100 million-plus and growing “unchurched” in the USA “of interest” for such non-attendance/non-belief(s) simple, and at the same time muse how those who DO attend, or as is the case of at least 80% polled at least have SOME faith, can be made “of interest” on grounds of PFAW types “ALL faiths are based upon non-Divine revolutionaries and disruptive rabble rousers”…in the latter case, again, and this would be the reason GOVERNMENTS fund them? In any event though, therein is still no tether as to how to change and progress, just blame gaming.