50 Shades of Bullshit

The Modern Liberal's Torrid Sado-Masochistic Relationship with Lies

Niccolo Machiavelli once postulated (paraphrased) that politics could not be conducted without The Lie. That while force was not always necessary to the business of politics, one could not truly practice the art with any great skill or subtlety without a healthy dose of fraud. Machiavelli justified -- or at least rationalized -- the Lie as an unavoidable accessory to power, for in order to exercise it over the Masses it is often necessary to make use of them -- their desires, fears, aspirations, hatreds, opinions -- and if the Masses were ever to discover that they were being used in this fashion, they would revolt.

The Lie is necessary; it serves to hide one's true motives from the people over whom one wields power. Machiavelli understood that achieving power means lying and justified it, perversely, as a matter of honesty. The Ruler who was honest about his intentions (always to himself) could conduct public affairs in a much more straightforward, more efficient manner. For his ultimate goal is not, strictly-speaking, always the most good for the most people, but rather to continue in power, for no one accepts or takes power with the intention of voluntarily giving it up.

This is the genesis of the old saying that "The Ends Justify The Means".

Obama Releases His Birth Certificate...Finally...

And for some, it still just ain't enough, because within a very short time someone posted a screed purporting to have discovered 'inconsistencies' which would lead one to believe the released document is, itself, a forgery.

My word, but at what point does it just go away? I'm sick and tired of Mr. Oblah-blah, sure, but this is getting ridiculous, and is probably the first sign of a political neurosis: If we could have Bush Derangement Syndrome, then why not an Obama Derangement Syndrome?

I wrote this a few weeks ago, when Donald Trump re-opened the whole Birther controversy. The money quote:

"I'm no fan of Barack Obama, believe me, but at this point trying to get him tossed from office on such skinny hopes reeks of the Prosecuting Attorney who went into court with a murder weapon, the suspect's fingerprints and DNA, three eyewitnesses, a confession and the whole crime captured on videotape, loses his case through incredible stupidity -- and then tries to get the accused busted on a jaywalking rap, just to save face.Barack Obama's Birth Certificate just might turn out to be the political equivalent of The Bloody Glove."

And so it still might, because now the argument is: he's released the records you wanted, Nutjobs, and you're still not satisfied? What else do you want? If you thought the Dhimmicratic Party was out to question your sanity then, just you wait.

As for Donald Trump, he got himself to a press conference so quickly that he left a vapor trail behind. Of course, he took credit for finally forcing the President to release a Birth Certificate, and then quickly changed the subject: When are you going to release you college transcripts, Mr. O?


Really?

Personally, I think the whole Birth Certificate kerfuffle was always a waste of time. I find it difficult to believe that the man was able to run for office, first in Illinois, and then for the Presidency, without having to offer an official birth certificate at some point along the way. I'm sure that when Mr. Obama applied for a driver's licence, a passport, or registered for school, a birth certificate, likewise, was required. Somewhere along the way, you figure someone could have found a copy of the damned thing anytime they wanted to, including the President himself. The only reason I can see for Mr.Obama letting this little drama go on for so long was because it gave him the excuse to attack his opposition and paint them as insane racists who can't handle having a (half-)black dude in the Oval Office. That's basically the gift that keeps on giving, in democratic party politics.

Which begs the question; then why make such a show of releasing it at all?

Answer: expect some extremely bad news by the end of the week.