Forget Osama: Here's how to destroy America

Sorry it's been so long, but to make up for my laziness I opted to "cut and paste" something I came across on the "As Maine Goes" website www.asmainegoes.com

Diversity? We don't need no stinkin' diversity . . . the following is attributed to former Colorado Gov. Dick Lamm (a Democrat). Think before responding . . .

If you believe that America is too smug, too self-satisfied, too rich, then let's destroy America It is not that hard to do. No nation in history has survived the ravages of time. Arnold Toynbee observed that all great civilizations rise and fall and that "An autopsy of history would show that all great nations commit suicide." Here is how they do it: First, to destroy America, turn America into a bilingual or multi-lingual and bicultural country. History shows that no nation can survive the tension, conflict, and antagonism of two or more competing languages and cultures. It is a blessing for an individual to be bilingual; however, it is a curse for a society to be bilingual. The historical scholar, Seymour Lipset, put it this way: "The histories of bilingual and bi-cultural societies that do not assimilate are histories of turmoil, tension, and tragedy." Canada, Belgium, Malaysia, and Lebanon all face crises of national existence, in which minorities press for autonomy, if not independence. Pakistan and Cyprus have divided. Nigeria suppressed an ethnic rebellion. France faces difficulties with Basques, Bretons, and Corsicans. Second, to destroy America, "Invent 'multiculturalism' and encourage immigrants to maintain their culture." I would make it an article of belief that all cultures are equal. That there are no cultural differences. I would make it an article of faith that the Black and Hispanic dropout rates are due solely to prejudice and discrimination by the majority. Every other explanation is out of bounds. Third, we could make the United States an "Hispanic Quebec" without much effort. The key is to celebrate diversity rather than unity. As Benjamin Schwarz said in the Atlantic Monthly recently: "The apparent success of our own multiethnic and multicultural experiment might have been achieved not by tolerance but by hegemony. Without the dominance that once dictated ethnocentricity and what it meant to be an American, we are left with only tolerance and pluralism to hold us together." I would encourage all immigrants to keep their own language and culture. I would replace the melting pot metaphor with the salad bowl metaphor. It is important to ensure that we have various cultural subgroups living in America enforcing their differences rather than as Americans, emphasizing their similarities. Fourth, I would make our fastest growing demographic group the least educated. I would add a second underclass, unassimilated, undereducated, and antagonistic to our population. I would have this second underclass have a 50% dropout rate from high school. My fifth point for destroying America would be to get big foundations and business to give these efforts lots of money. I would invest in ethnic identity, and I would establish the cult of "Victimology." I would get all minorities to think that their lack of success was the fault of the majority! I would start a grievance industry blaming all minority failure on the majority population. My sixth plan for America's downfall would include dual citizenship, and promote divided loyalties. I would celebrate diversity over unity. I would stress differences rather than similarities. Diverse people worldwide are mostly engaged in hating each other - that is, when they are not killing each other. A diverse, peaceful, or stable society is against most historical precedent. People undervalue the unity it takes to keep a nation together. Look at the ancient Greeks. The Greeks believed that they belonged to the same race; they possessed a common language and literature; and they worshipped the same gods. All Greece took part the Olympic games. A common enemy, Persia, threatened their liberty. Yet all these bonds were not strong enough to overcome two factors: local patriotism and geographical conditions that nurtured political divisions. Greece fell. "E. Pluribus Unum" -- From many, one. In that historical reality, if we put the emphasis on the 'pluribus' instead of the 'Unum,' we will balkanize America as surely as Kosovo. Next to last, I would place all subjects off limits; make it taboo to talk about anything against the cult of "diversity." I would find a word similar to "heretic" in the 16th century - that stopped discussion and paralyzed thinking. Words like "racist" or "xenophobe" halt discussion and debate. Having made America a bilingual/bicultural country, having established multi-culturism, having the large foundations fund the doctrine of "Victimology," I would next make it impossible to enforce our immigration laws. I would develop a mantra: That because immigration has been good for America, it must always be good. I would make every individual immigrant symmetric and ignore the cumulative impact of millions of them. Lastly, I would censor Victor Hanson Davis's book "Mexifornia." His book is dangerous. It exposes the plan to destroy America. If you feel America deserves to be destroyed, don't read that book.

Watch out, Bob Villa

The boys (me included) couldn't wait to tackle the wall paper in the dining room as soon as Laura finished the kitchen. Hallway and stairwell is next, then ceramic tile floors in the living room and a new floor in the kitchen.

And, Laura says, "Don't forget the upstairs bathroom."



Matt had a field day trying to "outdo" his brother by tearing bigger strips. If you think this wallpaper was bad, you should see what we found underneath . . .

This Old House

Another holiday . . . another home improvement project.

Someone take away the TLC channel from my cable service . . .

So, check out the golden kitchen, and the old photos from when we bought the house 1-1/2 years ago.

Transistion: Part Deux

Week Two, and I am finally starting to settle into the new gig. I have moved into my new office; set up the voice-mail and e-mail but can't find where they keep the stamps for the other mail.

Quick update for loyal readers and concerned family members:
I did NOT have a heart attack last week.

I have yet to get the ambulance bill, but that might do the trick. In all reality, my cardiovascular system is in good shape. My muscular structure, however, needs some tweaking.

The new job is presenting some new challenges as well as new opportunities. With each passing day, I am growing increasingly confident that I made a good decision.

The challenges: A normal schedule. Getting up at 6 a.m. on Wednesdays is foreign to me just like being home at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays. Having my own office (finally) is nice, but I feel cut-off.

Strategic communication is hard to define and strikes me as utterly subjective. Is strategy quantifiable? In the newspaper business, you had a tangible product to demonstrate the amount of your effort each week.

While the pace of the new job matches my style: straightforward, hectic and deadline driven, commuting to and from Portland each day is a drag . . . which reminds me that I'm going to finally fill out that EZ PASS application. Digging for coins while sipping coffee does not blend well with my new wardrobe, which is much more business casual than formal most of the time.

There are, however, advantages to working outside of the Biddeford area, not the least of which is you can go someplace different for lunch every day for months on end.

I miss the familiarity of seeing people I know every day and being part of downtown Biddeford's fabric, but it is amazing how many "locals" I bump into each day in Portland. I spent many years living in Portland (from the West End to the "Hill," and from Peaks Island to Riverton) and it amazes me how much has changed yet stayed the same.

I am looking forward to being a member of Biddeford's City Charter Review Commission. I missed the first meeting because of the impromptu trip to Waterville's hospital, and Ron Peaker was elected chair. I was told that Marc Lessard was the only other one running.

Who do you think I would have voted for? Lessard or Peaker? Hmmmm . . ..
I will end by saying that I look forward to any constructive suggestions about the charter. Post them here.

As for local politics, stay tuned because I'll have plenty to say. I just need a few more days to wrap up the transition process, so please be patient.

Who knows, if I keep working late maybe I'll end up moving in with Shawn and Joe in Old Orchard Beach.

Who has the advantage?

With all the defections and Twomey's flip-flop, it's hard for me to believe the state's Democratic Party hasn't suffered.

So, while the GOP lost an opportunity for power sharing during the next few weeks of the second session, they could build some incredible momentum for November.

There's just one problem. Voters tend to reject whiners. We need people (candidates) who will focus on solutions, not problems.

The remarks made my Mr. Bowles seemed a bit over the top, especially his implied threat about what Republicans will do if they get the majority in the 123rd Legislature.

Republicans in Maine should take a cue from Peter Mills. Mills didn't attack Baldacci, he attacked Baldacci's borrowing plan last year. He made it happen, granted with a lot of help.

I guess my point is this, we need less name calling and theatrics; that sort of stuff gets plenty of media coverage but it does nothing for the people being served.

Regardless of party affiliation, I (and just about everyone I talk to) is looking for candidates who are prepared to offer bold, yet reasoned leadership. Leadership is not about determining trends. Leadership is NOT about making everyone happy and leadership is not about personalities.

Leadership is about integrity and about making sacrifices (both personal and political) in order to benefit the majority. The majority of businesses in Maine are small businesses and even the large companies are facing a hostile environment.

Not being able to buy a home or feed your family is a crisis. Not being able to educate your children is a crisis. The private sector can and will help out with these situations, as they have done with private contributions to the LIHEAP account.

Certainly, there needs to be a regulatory balance, but right now the scales have been tipped the wrong way. Fishermen can no longer afford to live near the coast; and the biggest economic growth we're seeing is in the service sector and real estate for the retired.

The median income in Maine is $37,500 per year. We cannot improve upon that without attracting companies to Maine. And we simply can't attract companies to Maine if we continue acting hostile toward them. Otherwise, we'll only have firms that cater to the lower middle income majority.

It's time for everyone (Democrats, Republicans, Greens, Independents and others) to demonstrate leadership.

New Year, Baby!

Laura was in rare shape on New Years Day and sort of participated in the annual "polar bear" Lobster Dip by running her boots in the Atlantic at high noon.

We missed the noon event by a few minutes but this was the first year that it wasn't my assignment for the newspaper. Speaking of which, it's hard to believe that I will be starting my new job tomorrow.

I will update again soon to let you know whether I make it through the first day.

In the meantime, take a gander at what I did during my week off from work. I repainted the kids playroom in the basement.

That's the before shot, as I started painting. Here's the after shot:

And the second after shot shows the rest of the completed room.

Neun comes to New England

My buddy, Tim Neun of Eugene, Ore., was in New England for the holidays, visiting with his daughter and her boyfriend. I haven't seen Tim since 1996, when I left Portland, Ore. to move back home.
During my brief residency in the Pacific Northwest (1994-1996), Tim was essentially my best friend. We both worked for a company in the downtown area. Tim was the guy who turned me onto kayaking, taking me up to Siletz Bay (spelling?). He is a smart, sarcastic, funny guy.
It was great to see Tim, but the visit seemed too short and unfortunately Laura couldn't get out of work to meet him.
Living in Oregon was not the positive experience I hoped it would be. I moved there from Nashville after requesting an inter-company transfer. But it was in Oregon that I realized that geographic cures don't work. I spent more than 15 years bouncing around the country trying to find myself and hit a proverbial brick wall.
If not for Neun, I doubt that I would have survived. He was supportive, kind and generous.
On the day when I decided to load my Dodge Daytona with my worldly possesions and drive back east, the only thing that gave me pause was the idea that I might lose this valued and trusted friend.
But I knew when I started driving east at 6:10 a.m. on Sept. 2, 1996, I was doing the right thing. And, of course, it was raining.
Four days later, I drove into Saco (Maine) and for the first time --- felt like I was finally home.
For the next decade, Neun and I stayed in touch with sporadic e-mails and random phone calls.
He saw me at my worst and accepted me. It was great to see him ( no matter how briefly) when I was in a much better space.

The thing that struck me about yesterday's visit in Portsmouth (N.H.) was his daughter and her boyfriend. Just when those of us entering middle age begin to have doubts about the future, we can look at people like them and relax.
They were extremely polite and gracious, and we had a great conversation about the state of our country and our collective social values.
Five days to go before I officially begin my new job, so I need to wrap up a few more projects around the house.

Nice face

Christmas morning

Santa got done sometime around 1 a.m.; and as you can see . . . Mrs. Claus did all the wrapping.

Frozen now