As I mentioned earlier, I’ve been reading Rules for Radicals by the late Saul Alinsky. Below are quotes from Rules and some comments. This is the first in a continuing series of posts on the book, the ideology, the movement, and the state of things in the country now. Please keep all this in mind as you listen to or read the news. And please share this with friends and family. We need to stand together and we need to know what we’re up against.

Lest we forget at least an over-the-shoulder acknowledgment to the very first radical: from all our legends, mythology, and history (and who is to know where mythology leaves off and history begins—or which is which), the first radical known to man who rebelled against the establishment and did it so effectively that he at least won his own kingdom—Lucifer.

[In the front matter after the dedication page. This page isn’t shown in the previews on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Wonder why?]

Um…I don’t know about you, but that’s not an auspicious way to begin if the author wants me to accept his views and methods. Nope, don’t tell me that your role-model is Lucifer, who, by the way, was not only the world’s first radical; he was also the world’s first loser. He lost in a big way and he’s been out to share his misery and rebellion with as much of mankind as he can get to follow him instead of God Who is Love and Mercy Itself. My recommendation to you when Lucifer tempts you to listen to him is: Don’t.

Remember: once you organize people around something as commonly agreed upon as pollution, then an organized people is on the move. From there it’s a short and natural step to political pollution, to Pentagon pollution.

[p. xxiii, Prologue]

For everybody who wondered what Van Jones, radical and founder of S.T.O.R.M., was doing as Obama’s Green Jobs czar and what the radical connection was between environmentalism and radicalism, there it is in the handbook: Organize people for any reason and you have an organization of people that can be used…for any reason.

We are talking about a mass power organization which will change the world into a place where all men and women walk erect, in the spirit of that credo of the Spanish Civil War, “Better to die on your feet than to live on your knees.” This means revolution.

[p. 3, The Purpose]

Sounds a bit like what Lucifer said too: Better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven. I would rather serve on earth and in heaven, how about you? Christianity is about service. I was a Buddhist before I was Catholic and Buddhism is about service too. Not just seeking enlightenment for yourself but for the welfare and benefit of all sentient beings. As a Catholic, I pray each and every day for the salvation of everyone. I also work toward that end. I’m not going to list the things I do, and I don’t feel like I do enough. And I’m adding to the list all the time. My point is that I see the whole reason for my existence to be that of service to my Lord and to my fellow man. And as for being on my knees, I find that I pray best when I am kneeling before Christ in the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle. I pray best when I pray kneeling at His feet.

That perennial question, “Does the end justify the means?” is meaningless as it stands; the real and only question regarding th ethics of means and ends is, and always has been, “Does this particular end justify this particular means?”

[p. 24, Of Means and Ends]

This is not true. The question is and always has been and always will be, "Am I willing to do what it takes to do the right thing?" "Am I willing to admit that the end NEVER justifies the means?" As a Christian there are certain acts which are never justified, no matter what the goal is said to be. Murder of an innocent human being is never justified. Never. Direct abortion is murder and is intrinsically evil, is never justified, has never been justified, will never be justified. Period. Before anyone brings up the death penalty, let me say that I do not support the death penalty in most cases. But the death penalty in this country is not aimed at innocent human beings (yet) and is not intrinsically evil, though I do think it is horrible and also unnecessary in most cases. That is also the view of the Church. By Alinsky’s reasoning, both abortion and the death penalty would be left up to expediency, not a good way to settle questions of ethics.

The end is what you want and the means is how you get it…The man of action views the issue of means and ends in pragmatic and strategic terms. He has no other problem; he thinks only of his actual resources and the possibilities of various choices of action. He asks of ends only whether they are achievable and worth the cost; of means, only whether they will work…Life is a corrupting process from the time a child learns to play his mother off against his father in the politics of when to go to bed; he who fears corruption fears life.

[p. 24, Of Means and Ends]

Expediency, as I said above, is not the way to think about questions of ethics. There are many things I could do to get what I want and I may not do all of them, not if I want to live my life in an ethical and moral manner. And I do. I want to live more and more by a code of ethics that I believe in and that I believe is right. That’s why I study the Catechism of the Catholic Church and books on the natural law too.

The practical revolutionary will understand Goethe’s “conscience is the virtue of observers and not of agents of action”; in action, one does not always enjoy the luxury of a decision that is consistent both with one’s individual conscience and the good of mankind. The choice must always be for the latter. Action is for mass salvation and not for the individual’s personal salvation. He who sacrifices the mass good for his personal conscience has a peculiar conception of “personal salvation”; he doesn’t care enough for people to be “corrupted” for them.

[p. 25, Of Means and Ends]

Oh, where to begin? Goethe may have been a great German poet, but I’m not one of his followers. I’d have to look up what he actually said, too, because I don’t trust Alinsky to quote him accurately. Later on I’ll share with you what he said about Dostoevsky and Gandhi too. Oy ve. But all this is not surprising when you remember who Alinsky looks up to: he who is a liar and the father of lies.

And my personal favorite:

The ego of the organizer is stronger and more monumental than the ego of the leader. The leader is driven by the desire for power, while the organizer is driven by the desire to create. The organizer is in a true sense reaching for the highest level for which man can reach– to create, to be a “great creator,” to play God.

[p. 61, A Word About Words, Ego]

There. He said it. He actually came right out and said it. Well, at least he’s consistent. He wants to follow Lucifer and he wants to play God. Me, I’m just a Catholic. I don’t want to play God. I want to be what I am: an adopted daughter of the Most High on my way to becoming divinized so I can share the Light of Christ with others here on earth. And live with Him eternally in heaven.

I’m going to continue to read Rules for Radicals and to share it with you here. But, as for living my life, I’m sticking to my other rule books: my Bible and my Catechism. And the Living Word of God Who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Better to serve on earth and live in heaven than reign on earth and burn in hell. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I feel an overwhelming desire to go make a Holy Hour of Adoration which I want to spend praying my Rosary on my knees. And I hope it hurts so I can offer my suffering for the conversion of all those who have bought into the lie of Alinsky and his cohorts. May God have mercy on their souls.

To be continued. Stay tuned.

Some other projects are on hold while I read and share this stuff with you. Yes, it’s that important. Stay tuned. As always thank you for reading. Please, share this with your friends and family as we continue to delve into the rulebook so many in our government are using today. And, as always, I welcome discussion, but not argument for argument’s sake.

I am not kidding you, though I wish I were. I’ve read more than sixty pages of Rules for Radicals, despite its being pretty hard to stomach. I was searching for the answer to a question just now when I stumbled upon this from the National Education Association’s website:

An inspiration to anyone contemplating action in their community! And to every organizer! —From the NEA post, Recommended Reading: Saul Alinsky, The American Organizer (See also their related post, Organization Is…)

Our kids are being taught this stuff? It’s being recommended by the NEA? An inspiration? Have they read it? They agree? :O

Have you read Rules for Radicals yet? I strongly, strongly, urge you to do so.

I urge you also to get with one or more of your friends or family members and buy one copy to read and share with others so we won’t increase the royalty payments on his books to whoever receives them now (probably his third wife, Irene). I do not want to support those who are part of this movement. I do not want to promote or help to promote this guy’s ideas. As a faithful Catholic, I cannot. As a faithful American citizen, I will not.

Read the book. Find out what our leaders are up to. Find out what “community organizer” and “community organization” really means. I am writing about it and will be posting what I’ve learned soon. But don’t wait. Start looking into this and read about it now.

I said earlier on another blog somewhere, I think, that the lines are being drawn. I was wrong. The lines were drawn long ago. The battle is already on. Gird yourself, Christian. Know thine enemy.

And pray.

Yes, it’s my mumblemumble-th birthday and I’m celebrating by drinking coffee in my NaNoWriMo Author cup (see photo below) and writing about a book I’m reading for my next novel. I’m reading several books for my next novel; Rules for Radicals, by the late Saul Alinsky, is only one of them. Why am I reading it? Am I a radical, a revolutionary? No. I even felt compelled to say as much to the clerk at the counter when I purchased my copy. But I have to tell you, this book is very important, not only to the story I’m working on but to everyone and anyone who wants to understand what is happening in our country right now. Saul Alinsky has influenced a slew of politicians and “community organizers” over the years. Think Hilary Clinton (Alinsky’s star pupil) and Obama to name just two. You want to understand them? Read this book. Obama told us that if we wanted to understand him, we could look at the people he associates himself with. I’d like to add, if we want to understand him or Clinton, we need to study who they study.

More later. The shop is closing, it’s my birthday, I’m hungry and I’m getting out of here. Stay tuned for more.

We got the word!  After months of meetings and our suspense was ended Tuesday.  As a college professor most of President Woodrow Wilson’s military class was asleep with  their hd video camera taping him.  The West Point military class had to endure a treatise on why USA won’t be Superman anymore, and why the Muslims love us since he started his world tours.

Our military and their parents, wives, and husbands did not hear why we should commit to sacrifice and death.  We see criminal trials for Navy SEALS, criminal trials for war criminals in NYC, and a world laughing at us by flagrant acts of agression.  The war clouds are building as China arms the world’s largest army.  North Korea relies on weapon technology that threatens Japan.  Iran has a nuclear progarm relying upon Russia weapons technology.  Russia is glad we gave up our allies on Russia’s borders.

President remembes when we were united against terrorists.  I remember when he and fellow Democrats threw rocks and spitballs at military funding, and howled at President Bush on his military plans.  His view of united means, support him, even though it was fine and patriotic to criticize and humiliate President Bush. 

Our new uniter not divider President has a plan that includes rushing in 30,000 more of our sons, daughters, and don’t worry, this plan brings them back in 18 months.  Who believes any of this?

The military plan of victory is ignored!  We need to win by bullets, blood, and capturing enemies.  Are we shipping enemies to NYC for trials?  Does Pakistan see our long term commitment as 18 months, and then let it all crash?  We need to win  a war.  This is not a college class on international public relations.  War does not make friends, and if you don’t beat your enemy, then you have a bigger war later.  We need to win!  Nobody says we need to win.  Nobody says we will win. 

ACORN should be sent if we are doing Public Relations community programs.  Maybe then the President will pay attention to this war.

The Berlin wall of death that divided the German people, courtesy of Communist community organizers is gone 20 years.  My father never thought he would see the end of communism during his lifetime.  He did get to visit a free Lithuania before he died, where he was on a communist death camp list for opposition to communism. His brothers and uncles all died in death camps courtesy of Stalin. 

General Eisenhower gave dad and my mother the gift of freedom in the USA, since General Eisenhower used freedom fighters to support the logistics of the US Army. This was never authorized, but hey when you are fighting for the future of the free world, why worry about bureaucrats and red tape!  He offered free passage to USA for those supporting the war of freedom. They came to New York City on a battle ship after the war.

They came here with nothing but my 1 year old brother, and hopes to start a new life.  They left all family, and possessions in the hands of the communists.  People vote with their feet!  God bless America!

Some people refused to leave behind their family heirlooms, property, and money.  Of course it all got taken away by the Communists to share the wealth.  The Communist bosses got the wealth, the population got their propaganda.  My dad and mom really lost nothing, because it was all being taken even if they were staying behind.  They gained freedom, and immediately lost their jobs in a bad recession.  Welcome to the USA!  They survived a lot of setbacks, and found fellow immigrants to share their joys and sorrows in a new country.

I look at our country today and wonder how long our freedom will be a right of our citizens!  Not ready to pull up stakes like my parents had to choose.  However, I am doing some research on life in Lithuania just in case.  Hope you got another option just in case as part of the Homeland Security preparations.  I’m getting my passport in order.  The folks that didn’t leave Germany before the war  and Russia after the war  in time before the borders were closed felt kind of stupid. 

It would be ironic that after fighting for liberty over generations, that our country let freedom slip away.  The promises of a worker’s paradise in Russia came at a price of millions killed who opposed this utopia without rights.  Did stimulus spending by the Russian government restore their economy and add well paying jobs?   Might think that over as we see our President “lefty” ponders how the government can fix our economy!  Good luck Comisar Pelosi on Russian health care plan!

Unions have a long history of shaking down the very businesses that employ the union’s members. UAW shakes down GM, throws retirees under the bus for the sake of the union boss and helps force GM, an iconic company that used to be the epitome of American capitalism, into bankruptcy. SEIU shakes down everybody they go near. SEIU has strict ties with ACORN, the disgraced community organizing firm whose slimy tentacles have fed democratic campaign coffers and advised faux prostitutes and johns on how to skirt laws. But no one wants to take on Big Labor. Why?

Could it be because if you get in their way, purple shirted thugs from the SEIU might find you and put a beatdown on you like they did to an unfortunate victim in this clip:

President Obama is so TRANSPARENT, they decided he should be a CONDOM. I just HOPE his followers CHANGE them after each use. We don’t need any more community organizers being supported by the community.

Protection for Community Organizers

I flipped over to NPR on the way home on Friday (10/15/09) — wait, WAIT, let me finish — when I was not particularly surprised to hear Pam Fessler in the middle of an emotionally-charged sob story about Congress’ recent decision to cut off funding  for ACORN and its many spinoff groups.  In the NPR/Pam Fessler narrative, ACORN is being targeted for just trying help people stay in their homes. 

Here’s a snippet of Ms. Fessler’s interview with Philadelphia-based ACORN employee Katherine Conway Russell:

PF:  “. . . [W]hen videos taken at other ACORN offices became public last month, Conway-Russell says her office started getting crank calls: people asking for help opening a brothel and even threatening to kill [shocked intonation] one of the counselors.”

KCR:  “It’s saddening . . . um . . . to know . . . [in tears] sorry –”

PF:  “–[in low tones] Conway-Russell can’t help herself — she starts to cry –” 

KCR:  “. . . to know that our staff works hard to help [voice cracking] people.  And I feel this is just. . um . .  an attack . . it has nothing to do with . . um . . what we do for the communities . . . um . . . that we serve.” 

PF:  “So, for now, she says she and the other workers here will just keep doing their jobs and try not to worry too much about what happens next.” 

Yeah.  And in case you’ve forgotten, there’s the whole issue of voter fraud:

All of which reminds me of  a song.

Remember President Obama informing George Stephanopoulos that he didn’t know ACORN was getting a whole lot of federal money? Obama wants to keep his and the Democratic Party’s ties to corrupt ACORN off the newswire, so he evaded Stephanopoulos’ question like it was Afghanistan.

The New York Times, who once shelved an ACORN story so it wouldn’t sink Obama’s campaign, is a year short but now they are reporting how deep Obama, his administration, the Democratic Party and ACORN ties run.

“The arc of Mr. Donovan’s relationship with Acorn traces the broader trajectory of its affiliation with the Democratic Party, exhibiting how deeply the group has been enmeshed in urban politics in New York and other large cities and how members of the Obama administration have been put on the defensive over past relationships with the group.”

The light is being shined upon Obama’s Federal Housing Secretary Shaun Donovan now. Mr. Donovan has deep ties to ACORN and now that the corrupt group of community organizers is in the news, Mr. Donovan, like President Obama, is keeping his lips zipped on the matter.

The story continues:

“The relationship between Democrats and Acorn has always been as productive as it has been uneasy. In Acorn’s 40-year history, its voter registration drives and policy proposals on behalf of mostly poor and minority constituents have often redounded to the benefit of Democratic politicians and policy makers.

But its hot rhetoric, frequently heavy-handed approach and occasional legal stumbles have just as often proved an alienating liability easily exploited by Republicans.

That is especially the case now, with the presentation of videotapes in which conservative advocates posing as a pimp and a prostitute elicited advice on tax evasion at Acorn-affiliated offices — including one in New York — bringing a new round of recriminations and investigations. Many of Acorn’s onetime Democratic allies, including Mr. Obama, appear to have fled its side.”

So to sum up President Obama’s lie to the nation about ACORN let us look at the connection. Obama was a community organizer and trainer for ACORN. Obama also was a lawyer for ACORN in a legal matter. But Obama claims he has no idea about federal funding going to ACORN…

Obama’s White House Political Affairs Director, Patrick Gaspard, was an ACORN operative and is tied directly to SEIU. He was also a registered federal lobbyist on SEIU’s behalf and lobbied Congress on the SCHIP’s bill, which Obama signed into law. Yet Obama claims he had no idea about federal funding going to ACORN…

And then you get to hear this…

Isn’t it funny how Obama was elected because he was considered to be a great orator. His ability to talk might become his great downfall. Is ACORN Obama’s Watergate?

When Richard J Daley was a young boy, and his pappy Richard M Daley ruled the roost, is where I am taking you today.  Hizzoner ruled with an iron fist, and his crew had Chicago to themselves.  Now a young polish lad became a policeman and had the plum assignment of working by city hall beat.  “Browny” as he was called was fit and stout as an oak tree. 

The connected aldermen, and political cronies of Hizzoner expected to park right by the door and march in.  Browny had tickets on their windshield.  The sergeant explained to Browny to recognize the stickers of the powerful so don’t give them tickets.  Browny continued to ticket!

For his conscientious adherence to the laws of the city, he was rewarded by a transfer.  They chose to send him into southeast side of Chicago with the highest crime rate.  They expected him to see this as a punishment.  Browny made friends with a fellow officer who was a stout and fit black lad named Mike.  These 2 cops decided they would enforce the law in the baddest beat in Chicago!

These were sporting fellows, so they didn’t want to use their guns.  They visited the fine young hooligans on their own turf.  The territories of different gangs are measured by city blocks.  They visited the different blocks with a similar greeting.  Billy clubs and fists explained to the young hooligans that there would be no territories in their beat.  The hospitals were busy, and the old ladies and young children could walk to school or church again. 

Browny and Mike cleaned up the neighborhood, and earned the grudging respect of the beaten and bloodied.  No gang wars, no reprisals because Mike and Browny walked their beat everyday in front of God and everyone. 

Browny retired hail and hearty as did Mike.  Nobody walks a beat anymore, they drive in squad cars. Sort of like our fly over military patrols.  It’s better when you walk the beat and the people will talk to you about their troubles.  Nobody can flag down a  squad car or a jet fighter.

Browny I toast your service to Chicago, and to your continued progeny.  Those were the days, and may we see them again.  Mike Royko here’s to you.  Sorry you never met Browny or heard the tale.