Friday, October 31, 2008

Michael Reagan: "You Can't Be Half-Socialist"

October 30, 2008

"The other day I went to a Hollywood luncheon crammed with producers, directors, writers and other film industry notables.

One of them, Larry Gelbart of "MASH" fame, spoke telling the group that since capitalism has failed, why don't we try socialism?

Try socialism? Take a sip of it and see how it tastes? It doesn't work that way.

There's an old saying that you can't be half-socialist any more than you can be half-pregnant; get knocked up with a socialist fetus and you'll have to deliver a full-born Marxist. There's nothing in between. Try it, you'll like it, and if you don't, as the lads in the Gestapo used to tell people, they had ways to make them like it.

Larry Gelbart gorged himself at the capitalist table and came away with untold millions, now safely banked, and continues to collect even more millions from never-ending reruns of the "MASH" sitcom. Having made his bundle from our capitalist free-enterprise system, he seems to be telling us now that the rest of us should get in the socialist bread-line and eat crumbs while he feasts on caviar.

One of the realities of this age is that the great mass of the American people haven't traveled abroad to see how the rest of the world lives, a lot of it under dreary socialist regimes with stalled economies and no real chance for advancement for the ordinary citizen.

Moreover, our shoddy educational curriculum that has left most younger Americans so deficient in the study of history that vast numbers of them think George Washington was a Civil War general, or a lumberman who chopped down cherry trees. They have no real understanding of the economic system that allowed us to become the wealthiest and most powerful nation since the Roman Empire ruled most of the known world 2000 years ago.

Given that mournful reality, the moment the economic Rolls Royce engine that drove this nation to the top of the hill stalls, instead of installing new spark plugs to get it going again they go looking for an alternative mode of transportation.

In the present case, Obama and the Democrats are directing them to Larry Gelbart's used-economic system lot where he shows them a jalopy with a fancy paint job on the outside and a one-cylinder motor inside that goes chug-chug.

Listening to the advice of a man who made his name and his money on a show about America's military at war -- yet told the same audience that our armed forces are nothing but "mercenaries" -- doesn't seem the smartest thing to do.

We are now a few days away from an election in which one of the presidential candidates is trying to sell that jalopy on Larry Gelbart's lot and convince us that it is really a luxury limo that will get hundreds of miles to the gallon and carry us off to the promised land, where the rich will be impoverished and the middle class enriched and everybody will be deliriously happy.

Call Barack Obama's program socialism, however and he'll swear on a stack of Qurans it isn't. He calls it change. He says it's fairness, not Marxism.

Oh?

How does he explain the proven fact that he has been wallowing in a sty surrounded by fervent socialists and sharing in their swill for most of his life?

According to Fox's Bill Sammon, his Messiahship recalled that when he attended Occidental College in Los Angeles: "To avoid being mistaken for a sellout, I chose my friends carefully," he wrote in "Dreams From My Father," his memoir. "The more politically active black students. The foreign students. The Chicanos. The Marxist professors and structural feminists."

And that was his milieu for all his years in Chicago.

To anyone familiar with socialism, Obama's programs fit comfortably within the pages of Karl Marx's playbook, the root of which is the redistribution of the wealth, the key to the entire Obamian vault. What's mine is yours, and he's the middle man.

It's socialism lite and it can only evolve into socialism heavy. Remember, you can't be half-socialist, and Barack Obama knows it.

---

Mike Reagan, the elder son of the late President Ronald Reagan, is heard on more than 200 talk radio stations nationally as part of the Radio America Network. Look for Mike's newest book, "Twice Adopted" and other info at www.Reagan.com. E-mail comments to Reagan@caglecartoons.com."

[Thanks, Marj, for this contribution.]

View from a VIP table - from Mary O

Hi, Dianne,

Please feel free to pass this along to all the Prager people that might be interested.

I had the privilege of attending the VIP dinner before the Townhall program. My husband Mike (who I just about dragged there- he's a Democrat!) and I were a few minutes late so we just sat at the first table we saw that had 2 empty chairs. The event started with the WHK General Manager thanking us for coming. He then introduced a Deacon from St. Augustine's Church in Tremont who gave the invocation and blessing of our meal.

Michael Medved thanked us all profusely for our dedication and sacrifice of giving up our evening to watch The BARACK OBAMA INFOMERCIAL that was being broadcast that night. Everyone, of course, laughed at that one!!

The food was excellent but the company was even better. The 8 others at our table were much like our own Prager group,(perhaps some of them were Pragerites?), because it was a mixed group of younger, older, male and female from different walks of life. All very nice and all very passionate about our upcoming election. I'd say there were probably about 50 people in the room including many from WHK/Salem Broadcasting and I kept looking around for "our man Dennis" but I couldn't see him at first.

I was just finishing my coffee when Michael Medved came up to our table to say hello. We spoke briefly about "getting the message out" about the importance of the choices in this election. We all told him what a great job they were all doing.

At this point I'm getting a crick -in -my -neck from turning around to look for Dennis. Finally ---there he was!! I grabbed by husband's leg and said "OH MY GOD HE'S HERE!"

After dessert the WHK station manager (who's name I can't remember) thanked everyone again for coming and said that everyone was welcome to come up and have their picture taken with Michael and DENNIS.

Now, I have to tell you all that I am in awe of Michael Medved's intellect and recall of history. I admire so much the way he takes on so many disagreeable people that call into his show with such a command of historical facts and pertinent information, and I just marvel at the way his show is both educational and very entertaining.

But let me be honest here, --to me there's just something about Dennis! Sometime at one of our meetings I'll have to explain where "my head was at" when I first started listening to talk radio and just happened to stumble upon The Dennis Prager Show.

Anywho.... As I was standing in line to meet the guys, I was thinking to myself "Self, what could you possibly say to Dennis Prager to thank him for all the clarity, humor, passion, integrity and moral guidance that he gives you every time you listen to him? Is there any way you could ever convey what a different way you have of looking at the world since you started listening to this man, reading his books, buying his CD's. Maybe you could invite him over for a meal, or ...???"

OH! it's my turn to meet them. So I walk up and shake Michael Medved's hand and tell him that I'm a big fan and then I turn to Dennis and politely shake his hand and then I blurt out "would you mind if I gave you a hug??? My husband is over there and he says it's OK." Dennis laughs and says "are you sure he says it's OK? Where is your husband? I point to Mike who is looking at me like "you are nuts" but is waving and laughing and says "It's OK, Dennis." So he gives me a big bear hug and then I stand between him and Michael Medved and have my picture taken. I tell them that I am sending this picture out as my Christmas card to all my Liberal-Democrat family and friends. They both thought that was so funny!! (I'm not sure if they were laughing at me or with me, but I don't care.)

It was a great experience and an awesome night. It was definitely the most hopeful I've felt about this impending election in months. There was such a positive energy in the air. We then went into the main room for the Townhall event and Mike is muttering something about, "I hope nobody finds out about me being at this (Republican) rally." But lo and behold there are 2 other Firefighters in the room that come up to us and slap Mike on the back.

By the time the evening was over I could tell everyone there was feeling more positive about the outcome of this most important vote. I could tell Mike was getting caught up in the excitement of the evening and was happy to see him standing and applauding with everyone else when Joe Lieberman walked up to the stage.

When we went next door to Hoolihan's for a drink to wait for the parking lot to empty out, I asked him what he thought of the events of the evening. He said "you know I have to admit, these guys are very clear on their message and I admire the way they present the facts with such passion. I've been very torn about which way to go on this election, but I have to tell you, after tonight I'm definitely voting for McCain/Palin."

Good Night!!!

Mary O

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Dennis was vintage "Dennis" last night

DP-NEO - Townhall Meeting, LaCentre, Westlake Ohio


Seeing and hearing Dennis Prager (along with Joe Lieberman, Michael Medved and Hugh Hewitt) was a real treat. I'm hoping that one of our members who attended the VIP dinner beforehand will share the experience with the rest of us.

I could close my eyes while Dennis was talking last night and it was the same Dennis we hear on the radio, same vitality, humor, passion - it was all there. It was a truly unique opportunity for which I will always be grateful.

Speaking of passion, I felt that kindred spirit of Americans really united in a desperate cause, further inspired and buoyed by an intelligent and articulate and thoughtful panel.

Personally, I couldn't help feeling proud to be surrounded by other conservatives (and I'm sure there might have a few liberal-conservatives in the mix, too) who made the commitment to travel - one even from Michigan! - to share the experience. It's these shared and uplifting experiences that gird us, fortify us, for the day-to-day grind and the battles that we face now at this election time, and in the future.

Dennis Prager does that well: He makes us feel we are not alone in our concerns about everything from politics to relationships; nothing that concerns a human being is off the table, out of bounds or too risky to bring up. Alan Estrin was there but I never did get to speak to him and thank him for all he does to keep Dennis on the straight and narrow.

Hugh and Michael specifically reminded the crowd that it was also important to support candidates Jim Trakas and Josh Mandel. Hugh spent time earlier in the day with Josh and, like many of you who know him, Hugh was really impressed with this young man. Jim Trakas, of course, is running against Dennis Kucinich.

Senator Joe Lieberman was the primary point man last night to deliver the message about the threat of Islamic radical jihadists. Each of the speakers, if I recall correctly, reiterated the global threat that this evil movement poses to Jews and Christians everywhere in the world.

Boiling down the evening to a few short paragraphs doesn't do it justice, but it's the best I can do. Again, any of you who can share with the e-group what you experienced during the VIP dinner we would welcome it. We're due to get photos in from group members and will post them on the blog site.

*******************

Earlier in the day (from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.) I was there at LaCentre had the opportunity to watch Michael Medved get ready to do his show live from the lobby. To say that there were technical problems getting Michael on the air would be the grossest understatement in broadcast history. If Michael couldn't hear Jeremy in Seattle, he was on a cell phone with dwindling battery trying to find out if he was even on the air.

Taking phone calls from listeners was impossible until the last hour of the program. Each time there was a cut to commercial, there was frantic running, cables and switches pulled and twisted to try and make everything work like a radio studio should work. (Even remote broadcasts are so standard nowadays that it's a fantastic mystery what could have kept going wrong, time-and-time again.)

Michael started his remote out the lobby at the WHK radio set-up and when that wasn't working, he was then moved to a spot at the rear, inside the huge conference room hall, and finally ended up in a little space that looked like small coat room that could double as a bar.

Michael's laptop and microphone and all his newspaper items and printouts were indelicately but carefully strewn on the countertop. Each of Michael's moves - from one location to another - had to take place within the span of time that commercials were running, not a very big window, three minutes at most.

I was first in the lobby, then in the hall, sitting as quietly as I could, trying to be unobtrusive, actually wishing I had the cloak of invisibility and yet, like people fascinated by car accidents and train wrecks, I was frozen in my chair. I tried to make myself useful by sending "good vibrations" to the technical guys and if Michael needed anything fetched I could do that, too. I wanted to hear Michael's show and my chair was only the place that would allow me that.

Fortunately, I had my cell phone solitaire game to help me stay still and as "small" as possible.

Michael was getting more apoplectic with each electronic failure, his frustration palpable. At at least one point he threw his hands up in the air, "... never in the twelve years of doing radio...."

You get the picture. I was amazed that in spite of the chaos Michael was a professional on the air.

I heard him keep apologizing to listeners for the technical difficulties but later, in the "coatroom" studio he talked to callers (or argued with them) all the while more cables were being run, people were passing him by, waving and smiling, Townhall guests were beginning to arrive; it was a dizzying circus and Michael kept talking. That was cool.

There was some discussion about having Hugh Hewitt go the WHK Independence studio and do his show from there, but at the last minute, when it appeared that Michael was going to be able to finally take phone calls from listeners, Hugh was brought to LaCentre and set up out in the lobby.

Hugh was very gracious but said he was little nervous, not because he was doing a remote but he still had the big evening townhall event coming up later on. Just like Michael, Hugh was talking on the air while people were passing by looking for the meeting room, chatting with our friends, stopping to wave at him. How these guys focus amid all this chaos is a mystery to me.

Since his show comes on live a 6 p.m. I asked Hugh about missing the VIP dinner; he implied that Dennis Prager wouldn't even pack him a doggie bag, that this was typical Prager. (Of course the respect that each of these three men have for each other is obvious and only guys seem to be good at poking fun at one another; I think it's how they show how much they care.)

It was very important to all these guys that they do the job they volunteered to do, to show their support for John McCain and let us all know that there could be no coasting, that we had to make every attempt to contact and convince people that America is standing at a precipice, poised for the kind of change that will make it harder for all Americans to succeed and in some cases to just get by.

Near the end of the Q&A a woman named Andrea reminded us that these guys on stage couldn't do it alone, that we all had to get out and make phone calls from the Victory Centers, the headquarter offices all around us, we had to walk the neighborhoods, talk to our friends and acquaintances, and make them understand
Andrea made one of the best points of the entire evening. November 4 isn't that far off and we have work to do.
Some of us got to shake Dennis' hand after the townhall meeting. I just wanted Dennis (and all of the guys) to know that they weren't just "preaching to the choir," that we would be taking these messages out the field to help convince people to vote for John McCain and Sarah Palin. Dennis responded,

"We know!! That's why we're here!!! That's why we're doing this! "


Think good thoughts, People!

Friday, October 24, 2008

Welcome to our newest members!

Ivan Gomez, Janice Koloda, John Mallen, Lynee Zarzycki,
Mario Gomez, Maryann Evans, Michelle Cario, Robert Musial, Susanna Woycitzky, Tim & Karen McKeogh


We have meetings once a month, the 2nd Sunday of each month, at 2 p.m., and the meetings are held at the Panera Bread cafes at three different locations (to make it easier for all the members to get to a meeting).

We try to send out a reminder the week before each meeting, but feel free to load the dates into your calendars.

This is your blog, too, so if you would like post anything let me know and I'll send you the log in and password.

Please feel free to introduce yourself via email or the blog, and, of course, we look forward to meeting you in person at the meetings.

As you may already know we have a great opportunity coming up next week:
On October 29, there will be a Townhall Meeting at LaCentre on Detroit Road in Westlake, and our very own Dennis Prager, Michael Medved and Hugh Hewitt will be there, discussing the upcoming election.

If you haven't contacted WHK Radio yet, just go to their web site:
http://www.whkradio.townhall.com.

Again, Welcome to the Dennis Prager Discussion Group NEO (northeast Ohio)!

Best Regards,
Dianne Mueller
NEO Logistics

"My Take," by Marjorie Henderson

The following is from our own Marjorie Henderson:


"I sent this message in response to a dear friend, someone whom I love dearly, who has informed me she has voted for the "other guy" in spite of all the good stuff you all have been emailing to me. I'm passing these thoughts along FYI because they briefly state where I stand.

Marj

Hi, Betty -

I apologize for having become so passionate about my political stance, but I also had to do what my heart and conscience dictated by trying to dissuade you from making the choice you have made. This has nothing to do with what we mean to each other, you know that, but you were forthcoming with me concerning your reasons, and I respect them even though we are so politically polarized. You are New York Times...I am Fox News Channel and Townhall.

I have never been quite so passionate about an election as I have been about this one. Barack Obama shares absolutely none of my values. I am not an egalitarian. I believe we are equal only in God's sight. It seems to me Barack's idea of "equality" would rob us of incentives to achieve the American dream and would have us all "equally poor".

I have had the luxury of having the time to listen carefully to much of his and McCain's political speeches, and my feeling is that while B.O. is a smooth speaker, he has mesmerized the nation with elegant but empty rhetoric. I disagree that he has waged a good campaign. He hasn't had to. The media has done it for him.

John McCain was not my first choice as a candidate...I preferred, in this order, Mitt Romney, then Fred Thompson, then Mike Hukabee. I was dismayed when McCain was nominated, BUT I KNOW who he is. I can't say the same for Obama. My beloved America is in dire straits and needs a leader with experience. No one has been able to define Obama's accomplishments. There is a great deal of mystery about who this man is. There are so many unanswered questions about his personal history. The alliances he evidently sought out when he went to Chicago are all so anti-American as to leave me completely outraged, but the "drive-by media" are so in the tank for him they don't ask the important questions. Should he be elected president his "advisors" will be the likes of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, who have exercised their power by keeping important legislation from being brought to the floor for a vote, and he will go along with them to keep the party intact. The Democrats will control Congress and we will no longer have a two-party system, and could easily devolve into a dictatorship. Heaven forbid! Our freedoms are being seriously eroded.

I also disagree with you about Sarah Palin. She is to me a breath of fresh air. She's plain-spoken and honest. What you see and hear is what you get. She's articulate and passionate in her love for America. The media has been so very unfair to her, and unfortunately they have subjected her to so much ridicule and this is what is heard constantly by a majority of television news viewers. On the other hand, that "doofus" Joe Biden is given a pass every time he makes some ridiculous pronouncement. Michele Obama is another mystery. I can't tell how she really feels about America. She's certainly no Laura Bush!

I have always believed that people get the government they deserve. I pray I won't be put in the position of having to say "I told you so"

Love you,

Marj

[Well said, Marj]

Friday, October 17, 2008

WHK's web site now has the link up to register for the Townhall meeting with Dennis Prager, Michael Medved and Hugh Hewitt on October 29 at 7:30.

The meeting will be at

LACENTRE™ Conference & Banquet Facility
25777 Detroit Road
Westlake, Ohio 44145-2492


There's also a phone number to call if you want to go the VIP dinner beforehand.

If you want to get there early to get a good seat, a few of us will be doing just that. I plan to arrive by 6:30 and will hang out by the front door until they open for seating. You'll recognize me because I'll be wearing my "Country First" sign.

Hope to see you there!
Dianne

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Changing meeting place for October 11 meeting

The plan was to have the October 11 meeting at my house. I've decided that that would be unfair to the East siders who can normally count on meeting at the Mayfield Heights (Golden Gate Plaza) Panera Bread cafe.

So, we'll postpone the meeting at Dianne's house until another West side meeting date and have our regularly scheduled Dennis Prager Group meeting at the Golden Gate Plaza Panera.

See you there, at 2 p.m. on October 11th.

Dianne