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AMERICAN DARK AGES


History is not static and it does not progress linearly. 

There was more free speech and unimpeded expression in 5th-century BC Athens than in Western Europe between 1934-45, or in Eastern Europe during 1946-1989. An American could speak his mind more freely in 1970 than now.

Many in the United States had naively believed that the Enlightenment, the U.S. Constitution, and over two centuries of American customs and traditions had guaranteed that Americans could always take for granted free speech and unfettered inquiry.

That is an ahistorical assumption. The wish to silence, censor, and impede thought is just as strong a human emotion as the desire for free expression - especially when censorship is cloaked in rhetoric about fairness, equality, justice, and all the other euphemisms for not allowing the free promulgation of ideas.

Welcome to Dark Age America - a Pre-Enlightenment Age when groupthink acceptance of a lie replaces truth on grounds of social utility.  When current popular culture is not empirically grounded, but operates on the premise that truth is socially constructed by race, class, and gender concerns. When, in our current Dark Age, logic is ignored in lieu of ideology.

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HOW HILLARY PLANS TO CHEAT HER WAY INTO THE WHITE HOUSE


Hillary Clinton has laid out her game plan for winning back the White House for herself and her husband next year. Let's hope Republicans are paying attention.

Seeing as Clinton won't have the youthful exuberance that propelled Obama to his unlikely double victory, she plans to build a whole new electorate out of people who didn't vote for Obama.

That was the gist of her speech in Houston last week (6/04), which her friends at MSNBC called a "far-reaching vision for expanding access to the ballot box."

Who are the new voters to whom Clinton wants to give "access to the ballot box"? They include felons and noncitizens, along with anyone who can't prove identity, citizenship or residence within the voting precinct.

Though Clinton gave lip service to the notion that "every citizen" should vote, her Democrat allies are in court trying to stop every reasonable means of verifying a voter's citizenship.

That's no surprise because, according to a recent Rasmussen survey (5/29), "Most Democrats Think Illegal Immigrants Should Vote."  Of course they do, for that's Hillary's plan to cheat her way into the White House.

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NO WAY TO RUN A RAILROAD


If taxpayers suddenly stopped subsidizing Amtrak, what do you think would happen?

Before trying to answer that question, it is useful to review U.S. railroad history. The first railroads were built in the United States in the late 1820s, and by 1900, only 70 years later, almost every town in the country had rail access.

Railroads were high tech, the Internet of their time. The system was built and profitably operated by private companies.

Amtrak and the modern freight railroad companies use the infrastructure that was built long ago. The 180-year-old privately built Canton Viaduct (an incredible stone bridge - see link) in Canton, Massachusetts and the 100-year-old Hell Gate Bridge (the model for the Sydney Harbor Bridge in Australia) over the East River in New York are still used by Amtrak.

The investor-owned Pennsylvania Railroad built the hugely expensive North River Tunnels under the Hudson River in 1904-1908, which were technological wonders of the time. They are still used by all of those who ride Amtrak from New Jersey to New York.

In this context, it's rather ironic when President Obama claimed that private business only succeeded by using government infrastructure --  "You did not build that" -- when, in fact, government mostly uses privately built infrastructure.

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FROM HELPLESS DISASTER TO SOLVABLE PROBLEM


When we approach any problem, how we approach it begins with an idea, a belief, a story about what that problem is, and what needs to be done about it.

To considerable extent, we can choose the fundamental belief or premise from which we approach any problem... and how we frame a problem can be the very key to success or failure.

Currently, the widely accepted premise is that psychological problems - depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), addictions et al - are abnormal phenomena.

They don't belong here. They were brought to us by some unfortunate circumstances - an unhappy childhood, a personal weakness, a society that's sick. They're polluting the system, like a harmful bacteria or virus, and we want all trace of them eliminated immediately.

What if that premise is wrong?

I've been working with people as a teacher, a marriage and family therapist, and a life coach for 35 years now. I started with that premise of problems as aberrations - the "disease model" of psychology. I don't buy it anymore.

Let's explore a different premise, and see where it takes us.  The explorations starts with asking certain questions.

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THE LESSON OF CHATHAM


Waitangi Bay, Chatham Island.  If you want an ultimate of remote and rugged isolation constantly swept by storms and gale-force winds of the Roaring Forties, here is where you come.  

And if you want to know how an unknown genocidal atrocity can teach us how to better deal with liberal guilt-mongering, well, here too is where you come.  Believe it or not, it's in Polynesia.

 
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THE LOST KINGDOM OF LO


If you're like me, we have to take a break from the current torrent of treason pouring out of this pestilential presidency or we're going to lose our minds.  

So let's take that break and visit a magical unknown corner of the world behind the Himalayas so hidden away its people neither know nor care who infests the White House.  Our journey will be with photos.  If you want to go there with me for real - well, that can be arranged.

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It's been called The Last Forbidden Kingdom - and soon it will be lost forever. 

It's the Tibetan Kingdom of Lo in a remote region of Nepal called Mustang right on the border with Chinese-Occupied Tibet.  Remote because it's on the Tibetan side of the Himalayas, hidden behind the giants of Annapurna (10th highest mountain in the world at 26,545 ft) and Dhaulagiri (7th highest at 26,795 ft).
 
It was closed to all foreigners until recently, and even then only trekkers could get there, walking on yak trails at 12,000 feet for two weeks.

Tibet under Chinese control has been converted into a military garrison and a theme park for Chinese tourists, obliterating Tibetan culture.   The Tibetans of Lo-Mustang allowed themselves to be incorporated into Nepal to protect themselves from that fate.  As such, they retain the last vestiges of traditional Tibetan life on earth, unchanged for centuries.  But not for long.

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THREE GURUS WHO STILL DON’T GET IT


The real threats to us, and how to deal with them, that is.  Lots of well-known former foreign policy/national security officials don't, or feel obliged to appear "realistic" (diplospeak for "don't do anything, keep talking"). 

Some former military officers do, although only up to a point.

Three duly respected policy professionals, Denis Ross (Obama's - and plenty of others' - Middle East guru for a few years early on), Eric Edelman (Bush's under secretary of defense and earlier ambassador to Turkey), and Ray Takeyh of the Council on Foreign Relations tell us it's Time to Take It to Iran (1/23).

But it turns out they really don't get what the "It" really means in their own title.  We need to explain it to  them.

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THE MYSTERY ADVENTURE


This is a first.  An opportunity for an extraordinary adventure has just arisen.  Ordinarily, I'd tell you all about it.  But I can't - that's what makes this a Mystery Adventure.

I can tell you the dates:  November 7 to 19.  That's leaving the US and return, door-to-door.  I can tell you the cost:  $6,650.  That's everything except international airfare.

But I can't tell you where.  Except to say that when you get back, it will blow your every friend's mind.  "You went where!?" they'll all ask in jaw-dropping amazement.

I can't tell you the itinerary.  Except to say that once you see the pictures, you will be astounded that these places exist.

I can tell you that we'll be safe and secure.  I can tell you that there is now a window of opportunity during which the welcome mat has been laid down for us.  This is why we must carpe diem, seize the day and opportunity, for who knows when it might arise again.

Thus far, I have only told a few friends about this who have traveled with me often before.  They understand why I cannot make this public.  Yet, being TTPers themselves, they have suggested that I tell all TTPers about it, however elliptically.

This is because I have three spaces left and I'm running out of time.  There are no special requirements, as the Mystery Adventure is not physically rigorous, you only need normal good health. There is no camping -- we'll stay in the best hotels and dine in the best restaurants in the country.  It is for men and women, couples and singles.  

This is an adventure of thousands of years of culture and history, and as timely as current events get.  It is one of breathtaking natural beauty and eye-opening wonder at how friendly and pro-American people on the street are.  It is an experience you will never ever forget.

Here's the deal.  I'll send you a Powerpoint PDF of the Mystery Adventure - it's a big 5.8MB file due to the photos - if you personally request it and provide your TTP bonafides.  Like how long you've been a TTPer and why.  Frankly, I have to be very sure of who I bring with me.

Let me know at jack@tothepointnews.com or Miko at miko@tothepointnews.com.

Please, though, don't make the request unless you're sure you can make the dates - November 7-19 - and the cost -- $6,650.  Yet if you can handle both, better let me know right now.  There's no time to spare.

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THE KEY TO A WINNING MARRIAGE


An acquaintance the other day asked me what I do, and I told her that I'm a marriage counselor and a life coach. Then she asked an interesting question: "Is compromise the key to a happy marriage?"

At first I was tempted to say yes. Compromise is certainly one part of two different people sharing a life together. We can't do everything we want whenever we want it; we have to find ways of adapting to each other's needs and inclinations.

But thinking about it a little more closely, I instead said an emphatic, "No." Compromise is not really the key. Compromise is kind of like when one person wants a room painted yellow, the other wants it painted blue, and we compromise and get green. Compromise is sometimes win/win, sometimes not. There are certainly times when we compromise, but it isn't the driving force of a great relationship.

What, then, is the driving force of a great relationship?

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HIDDEN AFRICA



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Lijiang, Yunnan, China.  I'm in the midst of conducting my Hidden China II adventure when an extraordinary opportunity has suddenly materialized.

What you  see above is an actual unretouched photograph, not a painting.  It was taken by National Geographic photographer Franz Lanting at sunrise at the base of the world's biggest sand dune in the world's oldest desert in Africa's most spectacularly unknown country: Namibia.

Namibia is as big as Texas and Oklahoma together, yet only has 2 million people.  The former German colony of Southwest Africa, it gained independence in 1990.  While it is one of Africa's cleanest, safest, and best-run countries, it only now is beginning to be discovered by savvy international travelers as the place to have an African Safari like nowhere else.

Even if you have been to the Serengeti of Tanzania, the Masai Mara of Kenya, or the Okavango of Botswana, Namibia's unique beauty, wildlife, and tribes will astound you.  The opportunity is this:

I have been able to arrange a safari to Namibia's most spectacular places and tribes - The Namib Desert, the Skeleton Coast, the Painted Himba Nomads, the Etosha Pan with such a profusion of wildlife it's known as Africa's Last Eden - at a stunningly low cost for a luxury private air safari. 

What's more, the Hidden Africa Safari is at the best time of year for game viewing, after the rainy season with the grass drying up and the wildlife congregating at the waterholes.  And we can do it all in little more than one week, departing the US on Friday May 23 and arriving back in the US on Sunday June 01.

The catch is that I only have until March 15, then the opportunity goes away.  And I can only take 8 TTPers.  I can't post more than a few photos with the connection I have here in China.  Here's a brief summary.

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THE WASHINGTON WOLVES ARE WORSE THAN THOSE OF WALL STREET


Are business people more corrupt than those in government? Hollywood loves to portray those in business as the baddies and those in government as the good guys. Exhibit A is the new movie, The Wolf of Wall Street, the largely true story of con man Jordan Belfort.

Belfort and his cronies formed a firm to sell stock in startup and small companies they knew little or nothing about. In order to sell the stock, they would make claims about the companies that they thought the potential buyers wanted to hear, whether the statements were true or not.

If a company had been called "Obamacare, Inc.," they probably would have said it will give you "better health insurance" at "lower cost" and "you will be able to keep your doctor."

Belfort and some of his cronies quite properly went to prison and had to pay large fines for fraud and misrepresentation.  Don't the wolves of Washington -- such as Mr. Obama, others in the administration and members of the House and Senate who are guilty of equally false claims about Obamacare. -- deserve the same?

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PLATINUM RENDEZVOUS UPDATE AND SCHEDULE


If you can't wait for May 6th, you're not alone.  This will be TTP's 10th Rendezvous - Rendezvous X - and we plan to make it our best yet. 

Miko has the full hour-by-hour schedule - from opening at 6pm Friday May 6 to closing at 12:30pm Sunday May 8 - below.  Let me fill in the details.  We have a program I think is a real mind-blow.  Here we go.

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THE MAIN ENEMY: ISLAMISM


[This is the Introductory Chapter of Alex Alexiev's masterful study on Radical Islam's Threat to the West and the Moslem World to be published later this year by The Hudson Institute.  Subsequent chapters or chapter sections will be a weekly feature in TTP for the next several weeks.]

The Main Enemy:  Islamism
Introduction

It is the starting premise of this study that the United States government's focus on what came to be known as the "war on terror" after 9/11 has been fundamentally wrong.

The main enemy is not "terror." Nor is it al-Qaeda, despite President Obama's assertion in January 2010 after the failed Christmas Day bombing attempt that "we are at war against al-Qaeda, a far-reaching network of violence and hatred."

No, the main enemy is radical Islamist ideology or Islamism.

A change of emphasis would allow us to see clearly that defeating this enemy cannot be accomplished by counterterror strategies and kinetic means alone, but requires a sophisticated strategy to defeat the ideology of Islamism by delegitimizing it in the eyes of its current and potential supporters in the Moslem community.

The essential prerequisite to achieving this objective is to understand the nature of the threat presented by radical Islam, its ideological underpinnings, and its strengths and weaknesses.  Here is an outline of what we'll be discussing in the coming weeks.

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UPDATE ON THE TTP VICTORY RENDEZVOUS FROM JACK WHEELER

Our Victory Rendezvous in Washington Nov. 05-07 is shaping up to be an extravaganza.  Here’s the latest.  In addition to the TTP regulars – Jack Kelly, Dr. Joel Wade, Richard Rahn, Marco the Wizard, famed intel analyst Alex Alexiev, and yours truly – we have:

  • Frank Gaffney, president of the Center for Security Policy in Washington (you’ve seen him on Fox News)

  • Ariel Cohen,  the Heritage Foundation’s expert on Russia and global energy policy (Ariel will tell us what’s it like to have a personal conversation with Vladimir Putin on a balcony of a dascha on the Black Sea)

  • Robert Agostinelli, the billionaire investor of a major global private equity fund (there is no one who knows more about where the global economy is headed than Robert)

  • A special guest whose name we cannot announce, but whom we guarantee you’ll be excited to meet.  No one knows more about corruption in Washington than him.

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P2P AND YOUR PRIVACY


t is imperative to know how your personal identity, and that of your business or family, can be comprised and stolen without your knowledge. With the advantage of increased bandwidth in our broadband delivery, it enables the opportunity for faster, deeper theft of your personal files, bank accounts, private documents, business papers etc.

Remember, there are no secrets on the internet. If you keep personal data, SSN, bank accounts, tax returns in a digital form on your hard drive then they are potentially bait for theft. If 10,000 SSN'S are stolen and sold at $35 a pop, that's a cool $350K in theft.

Starting to see the picture? It's not some kid hacker with a new tool, it's organized criminals from around the globe stealing you blind. The theft has become so efficient that few protective applications will validate or find these intrusions.

This is particularly true regarding what are known as P2P, or peer-to-peer networks.  You may be connected to one.

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