REVISITING PARAGON THEATERS

The front entrance of the theater, as seen from the parking lot

The word "Paragon" is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as "a model of excellence or perfection". Perhaps it is a "paragon" of movie theaters, it is a great theater in many ways, but it has one very obnoxious flaw.  The entertainment, the bowling, the food, the drinks, the seating, the staff, the management, and the all the other details are just right; however, the one flaw defies all human understanding.  From the picture above we can see the front door, but what we can't see, until we are up close, are the drains that are positioned above the front doors. WHICHEVER GENIUS DESIGNED THE BUILDING PUT THE STORM DRAINS RIGHT ABOVE THE FRONT DOOR! WHENEVER IT RAINS THE MOVIE GOERS WILL GET WET!  

It's NOT my intention to be obnoxious, nor do I wish to stop visiting the theater. Like I said, it's a great theater in many different ways. But there must be a realistic solution to this problem! Perhaps they could pipe the water to the side of the building, somewhere so people don't have to take cold shower after their movie! 

 

I took the above pictures at 10:30 at night. There was a heavy downpour, and the drains were happily giving the movie goers a very cold shower. 

TYRANNY AND CULTURAL REVOLUTION IN THE USA

Armed Marxist protestors. The Communist hammer and sickle on display

The USA, once lauded as the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave, is now a smoldering laboratory for Marxist Cultural Revolution accompanied by the absolute tyranny of thought control and societal brainwashing. All of this is being done in the name of “fairness and equality”. Some well-intentioned, but sadly misinformed people would say “you’re exaggerating” or “it can’t happen here”, while their cities burn and their neighborhoods become warzones filled with black hooded thugs fighting against police and counter-protestors. There are patterns to these societal shifts, patterns that were repeated constantly through the entire Twentieth Century; yet the well-intentioned refused to acknowledge the signs back then, just as they are refusing today. We can see the signs of societal change and cultural decay on the news, in our schools, in our homes, and in our everyday lives. Some of the decay is caused by the failed and incompetent economic policies of the Federal Reserve and the political class which have impoverished much of the public through massive inflation; but a majority has been deliberately created by well-intentioned but misguided people in a desire to engineer society into what they imagine to be a fair and equitable utopia.

Universities: Breeding grounds for Ignorance and Intolerance

Over the past few decades, we have seen the most shameful behaviors on our college campuses: guest speakers being violently chased off campus grounds by masked thugs; students demanding “safespaces” in order to avoid encountering an idea that may be different than their own; extremists calling for “white genocide” and armed conflict; and educators pushing politically motivated agendas on their classrooms. All of these factors have been driven by fanatic Leftist ideologues pushing their causes unto impressionable young undergraduates. The direct result of this propaganda has been the maladjustment of millions of young people being confused about what truly matters in life, in relationships, and in the workplace. People attend universities in order to pursue an education which will hopefully provide them with some of the needed tools to succeed in life; they do not attend universities just to pay ever increasing tuitions and to be misled by professors with politically motivated agendas.

Perhaps the most saddening aspect of this mayhem are the ubiquitous video interviews in which college students, at some of the best universities in the country. are unable to answer the most basic questions in regards to politics, history, current events, or anything else. However, those same students seem quite knowledgeable when asked about celebrities, television shows, or other aspects of the entertainment industry.

Both Major Political Parties are complicit

It would seem apparent that the blame for this mess can be thrown at the Democrat Party; however, the leadership of both the Democrat and Republican parties is at fault. The Democrat party loyalists and sympathizers are certainly well represented in academia, the media, unions, and the arts. Republican party loyalists and sympathizers are found in the military, law enforcement, private industry, and in many other places. Adherents to both parties share a belief in "global governance", and readily sign on to regional free trade agreements which transfer regulatory authority from US voters and officials to unelected bureaucrats. The recent attempt by Republicans in Congress to rescind Obamacare was quickly opposed by the United Nations, with the reasoning that such a move would violate UN laws. The hooded Marxist thugs terrorizing college campuses and the streets of US cities are also supporters of "world government", and are in frequent agreement with the ideals which seem to guide both parties at the national level.

Much has been written on how the Left works to silence dissent and limit Free Speech. On the other hand, many people have complained about the onerous security procedures imposed by the TSA (Transportation Security Administration), but nobody protested when George W. and the Republicans in Congress empowered the agency shortly after 9-11-2001. The many horror stories of the TSA abusing citizens over the past fifteen years are too many to enumerate. Initially the agency was tasked with protecting the air ways from terrorists that may wish to hijack airplanes, but the TSA has failed to catch even a single terrorist over the past fifteen years. Yet, Congress seems unconcerned and the TSA continues to abuse people on a daily basis.

No one wants to be the victim of crime, nor does any person of good character support criminal behavior. Everyone supports law and order, and a tough criminal justice system to keep society safe. Republicans are noted for being tough on crime, supporting police, and pushing for long prison sentences for criminal behavior; Democrats tend to be a bit more lenient and forgiving to the point of being seen as soft on crime. Regardless, the US has the greatest number of incarcerated individuals in the world. Offenders convicted of non-violent drug offenses make up the largest percentage of the current prison population. What is the cause of this phenomenon? Some would say poverty, others point to a decline of family values, while others present various different arguments. Perhaps it is caused by politicians that have been overly eager to garner votes and be seen as having accomplished something by creating ever more stringent laws.  Regardless of the cause, the public should not fear the police, nor should the legal system be so extreme that it becomes a nuisance or a hindrance to the smooth functioning of society. 

Is there a way to solve these issues?

The problems have been described, and now my dear readers will want a well defined solution to those problems. I'm afraid there are no simple answers. The problems began many decades ago and have been allowed to flourish by an indifferent and unconcerned public. Nobody cared, as long as the problems remained small and were not happening in their neighborhood. I am afraid that things will get much worse, before they get better.

 http://nypost.com/2015/06/06/how-a-massive-silent-cultural-revolution-has-changed-america/

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/02/02/black-bloc-protests-return-for-trump-era-leaving-flames-broken-windows-from-dc-to-berkeley/
 https://thetruthstillmatters.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-hubris-of-janet-yellen-federal.html

 https://thetruthstillmatters.blogspot.com/2017/03/repression-on-college-campuses-signals.html

 http://www.ukcolumn.org/article/history-social-engineering
 http://theweek.com/articles/684166/illiberal-injustice-against-charles-murray
 http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Drexel-White-Genocide-Tweet-408326115.html
 https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/30/us/politics/in-time-of-discord-bashing-trade-pacts-appeals-to-both-parties.html?_r=0
 https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/apparently-repealing-obamacare-could-violate-international-law/2017/04/25/2794a77c-29f4-11e7-b605-33413c691853_story.html?tid=ss_fb
 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/kass/ct-free-speech-kass-0430-20170428-column.html
 https://www.brookings.edu/blog/social-mobility-memos/2015/11/25/drug-offenders-in-american-prisons-the-critical-distinction-between-stock-and-flow/
 http://time.com/3822487/tsa-sexual-assault-denver/

IS POPE FRANCIS A FASCIST OR A SOCIALIST?

In his most recent article, Thomas DiLorenzo, asks some very serious questions about the values embraced by Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic Church. It is clear that Pope Francis believes that government should have a more authoritative role in controlling national economies, while at the same time frequently attacking Capitalism and the free-market system.

I am not Roman Catholic, nor do I care what the Pope of Rome may have to say; however, he is a prominent world figure who wields tremendous influence. He should perhaps re-evaluate his priorities in life and realize that Socialism, government controls, and Keynesian inflationary spending, are the direct cause of many of the world's problems.

IT'S BEEN A WHILE

It's been a while since my last post. Things have been rather hectic with work, Easter, family, and so on. But don't worry, I will be posting a new and exciting, deeply analytical, mentally stimulating, and entertaining article within the next few days. So keep checking for the update.

PUTIN, THE RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR, AND A PHONY SCANDAL

For the past several months the American public has been entertained with a constant barrage of shocked outrage from the liberal media and Democrat partisans, in connection to various politicians and members of the Trump administration meeting with President Vladimir Putin, the Russian ambassador and other Russian officials. The problem is that if we stop and think about it for a minute, we will realize that all of this bitter indignation is pure hogwash. Almost every one of the people getting in front of the news cameras and screaming "foul" has engaged in similar contacts with Russian officials.

Every government in the world sends ambassadors and diplomats to every other government in the world, in order to keep in contact about a great many issues: from issuing visas and passports to extraditing criminals to making trade agreements to whatever else is needed. It would be impossible for the government of a civilized nation to function in the modern world without embassies and ambassadors. It is expected that the Russian ambassador will hold regular meetings with different US officials in order to discuss the many issues that are of mutual concern. The British, French, Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Brazilian, South African, Icelandic, and every other ambassador from every other nation has the same expectations.

This artificial scandal began before Trump was sworn into office, Obama was still in the White House. First, it was all about mysterious Russian hackers that had somehow influenced the presidential election. The public is still waiting to see any sort of proof or evidence of these alleged hackers. Next, General Micheal Flynn supposedly met with Russian officials at some point. General Flynn also met with officials from many other nations, but that doesn't seem to have been noticed by anyone. The Trump administration cut ties with General Flynn, after it was made aware that Flynn was getting paid to act on behalf of the Turkish government. Next, the plot thickened considerably, anyone and everyone that is not a Democrat that had even the slightest contact with the Russian ambassador(or any other Russian) has been vilified by both the press and Democrat party affiliates.

We have reached the point that anyone across the fruited plain enjoying a glass of vodka will be subject to mean looks, Congressional inquiries, a visit by the Spanish Inquisition, and will perhaps get burnt at the stake by political devotees hoping to surpass the Salem Witch trials. It seems that nobody is willing to take a stand and denounce this nonsensical scandal that is based on completely spurious accusations. It remains to be seen how much time and effort will be wasted by Congress and the press in an effort to prove that the Russian ambassador has been doing his job and that US officials have regular contacts with foreign officials.

THE PROPER RESPONSE TO THIS SCANDAL