My Rants (Issue 3 -- 06 FEB 2011) "The Arab revolution and Western decline"

My Rants Issue 3 -- 06 FEB 2011       It's not America's fault.  It's her PEOPLE.  The Arab revolution and Western decline   From haaretz.com http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/the-arab-revolution-and-western-decline-1.340967 SNIPPIT: Carter's betrayal of the Shah brought us the ayatollahs, and will soon bring us ayatollahs with nuclear arms. The consequences of the West's betrayal of Mubarak will be no less severe. It's not only a betrayal of a leader who was loyal to the West, served stability and encouraged moderation. It's a betrayal of every ally of the West in the Middle East and the developing world. The message is sharp and clear: The West's word is no word at all; an alliance with the West is not an alliance. The West has lost it. The West has stopped being a leading and stabilizing force around the world.       COMMENT: This is NOT America's fault.  It is her PEOPLE'S fault!  Between the self-hating and America-hating Left, and the non-patriotic, isolationist, selfish libertarians on the Right, "They the People" are destroying Western civilization.      Note also the following from my most recent Rant (with two additions[*]):     *1976--The American people elect incompetent and barely competent administration that runs down America's position and power.   *1980--The American people elect a competent and patriotic leader who works to rebuild that position and power.   ---   1991--The American people rejoice in the victory over Saddam Hussein, then complain he was not removed.   2001--The American people want sheetheads killed.   2003--The administration in power Hussein is removed from power, and the American people complain that fighting continues and some WMDs aren't found.   2004--Then the American people re-elect the administration about which they complained.   2006--Then the American people undercut, just two years later, that administration and troops they sent overseas and vote out the administration's party.   2008--The American people vote in what amounts to a Marxist cousin to Hussein and the people they wanted killed in 2001.    2010--Then American people "shellac" the party they gave full power to just two years earlier, basically for doing exactly what the party said it would do.     If a specific world leader were to be so fickle, inconsistent, and unpredictable, no other country on Earth would ever trust him/her, and would likely consider the person mentally unbalanced.  Yet somehow we entrust a similarly-minded collective leadership--that is, the American people--with "freedom" and political power.   Someone please tell me again why we traded one tyrant 3000 miles away for 3000 tyrants one mile away.   True story: A fellow I know is looking into getting a concealed-carry permit.  So he's preparing to spend at least $80 for the training, around $35 for the permit itself, and probably $300 at least for the carry weapon.  Approximate total: $415.  Yet this same fellow complains when he gets approached by the NRA for a $20 donation to help secure the validity of his permit.  Another case of selfishness hurting the selfish one.   Ironically, the fellow is now facing a possible legal issue in his background affecting his gun rights.  It seems that some relatively changes in federal gun laws might, due to an event long ago in his life, prevent him from even possessing a weapon.  How ironic.    I hope that, if the fellow comes out of the legal matter with his gun rights, this situation will show him the importance of supporting the gun rights movement.  But I have my doubts.   Perhaps gun rights should be limited to members of legitimate gun rights groups--gun shop dealer to customer: "I'll need to see your photo ID and NRA membership card."     That's all!