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California of the Dark Ages
PJ Media ^ | 1-31-16 | Victor Davis Hanson

Posted on 02/01/2016 10:15:14 AM PST by afraidfortherepublic

Edited on 02/01/2016 10:26:49 AM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]

I recently took a few road trips longitudinally and latitudinally across California. The state bears little to no resemblance to what I was born into. In a word, it is now a medieval place of lords and peasants-and few in between. Or rather, as I gazed out on the California Aqueduct, the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Luis Reservoir, I realized we are like the hapless, squatter Greeks of the Dark Ages, who could not figure out who those mythical Mycenaean lords were that built huge projects still standing in their midst, long after Lord Ajax and King Odysseus disappeared into exaggeration and myth. Henry Huntington built the entire Big Creek Hydroelectric Project in the time it took our generation to go to three hearings on a proposed dam.


(Excerpt) Read more at pjmedia.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Philosophy; US: California
KEYWORDS: agribusiness; agricultulre; california; demographics; drought; economy; progress; vdh; vdhcalif; victordavishanson; water; watertable
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To: Carry_Okie

I think it will be great if Cruz wins the nomination. But if he doesn’t, I pray Trump does. Trump will make mincemeat out of either one of the godless, America-hating communists the dhimmiecrats are running.


41 posted on 02/01/2016 3:22:21 PM PST by Jim Robinson (Resistance to tyrants is obedience to to God!)
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To: Jim Robinson
I think it will be great if Cruz wins the nomination.

Cruz has yet to earn my support. The lawyer's weasel words about his historical positions have to go.

But if he doesn't, I pray Trump does.

You know how much I can't stand GOPe RINOs Jim. That said, I'd take even Rubio over Trump. I think he's that bad.

42 posted on 02/01/2016 3:34:21 PM PST by Carry_Okie (The tree of liberty needs a rope.)
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To: Carry_Okie

Sorry, can’t support the Gang of Eight traitor Rubio.


43 posted on 02/01/2016 3:37:56 PM PST by Jim Robinson (Resistance to tyrants is obedience to to God!)
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To: afraidfortherepublic

I want some of those $3 a pound almonds, in costco they are 3 times that.


44 posted on 02/01/2016 3:39:28 PM PST by TruthWillWin (The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other peoples money.)
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To: TruthWillWin

I think that must be the price paid the grower — not retail.


45 posted on 02/01/2016 3:52:04 PM PST by afraidfortherepublic
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To: Jim Robinson
Sorry, can’t support the Gang of Eight traitor Rubio.

Neither can I. But what makes you think Trump won't betray you? He's already been dissed by conservatives, and you know how he gets when he's been dissed. He's already said that after deportation, he intends to bring back illegals en masse, RAPIDLY, as 22 MILLION LEGAL IMMIGRANTS, 90% of whom will vote Democrat. That will be the end Jim. Why would you support anyone who promises that outcome??

46 posted on 02/01/2016 4:02:41 PM PST by Carry_Okie (The tree of liberty needs a rope.)
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To: Carry_Okie

Process of elimination:

To hell with Amnesty pimps Bush, Rubio and Kasich. Fat chance with McCain’s lapdog Grahamnesty. Carson is too nice a guy to make a dent in Hillary. Huckabee, Santorum, three swings yer out. No way on Paul. You gotta be kidding me with Christie. Perry’s gone. Walker’s out. Nice try, but no chance Fiorina. Gilmore who? There were others but I don’t remember who or why,

Leaves Cruz and Trump.

I like Cruz. Comes across as a solid constitutional conservative. Christian. Young man with talent and potential, though not much real world experience. Barely got his ears wet in the senate, but already wants to tackle the world. Go get ‘em, Tiger.

I didn’t like Trump, until he started knocking it out of the park on a daily basis. Now I’m ok with him as insurance. If Cruz doesn’t get the nomination and Trump does, I think he’ll mop the floor with traitor Hillary.

Trump is the lion in the race.

If it’s Trump vs Sanders America has a clear choice to make. Will we continue as a Judeo-Christian capitalist country or will we die as a godless communist state?

Actually, that same choice applies to Trump vs Hillary, but the Butcheress of Benghazi may be more of a fascist than a communist. Thoroughly corrupt either way. And same results either way. Godless totalitarianism.

Absolutely essential for our nation’s survival that we win this next election. Another godless America-hating commie at the helm following Obama, we’re done as a free country.

...Unless, of course, we can resurrect the spirit of Jefferson, Washington, et al.

And I’m too old and infirm for that shit.


47 posted on 02/01/2016 4:53:17 PM PST by Jim Robinson (Resistance to tyrants is obedience to to God!)
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To: Jim Robinson
Trump is the lion media mirage in the race.

Not a choice Jim. Trump will land you with the Uniparty, which leads directly to godless communism. Of course he sounds good, but that's only because they all really do know what we want. They just don't care and neither does he.

The only thing Trump wants is what is good for Trump. If he sees a way to get there by moving to the center where he's more comfortable anyway by winning the open primaries the RINOs gave us, Uniparty it is, and we're done.

Trump is not an option. I'd vote for Gilmore first.

48 posted on 02/01/2016 5:03:39 PM PST by Carry_Okie (The tree of liberty needs a rope.)
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To: Verginius Rufus

VDH point about the dark ages in Greece was that they coincided with the invasion of a new group of people who didn’t know how to build the monuments.

same as with california today.


49 posted on 02/01/2016 6:04:23 PM PST by ckilmer (q)
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Comment #50 Removed by Moderator

To: Carry_Okie; Jim Robinson; P-Marlowe

I still think Trump has the money and the armor to take out any of the democrats, to include Biden or Warren. He’s a new conservative, some of his positions either suck or are poorly stated, and he’s a gamble. But he can win. And he just might believe in this conservatism he says he’s adopted. The troubling thing about gambling is Scotus judges. It’s crucial that he appoint moral conservatives to the bench. He opens a real path to New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan...His chance to win against the liberals on a ten point scale, 10 high. Trump gets a 7.

I think Cruz is the best conservative. He’s smart, he’s engaged, he’s actually experienced beyond his one term in the senate in both business and government, all on the legal side. He’s fairly well financed, but we wonder if he’ll get the kind of money he needs to compete with the liberal establishment. Fox has proven to me that they are liberal and he’ll get hammered there more than he gets helped. He adds zero in terms of a new electoral path to victory, and being from Texas, he doesn’t add a state that we won’t get anyway. Social conservatives WILL come out to support him and maybe Hispanics. That says he’ll look for conservative justices to appoint to Scotus. His chance to win against the liberals on a ten point scale, 10 high. Cruz gets a 6

Rubio is traditionally a conservative, but the comprehensive immigration bill needs to be weighted more than anything except Life and Guns. He sold out on amnesty. Being the son of non-US citizens, an anchor baby, it is easy to see WHY he went that way. He is, however, the most outspoken in favor of natural marriage, natural marriage, and traditional morality. He is strong on defense, but amnesty says he’s weak on homeland security. Just to be honest, Rubio is George W. Bush, a compassionate conservative. His morality says he’ll look for conservative judges. I can support him if I have to. Electorally, he guarantees that Florida is red, but that is still the traditional republican electoral path to victory. We know how GW Bush made us hold our breath, well, the same with Rubio. He does bring in Hispanics. His chance to win against the liberals on a ten point scale, 10 high. Rubio gets a 7

To get the pure conservative we give up a bit in the area of electability, in my opinion. That leaves us with a gamble or another ‘compassionate conservative’.


51 posted on 02/02/2016 8:18:32 AM PST by xzins (Have YOU Donated to the Freep-a-Thon? https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: xzins
I still think Trump has the money and the armor to take out any of the democrats, to include Biden or Warren.

He doesn't have nearly the money he says he does. Much of his "wealth" consists of "goodwill" assets, such as the Trump brand name. The standard joke is that with Trump, you divide by two, and then by four to get the right number. Moreover, most of his assets are illiquid, meaning he'd have to borrow against them, just like Cruz did. The thing with Trump is that he doesn't always pay it back.

He's a new conservative, some of his positions either suck or are poorly stated, and he's a gamble.

He's a con artist, pure and simple. The corruption you'd see would be a dead certainty. Once he gets a lock on the nomination, you watch promises of government goodies he'll make. He won't need conservatives any more and will despise us for our support of Cruz.

But he can win.

Not with those negatives. His only hope is if Hillary get indicted, but I think even Bernie could beat him because if he's nominated, then scads of evangelicals will stay home. Look at the turnout pattern for Romney and you'll see what I mean.

And he just might believe in this conservatism he says he's adopted.

What proof do you have of that? Do you see ANY sign of repentance for his past choices? It's the first test of a Christian.

The troubling thing about gambling is Scotus judges. It's crucial that he appoint moral conservatives to the bench.

No argument there.

His chance to win against the liberals on a ten point scale, 10 high. Trump gets a 7.

You obviously haven't seen the dirt yet. Tell me, what makes you think a bottom-of-the-barrel member of the cheap labor express would suddenly become a champion of the American working man? Look at how he screwed Polish illegal immigrants in the demo work for Trump Tower. Look at how he's already told you he intends to bring illegals back RAPIDLY. What makes you think he won't induce them to leave with the offer of citizenship so that they can reenter as legal immigrants and future Democrats? He's already said as much.

Look at how this weasel, as soon as he thought he had Iowa locked, started talking about government medical care AGAIN. Where is that in Article I? What the hell do you think of a guy "with a big heart" who'd put unskilled demolition workers in a decrepit office building with asbestos and lead dust working 12/7 with no overtime for $4-5 an hour without breather masks or hard hats? Who would a skinflint like that make pay for "free healthcare"?

Sheesh. Trump backers are unbelievably callow. Really.

His chance to win against the liberals on a ten point scale, 10 high. Cruz gets a 6.

That's good enough for me, but Cruz has a couple of things to do before he gets my support.

Rubio isn't on my list, but I'd back him before I'd back Trump. If you want a model for what would happen with Trump, you have look no further that what Arnold Schwarzenegger did to California. That's how bad I think he is.

To get the pure conservative we give up a bit in the area of electability, in my opinion. That leaves us with a gamble or another 'compassionate conservative'.

That leaves us without any options. Look at what "compassionate conservatism" did to the Republican Party? He worked with Democrats, got Democrat policies, and when they failed, CONSERVATISM took the blame! Never again.

52 posted on 02/02/2016 10:01:10 AM PST by Carry_Okie (The tree of liberty needs a rope.)
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To: Carry_Okie

Get used to it: Trump, Rubio, Cruz.

I don’t think Trump’s as bad as you say.
I don’t think Cruz is as good as you say.
I don’t think Rubio will be the end of the universe.

I’ll vote for ANY of the 3 against Mrs Clinton/Sanders/Biden/Warren.

I’ll vote for my hound dog against them. He has an 8 in winnability. He’s really friendly, he doesn’t talk a lot, and he believes in basics.


53 posted on 02/02/2016 10:10:04 AM PST by xzins (Have YOU Donated to the Freep-a-Thon? https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: xzins
I don't think Trump's as bad as you say.

That's easily resolved by investigating the links I provided.

I don't think Rubio will be the end of the universe.

Me either, but he may be a sap for the defense lobby.

I'll vote for my hound dog against them. He has an 8 in winnability. He's really friendly, he doesn't talk a lot, and he believes in basics.

I've already claimed that meme, and here's the proof.

54 posted on 02/02/2016 10:44:29 AM PST by Carry_Okie (The tree of liberty needs a rope.)
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To: Carry_Okie

I’m satisfied with all 3.

I’d vote for your dog, too. Intelligent eyes.


55 posted on 02/02/2016 10:53:35 AM PST by xzins (Have YOU Donated to the Freep-a-Thon? https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: Carry_Okie; xzins

Don’t even know how I landed on this thread but am glad I did, this is good stuff. ha


56 posted on 02/02/2016 3:43:38 PM PST by Aquamarine (Vote Conservative.)
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To: Darteaus94025; Mariner

LOL


57 posted on 02/02/2016 3:54:04 PM PST by daisy12
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To: Carry_Okie

Bkmrk


58 posted on 02/02/2016 11:44:06 PM PST by DrewsMum (If they wanted a conservative, they'd vote for one.)
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