Socialism by guest blogger, Michael Smith

"Socialism is like a Ponzi scheme, it only works for the ones at the top and only then if they an keep everyone in the game. The major difference is that where Ponzi schemes depend on greed, socialist regimes depend on coercive force.

Socialists always promise Norway (which is a capitalist country with a massive welfare state funded by oil an gas - not socialist at all) but socialism is not scalable - it doesn't have a volume knob that goes from one to ten, Socialism is binary, it only has an on/off switch. When socialists shoot for Norway, they always wind up with Venezuela."

The "Oslo Syndrome" and the Terror Attack in Norway

Barry Rubin is being attacked for pointing out:

One of the most sensitive aspects of the very sensitive subject of the murderous terrorist attack in Norway by a right-wing gunman is this irony: The youth political camp he attacked was at the time engaged in what was essentially (though the campers didn’t see it that way, no doubt) a pro-terrorist program.

The camp, run by Norway’s left-wing party, was lobbying for breaking the blockade of the terrorist Hamas regime in the Gaza Strip and for immediate recognition of a Palestinian state without that entity needing do anything that would prevent it from being a terrorist base against Israel. They were backing and justifying forces that had committed terrorism against Israelis and killing thousands of people like themselves.

A terrorist on the right takes his justification for terrorism from the left. Now the messenger must be attacked.

If you argue politically that terrorists are justified in the Middle East or, to put it a different way, that they aren't terrorists at all, you are making terrorism more likely to happen. It is tragic--not justifiable or deserved but horrible--that such people or such a country then becomes the target of terrorism.

RubinReports: The "Oslo Syndrome" and the Terror Attack in Norway

Anders Behring Breivik

Mr. Breivik, the 30-something terrorist who has killed almost 100 of his fellow countrymen, is being called everything from a Christian to a war gamer to a neo-nazi to a right wing fanatic. No one is calling him a socialist, but that's the society in which he grew up. Why deny the biggest influence in his life? Norway has low unemployment, almost zero poverty, the environment is gorgeous and carefully nurtured,and in a word, it is government controlled at every turn. The Christian church has no influence there, even if babies are baptized and teen-agers are confirmed. I'm not sure this is still the case, but their taxes used to support the church; it was not the responsibility and act of worship of the believers as it is in the U.S.

Do you suppose Breivik saw the push for multiculturalism and diversity and the acceptance of the Muslim culture as a threat to Norway's tightly regulated national spirit? After all, socialism is no match for fundamentalist Islam. National socialism is first and always, national in focus.

Terror blast in Oslo

By the time I heard about the blast (it has since been determined that it was a bomb) Obama was giving a speech and he was lying on all news outlets. Finally, (11:35 a.m.) Fox has moved its attention to Norway.

Michelle Malkin » Terror blast in Oslo – “massive vehicle bomb;” Update: Norway had taken action against jihadi cleric who threatened to kill politicians

Update: Shortly after the explosions, which appeared to be a bomb attack, a man dressed as a police officer opened fire on a summer camp for young members of the ruling Labor Party on the island of Utoya in the Oslo fjord, about 25 miles from the city, and wounded at least five, a Norwegian security official said.

“The situation’s gone from bad to worse,” said Runar Kvernen, spokesman for the National Police Directorate under the Ministry of Justice and Police, adding that most of the children at the camp were between 15 and 16 years-old. There were initial reports that Mr. Stoltenberg was scheduled to attend a meeting at the camp.

As fear spread through the capital, the police moved to lock down a wide area of the city center, where the streets were already nearly deserted.
NYT Europe

Update: A blond Norwegian who bought 6 tons of fertilizer has been arrested. Sounds like the Scandanavian Timothy McVey.

Norwegians don't like the snub

Apparently 44% of Norwegians think our president was rude to forgo the festivities. Yes, we know how they feel don't we? Except a much higher percentage of Americans think he did nothing to get this prize and he probably should have stayed home, or turned it down.

Newly minted Nobel Laureate Barack Obama has stirred up some bad feelings in Oslo, Norway, by opting out of a round of events traditionally attended by the prizewinner — not the least of which is lunch with the King of Norway.

According to a report by the U.K.’s Guardian, Obama has scratched off a dinner with the Norwegian Nobel committee, a press conference, a television interview, appearances at a children's event promoting peace, a music concert — as well as a visit to the exhibition that honors him at the Nobel peace center. Newsmax story

Rt. 66 Norwegian style

This is on Renny BA's blog. Stop by for a visit. He features many interesting sights, sounds and foods of Norway--even commented on the Nobel mess, although he's not at all political. I just thought this was a great video and I love the enthusiasm.



If you ever plan to motor west
Travel my way, the highway that's the best.
Get your kicks on Route 66!

He also has some great autumnal photos on his blog--seems to come a little earlier than here in Midwestern USA.

I think my mother used Rt 66 when she drove the family from Illinois to California and back during WWII.

And Rt. 66 Toledo style

Rt. 66 Kitchen Bar and Grill near the University of Toledo in Toledo, Ohio--it's a miracle these clowns didn't kill anyone.

Maybe it's a little guilt about the Sami within their country

Facing mounting criticism for their noble choice: "Committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland singled out Obama's efforts to heal the divide between the West and the Muslim world and scale down a Bush-era proposal for an anti-missile shield in Europe.

"All these things have contributed to – I wouldn't say a safer world – but a world with less tension," Jagland said Tuesday."

Norway is a tiny country. It rates very high on all the social-cultural perks--usually at the top which liberals attribute to their confiscatory taxes and socialist government and not their shared gene pool. (I'm guessing if you examined Norwegian-Americans you'd get a similar result without socialsim.) I think they've even taken in a few dispossessed non-blonde, darker skinned people over the last 30 years, like Somalis and Vietnamese. Some have even decided to become members of the family (citizens)--but they were chosen for adoption. Illegal immigration and racial dust-ups aren't much of a problem there--so they can be smug when chosing peace prize winners who speak but don't do, because that's their way too. Unless of course, you look waaaay up north at the Sami culture within Norway's borders, a very ancient, indigenous, nomadic people who were living there centuries before the "Norwegians" and who prefer to ignore man made boundaries and move their herds across Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. No, to those people (who have many dialects) they aren't so welcoming. Whether with good intentions or bad, as a result of all the efforts of the four countries in which they live, the Sami culture will soon be reduced to some pretty costumes in cultural museums and special representation in the various parliaments.

What they're planning in Norway

Could this be in our future?

"Finance Minister and Socialist Left Party leader Kristin Halvorsen says her party wants a ban on the sale of gasoline driven cars by 2015. She says that new technology will be available by then.

- The Socialist Left will adopt this as a goal, but it must of course be effectuated in cooperation with other countries, she says.

In an interview with Aftenposten, Halvorsens says she believes that by 2015 the development of new technology will have advanced to the point where it is quite possible to demand that all new cars be emission free. Norway Post, March 26, 2009"

If they can ban the sale of new cars, I suppose they can ban the driving of the old. That's what you get with the socialist left, Obamamas and Obamans. You voted socialist, I didn't. Although this Norway story isn't all just gas--isn't all tree-hugging greengoes. Follow the money. Petroleum and natural gas are huge industries in Norway which has been pumping North Sea oil for nearly 40 years. Right now the price of oil is down, so the lack of major new discoveries in recent years has accelerated its decline and shift towards natual gas. According to one source I read, last year oil and gas companies spent a record of nearly $19 billion to seek and tap new petroleum resources off Norway. Now if they find it's profitable (i.e. the per barrel price goes up and your price at the pump), I assume they'll continue to sell their stash.