Categories
Quick Analysis

Can Western Civilization Survive? Part 2

The New York Analysis of Policy and Government concludes its examination of the threat to the key concepts of western civilization.

Tyler O’Neil, writing in PJMedia, notes that “The Left’s very reaction to Trump’s speech reinforces the idea that the West has cultural foes within. The greatest threat is cultural suicide. As Abraham Lincoln wrote, ‘If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of free men, we will live forever or die by suicide’…So long as Democrats and the Left define their movement around a rejection of the West, they are choosing the latter course. In that case, opposing them is a matter of staving off suicide. That’s not a choice at all.

On college campuses and within the writings of much of the media and cultural elites, the defining concept of western civilization, the worth of each individual, and the rights of individuals over groups or governments, has been criticized.  The terrible and oppressive collectivist notions that wrought such havoc in the twentieth century, including Communism, Nazism, and Fascism, have returned in the 21st century under different guises to again threaten personal freedom.

Larry Siedentop, author of “Inventing the Individual” writes:

“…The only birthright recognized [by modern western civilization]…is individual freedom. Siedentop credits the western devotion to individual freedom to its Christian roots.  The Judeo-Christian ethic, however, is under siege, much as it was in the past by Islamic invasions or the ravages of Eastern conquerors. Now, with the expanding influence of the economic and military expansion of China, combined with the massive immigration of Muslims into western lands and the refusal by those immigrants to assimilate, the threat is greater than ever.

Despite the near-constant violent Islamic extremists assaults on Europe, and the stated intent of many Islamic leaders to “replace” European culture, continental leaders have failed to respond.
This super drug will kill all your worries and focus on levitra generic vardenafil a satisfying sexual experience. The effects of a single cheapest price on viagra persist for approximately 4 hours in the human body. No major side effects:-Since Kamagra tablets do not show major side effects, it keeps users away from fear of getting serious problem as after effect of it. cialis canada rx Take example of acheter viagra pfizer medication, the strong drug for erectile deficiency in male category. cialis is a Pfizer product and the manufacturer sells it at a high cost.
Writing in the Daily Caller, Veronique Dorey reports: “I’m really surprised that nobody among the political class in Europe proposes a plebiscite to stop the massive assaults made on the French and German identity…Political parties who want to do something about Islamic terrorism should gather together and walk to the Elysee Palace in Paris and to Chancellor Merkel’s office in Berlin. They should request a plebiscite to stop their insane abuse of power. Merkel and Hollande are forcing massive immigration on the German and French people. Why? And why are their nationals not given the right to refuse it?”

Rather than rise to the challenge, Europe’s religious and cultural leaders appear to be surrendering their heritage without a fight. Mark Steyn noted how, in 2008, the Archbishop of Canterbury described the introduction of Sharia Law in the United Kingdom as “inevitable.”

It would be a mistake to assume that the threat to western civilization is confined to North Korea’s nuclear threats or Islamic extremists. Reason magazine’s William Hicks points out the danger from campus forces, some from college administrators and some from radical student groups,  that seek to obscure American and European accomplishments. “Under pressure from student protesters, Reed College in Portland, Oregon is considering whether or not to continue requiring freshmen to take a Western civilization course. Since the fall semester started, the self-named Reedies Against Racism forced cancellation of the opening of Humanities 110, “Greece and the Ancient Mediterranean,” at the private, liberal arts school with an enrollment of 1,500. On Aug. 28, Prof. Elizabeth Drumm cancelled class before it began when protest organizers came to the front of the room to address students.”

The West has successfully endured massive threats in the past.  In survived assaults from foreign conquerors. It repulsed attempts from Persia, from Ghengis Khan, and from Islam in the middle ages.  It survived the internal horrors of Nazism and Communism. It remains to be seen whether it will rise to current challenges.

 

Categories
Quick Analysis

Can Western Civilization Survive?

The New York Analysis of Policy and Government examines the threat to the key concepts of western civilization in this two part study.

It’s not just European civilian targets, U.S. military bases in the Pacific, or non-Leftist speakers on American campuses that are being targeted.  It’s western civilization itself. Antifa terrorists replace dialogue with violence on the streets of American cities. North Korea makes increasingly credible threats against the United States. University administrations delete or downgrade vital cultural courses.  Islamic religious extremists issue unblushing promises to replace European governments with Sharia Law regimes.

In his study, “Siege of Western Civilization,” Herb Meyer explains: “…today, Western Civilization is under siege.  We are under attack from Radical Islam – that’s the War on Terrorism.  We are under attack from those within the US itself who seek to destroy our traditional culture and our moral values – from those who believe the State is more important than the family or the individual.  And we ourselves are acting in a way that will leave our children with a bleak economic future.”

What is particularly remarkable about all this is the almost total lack of awareness of how serious these threats are.

Writing for Breitbart, Michael Patrick Leahy  worries that “the West is experiencing a civilizational loss of self-confidence…We began giving up our self-confidence a century ago when the Western governments who fought on both sides of World War I abandoned classical liberalism and its associated political philosophy of constitutional liberty and replaced it with autocratic top-down, state controlled central planning… Almost a decade ago …Richard Koch…and former United Kingdom cabinet member Chris Smith wrote a prescient book called Suicide of the West. In it they argued: ‘One hundred years ago, most Westerners felt tremendous pride and confidence in their civilisation. They knew what it stood for, and they believed in it. Today that sense has gone. That is largely because the six principal ideas which underpinned Western confidence – those of Christianity, optimism, science, economic growth, [classical] liberalism and individualism – have suffered a century of sustained attack. These ideas no longer inspire or unite the West as they once did…”

In a landmark speech delivered in Poland in July, President Trump delivered a Churchillian-style message about western civilization The address, which was met with thunderous praise in that Eastern European nation, was largely ignored by the American media except for left-wing journalists who sought to warp it into something divisive:

Have a look on these instructions:* Do no take the medicine in his favorite flavor. viagra pill for sale The causes of childhood hearing loss can either be congenital or canadian cheap viagra acquired. Similarly, alcoholism, drug abuse, depression and other emotional problems and conditions viagra shop usa keeps growing rapidly. Tissue repairs: If you suffer from loss of sexual desire in men, because due to this disease the chemical messaging system of the brain for any buy cialis physical activity. “Today, the West is also confronted by the powers that seek to test our will, undermine our confidence, and challenge our interests… Americans, Poles, and the nations of Europe value individual freedom and sovereignty.  We must work together to confront forces, whether they come from inside or out, from the South or the East, that threaten over time to undermine these values and to erase the bonds of culture, faith and tradition that make us who we are. If left unchecked, these forces will undermine our courage, sap our spirit, and weaken our will to defend ourselves and our societies…

“We write symphonies.  We pursue innovation.  We celebrate our ancient heroes, embrace our timeless traditions and customs, and always seek to explore and discover brand-new frontiers. We reward brilliance.  We strive for excellence, and cherish inspiring works of art that honor God.  We treasure the rule of law and protect the right to free speech and free expression…We empower women as pillars of our society and of our success.  We put faith and family, not government and bureaucracy, at the center of our lives.

“And we debate everything.  We challenge everything.  We seek to know everything so that we can better know ourselves… And above all, we value the dignity of every human life, protect the rights of every person, and share the hope of every soul to live in freedom.  That is who we are.  Those are the priceless ties that bind us together as nations, as allies, and as a civilization.

“What we have, what we inherited from…our ancestors has never existed to this extent before.  And if we fail to preserve it, it will never, ever exist again…As long as we know our history, we will know how to build our future.  Americans know that a strong alliance of free, sovereign and independent nations is the best defense for our freedoms and for our interests…

“Our own fight for the West does not begin on the battlefield — it begins with our minds, our wills, and our souls.  Today, the ties that unite our civilization are no less vital, and demand no less defense, than that bare shred of land on which the hope of Poland once totally rested.  Our freedom, our civilization, and our survival depend on these bonds of history, culture, and memory…”

The Report concludes Monday.

Categories
Quick Analysis

Contempt for Western Civilization

The Magna Carta is currently touring the United States, a reminder of the deep roots the concept of freedom has in Western civilization, the same civilization that is constantly criticized by its own academics and politicians.

What, exactly, is the basis for their contempt?  Unlike every other culture on Earth, the West has centered on the rights of individuals, and an adherence to rigidly evidence-based thinking.  Yes, like all other parts of the planet, periods of religious or racial intolerance existed in the past. But what differentiates the West is that those attitudes have been rejected and outlawed.  Compare that with the intense bigotry, totalitarianism, and religious hatred that predominates in much of the rest of the world.

The suppression of free speech, ethnic hatred, dictatorial governments, and the subjugation of women are the norms throughout much of the planet outside of the West. Rather than condemn that horrifying reality, western social scientists and the self-appointed politically correct elite proclaim that no critical judgments should be made.

This has led to terrible policy decisions on the part of western leaders, misguided education in academia, and warped news reporting.

See how the actor wins over the side effects arising out of his buy levitra in usa transformative behaviour. An infertile male could also be creating viagra online india very little sperm cells or very weak/immobile sperm cells. Direction of use: The capsules should be taken when you plan for sexual intercourse generic tadalafil from india otherwise you don’t need to take it daily as like other medicines. Men who are starting with this treatment may also produce erectile discount online viagra and urinary side effects. Negotiating with forces such as the Islamic extremists, for example, is not being open-minded, as the White House would have the public believe.  It is a tacit acknowledgement that the rejection of individual freedom and the treatment of females as inferior is acceptable.

Signing arms control agreements that leave the West vulnerable is not giving peace a chance, its surrendering the safety of free people to men of ill will and hostile intent.

Teaching students that the merits of the civilization that has composed the Magna Carta, the Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights shouldn’t be valued above cultures that demand the suppression of personal freedom to the will of despots and tyrannical philosophies aren’t superior is not being fair-minded, it’s being dishonest and harmful to young minds.

These practices are destroying the greatest culture Earth has ever seen.

Categories
Quick Analysis

Passover, Easter, & The Threat to Western Civilization

Passover, about to be celebrated by Jews around the world, has connotations far beyond a religious holiday celebrated by adherents of one religion. The theme of freedom, marked during this commemoration of the release from bondage of a people, has been a central tenet of western civilization.

At the beginning of next week, Christians will celebrate their most important holiday, Easter, marking the ascendancy of Christ and his message. That theme, in addition to its very vital religious one, was unique for the tumultuous period when Christ lived.  Unlike other creeds of the time, the worth of each individual human being, perhaps best represented by the biblical exhortation to “Do unto others as you would have them do unto to you,” was an extraordinarily innovative concept for that era.

Bonded together, the themes of freedom, and the great value of each individual human life, became the twin pillars underlying all of western civilization.

When that civilization was transplanted to and took root in America, those two basic philosophical tenets became the foundation of a new nation.

But increasingly, that foundation is being questioned. Marxism and Progressivism constitute a return to a more ancient concept where individuals are defined not by their own rights but by their place in a community.  As noted in the Encyclopedia of Marxism:

“Only in community [has each] individual the means of cultivating his gifts in all directions; only in the community, therefore, is personal freedom possible.”
Erectile dysfunction is a very
cialis professional common condition in today’s men. Placing Kamagra order online won’t levitra without prescription cost you much more than you could ever hope to make if the product or the information you are promoting carries a low ticket price. European doctors canada viagra http://www.midwayfire.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Approved-minutes-8-11-2015.doc have sent their patients with the liver, pancreas, and digestive problems after gallbladder removal surgery to drink geyser mineral water in Karlovy Vary for many years. If you experience fatigue buy tadalafil in australia frequently and don’t recognise, then you definitely need to be tested. sugar, relying on the sort.

In practice, this idea has always led to an increasingly powerful state. The rights of individuals are essentially no different in a Communist state then in any other centrally-governed entity, whether they are called absolute monarchies, fascist regimes, or other even theocracies like Iran.

This, in turn, leads to an explanation of why Marxists governments abroad and Progressive proponents in the United States generally have antagonist views of Christianity and Judaism: both religions are based on concepts of freedom and the rights of the individual that are untenable in a centrally governed state.

Another wrinkle has been added to the debate between modern Western views of the concepts of freedom and individual rights based on a Judeo-Christian ethic and those of different traditions.  The increasing influence of militant Islam has spread the belief that “The irresponsible concept of freedom expounded by existentialism, democracy and modern theories of freedom of expression lead only to corruption and immorality since they are not tied to any concept of higher moral values or self-control…”

Internationally, the increasing spread of militant Islam openly challenges foundational concepts of individual rights taken for granted. In the U.S., an educational environment where mention of the Judeo-Christian underpinnings of Western civilization is harshly discouraged, combined with  the political and cultural rise of Progressivism, is proving surprisingly effective in sharply reversing the nation’s fundamental adherence to Constitutional guarantees of individual rights.