Notes From Restoration Weekend

Restoration Weekend -- a gathering put together by David Horowitz with help from my good friends at his Freedom Center -- features the best Republican/conservative minds particpating in symposium and listening to speakers ranging from the always brilliant Victor David Hanson, to the always sober and expert Robert Spencer to folks like Governor Tim Pawlenty and analysists like Karl Rove.

The event is the highligh of my year, held in a five-star locale in Florida where this year I got to watch a shuttle take off one night and the next watch as three sharks swam as near the shore as physically possible. It seemed to me the perfect metaphor as the weekend was filled with talk both of high high America (and, by no conicidence, the Republican Party) can soar -- with only the sky the limit,and not even that!) and how we must, at the same time, be mindful of the mindless sharks who lurk just beneath the surface, waiting -- by their nature -- to devour us.

Caroline Glick was, as always, amazing in her insight and unflinching willingness to speak in plain truths. Her insights into the realities Israel and the Middle East are available in her new book "The Shackled Warrior," which I started just the other day and have not put down since. Spencer also has a new book, "Stealth Jihad" which I've been aware of since he started writing it as Robert and I are close friends. It's a must read as well. I only started Caroline's first because it's easier to look at her "about the author" photo.

Finally met face-to-face the great fighter for freedom, the beautiful Pamela Geller from Atlasshrugs.com. We were able to make a deal where NEXT time we meet, I'LL get to say something. She's great.

Talk was both optimistic and enlighteningly dark. The depths to which the enenmy has infiltrated American society -- spoken of by the brilliant Frank Gaffney and Spencer in particular -- is disconcerting to say the least, with Muslim Brotherhood fronts operating on college campuses, in the military and in prisons recruiting in ways not wholly dissimilar to that of Adolf Hitler.

In these places these operations working on behalf of Islamic fascism both recruit and intimidate those who would speak against an ideology as threatening -- and more so -- than Nazism ever was. Textbooks -- under the guise of "multiculturalism" -- are designed to portray the enemy as benign which, in turn, requires the schools to be, in the words of Dinesh D'Souza (in his book "What's So Great About America") recognizes must be "de facto apologists for tyranny." In other words, the indiscriminateness that sees the "educators" must now explain why it is that this equally good and equally right religion -- or, more accurately, culture -- is recognized by right thinkers as a threat an a menace. The ONLY explanation available that does not recognize the culture as inferior or bad is that they are the victims of the good peoples' "bigotry." Evil becomes protected and good the villian, all with the Muslim Brotherhood's organizations keeping close watch.

On the bright side, many recognized the political reality that Republicans have, in the past, suffered defeats of similar -- and even greater -- magnitude and returned stronger than ever. Noted was that, despite having EVERY advantage -- from the historical reality that Americans don't tend to give a "third term" to ANY party, to the fact that Obama is the most charismatic candidate in a generation (if not in our lifetimes) running against the OLDEST candidate in Americn history, doing so with a media actively involved in advancing the Obama candidacy and agenda, and, in the end, even with Mickey Mouse on his side, Obama was only able to win with fifty-two out of every one hundred voters.

In attendance was Anita Shaw, the American soldier who learned of her son Jamiel's murder at the hands of an illegal alien gangbanger, while serving the cause of freedom in Iraq. Ms. Shaw has since led the fight for Jamiel's Law to deport illegal aliens involved in violent gangs, a no-brainer to all decent people but being fought tooth and nail by the left in Los Angeles and beyond, who invariably and inevitably side with evil over good, wrong over right and the behaviors that lead to failure over those that lead to success. As is their style, the Democrats believe it more important to protect the "rights" of violent, illegal aliens than the children of our citizens.

I also had the opportunity to speak, and, although I started out trying to lighten the mood with humor, both the realities of the acoustics and the tenor of the evening saw me move quickly into more serious conversation about the differences between Democrats and Republicans on policy -- policy that stems from the difference between discriminating thought on the right and indiscriminateness on the left.

More memories to follow (as well as a piece on the differences in vision that lead good people on each side to diamterically opposed policy and why the Modern Liberal -- the dominant force in today's Democrat Party -- invariably sides with evil, failure and wrong.)

In the meantime, my thanks to the great David Horowitz, the former 1960s radical along the lines of Obama friend and colleague William Ayers. The difference being that David IS repentent, and works feverishly and effectively to fight the ideology he knows well and now rightly rejects, with the advantage of knowing firsthand how they think and operate.

My thanks as well to the staff at David's Freedom Center, especially Mike Finch who, no matter how busy (and they keep him busy!) always has a second or two for whatever trivial need or request I have.

Again...more to come.