I’m going to start pointing out individuals to be cautious of. Unless explicitly stated, posts of this nature are not meant to be taken as a blanket “this guy’s an idiot”. These posts are meant to be a general “proceed with caution” because the individuals I will be pointing out are basing their conclusions on false fundamentals.

I pick Cornel West simply because Ben Sima recently linked to him (link).

From the video…

27 seconds in: “Democracy is all about public discussion.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRYk4PobHx4&t=27s

The American States voluntarily formed a constitutional republic, not a democracy. Lynch mobs are democracy taken to the full extent. I suspect Cornel thinks of people in terms of groups, i.e., he’s a collectivist. Implication by this statement is that if there is enough ”discussion”, we will end up with the correct conclusions for and about government. Does not recognize democracy’s only useful place in government: for things that are optional and non-life threatening.

Does not recognize that truth and reality exist independent of how well any individual discusses any particular topic, how many people argue for or against a certain point, and how many people wish/want/desire something to happen.

40 seconds in: “I think Peter would agree that there are human values that are not reducible to market price… social justice…”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRYk4PobHx4&t=40s

This is the hall mark of an individual who is disconnected from reality and believes contradictions can exist in reality. The essence of “human values that are not reducible to market price” is that man is a slave to his brothers. That unalienable rights are contextual, situational, and only proper when it is convenient for them to be practiced. A “human value”, irreducible to a medium of exchange, and in the sense that he used it, directly implies a value that must be provided for by force.

Ie, by slavery. Tragically/depressingly ironic given his ethnicity.

“Social justice” is a dead give away of his accepted, underlying basic premises.

3 minutes 26 seconds in: “… the free-market tyranny”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRYk4PobHx4&t=3m26s

Forget philosophy for a second, examine the sentence structure alone.

Free —> market —> tyranny

This is laughingly contradictory. A free market is by definition the diametric opposite of tyranny. Tyranny is force and fraud applied to human relationships. A free market requires the removal of and protection from force and fraud: from foreign governments, individuals, groups, etc.

There is no such thing as “free market tyranny”, the same way there is no such thing as Santa Claus and a round square.

~~~

These are just some basic excerpts from the video. Feel free to watch it in full and pick out the ideas that are clearly nonsense. Or watch Peter, whose thinking is clear, confident, and reality based, pick him apart.

In all cases, the fact that Cornel believes contradictions can exist in reality — which is synonymous with believing “necessary evils” can exist — is so fundamentally “off”, it should give everyone serious pause when listening to anything this guy has to say. This is not a small detail. This conviction permeates his entire life.

– Anthony Dream Johnson

 
He would be calling for the trial and public execution of Barrack Obama — for murder — and he would do the job himself.

The same goes for the majority of men who fought in the first American civil war, the American Revolution.

I mentioned a “big announcement” not long ago, but I hardly alluded to what it would or could be. Well today I don’t reveal all, but I will reveal a fundamental chunk.

That chunk is this: I am removing a topic from this blog, and using it to spark an entirely new one (a new blog).

Yet, the blog is only one component of the announcement. The other is that this new blog will (initially)  be built for the sole purpose of acting as a spring board for a book I am going to complete.

The book itself being a concrete starting point for my political philosophy, which I’ve had to create because all of the ones that exist are at best incomplete, and at worst, anti-political (and I am not referring to various forms of anarchy).

The same way self-sacrifice is not a form of morality, but is in fact anti-morality.

The same way  religion is not so much a primitive form of philosophy, but anti-philosophy.

These positions are awarded the prefix “anti” because they are anti-man and anti-life on earth, much like the bulk of political philosophies today (with the exceptions being sometimes good, but never complete in my experience).

~~~

If it was not obvious, I will no longer be blogging on The Dream Lounge about politics, at least not to the degree and in the way I once did. Those ideas will instead be funneled to the new blog, and the corresponding book. The focus of TDL will return to exercise, nutrition, health, business, and various other topics of personal interest and experience.

Why did I wait until this point to split this topic off into a new blog?

Primarily because I am cautious to start dividing up my momentum, effort, focus, and readership. Secondarily because it always seemed treasonous to do so unless and until there was a specific purpose for the new blog. Well, now there is.

A book, that I intend to have published, serving as a starting point to the only fully consistent political philosophy in American history (antagonistic score 100%!).

When will the blog start? Pretty soon. It’s not very complicated for me to get setup at this point Even in the best case scenario however, the book will take much longer, so long as I am determined to have it published. Upwards of a year at soonest.

Can I get it published? Time will tell. At the very least I have a history and completed footwork few first time authors do, not only in a blogging, SEO, and social media, but dual continent event hosting, video production, photography, etc.

Not to mention phone and e-mail access to more than a few authors.

=)

– Anthony Dream Johnson

Soon enough, because of upcoming big announcements, the title of this post is going to sound a little eerie, but I promise, it’s merely coincidence.

Today’s post being just a quick glimpse over a new book, a new DVD, and a new blog I’ve come across that I think you should check out.

The new movie is Atlas Shrugged Part 1. I bought the blu-ray version yesterday, and thanks to Amazon Prime, it will arrive on release day. It should be noted that this is the first DVD I’ve purchased in almost 3 years. And, actually, it’s not for me. It’s a gift for my girlfriend, who did not see it in theaters like I did. Granted, I’ll be watching it the same day it arrives with her all the same.

Worth $20?

Yes. The movie has its faults, but this does not change the fact that the characters of Atlas Shrugged are brought to life pretty damn accurately, which is by far, the most important aspect to me.

Next up, a new book, releasing on the same day, Inheritance. This is the final book in a four part series. The story line itself is nothing extraordinary, but the characters, at this time in history, are. Simple as this may sound, the characters fight for their values, fight hard, do so largely without apology or guilt, and do so with little more than revolutionary odds at their backs.

This is a combination seen less and less in art today, no matter the medium, and the series is worth your time and money for this alone. It’s also interesting to see the author himself grow throughout the series, via the subsequent novels (he’s young, maybe my age).

Finally, I’ve been skimming around BradBranson.com. It’s a good blog, and it makes me wish I had found Brad sooner. I recommend giving it  look sometime — it’s worth the investment.

– Anthony Dream Johnson

I’m freakin out man, I’m freakin out!

By my judgement, the best movie you are likely to have never seen — and perhaps, to ever see — is The Fountainhead starring Gary Cooper as architect Howard Roark. The movie is based on the book, but does not follow it to the letter, like most book to movie adaptations. In fact Ayn Rand, who had virtually full control over the movie, was forced to change the ending of the movie because divorce was in some way “forbidden” in movies at the time.

What she changes it to though can hardly be called a sacrifice in terms of significance (i.e. she did not have to “dumb down” the story, merely make an exchange).

Interestingly enough, John Little of Body by Science fame produced “the making of” featuretee on the DVD version. (Also interesting to note, this movie is free to stream if you have an Amazon Prime account).

~~~

All that aside, this movie is incredible if you share even the slightest, genuine admiration for man as individual, man as he ought to be, and as he can be, with me through this blog. The acting is top notch, and miles ahead of the junk that is consistently produced in Hollywood today.

The movie is also true to the book in the ways that matter most, which I cannot say the same for Atlas Shrugged Part 1 that released earlier this year, in which a rape scene was omitted and exchanged for something out of a daytime soap opera. To the contrary, the rape scene in The Fountainhead is pretty clearly a “rape scene”.

What’s most ironic is that TFH movie was produced in 1949, a time when any form of sexual situation in film was, as I understand, damn rare. On the flip side, in 2011, when AS Part 1 released, we readily have access to hundreds if not thousands of terabytes of hardcore porn with nothing more than an internet connection.

Talk about a total flip in what cameras are used for today in movies.

ANYWAY, go watch this movie. However long you wait to watch it will be to long. Whether it’s a day, a week, or a month, you’ll kick yourself for doing anything but ordering or downloading it right now.

(Considering the rapid state of collapse the world is in today, I really don’t believe Ayn would give a shit if you torrented this movie instead of paying someone for it. So long as you are inspired to new action and deeper levels of conviction by it, I think you are paying her for the movie, even in death, and to a much greater extent than fiat federal reserve notes could ever reward her).

– Anthony Dream Johnson

ps — Despite what the trailer portrays, the movie, like the book, is primarily a portrayal and depiction of the ideal man. The romantic aspect is immensely important, but secondary.

• Purpose — actualize the ideal man.
• Shape — the four pillars of the ideal man.
• Reality — behind the scenes and on stage.

This is the process of productive achievement.

I spent 5 minutes of my life today coming to the conclusion that I am Florida’s #1 blogger. I was subsequently awarded this title by Florida based limited liability company, The 21 Convention LLC, of which, I am the CEO, president, and founder. Which means that I have awarded myself this title. I have awarded myself this title based on the following standards,

1. Floridian first

I am “more Florida” than any other blogger in the State. Hell, I am “more Florida” than governor Rick Scott. I am so Floridian, that when I travel to foreign countries, my first statement in regards to my location of origin is that I am a “Floridian”. I rarely explain further, because no further explanation seems necessary. Why?

Because I am a Floridian first, and American second, always have been, and always will be.

Born 1988 in South West Florida, and raised until adult hood in the Cape Coral/Fort Myers area, I am son to Alfred E. Johnson, born in Miami (1956), making me not only a home grown Floridian, but a second generation Floridian.

Rick Scott wasn’t even born here.

I played varsity football at Fort Myers High School under Sammy Sirianni (and was a freshmen under Sam Sirriani until his unfortunate death), graduated from their most difficult academic program, and spent 4 consecutive years at the University of Central Florida — one of the largest universities in the nation, let alone the State. I started a business at 18 in Orlando Florida, took it to a multi-national level at 21, and maintain it to this day at 23 years of age as a full time occupation.

I am so Florida, I bleed tiny Florida flags.

2. Highest quality + widest range traffic reach

My blog readership is of the highest quality in the State while still hitting a significant quantity of readers. Attracting the best and brightest young men in the State, my blog readers run intellectual circles, on their hands, around the sum total of all other blog readerships in the State. My readers are so fucking smart, motivated, ambitious, and awesome, they make other bloggers cry at night (reported, still under investigation).

3. Better and greater understanding of the State of Florida

With the possible exception of Tom Mullen, I posses a greater understanding of American history than any other blogger in the State. Without exception, I understand the legal nature of the State of Florida relevant to the federal union of united American States than every single other blogger in the State, virtually all politicians in the State, most lawyers, most judges, and most certainly all academic professors — nearly all of these individuals being raised on “Statist Cheerios”, making them incoherent, and subsequently irrelevant federal cheerleaders, knowingly and unknowingly.

4. I am a South West Conch

I am so Florida that I was forced to create a new term for myself. You see, Florida “cracker” seems grossly inappropriate given my absolute leaning towards absolute, individual life and liberty. Likewise, I am not a Key West Conch. I have however visited Key West upwards of 50 times, know it well, and love the entire Florida Keys as much or more than any other part of the State, including my home of South West Florida.

Hence, I am the first, and founding, SWC, South West Conch.

This makes me so Florida that as I write, my eyes are beginning to go from “blue/green” to actual, visible, tiny Florida Flags in color and shape.

~~~

As Florida’s #1 blogger, and a true representation of what it is to be a red and white blooded Floridian, an SWC — and not some snow bird northerner or neo-clown big government conservative like Rick Perry — I hereby declare my full support for Ron Paul as the next POTUS, as well as my assertion that with the exception of Gary Johnson, all other candidates are complete and total imbeciles with no legitimate understanding of Florida, the united American States, the founding of our federal union, what it is to be an American, to be a Floridian, and to actually grasp man’s absolute, unalienable, individual right to his own life and liberty.

I can understand how well intentioned republicans could get confused with these other ass clowns, but make no mistake, this does not change the nature and grand stupidity of the other candidates.

I speak for all rational Floridians in my support of Ron Paul.

I hereby declare my support of Ron Paul to be more important to the thinking man than any Florida straw poll.

~~~

As evidence to my Floridianness, I present the following visuals.

Me playing football in Florida.

Me on a jet-ski in Florida.

Me in the Central Florida Future. Picture taken as a UCF student.

Me at a gun range in Florida.

Me on an inner tube, behind my boat, at Fort Myers Beach.

Me on my boat, being awesome, after tubing, in front of Fort Myers Beach.

Me getting ready to make out with a snook, before I prepare to eat him, wearing my football t-shirt from a Florida high school.

My Florida concealed weapons and firearms license, that I use to carry a Florida produced compact firearm.

Me and future POUTS, Ron Paul, IN FLORIDA.

And finally, a picture of Florida and federal flags side by side, because they look awesome.

Commenter Gold Investor brings up a good point for clarification. To quote two comments from GI,

Dr. Peikoff offers a counterpoint:

“Given the choice between a rotten, enfeebled, despairing killer, and a rotten, ever stronger, and ambitious killer, it is immoral to vote for the latter, and equally immoral to refrain from voting at all because “both are bad.””

~~~

So you’re saying it’s an insult to vote for the lesser evil even if you do it to protect your life and give yourself the better chance of survival and happiness?

In short, I think this is a logical trap, brought about by not thinking long range, and not looking at the source of the problem in the first place — the problem itself being a choice between two evils, differing only in degree. Or in another sense, my question to all is, why are we so often at a point where all options in the political arena are horrific?

This is the question no one seems to be asking. We take it as a given that in all cases, we are f*cked, and we might as well *shrug* and choose the least painful hole to have it stuck in.

But why are we getting fucked in the first place!?

Answer: because we accept this alternative between two evils as valid, and simultaneously fail to realize that the short term “lesser” of two evils is in fact incrementally destructive, not constructive, to a free society, our personal freedom, and our personal happiness. In fact the full logical conclusion on a long enough scale is complete and total collapse of the system, whether it be in your lifetime, or that of your children’s.

This is what your short term cure buys you — assured, long term, fatal poison.

~~~

I will add that while a person elected to public office will either have a net constructive or net destructive effect on a free society, individuals exist on a gradient on either side of the spectrum in regards to whether or not your vote for them is justified. Someone like Gary Johnson for example, by my judgement, just barely makes the cut for a president that would do good for our union. Were he in the position Ron Paul is currently in, I would vote for him, and not hesitate in doing so, close as he may be to “the line”.

Ron Paul on the other hand, while I disagree with him on a number of things, is so far in the positive that there is less than no hesitation to vote for and support him in full. So while he is not perfect, he is the ideal candidate for president, and would be at almost any point in our entire history, let alone right now.

In conclusion, at no point is it justifiable to support evil — even if that evil is lesser in degree than it’s competitor. Which is exactly what Dr. Peikoff is suggesting, perhaps unknowingly. It is not justified because it nurtures the source of the problem — compromise between good and evil, in which, only evil can win.

Which is to say that it nurtures contradiction. Which is to say, it nurtures anti-reality. Which is to say, voting for the lesser of two evils, in light of the full, long range consequences of your actions, is irrational.

Which is subsequently anti-man, anti-mind, anti-life-, anti-existence.

No thank you. I love my life far too much to do such a thing. As such, I will never vote for a man I am convinced would have a net destructive effect on the society in which I live. I find such a betrayal to my own soul, inconceivable.

– Anthony Dream Johnson