Reading UCG's Melvin Rhodes' Blog: Part 5

Recently Ambassador Watch mentioned the blog of UCG's Melvin Rhodes. Rhodes originally came from Britain and now resides in the United States. Let's take a look at what Rhodes had said on his blog in July and August of last year.

In my opinion the blog's message can be summed up in the following words, "The Muslims are coming! Restrict immigration of Muslims now." Let us see if he continues that theme.

It is also striking how there seems to be little discussion about why refugees from Syria and elsewhere are trying to move to Europe. 

 

This post is a continuation of Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.

July 1

Here Rhodes mentions how cohabitation used to be illegal 

America today, with less than 5% of the world’s population, has 25% of the world’s prisoners.   Can you imagine what our prisons would be like if all those co-habiting were sentenced to a jail term?   If biblical commands were upheld in our communities, we would need a lot more jails and prisons for long-term offenders.

July 15

Here Rhodes discusses the agreement with Iran. 

The best the West can hope for is that this will buy time, that Iran will not develop nuclear weapons for at least the next ten years, by which time, democracies being as they are, none of those signing the agreement today, will still be in power.   They can, as with so many things, kick the can down the road. ...
Anyway, it doesn’t really matter what the West thinks about the Iranian deal.
Israel’s prime minister has described the deal as “a mistake of historic proportions,” that it endangers his country.   He added:  “the more you read it, the worse it gets.”   Iran has been screaming “Death to Israel.  Death to America,” for over 35 years.   A recent demonstration in Tehran showed mobs screaming the same again. Perhaps nobody in Washington has been watching!
But, even Israel is not the country most concerned about the agreement.   The Sunni Arab states are.   Almost certainly, they will see through this agreement and their fears of Shia Iran acquiring nuclear weapons will lead them to acquire the same.   It may take a few years, but they will be driven by a great sense of urgency.

It does not matter what the West says about the agreement? Then why is Rhodes bothering to mention this topic?

July 7

Here Rhodes discusses the terrorist attack in London that occurred in 2005.

Ten years ago exactly, 52 people were killed when four home grown Islamic terrorists blew up three subway trains and one bus.   Dozens more suffered life-changing injuries.

Here Rhodes complains that the terrorists were Muslims thus portraying Muslims collectively as a threat.

London is, arguably, the most multicultural city in the world.   The deceased were drawn from different cultures and different religions.   The perpetrators of the atrocities were all Muslims, born in England, and all from fairly affluent backgrounds.   Their actions were not motivated by poverty or lack of opportunity. ...

The suicide bombings that were being commemorated were the acts of second generation Muslims.  The countries their families came from are not cosmopolitan.   They do not allow westerners into their countries except on short-term contracts – they certainly cannot settle and become citizens no matter how long they stay.   Britain and other western nations allow immigration from the Middle East and grant citizenship, thereby encouraging a cosmopolitan society, which clearly has its challenges, when young citizens, far from appreciating the country their parents moved to, instead try to kill as many of their fellow citizens as possible.

He also insists that tolerance and respect are merely Western values and insists that others, including Eastern Europeans, China, Russia and Japan were not a part of this concept and so are unable to integrate themselves.

He also talked of the “universal concepts of tolerance and respect.”   Sadly, these are not universal concepts.  They are concepts that developed over time in Protestant countries, when the proliferation of different sects necessitated learning to live peaceably alongside each other.   They are western concepts.   They do not even extend to Eastern Europe, let alone to China, Russia or even Japan.

July 17

Here Rhodes scare mongers that scary Muslims are out to kill people.

Last year, 19 terrorist acts in the West were due to ISIS and ISIS inspired individuals.   This year, the number has jumped to 24 in just six months.
The FBI is trying to determine a motive. Again, this misleads the public.   The motive is always the same – to undermine the West and ultimately to destroy it. ISIS cannot achieve its goal of an Islamic Caliphate unless it brings down the United States and its western allies.

And what about the violence within the United States that has nothing to do with extremists of this sort? What about the fact that Americans are much more likely to be killed in more mundane ways? That is not discussed in this post.

July 24

Here Rhodes discusses Trump's call for restricting immigration.

His comment on the need to do something about illegal immigrants following the murder of a 32-year-old woman in San Francisco by an illegal who has been deported five times was roundly condemned in the liberal media and by the other candidates.

It is not mentioned that the previous deportations were in relation to non-violent offenses.

Rhodes complains that there are too many immigrants.

But millions have arrived on these shores who end up at the bottom of society, competing for low wage jobs with the working poor.   This includes many African Americans, another group Mrs. Clinton, a multi-millionaire, likes to think she represents.

Considering that the vast majority of African Americans have consistently voted for the Democratic Party since the time of the Great Depression this is quite a well founded assumption.

The best thing she could do to raise their standard of living, to create jobs and boost incomes, is to advocate curbs on immigration.   If that’s what people want, they would be better dumping Hillary for the Donald.

Will this include British immigrants?

July 28

Here Rhodes complains that reporters did not mention President Bush aiding Africans to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Western reporters were also guilty of not telling the whole truth. Much was said during coverage of the African visit about what America is doing for Africa, with some focus on a program to help those with AIDS, a disease that, in Africa, is transmitted almost exclusively by heterosexuals.   Not once did I hear mention of the fact that the program was the initiative of George W. Bush, Mr. Obama’s predecessor.   With this one single program, he did more for Africa than any other president.

Does Rhodes think HIV/AIDS is somehow connected with homosexuals in the West? That is just a stereotype. We need to move beyond that stereotype. It is a misleading stereotype. It is not true. It was never true.

August 4

Here Rhodes complains that the US federal debt is more important than climate change.

President Obama has called for urgent action on climate change, to save the environment for our children and grandchildren.
We are not likely to hear him call for massive reductions in government spending so that our children and grandchildren do not have to pay back the $18 trillion debt the last two generations have accumulated.
This problem is arguably more urgent than climate change.

Rhodes is wrong on this matter. No one can force the US government to default on the federal debt because it is denominated in US dollars and the US government is the source of this currency. Furthermore the United States was actually more indebted per capita back in the 1940s because of World War II.

How are we, or our grandchildren going to pay off $18 trillion of national debt?   How long before it’s $20 trillion?   Will that be the psychological barrier that prompts the rest of the world to say “Enough!”?
What’s happening in Greece could also happen here.

This is a false equivalence. Greece went into the eurozone so, unlike the United States, Greece did not have its own currency. So the Greek government does not control the supply of their own currency. So it was not possible for them to take deflationary measures (print more money) to address the crisis since their currency is controlled by the European Central Bank collectively.

The United States is not going to be facing a Greece like situation anytime soon. One writer called US bonds the "least risky investment in international finance." It has a low interest rate indicating that inverses are quite confident that it will be paid off. It is not possible for anyone to force the US to default on a debt denominated in its own currency. Scare mongering about it is a red herring.

August 7

Here Rhodes complains that everyone hates the United States and Britain. He uses the occasion of the anniversary of the atomic bomb detonation that destroyed Hiroshima.

It seems as if our ancestors did nothing right.
The latest example is the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima seventy years ago August 6^th.
70,000 people were killed instantly while another 70, 000 died of severe burns within weeks.
The BBC World Service (radio) led with a longer than usual report from Hiroshima.  One of their veteran correspondents concluded his report by asking when the United States is going to apologize for what it did seven decades ago.
Particularly disturbing was that a group of university students from Princeton were in Hiroshima for the commemorations yesterday.   Those that were interviewed all thought the US should apologize. One even went so far as to say that the US, as the world’s leader, should set everybody an example by dismantling its nuclear weapons, then the others would follow!   Fortunately, he is too young to run for president!

I find such talk strange. We should be careful discussing this topic considering the vast lost of life that occurred and continuing health problems that the atomic explosion inflicted on those who survived the initial explosion. We need this topic with proper respect.

Then he complains about Britain not being properly thanked for ruling India along with calls for Britain to pay reparations to India.

Which brings us to the other nation everybody likes to bash, including Generation Y.
At the time the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, the British were still ruling India, which included Pakistan and Bangladesh.   After two centuries, they were about to withdraw from the sub-continent.   Now, there are increasing calls for reparations.

Of course Rhodes thinks this is a terrible idea because he seems to think Indians should thank the British for ruling over them for so long.

But they were also aware that the British were responsible for laying a solid foundation throughout India – including one of the best railway systems in the world, a solid infrastructure, parliamentary government, the rule of law, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, the English language, which India’s first prime minister described as “India’s window to the world” and a first-class military, which had served the British Empire well.   In addition, the British kept the peace on the North-West Frontier, where the Taliban, al-Qaeda and, now, ISIS, are active.
Those early leaders were content to build on these strengths.   They did not demand reparations, though they did ask for aid.   That aid is still coming from Britain and other western nations, even though India itself is quite wealthy.
The current Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, should be thankful for British rule.   Without it, India’s democratic system would not exist and he would not be in power!

He compares such Indians as like a spoiled son asking for more money from the parents.

India has the potential to become the greatest economic power in the world.   The country is only diminished by calls for reparations, as if they can’t take care of themselves.   To use an analogy, all of Britain’s offspring have been independent adults for fifty plus years – isn’t it a little embarrassing to go back home and ask for money?

Isn't a little embarrassing to portray a great civilization that has existed for thousands for years as though they were incompetent children of your people? And the Indians are not the children of the British people. That is nonsense. Rather the British conquered India via the East India Company. India was forced to endure rule by foreigners. And then when the British granted independence in 1947 after many years of protests calling for independence (which particularly gained urgency after the Amritsar massacre of 1920) it was decided to separate into two states and this lead to a brutal and tragic feud and hostility between India and Pakistan that haunts the Indian subcontinent to this day. And Rhodes somehow expects Indians to be thankful to the British. Who is really embarrassing themselves?

August 10

Here Rhodes contemplates on the necessity of political leaders to be in touch with the people or else they will lose power. And in more extreme instances such leaders can be overthrown in a turbulent revolution.

Former presidential candidate Ross Perot warned a few years ago that food stamps are all that stand between us and anarchy – in other words, take away free food for the poor and you could see a revolution in the United States.

That seems a bit overblown to worry about. One should wish the poor to be fed out of simple goodwill. And also why portray the poor as scary people? One should wish for the poor to be fed not because one fears them but out of simple goodwill.

August 14

Here Rhodes talks about politics in the United States.

In the neighboring land of never-ending elections, the term “War on Women” is not being applied to ISIS, but rather to the Republicans, whose leading candidate Donald Trump has made some very unwise and tactless comments on the female sex.

He also indulges in a spate of transphobia.

USA Today disclosed yesterday that there are 12,800 transgendered people serving in the US military.   Their treatment costs $5.6 million a year.   The number really surprised me.
This is clearly the age of sexual confusion, most probably the result of the breakdown of the family.

August 18

Here Rhodes scare mongers that the declining birth rate in the United States and Britain will lead to "the death of the race."

In a restaurant a few months ago, we met an elderly couple in their eighties, who told us they had 40 grandchildren and were awaiting the birth of their 25^th great grandchild.   Can you believe that?   Yet, their familial situation would not have been unusual in previous generations.   It has become unusual in this generation; I should add “in the western world.”   It’s not unusual in many other parts of the world.   For four centuries the Bible believing Protestants, who dominated the West, took seriously God’s command to “go forth and multiply” (Gen 1:28).   That era has gone and birth control has made it possible. ...
Nations are changing hands, as they pass from one dominant ethnic group to others. ...
But the result is exactly what [Theodore Roosevelt] said a century ago – we are now facing the death of the race.  In every country where Europeans and their descendants have dominated for centuries, significant changes are taking place.  Not one of those countries will still have a dominant western culture by the end of this century.
It’s a sobering reality and perhaps the most significant one happening right now.

This talk of "the death of the race" is inflammatory, xenophobic nonsense. Xenophobia is rightly labelled a phobia. This is not a reasoned argument.

August 24

Here Rhodes scare mongers about the stock decline in China and scare mongers about retirement funds will not be there for peoples' retirement (even though this eventuality is quite unlikely).

He also asserts that money is but worthless paper.

It’s a good reminder that we should not put our faith in this world and particularly in this world’s money, which is, frankly, worthless paper.

What if one shoplifted something, a police officer stops this person and the shoplifter should say, Money is only worthless paper.

 He asserts that a third of all mass murders occur in the United States.

In this age of mass murders, it’s interesting to note that America, with less than 5% of the world’s people, accounts for almost one third of all mass murders, defined as incidents where four or more people are killed.