Nikitas3.com
Politics, culture & art
Note: The Public Square editorial section below will be the one most frequently updated, up to 5 times a week. Lots to read elsewhere.
And a special Independence Day page with the entire Declaration of Independence, and an essay, What is Freedom?
Welcome and thank you for visiting.
One of the primary purposes of this site is to disseminate my book Right Is Right, which you can print our for free. In addition, there is a large volume of other information to read, political and otherwise, so please enjoy it all.
And please recognize that this site will not be updated every evening with day-to-day news stories that you can read elsewhere. It is not that kind of site. Nikitas3.com is dedicated to bigger ideas and concepts that, I hope, are discussed in such a way as to stimulate serious thought on an array of issues.
If you wish to contact me, please send a separate e-mail to nik3455@juno.com (not sure if this website e-mail always works properly).
Nikitas3.com is the passion of one single person (except where noted) and so hopefully it will be appreciated not for its quantity, but for its quality, individuality and originality.
To contribute financially to the ideals of this site, go to the bottom of this page to see the offerings.
Thank you,
Table of Contents:
Politics: Right Is Right by Nikitas. This book explains step-by-step how conservatism built Western civilization, and how liberal socialists are trying to undermine it at every turn. It shows why ordered capitalist societies have been the world's most successful ones, and how our republican and constitutional form of government is threatened by activist socialism. We must return to the nation our Founding Fathers wanted with small government, low taxes, private property rights ensured, the freedom to prosper and majority rule. Print out the 12-pt. type edition (121 pages) here. There is no charge. It is free. To read an excerpt of Right Is Right on-screen, click here.
The Public Square: Regular editorials on political and cultural events. These columns are always timely. Currently: Hippie Math, a commentary about how some people wrongly see the world. And: Ronald Walker Palin, yet another look at Sarah Palin's chances for 2012. Also: Frenzy Over 'Sex' Scandals, a review of bad behavior. Then: 'Climate Bill' is Last Gasp of Enviro Kooks, a skeptic's view of the radical legislation in the House. And: Michael Jackson, Meet Nikola Tesla, some thoughts about our obsession with popular culture. Plus: NY, DC Subway Crises Expose Corruption, Greed, a commentary on bureaucracies in our liberal cities. And: RIP Ed McMahon, a remembrance of an entertainer and his times. Then: Predators Coddled by Democrats, an essay on the way that liberals soft-pedal criminal behavior toward children. And: Iran Election: Where's Jimmy Carter?, an editorial questioning Obama's muted support for freedom in Iran. Then: Obama Polls Softening... as Expected, an analysis of a recent Gallup poll. Plus: Liberal Indignation Exposed, a commentary on how Democrats use emotion to manipulate us. And: Planes, BNSF Trains and Automobiles, a look at mass transit in America. Then: Easy Solutions to Health Care, a prescription to fix the mess. And: Conservatives are the Most Discriminated-Against People in America, an analysis of bias. Then: What Will Happen in Iran?, a review of the election chaos. Plus: 3.6 Million Miles Per Gallon, a story about energy efficiency. And: More Bluster from CNN, an editorial about three recent murders. Also: Fred Smith for President, another in a series of occasional commentaries about potential candidates for 2012. Then: Palin Could Win in 2012, a scenario for victory for the Alaska governor. Plus: Power Steering Chrysler into Bankruptcy, an editorial about Obama's plan for the carmaker. And: 11 Reasons for Conservative Optimism, a commentary on the strengths of the movement. Plus: GOP: Attract Independents, or Pander to Them? an analysis of the current political debate. Then: End 'Comfortable Poverty' Now, a prescription for our culture of dependence. And: Scrutiny for Sotomayor Rulings, an observation about some of her actual legal decisions. Plus: Student Loan 'Forgiveness' is Another Socialist Trick, a review of a plan by Dems to let students off the hook. And much more. Other past editorials will appear occasionally in the Best of Nikitas3.com section and in Thinking Points II.
Thinking Points: Thoughts, musings, observations and information on how to think like a rational conservative on a variety of issues. This jam-packed section will reveal simple ideas that express much about what is happening to our culture. 50 separate essay and growing. Check it out...
Thinking Points II: More ways to think like a rational conservative. This section includes many past editorials from the Public Square section and items from other sections of this website that reflect timeless conservative values and principles.
Around the Web: Clips, links, quotes, commentaries and excerpts from around the internet. Lots of good links to sites and pages with information of interest to conservatives.
Who "The Rich" Really are in America Today: Liberals love to spread the myth that rich people are all Republicans. But the data show that increasingly the overwhelming majority of wealthy people in America today are Democrats, many of them super-rich and extremely socialistic in outlook like John Kerry, Warren Buffett, Larry Ellison, Oprah Winfrey and David Geffen. This section of essays will grow as new data is uncovered. If you'd like to find out how much money all the lefty liberals are giving to socialist candidates, visit www.newsmeat.com which shows contributions of any famous person you want to know about. It's amazing how much these billionaires favor Democrats. And remember, a dollar given to a Democrat today funds a much more radical leftist party than Republican contributions fund a more moderate conservatism.
Best of Nikitas3.com: A page of excerpts from essays, editorials and columns, past and present, that have appeared on this site. This page will give viewers a quick overview of some of the ideas that are appearing, and have appeared, on Nikitas3.com.
News in Review: This section will regularly cover interesting news items from the local, regional and national level. I will not repeat the daily headlines you can see on a hundred other websites. What I will do is to briefly and succinctly present and analyze revealing news clips from around the nation with an eye to putting them in the context of where our society is going and how conservatives plan to address those issues. These news items are not necessarily time-sensitive. They make sense any time! Lots to read here.
Questions: Questions that every conservative can ask at a dinner party, barbecue, in a debate etc. Guaranteed to disarm the liberal opposition because they will have no answer. Because they've never honestly answered these questions before.
Links: If you want to see the work of an interesting guy, go to www.johnrlott.tripod.com Dr. Lott has done statistical studies about gun ownership and use (showing that crime drops when people are given the right to carry a weapon) and has written a fine book called Freedomnomics, in which he offers solid evidence of how the capitalist free market helps people to make the best choices. Also, www.junkscience.com is a really good place to learn about how science is being perverted and subverted by politics. For more information on the nonsensical 'global warming' theory and to read the names of 31,000 American scientists who have signed a petition saying this theory is unproven, visit www.oism.org/pproject
Ramblings & Rumblings: My observations, notes, alarm bells, punditry and essays on the subjects of plastic, clouds, square dancers, isotopes, exotic wood and every other thing that comes to mind. Currently: It's a Big Country, a recollection of hitchhiking and riding freight trains in the American West. And: Interesting Facts about Water, a column of interesting facts about water. Then: Death at High Speed, a commentary on deaths in the dangerous world of auto racing. And: Remember our Fathers, a tribute to my father, and to all our fathers. Also: Danica Patrick Makes History, a story about the first-ever win by a woman in a major closed-circuit racing series. Can she win the Indianapolis 500? And: Making Maple Syrup in The Good Old Days, an essay about producing this fine confection in the late 1970s. Then: Researchers' Goal: Say Anything, Make Headlines... and Money, a comment on the plethora of "studies" in the media today. Also: 'New TV' Tells Us Who we Are, a column about the new generation in television. Plus: A Personal Story about The World Trade Center. Also: 54 and Still Frolicking, a reminiscence about the ol' swimming hole. And: Joey Chestnut, American Hero, a review of the Nathan's International 4th of July Hot Dog-Eating Contest at Coney Island, New York. Plus: Summer Is... a musing on our favorite season. Railfanning the Leatherstocking, a tale about a trip into the rural heart of New York State. And: A tale about fireworks; odd road signs; a few thoughts about Vickie Lynn Hogan (aka, Anna Nicole Smith); and a geography lesson: Why is Daytona International Speedway located where it is?
$2/Gallon Gasoline, $30/Barrel
Crude Oil, For the next 50 Years, Easily:
How we can
use existing technology to cut energy prices dramatically in a short period of
time. Also on this page:
11 Simple, Rational Steps to
Securing Our Energy Future: Any sensible person can see
that the 'energy crisis' is not a crisis at all, but is a normal state of
affairs that is being twisted and trumped up by environmentalists. The
conservative capitalist response presented here by
Nikitas3.com is absolutely workable,
and lists some simple and straightforward facts about energy, along with ways in
which we easily can create a secure energy future.
Demand Property Tax Relief: Standard and Poor’s Case-Shiller index notes that home values nationwide have fallen as much as 20% since their peak in June 2006. So obviously real estate taxes should be lowered as a result. Homeowners: Call your local assessor and demand relief. And talk to a local real estate agent for a printout of recent home sales in your area which will give you solid information on which to base your request.
Where Is Out Society Going?, a commentary on the direction of American culture by Tom Ross, director of the group Massachusetts Citizens for Constitution Reform.
Guest Thoughts: Essays by independent contributors including Frances Rice, chairwoman of the National Black Republican Association; Curt Levey, executive director of the Committee for Justice, an organization which considers judicial issues from the conservative perspective; and others.
Why Social Security Is Failing: An excerpt from Right Is Right which explains very simply how Social Security works and why it is collapsing. Warnings about SS are sounding in every quarter, while most citizens have no idea how we have arrived where we are with this system. Social Security, established primarily through the efforts of the Democrat party in 1935, slowly is impoverishing tens of millions of Americans, and liberals don't want you to know the truth about the inherent and obvious flaw of this program, which is exposed here.
Writing, editorial work, copy editing services offered: By Nikitas. Reasonable rates. Please contact me through the e-mail at the top of this page if you need professional work done quickly.
"Preserving" Farmland, or Taking it Over?: An essay on how environmental groups are squeezing property owners in rural America, and appropriating their land.
The Tragedy of Misrepresenting Violence: An essay analyzing a decade of shootings in public schools and on college campuses, along with a reprint of a Nikitas3.com editorial written in response to the Virginia Tech massacre on April 16, 2007.
Why
Capitalism is the Superior Economic System:
Why free markets and low taxes are the best
ideas for the most people. Also on this page: 10 Ways that Socialism
Makes People Poor: Debating a liberal is like debating a wall. They
especially love to insist that only they care about "the poor" and "working
families". Nonsense! Here
is an E-Z guide that shows 10 ways that liberals actually cause people to be
poor. And since conservatives are people of action and not words,
Nikitas3.com reveals the rational steps that conservatives always have
taken to stop socialists from continuing to
make people poor and poorer. At the end of this essay is another short subject called
Free Air Conditioning for All! which turns the 'entitlement question'
on its head.
Also on the same page: 10 Ways to Debate
Liberals and Win Every Time: An easy-to-read guide on how to use
facts and truth to debunk liberal spin.
Quotes ...and Comment:
Quotes from and commentary about historical American and world figures, and my comments. Currently:
James Madison on the superiority of 'a republic' over 'democracy'.
Plus:
Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, a great, short speech. And:
Frederic Bastiat, all rights are founded on the protection of life.
Then: An excerpt from John O'Sullivan's essay Margaret Thatcher: Legacy of
Freedom. Also: An excerpt from Thomas Paine's Common Sense, published in
1776, one of the key documents that spurred the American Revolution. Then: The
text of The Declaration of Independence, and an essay called 'What Is
Freedom?' And:
The Ten Commandments, for those who do not know what the actual
Commandments are, they are here. Also:
Maxims from Benjamin Franklin, words of wisdom from a Founder of our
nation. And:
President Bush's Welcoming Speech, and Pope Benedict's Response. From
ceremonies on April 16, 2008. Marcus Tullius Cicero speaking about true law. Sir Winston Churchill, on the fallacy of disarmament.
Adam Smith on the self-interest of the entrepreneur. The full
text of George Washington's Farewell Address.
From Wealth Creation to Wealth
Destruction: Why capitalists are on the "right" side
of the issue, and why “taxing the rich” (and everybody else in sight) is a crafted leftist strategy to funnel
more wealth and power to political liberals, while disempowering the free citizens of our
nation to determine their own destinies.
A Brief Primer on Debunking ‘Global Warming’:
GW is not science; it is a tenet of religious paganism (worship of nature); a
secular, leftist political position being used to expand the power of
government; and a fund-raising tool for enviro groups. Read this brief essay on
how to fight GW nonsense and hysteria with common sense, facts and truth.
The Pledge of Allegiance: For those who have heard the Pledge undermined in recent years, this is the proper way to say it: "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
Railroad Photographs: I love trains and take pictures of them. These photographs are for sale and will help to support this site.
Art: Supreme Forms by Nikitas, an evolving essay about the essential role that visual forms play, and have played, in our lives, from the design of the Parthenon to modern-day jetliners. Currently: The Perfection of the Parthenon in Greece, and an excerpt about The Golden Rectangle, considered the most perfect geometric form of all.
Charioteer: Commentary and review of Western art, architecture, engineering and design, from antiquity through the 20th century. Currently: Toulouse-Lautrec: A Smile and a Wink, a review of prints from the famous French artist. Also: Sol LeWitt Walls Up New England, a look at a retrospective of a modernist master. Then: Drawn to Drama, an exhibit of Renaissance drawings of historical, allegorical and religious figures and events. Plus: The Keystone Arches, an essay on a 19th century engineering marvel in Massachusetts. Then: Saarinen's Sublime Curves, a review of two architectural projects by the great Finnish-American, Eero Saarinen. And: Frederic Remington Looking West, a small exhibit of the artist's work depicting the American West. Then: Loving Abstract Art in One Easy Lesson, an essay on an art form that some find challenging. And: A look back at a memorable textbook, H.W. Janson's History of Art. Plus: Art of the Passenger Train, a photo essay about two railroad terminals. And: The Unknown Monet, Pastels and Drawings at the Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts. Plus: Clark Art Expansion: Progress or Problematic?, a review of the new building designs at the Clark by architect Tadao Ando. Also: "Athens-Sparta", a review of an exhibit of artifacts from the two Greek city-states; And the answer to the question, "Why is this column called 'Charioteer' in the first place?"
Art: A selection of paintings, sculptures, constructions, cutouts and drawings by Nikitas. This exhibit will rotate.
Fiction:
Stories and
short novels by Nikitas. Currently: The Switch, a story about a
man at a crossroads in his life. And: Zero Seven Seven Three Six Nine Eight
Six Four