ELSEWHERE

The release from prison of Pauline Hanson in my home State of Queensland has been covered by the media worldwide -- even as far away as Scotland -- so I have forborne from making any comment on it up until now on the grounds that everything that could be said about the matter has already been said by others. But in fact there are some things that have been glided over by the mainstream media that people might like to know. She has generally been described only as “Far-Right” or “anti-immigrant” on the grounds that she called for a slowdown in the very high rate of immigration from Asia into Australia. She did indeed do that -- but her greatest emphasis was in fact on Australia’s “Aboriginal industry”. She wanted to abolish the vast bureaucracy and system of handouts that has been set up to cater to Australia’s native blacks. In other words, she wanted to ABOLISH Australia’s official racism. She is in fact Australia’s only ANTI-racist politician in my view -- which is why I voted for her twice. Official racism just makes racist attitudes worse in my view. No wonder they put her in jail on grounds that the Queensland Court of Appeal has just said should never even have gone to trial.

Opinion Journal has a good coverage of GWB's speech about the possibility of democracy in the Arab world. I am almost persuaded. The comparison with a Reagan speech is a telling one.

Jeff Jacoby too weighs in on the present aims and difficulties in Iraq. Cakewalks are for wimps. Great aims must be expected to require effort.

An interesting email from one of my Brazilian readers: "Your post about envy made me remember a scene in the film The Sniper (where a Russian shooter disputes with a German one about who is the best in WW2) -- when the Soviet Commissar admits he envies the love of a woman he will never have, saying that the dream of a society without envy is impossible, and offers himself in sacrifice -- bullet in the forehead. I keep watching the scene over and over, it has a beauty I have not seen before, and it is tragic and redempetion follows. I would like your opinion about it." I rarely watch films so other readers might like to comment.

A geophysicist reports that the Sun is more active now than it has been for a millennium. But any global warming is still our doing -- Right?

Sean Gabb has a rather acid comment on the British Conservative party's recent change of leader: "Looking at the actions of the Parliamentary Conservative Party during the past ten days, it is as though a mental defective had stopped twitching in his wheelchair and turned into something like a Bond villain." But he is glad of the change nonetheless. We Anglophiles live in hope.

I got a laugh out of this "shortened version" of the Ten Commandments: "Thou shalt always be honest and faithful to the provider of thy nookie. And, thou shalt try real hard not to kill anyone, unless of course they pray to a different invisible man than you." Attributed to George Carlin. Via Armed Prophet

A thin layer of biodegreadable organic molecules spread over the surface of a water reservoir can cut evaporation so much that it is almost like getting a second reservoir for free. Great stuff? No doubt. But what about the ecology!! "It's natural for water to evaporate", the Greenies will no doubt cry -- and thus stop that huge cost-saver too.

The Wicked one has an unusual list of viruses.

My latest academic upload (see here or here) reviews Hans Eysenck's work on the psychology of politics. I knew him personally. I spent my 1977 sabbatical year in his Department at the Institute of Psychiatry in London. He had a great mind but, sadly, he passed away a few years ago. His work is probably still the best known alternative to the Leftist theory of politics and is based on a view very much like the libertarian account of how politics are structured.

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