ELSEWHERE

There is an excellent article in the NYT about a long-overdue movement to make psychology more scientific. Exposing quackery in clinical psychology has in fact a much longer history than the article notes. One of the first people to apply scientific methods to evaluate conventional forms of psychotherapy was Hans Eysenck -- with whom I was associated for many years in various ways -- and Eysenck's work goes back to the 1940s. Still, it is good to see the torch being taken up now that Eysenck is no longer with us. The problem of unscientific psychology is particularly bad in political psychology -- which is overwhelmingly comprised of Freudians. You just have to read almost any issue of the journal Political Psychology to see that. Still, Political Psychology has published quite a few articles of mine over the years so they are not totally sectarian. They wouldn't take a really outspoken article from me, though, even though I was the relevant expert.

I have recently had an article accepted for publication in "SOCIETY" -- a well-established journal of social science and social commentary that has always been unusual in having some political balance in what it presents. I gather that it will "hit the streets" April 15-20 so you might like to keep an eye out for it. The title of my article is: "Explaining the Left/Right divide".

The "Invest in the U.S.A. Act," seems a good idea. Cutting tax on company profits will undoubtedly turn Leftists purple with rage but it should create lots of American jobs. Leftists would rather have people welfare-dependant, I guess. Having a black group approve the measure might help give it some legs, though.

An egotist caught at last? "The FBI arrested a California Institute of Technology student Tuesday for investigation of arson and vandalism that destroyed or damaged 125 sport utility vehicles at San Gabriel Valley car dealerships and homes last year in apparent support of radical environmentalism. William Cottrell, 23, of Pasadena was held without bail during a court appearance... If convicted, he faces a maximum of 40 years in prison"

The British Conservatives have at long last discovered the school vouchers idea. Will wonders never cease? They might finally be overcoming the trauma of having Tony Blair steal their thunder on most issues. (Link via The Applicant).

Martin Sieff says Russia is moving towards the Chinese model -- authoritarian central government combined with free-market economic policies. Similar systems in Singapore, Taiwan and Korea have worked out pretty well in the end.

The leader of Australia's major Leftist party talks a lot of conservative talk in saying that boys need more male role models but his deeds tell a different story -- oddly enough!

Steve Sailer on social statistics. It's Southern whites, not blacks, who are most likely to end up on death row. (More detail here). From the same article: "the Department of Education and other sensitive sorts have reduced the percentage of children eligible for special education from 2.2% in 1977 to 1.3% in 1997. Why? Because retardation (as defined by the Supreme Court as an IQ below 70) is found about five times more often in blacks than whites. Liberal bureaucrats prefer to cover up this embarrassing fact by tossing a lot of retarded black kids into mainstream classes to sink or swim."

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The Left have always wanted more spent on welfare and made "Fascism" a swear-word. President Bush deposed a brutal Fascist dictator and sponsored a big expansion of welfare. But instead of being admired by the Left, he is hated with a passion. What does that tell you about the Left? It tells you that they have no principles at all: That everything they have ever claimed to stand for is fake.

Three more examples of Leftist dishonesty: They blame the 9/11 attacks on "poverty" in the Islamic world. Yet most of the attackers were Saudis and Saudi Arabia is one of the world's richest countries! They also say that they oppose racism yet support "affirmative action" -- which judges people by the colour of their skin! They say that they care about "the poor" but how often do you hear them calling for the one thing that would bring about a worldwide economic boom in poor countries -- the USA and the EU abandoning their agricultural protectionism? Leftists obviously care more about conservative farmers than they do about the poor!

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