SENATOR FLIP-FLOP
Amazing. John Kerry plans to draft High School students. It's on his website: "As part of his 100 day plan to change America, John Kerry will propose a comprehensive service plan that includes requiring mandatory service for high school students and four years of college tuition in exchange for two years of national service."
Carol Platt-Liebau of the amazingly blue eyes catches John Kerry out in psychological projection too. I think his most notorious bout of projection, however, was his accusation that American forces in Vietnam were all war-criminals -- when he in fact was the war-criminal there. Read Unfit for Command if you doubt it.
The Kerry doctrine: "Me": "There is only one explanation for all Kerry's inconsistencies and contradictions. It is that his first political principle is opportunism. From Vietnam to Iraq, he is hawk or dove, pro-war or anti-war, depending on the constituency he is currently courting. When he went into the service in 1966, the establishment and Democratic Party were pro-war. When he turned anti-war radical in 1971, they had turned anti-war. When America was hawkish on Iraq, Kerry was hawkish. When he needed anti-war votes to combat Dean, he became a fluttering dove, then born-again hawk in Boston, when he needed Middle America. How does he get away with it?"
But can you believe it? "As the Democratic Whoopee Brigade hailed Senator John Kerry's edge in debating technique, nobody noticed his foreign policy se a change. On both military tactics and grand strategy, the newest neoconservative announced doctrines more hawkish than President George W. Bush. First, on war-fighting in Iraq: Hard-liners criticized the Bush decision this spring not to send U.S. troops in to crush Sunni resistance in the Baathist stronghold in Falluja. American forces wanted to fight to win but soft-liners in Washington worried about the effect of heavier civilian casualties on the hearts and minds of Iraqis, and of U.S. troop losses on Americans. Last week in the debate, John Kerry - until recently, the antiwar candidate too eager to galvanize dovish Democrats - suddenly reversed field, and came down on the side of the military hard-liners".
The lawyer's party: "John Kerry's selection of John Edwards as running mate was a blunder, and not just because Kerry probably will lose Edwards' North Carolina. The Edwards selection ratifies a provocative fact: trial lawyers have become the Democrats' most important faction. This has energized small-business owners, the self-employed, doctors and others who worry that they live one lawsuit away from ruin. Such people, now aroused, may propel tort reform that will curtail the windfalls that make trial lawyers the Democrats' largest source of contributions."
No JFK Mark 2: "The Democrats' current presidential aspirant John Kerry has ambitiously modeled his political career after John F. Kennedy's. Yet their politics bear little resemblance. If Kennedy were alive today, Democrats would condemn his sweeping capital gains tax cuts as a sop to the rich. His militant anti-Communism would evoke charges of right-wing 'paranoia.' And the vow he made in his inaugural address to confront tyranny anywhere in the world would win him the label of 'neo-conservative' imperialist among today's Democrats."
In case you have not seen it already, there is an amusing "Job Application" for John Kerry here.
*********************************
Saturday, October 09, 2004
ELSEWHERE
The latest Nobel Prize for literature runs true to form. It went to some weird Communist female who is so afraid of crowds she cannot go to the prize ceremony. And her works "reveal the absurdity of society's cliches and their subjugating power." Rah! Rah! Postmodernist claptrap, in other words. And, of course, "Her newest works are sharply critical of the Bush administration and the war in Iraq". And the "Peace" prize was awarded for tree planting! It must just have been time for a Greenie to get a turn. At least they didn't award it to Chirac!
Australia has a new and rising political party with moderate policies which is headed by a black woman. So Leftists love it, right? Surely two "minorities" in one should be irresistable? No way! The party is CHRISTIAN! So the Leftist media and Australia's far-Left Greenies are doing their best to bad-mouth it. Leftists are only in favour of "minorities" that they can use. See here
Canadian cowardice: "Concordia University in Montreal continues to promote terrorism against their Jewish students. The latest is that Concordia refuses to allow Past Prime Minister Ehud Barak from speaking on campus at a Hillel affair. They state that they cannot confirm he will be safe considering the lack of security they gave BiBi Netanyahu when he came to speak there last summer. So, their logic is "Let's not punish the perpetrators... let's punish the victim. In this case the speaker." Shouldn't they punish the Muslim thugs and violent students who come to break up these meetings when ever a Jewish speaker comes? Jail them? Expel them? However, Concordia seems to have become a base for terrorists training in Canada. It seems the only freedom of speech Concordia is promoting is Muslim freedom of speech"".
Japan: "If Junichiro Koizumi could vote in the November U.S. presidential election, the Japanese prime minister would almost certainly cast his ballot for his diplomatic soul mate, President Bush. Koizumi has closely linked his security policy to the Republican president, spending considerable political capital to back the war in Iraq and send troops there on a risky non-combat mission -- despite opposition from Japan's own voters".
Sweden: I have just put up here a translated newspaper article from Sweden showing how astoundingly little young Swedish communists actually know about communism. It doesn't say much for Swedish education (or perhaps it tells us a lot!)
Israeli blogger David Boxenhorn wonders why intellectuals so often arrive at stupid conclusions. The still strong support for Communism among American university professors would be a primary example of that. David offers seven possible reasons why they are so stupid but I think there is only one main reason: Arrogance. They have to be pretty bright to get to be professors so they then think they know it all. And it offends their ego to realize that they have nothing to say on the big issues other than what plain folk have been saying for years. So most of what they say is just a pathetic attempt to be clever. I go into it all in more detail here.
For more postings, see EDUCATION WATCH, GREENIE WATCH, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH, GUN WATCH and SOCIALIZED MEDICINE. Mirror sites here, here, here, here and here
**************************
That power only, not principles, is what matters to Leftists is perfectly shown by the Kerry campaign. They have put up a man whose policies seem to be 99% the same as George Bush's even though they have previously disagreed violently with those policies. "Whatever it takes" is their rule.
Leftism is for most Leftists a desire to sound good rather than a desire to do good
Comments? Email me or here. If there are no recent posts here blame Blogger.com and visit my mirror site here or here. My Home Page is here or here.
********************************
The latest Nobel Prize for literature runs true to form. It went to some weird Communist female who is so afraid of crowds she cannot go to the prize ceremony. And her works "reveal the absurdity of society's cliches and their subjugating power." Rah! Rah! Postmodernist claptrap, in other words. And, of course, "Her newest works are sharply critical of the Bush administration and the war in Iraq". And the "Peace" prize was awarded for tree planting! It must just have been time for a Greenie to get a turn. At least they didn't award it to Chirac!
Australia has a new and rising political party with moderate policies which is headed by a black woman. So Leftists love it, right? Surely two "minorities" in one should be irresistable? No way! The party is CHRISTIAN! So the Leftist media and Australia's far-Left Greenies are doing their best to bad-mouth it. Leftists are only in favour of "minorities" that they can use. See here
Canadian cowardice: "Concordia University in Montreal continues to promote terrorism against their Jewish students. The latest is that Concordia refuses to allow Past Prime Minister Ehud Barak from speaking on campus at a Hillel affair. They state that they cannot confirm he will be safe considering the lack of security they gave BiBi Netanyahu when he came to speak there last summer. So, their logic is "Let's not punish the perpetrators... let's punish the victim. In this case the speaker." Shouldn't they punish the Muslim thugs and violent students who come to break up these meetings when ever a Jewish speaker comes? Jail them? Expel them? However, Concordia seems to have become a base for terrorists training in Canada. It seems the only freedom of speech Concordia is promoting is Muslim freedom of speech"".
Japan: "If Junichiro Koizumi could vote in the November U.S. presidential election, the Japanese prime minister would almost certainly cast his ballot for his diplomatic soul mate, President Bush. Koizumi has closely linked his security policy to the Republican president, spending considerable political capital to back the war in Iraq and send troops there on a risky non-combat mission -- despite opposition from Japan's own voters".
Sweden: I have just put up here a translated newspaper article from Sweden showing how astoundingly little young Swedish communists actually know about communism. It doesn't say much for Swedish education (or perhaps it tells us a lot!)
Israeli blogger David Boxenhorn wonders why intellectuals so often arrive at stupid conclusions. The still strong support for Communism among American university professors would be a primary example of that. David offers seven possible reasons why they are so stupid but I think there is only one main reason: Arrogance. They have to be pretty bright to get to be professors so they then think they know it all. And it offends their ego to realize that they have nothing to say on the big issues other than what plain folk have been saying for years. So most of what they say is just a pathetic attempt to be clever. I go into it all in more detail here.
For more postings, see EDUCATION WATCH, GREENIE WATCH, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH, GUN WATCH and SOCIALIZED MEDICINE. Mirror sites here, here, here, here and here
**************************
That power only, not principles, is what matters to Leftists is perfectly shown by the Kerry campaign. They have put up a man whose policies seem to be 99% the same as George Bush's even though they have previously disagreed violently with those policies. "Whatever it takes" is their rule.
Leftism is for most Leftists a desire to sound good rather than a desire to do good
Comments? Email me or here. If there are no recent posts here blame Blogger.com and visit my mirror site here or here. My Home Page is here or here.
********************************
Friday, October 08, 2004
FROM BROOKES NEWS
A John Kerry ban on bunker busters would be a military victory for terrorism When John Kerry said he opposed the development of bunker-busters he not only committed an electoral gaffe he provided America with an open window into his real attitude toward the American people
Republicans' excellent record on blacks infuriates bigoted Democrats The Republicans' excellent record on civil rights for blacks has driven some Democrats to distraction
John Kerry - This Damn Spot Will Not Come Out Prior to 9-11 all of us, including John Kerry, turned a blind eye to the bombings, murders and terrorist atrocities being committed against American citizens
Doctors' wives attack forestry and its sweaty workers The Doctors' wives were photographed outside a perfectly manicured Victorian home in the leafy Melbourne suburb of Toorak, from where they can safely attack forest workers
John Howard and his spending spree If it were not for the war on terror I would be wishing for a John Howard defeat because of his spending spree
Details here
***********************
A John Kerry ban on bunker busters would be a military victory for terrorism When John Kerry said he opposed the development of bunker-busters he not only committed an electoral gaffe he provided America with an open window into his real attitude toward the American people
Republicans' excellent record on blacks infuriates bigoted Democrats The Republicans' excellent record on civil rights for blacks has driven some Democrats to distraction
John Kerry - This Damn Spot Will Not Come Out Prior to 9-11 all of us, including John Kerry, turned a blind eye to the bombings, murders and terrorist atrocities being committed against American citizens
Doctors' wives attack forestry and its sweaty workers The Doctors' wives were photographed outside a perfectly manicured Victorian home in the leafy Melbourne suburb of Toorak, from where they can safely attack forest workers
John Howard and his spending spree If it were not for the war on terror I would be wishing for a John Howard defeat because of his spending spree
Details here
***********************
ELSEWHERE
Leftist journalist spins like a top: "George W.Bush is now under pressure to match the debating prowess of his running mate Dick Cheney, who delivered a strong performance in a tough encounter with Democrat vice-presidential candidate John Edwards in Cleveland, Ohio, last night." So a clear Cheney win gets reported not as a win but as a problem!
I see that Keith Burgess-Jackson is threatening to write an article called "Why I am not a libertarian". I hope he mentions that there are many versions of libertarianism. Only the anarcho-capitalists -- with their desire for no state at all -- have a really definite creed but most libertarians are minimal-statists -- who want a sort of "night watchman" state. But what individual libertarians include in that minimal state is infinitely various. So a very inclusive libertarian and a very minimalist conservative could be the same thing -- which I am -- which is why I call myself a libertarian conservative. Note that Reagan said that libertarianism is the heart of conservatism -- and as the most loved conservative of the 20th century, he has some claim to authority on the matter. The thing that I add to libertarian thinking which makes me conservative is a skepticism about human wisdom and benevolence -- which in turn gives me a Burkean respect for the social systems that have evolved over time -- not particulary a respect for the ancestors but a respect for what has been shown to work well. I think Britain in the year 1900 would be close to my definition of the ideal minimal state. See my post of 5th. about that. And read this about the British Prime Minister at that time.
The Soviet candidate: "University of California employees have given more than nine times as much money to the presidential candidates this year as they did in 2000, with more than 95% of it going to Sen. John F. Kerry"
Michael Totten on the "liberal" case for Bush: "Liberation and nation-building have been crucial parts of the Democratic tradition from the reconstruction of post-war Germany and Japan to the rescue and rehabilitation of Bosnia and Kosovo. In the 1990s and early 2000s I grew accustomed to hearing conservatives scoff at Bill Clinton's efforts as "international social work." With the honorable exception of dissident neoconservatives, post-Cold War Republicans increasingly resembled their circa 1930s isolationist counterparts... The intervention against Slobo's regime in Serbia wasn't slammed as a "unilateral war." It was the Peace Corps with muscles. But when George W. Bush implemented the Clinton Administration's policy of regime-change in Iraq, democratic nation-building morphed into "imperialism." Overthrowing a totalitarian regime was deemed "reckless." What mattered most was "stability.""
The "outsourcing" myth: "Studies show that the migration of U.S. jobs overseas is a tiny factor in weak employment growth. A Labor Department study of job losses in the first three months of the year found that only 2% went overseas. Other studies have put the figure closer to 1%.... Federal Reserve Board surveys show rising medical expenses - more than 10% annually for four years running - are dampening hiring as firms worry about paying for new employees' benefits."
More Leftist "racism" accusations: "Prime Minister John Howard says Opposition Leader Mark Latham's comments on Asian immigration shows he is getting desperate on the eve of the election. The Labor leader lashed out saying that Mr Howard had walked the streets of Liverpool in the late 1980s backing an anti-Asian immigration policy. Mr Howard rejected the claims, saying Mr Latham was desperate to win. "We've run a completely non-discriminatory immigration policy," Mr Howard told the Nine Network's Today Show. "We don't discriminate against anybody in this country on the basis of their race and Mr Latham knows that".
Leftists are born thugs: "More than 50 demonstrators supporting Democrat presidential candidate John Kerry stormed a Republican campaign office in West Allis at mid-day today, trespassing, creating a disturbance through the use of a bullhorn in the office and then refusing to leave when asked.... Graber called the latest incident part of a disturbing trend of criminal conduct by anti-Bush forces in Wisconsin, pointing to an incident in Madison last week in which Bush-Cheney yard signs were stolen from the yards of three homes. The vandals then used chemicals to burn swastikas into the lawns of the homes, which were within a two-block radius of one another. In addition, reports of stolen, defaced and damaged Bush-Cheney campaign signs are surfacing throughout Wisconsin."
Australian conservatives win unionist hearts: "It was an afternoon to chill the heart of a Labor true believer as workers and capitalists united behind John Howard. In Launceston thousands of card-carrying union members hailed Comrade John as a hero of the proletariat while in Sydney the heir to Australia's biggest business fortune, James Packer, declared his support for the Prime Minister. At Launceston's Albert Hall, Mr Howard gave loggers, log-truck drivers and sawmillers the message they wanted to hear: no changes to the Regional Forest Agreement, no job losses and no inquiries. "If my Government is returned on Saturday," Mr Howard began.. "You will be," yelled one of the workers, to deafening applause. "You're the best f..king Prime Minister we've ever had," one burly timber worker declared, red-faced with emotion and delight.... As Howard walked down to the myrtle timber floor of the hall, timber workers with their wives and children lined up to shake his hand. Winnaleah logger Gene Cavins persuaded Mr Howard to sign his sweat-stained baseball cap. His mate, fellow logger and previously committed Labor voter Dale Saward, 35, of Scottsdale, said he was thinking of voting for Howard now. "You'd bloody well better," demanded another mate".
For more postings, see EDUCATION WATCH, GREENIE WATCH, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH, GUN WATCH and SOCIALIZED MEDICINE. Mirror sites here, here, here, here and here
**************************
That power only, not principles, is what matters to Leftists is perfectly shown by the Kerry campaign. They have put up a man whose policies seem to be 99% the same as George Bush's even though they have previously disagreed violently with those policies. "Whatever it takes" is their rule.
Leftism is for most Leftists a desire to sound good rather than a desire to do good
Comments? Email me or here. If there are no recent posts here blame Blogger.com and visit my mirror site here or here. My Home Page is here or here.
********************************
Leftist journalist spins like a top: "George W.Bush is now under pressure to match the debating prowess of his running mate Dick Cheney, who delivered a strong performance in a tough encounter with Democrat vice-presidential candidate John Edwards in Cleveland, Ohio, last night." So a clear Cheney win gets reported not as a win but as a problem!
I see that Keith Burgess-Jackson is threatening to write an article called "Why I am not a libertarian". I hope he mentions that there are many versions of libertarianism. Only the anarcho-capitalists -- with their desire for no state at all -- have a really definite creed but most libertarians are minimal-statists -- who want a sort of "night watchman" state. But what individual libertarians include in that minimal state is infinitely various. So a very inclusive libertarian and a very minimalist conservative could be the same thing -- which I am -- which is why I call myself a libertarian conservative. Note that Reagan said that libertarianism is the heart of conservatism -- and as the most loved conservative of the 20th century, he has some claim to authority on the matter. The thing that I add to libertarian thinking which makes me conservative is a skepticism about human wisdom and benevolence -- which in turn gives me a Burkean respect for the social systems that have evolved over time -- not particulary a respect for the ancestors but a respect for what has been shown to work well. I think Britain in the year 1900 would be close to my definition of the ideal minimal state. See my post of 5th. about that. And read this about the British Prime Minister at that time.
The Soviet candidate: "University of California employees have given more than nine times as much money to the presidential candidates this year as they did in 2000, with more than 95% of it going to Sen. John F. Kerry"
Michael Totten on the "liberal" case for Bush: "Liberation and nation-building have been crucial parts of the Democratic tradition from the reconstruction of post-war Germany and Japan to the rescue and rehabilitation of Bosnia and Kosovo. In the 1990s and early 2000s I grew accustomed to hearing conservatives scoff at Bill Clinton's efforts as "international social work." With the honorable exception of dissident neoconservatives, post-Cold War Republicans increasingly resembled their circa 1930s isolationist counterparts... The intervention against Slobo's regime in Serbia wasn't slammed as a "unilateral war." It was the Peace Corps with muscles. But when George W. Bush implemented the Clinton Administration's policy of regime-change in Iraq, democratic nation-building morphed into "imperialism." Overthrowing a totalitarian regime was deemed "reckless." What mattered most was "stability.""
The "outsourcing" myth: "Studies show that the migration of U.S. jobs overseas is a tiny factor in weak employment growth. A Labor Department study of job losses in the first three months of the year found that only 2% went overseas. Other studies have put the figure closer to 1%.... Federal Reserve Board surveys show rising medical expenses - more than 10% annually for four years running - are dampening hiring as firms worry about paying for new employees' benefits."
More Leftist "racism" accusations: "Prime Minister John Howard says Opposition Leader Mark Latham's comments on Asian immigration shows he is getting desperate on the eve of the election. The Labor leader lashed out saying that Mr Howard had walked the streets of Liverpool in the late 1980s backing an anti-Asian immigration policy. Mr Howard rejected the claims, saying Mr Latham was desperate to win. "We've run a completely non-discriminatory immigration policy," Mr Howard told the Nine Network's Today Show. "We don't discriminate against anybody in this country on the basis of their race and Mr Latham knows that".
Leftists are born thugs: "More than 50 demonstrators supporting Democrat presidential candidate John Kerry stormed a Republican campaign office in West Allis at mid-day today, trespassing, creating a disturbance through the use of a bullhorn in the office and then refusing to leave when asked.... Graber called the latest incident part of a disturbing trend of criminal conduct by anti-Bush forces in Wisconsin, pointing to an incident in Madison last week in which Bush-Cheney yard signs were stolen from the yards of three homes. The vandals then used chemicals to burn swastikas into the lawns of the homes, which were within a two-block radius of one another. In addition, reports of stolen, defaced and damaged Bush-Cheney campaign signs are surfacing throughout Wisconsin."
Australian conservatives win unionist hearts: "It was an afternoon to chill the heart of a Labor true believer as workers and capitalists united behind John Howard. In Launceston thousands of card-carrying union members hailed Comrade John as a hero of the proletariat while in Sydney the heir to Australia's biggest business fortune, James Packer, declared his support for the Prime Minister. At Launceston's Albert Hall, Mr Howard gave loggers, log-truck drivers and sawmillers the message they wanted to hear: no changes to the Regional Forest Agreement, no job losses and no inquiries. "If my Government is returned on Saturday," Mr Howard began.. "You will be," yelled one of the workers, to deafening applause. "You're the best f..king Prime Minister we've ever had," one burly timber worker declared, red-faced with emotion and delight.... As Howard walked down to the myrtle timber floor of the hall, timber workers with their wives and children lined up to shake his hand. Winnaleah logger Gene Cavins persuaded Mr Howard to sign his sweat-stained baseball cap. His mate, fellow logger and previously committed Labor voter Dale Saward, 35, of Scottsdale, said he was thinking of voting for Howard now. "You'd bloody well better," demanded another mate".
For more postings, see EDUCATION WATCH, GREENIE WATCH, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH, GUN WATCH and SOCIALIZED MEDICINE. Mirror sites here, here, here, here and here
**************************
That power only, not principles, is what matters to Leftists is perfectly shown by the Kerry campaign. They have put up a man whose policies seem to be 99% the same as George Bush's even though they have previously disagreed violently with those policies. "Whatever it takes" is their rule.
Leftism is for most Leftists a desire to sound good rather than a desire to do good
Comments? Email me or here. If there are no recent posts here blame Blogger.com and visit my mirror site here or here. My Home Page is here or here.
********************************
Thursday, October 07, 2004
THE DRAFT
Sinking a Democrat deception: "Trying to quiet fears of a return of the draft, the House Republican leadership engaged in a hasty call-up of its own on Tuesday. The Republicans brought to the floor a Democratic-sponsored proposal to reinstate mandatory military service and presided over its overwhelming defeat on a vote of 402 to 2. "We're going to put a nail in that coffin," said the House majority leader, Representative Tom DeLay of Texas. He accused Democrats of generating opposition to President Bush - especially on college campuses - by raising the idea that the draft might be re-established after the November election"
Conscription fantasies: "The Wall Street Journal reported this week that a rash of e-mails have been circulating since the spring about an alleged plan by the Bush administration to resurrect the military draft as early as next spring, provided Bush is re-elected. This is nothing more than election-year posturing. Most likely it was started by Democrats eager to take one more shot at George W. Bush and at the war in Iraq. The idea of bringing back the draft is a non-starter for everyone.... Not even a second-term Bush administration would risk bringing back the draft. To begin with, they claim the military gets a better class of soldiers from volunteers. But, more importantly, an administration that's headed mostly by men who avoided the Vietnam War and that panders to the upper classes is not about to alienate its core supporters by exposing their children to a draft when we're already at war". (More here and here).
Soldiers are NOT "the poor": "A persistent myth about the All Volunteer Force is that it is made up largely of the poor and the uneducated. In fact, Wong said, the volunteer Army is more middle class than its predecessor. "We don't have the fringes any more -- the extremely rich or the extremely poor," Wong said. "We look like Middle America.""
Milton Friedman helped end the draft by pointing out that volunteers are NOT "mercenaries": "In his testimony before the commission, Mr. Westmoreland said he did not want to command an army of mercenaries. Mr. Friedman interrupted, "General, would you rather command an army of slaves?" Mr. Westmoreland replied, "I don't like to hear our patriotic draftees referred to as slaves." Mr. Friedman then retorted, "I don't like to hear our patriotic volunteers referred to as mercenaries. If they are mercenaries, then I, sir, am a mercenary professor, and you, sir, are a mercenary general; we are served by mercenary physicians, we use a mercenary lawyer, and we get our meat from a mercenary butcher.""
*****************************
ELSEWHERE
More Democrat lies: "Army commanders denied allegations Wednesday that soldiers have been threatened with deployment to Iraq if they do not re-enlist. "It's just not being done," Lt. Col. David Johnson said. "We are a professional army. We want soldiers who want to be in the Army," he said. Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., has demanded an investigation into claims that Iraqi war veterans near the end of their enlistments had been given a choice between re-enlisting or being sent back to Iraq. Fort Carson, with about 14,000 soldiers, including the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment and the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, claims the highest re-enlistment rate in the nation"
Edwards loses: "But the most devastating blow was struck when Edwards still wouldn't give up, and came back with the 90% casualty figure. That was when Cheney, addressing Edwards as an adult admonishing a foolish child, pointed out that our most important ally in Iraq is the Iraqis, and that by refusing to include the Iraqis' many casualties in his numbers--so as to be able to claim that almost all the casualties are American--Edwards denigrates the sacrifice of our Iraqi friends.... The second knockdown was when Cheney criticized Edwards' lackluster record as a Senator, noting that he had missed 70% of the meetings of the Intelligence Committee, of which he was a member, and that his home-town paper had labeled him "Senator Gone." That was good. But the devastating conclusion was Cheney's observation that despite the fact that as Vice-President he regularly presides over the Senate, he had never met Edwards until he walked onto the stage tonight. This fact blew me away; I wouldn't have thought it possible. It blew Edwards away, too".
Outrageous judge: "A state judge Tuesday threw out a Louisiana constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, less than three weeks after it was overwhelmingly approved by the voters. District Judge William Morvant said the amendment was flawed as drawn up by the Legislature because it had more than one purpose: banning not only gay marriage but also civil unions".
Cheney BAD for Halliburton: "Halliburton's relationship with the Bush administration is beginning to prove more problematic than it is worth. The company admitted 10 days ago that it was considering selling Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR), the division carrying out billions of dollars worth of work for the US government in Iraq, in a desperate attempt to get out of the spotlight. It is considering a sale, spin-off or a separate listing for the business on the stock exchange. The company's shares have fallen from $50 when Mr Cheney first took office in the White House to the low $30s.... Mr Cheney, it turns out, may have been of little real help to Halliburton at all: KBR filed for bankruptcy earlier this year, weighed down by asbestos litigation it inherited from an acquisition the vice-president made while he was still running the firm".
Fun: "A conservative think tank says where George Soros goes, its members will follow -- at least until Election Day. The National Legal and Policy Center announced the formation of a Soros "Truth Squad" to inform the public about the background and motivation of George Soros -- a major funder of liberal, anti-Bush causes -- as he conducts a one-month speaking tour. The Soros Truth Squad, led by NLPC Policy Director John Carlisle, said it will travel to cities in the swing states of Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida, where Soros plans to give speeches between now and Nov. 2."
CBS producer Mapes is a Leftist fanatic: "Before she left Seattle to become a producer at Mr. Rather's "CBS Evening News," Ms. Mapes produced a sensational report on a killing of a drug suspect by police that rested on the shoulders of an unreliable source whose story collapsed under cross-examination. Sound familiar? Former colleagues of Ms. Mapes agree that she was a passionate practitioner of advocacy journalism. "She went into journalism to change society," says former KIRO anchorwoman Susan Hutchison"
Carnival of the Vanities is up again with a big range of select reading.
**************************
That power only, not principles, is what matters to Leftists is perfectly shown by the Kerry campaign. They have put up a man whose policies seem to be 99% the same as George Bush's even though they have previously disagreed violently with those policies. "Whatever it takes" is their rule.
Leftism is for most Leftists a desire to sound good rather than a desire to do good
Comments? Email me or here. If there are no recent posts here blame Blogger.com and visit my mirror site here or here. My Home Page is here or here.
********************************
Sinking a Democrat deception: "Trying to quiet fears of a return of the draft, the House Republican leadership engaged in a hasty call-up of its own on Tuesday. The Republicans brought to the floor a Democratic-sponsored proposal to reinstate mandatory military service and presided over its overwhelming defeat on a vote of 402 to 2. "We're going to put a nail in that coffin," said the House majority leader, Representative Tom DeLay of Texas. He accused Democrats of generating opposition to President Bush - especially on college campuses - by raising the idea that the draft might be re-established after the November election"
Conscription fantasies: "The Wall Street Journal reported this week that a rash of e-mails have been circulating since the spring about an alleged plan by the Bush administration to resurrect the military draft as early as next spring, provided Bush is re-elected. This is nothing more than election-year posturing. Most likely it was started by Democrats eager to take one more shot at George W. Bush and at the war in Iraq. The idea of bringing back the draft is a non-starter for everyone.... Not even a second-term Bush administration would risk bringing back the draft. To begin with, they claim the military gets a better class of soldiers from volunteers. But, more importantly, an administration that's headed mostly by men who avoided the Vietnam War and that panders to the upper classes is not about to alienate its core supporters by exposing their children to a draft when we're already at war". (More here and here).
Soldiers are NOT "the poor": "A persistent myth about the All Volunteer Force is that it is made up largely of the poor and the uneducated. In fact, Wong said, the volunteer Army is more middle class than its predecessor. "We don't have the fringes any more -- the extremely rich or the extremely poor," Wong said. "We look like Middle America.""
Milton Friedman helped end the draft by pointing out that volunteers are NOT "mercenaries": "In his testimony before the commission, Mr. Westmoreland said he did not want to command an army of mercenaries. Mr. Friedman interrupted, "General, would you rather command an army of slaves?" Mr. Westmoreland replied, "I don't like to hear our patriotic draftees referred to as slaves." Mr. Friedman then retorted, "I don't like to hear our patriotic volunteers referred to as mercenaries. If they are mercenaries, then I, sir, am a mercenary professor, and you, sir, are a mercenary general; we are served by mercenary physicians, we use a mercenary lawyer, and we get our meat from a mercenary butcher.""
*****************************
ELSEWHERE
More Democrat lies: "Army commanders denied allegations Wednesday that soldiers have been threatened with deployment to Iraq if they do not re-enlist. "It's just not being done," Lt. Col. David Johnson said. "We are a professional army. We want soldiers who want to be in the Army," he said. Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., has demanded an investigation into claims that Iraqi war veterans near the end of their enlistments had been given a choice between re-enlisting or being sent back to Iraq. Fort Carson, with about 14,000 soldiers, including the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment and the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, claims the highest re-enlistment rate in the nation"
Edwards loses: "But the most devastating blow was struck when Edwards still wouldn't give up, and came back with the 90% casualty figure. That was when Cheney, addressing Edwards as an adult admonishing a foolish child, pointed out that our most important ally in Iraq is the Iraqis, and that by refusing to include the Iraqis' many casualties in his numbers--so as to be able to claim that almost all the casualties are American--Edwards denigrates the sacrifice of our Iraqi friends.... The second knockdown was when Cheney criticized Edwards' lackluster record as a Senator, noting that he had missed 70% of the meetings of the Intelligence Committee, of which he was a member, and that his home-town paper had labeled him "Senator Gone." That was good. But the devastating conclusion was Cheney's observation that despite the fact that as Vice-President he regularly presides over the Senate, he had never met Edwards until he walked onto the stage tonight. This fact blew me away; I wouldn't have thought it possible. It blew Edwards away, too".
Outrageous judge: "A state judge Tuesday threw out a Louisiana constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, less than three weeks after it was overwhelmingly approved by the voters. District Judge William Morvant said the amendment was flawed as drawn up by the Legislature because it had more than one purpose: banning not only gay marriage but also civil unions".
Cheney BAD for Halliburton: "Halliburton's relationship with the Bush administration is beginning to prove more problematic than it is worth. The company admitted 10 days ago that it was considering selling Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR), the division carrying out billions of dollars worth of work for the US government in Iraq, in a desperate attempt to get out of the spotlight. It is considering a sale, spin-off or a separate listing for the business on the stock exchange. The company's shares have fallen from $50 when Mr Cheney first took office in the White House to the low $30s.... Mr Cheney, it turns out, may have been of little real help to Halliburton at all: KBR filed for bankruptcy earlier this year, weighed down by asbestos litigation it inherited from an acquisition the vice-president made while he was still running the firm".
Fun: "A conservative think tank says where George Soros goes, its members will follow -- at least until Election Day. The National Legal and Policy Center announced the formation of a Soros "Truth Squad" to inform the public about the background and motivation of George Soros -- a major funder of liberal, anti-Bush causes -- as he conducts a one-month speaking tour. The Soros Truth Squad, led by NLPC Policy Director John Carlisle, said it will travel to cities in the swing states of Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida, where Soros plans to give speeches between now and Nov. 2."
CBS producer Mapes is a Leftist fanatic: "Before she left Seattle to become a producer at Mr. Rather's "CBS Evening News," Ms. Mapes produced a sensational report on a killing of a drug suspect by police that rested on the shoulders of an unreliable source whose story collapsed under cross-examination. Sound familiar? Former colleagues of Ms. Mapes agree that she was a passionate practitioner of advocacy journalism. "She went into journalism to change society," says former KIRO anchorwoman Susan Hutchison"
Carnival of the Vanities is up again with a big range of select reading.
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That power only, not principles, is what matters to Leftists is perfectly shown by the Kerry campaign. They have put up a man whose policies seem to be 99% the same as George Bush's even though they have previously disagreed violently with those policies. "Whatever it takes" is their rule.
Leftism is for most Leftists a desire to sound good rather than a desire to do good
Comments? Email me or here. If there are no recent posts here blame Blogger.com and visit my mirror site here or here. My Home Page is here or here.
********************************
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
IMMIGRATION
Turk saner than the Swedes: "An elderly Turkish immigrant in the southern town of Malmo in Sweden co-writes an article in a Social Democratic evening paper, Aftonbladet, demanding a stop to all immigration until all immigrants, who have already arrived, are working and integrated. It should have been done long ago, he says. And considering a population of nine million, of which 12 percent are born in another country, and that 400 000-500 000 are Muslim (a very recent development), he has a point. Especially since the familiar problems of crime, gang rapes and the like are abundant in the big cities.... Suad Cicek says he and friends are planning to start a one-issue-party demanding a stop to all immigration. The logic being that the present open borders-policies are a threat to both Swedes and immigrants.... Mr. Cicek boldly claims [it] is not really a real refugee problem, but rather "welfare-immigration" caused by the rumor that you can live comfortably without working in Sweden and other European countries. And, he also stresses, the ones who come are to a large extent not that poor, since they have to pay a small fortune to refugee smugglers. The really poor and needy can't afford to come here at all".
Italy copies Australia: "Italy is to send 150 police officers to Libya, along with aircraft and infra-red tracking equipment, as a first step towards the creation of holding camps for illegal migrants passing through North Africa bound for Europe. The deal between Italy and Col Muammar Gaddafi's regime is widely seen as a pilot project for a European Union policy of processing asylum seekers before they reach EU soil. This would effectively sub-contract the job of migration control to buffer states which often have a record of harsh treatment of refugees".
Italy boots them out: "Italy has defended as an "emergency measure" its draconian new policy of airlifting illegal immigrants straight back to Libya the moment they set foot on Italian soil. In an attempt to deter further waves of illegal immigration hundreds have been sent back to Libya by air during the past four days. Italian immigration officials said at the weekend that the immigrant reception centre on the tiny island of Lampedusa, designed to hold 200 people, was "packed to bursting point" with nearly 1300 migrants from Africa, Asia and the Middle East as smugglers took advantage of fine autumn weather and calm seas. Lampedusa, a rocky Italian outcrop, is closer to North Africa than to Italy and has become a magnet for refugees and the criminal gangs who smuggle them. Under the new law, refugees landing there are taken straight to the island's small airport to be put on aircraft".
Australia boots them out too: "The Federal Government's covert Operation Long Haul - in which 31 immigration detention centre detainees considered at high risk of escape or self-harm were forcibly removed from Australia using handcuffs, batons and restraining belts - appears to have been the flight from hell.... Almost all the detainees bundled onto the charter flight were considered "extreme high risk" and some had four guards assigned to them.... One more "multi-country" operation took place in December 2001, returning 65 detainees to 14 countries, an Immigration Department spokeswoman said yesterday.... Last financial year, 3390 people were forcibly removed from Australia".
But keeping the good guys out is a cinch, of course: "The US has immediately exhausted its annual quota of temporary visas for highly skilled foreign workers this year, making it impossible to hire engineers, mathematicians, researchers and others that US companies say are critical for their competitiveness".
I wonder why they stay? "The health of immigrant children gets worse the longer they live in the United States and become more like Americans, a study has found. When they arrive, children of immigrants - legal and illegal, who are mostly from developing countries in Latin America and Asia - have lower rates of asthma and obesity than American-born children. Children born to immigrant mothers are also less likely to have low birth weights or die as infants than children born to native mothers. But those relative strengths can dissipate by the time children of immigrants become teenagers - often because they have gone years without health insurance, adopted sedentary lifestyles and bad eating habits or become sexually promiscuous. Ellen Wu, executive director of the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, said another reason was that American children tended to spend more time surfing the internet and playing video games than kicking soccer balls around."
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Turk saner than the Swedes: "An elderly Turkish immigrant in the southern town of Malmo in Sweden co-writes an article in a Social Democratic evening paper, Aftonbladet, demanding a stop to all immigration until all immigrants, who have already arrived, are working and integrated. It should have been done long ago, he says. And considering a population of nine million, of which 12 percent are born in another country, and that 400 000-500 000 are Muslim (a very recent development), he has a point. Especially since the familiar problems of crime, gang rapes and the like are abundant in the big cities.... Suad Cicek says he and friends are planning to start a one-issue-party demanding a stop to all immigration. The logic being that the present open borders-policies are a threat to both Swedes and immigrants.... Mr. Cicek boldly claims [it] is not really a real refugee problem, but rather "welfare-immigration" caused by the rumor that you can live comfortably without working in Sweden and other European countries. And, he also stresses, the ones who come are to a large extent not that poor, since they have to pay a small fortune to refugee smugglers. The really poor and needy can't afford to come here at all".
Italy copies Australia: "Italy is to send 150 police officers to Libya, along with aircraft and infra-red tracking equipment, as a first step towards the creation of holding camps for illegal migrants passing through North Africa bound for Europe. The deal between Italy and Col Muammar Gaddafi's regime is widely seen as a pilot project for a European Union policy of processing asylum seekers before they reach EU soil. This would effectively sub-contract the job of migration control to buffer states which often have a record of harsh treatment of refugees".
Italy boots them out: "Italy has defended as an "emergency measure" its draconian new policy of airlifting illegal immigrants straight back to Libya the moment they set foot on Italian soil. In an attempt to deter further waves of illegal immigration hundreds have been sent back to Libya by air during the past four days. Italian immigration officials said at the weekend that the immigrant reception centre on the tiny island of Lampedusa, designed to hold 200 people, was "packed to bursting point" with nearly 1300 migrants from Africa, Asia and the Middle East as smugglers took advantage of fine autumn weather and calm seas. Lampedusa, a rocky Italian outcrop, is closer to North Africa than to Italy and has become a magnet for refugees and the criminal gangs who smuggle them. Under the new law, refugees landing there are taken straight to the island's small airport to be put on aircraft".
Australia boots them out too: "The Federal Government's covert Operation Long Haul - in which 31 immigration detention centre detainees considered at high risk of escape or self-harm were forcibly removed from Australia using handcuffs, batons and restraining belts - appears to have been the flight from hell.... Almost all the detainees bundled onto the charter flight were considered "extreme high risk" and some had four guards assigned to them.... One more "multi-country" operation took place in December 2001, returning 65 detainees to 14 countries, an Immigration Department spokeswoman said yesterday.... Last financial year, 3390 people were forcibly removed from Australia".
But keeping the good guys out is a cinch, of course: "The US has immediately exhausted its annual quota of temporary visas for highly skilled foreign workers this year, making it impossible to hire engineers, mathematicians, researchers and others that US companies say are critical for their competitiveness".
I wonder why they stay? "The health of immigrant children gets worse the longer they live in the United States and become more like Americans, a study has found. When they arrive, children of immigrants - legal and illegal, who are mostly from developing countries in Latin America and Asia - have lower rates of asthma and obesity than American-born children. Children born to immigrant mothers are also less likely to have low birth weights or die as infants than children born to native mothers. But those relative strengths can dissipate by the time children of immigrants become teenagers - often because they have gone years without health insurance, adopted sedentary lifestyles and bad eating habits or become sexually promiscuous. Ellen Wu, executive director of the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, said another reason was that American children tended to spend more time surfing the internet and playing video games than kicking soccer balls around."
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ELSEWHERE
Dennis Prager says that John Kerry's flip-flopping is clever: It convinces even people who violently disagree with one-another that Kerry is their man.
An amusing list here of the people who support John Kerry.
New documents on Saddam's anti-Americanism: "Iraqi intelligence documents, confiscated by U.S. forces and obtained by CNSNews.com, show numerous efforts by Saddam Hussein's regime to work with some of the world's most notorious terror organizations, including al Qaeda, to target Americans. They demonstrate that Saddam's government possessed mustard gas and anthrax, both considered weapons of mass destruction, in the summer of 2000, during the period in which United Nations weapons inspectors were not present in Iraq. And the papers show that Iraq trained dozens of terrorists inside its borders".
Halliburton: "A Kerry ad implies Cheney has a financial interest in Halliburton and is profiting from the company's contracts in Iraq. The fact is, Cheney doesn't gain a penny from Halliburton's contracts, and almost certainly won't lose even if Halliburton goes bankrupt." More on the demonization of Halliburton here.
Even Michael Moore was fussier than CBS: "Michael Moore, director of the movie Farenheit 9/11, said Sunday that he was given the same phony documents used by CBS News in its infamous Sept. 8 "60 Minutes" story but that he rejected them for inclusion in his film because his staff did not believe they were authentic."
Leftist Anglicans blink: "Anglican progressives were dealt a crushing blow last night when the church's General Synod rejected a bid to allow the consecration of women bishops. After a long and impassioned debate in Fremantle, delegates at first gave in-principle support to overturning the 450-year-old tradition of male-only bishops. But in a historic vote, the bill then failed to achieve the necessary two-thirds majority in the church's three decision-making bodies - the houses of clergy, laity and bishops. The result underscored the bitter rift between conservative evangelicals, with a large support base in Sydney, and progressive elements within the church. Archbishop of Sydney Peter Jensen said that at the heart of the debate was the battle over how to evangelise a church which, on his estimation, has only 30 years of life left in it."
**************************
That power only, not principles, is what matters to Leftists is perfectly shown by the Kerry campaign. They have put up a man whose policies seem to be 99% the same as George Bush's even though they have previously disagreed violently with those policies. "Whatever it takes" is their rule.
Leftism is for most Leftists a desire to sound good rather than a desire to do good
Comments? Email me or here. If there are no recent posts here blame Blogger.com and visit my mirror site here or here. My Home Page is here or here.
********************************
Dennis Prager says that John Kerry's flip-flopping is clever: It convinces even people who violently disagree with one-another that Kerry is their man.
An amusing list here of the people who support John Kerry.
New documents on Saddam's anti-Americanism: "Iraqi intelligence documents, confiscated by U.S. forces and obtained by CNSNews.com, show numerous efforts by Saddam Hussein's regime to work with some of the world's most notorious terror organizations, including al Qaeda, to target Americans. They demonstrate that Saddam's government possessed mustard gas and anthrax, both considered weapons of mass destruction, in the summer of 2000, during the period in which United Nations weapons inspectors were not present in Iraq. And the papers show that Iraq trained dozens of terrorists inside its borders".
Halliburton: "A Kerry ad implies Cheney has a financial interest in Halliburton and is profiting from the company's contracts in Iraq. The fact is, Cheney doesn't gain a penny from Halliburton's contracts, and almost certainly won't lose even if Halliburton goes bankrupt." More on the demonization of Halliburton here.
Even Michael Moore was fussier than CBS: "Michael Moore, director of the movie Farenheit 9/11, said Sunday that he was given the same phony documents used by CBS News in its infamous Sept. 8 "60 Minutes" story but that he rejected them for inclusion in his film because his staff did not believe they were authentic."
Leftist Anglicans blink: "Anglican progressives were dealt a crushing blow last night when the church's General Synod rejected a bid to allow the consecration of women bishops. After a long and impassioned debate in Fremantle, delegates at first gave in-principle support to overturning the 450-year-old tradition of male-only bishops. But in a historic vote, the bill then failed to achieve the necessary two-thirds majority in the church's three decision-making bodies - the houses of clergy, laity and bishops. The result underscored the bitter rift between conservative evangelicals, with a large support base in Sydney, and progressive elements within the church. Archbishop of Sydney Peter Jensen said that at the heart of the debate was the battle over how to evangelise a church which, on his estimation, has only 30 years of life left in it."
**************************
That power only, not principles, is what matters to Leftists is perfectly shown by the Kerry campaign. They have put up a man whose policies seem to be 99% the same as George Bush's even though they have previously disagreed violently with those policies. "Whatever it takes" is their rule.
Leftism is for most Leftists a desire to sound good rather than a desire to do good
Comments? Email me or here. If there are no recent posts here blame Blogger.com and visit my mirror site here or here. My Home Page is here or here.
********************************
Tuesday, October 05, 2004
THE LEFTIST "COMMUNITY" MYTH
One of the commonest Leftist arguments in defence of big government (a sophisticated example here) is to say that the individual could accomplish nothing and would earn nothing without the community of which he forms part -- and that therefore he "owes" the community something. That is of course true. What is hilarious is that Leftists by some amazing feat of illogicality then immediately equate "the community" with "the government" -- which is in fact merely one part of the community, and a very parasitic part at that.
To see how parasitic, it is instructive to look at Britain in the year 1900. Britain at that time was the workshop of the world, had the world's largest navy, had an army that could muster half a million men if required (as it subsequently did in South Africa), had more effective policing than it has today, had justice and educational systems that were legendary for their quality, had a comprehensive welfare system and had extensive worker-protection legislation (principally introduced by the arch-Conservative Disraeli). So how much of the national income was spent by government at that time? 13.3%! Taxation there has since skyrocketed (government expenditures reaching 49.9% of the national income in 1984) and what have Britons got in return for all that extra tax? An army of clerks and petty dictators, principally. Clearly, Britain in 1900 shows that one can discharge one's obligations to "the community" without giving half of the national income to the government to squander.
The plain fact is that what we owe the community we DO pay and have ALWAYS paid -- by working and providing our services in exchange for services from others. And people co-operate to create goods and services with or without government involvement. And even if we agree that we owe the government some of our money for the services it provides, that in no way implies that we owe something to each and every member of the community, regardless of how much they contribute to the community.
There is, for instance, nothing inconsistent with my admitting indebtedness to the community and also saying that I owe hobos nothing. They have done nothing for me so I owe them nothing. I may give them something out of kindness but that is all. It is of course typically dreamy and simplistic Leftist thinking to see "the community" as some sort of undifferentiated whole when it is in fact anything but and when people in every day of their lives make sharp and important distinctions of all sorts between different members of it. Leftists have such rigid and simplistic brains that their discussions have always tended to lump people into large and overgeneralized groups. It used to be "the working class" versus "the bourgeoisie" and now it is mostly "gays", "women", "minorities" etc. They just can't handle or allow for individuals in their thinking. Individuals are just too messy and unruly for them. Straitjackets for all!
******************************
One of the commonest Leftist arguments in defence of big government (a sophisticated example here) is to say that the individual could accomplish nothing and would earn nothing without the community of which he forms part -- and that therefore he "owes" the community something. That is of course true. What is hilarious is that Leftists by some amazing feat of illogicality then immediately equate "the community" with "the government" -- which is in fact merely one part of the community, and a very parasitic part at that.
To see how parasitic, it is instructive to look at Britain in the year 1900. Britain at that time was the workshop of the world, had the world's largest navy, had an army that could muster half a million men if required (as it subsequently did in South Africa), had more effective policing than it has today, had justice and educational systems that were legendary for their quality, had a comprehensive welfare system and had extensive worker-protection legislation (principally introduced by the arch-Conservative Disraeli). So how much of the national income was spent by government at that time? 13.3%! Taxation there has since skyrocketed (government expenditures reaching 49.9% of the national income in 1984) and what have Britons got in return for all that extra tax? An army of clerks and petty dictators, principally. Clearly, Britain in 1900 shows that one can discharge one's obligations to "the community" without giving half of the national income to the government to squander.
The plain fact is that what we owe the community we DO pay and have ALWAYS paid -- by working and providing our services in exchange for services from others. And people co-operate to create goods and services with or without government involvement. And even if we agree that we owe the government some of our money for the services it provides, that in no way implies that we owe something to each and every member of the community, regardless of how much they contribute to the community.
There is, for instance, nothing inconsistent with my admitting indebtedness to the community and also saying that I owe hobos nothing. They have done nothing for me so I owe them nothing. I may give them something out of kindness but that is all. It is of course typically dreamy and simplistic Leftist thinking to see "the community" as some sort of undifferentiated whole when it is in fact anything but and when people in every day of their lives make sharp and important distinctions of all sorts between different members of it. Leftists have such rigid and simplistic brains that their discussions have always tended to lump people into large and overgeneralized groups. It used to be "the working class" versus "the bourgeoisie" and now it is mostly "gays", "women", "minorities" etc. They just can't handle or allow for individuals in their thinking. Individuals are just too messy and unruly for them. Straitjackets for all!
******************************
ELSEWHERE
A surprising endorsement from Taxachusetts: "Since the devastating terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, one American leader has maintained an unbending resolve to protect our homeland and interest against Islamic savages and those foreign governments appeasing them. That leader is President Bush. While out-of-touch U.S. politicians and world leaders have attacked President Bush's tactics, they can't question his steely commitment to keep America safe".
Kerry is pro-homosexual: "Sen. John Kerry's presidential campaign offers "GLBT" bumper stickers, a demonstration of his support for "gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered" activism. As WND reported, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute has declared the Edwards-Kerry presidential ticket the most "gay-supportive" in the history of the U.S.... "John Kerry believes that same-sex couples should be granted rights, including access to pensions, health insurance, family medical leave, bereavement leave, hospital visitation, survivor benefits, and other basic legal protections that all families and children need," the site proclaims. "He has supported legislation to provide domestic partners of federal employees the benefits available to spouses of federal employees. He was one of 14 senators - and the only one up for re-election in 1996 - to oppose the Defense of Marriage Act.""
Baseball Crank (Slow loading) lists 13 major issues where John Kerry has said the same as the far-Left and the Islamofascists.
Opinion Journal notes today that John Kerry has been dissed by both Poland and Iran. I have always had a soft spot for the Poles so it grieves me to see Kerry mock the Polish contribution to the Iraq war as "bribed". It is a gross insult to the heroic and very honourable Poles. No wonder the Poles are now getting tired of the whole thing.
Mark Steyn: "If I wasn't a conservative before 9/11, I'd certainly be one now. On one side I see decayed, self-absorbed passivity: citizens reduced to junkies with government as the pusher. On the other stand the gun-crazies, the religious Right, the home-schoolers, the flat-taxers and all the rest: you don't have to agree with them on everything to appreciate that, in a new war which not all of the West will survive, they have an advantage over the Swedes and Belgians. A self-reliant conservative citizenry is a better bet than the subjects of an overbearing state."
Islamic morality: "Who are we allowed to seize as hostage? Who are we allowed to kill? For the past few weeks these questions have prompted much debate throughout the Muslim world. The emerging answer to both questions is: Anyone you like!"
Catholics for Bush: "The presidential race is tightening among Roman Catholics, as national polls show President Bush cutting into Sen. John Kerry's lead among Catholic voters in recent months. The trend could help Bush in a tightening race in New Jersey, a state with 3.4 million Catholics. A poll released last week - before Thursday night's televised debate - by the Barna Research Group, which focuses on a Christian audience, showed Bush pulling ahead of Kerry among Catholic voters but it also showed Kerry gaining ground among Protestant voters".
Two of Australia's major newspapers have been sponsoring a Leftist blog run by a Chomskyite. Apparently they have become a bit embarrassed by that -- but not enough to cancel the blog concerned. They now have quite a good conservative blog up as well.
Wicked Thoughts has just put up a set of incredibly funny church announcements. The one I liked best was: "Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the back door."
For more postings, see EDUCATION WATCH, GREENIE WATCH, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH, GUN WATCH and SOCIALIZED MEDICINE. Mirror sites here, here, here, here and here
**************************
That power only, not principles, is what matters to Leftists is perfectly shown by the Kerry campaign. They have put up a man whose policies seem to be 99% the same as George Bush's even though they have previously disagreed violently with those policies. "Whatever it takes" is their rule.
Leftism is for most Leftists a desire to sound good rather than a desire to do good
Comments? Email me or here. If there are no recent posts here blame Blogger.com and visit my mirror site here or here. My Home Page is here or here.
********************************
A surprising endorsement from Taxachusetts: "Since the devastating terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, one American leader has maintained an unbending resolve to protect our homeland and interest against Islamic savages and those foreign governments appeasing them. That leader is President Bush. While out-of-touch U.S. politicians and world leaders have attacked President Bush's tactics, they can't question his steely commitment to keep America safe".
Kerry is pro-homosexual: "Sen. John Kerry's presidential campaign offers "GLBT" bumper stickers, a demonstration of his support for "gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered" activism. As WND reported, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute has declared the Edwards-Kerry presidential ticket the most "gay-supportive" in the history of the U.S.... "John Kerry believes that same-sex couples should be granted rights, including access to pensions, health insurance, family medical leave, bereavement leave, hospital visitation, survivor benefits, and other basic legal protections that all families and children need," the site proclaims. "He has supported legislation to provide domestic partners of federal employees the benefits available to spouses of federal employees. He was one of 14 senators - and the only one up for re-election in 1996 - to oppose the Defense of Marriage Act.""
Baseball Crank (Slow loading) lists 13 major issues where John Kerry has said the same as the far-Left and the Islamofascists.
Opinion Journal notes today that John Kerry has been dissed by both Poland and Iran. I have always had a soft spot for the Poles so it grieves me to see Kerry mock the Polish contribution to the Iraq war as "bribed". It is a gross insult to the heroic and very honourable Poles. No wonder the Poles are now getting tired of the whole thing.
Mark Steyn: "If I wasn't a conservative before 9/11, I'd certainly be one now. On one side I see decayed, self-absorbed passivity: citizens reduced to junkies with government as the pusher. On the other stand the gun-crazies, the religious Right, the home-schoolers, the flat-taxers and all the rest: you don't have to agree with them on everything to appreciate that, in a new war which not all of the West will survive, they have an advantage over the Swedes and Belgians. A self-reliant conservative citizenry is a better bet than the subjects of an overbearing state."
Islamic morality: "Who are we allowed to seize as hostage? Who are we allowed to kill? For the past few weeks these questions have prompted much debate throughout the Muslim world. The emerging answer to both questions is: Anyone you like!"
Catholics for Bush: "The presidential race is tightening among Roman Catholics, as national polls show President Bush cutting into Sen. John Kerry's lead among Catholic voters in recent months. The trend could help Bush in a tightening race in New Jersey, a state with 3.4 million Catholics. A poll released last week - before Thursday night's televised debate - by the Barna Research Group, which focuses on a Christian audience, showed Bush pulling ahead of Kerry among Catholic voters but it also showed Kerry gaining ground among Protestant voters".
Two of Australia's major newspapers have been sponsoring a Leftist blog run by a Chomskyite. Apparently they have become a bit embarrassed by that -- but not enough to cancel the blog concerned. They now have quite a good conservative blog up as well.
Wicked Thoughts has just put up a set of incredibly funny church announcements. The one I liked best was: "Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the back door."
For more postings, see EDUCATION WATCH, GREENIE WATCH, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH, GUN WATCH and SOCIALIZED MEDICINE. Mirror sites here, here, here, here and here
**************************
That power only, not principles, is what matters to Leftists is perfectly shown by the Kerry campaign. They have put up a man whose policies seem to be 99% the same as George Bush's even though they have previously disagreed violently with those policies. "Whatever it takes" is their rule.
Leftism is for most Leftists a desire to sound good rather than a desire to do good
Comments? Email me or here. If there are no recent posts here blame Blogger.com and visit my mirror site here or here. My Home Page is here or here.
********************************
Monday, October 04, 2004
IMMIGRATION
Illegal immigration vast: "Many residents and ranchers in southeastern Arizona say they have reached a breaking point when it comes to illegal immigration. Roughly one out of every five of the 1.1 million undocumented immigrants arrested this year crossing the border came through Cochise County, population 122,000, according to the 2000 census. A handful of locals say they are so overrun that they have taken to rounding up undocumented immigrants on their own. Others plan to show their dissent at the polls in November."
A black protest: "For years, liberal policy wonks have told us that illegal immigration is good for our economy. They sit in their high-rise think tanks in Brentwood and Century City and pontificate that the benefits of immigrants' cheap labor outweigh the price we pay to have these people here. But let's open our eyes and use common sense when assessing the costs to our communities. Crowded schools, crammed emergency rooms, high-density housing, gridlocked roadways, pollution, crime, depressed wages — are they worth the extra 50 cents we might save on a head of lettuce or a bunch of grapes? I don't think so.... Democrats want to cram more bodies into steerage, give them driver's licenses and move them toward de facto legalization to swell party ranks. Republicans want cheap labor for their factories. And who suffers? We do, the working stiffs whose taxes go to pay for all these extra people".
Hilarious solution: A majority of the Detroit City Council wants to implement an economic development plan it commissioned for $112,000 that preaches racial isolation and rails against immigration in its bid to gain economic success for poor blacks. The crux of the plan is the creation of a business district -- dubbed African Town -- that would be funded in part with city money and made up of black-owned businesses catering to a black clientele. The report also complains that immigrants from Mexico, Asia and the Middle East are stealing resources, jobs and other opportunities from blacks and calls on city leaders to stop the economic shift.
Immigration "too hard": "Wouldn't you think that a public policy issue that profoundly affects homeland security, unemployment, poverty, education, health, and the environment would be a hot-button issue in the campaign? Immigration policy is just such an issue, yet we don't hear a peep out of either camp on the subject -- except for bipartisan endorsement of amnesty for illegal immigrants. How important is immigration policy? ... Why doesn't immigration surface as a major campaign issue? Powerful political and ideological forces are in play that suppress debate sustaining the inertia of a dubious policy that has huge long-run implications for the size, composition, cohesiveness, and quality of life in America.... However, surveys indicate that recent immigrants are not as enthusiastic about continuing high levels of immigration as the politicians think. After all, the newcomers will be competitors for jobs and benefits"
The Swiss are tough: "Swiss voters have turned down plans to relax the country's strict citizenship laws, referendum results show. A proposal to ease naturalisation for foreigners brought up and educated in the country was defeated after 56.8% of voters opposed it. A separate proposal to grant automatic citizenship to the grandchildren of immigrants failed narrowly, with 51.6% voting against. Being born in the country will continue to be no guarantee of citizenship".
A good comment on the Swiss result by Trifkovic. Excerpt: "Switzerland is still today what the United States had been before 1861".
****************************
ELSEWHERE
What a silly bit of calculation: Some game-playing "scientists" have worked out that all of humanity COULD have had a common ancestor as recently as 1,500 years ago. And now people are claiming that therefore all of humanity DID have had a common ancestor as recently as 1,500 years ago! Breathtaking illogic.
Modern Democrats like old Southern Democrats: "Mr. Bush has used accountability, as well as support for vouchers for the District of Columbia, to take the moral high ground on education. The folks now blocking African-Americans at the schoolhouse door are those who support the education status quo."
What Kerry ignores: "The sanctuary of al Qaeda is drying up in Pakistan while its money sources from Saudi Arabia are under new audit. Libya has flipped. Iran is now under global examination. Syria is apprehensive. Afghanistan is free of theocracy. All this shrinks the world of the Islamic fascists, which before 9/11 was expanding."
A good question: "The level of taxation, funding and control throughout all levels of government looks like an upside down pyramid. All of the funding starts at the top (federal) and runs down to the bottom (cities and local schools). A dollar that starts at the top of this system results is a few pennies by the time it reaches the bottom. This is the hallmark of liberal thinking. Strong centralized control at the top. The very few making all of the important decisions for the many of us at the bottom. This method of government did not work for the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc countries... Why is this now an economic model Western Europeans, Canadians and the liberals of this country wish to pursue in the face of such historic failures?"
Wal-Mart and unions: "One writer pointed out that Wal-Mart opposes unionization of its workers and that Hitler and the Nazi Party destroyed labor unions. In the minds of some people, the fact that a business prefers to operate in a union-free environment is tantamount to Nazism, but it isn't. Even under our highly authoritarian National Labor Relations Act, companies are free to discourage their employees from unionizing. That law makes union representation a matter of majority vote and compels companies where a union is officially deemed to have won a majority to bargain "in good faith" with the union representatives.... It's important to note that there are many workers who do not want union representation.... But aren't unions beneficial to workers? Not always. Some workers wind up unemployed after union wage demands lead to lower employment by the company".
Contrary to my original expectations, SOCIALIZED MEDICINE seems to have become a daily blog -- so suggestions for postings there are particularly welcome. I have just received an email from another U.S. doctor which I expect to be putting up in the next day or so. The focus of the blog is on the wonders of government-run health-care everywhere but I also note the damage done to private medicine by a legal system that supports predatory litigation.
For more postings, see EDUCATION WATCH, GREENIE WATCH, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH, GUN WATCH and SOCIALIZED MEDICINE. Mirror sites here, here, here, here and here
**************************
That power only, not principles, is what matters to Leftists is perfectly shown by the Kerry campaign. They have put up a man whose policies seem to be 99% the same as George Bush's even though they have previously disagreed violently with those policies. "Whatever it takes" is their rule.
Leftism is for most Leftists a desire to sound good rather than a desire to do good
Comments? Email me here. If there are no recent posts here blame Blogger.com and visit my mirror site here or here. My Home Page is here or here.
********************************
Illegal immigration vast: "Many residents and ranchers in southeastern Arizona say they have reached a breaking point when it comes to illegal immigration. Roughly one out of every five of the 1.1 million undocumented immigrants arrested this year crossing the border came through Cochise County, population 122,000, according to the 2000 census. A handful of locals say they are so overrun that they have taken to rounding up undocumented immigrants on their own. Others plan to show their dissent at the polls in November."
A black protest: "For years, liberal policy wonks have told us that illegal immigration is good for our economy. They sit in their high-rise think tanks in Brentwood and Century City and pontificate that the benefits of immigrants' cheap labor outweigh the price we pay to have these people here. But let's open our eyes and use common sense when assessing the costs to our communities. Crowded schools, crammed emergency rooms, high-density housing, gridlocked roadways, pollution, crime, depressed wages — are they worth the extra 50 cents we might save on a head of lettuce or a bunch of grapes? I don't think so.... Democrats want to cram more bodies into steerage, give them driver's licenses and move them toward de facto legalization to swell party ranks. Republicans want cheap labor for their factories. And who suffers? We do, the working stiffs whose taxes go to pay for all these extra people".
Hilarious solution: A majority of the Detroit City Council wants to implement an economic development plan it commissioned for $112,000 that preaches racial isolation and rails against immigration in its bid to gain economic success for poor blacks. The crux of the plan is the creation of a business district -- dubbed African Town -- that would be funded in part with city money and made up of black-owned businesses catering to a black clientele. The report also complains that immigrants from Mexico, Asia and the Middle East are stealing resources, jobs and other opportunities from blacks and calls on city leaders to stop the economic shift.
Immigration "too hard": "Wouldn't you think that a public policy issue that profoundly affects homeland security, unemployment, poverty, education, health, and the environment would be a hot-button issue in the campaign? Immigration policy is just such an issue, yet we don't hear a peep out of either camp on the subject -- except for bipartisan endorsement of amnesty for illegal immigrants. How important is immigration policy? ... Why doesn't immigration surface as a major campaign issue? Powerful political and ideological forces are in play that suppress debate sustaining the inertia of a dubious policy that has huge long-run implications for the size, composition, cohesiveness, and quality of life in America.... However, surveys indicate that recent immigrants are not as enthusiastic about continuing high levels of immigration as the politicians think. After all, the newcomers will be competitors for jobs and benefits"
The Swiss are tough: "Swiss voters have turned down plans to relax the country's strict citizenship laws, referendum results show. A proposal to ease naturalisation for foreigners brought up and educated in the country was defeated after 56.8% of voters opposed it. A separate proposal to grant automatic citizenship to the grandchildren of immigrants failed narrowly, with 51.6% voting against. Being born in the country will continue to be no guarantee of citizenship".
A good comment on the Swiss result by Trifkovic. Excerpt: "Switzerland is still today what the United States had been before 1861".
****************************
ELSEWHERE
What a silly bit of calculation: Some game-playing "scientists" have worked out that all of humanity COULD have had a common ancestor as recently as 1,500 years ago. And now people are claiming that therefore all of humanity DID have had a common ancestor as recently as 1,500 years ago! Breathtaking illogic.
Modern Democrats like old Southern Democrats: "Mr. Bush has used accountability, as well as support for vouchers for the District of Columbia, to take the moral high ground on education. The folks now blocking African-Americans at the schoolhouse door are those who support the education status quo."
What Kerry ignores: "The sanctuary of al Qaeda is drying up in Pakistan while its money sources from Saudi Arabia are under new audit. Libya has flipped. Iran is now under global examination. Syria is apprehensive. Afghanistan is free of theocracy. All this shrinks the world of the Islamic fascists, which before 9/11 was expanding."
A good question: "The level of taxation, funding and control throughout all levels of government looks like an upside down pyramid. All of the funding starts at the top (federal) and runs down to the bottom (cities and local schools). A dollar that starts at the top of this system results is a few pennies by the time it reaches the bottom. This is the hallmark of liberal thinking. Strong centralized control at the top. The very few making all of the important decisions for the many of us at the bottom. This method of government did not work for the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc countries... Why is this now an economic model Western Europeans, Canadians and the liberals of this country wish to pursue in the face of such historic failures?"
Wal-Mart and unions: "One writer pointed out that Wal-Mart opposes unionization of its workers and that Hitler and the Nazi Party destroyed labor unions. In the minds of some people, the fact that a business prefers to operate in a union-free environment is tantamount to Nazism, but it isn't. Even under our highly authoritarian National Labor Relations Act, companies are free to discourage their employees from unionizing. That law makes union representation a matter of majority vote and compels companies where a union is officially deemed to have won a majority to bargain "in good faith" with the union representatives.... It's important to note that there are many workers who do not want union representation.... But aren't unions beneficial to workers? Not always. Some workers wind up unemployed after union wage demands lead to lower employment by the company".
Contrary to my original expectations, SOCIALIZED MEDICINE seems to have become a daily blog -- so suggestions for postings there are particularly welcome. I have just received an email from another U.S. doctor which I expect to be putting up in the next day or so. The focus of the blog is on the wonders of government-run health-care everywhere but I also note the damage done to private medicine by a legal system that supports predatory litigation.
For more postings, see EDUCATION WATCH, GREENIE WATCH, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH, GUN WATCH and SOCIALIZED MEDICINE. Mirror sites here, here, here, here and here
**************************
That power only, not principles, is what matters to Leftists is perfectly shown by the Kerry campaign. They have put up a man whose policies seem to be 99% the same as George Bush's even though they have previously disagreed violently with those policies. "Whatever it takes" is their rule.
Leftism is for most Leftists a desire to sound good rather than a desire to do good
Comments? Email me here. If there are no recent posts here blame Blogger.com and visit my mirror site here or here. My Home Page is here or here.
********************************
Sunday, October 03, 2004
THE U.S. PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE REVIEWED
I loved this "abbreviated" version of the Presidential debate. Very funny.
One Hundred Percenter argues that Jim Lehrer showed a liberal bias in the questions he asked during the Presidential debate.
Hugh Hewitt has a very good analysis of the debate -- with particular emphasis on two big blunders that he thinks Kerry made, about banning bunker busters and seeking global approval before acting in America's defence.
There is a list here or here of 16 "inaccuracies" that John Kerry uttered during the debate.
SCSU Scholars compares John Kerry's policies to the wimpish policies of the ancient Trojans in The Iliad who were eventually destroyed by the tougher Greeks.
Peg Kaplan (a Jewish girl with an Irish first name! My mother was a "Peg" too -- short for Margaret) has a heartfelt post about why the holocaust convinces her that Bush is the right man for America.
A relevant remark from Saint Augustine of Hippo: "Though wisdom without eloquence is of little service to states, yet eloquence without wisdom is frequently a positive injury, and is of service never." ("On Christian Doctrine" - Book IV, Argument).
***************************
AUSTRALIA
Cynical Leftist hypocrisy: "Some breathtaking promises have been made in this election campaign - Medicare Gold, the 30 per cent child-care tax rebate - but nothing tops Labor's $3.7 billion-a-year tax and family plan. It's unheard of for politicians to promise tax changes that would leave some people worse off, yet that's what Mark Latham has done. What's more, apart from some well-off single-income families, the losers are the poorest families in the nation. Not a good look from a Labor leader. But the tax changes are much more than that. On the one hand they're a huge politically motivated bribe, carefully targeted at the kind of families prevalent in marginal electorates."
Another Leftist bishop: "Australia is "hell-bent on a course of disturbingly questionable morality", the outgoing head of the Australian Anglican Church said yesterday. In what many will see as an intervention in the last week of the election campaign, church head Peter Carnley made a scathing attack on the "so-called war against terrorism" and the Government's treatment of asylum seekers".
Australia's elitist Left: "Labor's electoral base is divided between a relatively small number of new-class social professionals and a relatively large number of people in traditional working-class occupations. These two groups often hold different values on political questions, such as border control, the size of the immigration program, cultural pluralism and so on. Labor candidates in federal elections are more likely to sympathise with the social professionals' values than with those of their traditional supporters".
****************************
ELSEWHERE
Saddam and Bin Laden WERE linked: "Anyone who has actually read the report would know that the 9/11 Commission had plenty to say about the connections between al Qaeda and Iraq, but because much of its findings were beyond the scope of its charter, important details went unstated in public hearings or were buried in the minutiae of the published narrative. Virtually every reporter I have spoken to has failed to answer this basic question satisfactorily: "Have you actually read the report?" The answer is almost always a sheepish "No." Those who have only given it a cursory scan may have missed the fine-print chapter notes where explosive information about names, dates, places, and conversations concerning the Iraq-al Qaeda connection are outlined in chilling detail."
V.D. Hanson on whether support for Israel is to blame for the huge Islamic hostility towards the West: "Kuwait ethnically cleansed thousands of Palestinians and now blames us for our supposed callousness toward the West Bank. China swallowed Tibet and the world snores. By 1967 the Arab world had simply deported almost all its Jews and sent them to Israel -and few complained. The Sudanese government has killed more black Africans in a week than Israel has Palestinians in a decade, and the Arab World is silent. The first three wars between 1947-1967 were not over the West Bank. And when it is autonomous, the next one won't be either. And on and on and on"
Belmont Club has some encouraging comments about the recent recapture of an Iraqi city (Samarra) from rebels by combined U.S. and Iraqi forces. See also here for the latest.
Terrorist U.N.: "The Israel Defense Forces released video footage Friday taken by an unmanned aircraft showing what appeared to be Palestinians in the Gaza Strip loading rockets into a vehicle marked "U.N." The black-and-white footage, taken by a drone - or unmanned aircraft - flying over the Gaza Strip, showed the militants driving off in the white van, with "U.N." marked in black on its roof. The IDF is furious at the United Nations representatives in the Gaza Strip, "who continuously stress that they are an international organization and of course is not in any way involved in terrorism,""
Icelandic blogger "Willy Sutton" has a new libertarian site. He has a lot of John Stossel stuff up that everybody ought to know but which almost nobody does.
For more postings, see EDUCATION WATCH, GREENIE WATCH, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH, GUN WATCH and SOCIALIZED MEDICINE. Mirror sites here, here, here, here and here
**************************
That power only, not principles, is what matters to Leftists is perfectly shown by the Kerry campaign. They have put up a man whose policies seem to be 99% the same as George Bush's even though they have previously disagreed violently with those policies. "Whatever it takes" is their rule.
The conflict between conservatives and Leftists is not usually a conflict between realists and idealists. Mostly it is a conflict between realists and big egos who will say anything to win applause
Comments? Email me here. If there are no recent posts here blame Blogger.com and visit my mirror site here or here. My Home Page is here or here.
********************************
I loved this "abbreviated" version of the Presidential debate. Very funny.
One Hundred Percenter argues that Jim Lehrer showed a liberal bias in the questions he asked during the Presidential debate.
Hugh Hewitt has a very good analysis of the debate -- with particular emphasis on two big blunders that he thinks Kerry made, about banning bunker busters and seeking global approval before acting in America's defence.
There is a list here or here of 16 "inaccuracies" that John Kerry uttered during the debate.
SCSU Scholars compares John Kerry's policies to the wimpish policies of the ancient Trojans in The Iliad who were eventually destroyed by the tougher Greeks.
Peg Kaplan (a Jewish girl with an Irish first name! My mother was a "Peg" too -- short for Margaret) has a heartfelt post about why the holocaust convinces her that Bush is the right man for America.
A relevant remark from Saint Augustine of Hippo: "Though wisdom without eloquence is of little service to states, yet eloquence without wisdom is frequently a positive injury, and is of service never." ("On Christian Doctrine" - Book IV, Argument).
***************************
AUSTRALIA
Cynical Leftist hypocrisy: "Some breathtaking promises have been made in this election campaign - Medicare Gold, the 30 per cent child-care tax rebate - but nothing tops Labor's $3.7 billion-a-year tax and family plan. It's unheard of for politicians to promise tax changes that would leave some people worse off, yet that's what Mark Latham has done. What's more, apart from some well-off single-income families, the losers are the poorest families in the nation. Not a good look from a Labor leader. But the tax changes are much more than that. On the one hand they're a huge politically motivated bribe, carefully targeted at the kind of families prevalent in marginal electorates."
Another Leftist bishop: "Australia is "hell-bent on a course of disturbingly questionable morality", the outgoing head of the Australian Anglican Church said yesterday. In what many will see as an intervention in the last week of the election campaign, church head Peter Carnley made a scathing attack on the "so-called war against terrorism" and the Government's treatment of asylum seekers".
Australia's elitist Left: "Labor's electoral base is divided between a relatively small number of new-class social professionals and a relatively large number of people in traditional working-class occupations. These two groups often hold different values on political questions, such as border control, the size of the immigration program, cultural pluralism and so on. Labor candidates in federal elections are more likely to sympathise with the social professionals' values than with those of their traditional supporters".
****************************
ELSEWHERE
Saddam and Bin Laden WERE linked: "Anyone who has actually read the report would know that the 9/11 Commission had plenty to say about the connections between al Qaeda and Iraq, but because much of its findings were beyond the scope of its charter, important details went unstated in public hearings or were buried in the minutiae of the published narrative. Virtually every reporter I have spoken to has failed to answer this basic question satisfactorily: "Have you actually read the report?" The answer is almost always a sheepish "No." Those who have only given it a cursory scan may have missed the fine-print chapter notes where explosive information about names, dates, places, and conversations concerning the Iraq-al Qaeda connection are outlined in chilling detail."
V.D. Hanson on whether support for Israel is to blame for the huge Islamic hostility towards the West: "Kuwait ethnically cleansed thousands of Palestinians and now blames us for our supposed callousness toward the West Bank. China swallowed Tibet and the world snores. By 1967 the Arab world had simply deported almost all its Jews and sent them to Israel -and few complained. The Sudanese government has killed more black Africans in a week than Israel has Palestinians in a decade, and the Arab World is silent. The first three wars between 1947-1967 were not over the West Bank. And when it is autonomous, the next one won't be either. And on and on and on"
Belmont Club has some encouraging comments about the recent recapture of an Iraqi city (Samarra) from rebels by combined U.S. and Iraqi forces. See also here for the latest.
Terrorist U.N.: "The Israel Defense Forces released video footage Friday taken by an unmanned aircraft showing what appeared to be Palestinians in the Gaza Strip loading rockets into a vehicle marked "U.N." The black-and-white footage, taken by a drone - or unmanned aircraft - flying over the Gaza Strip, showed the militants driving off in the white van, with "U.N." marked in black on its roof. The IDF is furious at the United Nations representatives in the Gaza Strip, "who continuously stress that they are an international organization and of course is not in any way involved in terrorism,""
Icelandic blogger "Willy Sutton" has a new libertarian site. He has a lot of John Stossel stuff up that everybody ought to know but which almost nobody does.
For more postings, see EDUCATION WATCH, GREENIE WATCH, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH, GUN WATCH and SOCIALIZED MEDICINE. Mirror sites here, here, here, here and here
**************************
That power only, not principles, is what matters to Leftists is perfectly shown by the Kerry campaign. They have put up a man whose policies seem to be 99% the same as George Bush's even though they have previously disagreed violently with those policies. "Whatever it takes" is their rule.
The conflict between conservatives and Leftists is not usually a conflict between realists and idealists. Mostly it is a conflict between realists and big egos who will say anything to win applause
Comments? Email me here. If there are no recent posts here blame Blogger.com and visit my mirror site here or here. My Home Page is here or here.
********************************
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