The Leftist false gospel of self-esteem

"Blessed are the meek" certainly does not get a mention

One of the big pieces of the psychobabble industry is the promotion of "self esteem" at the expense of self control and personal responsibility. But, contrary to popular myth, self esteem is not the holy grail of psychological health. In fact, it is not necessarily even good for you, and most bullies, tyrants and other dysfunctional people fairly ooze self esteem.

Most people confuse "self-esteem" with a "sense of self". It is the latter--not the former, that is so often screwed up in the angry, violent, grandiose, and generally narcissistic people in the world. If you have a healthy "sense of self", you are likely to have a healthy self-esteem; and a healthy self-esteem is not the same at all as a high self-esteem.

The psychological defect that leads to so many problems for people in their lives is a defective or distorted sense of one's SELF. The excessive self-esteem you see in a bully comes from a distortion of reality that person develops with regard to their self. It used to be widely believed that low self-esteem was a cause of violence, but in reality, violent individuals, groups and nations happen to think very well of themselves. Do you really suppose that individuals like Ahmadinejad or the Iranian mullahs suffer from poor self-esteem? Do you think bullies like Saddam or thugs like Zawahiri had "fragile" egos as they made their way through life? And that they were simply misunderstood or had unhappy childhoods and that is what made them so bad? If only social conditions be improved and poverty eliminated then the world would not see the development of such people--or so goes the thinking, anyway.

I'm afraid not. The reality is that human nature is what it is whether you are rich or poor; or what color your skin happens to be; and without regard for the particular political structure you live in. Exaggerated self-esteem that is not based on personal achievement or responsibility is one of the hallmarks of a pathological narcissist or psychopath.

The pop-psychology that promulgated the widespread belief that if you nurture kid's self-esteem neglected to mention that if the sense of self was already damaged, all the social engineers would manage to do was to create a narcissistic monster. That is why our society is filled with the pursuit of unhealthy narcissistic gratification. In this new century, that narcissism seems to be morphing into an even more malignant sociopathy that pervades society and impacts almost all our social, political, and educational institutions.

Our cultural focus on enhancing "self-esteem" has resulted in the near-worship of emotions and feelings at the expense of reason and thought; on emphasizing "root causes" and victimhood, instead of demanding that behavior be civilized and that individuals exert self-discipline and self-control--no matter what they are "feeling".

Source. See also here. The Christian teaching is here: Matthew 5:3-5; 18:4; 23:8-12.

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The paradox of moral equivalence: "I used to believe that the world essentially divided into two types of people: those who were broadly tolerant, and those who felt threatened by differences. If only the former ruled the earth, I reasoned, the world might know some measure of peace. But there was a problem with my theory, and it was never clearer than in a conversation I had with a Pakistani friend who told me that he loathed people like George Bush who insisted on dividing the world into "us" and "them". My friend did not realise that he was in fact falling straight into the camp of people he loathed. This is a political version of a famous paradox formulated by Bertrand Russell. The stronger you insist on the necessity of tolerance, the more intolerant you become toward those who disagree. The moral lesson is that there is no such thing as unqualified tolerance; ultimately, one must be able to expound intolerance of certain ideologies without surrendering the moral high ground normally linked to tolerance."

French revolution? "Unveiling his domestic reform agenda in Paris Tuesday, Nicolas Sarkozy called for "a new social contract" for France. His proposed revision of French socialist tradition going back to Jean-Jacques Rousseau is nothing short of revolutionary. His ability to deliver will make or break his presidency. True to character, Mr. Sarkozy came out swinging. The new President declared that France's generous welfare state is "unjust" and "financially untenable," "discourages work and job creation," and "fails to bring equal opportunity." The result: France's jobless rate is the euro zone's highest. The President wants "a new social contract founded on work, merit and equal opportunity." He promised to loosen restrictions on working hours and toughen up requirements for jobless benefits, to ease hiring and firing rules and reduce incentives to retire early".

The usual military equipment bungling: "After six years at war, some Army National Guard units are still struggling with less than half the equipment they need to do their jobs at home, the top Guard general said Wednesday. He said it will take an extra $13 billion over the next five years to get them 90 percent of the gear they need. Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard, said that while Guard units heading to Iraq and Afghanistan have all the necessary equipment, all units at home are short at least 30 percent of the equipment they need."

Senate rejects measure attempting to regulate length of combat tours in Iraq: " Democrats' efforts to challenge President Bush's Iraq policies were dealt a demoralizing blow Wednesday in the Senate after they failed to scrape together enough support to guarantee troops more time at home. The 56-44 vote - four short of reaching the 60 needed to advance - all but assured that Democrats would be unable to muster the support needed to pass tough anti-war legislation by year's end. The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., was seen as the Democrats' best shot because of its pro-military premise".

Wes Clark: Petraeus told the truth: "Gen. Wes Clark was asked by Matt Stoller, a lefty blogger, about MoveOn's Betray Us ad. Clark said it was a big mistake. Clark also said Gen. Dave Petraeus told the truth. The ad was a big mistake, Clark said, "because it distracted attention from focusing on the failures of the policy and let the other side play a game of personal attack again and you know sort of outrage at that. That's a mistake. It distracted us from the dialogue we needed." Later, Clark said: "I'd say it was a mistake tactically. But I also, I know Dave Petraeus, and he's not gonna say something he thinks is incorrect, he's not gonna lie... Gen. Clark is the left's military man. Lefties might want to listen to him."

Victimhood: "In the quasi-religious cult of victimhood that is part of today's leftist dogma, "victimhood" has been identified as the key quality deserving of attention and pity. This is in part because many on the political left have an intense narcissistic need to see themselves as "champions of the oppressed", hence the constant need to find and maintain an oppressed class of people to champion. But it also dovetails nicely into the the Marxist dialectic that underlies that ideology. The world is divided up into two groups, you see: the oppressors (i.e., white, male,heterosexual, Republican, Americans or Israelis) and the oppressed (everyone else)."

For more postings from me, see TONGUE-TIED, EDUCATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL, GREENIE WATCH, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH, GUN WATCH, SOCIALIZED MEDICINE, FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC, AUSTRALIAN POLITICS, IMMIGRATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL and EYE ON BRITAIN.

List of backup or "mirror" sites here or here -- for readers in China or for everyone when blogspot is "down" or failing to update. Email me here (Hotmail address). My Home Pages are here or here or here

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"Why should the German be interested in the liberation of the Jew, if the Jew is not interested in the liberation of the German?... We recognize in Judaism, therefore, a general anti-social element of the present time... In the final analysis, the emancipation of the Jews is the emancipation of mankind from Judaism.... Indeed, in North America, the practical domination of Judaism over the Christian world has achieved as its unambiguous and normal expression that the preaching of the Gospel itself and the Christian ministry have become articles of trade... Money is the jealous god of Israel, in face of which no other god may exist". Who said that? Hitler? No. It was Karl Marx. See also here and here and here.

The Big Lie of the late 20th century was that Nazism was Rightist. It was in fact typical of the Leftism of its day. It was only to the Right of Stalin's Communism. The very word "Nazi" is a German abbreviation for "National Socialist" (Nationalsozialistisch) and the full name of Hitler's political party (translated) was "The National Socialist German Workers' Party".

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The political psychopaths of the Left

Shared hates are all that matter to them

Iran relies on the denialists and psychopaths in free nations for whom blatant antisemitism, Holocaust denial and promises of `We will finish what Hitler started,' are not enough to disqualify those purveyors of hate and bigotry from being portrayed as `helpless victims,' or `misunderstood.' In fact, all that is necessary for these moral degenerates to remain worthy of leftist love is to adopt an anti American, anti Israel and anti Semitic postures and all will be forgiven. The persecution and oppression of their own populations, the denigrations of women and children and the support of terror can all be overlooked and forgiven as long as the hate is `correctly' focused.

When all is said and done, that is why the left cares little for the Darfurese. As long as the Bashir government and Arab Janjaweed are sufficiently anti American and anti democracy, the butcher, rape and slaughter can continue. The two million dead in Sudan over the last two decades are irrelevant.

When Israel was founded in 1948, that nation was the darling of the left. Many of that country's founders were communists and socialists (that is why the first nation to cast an affirmative ballot in the UN vote for the partition of Palestine was the Soviet Union. They fully expected that Israel would be an important Soviet asset in the Middle East). When the rubber met the road however, the Israelis proved that once given a choice, people will always choose freedom over tyranny. The left was stung and hasn't gotten over their bitter disappointment. Leftist support for Israel eroded and became real hate for the Jewish state that dared embrace real democratic values. This lesson hasn't been lost by the Palestinians. Were they to adopt a truly democratic and pluralistic ideology, the left would drop them in a minute.

Much more here

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This has got to be disruptive to the Left

Bloggers have performed an invaluable function since their emergence in the media world a few years ago. Whether it is uncovering the forgery of the RatherGate documents, the fauxtography that is propaganda in the service of terrorists, revealing and publicizing the odious practice of earmarks, the bias that has corrupted the media-the quest for truth is what has driven the best of the bloggers.

Now the Washington Post joins the campaign: today the paper starts a new feature-The FactChecker, which will be focused on examining the veracity of claims made by politicians. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery as the opprobrium formerly heaped on the new media practitioners (clad in pajamas, hairy knuckles, anti-social nerds, zealots-take your pick) is transformed into unintended praise.

A nod might also go to the Fact Check.Org, a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, that has focused on reducing the level of deception and confusion in American politics.

Regardless, the new feature by the Washington Post is another example of the old media catching up with the new media. The Post is the finest general interest newspaper in America -- and though it leans liberal, it has not been turned into a propaganda sheet as has the New York Times. Whether the The FactChecker becomes a cudgle against only Republicans remains to be seen, but given the Post's generally good reputation for non-biased twisting of the news, we can look forward to some insightful commentary..

Source

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Note the last line of the following news item!: "A Queens teen was arrested yesterday after placing fliers in his teachers' mailboxes asking them to convert to Islam - then made threats once he was caught, authorities said. Yaseen Chowdhury, 17, of Woodside, wrote the fliers himself and put them in the mailboxes at the Renaissance Charter School in Jackson Heights, sources said. hen confronted there about the fliers, he made unspecified verbal threats, according to the sources. Chowdhury was charged with aggravated harassment as a hate crime. A Department of Education spokesman did not return a call seeking comment. The student's religion was not immediately known."

New WMD threat: "The Jerusalem Post notes that, in addition to the nuclear facility that was targeted by Israel and the US the other day, Syria also has a confirmed and very active chemical weapons missile production program, being run in conjunction with Iran: Proof of cooperation between Iran and Syria in the proliferation and development of weapons of mass destruction was brought to light Monday in a Jane's Defence Weekly report that dozens of Iranian engineers and 15 Syrian officers were killed in a July 23 accident in Syria. According to the report.the joint Syrian-Iranian team was attempting to mount a chemical warhead on a Scud missile when the explosion occurred, spreading lethal chemical agents, including sarin nerve gas."

Poisonous Leftist media: "Days after an al-Qaida-linked group released a video showing the body of a Luke Air Force Base fighter pilot killed in Iraq last year, his widow lashed out at the national media, accusing it of politicizing and using the images to erode public support for the war. Ginger Gilbert, making her first public comments since the video emerged last week, said Tuesday that she couldn't remain silent after watching media coverage of a "disturbing video" of the corpse, identification card and crash site of her husband, Maj. Troy Gilbert. "When media chooses to use Troy's plane crash as a political catalyst to generate anti-war sentiment, it only serves to degrade the moral integrity my husband possessed and the morale of those still selflessly serving," Gilbert said at news conference"

Empty-headed Hollywood again: "At the Emmy awards, Sally Field said: Miss Field said: "If mothers ruled the, ruled the world, there would be no [G-word] wars in the first place." Many of the soldiers fighting in Iraq are moms. How does Miss Field explain that? She cannot. All moms are not like her any more than all dads are like me. In her column this week, Michelle Malkin wrote, "Motherhood and peace-making are not synonymous. Motherhood requires ferocity, the will and resolve to protect one's own children at all costs, and a life-long commitment to sacrifice for a family's betterment and survival. Conflict avoidance is incompatible with good mothering."

For more postings from me, see TONGUE-TIED, EDUCATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL, GREENIE WATCH, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH, GUN WATCH, SOCIALIZED MEDICINE, FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC, AUSTRALIAN POLITICS, IMMIGRATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL and EYE ON BRITAIN.

List of backup or "mirror" sites here or here -- for readers in China or for everyone when blogspot is "down" or failing to update. Email me here (Hotmail address). My Home Pages are here or here or here

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"Why should the German be interested in the liberation of the Jew, if the Jew is not interested in the liberation of the German?... We recognize in Judaism, therefore, a general anti-social element of the present time... In the final analysis, the emancipation of the Jews is the emancipation of mankind from Judaism.... Indeed, in North America, the practical domination of Judaism over the Christian world has achieved as its unambiguous and normal expression that the preaching of the Gospel itself and the Christian ministry have become articles of trade... Money is the jealous god of Israel, in face of which no other god may exist". Who said that? Hitler? No. It was Karl Marx. See also here and here and here.

The Big Lie of the late 20th century was that Nazism was Rightist. It was in fact typical of the Leftism of its day. It was only to the Right of Stalin's Communism. The very word "Nazi" is a German abbreviation for "National Socialist" (Nationalsozialistisch) and the full name of Hitler's political party (translated) was "The National Socialist German Workers' Party".

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Thank goodness for clueless Lefties

Life without them would be so much less fun.... Post below lifted from Charlie Foxtrot



Since the definition of 'liberty' is 'freedom', if you sacrifice the former for the latter.....you end up right back where you started. Doh! Gotta love where the public schools are taking this country.... Maybe if he had paid more attention in American History class....if he was taught it that is...

Of course, as is pointed out by Mark Hemmingway (Hat Tip on the picture), the actual quote that this brainiac is trying to publicize is “Those who would sacrifice liberty for SECURITY deserve neither”, originally attributed to one of those arrogant dead white guys.

As Hemmingway's photo-essay demonstrates, attending a leftist rally can provide more humorous moments than most comedies coming out of Hollywood nowadays.

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More from Brookes News

Does Australia' s manufacturing decline hold a lesson for the US economy?: Australian manufacturing is now about 11 per cent of GDP, the lowest ratio in the OECD. The US economy has experienced a similar trend. However, the economic commentariat says there is nothing to worry about. But what if they are wrong? This article presents an alternative view
The US dollar v. the Chinese yuan: there' s more than meets the eye: Monetary policy has been slowly tightening in the US while rapidly expanding in China. This means that the dollar could stabilize while the yuan continues to inflate. The US could then find itself in a position where the yuan starts falling against the dollar
Why Consumer-led recoveries can be bad for economies: If the malinvestments are severe and price margins remain compressed then interest rate cuts might prove ineffectual in the short-term in bringing about an economic recovery
Iraq as Qaeda bait: The left thinks Iraq is a killing field for Americans. Actually, it is a killing field for our enemies, at a very great but vitally important sacrifice. Even malicious liberals are encouraging the enemy to go to Iraq to die. Bush was absolutely right to tell them to ' bring it on'
Being a Democrat means never having to say you' re sorry: For decades the Democrat Party has been plagued with scandals involving everything from bribery, sex, fraud, manslaughter, voting fraud and God knows what else. Yet the denizens of the media have the gall to tell their readers that the GOP is the ' Party of Corruption'
Liberalism: a toxic philosophy: Liberalism has morphed from its classic definition of favoring personal liberty and small government into a philosophy where government becomes the omnipotent force in everyone's life
The left's hierarchy of hatred: Democrats should give careful consideration as to where organizations like MoveOn.org, and its chief supporter, the anti-American George Soros, are taking them, not to mention the other lefty billionaires who funded Moveon's foul ad accusing General Petraeus of treason

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GM's Corner has a roundup of the psych bloggers.

A good video here about Jimmy Carter's war on the Jews.

That fountainhead of journalistic integrity and courage, Dan Rather, has done it again -- once again peddling faked "truth". For a comment on his attack on Boeing, see here

Palestinian Authority celebrates 9/11: "On the sixth anniversary of 9/11, the U.S.-backed Palestinian Authority continued its tradition of celebrating the attacks by publishing cartoons in its official daily that glorify Osama Bin Laden and mock American suffering."

Rent a congressman: "You bought Google at $100 and 3 years later is nearing $600 a share? Big deal. Microsoft has gone up 28-fold over the last 20 years? Yawn. You want to make the big bucks? Rent a congressman. Your return on your investment can be as high as $75 for every dollar invested. Just ask the good folks at PMA Group, a lobbying firm. They sank $1,333,074 into the campaigns last year of 3 Democratic members of the House defense appropriations subcommittee and walked away with $100.5 million in defense earmarks for PMA clients, Roll Call reported. That means for every buck they spent, their clients got back $75.39. In less than 1 year."

Greenspan clarifies Iraq war, oil link: "Clarifying a controversial comment in his new memoir, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said he told the White House before the Iraq war that removing Saddam Hussein was "essential" to secure world oil supplies, according to an interview published on Monday. Greenspan, who wrote in his memoir that "the Iraq War is largely about oil," said in a Washington Post interview that while securing global oil supplies was "not the administration's motive," he had presented the White House before the 2003 invasion with the case for why removing the then-Iraqi leader was important for the global economy. "I was not saying that that's the administration's motive," Greenspan said in the interview conducted on Saturday. "I'm just saying that if somebody asked me, 'Are we fortunate in taking out Saddam?' I would say it was essential."

For more postings from me, see TONGUE-TIED, EDUCATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL, GREENIE WATCH, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH, GUN WATCH, SOCIALIZED MEDICINE, FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC, AUSTRALIAN POLITICS, IMMIGRATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL and EYE ON BRITAIN.

List of backup or "mirror" sites here or here -- for readers in China or for everyone when blogspot is "down" or failing to update. Email me here (Hotmail address). My Home Pages are here or here or here

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"Why should the German be interested in the liberation of the Jew, if the Jew is not interested in the liberation of the German?... We recognize in Judaism, therefore, a general anti-social element of the present time... In the final analysis, the emancipation of the Jews is the emancipation of mankind from Judaism.... Indeed, in North America, the practical domination of Judaism over the Christian world has achieved as its unambiguous and normal expression that the preaching of the Gospel itself and the Christian ministry have become articles of trade... Money is the jealous god of Israel, in face of which no other god may exist". Who said that? Hitler? No. It was Karl Marx. See also here and here and here.

The Big Lie of the late 20th century was that Nazism was Rightist. It was in fact typical of the Leftism of its day. It was only to the Right of Stalin's Communism. The very word "Nazi" is a German abbreviation for "National Socialist" (Nationalsozialistisch) and the full name of Hitler's political party (translated) was "The National Socialist German Workers' Party".

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Why Fred Thompson?

Nobody is more surprised to see former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson in the 2008 race for the White House than Fred Thompson himself. At age 64, with a successful acting career, a stable financial future, a second chance at family life, a bright beautiful young wife and two small children, running for President of the United States was likely not on his list of things to do.

That's before the conservative core of the Republican Party drafted him. Fed up with out of control federal spending, deteriorating individual liberties, a lack-luster national defense and the growing tolerance for leftist notions exhibited by the current crop of "moderates" busy running their GOP into the ground, conservatives passed on all RNC panderers and drafted their own presidential candidate.

Why Fred Thompson? I could run down the list of conservative votes that make up his two term senate career, but others have already done that. I could talk about his down home southern charm, his good ole boy nature, his face and name recognition as a result of a life filled with personal accomplishments or even talk about those red pickup truck campaign stops reminiscent of much simpler days. But you already know these things.

Unlike all other candidates, it's hard to find someone with anything bad to say about Thompson, someone besides his political challengers of course. In a fever to find trash on Thompson somewhere, the Democrat war room tracked down every girl he ever dated between his two marriages, looking for dirt. When every woman who ever knew Thompson had only praise for what a kind, gentle natured southern gentleman he really is, Democrats knew they had a real problem on their hands. Even his ex's still like him? Never seen that before.

All of these reasons are true and valid. They all mean something. But there is an even bigger reason why Fred Thompson is the likely winner in 2008, a reason few political analysts can comprehend.

On the campaign trail this week, Thompson was asked why he was not participating in the Values Voter debate in Fort Lauderdale on Monday. In typical Thompson form, he responded, "Debates are important, but let's don't let the tail wag the dog here. Standing up there 10 in a row, you know, like a bunch of seals waiting for someone to throw you the next fish is not necessarily the best way to impart your information to the American people," Thompson said. "I'm not above acting like a seal every once in a while and waiting for the next fish. I just don't want to do it all the time."

And that's why Fred Thompson could be the right man with the right stuff for 2008!

Atop the list of many disappointments in our federal government today is the clear message that nobody in Washington DC has the least bit of common sense or honesty about them. Okay, let's say a few do, but so few that they aren't worth counting. Modern politicians are just career politicians. They aren't the pillars of our communities anymore and I don't care which political party you're trying to blindly defend.

Washington is full of career liars and every American knows it. Now, the average American voter can not always detect a lie when it's told by a really good liar and let's face it, our nation's best liars aren't reading scripts in Hollywood, our village idiots are. Our best liars are reading campaign cue cards in Washington DC.

The people may not always catch the lie as it's told by the best liars in the business. But Americans inherently know the truth when they see it or hear it and that's what they seem to like about Fred Thompson.

There isn't a single American who wouldn't describe modern campaign debates the same way Fred did, or feel about them just as he does, as a result. But what politician has the nerve to say it out loud for God and the whole world to hear? Besides Thompson I mean. I was starting to wonder if I was the only American who noticed what a ridiculous scam the alphabet network debates had become.

Much more here

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Brookes News Update

The US economy: is a recession on the way?: A number of economists are predicting an imminent recession. But one must be cautious about such predictions. One should not forget that it is manufacturing that first feels the impact of a recession - even when money is not particularly tight. So never underestimate the power of money
Central banks panic as credit crunch looms: It looks like central banks are panicking again as they pour more liquidity (funny money) into their respective banking systems. I don't know how long this policy of fuelling inflation can continue, but sooner or later the party is going to be over
Greens wage war against the car: Eventually every green attacks capitalism - and the car is a triumphant monument to the success of capitalism in serving the masses. Is this why cars cause our social engineers, would-planners and environmentalists such anguish?
Guardian' journalists defend murder and mass torture: Leftwing journalists from the equally leftwing Guardian defend the sadistic Che Guevara
The Never-Never Declaration - An APEC reality check: The APEC Declaration was a clear signal that most APEC nations are not going to swallow the pseudo-science and economic poison being peddled by Dark Greens from yesterday's states like Europe and New Zealand
Iraq war and Mike Steketee: another lying journalist: Mike Steketee, a Murdoch journalist, seems to be praying for a terrorist victory in Iraq. This man is so far left in his hatred of President Bush that he blames him for the mad mullahs in Iraq and accuses him 'spawning more terrorism`. The thought that terrorists might terrorism be responsible for terrorism was apparently too awful for him to contemplate
It's them vs. us. Everywhere!: There was a time when everyone knew who the enemy was. My father and uncles fought in World War II and they knew who the bad guys were. They also knew that they, as individuals, and we, as a nation, had to sacrifice many things and many comforts in order to do what had to be done to end that savage world war
I don't dislike Democrats, I oppose the progressive-left - The Fifth Column: Most Progressive-Democrats are Green and even Socialist or Communist, most are not. Where mainstream Democrats and Republicans are concerned, we, as thoughtful Americans, have much in common.
Tariff-costs, victims and jobs: Having lost the intellectual battle against free trade the likes of Steketee have now turned to what they think is the human cost of lowering tariffs

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Another Federal Court that gets it: "Saying its role was not to criticize US policy towards Israel, an American federal appeals court dismissed a lawsuit on Monday charging that Caterpillar bulldozers aided killing and torture in the Palestinian territories. Relatives of 16 Palestinians and one American killed or injured by Israeli demolitions sued the heavy construction machine manufacturer. They alleged that by selling bulldozers used to demolish Palestinian homes, Caterpillar was responsible for war crimes, cruel and inhumane punishment and other violations. The US government paid for the bulldozers, which were transferred to the Israel Defense Forces. The IDF sometimes uses engineering vehicles in operations aimed at curbing Palestinian militant activity. A lower court dismissed the suit and the San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals backed that decision, saying that to render a judgment on the matter would interfere with American foreign policy."

For more postings from me, see TONGUE-TIED, EDUCATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL, GREENIE WATCH, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH, GUN WATCH, SOCIALIZED MEDICINE, FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC, AUSTRALIAN POLITICS, IMMIGRATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL and EYE ON BRITAIN.

List of backup or "mirror" sites here or here -- for readers in China or for everyone when blogspot is "down" or failing to update. Email me here (Hotmail address). My Home Pages are here or here or here

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"Why should the German be interested in the liberation of the Jew, if the Jew is not interested in the liberation of the German?... We recognize in Judaism, therefore, a general anti-social element of the present time... In the final analysis, the emancipation of the Jews is the emancipation of mankind from Judaism.... Indeed, in North America, the practical domination of Judaism over the Christian world has achieved as its unambiguous and normal expression that the preaching of the Gospel itself and the Christian ministry have become articles of trade... Money is the jealous god of Israel, in face of which no other god may exist". Who said that? Hitler? No. It was Karl Marx. See also here and here and here.

The Big Lie of the late 20th century was that Nazism was Rightist. It was in fact typical of the Leftism of its day. It was only to the Right of Stalin's Communism. The very word "Nazi" is a German abbreviation for "National Socialist" (Nationalsozialistisch) and the full name of Hitler's political party (translated) was "The National Socialist German Workers' Party".

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Victorian capitalism unfairly maligned

The plight of child labourers in Victorian Britain is not usually considered to have been a happy one. Writers such as Charles Dickens painted a grim picture of the hardships suffered by young people in the mills, factories and workhouses of the Industrial Revolution. But an official report into the treatment of working children in the 1840s, made available online yesterday for the first time, suggests the situation was not so bad after all.

The frank accounts emerged in interviews with dozens of youngsters conducted for the Children's Employment Commission. The commission was set up by Lord Ashley in 1840 to support his campaign for reducing the working hours of women and children.

Surprisingly, a number of the children interviewed did not complain about their lot -- even though they were questioned away from their workplace and the scrutinising eyes of their employers.

Sub-commissioner Frederick Roper noted in his 1841 investigation of pre-independence Dublin's pin-making establishments: "Notwithstanding their evident poverty ... there is in their countenances an appearance of good health and much cheerfulness."

A report on workers at a factory in Belfast found a 14-year-old boy who earned four shillings a week "would rather be doing something better ... but does not dislike his current employment". The report concluded: "I find all in this factory able to read, and nearly all to write. They are orderly, appear to be well-behaved, and to be very contented."

Source

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Cartoonist to al-Qaeda: Bite me: "I have not been following the latest controversy closely but Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks pissed off al-Qaeda by drawing Mohammed as a dog. Hey, change it to a cross, put it in a urinal and you can get a grant from the U.S. government. This week's No. 1 in al-Qaeda in Iraq placed a 50,000 pounds bounty on his head. The offer is 75,000 if his throat is cut. Vilks told the Times of London: "I suppose that this makes my art project a bit more serious. It is also good to know how much one is worth." Vilks also said: "We must not give in. I'm starting to grow old. I could die at any time - it's not a catastrophe." Where is the outrage from Amnesty International over the throat-cutting? The ACLU? The Democratic Party? Oh wait, the Democrats cannot even stand up to its suicidal wing at Move On. Pretty sad when a Swedish cartoonist shows more spine than half our Senate."

Iraqi Army stops suicide bomber: "Some good news from the Multi-National Force in Mosul: Iraqi soldiers stopped a suicide bomber. They shouted at the suspect, fired warning shots and watched as he blew himself up. Thanks for playing. Enjoy the 72 virgins. Also Iraqi Security Forces raided an IED factory and seized some black market oil tankers, fully loaded. It is pathetic that 4 years after the war, the Iraqis finally are securing their own land. I thought when we handed over the reins of the government to them on June 28, 2004, that they would step up. But what is more pathetic is that you are reading this as an Army press release on a blog. Shouldn't AP or AFP or Reuters be following this?"

Empty vessel gets antisemitic adviser: "Concerns have been raised among Israel supporters following the appointment of a controversial veteran political advisor by Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. Last week, Obama introduced Zbigniew Brzezinski as "one of our most outstanding thinkers" during a policy speech on the Iraq war. Brzezinski, selected by Obama to advise him on foreign policy affairs, has taken a highly critical stance towards Israel in the past, and has defended an academic attack on the American Jewish lobby which has been branded by some as being anti-Semitic. He has previously served as a national security advisor to President Jimmy Carter." [Brzezinski is a Pole and antisemitism seems to be endemic in Poland]

Saudi cleric denounces bin Laden: "In a major blow to the ideology of Osama Bin Laden and his followers in the Kingdom, Sheikh Salman ibn Fahad Al-Oudah, a popular Saudi religious scholar, has criticized the way in which Bin Laden has ruined Islam's global image. "We as scholars of Islam reject what Osama does," Al-Oudah wrote in an open letter posted on his website www.islamtoday.com. Al-Oudah also questioned the validity of Al-Qaeda using violence. "What have we gained from the destruction of a whole country such as Iraq and Afghanistan?" Al-Oudah said, adding that these wars have led to civil wars in the region. "Who benefits from turning countries like Saudi Arabia, Algeria, and Morocco into insecure places?" he asked. Many experts considered the letter as a major setback to Al-Qaeda's ideology, as it comes from an influential Saudi scholar, who is not part of the official religious establishment."

Masochistic lefties: "As the unidentified woman is pushed away by a riot-gear protected officer, there is a big smile in her face. She is delighted to be escorted away. Gives her the victim status. Some people on the left are so screwed up that the only way they validate themselves is by getting arrested. It is weird. But that was my take on the photo that accompanied today's story in the New York Times, "Antiwar Protest Ends With Dozens of Arrests." By "dozens," the Times means 189. The left gets all sorts of discounts from the Times. This "protest" is an extension of some anti-authoritarianism that holds that all crinminals are victims, that all cops are pigs and all laws are unconstitutional. Only an affluent society can afford to have such self-indulgent anarchists."

John Kerry has renamed his yacht: "If you thought Scaramouche was a pretentious name for Sen. John Forbes Kerry to give his 42-foot Nantucket gigolo boat, he's gone and topped himself. Liveshot has scuttled the name Scaramouche and rechristened it . . . Let It Be... The Scaramouche, a Hinckley power boat that gets less than one mile per gallon of fuel, was just another boytoy toy Mama T bought him in 2002 with money from her first husband's trust fund. Being John Kerry, he probably decided on the name Scaramouche without doing any research beyond hearing the Queen tune on an oldies radio station. Later on, everybody checked out the real definition of Scaramouche. Here's one from "Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable": "A stock character in Italian farce. . . . A braggart and a fool, very valiant in words, but a poltroon." From "Benet's Reader's Encyclopedia": "A braggart soldier." Well, Liveshot, if the Docksider fits. . ."

Theory trumps reality for the Left: "The Left today mostly despise real individuals, especially successful ones. They prefer fancy dress faux rebels who attack easy targets that won't hit back. They seem to like individuality as long as it's approved by the group. Sadly for the saviours of the working class, real individuals surprizingly don't have to be pre-proscribed Central Casting clones and irritating twerps. Frankly, the Leftist idea of diversity mostly works out to be the opposite of diversity.... But aye, there's the rub, boyo. They're enchanted with a theory, not reality."

There is a big new lot of postings by Chris Brand just up -- on his usual vastly incorrect themes of race and IQ.

For more postings from me, see TONGUE-TIED, EDUCATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL, GREENIE WATCH, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH, GUN WATCH, SOCIALIZED MEDICINE, FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC, AUSTRALIAN POLITICS, IMMIGRATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL and EYE ON BRITAIN.

List of backup or "mirror" sites here or here -- for readers in China or for everyone when blogspot is "down" or failing to update. Email me here (Hotmail address). My Home Pages are here or here or here

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"Why should the German be interested in the liberation of the Jew, if the Jew is not interested in the liberation of the German?... We recognize in Judaism, therefore, a general anti-social element of the present time... In the final analysis, the emancipation of the Jews is the emancipation of mankind from Judaism.... Indeed, in North America, the practical domination of Judaism over the Christian world has achieved as its unambiguous and normal expression that the preaching of the Gospel itself and the Christian ministry have become articles of trade... Money is the jealous god of Israel, in face of which no other god may exist". Who said that? Hitler? No. It was Karl Marx. See also here and here and here.

The Big Lie of the late 20th century was that Nazism was Rightist. It was in fact typical of the Leftism of its day. It was only to the Right of Stalin's Communism. The very word "Nazi" is a German abbreviation for "National Socialist" (Nationalsozialistisch) and the full name of Hitler's political party (translated) was "The National Socialist German Workers' Party".

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Europe: New Converts Quick to Adopt Terrorism

Hostile young Europeans who would once have joined Leftist terrorist groups like the Red Army Faction, are now finding Islam as a convenient cloak for their aggressive impulses

Religious converts are playing an increasingly influential role in Islamic militant networks, having transformed themselves in recent years from curiosities to key players in terrorist cells in Europe, according to counterterrorism officials and analysts. The arrests this month of two German converts to Islam -- Fritz Gelowicz and Daniel Schneider -- on suspicions that they were plotting to bomb American targets are just one example of terrorism cases in Europe in which converts to Islam have figured prominently.

In Copenhagen, a convert is among four defendants who went on trial this month for plotting to blow up political targets. In Sweden, a webmaster who changed his name from Ralf Wadman to Abu Usama el-Swede was arrested last year on suspicion of recruiting fighters on the Internet. In Britain, three converts -- including the son of a British politician -- are awaiting trial on charges of participating in last year's transatlantic airline plot.

"The number of converts, it seems, is definitely on the rise," said Michael Taarnby, a terrorism researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies. "We've reached a point where I think al-Qaeda and other groups recognize the value of converts, not just from an operational viewpoint but from a cultural one as well." ....

Religious converts are sometimes more prone to radicalization because of their zeal to prove their newfound faith, analysts said. They are also less likely to attract police scrutiny in Europe, where investigators often rely on outdated demographic profiles in terrorism cases.

Source

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ELSEWHERE

The Muslim War Against al-Qaeda Is On: "Lots of people in America keep wondering when Muslims will stand up and denounce al-Qaeda and their Islamo Fascists ways. A lot of people wonder if we are in this War on Terror alone, trying to make Muslims act responsibly, they claim to not see Muslims wanting to act responsibly. Clearly they are not focused on Iraq where Sunnis there have thrown off the bloody jackboot of al-Qaeda and are now openly fighting them - claiming al-Qaeda is the enemy of Allah and swearing on The Koran to destroy al-Qaeda. There is no stronger indication the Muslim war for the heart of Islam is now on and we need to support the side fighting al-Qaeda.

FREDeralism!: "If elected, would today's GOP candidates be Bush Republicans or Reagan Republicans? Romney, McCain, and Giuliani talk about cutting federal 'waste' and 'pork.' But the problem with the $2.8 trillion federal budget is not $30 billion in pork, it is $2 trillion of spending that violates the 10th Amendment to the Constitution as properly the responsibility of the states and the people. What about presidential candidate Ron Paul? Paul is certainly a strong believer in the 10th Amendment, but he has been mainly occupied by the war in Iraq and hasn't focused his campaign on cutting domestic spending. That's why I'm pleased that Fred Thompson has thrown his hat into the ring."

America's "poor": "On average, poor people who live in either apartments or in houses are not crowded and actually have more living space than the average person living in European countries, such as France, Italy or England. Also, a lot of people believe that poor people are malnourished. But in fact when you look at the average nutriment intake of poor children, it is virtually indistinguishable from upper-middle-class children. In fact, poor kids by the time they reach age 18 or 19 are taller and heavier than the average middle-class teenagers in the 1950s at the time of Elvis. And the boys, when they reach 18, are a full one inch taller and 10 pounds heavier than the GIs storming the beaches of Normandy. It's pretty hard to accomplish that if you are facing chronic food shortages throughout your life. .since the beginning of the War on Poverty the politically correct thing to do is to just exaggerate the amount of poverty that exists in the United States as a way of encouraging more welfare spending."

Episcopal church self-destructs: "The Episcopal Church is on the verge of a mass exodus if it doesn't repent of its approval of homosexual relationships, warn the leaders of three dioceses that signaled their intent this week to leave the 2 million-member denomination. The dioceses of Fort Worth, Pittsburgh and Quincy, Ill., have stated that if they don't receive assurances by Sept. 30 that the House of Bishops will reject the consecration of bishops living in a same-sex relationship and same-sex blessings, they are prepared to cut themselves off from the Episcopal Church in the USA.... Noting a trend that has developed over more than three decades, Webb said the denomination "has moved so far away from Scripture, Christian tradition and reason that many faithful Christians feel that they can no longer stay within the Episcopal Church and be faithful."

Light rail doesn't work: "I have always loved trains, and if light-rail transit worked, I would be the first to support it. So it is with some dismay that I review the sorry record of transit in Canadian and U.S. cities that have built light-rail lines. For the most part, light rail has increased congestion, harmed transit riders, and wasted taxpayers' money. Even so, there seems to be a consensus among politicians of all stripes in Ottawa that light rail is necessary, and the only debate left is how to implement it. But let's look at what light rail can and cannot do."

Eminent domain abuse penalized in Connecticut: "A six-member civil jury, deliberating less than a day, found the town of Branford wrongly seized the 77-acre Tabor parcel by eminent domain in January, 2004. It directed the town to pay $12.4 million to New England Estates, a developer who had an option to build condominiums on the site. In July, Superior Court Judge William T. Cremins, Jr., who decided the value of the land at an earlier bench trial ordered the town to pay the owners, Thomas Santa Barbara, Jr. and Frank Perrotti, Jr., $4.6 million. In addition to awarding NEE $12.4 million in lost profits and investment costs, the jury also awarded Santa Barbara and Perrotti $340,000 for fees they would have earned had the developer's option to buy the land for $4.7 million taken place."

Let geekdom ring: "Do you know that feeling of instant camaraderie you get when another person shares a deep passion of yours? You may not even know their real name or age or where they live but to you, the shared characteristic speaks volumes about their soul. I feel an immediate kinship with someone if I find out they are a libertarian, or if they're a Celtics fan, or if they have ever owned a Commodore Amiga. The first two are obvious signs of good taste, strong values, and a sense of history. But who on Earth is Amiga, how did she ever rise to the rank of Commodore, and how can someone own her?" [As a libertarian who STILL owns a couple of working Commodore Amigas, I like the sound of this guy]

For more postings from me, see TONGUE-TIED, EDUCATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL, GREENIE WATCH, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH, GUN WATCH, SOCIALIZED MEDICINE, FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC, AUSTRALIAN POLITICS, IMMIGRATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL and EYE ON BRITAIN.

List of backup or "mirror" sites here or here -- for readers in China or for everyone when blogspot is "down" or failing to update. Email me here (Hotmail address). My Home Pages are here or here or here

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"Why should the German be interested in the liberation of the Jew, if the Jew is not interested in the liberation of the German?... We recognize in Judaism, therefore, a general anti-social element of the present time... In the final analysis, the emancipation of the Jews is the emancipation of mankind from Judaism.... Indeed, in North America, the practical domination of Judaism over the Christian world has achieved as its unambiguous and normal expression that the preaching of the Gospel itself and the Christian ministry have become articles of trade... Money is the jealous god of Israel, in face of which no other god may exist". Who said that? Hitler? No. It was Karl Marx. See also here and here and here.

The Big Lie of the late 20th century was that Nazism was Rightist. It was in fact typical of the Leftism of its day. It was only to the Right of Stalin's Communism. The very word "Nazi" is a German abbreviation for "National Socialist" (Nationalsozialistisch) and the full name of Hitler's political party (translated) was "The National Socialist German Workers' Party".

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DAVID BROOKS ON IQ

David Brooks is one of the better columnists in the NYT (not of itself a great compliment). He does show respect for the facts most of the time. And his latest article on IQ is no exception (See also here). He does mention most of the salient findings from IQ research. Following his paper's real motto, however -- "all the news that's fit to slant" -- he exaggerates the uncertainties in that research. In so doing, he is following a long Leftist tradition that emerged in the '60s -- playing down the importance of IQ. There are few things more determinative of your success at achieving your goals in life than your IQ but that offends against the Leftist dogma that we are all equal and that we can all be "moulded" into whatever Leftists want us to be. And the fact that blacks have in general very low IQs (with some notable exceptions, of course) is "racist".

So a few comments on what he says: Firstly, he repeats the old saw that we don't really know what IQ is and that IQ is simply what IQ tests measure. Psychologists themselves sometimes say that but they do so mainly for PR reasons. It is perfectly plain what IQ tests measure: General problem solving ability -- or 'g', as it is mostly referred to in the academic literature. That the ability to solve one problem generalizes strongly (but not perfectly) to ability to solve many different sorts of problem is the basic finding underlying all IQ research.

Brooks also says: "A meta-analysis by Bernie Devlin of the University of Pittsburgh found that genes account for about 48 percent of the differences in I.Q. scores". I suppose one should be glad that the role of genetics in IQ gets a mention at all but Brooks seems to have picked the lowest estimate there is. An estimate of around 65% would be more representative of the findings over the last 100 years. I am not familiar with the Devlin study but the claim that it is a meta-analysis immediately induces cynicism in me. A meta-analyis is supposed to summarize ALL the available evidence on a question. In Leftist hands, however, a meta-analysis can summarize only that evidence which suits Leftists. See e.g. here.

Brooks then mentions the Flynn effect: That average IQs rose throughout the 20th centuary. This did puzzle psychologists for a while and it seems likely that many aspects of modernization played some role. Nutrition improved in most places over that period and nutrition can account for about 5 IQ points. Perinatal care improved (wider use of obstetricians etc.), thus avoiding damage to the fetal and newborn brain. But there is now fairly widespread agreement that improved test sophistication was the major factor. The 20th century saw a huge rise in the number of years that kids spent in the educational system and the educational system has generally featured a lot of testing. So good test-taking strategies were fostered and that helped with doing IQ tests too. But the rise in IQ scores now seems to have peaked in most Western countries so most of the barriers to people realizing their full genetic potential would now seem to have been removed and average levels of IQ should be fairly stable from now on. Interestingly, black IQ improved at roughly the same rate as white IQ but the black/white gap remains the same -- though there is some suggestion that it may have widened.

Brooks then goes on to mention the Turkheimer studies -- which found reduced heritability for IQ among poor U.S. blacks. The same result is not found in Britain but it would seem to show that genetic potential may be poorly realized under the very adverse environmental conditions that prevail in some black U.S. single-parent families. Brooks says that the Turkheimer studies show that "I.Q. can also be powerfully affected by environment". Indeed it can -- if the environment is adverse enough -- but it still remains that for most of us, it is our genetics that make us what we are.

Brooks then mentions the "multiple intelligences" theory. This is in fact a theory that goes back to the origins of IQ research about 100 years ago. And the finding then, as now, is that intelligence can indeed be divided into separate subject areas (mechanical ability, verbal ability, mathematical ability etc) but those "inteligences" still correlate highly. There are many cases where it is not so, of course, but people who are good in (say) verbal ability will also in general tend to do fairly well in mechanical ability. My skills, for instance, are predominantly verbal but I used to do my own mechanical repairs in my youth and I have taught statistics at university level. I actually rather hate anything mathematical but my general abilities got me where I needed to go in statistics. Interestingly enough, my son is a mathematician! The genetics were obviously there.

There are some psychologists, such as Gardner who claim to find a variety of different "intelligences" which do not correlate well with one-another. There is a very clear and simple demolition of the whole Gardner theory here -- which points out that the Gardner theory not only ignores the data but that its criteria for calling something "an intelligence" are so loose that sense of humour, sense of smell, musical ability, athletic ability etc could all be called "intelligences". By adopting similar rules I could say that all cats, dogs and horses are birds -- but that would still not make them so. See also my previous comments on the similar Sternberg theory.

Brooks concludes that scientists these days talk mostly about specific abilities rather than general ability and he is quite right about that. He forgets to mention, however, the fact that the vast political incorrectness of the IQ concept is the main reason behind that.

Finally, here is just one recent example of how widely helpful a high IQ can be. A toddler who has been reading since age 3 certainly has a very high IQ.

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ELSEWHERE

I pointed out recently (Scroll down) some of the illogicalities in a "study" of Left/Right brain processes. A new article on the same topic by William Saletan goes into more detail.

A droll comment from Don Surber's news roundup: "TUESDAY: Fred Thompson declared if elected, he'll play more Johnny Cash at the White House. My request: "One Piece At A Time." John Edwards countered by saying if elected, he'll play more of whatever music his wife says is OK".

The "slavery" card again -- in black on black crime: "The attorney for a suspect accused of killing a pregnant Jackson woman is expected to ask a judge for leniency, because the defendant is a descendant of slaves, according to an area newspaper. Carla Hughes, a former Jackson Public School teacher, is charged with murder in the slaying of Avis Banks and her unborn child. Banks was shot and stabbed to death in November 2006. Authorities said her body was found by her fiance, Keyon Pittman, in the garage of their home.

The Pakistan problem: "If you want to understand why we're having a tough time winning the war on terror, this survey is an excellent place to begin. Al Qaeda and the Taliban now have what amounts to a safe haven in Northwest Pakistan. From that safe haven, and with an unending supply of Pakistani recruits, the Taliban prosecutes the war in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, al-Qaeda uses its Pakistani haven to train and organize European terrorists, and to manage its worldwide network. The United States cannot attack these safe havens, because such an attack might bring down Musharraf and turn a nuclear Pakistan into an al-Qaeda controlled state. So the beating heart of the war on terror goes on beating because, at root, the Pakistani people will not tolerate the destruction of al-Qaeda or the Taliban."

Left attack on Petraeus poses problem for Dems, says Susan Estrich: "The Democrats, especially the Democrats running for president, have a problem, and his name is Petraeus. In two days of hearings on Capitol Hill, he probably didn't change any of the views held by members of Congress about the war in Iraq. But he almost certainly impressed a lot of people sitting at home by displaying all the traits Americans hope for in a military leader. He was, to put it simply, good, a man who came across as brave, honorable, and true, and that's the problem. On Monday, the day Petraeus was to begin his testimony, in the great tradition of Washington politics, MoveOn.org blasted him before hearing a word of it."

For more postings from me, see TONGUE-TIED, EDUCATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL, GREENIE WATCH, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH, GUN WATCH, SOCIALIZED MEDICINE, FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC, AUSTRALIAN POLITICS, IMMIGRATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL and EYE ON BRITAIN.

List of backup or "mirror" sites here or here -- for readers in China or for everyone when blogspot is "down" or failing to update. Email me here (Hotmail address). My Home Pages are here or here or here

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"Why should the German be interested in the liberation of the Jew, if the Jew is not interested in the liberation of the German?... We recognize in Judaism, therefore, a general anti-social element of the present time... In the final analysis, the emancipation of the Jews is the emancipation of mankind from Judaism.... Indeed, in North America, the practical domination of Judaism over the Christian world has achieved as its unambiguous and normal expression that the preaching of the Gospel itself and the Christian ministry have become articles of trade... Money is the jealous god of Israel, in face of which no other god may exist". Who said that? Hitler? No. It was Karl Marx. See also here and here and here.

The Big Lie of the late 20th century was that Nazism was Rightist. It was in fact typical of the Leftism of its day. It was only to the Right of Stalin's Communism. The very word "Nazi" is a German abbreviation for "National Socialist" (Nationalsozialistisch) and the full name of Hitler's political party (translated) was "The National Socialist German Workers' Party".

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