Thursday, January 11, 2007
Rabinowitz is back
Dorothy Rabinowitz, the only investigative reporter in America, has finally weighed in on Kidnapper Nifong's witch hunt.
Mr. Nifong is no anomaly--merely a product of the political times, a prosecutor who has absorbed all the clues about the sanctified status now accorded charges involving rape, child sex-abuse and accusations of racism. Which has in turn ensured their transformation into weapons of unequalled power. Like others before him, the DA quickly grasped the career possibilities open to him with such a case and proceeded accordingly--denouncing racism, and the rape and assault of a helpless black woman, and the Duke athletes guilty of these crimes in every media interview available to him (and they were many).
For all the public shock and fury over his behavior, there is little that is new or strange about Mr. Nifong. We have seen the likes of this district attorney, uninterested in proofs of innocence, willing to suppress any he found, many times in the busy army of prosecutors claiming to have found evidence of rampant child abuse in nursery schools and other child-care centers around the country in the 1980s and throughout most of the '90s. They built case after headline-making case charging the mass molestation of small children, and managed to convict scores of innocent Americans on the basis of testimony no rational mind could credit. Law officers who regularly violated requirements of due process in their effort to obtain a conviction, they grasped the special advantage that was theirs: that for a prosecutor dealing with molestation, and wearing the mantle of avenger, there was no such thing as excess, no limits to what could be said of the accused. In court, rules could be bent, any charges presented, and nonexistent medical evidence proclaimed as proof positive of the accusation.
Rabinowitz, all on her own with no media support, broke the spell of the previous witch hunt. This time around, the cable channels have been on the side of the angels (albeit slowly and reluctantly), so the work of Rabinowitz wasn't so desperately needed.
What we really need is a complete overhaul of our court system. We won't get it, though; our criminally insane political class still operates under the bizarre delusion that our court system is "the best in the world", and the even more bizarre delusion that the legislature and executive have no power over the courts.
We will get the overhaul when the Caliphate is complete. Count on it. ¶ 8:17 AM
Mr. Nifong is no anomaly--merely a product of the political times, a prosecutor who has absorbed all the clues about the sanctified status now accorded charges involving rape, child sex-abuse and accusations of racism. Which has in turn ensured their transformation into weapons of unequalled power. Like others before him, the DA quickly grasped the career possibilities open to him with such a case and proceeded accordingly--denouncing racism, and the rape and assault of a helpless black woman, and the Duke athletes guilty of these crimes in every media interview available to him (and they were many).
For all the public shock and fury over his behavior, there is little that is new or strange about Mr. Nifong. We have seen the likes of this district attorney, uninterested in proofs of innocence, willing to suppress any he found, many times in the busy army of prosecutors claiming to have found evidence of rampant child abuse in nursery schools and other child-care centers around the country in the 1980s and throughout most of the '90s. They built case after headline-making case charging the mass molestation of small children, and managed to convict scores of innocent Americans on the basis of testimony no rational mind could credit. Law officers who regularly violated requirements of due process in their effort to obtain a conviction, they grasped the special advantage that was theirs: that for a prosecutor dealing with molestation, and wearing the mantle of avenger, there was no such thing as excess, no limits to what could be said of the accused. In court, rules could be bent, any charges presented, and nonexistent medical evidence proclaimed as proof positive of the accusation.
Rabinowitz, all on her own with no media support, broke the spell of the previous witch hunt. This time around, the cable channels have been on the side of the angels (albeit slowly and reluctantly), so the work of Rabinowitz wasn't so desperately needed.
What we really need is a complete overhaul of our court system. We won't get it, though; our criminally insane political class still operates under the bizarre delusion that our court system is "the best in the world", and the even more bizarre delusion that the legislature and executive have no power over the courts.
We will get the overhaul when the Caliphate is complete. Count on it. ¶ 8:17 AM
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Enlightened Moderns? (part II)
The discovery that amniotic stem cells are just as good as embryonic stem cells is the big story today. It's certainly big news, because it drives the final silver nail in the embryo-sucking vampire. (Or it would if anyone had any common sense.)
Big news to be sure, but it turns out this discovery isn't new news!
One of the scientists responsible for a breakthrough in stem-cell research has reported that he encountered heavy resistance to the publication of his work because it used stem cells obtained from amniotic fluids rather than from embryonic tissues.
Paolo De Coppi told the Italian ANSA news agency that a groundbreaking paper published this week in Nature Biotechnology had previously been rejected by four different journals. "It took seven years to get our paper published," he said.
Yes, that's right.
SEVEN YEARS.
Just one more proof, which we didn't really need, that the main job of 'peer review' in scientific journals is to enforce Leninist orthodoxy. ¶ 8:16 PM
Big news to be sure, but it turns out this discovery isn't new news!
One of the scientists responsible for a breakthrough in stem-cell research has reported that he encountered heavy resistance to the publication of his work because it used stem cells obtained from amniotic fluids rather than from embryonic tissues.
Paolo De Coppi told the Italian ANSA news agency that a groundbreaking paper published this week in Nature Biotechnology had previously been rejected by four different journals. "It took seven years to get our paper published," he said.
Yes, that's right.
SEVEN YEARS.
Just one more proof, which we didn't really need, that the main job of 'peer review' in scientific journals is to enforce Leninist orthodoxy. ¶ 8:16 PM
Chomp, chomp, chomp
The city of Spokane actually responded to my email about water pressure, and actually fixed the problem!
Here's their response:
Thank you for notifying us of this problem. The cause of your varying water pressure has been traced back to a failing pressure reducing valve located at the Waste Water Treatment plant. The faulty valve is being replaced by city crews. Your water pressure should return to normal once work is complete.
I don't know if others had reported the same problem, and of course the "local" TV "news" didn't say anything about it. The "local" TV "news" was too busy, as always, with far more urgent matters, namely the usual series of meaningless and false "scientific" "studies" about breast cancer, cholesterol, breast cancer, cholesterol, breast cancer, cholesterol, breast cancer, cholesterol and breast cancer. ¶ 12:52 PM
The city of Spokane actually responded to my email about water pressure, and actually fixed the problem!
Here's their response:
Thank you for notifying us of this problem. The cause of your varying water pressure has been traced back to a failing pressure reducing valve located at the Waste Water Treatment plant. The faulty valve is being replaced by city crews. Your water pressure should return to normal once work is complete.
I don't know if others had reported the same problem, and of course the "local" TV "news" didn't say anything about it. The "local" TV "news" was too busy, as always, with far more urgent matters, namely the usual series of meaningless and false "scientific" "studies" about breast cancer, cholesterol, breast cancer, cholesterol, breast cancer, cholesterol, breast cancer, cholesterol and breast cancer. ¶ 12:52 PM
Monday, January 08, 2007
Smelly buildings, wiggly water
Listening to reports of the mysterious mercaptan smell in NYC. The Fox folks aren't quite thinking clearly. They stated that people were smelling the gas inside buildings, and that people were going out on the sidewalk to get fresh air. Then they talked about how the smell could be drifting north from Jersey City or somewhere. Good old drawkcab swen again. If you're smelling it INSIDE buildings and you have to go OUTSIDE for fresh air, this means the smell is not drifting in from OUTSIDE. It's a problem with the natural gas distribution system, possibly an overpressure in the pipes?
I've been noticing an odd phenomenon here for the last three days: a variation in water pressure. Not flow, pressure. Of course increased pressure causes increased flow, but I know it's essentially a pressure variation because I can hear the water heater singing various notes, unlike its normal steady howl when turned on. Varying water pressure can be dangerous, because flushing a toilet when the pressure is at a low point can lead to "siphoning" of the tank water back into the pipes.
= = = = = =
Putting these together, I wonder if someone is experimenting with a new way to sabotage city utilities?
(I've emailed the city water dept twice, but no response. Not surprising; in Spokane you don't count unless your name is Cowles.) ¶ 9:11 AM
I've been noticing an odd phenomenon here for the last three days: a variation in water pressure. Not flow, pressure. Of course increased pressure causes increased flow, but I know it's essentially a pressure variation because I can hear the water heater singing various notes, unlike its normal steady howl when turned on. Varying water pressure can be dangerous, because flushing a toilet when the pressure is at a low point can lead to "siphoning" of the tank water back into the pipes.
= = = = = =
Putting these together, I wonder if someone is experimenting with a new way to sabotage city utilities?
(I've emailed the city water dept twice, but no response. Not surprising; in Spokane you don't count unless your name is Cowles.) ¶ 9:11 AM
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Wind, rain, snow
Wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, wind, wind, wind, wind, wind, wind, wind!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, wind, wind, wind, wind, wind, wind, wind!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, wind, wind, wind, wind, wind, wind, wind!!!!!!!!!!!!!
= = = = =
I'm exhausted.
Last night another big gale. Not quite as bad as the previous one, in terms of hours anyway.
Telegram for the Democrats: If you want to lock in your majority again, follow FDR. Just as the previous peak of bad weather in the 1930's went beyond the ability of private companies and local governments, this decade's similar peak is doing the same. FDR insured total Dem loyalty by using federal resources to solve some of the problems of the time.
Today's problems are somewhat different because we're mainly urban, but the idea is the same. Electricity and water flow are still the areas that need most fixing. Replan the electric grid. Rewire vulnerable areas with underground wiring. Clear-cut urban forests. Rethink dams and levees. Replan the arrangement of airport hubs. Do more research on weather control, including steering jet streams and busting up hurricanes.
All these big projects are possible, and all would be even more possible if we weren't spending big money and big resources on big projects in Baghdad, which will only serve our enemies when they take over again. More precisely, the savage primitive camel-fucking Arabs will not even use the projects. They will simply steal the copper and iron and sell it for scrap.
Dems, you can roll over George W. Zero in this field if you dare to think big.
Think FDR.
= = = = =
Afterthought: Interesting that I didn't even consider begging the Republicans to take on this idea. Didn't even enter my head until I re-read the message and spotted the missing choice. It's not a question of ideology; just competence. Begging the Rs to do anything at all would be like begging a mouse to win a chess championship. No, that's not a good analogy, because the mouse could conceivably push just the right piece into the right spot on the board by pure chance. The R's are so firmly committed to idiocy that they wouldn't even allow a random act of competence. ¶ 11:07 AM
Wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, wind, wind, wind, wind, wind, wind, wind!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, rain, snow, wind, wind, wind, wind, wind, wind, wind, wind!!!!!!!!!!!!!
= = = = =
I'm exhausted.
Last night another big gale. Not quite as bad as the previous one, in terms of hours anyway.
Telegram for the Democrats: If you want to lock in your majority again, follow FDR. Just as the previous peak of bad weather in the 1930's went beyond the ability of private companies and local governments, this decade's similar peak is doing the same. FDR insured total Dem loyalty by using federal resources to solve some of the problems of the time.
Today's problems are somewhat different because we're mainly urban, but the idea is the same. Electricity and water flow are still the areas that need most fixing. Replan the electric grid. Rewire vulnerable areas with underground wiring. Clear-cut urban forests. Rethink dams and levees. Replan the arrangement of airport hubs. Do more research on weather control, including steering jet streams and busting up hurricanes.
All these big projects are possible, and all would be even more possible if we weren't spending big money and big resources on big projects in Baghdad, which will only serve our enemies when they take over again. More precisely, the savage primitive camel-fucking Arabs will not even use the projects. They will simply steal the copper and iron and sell it for scrap.
Dems, you can roll over George W. Zero in this field if you dare to think big.
Think FDR.
= = = = =
Afterthought: Interesting that I didn't even consider begging the Republicans to take on this idea. Didn't even enter my head until I re-read the message and spotted the missing choice. It's not a question of ideology; just competence. Begging the Rs to do anything at all would be like begging a mouse to win a chess championship. No, that's not a good analogy, because the mouse could conceivably push just the right piece into the right spot on the board by pure chance. The R's are so firmly committed to idiocy that they wouldn't even allow a random act of competence. ¶ 11:07 AM
Friday, January 05, 2007
Steve King's great idea
Steve King of Iowa, the best only competent member of Congress, is talking right now on C-Span. He is proposing an extremely interesting idea.
Acknowledge the power of the blogosphere to act as "auditor" for the government, by placing several Rescission Bills in each session of Congress. Each Rescission bill would start out as a "shell", and each member of Congress, responding to constituent "auditors", would be able to add items to the bill. The items in this bill would be subtractions, not additions; each item would be like a line-item veto for some appropriation in other pending bills.
He's calling it the CUT act, which isn't the best possible name, but it is certainly the best possible idea.
Bravo, Steve! ¶ 12:49 PM
Acknowledge the power of the blogosphere to act as "auditor" for the government, by placing several Rescission Bills in each session of Congress. Each Rescission bill would start out as a "shell", and each member of Congress, responding to constituent "auditors", would be able to add items to the bill. The items in this bill would be subtractions, not additions; each item would be like a line-item veto for some appropriation in other pending bills.
He's calling it the CUT act, which isn't the best possible name, but it is certainly the best possible idea.
Bravo, Steve! ¶ 12:49 PM
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Enlightened moderns?
Just started reading a fascinating little book by James Woods, How the Catholic Church built Western Civilization, about the early days of science and universities.
Opened it at random and immediately hit this passage:
A glance at the history of the medieval university reveals that conflicts between the university and the people or governments of the town were not uncommon. On one hand the university was a boon for local merchants and for economic activity in general, since the students brought money to spend, but on the other, university students coud be irresponsible and unruly.
This hasn't changed at all in 800 years! Hate the students, love their money: remains true from 1207 AD to 2007 AD!
In 1231 Pope Gregory IX issued the bull 'Parens Scientiarum' on behalf of the university at Paris. ... In this document, the Pope tried to establish a just and peaceful environment for the university by granting a privilege known as 'cessatio', the right to suspend lectures and go on a general strike if its members were abused. Causes for such a strike included refusal to fix ceiling prices for lodgings, an injury or mutilation of a student for which suitable satisfaction had not been given, or the unlawful imprisonment of a student.
Having lived much of my adult life in college towns, I can appreciate the 'ceiling price for lodgings'!
Far more important, note the last phrase. Compare with Duke University's response when its students were unlawfully imprisoned by Kidnapper Nifong. Instead of declaring a 'cessatio', Duke aided and abetted Kidnapper Nifong by expelling the students and cancelling the entire Lacrosse team.
Maybe it's time to let the Church take the universities back from government. The Church has certainly done a better job with K-12 education, as every competent big-city parent knows only too well. ¶ 2:59 PM
Just started reading a fascinating little book by James Woods, How the Catholic Church built Western Civilization, about the early days of science and universities.
Opened it at random and immediately hit this passage:
A glance at the history of the medieval university reveals that conflicts between the university and the people or governments of the town were not uncommon. On one hand the university was a boon for local merchants and for economic activity in general, since the students brought money to spend, but on the other, university students coud be irresponsible and unruly.
This hasn't changed at all in 800 years! Hate the students, love their money: remains true from 1207 AD to 2007 AD!
In 1231 Pope Gregory IX issued the bull 'Parens Scientiarum' on behalf of the university at Paris. ... In this document, the Pope tried to establish a just and peaceful environment for the university by granting a privilege known as 'cessatio', the right to suspend lectures and go on a general strike if its members were abused. Causes for such a strike included refusal to fix ceiling prices for lodgings, an injury or mutilation of a student for which suitable satisfaction had not been given, or the unlawful imprisonment of a student.
Having lived much of my adult life in college towns, I can appreciate the 'ceiling price for lodgings'!
Far more important, note the last phrase. Compare with Duke University's response when its students were unlawfully imprisoned by Kidnapper Nifong. Instead of declaring a 'cessatio', Duke aided and abetted Kidnapper Nifong by expelling the students and cancelling the entire Lacrosse team.
Maybe it's time to let the Church take the universities back from government. The Church has certainly done a better job with K-12 education, as every competent big-city parent knows only too well. ¶ 2:59 PM
Yes, St Francis is appropriate......
Polistra has been listening to Boehner and Pelosi doing their little love-dance.
Pelosi cited St Francis of Assisi as the patron saint for the new session, and unfortunately Francis is exactly the right saint. Not just for the House but for the George W. Vichy Government as well.
Francis, who lived in the 1100's, went on a Crusade because it seemed like the proper thing for a wealthy young gentleman of the times. Somewhere along the way he got "turned out", decided to give up on defending Christianity, and instead tried to bring as much Mohammed as possible into Christianity.
Here's a lengthy passage from Francis's life as given in Abraham's Tent.
Francis then took a companion, Illuminatus and set out, unarmed and filled with love for his "enemy" brother, to visit the Sultan of Egypt, Malik-al-Kamil. The men of the Sultan's army captured Francis and Illuminatus and dragged them, beaten and exhausted, before the Sultan - just as Francis had wished.
The Sultan, for his part, was receptive to these two unarmed messengers from the enemy camp. St. Bonaventure, in his Major Life of St. Francis, described the event, "The sultan asked them by whom and why and in what capacity they had been sent, and how they got there; but Francis replied intrepidly that they had been sent by God, not by (humans), to show him and his subjects the way of salvation and proclaim the truth of the Gospel message.
When the sultan saw (Francis') enthusiasm and courage, he listened to him willingly and pressed him to stay with him" (quoted in St. Francis and the Foolishness of God, p. 85).
Today, evangelization is not seen as appropriate inter-religious dialogue. In Francis' context, however, his enthusiastic desire to share his "good news" with the Sultan, without insulting Islam or refuting Mohammed, was unique and disarming.
= = = = =
My interruption: When Benedict XVI talks of "dialogue" with Mohammedans, I wonder if he means this Franciscan form of "dialogue", i.e. surrender?
= = = = =
In the encounter between them, both Francis and the Sultan were changed. When Francis finally left to return to Italy, the Sultan showered him with many gifts and treasures. Because he had no interest in worldly wealth, Francis refused them all, except one special gift: an ivory horn used by the muezzin to call the community to prayer. On his return, Francis used it to call people for prayer or for preaching.
Francis also shared with his community his new and deep respect for his Moslem brothers and sisters, breaking down the cycle of enmity and misunderstanding that fueled the Crusades.
Yes indeed, the perfect patron saint for Pelosi, Boehner, and G. W. Vichy. ¶ 11:21 AM
Polistra has been listening to Boehner and Pelosi doing their little love-dance.
Pelosi cited St Francis of Assisi as the patron saint for the new session, and unfortunately Francis is exactly the right saint. Not just for the House but for the George W. Vichy Government as well.
Francis, who lived in the 1100's, went on a Crusade because it seemed like the proper thing for a wealthy young gentleman of the times. Somewhere along the way he got "turned out", decided to give up on defending Christianity, and instead tried to bring as much Mohammed as possible into Christianity.
Here's a lengthy passage from Francis's life as given in Abraham's Tent.
Francis then took a companion, Illuminatus and set out, unarmed and filled with love for his "enemy" brother, to visit the Sultan of Egypt, Malik-al-Kamil. The men of the Sultan's army captured Francis and Illuminatus and dragged them, beaten and exhausted, before the Sultan - just as Francis had wished.
The Sultan, for his part, was receptive to these two unarmed messengers from the enemy camp. St. Bonaventure, in his Major Life of St. Francis, described the event, "The sultan asked them by whom and why and in what capacity they had been sent, and how they got there; but Francis replied intrepidly that they had been sent by God, not by (humans), to show him and his subjects the way of salvation and proclaim the truth of the Gospel message.
When the sultan saw (Francis') enthusiasm and courage, he listened to him willingly and pressed him to stay with him" (quoted in St. Francis and the Foolishness of God, p. 85).
Today, evangelization is not seen as appropriate inter-religious dialogue. In Francis' context, however, his enthusiastic desire to share his "good news" with the Sultan, without insulting Islam or refuting Mohammed, was unique and disarming.
= = = = =
My interruption: When Benedict XVI talks of "dialogue" with Mohammedans, I wonder if he means this Franciscan form of "dialogue", i.e. surrender?
= = = = =
In the encounter between them, both Francis and the Sultan were changed. When Francis finally left to return to Italy, the Sultan showered him with many gifts and treasures. Because he had no interest in worldly wealth, Francis refused them all, except one special gift: an ivory horn used by the muezzin to call the community to prayer. On his return, Francis used it to call people for prayer or for preaching.
Francis also shared with his community his new and deep respect for his Moslem brothers and sisters, breaking down the cycle of enmity and misunderstanding that fueled the Crusades.
Yes indeed, the perfect patron saint for Pelosi, Boehner, and G. W. Vichy. ¶ 11:21 AM
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Forward!
A little blast from the past, showing the proper way to treat an enemy with respect. Yes, that's right, respect. No condescension here. We portrayed the Japs as ugly, nasty, horrible people who needed to be defeated totally. Smashed, crushed like rats in a trap. They were not shown as poor dumb misguided folks who would be nice if they just had the right to vote in elections monitored by Jimmy Carter. ¶ 9:48 PM
A little blast from the past, showing the proper way to treat an enemy with respect. Yes, that's right, respect. No condescension here. We portrayed the Japs as ugly, nasty, horrible people who needed to be defeated totally. Smashed, crushed like rats in a trap. They were not shown as poor dumb misguided folks who would be nice if they just had the right to vote in elections monitored by Jimmy Carter. ¶ 9:48 PM
Ledeen's excellent thought
I rarely spend time and space reprocessing other blogs ... especially when the other blogs have thousands of regular readers and I have at best 3 irregular readers. Rather pointless use of bandwidth. I'm making an exception in this case, because Michael Ledeen has made a tremendously important observation, which doesn't seem to have generated a significant response.
Ledeen said:
It's a commonplace in the study of mass murder—especially the Holocaust—that it's a lot easier to kill lots of people in a relatively antiseptic way (bombs, usually) than to kill an individual one-on-one. It's not easy to find an executioner, it's easier to find a guy who programs a bombing run on a computer. And it's easier to find a technician to run Nazi gas chambers.
Technology made it easier to set up these antiseptic killings. It separated the killers from the killed, the killers didn't have to watch or even inflict actual death, they didn't have to harden their hearts as their enemies suffered death agonies. If you dropped a lot of bombs on Germany and Japan in the war, you knew innocents would die, but you never really faced those people, and it was, after all, part of war, wasn't it?
But then the wheel turned once more. Weapons became amazingly accurate, and "precision bombing" became possible. And when that happened, it suddenly became necessary to face all kinds of very complicated targeting decisions. Lawyers were brought in to approve each and every target. And when the technology failed, or some guy at a computer or in an airplane or on the battlefield failed to get it exactly the way the lawyers had stipulated, there was suddenly hell to pay. War crimes, etc.
So paradoxically technological advance made mass murder easier, and now it's made it much harder. Which is to say, even the most lethal technology isn't either all good or all bad. Sometimes it pushes us in one direction, sometimes in another.
= = = = =
My insignificant response:
Obviously our enemies understand this point better than we do. The term "asymmetrical warfare" is normally taken to mean that Jihadis use guerrilla techniques, hit-and-run bombing, etc, because they can't face the "massive force" of a Western army.
In fact the asymmetry is the other way around. Our enemies are willing to use 20th Century anonymous mass bombings (like 9/11) because we're pinned down by our 21st Century precision and fussiness, which makes our "massive force" totally worthless. ¶ 11:57 AM
Ledeen said:
It's a commonplace in the study of mass murder—especially the Holocaust—that it's a lot easier to kill lots of people in a relatively antiseptic way (bombs, usually) than to kill an individual one-on-one. It's not easy to find an executioner, it's easier to find a guy who programs a bombing run on a computer. And it's easier to find a technician to run Nazi gas chambers.
Technology made it easier to set up these antiseptic killings. It separated the killers from the killed, the killers didn't have to watch or even inflict actual death, they didn't have to harden their hearts as their enemies suffered death agonies. If you dropped a lot of bombs on Germany and Japan in the war, you knew innocents would die, but you never really faced those people, and it was, after all, part of war, wasn't it?
But then the wheel turned once more. Weapons became amazingly accurate, and "precision bombing" became possible. And when that happened, it suddenly became necessary to face all kinds of very complicated targeting decisions. Lawyers were brought in to approve each and every target. And when the technology failed, or some guy at a computer or in an airplane or on the battlefield failed to get it exactly the way the lawyers had stipulated, there was suddenly hell to pay. War crimes, etc.
So paradoxically technological advance made mass murder easier, and now it's made it much harder. Which is to say, even the most lethal technology isn't either all good or all bad. Sometimes it pushes us in one direction, sometimes in another.
= = = = =
My insignificant response:
Obviously our enemies understand this point better than we do. The term "asymmetrical warfare" is normally taken to mean that Jihadis use guerrilla techniques, hit-and-run bombing, etc, because they can't face the "massive force" of a Western army.
In fact the asymmetry is the other way around. Our enemies are willing to use 20th Century anonymous mass bombings (like 9/11) because we're pinned down by our 21st Century precision and fussiness, which makes our "massive force" totally worthless. ¶ 11:57 AM
!drawkcaB
The first of the negative utopias was a rather tame book written by Samuel Butler in 1871, called 'Erewhon'. ('Nowhere' spelled backwards.) The main premise was that in the land of Erewhon, morality and criminality were inverted. [Incidentally, Erewhon's copyright long since lapsed, and it's available in full form online.]
I think Butler would especially appreciate our public treatment of Saddam's hanging. In the forward world, the job of a news report is to show you what happened. In our drawkcab world, the job of a news report is to show you other people witnessing and discussing a news report of the event, which you won't get to see.
The first major example of drawkcab swen was the idiotic Robert Novak vs Joe Wilson affair, in which the 'news' reporters knew exactly what had occurred but told us a tangled story about the attempt to figure out what had occurred, which was supposedly a mystery.
In a forward nation at war (like the US in 1943) we saw and rejoiced at every detail of an enemy leader's death. In the drawkcab swen of 2007, we see Iraqis watching their cell phones and rejoicing at the death of our enemy, but we don't get to see the enemy's death. In a forward nation at war, anyone who failed to taunt an evil man would be at least suspect; we'd assume he was on the side of the evil man. In the drawkcab "legal system" of 2007, the people who taunted Saddam are arrested.
We cannot win a war this way. We cannot even function this way. ¶ 10:43 AM
I think Butler would especially appreciate our public treatment of Saddam's hanging. In the forward world, the job of a news report is to show you what happened. In our drawkcab world, the job of a news report is to show you other people witnessing and discussing a news report of the event, which you won't get to see.
The first major example of drawkcab swen was the idiotic Robert Novak vs Joe Wilson affair, in which the 'news' reporters knew exactly what had occurred but told us a tangled story about the attempt to figure out what had occurred, which was supposedly a mystery.
In a forward nation at war (like the US in 1943) we saw and rejoiced at every detail of an enemy leader's death. In the drawkcab swen of 2007, we see Iraqis watching their cell phones and rejoicing at the death of our enemy, but we don't get to see the enemy's death. In a forward nation at war, anyone who failed to taunt an evil man would be at least suspect; we'd assume he was on the side of the evil man. In the drawkcab "legal system" of 2007, the people who taunted Saddam are arrested.
We cannot win a war this way. We cannot even function this way. ¶ 10:43 AM
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Cover it properly
Since we're doomed to watch the Ford coffin zooming around the country for the next several years, at least it should be on the right network. ¶ 2:44 PM
Since we're doomed to watch the Ford coffin zooming around the country for the next several years, at least it should be on the right network. ¶ 2:44 PM
Monday, January 01, 2007
Polistra salutes Ethiopia.
[Expanding on an entry a few days ago....]
Ethiopia deserves a special salute, and needs to be viewed as an example for the world.
It is in many ways The Original Place. Anthropologists think the human species radiated from that corner of Africa, and the Ethiopians have maintained their own brand of Christianity in unbroken form since the time of the Apostles. Among all the countries on the map of Africa, Ethiopia has the longest continuous independence. It was known in Biblical times, and it was only colonized briefly by Italy, in the 1920's and 30's.
Now Ethiopia is fighting the Jihadis in Somalia on its own, with no aid from us, no aid from the UN, and no aid from the various African organizations. Despite all this, or rather because* of all this, Ethiopia has defeated the Jihadis.
Mark Steyn says it best:
In the last few days the Ethiopian military has swept through the country and the Islamist forces have crumbled before them. Both Somali troops and various foreign jihadists have thrown off their uniforms and melted into the general population. Granted, that's what they did in Iraq and Afghanistan, too: They're shrewd enough to understand it's not worth engaging superior militaries on their terms; better to wait awhile and grind them down in a dirty messy insurgency.
Well, we'll see about that. One difference between the Ethiopians in Somalia and the Americans in Iraq is that the former aren't fighting with one hand behind their back just in case some EU ally or humanitarian lobby group or fictitious Associated Press source leaks some "war crime" or other to the media. In fact, the Ethiopians have the advantage of more or less total lack of interest from the Western media. So they're just getting on with it.
And, given the potential for Islamist destabilization of their own country, they were wise to do so. The "international community" has reacted in the usual ways: calls for immediate cease-fires so that an ineffectual U.N. force of peacekeepers can go in and enjoy their customary child sex with the locals while propping up the Islamists. The Ethiopians can't be blamed for not taking the U.N. seriously. To be sure, the alternative to the jihad boys is a bunch of thugs. But that's the reality of much of the map today: a choice between being an outpost of the global jihad, or a patchwork quilt of warlords, or a bit of both with some feeble, half-hearted multilateral force mediating between the two. I don't know whether the Ethiopian intervention will work in the long run, but, if it does, the best hope for squashing the jihad might be to outsource the fight to Third World regimes less squeamish about waging it.
*Polistra's first law of human nature: "When you hear despite, think because."
= = = = =
Later, after a bit of reading: Ethiopia's Christianity started in the 4th Century, which wasn't quite Apostolic but still in the era of the "Church Fathers". Over the long years, Ethiopia's Christians have been fighting Mohammedans constantly, and mostly winning. They never gave in to dhimmitude, though they did retreat to the wilderness for a time. Here is a well-written short history of the Church and its battles with the Army of Allah. And here is a photo essay on Ethiopia's medieval cathedrals, built somewhat differently from the European version! ¶ 4:48 PM
Ethiopia deserves a special salute, and needs to be viewed as an example for the world.
It is in many ways The Original Place. Anthropologists think the human species radiated from that corner of Africa, and the Ethiopians have maintained their own brand of Christianity in unbroken form since the time of the Apostles. Among all the countries on the map of Africa, Ethiopia has the longest continuous independence. It was known in Biblical times, and it was only colonized briefly by Italy, in the 1920's and 30's.
Now Ethiopia is fighting the Jihadis in Somalia on its own, with no aid from us, no aid from the UN, and no aid from the various African organizations. Despite all this, or rather because* of all this, Ethiopia has defeated the Jihadis.
Mark Steyn says it best:
In the last few days the Ethiopian military has swept through the country and the Islamist forces have crumbled before them. Both Somali troops and various foreign jihadists have thrown off their uniforms and melted into the general population. Granted, that's what they did in Iraq and Afghanistan, too: They're shrewd enough to understand it's not worth engaging superior militaries on their terms; better to wait awhile and grind them down in a dirty messy insurgency.
Well, we'll see about that. One difference between the Ethiopians in Somalia and the Americans in Iraq is that the former aren't fighting with one hand behind their back just in case some EU ally or humanitarian lobby group or fictitious Associated Press source leaks some "war crime" or other to the media. In fact, the Ethiopians have the advantage of more or less total lack of interest from the Western media. So they're just getting on with it.
And, given the potential for Islamist destabilization of their own country, they were wise to do so. The "international community" has reacted in the usual ways: calls for immediate cease-fires so that an ineffectual U.N. force of peacekeepers can go in and enjoy their customary child sex with the locals while propping up the Islamists. The Ethiopians can't be blamed for not taking the U.N. seriously. To be sure, the alternative to the jihad boys is a bunch of thugs. But that's the reality of much of the map today: a choice between being an outpost of the global jihad, or a patchwork quilt of warlords, or a bit of both with some feeble, half-hearted multilateral force mediating between the two. I don't know whether the Ethiopian intervention will work in the long run, but, if it does, the best hope for squashing the jihad might be to outsource the fight to Third World regimes less squeamish about waging it.
*Polistra's first law of human nature: "When you hear despite, think because."
= = = = =
Later, after a bit of reading: Ethiopia's Christianity started in the 4th Century, which wasn't quite Apostolic but still in the era of the "Church Fathers". Over the long years, Ethiopia's Christians have been fighting Mohammedans constantly, and mostly winning. They never gave in to dhimmitude, though they did retreat to the wilderness for a time. Here is a well-written short history of the Church and its battles with the Army of Allah. And here is a photo essay on Ethiopia's medieval cathedrals, built somewhat differently from the European version! ¶ 4:48 PM
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Madame Polisztra channels J. Edgar ... again
Madame Polisztra found a message waiting in her crystal ball this morning. It's J. Edgar again, this time with a New Year's message.
Listen to the real J. Edgar Hoover, coming through the mysterious ether from New Year's Day 1948. ¶ 10:55 PM
Madame Polisztra found a message waiting in her crystal ball this morning. It's J. Edgar again, this time with a New Year's message.
Listen to the real J. Edgar Hoover, coming through the mysterious ether from New Year's Day 1948. ¶ 10:55 PM
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Wishy-washy tour
There's something terribly peculiar about Gerald Ford's coffin zipping around the country, making cameo appearances at All The Old Familiar Places.
In an earlier era before radio and TV, the coffins of assassinated Presidents like Lincoln and Garfield were hauled around in railcars, so that the grieving masses could say their last goodbyes. Such a tour is unnecessary today, and seems out of place for a nice decent President who was neither greatly loved nor hated.
Will he show up at James Brown's funeral?
Will James Brown's coffin reciprocate?
Will the roadies and groupies get free "Final Wishy-washy Tour 2006" T-shirts?
Will this be remembered as "The day the moderation died"?
Lord, let it be so. ¶ 1:59 PM
In an earlier era before radio and TV, the coffins of assassinated Presidents like Lincoln and Garfield were hauled around in railcars, so that the grieving masses could say their last goodbyes. Such a tour is unnecessary today, and seems out of place for a nice decent President who was neither greatly loved nor hated.
Will he show up at James Brown's funeral?
Will James Brown's coffin reciprocate?
Will the roadies and groupies get free "Final Wishy-washy Tour 2006" T-shirts?
Will this be remembered as "The day the moderation died"?
Lord, let it be so. ¶ 1:59 PM
Comes in mighty handy
Oddbody: Oh no, we don't use money up in heaven.
Bailey: Comes in mighty handy down here, bub.
= = = = =
I'm reminded of this scene when I think of the Pope's peculiarly mixed-up response to Jihad.
On one side the Regensburg speech, showing a clear understanding of the problem, and his quiet but steady construction [he is the pontifex, after all!] of an alliance with the Orthodox branch of Christianity. These moves make sense for the leader of the Church Militant.
On the other side, his moral equivalence between Israel and Palestine, and now today's idiotic criticism of hanging Saddam. These moves are not good Catholic thinking or even good Socialist thinking; they are just hippie-dippie shit.
= = = = =
This war is unquestionably a religious war. If you believe in Jehovah or Allah, you must take a side. If you don't believe, you still must comprehend that the war is being fought between the champions of Jehovah and the champions of Allah, and you must see that Jehovah's side is the source of civilization.
Regardless of belief, if you prefer the 21st Century, you must take the Jewish and Christian side. If you prefer the 11th, you must take the Mohammedan side. There is no middle ground.
= = = = =
Benedict has a powerful, nimble, and subtle intellect. So, like a dog watching a human drive a car, I'll acknowledge he may well be thinking in ways that are far above my mental pay grade.
Still, he doesn't seem to appreciate that he has "armies" and "divisions" beyond his own Church, who need to see him holding firm... who need to see him as a consistent leader who takes the side of Jehovah at all times.
In his conversations with heaven, he may not need to worry about the alignment of earthly forces, but those forces come in mighty handy down here, bub. ¶ 11:55 AM
Oddbody: Oh no, we don't use money up in heaven.
Bailey: Comes in mighty handy down here, bub.
= = = = =
I'm reminded of this scene when I think of the Pope's peculiarly mixed-up response to Jihad.
On one side the Regensburg speech, showing a clear understanding of the problem, and his quiet but steady construction [he is the pontifex, after all!] of an alliance with the Orthodox branch of Christianity. These moves make sense for the leader of the Church Militant.
On the other side, his moral equivalence between Israel and Palestine, and now today's idiotic criticism of hanging Saddam. These moves are not good Catholic thinking or even good Socialist thinking; they are just hippie-dippie shit.
= = = = =
This war is unquestionably a religious war. If you believe in Jehovah or Allah, you must take a side. If you don't believe, you still must comprehend that the war is being fought between the champions of Jehovah and the champions of Allah, and you must see that Jehovah's side is the source of civilization.
Regardless of belief, if you prefer the 21st Century, you must take the Jewish and Christian side. If you prefer the 11th, you must take the Mohammedan side. There is no middle ground.
= = = = =
Benedict has a powerful, nimble, and subtle intellect. So, like a dog watching a human drive a car, I'll acknowledge he may well be thinking in ways that are far above my mental pay grade.
Still, he doesn't seem to appreciate that he has "armies" and "divisions" beyond his own Church, who need to see him holding firm... who need to see him as a consistent leader who takes the side of Jehovah at all times.
In his conversations with heaven, he may not need to worry about the alignment of earthly forces, but those forces come in mighty handy down here, bub. ¶ 11:55 AM
Friday, December 29, 2006
Gold, Frankincense, Myrrh .... Rope.
Those Kurds have a very long record of bringing, shall we say, the proper gift for the occasion.
They also have a long record of persecution by tyrants and betrayal by Americans.
We owe them.
Perhaps we owe them even more than we owe the Jews.
As of this minute, Saddam is officially gone.
We should have killed him in 1991. We should have killed him when we captured him.
The Kurds have finally done it right, despite our best efforts to do it wrong.
And our pussy-ass enemy-collaborating media can't find the guts to show us the full hanging.
We'll find ways to see it, but not through our pussy-ass enemy-collaborating media.
Anyway, Saddam is gone.
This miserable year is now redeemed.
Polistra shouts: THANK YOU, KURDS!
[A footnote in case the title reference isn't clear: Though the Gospels don't specify their origin, those "Magi from the East" are believed by scholars to have been Medes, which is the old name for Kurds.]
¶ 6:04 PM
Those Kurds have a very long record of bringing, shall we say, the proper gift for the occasion.
They also have a long record of persecution by tyrants and betrayal by Americans.
We owe them.
Perhaps we owe them even more than we owe the Jews.
As of this minute, Saddam is officially gone.
We should have killed him in 1991. We should have killed him when we captured him.
The Kurds have finally done it right, despite our best efforts to do it wrong.
And our pussy-ass enemy-collaborating media can't find the guts to show us the full hanging.
We'll find ways to see it, but not through our pussy-ass enemy-collaborating media.
Anyway, Saddam is gone.
This miserable year is now redeemed.
Polistra shouts: THANK YOU, KURDS!
[A footnote in case the title reference isn't clear: Though the Gospels don't specify their origin, those "Magi from the East" are believed by scholars to have been Medes, which is the old name for Kurds.]
¶ 6:04 PM
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Cultural sensitivity
Listening to an interview with Interior Sec'y Kempthorne about the proposal to add polar bears to the "endangered" list. One of the criteria he mentioned was that the Eskimos have a "cultural requirement" to eat the polar bears, and thus the Eskimos can be granted absolution for harvesting a certain number of the bears. I think that's what the Comrade Secretary said; the whole set of ideas is so anti-civilized and garbled that it's truly hard to make anything logical from them.
Nevertheless, this special cultural exemption from the Established Religion of Gaia Worship gives Secret Agent Polistra an idea.
Gather up a glob of endangered fungus, and encourage it to grow on an endangered cultural object like a cross or a Ten Commandments tablet. Since High Priest Kempthorne is absolutely committed to preserving the Holy Fungus, he will reluctantly have to give an indulgence to the otherwise blasphemous Christian object, because removing the cross would remove the Holy Habitat of the Holy Fungus.
¶ 8:01 PM
Nevertheless, this special cultural exemption from the Established Religion of Gaia Worship gives Secret Agent Polistra an idea.
Gather up a glob of endangered fungus, and encourage it to grow on an endangered cultural object like a cross or a Ten Commandments tablet. Since High Priest Kempthorne is absolutely committed to preserving the Holy Fungus, he will reluctantly have to give an indulgence to the otherwise blasphemous Christian object, because removing the cross would remove the Holy Habitat of the Holy Fungus.
¶ 8:01 PM
Wrong, Mitt, wrong.
Human Events interviewed Mitt Romney. On the most important question, Romney ducked and dodged.
Q: Do you think right now the U.S. is losing the war in Iraq?
Romney:The term is overly charged, I’m afraid, and so I’m not going to try and define who’s winning and who’s losing. I don’t think we’re making anywhere near as much progress as we had anticipated we would make.
There’s no question the administration was surprised by the fact that after the fall of Saddam Hussein it was a much tougher road than they ever expected. Secretary [Donald] Rumsfeld, as you recall, said we’re just sweeping up a few dead-enders. Well, it turned out to be a lot more than that. We had insufficient troops in place. We had insufficient plans. We did not have the appropriate rules of engagement in place. Obviously, there were management lapses — events such as Abu Ghraib make that clear. For all those reasons, we did less than the entirely effective job that we would have hoped to be able to do. And as a result, we’re in a difficult position right now.
But to assess whether we’re making progress or not, I would presume we’re making progress, but certainly not at the rate we were hoping to make progress and, in some respects, that is disappointing.
= = = = =
Bad show, Romney. Your advantage is clarity of vision and clarity of leadership. If you're going to evade the most important question, you're not qualified to lead.
"Events such as Abu Ghraib": The only problem with Abu Ghraib is that we pussied out and stopped when the traitorous media spotlighted it. If we were serious about fighting a real war, we would have given medals to Lynndie England, and we would have recommended the "events" of Abu Ghraib as a shining example for other soldiers.
Hillary is starting to look mighty good. ¶ 12:16 PM
Q: Do you think right now the U.S. is losing the war in Iraq?
Romney:The term is overly charged, I’m afraid, and so I’m not going to try and define who’s winning and who’s losing. I don’t think we’re making anywhere near as much progress as we had anticipated we would make.
There’s no question the administration was surprised by the fact that after the fall of Saddam Hussein it was a much tougher road than they ever expected. Secretary [Donald] Rumsfeld, as you recall, said we’re just sweeping up a few dead-enders. Well, it turned out to be a lot more than that. We had insufficient troops in place. We had insufficient plans. We did not have the appropriate rules of engagement in place. Obviously, there were management lapses — events such as Abu Ghraib make that clear. For all those reasons, we did less than the entirely effective job that we would have hoped to be able to do. And as a result, we’re in a difficult position right now.
But to assess whether we’re making progress or not, I would presume we’re making progress, but certainly not at the rate we were hoping to make progress and, in some respects, that is disappointing.
= = = = =
Bad show, Romney. Your advantage is clarity of vision and clarity of leadership. If you're going to evade the most important question, you're not qualified to lead.
"Events such as Abu Ghraib": The only problem with Abu Ghraib is that we pussied out and stopped when the traitorous media spotlighted it. If we were serious about fighting a real war, we would have given medals to Lynndie England, and we would have recommended the "events" of Abu Ghraib as a shining example for other soldiers.
Hillary is starting to look mighty good. ¶ 12:16 PM
Random
1. Ethiopia, hardly a major player on the world stage, and not generally described as our "ally", is doing more than any of our "allies" for the Christian cause. Ethiopia's little army is quite competently pushing back the Jihadis who are taking over Somalia (again). Amazingly, George W. Vichy is not protesting against Ethiopia's violation of "due process". Maybe he hasn't noticed it yet.
2. Pakistan, always described as our "ally", is clearly not. Musharraf has been playing us for a patsy since the start. Why are we so concerned about keeping him in office? His "democratically elected" government is not on our side, but the pretense of "alliance" prevents us from going in and wiping out al Qaeda. In other words, his presence serves the enemy, pure and simple. We should be helping his assassins, in order to have an accurately described enemy regime.
3. Conventional wisdom on Robert McNamara is that he was responsible for developing the Edsel when he worked at Ford, and he was responsible for developing the Vietnam War when he worked in Washington. It turns out that both of those stories are flat wrong. Automotive historians have found that Mac believed the Edsel was a bad idea from the start, and tried to sabotage the managers who were pushing it. He didn't quite succeed, and the bad idea went ahead and proved its badness. A program on C-Span yesterday featured some of LBJ's taped phone conversations, in which Mac clearly and persistently argued against escalating Vietnam. He didn't quite succeed, and the bad idea went ahead and killed many Americans in a useless war.
I feel the need to apologize for the record, since I had joined the chorus of Mac-haters. Too bad; he's such an easy man to dislike ... but despite his generally obnoxious nature, his judgment was proved right in both of those cases.
Hmm. Maybe that's why he's so obnoxious. When you're right, but can't erase the conventional stories about your wrongness, you're likely to get bitter.
4. Via NRO: Stuart Taylor, hardly a right-wing hack, has written a powerful summation of the Nifong fraud at Duke. Unfortunately, Taylor starts out with a conventional-wisdom statement that can easily be disproved.
It's no secret that hugely disproportionate numbers of the innocent people oppressed by abusive prosecutors and police in this country are African-Americans.
Even without detailed statistics, this statement can be proved wrong. All you need is one fact: Most crime occurs in black neighborhoods. Black neighborhoods are vastly more dangerous (for the innocent black folks) than white neighborhoods. This tells us all we need to know about the prosecution. If the police were arresting too many blacks, the black-neighborhood crime rate would be lower than the white-area rate. The continued high crime rate tells us that the police are still not arresting enough black criminals.
5. Mark Belling, subbing for Rush this morning, is trying out a pretty good argument for getting out of Iraq. Essentially he's saying that we've already accomplished all that we could practically accomplish; we've passed the point of negative return. I wonder if he's trying out the argument on behalf of the government, or purely on his own? This approach certainly runs counter to Rush's perpetual team loyalty.
6. Both sides in our political structure misunderstand the Laffer Curve, either deliberately or accidentally.
Let's start with the basic fact: Tax cuts increase government revenue.
Granted, this isn't 100% absolute; some changes in tax code will either be neutral or opposite. But in terms of the 'hot button' or major changes, Laffer is valid.
Now another generally accepted pair of facts: Lefties want to increase the size of government, and righties want to decrease it. Again not absolute, because righties want the gov't to serve mainly as defender against enemies, which can require a huge budget in wartime. But in domestic terms, we can say that R wants small, D wants big.
Logically, then, R should want to raise taxes, which gives gov't less money to work with, and D should want to cut taxes, which gives gov't more money to work with.
Why doesn't this happen? John Kennedy is the only politician who seemed to understand this point properly and consistently.
I truly don't know whether the politicians since JFK are just ignorant, or playing a deeper game. ¶ 9:14 AM
2. Pakistan, always described as our "ally", is clearly not. Musharraf has been playing us for a patsy since the start. Why are we so concerned about keeping him in office? His "democratically elected" government is not on our side, but the pretense of "alliance" prevents us from going in and wiping out al Qaeda. In other words, his presence serves the enemy, pure and simple. We should be helping his assassins, in order to have an accurately described enemy regime.
3. Conventional wisdom on Robert McNamara is that he was responsible for developing the Edsel when he worked at Ford, and he was responsible for developing the Vietnam War when he worked in Washington. It turns out that both of those stories are flat wrong. Automotive historians have found that Mac believed the Edsel was a bad idea from the start, and tried to sabotage the managers who were pushing it. He didn't quite succeed, and the bad idea went ahead and proved its badness. A program on C-Span yesterday featured some of LBJ's taped phone conversations, in which Mac clearly and persistently argued against escalating Vietnam. He didn't quite succeed, and the bad idea went ahead and killed many Americans in a useless war.
I feel the need to apologize for the record, since I had joined the chorus of Mac-haters. Too bad; he's such an easy man to dislike ... but despite his generally obnoxious nature, his judgment was proved right in both of those cases.
Hmm. Maybe that's why he's so obnoxious. When you're right, but can't erase the conventional stories about your wrongness, you're likely to get bitter.
4. Via NRO: Stuart Taylor, hardly a right-wing hack, has written a powerful summation of the Nifong fraud at Duke. Unfortunately, Taylor starts out with a conventional-wisdom statement that can easily be disproved.
It's no secret that hugely disproportionate numbers of the innocent people oppressed by abusive prosecutors and police in this country are African-Americans.
Even without detailed statistics, this statement can be proved wrong. All you need is one fact: Most crime occurs in black neighborhoods. Black neighborhoods are vastly more dangerous (for the innocent black folks) than white neighborhoods. This tells us all we need to know about the prosecution. If the police were arresting too many blacks, the black-neighborhood crime rate would be lower than the white-area rate. The continued high crime rate tells us that the police are still not arresting enough black criminals.
5. Mark Belling, subbing for Rush this morning, is trying out a pretty good argument for getting out of Iraq. Essentially he's saying that we've already accomplished all that we could practically accomplish; we've passed the point of negative return. I wonder if he's trying out the argument on behalf of the government, or purely on his own? This approach certainly runs counter to Rush's perpetual team loyalty.
6. Both sides in our political structure misunderstand the Laffer Curve, either deliberately or accidentally.
Let's start with the basic fact: Tax cuts increase government revenue.
Granted, this isn't 100% absolute; some changes in tax code will either be neutral or opposite. But in terms of the 'hot button' or major changes, Laffer is valid.
Now another generally accepted pair of facts: Lefties want to increase the size of government, and righties want to decrease it. Again not absolute, because righties want the gov't to serve mainly as defender against enemies, which can require a huge budget in wartime. But in domestic terms, we can say that R wants small, D wants big.
Logically, then, R should want to raise taxes, which gives gov't less money to work with, and D should want to cut taxes, which gives gov't more money to work with.
Why doesn't this happen? John Kennedy is the only politician who seemed to understand this point properly and consistently.
I truly don't know whether the politicians since JFK are just ignorant, or playing a deeper game. ¶ 9:14 AM
