Ron Paul is supposedly zooming in popularity. Um, yeah.
New Yorkers Continue to Lead 2008 Nomination Contests
First Choice for 2008 Republican Nomination
Based on Republicans/Republican leaners
May 10-13, 2007
Rudy Giuliani = 29
John McCain = 23
Fred Thompson = 12
Mitt Romney = 8
Newt Gingrich = 6
Sam Brownback = 2
Tommy Thompson = 1
Mike Huckabee = 1
Tom Tancredo = 1
George Pataki = 1
Duncan Hunter = *
Jim Gilmore = *
Chuck Hagel = *
Ron Paul = 0
Other = 2
None = 5
All/any = 0
No opinion = 8
* = Less than 0.5%If he keeps on like this, he's gonna break 0 any day now...
Okay, it's a joke, right? The whole Ron Paul thing? He's lower than Kucinich, for crying out loud. And he's supposedly a great leader? Don't you have to do something like... lead?
J.
Ron Paul is supposedly zooming in popularity. Um, yeah. New Yorkers Continue to Lead 2008 Nomination Contests
First Choice for 2008 Republican Nomination
Based on Republicans/Republican leaners
May 10-13, 2007
Rudy Giuliani = 29
John McCain = 23
Fred Thompson = 12
Mitt Romney = 8
Newt Gingrich = 6
Sam Brownback = 2
Tommy Thompson = 1
Mike Huckabee = 1
Tom Tancredo = 1
George Pataki = 1
Duncan Hunter = *
Jim Gilmore = *
Chuck Hagel = *
Ron Paul = 0
Other = 2
None = 5
All/any = 0
No opinion = 8
* = Less than 0.5%If he keeps on like this, he's gonna break 0 any day now...
Okay, it's a joke, right? The whole Ron Paul thing? He's lower than Kucinich, for crying out loud. And he's supposedly a great leader? Don't you have to do something like... lead?
J.
Ron Paul is supposedly zooming in popularity. Um, yeah. New Yorkers Continue to Lead 2008 Nomination Contests
First Choice for 2008 Republican Nomination
Based on Republicans/Republican leaners
May 10-13, 2007
Rudy Giuliani = 29
John McCain = 23
Fred Thompson = 12
Mitt Romney = 8
Newt Gingrich = 6
Sam Brownback = 2
Tommy Thompson = 1
Mike Huckabee = 1
Tom Tancredo = 1
George Pataki = 1
Duncan Hunter = *
Jim Gilmore = *
Chuck Hagel = *
Ron Paul = 0
Other = 2
None = 5
All/any = 0
No opinion = 8
* = Less than 0.5%If he keeps on like this, he's gonna break 0 any day now...
Okay, it's a joke, right? The whole Ron Paul thing? He's lower than Kucinich, for crying out loud. And he's supposedly a great leader? Don't you have to do something like... lead?
J.
Man, I can't believe I did this. I'm spending WAY too much time on Digg any more, and it seems most of the political posts are about Ron Paul - who seems to be, from all accounts, a Republican version of Chuck Norris. I've taken a look at his campaign web site, and, well...
I can only figure there's so much support for him because of the pity vote. There's just nothing THERE.
I've looked through his issues. I've dissected the one on taxes. It's standard political boilerplate, a nice listing of 'opinions', without a single commitment to DO anything about the issue. The bold text below is verbatim from his web site, the regular is my commentary on it.
Let's go through it, shall we? Direct from his web site, unedited... (but not uncommented.)
Working Americans like lower taxes. So do I. Lower taxes benefit all of us, creating jobs and allowing us to make more decisions for ourselves about our lives.
No argument there. I like lower taxes. I believe low taxes stimulate the economy. I think there's very few folks who actually, you know, WORK for a living that want their taxes raised. However, in this first paragraph - nothing about a committment to lowering taxes. We do have a point of agreement - which is what the writer of this bit wants remembered.
Whether a tax cut reduces a single mother’s payroll taxes by $40 a month or allows a business owner to save thousands in capital gains taxes and hire more employees, that tax cut is a good thing. Lower taxes allow more spending, saving, and investing which helps the economy – that means all of us.
Again, non-specific praise on tax cuts. After all, how can you disagree with these statements? And we get the point. Tax cuts are nice. They're tasty. They're shiny and sweet-smelling. Are you actually FOR them? I realize as a politician he has to circle a subject a half-dozen times before he takes a stand on it, but this is a campaign site and you'd think he'd want to cut to the chase. And $40 a month - well, it's better than nothing.
Real conservatives have always supported low taxes and low spending.
Zip! Now we change direction, AWAY from taxes. By implied definition he's a 'real conservative' - but in the verbiage so far there's no "I support and will campaign for lower taxes." That's certainly something that can be inferred, but it's not stated so it can be backed away from. And 'low taxes' - where's the point at which they're 'low', and where are they 'high'? You can infer a lot into this one sentence, without any support elsewhere.
But today, too many politicians and lobbyists are spending America into ruin. We are nine trillion dollars in debt as a nation. Our mounting government debt endangers the financial future of our children and grandchildren. If we don’t cut spending now, higher taxes and economic disaster will be in their future – and yours.
Setting the stage - if it looks like higher taxes will be needed, he can gracefully back away from any implied committment to lower taxes. Notice we've gone from taxes to spending, and there's STILL no comittment to cut ANYTHING?
In addition, the Federal Reserve, our central bank, fosters runaway debt by increasing the money supply – making each dollar in your pocket worth less. The Fed is a private bank run by unelected officials who are not required to be open or accountable to “we the people.”
Blame the Fed.
Worse, our economy and our very independence as a nation is increasingly in the hands of foreign governments such as China and Saudi Arabia, because their central banks also finance our runaway spending.
Blame China, and Saudi Arabia, not a Congress that couldn't cut out pork if they had to. There's what seems to be an isolationist streak running through this guy's stuff. Don't know if it's intentional, but it's noticeable.
We cannot continue to allow private banks, wasteful agencies, lobbyists, corporations on welfare, and governments collecting foreign aid to dictate the size of our ballooning budget. We need a new method to prioritize our spending. It’s called the Constitution of the United States.
Ah, okay then. Didn't realize it was a checklist for spending in the 21st Century... That's it. That's all that's up. Nothing more, nothing less.
So. Tax cut promise? Nope. I see nothing - NOTHING in his collection of buzz phrases that makes me think he'd cut taxes. He MENTIONS tax cuts, but avoids coming out and promising them. "I promise to cut taxes by X percent across the board" - that's simple, straight, and to the point, isn't it? I'd even accept "I believe taxes are too high, and I'll try to cut them and government spending." as being relevant. But what he's doing is spouting out opinions that people can agree with, and not taking anything resembing a stand. I don't want a president who's idea of plain speaking is using hundreds of words to dance around a subject without actually touching it.
Okay - my chance of voting for Ron Paul has officially reached the chance of me winning the lottery WITHOUT buying a ticket.
J.
Man, I can't believe I did this. I'm spending WAY too much time on Digg any more, and it seems most of the political posts are about Ron Paul - who seems to be, from all accounts, a Republican version of Chuck Norris. I've taken a look at his campaign web site, and, well...
I can only figure there's so much support for him because of the pity vote. There's just nothing THERE.
I've looked through his issues. I've dissected the one on taxes. It's standard political boilerplate, a nice listing of 'opinions', without a single commitment to DO anything about the issue. The bold text below is verbatim from his web site, the regular is my commentary on it.
Let's go through it, shall we? Direct from his web site, unedited... (but not uncommented.)
Working Americans like lower taxes. So do I. Lower taxes benefit all of us, creating jobs and allowing us to make more decisions for ourselves about our lives.
No argument there. I like lower taxes. I believe low taxes stimulate the economy. I think there's very few folks who actually, you know, WORK for a living that want their taxes raised. However, in this first paragraph - nothing about a committment to lowering taxes. We do have a point of agreement - which is what the writer of this bit wants remembered.
Whether a tax cut reduces a single mother’s payroll taxes by $40 a month or allows a business owner to save thousands in capital gains taxes and hire more employees, that tax cut is a good thing. Lower taxes allow more spending, saving, and investing which helps the economy – that means all of us.
Again, non-specific praise on tax cuts. After all, how can you disagree with these statements? And we get the point. Tax cuts are nice. They're tasty. They're shiny and sweet-smelling. Are you actually FOR them? I realize as a politician he has to circle a subject a half-dozen times before he takes a stand on it, but this is a campaign site and you'd think he'd want to cut to the chase. And $40 a month - well, it's better than nothing.
Real conservatives have always supported low taxes and low spending.
Zip! Now we change direction, AWAY from taxes. By implied definition he's a 'real conservative' - but in the verbiage so far there's no "I support and will campaign for lower taxes." That's certainly something that can be inferred, but it's not stated so it can be backed away from. And 'low taxes' - where's the point at which they're 'low', and where are they 'high'? You can infer a lot into this one sentence, without any support elsewhere.
But today, too many politicians and lobbyists are spending America into ruin. We are nine trillion dollars in debt as a nation. Our mounting government debt endangers the financial future of our children and grandchildren. If we don’t cut spending now, higher taxes and economic disaster will be in their future – and yours.
Setting the stage - if it looks like higher taxes will be needed, he can gracefully back away from any implied committment to lower taxes. Notice we've gone from taxes to spending, and there's STILL no comittment to cut ANYTHING?
In addition, the Federal Reserve, our central bank, fosters runaway debt by increasing the money supply – making each dollar in your pocket worth less. The Fed is a private bank run by unelected officials who are not required to be open or accountable to “we the people.”
Blame the Fed.
Worse, our economy and our very independence as a nation is increasingly in the hands of foreign governments such as China and Saudi Arabia, because their central banks also finance our runaway spending.
Blame China, and Saudi Arabia, not a Congress that couldn't cut out pork if they had to. There's what seems to be an isolationist streak running through this guy's stuff. Don't know if it's intentional, but it's noticeable.
We cannot continue to allow private banks, wasteful agencies, lobbyists, corporations on welfare, and governments collecting foreign aid to dictate the size of our ballooning budget. We need a new method to prioritize our spending. It’s called the Constitution of the United States.
Ah, okay then. Didn't realize it was a checklist for spending in the 21st Century... That's it. That's all that's up. Nothing more, nothing less.
So. Tax cut promise? Nope. I see nothing - NOTHING in his collection of buzz phrases that makes me think he'd cut taxes. He MENTIONS tax cuts, but avoids coming out and promising them. "I promise to cut taxes by X percent across the board" - that's simple, straight, and to the point, isn't it? I'd even accept "I believe taxes are too high, and I'll try to cut them and government spending." as being relevant. But what he's doing is spouting out opinions that people can agree with, and not taking anything resembing a stand. I don't want a president who's idea of plain speaking is using hundreds of words to dance around a subject without actually touching it.
Okay - my chance of voting for Ron Paul has officially reached the chance of me winning the lottery WITHOUT buying a ticket.
J.
Man, I can't believe I did this. I'm spending WAY too much time on Digg any more, and it seems most of the political posts are about Ron Paul - who seems to be, from all accounts, a Republican version of Chuck Norris. I've taken a look at his campaign web site, and, well...
I can only figure there's so much support for him because of the pity vote. There's just nothing THERE.
I've looked through his issues. I've dissected the one on taxes. It's standard political boilerplate, a nice listing of 'opinions', without a single commitment to DO anything about the issue. The bold text below is verbatim from his web site, the regular is my commentary on it.
Let's go through it, shall we? Direct from his web site, unedited... (but not uncommented.)
Working Americans like lower taxes. So do I. Lower taxes benefit all of us, creating jobs and allowing us to make more decisions for ourselves about our lives.
No argument there. I like lower taxes. I believe low taxes stimulate the economy. I think there's very few folks who actually, you know, WORK for a living that want their taxes raised. However, in this first paragraph - nothing about a committment to lowering taxes. We do have a point of agreement - which is what the writer of this bit wants remembered.
Whether a tax cut reduces a single mother’s payroll taxes by $40 a month or allows a business owner to save thousands in capital gains taxes and hire more employees, that tax cut is a good thing. Lower taxes allow more spending, saving, and investing which helps the economy – that means all of us.
Again, non-specific praise on tax cuts. After all, how can you disagree with these statements? And we get the point. Tax cuts are nice. They're tasty. They're shiny and sweet-smelling. Are you actually FOR them? I realize as a politician he has to circle a subject a half-dozen times before he takes a stand on it, but this is a campaign site and you'd think he'd want to cut to the chase. And $40 a month - well, it's better than nothing.
Real conservatives have always supported low taxes and low spending.
Zip! Now we change direction, AWAY from taxes. By implied definition he's a 'real conservative' - but in the verbiage so far there's no "I support and will campaign for lower taxes." That's certainly something that can be inferred, but it's not stated so it can be backed away from. And 'low taxes' - where's the point at which they're 'low', and where are they 'high'? You can infer a lot into this one sentence, without any support elsewhere.
But today, too many politicians and lobbyists are spending America into ruin. We are nine trillion dollars in debt as a nation. Our mounting government debt endangers the financial future of our children and grandchildren. If we don’t cut spending now, higher taxes and economic disaster will be in their future – and yours.
Setting the stage - if it looks like higher taxes will be needed, he can gracefully back away from any implied committment to lower taxes. Notice we've gone from taxes to spending, and there's STILL no comittment to cut ANYTHING?
In addition, the Federal Reserve, our central bank, fosters runaway debt by increasing the money supply – making each dollar in your pocket worth less. The Fed is a private bank run by unelected officials who are not required to be open or accountable to “we the people.”
Blame the Fed.
Worse, our economy and our very independence as a nation is increasingly in the hands of foreign governments such as China and Saudi Arabia, because their central banks also finance our runaway spending.
Blame China, and Saudi Arabia, not a Congress that couldn't cut out pork if they had to. There's what seems to be an isolationist streak running through this guy's stuff. Don't know if it's intentional, but it's noticeable.
We cannot continue to allow private banks, wasteful agencies, lobbyists, corporations on welfare, and governments collecting foreign aid to dictate the size of our ballooning budget. We need a new method to prioritize our spending. It’s called the Constitution of the United States.
Ah, okay then. Didn't realize it was a checklist for spending in the 21st Century... That's it. That's all that's up. Nothing more, nothing less.
So. Tax cut promise? Nope. I see nothing - NOTHING in his collection of buzz phrases that makes me think he'd cut taxes. He MENTIONS tax cuts, but avoids coming out and promising them. "I promise to cut taxes by X percent across the board" - that's simple, straight, and to the point, isn't it? I'd even accept "I believe taxes are too high, and I'll try to cut them and government spending." as being relevant. But what he's doing is spouting out opinions that people can agree with, and not taking anything resembing a stand. I don't want a president who's idea of plain speaking is using hundreds of words to dance around a subject without actually touching it.
Okay - my chance of voting for Ron Paul has officially reached the chance of me winning the lottery WITHOUT buying a ticket.
J.
One of the less appetizing bits of social fallout from the cultural shifts that brought about the 60s and the 70s is a simple little phrase that was used as both a shield and a weapon.
And no, it wasn't "Have a nice day!" delivered with a thick slathering of cheerfulness. No, this was much darker and yet very appealing for the counterculture crowd.
"Question Authority."
As a phrase, it's pretty good. It's clear, succint, to the point... and carries a hell of a lot of frieght. "Question Authority" - and a President fell. "Question Authority" - and a war was ended. (That the consequences for the losing side in Viet Nam were pretty horrific didn't matter.) "Question Authority" - and a cultural shift happened that hasn't settled down yet.
But any more, that phrase seems to be used for a simple rejection of the status quo. If a structure exists, "Question Authority" allows the 'user' to ignore it or attempt to change it into something more to his liking. In fact, it virtually demands it.
"Question Authority" ... but what's the real authority you're supposed to question? The authority of the teachers in school who tell you that everything sucks and the US is to blame for all the evils of the modern world? The PC folk who are very quick to insist that every culture is good in it's own way, with the exception of contemporary American culture which is uniquely diseased and deserving to be torn down? How about the authority of the likes of Chomsky and Chalmers Johnson? Question the authority of the police. Of your local government. Of the cultural mores you were raised under. Question what you're taught in the schools. Believe nothing, question everything... But NEVER question the authority of those telling you that you should question eveything and believe nothing.
Taken to the logical extreme - you wouldn't be able to trust anything. The web of trust that the country depends on would vanish. The glue that holds the country together, the common bonds of civility and politeness, the idea that you could believe the guy at the store selling food that was safe and wholesome or the doctor would give you proper treatment for what ails you with medicines that are likely to do you more good than harm - it's all corroded away by that little phrase. And how much weakening of the structure of a country can be endured before it collapses under it's own weight?
One of the things that's rarely noticed by political activists, the ones that advocate tossing out the old order and bringing in a new, who espouse violent revolution against the status quo because what's going on is so terrible they can barely find the words to express their hatred of it... is so simple it's not even worth noticing. It doesn't need a Communist Manifesto to proclaim it, or a book-length essay from a philosopher/linguist that is so complex that only someone who has studied philosophy for decades can comprehend it - instead it boils down to two simple sentances that have been overlooked by the 'man the barricades' crowd for centuries.
It's easy to break things down and burn things up. It's a lot harder to build things that work and build things that last.
When you go kicking at the structures of society, you'd best make very sure that there's nothing vitally important in those structures, and that you won't cause more problems than already exist. Certainly there have been things in our past that needed to be changed - slavery is a big thing there - but there have been attempts to change our society that backfired in ways that weren't expected, such as Prohibition. Caution is advised - but it's hard to be patient when you're a visionary. You KNOW what has to be done to make things perfect for everyone. The real problem is to sugar-coat the solution so people will be willing to swallow it. Yet the visionary's ideas of perfection tend to overlook a minor point
Perfection in human affairs is pretty much impossible to come up with - any society based on human interaction is going to be flawed and imperfect. This didn't keep the ideological dreamers from working at it, and generating horrific nightmares. The 20th century is littered with the wreckage of countries that attempted to create perfection within their societies, and failed at a horrendous cost of lives and properties and at their most malignant sought to force their 'perfection' on others... again at a staggering cost of lives and property. The dreams of utopia are fueled by blood and built on mounds of bodies.
And the call to "Question Authority", appealing to the young, to those who don't seem to fit in, who chafe under what they feel are artificial restrictions on the freedom they desire, seems to eventually lead to a society in upheaval, which wants structure and trust and certainty. A society ripe for a leader or ideology that promises that, leaving it laid wide open for a Hitler, a Marx, a Stalin or Mao - some strong man to come in and impose on that society an order that is lacking.
To promise a Utopia. Built on blood, built on bone. And suggested and started by a simple little phrase.... "Question Authority"
J.
One of the less appetizing bits of social fallout from the cultural shifts that brought about the 60s and the 70s is a simple little phrase that was used as both a shield and a weapon.
And no, it wasn't "Have a nice day!" delivered with a thick slathering of cheerfulness. No, this was much darker and yet very appealing for the counterculture crowd.
"Question Authority."
As a phrase, it's pretty good. It's clear, succint, to the point... and carries a hell of a lot of frieght. "Question Authority" - and a President fell. "Question Authority" - and a war was ended. (That the consequences for the losing side in Viet Nam were pretty horrific didn't matter.) "Question Authority" - and a cultural shift happened that hasn't settled down yet.
But any more, that phrase seems to be used for a simple rejection of the status quo. If a structure exists, "Question Authority" allows the 'user' to ignore it or attempt to change it into something more to his liking. In fact, it virtually demands it.
"Question Authority" ... but what's the real authority you're supposed to question? The authority of the teachers in school who tell you that everything sucks and the US is to blame for all the evils of the modern world? The PC folk who are very quick to insist that every culture is good in it's own way, with the exception of contemporary American culture which is uniquely diseased and deserving to be torn down? How about the authority of the likes of Chomsky and Chalmers Johnson? Question the authority of the police. Of your local government. Of the cultural mores you were raised under. Question what you're taught in the schools. Believe nothing, question everything... But NEVER question the authority of those telling you that you should question eveything and believe nothing.
Taken to the logical extreme - you wouldn't be able to trust anything. The web of trust that the country depends on would vanish. The glue that holds the country together, the common bonds of civility and politeness, the idea that you could believe the guy at the store selling food that was safe and wholesome or the doctor would give you proper treatment for what ails you with medicines that are likely to do you more good than harm - it's all corroded away by that little phrase. And how much weakening of the structure of a country can be endured before it collapses under it's own weight?
One of the things that's rarely noticed by political activists, the ones that advocate tossing out the old order and bringing in a new, who espouse violent revolution against the status quo because what's going on is so terrible they can barely find the words to express their hatred of it... is so simple it's not even worth noticing. It doesn't need a Communist Manifesto to proclaim it, or a book-length essay from a philosopher/linguist that is so complex that only someone who has studied philosophy for decades can comprehend it - instead it boils down to two simple sentances that have been overlooked by the 'man the barricades' crowd for centuries.
It's easy to break things down and burn things up. It's a lot harder to build things that work and build things that last.
When you go kicking at the structures of society, you'd best make very sure that there's nothing vitally important in those structures, and that you won't cause more problems than already exist. Certainly there have been things in our past that needed to be changed - slavery is a big thing there - but there have been attempts to change our society that backfired in ways that weren't expected, such as Prohibition. Caution is advised - but it's hard to be patient when you're a visionary. You KNOW what has to be done to make things perfect for everyone. The real problem is to sugar-coat the solution so people will be willing to swallow it. Yet the visionary's ideas of perfection tend to overlook a minor point
Perfection in human affairs is pretty much impossible to come up with - any society based on human interaction is going to be flawed and imperfect. This didn't keep the ideological dreamers from working at it, and generating horrific nightmares. The 20th century is littered with the wreckage of countries that attempted to create perfection within their societies, and failed at a horrendous cost of lives and properties and at their most malignant sought to force their 'perfection' on others... again at a staggering cost of lives and property. The dreams of utopia are fueled by blood and built on mounds of bodies.
And the call to "Question Authority", appealing to the young, to those who don't seem to fit in, who chafe under what they feel are artificial restrictions on the freedom they desire, seems to eventually lead to a society in upheaval, which wants structure and trust and certainty. A society ripe for a leader or ideology that promises that, leaving it laid wide open for a Hitler, a Marx, a Stalin or Mao - some strong man to come in and impose on that society an order that is lacking.
To promise a Utopia. Built on blood, built on bone. And suggested and started by a simple little phrase.... "Question Authority"
J.
One of the less appetizing bits of social fallout from the cultural shifts that brought about the 60s and the 70s is a simple little phrase that was used as both a shield and a weapon.
And no, it wasn't "Have a nice day!" delivered with a thick slathering of cheerfulness. No, this was much darker and yet very appealing for the counterculture crowd.
"Question Authority."
As a phrase, it's pretty good. It's clear, succint, to the point... and carries a hell of a lot of frieght. "Question Authority" - and a President fell. "Question Authority" - and a war was ended. (That the consequences for the losing side in Viet Nam were pretty horrific didn't matter.) "Question Authority" - and a cultural shift happened that hasn't settled down yet.
But any more, that phrase seems to be used for a simple rejection of the status quo. If a structure exists, "Question Authority" allows the 'user' to ignore it or attempt to change it into something more to his liking. In fact, it virtually demands it.
"Question Authority" ... but what's the real authority you're supposed to question? The authority of the teachers in school who tell you that everything sucks and the US is to blame for all the evils of the modern world? The PC folk who are very quick to insist that every culture is good in it's own way, with the exception of contemporary American culture which is uniquely diseased and deserving to be torn down? How about the authority of the likes of Chomsky and Chalmers Johnson? Question the authority of the police. Of your local government. Of the cultural mores you were raised under. Question what you're taught in the schools. Believe nothing, question everything... But NEVER question the authority of those telling you that you should question eveything and believe nothing.
Taken to the logical extreme - you wouldn't be able to trust anything. The web of trust that the country depends on would vanish. The glue that holds the country together, the common bonds of civility and politeness, the idea that you could believe the guy at the store selling food that was safe and wholesome or the doctor would give you proper treatment for what ails you with medicines that are likely to do you more good than harm - it's all corroded away by that little phrase. And how much weakening of the structure of a country can be endured before it collapses under it's own weight?
One of the things that's rarely noticed by political activists, the ones that advocate tossing out the old order and bringing in a new, who espouse violent revolution against the status quo because what's going on is so terrible they can barely find the words to express their hatred of it... is so simple it's not even worth noticing. It doesn't need a Communist Manifesto to proclaim it, or a book-length essay from a philosopher/linguist that is so complex that only someone who has studied philosophy for decades can comprehend it - instead it boils down to two simple sentances that have been overlooked by the 'man the barricades' crowd for centuries.
It's easy to break things down and burn things up. It's a lot harder to build things that work and build things that last.
When you go kicking at the structures of society, you'd best make very sure that there's nothing vitally important in those structures, and that you won't cause more problems than already exist. Certainly there have been things in our past that needed to be changed - slavery is a big thing there - but there have been attempts to change our society that backfired in ways that weren't expected, such as Prohibition. Caution is advised - but it's hard to be patient when you're a visionary. You KNOW what has to be done to make things perfect for everyone. The real problem is to sugar-coat the solution so people will be willing to swallow it. Yet the visionary's ideas of perfection tend to overlook a minor point
Perfection in human affairs is pretty much impossible to come up with - any society based on human interaction is going to be flawed and imperfect. This didn't keep the ideological dreamers from working at it, and generating horrific nightmares. The 20th century is littered with the wreckage of countries that attempted to create perfection within their societies, and failed at a horrendous cost of lives and properties and at their most malignant sought to force their 'perfection' on others... again at a staggering cost of lives and property. The dreams of utopia are fueled by blood and built on mounds of bodies.
And the call to "Question Authority", appealing to the young, to those who don't seem to fit in, who chafe under what they feel are artificial restrictions on the freedom they desire, seems to eventually lead to a society in upheaval, which wants structure and trust and certainty. A society ripe for a leader or ideology that promises that, leaving it laid wide open for a Hitler, a Marx, a Stalin or Mao - some strong man to come in and impose on that society an order that is lacking.
To promise a Utopia. Built on blood, built on bone. And suggested and started by a simple little phrase.... "Question Authority"
J.
called 'Separation of church and state"? The concept that's been used to pretty much take everything possible representing Christianity out of the public school system, to the point where even Christmas and Easter are looked upon with suspicion and intolerance?
Well, as Orwell wrote in Animal Farm, "some animals are more equal than others".
Seattle Public Schools�|�Community CRPD Presenters
Presenter: Hate Free Zone
Mission and Goals: Hate Free Zone Washington is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to uphold the fundamental principles of democracy and justice. Our goals are to:
• Empower immigrant communities to advocate for equality, dignity and respect.
• Build a collective voice for immigrants and refugee communities in the political system.
• Restore and protect civil liberties and human rights, regardless of citizenship status
• Undo stereotypes and free society from discrimination and hate.
Our Programs: Our work integrates three critical areas that act as the catalyst for systemic change: Political advocacy and mobilization, community support and education.
Post 9.11 Backlash
This training covers the specific impact of the backlash against immigrant and religious minority communities in the U.S. after September 11th, 2001. Real stories will be shared including those of people targeted with hate crimes, bullying/harassment, employment and housing discrimination, and detentions and deportations.
Bias-based Bullying (Religion, Race and Culture)
How can we recognize and prevent bullying, harassment, and violence based in bias regarding a student’s religion, race, or culture? This training will explore this topic and show a short video of students speaking from their own experience.
Islam and Muslim Americans
How can we better understand our Muslim students? This presentation covers many aspects of Islam including:
• Common Misconceptions and Stereotypes • Women in Islams
• Basics of Islam • Jihad
• Key Terms and Phrases • Muslims in America in the World
Muslim Prayer in Schools
Why do Muslim students need to leave my class to pray? This presentation focuses on accommodating Muslim students in school. Specifically, we cover prayer requirements for Muslim youth as well as other important information for making a school and classroom Muslim-friendly.
Somali Americans
This presentation covers basic information about Somali Americans including history of Somalia, immigration history of Somali Americans, stereotypes, Somali culture, language and religion, and information on the local Somali community.
We also have partner organizations that we call in on to present on many cultural groups including:
• South Asian Americans • Sikhism and Sikh Americans • Arab Americans
All of our presentations are interactive in nature and presented by trainers in the community we are addressing as well as from allied communities. For more information please contact us at:
Hate Free Zone Washington
1227 S Weller Street
Seattle, WA 98144
206-723-2203 Accomodation of the need to pray for Islamic students. Isn't that special? IIsn't that, you know, putting one religion's need over another? Isn't that pretty much contrary to the idea of separation of church and state?
I'm quite sure that the same accomodations will gladly be made for Christian students that are made for Muslim - right?
Sigh. Let's just let the camel's head in, shall we? Poor thing, it's cold out there...
Soon, we'll be outside the tent looking in.
J.
called 'Separation of church and state"? The concept that's been used to pretty much take everything possible representing Christianity out of the public school system, to the point where even Christmas and Easter are looked upon with suspicion and intolerance?
Well, as Orwell wrote in Animal Farm, "some animals are more equal than others".
Seattle Public Schools�|�Community CRPD Presenters
Presenter: Hate Free Zone
Mission and Goals: Hate Free Zone Washington is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to uphold the fundamental principles of democracy and justice. Our goals are to:
• Empower immigrant communities to advocate for equality, dignity and respect.
• Build a collective voice for immigrants and refugee communities in the political system.
• Restore and protect civil liberties and human rights, regardless of citizenship status
• Undo stereotypes and free society from discrimination and hate.
Our Programs: Our work integrates three critical areas that act as the catalyst for systemic change: Political advocacy and mobilization, community support and education.
Post 9.11 Backlash
This training covers the specific impact of the backlash against immigrant and religious minority communities in the U.S. after September 11th, 2001. Real stories will be shared including those of people targeted with hate crimes, bullying/harassment, employment and housing discrimination, and detentions and deportations.
Bias-based Bullying (Religion, Race and Culture)
How can we recognize and prevent bullying, harassment, and violence based in bias regarding a student’s religion, race, or culture? This training will explore this topic and show a short video of students speaking from their own experience.
Islam and Muslim Americans
How can we better understand our Muslim students? This presentation covers many aspects of Islam including:
• Common Misconceptions and Stereotypes • Women in Islams
• Basics of Islam • Jihad
• Key Terms and Phrases • Muslims in America in the World
Muslim Prayer in Schools
Why do Muslim students need to leave my class to pray? This presentation focuses on accommodating Muslim students in school. Specifically, we cover prayer requirements for Muslim youth as well as other important information for making a school and classroom Muslim-friendly.
Somali Americans
This presentation covers basic information about Somali Americans including history of Somalia, immigration history of Somali Americans, stereotypes, Somali culture, language and religion, and information on the local Somali community.
We also have partner organizations that we call in on to present on many cultural groups including:
• South Asian Americans • Sikhism and Sikh Americans • Arab Americans
All of our presentations are interactive in nature and presented by trainers in the community we are addressing as well as from allied communities. For more information please contact us at:
Hate Free Zone Washington
1227 S Weller Street
Seattle, WA 98144
206-723-2203 Accomodation of the need to pray for Islamic students. Isn't that special? IIsn't that, you know, putting one religion's need over another? Isn't that pretty much contrary to the idea of separation of church and state?
I'm quite sure that the same accomodations will gladly be made for Christian students that are made for Muslim - right?
Sigh. Let's just let the camel's head in, shall we? Poor thing, it's cold out there...
Soon, we'll be outside the tent looking in.
J.
called 'Separation of church and state"? The concept that's been used to pretty much take everything possible representing Christianity out of the public school system, to the point where even Christmas and Easter are looked upon with suspicion and intolerance?
Well, as Orwell wrote in Animal Farm, "some animals are more equal than others".
Seattle Public Schools�|�Community CRPD Presenters
Presenter: Hate Free Zone
Mission and Goals: Hate Free Zone Washington is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to uphold the fundamental principles of democracy and justice. Our goals are to:
• Empower immigrant communities to advocate for equality, dignity and respect.
• Build a collective voice for immigrants and refugee communities in the political system.
• Restore and protect civil liberties and human rights, regardless of citizenship status
• Undo stereotypes and free society from discrimination and hate.
Our Programs: Our work integrates three critical areas that act as the catalyst for systemic change: Political advocacy and mobilization, community support and education.
Post 9.11 Backlash
This training covers the specific impact of the backlash against immigrant and religious minority communities in the U.S. after September 11th, 2001. Real stories will be shared including those of people targeted with hate crimes, bullying/harassment, employment and housing discrimination, and detentions and deportations.
Bias-based Bullying (Religion, Race and Culture)
How can we recognize and prevent bullying, harassment, and violence based in bias regarding a student’s religion, race, or culture? This training will explore this topic and show a short video of students speaking from their own experience.
Islam and Muslim Americans
How can we better understand our Muslim students? This presentation covers many aspects of Islam including:
• Common Misconceptions and Stereotypes • Women in Islams
• Basics of Islam • Jihad
• Key Terms and Phrases • Muslims in America in the World
Muslim Prayer in Schools
Why do Muslim students need to leave my class to pray? This presentation focuses on accommodating Muslim students in school. Specifically, we cover prayer requirements for Muslim youth as well as other important information for making a school and classroom Muslim-friendly.
Somali Americans
This presentation covers basic information about Somali Americans including history of Somalia, immigration history of Somali Americans, stereotypes, Somali culture, language and religion, and information on the local Somali community.
We also have partner organizations that we call in on to present on many cultural groups including:
• South Asian Americans • Sikhism and Sikh Americans • Arab Americans
All of our presentations are interactive in nature and presented by trainers in the community we are addressing as well as from allied communities. For more information please contact us at:
Hate Free Zone Washington
1227 S Weller Street
Seattle, WA 98144
206-723-2203 Accomodation of the need to pray for Islamic students. Isn't that special? IIsn't that, you know, putting one religion's need over another? Isn't that pretty much contrary to the idea of separation of church and state?
I'm quite sure that the same accomodations will gladly be made for Christian students that are made for Muslim - right?
Sigh. Let's just let the camel's head in, shall we? Poor thing, it's cold out there...
Soon, we'll be outside the tent looking in.
J.
Hey, nice try - but when you're really at the bottom, it's time to just hang up the effort. And MSNBC is encouraging that. White House 2008 rankings: The Republicans - National Journal - MSNBC.com
12. Ron Paul
Texas congressman Last Ranking: 9
Just please stop e-mailing us. Thanks.
These rankings are ordered by likelihood of winning the Republican primary and are based on a number of factors, including organization, money, buzz and polling. Dropped three steps. That's not looking good. Don't think he'll be able to recover, no matter how much his supporters spam the boards...
J.
Hey, nice try - but when you're really at the bottom, it's time to just hang up the effort. And MSNBC is encouraging that. White House 2008 rankings: The Republicans - National Journal - MSNBC.com
12. Ron Paul
Texas congressman Last Ranking: 9
Just please stop e-mailing us. Thanks.
These rankings are ordered by likelihood of winning the Republican primary and are based on a number of factors, including organization, money, buzz and polling. Dropped three steps. That's not looking good. Don't think he'll be able to recover, no matter how much his supporters spam the boards...
J.
Hey, nice try - but when you're really at the bottom, it's time to just hang up the effort. And MSNBC is encouraging that. White House 2008 rankings: The Republicans - National Journal - MSNBC.com
12. Ron Paul
Texas congressman Last Ranking: 9
Just please stop e-mailing us. Thanks.
These rankings are ordered by likelihood of winning the Republican primary and are based on a number of factors, including organization, money, buzz and polling. Dropped three steps. That's not looking good. Don't think he'll be able to recover, no matter how much his supporters spam the boards...
J.
My previous post on this gathered some interesting responses...
AJacksonian said: I do love the one button I picked up way back when on this topic, quite the way to put things in perspective:
"Question Authority -
Ask me anything."
Then there is the 'speak the truth to power' concept, which always assumes that one is unbiased and the wall outlet is biased... which it had better be for most appliances.
Still, the nub of it is that in some way by doing the questioning and speaking one will play upon the conscience of the authority/power. I mean if you already *think* that you are being lied to... then you are doing an exercise in self-fulfillment, but really not much beyond that and definitely not working towards 'making a more perfect Union'.
Questioning competence or even the ability of those with some power and/or authority to do something *right* is something else again, and We the People clearly demarcate not only what the power *is* but what the limits and responsibilities *are*. Thus when I hear a Congresscritter decrying the lack of supplies to the Armed Forces, the Constitution tells me which part of government gets to set out, scope and ensure funding for these things: Congress. Funds may be ill spent, but that is *also* done with full Congressional oversight and mandate by the laws it passes and the resultant bureaucracy it creates. A Congresscritter decrying those things had best look in the mirror to apportion blame and responsibility or realize that they have just indicted themselves as *incompetent* and without a clue as to their actual power and responsibilities.
The extra, special fun these days is the generation that first promulgated these memes is NOW the one in power and authority and they do *not* like being questioned or having 'truth' spoken to them. So lovely, that.
And if one is actually doing the questioning and truth-speaking it is best to know what you are actually talking about... or the actual question and truth one is speaking may suddenly show up one's *own* inability. That would be far more entertaining if those doing that weren't screaming so much about how they want the world to run to *their* liking and biases.... then it is mere juvenile ranting, which wears on the nerves very quickly.
Of course there is a button for every situation, and the best for this is:
"All power corrupts...
But we need the electricity." Where DOES he get those wonderful buttons?
OTPU said... I personally think "Question Authority" is a pretty good motto. I do think its important to point out that for "question authority" to work the questioner has understand enough about his subject to pose pertinent questions, understand the answers, and accurately evaluate those answers for both veracity and relevance.
That's a pretty high bar for someone who just wants a cool bumper sticker for his VW bug.
P.S. If you listened to the conversations going on around us at Atomicon you heard a lot of people questioning Authority's basic motivation, competence, and intelligence.
If I remember correctly, I'm old and it was a long time ago, you and I might have had a few questions of our own.
otpu Indeed we did, indeed we did. But as both AJacksonian and OTPU point out, there's a difference between using "Question Authority" to reject whatever's being questioned, and to use it to make sure Authority actually knows what it's talking about. And if you decide you need to Question Authority, you yourself need to know whether the answer you get is right or wrong. Because if YOU can't figure it out, what's the purpose in questioning?
That's why a good education is so important - and why it's worrisome our public education system is falling down on the job so badly.
Dr. Sanity wrote an excellent essay on education/indoctrination, part of which follows... The 20th century was the battleground where the two totalitarian branches of the collectivist philosophers vied for spiritual and physical control over humanity. The amount of death, destruction and misery they ushered in is perhaps unprecedented in human history.
By the mid-20th century, the right-wing, or nationalist, Hegelians, or national socialists (Nazis) had been defeated by an alliance of the left-wing Hegelians and those who stood for human freedom and democracy. By the end of the century, the social systems favored by the Hegelians of the left had been exposed to the world for the lie and deception it was.
But, in this new century, both utopian systems have been given new life by recruited a potent new ally in their attempts to control the minds of men. That ally is postmodern philosophy and rhetoric.
Neither can hope to remain viable in a world where human thought is free; therefore, the goal for the last several decades has been nothing less than to undermine mankind's perception of reality itself. They have been most successful in this goal at all levels of education--elementary, high school and college.
If you can convince children that objective reality is an illusion; that A does not equal A; that black is white; and that good is bad; if you can make them accept that everything is subjective and relative; then you have successfully breathed new life into doctrines that by all objective measures and standards led to the death and misery of millions of people. Through the careful manipulation of language, everything can be distorted, without the messy need to resort to facts, logic, or reason.
For the children of postmodernism, what matters is not truth or falsity--only the effectiveness of the language used. Lies, distortions, ad hominem attacks; attempts to silence opposing views--all are strategies that are perfectly satisfactory if they achieve the desired effect--i.e., furthering the collectivist agenda. Ideas and reason make way for reification of feelings; and freedom is replaced by thought control and preservation of "self-esteem" at all costs.
The postmodern assault as it is used by the new totalitarians of the 21st century is a four-pronged attack to undermine
- Objective reality
- Reason and the rational debate of ideas
- Individual freedom and freedom of thought and speech
- Progress and capitalism
The strategies used are:
- The distortion of language and meaning to undermine the individual's perception of reality;
- The use of direct or threatened physical violence to suppress speech and individual freedom;
- Politically "correct" thought control and cultural relativism to undermine reason and rational debate;
- The promotion of environmental hysteria to undermine progress, industrialization and capitalism
These activities represent the most serious assault on reality, reason, and individual freedom since the defeat of the Hegelian twins in the last century.
Radical Islamic ideology is itself an unexpected combination of several toxic threads of Hegelian thought that have merged in the last 30 years. One thread of this meme is Islam itself--a purportedly "peaceful" religion that is actually historically based on military conquest and coercion of belief through jihad-- entwined with the remnants of the left- and right-wing totalitarian ideologies of the last century.
Thus we see how that 18th century philosophical climate of collectivism is still playing itself out several hundred years later. But the battleground in our time has returned to the battlefield of the mind, where strenuous efforts are being made by the remnants of both to claim the minds of the next generation. Question Authority... but not the Authority that wants you to question the status quo in the first place.
As AJacksonian said - "The extra, special fun these days is the generation that first promulgated these memes is NOW the one in power and authority and they do *not* like being questioned or having 'truth' spoken to them. So lovely, that."
Yes, it is. And I think in the long run, the whole situation will resolve in a way that promotes rationality - but it's going to take decades and the cost is going to be very high indeed. The funny thing is - one man's rationality is another man's sheerest fantasy. The folks wanting the control see it as right and proper that THEY have it, while we see from history what has been done when they did.
Anyway, for a scene of one possible future, we can take a look at the writings of that noted SF Author, Rudyard Kipling, in "As Easy As A.B.C." ‘If you’ve ever been ground-circuited,’ said the Mayor, ‘you’ll know it don’t improve any man’s temper to be held up straining against nothing. No, sir! Eight or nine hundred folk kept pawing and buzzing like flies in treacle for two hours, while a pack of perfectly safe Serviles invades their mental and spiritual privacy, may be amusing to watch, but they are not pleasant to handle afterwards.’
Pirolo chuckled.
‘Our folk own themselves. They were of opinion things were going too far and too fiery. I warned the Serviles; but they’re born house-dwellers. Unless a fact hits ’em on the head, they cannot see it. Would you believe me, they went on to talk of what they called “popular government”? They did! They wanted us to go back to the old Voodoo-business of voting with papers and wooden boxes, and word-drunk people and printed formulas, and news-sheets! They said they practised it among themselves about what they’d have to eat in their flats and hotels. Yes, sir! They stood up behind Bluthner’s doubled ground-circuits, and they said that, in this present year of grace, to self-owning men and women, on that very spot! Then they finished’—he lowered his voice cautiously—‘by talking about “The People.” And then Bluthner he had to sit up all night in charge of the circuits because he couldn’t trust his men to keep ’em shut.’
...
De Forest waited till the last footstep had died away. Meantime the prisoners at the base of the Statue shuffled, posed and fidgeted, with the shamelessness of quite little children. None of them were more than six feet high, and many of them were as grey-haired as the ravaged, harassed heads of old pictures. They huddled together in actual touch, while the crowd, spaced at large intervals, looked at them with congested eyes.
Suddenly a man among them began to talk. The Mayor had not in the least exaggerated. It appeared that our Planet lay sunk in slavery beneath the heel of the Aerial Board of Control. The orator urged us to arise in our might, burst our prison doors and break our fetters (all his metaphors, by the way, were of the most medieval). Next he demanded that every matter of daily life, including most of the physical functions, should be submitted for decision at any time of the week, month, or year to, I gathered, anybody who happened to be passing by or residing within a certain radius, and that everybody should forthwith abandon his concerns to settle the matter, first by crowd-making, next by talking to the crowds made, and lastly by describing crosses on pieces of paper, which rubbish should later be counted with certain mystic ceremonies and oaths. Out of this amazing play, he assured us, would automatically arise a higher, nobler, and kinder world, based—he demonstrated this with the awful lucidity of the insane—based on the sanctity of the Crowd and the villainy of the single person. In conclusion, he called loudly upon God to testify to his personal merits and integrity. When the flow ceased, I turned bewildered to Takahira, who was nodding solemnly.
‘Quite correct,’ said he ‘It is all in the old books. He has left nothing out, not even the war-talk.’ It's an interesting read. And with that, I close out this overlong quote-piece...
J.
My previous post on this gathered some interesting responses...
AJacksonian said: I do love the one button I picked up way back when on this topic, quite the way to put things in perspective:
"Question Authority -
Ask me anything."
Then there is the 'speak the truth to power' concept, which always assumes that one is unbiased and the wall outlet is biased... which it had better be for most appliances.
Still, the nub of it is that in some way by doing the questioning and speaking one will play upon the conscience of the authority/power. I mean if you already *think* that you are being lied to... then you are doing an exercise in self-fulfillment, but really not much beyond that and definitely not working towards 'making a more perfect Union'.
Questioning competence or even the ability of those with some power and/or authority to do something *right* is something else again, and We the People clearly demarcate not only what the power *is* but what the limits and responsibilities *are*. Thus when I hear a Congresscritter decrying the lack of supplies to the Armed Forces, the Constitution tells me which part of government gets to set out, scope and ensure funding for these things: Congress. Funds may be ill spent, but that is *also* done with full Congressional oversight and mandate by the laws it passes and the resultant bureaucracy it creates. A Congresscritter decrying those things had best look in the mirror to apportion blame and responsibility or realize that they have just indicted themselves as *incompetent* and without a clue as to their actual power and responsibilities.
The extra, special fun these days is the generation that first promulgated these memes is NOW the one in power and authority and they do *not* like being questioned or having 'truth' spoken to them. So lovely, that.
And if one is actually doing the questioning and truth-speaking it is best to know what you are actually talking about... or the actual question and truth one is speaking may suddenly show up one's *own* inability. That would be far more entertaining if those doing that weren't screaming so much about how they want the world to run to *their* liking and biases.... then it is mere juvenile ranting, which wears on the nerves very quickly.
Of course there is a button for every situation, and the best for this is:
"All power corrupts...
But we need the electricity." Where DOES he get those wonderful buttons?
OTPU said... I personally think "Question Authority" is a pretty good motto. I do think its important to point out that for "question authority" to work the questioner has understand enough about his subject to pose pertinent questions, understand the answers, and accurately evaluate those answers for both veracity and relevance.
That's a pretty high bar for someone who just wants a cool bumper sticker for his VW bug.
P.S. If you listened to the conversations going on around us at Atomicon you heard a lot of people questioning Authority's basic motivation, competence, and intelligence.
If I remember correctly, I'm old and it was a long time ago, you and I might have had a few questions of our own.
otpu Indeed we did, indeed we did. But as both AJacksonian and OTPU point out, there's a difference between using "Question Authority" to reject whatever's being questioned, and to use it to make sure Authority actually knows what it's talking about. And if you decide you need to Question Authority, you yourself need to know whether the answer you get is right or wrong. Because if YOU can't figure it out, what's the purpose in questioning?
That's why a good education is so important - and why it's worrisome our public education system is falling down on the job so badly.
Dr. Sanity wrote an excellent essay on education/indoctrination, part of which follows... The 20th century was the battleground where the two totalitarian branches of the collectivist philosophers vied for spiritual and physical control over humanity. The amount of death, destruction and misery they ushered in is perhaps unprecedented in human history.
By the mid-20th century, the right-wing, or nationalist, Hegelians, or national socialists (Nazis) had been defeated by an alliance of the left-wing Hegelians and those who stood for human freedom and democracy. By the end of the century, the social systems favored by the Hegelians of the left had been exposed to the world for the lie and deception it was.
But, in this new century, both utopian systems have been given new life by recruited a potent new ally in their attempts to control the minds of men. That ally is postmodern philosophy and rhetoric.
Neither can hope to remain viable in a world where human thought is free; therefore, the goal for the last several decades has been nothing less than to undermine mankind's perception of reality itself. They have been most successful in this goal at all levels of education--elementary, high school and college.
If you can convince children that objective reality is an illusion; that A does not equal A; that black is white; and that good is bad; if you can make them accept that everything is subjective and relative; then you have successfully breathed new life into doctrines that by all objective measures and standards led to the death and misery of millions of people. Through the careful manipulation of language, everything can be distorted, without the messy need to resort to facts, logic, or reason.
For the children of postmodernism, what matters is not truth or falsity--only the effectiveness of the language used. Lies, distortions, ad hominem attacks; attempts to silence opposing views--all are strategies that are perfectly satisfactory if they achieve the desired effect--i.e., furthering the collectivist agenda. Ideas and reason make way for reification of feelings; and freedom is replaced by thought control and preservation of "self-esteem" at all costs.
The postmodern assault as it is used by the new totalitarians of the 21st century is a four-pronged attack to undermine
- Objective reality
- Reason and the rational debate of ideas
- Individual freedom and freedom of thought and speech
- Progress and capitalism
The strategies used are:
- The distortion of language and meaning to undermine the individual's perception of reality;
- The use of direct or threatened physical violence to suppress speech and individual freedom;
- Politically "correct" thought control and cultural relativism to undermine reason and rational debate;
- The promotion of environmental hysteria to undermine progress, industrialization and capitalism
These activities represent the most serious assault on reality, reason, and individual freedom since the defeat of the Hegelian twins in the last century.
Radical Islamic ideology is itself an unexpected combination of several toxic threads of Hegelian thought that have merged in the last 30 years. One thread of this meme is Islam itself--a purportedly "peaceful" religion that is actually historically based on military conquest and coercion of belief through jihad-- entwined with the remnants of the left- and right-wing totalitarian ideologies of the last century.
Thus we see how that 18th century philosophical climate of collectivism is still playing itself out several hundred years later. But the battleground in our time has returned to the battlefield of the mind, where strenuous efforts are being made by the remnants of both to claim the minds of the next generation. Question Authority... but not the Authority that wants you to question the status quo in the first place.
As AJacksonian said - "The extra, special fun these days is the generation that first promulgated these memes is NOW the one in power and authority and they do *not* like being questioned or having 'truth' spoken to them. So lovely, that."
Yes, it is. And I think in the long run, the whole situation will resolve in a way that promotes rationality - but it's going to take decades and the cost is going to be very high indeed. The funny thing is - one man's rationality is another man's sheerest fantasy. The folks wanting the control see it as right and proper that THEY have it, while we see from history what has been done when they did.
Anyway, for a scene of one possible future, we can take a look at the writings of that noted SF Author, Rudyard Kipling, in "As Easy As A.B.C." ‘If you’ve ever been ground-circuited,’ said the Mayor, ‘you’ll know it don’t improve any man’s temper to be held up straining against nothing. No, sir! Eight or nine hundred folk kept pawing and buzzing like flies in treacle for two hours, while a pack of perfectly safe Serviles invades their mental and spiritual privacy, may be amusing to watch, but they are not pleasant to handle afterwards.’
Pirolo chuckled.
‘Our folk own themselves. They were of opinion things were going too far and too fiery. I warned the Serviles; but they’re born house-dwellers. Unless a fact hits ’em on the head, they cannot see it. Would you believe me, they went on to talk of what they called “popular government”? They did! They wanted us to go back to the old Voodoo-business of voting with papers and wooden boxes, and word-drunk people and printed formulas, and news-sheets! They said they practised it among themselves about what they’d have to eat in their flats and hotels. Yes, sir! They stood up behind Bluthner’s doubled ground-circuits, and they said that, in this present year of grace, to self-owning men and women, on that very spot! Then they finished’—he lowered his voice cautiously—‘by talking about “The People.” And then Bluthner he had to sit up all night in charge of the circuits because he couldn’t trust his men to keep ’em shut.’
...
De Forest waited till the last footstep had died away. Meantime the prisoners at the base of the Statue shuffled, posed and fidgeted, with the shamelessness of quite little children. None of them were more than six feet high, and many of them were as grey-haired as the ravaged, harassed heads of old pictures. They huddled together in actual touch, while the crowd, spaced at large intervals, looked at them with congested eyes.
Suddenly a man among them began to talk. The Mayor had not in the least exaggerated. It appeared that our Planet lay sunk in slavery beneath the heel of the Aerial Board of Control. The orator urged us to arise in our might, burst our prison doors and break our fetters (all his metaphors, by the way, were of the most medieval). Next he demanded that every matter of daily life, including most of the physical functions, should be submitted for decision at any time of the week, month, or year to, I gathered, anybody who happened to be passing by or residing within a certain radius, and that everybody should forthwith abandon his concerns to settle the matter, first by crowd-making, next by talking to the crowds made, and lastly by describing crosses on pieces of paper, which rubbish should later be counted with certain mystic ceremonies and oaths. Out of this amazing play, he assured us, would automatically arise a higher, nobler, and kinder world, based—he demonstrated this with the awful lucidity of the insane—based on the sanctity of the Crowd and the villainy of the single person. In conclusion, he called loudly upon God to testify to his personal merits and integrity. When the flow ceased, I turned bewildered to Takahira, who was nodding solemnly.
‘Quite correct,’ said he ‘It is all in the old books. He has left nothing out, not even the war-talk.’ It's an interesting read. And with that, I close out this overlong quote-piece...
J.
My previous post on this gathered some interesting responses...
AJacksonian said: I do love the one button I picked up way back when on this topic, quite the way to put things in perspective:
"Question Authority -
Ask me anything."
Then there is the 'speak the truth to power' concept, which always assumes that one is unbiased and the wall outlet is biased... which it had better be for most appliances.
Still, the nub of it is that in some way by doing the questioning and speaking one will play upon the conscience of the authority/power. I mean if you already *think* that you are being lied to... then you are doing an exercise in self-fulfillment, but really not much beyond that and definitely not working towards 'making a more perfect Union'.
Questioning competence or even the ability of those with some power and/or authority to do something *right* is something else again, and We the People clearly demarcate not only what the power *is* but what the limits and responsibilities *are*. Thus when I hear a Congresscritter decrying the lack of supplies to the Armed Forces, the Constitution tells me which part of government gets to set out, scope and ensure funding for these things: Congress. Funds may be ill spent, but that is *also* done with full Congressional oversight and mandate by the laws it passes and the resultant bureaucracy it creates. A Congresscritter decrying those things had best look in the mirror to apportion blame and responsibility or realize that they have just indicted themselves as *incompetent* and without a clue as to their actual power and responsibilities.
The extra, special fun these days is the generation that first promulgated these memes is NOW the one in power and authority and they do *not* like being questioned or having 'truth' spoken to them. So lovely, that.
And if one is actually doing the questioning and truth-speaking it is best to know what you are actually talking about... or the actual question and truth one is speaking may suddenly show up one's *own* inability. That would be far more entertaining if those doing that weren't screaming so much about how they want the world to run to *their* liking and biases.... then it is mere juvenile ranting, which wears on the nerves very quickly.
Of course there is a button for every situation, and the best for this is:
"All power corrupts...
But we need the electricity." Where DOES he get those wonderful buttons?
OTPU said... I personally think "Question Authority" is a pretty good motto. I do think its important to point out that for "question authority" to work the questioner has understand enough about his subject to pose pertinent questions, understand the answers, and accurately evaluate those answers for both veracity and relevance.
That's a pretty high bar for someone who just wants a cool bumper sticker for his VW bug.
P.S. If you listened to the conversations going on around us at Atomicon you heard a lot of people questioning Authority's basic motivation, competence, and intelligence.
If I remember correctly, I'm old and it was a long time ago, you and I might have had a few questions of our own.
otpu Indeed we did, indeed we did. But as both AJacksonian and OTPU point out, there's a difference between using "Question Authority" to reject whatever's being questioned, and to use it to make sure Authority actually knows what it's talking about. And if you decide you need to Question Authority, you yourself need to know whether the answer you get is right or wrong. Because if YOU can't figure it out, what's the purpose in questioning?
That's why a good education is so important - and why it's worrisome our public education system is falling down on the job so badly.
Dr. Sanity wrote an excellent essay on education/indoctrination, part of which follows... The 20th century was the battleground where the two totalitarian branches of the collectivist philosophers vied for spiritual and physical control over humanity. The amount of death, destruction and misery they ushered in is perhaps unprecedented in human history.
By the mid-20th century, the right-wing, or nationalist, Hegelians, or national socialists (Nazis) had been defeated by an alliance of the left-wing Hegelians and those who stood for human freedom and democracy. By the end of the century, the social systems favored by the Hegelians of the left had been exposed to the world for the lie and deception it was.
But, in this new century, both utopian systems have been given new life by recruited a potent new ally in their attempts to control the minds of men. That ally is postmodern philosophy and rhetoric.
Neither can hope to remain viable in a world where human thought is free; therefore, the goal for the last several decades has been nothing less than to undermine mankind's perception of reality itself. They have been most successful in this goal at all levels of education--elementary, high school and college.
If you can convince children that objective reality is an illusion; that A does not equal A; that black is white; and that good is bad; if you can make them accept that everything is subjective and relative; then you have successfully breathed new life into doctrines that by all objective measures and standards led to the death and misery of millions of people. Through the careful manipulation of language, everything can be distorted, without the messy need to resort to facts, logic, or reason.
For the children of postmodernism, what matters is not truth or falsity--only the effectiveness of the language used. Lies, distortions, ad hominem attacks; attempts to silence opposing views--all are strategies that are perfectly satisfactory if they achieve the desired effect--i.e., furthering the collectivist agenda. Ideas and reason make way for reification of feelings; and freedom is replaced by thought control and preservation of "self-esteem" at all costs.
The postmodern assault as it is used by the new totalitarians of the 21st century is a four-pronged attack to undermine
- Objective reality
- Reason and the rational debate of ideas
- Individual freedom and freedom of thought and speech
- Progress and capitalism
The strategies used are:
- The distortion of language and meaning to undermine the individual's perception of reality;
- The use of direct or threatened physical violence to suppress speech and individual freedom;
- Politically "correct" thought control and cultural relativism to undermine reason and rational debate;
- The promotion of environmental hysteria to undermine progress, industrialization and capitalism
These activities represent the most serious assault on reality, reason, and individual freedom since the defeat of the Hegelian twins in the last century.
Radical Islamic ideology is itself an unexpected combination of several toxic threads of Hegelian thought that have merged in the last 30 years. One thread of this meme is Islam itself--a purportedly "peaceful" religion that is actually historically based on military conquest and coercion of belief through jihad-- entwined with the remnants of the left- and right-wing totalitarian ideologies of the last century.
Thus we see how that 18th century philosophical climate of collectivism is still playing itself out several hundred years later. But the battleground in our time has returned to the battlefield of the mind, where strenuous efforts are being made by the remnants of both to claim the minds of the next generation. Question Authority... but not the Authority that wants you to question the status quo in the first place.
As AJacksonian said - "The extra, special fun these days is the generation that first promulgated these memes is NOW the one in power and authority and they do *not* like being questioned or having 'truth' spoken to them. So lovely, that."
Yes, it is. And I think in the long run, the whole situation will resolve in a way that promotes rationality - but it's going to take decades and the cost is going to be very high indeed. The funny thing is - one man's rationality is another man's sheerest fantasy. The folks wanting the control see it as right and proper that THEY have it, while we see from history what has been done when they did.
Anyway, for a scene of one possible future, we can take a look at the writings of that noted SF Author, Rudyard Kipling, in "As Easy As A.B.C." ‘If you’ve ever been ground-circuited,’ said the Mayor, ‘you’ll know it don’t improve any man’s temper to be held up straining against nothing. No, sir! Eight or nine hundred folk kept pawing and buzzing like flies in treacle for two hours, while a pack of perfectly safe Serviles invades their mental and spiritual privacy, may be amusing to watch, but they are not pleasant to handle afterwards.’
Pirolo chuckled.
‘Our folk own themselves. They were of opinion things were going too far and too fiery. I warned the Serviles; but they’re born house-dwellers. Unless a fact hits ’em on the head, they cannot see it. Would you believe me, they went on to talk of what they called “popular government”? They did! They wanted us to go back to the old Voodoo-business of voting with papers and wooden boxes, and word-drunk people and printed formulas, and news-sheets! They said they practised it among themselves about what they’d have to eat in their flats and hotels. Yes, sir! They stood up behind Bluthner’s doubled ground-circuits, and they said that, in this present year of grace, to self-owning men and women, on that very spot! Then they finished’—he lowered his voice cautiously—‘by talking about “The People.” And then Bluthner he had to sit up all night in charge of the circuits because he couldn’t trust his men to keep ’em shut.’
...
De Forest waited till the last footstep had died away. Meantime the prisoners at the base of the Statue shuffled, posed and fidgeted, with the shamelessness of quite little children. None of them were more than six feet high, and many of them were as grey-haired as the ravaged, harassed heads of old pictures. They huddled together in actual touch, while the crowd, spaced at large intervals, looked at them with congested eyes.
Suddenly a man among them began to talk. The Mayor had not in the least exaggerated. It appeared that our Planet lay sunk in slavery beneath the heel of the Aerial Board of Control. The orator urged us to arise in our might, burst our prison doors and break our fetters (all his metaphors, by the way, were of the most medieval). Next he demanded that every matter of daily life, including most of the physical functions, should be submitted for decision at any time of the week, month, or year to, I gathered, anybody who happened to be passing by or residing within a certain radius, and that everybody should forthwith abandon his concerns to settle the matter, first by crowd-making, next by talking to the crowds made, and lastly by describing crosses on pieces of paper, which rubbish should later be counted with certain mystic ceremonies and oaths. Out of this amazing play, he assured us, would automatically arise a higher, nobler, and kinder world, based—he demonstrated this with the awful lucidity of the insane—based on the sanctity of the Crowd and the villainy of the single person. In conclusion, he called loudly upon God to testify to his personal merits and integrity. When the flow ceased, I turned bewildered to Takahira, who was nodding solemnly.
‘Quite correct,’ said he ‘It is all in the old books. He has left nothing out, not even the war-talk.’ It's an interesting read. And with that, I close out this overlong quote-piece...
J.
Eject! Eject! Eject!
Well worth reading. Enjoy!
J.
Eject! Eject! Eject!
Well worth reading. Enjoy!
J.
Eject! Eject! Eject!
Well worth reading. Enjoy!
J.
Microsoft Office 2007 sucks like an Oreck.
Carter - don't really want to wish ill on the man, but would someone explain to him that the more he talks, the more we're reminded of how he was a pathetically ineffective President, who really gave Islamic Fundamentalism a good start when he didn't do a blasted thing about the Hostage Crisis? (And no, the attempt to rescue them doesn't count - barely half-assed at best, it's just as well it had to abort after losing 1 C-130 and a Sea King helicopter.) Portraying your remarks as 'careless' - well, might be time to retire from public speaking... since apparently... Editor Who Interviewed Carter: I Quoted Him 'Fair' and 'Accurately' Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Religion Editor Frank Lockwood -- who set off a firestorm of criticism that reached into the White House with his story quoting Jimmy Carter calling George W. Bush the worst president in history -- said Monday that he quoted the former president accurately, fairly and in context. Damn. How dare he do that.
Iraq - Things may not be going all that badly. Also, links to stories that aren't getting picked up by AP or Reuters... Jules Crittenden � News Unfit To Print
More than a week of intensive operations, up to 6,000 troops, often on foot, presenting themselves as targets everywhere, and only two Americans reported killed in the search area as of last night, out of two dozen Americans killed in Iraq in that time. That’s remarkable.
So much heat on al-Qaeda in the Triangle of Death they can’t get a jihadi video out. Hundreds questioned and/or arrested, several large weapons caches seized, a number of suspected insurgents killed in firefights. But mostly, it would appear, al-Qaeda gone to ground … after demanding that the searching stop. Well, maybe if they'd said 'Please' the Dems would have demanded it.
Gas - sucks, but what can you do? Dozens of little 'boutique blends' of gas, refineries running flat out, no extra capacity, crude prices high, that means the prices go up. We get a good hurricane through the Gulf onto a refinery, and we'll see $4. Not smart to put all our eggs in one basket (IE refineries on the Gulf Coast) but we don't seem to learn that lesson until it's been pounded into us a few times. May be time to relocate into New Mexico or something...
IT's BAAAAACK! Air America to relaunch with A-listers
Mr. Green, who lost to Mr. Bloomberg when the former CEO made his first run for City Hall in 2001, is now running Air America with his older brother, Stephen Green. They took it over this year in an attempt to revive the network, which had been losing money.
In a statement, the younger Mr. Green said the headliners kicking off the relaunch will deliver "the kind of news and views we'll be offering for years to come and that no other radio or TV network now provides."
When the Green brothers took over Air America earlier this year, they pledged to run it as business. What was Air America run like before? Never mind, don't answer that...
DiCaprio warns human race faces extinction vs Climate change will be considered a joke in five years time, meteorologist Augie Auer told the annual meeting of Mid Canterbury Federated Farmers in Ashburton this week. I know who I'm betting on...
Environment - Come on, isn't showing someone Gore's film 4 times cruel and unusual punishment?
The Immigration bill? Amnesty. Pandering to a block of potential voters, by both sides.
Well, that'll do it for tonight...
J.
Microsoft Office 2007 sucks like an Oreck.
Carter - don't really want to wish ill on the man, but would someone explain to him that the more he talks, the more we're reminded of how he was a pathetically ineffective President, who really gave Islamic Fundamentalism a good start when he didn't do a blasted thing about the Hostage Crisis? (And no, the attempt to rescue them doesn't count - barely half-assed at best, it's just as well it had to abort after losing 1 C-130 and a Sea King helicopter.) Portraying your remarks as 'careless' - well, might be time to retire from public speaking... since apparently... Editor Who Interviewed Carter: I Quoted Him 'Fair' and 'Accurately' Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Religion Editor Frank Lockwood -- who set off a firestorm of criticism that reached into the White House with his story quoting Jimmy Carter calling George W. Bush the worst president in history -- said Monday that he quoted the former president accurately, fairly and in context. Damn. How dare he do that.
Iraq - Things may not be going all that badly. Also, links to stories that aren't getting picked up by AP or Reuters... Jules Crittenden � News Unfit To Print
More than a week of intensive operations, up to 6,000 troops, often on foot, presenting themselves as targets everywhere, and only two Americans reported killed in the search area as of last night, out of two dozen Americans killed in Iraq in that time. That’s remarkable.
So much heat on al-Qaeda in the Triangle of Death they can’t get a jihadi video out. Hundreds questioned and/or arrested, several large weapons caches seized, a number of suspected insurgents killed in firefights. But mostly, it would appear, al-Qaeda gone to ground … after demanding that the searching stop. Well, maybe if they'd said 'Please' the Dems would have demanded it.
Gas - sucks, but what can you do? Dozens of little 'boutique blends' of gas, refineries running flat out, no extra capacity, crude prices high, that means the prices go up. We get a good hurricane through the Gulf onto a refinery, and we'll see $4. Not smart to put all our eggs in one basket (IE refineries on the Gulf Coast) but we don't seem to learn that lesson until it's been pounded into us a few times. May be time to relocate into New Mexico or something...
IT's BAAAAACK! Air America to relaunch with A-listers
Mr. Green, who lost to Mr. Bloomberg when the former CEO made his first run for City Hall in 2001, is now running Air America with his older brother, Stephen Green. They took it over this year in an attempt to revive the network, which had been losing money.
In a statement, the younger Mr. Green said the headliners kicking off the relaunch will deliver "the kind of news and views we'll be offering for years to come and that no other radio or TV network now provides."
When the Green brothers took over Air America earlier this year, they pledged to run it as business. What was Air America run like before? Never mind, don't answer that...
DiCaprio warns human race faces extinction vs Climate change will be considered a joke in five years time, meteorologist Augie Auer told the annual meeting of Mid Canterbury Federated Farmers in Ashburton this week. I know who I'm betting on...
Environment - Come on, isn't showing someone Gore's film 4 times cruel and unusual punishment?
The Immigration bill? Amnesty. Pandering to a block of potential voters, by both sides.
Well, that'll do it for tonight...
J.
Microsoft Office 2007 sucks like an Oreck.
Carter - don't really want to wish ill on the man, but would someone explain to him that the more he talks, the more we're reminded of how he was a pathetically ineffective President, who really gave Islamic Fundamentalism a good start when he didn't do a blasted thing about the Hostage Crisis? (And no, the attempt to rescue them doesn't count - barely half-assed at best, it's just as well it had to abort after losing 1 C-130 and a Sea King helicopter.) Portraying your remarks as 'careless' - well, might be time to retire from public speaking... since apparently... Editor Who Interviewed Carter: I Quoted Him 'Fair' and 'Accurately' Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Religion Editor Frank Lockwood -- who set off a firestorm of criticism that reached into the White House with his story quoting Jimmy Carter calling George W. Bush the worst president in history -- said Monday that he quoted the former president accurately, fairly and in context. Damn. How dare he do that.
Iraq - Things may not be going all that badly. Also, links to stories that aren't getting picked up by AP or Reuters... Jules Crittenden � News Unfit To Print
More than a week of intensive operations, up to 6,000 troops, often on foot, presenting themselves as targets everywhere, and only two Americans reported killed in the search area as of last night, out of two dozen Americans killed in Iraq in that time. That’s remarkable.
So much heat on al-Qaeda in the Triangle of Death they can’t get a jihadi video out. Hundreds questioned and/or arrested, several large weapons caches seized, a number of suspected insurgents killed in firefights. But mostly, it would appear, al-Qaeda gone to ground … after demanding that the searching stop. Well, maybe if they'd said 'Please' the Dems would have demanded it.
Gas - sucks, but what can you do? Dozens of little 'boutique blends' of gas, refineries running flat out, no extra capacity, crude prices high, that means the prices go up. We get a good hurricane through the Gulf onto a refinery, and we'll see $4. Not smart to put all our eggs in one basket (IE refineries on the Gulf Coast) but we don't seem to learn that lesson until it's been pounded into us a few times. May be time to relocate into New Mexico or something...
IT's BAAAAACK! Air America to relaunch with A-listers
Mr. Green, who lost to Mr. Bloomberg when the former CEO made his first run for City Hall in 2001, is now running Air America with his older brother, Stephen Green. They took it over this year in an attempt to revive the network, which had been losing money.
In a statement, the younger Mr. Green said the headliners kicking off the relaunch will deliver "the kind of news and views we'll be offering for years to come and that no other radio or TV network now provides."
When the Green brothers took over Air America earlier this year, they pledged to run it as business. What was Air America run like before? Never mind, don't answer that...
DiCaprio warns human race faces extinction vs Climate change will be considered a joke in five years time, meteorologist Augie Auer told the annual meeting of Mid Canterbury Federated Farmers in Ashburton this week. I know who I'm betting on...
Environment - Come on, isn't showing someone Gore's film 4 times cruel and unusual punishment?
The Immigration bill? Amnesty. Pandering to a block of potential voters, by both sides.
Well, that'll do it for tonight...
J.
Melanie Phillips’s Articles � Liberalism v Islamism
First of all, let me define my terms and say what I mean by Islamism and liberalism. Islamism is the politicised version of Islam which mandates jihad, or holy war against the infidel and conquest of the non-Islamic world for Islam. I’m well aware of the argument that there’s no difference between Islamism and Islam: that’s a theological argument for others to have.
By liberalism I mean the commitment to a free society, founded above all on the separation of secular government from religious worship — from which follow the concepts of equal respect for all people, freedom of conscience, tolerance and the rule of law.
These two concepts, Islamism and liberalism, are currently engaged in a fight to the death. My argument is that liberalism is in danger of losing this fight because it has so badly undermined itself and departed from its own core concepts that it is now paralysed by moral and intellectual muddle.
.....
Much explanation follows.
.....
At the same time, we have the innate weakness of liberalism in spades. We see everything through the prism of the profound liberal delusion that the world is governed by reason and that all people have goodwill. This means that liberals cannot grasp that some of the things that divide people are insuperable barriers and are not susceptible to reason. They cannot acknowledge the transcendent and irreducible nature of religious fanaticism. They think instead that everything is subject to negotiation and compromise. So their instinct is to reach out to Islamists to reason with them, to draw the poison of this extremism by giving it rewards and inducements that will play to the fanatic’s self-interest and turn him into a pillar of western society. That is why liberals do appeasement; and Britain, the cradle of liberalism, does it better than anyone else.
Liberals also think they are superior in intelligence to everyone else. So they don’t understand that the Islamists are actually playing them for suckers, exploiting the intrinsic weakness of a liberal society they correctly assess as decadent: no longer prepared to fight for its values because it no longer even knows what they are.
What we are living through in the west is nothing short of a repudiation of the Enlightenment, a repudiation of reason; and its substitution by irrationality, obscurantism, bigotry and clerical totalitarianism — all facilitated by our so-called ‘liberal’ society, and all in the name of ‘human rights’. Western liberalism now embraces its Islamist mortal enemies and attacks its American and Israeli allies in the fight to defend civilisation.
We are giving the Islamists the message that we are theirs for the taking. This is how liberalism may disappear up its own backside. It would appear Melanie Phillips has hit on something...
J.
Melanie Phillips’s Articles � Liberalism v Islamism
First of all, let me define my terms and say what I mean by Islamism and liberalism. Islamism is the politicised version of Islam which mandates jihad, or holy war against the infidel and conquest of the non-Islamic world for Islam. I’m well aware of the argument that there’s no difference between Islamism and Islam: that’s a theological argument for others to have.
By liberalism I mean the commitment to a free society, founded above all on the separation of secular government from religious worship — from which follow the concepts of equal respect for all people, freedom of conscience, tolerance and the rule of law.
These two concepts, Islamism and liberalism, are currently engaged in a fight to the death. My argument is that liberalism is in danger of losing this fight because it has so badly undermined itself and departed from its own core concepts that it is now paralysed by moral and intellectual muddle.
.....
Much explanation follows.
.....
At the same time, we have the innate weakness of liberalism in spades. We see everything through the prism of the profound liberal delusion that the world is governed by reason and that all people have goodwill. This means that liberals cannot grasp that some of the things that divide people are insuperable barriers and are not susceptible to reason. They cannot acknowledge the transcendent and irreducible nature of religious fanaticism. They think instead that everything is subject to negotiation and compromise. So their instinct is to reach out to Islamists to reason with them, to draw the poison of this extremism by giving it rewards and inducements that will play to the fanatic’s self-interest and turn him into a pillar of western society. That is why liberals do appeasement; and Britain, the cradle of liberalism, does it better than anyone else.
Liberals also think they are superior in intelligence to everyone else. So they don’t understand that the Islamists are actually playing them for suckers, exploiting the intrinsic weakness of a liberal society they correctly assess as decadent: no longer prepared to fight for its values because it no longer even knows what they are.
What we are living through in the west is nothing short of a repudiation of the Enlightenment, a repudiation of reason; and its substitution by irrationality, obscurantism, bigotry and clerical totalitarianism — all facilitated by our so-called ‘liberal’ society, and all in the name of ‘human rights’. Western liberalism now embraces its Islamist mortal enemies and attacks its American and Israeli allies in the fight to defend civilisation.
We are giving the Islamists the message that we are theirs for the taking. This is how liberalism may disappear up its own backside. It would appear Melanie Phillips has hit on something...
J.
Melanie Phillips’s Articles � Liberalism v Islamism
First of all, let me define my terms and say what I mean by Islamism and liberalism. Islamism is the politicised version of Islam which mandates jihad, or holy war against the infidel and conquest of the non-Islamic world for Islam. I’m well aware of the argument that there’s no difference between Islamism and Islam: that’s a theological argument for others to have.
By liberalism I mean the commitment to a free society, founded above all on the separation of secular government from religious worship — from which follow the concepts of equal respect for all people, freedom of conscience, tolerance and the rule of law.
These two concepts, Islamism and liberalism, are currently engaged in a fight to the death. My argument is that liberalism is in danger of losing this fight because it has so badly undermined itself and departed from its own core concepts that it is now paralysed by moral and intellectual muddle.
.....
Much explanation follows.
.....
At the same time, we have the innate weakness of liberalism in spades. We see everything through the prism of the profound liberal delusion that the world is governed by reason and that all people have goodwill. This means that liberals cannot grasp that some of the things that divide people are insuperable barriers and are not susceptible to reason. They cannot acknowledge the transcendent and irreducible nature of religious fanaticism. They think instead that everything is subject to negotiation and compromise. So their instinct is to reach out to Islamists to reason with them, to draw the poison of this extremism by giving it rewards and inducements that will play to the fanatic’s self-interest and turn him into a pillar of western society. That is why liberals do appeasement; and Britain, the cradle of liberalism, does it better than anyone else.
Liberals also think they are superior in intelligence to everyone else. So they don’t understand that the Islamists are actually playing them for suckers, exploiting the intrinsic weakness of a liberal society they correctly assess as decadent: no longer prepared to fight for its values because it no longer even knows what they are.
What we are living through in the west is nothing short of a repudiation of the Enlightenment, a repudiation of reason; and its substitution by irrationality, obscurantism, bigotry and clerical totalitarianism — all facilitated by our so-called ‘liberal’ society, and all in the name of ‘human rights’. Western liberalism now embraces its Islamist mortal enemies and attacks its American and Israeli allies in the fight to defend civilisation.
We are giving the Islamists the message that we are theirs for the taking. This is how liberalism may disappear up its own backside. It would appear Melanie Phillips has hit on something...
J.
House approves anti-OPEC bill - Yahoo! News
WASHINGTON - Decrying near-record high gasoline prices, the House voted Tuesday to allow the government to sue OPEC over oil production quotas.
The White House objected, saying that might disrupt supplies and lead to even higher costs at the pump. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries is the cartel that accounts for 40 percent of the world's oil production.
"We don't have to stand by and watch OPEC dictate the price of gas," Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (news, bio, voting record), D-Mich., the bill's chief sponsor, declared, reflecting the frustration lawmakers have felt over their inability to address people's worries about high summer fuel costs. Frustrated? Try this - announce a bipartisan push to get drilling going off the coasts, and in ANWR. That should drive the cost of oil down some, and worry OPEC at the same time. As it is, passing legislation that lets them sue OPEC is about like a junkie suing his dealer for high prices. It ain't a wise move unless you're ready and willing to go cold-turkey. Separtely at a House hearing, lawmakers were told that crude oil prices have played a relatively minor role in the sharp increase in gasoline costs over the last three months, putting the blame on lower gasoline imports, refinery outages and continuing growth in demand from motorists. Makes ya wonder, sometimes, whether we've got folks in Washington that have perfected the art and technique of getting elected, but haven't anything else whatsoever to offer.
J.
House approves anti-OPEC bill - Yahoo! News
WASHINGTON - Decrying near-record high gasoline prices, the House voted Tuesday to allow the government to sue OPEC over oil production quotas.
The White House objected, saying that might disrupt supplies and lead to even higher costs at the pump. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries is the cartel that accounts for 40 percent of the world's oil production.
"We don't have to stand by and watch OPEC dictate the price of gas," Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (news, bio, voting record), D-Mich., the bill's chief sponsor, declared, reflecting the frustration lawmakers have felt over their inability to address people's worries about high summer fuel costs. Frustrated? Try this - announce a bipartisan push to get drilling going off the coasts, and in ANWR. That should drive the cost of oil down some, and worry OPEC at the same time. As it is, passing legislation that lets them sue OPEC is about like a junkie suing his dealer for high prices. It ain't a wise move unless you're ready and willing to go cold-turkey. Separtely at a House hearing, lawmakers were told that crude oil prices have played a relatively minor role in the sharp increase in gasoline costs over the last three months, putting the blame on lower gasoline imports, refinery outages and continuing growth in demand from motorists. Makes ya wonder, sometimes, whether we've got folks in Washington that have perfected the art and technique of getting elected, but haven't anything else whatsoever to offer.
J.
House approves anti-OPEC bill - Yahoo! News
WASHINGTON - Decrying near-record high gasoline prices, the House voted Tuesday to allow the government to sue OPEC over oil production quotas.
The White House objected, saying that might disrupt supplies and lead to even higher costs at the pump. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries is the cartel that accounts for 40 percent of the world's oil production.
"We don't have to stand by and watch OPEC dictate the price of gas," Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (news, bio, voting record), D-Mich., the bill's chief sponsor, declared, reflecting the frustration lawmakers have felt over their inability to address people's worries about high summer fuel costs. Frustrated? Try this - announce a bipartisan push to get drilling going off the coasts, and in ANWR. That should drive the cost of oil down some, and worry OPEC at the same time. As it is, passing legislation that lets them sue OPEC is about like a junkie suing his dealer for high prices. It ain't a wise move unless you're ready and willing to go cold-turkey. Separtely at a House hearing, lawmakers were told that crude oil prices have played a relatively minor role in the sharp increase in gasoline costs over the last three months, putting the blame on lower gasoline imports, refinery outages and continuing growth in demand from motorists. Makes ya wonder, sometimes, whether we've got folks in Washington that have perfected the art and technique of getting elected, but haven't anything else whatsoever to offer.
J.
"Keep your damn mouth shut!" give mean anything anymore when it comes to national security? The Blotter
The CIA has received secret presidential approval to mount a covert "black" operation to destabilize the Iranian government, current and former officials in the intelligence community tell the Blotter on ABCNews.com.
The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the subject, say President Bush has signed a "nonlethal presidential finding" that puts into motion a CIA plan that reportedly includes a coordinated campaign of propaganda, disinformation and manipulation of Iran's currency and international financial transactions. What IS it with these folks? In WW2, would they have been gleefully broadcasting the sailing dates and times and routes of convoys to Europe? Maybe they figure that nobody outside the US will see this?
You know, I understand they've got a raging hate-on for Bush. That anything they can do to hurt Bush and the current administation is fine by them. But can't they see the ramifications of what they're doing here?
It seems like every time we get something in the WoT that has to remain secret to retain it's effectiveness, someone leaks it and one of the big Three media outlets slaps it up without hesitation.
And if there's another sucessful attack, they'll blame Bush for not doing enough to stop it.
J.
"Keep your damn mouth shut!" give mean anything anymore when it comes to national security? The Blotter
The CIA has received secret presidential approval to mount a covert "black" operation to destabilize the Iranian government, current and former officials in the intelligence community tell the Blotter on ABCNews.com.
The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the subject, say President Bush has signed a "nonlethal presidential finding" that puts into motion a CIA plan that reportedly includes a coordinated campaign of propaganda, disinformation and manipulation of Iran's currency and international financial transactions. What IS it with these folks? In WW2, would they have been gleefully broadcasting the sailing dates and times and routes of convoys to Europe? Maybe they figure that nobody outside the US will see this?
You know, I understand they've got a raging hate-on for Bush. That anything they can do to hurt Bush and the current administation is fine by them. But can't they see the ramifications of what they're doing here?
It seems like every time we get something in the WoT that has to remain secret to retain it's effectiveness, someone leaks it and one of the big Three media outlets slaps it up without hesitation.
And if there's another sucessful attack, they'll blame Bush for not doing enough to stop it.
J.
"Keep your damn mouth shut!" give mean anything anymore when it comes to national security? The Blotter
The CIA has received secret presidential approval to mount a covert "black" operation to destabilize the Iranian government, current and former officials in the intelligence community tell the Blotter on ABCNews.com.
The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the subject, say President Bush has signed a "nonlethal presidential finding" that puts into motion a CIA plan that reportedly includes a coordinated campaign of propaganda, disinformation and manipulation of Iran's currency and international financial transactions. What IS it with these folks? In WW2, would they have been gleefully broadcasting the sailing dates and times and routes of convoys to Europe? Maybe they figure that nobody outside the US will see this?
You know, I understand they've got a raging hate-on for Bush. That anything they can do to hurt Bush and the current administation is fine by them. But can't they see the ramifications of what they're doing here?
It seems like every time we get something in the WoT that has to remain secret to retain it's effectiveness, someone leaks it and one of the big Three media outlets slaps it up without hesitation.
And if there's another sucessful attack, they'll blame Bush for not doing enough to stop it.
J.
Yes indeed, one can spend hours looking through the articles and comment sections. But one today caught my eye...
On voting fraud.
Apparently, despite many, many accusations of it, there weren't any large, systematic attempts to defraud the system in the 2000 election. The Digg denziens, not to be outdone, seem to think that there must have been, because there wasn't. And one main point in the comment threads is that Bush stole the election in Florida.
Unfortunately, that's not the way I remember it. I DO remember many recounts, none showing Gore winning, and finally it was settled - Bush won by a gnat's whisker. And even a count by the media, done by the NORC Florida Ballots Project showed Gore didn't win.
WITHOUT absentee ballots counted -
Bush - 2,911,215
Gore - 2,911,417
WITH all certified, legal, unambiguously correct, acceptable to the Gore Legal Team in charge of vetting absentee ballots - (1,547 for Bush, 836 for Gore)...
Bush - 2,912,790
Gore - 2,912,253.
It was a real squeaker - but Gore lost.
Not that it really matters. The partisan folks will look at that and go "See! See! Gore really won! if you don't count the absentee ballots..." And go off on a rant blaming every evil in the world on Bush/Rove.
But - he didn't. You don't get to pull the "Every vote must count!" act and then insist that some votes don't count. (And as I've mentioned before, I'm still ticked about the disqualified military absentee ballots.)
But there was one article today that really surprised me - someone finally noticed that Edwards was proposing mandatory 'service'. The suppoort for Edwards has done a 180. I do believe he isn't going to make it out of the primaries...
He may not have realized it - but the folks he's been chatting with and promising the moon and stars to aren't stupid, and get quite upset when they feel they've been duped. And proposing a draft (even if in passing) makes them feel like they've been duped.
The Edwards campaign is now pretty much over. Well, it'll leave him time for haircuts...
J.
Yes indeed, one can spend hours looking through the articles and comment sections. But one today caught my eye...
On voting fraud.
Apparently, despite many, many accusations of it, there weren't any large, systematic attempts to defraud the system in the 2000 election. The Digg denziens, not to be outdone, seem to think that there must have been, because there wasn't. And one main point in the comment threads is that Bush stole the election in Florida.
Unfortunately, that's not the way I remember it. I DO remember many recounts, none showing Gore winning, and finally it was settled - Bush won by a gnat's whisker. And even a count by the media, done by the NORC Florida Ballots Project showed Gore didn't win.
WITHOUT absentee ballots counted -
Bush - 2,911,215
Gore - 2,911,417
WITH all certified, legal, unambiguously correct, acceptable to the Gore Legal Team in charge of vetting absentee ballots - (1,547 for Bush, 836 for Gore)...
Bush - 2,912,790
Gore - 2,912,253.
It was a real squeaker - but Gore lost.
Not that it really matters. The partisan folks will look at that and go "See! See! Gore really won! if you don't count the absentee ballots..." And go off on a rant blaming every evil in the world on Bush/Rove.
But - he didn't. You don't get to pull the "Every vote must count!" act and then insist that some votes don't count. (And as I've mentioned before, I'm still ticked about the disqualified military absentee ballots.)
But there was one article today that really surprised me - someone finally noticed that Edwards was proposing mandatory 'service'. The suppoort for Edwards has done a 180. I do believe he isn't going to make it out of the primaries...
He may not have realized it - but the folks he's been chatting with and promising the moon and stars to aren't stupid, and get quite upset when they feel they've been duped. And proposing a draft (even if in passing) makes them feel like they've been duped.
The Edwards campaign is now pretty much over. Well, it'll leave him time for haircuts...
J.
Yes indeed, one can spend hours looking through the articles and comment sections. But one today caught my eye...
On voting fraud.
Apparently, despite many, many accusations of it, there weren't any large, systematic attempts to defraud the system in the 2000 election. The Digg denziens, not to be outdone, seem to think that there must have been, because there wasn't. And one main point in the comment threads is that Bush stole the election in Florida.
Unfortunately, that's not the way I remember it. I DO remember many recounts, none showing Gore winning, and finally it was settled - Bush won by a gnat's whisker. And even a count by the media, done by the NORC Florida Ballots Project showed Gore didn't win.
WITHOUT absentee ballots counted -
Bush - 2,911,215
Gore - 2,911,417
WITH all certified, legal, unambiguously correct, acceptable to the Gore Legal Team in charge of vetting absentee ballots - (1,547 for Bush, 836 for Gore)...
Bush - 2,912,790
Gore - 2,912,253.
It was a real squeaker - but Gore lost.
Not that it really matters. The partisan folks will look at that and go "See! See! Gore really won! if you don't count the absentee ballots..." And go off on a rant blaming every evil in the world on Bush/Rove.
But - he didn't. You don't get to pull the "Every vote must count!" act and then insist that some votes don't count. (And as I've mentioned before, I'm still ticked about the disqualified military absentee ballots.)
But there was one article today that really surprised me - someone finally noticed that Edwards was proposing mandatory 'service'. The suppoort for Edwards has done a 180. I do believe he isn't going to make it out of the primaries...
He may not have realized it - but the folks he's been chatting with and promising the moon and stars to aren't stupid, and get quite upset when they feel they've been duped. And proposing a draft (even if in passing) makes them feel like they've been duped.
The Edwards campaign is now pretty much over. Well, it'll leave him time for haircuts...
J.
Publius Pundit: Rallying Big For Free Speech In Venezuela Archive
RCTV is the most popular station in Venezuela, loved by both Chavistas in the slums and middle class people in neighborhoods like Altamira. In fact, it's the equivalent of ABC or CBS. It's a huge popular station that's done the moon landing, done the coups, done Nixon's visit where he was mobbed, done the Vargas floods, done plane crashes, oil strikes and beauty pageants. It's the universal community of television. Again, now gone black. Apparently Chavez decided that since RCTV is much more independent than he would like (they've actually dared to criticize HIM and tell people outside the country that not all is wonderful in Venezuela!) it's best to just shut them down totally.
And the people don't like it. Go figure.
One thing that "Man of the People" dictators like Chavez seem to forget is that it's not enough to tell the people you rule that you're one of them - you're going to have to actually LISTEN to the people, to their likes and dislikes. Yeah, you can keep them under control with the Army for a while - but that's not going to last. Cutting their entertainment's not going to be popular at all.
One main thing a dictator has going for him is control of information. Pre-radio, pre-tv, pre-internet, that was a lot simpler. About the only way to have control of information any more is to run a totalitarian dictatorship like NK - and even there some radios are getting in, allowing the unwashed masses a trickle of news.
To cut OFF the news from a population used to it... well, that wasn't a smart move at all.
Contrast this with the Dixie Chicks, and the other leftist entertainers who scream censorship when their audience turns away.
It's pretty easy to see the two cases aren't exactly similar.
J.
Publius Pundit: Rallying Big For Free Speech In Venezuela Archive
RCTV is the most popular station in Venezuela, loved by both Chavistas in the slums and middle class people in neighborhoods like Altamira. In fact, it's the equivalent of ABC or CBS. It's a huge popular station that's done the moon landing, done the coups, done Nixon's visit where he was mobbed, done the Vargas floods, done plane crashes, oil strikes and beauty pageants. It's the universal community of television. Again, now gone black. Apparently Chavez decided that since RCTV is much more independent than he would like (they've actually dared to criticize HIM and tell people outside the country that not all is wonderful in Venezuela!) it's best to just shut them down totally.
And the people don't like it. Go figure.
One thing that "Man of the People" dictators like Chavez seem to forget is that it's not enough to tell the people you rule that you're one of them - you're going to have to actually LISTEN to the people, to their likes and dislikes. Yeah, you can keep them under control with the Army for a while - but that's not going to last. Cutting their entertainment's not going to be popular at all.
One main thing a dictator has going for him is control of information. Pre-radio, pre-tv, pre-internet, that was a lot simpler. About the only way to have control of information any more is to run a totalitarian dictatorship like NK - and even there some radios are getting in, allowing the unwashed masses a trickle of news.
To cut OFF the news from a population used to it... well, that wasn't a smart move at all.
Contrast this with the Dixie Chicks, and the other leftist entertainers who scream censorship when their audience turns away.
It's pretty easy to see the two cases aren't exactly similar.
J.
Publius Pundit: Rallying Big For Free Speech In Venezuela Archive
RCTV is the most popular station in Venezuela, loved by both Chavistas in the slums and middle class people in neighborhoods like Altamira. In fact, it's the equivalent of ABC or CBS. It's a huge popular station that's done the moon landing, done the coups, done Nixon's visit where he was mobbed, done the Vargas floods, done plane crashes, oil strikes and beauty pageants. It's the universal community of television. Again, now gone black. Apparently Chavez decided that since RCTV is much more independent than he would like (they've actually dared to criticize HIM and tell people outside the country that not all is wonderful in Venezuela!) it's best to just shut them down totally.
And the people don't like it. Go figure.
One thing that "Man of the People" dictators like Chavez seem to forget is that it's not enough to tell the people you rule that you're one of them - you're going to have to actually LISTEN to the people, to their likes and dislikes. Yeah, you can keep them under control with the Army for a while - but that's not going to last. Cutting their entertainment's not going to be popular at all.
One main thing a dictator has going for him is control of information. Pre-radio, pre-tv, pre-internet, that was a lot simpler. About the only way to have control of information any more is to run a totalitarian dictatorship like NK - and even there some radios are getting in, allowing the unwashed masses a trickle of news.
To cut OFF the news from a population used to it... well, that wasn't a smart move at all.
Contrast this with the Dixie Chicks, and the other leftist entertainers who scream censorship when their audience turns away.
It's pretty easy to see the two cases aren't exactly similar.
J.
Weta Holics: Weta Originals Rayguns -
Dr. Grordborts Infallible Aether Oscillators, are a line of immensely dangerous yet simple to operate wave oscillation weapons.
Meticulously built to the exacting standards and plans of Dr. Grordbort, these weapons, bespangled in fine detail and with various (most likely quite dangerous) moving parts are the perfect addition to a gentleman's study or a deterring centerpiece for a lady's powder room or chiffonier. A lot of work went into these. Decidedly steampunk, and a whole lot of fun. (Be sure to look at the gallery of phosporescent etchings!)
J.
Weta Holics: Weta Originals Rayguns -
Dr. Grordborts Infallible Aether Oscillators, are a line of immensely dangerous yet simple to operate wave oscillation weapons.
Meticulously built to the exacting standards and plans of Dr. Grordbort, these weapons, bespangled in fine detail and with various (most likely quite dangerous) moving parts are the perfect addition to a gentleman's study or a deterring centerpiece for a lady's powder room or chiffonier. A lot of work went into these. Decidedly steampunk, and a whole lot of fun. (Be sure to look at the gallery of phosporescent etchings!)
J.
Weta Holics: Weta Originals Rayguns -
Dr. Grordborts Infallible Aether Oscillators, are a line of immensely dangerous yet simple to operate wave oscillation weapons.
Meticulously built to the exacting standards and plans of Dr. Grordbort, these weapons, bespangled in fine detail and with various (most likely quite dangerous) moving parts are the perfect addition to a gentleman's study or a deterring centerpiece for a lady's powder room or chiffonier. A lot of work went into these. Decidedly steampunk, and a whole lot of fun. (Be sure to look at the gallery of phosporescent etchings!)
J.
Well, it's done in people before... U.S. calls Kim Jong Il’s health a ‘concern’ - Focus on North Korea - MSNBC.com
Robert Windrem
Investigative producer
South Korean and U.S. intelligence officials confirm that the two countries are taking seriously recent reports of a deterioration in the health of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.
The interest, first reported in South Korea’s Chosun Ilbo newspaper and confirmed by NBC News, is based on Kim’s month-long disappearance from view as well as internal reports that the 66-year-old is suffering from advanced diabetes and heart disease as well as high blood pressure. Something I noticed in the picture in the background - it seems like the folks following Kim were a bit on the vertically challenged side and a trifle underfed. Hard to tell from the angle, of course, but when you take a good look... their faces look pretty pinched. A quick check shows that Dear Leader is nominally 5' 5", but there's some pics that make it seem like he's got about 4 inches of boost in his heels.
Not that it means anything - but I wonder if his semi-fanatical adherence to Communism might not be because of his short stature...
Ah, well. As far as it goes, if he croaks I'm not going to be too unhappy. The people in North Korea didn't deserve a leader like him.
J.
Well, it's done in people before... U.S. calls Kim Jong Il’s health a ‘concern’ - Focus on North Korea - MSNBC.com
Robert Windrem
Investigative producer
South Korean and U.S. intelligence officials confirm that the two countries are taking seriously recent reports of a deterioration in the health of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.
The interest, first reported in South Korea’s Chosun Ilbo newspaper and confirmed by NBC News, is based on Kim’s month-long disappearance from view as well as internal reports that the 66-year-old is suffering from advanced diabetes and heart disease as well as high blood pressure. Something I noticed in the picture in the background - it seems like the folks following Kim were a bit on the vertically challenged side and a trifle underfed. Hard to tell from the angle, of course, but when you take a good look... their faces look pretty pinched. A quick check shows that Dear Leader is nominally 5' 5", but there's some pics that make it seem like he's got about 4 inches of boost in his heels.
Not that it means anything - but I wonder if his semi-fanatical adherence to Communism might not be because of his short stature...
Ah, well. As far as it goes, if he croaks I'm not going to be too unhappy. The people in North Korea didn't deserve a leader like him.
J.
Well, it's done in people before... U.S. calls Kim Jong Il’s health a ‘concern’ - Focus on North Korea - MSNBC.com
Robert Windrem
Investigative producer
South Korean and U.S. intelligence officials confirm that the two countries are taking seriously recent reports of a deterioration in the health of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.
The interest, first reported in South Korea’s Chosun Ilbo newspaper and confirmed by NBC News, is based on Kim’s month-long disappearance from view as well as internal reports that the 66-year-old is suffering from advanced diabetes and heart disease as well as high blood pressure. Something I noticed in the picture in the background - it seems like the folks following Kim were a bit on the vertically challenged side and a trifle underfed. Hard to tell from the angle, of course, but when you take a good look... their faces look pretty pinched. A quick check shows that Dear Leader is nominally 5' 5", but there's some pics that make it seem like he's got about 4 inches of boost in his heels.
Not that it means anything - but I wonder if his semi-fanatical adherence to Communism might not be because of his short stature...
Ah, well. As far as it goes, if he croaks I'm not going to be too unhappy. The people in North Korea didn't deserve a leader like him.
J.
My Way News - Russia Says New ICBM Can Beat Any System
MOSCOW (AP) - Russia tested new missiles Tuesday that a Kremlin official boasted could penetrate any defense system, and President Vladimir Putin warned that U.S. plans for an anti-missile shield in Europe would turn the region into a "powder keg."
First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said Russia tested an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying multiple independent warheads, and it also successfully conducted a "preliminary" test of a tactical cruise missile that he said could fly farther than existing, similar weapons It makes me wonder sometimes why Russia, a country that is decidely backward yet blessed with great natural resources, is so intent on keeping a nuclear arsenal and threatening the neighbors with it.
Maybe Putin's just trying to keep his options open? Cooperative trade partner OR land-grabbing dictator... it's nice to have a choice!
J.
My Way News - Russia Says New ICBM Can Beat Any System
MOSCOW (AP) - Russia tested new missiles Tuesday that a Kremlin official boasted could penetrate any defense system, and President Vladimir Putin warned that U.S. plans for an anti-missile shield in Europe would turn the region into a "powder keg."
First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said Russia tested an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying multiple independent warheads, and it also successfully conducted a "preliminary" test of a tactical cruise missile that he said could fly farther than existing, similar weapons It makes me wonder sometimes why Russia, a country that is decidely backward yet blessed with great natural resources, is so intent on keeping a nuclear arsenal and threatening the neighbors with it.
Maybe Putin's just trying to keep his options open? Cooperative trade partner OR land-grabbing dictator... it's nice to have a choice!
J.
My Way News - Russia Says New ICBM Can Beat Any System
MOSCOW (AP) - Russia tested new missiles Tuesday that a Kremlin official boasted could penetrate any defense system, and President Vladimir Putin warned that U.S. plans for an anti-missile shield in Europe would turn the region into a "powder keg."
First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said Russia tested an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying multiple independent warheads, and it also successfully conducted a "preliminary" test of a tactical cruise missile that he said could fly farther than existing, similar weapons It makes me wonder sometimes why Russia, a country that is decidely backward yet blessed with great natural resources, is so intent on keeping a nuclear arsenal and threatening the neighbors with it.
Maybe Putin's just trying to keep his options open? Cooperative trade partner OR land-grabbing dictator... it's nice to have a choice!
J.
This page contains all entries posted to Rusted Sky in May 2007. They are listed from oldest to newest.
April 2007 is the previous archive.
June 2007 is the next archive.
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