....isn't always a bad thing. This happened near my hometown and highlights the type of character we need more of.
The Houston Chronicle has more. Apparently, it's not even the first time he's saved her life.
21.3.06
Socialists are Soooo Progressive...
The latest socialist bigotry comes from London Mayor Ken Livingstone. The mayor recently compared a Jewish journalist to a Nazi prison guard and this week told two Jewish brothers to "go back (to their own country) and see if they can do better under the ayatollahs". The two are developers that are working on facilities for the London 2012 Olympics and were actually born in India to Iraqi Jewish parents.
Currently Reading....
....several books:
"Conquests and Cultures" by Thomas Sowell
"The Road to Serfdom" by F.A. Hayek
"Underground London" by Stephen Smith
"The Dhimmi: Jews and Christians under Islam" by Bat Ye'or
and
"The Arab-Israeli Wars" by Chaim Herzog
I've read several books by Thomas Sowell and if you want to learn about anything from the effects of the Roman conquest of Britain to basic economics to worldwide application of affirmative action programs, his are some of the most thoroughly researched and well-written books I've ever read. I highly recommend them.
"Conquests and Cultures" by Thomas Sowell
"The Road to Serfdom" by F.A. Hayek
"Underground London" by Stephen Smith
"The Dhimmi: Jews and Christians under Islam" by Bat Ye'or
and
"The Arab-Israeli Wars" by Chaim Herzog
I've read several books by Thomas Sowell and if you want to learn about anything from the effects of the Roman conquest of Britain to basic economics to worldwide application of affirmative action programs, his are some of the most thoroughly researched and well-written books I've ever read. I highly recommend them.
20.3.06
Whackjob Dictators Abound
I always thought North Korea's Kim Jong-Il had the nutjob market cornered but it looks like Turkmenistan is offering some comptetition. President-for-life Saparmurat Niyazov is offering assured admittance to Heaven for readers of his philosophical writings. The collection is called "Rukhnama" or "Ruhnama" and your very own ticket to eternal bliss may be viewed and purchased here.
This seems to follow a trend that flourishes among dictators who apparently fancy themselves literary prodigies. Kim Jong-Il is an expert on cinema, Fidel Castro analyzes current geopolitics and economics, Saddam Hussein wrote a romance novel before he was deposed, and Hugo Chavez wrote the introduction to a biography of Simon Bolivar.
This seems to follow a trend that flourishes among dictators who apparently fancy themselves literary prodigies. Kim Jong-Il is an expert on cinema, Fidel Castro analyzes current geopolitics and economics, Saddam Hussein wrote a romance novel before he was deposed, and Hugo Chavez wrote the introduction to a biography of Simon Bolivar.
8.3.06
Iran has No Nuclear Weapons Program...
...and there are no Americans in Baghdad.
I realize that in the diplomatic world, you're not always able to say out loud that the emporer has no clothes (such as the "One China" policy regarding Taiwan) but how long does that charade have to go on? If your opponent boasts of fooling you, how long do you have to put up with it? Or do we go along just because no one can stomach the thought of the alternatives? Much like the situation with Hitler in the 1930s, I fear Europe's leaders are keeping their heads in the sand regarding Iran's nuclear program. When the Iranian president calls for "wiping Israel off the map", when he says it is Iran's right to have a nuclear program, when Iran is referred to the UN Security Council by the International Atomic Engergy Agency for failure to cooperate in the inspections process, a light should be going off in the heads of Europe's leaders.
Europe's distaste for confrontation, China's desire for assured oil access, Russia's noncommittal attitude, and the United States' commitments in Iraq and elsewhere have seemingly left Iran in a position to do whatever it wants. While the continued conflict in Iraq may have everyone's attention at the moment, it is Iran's nuclear potential that could seriously undermine the fragile stability of the Middle East.
Part of being a leader is making decisions and sticking with them in the face of criticism. President Bush has done this with the war on terror and the war in Iraq though he has had to make political compromises that have complicated our position there. Europe however is seemingly content to let decisions be made by others. The nuclear standoff with Iran is soon approaching a point where decisions will have to be made by the US and Europe or those decisions will be made by Iran and Israel. I hope our leaders have the will and determination to act before others do the deciding for us.
I realize that in the diplomatic world, you're not always able to say out loud that the emporer has no clothes (such as the "One China" policy regarding Taiwan) but how long does that charade have to go on? If your opponent boasts of fooling you, how long do you have to put up with it? Or do we go along just because no one can stomach the thought of the alternatives? Much like the situation with Hitler in the 1930s, I fear Europe's leaders are keeping their heads in the sand regarding Iran's nuclear program. When the Iranian president calls for "wiping Israel off the map", when he says it is Iran's right to have a nuclear program, when Iran is referred to the UN Security Council by the International Atomic Engergy Agency for failure to cooperate in the inspections process, a light should be going off in the heads of Europe's leaders.
Europe's distaste for confrontation, China's desire for assured oil access, Russia's noncommittal attitude, and the United States' commitments in Iraq and elsewhere have seemingly left Iran in a position to do whatever it wants. While the continued conflict in Iraq may have everyone's attention at the moment, it is Iran's nuclear potential that could seriously undermine the fragile stability of the Middle East.
Part of being a leader is making decisions and sticking with them in the face of criticism. President Bush has done this with the war on terror and the war in Iraq though he has had to make political compromises that have complicated our position there. Europe however is seemingly content to let decisions be made by others. The nuclear standoff with Iran is soon approaching a point where decisions will have to be made by the US and Europe or those decisions will be made by Iran and Israel. I hope our leaders have the will and determination to act before others do the deciding for us.
2.3.06
170 Years...
...Since Texas declared its independence from Mexico. One of my ancestors, Martin Parmer, was there, along with the 57 other signing patriots who refused to continue to submit to the despotic rule of Mexican dictator Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. It is because of these men that Texas became not only a place but a state of mind and a way of life.
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