Thomas Sowell weighs in on the supposed phenomena of avowed conservatives proclaiming such distaste for the actions of Republicans in Congress that they are supporting Barack Obama for President to presumably force a leadership bloodbath within the Republican Party, culling all those addicted to earmarks, and rationalizing that support by citing Obama's doubtful willingness to listen to conservative opinion.
While I am one of those who wholeheartedly supports getting rid of the current congressional Republican leadership, Sowell is absolutely correct in his analysis that presidential elections are too important to cast a vote based on emotional frustration. There are more important things at stake than the electoral punishment of wayward Republicans. While Obama has been rhetorically tacking towards the center in recent weeks in an attempt to attract centrist and center-right voters, that rhetoric is in no way consistent with either his earlier positions during this campaign or his entire political career. Pat Buchanan details Obama's recent political ruthlessness, as does Rich Lowry of the National Review, Dennis Byrne of the Chicago Tribune, and Bob Herbert of the New York Times.
While this should be of obvious concern to Republican voters contemplating a punishment vote, Democrats who have supported Obama from the beginning should honestly examine that support. Does a candidate who so readily changes his political stripes to suit the target demographic of the week really represent the sort of "Change" and "Hope" they bought into in the first place?
Showing posts with label The Political Left. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Political Left. Show all posts
16.4.08
Knocking Obama Off His High Horse
In the wake of Senator Barack Obama's comments in San Francisco that economic bitterness causes working class Americans to "cling" to guns and religion, George Will says "Obama may be the fulfillment of modern liberalism." Why? Is it because Obama says he can heal the racial divisions in this country? Is it because Obama claims he can overcome the partisan divide as President, even though he has never sponsored any significant bipartisan legislation? Is it because Obama represents, as he says, "change" we can "believe" in?
No. It is because, as every liberal Presidential candidate since Adlai Stevenson has done, Obama has sought to portray himself in one way to the public, but has maintained an attitude "of condescension toward [working] people and the supposedly coarse and vulgar country that pleases them."
No. It is because, as every liberal Presidential candidate since Adlai Stevenson has done, Obama has sought to portray himself in one way to the public, but has maintained an attitude "of condescension toward [working] people and the supposedly coarse and vulgar country that pleases them."
Free Speech in the Land of Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite
The French government is prosecuting film star Brigitte Bardot for the fifth time on charges of "inciting racial hatred" for comments she made last year decrying the Muslim practice of ritually slaughtering animals to commemorate the feast of Eid al-Adha, a remembrance of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son to God.
Nevermind that Bardot has been an animal-rights activist for years. Nevermind that it is her sincere belief that violence toward any animal is wrong. Nevermind that in Western Civilization free speech is supposed to be a right considered virtually inviolable. Muslims are offended. Throw out our laws and submit to their will.
Islam has a word for this type of submission. It is dhimmitude. And it is a word Europeans and Americans should learn well.
Nevermind that Bardot has been an animal-rights activist for years. Nevermind that it is her sincere belief that violence toward any animal is wrong. Nevermind that in Western Civilization free speech is supposed to be a right considered virtually inviolable. Muslims are offended. Throw out our laws and submit to their will.
Islam has a word for this type of submission. It is dhimmitude. And it is a word Europeans and Americans should learn well.
1.4.08
More Asinine Obama-Worship
From black feminist Alice Walker. Pathetically, she describes him as this generation's Martin Luther King, Jr and Nelson Mandela.
Although she recites, at length, her own tale of woe, Walker declines to offer any examples of Obama's accomplishments that would justify comparison to King or Mandela other than the color of his skin. Not to step on the toes of the Racial Grievance-Mongering Committee (as led by Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Jeremiah Wright, et al), but Obama's growing up with a dark skin tone in no way compares to the constant threats to King's life nor the 27-year imprisonment of Mandela. Ironically, TheRoot.com characterizes her article as "[arguing] that we must build alliances not on ethnicity or gender, but on truth," when in fact she argues voting for Obama precisely because of his ethnicity.
As a white man, I refuse to accept blame for Walker's discomfort with libraries, her issues with her "white women friends in college," nor the bottles thrown at her head while working to register blacks to vote in Georgia. Her life is not Obama's and I have no need to vote for him in order to absolve myself of any of the sins visited upon her.
Walker has fallen victim to the fantasy of David Ehrenstein's "Magic Negro." She has based her expectations solely on Obama's flowing rhetoric, which stands at stark odds to his actual record. Should Obama become President, a more realistic expectation would be a brief period of self-congratulatory, ersatz racial harmony, followed by a lengthy period of bitter division caused by his pursuit of very liberal policy positions.
Although she recites, at length, her own tale of woe, Walker declines to offer any examples of Obama's accomplishments that would justify comparison to King or Mandela other than the color of his skin. Not to step on the toes of the Racial Grievance-Mongering Committee (as led by Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Jeremiah Wright, et al), but Obama's growing up with a dark skin tone in no way compares to the constant threats to King's life nor the 27-year imprisonment of Mandela. Ironically, TheRoot.com characterizes her article as "[arguing] that we must build alliances not on ethnicity or gender, but on truth," when in fact she argues voting for Obama precisely because of his ethnicity.
As a white man, I refuse to accept blame for Walker's discomfort with libraries, her issues with her "white women friends in college," nor the bottles thrown at her head while working to register blacks to vote in Georgia. Her life is not Obama's and I have no need to vote for him in order to absolve myself of any of the sins visited upon her.
Walker has fallen victim to the fantasy of David Ehrenstein's "Magic Negro." She has based her expectations solely on Obama's flowing rhetoric, which stands at stark odds to his actual record. Should Obama become President, a more realistic expectation would be a brief period of self-congratulatory, ersatz racial harmony, followed by a lengthy period of bitter division caused by his pursuit of very liberal policy positions.
The Welfare State will Eat Your Soul...
...or at least your checking account.
I discovered a draft post that somehow I failed to publish from last year. Samuelson's article may be from a year ago, but it's just as applicable today as last year.
Economics writer Robert Samuelson has a new article out today (Feb 14, 2007) that puts much of the political battle over government spending into perspective. Neither party is willing to do much to rein in spending although both are eager to castigate each other for it.
It is useful to examine the chart Samuelson includes with his article. It shows the massive growth of welfare spending, especially as it compares to the decline of defense spending as a percentage of the government budget. These percentages are even more astounding when you realize that defense spending grew to a (numerically) record high of $520 billion for 2006 (including spending on Iraq and Afghanistan).
These figures are frightening enough today, but the real scare will hit us in the coming decades as our aging population retires and live longer lives, expecting government support for many more years than did their grandparents, without as many grandchildren to work and pay for it.
24.5.07
The Problem with Pacifism
"Pale Ebenezer thought it wrong to fight
But Roaring Bill (who killed him) thought it right."
-Hilaire Bellloc, "The Pacifist" 1938
But Roaring Bill (who killed him) thought it right."
-Hilaire Bellloc, "The Pacifist" 1938
14.6.06
Quote for the day...
...from Thomas Sowell.
"The beauty of doing nothing is that you can do it perfectly. Only when you do something is it almost impossible to do it without mistakes. Therefore people who are contributing nothing to society except their constant criticisms can feel both intellectually and morally superior."
"The beauty of doing nothing is that you can do it perfectly. Only when you do something is it almost impossible to do it without mistakes. Therefore people who are contributing nothing to society except their constant criticisms can feel both intellectually and morally superior."
Hitler Quotes
A high school in New York state is upset two senior chose quotes from Hitler's Mein Kampf for their senior quotes. Supposedly the high school's administration is even considering whether or not these students should be punished. Let me say unequivocally that they should not be.
First and foremost these students have a right to free speech and if a school publication solicits these students' personal maxims, it has no right to punish them for their choice.
The first maxim mentioned in the article, "Strength lies not in defense, but in attack", is nothing more than a rephrasing of "the best defense is a good offense". Hitler said it? So what? This is a problem with too many debates today. Someone of dubious character (or in this case, no character at all) is sympathetic to a similar position so now it's automatically disqualified from any serious consideration. Time and time again, one will find that the saying "strength lies not in defense, but in attack" has historical validity.
The second quote, "The great masses of people...will more easily fall victims to a big lie than to a small one", is historically true as well. Witness the masses that suffered under the lies of socialism and communism throughout the twentieth century and continue to suffer under the regimes of the People's Republic of China, Cuba, and North Korea.
The origin of the quotations do not diminish their accuracy, no matter how evil the source.
First and foremost these students have a right to free speech and if a school publication solicits these students' personal maxims, it has no right to punish them for their choice.
The first maxim mentioned in the article, "Strength lies not in defense, but in attack", is nothing more than a rephrasing of "the best defense is a good offense". Hitler said it? So what? This is a problem with too many debates today. Someone of dubious character (or in this case, no character at all) is sympathetic to a similar position so now it's automatically disqualified from any serious consideration. Time and time again, one will find that the saying "strength lies not in defense, but in attack" has historical validity.
The second quote, "The great masses of people...will more easily fall victims to a big lie than to a small one", is historically true as well. Witness the masses that suffered under the lies of socialism and communism throughout the twentieth century and continue to suffer under the regimes of the People's Republic of China, Cuba, and North Korea.
The origin of the quotations do not diminish their accuracy, no matter how evil the source.
9.6.06
Those Democrats are such Clean Campaigners...
...Yep, it's the Republicans that are all Mean-Spirited
Dog feces? Are we in junior high? Apparently, the Democrats think so.
Dog feces? Are we in junior high? Apparently, the Democrats think so.
5.6.06
More on Global Warming
Stop. Freaking. Out. Al Gore is taking the issue way too serial. Super serial.
The hysteria about "global warming" really annoys me. As always, College Republicans are doing their best to piss off campus liberals.
The hysteria about "global warming" really annoys me. As always, College Republicans are doing their best to piss off campus liberals.
31.5.06
Algore....
....And "A Convenient Lie"
So if the cause is good enough, it's now okay to lie? President Bush is constantly denounced as a liar for presenting evidence the he (as well as the CIA, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and most intelligence agencies worldwide) believed to be true but for Al Gore, who believes in the righteousness of his cause, is praised for a movie in which he admits to having an "over-representation of factual presentations..." in order to scare people into worrying about global warming.
So if the cause is good enough, it's now okay to lie? President Bush is constantly denounced as a liar for presenting evidence the he (as well as the CIA, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and most intelligence agencies worldwide) believed to be true but for Al Gore, who believes in the righteousness of his cause, is praised for a movie in which he admits to having an "over-representation of factual presentations..." in order to scare people into worrying about global warming.
21.5.06
Now Back With More to Come...
I should get a substantial post up sometime this week.
Meanwhile, this weekend I received a contribution solicitation from the Democratic National Committee with one of those surveys that are nothing more than a come-on for money. So I filled out the survey and added a few answers of my own that they had not offered such as suggesting vouchers as a possible solution to our schools' performance and that we should not get out of Iraq until 2010 (the latest the DNC apparently thinks we have any business there is 2007). I'm sending back to them in their postage-paid envelope without my own stamp (which they suggested in order to "help save [them] much-needed funds").
I sincerely hope that by responding the DNC will be encouraged to send me more solicitations in the future - the more postage they spend on sending envelopes back and forth the better!
Meanwhile, this weekend I received a contribution solicitation from the Democratic National Committee with one of those surveys that are nothing more than a come-on for money. So I filled out the survey and added a few answers of my own that they had not offered such as suggesting vouchers as a possible solution to our schools' performance and that we should not get out of Iraq until 2010 (the latest the DNC apparently thinks we have any business there is 2007). I'm sending back to them in their postage-paid envelope without my own stamp (which they suggested in order to "help save [them] much-needed funds").
I sincerely hope that by responding the DNC will be encouraged to send me more solicitations in the future - the more postage they spend on sending envelopes back and forth the better!
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.
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.
22.2.06
Democratic Philosophy
This pretty much sums it up:
A West Texas cowboy was herding his herd in a remote pasture when
suddenly a brand-new BMW advanced out of a dust cloud towards him. The driver, a
young man in a Brioni suit, Gucci shoes, Ray Ban sunglasses and YSL tie,
leans out the window and asks the cowboy, "If I tell you exactly how
many cows and calves you have in your herd,will you give me a calf?"
The cowboy looks at the man, obviously a yuppie, then looks at his
peacefully grazing herd and calmly answers, "Sure, Why not?"
The yuppie parks his car, whips out his Dell notebook computer, connects
it to his AT&T ! cell phone, and surfs to a NASA page on the Internet,
where he calls up a GPS satellite navigation system to get an exact fix
on his location which he then feeds to another NASA satellite that scans
the area in an ultra-high-resolution photo.
The young man then opens the digital photo in Adobe Photoshop and
exports it to an image processing facility in Hamburg, Germany. Within seconds,
he receives an email on his Palm Pilot that the image has been processed
and the data stored. He then accesses a MS-SQL database through an ODBC
connected Excel spreadsheet with email on his Blackberry and, after a
few minutes, receives a response.
Finally, he prints out a full-color, 150-page report on his
hi-tech,miniaturized HP LaserJet printer and finally turns to the
cowboy and says, "You have exactly 1586 cows and calves."
"That's right. Well, I guess you can take one of my calves," says the
cowboy. He watches the young man select one of the animals and looks on
amused as the young man stuffs it into the trunk of his car.
Then the cowboy says to the young man, "Hey, if I can tell you exactly
what your business is, will you give me back my calf?"
The young man thinks about it for a second and then says, "Okay, why
not?"
"You're a consultant for the National Democratic Party." says the
cowboy.
"Wow! That's correct," says the yuppie, "but how did you guess that?"
"No guessing required." answered the cowboy. "You showed up here even
though nobody called you; you want to get paid for an answer I already
knew, to a question I never asked; and you don't know anything about my
business........ Now give me back my dog."
A West Texas cowboy was herding his herd in a remote pasture when
suddenly a brand-new BMW advanced out of a dust cloud towards him. The driver, a
young man in a Brioni suit, Gucci shoes, Ray Ban sunglasses and YSL tie,
leans out the window and asks the cowboy, "If I tell you exactly how
many cows and calves you have in your herd,will you give me a calf?"
The cowboy looks at the man, obviously a yuppie, then looks at his
peacefully grazing herd and calmly answers, "Sure, Why not?"
The yuppie parks his car, whips out his Dell notebook computer, connects
it to his AT&T ! cell phone, and surfs to a NASA page on the Internet,
where he calls up a GPS satellite navigation system to get an exact fix
on his location which he then feeds to another NASA satellite that scans
the area in an ultra-high-resolution photo.
The young man then opens the digital photo in Adobe Photoshop and
exports it to an image processing facility in Hamburg, Germany. Within seconds,
he receives an email on his Palm Pilot that the image has been processed
and the data stored. He then accesses a MS-SQL database through an ODBC
connected Excel spreadsheet with email on his Blackberry and, after a
few minutes, receives a response.
Finally, he prints out a full-color, 150-page report on his
hi-tech,miniaturized HP LaserJet printer and finally turns to the
cowboy and says, "You have exactly 1586 cows and calves."
"That's right. Well, I guess you can take one of my calves," says the
cowboy. He watches the young man select one of the animals and looks on
amused as the young man stuffs it into the trunk of his car.
Then the cowboy says to the young man, "Hey, if I can tell you exactly
what your business is, will you give me back my calf?"
The young man thinks about it for a second and then says, "Okay, why
not?"
"You're a consultant for the National Democratic Party." says the
cowboy.
"Wow! That's correct," says the yuppie, "but how did you guess that?"
"No guessing required." answered the cowboy. "You showed up here even
though nobody called you; you want to get paid for an answer I already
knew, to a question I never asked; and you don't know anything about my
business........ Now give me back my dog."
21.2.06
Military Funeral Protests
No matter what views you may have on the war in Iraq or any other issue that gets you riled up, funerals, especially those of fallen soldiers, are no place for protesting against those issues. It is disheartening to see funerals used as political props both by those on the extreme left such as at the Coretta Scott King funeral or by those on the extreme right as has been done by the church of Fred Phelps. Thanks to the Patriot Guard Riders, some measure of dignity can be restored to soldiers' funerals disrupted by the antics of Phelps's followers. It is sad that groups such as the Riders are needed but at the same time encouraging to see continued support for our soldiers and their families.
2.2.06
Julian Bond, Race-Baiting Huckster
In a speech last night NAACP Chairman Julian Bond compared Republicans to Nazis and called Condoleeza Rice and Colin Powell "token" blacks. He once again compared Republican policies to the Taliban continuing a theme he's expounded on since the beginning of the Bush administration. Along with demeaning those who suffered under Nazi Germany or Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, Bond also continues to make the case that Republicans should not take black "leadership" in America very seriously. The "Nazi", "Taliban", and "token" rhetoric only further diminishes any interest Republicans may have in whatever points "civil rights" organizations are trying to explain. You want to have a dialogue with a Republican? Good luck if you start off by calling him a Nazi.
Furthermore, calling Condoleeza Rice and Colin Powell "tokens" is a sign of willful ignorance, incompetence, or an unskillful attempt at labeling them as race-traitors. I think we can assume that Bond did not rise to NAACP Chairman through ignorance or incompetence so it must be something else. The main point that lies behind Bond's assertion is that any black American that does not adhere to the Democratic or NAACP line is a traitor to the black race and a willing pawn of racist Republicans. Without going into why the Republican agenda is not racist (which would take much more space and time than I care to take right now), Bond also ignores the approach that President Bush has had toward minorities in his administration. Not only has Bush appointed more minorities and women to federal positions, he has appointed more to more significant positions than any of his predecessors, including President Clinton. Officials such as Rice, Powell, and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales were not chosen because they were minorities, they were chosen because they were highly qualified individuals who share a common political philosophy with the President.
Chairman Bond is simply upset that any black would dare to disagree with the NAACP. Were the NAACP to foster discussion between blacks of differing political persuasions, black Americans would exercise much more political power in the United States. As it is today, civil rights "leaders" such as Bond, Al Sharpton, and Jesse Jackson have much vested interest in keeping the vast majority of blacks in the pocket of the Democrats. The party keeping blacks on the plantation is the one that takes 90% of the black vote for granted.
Furthermore, calling Condoleeza Rice and Colin Powell "tokens" is a sign of willful ignorance, incompetence, or an unskillful attempt at labeling them as race-traitors. I think we can assume that Bond did not rise to NAACP Chairman through ignorance or incompetence so it must be something else. The main point that lies behind Bond's assertion is that any black American that does not adhere to the Democratic or NAACP line is a traitor to the black race and a willing pawn of racist Republicans. Without going into why the Republican agenda is not racist (which would take much more space and time than I care to take right now), Bond also ignores the approach that President Bush has had toward minorities in his administration. Not only has Bush appointed more minorities and women to federal positions, he has appointed more to more significant positions than any of his predecessors, including President Clinton. Officials such as Rice, Powell, and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales were not chosen because they were minorities, they were chosen because they were highly qualified individuals who share a common political philosophy with the President.
Chairman Bond is simply upset that any black would dare to disagree with the NAACP. Were the NAACP to foster discussion between blacks of differing political persuasions, black Americans would exercise much more political power in the United States. As it is today, civil rights "leaders" such as Bond, Al Sharpton, and Jesse Jackson have much vested interest in keeping the vast majority of blacks in the pocket of the Democrats. The party keeping blacks on the plantation is the one that takes 90% of the black vote for granted.
16.9.05
Your house was destroyed by a flood, you have no job, and now you're depressed...
Where are you gonna go now?
The Strip Club!
I guess that's one way to ease your stress if you've been affected by Katrina.
The Strip Club!
I guess that's one way to ease your stress if you've been affected by Katrina.
11.5.05
How not to be Poor
Finish high school and get a job you lazy bum. Also, marry your baby's daddy or momma as it may be. Walter Williams here.
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