Thank You
From Thank You by Michael J. Hurd:Most are thankful to God. I am thankful to man...
Ellitot Spitzer Government Thug
Professor Henry Manne's on Elliot Spitzer's terrorizing of business:In an era of general acceptance of deregulation and privatization, Mr. Spitzer has introduced the world to yet a new form of regulation, the use of the criminal law as an in terrorem weapon to force acceptance of industry-wide regulations. These rules are not vetted through normal authoritative channels, are not reviewable by any administrative process, and are not subject to even the minimal due-process requirements our courts require for normal administrative rule making. The whole process bears no resemblance to a rule of law; it is a reign of force. ...Since Mr. Spitzer wins his cases in the media, where business is now all but defenseless, the best hope is for the American business community to develop its own public voice. The free-market scholarship needed for this purpose is available, though it is rarely availed of in these fights. Too often the corporate defenders conclude, out of ignorance to be sure, that the opposition really has the better case. But make no mistake: Eliot Spitzer represents, wittingly or not, an attack on the entire corporate free-enterprise system. Clearly we need new or invigorated institutions to defend industries and companies publicly when they come under unwarranted or disproportionate attack. Responsible leaders of the business community should make it a high priority to develop these capabilities before more harm is done. [Wall Street Journal op-ed, Hat Tip: Don Luskin]
South Carolina Seceding from Public Education?
In South Carolina, Governor Mark Sanford and the house leadership have been pushing for the "Put Parents in Charge" act--one of the largest "school choice" measures in the country that is based on educational tax credits. It appears that the measure has sufficient support to pass the house when the legislature reconvenes in January and the proponents of school choice are engaged in a pitched battle against the teachers unions to sway public opinion and the senate between now and then. If South Carolina does begin secede from the public education system--through the individual choices of one parent at a time--what impact would that have on other states? For an overview of the "Put Parents in Charge" proposal, visit: http://www.scresponsiblegov.org/content.asp?catID=8090 For the statement of Governor Mark Sanford, visit: http://www.scgovernor.com/interior.asp?SiteContentId=6&pressid=75&NavId=54&ParentId=0 " 'This proposal is a significant step forward on the education front for two reasons,' Gov. Sanford said. 'First, it's giving parents more choices to determine for themselves what's in the best interests of their own kids. Second, it brings a real market pressure to bear on the current system--something that's been proven to help improve performance at public schools where similar choice measures have been implemented. You'd be hard pressed to find anyone out there who doesn't believe that a parent engaging in their kid's education is a central component in producing better results in the classroom. We're all about giving parents in South Carolina both the opportunity and the financial incentive to do just that--and to make what's ultimately a much more important investment in the lives of their kids.' " 'We are standing up for the rights of parents to make choices based on the individual needs of their children and refuting the long-held belief in education that one size fits all,' said Rep. Lewis Vaughn. 'Parents in South Carolina deserve the right to seek out alternatives when their children's needs aren't being met by the current system.' "Alan Greenspan: With a Word
From Cox and Forkum:
From The Washington Times:Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan shook financial markets [Friday] with a warning that foreign nations may tire of financing the huge U.S. trade and budget deficits. The dollar, stocks and bonds all plunged after he told the European Banking Congress in Frankfurt, Germany, that the U.S. currency will keep dropping and interest rates will have to rise considerably to keep attracting the foreign funds needed to finance the deficits. The U.S. budget deficit last year reached a record $413 billion and is projected to stay above $300 billion a year unless budget policies are changed. The trade deficit is running at $600 billion a year -- nearly 6 percent of the nation's economic output. "Given the size of the U.S. current-account deficit, a diminished appetite for adding to dollar balances must occur at some point" among foreign investors who have accumulated trillions of dollars in claims against the U.S. government and residents by financing the debt, Mr. Greenspan said. Private investors from around the world already pulled back in a big way when the dollar started falling precipitously a year ago, forcing central banks — primarily those of China and Japan — to step in to keep propping up the dollar and financing the deficits. History shows that most countries have a preference for keeping their investments at home and will not continue to underwrite spending in the United States indefinitely, he said. While the United States has detected only "limited" resistance in trying to finance the deficits so far, the Fed chairman warned against "complacency" because odds dictate that the unprecedented torrent of cash coming in from overseas will not continue. Stocks fell after Mr. Greenspan's warning, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average ending down nearly 116 points at 10,456.91. [Fed chief shakes markets]
Nuclear Tools for Iran
From Cox and Forkum:
The agreement that France, Germany and Britain reached with Iran this week signals that the diplomatic option of dealing with Iran's nuclear weapons program no longer exists. To understand why this is the case, we must look into the agreement and understand what is motivating the various parties to accede to its conditions. The agreement stipulates that the European-3 will provide Iran with light water reactor fuel, enhanced trade relations and more nuclear reactors. In exchange, the Iranians agree that for the duration of the negotiations toward implementing the agreement -- including a European push for Iranian ascension to the World Trade Organization -- it will not develop centrifuges and will not enrich uranium. At the same time, the Europeans accepted Iran's claim that it has the legal right to complete the entire nuclear fuel cycle -- meaning, it has the legal right to enrich uranium. ... Iran's interest in making the deal is clear. The IAEA governing board is set to meet next week to discuss Iran's nuclear program. By agreeing to the deal with the Europeans, Iran has effectively foreclosed the option, favored by the US, of transferring Iran's nuclear program to the UN Security Council for discussions that could lead to sanctions on Iran. Aside from that, all along, Iran has been gaming the system. It has pushed to the limits all feasible interpretation of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, of which it is a signatory, to enable it to reach the cusp of nuclear weapons development without breaking its ties or diminishing its leverage over the Europeans as well as the Russians and Chinese. In so doing, it has isolated the US and Israel -- which have both gone on record that Iran must not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons -- from the rest of the international community, which is ready to enable Iran to achieve nuclear weapons capabilities. ["H-hour has arrived", Hat Tip: Little Green Footballs]
Colin Powell Asked To Step Down Though He Wanted To Stay
From the Jerusalem Post:Outgoing US Secretary of State Colin Powell was asked to step down after telling President George W. Bush he wanted more power to confront Israel over the peace process, according to London's Sunday Telegraph. At the same time, the Sunday Times reported that secretary of state-designate Condoleezza Rice is convinced Yasser Arafat's death has created a unique opportunity and she believes the revival of the peace process leading to a Palestinian state will be her top priority. Powell was widely rumored to be ready to resign after four years of conflict with Vice President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. However, the Telegraph quoted "friends" as saying he changed his mind because he saw the chance of progress on the peace process and wanted to see through the Iraqi elections. He was reported to have made an unsuccessful pitch to remain in office for at least one more year during British Prime Minister Tony Blair's visit to Washington earlier this month. The paper noted that while Powell's departure was announced on November 15, his letter of resignation was dated November 11, the day of his meeting with Bush. White House officials were quoted as saying that Powell was not asked to stay on. Briefing reporters later, Powell said he and Bush had had "fulsome discussions," diplomatic code for disagreements. "The clincher came over the Mideast peace process," a recently-retired State Department official reportedly said. "Powell thought he could use the credit he had banked as the president's ‘good cop' in foreign policy to rein in [Prime Minister] Ariel Sharon and get the peace process going. He was wrong."Comments LGF:
And there we see the willful blindness of the State Department in all its glory, as the unnamed official places the blame for the failure of the "peace process" on Ariel Sharon, rather than where it really belongs—on the genocidal hatred and rejectionism of the Arab world.For further reading:
Annan Threat
From Cox and Forkum:
The move to conclude a two-year peace process for the south of the African nation came after U.N. chief Kofi Annan called on the council to issue its "strongest warning" to forces fighting in Sudan to sign a peace deal before the end of the year. In addition to finding an end to the civil war in Sudan's south, the council is meeting in Nairobi to end a humanitarian crisis in the western region of Darfur. Nearly two million people have died, largely through war-induced hunger and disease, in a conflict between Sudan's Arab north and its Christian and traditionalist south. The Darfur crisis began in February 2003, when non-Arab rebel groups took up arms to fight for more power and resources. The government responded by backing Arab militias, who have driven millions of villagers from their homes. The United Nations has called Darfur one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters, and Washington has labeled it genocide.
FoxNews Broadcast No Longer Banned by Canadian Government
The Canadian government has decided to halt its ban on FoxNews in Canada (i.e., the CRTC finally granted permission for private Canadian broadcasters to offer FoxNews to Canadians):[...] Even though Fox News hosts have at times mocked Canadians -- calling the former prime minister a bum -- the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission said Thursday it has found "there is substantial demand in Canada for Fox News." [...] The CRTC said it received 531 statements supporting Fox and only 82 opposed to allowing the channel to broadcast here. The Canadian Cable Telecommunications Association had asked the CRTC to permit it to import both Fox and the NFL Network for digital tiers. [...] The network will bring a different world view for Canadians who like their public affairs spicy, says Michael Hennessy, president of the Canadian Cable Telecommunications Association. "We think it's great in terms of diversity (of opinion) . . . it's controversial, which is always an excellent thing in the areas of news and public affairs," said Hennessy. [...] One of Fox News's highest profile personalities, Bill O'Reilly, has called former Prime Minister Jean Chretien "a bum" and denounced Canada's medicare program as "socialist." O'Reilly told The Canadian Press that he was referring to newspaper staff, not Canadians in general. ["Fox News Coming to Canada", CNEWS]
Concerted Effort
From Cox and Forkum:
[Condoleezza] Rice, considered more of a foreign policy hard-liner than [Secretary of State Colin] Powell, whom she calls a "dear friend and mentor," has been Bush's national security adviser for four years. ... Rice has long been Bush's most trusted foreign-policy adviser, leading to concerns that her elevation to secretary of state might not leave room for dissent within the administration. "When Rice travels as secretary of state to other capitals, everyone will know that what she says represents with great fidelity what the president thinks" and vice versa, former presidential adviser David Gergen told FOX News. "I think it does ensure closer cooperation within the administration," Gergen added, but if you "essentially purge the administration" of other voices, that would leave little room for alternative perspectives. "Colin Powell and his group were often dissenters within the administration, but on some issues they turned out to be right," Gergen continued. He envisioned that Rice would bring in a "hard-line team" of lower-level officials to help her run State.We're all for a State Department that takes a more "hard line" approach to America's interests compared to Powell's tendency toward appeasement. Our foreign policy message to other nations should be harmonious not dissonant.
Fight breaks out in a room full of rappers
Violence erupted last Sunday night as Snoop Dog was about to honor Dr. Dre with a lifetime "achievement" award during taping of the Vibe Awards in Los Angeles. The incident shattered the rap and hip-hop community's long-time image as a docile harbinger of peace and tranquility, leaving millions of fans horrified and confused.As chairs were thrown and fists flew during the bloody melee, Jimmy James Johnson had a knife plunged into his torso. Authorities are currently looking for Nashville rapper "Young Buck" in connection with the stabbing. He is expected to be hiding somewhere between the left and right pant legs of a sagging pair of 48-inch-waist jeans.
Good Riddance Arafat!
Writes David Holcberg of the Ayn Rand Institute:At long last, Arafat is dead. Unfortunately, the mass murderer responsible for decades of terrorism died of a health problem, not an act of justice. But why did Arafat survive to old age? Why didn't his victims--Palestinians, Israelis and Americans--kill him long ago? Palestinians, who lived for years in fear under his tyrannical regime, didn't strike him down, because their desire to exterminate Jews was greater than their desire for freedom. Israelis, who lived for years in fear of Arafat's terrorist attacks, didn't kill him, because their desire to satisfy "world opinion" was greater than their desire to live. Americans, who saw their fellow citizens murdered by Arafat's orders, didn't touch a hair of Arafat's, because their desire to appease the "Arab street" and hostile Arab regimes was greater than their desire for justice. Palestinians, Israelis and Americans paid dearly for their cowardice. Should we draw a lesson? Yes, that freedom, justice and life are worth fighting for--and killing for. Hopefully, Americans will have the moral courage to kill Bin Laden and his associates--and not wait until they too die of disease or old age.
Watch Your Six
From Cox and Forkum: 
The judge advocate general heading the investigation, Lt. Col. Bob Miller, told NBC News that depending on the evidence, it could be reasonable to conclude the Marine was acting in self-defense. "The policy of the rules of engagement authorize the Marines to use force when presented with a hostile act or hostile intent," Miller said. "So they would have to be using force in self-defense, yes." "Any wounded -- in this case insurgents -- who don't pose a threat would not be considered hostile," said Miller. Charles Heyman, a senior defense analyst with Jane's Consultancy Group in Britain, defended the Marine's actions, saying it was possible the wounded man was concealing a firearm or grenade. "You can hear the tension in those Marines' voices. One is showing, 'He's faking it. He's faking it,'" Heyman said. "In a combat infantry soldier's training, he is always taught that his enemy is at his most dangerous when he is severely wounded." If the injured man makes even the slightest move, "in my estimation they would be justified in shooting him."Meanwhile, little attention is given to incidents that are known and can be reported: the horror of insurgent rule in Fallujah. From today's Wall Street Journal: Semper Fi: The story of Fallujah isn't on that NBC videotape.
Some 40 Marines have just lost their lives cleaning out one of the world's worst terror dens, in Fallujah, yet all the world wants to talk about is the NBC videotape of a Marine shooting a prostrate Iraqi inside a mosque. Have we lost all sense of moral proportion? The al-Zarqawi TV network, also known as Al-Jazeera, has broadcast the tape to the Arab world, and U.S. media have also played it up. The point seems to be to conjure up images again of Abu Ghraib, further maligning the American purpose in Iraq. Never mind that the pictures don't come close to telling us about the context of the incident, much less what was on the mind of the soldier after days of combat. ... When not disemboweling Iraqi women, these killers hide in mosques and hospitals, booby-trap dead bodies, and open fire as they pretend to surrender. Their snipers kill U.S. soldiers out of nowhere. According to one account, the Marine in the videotape had seen a member of his unit killed by another insurgent pretending to be dead. Who from the safety of his Manhattan sofa has standing to judge what that Marine did in that mosque?Writes Jack Wakeland from TIA Daily writes: Who Will Defend War?.
In what universe is it "horribly wrong"--even criminal--for a Marine Corps rifleman to shoot a wounded Iraqi militiaman lying on the floor of a mosque in a combat zone (a shooting that was captured on video by an NBC cameraman)? Prime Minister Ayad Allawi's office felt the need to issue a statement that the Iraqi leader "is very concerned by allegations of an illegal killing by multinational forces in Fallujah." The interim prime minister brought up the incident with General George Casey, commander of the multinational force. To make matters worse, US Ambassador John Negroponte told the press that "no one can be happy" about the incident "but the important point is that the individual in question will be dealt with." This whole line of thinking comes from the rejection of war, as such.
Van Gogh’s “Submission”
From a previous post:Van Gogh's assailant, a 26-year-old man with dual Dutch and Moroccan citizenship, has been linked to an organization of Islamic terrorists recruiting youth in the Netherlands. The murder is thought to be in retaliation for van Gogh's recent anti-Islamic film, entitled "Submission," in which a Muslim woman is forced into a violent arranged marriage, raped by a relative, and punished for adultery.His film "Submission," is now available for free viewing at IFILM. [Hat Tip: N. Provenzo]
The Powell Lesson for the State Department
From Cox and Forkum:
Powell said Bush accepted the resignation Friday, adding, "It has always been my intention that I would serve one term." But a senior State Department official characterized Powell's departure this way: "He was not asked to stay."From The Wall Street Journal: The Powell Lesson: Will the State Department now support American foreign policy?.
[The State] department's idea of public diplomacy too often amounted to spinning itself to an obliging media as the supposed last bastion of sanity amid an Administration overrun by neocon crazies. In one example that somehow went unpunished, Mr. Powell's own chief of staff, Larry Wilkerson, described his colleagues at Defense and in the White House this way: "I call them utopians. I don't care whether utopians are Vladimir Lenin on a sealed train to Moscow or Paul Wolfowitz. Utopians I don't like. You're never going to bring utopia, and you're going to hurt a lot of people in the process of trying to do it." That kind of talk may have hurt the Administration, but it hurt State far more. The first task of whoever replaces Mr. Powell (as we went to press, Condoleezza Rice's name was being whispered) will be to ensure that the department acts as an arm of executive power and not as the in-house opposition.
Color Me Skeptical
From Cox and Forkum: 
From The Washington Post's Charles Krauthammer: 'Moral Values' Myth.In 1994, when the Gingrich revolution swept Republicans into power, ending 40 years of Democratic hegemony in the House, the mainstream press needed to account for this inversion of the Perfect Order of Things. A myth was born. Explained the USA Today headline: "ANGRY WHITE MEN: Their votes turn the tide for GOP." Overnight, the revolution of the Angry White Male became conventional wisdom. In the 10 years before the 1994 election there were 56 mentions of angry white men in the media, according to LexisNexis. In the next seven months there were more than 1,400. At the time, I looked into this story line -- and found not a scintilla of evidence to support the claim. Nonetheless, it was a necessary invention, a way for the liberal elite to delegitimize a conservative victory. And, even better, a way to assuage their moral vanity: You never lose because your ideas are sclerotic or your positions retrograde, but because your opponent appealed to the baser instincts of mankind. Plus ca change ... Ten years and another stunning Democratic defeat later, and liberals are at it again. The Angry White Male has been transmuted into the Bigoted Christian Redneck.
On days like today, It’s a shame there is no such thing as Hell
Writes Jeff Jacoby in the Boston Globe [Hat Tip: H. Hacker]:YASSER ARAFAT died at age 75, lying in bed surrounded by familiar faces. He left this world peacefully, unlike the thousands of victims he sent to early graves. In a better world, the PLO chief would have met his end on a gallows, hanged for mass murder much as the Nazi chiefs were hanged at Nuremberg. In a better world, the French president would not have paid a visit to the bedside of such a monster. In a better world, George Bush would not have said, on hearing the first reports that Arafat had died, "God bless his soul." God bless his soul? What a grotesque idea! Bless the soul of the man who brought modern terrorism to the world? Who sent his agents to slaughter athletes at the Olympics, blow airliners out of the sky, bomb schools and pizzerias, machine-gun passengers in airline terminals? Who lied, cheated, and stole without compunction? Who inculcated the vilest culture of Jew-hatred since the Third Reich? Human beings might stoop to bless a creature so evil -- as indeed Arafat was blessed, with money, deference, even a Nobel Prize -- but God, I am quite sure, will damn him for eternity. Arafat always inspired flights of nonsense from Western journalists, and his last two weeks were no exception. [November 11, 2004]For more on Arafat:
America's Accommodation of Evil by Adam Mossoff
It is time the US sees Arafat for what he is. Arafat's Despotism: Innocent Palestinians are Better Under Israeli Rule by Yaron Brook
Remember the mayor of a Palestinian village, Zuhir Hamdan, who publicly stated that his villagers preferred to live, not under Arafat, but Israel?
We Are Either With Israel, Or We Are With the Terrorists by Robert W. Tracinski
Arafat and his Palestinian Authority were the world's foremost example of terrorism as a successful war strategy.
Yassar Arafat's Suicide Factory by Daniel Pipes
Convincing healthy individuals to blow themselves up is obviously not easy, but requires ideas and institutions. The process begins with the Palestinian Authority (PA) inculcating two things into its population, starting with the children: a hatred of Jews and a love of death.
Killing Arafat by Alexander Marriott
Yasser Arafat, the Chairman of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, has been a fomenter of terrorism virtually his entire "professional" career. Killing Arafat as opposed to exiling him, where he can still communicate with terrorists on the ground, is preferable.
Casus Belli by David Harsanyi
Worldwide, leaders have announced that their support for the proposed American-led ouster of Iraq dictator Saddam Hussein hinges on President Bush making a compelling case for action. "That guy's evil" doesn't cut it with many of these heads of state, most of whom regard terrorists like Yassir Arafat as freedom fighters. Hussein's frenzied hostility towards America, uninhibited support of terrorism (illustrated by generous $25,00 gifts to Palestinian suicide bombers' families), the murder of thousands of his own citizens and his insistent efforts of adding weapons of mass destruction doesn't seem to be adequate evidence either.
Expel Arafat Now by James Phillips
For many years now, Arafat has paid lip service to peace negotiations in English, while calling in Arabic for a jihad, or holy war, to liberate Jerusalem.
How Arafat Killed The "Peace Process" by James Phillips
Arafat's history of broken promises has convinced Israelis that Arafat is an untrustworthy negotiating partner who reverts to the "war process" when he doesn't get what he demands in the "peace process."
U.N. Call for Palestinian State Spells Suicide for Palestinians by Yaron Brook
Arafat's "Palestinian self-determination" really means more of Arafat's despotism--it means granting legitimacy to a state that is utterly hostile to its own citizens.
Israel's Deal with the Devil by Emmanuel Forgolou
After the recent outbreak of violence, world opinion once again scrambles to implicate Israel, while Palestinians led by Yasser Arafat get bolder in their demands. Having abandoned its moral stand of strong defense and having made its deal with the devil, can Israel hope for either peace or security?
Jenin: The Big Lie by Ariel Cohen
Why Arafat invented the Jenin "massacre."
Capitalism: Is There a Moral Alternative?
Debate at USC: Capitalism: Is There a Moral Alternative?Friday, November 12, 2004
Debate between Dr. Andrew Bernstein and Dr. Peter Robertson
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, SGM-123 (Seeley G. Mudd), 6:30