Sep 20, 2004 | Dollars & Crosses
On Thursday, September 23, 2004, Yaron Brook, President and Executive Director of Ayn Rand Institute will present a talk on "The Morality of War", at the Boulder Campus of the University of Colorado. At 7:30 P.M. This talk will explain why Washington is fighting the war in the manner it is, why that effort is doomed to fail and that the war is being sabotaged by the moral code of altruism embodied in the "just-war" theory. Moreover, you will also learn how the war should be fought and how we could have an unequivocal and decisive victory, a solution that is both practical and reasonable. This event is co-sponsored by the Boulder Campus Objectivist Club.
Event: "The Morality of War"
When: 7:30 pm, Thursday, September 23
Where: University of Colorado in Boulder
Room UMC 235 (University Memorial Center)
Boulder, CO
Admission: Free
Sep 19, 2004 | Dollars & Crosses
Days before blasting President Bush for allowing the unconstitutional 1994 "assault weapons" ban to expire on September 13th, presidential candidate John Kerry marched through West Virginia proudly brandishing a Remington 11-87 shotgun.
"He can't be against our guns, or want to take mine, if he's got one of his own," concluded painfully gullible West Virginian gun owner Paul Cooper.
Yes, Paul, he can. And does: earlier this year, Kerry sponsored a bill (S-1431) that would have made it a felony to possess the very gun that he was holding: the Remington 11-87.
Remember, kids: hypocrisy isn't a disqualification for leftists; it's a requirement.Sep 19, 2004 | Dollars & Crosses
From Cox and Forkum:
From FoxNews: Iran Rejects Call to End Uranium Enrichment.Iran on Sunday denounced as "illegal" demands from the U.N. atomic watchdog agency that it freeze all work on uranium enrichment -- technology that can be used for nuclear weapons. Hasan Rowhani, Iran's top nuclear negotiator, also said his country would limit its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency if the watchdog refers Iran to the U.N Security Council for possible sanctions.
And what was Iran's response to the U.N.'s empty threats? CNN reports: Iran 'starts tests on uranium'.Iran says it has started converting raw uranium into gas for enrichment in defiance of demands set by the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog.
Sep 18, 2004 | Dollars & Crosses
From Cox and Forkum:
From The Wall Street Journal: The Media Watershed: Dan Rather and the end of the liberal monopoly.Mr. Rather and his CBS bosses are sticking to their story, despite the growing evidence on the other side, leaving unanswered the biggest question of all: Who perpetrated this apparent fraud on CBS and the American voters? As journalists who sometimes go out on a limb ourselves, we'd have thought Mr. Rather's first recourse would not be to get mad but instead to double- and triple-check his sources.
From The Washington Post: Rather Concedes Papers Are Suspect."If the documents are not what we were led to believe, I'd like to break that story," Rather said in an interview last night. "Any time I'm wrong, I want to be right out front and say, 'Folks, this is what went wrong and how it went wrong.'"
Yet, after a one week of non-stop criticism for pushing fake memos as real, Rather has done nothing but stonewall."This is not about me," Rather said before anchoring last night's newscast. "I recognize that those who didn't want the information out and tried to discredit the story are trying to make it about me, and I accept that."
Dan Rather used faked memos to bolster a story criticizing a sitting president's military record, all during a hotly contested election and an ongoing war. How could that NOT be about Dan Rather? There may be some truth to criticisms about Bush's Guard service, but in Rather's world, what he believes to be true is more important than what is true. That's not journalism; it's editorializing. Michael Moore has made millions doing the same thing.
Perhaps Dan Rather needs a new sign off line: "I Report. You Accept It."Sep 18, 2004 | Dollars & Crosses
Fox News reported several weeks ago that the North Korean news agency denounced George W. Bush and called for his defeat in the November election, effectively endorsing John Kerry.
Amazingly, he's not talking about this ringing endorsement, even though he mentioned on the campaign trail months ago that he had talked to foreign leaders who said they wanted him to win. Wouldn't this prove he wasn't lying? Hasn't Kerry made making friends with the rest of the world a cornerstore of his effort to become President? Why leave out the endorsement of a prominent world leader?
Kerry was more that willing to secretly (not so secret now) meet with Le Duc Tho, a leader of the North Vietnamese communist state during the Vietnam War, did Le tell Kerry he wanted him to be President? Of course the great and objective media in the USA isn't covering any of this, even though according to some very good liars (or very stupid idiots) the media is conservative in its bias.
Just remember that when you push the button for John Kerry, you're picking the unanimous choice of the North Korean people as relayed by their free and representative government.Sep 18, 2004 | Dollars & Crosses
Saturday, September 18
Global Capitalism Picnic & Lecture
featuring Dr. Andrew Bernstein
Although leftist agitators continue to protest global capitalism, they overlook the key points in the debate. In Europe, North America, and Asia, the capitalist nations are, by a wide margin, the wealthiest societies of history—with per capita incomes in the range of at least $20,000-$30,000 annually.
But capitalism is not merely the system of prosperity; fundamentally, it is the system of individual rights and freedom. The principle of individual rights upon which these countries are based protect their citizens' freedom of speech, of the press, and of intellectual expression. Their citizens have freedom of religion. Similarly, they possess economic freedom, including the right to own property—their own home or farm—to start their own businesses, and to seek profit.
By stark contrast, the pre-capitalist systems of history, and the non-capitalist systems of the present, are politically repressed and economically destitute; their citizens have few or no rights and, consequently, little or no wealth.
What are the deeper principles making possible the freedom and wealth enjoyed under capitalism—and lacking in its political antipodes? How has capitalism already greatly enhanced the lives of millions of human beings in formerly impoverished Third World countries? What can the men of the free world do to further promote the spread of capitalism into the repressed nations of the globe? These are the questions addressed in this talk.
***
A picnic and lecture presentation in Central Park featuring Dr. Andrew Bernstein who will present his lecture Global Capitalism: The Cure for World Oppression and Poverty. The picnic will be held at Mineral Springs, just northeast of the concession stand—which is at the northern end of Sheep Meadow (nearest entrance is W.67th St, Tavern on the Green). Please bring your own food and beverages.
Dr. Bernstein teaches Philosophy at Pace University, the State University of New York at Purchase and formerly at Marymount College in Tarrytown, New York-which presented him its 'Outstanding Teacher' award in 1995. He has taught at Hunter College, Long Island University, and many other New York-area colleges. He lectures frequently at philosophy conferences all over the United States; additionally in Canada, England, Belgium, Norway, Hong Kong and Bermuda. He is the author of Heart of a Pagan, as well as the forthcoming book, The Capitalist Manifesto.
When: Saturday, September 18, 2-6pm (lecture at 4pm)
Where: Central Park (Mineral Springs)
Admission: $20 per person, open to the public
RSVP: info@nyheroes.org
Rain date: Sunday, September 19Sep 16, 2004 | Dollars & Crosses
From the BBC:
Key states who joined the US-led invasion of Iraq have rejected claims by the United Nations secretary general that the war was illegal. Kofi Annan told the BBC the decision to take action in Iraq contravened the UN charter and should have been made by the Security Council, not unilaterally. But authorities in the UK, Australia, Poland, Bulgaria and Japan said the war was backed by international law. Australian Prime Minister John Howard described the UN as a "paralysed" body. And a former Bush administration aide, Randy Scheunemann, branded Mr Annan's comments "outrageous".
...Randy Scheunemann, a former advisor to US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, accused Mr Annan of trying to influence the outcome of the forthcoming US presidential election. "I think it is outrageous for the secretary general, who ultimately works for the member states, to try and supplant his judgement for the judgement of the member states," he told the BBC. "To do this 51 days before an American election reeks of political interference," Randy Scheunemann said. He said the UN's failure to act in Sudan, and in other areas around the world, was proving that effective multilateralism may be a contradiction in terms. [Iraq war allies rebuff UN chief]
Sep 16, 2004 | Dollars & Crosses
From Charles Johnson at LGF:
Last night's performance by Dan Rather and 60 Minutes was a pathetic vaudeville. They admitted in the first few minutes that their "Killian memos" were frauds—then, with absolute contempt for the intelligence of their viewers, spent the rest of the segment trying to convince us that it didn't matter, digging up more questionable "experts" (why didn't CBS call Adobe or IBM and interview real experts?) and shamelessly prompting an 87-year old Bush hater to say the things Dan Rather wanted her to say.
I wonder why they didn't interview the secretary before broadcasting the memos?
Howard Kurtz at the Washington Post focuses on an inescapable fact, the only important information from last night's clown show: Rather Concedes Papers Are Suspect.
Sep 16, 2004 | Dollars & Crosses
From Gail Withrow's Home Taught:
During the past 40 years or so, there has been a raging debate in education circles over the best method to teach reading to children: whole word (also called "look-say") versus phonics.
Look-say is based on memorization of the shape of the word by focusing on the letters that make it up—not on the individual sounds of those letters. For example, the word "bat" in look-say would be taught by giving the child a picture of a bat with the letters b-a-t written beneath the picture. Then, the teacher prints the word again and hopes that the child remembers what the word "bat" looks like spelled out.
Phonics, by contrast, encourages an association between the letters and the sounds they represent. With "phonics-first" (the term coined by Rudolf Flesch in his book, Why Johnny Can't Read, 1955, Harper and Row: NY) the child is taught the sounds for b—a (short a)—t first, and then is encouraged to blend the sounds from left to right to make the word: bat. The phonics method of teaching reading makes explicit the fact that letters are symbols for sounds.
With phonics the child is taught a method of decoding written sounds, which enables her to use a mental tool for deciphering unfamiliar words. Although not all English words are strictly phonetic, a great many of them are. Once the child can read simple books, words that present exceptions to the rules of phonetics can be dealt with as they come up in context.
Also recommended:
Modern "Educators" vs. Reading by Onkar Ghate (November 20, 2003)
Sep 15, 2004 | Dollars & Crosses
From Cox and Forkum:
Investor's Business Daily has some advise for CBS:It now appears CBS made a grievous mistake or knowingly relayed false information. If so, what credibility does it have left? Even an on-air correction won't undo the damage.
CBS would go a lot further in restoring its credibility if it at least checked into the source and authenticity of the memos.
If it's shown that Democrats or the Kerry campaign are the source -- as suggested by comments to the American Spectator by an unnamed Kerry staffer -- CBS better say so.
If the documents prove to be forgeries, resignations from Rather and CBS News President Andrew Heyward would be in order — along with a sweeping review of ethical practices at a once-proud news organization.
Sep 15, 2004 | Dollars & Crosses
Here is an old one from the Khaleej Times:
"In its propaganda war Israel has spread many lies particularly using Palestinian children, and it is amazing how gullible some Western media are when it comes to Israel over and over again. … their latest invention is that Palestinians are using their children to carry explosives and commit suicide bombings." (Ali Kazak, "Palestinian children and Jewish state," April 27, 2004)
Also of interest:
Child Sacrifice, Palestinian Style by Reuven Koret
Golda Meir, a former Prime Minister of Israel, once said: "We will have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us." Tragically, that day seems far, far off. When the Palestinians started sacrificing their own sons and daughters as a matter of policy, as a sacred ritual, they sacrificed their own future as a people and immolated their basic human rights.
Civilian Casualties of War: The Difference Between Israelis and Palestinians by David Harsanyi
The manifest moral disparity between the two sides of this conflict can be seen through the aftermath of the bombing. In Israel, citizens mourn for the loss of life, they have acknowledged their disgust at civilian casualties of war. The government will certainly launch an investigation into the events. Were the situation reversed, Palestinians would take to the streets to cheer the death of Jewish children, as they have so often before.Sep 15, 2004 | Dollars & Crosses
Moore's latest diatribe just hit theatres--in Tehran:
Cinemagoers in the Iranian capital were given their first glimpse of 'Fahrenheit 9/11' this week, but appeared to enjoy more the rare chance to watch an American movie than its assault on their regime's arch foe George W. Bush..."The authorities obviously gave the film the green light for political reasons, in that anything against the United States must be good," quipped one of the hundreds of mainly young people who flocked to Tuesday night's opening screening..."I love to see foreign films on the big screen, and I never miss Farhang cinema shows no matter what is on," said Sima Gharavi, a 24-year-old dressed in a short bright blue coat rather than the more conservative all-black attire. But she hastened to complain that "out of all the films people would love to see, the authorities had to go for this one -- just because this film is in line with the view of the Islamic regime." And despite sporadic laughs here and there, most of Moore's sardonic humour appeared to fall flat. The end of the film was also greeted with some half-hearted clapping...."It was just too political. I was bored from the middle, and I wished we had gone to see "Kill Bill" instead," said one young man, referring to the trendy Quentin Tarantino flick also being shown. ["Fahrenheit 9/11' gets 'axis of evil' premiere", AFP]
Sep 14, 2004 | Dollars & Crosses
In the typical fashion of the press, ignoring real stories that are too "complex" for them to comprehend, or would probably be passed off as "red-baiting," the new book Unfit for Command written by John O'Neill and Jerome Corsi has been the rage of the media for the past week for its various accounts (which differ from John Kerry's) of how candidate Kerry won his medals in Vietnam. Personally I think it's rather irrelevant. The medals Kerry won he obviously thought weren't worth much considering he threw them away, although even this point he belabors with different accounts, saying he also tossed his ribbons aside, or that ribbons are medals and other similar statements violating the law of identity. But one section of the book does tell us something very alarming about candidate Kerry and I have posted the excerpt from the book below.
"The FBI field surveillance reports document a speech that Kerry gave in 1971 in which he praised Ho Chi Minh, the founder of Vietnamese Communism. The occasion was a speech Kerry gave to a group at the YMCA in Philadelphia on June 14, 1971. As reported by the FBI:
'On June 29, 1971, [BLACKED OUT SECURITY EDIT] advised the JOHN KERRY of the National Office of the VVAW, spoke at the YMCA, Philadelphia, on June 14, 1971. In this talk he stated that HO CHI MINH is the GEORGE WASHINGTON of Vietnam. Ho studied the United States Constitution and wants to install the same provisions into the Government of Vietnam. KERRY criticized United States activities in Vietnam, saying we are destroying villages, cities, crops, and the people there and these activities must be stopped.'
Kerry gave many antiwar speeches in 1971. His tendency to idealize the Vietnamese Communists and to demonize the United States was possibly most apparent when he chose to praise by association with America's founding father the man responsible for introducing Communism to Indochina." Page 137
I doubt many have heard of this episode since it hasn't been picked up by the press. It amuses me that President Bush's intelligence (or lack thereof) gets so much play in the media, but I'll never be convinced that Mr. Bush would ever make such a callous, thoughtless, unpatriotic, and incorrect comparison about the man most responsible for the creation of the United States, the greatest (thus the freest) country to ever exist on the Earth. Only a fiend or an uneducated idiot in the extreme could make such a comparison seriously and in either case it indicates an intellect and disposition entirely unworthy of the office of the presidency.
The reasons to oppose Kerry, if not to support Bush, keep piling up.Sep 14, 2004 | Dollars & Crosses
From Cox and Forkum:
AP reports: Insurgents Target Iraqi Police; 59 Dead .The Tawhid and Jihad group, headed by Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, posted a Web statement claiming responsibility for Tuesday's car bombing. The al-Qaida-linked group launched a surprise assault in Baghdad on Sunday, killing dozens, and boasted it had the upper hand in the fight against the Americans.
Sep 14, 2004 | Dollars & Crosses
Upon returning from Communist Cuba after a visit in 1992, beloved TV personality Katie Couric raved about the "terrific health-care system" in that prison cell of a nation. They're certainly going to need it after being hit by Hurricane Ivan. Too bad Florida doesn't have a health care system like Cuba's; just imagine how much better they could weather these disasters.Sep 13, 2004 | Dollars & Crosses
From Cox and Forkum:
We know. Two Dan Rather cartoons in a row. But with Rather still defending the fake memos, we couldn't resist.
As for North Korean mushroom clouds ... FoxNews reports: Report: N. Korea Says Blast Was Planned. They claim the explosion was related to a "hydroelectric project" that involved the demolition of a mountain. Perhaps. But it also happened on the 56th anniversary of the founding of North Korea, so a celebratory weapons test of some sort wouldn't be surprising. Why else would the North Koreans respond by complaining about South Korea's tests? Secretary of State Colin Powell said there's no indication the explosion was part of a nuclear test.
UPDATE I -- September 17: The cartoon appears in today's (Friday's) The Detroit News.
UPDATE II: The mushroom cloud story has taken a bizarre turn. FoxNews reports: S. Korea: No Blast in N. Korea.The mushroom-shaped cloud -- initially detected by South Korean intelligence authorities and widely reported from an explosion -- is believed to have been a natural cloud, said Deputy Unification Minister Lee Bong-jo during a weekly news briefing.
Sep 13, 2004 | Dollars & Crosses
From the UK Telegraph:
The president does have his share of celebrity supporters, though they are not as vocal or active as their Democratic counterparts. Bush supporters include the actors Kelsey Grammer, star of Frasier, Lara Flynn Boyle, Bruce Willis, Charlton Heston and Mel Gibson. Younger supporters include the Friends star Matt Le Blanc and the singers Jessica Simpson, Ricky Martin and Britney Spears. But there is also concern in Hollywood that coming out as a conservative can cost a performer his livelihood. "I think there are more conservatives in Hollywood than you would think, but I don't think they're going to come out because you never know why you don't get your next job," the pro-Bush comedian Dennis Miller said last year.
And let's also not forget The Terminator.
From The Philadelphia Enquirer:
Other actors who've been in Bush's corner include Freddie Prinze Jr., Jason Priestley, Bo Derek, Shannen Doherty, Kelsey Grammer and bohemian right-winger Vincent Gallo, who once called left-wing author and radio talker Al Franken a "commie crawfish."
...But Lynyrd Skynyrd, Kid Rock, Britney Spears, Ted Nugent, and Steve Tyler of Aerosmith are fans of the President. So is punk-rock guitarist Johnny Ramone of the Ramones, who urges musician pals to donate to Bush's campaign. "I try to make a dent in people when I can," he said in a March interview with the Washington Times. "I figure people drift toward liberalism at a young age, and I always hope that they change when they see how the world really is."
Sep 12, 2004 | Dollars & Crosses
Fine words from Robert Tracinski at TIA Daily:
Throughout this week, I have urged readers of TIA Daily to be "anti-Bushites for Bush." On Tuesday, I wrote:
"Both parts of the slogan 'anti-Bushites for Bush' imply the need for vigorous action. By being 'for Bush,' I meant that we should actively advocate and promote Bush's re-election, but do so on specific, narrow grounds: that it is necessary to fight an offensive war against terrorism and to fundamentally reform the political system of the Middle East. But we should also be prepared, after the election, to immediately and vigorously oppose everything that is wrong with the Bush agenda--to demand that he live up to his fierce rhetoric in prosecuting the war, and to oppose his attempts to expand the welfare state and inject religion into politics."
I would like to offer more specific advice on how we should achieve these goals.
First, a bit of advice on how to be for Bush: don't oversell him. Don't promote him as a strong and unyielding opponent of terrorist states. Explain to people that we need to be even stronger, that we need to stop making compromises and concessions, and that going on the offensive against terrorism means turning our attention to Iran, the main threat to the civilized world today. Then say that you support Bush because he is the only candidate who has even a prayer (so to speak) of going halfway in this direction.
And that leads me to the question of how to be an anti-Bushite.
It now seems likely that Bush will win the election, given the stunning incompetence of the Kerry campaign and the effectiveness of the Republican convention, which emphasized Bush's strongest issues and buried his weakest ones. So even those who do not plan to vote for Bush need to prepared with specific measures to oppose his worse policies during his second term.
How should we do it?
For the rest, email Mr. Tracinski at TIA Daily.
From FoxNews: 
AP reports: 
We know. Two Dan Rather cartoons in a row. But with Rather still defending the fake memos, we couldn't resist.
As for North Korean mushroom clouds ... FoxNews reports: