Jan 1, 2004 | Dollars & Crosses
Andrew Wolf on the New York City Council:
At first, I was skeptical about their latest initiative, the potty parity law. Yes, our municipal legislative body is greatly concerned about the inequity in the number of men's and women's lavatory stalls. This vast societal problem has led to unfortunate situations in places such as movie theaters where men sail in and glide out in short order, as their wives and girlfriends wait on interminable lines for the chance to accomplish the same task. Many on the council would like to mandate that women get twice as many toilet fixtures as men. When I first heard of this, as soon as I finished laughing hysterically, I began to think that maybe this isn't such a bad idea. Anytime that our City Council spends on trivia is time that isn't spent doing serious damage in other areas.
Jan 1, 2004 | Dollars & Crosses
A letter to the editor from a former NYC public school teacher who reports that the inmates are running the asylum:
I can recall a beginning teacher who crafted creative, fine lessons. But, classroom management was difficult for her and she could have used some administrative guidance and support in the handling of her class. One day, a second grader in her class slammed a closet door into her back and then ran away and laughed. She brought him to the principal, and later it was she who received a disciplinary letter! In the principal's office, the child had been interviewed about the teacher's performance and his misbehavior was blamed on the teacher's weak behavior modification program. Flash forward to where students threw a chair out a window that hit a pregnant woman below. Did we not hear the question asked, "Why was the classroom door left open?" ... It's not uncommon for disruptive students to be given the third degree, behind closed doors, about a teacher's behavior. And there's not one scenario within a school for which the teacher cannot and will not be blamed....
When parents are called to school for a conference about an incident such as a fight, the principal and the parents will present a united front and turn the meeting into the teacher's trial. The meeting concludes with the parent "writing the teacher up" and sometimes the students "write teachers up" as well...! Teachers learn to talk in ineffective soft tones rather than be accused of "yelling," which is now considered corporal punishment! They learn to never physically intervene during a fight because they can and will be charged with assault.
Jan 1, 2004 | Dollars & Crosses
From Cox and Forkum:
New Year's Eve in Baghdad was marred by a terrorist attack that murdered five Iraqis. Here in the states, we celebrated yet another safe New Year's Eve.
Regular readers of this blog know that we've been very critical of the War on Terrorism to the extent that states like Iran, Syria and Saudi Arabia are not being forced to stop sponsoring terrorism. Regime changes in those countries will do far more to protect us from terrorism than hiring more airport security in this country. But this is not meant to diminish the protective services provided by those here in the states. From the F-16 pilots in the sky to the cops on the ground, our hats are off to all those helping to give us a safe New Year.Dec 31, 2003 | Dollars & Crosses
From the Daily Telegraph:
The head of the biggest university in Islam yesterday backed France's drive to ban the Muslim headscarf in its schools, despite it being condemned by the Arab world. Sheikh Mohammed Sayyed Tantawi, the Grand Mufti of the al-Azhar mosque in Cairo and the foremost authority in Sunni Islam, said France had the right to pass a law banning all "conspicuous" religious symbols in state schools and institutions.
Wearing the headscarf was "a divine obligation for all Muslim women" that no governing Muslim could deny, he said in a joint press conference with Nicolas Sarkozy, France's interior minister. But, he added, that obligation only applied "if the woman lives in a Muslim country". He quoted verses from the Koran stipulating that any Muslim who conforms to the laws of a non-Muslim country need not fear divine punishment. Until yesterday the sheikh had remained silent over the issue, describing it as "an internal French affair".
These people have such contempt for freedom that they support tyranny even when it's directed at them. But that's not really news--they've been supporting Arab tyrants all this time.Dec 31, 2003 | Dollars & Crosses
From CBS MarketWatch:
Tim Berners-Lee will become a Knight Commander, Order of the British Empire for his work inventing the World Wide Web. Announcement of the honor for the British citizen who lives in the United States was made Wednesday by Buckingham Palace...In 1991, Berners-Lee developed the concept that led to Hypertext Markup Language that is used to create Web pages.
Dec 31, 2003 | Dollars & Crosses
From Cox and Forkum:
Dec 30, 2003 | Dollars & Crosses
From the UK's Guardian:
The Cuban authorities have launched an inquiry into how the official newspaper of the Communist party ran a front page photograph of Fidel Castro which appeared to have been doctored to make him look like Adolf Hitler. When the edition of Granma hit the streets this month party officials began to retrieve as many copies as they could, an operation which appears to have deterred foreign journalists based on the island from reporting the story.
Or, perhaps they did not report the story because they did not want to get kicked off the island Saddam style. (The UK Guardian wisely did not disclose the name of their "Special correspondent.")
...Close examination of the photograph shows that the image of the Cuban leader has been subtly altered to make him look like the Nazi leader. Underneath banners proclaiming Cuba's opposition to war and terrorism, President Castro is seen in full military uniform, but the world's most famous beard has been replaced by history's most striking moustache, while his grey hair now has the faint hint of a black comb-over. ["Castro as Hitler on Cuban front page sparks hunt for mystery satirist", December 30, 2003]
Recommended Site: www.LibertyforCuba.comDec 30, 2003 | Dollars & Crosses
From Cox and Forkum:
FoxNews reported this weekend: Analysts Question Dean's New Discussion of God.Dean, a member of the congregationist church whose wife and children are Jewish, now says he will talk more about Jesus Christ when he campaigns, but only in the south.
"Christ was someone who sought out people who were disenfranchised, people who were left behind," Dean told the Boston Globe in Christmas Day editions. "He fought against self-righteousness of people who had everything ... He was a person who set an extraordinary example that has lasted 2,000 years, which is pretty inspiring when you think about it."
"He fought against self-righteousness of people who had everything"? One guess as to who candidate Dean really wants to you think about with that class warfare comment.
Today FoxNews reports: Candidates Criticize Dean Attack on DNC."Howard Dean has spent the last year criticizing me and other candidates at every opportunity. Now, as he makes a series of embarrassing gaffes that underscore the fact he is not well-equipped to challenge George Bush, he suddenly wants to change the rules of the game," [Democrat presidential candidate Dick] Gephardt said.
Dec 29, 2003 | Dollars & Crosses
Regarding the recent Earthquake in Iran:
Iran took time out from dealing with its tens of thousands of earthquake casualties to spew forth more hatred towards Israel - even at the expense of its own dead, wounded, orphans and homeless. "The Islamic Republic of Iran," announced the country's official news agency IRNA, "welcomes all the humanitarian aid being offered by various countries and organizations - except for that from the Zionist entity." [Iranian Leaders to Victims: Better That You Die Than We Accept Israeli Help]
Dec 29, 2003 | Dollars & Crosses
An interesting observation from Bruce Bartlett:
...Ironically, much of the move toward offshoring is the result of ill-considered efforts to keep software jobs in the United States. Previously, companies had brought Indian programmers to this country to do their work under a program established in 1990. It provided these foreign workers with H-1B visas that allowed them to work here temporarily. But under pressure to save such jobs for the native-born, the number of visas allowed under this program was reduced from 195,000 to 65,000 in October. So now, instead of having Indian workers come here, where they spent much of their earnings, companies are contracting with them to work in India, which is where they now spend their earnings...
But wait it gets worse:
...Rather than admit that they were wrong in the first place, the same people who demanded restrictions on foreign workers are trying to get new limits placed on outsourcing, as well.
Or to paraphrase Von Mises' axiom: interventions (unless repealed) bring on more interventions until full-scale socialism is reached. Comments Paul Blair "...and once the politicians ban outsourcing, that will accelerate companies moving their plants abroad, and if they manage to ban that, then capital will move to foreign companies. And if you want to see a real economic disaster, just wait till you see what happens if they try to stop capital flight."
Recommended Reading:
Restrictions on "H-1B" Visas Punish Ability and Trample the Rights of Employer and Employee by Robert W. Tracinski
Any restrictions on immigration -- large or small -- trample the rights of both employers and job-seeking immigrants. The irrational premise behind our nation's immigration laws is that a native-born American has a "right" to a particular job, not because he has earned it, but because he was born here.
Dec 29, 2003 | Dollars & Crosses
From Cox and Forkum:
Democrat presidential candidate Howard Dean has already told us that his foreign policy response to 9/11 would not include going after all terrorist-sponsoring states (see Howard Dean's Anti-American Foreign Policy). He said that he would somehow "focus on terrorism." Recently this article indicated what he meant. Osama bin Laden is (or was) the head of a multi-national terrorist organization responsible for killing thousands of Americans. How would Dean treat bin Laden if caught? Why, like an American citizen!"I've resisted pronouncing a sentence before guilt is found," Dean said. "I still have this old-fashioned notion that even with people like Osama, who is very likely to be found guilty, we should do our best not to, in positions of executive power, not to prejudge jury trials. So I'm sure that is the correct sentiment of most Americans, but I do think if you're running for president, or if you are president, it's best to say that the full range of penalties should be available. But it's not so great to prejudge the judicial system."
Dec 26, 2003 | Dollars & Crosses
Skip Oliva of the Center for the Moral Defense of Capitalism has filed a brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in United States v. Mountain Health Care. Writes Skip:
Last December the Justice Department forced a group of 1,200 physicians and healthcare providers in North Carolina to disband. The DOJ said the group, Mountain Health Care, illegally adopted a common fee schedule for use in negotiating contracts with managed care purchasers. The DOJ considers any fee schedule illegal because when doctors agree to set their fees in concert, the DOJ claims it harms consumers. The government said Mountain's fee schedule "artificially" raised prices and denied consumers the "benefits" of competition for physician services. The implication is clear: the government claims physicians have no real right to set their fees. Despite denying any wrongdoing, Mountain agreed to disband because they couldn't afford the cost of fighting the DOJ.
During the public comment period on this "settlement," I objected the to the total lack of factual context in the government's complaint. Basically the DOJ argued Mountain raised prices, but no outside observer knew what those prices were or what the "correct" market prices were, because the DOJ wouldn't release that information. When challenged, the DOJ said they had no obligation to provide any context, and that asking them to do so would unreasonably impair their ability to promptly settle antitrust cases. The district court overseeing the case couldn't be bothered to deal with my objections, and the judge rubber stamped the settlement without comment.
Fortunately there's a provision in the antitrust law that allows malcontents like me to intervene in the proceedings and ask for appellate review. This now brings us to the Fourth Circuit in Richmond. I've asked the Court to decide whether the DOJ must disclose Mountain's allegedly "anticompetitive" fee schedule. Seeing as it's the sole piece of evidence referred to in the DOJ's complaint, the public (and the district court) should have a chance to examine it. The antitrust laws require disclosure of any "materials or documents which the United States considered determinative" in an antitrust settlement case. The DOJ always argues that provision doesn't really mean anything. Now the Fourth Circuit will decide if that's really the case. The DOJ will file its reply to my brief in January. I can't wait to see what distortions and lies they come up with.
Dec 26, 2003 | Dollars & Crosses
From Cox and Forkum:
Last month, Orson Scott Card made some good points in an op-ed about the Demorats' anti-Bush obsession: The Campaign of Hate and Fear (Hat tip Rich Chandler).We have enemies that have earned our hatred, and whom we should fear. They are fanatical terrorists who seek opportunities to kill American civilians here and Israeli civilians in Israel.
But right now, our national media and the Democratic Party are trying to get us to believe that the people we should hate and fear are George W. Bush and the Republicans. I can think of many, many reasons why the Republicans should not control both houses of Congress and the White House.
But right now, if the alternative is the Democratic Party as led in Congress and as exemplified by the current candidates for the Democratic nomination, then I can't be the only Democrat who will, with great reluctance, vote not just for George W. Bush, but also for every other candidate of the only party that seems committed to fighting abroad to destroy the enemies that seek to kill us and our friends at home.
Dec 24, 2003 | Dollars & Crosses
From Cox and Forkum:
Recommended Reading:
Peace on Earth -- and Its Price by Robert W. Tracinski
This year, more than most, many people are choosing to spend their Christmas by searching for a haven of peace and tranquility in their homes and families. But we have not been able to do so without a few reminders of the value and the cost of that peace.Dec 23, 2003 | Dollars & Crosses
The city of Rocky Mount commissioned sculptor Erik Blome--who had cast sculptures of Rosa Parks and Thurgood Marshall (first black Supreme Court justice) to create a statue of Martin Luther King.
Reports the UK Independent, "White sculptor's 'un-African' statue of Martin Luther King divides the South" (22 December 2003):
It was in the North Carolina city that the civil rights leader first tested what would become his most famous speech, declaring in November 1962: "My friends in Rocky Mount, I have a dream tonight." But plans to honour Dr King's memory by commissioning a bronze statue have triggered a huge disagreement in what is already a divided city, with members of the black population making accusations against white officials.
The critics say the pose of the statue appears "arrogant" and Dr King's face does not look realistic. But what has really upset them is that the sculptor is white. The critics are demanding that the sculpture be recast - at least its head - with a different pose and a more "African" face. Kimberle Evans, one of the most outspoken critics of the $56,000 (£32,000) statue, said: "We need an artist who can relate."
To your racism?
Recommended Reading:
The Destruction of Martin Luther King's Dream of a Colorblind Society by Onkar Ghate
"It is no surprise that America is growing more racist, since the affirmative action and multiculturalist programs are themselves based on racist premises."
What We Should Remember on Martin Luther King Day: Judge People by Their Character, Not Skin Color by Edwin A. Locke
What should we remember on Martin Luther King Day? In his "I Have a Dream" speech Dr. King said: "I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."Dec 23, 2003 | Dollars & Crosses
You can't miss this photo of Egyptian foreign minister Ahmed Maher after being assaulted in Jerusalem by Palestinians as Maher tried to pray at the Al Aqsa Mosque. In a dispatch from the Jerusalem Post, the New York Sun reports:
Palestinian Authority officials reacted with fury and embarrassment to the attack. Some P.A. officials first claimed Israel instigated the attack to drive a wedge between the Palestinian Arabs and Egypt. But when pictures of Mr. Maher being assaulted by scores of Palestinian Arabs were aired, there was great embarrassment among senior P.A. officials.
Dec 22, 2003 | Dollars & Crosses
From ZDNet News:
Although the official interim report from the U.S.-Canada Power System Outage Task Force does not conclusively state that the MSBlast worm contributed to the blackout, there is ample circumstantial evidence that it did.
First, the blackout occurred just three days after the MSBlast attack started. Second, both primary and backup Windows computer systems at FirstEnergy (the Ohio-based utility company where the blackout began) were reported to have crashed just prior to the blackout. Third, FirstEnergy had trouble with the Slammer worm last January. And fourth, evidence suggests FirstEngery's IT department was slow in general to patch OS vulnerabilities in the past.
BUT DON'T TAKE my word for it. Bruce Schneier, president of the security company Counterpane, doesn't believe the interim report either. In addition, SecurityFocus columnist Kevin Poulsen first suggested the link not long after the blackout. And antivirus researcher Mikko Hypponen, manager of F-Secure Antivirus research, states in the December 2003 issue of Vanity Fair that while MSBlast didn't cause the blackout, the blackout wouldn't have happened without MSBlast.
Dec 21, 2003 | Dollars & Crosses
From the UK Telegraph ["Saddam not a dictator at BBC"]:
...descriptions of Saddam Hussein are the latest target of a [BBC] corporation diktat. "An email has been circulated telling us not to refer to Saddam as a dictator," I'm told. "Instead, we are supposed to describe him as the former leader of Iraq. "Apparently, because his presidency was endorsed in a referendum, he was technically elected. Hence the word dictator is banned. It's all rather ridiculous." The Beeb insists that the email merely restates existing guidelines. "We wanted to remind journalists whose work is seen and heard internationally of the need to use neutral language," says a spokesman.
"Technically elected"? (Bear in mind that Iraquis were forced to "vote" for Saddam). "Neutral" to whom? "President" Castro?
