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I dream of living in ... a World Without Dictators! I'm a Libertarian Paternalist in Slovakia - Freedom with Responsibility - 10% of income into your own Pension; Tax Loans for education, health, housing; now supporting Employment Maximizing Companies!

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Name: Tom Grey
Now a libertarian paternalist - progressive Conservative. I want lots of choices for people, with very responsible oriented defaults. Political, smaller gov't oriented, pro- Christian with tolerance and against changes reducing Christian influence.

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blog posts on immigration at The Truth Laid Bear
Tuesday, 31 May 2005
The case against Torture

There are lots of posts about tortue, again.  With silly Amnesty calling the US at Gitmo a "new Gulag".
The QandO  has a fine note about it, and lots of comments.  Very strongly complaining about the US being not serious enough in stopping the deaths of Iraqis while in custody.  But I think they have too little sense of proportion.

1% of 68 000 is 680.  68 is 0.1%

War is hell -- partly because innocents die; are KILLED, by the "good guys", whoever they are. 

Yesterday more innocents were murdered by the suicide killers than by US guards in 3 years of Afghan and Iraq military ops.  Where is the outrage over the suicide killers? 

How many minutes of sleep deprivation is it before interrogation becomes torture?

You are correct that the torture that exists, and the deaths in custody, should stop. 

But higher punishment on the poorly trained troops, rather than more punishment for the suicide terrorists, seems wrong.

On a scale of outrages, this doesn't make it into the top: North Korea, Darfur, Congo, UN child rapists throughout the world, Zimbabwe, Saudi prisons, Syrian prisons, Iranian prisons, French health care of elderly in August.

I'm offended that you implicitly claim I "seem entirely uninterested in the fact that our troops are killing prisoners in their custody."

I'm interested -- and you did a fine job.  But how important IS this issue? Is it more important than French health care?  Even though 10 000 died a couple years ago?  I think maybe yes -- because it's the US, and it's going on, and we can and should highlight that it needs more training and especially more supervision.

The Stanford Prison Experiment (and the fine file Das Experiment) accurately show what can easily happen when the guards get POWER over others.

Less than 100 deaths?  There's more EVERY DAY in Darfur, whose government has successfully passed Kerry's Global Test and has been re-instated on the Human Rights Commission. 

What kind of morals are those?

The alternative to the US as world policeman is, today, the UN.  It is not Unreal Perfection.

Those who complain about torture today need to show how it is WORSE than accepting the Democratic Rwanda policy -- no torture, no US deaths, no action (genocide OK).

You've shown it's bad.  You've offered no better real alternative.  Outrage now is indistinguishable from support for a policy of surrender, letting the terrorist beheaders win hearts by fear of head loss.

+++

Jon Henke asks "Just how perfect does the rest of the world need to be before you start demanding we abide by our ideals and laws?"

I do, today, demand that we abide by our laws.  And EVERY country in the world is LESS GOOD than the USA -- as measured in their support to stop the slaughter of Muslims by Serbs.  (And many other measures.)

"Abide by our laws" means that every case of suspected murder needs to be tried in a court of law, or a military court, with sufficient protections for the accused. 

Meaning ALL the protection and presumption of innocence given to, say, OJ Simpson at trial.
 

There also needs to be recognition that "rule of law" requires submission to police force.  One who is trying to escape the military/polic is guilty and is subject to forcible recapture -- including deadly force.  Being shot in the back as they're running away is not "murder", whether by police or by (poorly trained) guards.

I think of an Iraqi terrorist, who has been firing from a mosque, on the floor and pretending to be wounded so as to get a weapon and kill Americans.  And I think of the case where he gets the weapon, and DOES kill Americans before he is killed.  And I think of the case where one soldier kills the terrorist before he gets the weapon.  And the case where there was no weapon.

The only murder was the terrorists killing the soldiers, rather than surrender.

While it was not quite right for the soldier to kill the suspect who did not have a weapon, lack of submission after prior immoral (firing from a mosque) fighting exonerates the soldier from a legal viewpoint.

Karpinski was fired, and demoted.  In a war, that seems about right.  Most other talk about having the US "abide by law" is essentially to support firing Rumsfeld, and/or Bush, and having the US leave Iraq -- so that the terrorists can re-establish a death squad state.

Posted by: TomGrey at 05/31/05 11:45 | link | comments

Memorial Day - Star Wars

On this (now day after) Memorial Day, which is not a holiday in Slovakia, my family and I are watching Star Wars. Actually it’s not the whole family, since little 6 year old Bianca is with grandparents in the lovely Tatra Mountains. So it’s only my wife, my 9 year old son Mishko, and my 8 year old son Danko.  We saw all of Star Wars (IV) (A New Hope!) on Saturday night.

We saw all of Empire Strikes Back (V) on Sunday, but the kids didn’t get to bed until nearly 11pm, and they’ve been a bit sick, so it was silly.  We’ve rented the DVDs, plus…

 The weather was also boiling hot, record breaking hot.  So Monday night we only watched the first half of Return of the Jedi (VI), which is the Ewok silliness that I only saw once and don’t remember much.  My wife is surprised that she had NOT seen Empire, nor Jedi, so only now realizes why she was so unaware of the references I had been making to them.  My sons already know a lot about what will happen, since they have friends that have seen them, or have trading cards or lego games or some merchandise that supports, but I’m trying to focus their questions on what they did see, not what they haven’t seen.

Of course, there are a LOT of questions that I expect to be answered by Revenge of the Sith. In another post, perhaps over the weekend after I see it, I’ll write about the Dark Lords: Lord Vader; Lord Voldemort, and the Dark Lord on his Dark Throne in Mordor, Sauron; the personification of evil. 

All three sagas are fairy tales, with many similarities.  Harry Potter is like Luke Skywalker.  The Black Riders are like the Death Eaters.  The Force is like Magic – May the Magic be With You.  Yoda is like Dumbledore is like Gandalf.  Interestingly, only Bilbo and Frodo are really Everymen – anybody could get the Ring.  Harry and Luke are born with their extraordinary possibilities, though they each have a period of being an Everyman.

None of the stories include much focus on the innocents killed, neither by the evil ones nor by the ‘good’ side.  But that is the post for the future.  

Today let us hail and thank, and remember, those heroes who have fought for the USA.  Fought for the ideals of Life, Liberty, the Pursuit of Happiness, Private Property, and the Rule of Law.  It is these ideals which have made America Great – because America is Good, and wants to be good, and is willing to question whether or not her government’s actions are good.  When I look at the UN, or Russia, or China, or France, or even the UK – I do NOT see a better country or a better organization. 

God has blessed America.  I Thank You. 

America is not perfect, but it is good – it is better than any real alternative.  Because, more so than other G-8 or OECD countries, the American people believe in God, believe in Good and Evil, believe in the bright side not the dark side, believe in the Power of Love over Hate. 

May God continue to bless America.  To soldiers fallen, wounded, retired, on-duty -- I salute you.

Posted by: TomGrey at 05/31/05 09:47 | link | comments

Monday, 30 May 2005
Fair and Balanced PJ Media

Roger asks Question 1 on Fair and Balanced media; then Q. 2 on getting the facts.
Neo-Neo-con questions a bit about the terms.   Butnot me.

I like fair.  I like balanced.
The most interesting news is about policy: filibuster or not; up or down; reform Social Security or not; vote Kerry or Bush (or nobody -- telling the truth).

Every policy has good results and bad results; and as it's made there are probabilities of those results.
Balance means talking about good AND bad, of both positions.  Only talking about the bad of Iraq after US action, without noting the good, is unbalanced.  Not mentioning the bad that would be, like Darfur, w/o US action, is unbalanced.

Fair implies similar effort at the truth.  Intense scrutiny of Bush's NG records, while not mentioning that he did sign a Form 180 which Kerry has not signed, seems unfair.  I think Marc Cooper's anti-Kerry and super-anti-Bush is more fair than most.

The press has failed to note that the policy of US leaving Vietnam meant SE Asian genocide.  This has been both unfair and unbalanced.

I wish more folk would follow generalizations with at least one specific example, to confirm I understand what is being talked about.

I post many of my comments on my blog (see my Michael Totten comments/ posts); this one too. [Often copy comment to Word for spell check first, and a monthly long journal record.]

I also like Honest and Transparent -- and for much news, the honesty/ accuracy is more important than "fairness".  But since the most interesting issues are often the uncertain future, honesty about the future collapses into honesty about guesses about the future.


Posted by: TomGrey at 05/30/05 03:58 | link | comments

With a large voter turnout of around 75%, the French decisively voted No to the EU Constitution by about 55% to 45%. This will require the EU to continue functioning as it has been, with few additional powers for the bureaucrats in Brussels.

 

French  President Chirac accepted the democratic decision of the voters, but claimed:

"Nevertheless, our ambitions and interests are profoundly linked to Europe. France, a founder member of the union, remains, naturally, within the union. 

He ignored calls by some members of the "No" camp to step down but is clearly badly wounded two years before presidential and parliamentary elections.

 

Neither Reuters nor BBC mentions that the proposed, totally binding constitution is some 500+ pages, and few of the Yes voters or supporters have actually read it -- why should a binding agreement be made without reading the fine print?

 
Reuters continues with another politician:

"This is a sad, sad day for France, and a sad day for Europe too. But rumours of the constitution's demise have been greatly exaggerated," said Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, former Danish Prime Minister and president of the Party of European Socialists,

"We must not read the ‘non' in France as a ‘non' to Europe. This is not the last word on the European constitution. The French people wished to reject a tired and unpopular government that has failed to represent the concerns of ordinary people."
 

BBC:

One of the leading right-wing opponents of the treaty, Philippe de Villiers, said: "Europe has to be rebuilt. The constitution is no more."

 The Left has also been against the EU constitution, but more against the government:

Opposition Socialist leader Francois Hollande, from the "Yes" campaign, voiced "regret" over the result, but blamed Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin.  "The rejection of this treaty is above all the rejection of the government," he said.

 

Perhaps it's more anger at a government which has run the economy into a 10.2 rate of unemployment, the highest in 10 years.

President Chirac has claimed he's listened to more voters, but also that there's no reason to resign. It's not clear if there will be any external effect or adjustments by the countries which have already adopted it. The 9 countries which have already adopted the EU constitution:
Austria
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Italy
Lithuania
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain

On Wednesday, the Netherlands should have a referendum, too – and polls indicate another No.
(seen on Blogger News Network)

Posted by: TomGrey at 05/30/05 02:50 | link | comments

Thursday, 26 May 2005
How is freedom "done"?

Belgravia Dispatch has great outrage at the inexcusable intellectual arrogance of Wolfgang Ischinger, the German Ambassador to the US. Gregory says it so nicely: "the breezy evocation of the contemporary history of Central and Eastern Europe as a way to teach us boorish Americans how it is done.

Now I wonder what his public position was on Reagan's deployment of missiles (really, I wonder)?  In any case, too many seem to be of the opinion that the fall of the Evil Empire was sort of inevitable -- so paying any cost in blood is too high a price. 

My own disagreement with your assertions that more troops in Iraq are needed is based on Vietnam -- with a lot more troops, and more occupation, and failure; especially failure of Vietnamization of the war (and our refusal to fund the S. when we ran away).  I think fewer troops, and more chaos in Iraq, mean that Iraqis will own their security sooner (the Americans couldn't do it).  But I'm also not certain what is optimal.

"How it is done" -- but what if it has never been done before? 

 
My problem with most critics of Bush, like Amnesty, Kerry & Dems, and this German, is they all seem to assume the failure of evil even if good folk do nothing.  I don't see it happening.  I really like that you, usually, are offering constructive criticism -- you think Bush is fighting evil in a frequently sub-optimal way (more or less troops).   Most critics think Bush is wrong to even fight, and want to be proven right rather than want to stop the evil.  They're essentially on the other side.

Posted by: TomGrey at 05/26/05 16:58 | link | comments (3)

Wednesday, 25 May 2005
Another Liberal Heretic Leaves the Left

{Cross posted at BNN}
The Leftist PC domination of the Democratic Party, and their MainStream Media partners, is really important.  I've called it Secular Fundamentalism; the Pope calls it a Dictatorship of Relativism.  My wife calls it Egoist Hedonism (and I think of it now as Secular Hedonism).  The US has been moving towards a “theocracy of political correctness,” including anti-religion targeted against the Judeo-Christian Western Civilization.
 
True Liberals are interested in how to organize society so that folks who strongly disagree on important issues can, nevertheless, live agreeably with each other.  European "Classical Liberals" are what we libertarian(-types) are.
  
Keith Thompson’s right turn is one that many honest Liberals may be about to follow (SF Chronicle):
“My estrangement hasn't happened overnight. Out of the corner of my eye I watched what was coming for more than three decades, yet refused to truly see. Now it's all too obvious. Leading voices in America's "peace" movement are actually cheering against self-determination for a long-suffering Third World country because they hate George W. Bush more than they love freedom.”
 The article was so good. It included body-counting to judge morality.
Their premise was straightforward, almost giddily so: When the number of civilian Afghani deaths surpassed the carnage of Sept. 11, the war would be unjust, irrespective of other considerations.
I've claimed that 2500 is a good number to use in judging Bush and Iraq and "whether it was worth it".  While nobody seems willing to support Body-Bag Calculus -- none offer any real alternative. (Vodkapundit/ Instapundit)
 
How is one to judge whether a war is worth it or not?  And do mistakes in war (the sinking of an amphib ship in WW II caused some 875 US soldiers to die), which are inevitable, mean the war was a mistake?
 
Earlier Thomson noted his reason for being and supporting a Liberal: <i>[who] promised to end America's misadventure in Vietnam. I marched for peace and farm worker justice, lobbied for women's right to choose and environmental protections,</i>
 
It's Vietnam. Again.  Where those marching "for peace" got what they wanted -- America leaving Vietnam.  And SE Asia got genocide. Genocide is the alternative that the marchers got, marchers who almost certainly thought 'anything must be better than more My Lais, more Kent States'.  They thought anything must be better. They got some thing -- genocide.
 
How many Asians must be murdered before it's a mistake that the US left? (rather than stay and enforce victory by changing the mistakes the US was making).
 
 
In the same way those against the Vietnam war were united in opposition to various amounts of injustice (including the draft), they were NOT united in what they were in favor of.  Very, very similar to those Iranians marching against the Shah of Iran in the late 70s, along with Leftists against the Shah (a US ally == evil; thus, 'anything must be better').  Umm, wrong. (And anti-apartheid folk aren't SOOO happy with Mugabe in ex-Rhodesia; but they just ignore the results of following their policies.)
 
 
This is very relevant to forming a third party in the US.  A face is certainly needed, but also a driving issue.  With Perot, it was protectionism (a terrible anti-Liberal issue).  With indep-Rep Anderson (remember him in 1980?) offering a moderate Rep over Reagan.  And of course it was Wallace the ex-Dem racist who made Nixon get elected in 1968 -- so the Leftists could marry their anger at LBJ's war with anti-Rep anger against Tricky Dicky (the crook should have gone to jail) AND rail against the wealth creating capitalism and Free Enterprise of America.
 
Only a fascist, big-gov't Control Freak type of third party will get electoral votes -- when folks see a big problem, getting bigger, and both Dems and Reps failing to solve it.  And the gov't should DO SOMETHING.
 
But it's OK to vote Lib, or Green (watermelons -- where is their call for higher gas taxes?) or Constitution or any party that has issues.  The Rep or Dem that loses, in a loss that is less than the votes of the Libertarian (say), will more likely try to adopt the best policy of the third party.
 
Yet there is a problem – what do Moderates agree ON?  A specific immigration reform? Education vouchers to improve education?  Gas taxes?  Increasing taxes, and gov't? (and problems, and calls for more...) More religion in public? Less?
Life for fetuses, or death row inmates?  Death (for the inconvenient)?
 
The Thompson article concludes with
the words of John Gardner, "that the ever renewing society will be a free society (whose] capacity for renewal depends on the individuals who make it up."
This is so Libertarin, so good -- but not quite right.  Humans are born after one man impregnates one woman -- individuals are NOT sustainable.  But families are.  And my own Conservatism is to support families, BECAUSE of the desire to sustain a free society

Posted by: TomGrey at 05/25/05 00:40 | link | comments

Tuesday, 24 May 2005

Dennis Prager writes about Newsweek & Riots

 And now a word about the rioters. They have desecrated their religion and their holy text far more than the alleged flushers of Koranic pages.

 Did any Buddhists riot and murder when the Taliban Muslims blew up the irreplaceable giant Buddhist statues in Afghanistan?

 Did any Christians riot and murder when an "artist" produced "Piss Christ" -- a crucifix immersed in a jar of the "artist's" urine? When all Christian services and even the wearing of a cross were banned in Saudi Arabia? When Christians are murdered while at prayer in churches by Muslims in Pakistan?

 Have any Jews rioted in all the years since it was revealed that Jordanian Muslims used Jewish tombstones in Old Jerusalem as latrines? Or after Palestinians destroyed Joseph's Tomb in 2000 and set fire to the rebuilt tomb in 2003?

 It is quite remarkable that many Muslims believe that an American interrogator flushing pages of the Koran is worthy of rioting, but all the torture, slaughter, terror and mass murder done by Muslims in the name of the Koran are unworthy of even a peaceful protest.

 ….

 That, not phony reports about an American desecrating Koranic pages, should really upset Muslims. It won't. Just as the CBS and Newsweek debacles won't upset the American news media.

 The lowest of the Muslim world and the elite of the Western world: Anti-Americanism makes strange bedfellows.

I am enraged at the PC elites of America.  Just as the Bush-haters of US politics accepted almost all smears against Bush.

Posted by: TomGrey at 05/24/05 16:24 | link | comments (1)

Friday, 20 May 2005
Why am I a libertarian?

Michael asks me why I am libertarian if I oppose abortion and gay-marriage.

See Libertarians for Life .
Libs are against initiating the use of force against other people. The human fetal person has different DNA; it's innocent; it's wrong to kill it.  The folk who WANT abortion legal pretty much want promiscuous sex; including Libertarians (especially? so MANY horny nerdy men. I was one). I now believe "responsible promiscuity" is not really possible.

On gay marriage, I favor civil unions, NOT marriage. I believe the purpose of "gay-marriage" is to establish such full civil acceptance as to justify the condemnation of any religion which says gay sex is sinful. It does NOT have the purpose to support the creation of human life through the "marriage" of a papa sperm and a mama ovum -- it is this creation that social marriage should celebrate. Not the sexual partnership. [I also believe "marriage" without raising kids is mostly a civil union.)

The moral underpinning of Lib thought is that all gov't action is based on force, not peace; therefore it should be minimized.
The utilitarian support for Lib policy is that less gov't usually means better results, over time -- as folk learn to act responsibly in their own self interest.

Dean's points were great -- when the good ideas of one side "win", and become standard, that "side" is left with the less good ideas.

Posted by: TomGrey at 05/20/05 03:52 | link | comments (1)

Bush helped free Lebanon

Lebanese Profile has a wonderful post on how Bush Freed Lebanon.  Not. Quite. Alone. But yes.  Please read it.

I particularly like near the end where L. Profile notes how Bush I sold Lebanon to get Syria support to save Kuwait in '90.
 
He doesn't mention it, but Bush II just apologized for the Yalta sale of the Baltics to mass murderer Stalin. (Done by Michael's hero FDR.)
 
And Bush II has been a friend of the murdering dictator in Uzbekistan, in order to get an airbase to beat the Taliban in Afghanistan.  I'm still not sure what "more" the US should do in disapproval there, but bigger cuts in aid, at least, seem called for.
 
 
Also not mentioned often is how, while the US "sold out" one or another state, it's actually the rule by Stalin or another dictator that is really the problem. 
 

Recent defenders of Newsweek are, finally, starting to say the real problem is the reaction of the Islamists.  It would be really ironic if defense of Newsweek's Toilet Koran lie would make the news really look at who DOES have most responsibility -- the adult moral actors actually doing the deeds. (via Michael)

Posted by: TomGrey at 05/20/05 03:20 | link | comments

Newsweek heads should roll

Joe writes a fine note on Newsweek vs. Clinton.  But I wonder how many articles critical of Clinton were printed that were, basically, false news items?

 Clinton-hate is a bastard brother to Bush hate/ Reagan hate/ and original Nixon ( Vietnam ) hate.

 Enron went under -- and Arthur Andersen, their lying auditors, also went under.  The press was screaming for the heads of THOSE corps, yet none were murdered because of the Andersen mistakes.  And LOTS of innocent folk lost their  jobs.  The Big Five are now the Big Four (after being Big Six, and earlier Big Eight).

 The heads of Newsweek should have the same fate, with the same lack of tears.  They failed in their duty, in an attempt to get better news. (Also see Jay at PressThink)

Posted by: TomGrey at 05/20/05 03:12 | link | comments

Faith and Plans

I think Mary in Michael's comments was so right about Bush "doubt that he planned it this way, but he did the right thing."
 
I think Bush planned on praying when he felt like it, planned to do what he felt was the right thing at the time, and accept he did NOT have all the answers, nor a certain plan or timetable about the future.
 
He had faith.  Faith in freedom, faith in his God, faith in a Christian founded America that is tolerant of art exhibitions like "Piss Christ" or "The Madonna in feces", etc.
 
The Left can't stand that his faith, without a "plan", seems to be much better in results than all the post War plans.
 
(He also has rich friends with business interests highly desirous of staying rich; he's not hurting them much, either -- but at 5.2% unemployment, the US economy is better than any other G7 member.)

Posted by: TomGrey at 05/20/05 03:02 | link | comments

Thursday, 19 May 2005
Iraqis must solve the problems in Iraq

Marc is disturbed by the Black Death of Iraq suicide bombers.
The Iraqi gov't will, step by step, reduce liberty and freedom for Iraqi people until the terrorists stop.  News folk might become Iraqi gov't targets before that.  Sunni clerics who fail to support the gov't might become targets.
 
It's Iraqis murdering Iraqis -- and maybe lots of foreign (non-Iraqi) Jihadists murdering Iraqis.
 
Marc asks: "what do we actually do about the carnage?"
 
The US Army supports the elected Iraqi gov't in the way the Iraqis want (modified by what is acceptable to the US).  The US has an absolute veto over US power; a near-veto over Iraqi power, for now.
 
Turn the Iraqi prisons over to Iraqis -- especially Iraqis who have lost brothers and relatives to the terrorists.
 
And I’m pretty sure each week in Darfur, is going to have more innocents killed.  But since the Leftist media can’t beat Bush with those deaths, in fact they’d beat the UN, most Leftist’s like the Cambodia – Rwanda “ignore” option.

Posted by: TomGrey at 05/19/05 22:26 | link | comments

Destructive envy

David is working on Envy, with a nice line “The thing about envy is that while you're so busy wanting someone else's life, you kill your ability to enjoy your own.”
 
In the USA, envy is sort of like admiration -- with the envious wanting to copy, or become better, or get more, than the envied.
When an American farmer finds out his neighbor has a prize cow, he dreams of getting a better cow.
 
In Europe, and thru history, envy is much worse.  When a Slavic farmer finds out his neighbor has a prize cow, he dreams that the cow dies.
 
Equality thru destruction -- seen wherever "tax the rich" is sold in politics.  (I live in Slovakia)

Posted by: TomGrey at 05/19/05 19:35 | link | comments (1)

Pat Buchanan, vanishing conservatives

Michael doesn't like, or truly understand, Pat:

"Buchanan’s brand of conservative wants to freeze history in place and leave everything as it is. Such people are useful as a social anchor, but they are doomed to fail always and everywhere."
 
How about phrasing part of the idea this way: Buchanan wants a society that supports committed heterosexual marriage as the most optimal, and opposes social changes which undermine this ideal.
 
The general optimality for raising children in an environment of "committed marriage" is almost as scientifically proven as any social generalization can be -- including the inevitable individual exceptions.
 
[Using UN or most quality of life measures, those people living in married couple families have more health, wealth, and happiness.]
 
Because it's not perfect, and because there are obvious tradeoffs, i.e. gay-marriage pro-con, it is always tempting to try to "liberalize" the culture to continue having the old benefits PLUS new benefits (at no cost).
 
It might be that legal gay-marriage is more optimal.  It might be less optimal.  Buchanan believes it to be less (so do I).  Progressives want change, conservatives oppose.
 
It might be that legal abortion is more optimal; Pat and I are sure it's not.
 
As a less-optimal step is taken, like Roe, society and culture change.  And the theoretical social results become real.  Roe is now one anchor (or is it albatross?), and "progressives" want to change it ... back.
 
But Pat's right about how big-gov't spending has infected the Reps -- the corruption of democracy is based OPM; the spending of Other People's Money.  (The secret to getting rich, in real estate or almost anywhere.)
 
++
As a libertarian, I've always been interested in:
Freedom WITH Responsibility.
 
"The bottom line with a lot of cultural warriors is that they DON'T LIKE FREEDOM."
Wrong. 
Cultural warriors DON'T LIKE IRRESPONSIBILITY, and are willing to use gov't force to punish those they think are acting irresponsibly.
 
But God's gift (/reality) of Free Will is the freedom to sin.  The culture war is over defining what a "sin" is.  In words, it used to be the sexual F* word, now it's the racial N* word. 
 
Most pre-Wallace (68 racist Dem independent, reason Rep Nixon won over Humphrey) conservative opposition has failed: against ending racism, against ending sexism, against sexual liberation, against growth of gov't.
 
Insofar as ending racism did not increase irresponsible behavior, there's no going back; same with ending a lot of sexism.  But sexual liberation HAS increased irresponsible behavior, so conservatives are enraged and will stay enraged until society changes to increase responsibility.
 
Every responsibility is a decrease in freedom. 
 
 
No big conservative victories yet -- but the filibuster/ judge nomination battle is the crest of the hill.  When anti-Roe judges dominate the USSC, that will be the start of some small victories of responsibility (over too much freedom). 
 
Ending affirmative action (gov't racism) will be one of the early "victories" that Dustin is wrong about.  Would gay civil unions be a conservative or progressive victory?  I think that's the more stable place, as long as the Pope maintains the sinfulness of gay sexual behavior.
 
On the growth of gov't, the 60s boomers haven't retired yet, haven't demanded that 2015 workers pay BIG bucks to cover their lack of responsible retirement savings.
 
 
Pat's isolationism might come back far sooner than most realize -- as the world successfully dumps dictators, and replaces them with democracies, the stable "our bastard" system ends.  In an all democracy world there's little need for a huge military industrial complex, especially with unfunded Medicare. (The EU ain't gonna re-arm; maybe Russia won't much, then, either.)
 
A new pro-democracy riot every 6 months or so; or every 2 months?  So many it's hardly news.  I don't think it will be this fast, but didn't think Uzbekistan would protest, either.  Syrian elections in 2007?  China in 2011? (???)

Posted by: TomGrey at 05/19/05 00:11 | link | comments

Tuesday, 17 May 2005
Uzbek murder, Bush, Leftists

Michael wants the US to Dump Karimov, who has let his gov't thugs murder folk in Uzbekistan. 

I'm not so sure what the optimal timing of US actions is.

Let's say Bush dumps the Uzbek leader -- so that they become a failed state. Like Chechnya, only on the Afghan border, so they ally with Afghan drug funded warlords.

And become the training ground for a new, Uzbek Taliban. 

And they start exporting Islamic suicide bombers to Afghanistan, to murder Red Cross folk, Peace Corps folk, any and all foreigners; occasionally beheading them, occasionally car-bombing US forces.

How many would have to be murdered before those who say "dump Karimov" would say, um, too many were murdered?  Karimov was bad, but not THIS bad.

The US needs to get its bases out of Uzbekistan as long as the Uzbek gov't is this bad.  It should clearly state that such gov't oppression is "not acceptable".  But how fast, before what action?  Maybe months and years, not days.  Maybe only weeks.

Why can Leftists complain of Bush and Uzbekistan while remaining silent on the UN and Sudan (and the Human Rights commission)?  Leftist hypocrisy, and MSM Leftist bias.  Why no pictures of Darfur this week, weren't some thousands dying there? 

Stephen Schwartz writes about getting Uzbekistan wrong.

U for Ukraine, stan for Kyrgyzstan; Even if the Uzbeks want to follow the Orange Revolution, their dictatorship seems ready to follow China's Tiananmen example. 

 
How many US soldiers are Leftists  willing to have killed to support an uncertain democratic revolution?  Body-counting in Iraq indicates Zero, which means following the Clinton plan: take no action now, apologize later if needed.  Oh, I forgot; the Leftist sneering squad is ready to sneer at every action AND inaction, unless the results are Unreal Perfection.  As long as the sneers are against the US and Bush.

Posted by: TomGrey at 05/17/05 17:15 | link | comments

Sunday, 15 May 2005
Link to Blogger News Network

I'm publishing the CBS distorts Starr on Filibuster to continue their Litmus Test,  news Analysis (editorial?) on Blogger News Network.

Now that it's there, I realize I forgot the action lines: CBS should release the entire interview tape.

And all republicans should start requiring that the media make available to them their entire raw footage of any interview where they will be quoted -- at least the audio of questions and answers.

Posted by: TomGrey at 05/15/05 00:17 | link | comments (1)

CBS distorts Starr on Filibuster to keep the Radical Abortion Litmus Test

The Democratic Party and their Leftist biased MSM allies at CBS are dishonestly trying to twist a Republican’s words into opposing a rules change.  When asked about refusing to support a President’s nominee because of a difference in judicial philosophy, instead of competence, Ken Starr was very sharp in disagreement. Yet a transcript of the Schieffer / Gloria Borger broadcast demonstrates deliberate misleading editing by CBS:
 
Borger: Many conservatives consider the fight over judges their political Armageddon. But conservative icon and former federal Judge Ken Starr says it's gotten out of control.
 
Mr. KENNETH STARR (Dean, Pepperdine University School of Law): This is a radical, radical departure from our history and from our traditions, and it amounts to an assault on the judicial branch of government.
 
BORGER: Starr, who investigated the Monica Lewinsky case against President Clinton, tells CBS News that the Republican plan to end the filibuster may be unwise.
 
Mr. STARR: It may prove to have the kind of long-term boomerang effect, damage on the institution of the Senate that thoughtful senators may come to regret.
 
BORGER: Still, Starr thinks all judges should be allowed a vote, even if they're Democrats.
 
(Via Paterico, who is following the details along with Powerline, among others).
 
NRO Ramesh Ponnuru quotes a Starr e-mail as saying:
In the piece that I have now seen, and which I gather is being lavishly quoted, CBS employed two snippets. The “radical departure” snippet was specifically addressed – although this is not evidenced whatever from the clip – to the practice of invoking judicial philosophy as grounds for voting against a qualified nominee of integrity and experience. I said in sharp language that that practice was wrong. I contrasted the current practice . . . with what occurred during Ruth Ginsburg’s nomination process, as numerous Republicans voted (rightly) to confirm a former ACLU staff lawyer. They disagreed with her positions as a lawyer, but they voted (again, rightly) to confirm her. Why? Because elections, like ideas, have consequences. . . . In the interview, I did indeed suggest, and have suggested elsewhere, that caution and prudence be exercised (Burkean that I am) in shifting/modifying rules (that’s the second snippet), but I likewise made clear that the “filibuster” represents an entirely new use (and misuse) of a venerable tradition. . . .
 
[O]ur friends are way off base in assuming that the CBS snippets, as used, represent (a) my views, or (b) what I in fact said.
Via Patterico via Whizbang, this deliberate opposite interpretation is being spread, now by AP:
Kenneth Starr - an appeals court judge on the D.C. circuit from 1983-1989 - came out against the Republican plan to ban judicial filibusters on Monday. He told CBS Evening News that it is a “radical, radical departure from our history and our traditions, and it amounts to an assault on the judicial branch of government.'’
 
A great example of how the Leftist MSM cooperatively misleeds – one service gives a twisted report, deliberately distorting or mis-quoting people to be anti-Bush, and then other services will rewrite it to be unambiguously, and falsely, anti-Bush.  
 
The Dem position seems pure Bush-hate politics; perhaps driven by a hatred of any public Christianity.  The use of a filibuster veto over judicial nominees to Circuit Courts is rather new. 
 
Patterico also wonders if Ken Salazar, who promised to support getting an up or down vote, will vote to nuke the filibuster.  Or if the MSM will ask, like they’re asking of Reps.
 
http://powerlineblog.com/archives/010452.php
Scott at PowerLine points out “they were against it, before they were for it” – how the Dems were against filibustering under Clinton.  And notes how Ambassador Rudy Boschwitz disputes its use to require 60 votes to confirm a judicial nominee, rather than a majority. The Ambassador is quoted:
“For more than 200 years, just one judicial nominee was defeated by filibuster -- Abe Fortas in 1968 in extraordinary circumstances that are not comparable to the current situation. For more than 200 years, no minority leader ever organized a judicial filibuster. For more than 200 years, the Senate operated on the understanding that a majority of senators was entitled to carry out its constitutional obligation to advise and consent on federal judges. But now the Democratic leadership has cast aside Senate tradition to usurp the president's appointment power against nominees not meeting the minority's ideological benchmarks or litmus tests.”
  
Paul notes the Reps have at least 50 votes, maybe 52.  He relates in an earlier post the Dem – Bush relationship :
“President Bush actually adopted a conciliatory approach to the process four years ago. At that time, he renominated two Clinton nominees, both African-American. Subsequently, he has continued to use this approach, as when he nominated both Claude Allen (conservative) and Allyson Duncan (not conservative and supported by John Edwards) to the Fourth Circuit. The Democrats have responded by quickly confirming the non-conservatives, blocking the conservatives, applauding themselves for confirming Bush nominees, and complaining about how uncompromising Bush is in continuing to support the conservatives in his package.”
 
John  asks why CBS doesn’t release the interview tape of Ken Starr.
 
The Dem “church” of radical abortion promotion, by the courts, exhibits the most consistent Bush-hate.
 
The case of Judge Priscilla Owen will be interesting.  Patterico provides an excellent defense of the Judge’s opinions by Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), which especially refutes some deliberate mis-interpretations, and lies, by those who attack Owen’s opinions.
 
Patterico had earlier written that A Debate Over Priscilla Owen’s Nomination Is Good Politics for Republicans
 
The debate will be over the nomination and also over the filibuster.  But because there are two debates, the logically stronger Rep side could lose both.

Posted by: TomGrey at 05/15/05 00:07 | link | comments (1)

Saturday, 14 May 2005
When is War worth it?

Pat Buchanan asks the right question – Was World War II worth it?
It is the right question because we are fighting a war right NOW, and there is a question about whether THIS WAR, on terrorists, is worth it.  Pat’s point, which I disagree with, is that WW II was too expensive and was not worth it.  His point about WW II is consistent with position on Iraq – it is too expensive for the small good it does.  If we fought WW II to make Poland free, it wasn't a win.  So too, says right wing news.
 
But Newsday decides, since Buchanan isn’t focused on the Holocaust, he MUST be an anti-semite. They quote the head of the ADL, who calls ‘Buchanan's comments "immoral" and "bordering on Holocaust denial.”
For many folk, any discussion about WW II that is NOT about Jews is immoral.  Bah.
 
Clayton Cramer is better: “Tyranny is still evil, even when it is popularly elected.”
But Clayton doesn’t answer the implicit “breakeven” question – how many would have had to die before it was too many?
 
Stephen Green says he doesn’t subscribe to Body-Count Calculus. 
Well, Stephen, what calculus DO you subscribe to?  First, only fight demons? – so, if we are fighting them, they MUST be demons?  Otherwise we just surrender?  Sorry, the reality is that if we are invaded, on the ground, we have no choice but to fight to stay free.  Otherwise it’s a choice.
 
How does one know if they made the wrong choice?  The US voters chose to get out of Vietnam.  Was fighting THERE a mistake?  The commies certainly showed how evil they were after we left.
 
Stephen says: “Some evils have to be fought, no matter what the cost.”  He’s lying.  The evil commie Khmer Rouge did NOT have to be fought, though the US wasn’t so unhappy that evil commie Vietnamese did so.  The Hutus did NOT have to be fought as they slaughtered 800 000 Tutsis, with UN Peacekeeping head Kofi Annan getting a promotion, and US “no genocide” Pres. Clinton getting re-elected, since no Americans died in the non-fighting.  And today, prolly this week, some 2 – 10 000 will die in Darfur because nobody is willing to fight the evil.
 
Even Glenn avoids the point of Pat’s question, rather dwelling on the anti-Semite smear jobs. 

It’s indeed sad when those in favor of the Iraq war are unwilling to even think of the possibility that Bush made a mistake in fighting the evil of Saddam, or that the fate of Poland after VE day might be called a non-win in Europe. 

Buchanan is wrong about whether it was worth it.  But he makes at least a reasonable case.  Avoiding his argument, especially with the anti-Semite charge, is pretty lame.

Posted by: TomGrey at 05/14/05 00:24 | link | comments

Wednesday, 11 May 2005
Iraq is Vietnam is World War II

Armed Liberal does a great job on the "Tainted" Victory of WW II. 

The notion that it is 'tainted' - that we have acted throughout our history less than perfectly, sometimes awfully and therefore our history is tainted - underscores much of the thinking that I criticize in looking at 'Bad Philosophy.' It suffers from two defects in particular: it fails to ask tainted as compared to what? and it searches for and emphasizes commonality between the bad and the good by abstracting to a high level.

The first question - as compared to what? - is a critical one. I genuinely think that some people somehow believe that the world is a lab where perfect wars can be fought, or perfect legal cases made - or perfect businesses run, or perfect marriages maintained, or children can be perfectly raised.

The complaint of the Unreal Perfection alternative, usually unspoken.

In fact, every since the Left convinced US politicians to run away from Vietnam, they have been pretty good at avoiding the comparison to anything real.

Joseph (?)"though I think the harm of a little self-criticism in America is minimal and not likely to rock the foundations of our civilization. The fact that we can exercise such pointed self-criticism at all is one of the things I'm proudest of about that civilization."

How many must die in SE Asia before you think the harm of excessive American self-criticism is too much?  Weren't the Killing Fields too many murders? -- murders accepted by the Left because they were so busy in 'self-criticism' (of Nixon and Reps and America).

The US failed to accept 'democracy' and a successful Ho Chi Minh communist Vietnam in 1956, and essentially broke the country in Johnson's Gulf of Tonkin escalation.  After that intevention, the decision must be to stay or go.  When Kerry / Leftists argued in 67, 68, 71, 73 to go, the results of leaving are THEIR responsibility.  And of the whole USA.  The worst genocide since WW II; the worst thing the USA has done in my life.  The shame we may never overcome -- because of too much self-criticism, and the lie of an Unreal Perfect alternative.

The moral rot at the middle of Leftist self-delusion.

Posted by: TomGrey at 05/11/05 13:56 | link | comments

List of Good Links - Huffington Post

Some how I had missed Victor Davis Hanson on why Dems lose, and will keep losing.  Because they don't live or speak like normal folk.

Blogger News Network keeps getting more articles.  That's very good.  The presentation is a bit busy, somehow; and no pretty pictures.

I had never before seen Jewsweek magazine, pretty nice.  But I think Arianna's Huffington Post is a little better format for a Blog Newspaper.  There is also the fine David Frum talking about the lack of any memorials to the attrocities of Stalin and communism, both in Russia and out.

HuffPost linked to a good article about the rise, fall, and rise of the current Deputy Prime Minister of Democratic Iraq, Ahmed Chalabi.  It also has a fine note by Joe Scarborough about the Sudan, Suffering in Silence as the UN, like Amnesty, does almost nothing.  I don't know why the Reps aren't being more active against the Dems on the Sudan -- the US can't take action if it's impossible to fight evil.  The UN has an out, though, which Joe doesn't mention -- War Crimes for individuals.  There are indictments.  The fact that they are toothless pieces of paper means little.  It doesn't take much cover for the Left to say they are following the right procedures, so everything is OK.  Harry's Place also has a nice Darfur note.

HuffPost also notes Amnesty International complaining about Zimbabwe.

--Amnesty is SUPPORTING Mugabe -- by talk and words.  Yes, it's good Amnesty is complaining a bit.  But at what level?  If Amnesty also complains about the USA, then it complains about everybody.  Equally.
And thus, with equal impotence.

Amnesty explicited opposed military regime change in Iraq.  They condemn Sudan/ Darfur -- but do not call for regime change.  Thus, they substitute Talk and outrage, for action.

Zimbabwe is re-elected to be on the UN Human Rights Commission.  Just like Amnesty ...  wants? denies wanting?  accepts.

How many will have to starve before Amnesty calls for military action? --

Somehow I got to China News, and THEY have the story of how Monkey Brains can control Robot Arms.

The monkey brain robots didn't quite make it into Topix.

From the surprising Butterflies and Wheels, there is a nice list of links, including this one to Amartya Sen, associated with the Values Institute

Posted by: TomGrey at 05/11/05 13:11 | link | comments