The Jewish Museum New York | Art Exhibition | The Radical Camera: New York's Photo League, 1936-1951
The exhibit is very well curated and documents the story of those artists caught up by radical politics and the backlash after WW-II. The presentation is fair and, while sympathetic to the sincerity of the photographers and the reality of the conditions they believed they were struggling against, allowed an observer to note the changing sympathies of the Left towards the War depending on the interests of the USSR. The subsequent protests of the Photo League that they were never acting as a front organization come off as Clintonian. The slogans of the demonstrators in the 1930s, for wages without coerced labor or guaranteed government work to be payed for by "Capital", would have been right at home with Occupy Wall Street or many of the Congressional Democrats, or members of the Obama Administration.
Most notable to me was the New York Times front page from November 05, 1947. That was the day that the Democratic US Attorney General released a list of Communist Front organizations, including the Photo League. Except for that singular item, so unlike anything we would expect from any Democrat or Republican in the last 50 years, every headline displayed could have been in today's paper. The topics included Arab terror against the Jews, pressure to remove religion from the public schools, and financial or political stories that would not now seem out of place.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Friday, December 16, 2011
Comment on Facebook, Richard Miniter:
"Vintage Hitchens, AFTERMATH"
Vintage Hitchens...
Any fool can be ostentatiously correct until the world flees their presence and chooses error. Hitchens was a rare creature, a man who could be eloquently wrong so that those who disagreed with him felt that they were better off for having him as part of the conversation.
Any fool can be ostentatiously correct until the world flees their presence and chooses error. Hitchens was a rare creature, a man who could be eloquently wrong so that those who disagreed with him felt that they were better off for having him as part of the conversation.
Wednesday, December 07, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
Friday, November 18, 2011
New York Botanical Garden:
Holiday Train Show - 2011
Today was Member's Day at the New York Botanical Garden to see one of the best bits about living in NY, the annual Holiday Train Show. The Garden was almost untouched by Hurricane Irene, as was most of the city, but it was badly damaged by the freak October snowstorm. The Magnolia trees were particularly hard hit. The Director I believe happened to be on hand when I visited and he noted that they had intended to redo that part of the Garden eventually so this just moved those plans up. Given the real financial hardship the Garden and all charitable institutions in NY face that was was putting a very brave face on things, so I congratulated him on earning the "Lemonade Award."
The loss of Lehman Brothers left a hole in the city's fabric that very few understand.
The NYBG Holiday Train Show - Old NY.
The Holiday Train Show - Never better.
A bright future with sleek technology awaits.
Pennsylvania Station - the lost glory of NY.
Toys for boys.
Theurban urbane jungle.
Manhattan towers.
Yes with trains, passing the Guggenheim Museum.
Orson Welles on a movie set "the world's greatest set of electric trains."
A horrible derailment, #ohthetragedy.
Passing Grand Central Station.
I got the hat and the t-shirt.
The loss of Lehman Brothers left a hole in the city's fabric that very few understand.
The NYBG Holiday Train Show - Old NY.
The Holiday Train Show - Never better.
A bright future with sleek technology awaits.
Pennsylvania Station - the lost glory of NY.
Toys for boys.
The
Manhattan towers.
Yes with trains, passing the Guggenheim Museum.
Orson Welles on a movie set "the world's greatest set of electric trains."
A horrible derailment, #ohthetragedy.
Passing Grand Central Station.
I got the hat and the t-shirt.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Comment on Mike McNally, Pajamas Media »
Blow to UK Conservatives: Liam Fox Resigns
Pajamas Media » Blow to UK Conservatives: Liam Fox Resigns
Close but no cigar. Edmund Burke was born in Dublin in Ireland, which strictly speaking was a separate kingdom under the Crown until 1801. However JeffP did not make the mistake of saying that Burke was born in the UK. He did not even really claim that Burke was born in Great Britain. So you are tilting at a straw dog. Burke was a very British politician and was born a British subject in the British Isles. Would you dismiss the comment if he had been born on the Island of Man or in the Channel Islands or in Scotland before the Act of Union? Certainly it is a sad day for the legacy of Edmund Burke. The wiki does note that Ptolemy referred to a "Little Britain" that meant the island of Hibernia or Ireland but the term Little Britain otherwise refers to the peninsula of Brittany in France.
Will Fox now abandon politics? Will he come out of the closet and become a darling of the Left? Will he become a pro-American version of Enoch Powell, an isolated curmudgeon beloved by his constituency?
Close but no cigar. Edmund Burke was born in Dublin in Ireland, which strictly speaking was a separate kingdom under the Crown until 1801. However JeffP did not make the mistake of saying that Burke was born in the UK. He did not even really claim that Burke was born in Great Britain. So you are tilting at a straw dog. Burke was a very British politician and was born a British subject in the British Isles. Would you dismiss the comment if he had been born on the Island of Man or in the Channel Islands or in Scotland before the Act of Union? Certainly it is a sad day for the legacy of Edmund Burke. The wiki does note that Ptolemy referred to a "Little Britain" that meant the island of Hibernia or Ireland but the term Little Britain otherwise refers to the peninsula of Brittany in France.
Will Fox now abandon politics? Will he come out of the closet and become a darling of the Left? Will he become a pro-American version of Enoch Powell, an isolated curmudgeon beloved by his constituency?
Saturday, October 15, 2011
The Real New York
Today I walked through Central Park and saw people from all backgrounds enjoying themselves in perfect freedom under an American flag.
Also watching was a friendly and most unintimidating police officer of South Asian origin on a motor-scooter. As I said to him more people should see this because this here in Central Park is the real New York, not the alien mob in Zuccotti Park.
A beautiful Autumn day on The Mall. Locals and tourists all at their best.
Also watching was a friendly and most unintimidating police officer of South Asian origin on a motor-scooter. As I said to him more people should see this because this here in Central Park is the real New York, not the alien mob in Zuccotti Park.A beautiful Autumn day on The Mall. Locals and tourists all at their best.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Comment on Defense Tech:
"Early Retirement for a Nimitz Carrier?"
Early Retirement for a Nimitz Carrier? | Defense Tech
People who persist in claiming that we need fewer CVNs because the Cold War is over have no knowledge of what the US military does or the nature of the threats we face. The far messier world we live in now demands more US Navy presence and fast reactions in more places than we had to worry about 30 years ago. Under current conditions we need 12 to 15 Carrier Battle Groups (CVBGs) and 6 to 9 LHD/LHA based Amphibious Ready Groups (they keep changing the names). We also need guns, real guns bigger than 5", and the new amphibs have only a 30mm pop gun. The Marines deserve better. Remember that most people live within range of modern naval gunfire. Iraq and Afghanistan are aberrations in that regard.
We do need to strengthen our ties with Australia and India, as well as Japan Korea Taiwan Vietnam and The Philippines. Wonderful as the Nimitz class is it is the wrong ship for their needs. What they need are two things. First they need conventional submarines. We should build 3 dozen Air Independent Propulsion silent boats and sell half of them to those threatened by the rise of China. We should also help Israel to double her submarine fleet. The Dutch and Germans have good designs as do the Swedes.
Second we should help the Australians gain an Air Force that can patrol and control the vast ocean space that surrounds them and react to a possible thrust by China through the South China Sea. The best way to do that would be to give them the old B-52s that are being chopped up in conformance with the SALT Treaty, a treaty with a country that no longer exists. Those 50-55 year old planes if reengined would still be good for another 30 years. They are incredible aircraft and if teamed with AWACS and long range radars in lighter than air craft could dominate the region and prevent major conflicts for decades. Note, I know all but around a dozen of the B-52Gs are gone now but the principle applies.
The idea of transferring the old Nimitz class CVNs to the UK and/or France as the Fords come online is not completely without merit but is unlikely to happen. They are old, expensive to maintain, and European financial, labor and political interests would probably prefer spending almost the same money not building new ships of their own to buying ours.
Right now we are looking at a US Navy smaller than it has been since 1916. Even the best ships can only be in one place at a time, and the new LCS that ate the budget is nobody's idea of the best ship. The Royal Navy, like the other components of the UK MoD, is essentially out of business. They are now a Coast Guard. The Argentinians can have the Falklands any time they like. The combined firepower of the European Union proved unable to crush Libya.
People who persist in claiming that we need fewer CVNs because the Cold War is over have no knowledge of what the US military does or the nature of the threats we face. The far messier world we live in now demands more US Navy presence and fast reactions in more places than we had to worry about 30 years ago. Under current conditions we need 12 to 15 Carrier Battle Groups (CVBGs) and 6 to 9 LHD/LHA based Amphibious Ready Groups (they keep changing the names). We also need guns, real guns bigger than 5", and the new amphibs have only a 30mm pop gun. The Marines deserve better. Remember that most people live within range of modern naval gunfire. Iraq and Afghanistan are aberrations in that regard.
We do need to strengthen our ties with Australia and India, as well as Japan Korea Taiwan Vietnam and The Philippines. Wonderful as the Nimitz class is it is the wrong ship for their needs. What they need are two things. First they need conventional submarines. We should build 3 dozen Air Independent Propulsion silent boats and sell half of them to those threatened by the rise of China. We should also help Israel to double her submarine fleet. The Dutch and Germans have good designs as do the Swedes.
Second we should help the Australians gain an Air Force that can patrol and control the vast ocean space that surrounds them and react to a possible thrust by China through the South China Sea. The best way to do that would be to give them the old B-52s that are being chopped up in conformance with the SALT Treaty, a treaty with a country that no longer exists. Those 50-55 year old planes if reengined would still be good for another 30 years. They are incredible aircraft and if teamed with AWACS and long range radars in lighter than air craft could dominate the region and prevent major conflicts for decades. Note, I know all but around a dozen of the B-52Gs are gone now but the principle applies.
The idea of transferring the old Nimitz class CVNs to the UK and/or France as the Fords come online is not completely without merit but is unlikely to happen. They are old, expensive to maintain, and European financial, labor and political interests would probably prefer spending almost the same money not building new ships of their own to buying ours.
Right now we are looking at a US Navy smaller than it has been since 1916. Even the best ships can only be in one place at a time, and the new LCS that ate the budget is nobody's idea of the best ship. The Royal Navy, like the other components of the UK MoD, is essentially out of business. They are now a Coast Guard. The Argentinians can have the Falklands any time they like. The combined firepower of the European Union proved unable to crush Libya.
Monday, October 03, 2011
Comment on Donald Douglas at Theo Spark:
Topless Protesters at SlutWalk in New York City
Theo Spark: Topless Protesters at SlutWalk in New York City
The Socialists and "gender equality advocates" are issue parasites, but there is an issue. Unfortunately for the Left it is counter to their desires. The problem is the coarsening of society under the influence of the Left and the importation of 3rd World misogyny into Western cities. The growth of Islamic enclaves has accompanied the increase of rapes in many cities. No one is harmed by Theo's totty.
To bad for the SlutWalk protestors that they got knocked off the news by the mass convergence of the dimwitted at Occupy Wall Street.
The Socialists and "gender equality advocates" are issue parasites, but there is an issue. Unfortunately for the Left it is counter to their desires. The problem is the coarsening of society under the influence of the Left and the importation of 3rd World misogyny into Western cities. The growth of Islamic enclaves has accompanied the increase of rapes in many cities. No one is harmed by Theo's totty.
To bad for the SlutWalk protestors that they got knocked off the news by the mass convergence of the dimwitted at Occupy Wall Street.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Comment on Tom Blumer, Pajamas Media »
Two Bad Presidential Election Ideas Require Rejection
Pajamas Media » Two Bad Presidential Election Ideas Require Rejection
While under the original Constitution the States could set property rules to vote and were only expected to offer a broad mandate for voters to the most numerous branch of their legislature the Courts have used the murky penumbras of the XIVth Amendment to enforce both universal sufferage under "one man, one vote" and to ensure the domination of urban politics by rendering state senates redundant and forbidding their apportionment on a geographical basis.
As part of a general plan of reform I support the repeal of the XVIIth Amendment. In addition voter ID verification is essential. Only citizens who do not derive the majority of their income from the federal public treasury, excepting enlisted members of the Armed Forces and officers called to extended active duty in time of conflict, should vote in any federal election. A similar bar should apply to any person who gets the majority of their income from the state treasury voting in any state or municipal election. Apportionment should be on the basis of the number of qualified and registered citizen voters as determined in each census.
The original Electoral College was a good idea. We should return to it. The idea was to have the leading citizens of each state meet and select their candidates. Either a national consensus would emerge or the business of politics would follow in Congress to select the winner. Right now the members of the EC are cyphers that no one would trust with a burnt out match. My suggestion is to empower and reinvigorate the Electoral College.
First make it a standing body with two classes of members. Ex officio members from each state would include the heads of each state's three branches of gov't, that is the Governor, the Chief Justice or senior judge of the highest Appeals Court, and the Speaker or equivalent of the most numerous branch of the State Legislature. For states granted more than 3 Electors others should be appointed for six year terms by the state legislature in staggering classes that mirror the method used by the US Senate. No appointed Elector could hold a position of profit or trust in the service of the United States or the state that appoints them, except for enlisted service in either the state or federal Armed Forces or service as an officer in the state militia.
The Electoral College as so constituted would convene quadrennially to select a candidate for POTUS, and would also serve to fill any vacancies that occur more than 120 days before the next scheduled regular election by meeting within 30 days of such a vacancy happening. The popular vote would be properly restored to its position as an opinion poll for the consideration of the state legislators. The focus of politics would return to the state level. The federal government would remain busy rooting out corruption in the states but the current system of ignoring state level venality and then transferring all politic and corruption to the federal level would end. The revived states would jealously investigate and expose corruption at the federal level.
Second I would use the EC as a national Court of Judicial Review to determine the constitutionality of laws passed by Congress. As a creature of the states the determination of the fidelity of the Congress to the Constitution should better be determined by the EC than the SCOTUS. I would propose that a law could be flagged for review by a petition of 20% or more of the states, or by the President or by the Supreme Court reviewing submissions from inferior courts that could hold disputed laws in abeyance for up to one year while under review.
While under the original Constitution the States could set property rules to vote and were only expected to offer a broad mandate for voters to the most numerous branch of their legislature the Courts have used the murky penumbras of the XIVth Amendment to enforce both universal sufferage under "one man, one vote" and to ensure the domination of urban politics by rendering state senates redundant and forbidding their apportionment on a geographical basis.
As part of a general plan of reform I support the repeal of the XVIIth Amendment. In addition voter ID verification is essential. Only citizens who do not derive the majority of their income from the federal public treasury, excepting enlisted members of the Armed Forces and officers called to extended active duty in time of conflict, should vote in any federal election. A similar bar should apply to any person who gets the majority of their income from the state treasury voting in any state or municipal election. Apportionment should be on the basis of the number of qualified and registered citizen voters as determined in each census.
The original Electoral College was a good idea. We should return to it. The idea was to have the leading citizens of each state meet and select their candidates. Either a national consensus would emerge or the business of politics would follow in Congress to select the winner. Right now the members of the EC are cyphers that no one would trust with a burnt out match. My suggestion is to empower and reinvigorate the Electoral College.
First make it a standing body with two classes of members. Ex officio members from each state would include the heads of each state's three branches of gov't, that is the Governor, the Chief Justice or senior judge of the highest Appeals Court, and the Speaker or equivalent of the most numerous branch of the State Legislature. For states granted more than 3 Electors others should be appointed for six year terms by the state legislature in staggering classes that mirror the method used by the US Senate. No appointed Elector could hold a position of profit or trust in the service of the United States or the state that appoints them, except for enlisted service in either the state or federal Armed Forces or service as an officer in the state militia.
The Electoral College as so constituted would convene quadrennially to select a candidate for POTUS, and would also serve to fill any vacancies that occur more than 120 days before the next scheduled regular election by meeting within 30 days of such a vacancy happening. The popular vote would be properly restored to its position as an opinion poll for the consideration of the state legislators. The focus of politics would return to the state level. The federal government would remain busy rooting out corruption in the states but the current system of ignoring state level venality and then transferring all politic and corruption to the federal level would end. The revived states would jealously investigate and expose corruption at the federal level.
Second I would use the EC as a national Court of Judicial Review to determine the constitutionality of laws passed by Congress. As a creature of the states the determination of the fidelity of the Congress to the Constitution should better be determined by the EC than the SCOTUS. I would propose that a law could be flagged for review by a petition of 20% or more of the states, or by the President or by the Supreme Court reviewing submissions from inferior courts that could hold disputed laws in abeyance for up to one year while under review.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Comments on: Stanley Kurtz, NRO - The Corner
"Ill-Fated Solyndra Conference Call"
Ill-Fated Solyndra Conference Call - By Stanley Kurtz - The Corner - National Review Online
We'll Make It Up On Volume
It is an old fallacy of the economically illiterate and the Democrats are rich in that tainted fertilizer. They really believed that a bad idea becomes better if it becomes bigger. Solyndra might have found a niche if it stayed in it's smaller factory and only attempted to expand after proving itself in the market. But no the Donks had to throw money at it so they could build a big factory, believing that would attract private capital the same way the Field of Dreams attracted dead baseball players. They honestly thought that "We'll Make It Up On Volume" could work. They never asked how many solar arrays people wanted to buy or if anyone else was supplying the market cheaper. People need to go to jail.
-----
Now we hear that what was really going on was an unprecedented and illegal scheme to shunt taxpayer money to favored Democratic Party operatives, including the California Democratic Party, by making their investments in Solyndra take precedence over the government loan in the predictable event of bankruptcy. For these people there are no rules. Remember impeached judge and Democratic Congressman Alcee Hastings "We make them up as we go along"? There is a bright line running from the theft of GM, through Nancy Pelosi's ramming through of Obamacare, to this latest deconstruction of the law that sustains a capitalist economy.
We'll Make It Up On Volume
It is an old fallacy of the economically illiterate and the Democrats are rich in that tainted fertilizer. They really believed that a bad idea becomes better if it becomes bigger. Solyndra might have found a niche if it stayed in it's smaller factory and only attempted to expand after proving itself in the market. But no the Donks had to throw money at it so they could build a big factory, believing that would attract private capital the same way the Field of Dreams attracted dead baseball players. They honestly thought that "We'll Make It Up On Volume" could work. They never asked how many solar arrays people wanted to buy or if anyone else was supplying the market cheaper. People need to go to jail.
-----
Now we hear that what was really going on was an unprecedented and illegal scheme to shunt taxpayer money to favored Democratic Party operatives, including the California Democratic Party, by making their investments in Solyndra take precedence over the government loan in the predictable event of bankruptcy. For these people there are no rules. Remember impeached judge and Democratic Congressman Alcee Hastings "We make them up as we go along"? There is a bright line running from the theft of GM, through Nancy Pelosi's ramming through of Obamacare, to this latest deconstruction of the law that sustains a capitalist economy.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
On the Repeal of DADT
Donald Douglas said, "Well, we'll see how this works out."
H/T Theo Spark
The answer as to how it will work out is badly. Every homosexual already in the service has broken their oath and the law. Every officer, like the Navy LT who gleefully got married today, is known to his chain of command, including the enlisted members who are expected to follow orders even unto their own deaths, as being a liar.
This is not like the racial integration under President Truman. There was nothing in law preventing any citizen from serving because of their race and no one had to lie to get into uniform. When a black, back then they'd have said negro, officer gave an order there was no excuse that any southern white boy could use to justify disobedience. With these homosexuals who practiced subterfuge to get into their positions of authority it is very different.
Finally the people who shoved this thing onto the military have no idea as to the conditions that 18 and 19 year olds live under in the military. Placing an open homosexual in such a position will mean one of two things. First they can be the junior with no privacy displaying their sexuality as inappropriately as would a man placed in a woman's berthing area or a girl in the men's. Second they could be in a position of authority while displaying a sexual interest. For anyone already in the service that raises the credibility issues mentioned above.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Comment on Althouse:
18 seconds of raw class warfare.
Althouse: 18 seconds of raw class warfare.
They have clearly communicated a threat of violence and done so with both imagery of a weapon and in a group. A reasonable person can feel threatened, that is a reasonable person can feel that they have been assaulted, and if these people appear and behave in a threatening and confrontational manner then a reasonable person would be justified in defending his or herself. If I was on a jury and a defendant who was arrested after responding with force to a visit by these people articulated that defense then I would probably refuse to convict.
These self proclaimed revolutionaries believe that they can rely on the benefits of a peaceful law abiding society even as they act to destroy it. If they meet people who treat them with the public contempt that they display then they are shocked and feel aggrieved.
They think it would be a victory if they provoke violence because they think that any violence by their victims would result in the forces of civilization dissolving into incoherence when charged with hypocrisy and then losing the support of the people that confers legitimacy.
That theory is simply untrue. The people are sovereign and defend their liberty when attacked. The government reaffirms its bond to the people when it acts to protect them from threats and violence and supports them when they defend themselves.
The Communists have a right to protest. They do not have a right to threaten assault or commit violence. If there is a confrontation then the people acting through a jury, which is formally a subset of the Militia, determine which is the guilty party.
They have clearly communicated a threat of violence and done so with both imagery of a weapon and in a group. A reasonable person can feel threatened, that is a reasonable person can feel that they have been assaulted, and if these people appear and behave in a threatening and confrontational manner then a reasonable person would be justified in defending his or herself. If I was on a jury and a defendant who was arrested after responding with force to a visit by these people articulated that defense then I would probably refuse to convict.
These self proclaimed revolutionaries believe that they can rely on the benefits of a peaceful law abiding society even as they act to destroy it. If they meet people who treat them with the public contempt that they display then they are shocked and feel aggrieved.
They think it would be a victory if they provoke violence because they think that any violence by their victims would result in the forces of civilization dissolving into incoherence when charged with hypocrisy and then losing the support of the people that confers legitimacy.
That theory is simply untrue. The people are sovereign and defend their liberty when attacked. The government reaffirms its bond to the people when it acts to protect them from threats and violence and supports them when they defend themselves.
The Communists have a right to protest. They do not have a right to threaten assault or commit violence. If there is a confrontation then the people acting through a jury, which is formally a subset of the Militia, determine which is the guilty party.
The Big Wind
In popular entertainment I'd be at an "End of The World Party" where, depending on the level of the effort, I'd engage in stimulating conversation or meet the love of my life, or find myself a bit player in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" In adolescent dreams I'd be holed up with a girl.
My expectation was that I'd spend the weekend helping with the Red Cross. To my shock they declined to use me. See why below.
So I am finding this disaster so far to be incredibly boring.
All organizations become corrupt. All bureaucracies become vehicles for increasing the security and authority of their staff at the expense of actual achievement. For example, for many years I have done Red Cross. Over the last few years though my participation has declined as the Chapter became focused on internal turbulence and adherence to increasingly complicated but in appearance sophisticated rituals. Yesterday evening I stopped by the Chapter to see what could be done to help for the impending hurricane. I was warned that once I reported I should expect to stay for 36 hours as the City was shutting down the subways starting at noon. The senior Area Director recognized me and called me a great guy and urged me to come in. So I told him that I would go home and change after buying some food just in case and return around midnight. When I got back with two days supplies in my bags there was nobody there who knew anything, they thought the senior officers were in the building when they were not, but in accordance with procedure cots were set up in empty rooms to shelter staff during an extended disaster. I was told to wait in the shelter area until the senior staff returned to begin preparation. So I undressed and lay down. Immediately after I passed out junior staff arrived and threw me out of the building. After trying to build a case to protect themselves, saying untrue things about what I had said or they had said or the Director had said (who they only began to call to cover themselves as I left the building) they adopted a psuedo-legal weaselly tone as to my “unauthorized presence” as I put on my shoes. I will not be back.
My expectation was that I'd spend the weekend helping with the Red Cross. To my shock they declined to use me. See why below.
So I am finding this disaster so far to be incredibly boring.
All organizations become corrupt. All bureaucracies become vehicles for increasing the security and authority of their staff at the expense of actual achievement. For example, for many years I have done Red Cross. Over the last few years though my participation has declined as the Chapter became focused on internal turbulence and adherence to increasingly complicated but in appearance sophisticated rituals. Yesterday evening I stopped by the Chapter to see what could be done to help for the impending hurricane. I was warned that once I reported I should expect to stay for 36 hours as the City was shutting down the subways starting at noon. The senior Area Director recognized me and called me a great guy and urged me to come in. So I told him that I would go home and change after buying some food just in case and return around midnight. When I got back with two days supplies in my bags there was nobody there who knew anything, they thought the senior officers were in the building when they were not, but in accordance with procedure cots were set up in empty rooms to shelter staff during an extended disaster. I was told to wait in the shelter area until the senior staff returned to begin preparation. So I undressed and lay down. Immediately after I passed out junior staff arrived and threw me out of the building. After trying to build a case to protect themselves, saying untrue things about what I had said or they had said or the Director had said (who they only began to call to cover themselves as I left the building) they adopted a psuedo-legal weaselly tone as to my “unauthorized presence” as I put on my shoes. I will not be back.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Implosion
Rasmussen is the most accurate poll. My expectation is that 19-20% Strong Approval is Obama's floor of support. They will stick with him no matter what and he has already sunk that low. His Strong Disapproval rating could increase as high as 50%, until he reaches the Index spread of -30%. That would put him in the same range as George Bush (43) was in 2008. There are two differences between the cases.
1. George Bush was not running for reelection.
2. The MSM spent 8 years trying to destroy Bush and they've spent 4 years creating and propping up Obama.
After Obama spends a week at -25% or worse I expect a delegation of senior Democrats to visit him and inquire after his health. If they can discover an ingrown hangnail they'll try to get rid of him. He probably does suffer from cardiac problems brought on by years of smoking and earlier cocaine use.
Let us see:
1. this morning Rasmussen had Obama at minus 26% in the Daily Presidential Tracking Poll,
2. the trend lines of the Presidential Approval Index would have a Wall St Tech Analyst screaming "Sell",
3. an earthquake struck DC this afternoon and gov't employees took a 2 hour lunch across 1/3 of the US,
4. a hurricane is bearing down, possibly again aimed at Washington DC.
You do not have to be a religious fanatic to check if locusts or frogs are to be looked for next.
The only thing that could hold the Democrats back is the realization that without Obama on the ticket blacks will stay home. That would doom the chances of candidates in local races. They really are damned if they do or don't.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Evergreen or Obamanomics, the Results
Today my Dry Cleaner went out of business after 23 years. The Chinese husband and wife were the nicest hardest working people you could ever meet. Their lovely recent college graduate daughter was there to tell customers the bad news the other day. In my Middle Class neighborhood there are shopping strips with multiple empty storefronts. Some have been that way for years.
This was a successful Mom and Pop business. This is the American Dream destroyed. The Democrats did this and they should pay. This is not evidence of a Recession. The Democrats have created a Depression and done so with malice of forethought.
This was a successful Mom and Pop business. This is the American Dream destroyed. The Democrats did this and they should pay. This is not evidence of a Recession. The Democrats have created a Depression and done so with malice of forethought.
How Israel Should Respond
Every time there is an attack Israel should occupy a 100 meter deep section of Gaza from the Sea in starting at the Northeast corner. Dump the current inhabitants into Sinai. Never ever return any land that was taken to punish the Arabs for aggression. Surround the Strip with 500 artillery pieces and counter-battery radar. Instantly return fire at any attack. Make clear that being within the CEP (circular error probability) of the return fire will be fatal. Know that the Paleostinians will launch attacks from schools to draw return fire. Announce that the responsibility is the local inhabitants and they must reject and expel Hamas to survive. Threaten a naval blockade of Iran. Launch cruise missile attacks on Iranian oil shipping storage and refining centers and seaports. Hunt down and destroy the leadership of the Syrian regime.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Comment on Ann Althouse:
Attack on Althouse at the Wisconsin Capitol singalong.
Althouse: Attack on Althouse at the Wisconsin Capitol singalong.
It is my suspicion that lawyers are often reluctant to become participants or consumers, as opposed to practitioners, in the legal process. Aren't doctors exceptionally reluctant to become patients? It is unfortunate that Ms Althouse did not press charges but it need not be seen as a partisan decision.
It is best to engage as an observer as part of a team of three. Prior training on how to respond in various situations is needed. Left wing agitators and crowd Marshals often have such training. There are outreach efforts to minority groups and youth to provide similar training. We need organized efforts to teach all citizens what their Civil Rights are and how to act with hostile groups or authority. Ideally that training would be considered part of qualifying as a full citizen and would be part of a universal military training program.
It would have been nice if some friendly federal officer had been present and arrested the perps for violating Ms Althouse's Civil Rights.
It is my suspicion that lawyers are often reluctant to become participants or consumers, as opposed to practitioners, in the legal process. Aren't doctors exceptionally reluctant to become patients? It is unfortunate that Ms Althouse did not press charges but it need not be seen as a partisan decision.
It is best to engage as an observer as part of a team of three. Prior training on how to respond in various situations is needed. Left wing agitators and crowd Marshals often have such training. There are outreach efforts to minority groups and youth to provide similar training. We need organized efforts to teach all citizens what their Civil Rights are and how to act with hostile groups or authority. Ideally that training would be considered part of qualifying as a full citizen and would be part of a universal military training program.
It would have been nice if some friendly federal officer had been present and arrested the perps for violating Ms Althouse's Civil Rights.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
On Kathryn Jean Lopez, NRO - The Corner:
"What John Boehner Said to His Caucus Tonight"
What John Boehner Said to His Caucus Tonight - By Kathryn Jean Lopez - The Corner - National Review Online
We need a bill ordering the POTUS in the event of no rise in the Debt Limit to follow a list of priorities.
1. Debt interest
2. Military pay
3. Contracted military operating expenses
4. Social Security
5. Military pensions
6. Civilian pay from DOD DOS Treas DHS & Justice
7. Military procurement contracts
8. All other Fed civilian pay
9. Medicaid reimbursement
10. Federal civilian pensions
11. Medicare reimbursement
12. Other domestic contracted expenditures
13. Other overseas contracted expenditures
14. Foreign Aid.
Failure to adhere to this schedule would be grounds for Impeachment and/or the prosecution of any officer found in violation.
We need a bill ordering the POTUS in the event of no rise in the Debt Limit to follow a list of priorities.
1. Debt interest
2. Military pay
3. Contracted military operating expenses
4. Social Security
5. Military pensions
6. Civilian pay from DOD DOS Treas DHS & Justice
7. Military procurement contracts
8. All other Fed civilian pay
9. Medicaid reimbursement
10. Federal civilian pensions
11. Medicare reimbursement
12. Other domestic contracted expenditures
13. Other overseas contracted expenditures
14. Foreign Aid.
Failure to adhere to this schedule would be grounds for Impeachment and/or the prosecution of any officer found in violation.
Comment on "The Deal Framework"
By Kathryn Jean Lopez, NRO - The Corner
The Deal Framework - By Kathryn Jean Lopez - The Corner - National Review Online
A bad deal is a bad deal. A promised future vote means no BBA. If there is no BBA and no voted cuts then there will be a possible cosmetic cut to Medicare, not Medicaid though, and massive defense cut. Most Dems would vote for that today, knowing that the Medicare pork will get loaded back in anyway.
We need to double Defense spending over the next 4 years. We also need to cut Medicare and SSA by 5%/yr for 10 years, for all persons currently under 45 years old, followed by elimination of the programs at the end of 25 years for all persons not currently over 55.
We need it in the Constitution a 4% Rule.
1. Peacetime maintenance of the Armed Forces should not exceed 4% of GDP.
2. Debt Service should not exceed 4% of GDP.
3. Domestic spending, that is all expenditure other than National Defense and Debt Service should not exceed 4% of GDP.
4. No State should be allowed to disburse from the public treasury during peacetime more than 4% of that State's share of the GDP.
Combat expenditures above the 4% limit should need a 60% super majority, or a writ from the SCOTUS or other designated body in a Continuity of Operations chain if due to extraordinary circumstances Congress is unable to act.
We also need the following.
No person, except enlisted members of the Armed Forces and officers called to extended active duty in times of conflict, who derives over 50% of their income from funds disbursed from the Federal Treasury shall vote in any Federal election, that is for Congress. No person who derives over 50% of their income from any State or Local treasury shall vote in any election at the State or Local level in that jurisdiction. No person may contribute money to any campaign in an election for which they are not eligible to vote. No person however under this article shall be barred from voting or participating in any local board or body that does not have taxing or final contract approval power.
Note, due to the Electoral College no one would be prevented from voting for POTUS, since the Presidential Election is really just an opinion poll. This would however mean that school teachers would lose the right to vote in state and local races or to buy local politicians.
A bad deal is a bad deal. A promised future vote means no BBA. If there is no BBA and no voted cuts then there will be a possible cosmetic cut to Medicare, not Medicaid though, and massive defense cut. Most Dems would vote for that today, knowing that the Medicare pork will get loaded back in anyway.
We need to double Defense spending over the next 4 years. We also need to cut Medicare and SSA by 5%/yr for 10 years, for all persons currently under 45 years old, followed by elimination of the programs at the end of 25 years for all persons not currently over 55.
We need it in the Constitution a 4% Rule.
1. Peacetime maintenance of the Armed Forces should not exceed 4% of GDP.
2. Debt Service should not exceed 4% of GDP.
3. Domestic spending, that is all expenditure other than National Defense and Debt Service should not exceed 4% of GDP.
4. No State should be allowed to disburse from the public treasury during peacetime more than 4% of that State's share of the GDP.
Combat expenditures above the 4% limit should need a 60% super majority, or a writ from the SCOTUS or other designated body in a Continuity of Operations chain if due to extraordinary circumstances Congress is unable to act.
We also need the following.
No person, except enlisted members of the Armed Forces and officers called to extended active duty in times of conflict, who derives over 50% of their income from funds disbursed from the Federal Treasury shall vote in any Federal election, that is for Congress. No person who derives over 50% of their income from any State or Local treasury shall vote in any election at the State or Local level in that jurisdiction. No person may contribute money to any campaign in an election for which they are not eligible to vote. No person however under this article shall be barred from voting or participating in any local board or body that does not have taxing or final contract approval power.
Note, due to the Electoral College no one would be prevented from voting for POTUS, since the Presidential Election is really just an opinion poll. This would however mean that school teachers would lose the right to vote in state and local races or to buy local politicians.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Comment on Mark Steyn,
The Corner, National Review Online:
"Tahrir Square Comes to Fleet Street"
Tahrir Square Comes to Fleet Street - By Mark Steyn - The Corner - National Review Online
Pinch Sulzberger of the NY Times has good reason to fear and hate Murdoch. By closing the News of the World Murdoch proved that every prejudicial fantasy that the Left harbors about him is not just untrue but a projection of how the Left behaves when given the chance. Newscorp just shut down a successful business with a circulation the NY Times can only dream of, and did so over an ethical issue. They acted decisively, no split the difference theatrics or subterfuge. Given that the NYT is bleeding money while losing readers and lacks the credibility of the Murdoch tabloids, imagine what a real Publisher and Executive like Murdoch would do if had control over the Times? Perhaps he would send Donald Trump or Conrad Black over to say "You're fired."
Pinch Sulzberger of the NY Times has good reason to fear and hate Murdoch. By closing the News of the World Murdoch proved that every prejudicial fantasy that the Left harbors about him is not just untrue but a projection of how the Left behaves when given the chance. Newscorp just shut down a successful business with a circulation the NY Times can only dream of, and did so over an ethical issue. They acted decisively, no split the difference theatrics or subterfuge. Given that the NYT is bleeding money while losing readers and lacks the credibility of the Murdoch tabloids, imagine what a real Publisher and Executive like Murdoch would do if had control over the Times? Perhaps he would send Donald Trump or Conrad Black over to say "You're fired."
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Comment on Donald Douglas on Theo Spark:
Melanie Phillips Explains 'Why I left the Spectator'
Theo Spark: Melanie Phillips Explains 'Why I left the Spectator'
Years ago I had a subscription to the Specie and dropped it rather than support the pretentious and vile Taki Theodoracopulos. While I am now tempted to reorder just so that I could have the satisfaction of canceling, I think I will spare myself the time and energy. It surprises me that Ms Philips put up with them for as long as she has.
Years ago I had a subscription to the Specie and dropped it rather than support the pretentious and vile Taki Theodoracopulos. While I am now tempted to reorder just so that I could have the satisfaction of canceling, I think I will spare myself the time and energy. It surprises me that Ms Philips put up with them for as long as she has.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Comment Donald Douglas on Theo Spark:
On Allison Benedikt's 'Life After Zionist Summer Camp'
Theo Spark: On Allison Benedikt's 'Life After Zionist Summer Camp'
Jews and Christians share a belief that God sees and renders Justice. Nevertheless that does not absolve us of the obligation to act responsibly within the sphere of our own competence and the law. That means that unlike Muslims we do not kill people who simply disagree with us. We do however act to condemn challenge confront and ridicule those who promote ignorance and hate. When we see people aiding and abetting the enemy and enabling violence, giving material support to all enemies foreign and domestic, then we may be obligated to act to stop them. There should be no hesitation or holding back in the name of courtesy when dealing with these monsters. They should be relentlessly publicly exposed and socially and professionally destroyed.
Jews and Christians share a belief that God sees and renders Justice. Nevertheless that does not absolve us of the obligation to act responsibly within the sphere of our own competence and the law. That means that unlike Muslims we do not kill people who simply disagree with us. We do however act to condemn challenge confront and ridicule those who promote ignorance and hate. When we see people aiding and abetting the enemy and enabling violence, giving material support to all enemies foreign and domestic, then we may be obligated to act to stop them. There should be no hesitation or holding back in the name of courtesy when dealing with these monsters. They should be relentlessly publicly exposed and socially and professionally destroyed.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Sea and Sound
There is a new ferry service that is free until the end of June. So today I exercised my sea legs and boarded at 34th Street.
Headed South looking North on the East.
Home.
Later I went to the Metropolitan Museum and heard a concert by the Guitarist Carl Barry that was part of the Guitar Hero exhibition.
Later I went up to the Fairway Uptown, since the 74th Street one is not a reliable source of mini fruit tarts, and saw the new Columbia University Manhattanville campus under construction.
Headed South looking North on the East.
Home.
Later I went to the Metropolitan Museum and heard a concert by the Guitarist Carl Barry that was part of the Guitar Hero exhibition.
Later I went up to the Fairway Uptown, since the 74th Street one is not a reliable source of mini fruit tarts, and saw the new Columbia University Manhattanville campus under construction.
Comment on "Theo Spark: Censorship?"
Theo Spark: Censorship?
This should be huge. This needs massive publicity. If government did this then in America a lawyer would destroy this under the 1st Amendment, in the UK I am not sure what protections you'd have. Google is a private business. This means the political prejudices of some clerk in California, possibly hired under some Diversity or other political feel good criteria, can be imposed on everyone. The market should protect us and punish Google for this but their size makes that hard to see happening.
Is there a lawyer in the house who can see if Theo has any rights?
This should be huge. This needs massive publicity. If government did this then in America a lawyer would destroy this under the 1st Amendment, in the UK I am not sure what protections you'd have. Google is a private business. This means the political prejudices of some clerk in California, possibly hired under some Diversity or other political feel good criteria, can be imposed on everyone. The market should protect us and punish Google for this but their size makes that hard to see happening.
Is there a lawyer in the house who can see if Theo has any rights?
Monday, June 13, 2011
Comment on: Weiner | gym | The Daily Caller
Weiner | gym | The Daily Caller
Your tax dollars at work.
Misuse of government facilities and telecoms equipment should at least raise a flag for a criminal review. In addition there is that underage recipient issue.
Have the Press interviewed his present and most important former staffers to determine if there is any history of improper conduct? If not did he select his staff from those with their own aberrant behavioral issues in order to assure their sympathy and compliance in protecting him?
Your tax dollars at work.
Misuse of government facilities and telecoms equipment should at least raise a flag for a criminal review. In addition there is that underage recipient issue.
Have the Press interviewed his present and most important former staffers to determine if there is any history of improper conduct? If not did he select his staff from those with their own aberrant behavioral issues in order to assure their sympathy and compliance in protecting him?
Thursday, June 09, 2011
Sunday, June 05, 2011
Return to Governors Island
While I missed the first weekend of the season I went this Saturday and Sunday to the best reason to be in Gotham over the Summer.
Governors Island
Saturday I arrived late but I had provided myself with a picnic from my favorite place, Chez l'Chef on Lex at 29th St. I asked Chef Fredric to put together a $20 basket for me and he excelled himself. I had an assortment of cakes and pastries, a great herb crusted ham and cheese wrap, eggs with sausage and more herbs and veggies and water. BTW, the sweater is by Calvin Klein.
Then I watched a cruise liner go through the Buttermilk Channel,
and head for the Verazzano Narrows.
Sunday the line to get to the Island stretched North from the old Municipal Ferry Building along the FDR Drive almost to the Brooklyn Bridge. It took almost an hour and frankly I felt the police did a poor job. Fortunately the decidedly middle class crowd was easy going but line jumping was rife and people were running in the street. There was a charity run of families with children with Autism who were also forced to use the street. It was lucky that no one was hurt.
I decided to find someone with horse sense.
In the shadows of the canyons of Manhattan.
The Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic.
At first I was sitting at the South end and had a poor view. A young woman nearby thought she was being cute when she opined "This doesn't seem very athletic. I'd rather see them play basketball." I informed her that not only was it one of the most athletically demanding sports but also one of the most dangerous. People die playing polo. Then I moved to the North end and got a better view. The action got rough and close.
The event was well managed, the play was exciting and well commented on by the announcers, the crowd were there to look good and feel good.
A visit by one Rider to the well dressed crowd was an unexpected high point.
Last year the big news was that Prince Harry played, which was not a repeatable event. This year was just fun.
Governors Island
Saturday I arrived late but I had provided myself with a picnic from my favorite place, Chez l'Chef on Lex at 29th St. I asked Chef Fredric to put together a $20 basket for me and he excelled himself. I had an assortment of cakes and pastries, a great herb crusted ham and cheese wrap, eggs with sausage and more herbs and veggies and water. BTW, the sweater is by Calvin Klein.
Then I watched a cruise liner go through the Buttermilk Channel,
and head for the Verazzano Narrows.
Sunday the line to get to the Island stretched North from the old Municipal Ferry Building along the FDR Drive almost to the Brooklyn Bridge. It took almost an hour and frankly I felt the police did a poor job. Fortunately the decidedly middle class crowd was easy going but line jumping was rife and people were running in the street. There was a charity run of families with children with Autism who were also forced to use the street. It was lucky that no one was hurt.
I decided to find someone with horse sense.
In the shadows of the canyons of Manhattan.
The Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic.
At first I was sitting at the South end and had a poor view. A young woman nearby thought she was being cute when she opined "This doesn't seem very athletic. I'd rather see them play basketball." I informed her that not only was it one of the most athletically demanding sports but also one of the most dangerous. People die playing polo. Then I moved to the North end and got a better view. The action got rough and close.
The event was well managed, the play was exciting and well commented on by the announcers, the crowd were there to look good and feel good.
A visit by one Rider to the well dressed crowd was an unexpected high point. Last year the big news was that Prince Harry played, which was not a repeatable event. This year was just fun.
Saturday, June 04, 2011
Comment on Pejman Yousefzadeh's Facebook:
A public service announcement
A public service...
Osama's Sea Burial Caught on Tape
Best bit from John Lehman's autobiography:
SECNAV: "What kind of fish are those Admiral?"
Sixth Fleet VADM: "What kind of fish are those Chief of Staff?"
Chief of Staff RADM: "What kind of fish are those Captain?"
Commanding Officer: "What kind of fish are those XO?"
Executive Officer: "What kind of fish are those?"
...
Seaman Apprentice: "I know what kind of fish they are. We call them Shiteaters Sir."
Osama's Sea Burial Caught on Tape
Best bit from John Lehman's autobiography:
SECNAV: "What kind of fish are those Admiral?"
Sixth Fleet VADM: "What kind of fish are those Chief of Staff?"
Chief of Staff RADM: "What kind of fish are those Captain?"
Commanding Officer: "What kind of fish are those XO?"
Executive Officer: "What kind of fish are those?"
...
Seaman Apprentice: "I know what kind of fish they are. We call them Shiteaters Sir."
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
The Day After, Memorial Day
A perfect day to go to the Battery and eat a sandwich prepared by a charming girl wearing a hat with the old Republic of Vietnam flag. Later I stopped by the Church of the Transfiguration, The Little Church Around the Corner, to hear a Bach interpretation of Vivaldi on the organ.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Comment on Daniel Hannan, Telegraph Blogs:
Why we should welcome German patriotism
Why we should welcome German patriotism – Telegraph Blogs
The wisdom of "Yes Minister" from "The Devil You Know"
Sir Humphrey: Why do you suppose we went into it (the EC)?
Jim: To strengthen the brotherhood of free western nations.
Sir Humphrey: Oh really, we went in to screw the French by splitting them
off from the Germans.
Jim: Why did the French go into it then?
Sir Humphrey: Well to protect their inefficient farmers from commercial
competition.
Jim: It certainly doesn't apply to the Germans.
Sir Humphrey: Well no, they went in to cleanse themselves of genocide
and apply for readmission to the human race.
Jim: I never heard such appalling cynicism.
The EU was created to subsume the tribes of Europe within some larger intentionally inefficient structure. Given the human cost of tribal battles over the past one to five hundred years the intent, even if futile or wrongheaded due to the cost to democracy and creativity, is understandable. The top down undemocratic nature of the EU is not a bug but a feature.
What this model and most European views of the strengths and weaknesses of Democracy fail to account for is the relative success of the United States. The US with one bloody exception has managed to harness very diverse regions and millions of immigrants from every culture on earth to form a country where the sense of community and nationalism is far stronger and less threatening to minorities than in the monoculture nations that the EU is attempting to dissolve. The welders together of the EU choose to reject the American model as to likely to unleash dangerous passions they sought to transcend. The founders of the American system more wisely crafted an engine to harness popular passions and use a sense of nationalism to unite diverse elements.
The wisdom of "Yes Minister" from "The Devil You Know"
Sir Humphrey: Why do you suppose we went into it (the EC)?
Jim: To strengthen the brotherhood of free western nations.
Sir Humphrey: Oh really, we went in to screw the French by splitting them
off from the Germans.
Jim: Why did the French go into it then?
Sir Humphrey: Well to protect their inefficient farmers from commercial
competition.
Jim: It certainly doesn't apply to the Germans.
Sir Humphrey: Well no, they went in to cleanse themselves of genocide
and apply for readmission to the human race.
Jim: I never heard such appalling cynicism.
The EU was created to subsume the tribes of Europe within some larger intentionally inefficient structure. Given the human cost of tribal battles over the past one to five hundred years the intent, even if futile or wrongheaded due to the cost to democracy and creativity, is understandable. The top down undemocratic nature of the EU is not a bug but a feature.
What this model and most European views of the strengths and weaknesses of Democracy fail to account for is the relative success of the United States. The US with one bloody exception has managed to harness very diverse regions and millions of immigrants from every culture on earth to form a country where the sense of community and nationalism is far stronger and less threatening to minorities than in the monoculture nations that the EU is attempting to dissolve. The welders together of the EU choose to reject the American model as to likely to unleash dangerous passions they sought to transcend. The founders of the American system more wisely crafted an engine to harness popular passions and use a sense of nationalism to unite diverse elements.
Comment on Hot Air:
Strauss-Kahn allegedly told maid during attack,
“Don’t you know who I am?”
Strauss-Kahn allegedly told maid during attack, “Don’t you know who I am?” « Hot Air
The world is not a neat place with good guys and bad guys. Sometimes there are the bad and the worse.
DSK has a history as a bad abusive guy. He may just be guilty as Sin, the easy answer could be correct. He may also be not guilty. He may have been entrapped or framed or some other complicated explanation may be true. For example he may have been targeted because of his prior conduct and his political associations and he may still be guilty of the crime he is charged with.
The maid may not be the simple religious saint heroic single mother we were first told about. She may be a terrible person and mixed up with bad people. That would not justify rape. DSK is probably guilty of many forms of abuse and should have been flagged in a security review as susceptible to blackmail but that does make him guilty of this crime. The questions are, whether he is being framed and how reliable is the evidence of the two principles involved?
There are five possible answers. The terms Guilt and Innocence are used in reference to their characters except when I consider that the accused may be guilty of the assault in question. Here they are in ascending probability.
1. Innocent Frenchman framed using innocent maid. Least likely.
2. Innocent Frenchman framed using guilty maid. Very Unlikely.
3. Guilty Frenchman framed using guilty maid. Unlikely.
4. Guilty Frenchman caught having assaulted innocent maid. Possible.
5. Guilty Frenchman caught having assaulted guilty maid. Probable.
#1 demands an Oliver Stone level of conspiracy by outside forces. #2 & #3 are scarcely better except that the maid would have been a knowing participant or selected for the role due to shady associations. Note that even in situations #4 & #5 the encounter may have been arranged to target DSK in order to remove him from the IMF or from the French Presidential campaign or even because of his stated support for Israel.
It was his responsibility to conduct himself with sufficient discretion so as to frustrate any such conspiracy. If he walked into it and gave his enemies ammunition then that was his fault. If he had given his enemies the ammunition in prior episodes but was not guilty this time then it is his job to make that, very hard to prove, case.
A wise man would conduct his affairs with care, and maintain cordial open and supportive relations with the staff and security services wherever he goes, so as to provide an extra layer of protection in case something goes wrong. It appears that he failed to do so.
Compare this case to that of Bill Clinton. The counter argument to the "just about sex" claim was always that sexual misconduct is properly consider in determining the fitness for office of anyone in a position of trust, such as a nonelective one that requires a security clearance, because of the possibility of being blackmailed or framed. Clinton due to his selfish misconduct seriously imperiled the operation of the government. That was his responsibility and not his accusers. To his credit he did differ from DSK in putting some effort into maintaining civil relations with subordinates whose opinions could prove important. In that Bill Clinton differs from his spouse, who is surrounded by people waiting for the day she falls.
“Don’t you know who I am?”How did John Forbes Kerry get into this?
The world is not a neat place with good guys and bad guys. Sometimes there are the bad and the worse.
DSK has a history as a bad abusive guy. He may just be guilty as Sin, the easy answer could be correct. He may also be not guilty. He may have been entrapped or framed or some other complicated explanation may be true. For example he may have been targeted because of his prior conduct and his political associations and he may still be guilty of the crime he is charged with.
The maid may not be the simple religious saint heroic single mother we were first told about. She may be a terrible person and mixed up with bad people. That would not justify rape. DSK is probably guilty of many forms of abuse and should have been flagged in a security review as susceptible to blackmail but that does make him guilty of this crime. The questions are, whether he is being framed and how reliable is the evidence of the two principles involved?
There are five possible answers. The terms Guilt and Innocence are used in reference to their characters except when I consider that the accused may be guilty of the assault in question. Here they are in ascending probability.
1. Innocent Frenchman framed using innocent maid. Least likely.
2. Innocent Frenchman framed using guilty maid. Very Unlikely.
3. Guilty Frenchman framed using guilty maid. Unlikely.
4. Guilty Frenchman caught having assaulted innocent maid. Possible.
5. Guilty Frenchman caught having assaulted guilty maid. Probable.
#1 demands an Oliver Stone level of conspiracy by outside forces. #2 & #3 are scarcely better except that the maid would have been a knowing participant or selected for the role due to shady associations. Note that even in situations #4 & #5 the encounter may have been arranged to target DSK in order to remove him from the IMF or from the French Presidential campaign or even because of his stated support for Israel.
It was his responsibility to conduct himself with sufficient discretion so as to frustrate any such conspiracy. If he walked into it and gave his enemies ammunition then that was his fault. If he had given his enemies the ammunition in prior episodes but was not guilty this time then it is his job to make that, very hard to prove, case.
A wise man would conduct his affairs with care, and maintain cordial open and supportive relations with the staff and security services wherever he goes, so as to provide an extra layer of protection in case something goes wrong. It appears that he failed to do so.
Compare this case to that of Bill Clinton. The counter argument to the "just about sex" claim was always that sexual misconduct is properly consider in determining the fitness for office of anyone in a position of trust, such as a nonelective one that requires a security clearance, because of the possibility of being blackmailed or framed. Clinton due to his selfish misconduct seriously imperiled the operation of the government. That was his responsibility and not his accusers. To his credit he did differ from DSK in putting some effort into maintaining civil relations with subordinates whose opinions could prove important. In that Bill Clinton differs from his spouse, who is surrounded by people waiting for the day she falls.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Comment on Hot Air:
Newt on immigration: What if we had local boards who could legalize certain illegals?
Newt on immigration: What if we had local boards who could legalize certain illegals? « Hot Air
Newt Gingrich's proposal is either a meaningless duplication of existing bodies within the federal government or an unconstitutional delegation of power to bodies outside of the government. It is a surprise to hear a former Speaker of The House say this. The granting of citizenship is a Congressional power under Article I, Sect. 8, clause iv, "To establish a uniform Rule of Naturalization." That is however subject to the poorly worded blanket statement regarding citizenship in the XIVth Amendment. While I can see Congress delegating to local boards and agencies, similar to Draft Boards that Gingrich mentions, an advisory function in determining eligibility under the rules that it establishes, a function that is really already done by local USCIS offices, the old INS, that are already enmeshed in a web of local lawyers advisory boards and interest groups, the actual granting of citizenship cannot be delegated to a local authority that was not established by and is not bound to operate under the authority of Congress. For example ever since the XIVth Amendment States no longer have the authority to deny or grant citizenship.
If the State of California cannot perform that function then how can some private body? If these Boards are to be part of the government then how will this differ from the present system of State Department offices for US Citizenship and Immigration Services? That agency clearly needs to be either massively expanded or to be restructured, and the present immigration and visa system needs to be rewritten with the Ted Kennedy family unification loopholes closed. Simply layering on another set of review boards is unlikely to help.
Newt Gingrich's proposal is either a meaningless duplication of existing bodies within the federal government or an unconstitutional delegation of power to bodies outside of the government. It is a surprise to hear a former Speaker of The House say this. The granting of citizenship is a Congressional power under Article I, Sect. 8, clause iv, "To establish a uniform Rule of Naturalization." That is however subject to the poorly worded blanket statement regarding citizenship in the XIVth Amendment. While I can see Congress delegating to local boards and agencies, similar to Draft Boards that Gingrich mentions, an advisory function in determining eligibility under the rules that it establishes, a function that is really already done by local USCIS offices, the old INS, that are already enmeshed in a web of local lawyers advisory boards and interest groups, the actual granting of citizenship cannot be delegated to a local authority that was not established by and is not bound to operate under the authority of Congress. For example ever since the XIVth Amendment States no longer have the authority to deny or grant citizenship.
If the State of California cannot perform that function then how can some private body? If these Boards are to be part of the government then how will this differ from the present system of State Department offices for US Citizenship and Immigration Services? That agency clearly needs to be either massively expanded or to be restructured, and the present immigration and visa system needs to be rewritten with the Ted Kennedy family unification loopholes closed. Simply layering on another set of review boards is unlikely to help.
Monday, May 02, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Comment on Lynn Chu, Facebook:
Bear Stearns,...were operating by one measure at 40 to 1 capital ratios...
Bear Stearns,...
When we take back the government after 2012 we must extirpate root and branch every vestige of the corrupt Marxist/authoritarian/corporatist/totalitarian/elitist intrusion.
To be clear I believe that unlike Goldman, Merrill and other insiders Lehman was played and betrayed like a mark or willing victim.
Here is one Google Book Settlement related example of meretricious garbage taking the guise of Google consulting work posing as "scholarship": Greg Sidak and Jerry Hausman, Google and the Proper Antitrust Scrutiny of Orphan Books, 5 Journal of Competition Law & Economics 411 (2009, available as a download at www.criterioneconomics.com/publications.html, a paper which was distributed widely which tended to give the media and other economists and lawyers the impression that "sophisticated" "experts" thought the Google Book Settlement was a work of beauty and "innovation." I suspect that it was written in such gruesomely unreadable wooden academicized prose precisely and intentionally to deflect attention to its actual content, its utter and total lying meretricious charlatanism, rigged up to give a paying client what it wanted to hear. For consultants to do such "work" is a species of fraud imho. They know no one can definitively prove they spewed it out intentionally, just to cop some feesThey gambled big. They must lose big.
When we take back the government after 2012 we must extirpate root and branch every vestige of the corrupt Marxist/authoritarian/corporatist/totalitarian/elitist intrusion.
To be clear I believe that unlike Goldman, Merrill and other insiders Lehman was played and betrayed like a mark or willing victim.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Comment on Hot Air:
Jan Brewer vetoes Arizona’s “Birther bill”
Jan Brewer vetoes Arizona’s “Birther bill” « Hot Air
Agreed that the full faith and credit clause means that a state has to accept the validity of a document but does that mean that each state gets to decide what documents to share? If Hawaii has a "long form" then Arizona must respect it, on that we all agree. If Hawaii refuses to share the document that it has or declines to share the records available then why should Arizona have to accept an inferior substitute? If this was a murder trial and Arizona requested that a suspect be delivered by extradition for trial would it be sufficient for Hawaii to deliver a letter stating that they had examined the subject and determined the innocence of the party?
I am not a Birther and think that there are more likely grounds to challenge Obama's status as a natural born citizen based on his possibly having traveled on a foreign passport after his 18th birthday or having claimed foreign nationality on his school applications or financial aid forms.
We have now identified a serious hole in our constitutional system that will be exploited in the future even if Obama had not done anything wrong. My suggestion is that 120 days prior to the meeting of the Electoral College each state submit a list of 5 names for each office, President and Vice President, with supporting documentation as they deem sufficient, to the Supreme Court. If there are any questions the Chief Justice may request additional documentation. The Chief Justice should no later than 60 days before the Electoral College assembles send a certification to the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate (the current VP) listing all qualified candidates and noting those who had been disqualified and the grounds for such action. The Congress should then promulgate that list, and may restore names to it if they so choose, in time for the State Legislatures to consult with the will of the people and then select the Electors.
Remember that the popular vote is only an opinion poll and all that is needed is to ensure that certified candidates names appear. The vote for the Electors happens within the State Legislatures.
Agreed that the full faith and credit clause means that a state has to accept the validity of a document but does that mean that each state gets to decide what documents to share? If Hawaii has a "long form" then Arizona must respect it, on that we all agree. If Hawaii refuses to share the document that it has or declines to share the records available then why should Arizona have to accept an inferior substitute? If this was a murder trial and Arizona requested that a suspect be delivered by extradition for trial would it be sufficient for Hawaii to deliver a letter stating that they had examined the subject and determined the innocence of the party?
I am not a Birther and think that there are more likely grounds to challenge Obama's status as a natural born citizen based on his possibly having traveled on a foreign passport after his 18th birthday or having claimed foreign nationality on his school applications or financial aid forms.
We have now identified a serious hole in our constitutional system that will be exploited in the future even if Obama had not done anything wrong. My suggestion is that 120 days prior to the meeting of the Electoral College each state submit a list of 5 names for each office, President and Vice President, with supporting documentation as they deem sufficient, to the Supreme Court. If there are any questions the Chief Justice may request additional documentation. The Chief Justice should no later than 60 days before the Electoral College assembles send a certification to the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate (the current VP) listing all qualified candidates and noting those who had been disqualified and the grounds for such action. The Congress should then promulgate that list, and may restore names to it if they so choose, in time for the State Legislatures to consult with the will of the people and then select the Electors.
Remember that the popular vote is only an opinion poll and all that is needed is to ensure that certified candidates names appear. The vote for the Electors happens within the State Legislatures.
Monday, April 11, 2011
The Long Goodbye
Continuing meltdown. I never expected Obama to get below 20%. In the past he has had a Strong Disapproval of 48%. That means that we can expect his Total Index to reach -28%. I now expect the Democrats to jettison him and announce his departure for "health" reasons by September.RasmussenPoll
Obama: Strongly Approve: 19% (new low) Strongly Disapprove 39%... Approval Index: -20.. Total Approval: 44%...
Monday, April 04, 2011
Comment on Theo Spark:
Signs of a Bad Fitness Report
Theo Spark
Entertaining in Wardroom = Obscene jokes
Calm under pressure = Clueless drunk
Informal demeanor = Slob
Trusted by troops off duty = They bailed him out
Finishing with the ever popular, "You will be lucky if you ever can get this man to work for you."
Entertaining in Wardroom = Obscene jokes
Calm under pressure = Clueless drunk
Informal demeanor = Slob
Trusted by troops off duty = They bailed him out
Finishing with the ever popular, "You will be lucky if you ever can get this man to work for you."
Sunday, April 03, 2011
Comment on Kathryn Jean Lopez - The Corner - NRO: He Didn’t Start the Fire
He Didn’t Start the Fire - By Kathryn Jean Lopez - The Corner - National Review Online
Really a follow-up to yesterday's comment on Mark Steyn.
It crossed my mind that Rev Jones in Florida transgressed against a powerful legal interest group when he burned the Koran, he emitted carbon and by spreading the Koran into the atmosphere maybe inflicted other forms of pollution on Providence's Nature. It is possible to destroy the Koran in a much more sensitive manner. Just go to http://quran.com or some similar place where the Ummah have helpfully made their screed available online and download it, then erase the file. There is no doubt that in doing so you will have destroyed a copy of the Koran. Some enterprising software engineer (hint hint) might want to design a bot that can automate this task and destroy thousands of Korans an hour. With a little bit of luck and everyone working together we might get this idea to go viral. It could even be announced that Islamic outrages will result in increased destruction of virtual Korans. Since it is their belief that the virtual is real, really the inversion of the core Islamic belief that the real is only a projection of Allah's virtual dream. they may be motivated to alter their conduct to limit the destruction of the Korans. With such a lever we might begin to move mountains.
Really a follow-up to yesterday's comment on Mark Steyn.
It crossed my mind that Rev Jones in Florida transgressed against a powerful legal interest group when he burned the Koran, he emitted carbon and by spreading the Koran into the atmosphere maybe inflicted other forms of pollution on Providence's Nature. It is possible to destroy the Koran in a much more sensitive manner. Just go to http://quran.com or some similar place where the Ummah have helpfully made their screed available online and download it, then erase the file. There is no doubt that in doing so you will have destroyed a copy of the Koran. Some enterprising software engineer (hint hint) might want to design a bot that can automate this task and destroy thousands of Korans an hour. With a little bit of luck and everyone working together we might get this idea to go viral. It could even be announced that Islamic outrages will result in increased destruction of virtual Korans. Since it is their belief that the virtual is real, really the inversion of the core Islamic belief that the real is only a projection of Allah's virtual dream. they may be motivated to alter their conduct to limit the destruction of the Korans. With such a lever we might begin to move mountains.
Saturday, April 02, 2011
Comment on Mark Steyn, The Corner - NRO:
A Difference of Degree
A Difference of Degree - By Mark Steyn - The Corner - National Review Online
It is the hypocrisy that stands out. Those who scream that their right not to be offended is being offended are the most offensive people around. The UN workers that got decapitated had a right not to be offended also. Maybe they found getting killed rather offensive. Terry Jones has a right not to be offended also. Maybe Mr Jones finds people screaming "Death to America" somewhat offensive.
We must deal with the Muslims with a standard of perfect reciprocity. Once they have internalized the costs of being offensive then they will begin to treat others with respect. That is essential before, not after, they can be trusted to learn and change and become part of society. Perhaps when the idea that Muslims have a special right to bully and threaten and lie and kill is extracted from Islam it will reform and become a useful part of the human experience. Perhaps once those things that are offensive are stopped there will be nothing left and it will disappear.
Personally I find anyone over the age of 12 on any day other than Halloween who covers their face offensive and threatening. Personally I am deeply offended by people who believe that they have a right to kill any American citizen or ally of America.
It is the hypocrisy that stands out. Those who scream that their right not to be offended is being offended are the most offensive people around. The UN workers that got decapitated had a right not to be offended also. Maybe they found getting killed rather offensive. Terry Jones has a right not to be offended also. Maybe Mr Jones finds people screaming "Death to America" somewhat offensive.
We must deal with the Muslims with a standard of perfect reciprocity. Once they have internalized the costs of being offensive then they will begin to treat others with respect. That is essential before, not after, they can be trusted to learn and change and become part of society. Perhaps when the idea that Muslims have a special right to bully and threaten and lie and kill is extracted from Islam it will reform and become a useful part of the human experience. Perhaps once those things that are offensive are stopped there will be nothing left and it will disappear.
Personally I find anyone over the age of 12 on any day other than Halloween who covers their face offensive and threatening. Personally I am deeply offended by people who believe that they have a right to kill any American citizen or ally of America.
Comment on Robert Costa, The Corner, NRO:
"Paul Rankles Reid on Libya"
Paul Rankles Reid on Libya - By Robert Costa - The Corner - National Review Online
Senator Paul's father concerns me because of the anti-Semitic wing of the Libertarians who support him. Note that I do not claim that their beliefs are shared by the Congressman but he does need to be more forthright about this.
As an Ophthalmologist has Rand commented professionally on the leading Reformist, according to rumors passed on by Hillary, of Syria? The Senator has done well here. Popcorn is in order.
Reid really is out of his depth. FDR did not ignore Congress and LBJ may have talked like he owned the military but he knew better and took pains to get authorization. Both were Democrats working with Democrats in Congress. You have to go back to Woodrow Wilson in Mexico to find a POTUS this arrogant.
Senator Paul's father concerns me because of the anti-Semitic wing of the Libertarians who support him. Note that I do not claim that their beliefs are shared by the Congressman but he does need to be more forthright about this.
As an Ophthalmologist has Rand commented professionally on the leading Reformist, according to rumors passed on by Hillary, of Syria? The Senator has done well here. Popcorn is in order.
Reid really is out of his depth. FDR did not ignore Congress and LBJ may have talked like he owned the military but he knew better and took pains to get authorization. Both were Democrats working with Democrats in Congress. You have to go back to Woodrow Wilson in Mexico to find a POTUS this arrogant.
Friday, April 01, 2011
War Powers
Ghaddafi of the Multiple Transliterations personally ordered the bombing of Pan Am 103. That is what is reported as the being the story told by the former Libyan Foreign Minister who is being debriefed by the British.
Given that the reported predicate for the deal struck between The Bush 43 administration and Kakadaffy was that the Libyans give up their WMD programs and rat out on known al-Qaeda in return for extended breathing privileges for the Qadhafi clan.. Despite some recent speechifying by the romantic Colonel he has largely kept his side of that bargain so some are questioning the propriety of our now seeking his ouster. Part of the fine print of the deal, as elaborated by the British after they arranged for the release of the Libyan operative convicted in the Lockerbie bombing in return for a trade deal, was that we accepted at face value two stories put out by the Libyans.
1. The Maximum Leader King of Kings was really a dupe whose intel services went rogue on him. This could be called the Pakistani ISI model or “boys will be boys.”
2. It was really the Iranians who did it and Quackydahfay is now helping us in ways that we really don’t want publicized.
Neither story was very credible but maintaining a veneer of plausibility was considered part of the agreement that protected the Libyan regime. The story attributed to the defecting Cabinet Minister tears that agreement apart. In fairness to the Despot of the Many Fetching Robes he has some reason to feel hard used if the agreement did not fail because of his own incompetence in preventing a rebellion, by being insufficiently ruthless, and the defection of his diplomatic staff but because of actions by the Americans in encouraging Muslim Brotherhood and al-Qaeda backed unrest. Nevertheless we now have the story out and have to respond to it.
My belief is that the Congress of the United States should invite the British Ambassador to answer some questions regarding the evidence offered and their opinion regarding the destruction of an American flagged airliner and the deaths of American citizens. The head of the CIA should then be asked the same questions. The only difference being that while HM Ambassador would be on his word as a gentleman the Director of the CIA would be under oath as a civil servant.
Let us assume that the evidence is clear and damning that Muammar Ghaddafi did with malice of forethought order the murder of those civilian Americans. What should we do then? The proper legal and normal thing for a sovereign nation to do in such a circumstance is issue an ultimatum demanding a confession, apology, compensation, and the delivery of such persons as were responsible for the execution of justice. In this case such persons include Mumbles Gads-here’s-his-affray. When that ultimatum is not met with full satisfaction within a stated time, 12 hours should do, a State of War is declared to be in effect.
The astute reader might notice who I have not mentioned in this scenario, the President of the United States or Barack Obama depending on how you choose to address him. The power to declare war is vested under the US Constitution in the Congress. The President has traditionally gone to Congress and advised them on when such a declaration is needed. There is no requirement for that to originate with the Executive, who exists after all to execute the will of Congress, any more that there is for any Act of Congress to be submitted from outside the legislature. A Declaration of War, unlike a Bill seeking to become a Law, does not even need to be submitted for presidential signature and is not subject to a veto. In that it resemble a constitutional amendment but without the provision for a needed super majority.
There is also no necessity to submit the power to declare war to the United Nations or any other body for approval. It is an expression of the sovereign will of the people as expressed through their legislature. Given that the UN is not a government and does not derive its powers from the consent of the governed, an impossibility given that the majority of its members are despotisms, it cannot replace the role of the Congress. Given that the Congress appoints the US Ambassador to the UN who exercises the veto power on our behalf in the Security Council, the UN must be seen as the subordinate body.
That does not mean that the Congress should ignore the opinion of the President or the opinions of other members of the international community in reaching such a rare and momentous decision. It is the duty of the President to keep the Congress well informed regarding what threats are faced, the opinions of potential allies or enemies as well as their capabilities, and other competing interests that have to be balanced in setting policy. Congress sets the policy and must sometimes accept that some offenses against the United States go insufficiently punished for the greater good.
In this case if the facts are as reported and if the British and the US intelligence services confirm them, as I believe they must although they will do so reluctantly, then it would be appropriate to proceed to a Declaration of War. That would enable the US to eliminate the regime in Tripoli. We would not do so as a servant of some international consensus regarding a Responsibility to Protect (R2P) those who the Libyan government should protect. We would not do so at the behest of the Arab League or the EU oil cartels. We would do so because it was the right thing for the American government to do in response to injuries done to Americans.
We could provide some humanitarian assistance in the future. Ideally that would take the form of missionaries with further military activity only being called in as a response to further outrages against US citizens. If the locals need medicine, schooling and other assistance then I am confident that the Mormons and the Baptists can provide it. If they understand that they can decline the help but that if they do so violently the response will be disproportionate then the level of violence is likely to decrease faster than if we enter into an extended military occupation. It may be that we do have to offer the alternative of a real colonial occupation and transformation of the local society as an alternative that we could resort to if the locals respond to the removal of the current government by supporting a Taliban like replacement that becomes a threat.
What we should not do is half occupy the country and install a sharia regime under US military protection, as we did in Iraq and Afghanistan. What we should not do is support and enable Muslim Brotherhood and al-Qaeda elements and undemocratic international governance advocates at the expense of American power, interests, and security. What we should not do is violate the Constitution of the United States and subordinate the US Congress to the opinions of illegitimate outside agents. What we should not do is anything like what Obama has done.
Given that the reported predicate for the deal struck between The Bush 43 administration and Kakadaffy was that the Libyans give up their WMD programs and rat out on known al-Qaeda in return for extended breathing privileges for the Qadhafi clan.. Despite some recent speechifying by the romantic Colonel he has largely kept his side of that bargain so some are questioning the propriety of our now seeking his ouster. Part of the fine print of the deal, as elaborated by the British after they arranged for the release of the Libyan operative convicted in the Lockerbie bombing in return for a trade deal, was that we accepted at face value two stories put out by the Libyans.
1. The Maximum Leader King of Kings was really a dupe whose intel services went rogue on him. This could be called the Pakistani ISI model or “boys will be boys.”
2. It was really the Iranians who did it and Quackydahfay is now helping us in ways that we really don’t want publicized.
Neither story was very credible but maintaining a veneer of plausibility was considered part of the agreement that protected the Libyan regime. The story attributed to the defecting Cabinet Minister tears that agreement apart. In fairness to the Despot of the Many Fetching Robes he has some reason to feel hard used if the agreement did not fail because of his own incompetence in preventing a rebellion, by being insufficiently ruthless, and the defection of his diplomatic staff but because of actions by the Americans in encouraging Muslim Brotherhood and al-Qaeda backed unrest. Nevertheless we now have the story out and have to respond to it.
My belief is that the Congress of the United States should invite the British Ambassador to answer some questions regarding the evidence offered and their opinion regarding the destruction of an American flagged airliner and the deaths of American citizens. The head of the CIA should then be asked the same questions. The only difference being that while HM Ambassador would be on his word as a gentleman the Director of the CIA would be under oath as a civil servant.
Let us assume that the evidence is clear and damning that Muammar Ghaddafi did with malice of forethought order the murder of those civilian Americans. What should we do then? The proper legal and normal thing for a sovereign nation to do in such a circumstance is issue an ultimatum demanding a confession, apology, compensation, and the delivery of such persons as were responsible for the execution of justice. In this case such persons include Mumbles Gads-here’s-his-affray. When that ultimatum is not met with full satisfaction within a stated time, 12 hours should do, a State of War is declared to be in effect.
The astute reader might notice who I have not mentioned in this scenario, the President of the United States or Barack Obama depending on how you choose to address him. The power to declare war is vested under the US Constitution in the Congress. The President has traditionally gone to Congress and advised them on when such a declaration is needed. There is no requirement for that to originate with the Executive, who exists after all to execute the will of Congress, any more that there is for any Act of Congress to be submitted from outside the legislature. A Declaration of War, unlike a Bill seeking to become a Law, does not even need to be submitted for presidential signature and is not subject to a veto. In that it resemble a constitutional amendment but without the provision for a needed super majority.
There is also no necessity to submit the power to declare war to the United Nations or any other body for approval. It is an expression of the sovereign will of the people as expressed through their legislature. Given that the UN is not a government and does not derive its powers from the consent of the governed, an impossibility given that the majority of its members are despotisms, it cannot replace the role of the Congress. Given that the Congress appoints the US Ambassador to the UN who exercises the veto power on our behalf in the Security Council, the UN must be seen as the subordinate body.
That does not mean that the Congress should ignore the opinion of the President or the opinions of other members of the international community in reaching such a rare and momentous decision. It is the duty of the President to keep the Congress well informed regarding what threats are faced, the opinions of potential allies or enemies as well as their capabilities, and other competing interests that have to be balanced in setting policy. Congress sets the policy and must sometimes accept that some offenses against the United States go insufficiently punished for the greater good.
In this case if the facts are as reported and if the British and the US intelligence services confirm them, as I believe they must although they will do so reluctantly, then it would be appropriate to proceed to a Declaration of War. That would enable the US to eliminate the regime in Tripoli. We would not do so as a servant of some international consensus regarding a Responsibility to Protect (R2P) those who the Libyan government should protect. We would not do so at the behest of the Arab League or the EU oil cartels. We would do so because it was the right thing for the American government to do in response to injuries done to Americans.
We could provide some humanitarian assistance in the future. Ideally that would take the form of missionaries with further military activity only being called in as a response to further outrages against US citizens. If the locals need medicine, schooling and other assistance then I am confident that the Mormons and the Baptists can provide it. If they understand that they can decline the help but that if they do so violently the response will be disproportionate then the level of violence is likely to decrease faster than if we enter into an extended military occupation. It may be that we do have to offer the alternative of a real colonial occupation and transformation of the local society as an alternative that we could resort to if the locals respond to the removal of the current government by supporting a Taliban like replacement that becomes a threat.
What we should not do is half occupy the country and install a sharia regime under US military protection, as we did in Iraq and Afghanistan. What we should not do is support and enable Muslim Brotherhood and al-Qaeda elements and undemocratic international governance advocates at the expense of American power, interests, and security. What we should not do is violate the Constitution of the United States and subordinate the US Congress to the opinions of illegitimate outside agents. What we should not do is anything like what Obama has done.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Comment on Jonah Goldberg, The Corner - NRO:
We’re Here from the Government
We’re Here from the Government - By Jonah Goldberg - The Corner - National Review Online
How will the Constabulary respond next when the residents encourage the neighbor at the entrance to the cul de sac who made the call that started this to move to someplace more welcoming? Good governments and good police departments when they get a request like this realize that they are being asked to pour gasoline on a local dispute and investigate first or seek to stay out.
The man has every right to stand on his property and say or yell anything he wants to. The rule should be that he can be ordered to stand far enough so as not to pose an immediate threat, that should be 12 feet. He should charge the woman who was out of uniform with violating his civil rights. If she was wearing anything that misrepresented her status then that should be an additional charge. She definitely lied to him, which a cop can do in many circumstances. In this case she promised not to allow the removal of the hoop if he stepped back and said he could request a review. That type of lie is not the same as saying falsely to a suspect that someone else has confessed, which is permissible.
How will the Constabulary respond next when the residents encourage the neighbor at the entrance to the cul de sac who made the call that started this to move to someplace more welcoming? Good governments and good police departments when they get a request like this realize that they are being asked to pour gasoline on a local dispute and investigate first or seek to stay out.
The man has every right to stand on his property and say or yell anything he wants to. The rule should be that he can be ordered to stand far enough so as not to pose an immediate threat, that should be 12 feet. He should charge the woman who was out of uniform with violating his civil rights. If she was wearing anything that misrepresented her status then that should be an additional charge. She definitely lied to him, which a cop can do in many circumstances. In this case she promised not to allow the removal of the hoop if he stepped back and said he could request a review. That type of lie is not the same as saying falsely to a suspect that someone else has confessed, which is permissible.
Monday, March 28, 2011
On Jonah Goldberg, NRO: Re: Veena Malik:
YouTube - Pakistani Actress Defies Mullah Accusing Her of Immoral Behavior
YouTube - Pakistani Actress Defies Mullah Accusing Her of Immoral Behavior on an Indian Reality TV Show
Imagine if she had finished by calling out,
"Oh my True Brothers this false Imam has lied and claimed he was my brother and he has dishonored and slandered me. Protect me my Brothers and punish him."
Imagine if she had finished by calling out,
"Oh my True Brothers this false Imam has lied and claimed he was my brother and he has dishonored and slandered me. Protect me my Brothers and punish him."
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Comment on Roger L Simon: The PJ Tatler »
My suggestion to replace Couric
The PJ Tatler » My suggestion to replace Couric
cthulhu 35, Beat me to it.
Mary Katherine Ham would be a brilliant choice. She is a real journalist. She grew up knowing the business as her father is a journalist and she can both write and do video. Pull in John Stossel for feature reporting and build a core of two dozen real reporters from two sources. Half from the despised local affiliates who actually knock on doors and follow stories and half from those with recent military service.
Next we need a program to rebuild the pipeline of qualified people who work in delivering the news. To many of the people working in the news industry have earned their credentials in Soros funded advocacy shops after a stint in grad school but have never held a real job or performed old fashioned news chasing. Getting a paycheck in the news business, as opposed to working in it, becomes a stop in a revolving door between foundations and government, with a little excitement and occasional danger thrown in. Given the shifts to New Media this has been tolerated as part of an fin de siècle indulgence. If people really believe in and want to save journalism then they need to break the cycle of self indulgence and cronyism. The reform to open up the industry to new voices would be to ensure that admission to the Gatekeeper J schools happen after 5 years in some real job, such as the military, teaching, banking, engineering etc. These would be no panacea, cronyism and ideological corruption are like rust in that they never sleep. Serious efforts to demonstrate a commitment to reforming the scandal stained image of Journalism could prove clever marketing.
cthulhu 35, Beat me to it.
Mary Katherine Ham would be a brilliant choice. She is a real journalist. She grew up knowing the business as her father is a journalist and she can both write and do video. Pull in John Stossel for feature reporting and build a core of two dozen real reporters from two sources. Half from the despised local affiliates who actually knock on doors and follow stories and half from those with recent military service.
Next we need a program to rebuild the pipeline of qualified people who work in delivering the news. To many of the people working in the news industry have earned their credentials in Soros funded advocacy shops after a stint in grad school but have never held a real job or performed old fashioned news chasing. Getting a paycheck in the news business, as opposed to working in it, becomes a stop in a revolving door between foundations and government, with a little excitement and occasional danger thrown in. Given the shifts to New Media this has been tolerated as part of an fin de siècle indulgence. If people really believe in and want to save journalism then they need to break the cycle of self indulgence and cronyism. The reform to open up the industry to new voices would be to ensure that admission to the Gatekeeper J schools happen after 5 years in some real job, such as the military, teaching, banking, engineering etc. These would be no panacea, cronyism and ideological corruption are like rust in that they never sleep. Serious efforts to demonstrate a commitment to reforming the scandal stained image of Journalism could prove clever marketing.
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