Sunday, July 15, 2007

Digg Report: Today's #1 Digg, at a surprising 3947 Diggs (surprising both for a weekend and for such an insipid topic), is about a Japanese pool with a TRICK!

Yegads, but sometimes I fear for the future.

N. Korea Shuts Down Reactor - For Now

What's shut down can be easily started up again. North Korea gets what it wants, as in the past, and when that runs out... I give it six months, and we'll be right back where we started.

Ellison: Bush = Hitler

Little Green Footballs has a bit on Congressman Keith Ellison, who essentially compares Bush to Hitler. He backtracks a bit, but just a bit.

It's a bit outrageous, and I haven't said it in awhile: I hate politics.

Bush Not Considering a Withdrawal?

It looks like earlier speculation that Bush might be considering withdrawing from Iraq may have been unfounded. I certainly hope so. Until we've accomplished something--anything--meaningful, and until the Iraqi government (and it better be a pro-American government) has some control over things, I don't think we can leave.

And, I should add, I don't think we should really ever leave. I think we need to build bases in Iraq, just as we do in Europe.

Finally, I should also point out: I consider Iraq a miserable failure and the wrong target in the first place. Our handling of the war--as a "liberation" as opposed to defeating an enemy state--has been appalling and has unecessarily sacrificed American lives. But again, at this point, the victory to our enemies would be so great were we to withdraw now that doing so is impossible. My first paragraph in this post shouldn't be taken to mean that I'm a supporter of the war in Iraq.

Congress Approval Ratings Lower than Bush's

Speaking of surveys, I find it fascinating (and just a bit hilarious) that Congress has a lower approval rating than Bush. I think people simply believe our government's incompetent (and, corrupt?) pretty much across the board.

Newsflash: Mainstream Media has Left-wing Bias

I've often commented on the Leftist leanings of the mainstream media, and a recent Rasmussen Report survey seems to bear this out. The money quote:

"By a 39% to 20% margin, American adults believe that the three major broadcast networks deliver news with a bias in favor of liberals. A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that just 25% believe that ABC, CBS, and NBC deliver the news without any bias."

Pretty damning stuff. And, it's not the first such report I remember reading about.

Iranian Rockets Aimed at American Forces

Iran continues to supply arms to Iraqi terrorists with impunity. Our continued evasion of this proxy war is likely the principle cause of our failure to secure Iraq and achieve some sort of rational objective.

As long as we continue to let Iran wage war against us without response, we're lost.

Boing Boing: How to Violate Your Agreement with Microsoft

Once again, Boing Boing publishes a means for breaking the law, i.e., for removing the DRM from music clearly sold under the agreement that the DRM woul remain in place. Boing Boing simply has no compunctions about helping people break the law.

And on a simliar note, please everybody: Fair Use does not allow the copying of CDs and DVDs. It doesn't allow for the ripping of songs from CDs, or of video from DVDs. In fact, Fair Use has absolutely nothing to do with such things. Rather, it only allows for snippets of works to be used for such purposes as scholarly research. So, where Boing Boing says "To actualize fair use rights with the new IBX...," they're misusing such a basic aspect of intellectual property right law as to make them appear completely ignorant. Which they might be.

Healthcare is Not a Right

This is a bit of a read, but it's well worth it. The concept of healthcare as a "right" is a complete subversion of the very concept of "rights," and is central to discussions about national healthcare. This essay, written in 1993 by Leonard Peikoff of the Ayn Rand Institute and recently updated by Lin Zinzer, tackles the issue head-on.

If you care about healthcare, and about maintaining the uniquely American concept of rights, then take a few minutes and read this piece.

Russia Withdraws from European Treaty

Russia has withdrawn from the Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE), meaning its now free to place as many tanks, troops, and other military equipment in the European theatre as it pleases. According to the Kremlin, the action was taken due to "extraordinary circumstances ... which affect the security of the Russian Federation and require immediate measures."

They've threatened this for quite some time now, always because of the European missile shield. Of course, they've also made all sorts of contradictory statements about accepting the shield, participating in it, and even providing the principal radar installations. And so, one wonders what "extraordinary circumstances...require immediate measures."

Things continue to get interesting. It's like the Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times." I'm afraid we do.

Farfour the Martyr Replaced by Nahoul the Bee

The religion of peace continues its indoctrination of children in "Islam, heroism, martyrdom, and the mujahadeen," a juxtaposition of messages that ties religion directly to violence. Farfour, the Mickey Mouse-like character who was martyred at the end of the season by an Israeli soldier, has been replaced by "Nahoul the Bee," who "vowed to continue in Farfour's path." There's a clip at the link.

Entire generations are being raised to hate the Jew and the West, and to prepare themselves for "martyrdom." A quote from Nahoul:

"I want to be in every episode with you on the Pioneers of Tomorrow show, just like Farfour. I want to continue in the path of Farfour – the path of Islam, of heroism, of martyrdom, and of the mujahideen. Me and my friends will follow in the footsteps of Farfour. We will take revenge upon the enemies of Allah, the killer of the prophets and of the innocent children, until we liberate Al-Aqsa from their impurity. We place our trust in Allah."

In case there's any doubt, that means destroying Israel and taking revenge against the Jews. Welcome, Nahoul!