Russia Continues Showing Two Faces

Russia needs to decide whether it wants to join in the European missile shield program, or whether it wants to continue seeing it as a threat to Russia. Because continuing to talk about alternatives to the American plan while developing new weapons to defeat the system is just self-contradictory and tiresome.

Other than merely envying America's currently dominating role in the world, I just don't see much reason for Russia to believe that the West is a threat to them. Sure, we're cozying up to some of Russia's neighbors, but Russia isn't supposed to be an enemy any longer. They're supposed to be a "democracy," (in quotes because I hate that term), and "democracies" aren't supposed to fight wars. At least, it's never happened in the past.

Perhaps Russia perceives a threat because it knows itself that its turn toward totalitarianism (of a more national socialist nature) will eventually bring it at odds with the West. Hell, maybe it's already happening. As far as I can tell, Russia has no intention of joining the West and supporting individual rights (to the extent that the West does so, of course), and so perhaps it's just preparing itself for the inevitable.

Presidential Candidate Tom Tancredo Suggests Attacks on Mecca and Medina if US is Nuked

I'm sure I'll be roasted for this, if it gets any wide readership, but I don't necessarily disagree with Republican Presidential candidate Tom Tancredo when he suggests that one way to avoid an Islamic fundamentalist nuclear attack on the US is to establish a policy that such an attack would result in equal attacks against Mecca and Medina.

If taken seriously, this would have two affects. First, it would certainly give the state sponsors of terrorism, who would be the ones to give the terrorists the weapons in the first place, reason to give the whole matter some thought. Second, once they thought about it, it would give them reason to actively seek out any and all terrorists who might be considering such an attack, and make sure it doesn't happen.

Is it a harsh policy? Certainly. But then, a nuclear attack against the US would have harsh repercussions, not just for the US. In fact, targeting Mecca and Medina would result in far fewer human losses than targeting Tehran and Damascus. And it would demonstrate that the US is not a nation to be trifled with--which is the one lesson al Qaeda and other terrorists organizations haven't yet learned (because we haven't taught it to them).

All they understand is strength. And such a policy would represent the sort of strength that they would certainly understand. After all, their targets on 9/11 were of just as much symbolic value to Americans as these holy sites are to Muslims, and yet the terrorists had no problem attacking them. In fact, that was the point--which should be the point of our policy, as well.

The Register Reports Shocking News That Sales Went Up and Prices Went Down

Umm, news to the Register: in elastic markets (like computer chips) sales typically do go up as prices go down. That's a result of this thing called "economics." In fact, and this might come as a surprise to the story's writer, companies sometimes actually lower prices on purpose to increase sales.

Read the story. It actually states that, although sales were up, chipmakers were hurt because prices were lower. I don't mind a little ignorance in a journalist, but man, this is a doozy.

Founders Believed in Seperation of Church and State

A tremendous post on the Rule of Reason blog supports with copious amounts of evidence the notion that America was not founded on Christian moral principles. It's an important discussion of the need and justification for the seperation of church and state.

It's not a short read, but I won't quote any here because it's too tightly-written an essay to quote from. If you care at all about the issue, you'll read the piece in its entirety.

Miltary Loses Track of 190,000 Weapons in Iraq

I'm not sure what I find worse about this MSNBC story, that we've lost track of 190,000 assault rifles and pistols provided to Iraqi security personnel, or that we were giving them AK-47's instead of American weapons. From my limited military perspective, that would seem, well, stupid.

I was in the military, as it happens, and so I know how these things can happen. The military's a bureaucracy like any other, and when things are rushed and policies not followed (as seems to be case here), things like this are commonplace. The lost of the weapons, I mean. But, at the risk of repeating myself, I still don't get that we were handing out AK-47's.

Cox and Forkum on Islamic Crackdown on Concert Attendees

Cox and Forkum on a recent arrest of 230 Iranian youths attending a private concert. Apparently, the arrest is part of an effort to crackdown on the sort of "immoral" behavior defined during the original Islamic Revolution.

With Imajihadi (or whatever his name is) as lunatic President and with Islamic totalitarianism on the rise, nah, there's no reason for the US to be concerned about Iran.

Digg Report

Digg Report: Today's #1 Digg, at 5929 Diggs, is a link to a picture of Kevin Mitnick's business cards. For those who don't see hacking as a criminal activity, I suppose this is sort of like hero-worship. To others, well, it's not.

Ron Paul's Appeal is to the Internet's Youngsters

I agree that this is fascinating: Ron Paul barely registers in the mainstream of the 2008 Presidental campaign, but on the Internet, he's #1 over both Dems and Republicans. CNET suggests that perhaps it's an age thing, that Paul's positions resonate with the Internet's younger demographics.

I'll buy that. I think it also relegates the Internet to relative unimportance in contemporary politics.

Google/YouTube Sued for Copyright Infringement

And therein lies the rub: yes, Google/YouTube might remove copyrighted material whenever requested, but by that time, the cat's already out of the bag. With tools for downloading video from YouTube, by the time it's removed thousands or even millions of copies might already have been made.

These services must devise methods to prohibit the infringement in the first place. How they do so is up to them, but until they do, they're providing a platform for committing crimes. At the very least, such civil actions as that discussed in the linked CNET story should succeed.

Boing Boing Interviews Sudhir Vankatesh About Street Gangs

Boing Boing posts about an upcoming book by Sudhir Venkatesh (author of Freakonomics) on street gangs. To be titled Gang Leader for a Day, the author had this to say in an interview at Columbia University:

Q: How do gang members see themselves as fitting in with society at large? Do gang members have a real comprehension that the things they do — dealing drugs, engaging in violence, destroying property, scaring people — are widely perceived as not only illegal but also morally wrong?

A: Many gang members who attain leadership status are deeply conscious of their perception by wider society. They tend to make two arguments when discussing their behavior: first, that whites also work in the underground economy but are not prosecuted (or stigmatized) to the same degree (just look at the differential rates of punishment for powder cocaine and crack cocaine — the former is distributed by whites to a far greater degree); and second, that corporations also engage in criminal activity, but are rarely viewed as outlaws — not just Enron, but oil and other companies that have established histories of supporting anti-democratic regimes in developing counties to secure their own profits.

What fascinates me the most about the gang leader's answer is this part: "that corporations also engage in criminal activity, but are rarely viewed as outlaws." If the book is supposed to show that gang leaders are actually in touch with what's really going on, then it's already failed. American corporations and businesspeople are perhaps the single most persecuted group in American society, being blamed for everything from pure greed to outright evil. If the only example this gang leader can think of is Enron, than he's not very well read.

Iran and Saudi Arabia: Allies?

Once again, a very dubious source, but imagine if this post is true. The money quote:

Iran's President and the king of Saudi Arabia stressed on boosting unity and brotherhood among Muslims in a phone conversation.

If this conversation actually took place, and has any real meaning, then we just promised $20 billion to an Arab that hopes to be allied with Iran.

Somehow I doubt it really means anything (and the $20 billion to Saudi Arabia can't really be made any worse), but it's just creepy.

Light Blogging Today

Much to do, and not nearly enough time to do it. So, light blogging today.

Digg Report

Digg Report: Today's #1 Digg, at 2869 Diggs, is a link to what the poster calls the most "intense" tattoo you'll ever see. I say, it's the most grotesque.

Ahmadinejad Says Israel Should "go find somewhere else" To Live

I wonder a bit about this source, but if true, then Iranian President Imajihadi (or whatever his name is) has put his foot into it again. Here's a quote:

Iran's outspoken President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called on Israel to "go find somewhere else" for its state and leave its territory for the creation of a Palestinian state, according to an interview published Saturday. "Our support (for the Palestinian people) is unconditional.
I'm sure that, as usual, this will be downplayed by the Left as merely mistranslation, as with the hundreds of other such statements he's made. If this source is valid, it's just another piece in a long line of evidence that Iran is led by a madman.

China Publishes Anti-Corruption Game

The Chinese government is taking corruption seriously: it created a game where the object is to kill all corrupt officials on the way to a corruption-free paradise. This is, I suppose, to prepare future Chinese leaders to avoid corruption.

There's an irony there. Leave a comment if you've noticed it.

Some More on "Sicko"

Here's a nice short essay on "Sicko," by our favorite Leftist, Michael Moore. Some quotes:

One of "Sicko's" recommended models, the so-called free medical system in Sweden, requires a 13.9 percent gross income tax with no exemptions on total personal income, plus employer and general fund contributions to pay for it. This, when coupled with a co-pay system that collects from patients $13 to $30 for each doctor visit, prescription, and specialist consultations at clinics, by definition makes the Swedish medical system not a free lunch.

...

In fact, it can be argued some welfare state healthcare systems such the U.K.'s are evolving into two systems based upon who pays. Those who have means to pay have access to spa-like personal service, and those who don't want to, or those who do not have the means, join waiting lists and in many cases receive treatment in a Spartan-like environment.

It's a short piece, and barely scratches the surface, but worth a quick read nonetheless.

Celebrity Report: Elton John's a Luddite

Celebrity Report: I like Elton John's music, but this CNET stories shows him to be just a bit bonkers when it comes to technology. Then again, he was around in the '60's.

Intel Owes AMD $60 Billion?

Here's a fascinating looking into the seamier side of antitrust law (if antitrust could possibly have a seamier side). Basically, this CNET article alleges (or just states, one can't quite tell) that AMD has hired a consultant to show how much money Intel has essentially "stolen" from AMD through anti-competitive practices.

This is, of course, essentially the same as the Microsoft case, without the dubious economics. You have a competitor in AMD (among others) who simply haven't made the best product and marketing decisions, while Intel has done pretty well. In fact, there was a recent period of time when Intel was doing everything wrong, and AMD simply failed to capitalize on it.

Antitrust law is just a way for disgruntled competitors to stop successful companies. I refer you to this article at the Ayn Rand Institute for more.

2008 BMW 535i Is a Beauty

I have a bad tendency to lust after things I can't have. The 2008 BMW 535i is a good example.

CNET reviews it, and it sounds like heaven on wheels.

Digg Report

Digg Report: Today's #1 Digg, at 4345 Diggs, is a rather plaintive request for Digg to do something about a group that games Digg to, I guess, drive traffic to their site. I suppose that's a real issue, and also seems an inherent issue of Digg itself (because, of course, special interest groups can do this as well, for, say, political purposes).

Mob rule. Gotta love it.

Boing Boing Misinterprets Freedom of Speech

In this Boing Boing post, they go postal on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's (CBC's) decision to require employees to get permission to blog if they identify themselves on their blogs as CBC employees. To Boing Boing, this is the epitome of infringement on free speech.

To anyone who understands free speech, however, this is basically saying, "If you want to remain an employee of CBC, then you'll either blog without mentioning that you're a CBC employee (thus avoiding any chance that your opinions will be taken as ours), or you'll get permission first."

Every CBC employee has a right to blog. They just don't have a right to a job at the CBC. The CBC can't stop someone from blogging, the most they can do is stop someone from working at the CBC. Only government could actually, physically stop someone from blogging, and that's what freedom of speech is all about.

Boing Boing Advocates News be Created by Special Interest Groups

From what I can tell, this Boing Boing post proposes that "citizen journalism" will be better than "real" journalism. But, what they describe sounds to me a bit like the creation of a sort of partisan journalism, turning all of the "news" into opinion pieces.

Imagine if the only news we received was essentially editorials created by special interest groups. It's really quite chilling.

Secure You're Wireless Network (Will be Obvious to Some)

Just a quick public service announcement: if you're wireless network isn't secure or you spend time on unsecured public networks, and if you're not using encrypted connections to your email provider, you're juts asking for trouble.

It's trivial for someone to get all the information they need to make your life a living hell. I once had someone hack into my PayPal account (because I was an idiot and used a weak password for both my Yahoo! email account and for PayPal), change the information on my bank and credit card accounts, and in general hijack my identity. I acted quickly enough--or should I say, PayPal acted quickly enough by calling me about a suspicious transaction--that nothing really bad happened, but I spent the next few weeks closing and opening all sorts of accounts.

So, get that security thing going, eh? My apologies if I sound preachy.

Congress Introduces Bill to Allow Governments to Compete in the Broadband Market

This would be bad news: via Ars Technica, it appears that Congress has introduced a bill that would overrule state laws that prohibit munipal broadband. Essentially, it would allow cities and towns to build their own broadband networks in competition with private providers.

Now, government has no special intelligence when it comes to providing such services. In fact, it really knows very little about it, as evidenced by the millions of dollars wasted every year by incompetent government IT departments.

It also has no money to spend on such ventures, other than the taxpayer money that it expropriates from its citizens. This means that government would necessarily be taking money from some group of citizens who either already have their own broadband connections or could care less about it, to provide broadband services to those who, for whatever reason, don't have it. And, of course, there's also the issue of those who current pay for broadband services with private companies to cancel and take advantage of the government-subsidized service.

Finally, government is by definition that entity that possesses a monopoly on the legal use of force; in one sense, government is force, because all of its legitimate functions (police, courts, military, etc.) are aimed at retaliating against those who initiate the use of force. Introducing force into the market does not create "competition," it creates coercion, no matter how the bill might be written. Government corruption stems from its ability to influence lives and business; we don't need more opportunities for it.

In other words, there's no good reason for municipalities to setup broadband services, and plenty of bad reasons. And I haven't even touched upon the economic impact that forcing broadband connectivity with current technologies will have on the development of new technology.

I hope to hell that this bill doesn't pass. Incidentally, it's the Community Broadband Act of 2007, if you feel inclined to contact your Congressperson.

Ahmadinejad States the Obvious

Iranian President Imajihadi (or whatever his name is) spells out American foreign policy in this story in The International News (sorry, link is to a print-ready page). It's remarkable how precisely he defines it, given how obvious it is. I say, the fact that he brings it up at all means it bugs him, but I doubt that it bugs him all that much, since he's insane.

I link to the story, but really, it's not worth the time.

The Objective Standard on US-Iran Negotiations

More good stuff from the Objective Standard, this time on the recent "negotiations" (cough, appeasements, cough) between the US and Iran. Obviously, the post supposes that Iran is the winner, and of course that's true.

They say it better than I could, so go read it already.

Chicago Overrun by Loony Left

The "Yearly Kos Convention," currently being hosted in Chicago, is probably the only reason I can think of in recent memory of why I'm happy I moved from there to Los Angeles. Of course, they'll probably host in LA next year, in which case I suppose I'll have to go on a vacation or something.

Russia Sells Some Serious Stuff to Iran

Recent significant Russian arms sales (including 250 advanced Su-30 fighters) to Iran does put a bit of a different spin on our arms sales to Saudi Arabia. At least, it does so in a purely contemporary pragmatic sense.

Really, what it says is that we should hurry up and build our ground and air bases in Iraq and Afghanistan and start stocking them up. And the $20 billion should have gone straigh to Israel. Thinking that we can trust Saudi Arabia (or any other Arab state, for that matter), with protecting our interests in the Middle East is the kind of thinking that go us where we are today.

We need to stop with the subtle geopolitical wrangling and start acting like the superpower we are. If that means being really, really nice to our allies and really, really mean to our enemies, than so be it. First, of course, we have to identify which is which, and so far, we've done a poor job of it.

Iran's going to be our problem. Saudi Arabia won't do anything for us. And unfortunately, the Russians and Iranians both know this better than do we.

Digg Report

Digg Report: Today's #1 Digg, at a hefty 7802 Diggs, is a screenshot of Digg from the '90's. Looking at the Dugg titles listed, the only thing that's changed is Digg's gotten a whole lot prettier and more complex.

As they say, the more things change...

Russia Plants Flag at North Pole

Well, they've gone and done it. Russia has planted a flag on the sea floor at the North Pole. It has no legal standing, of course, any more than the American flag planted on the Moon means that we own it. But to Russia, it's more than just symbolism.

The only economic strength that Russia has is its energy resources. It will do anything it can to exploit them, and to grow them. And so I expect some serious wrangling over this territory, and I don't expect it to be pretty.

A Little Bit about Preemption

Here's an interesting post at The Sophistry blog about the issue of preemption. It raises some interesting points, not all of which I agree with, and is in general an interesting read. Of course, I'm all for preemptive strikes against our enemies, and agree with elements of the linked discussion that the concept of "preemption" has a pretty broad timeline.

I won't toss in more examples, because the linked post provides a few. Give it a read.

Newsflash: Young Russians Agree with Putin

Apparently, according to the Washington Post, young Russians consider America their number one threat, just as does Putin. Surprise, surprise.

This quote is interesting:

And while Putin's rhetoric is driving this development, human rights violations associated with U.S. counterterrorism policies have played a role.

Now, this seems a little redundant to me, since Putin controls the media with a pretty tight fist and thus "Putin's rhetoric" and "human rights violations associated with U.S. counterterrorism policies" are really one and the same. Certainly, these same youngsters wouldn't be familiar with Russian counterterrorism policies, and would thus have nothing to compare against.

At times, I think this is all just political posturing, by a nation (Russia) that has long held a collective sense of inferiority. Then again, at other times, I think that things are going to come to a head sometime in the future, and where the Cold War stayed cold (or I wouldn't be writing this), the next one might not be so cool.

al Qaeda Planning "Big Surprise"?

Some stuff about a potential al Qaeda attack in the next 90 days. I don't normally publish such scaremongering, but for some reason this post caught my eye. And I do put more stock in Israeli intelligence than, well, I suppose, in our own. Even ex-Israeli intelligence. And then there's the bit about August 22nd being an auspicious date in the Muslim calendar.

I could say, we've heard this all before, but then again, we'd heard it all before 9/11, as well. We just weren't listening. So maybe it's a good idea to keep at least one ear open.

Just in case.

Obama: We'll Never Use Nukes

Via Little Green Footballs: Obama puts his foot in his mouth about the potential use of nuclear weapons. It does tend to raise the question of how viable our nuclear deterrent would be should he be elected President.

Celebrity Report: Chavez and Sean Penn New Best Buds

Celebrity Report: Sean Penn and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez are buds, it would seem. They share, at the very least, a common lack of support for the war in Iraq and, I would guess, a common hatred for America, as well.

The gist:

Chavez said Penn traveled to Venezuela this week wanting to learn more about the situation in the country and walked around some of Caracas' poor barrios on his own.

"Welcome to Venezuela, Mr. Penn. What drives him is consciousness, the search for new paths," Chavez said Wednesday in a televised speech. "He's one of the greatest opponents of the Iraq invasion."

Boing Boing Fails to Recognize Value of Symbolism

Boing Boing fails utterly to understand the importance of symbolism in maintaining public awareness and support of the war on Islamic totalitarianism. The State of Oklahoma obviously understands its value, and is issuing a license plate reminding everyone that, yes, 9/11 really did happen and, yes, there's still some paying back to be done.

And, by the way, Boing Boing, Osama bin Ladin is really pretty irrelevant in the whole scheme of things. Yes, it would be nice to find him and hang him by the neck, but other than a symbol, he's pretty meaningless. It's Iran, Syria, and Saudia Arabia that are the real problems.

Digg Report

Digg Report: Today's #1 Digg, at 3799 Diggs, is a link to a story about the tragic bridge collapse in Minneapolis.

My condolences to everyone who was injured or has lost a loved one in this horrific accident.

Poll: Almost 60% Of Iranians Would Welcome Foreign Military Action Against Ahmadinejad

I don't know much about the organization Center For the Promotion of Democracy and Human Rights, but they've just released a fascinating poll taken of the Iranian population. Some excerpts:

A new survey reveals that 92 percent of the subjects of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's totalitarian government do not believe their nation's role is positive, and two-thirds would support a "Velvet Revolution" to remove him from power.

That's interesting enough. Now check this out:

The survey...found that almost six out of 10 Iranians would support a foreign military action for the purpose of taking Ahmadinejad out of the role as dictator.

I don't remember: did we have such a poll before we invaded Iraq?

There's a lot more there. Definitely worth a read, but like all polls, should be taken with a huge grain of salt.

Putin Youth - An Inside View?

More on the Putin Youth. I'm not terribly sure of this source, and so I'm not putting too much stock in it. But it certainly fits in with everything else we've been hearing.

Litvinenko's Killer - Next Russian President?

Here's an interesting essay that suggests the possibility of Andrei Lugovoi, alleged assassin of Alexander Litvinenko, succeeding Putin as Russian President. It's a bit tongue-in-cheek, I think, but it raises some very interesting points about how Russians perceive themselves and the world.

Quite honestly, something like this wouldn't suprise me.

Software Can Tell if Digital Photo or Video was Altered

This is good news. Neal Krawetz, computer security consultant and researcher, has developed software that can tell if and how a digital photo or video was altered. Given the many, many propaganda pieces that have been foisted on the world by al Qaeda's internal media production team (which apparently they actually have, to no real surprise), this is very useful software indeed.

It's also interesting for many other uses as well. Mainstream media, you better pay attention.

Cox and Forkum on Arab Arms Deals

Cox and Forkum put the recent arms deals with Saudi Arabia, et. al., in perspective.

Digg Report

Digg Report: Today's #1 Digg, at 4354 Diggs, is a sort of public service announcement regarding a certain site and Google's search engine.

Quite a few Diggs for not a lot.

More on Ahmadinejad

A nice piece on Iranian President Imajihadi (or whatever his name is). The guy's on a tear: executions, interference with neighboring countries, exporting terrorism, forging relationships with every dictator he can. I only wish I had the same sort of energy.

It's a quick read, and worth it.

Russian's Claim on the North Pole to Cause Serious Problems

I'm linking to this post only because of the bizarre headline: "Future War: Russia vs Canada vs Denmark." It's comical, put that way.

Of course, the dispute over energy resources in the North Pole won't be so comical in the future, I'm afraid. Obviously, Canada and Denmark would never go against the Russians on their own. Should things come to a shooting war, the US would be hip deep in it.

Russia and China: BFF

It's amazing how quickly relationships between nations can change. Consider that just a few short decades ago, China and Russia were not the best of friends, sharing such a large border and in spite of their both being Communist nations. Now, they're working together on huge, mainly energy-related projects, and they're even holding joint military exercises.

Geopolitics is a fascinating subject.

Yahoo! Knew More When it Handed Over the Info?

One could take the attitude "When in Rome..." regarding the Yahoo! controversy over information provided to the Chinese government that resulted in a Chinese dissident being put in jail. In fact, that would have to be the Left's multiculturalist view--who are we Americans to define how another country should run itself?

Or, one could take the attitude that it's an evil thing, but it's justified by Yahoo!'s presence in China, which will inevitably help that nation turn to freedom via access to better information. This position's a little weak, for many reasons, not the least of which is that I'm sure Yahoo! censors its search results and other information based on the direction of the Chinese government. So, it's probably not doing much good even in this regard.

Finally, there's the mere fact that Yahoo! really has little choice in what it does, as long as it's doing business there. Would Yahoo! have been able to refuse to hand over the information? I doubt it. I have a feeling the Chinese government would have gotten their hands on the information one way or another.

That leaves pretty much the only option that Yahoo! should refrain from doing business in China. So far, thought, it's owners (that is, is shareholders) haven't decided to do so. Maybe enough of these sorts of events will change their minds.

Jewish-Muslim Relationship Complex - (Today's "Duh" Post)

I don't really know that much about the history of Jewish-Muslim relations prior to the 20th Century. I probably should.

This essay seems reasonable, but of course it's only one essay and I don't know enough to say whether or not it's valid. I'll have to find some others.

Democrats to Tax the Heck Out of Us

The interesting thing about this post at Pundit Review is that it points out how utterly ignorant the Democrats really are about economics. Each one of the tax increases listed would have a direct negative effect on precisely what's been keeping the economy afloat these past years: investment and production.

Also, read the part about how taxes have risen in proportion to GDP while the deficit has fallen. I'm not a fan of taxes, but understanding basic economic principles would be a nice thing for our leaders to possess.

US to Sell Arms to Saudi Arabia (?!?)

Okay, let me get this straight: of the 60 to 80 terrorists streaming into Iraq, perhaps as many as 50% are from Saudi Arabia, who continues to do, really, very little about it. And yet, we're going to sell them arms, as a foil against Iran, who probably provides most of the rest of the terrorists.

And one wonders why we can't make any traction is stamping out terrorism and Islamic extremism.

Good Anti-Ahmadinejad Site

Just wanted to provide a link to an anti-Imajihadi (or whatever his name is), in case you're into that sort of thing. Which you should be. It's:

StopAhmadinejad

Another in a Long List of Stories about America's Military Planning

I hate it when military preparations are broadcast on international news--by American media. It's not proposing censorship that they show a little restraint.

For example, here's a story about B-2 bombers being retrofitted to carry bunker buster bombs. They'd work great, especially on sites like Iran's nuclear facilities.

That's why the headline of the story, "Is Iran Busted?" bothers me so much. Not only are the preparations spelled out, but a direct link to Iran is drawn quite clearly by the story. Ironically, the story goes on to spell out some very specific (and surprising) reasons why attacking Iran would be justified and prudent. To quote:

Iran has so far ignored pleas that it suspend nuclear development. It has also flouted two sets of international sanctions intended to make Iran's government comply with United Nations resolutions requesting it to shut down its program.

Iran is clearly linked to terrorists in the Middle East who are killing innocent civilians and U.S. troops in Iraq.

Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini declared war on America in 1979 after Islamist students stormed the U.S. embassy and took hostages.

Tehran has threatened the existence of Israel, a nation that poses no danger to Iran, accords equal rights to its Arab citizens and, until recently, had the only freely elected government in the Middle East.

Iran supports the terrorist groups Hezbollah and Hamas, both of which produce an unhealthy instability in the region.

Now, imagine the world with a nuclear-armed Iran.

That just about sums it up. Just hush up a bit about US military planning, would you?

Shocking News: Russian Oil Company Sold Involuntarily

This is one brave dude: Mikhail Gutseriev, owner of private oil company Russneft, has spoken out about the upcoming sale of the company to a Kremlin loyalist. Specifically, he says that the sale was not voluntary.

The last guy who spoke up like this is still in prison after eight years. I wonder what's in store for Gutseriev.*

*Note: The guy was once a Kremlin insider himself before falling out of favor. So I won't be shedding too many tears.

Daily Kos: Lieberman Does What to Bush?!?

I think I've now officially broken my "no Daily Kos" postings three times in the last week. But here's a tasteful picture posted on that wonderful site that I'm sure will appeal to the loony Left that's taken over the Democratic party.

I doubt that it will appeal to many others.

Digg Report

Digg Report: Today's #1 Digg, at 4313 Diggs, is a link to a bible with a warning sticker on it. As an Objectivist and an atheist, I think such points can be made with better taste and more philosophical meaning.

Funny, but the comments are unusually mixed on this one. I guess religion is one are where the Diggsters are genuinely heterogeneous.

Palestinian Terror: The Result of Child Abuse?

Here's a fascinating discussion, titled "The Real Roots of Palestinian Terror," on FrontPage Magazine, that discusses a study that shows widespread child abuse as at least partially responsible for the incessent violence.

Some quotes:

Apart from cynical (appeasing Saudi and other Arab oil power) and realpolitik (trying to concoct a Sunni coalition against Iran) motives, all the Western bigwigs could not invest so much time and prestige in this issue without some genuine belief that it is resolvable. If the Palestinians’ problem is not Israeli occupation (totally removed in Gaza and partially in the West Bank) or settlements (totally destroyed in Gaza), then it must be weak institutions, or not enough guns for Fatah, or not enough Arab states present at the latest convocation with Israel.

And so if it's not really the Israeli occupation (because that no longer really exists), nor the other reasons listed, then what is it? The story speculates:

The physician and researcher Daphne Burdman, writing in the Jewish Political Studies Review, says the Palestinians’ ongoing aggression toward Israel and Jews results from Koranic and Hadith teachings, the PA’s own brand of systematic indoctrination and incitement, and “psychological processes arising from Arab childrearing practices.” The first two factors are more familiar than the third, which requires much more attention from people concerned about this conflict.

The story goes on to say how because of the collectivist nature of Arab societies, the abused child, once grown, strikes out not against society at large, as in individualistic societies, but against the "enemy" about whom the child was indoctrinated against. Hence, the hatred and violence against the Jew and against Israel.

It makes a sort of horrid sense, and if true, then it makes even more pertinent Ayn Rand's position that cultures are defined by their underlying philosophies (in this case, at least in part) collectivist vs. individualist, and that issues such as the Israeli/Palestinian conflict will never be resolved until the irrational side becomes rational.

Given the current state of Palestine and the West's own mixed philosophy, however, I find that a dubious proposition at best.

Strong Russia Required for Global Stability?

I agree with most of this post on Russia, except I'm not sure what he means by "A strong Russia is a necessary component of global stability, and the Russians should have the right to sit at any global table as equals, bound by international law." Most of his thesis seems to be that Russia is heading toward a dangerous sort of dictatorship, and so how a "strong Russia" could be a good thing in that context is perplexing.

I've asked for clarification, and will update this post if I receive it.

Stronger Intellectual Property Protections - About Time

I'm all for stronger intellectual property protections, which I know puts me somewhat in the minority in the IT world. I also agree that attempted infringement should be a crime, just as with any other crime.

The linked story has an interesting quote:

One of the bill's controversial features is the fact that people can be charged with criminal copyright infringement even if such infringement has not actually taken place. "Any person who attempts to commit an offense under paragraph (1) shall be subject to the same penalties as those prescribed for the offense, the commission of which was the object of the attempt," says the bill.

I'm not sure why that's considered controversial. In fact, it sounds pretty much like the definition of "attempted crime." It would be like someone attempting to mug a passerby, when the police walk up behind and arrest him. No mugging, but still a crime.

Perhaps the controversy there is that the penalty is the same as if the infringement occurred. I really don't know if that's the case with most attempted crime penalties; if not, then I suppose it is a bit odd.

Digg Report

Digg Report: Today's (early) #1 Digg, at a brisk 6124 Diggs, is a story about Paris Hilton losing her $60 million inheritence from her grandfather. The comments are sometimes a bit brutal, and this isn't important news and thus once again demonstrates Digg's irrelevancy, but I do agree with Gramps.

Sudan: The Jews are Behind the Conflict

And, of course, there must be a theory that the Jews are behind the tragedy in Darfur. Not the Muslims who are doing the actual killings. Not the Sudanese government that's letting it happen, and helping when it can. No, of course not. It's the Jews.

That, at least, is the story being told by the Sudanese defense minister. Some quotes:

Sudan's defense minister, Abdel Rahim Mohamed Hussein, has accused "24 Jewish organizations" of "fueling the conflict in Darfur" last week in an interview with a Saudi newspaper.

And, some elaboration:

"The Darfur issue is being fuelled by 24 Jewish organizations, who are making the largest amount of noise over the issue, and using the Holocaust in their campaigning," the Sudanese defense minister replied.

And then, of course, there's that insidious Jewish control over British and American policy:

Are these Jewish groups supporting (the rebels) financially?," the interviewer from Okaz asked Hussein.

"Yes, they provide political and material support through their control over the media and across American and British circles," Hussein said, adding that Jewish groups were using "all means to fuel these conflicts."

And in certain circles, this will be taken as fact. Amazing.

Russia Rewrites History: Stalin Was a Great Leader

More on Putin's Orwellian attempts to convert Russia to a true dictatorship. It appears that the Kremlin has been rewriting textbooks (which, of course, begin the indoctrination at the earliest stages of a person's life) to distort Russian and Sovient history.

A money quote:

The book describes Josef Stalin as “the most successful Soviet leader ever” and dismisses the prison labour camps and mass purges as a necessary part of his drive to make the country great. The manuals are intended to serve as the basis for developing new textbooks in schools next year, though Education Ministry officials insisted that they would not be compulsory.

Not compusory. I'm sure.

Without America, Europe is Defenseless - Hmmm

Here's an interesting story that makes some interesting connections between the war in Iraq and Europe's weakened defense posture. While I'm loathe to accept American blame for such a thing (and the author does make it seem like some heinous act we've conducted), the argument does make a sort of sense.

Essentially, it goes like this: Europe turned over its defense to the US, to build up its welfare economies. Now, the US is involved in a war with Iraq, and thus less able to defend Europe. That leaves the EU more vulnerable to Russian and Iranian threats. Thus, the story says, Europe should increase energy taxes to reduce consumption and thus harm both the Russian and Iranian energy economies.

Now, I think there's some logic there, as far as it goes. But to me, it raises the more interesting question of why the US has for so long been Europe's protector? Is it because we've simply not trusted them to provide for their own security? After all, one would have reason for doubt following WWII.

Or, did we do so to maintain influence over Europe? If so, then we've squandered that influence as we watch Europe devolve into future potential Islamic states.

I have no idea at this point, but it's something to ponder. If anyone has an obvious explanation that I'm missing, feel free to chime in.

Guantanamo Releases Terrorists - Left Smiling

It appears that quite a few of those released from Guantanamo have gone on to rejoin their terrorist colleagues in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Left should be proud.

Moore's Fantasy "Sicko" Will Cost Lives

Via the Copious Dissent blog, here's a short piece on the Canadian healthcare system. A quote from the post:

If you want to find the real story of Canada’s failed Universal Healthcare system, look no further than America’s boarder cities. The Buffalo News just reported a story about, Lindsay McCreith, a 66 year-old Canadian retired auto body shop owner. This story, accurately reported by Henry L. Davis, demonstrates why Michael Moore’s new propaganda film, “Sicko” is patently misleading.

McCreith experienced seizures on Jan. 2, 2006, and was diagnosed with a benign tumor based on a CT scan. A physician at a Canadian hospital declined to order an MRI to rule out a malignancy. McCreith’s family doctor agreed to request the more-definitive scan, but McCreith was told he would have to wait over four months for the appointment.According to McCreith, had he been patient and followed the Canadian system, he would have died.

Instead, McCreith went to Buffalo to receive treatment the very next day. In Buffalo, he was told he had a malignant tumor, which required a biopsy. After trying the Canadian system again, he was told they would not allow the biopsy for another three months. McCreith, having a good friend die waiting for heart surgery, decided to see if the American private system could save his life. It did just that.

Moore has has created another fantasy. The only thing is, this time it's literally about life and death.

The Objective Standard on Socialistic Healthcare

As usual, great stuff from The Objective Standard, this time on healthcare. I hesitate to comment much, because they say things so well already.

Take some time to read this if you want a different perspective on "universal healthcare."

Boing Boing: Unsubstantiated Claim That State Department Covering Up Use of Slave Labor

I hope this story on Boing Boing about allegations that slave labor was used to build the American Embassy in Baghdad (by a Kuwaiti firm) is untrue.

I also wish that Boing Boing wouldn't turn a simple US State Department statement that the allegations are untrue into a coverup. After all, to state the obvious, it's possible that the allegations are untrue. Worse, there's nothing in Boing Boing's source for this post to support such an accusation, and I find it deplorable that they would manufacture one.

But of course the Left really needs no hard evidence to support accusations of American wrong-doing. To them, it's all simply self-evident.

YouTube Refuses to Watch Out for Violent Videos

I find this story about violent videos on YouTube fascinating for a number of reasons.

First, I think it demonstrates both cultural decline and a negative aspect of technology that brutal fights between kids as young as 11 or so are available on YouTube. Note that I'm against government censorship, and so I'm not implying that government should be doing anything about this.

Second, this quote by YouTube brings up an ineresting and related point:

The site, which is owned by Google, claims pre-screening content is a form of censorship which is not the role of a private company.

That's a fascinating statement, because for one thing, it could be taken to imply that censorship is thus the role of some other, non-private entity (i.e., government). That's a loose interpretation, I admit, but it's there.

Second, it's not "censorship" when YouTube polices its content for any kind of material, be it obscenity, hate speech, copyrighted material, or kids committing crimes and brutally assaulting someone. It's YouTubes property that's being used to show these videos, and so YouTube has every right--and some might say, moral responsibility--to control what's being posted.

I mentioned earlier that government should do nothing to stop YouTube from posting anything but copyrighted materials (because that, in and of itself, is a crime and is not protected speech), and so I'm not condoning censorship. But anyone who finds this material, and others, offensive should engage in their own freedom of expression by refusing to use the site and even, if they wish, to organize boycotts against the site's advertisers.

I find Google more and more cavalier in what they find appropriate in how to conduct business. They're motto "Do No Evil" sounds more and more hollow every day.

Iranian Execution of Dissidents to Increase

Here's a little piece on how Iran continues to executive dissidents for the "security" of the nation. A quote:

In his Wednesday remarks, Ahmadinejad said, “The nature of the work is that the government is defending with all its power the security measures to protect people in particular when dealing with hooligans, they all should defend [these measures]...” By referring to youths who were executed in recent weeks he said, “Every single one of these [young people] is like a dangerous bug, therefore, they should either be corrected or put in jail otherwise should do what has been done.”

But, the Left would have us believe that Iran's an innocent victim of America's imperialistic ambitions and Bushitler's lust for for oil.

Digg Report

Digg Report: Today's #1 Digg, at 3790 Diggs, is a link to a story about an employee who's suing her employer over a tricky contest that she won.

Deep stuff, Diggsters.

Ahmadinejad: Is it All Just a Political Power Play?

An interesting take from Strategy Page on Iranian President Imajihadi (or whatever his name is). Basically, the story says, Imajihadi is losing his grip on power in Iran over a number of idiotic statements and policy moves, and his only hope to regain power is to provoke the US into a war.

Such things have been done before. Unfortunately for him, a full-out war with the US wouldn't turn out so well, and his political future would be cut very short. The analysis does make some sense, but I think there are deeper, highly mystical, religious machinations at work.

In short, I don't think many of Imajihadi's actions are merely political maneuvering.

An Inside View at China

Here's an inside view of China and it's various methods of interacting with the outside world. It's personal opinion, of course, but it does tend to correlate with what's presented elsewhere.

A quote:

Having lived in China, watched China through my own media mesmerized eyes, and witnessed China’s government actions and reactions through Chinese business associates and friends, I have come to be distrustful of just about everything said and done by China’s government.

It is almost as if the Chinese government has been across the table from me for 30 years as we played poker. You get to know intuitively when the adversary is bluffing, lying, admitting, or avoiding.

Worth a quick read.

China Hearts Execution

More on China's love for the death penalty. If the Left wanted to really do something about government executions, they's start with China.

But, whatever. In this case, China's putting to death two gang leaders whose minions were tapping into an oil pipeline and stealing crude. Here in the ol' US, that would get someone a few years in jail. Of course, in an Islamic state, the punishment might be somewhere right in the middle, like the loss of one or both hands.

But, by multicultural standards, whatever works, right?

Russia Still Bent on Cotnrolling North Pole

Once Russia's planted its flag under the North Pole, what then? What does the West, specifically North America, do about it? Anything? Or is this simply another Putin stunt that we should simply ignore?

And, in general, Russia probably couldn't exploit the area anyways, and so it doesn't really matter.

Boing Boing: U.S. Military Shouldn't Recruit

Apparently, Boing Boing believes that U.S. Army recruiting efforts are "bad." To quote:

The US Army has developed a stand-up arcade version of its video-game "America's Army" and it will seed it in arcades around the country. This is straight out of a science fiction novel, but what would be even more skiffy is if they were to put these in arcades outside of the US. I'm surprised they're charging to play these games -- the natural thing would be to make these the only free games in the arcade, so the poorest and most desperate kids would dominate them, absorbing messages about signing up for Der Surge.

And of course, there's the obligatory German to bring a Nazi feel to the piece ("Der Surge"?).

The Left honestly does believe, I think, that the only threat in the world is the US government, and if only they had their way, there wouldn't even be a need for military recruiting. It's a bit nauseating, honestly.

Boing Boing - How to Survive a Police Encounter (Because It's Bound to be Violent and Hostile)

Boing Boing simply cannot help itself when it comes to showing anti-police material and/or how to avoid being detected while committing a crime. Why the Left has such hate for law enforcement, when it's so necessary to enforce their socialist ideals, is beyond me.

NASA Allows Drunk Astronauts Into Space

Nasa has some serious housecleaning to do. Astronauts drunk and cleared for duty?

Wow.

Update: Via Instapundit, this story might not be precisely true. I'm sure there will be more to come.

Transition to Digital TV To Cause Mayhem? - No Kidding

I can't imaging how any government-sponsored (i.e., forced) program such as the conversion to all-digital TV in 2009 could cause anything but confusion, frustration, and anger. This Ars Technical article discusses the topic, but of course doesn't go into the real issue: government should have absolutely nothing to do with such things.

Only the market should determine when and if a conversion from one technology to another occurs. When government does so by force, it by definition bypasses the millions of decisions that individuals would make--including whether or not to spend their money on technology that they may or may not want. It represents not only pure coercion, but also the confiscation of wealth.

And, if flies in the face of reason: how can government possibly determine the date by which the appropriate technology will be developed? With manufacturers rushing to meet the deadline, it's almost inevitable that potentially better technologies could be developed if more time were allowed (which the market would provide).

Government has one function: to protect our individual rights. Anything beyond that, including deciding what kind of TV we should be watching, is illegitimate and the cause of every economic dislocation we've experience over the past 100 years or so.

Ahmadinejad Calls Iran One of "Nine" Nuclear States

Iranian President Imajihadi (or whatever his name is) says quite a bit in this story:

He stated, "The three options are almost out of question ... Their call for suspension of our nuclear activities is not legal." Ahmadinejad said, "The West has carried out whatever measure it could and will do the same in the future but it has concluded that it cannot put Iran under pressure by imposing sanctions in an effective way as it wishes."

"The West thought sanctions would give a big shock to the Iranian nation.

"They (Western countries) issued two resolutions against the Iranian nation but as they admitted, Iranians continue their lives in peace and have no fear of sanctions."

So, okay, sanctions don't work. Check.

"Even if the number of resolutions against Iran reached 300, it cannot prevent materialization of the country's rights." He stressed, "Iran is among the world's nine nuclear states."

Okay, so, I believe that there are more than nine nations using nuclear power in general. And so, he basically just said that Iran is one of the states possessing nuclear weapons (and he apparently left out Israel, because unofficially they make the ninth already).

And finally:

"Western countries are unhappy not because of Iran's fuel production but over the issue that nuclear fuel production will make Iran have a share in management of the world."

Why would Iran's possession of nuclear fuel production intended purely for peaceful power production give Iran "a share in management of the world"? Of course, only the possession of nuclear weapons could possibly give Iran such influence.

And yet, there are people who believe that we should use diplomatic methods to contain this madman. And for those who say, "Why should America and the rest of the nuclear states have the right to nuclear weapons, but nobody else?" the answer is relatively simple. The genie can't be put back in the bottle, but that doesn't mean that every tinpot dictator who wants to blackmail his enemies should be able to control it.

Digg Report

Digg Report: Today's #1 Digg, at 2642 Diggs, is a link to a story on a Leftist site where, frankly, it's a little hard to find the point. It's anti-Bush, and I think it's something about him not going to Iraq for a photo-opp with some American soldiers. Or something.

It's one of the few political, genuinely Leftist top Diggs, though, and so I'm starting to believe that although Digg is definitely Leftist, it's really more influenced by immature teenage geeks. The Digg Report may not last forever.

Interview with Fred Thompson

Here's an interview with Fred Thompson, the non-candidate, on Fox News. My favorite quote (and it's not a bad interview, overall):

HANNITY: A few other friends, right? Let's talk about this. Right now, there's a battle going on between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, a question that came up in the debate the other night about whether we would sit down and talk with our enemies, people like North Korea and Iran and Ahmadinejad. And Hillary said that Barack Obama was naive and irresponsible for wanting to talk to some of these enemies.

First of all, what do you think of that back and forth? Because Hillary has changed her position on that just from three months ago. And what is your position about talking to Iran and North Korea?

THOMPSON: Well, as I understand it, Senator Clinton was suggesting that the thing she disagreed with was the fact that Clinton thought that they should send an envoy first to make sure that they wouldn't use it for propaganda purposes. My response to that is that I don't trust their envoy. I mean, what if he says that they won? It wouldn't mean anything.

When you are at that high a level, when you're talking about national leaders or cabinet members or something like that, there's a symbolic factor that you have to consider.

These people are killing our people. These Iranians are doing everything they can to undermine us and have been for a while, through Hezbollah and otherwise. They perceive us to be weak right now. If we met with them at those levels now, it would look like we were coming to them. It would look like that we were weak, and they would use that for sure for propaganda purposes and recruiting purposes.

On American Energy Independence

The blog Principles in Practice has a nice article on American energy independence. A quick quote:

"It is taken for granted," said Alex Epstein, a junior fellow at the Ayn Rand Institute, "that OPEC, a despicable cartel of tyrannical regimes that coercively limits their oil production to raise prices, can manipulate our energy future on a whim. But such a state of affairs is completely unnecessary; it is a product of U.S. environmental regulations that strangle domestic energy production.

"In a free energy market, the response of competing producers to OPEC-influenced high prices would be to eagerly cultivate new oil sources in America—such as the many untapped sources of oil in Alaska and on America's coastlines—and to vigorously seek to produce truly practical alternative sources of energy, such as coal, natural gas, and nuclear power. Such actions would drive oil and energy prices down, and with them OPEC's ability to manipulate prices..."

Turkey's Re-Islamification

It's a bit of a deep read, but this story about Turkey's re-emerging Islamism is worth it. It's good to be reminded that Turkey was once at the heart of the Ottoman Empire, which as I remember was involved in (the wrong side of) WWI.

Some quotes:

The ruling AK (Adalet ve Kalkınma) Party’s resounding popular electoral victory July 27, 2007 over its closest “secularist” rival parties—the CHP (Cumhuriyet Halk) and MHP (Milliyetçi Hareket) receiving 20% and 15% of the vote, respectively, to the AKP’s 47%—is further evidence of Turkey’s steady re-Islamization. Indeed this trend dates literally to the first election during which Turkish voters were offered any option other than one party rule under Ataturk’s CHP—in 1950, when Menderes’ Demokrat Party (DP) pursued a successful electoral strategy by pandering to an Islamic “re-awakening.”

And Bernard Lewis had predicted just such a path in the 1950's:

…the deepest Islamic roots of Turkish life and culture are still alive, and the ultimate identity of Turk and Muslim in Turkey is still unchallenged. The resurgence of Islam after a long interval responds to a profound national need. The occasional outburst of the tarikas [Sufi “dervish” orders], far more than the limited restoration of official Islam, show how powerful are the forces stirring beneath the surface. The path that the revival will take is still not clear. If simple reaction has its way, much of the work of the last century will be undone, and Turkey will slip back into the darkness from which she painfully emerged.

There's much more there. Set aside a half hour or so, and read it. Important stuff.

China Wants to Retain Mediocre Connotation of "Made in China"

It's funny, but China's undergoing a campaign with its producers to work to secure the reputation of "Made in China." And yet, a simple market study would show them that "Made in China" is already something of a negative here in the States, their major market.

The recent spate of literally deadly Chinese products hasn't helped much, so I suppose getting back to the status quo of "Made in China" being associated with "cheap" would be a good thing. And, of course, it would also be good if the actual quality itself improved.

Putin Youth, Part 2

The Putin Youth, which I commented on earlier, are starting to sound more and more like their Soviet and Nazi counterparts. They're being taught the Western ideology is evil, and that the great Mother Russia should regain her power. So, you have the enemy identified, and the means of fighting it, mixed in with strict indoctrination and nationalism.

If Putin needs a group of willing jackbooted thugs, he's doing a good job of building it.

Putin as Soprano

This Wall Street Journal commentary makes the interesting claim that Putin's Russia is essentially run like the mob: part oligarchy and part feudal society. Some quotes:

Mr. Putin's government is unique in history. This Kremlin is part oligarchy, with a small, tightly connected gang of wealthy rulers. It is partly a feudal system, broken down into semi-autonomous fiefdoms in which payments are collected from the serfs, who have no rights. Over this there is a democratic coat of paint, just thick enough to gain entry into the G-8 and keep the oligarchy's money safe in Western banks.

If you are in a real hurry to become an expert on the Russian government, you may prefer the DVD section, where you can find Mr. Puzo's works on film. "The Godfather" trilogy is a good place to start, but do not leave out "The Last Don," "Omerta" and "The Sicilian."

It's a fascinating read, and, incredibly, makes a bit of sense.

Putin Establishes Economic Policy for his Upcoming Hiatus

Odd that essentially outgoing President Putin would put together Russian first 3-year economic plan (which, yes, sounds like the old Soviet 5-year plans). So, he's essentially establishing economic policy until his return.

How convenient.

Spielberg to Pull Out of Olympics as Darfur Protest?

Celebrity Report: Steven Spielberg is considering to threaten to pull out of the Chinese Olympics as artistic advisor if China doesn't take more action in Darfur.

It's a nice gesture, I suppose, but given China's tremendous financial investments in the region, I imagine they'll find someone else to direct.

Digg Report

Digg Report: Today's #1 Digg, at 3444 Diggs, is a link to a "brilliant" photo of a "Stop War" sign.

First, I don't find it particularly brilliant. Second, a "Stop War" sign is kind of like a "Stop Murder" sign. I don't know anyone who wouldn't love to see an end to both, but since there are evil people in the world, there's not much to be done about it.

China vs. The Pope

Here's a strange one. It seems that the Chinese government appoints (Catholic?) bishops in the "official church," which of course the Vatican has taken offense at for years. In its turn, the Vatican recognizes Taiwan, which has always had China in a tizzy. The new Pope hopes to turn things around, though.

Geopolitics and religion make strange bedfellows, I say.

Putin's Self-Esteem Needs a Tune-Up

Putin has a real self-esteem problem (that I believe extends to Russia as a nation). In this story, he says about Stalin's butchering millions of people:

President Vladimir Putin said last month that although the 1937 purge was one of the most notorious episodes of the Stalin era, no one should try to make Russia feel guilty about it because "in other countries even worse things happened."

I'm not that familiar with anyone trying to make Russia "feel guilty" about the purges, because Russia isn't supposed to be synonymous any longer with the Soviet Union and Communism. Of course, Putin is doing everything to make them synonymous again, but that's fodder for a longer discussion.

And, one would have to delve deeply into his psychology to explain the notion that guilt shouldn't be felt because "in other countries even worse things happened."

Putin's Delusions of Grandeur

It's ironic that Putin--who is doing everything he can to suppress information, in particular by stifling anti-Putin sentiment in the press and via association--should tout Russia's intentions to become an information technology leader.

The money quote:

“Free exchange of technologies and information is an important factor to strengthen democratic institutions and democracy as a whole,” (Putin) said.

Chavez and Ahmadinejad: Bound by Collectivism

It would take an Objectivist, probably, to recognize that what unites Venezuela's Chavez and Iran's Imajihadi (or whatever his name is) is collectivism. For Iran, the collectivism is Islamic totalitarianism. For Venezuela, it's secular socialism. But fundamentally, they're essentially the same ideologies: the subservience of the individual to the group.

They just happen to worship different gods, Allah and "society." Otherwise, there's absolutely nothing surprising or odd about their alliance. Oh, and as this story suggests, anti-Americanism might also play a small part.

Digg Report

Digg Report: Today's #1 Digg, at 4095 Diggs, is a link to a graph that completely distorts the fundamental difference between accidental death and death by natural causes, and death by terrorism. Or, rather, it creates a false equivalence between them, and then makes the 3,000 people killed on 9/11 merely a drop in the bucket of people who've died since then.

In other words, why do we care that a terrorist group purposefully killed 3,000 Americans in a heinous act, when so many more Americans have died from other causes?

Daily Kos Says Democrats Should Tank the Stock Market

Here's my second post on the Daily Kos, but again, it's worth it. It's a Forbes story about a Daily Kos poster suggestion that Democrats should do everything they can to cause the market to drop before the elections, so that the tax increases that the Democrats plan to enact won't be blamed for the subsequent drop (which, of course, they would cause).

Truly bizarre. But worth a read.

Russia Building Military to Counter US "Threat"

Russia's building up its military in part because it sees the US as a threat. Now, in my book, when someone sees you as a threat, there's a real possibility that they're merely projecting their own hostilities. Russia is making power plays in so many areas it's impossible to presume any longer that they're just trying to restore some "strategic balance of power."

Digg Report

Digg Report: Today's #1 Digg, at 3466 Diggs, is a link to a picture of a cardboard box mod of a Linux desktop.

The main idea: Linux users are cheap.

Alrighty. As a social aggregator of important stories and ideas, Digg continues to impress.

Cox and Forkum on Chavez and His Hospitality

The immortal (we wish) Cox and Forkum on Chavez and his promise to expel foreigners who speak unkindly about him and his dictatorship. Go check it out and get a chuckle.

Frank Lloyd Wright's Genius on Display in the Desert

One of the advantages of living in Southern California is that Frank Lloyd Wright's Teliesin West home and architectural school are only a few hours drive away. I'm still kicking myself for not taking the time to stop by during my last trip to Arizona, but I was in a bit of a rush.

The linked story puts me in a serious mood for a road trip.

Ferarri 430 Scuderia Berlinetta

My, my, my, but this is a beauty. 2.45kg per HP. God, but that has to be fast. It's even sort of fuel efficient, when you consider that it's so light that it requires a smaller engine to achieve supercar performance.

Take a peek. She's purty.

Constitutional Right to Experimental Drugs? I Don't Think So

There are two things terribly wrong with the idea of a "Constitutional right" to experimental drugs. First, such a right is impossible, because one can't have a right to something that someone else must produce. Second, we should already have the right to access experimental drugs (at our own costs), but the FDA stands in the way. All that needs to happen is that the FDA is disbanded, or at the very least its restrictions on experimental drugs need to be lifted.

Just as it's wrong for government to try to create a "right" that requires expropriating the property of one person to give it to another, it's wrong for government to prohibit individuals from accessing any product they want to buy.

There's a grievous misconception regarding the Constitution and rights in this country, and it's not getting any better.