Putin: Consolidating Power?

It looks like Putin's making some serious preparations for his "leaving office." Either he won't, or it won't really matter because whomever is put in power will have Putin's hand so far... Well, you get the picture.

Putin Getting Worse, Not Better

This is one of the harsher stories I've read about Putin, and you should read it, too. If one were to list the current bad guys, Putin would have to be near the top of the list. One should never forget that what seperates the US and Russian from the rest of the world is that our nuclear weapons number in the thousands, not the hundreds or tens. We don't need a new Cold War (and certainly not a hot one), but Putin seems to be leading us in that direction.

Iraqi Military Making Progress, Politics Not So Much

Cox and Forkum illustrate brilliantly the distinct difference between our military and political handling of the Iraqi war. In spite of having their hands tied behind their backs, constantly shifting priorities and objectives, a splintered, insane strategy, and a lack of proper equipment in many cases, our military is doing an exemplary job of both fighting and training the Iraqi army.

Politics, on the other hand, remains the weak point. And as Cox and Forkum as, whose leaders are the biggest problem, ours or the Iraqi's? (Hint: both).

Digg Report: Today's #1 Digg, at 3449 Diggs, is a link to a pro-marijuana legalization site. I'm all for the legalization of drugs, finding drug use itself an activity that government has no business policing. Making the buying and selling of drugs has also created a hardened criminal culture, and I believe that some large percentage of those incarcerated were convicted of drug-related crimes.

So, except for the part about taxation (I hate when people bring up the tax value of something, since our tax system is so corrupt already), here's a Digged story in which I actually find a modicum of value.

New Commodore PCs

I know the connection's primarily just in the name, but it still gives a thrill that a company named Commodore is releasing a series of PCs.

China Silences Supporters

China's so repressive, it silences its supporters.

Breaking News: President Asks Employee to be Political

Surprise, surprise. A member of a President's administration is directed on how to do his job. For political ends, no less!

And, of course Bush is the first US President to ever engage in such efforts to guide public policy for political purposes. This story doesn't seem to say that, specifically, but I think the overwhelming number of such stories implies it.

Once Again, a Weakness is Publicized

Given the massive bureaucracy of the US military, security breaches are not surprising. They're still of concern, of course, as are their publication. I scanned the linked story and didn't find the actual URL, which is better, but I still believe that some things are better left unpublicized. People who may not have thought to look for such things are given ideas, and this story does provide some brief instructions on how to find information via FTP rather than HTTP (although, granted, this is relatively common knowledge).

Somehow, I just don't see our enemies publicizing their particular weaknesses via the newswires.

Earliest Stars Glimpsed

I don't pretend to understand how the Universe was formed, with all the attendant questions that tend to give me the willies. This story is fascinating, about astronomers on Hawaii apparently glimpsing some of the first stars ever formed. That's a look back in time of 13 billion years, when the Universe was about 500 million years old.

One day, we'll see the Big Bang itself. And that's when my poor little head will explode.

Radar - Phone Tracking for Children

If this were available for a phone that I'd give my daughter, I'd sign up for it in a second. Being able to monitor calls from strangers would help me sleep just a little better each night.

Ayn Rand's Pirate in Real Life? Not so Much

This must be the oddest Ayn Rand reference I've yet run across. It's also likely the least legitimate, although the story's antagonist, "Ragnar Danneskjold" (a true hero from Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged) is going after Digg, one of my least favorite social networking sites.

I hate Digg's mob rule mentality, and this guy seems to be exploiting it for some significant financial gain. And so, I suppose I'm a bit conflicted on whether this guy is doing something wrong, although I'll likely find something wrong with it if I think on it hard enough. Which I probably won't do.

Regardless, though, this guy's taken the wrong monicker. Ragnar Danneskjold is more of a Robin Hood figure (stealing back the ill-gotten booty confiscated by an oppressive government), and whoever this guy is, he doesn't fit that particular mold.

Happy Sweet 16!

It's my daughter's 16th birthday today, and so posting might be a bit light.

Jimmy Carter and the Facts of Reality Don't Mix

A little background information on Jimmy Carter, who's important only because he continues to influence the Left on issues as important as Israel. His silly comments about the Bush Administration are just that--silly, and for me, easily dismissed. But his inability to accept the facts of reality, and the respect he still enjoys in many sectors, is a dangerous combination.

Discovering Something Good about Heinlein

An interesting take on Robert Heinlein, a sci-fi writer about whom I know surprisingly little but who recently turned 100. Really, for a sci-fi fan, I've not read that much of it, at least of the classics. I should pick up some of Heinlein's stuff, though. Anyone who said "Ayn Rand is a bloody socialist compared to me" is at least worth checking out.

And I'm sure there are real sci-fi fans out there who, upon reading the above, are rolling their eyes in derision at the very notion that I'm just now learning such things about Heinlein. And, they're probably right, after a fashion.

Digg Report: Today's #1 Digg, at 4612 Digg, is a link to a video where an iPhone is blended. That's a big thing in gadgets, you know: whenever a new, somewhat popular gadget is released, someone runs it through a blender. Proving... nothing, of course, but that some people get a kick out of 1) destroying things or 2) proving that they can destroy something that many other people covet.

A Little Bit about Evil

Read this accounting at The Belmont Club of the difference between civilized armed forces, and the likes of al Qaeda. If you come away unmoved, and still consider there to be no moral difference between us and them, then I pity you.

Birds & Caribou vs. American Energy Independence

Nothing says that this is enough oil to grant America the energy independence we need, while we continue to search for and implement alternatives (nuclear power, anyone?). But concerns over wildlife can't trump our need to become more energy independent, and the more sources of oil and gas that we close off to ourselves the less this goal becomes possible.

We simply can't let such environmental concerns overshadow our pressing geopolitical concerns. Technology will eventually reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, but in the meantime, we need to do everything we can to minimize the oil and gas we buy from oppressive regimes.

Dr. John Lewis Forced to Resign from Ashland U.

This will be of most interest to Objectivists (and anyone who values free academic expression), but Dr. John Lewis, an Objectivist professor, was recently forced to resign from Ashland University over his views as an Objectivist. Note that he wasn't forced to resign because he was teaching Objectivism at this religious university, but merely for his beliefs.

It's a chilling story, when put in the context of the general attack on intellectual thought on our college campuses.

Better War against Iran, but Let's at Least Do Something

Although I favor outright war with Iran to remove its insidious, poisonous influence in the world, the next best thing might be to heavily support such Iranian opposition groups as the Mujahedeed-e Khalq. This story by Daniel Pipes lays out a compelling argument for lending this group all the support necessary to make it a legitimate threat to the Iranian regime.

Note that I've always been torn in such instances. The US has admittedly supported groups and regimes, for expeditious and often unfortunately pramatic purposes, that have become future enemies. It's a long list, and mostly due to the Cold War, which is why my inherent distaste for such covert and often black ops is so conflicted. We had no choice in the Cold War, I believe, to fight the Soviet Union in anything other than proxy wars. A hot war with the USSR would likely have resulted in nuclear annihilation.

The same isn't true with Iran. Although I don't believe that such a war would be easily won, if the objectives were more clear than in Iraq it would certainly not be terribly difficult. But again, the point of this post: if we don't go to war against Iran, then we had better be supporting someone who will do the job for us. And I think Daniel Pipes has done a pretty decent job of telling us who that someone might be.

Shell Turns Other Cheek

If Western companies are going to strike deals with Russia after having already been burned once, then I suppose it's like the old saying. "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."

So, Shell, shame on you.