Sunday, July 25, 2004
Amost Famous
I'm profiled in the summer issue of the Tufts Magazine (where I once used to work)!
"I don’t think John Kerry presents the ability to lead the country in any direction. His record of changing his stances and decisions is going to come out very clearly, and the people of this country are going to see that this guy has no plan to lead us anywhere. The Bush administration showed strong leadership in the face of terrorism and on social and economic issues. They are providing a course for America to a better future for our generation and our children’s generation."
I was also quoted in a lengthy article about young Republicans in the North Shore Sunday:
Much was made about the way former Vermont governor Howard Dean utilized the Internet in getting young people excited about his campaign for the White House, but as Tufts' Tsipman explains, Democrats weren't the only ones taking notice of Dean's technique.
"I think the Internet has been huge in the way it's been used by young conservatives," says Tsipman. "I thought the Dean phenomenon was pretty amazing, but the Bush campaign team that's targeted at college students is absolutely fantastic.
"Plus there are books and conferences and great college programs for conservatives," he adds. "It's all these things that gets students energized, gets them interested and gets them out to vote."
Chirac's Outbursts Worry World Leaders
From Mort Rosenblum, outspoken veteran of the AP and author of "Who Stole the News?":
Chirac's Outbursts Worry World Leaders
By MORT ROSENBLUM, AP
PARIS (July 25) - Jacques Chirac, whose refusal to join the Iraq invasion gained him I-told-you-so clout, is worrying allies with blunt outbursts that some say raise the risks in an overheated world.
At a time when fighting terrorism needs a united front, arrogance in Paris and Washington alike is breeding discord, analysts and diplomats say.
The crux is simple: While George W. Bush wants to destroy terrorism, Chirac insists that at best, it can only be contained.
But things have gone beyond the two men's apparent mutual dislike to drag in other leaders.
Turkey, for instance, badly wants to join the European Union. But last month, when Bush endorsed Turkey's ambitions, Chirac essentially told him to mind his own business, saying Europe doesn't tell the United States how to deal with Mexico.
Chirac has enraged eastern European newcomers to the European Union by warning them against supporting the Iraq invasion. He is engaged in a nasty exchange with Ariel Sharon over the Israeli prime minister's claim that France is engulfed in "the wildest anti-Semitism" and that its Jews should get out. And he has angered the Muslim world by championing a ban on schoolgirls' wearing Islamic head scarves at school.
Chirac also sent a message to this month's international AIDS conference in Thailand accusing Washington of tying aid to trade and calling it "tantamount to blackmail."
Chirac's Outbursts Worry World Leaders
By MORT ROSENBLUM, AP
PARIS (July 25) - Jacques Chirac, whose refusal to join the Iraq invasion gained him I-told-you-so clout, is worrying allies with blunt outbursts that some say raise the risks in an overheated world.
At a time when fighting terrorism needs a united front, arrogance in Paris and Washington alike is breeding discord, analysts and diplomats say.
The crux is simple: While George W. Bush wants to destroy terrorism, Chirac insists that at best, it can only be contained.
But things have gone beyond the two men's apparent mutual dislike to drag in other leaders.
Turkey, for instance, badly wants to join the European Union. But last month, when Bush endorsed Turkey's ambitions, Chirac essentially told him to mind his own business, saying Europe doesn't tell the United States how to deal with Mexico.
Chirac has enraged eastern European newcomers to the European Union by warning them against supporting the Iraq invasion. He is engaged in a nasty exchange with Ariel Sharon over the Israeli prime minister's claim that France is engulfed in "the wildest anti-Semitism" and that its Jews should get out. And he has angered the Muslim world by championing a ban on schoolgirls' wearing Islamic head scarves at school.
Chirac also sent a message to this month's international AIDS conference in Thailand accusing Washington of tying aid to trade and calling it "tantamount to blackmail."
Bush Leads Kerry in Electoral Votes
Ron Fournier of the AP has a nice breakdown of how the Presidential race is shaping up.
Scans uncover secrets of the womb
"A new type of ultrasound scan has produced vivid pictures of a 12 week-old foetus 'walking' in the womb."
"The images have shown:
From 12 weeks, unborn babies can stretch, kick and leap around the womb - well before the mother can feel movement
From 18 weeks, they can open their eyes although most doctors thought eyelids were fused until 26 weeks
From 26 weeks, they appear to exhibit a whole range of typical baby behaviour and moods, including scratching, smiling, crying, hiccuping, and sucking.
Until recently it was thought that smiling did not start until six weeks after birth."
Twelve weeks is just three months. Wow.
Via the ever-brilliant John Coleman.
Is The New York Times a Liberal Newspaper?
"Of course it is." -- Daniel Okrent, Public Editor, New York Times. A wonderfully written piece on bias in the "New York Times", IN the "New York Times".
Which paper do you read? (via the Koch 2004 blog)
1. The Wall Street Journal is read by the people who run the country.
2. The Washington Post is read by people who think they run the country.
3. The New York Times is read by people who think they should run the country, and who are very good at crosswords.
4. USA Today is read by people who think they ought to run the country but don't really understand the Washington Post. They do, however, like their statistics shown in pie charts.
5. The Los Angeles Times is read by people who wouldn't mind running the country, if they could spare the time, and if they didn't have to leave LA to do it.
6. The Boston Globe is read by people whose parents used to run the country and did a far superior job of it, thank you very much.
7. The New York Daily News is read by people who aren't too sure who's running the country, and don't really care long as they can get a seat on the train.
8. The New York Post is read by people who don't care who's running the country, as long as they do something really scandalous, preferably while intoxicated.
9. The San Francisco Chronicle is read by people who aren't sure there is a country...or that anyone is running it;but whoever it is, they oppose all that they stand for. There are occasional exceptions if the leaders are handicapped minority feminist atheist dwarfs, who also happen to be illegal aliens from ANY country or galaxy as long as they are Democrats.
10. The Miami Herald is read by people who are running another country but need the baseball scores.
11. The National Enquirer is read by people trapped in line at the grocery store.
Which paper do you read? (via the Koch 2004 blog)
1. The Wall Street Journal is read by the people who run the country.
2. The Washington Post is read by people who think they run the country.
3. The New York Times is read by people who think they should run the country, and who are very good at crosswords.
4. USA Today is read by people who think they ought to run the country but don't really understand the Washington Post. They do, however, like their statistics shown in pie charts.
5. The Los Angeles Times is read by people who wouldn't mind running the country, if they could spare the time, and if they didn't have to leave LA to do it.
6. The Boston Globe is read by people whose parents used to run the country and did a far superior job of it, thank you very much.
7. The New York Daily News is read by people who aren't too sure who's running the country, and don't really care long as they can get a seat on the train.
8. The New York Post is read by people who don't care who's running the country, as long as they do something really scandalous, preferably while intoxicated.
9. The San Francisco Chronicle is read by people who aren't sure there is a country...or that anyone is running it;but whoever it is, they oppose all that they stand for. There are occasional exceptions if the leaders are handicapped minority feminist atheist dwarfs, who also happen to be illegal aliens from ANY country or galaxy as long as they are Democrats.
10. The Miami Herald is read by people who are running another country but need the baseball scores.
11. The National Enquirer is read by people trapped in line at the grocery store.
Tuition Burdens Fall
USA TODAY, June 28, 2004, via ConservativePunk.com:
Contrary to the widespread perception that tuition is soaring out of control, a USA TODAY analysis found that what students actually pay in tuition and fees - rather than the published tuition price - has declined for a vast majority of students attending four-year public universities. In fact, today's students have enjoyed the greatest improvement in college affordability since the GI bill provided benefits for returning World War II veterans.
Monday, June 21, 2004
Secession
Secession--not just for wacko Libertarians anymore. Welcome to the "sovereign Christian nation of South Carolina".
Sunday, June 06, 2004
Ronald Reagan, Rest in Peace
"When the Lord calls me home, whenever that may be, I will leave with the greatest love for this country of ours and eternal optimism for its future. I now begin the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life. I know that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead." — Ronald Reagan, Nov. 5, 1994
"I hope that when you're my age you'll be able to say, as I have been able to say: we lived in freedom, we lived lives that were a statement, not an apology." — Ronald Reagan, March 28, 1985
Monday, May 31, 2004
Back to Blogging
So, my faithful readers, I'm back. Not only that, but thanks to the new Blogger features, you can now syndicate me, too!
Friday, April 30, 2004
KGB Resurrection?
Jamie Glazov brings together at FrontPageMagazine Ion Mihai Pacepa, the former acting chief of Communist Romania’s espionage service, James Woolsey, CIA Director from 1993-95, and Vladimir Bukovsky, a former Soviet dissident, for a discussion of the supposed "re-Sovietization" of Russia. Their opinion is damning.
While I would agree that Russia's foreign policy in Yugoslavia and the Middle East has been atrocious, compared to the chaos it experienced in terms of economics and national security in the 1990s, I think Putin's reforms have been mostly positive. To call them fascism is a bit more than ridiculous, and smacks of the anti-national security rhetoric usually reserved by the far left for Israel and the U.S. (and rightly criticized by FrontPage).
One could talk about a "re-Sovietization" if Putin was running the country while ignoring the wishes of the people. He remains incredibly popular, however.
In response to Woolsey, I don't think oil has necessarily negatively affected Russian politics that much more than it has U.S. politics.
FP: So Mr. Bukovsky, Putin is clearly consolidating his powerful control of Russia. He is placing myriad former KGB officers in his presidential administration posts and has appointed Mikhail Fradkov, also KGB, as chief of government. The Russian media is increasingly practicing self-censorship and political opponents face increasing violence and intimidation. Russia is clearly going back to an authoritarian security state and Putin has made himself somewhat of an oligarch.
...
Woolsey: Once again, I have no substantial disagreement with the views of these two remarkable men. It seems to me that the direction of Russia is decidedly negative and that the question for us in the West is the one Lenin was fond of posing: "What is to be done?"... Putin has used the economic prosperity produced by a strong oil market to consolidate his power and lead Russia toward a form of fascism -- oil prices have given him the idea that he can do anything he wants. Oil can tend to centralize power in any society except in a mature democracy such as Norway.
While I would agree that Russia's foreign policy in Yugoslavia and the Middle East has been atrocious, compared to the chaos it experienced in terms of economics and national security in the 1990s, I think Putin's reforms have been mostly positive. To call them fascism is a bit more than ridiculous, and smacks of the anti-national security rhetoric usually reserved by the far left for Israel and the U.S. (and rightly criticized by FrontPage).
One could talk about a "re-Sovietization" if Putin was running the country while ignoring the wishes of the people. He remains incredibly popular, however.
In response to Woolsey, I don't think oil has necessarily negatively affected Russian politics that much more than it has U.S. politics.
Monday, April 26, 2004
Kerry's Man in Iraq
Cuba and Libya on the UN Human Rights Commission, oil-for-food corruption, and now this? Kerry's plan for a large UN role in Iraq may be backfiring big time, and will cost him in Florida. His great hope in Iraq happens to be the former Algerian foreign minister with certain "interesting" political views.
What's interesting, of course, is that the Bush administration has been relying heavily on Brahimi, as well. And it was Brahimi who helped forge an interim government in Afghanistan after the U.S. overthrow of the Taliban. Hmmmm.
P.S. A less somber aside, via Reuters:
P.P.S. A more somber one: Human Rights Watch is upset with the UN Commission on Human Rights... because the U.S. is on it!
"[Lakhdar Brahimi is] one of the most skilled and capable people with respect to Iraq and the Middle East," Kerry said. "He can talk to all the parties. He would be a perfect example of somebody whom you could ask to really take over what Paul Bremer's doing, de-Americanize the effort and begin to put it under the United Nations' umbrella."
Brahimi told France's Inter radio on Thursday that Israeli policies toward Palestinians and Washington's support for them hindered his search for a caretaker Iraqi regime that would take power on June 30 when the U.S.-led occupation ends.
"The big poison in the region is the Israeli policy of domination and the suffering imposed on the Palestinians."
Brahimi said his job was complicated by Iraqi perceptions of "Israel's completely violent and repressive security policy and determination to occupy more and more Palestinian territory."
What's interesting, of course, is that the Bush administration has been relying heavily on Brahimi, as well. And it was Brahimi who helped forge an interim government in Afghanistan after the U.S. overthrow of the Taliban. Hmmmm.
P.S. A less somber aside, via Reuters:
Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry has a problem with Lakhdar Brahimi, the U.N. envoy to Iraq -- his name.
The Massachusetts senator has the vowels down but can't seem to corral the right consonants.... For two days last week, Kerry referred to the envoy as Brandini, not even taking a stab at Lakhdar.
P.P.S. A more somber one: Human Rights Watch is upset with the UN Commission on Human Rights... because the U.S. is on it!
Sunday, April 18, 2004
What the World Needs Now Is DDT
A fascinating piece in the New York Times Magazine touching on Africa, malaria, and global warming:
Obviously, Richard Tren and the libertarians at Africa Fighting Malaria have been advocating DDT use for years now. To read something like this coming from the pen of an editorial writer at the New York Times though is groundbreaking. Let us remember, when we hear of scare reports, like, ‘World Health Organisation report concludes that "global warming could cause the spread of malaria and other tropical diseases to millions of people presently free of them,"’ that malaria is a poverty disease that requires just a bit of development and social organization to be combated, not for a stop to the world’s economic engine, as some, including Greenpeace, would insist.
Tina Rosenberg deserves great kudos for this article. I do however have to take issue with her statement that "Rachel Carson started the environmental movement." Influenced by Romanticism, the evil movement that gave us “orientalism” and bourgeois revolutions,
At the end of part one of "Uncle Vanya" (David Mamet's translation, which is very close to the original), Dr. Astrov, the country doctor, says:
Is the environmental movement today saying anything all that different? Are its policies being driven by any more facts than a hundred years ago? (Via Jens 'n' Frens)
Yet what really merits outrage about DDT today is not that South Africa still uses it, as do about five other countries for routine malaria control and about 10 more for emergencies. It is that dozens more do not. Malaria is a disease Westerners no longer have to think about. Independent malariologists believe it kills two million people a year, mainly children under 5 and 90 percent of them in Africa. Until it was overtaken by AIDS in 1999, it was Africa's leading killer.
...
Today, westerners with no memory of malaria often assume it has always been only a tropical disease. But malaria was once found as far north as Boston and Montreal. Oliver Cromwell died of malaria, and Shakespeare alludes to it (as ''ague'') in eight plays. Malaria no longer afflicts the United States, Canada and Northern Europe in part because of changes in living habits -- the shift to cities, better sanitation, window screens. But another major reason was DDT, sprayed from airplanes over American cities and towns while children played outside.
...
In 1970, the National Academy of Sciences wrote in a report that ''to only a few chemicals does man owe as great a debt as to DDT'' and credited the insecticide, perhaps with some exaggeration, with saving half a billion lives.
...
In her 297 pages, Rachel Carson never mentioned the fact that by the time she was writing, DDT was responsible for saving tens of millions of lives, perhaps hundreds of millions.
DDT killed bald eagles because of its persistence in the environment. ''Silent Spring'' is now killing African children because of its persistence in the public mind.
Obviously, Richard Tren and the libertarians at Africa Fighting Malaria have been advocating DDT use for years now. To read something like this coming from the pen of an editorial writer at the New York Times though is groundbreaking. Let us remember, when we hear of scare reports, like, ‘World Health Organisation report concludes that "global warming could cause the spread of malaria and other tropical diseases to millions of people presently free of them,"’ that malaria is a poverty disease that requires just a bit of development and social organization to be combated, not for a stop to the world’s economic engine, as some, including Greenpeace, would insist.
Tina Rosenberg deserves great kudos for this article. I do however have to take issue with her statement that "Rachel Carson started the environmental movement." Influenced by Romanticism, the evil movement that gave us “orientalism” and bourgeois revolutions,
by the end of the nineteenth century an explicit concern with the environment was at the centre of a wide range of works, from Gerard Manley Hopkins's 'Binsey Poplars' (1879) to Sarah Orne Jewett's 'A White Heron' (1886) and Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya (1897).
At the end of part one of "Uncle Vanya" (David Mamet's translation, which is very close to the original), Dr. Astrov, the country doctor, says:
"Billions of trees. All perishing. The homes of birds and beasts being laid waste. The level of the rivers falls, and they dry up. And sublime landscapes disappear, never to return, because man hasn't sense enough to bend down and pick fuel up from the ground. Isn't this so? What must man be, to destroy what he never can create?"
Is the environmental movement today saying anything all that different? Are its policies being driven by any more facts than a hundred years ago? (Via Jens 'n' Frens)
Sept. 11 Might Have Been Different If ...
James Lileks, via Jens 'n' Frens:
Maybe. If. If George W. Bush had phoned the Saudis on the first day of his administration and told them any act of Islamist terror would result in a mushroom cloud over Mecca, and that he would consider it "what we call in bowling a practice frame," it might have been different. It might have been different if B-52s had taken out the Taliban in February 2001 -- and we all know how Ted Kennedy et al. would have exploded in a rain of bile had Bush kicked off his term with a pre-emptive war. The articles of impeachment would have been drawn up before the first wave of bombers returned to base.
Total Information Awareness
Thought the “Total Information Awareness” surveillance program was shut down last year? So does Congress. Well, think again.
"Crack of Marijuana"
What happens when you combine a socialized medical system and "medicinal" marijuana? Nothing good, Kate Duree finds out. (See her last post dated April 15th.)
Corruption near and far
One day, when I’m done reforming the world, I will sit down on a hill under an oak tree, look at the beautiful sunset across the ocean, and behold a world free of sons of U.N. Secretary-Generals profiting off tyranny, of plutocrats running nations in Africa, and of Massachusetts politicians pocketing taxpayers' money. Until that day...
It's fascinating that the U.N. is now going to be involved with the new Iraqi "caretaker government," in place through January 2005. No less fascinating is that, according to U.N. officials, “key [Security Council] members including Russia, France and China routinely stalled efforts to address abuses in the [oil-for-food] program” and that “the United States showed little interest” in addressing its corruption.
It's fascinating that the U.N. is now going to be involved with the new Iraqi "caretaker government," in place through January 2005. No less fascinating is that, according to U.N. officials, “key [Security Council] members including Russia, France and China routinely stalled efforts to address abuses in the [oil-for-food] program” and that “the United States showed little interest” in addressing its corruption.
Thursday, April 15, 2004
Oliver Stone on Castro
Ann Louise Bardach interviews Oliver Stone about his new HBO movie "Looking for Fidel":
This interview left me speechless and sad. He just doesn't get it, does he?
ALB: So after 60 hours with Castro, what do you make of this man?
OS: I'm totally awed by his ability to survive and maintain a strong moral presence ... and we ignore him now at our peril if we start another war with Cuba.
ALB: You say we ignore him at our peril. It seems to me that we're obsessed with him.
OS: No, I think the focus is wrong. Fidel is not the revolution, believe me. Fidel is popular, whatever his enemies say. It's "Zapata," remember that movie? He said, 'A strong people don't need a strong leader.'
ALB: So you think that if he went off the scene the revolution would continue?
OS: If Mr. Bush and his people have the illusion that they're going to walk into an Iraq-type situation, and people are going to throw up their arms and welcome us, [they are] dead wrong. These people are committed. Castro has become a spiritual leader. He will always be a Mao to those people.
...
ALB: In the first film, Comandante, he asked you, "Is it so bad to be a dictator?" Did you think you should have responded to that question?
OS: I don't think that was the place to do it. … You know, dictator or tyrant, those words are used very easily. In the Greek political system, democracy didn't work out that well. There were what they called benevolent dictators back in those days.
This interview left me speechless and sad. He just doesn't get it, does he?
Death of the "Peace" Movement: SF April 10, 2004
"Solidarity With The Insurgents of Fallujah!" ... "Support Armed Resistance in Iraq & Everywhere!" ... "Avenge Yassin"
These slogans and more like them appeared on protester's signs during "anti-war" demonstrations this weekend, one of which was proudly billed as the "Insurgence Solidarity March." As if we needed any, this is yet more evidence of the complete moral bankruptcy of the Left. Photos can be seen here, here, here and here
Via Cox & Forkum. SF Rally, March 20, 2004, via nojohnkerry.org:
Sunday, April 11, 2004
The First Deadly Sin?
John's friend David Tanner on Southern pride:
Amen to that.
As I wrote in a previous post, Boston is the hub of exclusivity. I am afraid it is more spiteful than inspiring though.
P.S. An interesting bit on the origins of "the Seven Deadly Sins."
My recent trip to the land of unsweetened tea and grumpy service has led me to realize how proud I am to be a southerner. Sometimes I like to claim that I'm from Wisconsin, as I was born there, but recently I have warmed to the idea that I am a southerner at heart. I was raised in Alabama and Georgia, so I know well the reasons for your scoffs. However, though many take the redneck stereotype as the pinnacle of southern virtue, I see them more as court jesters than as having any real part in the formulation of southern pride.
I've also found that southern pride can't really be understood unless it has been lived. Unless you have been disgusted at someone's lack of pride in themselves and the work that they do, you may not understand why one should be proud in the first place. I encountered this in DC (at a "southern cooking" restaurant not less!). The server was a jerk, for one thing. On top of that, he had no pride in his work. Perhaps the excuse may be made that food service is nothing to be proud of (though I don't buy it), nevertheless, one should do one's work well and be proud to have done it.
Amen to that.
As I wrote in a previous post, Boston is the hub of exclusivity. I am afraid it is more spiteful than inspiring though.
P.S. An interesting bit on the origins of "the Seven Deadly Sins."
Friday, April 09, 2004
Diary of a McDonald's diet
Soso Whaley goes on a month-long fast-food diet to prove McDonald's right and lose weight while he's at it.
Thursday, April 08, 2004
The New Global Elite
An interesting, albeit very nihilistic article on "the new global elite" in the New Statesman:
Some excellent discussion about it at MemeFirst.
Forget illegal immigrants. A cosmopolitan class, young, mobile and restless, move from country to country as their grandparents might have moved from town to town. Do they end up as citizens of nowhere?
...
An identikit member of this Duty Free generation would be younger than 35. She would move jobs from capital city to capital city, never staying longer than a few years. The thought of moving to a provincial city in her home country is more unsettling than a move to the other side of the world. She hardly uses local public services. She may invest her money internationally, and so has no significant stake in a single national economy. When she goes abroad, she stays with foreign friends who share her tastes and understand her acronyms. She may end up marrying one of them.
Some excellent discussion about it at MemeFirst.
Coca-Cola CEO talks ethics at Yale
As Daft began his speech, protesters proceeded to the front of the room and removed their coats to reveal shirts stained with fake blood. The protesters lay on the floor as if they were dead and remained so throughout the talk. Other demonstrators passed out literature accusing members of Coke's board of being complacent about the murders of union members at the company's plants in Colombia. The group also unfurled two banners, one reading "Coke: Proud sponsor of Colombian Death squads."
...
University Police initially tried to bar demonstrators from entering a reception after the talk. After the officers relented, the protesters surrounded Daft and peppered him with questions regarding Coke's labor relations, causing him to leave the reception early.
Shame on Yale and its students. How rude. And, what a terrible way to make a point. Thank God that nothing like this has occurred at Tufts in over a year.
CT to restrict aliens' licenses
Connecticut is taking some common-sense steps to strengthen homeland security, but it seems that Yale is not too happy with it.
Socialists, like Levin, make no damn sense.
The measure, which passed the Connecticut General Assembly's Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee by a vote of 23-21, would require the state to issue non-citizens driver's licenses that expire when visitors' legal status in the United States ends....
"We're working against it," [Yale President Richard] Levin said. "Obviously, it won't be good for our foreign students." Supporters of the bill, however, said they expected the measure to have little impact on international visitors who are in the country legally.
Socialists, like Levin, make no damn sense.
Jeb Bush backs driver licenses for illegal immigrants
Gov. Jeb Bush endorsed a bill to allow illegal immigrants to get driver licenses, saying they are in the state anyway and officials should accept that fact.
Out of left field. So, are we just giving up on controlling immigration?
Cross-Dressing Heats Up Republican Race
Local Republican leaders confirmed separately that they had seen the photographs of Walls in a wig, dress and high heels....
"Now my opponent is using the information in an attempt to intimate that I am a homosexual, which I am not."
Walls, 64, who describes himself as a fervent Baptist, told the paper his family had "dealt with" the issue of his cross-dressing and that he asked for forgiveness.
Hehe.
Defending hook-up culture?
Here is something I would never have expected, but I guess should have. Amber Madison, the Tufts Daily sex columnist, writes in "Why We Hook Up":
Hooking up doesn't have to be a one-night stand; it can be more of a 30-day, risk-free trial. Before you invest too much time, money and commitment into something you get to try out the product, and see if you like it.... Girls "embrace hooking up" because it allows us a sense of comfort that dating cannot provide.
Tuesday, April 06, 2004
Organization of American Historians vs. Academic Freedom
Academic Freedom Alert:
Organization of American Historians, "the largest learned society devoted to the study of American history," appoints "Historians Against the War" activist to investigate "threats to freedom of speech" for historians, such as "Students for Academic Freedom" and "hostile government scrutiny." Meeting co-sponsored by Tufts, BC, BU, and University of Rhode Island History Departments, Harvard University Press, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, and Wellsley College Women's Studies Program.
Background:
Historians vs. Reality
By Ronald Radosh
April 5, 2004
http://frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=12876
Historians Against the War Petition the Organization of American Historians (OAH)
3-25-04: Historians/History
http://hnn.us/articles/4319.html
Organization of American Historians 2004 Annual Meeting in Boston was sponsored by:
# Boston College Department of History
# Boston University Department of History
# Brandeis University Graduate Program in American History
# Brandeis University Women's Studies Program
# Harvard University Press
# Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study
# Tufts University Department of History
# University of Rhode Island Department of History
# Wellsley College Women's Studies Program
http://www.oah.org/meetings/2004/index.html
Organization of American Historians, "the largest learned society devoted to the study of American history," appoints "Historians Against the War" activist to investigate "threats to freedom of speech" for historians, such as "Students for Academic Freedom" and "hostile government scrutiny." Meeting co-sponsored by Tufts, BC, BU, and University of Rhode Island History Departments, Harvard University Press, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, and Wellsley College Women's Studies Program.
Background:
Historians vs. Reality
By Ronald Radosh
April 5, 2004
http://frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=12876
Historians Against the War Petition the Organization of American Historians (OAH)
3-25-04: Historians/History
http://hnn.us/articles/4319.html
Among the reported developments which have alarmed historians and which illustrate, but unfortunately do not exhaust, the matters into which the ad hoc committee might choose to inquire are the following:
Restrictions of research and surveillance of library use under the USAPATRIOT Act, the repeal of which has been advocated by a growing number of faculty senates
Systematic denunciation of historians who have criticized government policy by Campus Watch, No Indoctrination, Students for Academic Freedom, and other groups
Hostile government scrutiny of foreign language and area studies programs
Organization of American Historians 2004 Annual Meeting in Boston was sponsored by:
# Boston College Department of History
# Boston University Department of History
# Brandeis University Graduate Program in American History
# Brandeis University Women's Studies Program
# Harvard University Press
# Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study
# Tufts University Department of History
# University of Rhode Island Department of History
# Wellsley College Women's Studies Program
http://www.oah.org/meetings/2004/index.html
Friday, April 02, 2004
New French Foreign Minister
Some hope on the French front:
"Some people in Washington will certainly pop a bottle of champagne today," said Bruno Tertrais of the Foundation of Strategic Research in Paris. "But it's less to celebrate [Michel] Barnier's arrival than to celebrate the departure of Villepin," he added....
[A]nalysts say the main lines of French foreign policy are still determined by President Jacques Chirac, and a change of faces at the foreign ministry will not bring a policy shift. "Foreign policy remains Chirac's domain. And I don't expect a major change of direction," Tertrais said.
Tuesday, March 30, 2004
Let Academic Freedom Ring
Let Academic Freedom Ring
by Philipp Tsipman
You don’t have to be at Tufts for too long before you notice one thing: there is not a whole lot of diversity here. Diversity of thought, that is. Sure, Tufts can boast of an ethnically diverse faculty and student body. If you look more than skin-deep, however, you’ll notice that this place resembles more closely a political party or an exclusive social club than a hotbed of free and independent inquiry and thought.
Of the hundreds of lecturers at this university every year, David Horowitz, speaking on Thursday, April 1 will be one of just a handful who is a conservative. The commencement address has been delivered by a liberal from time immemorial, and if we look at the faculty, only two are registered Republicans, or less than 2% of those surveyed in the spring 2002, and only one faculty member gave to a Republican campaign between 1998 and 2001 out of over one hundred contributions.
Now, one may say that Massachusetts is naturally heavily Democratic, that the faculty may be non-partisan, and that in any case the university hires the best people possible without any partisan or ideological discrimination.
Massachusetts voted 32.5% for Bush in 2000 vs. 47.87% nationally. That’s hardly 2%. If you are ever in doubt, however, about the ideological inclinations of the faculty and the non-partisan atmosphere at Tufts, just take a look at the professors’ doors in East Hall, the home of the English and History departments. There are signs, cartoons, and decals for every liberal cause imaginable, sending a clear message to both students and potential faculty applicants about who is “in” and who isn’t. Try to find something similar on the conservative side.
Then, take a look at the events sponsored by these two departments and at their curricula, along with those of the Spanish, Urban and Environmental Policy, Child Development, Sociology and Anthropology Departments, and of the various academic programs at Tufts: Peace and Justice, American Studies, Women’s Studies, and the Group of Six culture centers. Whenever politics is touched upon, it is considered from a Democratic or Green partisan perspective. Even when the political process is not mentioned directly, the discussions reflect the concerns of the well-heeled, liberal Northeastern intellectual elites: environment, racial, gender, and sexual orientation “justice,” animal rights, secularism, Third World humanitarianism, multilateralism, multiculturalism, anti-militarism, and an opposition to guns, smoking, and business. Until recently the Tufts Chaplaincy used to feature a disclaimer on its website associating itself with "liberal religion." The disclaimer is no longer there, but the attitude persists.
While President Bacow talks about valuing diversity "in every dimension-—as a critical element in adequately preparing students for a rapidly changing world," the radicalized sixties generation of today’s faculty and administrators brought their politics and their prejudices along with them to their tenure. They combined them with Boston’s Brahmin exclusivity and created a perfect social club, where minorities and foreigners are more than welcome, as long as they are “our people” that is, and don’t disagree.
Yet, learning from only one perspective in an environment where challenging the underlying assumptions to any extent makes you an outcast in class and hurts your grades is not learning but indoctrination. The result is herd mentality where ideas go largely unchallenged and one comes out with the same cookie cutter mentality as everyone else.
For too long this has been true at Tufts. It’s now time to open things up.
This Sunday, Students for Intellectual Diversity, an affiliate of the Tufts Republicans, will introduce a resolution on the Academic Bill of Rights with the TCU Senate. The bill outlines several key principles—-freedom of speech, non-discrimination, due process, intellectual diversity-—that the university should commit itself to in order to create a climate free of academic bias. We urge the TCU Senate and the faculty Educational Policy Committee to support this proposal, and for President Bacow to call together a taskforce that will address this issue on a university-wide level.
by Philipp Tsipman
You don’t have to be at Tufts for too long before you notice one thing: there is not a whole lot of diversity here. Diversity of thought, that is. Sure, Tufts can boast of an ethnically diverse faculty and student body. If you look more than skin-deep, however, you’ll notice that this place resembles more closely a political party or an exclusive social club than a hotbed of free and independent inquiry and thought.
Of the hundreds of lecturers at this university every year, David Horowitz, speaking on Thursday, April 1 will be one of just a handful who is a conservative. The commencement address has been delivered by a liberal from time immemorial, and if we look at the faculty, only two are registered Republicans, or less than 2% of those surveyed in the spring 2002, and only one faculty member gave to a Republican campaign between 1998 and 2001 out of over one hundred contributions.
Now, one may say that Massachusetts is naturally heavily Democratic, that the faculty may be non-partisan, and that in any case the university hires the best people possible without any partisan or ideological discrimination.
Massachusetts voted 32.5% for Bush in 2000 vs. 47.87% nationally. That’s hardly 2%. If you are ever in doubt, however, about the ideological inclinations of the faculty and the non-partisan atmosphere at Tufts, just take a look at the professors’ doors in East Hall, the home of the English and History departments. There are signs, cartoons, and decals for every liberal cause imaginable, sending a clear message to both students and potential faculty applicants about who is “in” and who isn’t. Try to find something similar on the conservative side.
Then, take a look at the events sponsored by these two departments and at their curricula, along with those of the Spanish, Urban and Environmental Policy, Child Development, Sociology and Anthropology Departments, and of the various academic programs at Tufts: Peace and Justice, American Studies, Women’s Studies, and the Group of Six culture centers. Whenever politics is touched upon, it is considered from a Democratic or Green partisan perspective. Even when the political process is not mentioned directly, the discussions reflect the concerns of the well-heeled, liberal Northeastern intellectual elites: environment, racial, gender, and sexual orientation “justice,” animal rights, secularism, Third World humanitarianism, multilateralism, multiculturalism, anti-militarism, and an opposition to guns, smoking, and business. Until recently the Tufts Chaplaincy used to feature a disclaimer on its website associating itself with "liberal religion." The disclaimer is no longer there, but the attitude persists.
While President Bacow talks about valuing diversity "in every dimension-—as a critical element in adequately preparing students for a rapidly changing world," the radicalized sixties generation of today’s faculty and administrators brought their politics and their prejudices along with them to their tenure. They combined them with Boston’s Brahmin exclusivity and created a perfect social club, where minorities and foreigners are more than welcome, as long as they are “our people” that is, and don’t disagree.
Yet, learning from only one perspective in an environment where challenging the underlying assumptions to any extent makes you an outcast in class and hurts your grades is not learning but indoctrination. The result is herd mentality where ideas go largely unchallenged and one comes out with the same cookie cutter mentality as everyone else.
For too long this has been true at Tufts. It’s now time to open things up.
This Sunday, Students for Intellectual Diversity, an affiliate of the Tufts Republicans, will introduce a resolution on the Academic Bill of Rights with the TCU Senate. The bill outlines several key principles—-freedom of speech, non-discrimination, due process, intellectual diversity-—that the university should commit itself to in order to create a climate free of academic bias. We urge the TCU Senate and the faculty Educational Policy Committee to support this proposal, and for President Bacow to call together a taskforce that will address this issue on a university-wide level.
Thursday, March 25, 2004
14-year-old suicide bomber arrested
I first heard this on the Israeli Russian radio. It's scary how almost matter-of-factly it's covered in Haaretz.
[Update: The 14-year-old might not be such a 14-year-old afterall.]
[Update: The 14-year-old might not be such a 14-year-old afterall.]
Wednesday, March 24, 2004
Fast Pass at Airport Security
The Transportation Security Administration plans to start testing a registered-traveler identification program in June, which will let those who volunteer for a background check avoid tight screening at the airport.
That's smart. Although they'll have to make sure that the system itself is secure and won't lead to identity fraud.
Via daleynews.
WMD: Made in the USA
ChangeforAmerica on loose "chems":
Yickes! Scary. How about we just outsource the industry and get rid of the problem? ;)
I'm glad ChangeforAmerica is worried about this. Many "progressive Democrats" still don't seem to see a strong economy and defense as part of their core values. Well, then, don't complain about a lack of democracy when you lose, folks!
"One of the ultimate ironies is that for all of the U.S. government's finger-pointing at Iraq and other countries -- nations we're challenging to account for every one of their weapons of mass destruction -- our country is riddled with similar weapons that our government itself can't even find," says Elizabeth Crowe, an organizer for the Chemical Weapons Working Group, a coalition of citizens living near chemical-weapons sites....
By the government's own estimate, there are 15,000 chemical plants that contain large quantities of potentially deadly compounds. Many of the facilities have been shown to employ little security, offering terrorists easy access to chemicals that could be used as weapons of mass destruction.
Yickes! Scary. How about we just outsource the industry and get rid of the problem? ;)
I'm glad ChangeforAmerica is worried about this. Many "progressive Democrats" still don't seem to see a strong economy and defense as part of their core values. Well, then, don't complain about a lack of democracy when you lose, folks!
The Fickle Richard Clarke
InstaPundit notes a Clarke statement that isn't getting much attention:
(August 4th 2003 issue of the New Yorker)
Richard Clarke, the country's first counter-terrorism czar, told me in an interview at his home in Arlington, Virginia, that he wasn't particularly surprised that the Bush Administration's efforts to find bin Laden had been stymied by political problems. He had seen such efforts fail before. Clarke, who retired from public service in February and is now a private consultant on security matters, has served every President since Ronald Reagan. He has won a reputation as a tireless advocate for action against Al Qaeda. Clarke emphasized that the C.I.A. director, George Tenet, President Bush, and, before him, President Clinton were all deeply committed to stopping bin Laden; nonetheless, Clarke said, their best efforts had been doomed by bureaucratic clashes, caution, and incessant problems with Pakistan.
(August 4th 2003 issue of the New Yorker)
Sunday, March 21, 2004
Quick Hits
Far right and left batter French govt in regional elections. Bad on both counts.
Congress taking on Marbury and judicial activism. Interesting.
Dubya:
Bad news in Afghanistan.
Army drops charges against Guantanamo chaplain James Yee. Embarrassing?
Richard Clarke accuses Bush for ignoring pre-9/11 warnings about al Qaida. Smells partisan to me.
Bush is also being hit on fraudulent Medicare estimates. Worrisome.
These are not open lies by the President, of course, but they are not about his sexual relations either. Bush has to clean up the show if he means to "restore dignity and honor to the White House."
Kerry:
How many John Kerrys does it take to change a lightbulb?
Kerry--America's second black President? No, how about Teresa Heinz Kerry as the first African-American First Lady?
"Had the decision belonged to Senator Kerry, Saddam Hussein would still be power today in Iraq. In fact, Saddam would almost certainly still be in control of Kuwait." -- Dick Cheney, March 17, 2004
So far, Kerry's "proposed $1.7 trillion in new spending, more than the annual economic output for the country of France, three-fourths of the size of the entire U.S. government, and an average of $15,500 per American household."
The Crazy Right:
Bush Advances the "Gay" Agenda. Disgusting.
CWA: FMA is not enough. Just sad.
College News:
The tax man is coming after U.
University of North Texas: "Free Speech Area. To Schedule, Contact Dean of Students Office."
Congress taking on Marbury and judicial activism. Interesting.
Dubya:
Bad news in Afghanistan.
Army drops charges against Guantanamo chaplain James Yee. Embarrassing?
Richard Clarke accuses Bush for ignoring pre-9/11 warnings about al Qaida. Smells partisan to me.
Bush is also being hit on fraudulent Medicare estimates. Worrisome.
These are not open lies by the President, of course, but they are not about his sexual relations either. Bush has to clean up the show if he means to "restore dignity and honor to the White House."
Kerry:
How many John Kerrys does it take to change a lightbulb?
Kerry--America's second black President? No, how about Teresa Heinz Kerry as the first African-American First Lady?
"Had the decision belonged to Senator Kerry, Saddam Hussein would still be power today in Iraq. In fact, Saddam would almost certainly still be in control of Kuwait." -- Dick Cheney, March 17, 2004
So far, Kerry's "proposed $1.7 trillion in new spending, more than the annual economic output for the country of France, three-fourths of the size of the entire U.S. government, and an average of $15,500 per American household."
The Crazy Right:
Bush Advances the "Gay" Agenda. Disgusting.
CWA: FMA is not enough. Just sad.
College News:
The tax man is coming after U.
University of North Texas: "Free Speech Area. To Schedule, Contact Dean of Students Office."
Wednesday, March 17, 2004
Quick Hits
Vindicated Blix returns to U.S.
Not sure what to think about this yet.
Troops arrest 12-year-old Palestinian bomb smuggler
Militants' Use of Child Fighters Debated
Not sure what to think about this yet.
Troops arrest 12-year-old Palestinian bomb smuggler
Militants' Use of Child Fighters Debated
Al Qaeda's Spain Strategy
There were many good reasons for PP's defeat on 14-M but no one can ignore the fact that al Qaeda's plan 'to split Spain from allies' apparently worked like charm.
As David Horowitz writes in How to Beat the Democrats and Other Subversive Ideas, "Every testimony by North Vietnamese generals in the postwar years has affirmed that they knew they could not defeat the United States on the battlefield, and that they counted on the division of our people at home to win the war for them."
As David Horowitz writes in How to Beat the Democrats and Other Subversive Ideas, "Every testimony by North Vietnamese generals in the postwar years has affirmed that they knew they could not defeat the United States on the battlefield, and that they counted on the division of our people at home to win the war for them."
The Other Spanish Left
"The fascists shall not pass! No Pasaran".
-- Dolores Ibarruri (Pasionaria), July 18, 1936
"the Spanish people would rather die on its feet than live on its knees."
-- Dolores Ibarruri (Pasionaria), September 1936
Via The Politburo Diktat.
-- Dolores Ibarruri (Pasionaria), July 18, 1936
"the Spanish people would rather die on its feet than live on its knees."
-- Dolores Ibarruri (Pasionaria), September 1936
Via The Politburo Diktat.
Sunday, March 14, 2004
Why? Madness.
Madness:
Double Palestinian bombing kills 11 Israelis, wounds more
Afghanistan: Suspected Taliban attack kills five
Iraq: Roadside bombs kill six US soldiers
Man accused of killing nine in Fresno committed polygamy, incest, police allege
Slightly lesser madness:
Spain's ruling party ousted from power after terror attack
Why madness? Because Spaniards (and liberals everywhere) seem to believe that you can make peace with the terrorists if only you give them enough. As it seems to have worked once, I don't see why the terrorists won't try it again.
Why slightly lesser? Because the PP really isn't a very well-run party, and has not been able to make a good case for its leadership on anything other than the improving economic situation.
Elsewhere:
"Kerry [said] that he's heard from some world leaders who quietly back his candidacy and hope he defeats President Bush in November."
Now, that's a really good reason to elect the guy!
"North Korea Waits for Kerry," comments The Christian Science Monitor. The Financial Times reports, "North Korea warms to Kerry presidency bid":
Double Palestinian bombing kills 11 Israelis, wounds more
Afghanistan: Suspected Taliban attack kills five
Iraq: Roadside bombs kill six US soldiers
Man accused of killing nine in Fresno committed polygamy, incest, police allege
Slightly lesser madness:
Spain's ruling party ousted from power after terror attack
Why madness? Because Spaniards (and liberals everywhere) seem to believe that you can make peace with the terrorists if only you give them enough. As it seems to have worked once, I don't see why the terrorists won't try it again.
Why slightly lesser? Because the PP really isn't a very well-run party, and has not been able to make a good case for its leadership on anything other than the improving economic situation.
Elsewhere:
"Kerry [said] that he's heard from some world leaders who quietly back his candidacy and hope he defeats President Bush in November."
Now, that's a really good reason to elect the guy!
"North Korea Waits for Kerry," comments The Christian Science Monitor. The Financial Times reports, "North Korea warms to Kerry presidency bid":
Dear Leader is not the only one getting deferential treatment from the communist state's propaganda machine: John Kerry, the presumptive Democratic candidate, is also getting good play in Pyongyang.
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
"Victory to the Iraqi Resistance!" Calls Campus "Anti-War" Activist
Wow. This is pretty hard to take, especially since Aimee is someone I've exchanged posts with last year over the MIT Pugwash list. Back then I thought she was just another campus leftie.
I got the post below through the Tufts Coalition for Social Justice and NON-VIOLENCE. Its affiliate, the Tufts Coalition to Oppose the War in Iraq (TCOWI), is sponsoring an "anti-war" rally on March 16th and a speaker this Friday, Khury Peterson-Smith. Peterson-Smith is quoted as responding to a question about the morality of suicide bombings: "I am sure the Iraqi resistance would use helicopters and tanks if they had them. I mean if Texas was under occupation, I am sure the people would use their guns or whatever means to defend themselves. What it comes down to is that there is no right way to occupy another country."
I wonder how many people there on Friday will agree.
________________________________________________________________________
From: tucoalition@yahoogroups.com
Message: 5
Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2004 05:31:07 -0500
From: Joshua H Koritz
Subject: Fwd: [bostoncampusantiwar] a wake up call from Mumbai...
From: Aimee L Smith
Reply-To: Aimee L Smith
[please read! my thoughts are at the end. -aimee]
Challenging the "Non-Violence" Trend in the global Anti-War Movement
Lets Make March 20 a Day to Support the Resistance in Iraq
Dr. Hisham Bustani
In the Fourth World Social Forum (WSF) held in Mumbai-India late January of this year, there was an agreement on holding an International Action Day against the occupation in Iraq on March 20, 2004. World-wide demonstrations will take the streets under that banner.
On the opposite side of the WSF's venue, another meeting of Anti-Imperialist anti-Globalization organizations took place under the name: Mumbai Resistance '04 (MR04). This forum was more principled regarding the struggle against Imperialism and the analytical view of its mechanisms and the means of confrontation. In MR04, the participants did not settle only for raising the "End the Occupation" banner. There was a unanimous consensus on the necessity of raising the "Support the Resistance" banner in the demonstrations of March 20.
Why "Support the Resistance" Not Just "End the Occupation"
The battle that goes on now in Iraq between the American invaders and their allies on one side, and the popular resistance on the other, has many dimensions that make the "Support the Resistance" slogan basic and necessary.
1st: After what happened in Palestine and Afghanistan by the process of liquidation of the main contradictions and transforming political struggles into dismantled agendas with the help of the NGOs (workers' rights, women's rights, children's rights..etc), and the relative success in producing caricature forms of authority in the violated nations (Karazi regime in Afghanistan, the Ruling Council in Iraq) or producing regional capitalist/Imperialist arms/axes (the Zionist entity in the Arab region), and the relative success in transforming acute situations into long standing chronic ones; the time has come for us as people to comprehend and learn from these lessons, and realize that a negative slogan such as "Stop the War" will not do any good in the face of US Imperialist aspirations.
"Stop the War": To whom is this slogan directed? Who does it target?
Does it target the ruling classes in the North and the circles of Trans-National Corporations who benefit from such an aggression and are in fact practicing it on the ground? Or does it target the masses who are already opposed to the aggression, and who do not have the political decision in their countries, and even do not have the power of radical change from within the system? (W. Bush for example is not an elected president. He is an appointed president by the US High Court after it refused the re-count results which clearly showed Al Gore as the winner in the elections. For more details see the chapter "A Very American Coup" in: Michael Moore, Stupid White Men, London: Penguin Books, 2002, pp. 1-28).
The same applies to other negative slogans like: "Bring the Troops Home" or "End the Occupation Now"!
What is required now from the masses angered by the policies of their governments is to comprehend that "policy changes" will not change the structure of the system which is based on hegemony and exploitation. Simply asking these governments to "change" will not work (as with what happened during the overwhelming anti-war demonstrations that took place before the aggression which did not change a single thing on the pre-planned US invasion of Iraq along with its allies). This means that the masses should stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the resistance and place themselves in the contra-Imperialist camp and support it.
2nd: There's a historic moment looking the people of the world in the face now: it is the time of defeating the Imperialist aggression on Iraq. This defeat (if accomplished) will create an important turn towards establishing the triumph of people over hegemony and exploitation, and will serve as a strong lever for the continuous struggle in Palestine and Afghanistan, and all the liberation struggles around the world.
The triumph of people and defeating the US Imperialist aggression in Iraq and the resultant effects will not occur without support secured to the Iraqi resistance by the global AntiWar/AntiGlobalization/AntiImperialist movement. The first step towards that is to loose the embarrassment that ties the movement and prevents it from raising the "Support the Iraqi Resistance" slogan because of its military nature, and because of the trend being "marketed" excessively in the movement nowadays as the "attitude of choice", and by that I mean: Non-Violence and Civil Resistance, and looking with contempt at armed resistance.
The forms and objective expressions of the resistance differ from one location to another according to standing circumstances and the form of the aggression, its propellers and objectives. The forms of resistance are not subject to "wrapping" and "framing" and "commoditization", or else the antiImperialists will be practicing exactly the very Imperialist "sin". What do the "non-Violent preachers" want from the Arab Iraqis? To leave themselves, their homeland, their resources subject to violation, rape, theft and occupation while they hold sit-ins and coordinate vigils to satisfy the "non-violence" and "civil resistance" pre-requirements??
In the case of Iraq, or any case where a war of aggression and occupation is launched by an Imperialist power, the right slogan will be (and sorry to be shocking here): YES TO WAR....A war of resistance and liberation.
3rd: We've illustrated above that supporting the resistance is an essential and important issue to defeat the US Imperialist aggression on the world, and that it's the only means capable of forming an objective "contradiction" to this aggression. Therefore, the third important issue related to "supporting the resistance" arises from the fact that the Iraqi resistance is completely isolated especially on the political level.
This isolation is due to two facts:
1-The lack of International communication with the Iraqi resistance, the lack of any form of political support, and the lack of any real effort to break this "taboo" which was imposed by the USA and to which most of the "anti-war" organizations are abiding.
2-The absence of a political "face" for the Iraqi resistance until now, which makes the Iraqi resistance absent from the global popular arena and absolutely ineffective in it.
Breaking the isolation off the Iraqi resistance globally will assure a true back-up to its efforts to eliminate the occupation and pushes it a step forward on this road, it also will encourage the resistance to form a political representation that can speak for it and positively react with the global movement for the aim of defeating the Imperialist project in the world.
4th: Ever since September 11, the US has intensified its portrayal of resistance and national liberation movements as "terrorists", and at the same time, it has issued oppressive laws encroaching on internal freedoms under the name "Anti-Terrorist laws", and practiced some of the most terrorizing breaches of human rights: from war and aggression, to arresting people under inhumane conditions (Camp X-ray in Guantanamo Bay) because they are "terrorists".
This "game of terms" comes from the lessons Imperialism has learned in Vietnam and the global popular support of the resistance forces there, and from the lessons it comprehended from the liberation and independence movements in the post WWII era which were an inspiration to many generations and its leaders became idols until now (Che Guevara, General Jiab, Nasser as examples). The US does not want to repeat this "mistake", so it bombards resistance fighters not only with bombs, but with the most obscene of names and traits in an massive propaganda attack (seemingly successful!) to prevent any serious solidarity, and to cut the road in front of any possible communication, transforming this issue into some sort of "political sin" or "political scandal".
The submission of the global movement to these terms dictated by Imperialism is a huge catastrophe. Moreover, it represents a non-direct participation in securing a "safe back" for Imperialism's injustices and aggressions. And the withdrawal of the global movement from the task of supporting the resistance will definitely be in the favor of Imperialist propaganda's efforts to de-legitimize the armed resistance in Iraq and elsewhere.
Conclusion: Resistance in the face of Imperialist Embezzlement
The global movement should not give in to Imperialist embezzlement: Resistance is legitimate. It is not "terrorism", and it is not an "embarrassment" when compared to non-violence and civil resistance. It is necessary to stop aggression and injustice.
The atmosphere that surrounds the global anti-war movement which required this article to be written to stress the right of resistance to exist and operate via all means, including armed struggle, is a negative sign that portrays the level of success of counter-efforts aimed at dismantling and fragmenting the movement and transforming it into a place for questioning basic rights with no real action on the ground. This also illustrates the need for all principled organizations to join their efforts to break through this foggy and negative attitude that is starting to engulf the movement and is trying to push it towards the margins: right where Imperialism wants it.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear anti-war advocats,
"Victory to the Iraqi Resistance!"
The more I look around at the US anti-war movement, the more I
feel convinced that we are a racist, elitist society that
visits genocide and suffering on others, shifts any blame
from our own participating in and benefiting from these policies,
and then condemn those forced to face the armed invaders we
allow our society to subject them to. I find this state or our
society deeply racist and collectively criminal. I think the
very least we can do (i.e. it offers minimal risk to our own safety
and comfort) is to call for "Victory to the Iraqi Resistance."
I hope my fellow dwellers of the hub-of-the-empire on these lists
will consider taking that very minimal step towards acknowledging
the basic and equal humanity of our brothers and sisters in Iraq
who even the US declaration of Human Rights agknowledges has
a fundamental human right to violently resist armed invasion
and occupation. I see no way to say that the Iraqis do not deserve
this basic human right without being racist. And the fact that
the architects of war exploit racism within our society to
reduce the risk to white people in these heinous projects by
recruiting heavily in communities of color no more ties our hands
in condemning the deep fundamental racism of armed invasion than
does including Colin Powell and Condaleezza Rice in the administration.
If we who claim to promote social justice in this society can't
have this very basic and minimal moral clarity, who will?
If you do agree on a moral basis that "Victory to the Iraqi
Resistance" is the correct slogan, we can then move on to the
tactical trade-offs between being a movement that appeals to
the weakest and worst common denomenator or one that actually
compells people to think and search and question. Every
movement has both ends, but if even people within the movement
get used to the pandering mode and never wrestle with the assumptions
in that mode, we will become perpetuaters and even adherents
to the racism in these slogans. We need to be transforming ourselves
as well as the society around us. If we stick with the mode
that continually puts our interests over those of people elsewhere
that are facing the much more brutal face of our empire, then we may
never learn to have compassion for people we invade - meanwhile,
the ever more consolidated media is working full tilt 24/7 to
demonize and dehumanize "the enemy." What is the moral minimum
to this strategic choice? And strategically, how much harder
will it be for people to enlist when people all around them are
talking about the humanity and moral high ground of Iraqis,
including the resistance?
In any case, I hope you carefully read the appeal from Dr. Bustani above.
In hope,
Aimee
----- End forwarded message -----
I got the post below through the Tufts Coalition for Social Justice and NON-VIOLENCE. Its affiliate, the Tufts Coalition to Oppose the War in Iraq (TCOWI), is sponsoring an "anti-war" rally on March 16th and a speaker this Friday, Khury Peterson-Smith. Peterson-Smith is quoted as responding to a question about the morality of suicide bombings: "I am sure the Iraqi resistance would use helicopters and tanks if they had them. I mean if Texas was under occupation, I am sure the people would use their guns or whatever means to defend themselves. What it comes down to is that there is no right way to occupy another country."
I wonder how many people there on Friday will agree.
________________________________________________________________________
From: tucoalition@yahoogroups.com
Message: 5
Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2004 05:31:07 -0500
From: Joshua H Koritz
Subject: Fwd: [bostoncampusantiwar] a wake up call from Mumbai...
From: Aimee L Smith
Reply-To: Aimee L Smith
[please read! my thoughts are at the end. -aimee]
Challenging the "Non-Violence" Trend in the global Anti-War Movement
Lets Make March 20 a Day to Support the Resistance in Iraq
Dr. Hisham Bustani
In the Fourth World Social Forum (WSF) held in Mumbai-India late January of this year, there was an agreement on holding an International Action Day against the occupation in Iraq on March 20, 2004. World-wide demonstrations will take the streets under that banner.
On the opposite side of the WSF's venue, another meeting of Anti-Imperialist anti-Globalization organizations took place under the name: Mumbai Resistance '04 (MR04). This forum was more principled regarding the struggle against Imperialism and the analytical view of its mechanisms and the means of confrontation. In MR04, the participants did not settle only for raising the "End the Occupation" banner. There was a unanimous consensus on the necessity of raising the "Support the Resistance" banner in the demonstrations of March 20.
Why "Support the Resistance" Not Just "End the Occupation"
The battle that goes on now in Iraq between the American invaders and their allies on one side, and the popular resistance on the other, has many dimensions that make the "Support the Resistance" slogan basic and necessary.
1st: After what happened in Palestine and Afghanistan by the process of liquidation of the main contradictions and transforming political struggles into dismantled agendas with the help of the NGOs (workers' rights, women's rights, children's rights..etc), and the relative success in producing caricature forms of authority in the violated nations (Karazi regime in Afghanistan, the Ruling Council in Iraq) or producing regional capitalist/Imperialist arms/axes (the Zionist entity in the Arab region), and the relative success in transforming acute situations into long standing chronic ones; the time has come for us as people to comprehend and learn from these lessons, and realize that a negative slogan such as "Stop the War" will not do any good in the face of US Imperialist aspirations.
"Stop the War": To whom is this slogan directed? Who does it target?
Does it target the ruling classes in the North and the circles of Trans-National Corporations who benefit from such an aggression and are in fact practicing it on the ground? Or does it target the masses who are already opposed to the aggression, and who do not have the political decision in their countries, and even do not have the power of radical change from within the system? (W. Bush for example is not an elected president. He is an appointed president by the US High Court after it refused the re-count results which clearly showed Al Gore as the winner in the elections. For more details see the chapter "A Very American Coup" in: Michael Moore, Stupid White Men, London: Penguin Books, 2002, pp. 1-28).
The same applies to other negative slogans like: "Bring the Troops Home" or "End the Occupation Now"!
What is required now from the masses angered by the policies of their governments is to comprehend that "policy changes" will not change the structure of the system which is based on hegemony and exploitation. Simply asking these governments to "change" will not work (as with what happened during the overwhelming anti-war demonstrations that took place before the aggression which did not change a single thing on the pre-planned US invasion of Iraq along with its allies). This means that the masses should stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the resistance and place themselves in the contra-Imperialist camp and support it.
2nd: There's a historic moment looking the people of the world in the face now: it is the time of defeating the Imperialist aggression on Iraq. This defeat (if accomplished) will create an important turn towards establishing the triumph of people over hegemony and exploitation, and will serve as a strong lever for the continuous struggle in Palestine and Afghanistan, and all the liberation struggles around the world.
The triumph of people and defeating the US Imperialist aggression in Iraq and the resultant effects will not occur without support secured to the Iraqi resistance by the global AntiWar/AntiGlobalization/AntiImperialist movement. The first step towards that is to loose the embarrassment that ties the movement and prevents it from raising the "Support the Iraqi Resistance" slogan because of its military nature, and because of the trend being "marketed" excessively in the movement nowadays as the "attitude of choice", and by that I mean: Non-Violence and Civil Resistance, and looking with contempt at armed resistance.
The forms and objective expressions of the resistance differ from one location to another according to standing circumstances and the form of the aggression, its propellers and objectives. The forms of resistance are not subject to "wrapping" and "framing" and "commoditization", or else the antiImperialists will be practicing exactly the very Imperialist "sin". What do the "non-Violent preachers" want from the Arab Iraqis? To leave themselves, their homeland, their resources subject to violation, rape, theft and occupation while they hold sit-ins and coordinate vigils to satisfy the "non-violence" and "civil resistance" pre-requirements??
In the case of Iraq, or any case where a war of aggression and occupation is launched by an Imperialist power, the right slogan will be (and sorry to be shocking here): YES TO WAR....A war of resistance and liberation.
3rd: We've illustrated above that supporting the resistance is an essential and important issue to defeat the US Imperialist aggression on the world, and that it's the only means capable of forming an objective "contradiction" to this aggression. Therefore, the third important issue related to "supporting the resistance" arises from the fact that the Iraqi resistance is completely isolated especially on the political level.
This isolation is due to two facts:
1-The lack of International communication with the Iraqi resistance, the lack of any form of political support, and the lack of any real effort to break this "taboo" which was imposed by the USA and to which most of the "anti-war" organizations are abiding.
2-The absence of a political "face" for the Iraqi resistance until now, which makes the Iraqi resistance absent from the global popular arena and absolutely ineffective in it.
Breaking the isolation off the Iraqi resistance globally will assure a true back-up to its efforts to eliminate the occupation and pushes it a step forward on this road, it also will encourage the resistance to form a political representation that can speak for it and positively react with the global movement for the aim of defeating the Imperialist project in the world.
4th: Ever since September 11, the US has intensified its portrayal of resistance and national liberation movements as "terrorists", and at the same time, it has issued oppressive laws encroaching on internal freedoms under the name "Anti-Terrorist laws", and practiced some of the most terrorizing breaches of human rights: from war and aggression, to arresting people under inhumane conditions (Camp X-ray in Guantanamo Bay) because they are "terrorists".
This "game of terms" comes from the lessons Imperialism has learned in Vietnam and the global popular support of the resistance forces there, and from the lessons it comprehended from the liberation and independence movements in the post WWII era which were an inspiration to many generations and its leaders became idols until now (Che Guevara, General Jiab, Nasser as examples). The US does not want to repeat this "mistake", so it bombards resistance fighters not only with bombs, but with the most obscene of names and traits in an massive propaganda attack (seemingly successful!) to prevent any serious solidarity, and to cut the road in front of any possible communication, transforming this issue into some sort of "political sin" or "political scandal".
The submission of the global movement to these terms dictated by Imperialism is a huge catastrophe. Moreover, it represents a non-direct participation in securing a "safe back" for Imperialism's injustices and aggressions. And the withdrawal of the global movement from the task of supporting the resistance will definitely be in the favor of Imperialist propaganda's efforts to de-legitimize the armed resistance in Iraq and elsewhere.
Conclusion: Resistance in the face of Imperialist Embezzlement
The global movement should not give in to Imperialist embezzlement: Resistance is legitimate. It is not "terrorism", and it is not an "embarrassment" when compared to non-violence and civil resistance. It is necessary to stop aggression and injustice.
The atmosphere that surrounds the global anti-war movement which required this article to be written to stress the right of resistance to exist and operate via all means, including armed struggle, is a negative sign that portrays the level of success of counter-efforts aimed at dismantling and fragmenting the movement and transforming it into a place for questioning basic rights with no real action on the ground. This also illustrates the need for all principled organizations to join their efforts to break through this foggy and negative attitude that is starting to engulf the movement and is trying to push it towards the margins: right where Imperialism wants it.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear anti-war advocats,
"Victory to the Iraqi Resistance!"
The more I look around at the US anti-war movement, the more I
feel convinced that we are a racist, elitist society that
visits genocide and suffering on others, shifts any blame
from our own participating in and benefiting from these policies,
and then condemn those forced to face the armed invaders we
allow our society to subject them to. I find this state or our
society deeply racist and collectively criminal. I think the
very least we can do (i.e. it offers minimal risk to our own safety
and comfort) is to call for "Victory to the Iraqi Resistance."
I hope my fellow dwellers of the hub-of-the-empire on these lists
will consider taking that very minimal step towards acknowledging
the basic and equal humanity of our brothers and sisters in Iraq
who even the US declaration of Human Rights agknowledges has
a fundamental human right to violently resist armed invasion
and occupation. I see no way to say that the Iraqis do not deserve
this basic human right without being racist. And the fact that
the architects of war exploit racism within our society to
reduce the risk to white people in these heinous projects by
recruiting heavily in communities of color no more ties our hands
in condemning the deep fundamental racism of armed invasion than
does including Colin Powell and Condaleezza Rice in the administration.
If we who claim to promote social justice in this society can't
have this very basic and minimal moral clarity, who will?
If you do agree on a moral basis that "Victory to the Iraqi
Resistance" is the correct slogan, we can then move on to the
tactical trade-offs between being a movement that appeals to
the weakest and worst common denomenator or one that actually
compells people to think and search and question. Every
movement has both ends, but if even people within the movement
get used to the pandering mode and never wrestle with the assumptions
in that mode, we will become perpetuaters and even adherents
to the racism in these slogans. We need to be transforming ourselves
as well as the society around us. If we stick with the mode
that continually puts our interests over those of people elsewhere
that are facing the much more brutal face of our empire, then we may
never learn to have compassion for people we invade - meanwhile,
the ever more consolidated media is working full tilt 24/7 to
demonize and dehumanize "the enemy." What is the moral minimum
to this strategic choice? And strategically, how much harder
will it be for people to enlist when people all around them are
talking about the humanity and moral high ground of Iraqis,
including the resistance?
In any case, I hope you carefully read the appeal from Dr. Bustani above.
In hope,
Aimee
----- End forwarded message -----
On Blogging
John has a most hilarious post to which I can relate so much: Starbucks and Bloggin are Ruining My Life. What was the world like before the Blogosphere Ecosystem and Technorati?
Although like any writer without an editor, he might not know it, he's been very entertaining to read ever since the summer. He also happens to be a pretty darn amazing guy. :)
Although like any writer without an editor, he might not know it, he's been very entertaining to read ever since the summer. He also happens to be a pretty darn amazing guy. :)
Tuesday, March 09, 2004
What Money Cant' Buy in the U.S.
Halliburton, the company that for decades has gone to war with the US Army, is under sharp attack at home. In particular, the US Treasury has reopened an investigation into whether Halliburton violated US sanctions against Iran and Libya by doing business with the countries through a Cayman Islands subsidiary.
...
Harried Halliburton executives are having to defend the company against charges on everything including price gouging in Iraq, sanctions busting in Libya and Iran and bribe-paying in Nigeria.
Via CaribPundit.
This is fascinating, especially when compared to the corruption scandals that have rocked France, Italy, and Israel (here and here).
Sunday, March 07, 2004
"Higher" Education
David Post of the Volokh Conspiracy on the final exam "given by Jim Harrick, Jr., the former assistant basketball coach at the University of Georgia (and son of Head Coach Jim Harrick, Sr.) in his class on Principles and Strategies of Basketball in 2001." Questions included the following:
What an embarrassment. Much more so if we then compare it to the French grading system.
'How many goals does a basketball court have?' [Ans: 2]
'How many halves are there in a basketball game?' [Ans: 2]
'How many points is a 3-point goal worth?' [Ans: 3]
What an embarrassment. Much more so if we then compare it to the French grading system.
"Memogate"
If, like me, you thought that Joby Fortson's memo on Texas redistricting was a low point of partisan hanky panky, brace yourself for the newly released Democratic memos on judicial appointments, care of OpinionJournal:
Nov. 7, 2001/To: Senator Durbin
'The groups [...] also identified Miguel Estrada (D.C. Circuit) as especially dangerous, because he has a minimal paper trail, he is Latino, and the White House seems to be grooming him for a Supreme Court appointment. They want to hold Estrada off as long as possible.'
April 17, 2002/To: Senator [Ted Kennedy]
'Elaine Jones of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund tried to call you today. . . . Elaine would like the committee to hold off on any 6th Circuit nominees until the University of Michigan case regarding the constitutionality of affirmative action is decided by the 6th Circuit. . . . The thinking is that the current 6th Circuit will sustain the affirmative action program, but if a new judge with conservative views is confirmed before the case is decided, that new judge will be able, under 6th Circuit rules, to review the case and vote on it.'"
Friday, March 05, 2004
German man wants state-paid sex
BBC News reports:
The unnamed man argued that, as his wife lived in Thailand, the local authority had to compensate him for his "considerable sexual needs"....
"I require the brothel visits for my physical and psychological wellbeing," the man said in his application.
Honey, will you "civil union" me?
This settles it. I am for DOMA and against the Federal Marriage Amendment. Federal law should recognize marriage as it currently does until the debate changes nationally and DOMA's second clause is rewritten.
Massachusetts should pass a constitutional amendment next week that restricts "marriage" to a union of two unrelated people (finally prohibiting first cousin marriage). "Civil unions" bring down everything that is special and wonderful about marriage to the level of a legal contract, degrading it.
We must also really crack down on the Mickey Mouse drive-through weddings they do in Vegas.
Massachusetts should pass a constitutional amendment next week that restricts "marriage" to a union of two unrelated people (finally prohibiting first cousin marriage). "Civil unions" bring down everything that is special and wonderful about marriage to the level of a legal contract, degrading it.
We must also really crack down on the Mickey Mouse drive-through weddings they do in Vegas.
Tuesday, March 02, 2004
Schools, Facing NCLB, Abandon Gifted Programs
Also, in today's New York Times:
Evil! But, hopefully resolvable with private funds.
The formula for cutting back in hard times was straightforward, if painful, [Gary Tyrrell, assistant superintendent of the Mountain Grove School District, Mo.] said: Satisfy federal and state requirements first. Then, "Do as much as we can for the majority and work on down."
Under that kind of a formula, programs for gifted and talented children have become especially vulnerable. Unlike services for disabled children, programs for gifted children have no single federal agency to track them.
Evil! But, hopefully resolvable with private funds.
California SC: Catholic Group Must Pay for Birth Control
From today's New York Times:
Ouch. Are we on our way to France's scarf, cross, and yarmulke ban? On the other hand, with an increasing number of social and welfare services being provided by religious institutions, how do we keep them from not excluding other denominations?
The California Supreme Court ruled Monday that Catholic Charities must provide its employees in California with medical coverage for birth control, in spite of its religious objections to contraception.
Ouch. Are we on our way to France's scarf, cross, and yarmulke ban? On the other hand, with an increasing number of social and welfare services being provided by religious institutions, how do we keep them from not excluding other denominations?
Follow-up on Harold Bloom vs. Naomi Wolf
I agree with The Agitator:
And before you give me the 'no woman ever asks for rape' line, let's be clear -- this wasn't even sexual harassment, much less assault. Suggestive behavior by women never invites rape. But it can certainly invite a come-on. Bloom put his hand on her thigh. Wolf said no. Bloom removed his hand, stopped the advance, and went home. Ban the hand on the thigh, and you might as well ban seduction.
Monday, March 01, 2004
Kerry vs. Bush vs. Clinton
Some quick hits:
Bush's economic record vs. Clinton's
CNN's reporting on Bush's economic record vs. Clinton's
Kerry goes unilateral (a year late)
U.S.' ambitious pro-democracy effort in the Middle East (finally!)
Bush's economic record vs. Clinton's
CNN's reporting on Bush's economic record vs. Clinton's
Kerry goes unilateral (a year late)
U.S.' ambitious pro-democracy effort in the Middle East (finally!)
Saturday, February 28, 2004
Legendary Harold Bloom gets accused of harassment
I tend to take sexual harassment seriously regardless of politics (e.g., Bill Clinton and Arnold), so I'm a little less blase than some writers like Caroline Overington have been about Naomi Wolf's allegations of a sexual harassment incident twenty years ago in light of such quotes:
I think Yale should make a public commitment to review its policies if any recent wrong-doing is found, as Wolf supposedly wants. Anything beyond that on her part is posturing and feminist victimology.
I don't see how one can possibly find abuse in a "he-said, she-said" situation like this beyond Yale's two-year grievance period. FIRE has already shed a hard light on the lack of due process on many campuses, and the muzzling of free speech under the guise of protection against harassment, for instance at Columbia.
Finally, if you write erotic poetry, invite your poetically-spirited professor over for dinner, and get drunk on sherry, I'm not sure that "You have the aura of election upon you" is all that unexpected.
More in the Yale Herald, the Yale Daily News, Slate, the New York Observer, The Scotsman, and the Boston Globe.
In 1994 The New York Times writer Adam Begley said rumours of Bloom's affairs with Yale students were legion. A friend of Bloom, unnamed, was quoted as saying: "I hate to say it, but he rather bragged about it, so that wasn't very secret for a number of years."
In 1990 writer Martin Kihn interviewed Bloom for GQ magazine. He reported...: "Any honest Yale undergraduate will tell you of Bloom's unusually close friendships with hand-picked proteges."
I think Yale should make a public commitment to review its policies if any recent wrong-doing is found, as Wolf supposedly wants. Anything beyond that on her part is posturing and feminist victimology.
I don't see how one can possibly find abuse in a "he-said, she-said" situation like this beyond Yale's two-year grievance period. FIRE has already shed a hard light on the lack of due process on many campuses, and the muzzling of free speech under the guise of protection against harassment, for instance at Columbia.
Finally, if you write erotic poetry, invite your poetically-spirited professor over for dinner, and get drunk on sherry, I'm not sure that "You have the aura of election upon you" is all that unexpected.
More in the Yale Herald, the Yale Daily News, Slate, the New York Observer, The Scotsman, and the Boston Globe.
Fun with the Saudis
Saudi Arabia is issuing tourist visas, but don't apply if you're Jewish or have traveled to Israel, notes Volokh. Don't forget some important restrictions for women, too.
Ditto for Iran. And, let us hope the US does not go in this nonsensical direction with its restrictions aimed at stopping terrorists. I had Ahmed Rashid's Jihad: The Rise of Militant Islam in Central Asia in my backpack while flying to DC the other week. And, boy, was I feeling queasy when they started going through it.
Ditto for Iran. And, let us hope the US does not go in this nonsensical direction with its restrictions aimed at stopping terrorists. I had Ahmed Rashid's Jihad: The Rise of Militant Islam in Central Asia in my backpack while flying to DC the other week. And, boy, was I feeling queasy when they started going through it.
Friday, February 27, 2004
The Protocols and The Passion
This post on The Protocols of the Yuppies of Zion made me think of another life/business idea to consider, in addition to starting a business school chain across the developing world--Western book translation and publishing in Arabic!
Free speech matters, especially as an antidote to ignorance and extremism. The Passion of the Christ has already caused a fight in my girlfriend's old school in Sarasota, Florida. Only by being aware of it can we respond, however.
'I was surfing the Web one day when I came across this site promoting `The Protocols' to readers in the Mideast,' said Mr. Eisner, 86. 'I was amazed that there were people who still believed `The Protocols' were real, and I was disturbed to learn later that this site was just one of many that promoted these lies in the Muslim world. I decided something had to be done.'
Free speech matters, especially as an antidote to ignorance and extremism. The Passion of the Christ has already caused a fight in my girlfriend's old school in Sarasota, Florida. Only by being aware of it can we respond, however.
Freedom in Turkmenistan
OxBlog reports on yet another gross human rights violation in Turkmenistan, which should serve as a good warning to any nonchalant American anti-Communists or "anti-Islamofascists":
The Argus is a neat blog about Central Asia and the Caucasus.
TURKMENISTAN'S PRESIDENT NIYAZOV today declared the wearing of beards and goatees illegal. Rather than any connection to Islam, as might more ordinarily be suspected for an ordinance concerning beards, it seems much more likely that Niyazov simply doesn't approve of the current fashion of goatees proliferating among the young men of Ashgabat. And this is just the latest in a string of odd prohibitions imposed by a crazed autocrat: for instance, it is also now forbidden in Turkmenistan to listen to car radios or to smoke in the street; opera and ballet performances have also been banned, on the grounds that they are 'unnecessary'; and the entire health care sector of the nation is about to be laid off, to be replaced by military conscripts.
The Argus is a neat blog about Central Asia and the Caucasus.
Thursday, February 26, 2004
Tufts GOP protests porn, 'obscene' school events
Tufts GOP protests porn, 'obscene' school events
Dean [of Students] says activities 'bring a lot of people together'
Somerville Journal, 02/26/04
Original Tufts Republicans Press Release
Dean [of Students] says activities 'bring a lot of people together'
Somerville Journal, 02/26/04
Condom Olympics and Vagina Jeopardy are just some of the games people play on campus, but Tufts Republicans are not having any of that. A student group on campus, the Tufts Republican Club, is protesting university funding of a series of recent student events they believe to pornographic and pointless.
Original Tufts Republicans Press Release
'Jews Killed Jesus'
The large-size outdoor marquee, which sits on the property of the Lovingway United Pentecostal Church at Colorado and Mississippi. Yeeeek. Via Andrew Sullivan.
Going to see The Passion of the Christ tonight. Andrew didn't like it, but we'll have to see.
Hooray for Capitalism
The famous Chinatown bus company gets its deserved spot in the limelight. NY - Boston - $10. Wow. Via daleynews.
Students' sloppy letters aid charter schools' approval
All the proof state Board of Education member Roberta Schaefer needed to OK controversial new charter schools were the letters before her from public school students.
Schaefer ridiculed the letters against a proposed school in Marlboro for their missing punctuation and sloppy spelling - including a misspelling of the word "school'' in one missive.
"If I didn't think a charter school was necessary, these letters have convinced me the high school was not doing an adequate job in teaching English language arts,'' Schaefer said.
Ouch. From the Boston Herald via daleynews.
Wednesday, February 25, 2004
State and Jim Crow
An interesting item in the Volokh archives on the relationship between government, the perpetuation of the Jim Crow regime, and its implications for civil rights legislation.
Said on Free Speech
Tyler Cowen on the late Edward Said's refusal to acknowledge the severe censorship by the PA and other Arab regimes of his own writings.
Gay Rights vs. Free Speech
There is plenty to disagree with in the rhetoric on the Christian right, especially its less well-spoken "spokespersons". Some of it, frankly, makes one's jaw drop. Attempting to make it a crime on "hate speech" grounds is hardly "liberal" of the supporters of the gay rights movement, however, and I think will ultimately prove to be very detrimental in turning public opinion against it, similar to the current lack of legal restraint in Massachusetts and California. Catholic news service Zenit reports:
Via the Volokh Conspiracy.
[British Anglican] Bishop Peter Forster of Chester told a local paper: "Some people who are primarily homosexual can reorientate themselves. I would encourage them to consider that as an option, but I would not set myself up as a medical specialist on the subject -- that's in the area of psychiatric health."
Police investigated the statements and a spokesman said a copy of the article would be sent to the Crown Prosecution Service. Subsequently, the police dropped the case, the Independent newspaper reported Nov. 11....
In Ireland, meanwhile, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties warned the Catholic Church that distributing the Vatican guidelines on same-sex unions could bring prosecution. The document published last July by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith falls foul of the Incitement to Hatred Act, according to sources quoted in the Irish Times on Aug. 2....
Those convicted under the act could face six-month jail terms. Of the Vatican document [Aisling Reidy, director of the civil-liberties council] said: "The wording is very strong and certainly goes against the spirit of the legislation."
Via the Volokh Conspiracy.
Anti-War Rally in SF
I missed this last Monday, Presidents' Day:
Other slogans: "Either War is Obsolete or Men Are", "Israel is the Problem". Wow.
Interestingly, according to WorldNetDaily, the International Action Center, which sports similar rhetoric, gets sponsorship from the Tides Foundation Iraq Peace Fund and Peace Studies Fund, which, in turn, has gotten over $4 million through Teresa Heinz Kerry between 1995 and 2001. The information is from the online G2 Bulletin, so take it wtih a grain of salt. Still, what a shame.
Both via Dannews.
Other slogans: "Either War is Obsolete or Men Are", "Israel is the Problem". Wow.
Interestingly, according to WorldNetDaily, the International Action Center, which sports similar rhetoric, gets sponsorship from the Tides Foundation Iraq Peace Fund and Peace Studies Fund, which, in turn, has gotten over $4 million through Teresa Heinz Kerry between 1995 and 2001. The information is from the online G2 Bulletin, so take it wtih a grain of salt. Still, what a shame.
Both via Dannews.
The Passion Oppresses Black People
Ah, crazy people. Gotta love them. From a letter published in USA Today, via Right-Thinking from the Left Coast:
Therefore, the release of another movie with a white Jesus -- especially during Black History Month -- is disturbing. We feel that a white image of a man believed to be the son of God produces a sense of inferiority in black children. In fact, the image of a white Jesus is more dangerous to black children than gangsta rap....
Rev. Paul Scott, founder
Messianic Afrikan Nation
Durham, NC
Standing Up to Outsourcing
Alex Tabarrok does a little math to see how much standing up to outsourcing is costing us: a lot.
In Indiana, Governor Joe Kernan canceled a $15.2 million dollar contract with a subsidiary of a Bombay headquartered company. The next lowest bid was $8.2 million dollars higher. Even if we accept (incorrectly!) the notion that trade restrictions create jobs the governor's action will at best create some 50 jobs at an additional cost to Indiana taxpayers of $162,000 per job. Consider, both Indiana taxpayers and workers would be better off if the state government hired the Indians and gave 50 randomly chosen workers $100,000 to spend at their leisure.
Haiti Pundit
A very interesting, recently founded blog about Haiti: Haiti Pundit. Via the Marginal Revolution.
Tuesday, February 24, 2004
Saturday, February 21, 2004
For CJ
My first poem since junior high. :) With inspiration from RincondePoesia.com
Felicidades querida CJ!
Como valoro tu amistad
Si no te habia dicho antes
Te digo hoy,
Asà y ya.
Gracias te doy hoy dÃa
Por tu querer y amistad.
Y por la oportunidad de
Tenerte como
Una amiga.
Monday, February 16, 2004
RWUCR's Fighting Whites
Congrats to Jason Mattera and the boys down at RWUCR for, once again, landing the national press. Ben thinks that their “White Scholarship Award” crosses the line. I really don’t see what that is. Tufts just got a large scholarship fund endowment to benefit "undergraduate African American, Hispanic American and Native American students from underprivileged backgrounds."
I don’t see why undergraduate white, Asian, and Middle Eastern students from underprivileged backgrounds should be left out. Nor do I see why it is considered acceptable, or liberal minded, in 2004 to be dividing students by “race” the way that Tufts and so many other universities do.
"Individuals who choose to invest their own money in causes and opportunities that are meaningful to them are not restricted by affirmative action rules," Public Relations director Siobhan Houton said.
I don’t see why undergraduate white, Asian, and Middle Eastern students from underprivileged backgrounds should be left out. Nor do I see why it is considered acceptable, or liberal minded, in 2004 to be dividing students by “race” the way that Tufts and so many other universities do.
Kerry's Killing Fields?
Tufts' W. Scott Thompson writes in the Taipei Times about Kerry:
Via The Command Post, via No Treason, via Kate Duree.
He now makes much of his decorations from the war in Vietnam, to appeal to centrists and conservatives, without reminding those audiences that he for long was a leader of Vietnam veterans against the war. Indeed, assiduous searchers, looking for his vulnerabilities, will find much of interest in that period of his life. For example, the fabled and distinguished chief of naval operations (CNO), Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, told me -- 30 years ago when he was still CNO -- that during his own command of US naval forces in Vietnam, just prior to his anointment as CNO, young Kerry had created great problems for him and the other top brass, by killing so many non-combatant civilians and going after other non-military targets.
"We had virtually to straight-jacket him to keep him under control," the admiral said. "Bud" Zumwalt got it right when he assessed Kerry as having large ambitions -- but promised that his career in Vietnam would haunt him if he were ever on the national stage.
Via The Command Post, via No Treason, via Kate Duree.
John Kerry's Fuzzy Numbers
Adam Schultz in a February 11th Tufts Daily Op-Ed and The Washington Post in its February 14th editorial ask a reasonable question, "So, what does the junior Senator from Massachusetts, and the presumed Democratic nominee, stand for?" The Washington Post:
He says he opposes gay marriage, yet voted against the federal Defense of Marriage act. He voted for the North American Free Trade agreement yet now talks in protectionist terms, promising he will provide American workers "a fair playing field" while accusing Mr. Bush of "selling them out." Would a President Kerry seek additional free trade agreements in Latin America and elsewhere? What's his position on whether his own state should adopt a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage? So far, the answers aren't clear.
The most important confusion surrounds Mr. Kerry's position on Iraq. In 1991 he voted against the first Persian Gulf War, saying more support was needed from Americans for a war that he believed would prove costly. In 1998, when President Clinton was considering military steps against Iraq, he strenuously argued for action, with or without allies. Four years later he voted for a resolution authorizing invasion but criticized Mr. Bush for not recruiting allies. Last fall he voted against funding for Iraqi reconstruction, but argued that the United States must support the establishment of a democratic government.
Mr. Kerry's attempts to weave a thread connecting and justifying all these positions are unconvincing. He would do better to offer a more honest accounting. His estimation of the cost of expelling Iraq from Kuwait in 1991 was simply wrong; and if President Bush was mistaken to think in 2003 that there was an urgent need to stop Saddam Hussein from stockpiling weapons of mass destruction, Mr. Kerry made the same error in 1998.
Conan O'Brien does Canada
The [Canadian] federal government and the government of Ontario contributed $1-million to help bring Mr. O'Brien's show to Toronto in an effort to boost the city's image.
Bad, bad idea!
"So you're French and Canadian, yes? So you're obnoxious and dumb," a satirical sock puppet told one passerby in a taped segment on Mr. O'Brien's show last night.
:) Via John.
Friday, February 13, 2004
Marriage debate deadlocked on Beacon Hill
Shame on Cynthia Creem (alas, my State Senator) for turning this important debate into name-calling:
What was the passionate rhetoric from the "other side of the gay marriage debate"? As in, I presume, the Nazi Democratic and Republican Senators and State Reps? The Globe, typically, leaves that for you to find out for yourself.
Yesterday's debate brought passionate speeches from both sides of the gay marriage debate. Senator Cynthia Stone Creem, Democrat of Newton, likened efforts to ban gay marriage to restrictions against Jews in Nazi Germany, and Representative Rachel Kaprielian, Democrat of Watertown, made reference to the persecution of Armenians.
What was the passionate rhetoric from the "other side of the gay marriage debate"? As in, I presume, the Nazi Democratic and Republican Senators and State Reps? The Globe, typically, leaves that for you to find out for yourself.
Thursday, February 12, 2004
Mexicans Call for Osama
Talk about taking your soccer seriously!
The US soccer team lost a subsequent game to Mexico, and for the first time since 1976 will not qualify for the Olympics.
Via YaleDiva.
The Mexican crowd hooted "The Star-Spangled Banner." It booed U.S. goals. It chanted "Osama! Osama! Osama!" as U.S. players left the field with a 2-0 victory. And that was in a game against Canada on Thursday before just 1,500 people.
The US soccer team lost a subsequent game to Mexico, and for the first time since 1976 will not qualify for the Olympics.
Via YaleDiva.
Conservatives Are Just Dim
From the February 11th OpinionJournal Best of the Web Today:
Conservos Are Dim, Says Talking Chair
The Duke Conservative Union took out an ad in the Chronicle, the Durham, N.C., university's student newspaper, deploring the ideological imbalance of the Duke faculty, which, like most university faculties, is overwhelmingly liberal and left-wing. The Chronicle reports this reaction from Robert Brandon, the "chair of the philosophy department":
"We try to hire the best, smartest people available," Brandon said of his philosophy hires. "If, as John Stuart Mill said, stupid people are generally conservative, then there are lots of conservatives we will never hire.
"Mill's analysis may go some way towards explaining the power of the Republican party in our society and the relative scarcity of Republicans in academia. Players in the NBA tend to be taller than average. There is a good reason for this. Members of academia tend to be a bit smarter than average. There is a good reason for this too."
Even for a piece of furniture, Robert Brandon isn't as smart as it thinks it is. As we write this column, we are sitting on a much smarter chair. It hasn't said a word all afternoon. Clearly, unlike that fancy Duke chair, it understands the truth of the old adage "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool that to speak and remove all doubt."
Wednesday, January 28, 2004
Kucinich Express
Stepping into the Dennis Kucinich rally at the University of New Hampshire on Sunday night, the first thing to hit you is the stench of male body odor. Not the "man, it's hot on the dance floor, I think I'll take my sweater off" kind of odor, but the "I use organic deodorant" kind.
This may sound funny, but my English class is full of these folks! Heck, Tufts is full of these folks.
Via Ben.
Clinton's E-mail
No wonder, Tom Blanton (speaking at Tufts in February) stuck with digging up Reagan and Bush email. Bill Clinton wrote just two emails during his eight years in the White House: a test email, and a note to John Glenn while he was in orbit! So much for your Vice President inventing the Internet. :-)
Via Alex Levy's delicious bookmarks.
Via Alex Levy's delicious bookmarks.
Monday, January 26, 2004
Britain’s Vanguard
Today, Tony Blair faces "a make-or-break 24 hours, which could determine whether he leads Labour into the next election." The reason? A report on the government's role in the suicide of Dr. David Kelly and… a university fee hike.
Blair wants universities to be able to charge students up to a maximum of £3,000 annually, up from the current £1,125. The establishment is up in arms against such a regressive proposal. The British National Union of Students (NUS) has launched stopfeesnow.com and is lobbying hard against the hike with the support of liberal Labour MPs.
NUS is upset that the plan “represents a shifting of the financial burden of education onto the individual student” [from middle and lower class taxpayers who might not even get a chance to go to college] (pdf). It also warns of the misery that private higher education represents in other countries while tax-supported education liberates students to pursue their cherished dreams:
NUS, of course, does not mention that many Europeans can't afford to buy a house, period, because of outrageous taxes. This year in the UK, income £30,500 above the “personal allowance” of £4,615 is subject to a rate of 40%! In the US, a little less outrageously, the rate is almost the same for couples jointly making over $300,000.
So, what does NUS propose instead of the new fee schedule? “The abolition of all forms of charging students or graduates for their education.” And, “the introduction of a non-means tested grant that accurately reflects the cost of living.”
If this is its next generation of politicians, Europe’s future looks bleak indeed.
Blair wants universities to be able to charge students up to a maximum of £3,000 annually, up from the current £1,125. The establishment is up in arms against such a regressive proposal. The British National Union of Students (NUS) has launched stopfeesnow.com and is lobbying hard against the hike with the support of liberal Labour MPs.
NUS is upset that the plan “represents a shifting of the financial burden of education onto the individual student” [from middle and lower class taxpayers who might not even get a chance to go to college] (pdf). It also warns of the misery that private higher education represents in other countries while tax-supported education liberates students to pursue their cherished dreams:
Agnes Gautier, France: “In France you don't hear about student debt because students don't have debt. Most students don't have to take out loans from banks because tuition fees are so cheap.”
Willem Glasbergen, Netherlands: "At present, my total debt is £40,000 after 5 years of studying, from which £8,000 will be deducted as a grant if I graduate within 10 years of starting my degree."
Karen Palinski, United States: "Many Americans aged between 26-32 can’t afford to buy a first house and even have to put off having children due to their student loan debts. Let's hope the UK doesn’t get to this point."
NUS, of course, does not mention that many Europeans can't afford to buy a house, period, because of outrageous taxes. This year in the UK, income £30,500 above the “personal allowance” of £4,615 is subject to a rate of 40%! In the US, a little less outrageously, the rate is almost the same for couples jointly making over $300,000.
So, what does NUS propose instead of the new fee schedule? “The abolition of all forms of charging students or graduates for their education.” And, “the introduction of a non-means tested grant that accurately reflects the cost of living.”
If this is its next generation of politicians, Europe’s future looks bleak indeed.
Waffle Powered Kerry
Although his campaign was behind the wonderful "Waffle Powered Howard" website, attacking Howard Dean, John Kerry is a perpetual waffler himself. Great article in the New York Times (of all places), and op-eds by Jeff Jacoby and David Brooks, via Andrew Sullivan and Mickey Kaus.
It's a Dangerous World
Via Tom Palmer, a genuine CNN headline:
I already bought "scanner-friendly shoes" to keep TSA folks at bay! Should I now splurge on shoelace-less ones?!
Dangerous objects still allowed on planes
Corkscrews, walking canes potentially lethal weapons
Thursday, January 15, 2004
"Michael Boyd, an airline industry analyst with the Boyd Group in Evergreen, Colorado, said nearly anything from shoelaces to hangers could be dangerous."
I already bought "scanner-friendly shoes" to keep TSA folks at bay! Should I now splurge on shoelace-less ones?!
Re: No Gun Rights for DC
Not only has the thirty-year gun control experiment made DC more dangerous for law-abiding citizens, the judge in the recent Seegars v. Ashcroft, et al. decision (my earlier comment on it here) knew it, too, as did the D.C. government attorney defending the gun ban, Daniel Rezneck. From the oral testimony in the case:
[Judge Reggie] Walton: These laws don't stop the bad guys from getting the guns.
Rezneck: No.
Walton: The bad guys are going to get the guns regardless.
Rezneck: I agree with that your honor.
Wednesday, January 21, 2004
Dubya-Hating Made Easy
The free market fulfills all your Dubya-hating needs:
The George W. Bush Conspiracy Generator: "George W. Bush caused the Cubs to lose to the Marlins in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series so that the Jews, Rush Limbaugh, and Ann Coulter could invade The United Nations."
The George W. Bush Conspiracy Generator: "George W. Bush caused the Cubs to lose to the Marlins in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series so that the Jews, Rush Limbaugh, and Ann Coulter could invade The United Nations."
Tuesday, January 20, 2004
Freedom and Faith
From a 1963 WGBH interview with James Baldwin, a powerful premonition for why the War on Poverty would fail:
Baldwin: I remember my father had trouble keeping us alive -- there were nine of us. I was the oldest so I took care of the kids and dealt with Daddy. I understand him much better now. Part of his problem was he couldn't feed his kids, but I was a kid and I didn't know that. He was very religious, very rigid. He kept us together, I must say, and when I look back on it -- that was over 40 years ago that I was born -- when I think back on my growing up and walk that same block today, because it's still there, and think of the kids on that block now, I'm aware that something terrible has happened which is very hard to describe.
I am, in all but technical legal fact, a Southerner. My father was born in the South -- no, my mother was born in the South, and if they had waited two more seconds I might have been born in the South. But that means I was raised by families whose roots were essentially rural --
Clark: Southern rural...
Baldwin: Southern rural, and whose relation to the church was very direct, because it was the only means they had of expressing their pain and their despair. But 20 years later the moral authority which was present in the Negro Northern community when I was growing up has vanished, and people talk about progress, and I look at Harlem which I really know -- I know it like I know my hand -- and it is much worse there today than it was when I was growing up.
Clark: Would you say this is true of the schools too?
Baldwin: It is much worse in the schools.
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