New Blog Location

I've upgraded after only half a month on Blogger.

My blog will continue at: http://isaacschrodinger.typepad.com/

Update your bookmarks, yes both of you.

Mmm Bubbles

One day, I'll try this:

Andre Champagne Cellars is introducing a new improved screwcap bottle for champagne that allows drinkers to re-cork the bottle, which will allow them to have just one glass and keep the rest fresh.

Property Rights

Thomas Sowell writes another eloquent column regarding property rights and it's abuse by individuals.

Another rationale for laws restricting land use is that "open space" is a good thing, that it prevents "overcrowding" for example. But preventing people from building homes in one place only makes the crowding greater in other places. This is just another fig leaf for the self-interest of those who want other people to be forced to live somewhere else.

I am surprised by many liberals who support "open space" laws since these laws make life expensive for everyone. Obviously, the poor are the hardest hit by this compassionate policy. The liberals should rethink their support because of their concern for the poor. I almost said 'because it's bad economics' but then most liberals still think that there is nothing wrong with socialism. If the wretched Soviet Union didn't open their eyes, then my words will have little effect.

Incredible

I started reading this symposium at FrontPage magazine to primarily find out what Robert Spencer had to say but I was pleasantly shocked by Ali Sina. Ali utterly and ruthlessly tore apart Mohamed El-Mallah's and Julia Roach's arguments. These two Islamic apologists simply got pummeled.

Muslim women are not allowed to have any libido. It is not pious for women to have sexual feelings. In fact the genital mutilation is designed to take away any sexual pleasure from them. Women are not supposed to enjoy sex. If they have any libido, there is a risk that they may fornicate and commit sin. Women must only provide satisfaction to their husbands and deny all their own sexual needs. According to a tradition: Allah's Apostle said, "If a husband calls his wife to his bed (i.e. to have sexual relation) and she refuses and causes him to sleep in anger, the angels will curse her till morning." Bukhari 4.54.450 It is hilarious to think that the angels have nothing better to do than sit around and curse the poor woman all the night for depriving them from watching the live porno show.

I intially laughed at that but then the misery and suffering of Muslim women is no laughing matter.

In one sense this is all truly very funny. But in another, much larger sense, it is a tragedy.

Yes, it is and thank you Ali for being so bold in telling the truth.

Pipes

A reader of Power Line, Bob Ellison says:

The marginalizers failed to put down Pipes Senior, as they are failing today to best his son.

They'll fail as long as they are against freedom. Go read his full comments.

A Tenured Islamist

Via LFG; I confess that half way through this sorry article, I lost track of the point, assuming there was any. It's beyond my comprehension to understand this high-level illogic. A partial fisking follows.

Backed by the self interest of their landed and commercial elites, and inspired by revolutionary ideas, the colonists had a dream worth pursuing. They were prepared to die for this dream - and to kill. They did: and they won. On September 11, 2001, nineteen Arab hijackers too demonstrated their willingness to die - and to kill - for their dream. They died so that their people might live, free and in dignity.

Ah, Shahid rhetorically reduces the revolutionary colonists to suicidal murderers with a dream. Even then, the twisted analogy isn't complete, so he concocts a dream for the 911 terrorists. The terrorists died so that their people...Wait a minute, what is this 'their people'? You're talking about terrorists not Muslims since these 911 dreamers didn't represent the mainstream Muslims. Right? But then the logic doesn't work. Why should the Islamist terrorists live, free and in dignity? They should be six feet under, decomposing and in pigskin. So, you must be referring to Muslims as 'their people'. But then how does incinerating thousands help Muslims live, free and in dignity?

The attacks of 9-11 were in many ways a work of daring and imagination too; if one can think objectively of such horrors. They were a cataclysmic summation of the history of Western depredations in the Middle East: the history of a unity dismembered, of societies manipulated by surrogates, of development derailed and disrupted, of a people dispossessed.

Yes, the words 'daring' and 'imagination' came to my mind as I saw the Twin Towers fall. 911 was a summation of the history of Western depredations in the Middle East. Of course, if only the West had not conquered the Middle East and Afghanistan and pillaged it,...oh wait, never mind. Saudi Arabia, to this day, employs thousands of Westerners to maintain it's oil facilities. There are simply not enough educated Muslims to maintain said facilities. If it were not for these Westerners, most Saudis would be riding camels instead of BMWs. When exactly were the Muslims united? A Muslim might be a Sunni, Shia, Ismaili, Salafi, Ahmadi, Sufi, just to name a few. I have yet to mention the tribal aspect of the Arab world. Oops, some unity. Grow up, and stop blaming surrogates and other phantom menaces. The Arab and the Muslim world is in a dump because of their lack of freedom, gender aparthied, religious intolerance, rabid antisemitism, ironclad belief in conspiracy theories, education from demented madrassas, and xenophobia of the West. By the way, marrying in the family doesn't help either.

Above all, the question that the hijackers of 9-11 pose to their Islamic compatriots is this: "What have you risked to oppose your own tyrants, your own ruling cliques, tribes and sectaries, who are so easily co-opted by foreign powers, who have worked so treacherously to enslave their own peoples, who sell off their national treasures, and who have secretly worked with Israel to complete the dismantling of Palestinian society?"

I didn't know that the 911 terrorists were sooo deep, man. I'm slightly confused though. Were most of the 911 terrorists opposing their tyrant the US or their original tyrant the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia? On second thought, the answer doesn't matter. The foreign powers helped Israel dismantle Palestinian society. Hmm, didn't know a Palestinian society existed. If it did, Arafat was the pillager-in-chief.

"We engage in this violence against the United States," they say, "because you force us to, because you have failed to act against the American surrogates in your own countries. Because you have failed to act politically and with courage, we send you this message of horror, of shame. We advertise your shame before the world. We announce the failure of a billion and a half people - keepers of the Quran and heirs to a moral civilization - to overthrow the craven ruling classes who commit treachery against their own societies, their own history, every day that they cling to power."

There you go again, making the 911 terrorists representatives of all Muslims -- keepers of the Quran and heirs to a moral civilization. Bwhahaha. Ahem, moral civilization: where an old male can marry four pre-teenagers, fornicators and adulterers are stoned to death, drinking booze gets you decapitated, questioning Muhammad's behaviour gets one hanged, homosexuals are thrown off cliffs head first, females are treated like cattle, slavery is permitted, non-Muslims are treated as garbage. Moral = an Islamist's wet dream.

One thing is certain now: the Islamic world will change. Will it be the change the Americans and Israelis want? Will the Islamic world be smashed into a collection of micro-states - ethnic, sectarian and tribal entities - allied to and dependent on the US and Israel for their survival? Or will the Muslims oppose this new 'civilizing mission' and regain the freedom to shape their destiny in ways that allow the integral Quranic society, just, inclusive, creative, seeking knowledge, taking the middle road, to once again enrich our common human sojourn on earth?

There are already over 45 Muslim-majority states. How can the US, with Israel of course, smash it into smaller pieces? Put it another way, the Muslim world isn't united to begin with. One cannot 'regain' something, one never had. Once again, the sugarcoated rhetoric about the Quran. Enrich = one's face being stomped by a Quran. I wonder why so many Muslims are leaving such an enriching experience behind to migrate towards the West? Shahid's entire article is repugnant. You should read some of the other comments as well.

War Never Justified

Well, the comments by Carol Bellamy certainly explain the non-intervention in Rwanda and Sudan. I am sure the Iraqis will be happy to know that the war to remove Saddam and start consensual government was not justified, Germans and other Europeans will be pleased to know that the Allies were wasting money fighting WWII, Blacks in the US would be glad to know that the North wasted money fighting the South. I am surprised at the number of Canadians who consider the UN, and the Europeans, to be morally superior to the US. How can an organization which is, de facto, pro-fascist be morally superior to the US and the Allies? Why would an organization that's made up of mostly totalitarian thugs be morally superior to democracies? How can one still consider the UN to be morally superior after they skimmed off over $20 billion from the suffering Iraqis? Update: This is just pathetic. Via LFG.

It [the UN] is the only body that has the moral authority.

Another ostrich takes it's head out of the sand to speak. Hmm, I wonder how much the UN is going to skim off the Asian quake and tsunami victims?

Despised?

The most despised figure in the country gets over 50% of the vote. Now, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but what they're not entitled to is their own facts. I would bet that most Americans loathe people on the far left rather than President Bush.

Laser Directed at Cockpit

I hope that this is just an exceedingly dumb prank. Otherwise, the consequences could be lethal.

Deadliest Disaster

The death toll is now over 114,000. The Command Post has comprehensive coverage of the tsunami's aftermath.

Rational Markets

Markets are rational over the long run but who cares since we're all dead, as Keynesians would say. I still prefer the invisible hand.

It is not enough to identify a malfunctioning market, or a market failure, and then call for action (usually by the State) to correct it. One also needs to loook at whether that action will make the problem of failure worse.

Yes, one needs to very carefully look (or loook) at the costs alongside the benefits to gauge the policy's effectiveness. Many people are simply mesmerized by the benefits and, when the policy is implemented, are shocked by the incredible costs.

Sheesh

The Star Tribune's Nick Coleman has lost his marbles. Via Instapundit where he's got interesting responses to Coleman's meltdown. Update: LFG also links to this loony.

One of the looniest, most overboard mainstream media outbursts of the year, reminiscent of the kind of borderline psychotic ranting you find in the comments of Democratic Underground or Daily Kos.

Indeed. Pej links to the article as well and Lord have mercy, the brightest Volokh annihilates Coleman's piece. A sample:

Wow, they won an online poll! And they wanted to win it, and tried to get its readers to vote for them. Therefore, they're lying when they say that they didn't expect being named Blog of the Year by Time Magazine. The penetrating logic astounds me.

Coleman, an ankle-biting journalist. 2005 is gonna be a lot of fun. Update: Evan Coyne Maloney weighs in on Coleman's meltdown.

...I always thought the purpose of journalism was to describe noteworthy events, to tell what happened. No, in Coleman's world, the purpose of the media is to "toot their horns in the service of [...] the downtrodden." Of course, they get to decide who's downtrodden, they get to decide how the downtrodden should be served--it always seems to be through the election of liberals or the support of big government programs--and they get to decide what facts to leave out and what details to spin in order to further their goals.

Yes, they do; the Blogosphere is breaking up their monopoly on facts and Coleman is simply lashing out because as time passes, his profession has less power and influence. This hit piece on Power Line is an indication of Coleman's, um, impotence.

Ouch

Glenn gives a stingy slap to that UN idiot. Update: Stingy? Oh, sure bitch about the US and Bush. To the Washington Post: Actions speak louder than words, you Clinton-loving-oh-he-feels-our-pain partisan hacks.

Islamism = Fascism

A complete, and 100% correct, answer to 'How Islamism is Fascism?'. The answer was given by, of course, VDH.

...the methodology of violence is similar: The use of murder, suppression of dissent, and cult of the personality all used for centralizing power in a mythical strongman. And if we can believe his boasts about what he wants to do to the US and Israel, then we can see an embrace of genocide as well, his problem being only means not intent.

Go read the entire answer.

Drunk Saudis

This letter from Saudi Arabia brought back some memories.

Abdullah asked me where I spent the Eid. "I stayed here." "You stayed here? For the entire Eid?" he asked incredulously. "What'd you do?" "I brought back some books from vacation. They ate up a lot of the time," I said. "Books?" Abdullah said, a look of benign horror spreading across his face. I might as well have said I spent the week eating spiders. "When Ramadan is over, everyone runs from Riyadh," Abdullah said. "Everyone runs to Bahrain. You should run with them."

Bahrain is very close to where my family lives in Saudi Arabia. We've been to Bahrain multiple times for boring vacations. The first time for me was in 1998. And yes, I brought two books to read because I'm the geek/nerd in my family. I remember one of them was a Brave New World. I finished it in two days. Mercifully, I was only in Bahrain for a few more days after that since I was leaving for America (FUCK YEAH) to continue my education. The last time we went to Bahrain, the price of the Bahraini visa was 50 Saudi Riyals or 5 Bahraini Dinars. The exchange rate between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain is fixed at 10:1 and everyone accepts Saudi Riyals in Bahrain. For some obscure reason, the Bahraini Dinar has 1000 cents instead of the usual 100. Bahrain should just adopt the Saudi currency rather than waste money printing it's own useless one. Anyway, the Bahraini visa is valid for a week and one can easily get further visas while in Bahrain. It's a nice way for the Bahraini government to milk the Saudis at the border. The rich Saudis race in their Mercs or BMWs during the weekends to get hammered in Bahrain. Of course, some go to Bahrain for other, ahem, activities as well (nudge nudge, wink wink). But don't you dare question their piety. It took us about 3 hours to complete the trip from our place, through useless customs, to the place in Bahrain. We rented an apartment for a few weeks and did practically nothing. Most goods in Bahrain are quite expensive. We were shocked by the cost of a regular haircut in Bahrain since it was actually lower than Saudi Arabia's. Your average haircut cost in Saudi Arabia is 10 riyals whereas the cost in Bahrain is 5 riyals (approx. US$1.50). My family didn't do much in Bahrain, other than watch non-stop TV. We receive 3 or 4 TV channels in Saudi Arabia but in Bahrain we get over 10. Yippee. There isn't much to do in Bahrain unless you're a repressed horny Saudi. Bahrain's population is less than half of Toronto's. And Bahrain is a country!

High Expectations

I also expected better of the Sri Lankan government. Update: Lileks mentions their sad behaviour as well.

Steyn on Polygamy

A few days ago, I linked to an article which talked about Britain recognizing polygamy for tax purposes. Yesterday, Steyn weighed in as well.

Last year, I was strolling down the boulevard de Maisonneuve in Montreal and saw across the street a Muslim woman, covered from head to toe in black, struggling home with her groceries past a "condom boutique" whose front window was advertising massive discounts on a, er, item of useful gay-sex paraphernalia. I wish I'd had a digital camera: there, in a single image, were the internal contradictions of the multicultural society.

Recognizing polygamy will be one of the first steps towards welcoming Sharia.

No Christmas For You

Saudi Aramco hires a lot of Western foreigners, affectionately known as infidels, for various sevices. Now most of these guys celebrate Christmas, so the company used to give them the week off. Of course, the various Islamists in the land went nuts over this and said that such a policy endorsed Christmas and is therefore unIslamic. Saudi Aramco reversed the policy, so that everyone had to work during Christmas time. But slyly, Saudi Aramco gave these infidels an extra week for vacation which these guys now cash in for Christmas. Of course, when it comes to Makkah, infidels can't enter. I know since the heavily loaded authorities check everybody's documents to ensure that the people entering the city are Muslim. Our passports specify our religion. This article forgot to mention that the Saudi authorities at the ports of entry confiscate any item that has a Jewish connection. For example, books written by Jews are confiscated. Einstein and Feynman are banned in Saudi Arabia.

Bwahahaha

This whale crushed the donkeys.

No Friend

...France is striving to impose its strain of anti-Americanism on other European states that have traditionally preferred the trans-Atlantic partnership to French or Franco-German domination of their Continent's affairs. The principal vehicle for enforcing the latter over unwilling states — notably, Great Britain and nations Don Rumsfeld has described as "New Europe" — is the new European Constitution. If this draft constitution is ratified by voters in Britain, France and a half-dozen other countries, the European Union will have authority to "define and implement a common foreign and security policy, including the progressive framing of a common defense policy." The U.S. can forget about "special relationships" and strong bilateral ties, let alone "coalitions of the willing," with states bound by such a compact.

Frank J. Gaffney, Jr. talks about the history of French perfidy and how that is manifesting itself today with France being very cozy with China. I once wrote a small research paper on China, and was amazed by how China transformed itself from a communist state to a fascist one over the past 25 years. This transformation brought economic relief to only a few Chinese since most of the inland Chinese are still extremely poor. I don't consider China an economic threat but politically the situation is very bleak since you only need a few power hungry madmen to start a war. The mix of western technology and zealous totalitarianism is very dangerous. As usual, the French don't give a damn.

Trade-offs

An eloquent article, Free Lunch 'Safety', by Thomas Sowell.

If a drug is not safe, neither is the illness for which the drug is prescribed. Nor are alternative drugs likely to be perfectly safe, since nothing else is. Life involves weighing alternative risks, whether in football, pharmaceutical drugs, or a thousand other things.

Precisely, this concept of trade-offs is ignored or not understood by lot of people who continuously demand perfection. They don't realize that to achieve their ever increasing demands the costs become too high for many people including the businesses who often times have these demands regulated upon them.

I Live Here

30 Fun Facts Aboot Canada.

Essentials

I love the sight of pixels in the morning. Update: Even the Blogfather is content.

Lovely 2004

It was a Very Good Year. Indeed.

More Misery

The death toll stands at 44,000. (Update: Over 63,000 dead.) My family was once watching a disaster show on the TV. We saw hurricanes and tornadoes and the incredible damage that was caused; this was a show about the United States. My mom said that this was Allah's way of punishing the infidels. At the time, I was surprised by that remark because the death toll by these disasters, in the United States, was minimal. The heat wave kills hundreds of people in Pakistan every year. The monsoon washes away houses with livestock and unlucky people. Earthquakes kill tens of thousands of people in countries like Iran, Pakistan, and India. I wondered what Allah was punishing these Muslims for because similar earthquakes in the U.S. kill a few folks. Lack of freedom, wealth, warning systems, and high population densities are the main reasons why we see such tremendous suffering in Asia and Africa when disasters strike. When I see disasters in the West, I marvel at the colossal material carnage they cause. When I see disasters in 3rd world countries, I am shocked by the inconceivable amount of death and suffering. Update: The cause of the tsunami: greed and stupidity. And oh, animals are smarter than us. These people get paid to write this nonsense. Update: Via LFG, comes these chilling videos of the tsunamis hitting different islands. What's the highest recorded tsunami? Answer: 1700 feet (520 m). The tsunamis that hit these islands were, at most, 40 feet high.

Yushchenko wins

Orange is the new black. Congratulations to the people of Ukraine. They now have a legitimate leader instead of the Russian rent-a-thug.

Misery

The death toll, from the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and the resulting tsunami, stands at 24,000. People as far as Africa were killed. The earthquake moved the island of Sumatra 100 feet. More info at the Command Post.

Flop

Stoned is still whining about Alexander the Gay. He thinks the movie flopped because Americans are too stupid to appreciate it. Whatever helps you sleep at night, man.

From Dim Minds

Link via LFG. A partial fisking of the Chicago Tribune article, "Of Two Minds" follows:

"The king was a moderate Muslim much like the vast majority of those who practice Islam, the world's fastest-growing religion but also one exploited by the terrorists who have attacked America."

Hmm, King Hussein of Jordan was a moderate. I didn't know that moderate Muslims supported Saddam Hussein when he assaulted Kuwait in 1990. When you have a moderate like King Hussein and a fascist like Saddam Hussein in agreement on conquering a tiny helpless country, you need to re-evaluate your definitions of moderate and fascist. Or take your head out of the sand.

"But in many respects the king's and the terrorists' cause were one: Righting an unjust world in which millions of people who practice Islam suffer, often at the hands of governments empowered by America and its policies."

Let's get this straight: the only cause of the king was to stay in power and the terrorists' cause is to usurp power. For as long as I have been alive, America has been helping Muslims. In the 90s, America helped Muslims in Kuwait by sending 500,000 troops, and later helped them in Bosnia, and Kosovo. In this century, America has helped Afghanis start a democracy where none existed before. Americans and the allies have provided food and medical care for millions of needy children there. Over a million refugees have come back to Afghanistan. Since last year, Americans have been spending billions of dollars to help the Iraqis build their country. But let's assume that American policies are hurting Muslims. How exactly does flying jets into buildings, killing tourists at a resort, gleefully raping and murdering school children, and blowing up innocent Iraqis help right that?

"Reporters found little to suggest that Islam encourages violence, despite the impression Westerners might have because of exposure mostly to extremists. In fact, its venerable history suggests that Islam, like most religions, promotes peace and charity."

Right from the beginnings of Islam, Muhammed ordered the peaceful killing of the entire Jewish tribe in Mecca. Muslims then, peacefully, subjugated peoples in Asia, Africa, and Europe. A few years ago, the Taliban peacefully shot women in stadiums. Today, people are peacefully beheaded for alcohol consumption in Saudi Arabia, girls are peacefully stoned to death in Iran, and across much of the Muslim world women are peacefully killed by their families for bringing dishonor to them. So, remember that Islam promotes peace.

"Using America's influence with the Israelis to play a constructive role to help settle the Palestinian conflict would be the single most effective step the U.S. could take to win the war on terrorism and to deter another attack in the U.S. It would defuse the most powerful propaganda weapon in the radicals' arsenal."

Why should the U.S. change it's strong support of Israelis to support the very people who danced and celebrated while thousands of Americans died on September 11, 2001? Obviously, that's what you meant by a constructive role since the U.S. is not playing such a role right now. The U.S. is the only country that stands between Israel and another holocaust. The U.S. is a moral nation and as such she will never support the agents of darkness.

"In some countries, such as Egypt, reporters found an Islamic cultural resurgence rising from a population sick of ineffective government, corruption and recurring humiliation of Arabs by the West. In other nations, such as Iran, reporters found Islam imposed top-down by a religious government that rules its citizens with an iron fist. In both cases, though, American policy does little to ease the problems of the average Muslim. In Egypt, U.S. policy helps perpetuate a government that is a democracy in name only. In Iran, U.S. opposition to the nation's nuclear ambitions undermines the support of a growing moderate Islamic movement, a youthful faction that rejects the more conservative practices of the nation's ruling imams."

Since when did it become the responsibility of the U.S. to ease the problems of the average Muslim in Egypt and Iran? When the U.S. does help Muslims in Afghanistan and Iraq, the U.S. is a NAZI-like resource-hungry state. Therefore, the terrorists in these countries are brave insurgents. When the U.S. doesn't help Muslims in Egypt and Iran, their hatred is warranted. The U.S. can't win, it's always America's fault. At least be consistent; the U.S. promoting democracy in Iraq and not promoting democracy in Egypt can't get the same asinine reaction from you and the Muslims. Or can it?

"Indeed, for every militant killed or captured by the U.S. or another government, Pakistan churns out dozens of potential recruits to take his or her place. A possible effective countermeasure is American aid to promote education reform in Pakistan, a nation whose importance in the fight against Islamic extremism is hard to overstate. But precious little Pakistani or American money finds its way into education reform."

Right, American aid for reform. Just like the $2 billion in aid Egypt gets every year or the billions of aid money Palestinians have received from the U.S. They're both great models of miserable failure. Most of the money that Pakistan is going to get will be, ahem, lost in the bureaucracy. Some of it that does get to the schools will be given to the madrassas. The only effective way to reform these institutions is to give these countries the shock and awe treatment. That way the U.S. can monitor the flow of money and quickly capture frauds and replace them. Hey, isn't that happening in Iraq? Can you not see that the current U.S. foreign policy is the most effective and the least bloody? After more than two decades of giving peace a chance, the ruins of such thinking were brought to NYC on 911. Enough, time to give war a chance.

"The U.S. should adopt policies that make Muslims as comfortable here as Christians."

What might be those policies? Maybe, covering up women so that they look like dementors, banning women from getting driver's licenses, banning barbies for their unIslamic look, non-muslims paying the dhimmi tax for protection, banks banning interest on money, homosexuals and fornicators being stoned to death, banning books written by Jews, drinking alcohol punishable by death, hanging those who criticise such policies, you know all that good stuff. When it comes to Islam, the media should stop their auto-fellatio and report the facts.

Ridiculous

"Some 150,000 men have registered to vote in elections scheduled to begin in the capital Riyadh on Feb. 10. Officials had estimated that at least 400,000 men would sign up before registration closed Thursday. Woman were barred from voting."

It's considered an improvement when only women are barred from voting. This is just a show from the desert version of Mordor. All government functions are controlled by the members of the ruling family. The kingdom is never going to relinquish it's power willingly. After the elections, the executions will continue as scheduled, women will still be treated as cattle by the mutaween (religious police), and the Shia will be repressed as before. What a joke.

That's Just Lovely

Muslim second wives may get a tax break by Nicholas Hellen at the UK Times Online. So, what's next, the Muslim males getting twice as much in the inheritance as the females? Note, that sharia allows a Muslim male to have a maximum of four wives. Of course, a Muslim woman can only have one husband. In African countries, Muslim men marry, or what we would call purchase, girls as young as six years old. Such behaviour is fine by sharia. The time will come in Europe when the only law will be sharia unless the Europeans resist. Unfortunately, it seem like they're bending over backwards to incorporate sharia. The question then is which European country will be the first to accept dhimmi status? Via LFG.

AP Keeps Digging

The brave AP photographers taking pictures of a live execution.

Lord Have Mercy

Magnitude 8.9 Earthquake in Indonesia. I have only read about such powerful earthquakes in history. Tens of thousands of people must have died because of this massive shock. It hit Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country on Earth. The tidal waves would have assaulted the thousands of islands of Indonesia and many countries surrounding it. The death toll is going to rise tremendously over the next few days. Sri Lanka and India hit badly as well. India is sending, at least, six ships to Indonesia with much needed supplies like blankets, food, water, and medicine. The death toll stands at 5,000 right now. Update: The Command Post has roundups from dozens of places. The death toll is now at 9,000. More links at Instapundit. Update: The U.S. offers aid to the tsunami-hit nations. The death toll now is at 12,000.

They

A married couple, friends of my parents, drop by our place in Saudi Arabia, in the summer of 2003. The couple talked to me about two different topics. I'll detail the second topic first. H: husband, W: wife, IS: myself. The man comes and sits next to me. H: So, the war is over and the U.S. is now in control of Iraq. How does the media in Canada portray the war in Iraq? IS: Well, the majority of Canadians are against it and the media portrays it as a mess. H: I don't think the media, in the U.S., provides the Muslim point of view. Do you know why that is? IS: No. H: It's because most of the media is controlled by Jews. They are very rich and think that it would be harmful to their interests to have Muslims speak. Hence, only their point of view is broadcast which is always anti-Muslim. But, we have a few Muslim brothers who are getting donations and starting organizations to counter their propaganda. IS: ...no word... H: Inshallah, they'll be successful and the Jewish monopoly will come to an end. This Jewish monopoly is also the reason for the pro-Israel slant of the U.S. media. The palestinians are simply ignored. IS: ...unbelievable. Now, the first topic. H: How is your study going in Canada? IS: Quite well. The material gets tougher and the students in the class dwindle with every passing year. W: We want our kids to study in Canada as well. Do you think the costs are high? IS: Well, the living expenses are usually $1000 a month and the other cost is tuition. W: What's the cost of tuition? IS: It's dependant on the number of courses one takes. For a full course load, it's $12,000 a year. H: That's a lot. IS: That cost is for international students, national students pay considerably less. W: Our kids have Canadian nationality. IS: What? H: Yeah, when my wife would get pregnant, I would send her to Canada to her relatives. She gave birth to all our kids in Canada. IS: ...damn... Then, the tuition for one of your kids would be $5000 a year. H and W look at each with surprise. H: Nice. W: I am worried about him (her son) being alone. How many Pakistanis/Indians go to your university? IS: Oh, at least a thousand. W: (with a shocked look) a thousand! IS: Believe me your kids are not going to be alone. The wife goes to the kitchen with my mom. The man comes and sits next to me... These two topics demonstrate the conflicted, convoluted and antisemitic view of this Muslim couple. I wish that such kind of "thinking" was in the minority. Further reading: Joos use media as a weapon.

Parenting

"Parents don’t have to be perfect. They don’t have to buy the “right” toy to jump-start an infant’s “cognitive skills” or play Mozart to a dribbling three-year-old — and contrary to what many women have been told these last few years, they also don’t have to be a stellar model of career success for their children to admire."

That quote is from Mary Eberstadt from the Q&A at NRO. On the few occasions when the conversation between friends and acquaintances has turned to parenting, my opinion has raised amused, sometimes shocked, eyebrows. I am in favor of a stay-at-home parent and homeschooling. That, in their opinion, translates to me condemning my future kids to being socially retarded and wasting my future wife's life. Of course, my comment referred to a stay-at-home parent, not necessarily the mom, but I find it odd, to say the least, that a woman's life is wasted if she chooses to be a stay-at-home mom. Sadly, this attitude is quite common. Kids are simply looked at as a nuisance. Practically everyone I know in my age group has said that they'll have at most two kids. No wonder the population of the West is declining.

Mmm Mars

I gained a few pounds just by reading this post.

Elegant

"This, us, them, God bless. Amen."

Dig in.

Leftist Lunacy

"Furious students and faculty members at the Borough of Manhattan Community College are demanding that the school abandon plans for a certificate program on security management. They view it as an endorsement of the Bush administration’s Department of Homeland Security."

This college is in Manhattan. Do these furious faculty members have an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Unadulterated Stupidity? And since when did security become a "right-wing" issue? As time passes, the less respect I have for academia and "intellectuals". I feel sorry for the students who are being fed this dangerous nonsense. Via LFG.

Max

I had paid for a hard drive earlier this month. I got it in the mail yesterday. It's an IDE 300 GB Maxtor with 16 MB cache. Ah, Christmas came a day early for me. It's formatted capacity is 279 GB. I have been backing up my data on it and now I have about 105 GB free space left. Few years ago, I had the misfortune of getting, not one, but two IBM Deathstar hard disks from DELL. Both died within 6 months. DELL replaced both, because of the warranty, and sent me a Western Digital 100 GB. Since then, I've been very cautious and make backups very frequently. Right now I have two 120 GB Seagates in RAID as my primary and use an external 160 GB hard disk for backup. Since last month I have been short on space, and now I don't have to worry about that for at least a year with this Maxtor monster. Cheers (Non-alcoholic drinks only infidels).

AP Allergic to Truth

"One of the most blatant lies of the 2004 campaign was when AP reporter Scott Lindlaw, a long-time Democratic partisan, falsely reported that a crowd of Republicans in Wisconsin booed when President Bush announced that Bill Clinton had just been hospitalized with a heart problem."

I heard the audio and there was applause when Bush wished Clinton a speedy recovery. Now, the AP is lying about Rumsfeld's response to questions.

VDH Quotes

John Hawkins compiles the best Victor Davis Hanson quotes of 2004.

"Apart from the model of our forefathers who crushed and then lifted up the Germans and Japanese, we could find no better guide in this war than William Tecumseh Sherman and Abraham Lincoln — in that order. The former would remind us that our enemies traffic in pride and thus first must be disabused of it through defeat and humiliation. The latter (who turned Sherman and Grant lose) would maintain that we are a forgiving sort, who prefer restored rather than beaten people as our friends."

I am currently reading the memoirs of Sherman and hope to learn from his wisdom.

"There are plenty of third-world revolutionaries today, but very few who wave the hammer and sickle. Again, it is not that mankind ceased being naïve or duped, and woke up to the absurdities of Marxism and the mass murder that typically followed its implementation. Rather, very few wished to be associated with a losing ideology that offered no arms, patrons, or money — but a lot of misery, humiliation, and ridicule. This war against the Islamofascists and autocrats of the Middle East is no different."

Indeed, it is the same. If you want one source for your World War IV info, then VDH is your man.

Moral Legitimacy...

Over the past few years, I met a lot of people who said that the U.S. couldn't go to war with Iraq without UN authorization. I corrected them by saying that they meant shouldn't. I should have talked to them about their mistaken assumption that the UN has inherent moral legitimacy whereas the U.S. and the Allies had none. The UN takes half it's time tearing apart a tiny democracy which is fighting against barbarians. The repressive Islamic world gets a pass. In fact, the UN has basically become an Islamic thugocracy. A vote, in the General Assembly, by the U.S. can be cancelled by Saddam's ideological buddies, the Syrians. In the end, these impotent dictatorships gang up on Israel while they continue to keep their populations as slaves. The UN has no problem getting rich off these people's misery via oil-for-food. It's modern purpose is to shackle the U.S. for they don't have the military means to do so. The UN cannot be reformed. The U.S. should leave it and form a union of democracies. Update: UN peacekeepers raped young girls.

Haircut

I got a haircut earlier today. The conversation between myself and the barber follows: Barber: So, how would you like your haircut? IS: I'd like medium length. Barber: Not too long, not too short, just perfect, eh. Good weather today. IS: It's very cold. Barber: I've been here 40 years. It gets a lot colder. I have a friend who went to Barbados for work. He lived there for only 3 years because he couldn't take it. He missed the four seasons. IS: Well, I've lived in Saudi Arabia, so this is quite cold for me. Barber: Really, Saudi Arabia hunh. I would have figured that you're from India. IS: I was born in Pakistan. Barber: Oh, same difference. Pakistanis are Muslim and Indians are... IS: Hindus, mostly. Barber: Right, Hindus. So, you don't celebrate Christmas back home. IS: Christmas is banned in Saudi Arabia. Barber: Oh, ... here you can't really avoid it. What kind of government do you have? IS: It's a kingdom. Barber: So, is that a democracy? No, is it a dictatorship? IS: Yup, it's a dictatorship. Barber: What's the name of the king? IS: Fahd. Barber: Faaoood. IS: F-A-H-D. FA-hud. Barber: Fahud. IS: Yup. Barber: Does the king have sons who want to take over? IS: He has brothers who are next in line. Another person walks in for a haircut; has a chat with the barber. Few minutes pass. Barber: You don't drink alcohol. IS: The punishment for drinking alcohol in Saudi Arabia is death. Barber: Wow....My son goes out with his buddies and they have a Muslim friend, Ahmad, and he's the designated driver. IS: Yeah, by default. On the radio: ...Right now the temperature is -8 deg. C... Barber: See, that's not bad. IS: Do you know what the record low temperature in one place in Saudi Arabia is? Barber: No. IS: 0 deg. C. Barber: Hmm, what would the temperature be right now in Saudi Arabia? IS: Around 20-25 deg. C. Few minutes pass. Barber: This time of the year is quite special for us. My wife asked me, 'What time are you going to be home today?' I said after 2. She is back home, cooking. We're going to church tonight. There are going to be 20 people in our house tomorrow. We're going to our brother's house as well. Barber finishes the haircut. Barber: He smiles and says, I am going to tell you this, Happy Holidays. IS: I smile back, and say Merry Christmas. Barber: Thank you. IS: Thanks. Merry Christmas, y'all.

Mainstream conspiracies

Alongside antisemitism, conspiracies are also mainstream in the Muslim world. Exhibit A, for example. This exhibit brought to you by the desert version of Mordor.

The Don Revisited

VDH's defense of Rumsfeld is infinitely better than mine.

"...the demand for Rumsfeld's scalp is also predicated on supposedly too few troops in the theater. But here too the picture is far more complicated. Vietnam was no more secure with 530,000 American soldiers in 1968 than it was with 24,000 in 1972. How troops are used, rather than their sheer numbers, is the key to the proper force deployment — explaining why Alexander the Great could take a Persian empire of 2 million square miles with an army less than 50,000, while earlier Xerxes with 500,000 on land and sea could not subdue tiny Greece, one-fortieth of Persia's size."

As always, his column is rich with history.

"In reality, he [Rumsfeld] has carefully allotted troops in Iraq because he has few to spare elsewhere — and all for reasons beyond his control."

Precisely. We can't blame Rumsfeld for issues that are beyond his control.

"And who pushed to re-deploy thousands of troops out of Europe, and to re-station others in Korea? Or were we to keep ossified bases in perpetuity in the logic of the Cold War while triangulating allies grew ever-more appeasing to our enemies and more gnarly to us, their complacent protectors?"

No, sir. It's about time those soldiers in Europe moved out. I found it particularly rich of the, oh-so-anti-American, Germans to complain about American troops leaving. Yeah, they're perfectly willing to take American dollars while providing idiotic and acidic commentary to the Americans. Serves them right. Go read it all now.

Killing Democracy

The infidel Americans have killed the democracy in Iraq. They achieved this by deposing "President" Saddam from power. "President" Saddam got around 99.94% of the vote in the election, like OMG it was Bradmanesque. The Iraqis had so many real choices before the "liberation" man, like being put in a shredder head or feet first. The Iraqis made less than $10 a month and now they're earning over 100s of dollars every month. The Americans have transformed them from noble savages to capitalist pigs. Oh, the humanity. The Americans are also adept at propaganda. They use CIA stooges, and embedded reporters which makes it troublesome for the "insurgents". This adds to the confusion; the "insurgents" don't know whether the reporters are combatants or not. It's the American's fault that the "insurgents" have slaughtered reporters. The solution is clear, the infidels should put back Saddam and leave. Anti-Americanism is the opium of the Leftists.

Mainstream Antisemitism

Antisemitism is mainstream in the Muslim world. The despicable programming at Iran TV is further proof of that. Via LFG.

Good Stuff

Tim Blair provides some quotes from November 2004. A glorious month, as W got a mandate and Arafat assumed room temperature. The following two are my favorites and were directly taken from his post.

* "There are a lot of long faces today." -- New Yorker editor David Remnick, who really should consider John Kerry's feelings before speaking * "George Soro." -- caption typo in the Washington Times. Hey, who wouldn't be sad after wasting millions on a campaign to oust George W. Bush?

Junk Science

You should read the Junk Science Awards for 2004. There are 10 very worthy recipients. At #10 is the University of Arkansas; it involves the Atkins Diet. It is simply unbelievable.

Free Speech Revisited

Robert Spencer provides chilling commentary about the anti-free speech case in Australia.

"There are some hints that the outcome of the case was virtually predetermined. When during the trial Scot began to read Qur’anic verses that discriminate against women, a lawyer for the Islamic Council of Victoria, the organization that brought the suit, stopped him: reading the verses aloud, she said, would in itself be religious vilification. Dismayed, Scot replied: “How can it be vilifying to Muslims in the room when I am just reading from the Qur’an?”"

The dumb government in Victoria has just set a very dangerous precedent. This is the same case that was linked to last Saturday.

Science = Consensus

This is a lecture given by Michael Crichton at Caltech titled, "Aliens Cause Global Warming". I just finished reading the incredible piece. He calls SETI a religion and moves on to other "scientific" material. The following stood out:

"This fascination with computer models is something I understand very well. Richard Feynmann called it a disease. I fear he is right."

I think of Feynman as the most lively and diligent scientist of the 20th century and it's nice to know what his opinion was about this "science". The whole lecture by Crichton is worth reading.

The C Word Returns

Last Saturday, I linked to a column by James Lilek's about the Holiday-that-must-not-be-named. James Wolcott responded to that column in a prissy manner and now is at the receiving end of a delightful fisking by Lilek's. An excerpt:

"I did write a long, angry paragraph about how I blamed this webpage on sodomite penetration of the venerable postal service (just typing the words now stirs something horrid in my cold, gristled loins) and I warned you all, warned you, that unless we put CHRISTMAS atop the page in 72 point type we are doomed to go the way of ancient Rome, lost in a swirl of sybaritic vapors and unable to resist the Huns with thier hordes of gay Jewish trial lawyers, or something like that. But I took it out. The truth may set you free, but it gets you called to the editor’s office, too."

Go read it all.

Europeans are Better?

From a post at the, impressive, Belmont Club:

"The Daily Telegraph describes how some European agencies actually refuse to look at mass grave sites to avoid being party to the punishment of war criminals."

Ladies and gentlemen, here we have these Europeans being, de facto, pro-fascist. The United States has to carry almost the entire burden, of fighting the forces of darkness, because no one else will.

Shouldn't be a Dilemma

Via Michael Totten, a speech by Haim Harari on the War on Terror.

"Do you raid a mosque, which serves as a terrorist ammunition storage? Do you return fire, if you are attacked from a hospital? Do you storm a church taken over by terrorists who took the priests hostages? Do you search every ambulance after a few suicide murderers use ambulances to reach their targets? Do you strip every woman because one pretended to be pregnant and carried a suicide bomb on her belly? Do you shoot back at someone trying to kill you, standing deliberately behind a group of children? Do you raid terrorist headquarters, hidden in a mental hospital? Do you shoot an arch-murderer who deliberately moves from one location to another, always surrounded by children?"

Yes, to all. If we hesitate, then more blood will be spilled. Our restraint will only, embolden the Islamists and, invite more deadly attacks. We must say yes to these questions to save more lives in the end. That is the cruel arithematic of war.

"All of these happen daily in Iraq and in the Palestinian areas. What do you do? Well, you do not want to face the dilemma. But it cannot be avoided."

No, it cannot. All that Harari says is correct. I want to diverge here slightly to talk about Israel. When the Intifada started, or the normal relations continued, Israel said that it would not target political leaders. This meant that Hamas, which is committed to the complete and utter annihilation of Israel, was free to plan murders of Israelis and it's leadership was immune from attack. I, for the life of me, never understood this stupidity. We're not even talking about any of the mentioned dilemmas but targeting gloating genocidal Hamas leaders. Finally in 2003, Israel changed it's policy and started killing Hamas leaders. Of course, the media went nuts but that was expected. I thought it was particularly rich when they cried about the wheelchair bound psycho. Since when does a disability confer some kind of innocence or pity upon a mass murderer? I still think that Israel is too soft. The United States, for example, would never take the kind of assaults that Israel endures every day. We would read about Hamas in history books if it had tried to attack the U.S. the way it constantly attacks Israel. My point is that the dilemmas do exist but that the West is much softer than that. Leaders of western countries worry about killing leaders of neo-Nazi groups. We have to be a lot tougher now to avoid passing on these dilemmas to future generations. I also think that we'll save more lives by being harsh today. We really need someone in the mold of Sherman or Patton to get the job done.

Kos Destroys Logic

This guy gets more readers than all the other left-wing blogs on the net. It's unfortunate that the mainstream left has become so despicable and increasingly shrill. It would be nice if the mainstream left was like this dude.

Fisking Krugman

Is Paul Krugman the best the NYTimes can do with economists? Krugman has practically become Donald Luskin's punching bag. Today, we see Luskin tearing apart Krugman on his asinine Social Security articles. It's sad really. A key comment:

"Because the Social Security system is fundamentally insolvent over the long term, and gets worse every year, raising taxes only helps for a short time."

That's precisely why Bush's proposal is necessary. Democrats should propose solutions, rather than simply ignoring the problem and "owning" Social Security as an issue.

Bush is Da Man

I kinda feel sorry for the ass.

Cowboy Capitalism

Larry Kudlow gives an excellent overview of the U.S. economy with thoughts on both fiscal and monetary policy. Also:

"Mr. Bush had a delightful put-down in his press appearance last week with Silvio Berlusconi. The Texan said foreign nations need only purchase more US goods to narrow the gap. This was his polite way of telling them to grow faster."

Indeed. Update: Larry Kudlow's optimistic column at NRO.

A Chomsky Lover Retires

Benjamin paints a scathing portrait of the retired Bill Moyers. Excerpt:

"Moyers was to television what Chomsky is to the world of political writing: a debased and fanatical authoritarian paranoic with no capacity for self-examination, self-criticism, or even the basic humanity necessary required to admit that your opponents may not, in fact, be demonically, apocalyptically evil."

Go read the whole thing.

For Geeks Only

Yummy. I wonder how many calories it has, 256 or 512?

YES

About time we got it here in Canada.

Russia Continues it's Slide

Freedom House downgrades Russia. This is very bad news. I agree with Damian's last comment.

What Liberal Media?

The media pick up stories that make conservatives look bad and then they pound on them. Later the facts of these stories prove to be incorrect. Say it ain't so. It's simply a noxious mixture of media arrogance and bias. Doesn't really matter who the leading conservative is, s/he gets pummeled by the media. It happened to Reagan, Bush 41, Gingrich, Dole, and now it's Bush 43's turn. Life goes on.

Sharia coming to Canada

This is despicable. So, use of Sharia is okay by Muslims in Canada. Hands chopped off for stealing, death for consuming or selling or storing alcohol, death for adultery, death for homosexuals, women not allowed to drive, two females worth one male witness, a male getting twice as much inheritance as the female in the family....Hey, it's all cool. That's wasn't hyperbole. Sharia is even more hideous than what I've described. I know since I've lived in Saudi Arabia. There are people who try their best to escape this wretched sickness, only to see ignorant morons here embrace the darkness. If this Sharia arrangement goes into effect in Canada, then you'll be hearing a lot of horror stories coming out of the Muslim community. Update: Montreal Gazette: One Law For All. Right on.

Ouch

The Lizardoid Master calls Wonkette, "A real class act". Go read and find out why. The comment #13 by blue tick is highly recommended.

Like O MY GOD

John F. Kerry did not win New York State. Will the democrat's misery ever stop?

Not an Ostrich

I have much respect for Daniel Pipes since he's one of the handful of academics who are courageous enough to point out Islamists whenever they see them. Here's a somewhat long profile of this brave man. His dad, the great Richard Pipes, comments in the profile:

"Of course we're worried. The Russians were more rational than the Muslims whom he confronts. They cared to live! But we are proud of him. Both of his courage and common sense. He understands the true nature of the danger the West faces."

Couldn't have said it better myself. Via LFG.

Truth Still Burning

It seems that Michael "There is No Terrorist Threat" Moore is allergic to telling the truth.

Low and Grow

A very interesting article about Growth Theory at VoluntaryXchange. It has to do with why he doesn't worry about low math scores in the U.S.

Until the Last Moment

I just finished listening to "Until the Last Moment" from Yanni Live at the Acropolis. It's a magnificent piece of music from start to finish. "One Man's Dream" is shorter but has the same feel and it builds up beautifully.

More than Annoying

John Hawkins, at Right Wing News, posts his 3rd annual list of the most annoying liberals in America. To say that the members in the list are, simply, annoying would be putting it mildly. You can make your call by reading the list which includes preposterous quotes.

Quagmire?

Omar and Mohammed, the Iraqi bloggers at Iraq The Model, are interviewed by Howard Kurtz. An impressive figure by Omar:

"Under Hussein, says Omar Fadhil, who works for a government clinic, he made the equivalent of $1.25 a month. Now, in the same job, he earns about $160 a month."

Link via the Blogfather. Update: Chrenkoff gives us another update on the good news from Iraq.

"More beanie babies were collected by students from St. Martin's Lutheran School in Annapolis. And cheerleaders from Saguaro and Horizon high schools and from the Desert Storm Elite gym in Scottsdale, Arizona, have also participated in the "Beanies for Baghdad" action. 800 teddybears, meanwhile, have arrived from North Dakota to the Forward Operating Base Speicher, with thousands more to come."

That's so heartwarming; ordinary Americans giving strangers comfort out of the goodness of their hearts.

The Don

Donald Rumsfeld has been the most successful member of the Bush Administration so far. Yes, even more than the much loved Colin Powell. Rumsfeld and the military brass planned and executed a speedy victory in Afghanistan in 2001. Then came the Battle of Iraq in 2003. Contrary to the asinine quagmire charges, Iraq was in U.S. hands after three weeks. Still, quite a few people want Rumsfeld to resign. Why? Well, the reasons have built up. Rumsfeld's incompetent handling of Iraq, not enough troops on the ground, and now because the troops don't have adequate protection like armored humvees. Let's tackle these three charges one by one. Incompetence In March 2003, the troops had chemical suits with them, the war was predicted to last three months, hundreds of oil wells were supposed to go up in flames and over 500 combat deaths were expected. Instead, the U.S. army made the fastest heavy armor movement in history and smashed through Baghdad. Only a few oil wells were put on fire and those were quickly put out. The combat deaths were only around a hundred. The most unbelievable charge of incompetence was that the troops didn't stop the unarmed Iraqis from stealing the material in government buildings. How exactly was that supposed to happen? Should the troops have been ordered to shoot at Iraqis? You can imagine the news headlines then. Not enough troops This is, by far, the most common charge against Rumsfeld. So, let's say that instead of 130,000 troops in Iraq, there were 230,000. Now, what would you rotate these troops with? The U.S. must have around 5 extra divisions or 200,000 more troops for this process. Can Rumsfeld have such numbers of troops in the next few days, weeks or months? No, he needs years for that to happen. Rumsfeld is doing the best he can with the numbers he has not the numbers commentators think he should have. More troops also means more financial costs. The U.S. is already spending about $2 billion a week in Iraq. When the $87 billion bill came up, the Democrats were shocked at the huge number. In my opinion, the number was small. I thought that the amount should have been double that. Anyway, John Kerry, who by the way served in Vietnam, infamously voted against the bill. Later, he said that he was going to add 50,000 troops to the U.S. armed forces but these troops were in no way to be used in Iraq. Well, that's helpful. This would be like your friend giving you a Blockbuster gift certificate with one condition; you can't use it at Blockbuster. Armor The humvees have certain restrictions by design and certain restrictions by law. The design problem comes in with the windshield, and if troops try to add armor, then they're violating the law that limits the overall weight of the humvee. Armor is no guarantee of protection. If one were trapped in an armored humvee, then it'd be tough to get out quickly. Abram tanks have been left immobilized by RPGs. Ergo, the tanks don't have enough armor. The Pentagon, however, is putting armor on humvees. We live in a nanosecond world but the production of armor and then the fitting of humvees takes time. After the armor question was reported or rather manufactured, Senator McCain said that he had no confidence in Rumsfeld. The media loves McCain and unfortunately for us that feeling is mutual. If McCain, and other senators, think that troops really don't have enough protection, then they have the power to pass bills which would provide the Pentagon with extra money for exactly such items like armor. Instead, they want Rumsfeld's head. I really don't understand the dislike for Rummy. He is a no-nonsense guy and has been a great Sec. of Defense in the early stages of WW IV. To ask for his resignation for issues that are beyond his control is to demonstrate bad judgement. Most people, myself included, think that the troops should have every protection they need. The reality is that the military has a limited budget and thus limited resources. So, should the military budget be increased? YES. Should Rumsfeld be shown the door? NO. Sources and further reading: A short post by Glenn that turns into a resourceful long one. A post primarily about logistics by Wretchard. The bogus armor crisis by Donald Sensing.

Only $1,349

Droooool. I will buy this if I see, oh, an 80% discount.

Iraqi Voices

The media is attracted to the negative stories in Iraq. The impression is that Iraq is a perpetual mess and that Iraqis hate the U.S. As a result of this skewed reporting, the many positive stories are never broadcast. For example, now that Saddam and his sons are history, the Iraqis can live normal lives without constant fear. How many stories have you seen depicting this reality? Jeff Jacoby writes about a creative process through which we're capable of witnessing the normal lives of these liberated Iraqis. Artists are now free to work as they please. They don't get thrown in jail for mocking the government. And because of the U.S. and the allies, by the end of January, the Iraqis, not some psychotic dictator, will control their destiny.

The White Wizard is Cunning

Via the Yuppies:

"That's not what it sounds like when a man is stabbed in the back." "I beg your pardon?" "Well, when I was serving in British Intelligence during the war, you often had to sneak up on a German, and when you stab the chap, it's more of a gasp than a--" "Okay! Uh, great. Do it your way."

Wow.

Dishonest Media

Some of you might find this shocking but I find it typical of the media. The sugar coating of Islamism and the demonization of a democratic state is the norm for most journalists in the Middle East.

Let's Give War a Chance

A peaceful display by the Islamists in the West Bank. Via LFG.

A.C.L.U's Unsurprising Behaviour

Glenn Reynolds on the A.C.L.U.:

"With nonprofits, just as with for-profits, it's usually about the benjamins."

Indeed.

Islamized Europe

You should read this exceptional essay, "The Islamization of Europe?" by David Pryce-Jones. He provides the frightening history of this creeping danger. The following was written by Churchill in 1899.

"No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith. It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step, and were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science . . . the civilization of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilization of ancient Rome."

I marvel at the greatness of Churchill. Not only did he see and warn about the dangers of Nazism but Islamism as well. Islamism is not new. It's just that in the modern world, the extremism of the Islamists can bring down towers in NYC, kill numerous tourists in Bali, murder ordinary Spaniards at a train station, extinguish young souls at a Russian school...The West has no choice. It must destroy Islamism. Otherwise, our children will inherit a new Dark Age.

Wealth is NOT fixed

I have been surprised over the years by different people proclaiming that the amount of wealth in this world is fixed. For example, the U.S. needs poor countries to be rich. If the poor countries increase their wealth, then the U.S. would have less wealth. I have heard this kind of illogic over a dozen times. I think the situation is such because of two reasons. One, the economics teachers are not good enough and second, most people aren't interested in economics and simply have iron-clad, mercantilist/marxist economic, beliefs. Another example of said economic fallacy. The total wealth in this world has been increasing for decades now. The U.S. would, in fact, be wealthier if more countries in the world were richer. Because then these richer countries could buy more U.S. products and vice versa. It's a win-win situation not a zero-sum game. We see such economic illogic in a different context as well, where one person/group's financial gains must come from the loss of another person/group.

Free Speech?

Q. Why is it that when Christians are routinely savaged in the press, it's normal, but when Muslims or Islam is disparaged it's a crime? A. That's because some religions are more equal than others. Update: More discussion about this at LFG.

The C Word

Here's a column by James Lileks about the Holiday-that-must-not-be-named. It's amazing that the Holiday-that-must-not-be-named has achieved swear status. Other religious holidays are fine but this one is just wrong but I've no problem with it. Happy Holiday-that-must-not-be-named everyone.

Fascist America, kinda

Yes, the United States is moving towards fascism at an accelerated pace. Well, that's what is being said at Daily Kos. Now, if you think that we should dismiss this because it's not what the mainstream left thinks, then you'd be wrong. Daily Kos supported quite a few Democratic hopefuls for Congress and, you can see why, each and every one of them lost. The Democrats and their hardcore supporters can say that Bush's domestic/foreign policies are wrong because of A, B, C, and D and we have better policies such as X, Y, and Z. Instead they say that Bush's tax policy favors the heartless and filthy rich, because of Bush we have the worst economy since the Great Depression, the Social Security privatization is going to kill old people, Bush let Osama escape from Tora Bora, Bush created a quagmire in Iraq, our soldiers are occupiers, the torture chambers in Iraq are now under U.S. management, the Iraq war was about OILLL, fake turkey, and of course Bush = Hitler. More than 90% of the Democratic platform is simply DEFEAT BUSH. Why would the majority of the voting population be inspired to vote for people who spew such rhetorical venom? It's sadly ironic that the Left is, increasingly and de facto, pro-fascism because of it's opposition to the Iraq war.

The Horror

I have lived in Saudi Arabia for most of my life but that's nothing compared to the terrible ordeal of Phillip Adam's early life, the poor soul.

Social Security Dynamism

Jonah Goldberg breaks the hearts of liberals by proclaiming that FDR is dead. The New Deal did not fix the U.S. economy. In fact, the New Deal prolonged the Great Depression. Policies such as high tax rates, not eliminating the Smoot-Hawley Tariff, and raising the minimum wage are not pro-growth. Sadly, these were some of the misguided policies of the FDR administration. Social Security, at the time of it's introduction, was manageable but now it's a fiscal nightmare. President Bush is finally going to tackle the problem. The Democrats should offer alternative solutions, instead of having meltdowns.

Christmas Reading

Thomas Sowell recommends different books as gifts. I've bookmarked the link for future reference. I've been waiting to read Neal Stephenson's the Baroque Cycle for some time. I bought book 2 and book 3 off eBay, and soon I'll be getting the first book as well. My expectations are high because of the lavish praise this trilogy has received. I'll likely follow the trilogy with Cryptonomicon. If you enjoy science fiction, then these four books should be on your list as well. Update: The Blogfather gives his recommendations as well.

VDH Friday

Victor Davis Hanson writes about the credibility problem of the modern Left in his new essay titled Cracked Icons. He points out the absurdity of the Left being a, de facto, ally of the Islamists. He also talks about the prevalent anti-Semitism in the Muslim world. This sickness is actually taught in the Muslim religious, so called, schools. The Left, instead of condemning these Muslims, embraces them in the name of multiculturalism. Anyone in the West who points out the murderous ideology and hateful culture (for example: LFG) is branded a racist, Islamophobe, hatemonger, NAZI,... take your pick. As long as the Left in the U.S. is represented by Michael "There is No Terrorist Threat" Moore, they will remain rightfully out of power.

An Amusing Solution to Terrorism

I think Stephen W's idea, about solving terrorism, might be, um, counterproductive.

The True Face of America

Via this post at LFG, comes the heartwarming story of an Iraqi girl who knows that Americans mean her no harm. This story reminds me of the Candy Bomber in post World War II Europe. How the kindness and compassion of that American must have changed young minds. It is uplifting to read such stories in an increasingly anti-American world.

White Muslim

Recently, a feature in the LA Weekly was published about a White Muslim by Brendan Bernhard. It's quite chilling. The following is from Part 1 of that feature:

"Democracy is based on compromise,..., and Islam does not compromise. If he could vote for an Islamic state, he would, with Saudi Arabia as the model."

But, of course. A country where the punishment for stealing is having your hand chopped off and the possession of drugs, and yes alcohol is a drug, is punished by death is a model country. I can understand when people talk about Canada, Germany, Japan, or any Western country being better than the U.S. but this is simply unhinged. This is a complete and outright rejection of freedom. The following is from Part 2:

"Two weeks after 9/11, Sheik Muhammad Gemeaha, then the imam of the mosque on 96th Street, abruptly moved back to Cairo, where he promptly told the Arab media that Muslim children were being poisoned by Jewish doctors in American hospitals, and that Zionists had masterminded the attacks on the World Trade Center and on the Pentagon." "When I asked Vincent what he thought about al-Yaqoubi’s statement, he answered, with a touch of defiance, that he felt just fine about it. "I do wish the American troops would be defeated,"..."

Anti-semitism is, sadly, mainstream in the Muslim community. It is not just limited to Cairo. I have personally heard and read about it in Pakistani newspapers, in Saudi Arabia and in Canada as well. I still don't understand; why would someone be attracted to extremism and totalitarianism? How could someone grow up in a free society, a society where they're free to change their religion, and then reject that very freedom? Why, oh why, do people embrace murderous indeologies?

Welcome

I have been reading blogs since the summer of 2002. The blog links on the right are my favorites and I highly recommend them. I was thinking about starting a blog since last month. Finally, I saw the sign and made the jump; thanks Pej. Of course, Isaac Schrödinger is a pseudonym. There is a connection between these two men and myself. I will not divulge that connection yet. The previous 10 posts are, 10 different, articles that I wrote over the past 5 months. The dates when they were actually written are given at the end of each post. So, you know the type of material that interests me. I'll likely write an article/essay once a week. You will see a lot of links to various blogs, articles, and essays as well. Thanks for dropping by. Update: Humble padawan I am.

Is the Minimum Wage good?

I don't think so. My logic will be clear once the arguments/questions in bold are fisked/answered:

But, the minimum wage helps the poor earn more income. Assume that you have a business and all your employees work at $5/hr. The government sets the minimum wage at $7/hr. Then, there are 4 ways you can deal with the minimum wage.

1. Fire some of your employees.
2. Reduce your profits.
3. Increase the price of your product(s).
4. A combination of the above three.

Notice that none of these 4 options is good for the business. In an economy where there are lots of businesses, some employees will be fired because of the minimum wage. The minimum wage ensures, in their case, that they make $0/hr. If the profits are reduced to the point where it's not worth it to continue the business, then in the end all the employees in that business will make $0/hr. The poor are, of course, hit the hardest by increased prices of the product(s).

But, the minimum wage insures that an employer won't take advantage of his employee(s). This is a free market we're talking about here. Both the employer and the employee take advantage of each other and come to an agreement about the wage. The market decides the wage. Set the wage too low, and you won't have enough employees. Set it too high, and you'll be flooded with resumes. It's as simple as that. For example, the wage for working 8 hours a day in a shoe factory differs from market to market. In China, it would be close to $0.5/hr. Whereas, in the U.S. it would be something like $5/hr. If one were to have a minimum wage of $5/hr in China, most of the shoe factory workers would lose their jobs.

Why would the government keep on raising the minimum wage? Why doesn't the government just provide more welfare? For politicians to provide more welfare means that they either have to cut spending or raise more revenue. For most politicians, revenues are increased when taxes are hiked and tax hikes are politically not popular. There is no cost for the politician who supports the minimum wage. The costs are incurred by the fired employees, the business itself, and the poor. The politician gets the support of the employees who've had their wages artificially increased. The workers who lost their jobs might put the blame on their heartless employer. It's an easy win for any politician.

Hmm,... Hmm, indeed. The people who are hurt the most by the minimum wage are the poor. The poor workers are mostly unskilled. It's not helpful to make the entire economy off limits to them since any wage is better than none. A vast majority of workers don't perpetually work at the minimum wage. That job is usually their first. The experience and the discipline helps them to climb the financial ladder. At present, less than 3% of the labor force in the U.S. works at the minimum wage. If the minimum wage was not present, then more of the poor would be employed. That initial experience would help them to earn more in the future.

"[The minimum wage is] the most anti-black law on the books." -- Milton Friedman, Nobel Prize in Economics (1976).

Government should have no business in enforcing a wage limit regardless of whether it's upper or lower. It distorts the free market. Some are paid more than they are worth, some become unnecessarily unemployed and some who might have gotten a job in the near future are left unemployed. The minimum wage hurts and, in some cases, destroys business. Therefore, the minimum wage is not a compassionate policy. Supporting the minimum wage might make you feel good but it's the result that matters. If you wish to help the poor, then think and don't support such feel-good laws.

Sources and further reading: The Minimum Wage Good Intentions, Bad Results by Roger Koopman. Minimum Wage Causes Maximum Pain. The Sin of Wages by Steven E. Landsburg. "Show Me The Money: The Minimum Wage Debate" at Uncommon Knowledge.

November 30, 2004.

Rot

In early November 2004, Yasser Arafat's condition improved and stabilized. He was dead. Arafish was responsible for creating tremendous misery for the Palestinians, more than any other person or entity.

Muhammed Amin al-Husseini was born in 1893. He was jailed in 1920, by the British, for instigating an Arab attack against Jews. He was made Grand Mufti of Jerusalem in 1922. He used propaganda and anti-semitism to kill Jews around Jerusalem. He even met, his ideological ally, Adolf.

"The Mufti was one of the initiators of the systematic extermination of European Jewry and had been a collaborator and adviser of Eichmann and Himmler in the execution of this plan. ... He was one of Eichmann's best friends and had constantly incited him to accelerate the extermination measures. I heard him say, accompanied by Eichmann, he had visited incognito the gas chamber of Auschwitz." -- Dieter Wisliceny, Eichmann's deputy, at the Nuremberg Trials.

Of course, in the Muslim world, the Mufti was treated as a religious and political hero. He died in exile in 1974. His place, as hero, was taken by his nephew Mohammed Abdel [blah blah] al-Husseini, better known as Yasser Arafat.

Arafish, the moral monster, feasted off the suffering of the Palestinians. The U.S. and the EU gave his government hundreds of millions of dollars every year during the 90s. Where did the money go? The money went to his bank accounts and cronies. The Palestinians suffered as the sole representative of the Palestinians continually raped them.

Arafish was a brutal dictator. He was elected, in the same sense as Saddam Hussein, by thuggery. He won because he had the most guns and ammo. Summary executions for anyone thought to be an Israeli spy (anyone who criticized him) were quite common. It is sickening to see his glorification by the international media. Example CNN. Then, there is always France.

Arafish cultivated the anti-semitism of the Palestinians. The rest of the dictators of the Middle East enthusiastically supported him. These dictators directed their state-controlled newspapers and television channels to blame Israel for the misery of the Palestinians. The Arabs in the Middle East, as a result, see Israelis as blood thirsty Muslim killers. The majority of Arabs see Israel defending itself as aggression while a suicide bombing on a school bus is considered kosher. That is Arafish's legacy.

Even Saddam, a secular socialist, understood the Arab hatred of Israel. He got a lot of Arab street cred, by firing 39 scud missiles into Israel, in 1991. Today, the majority of the Arab world would want Hamas, a terrorist organization, to replace Arafish.

All Arafish wanted was the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and all of Israel. He didn't mention, in English, that he wanted Israel. He always stated the "the right of return" for the Palestinians. This "right" allows about 3 million Palestinians to enter Israel as citizens. Arafish failed because he never achieved his dream; the destruction of Israel. Israel is prospering and continues to defend itself from barbarians. Whereas, Arafish rots in hell alongside his uncle.

Sources and further reading: Arafat the monster by Jeff Jacoby. Arafat's Legacy by Charles Krauthammer. The man who "was always right" by Gene at Harry's Place. Who was the Grand Mufti, Haj Muhammed Amin al-Husseini? A Gangster With Politics by Bret Stephens. Arafat's Bedroom Farce by Daniel Pipes. A rant by David Warren. Arafat's Swiss Bank Account by Issam Abu Issa. Thoughts on Arafat, Palestine and Events in Ramallah by Athena.

November 27, 2004.