tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58960222024-03-08T08:30:51.974+01:00A Contemporary Look at Political Malfeasance, Economics, Culture, and Global Affairs.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger536125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5896022.post-1168646624353684542007-01-13T00:58:00.000+01:002007-01-13T01:03:44.413+01:00

Robert Gates on Capitol Hill on Thursday, told lawmakers, “I would confess I'm no expert on Iraq.”Later, asked about reaching the right balance between American and Iraqi forces, he told the panel he was “no expert on military matters.”Committee members pressed Gates, who replaced Donald H. Rumsfeld at the Pentagon, on an exit strategy for the U.S.“At the outset of the strategy, it's a mistake to

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5896022.post-1166756315412565042006-12-22T03:52:00.000+01:002006-12-22T04:01:48.560+01:00

Phinneas comments on Dr. Walter Block's post on the Mises Blog on Why Be An Economist? To Be Happy, That's Why:There are really only 3 ways of earning a large amount of money: 1. Finance (i.e., money lending, in all its various forms); 2. Speculation (i.e., buying things that you predict will either appreciate on their own, or will appreciate with a minimum of effort on your part); and 3.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5896022.post-1165633311317615442006-12-09T03:57:00.000+01:002006-12-09T04:05:00.833+01:00

In a major speech on the Senate floor, the Oregon senator, Gordon Smith, called for changes in U.S. policy that could include rapid pullouts of U.S. troops from Iraq. He said he would have never voted for the conflict if he had known the intelligence that President Bush gave the American people was inaccurate. Citing the hundreds of billions of dollars spent and the nearly 3,000 American deaths,

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5896022.post-1163989310787775192006-11-20T03:20:00.000+01:002006-11-20T03:21:50.843+01:00

"If you mean by 'military victory' an Iraqi government that can be established and whose writ runs across the whole country, that gets the civil war under control and sectarian violence under control in a time period that the political processes of the democracies will support, I don't believe that is possible," Henry Kissinger told the British Broadcasting Corp.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5896022.post-1163035490135741722006-11-09T02:18:00.000+01:002006-11-09T02:31:30.323+01:00

The War Nerd provides six myths of modern warfare.Here are the main counterpoints to understand:1. Most wars are asymmetrical / irregular. 2. In these wars, the guerrillas / irregulars / insurgents do NOT aim for military victory. 3. You can NOT defeat these groups by killing lots of their members. In fact, they want you to do that. 4. Hi-tech

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5896022.post-1163033879776403062006-11-09T01:56:00.000+01:002006-11-09T02:06:53.070+01:00

Mr. Colbert gets mad over the recent election results and says good bye to America.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5896022.post-1163033787008878922006-11-09T01:52:00.000+01:002006-11-09T01:56:27.036+01:00

Impossible. But, there may be a slight hope:In a little-publicized statement, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the House Democratic leader, has promised to change the chamber's rules to reflect the provisions of her not-so-modestly-named Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2006 [H.R. 4682]. The months-old measure would, among other things, prohibit House members from accepting gifts and

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5896022.post-1162701968283365422006-11-05T05:41:00.000+01:002006-11-05T05:46:08.286+01:00

Monday view by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard: Paulson re-activates secretive support team to prevent markets meltdown Judging by their body language, the US authorities believe the roaring bull market this autumn is just a suckers' rally before the inevitable storm hits.Hank Paulson, the market-wise Treasury Secretary who built a $700m fortune at Goldman Sachs, is re-activating the 'plunge protection

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5896022.post-1162701516648231372006-11-05T05:36:00.000+01:002006-11-05T05:38:36.650+01:00

As Iraq slips further into chaos, the war's neoconservative boosters have turned sharply on the Bush administration, charging that their grand designs have been undermined by White House incompetence. In a series of exclusive interviews, Richard Perle, Kenneth Adelman, David Frum, and others play the blame game with shocking frankness. Target No. 1: the president himself.The Architects of War:

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5896022.post-1160698092183038082006-10-13T02:03:00.001+02:002006-10-13T02:08:12.206+02:00

The head of the Army is calling for British troops to withdraw from Iraq "soon" or risk catastophic consequences for both Iraq and British society. In a devastating broadside at Tony Blair's foreign policy, General Sir Richard Dannatt stated explicitly that the continuing presence of British troops "exacerbates the security problems" in Iraq.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5896022.post-1160101080984580882006-10-06T04:04:00.000+02:002006-11-09T02:08:45.620+01:00

Slate's reading guide fast-forwards you straight to the good parts.Here is a quick look:Poppy EngagedPage 1: Though the Bush family maintains that father and son never talk about issues more substantive than fishing, the book starts with the first President Bush calling his old friend Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the longtime Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States, in the fall of 1997. Bush's

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5896022.post-1159934529103906402006-10-04T05:52:00.000+02:002006-11-09T02:11:23.983+01:00

Alton Verm filed a "Request for Reconsideration of Instructional Materials" Thursday with the district regarding "Fahrenheit 451," written by Ray Bradbury and published in 1953. He wants the district to remove the book from the curriculum."It's just all kinds of filth," said Alton Verm, adding that he had not read "Fahrenheit 451." "The words don't need to be brought out in class. I want to get

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5896022.post-1159310872919139802006-09-27T00:44:00.000+02:002006-09-27T03:02:11.340+02:00

Although various people inside the intelligence agencies have known this since even before the US even invaded Iraq, a "declassified government intelligence report says the war in Iraq has become a 'cause celebre' for Islamic extremists, breeding deep resentment of the U.S. that is likely to get worse before it gets better."Update: 3-pages of the 9-pages of key judgments included in the 30-page

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5896022.post-1159223160606302472006-09-26T00:23:00.000+02:002006-09-26T00:26:00.626+02:00

For the answer, go to Rising-Hegemon and look at Newsweek's cover this week by geographical region.And the week before.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5896022.post-1157698329208066282006-09-08T08:45:00.000+02:002006-09-08T08:52:09.263+02:00

Softwood deal pours $450 million straight into White House, says U.S. lawyer.So, here we have the government of Canada requiring that Canadian private parties sign over $450 million to an escrow fund slated to be conveyed to the White House. The agreement does not mention Congress, and the Bush administration says that Congress will not be involved in any way with this agreement. The government

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5896022.post-1154395648695210162006-08-01T03:16:00.000+02:002006-08-01T03:27:28.786+02:00

In 1976, brothers Ozzie and Dan Silna, co-owners of the long-forgotten ABA team, the Spirits of St. Louis, negotiated a deal that cleared the way for the ABA to merge with the NBA. This deal has paid the Silnas about $168 million and it continues to pay off without ever having to field a team or spend money on stadium leases for the past thirty years.Part of the Silnas' deal called for them to

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5896022.post-1153790874505162352006-07-25T03:21:00.000+02:002006-07-25T03:29:40.940+02:00

Murray Rothbard answered the question of how he avoided succumbing to pessimism in "For a New Liberty" in the section titled "Why Liberty Will Win": "... libertarianism will win eventually because it and only it is compatible with the nature of man and of the world. Only liberty can achieve man's prosperity, fulfillment, and happiness. In short, libertarianism will win because it is true,

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5896022.post-1153538536710589922006-07-22T05:20:00.000+02:002006-07-22T05:23:30.903+02:00

Morality knows nothing of geographical boundaries, or distinctions of race. You may put men on opposite sides of a river or a chain of mountains; may else part them by a tract of salt water; may give them, if you like, distinct languages; and may even colour their skins differently; but you cannot change their fundamental relationships. Originating as these do in the facts of man’s constitution,

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5896022.post-1153538315299527512006-07-22T05:17:00.000+02:002006-07-22T05:19:08.986+02:00

The answer at The Belfast Telegraph.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5896022.post-1153449663013366182006-07-21T04:38:00.000+02:002006-07-21T04:41:03.016+02:00

"Against the insidious wiles of foreign influence (I conjure you to believe me, fellow-citizens) the jealousy of a free people ought to be constantly awake, since history and experience prove that foreign influence is one of the most baneful foes of republican government. But that jealousy, to be useful, must be impartial, else it becomes the instrument of the very influence to be avoided,

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5896022.post-1153357734055891282006-07-20T02:57:00.000+02:002006-07-21T03:52:00.336+02:00

Dear Sen. Sununu,I am very concerned with the developments in the middle east. Israel's attacks on innocent civilians and civilian infrastructure in Gaza and Lebanon is very disconcerting. The Daily Star is reporting IDF air strikes against privately owned factories throughout the country."The production facilities of at least five companies in key industrial sectors - including the country's

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5896022.post-1151619594043137492006-06-30T00:14:00.000+02:002006-06-30T00:24:20.240+02:00

Tony Snow during today's White House press briefing:QUESTION: Is this [Supreme Court decision] a setback in terms of the broader goal of this administration to expand executive authority? SNOW: I don’t think it’s ever been the goal of the administration to expand executive authority. In a time of war, the president has tried to act in a way that meets the needs and obligations of a commander in

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5896022.post-1151469839538064032006-06-28T06:39:00.000+02:002006-06-28T06:43:59.630+02:00

Oracle Corp. CEO Larry Ellison has decided not to give Harvard University a planned gift of $115 million, a company spokesman said Tuesday.Ellison canceled the gift because Lawrence H. Summers stepped down as Harvard's president this month, Oracle spokesman Bob Wynne said. Summers announced his resignation in February, after being embroiled in controversy throughout 2005. Wynne said Ellison began

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5896022.post-1151453085791287272006-06-28T01:58:00.000+02:002006-06-28T02:09:40.256+02:00

Capitalist Soccer vs. Socialist Footballor,Nil, Nil: The Nihilism of SoccerI think the facts of the case rest squarely with Sergei Boukhonine at LRC, and the ignorant Weekly Standard folks are just embarrassing themselves once again.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5896022.post-1151113875352008842006-06-24T03:47:00.000+02:002006-06-24T03:51:15.373+02:00

We are now heating up for mid-term elections that will be taking place in November. A number of people are using this as their platform to aspire to become the next Commander-in-Chief. Hillary Clinton has stated that she is disappointed with Bush's handling of the war. But yet she is still proud to support the war, proud that she voted for it, and she stated that she is also against a timeline

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com