Quote of the Day
Avoid the crowd.
Do your own thinking independently.
Be the chess player, not the chess piece.
Ralph Charell
Podcast Ad Lib of the Day
"Elmer Fudd would be a better President than Obama" - Female Caller, Dennis Miller Show, 3/21/12, commenting on "People Not Voting For Romney"
I think the caller just may be onto something: in my opinion, Elmer Fudd is clearly singing about some fool giving a speech on Capitol Hill....
"The Fool on the Hill" Lyrics: Lennon & McCartney (fair use for political criticism)
The man with the foolish grin
Head in a cloud
The man of a thousand voices
Talking perfectly loud
But nobody ever hears him
And he never seems to notice
And nobody seems to like him
They can tell what he wants to do
And he never shows his feelings
He never listens to them
He knows that they're the fool
(You Just Might Get It)
I have never really cared for ideological feminism and particularly the pervasive political correctness in industry and academia. I feel for the most part it's been presumptuous and pushing on a string. I have a mom and 4 sisters; one of my sisters is an RN, a second is a CPA, and a third is pursuing a Master's degree after raising 6 kids. The most amazing teachers and professors I know are women. Nobody has to lecture me about the value of self-actualized women in a free society. It's a very simple: no society can afford to sacrifice half of its best and brightest: a competing society would be at an advantage.
Nevertheless, former First Lady Laura Bush and others have, in part, sold our mission in Afghanistan given advances in women's issues since the liberation of Afghanistan from the oppressive Taliban regime. As a pro-liberty conservative, I am appreciative of the positive steps taken to restore fundamental dignity for women. At the same time, there was something disquieting about this coverage: it was like the presumptuous attitude of the European explorers to the Americas intending to "civilize the savages". I felt that it was being used to sell the mission in Afghanistan and/or set a pretext for meddling in other regional (or similar) countries.
Don't get me wrong: I understand the implications of a Taliban resurgence in Afghanistan. But the US can't intervene in the affairs of 150 countries based on our own Constitution. We must not have decisions involving American blood and treasure based on possible rollback of women-friendly policies by the next Taliban regime.
President Karzai, like any political animal, feels caught in the middle between the US and the Taliban. He is understandably not happy with the inadvertent burning of copies of the Koran and the recent alleged Bales murders of civilians:
President Hamid Karzai called the Americans “demons” during a meeting with relatives of a massacre by an American soldier. but really those were “Satanic acts that will never be forgiven by apologies.” The massacre of 16 Afghan children, women and men by an American soldier “was not the first incident, indeed it was the 100th, the 200th and 500th incident.”"Let’s pray for God to rescue us from these two demon. There are two demons in our country now.”
The joint statement finally issued by the Ulema Council and the palace used language like “Satanic act” and “unforgivable, wild and inhuman” about the book burnings, and “justifiable emotion” in regard to the violent reaction, which claimed the lives of at least 29 Afghans and 6 Americans.Clearly the rhetoric is over the top and fundamentally unacceptable; I do understand that Karzai as a political leader can't afford to be seen as an American puppet. However, equating the intentional atrocities of the Taliban with the inadvertent Koran burnings and an isolated incident of one man's murderous rampage is intellectually dishonest. I also understand that he feels that the Obama Administration is incompetently applying arbitrary standards (e.g., corruption vs. patronage) than those operating from a historical Afghan context. Karzai is also targeting an earlier withdrawal and subsequently directly contradicting Obama Administration views that there was no policy change.
Mr. Karzai, if this was my choice, I would have already withdrawn. I would suggest a more diplomatic approach. The US has already given more than its fair share of blood and treasure in helping keep the Taliban from terrorizing Afghan citizens; it has maintained an active wartime presence in Afghanistan for an unprecedented period of time. There are several countries in the world where leaders or insurgencies don't abide by universal human rights; the United States doesn't have the money or manpower to serve as the world's policeman. It's time for Afghanistan to stand on its own.
So-Called Conservative Believes in Obama's Alternative Fuel Boondoggle? Thumbs DOWN!
In an updated version of cash-for-clunkers and related tax credit giveaways (e.g., $7500 for the Chevy Volt), Obama is proposing a $4.7B plan to provide seed tax credits for things like natural gas-powered vehicles. Christopher Ruddy, the CEO of (conservative) Newsmax Media, thinks that it's a good idea. WRONG!
This would be wrong for a number of reasons. First, it's pushing on a string: companies are already converting to natural gas powered vehicles without wasteful tax gimmick giveaways. Many of the people, for instance, buying a Volt for $41K were not lower/middle-class Americans, but yuppies motivated to buy the car for intrinsic reasons, not the credit (but, of course, they'll take it). Second, this has the stench of industrial policy, of picking winners and losers in the marketplace, all around it. Third, we have continued to slowly reduce our use of gas over the past decade for a variety of reasons: improvements in standard engine technology, reduced driving in sluggish economies, etc. Fourth, plentiful natural gas provides a natural cost incentive.
I don't have any problems with Ruddy's goal of lessening reliance on imported oil. But the free market works without the government bribing it. This is $4.7B that would be better spent paying down the national debt.
Political Humor
Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird, it's a plane,... it's a flying Dutchman....
"Disastrous news for Walt Disney. They've announced they've lost $200 million on the movie "John Carter." This doesn't bode well for Disney's upcoming $250 million epic, "Jimmy Carter."" - Conan O'Brien
[The actors claimed that they were all paid peanuts, and nobody survived the landslide at the end of the movie.]
Musical Interlude: My Favorite Groups
Little River Band, "Help Is On Its Way"
