The Stark Tenet

Christopher Hitchens 1949-2011

2011-12-15T23:02:00.003-06:00

RIP Christopher Hitchens. I'm going to pour myself a glass of Johnnie Walker Black Label and give toast to a great man.

Ferguson on Obama and the Middle East

2011-02-14T12:51:00.003-06:00

Pretty good analysis by Niall Ferguson about Obama's missteps in the Middle East.

“The statesman can only wait and listen until he hears the footsteps of God resounding through events; then he must jump up and grasp the hem of His coat, that is all.” Thus Otto von Bismarck, the great Prussian statesman who united Germany and thereby reshaped Europe’s balance of power nearly a century and a half ago.
Last week, for the second time in his presidency, Barack Obama heard those footsteps, jumped up to grasp a historic opportunity … and missed it completely.

I got to agree with Ferguson, he makes many valid points here.

It is understandable in a sense our immediate reaction to the Egyptian protests, given our relationship with Mubarak for many years, and the many authoritarian allies we have in the region. Yet the tightrope walk of supporting both the protesters and the regime, as Ferguson points out, was foolish. Hopefully a democratic Egypt rises out of this revolutionary uprising, and not another dictatorship, and hopefully, they are our ally.

Sensationalist Journalism: The Shirley Sherrod Case

2010-07-24T23:43:00.003-05:00

The NAACP points out that elements within the Tea Party movement (i.e. a movement protesting government overreach) are racist. The Right gets outraged by this, and tries hard to find a compromising image of the NAACP to claim hypocrisy. Someone, in great emotion, quickly finds a NAACP fall guy (or woman in this case) to be the political equivalent. Shirley Sherrod fits the role, they run with it...only to find that they didn't even watch the entire video of her speech.

Does this sound a little familiar? It should, it happened to Sonia Sotomayor. Click here to read Mark Bowden's article on the Sotomayor case.

Hitch-22

2010-05-30T00:10:00.001-05:00

Is out. Early. Bought a copy.

Elena Kagan

2010-05-19T10:35:00.002-05:00

Via Ezra Klein, look over these to get a better understanding of Elena Kagan.

Her thesis at Princeton is pretty interesting (though her Oxford one is more relevant), about socialism in New York from 1900 to 1933.

The Black Keys - Tighten Up

2010-05-18T22:19:00.000-05:00

The Black Keys "Tighten Up"

The Black Keys | MySpace Music Videos

So cool I forgot to blink.

It's Coming

2010-05-06T11:02:00.002-05:00

Hitch-22.

Buy. Buy. Buy.

Busy

2010-03-19T23:03:00.004-05:00

I'm busy. That explains my absence. Busy doing something? No. Busy doing nothing. I'll start blogging again when I feel I'm at a good point in my life. If I'm not posting, check my Twitter page. I use it more.

Justified, New FX Show

2010-02-20T21:32:00.003-06:00

Click Here
Or not. Whatever. Still looks great.

Spiegel Interview w/ General Stanley McChrystal

2010-01-13T16:53:00.008-06:00

Der Spiegel interview with General Stanley McChrystal on Afghanistan and COIN.

General Stanley McChrystal, the top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan, talks to SPIEGEL about his new approach to the war, negotiations with the Taliban and the hunt for Osama bin Laden.

SPIEGEL: General McChrystal, a couple of months ago you said, "Since 9/11, I have watched as America tried to first put out this fire with a hammer, and it doesn't work." What did the Americans do wrong in Afghanistan?

Stanley McChrystal: At the end of the day, a counter-insurgency is decided by people's perceptions and by how people feel. I think any war like this is not a battle between material. It's not about destroying the enemy's cities. It's not even about destroying their army, their fighters. You have to weaken the insurgency. But it's really about convincing the people that they want it to stop and they ultimately will. The most effective way for us to operate is to be really good and effective partners with our Afghan counterparts, because it's not a technical problem, it's a human problem.

SPIEGEL: Your 66-page assessment of the situation in Afghanistan was the basis for US President Barack Obama's decision to send 30,000 additional American soldiers to the country next year, coming on top of the 68,000 which are already there. In your report, you wrote that the situation is serious but doable. Is it doable?

McChrystal: I think it is doable. But it is going to be a significant effort on everybody's part and it will be very complex. Here is a resilient insurgency with elements of the Taliban, the Haqqani network and the Hekmatyar network that threaten the existence of the state. But there is also a crisis of confidence in the people which comes from expectations that were not met after 2001, regarding development and governance and positive things. Additionally, you have a disappointment in what they have seen from local and national governance and a sense that it's not a fair system, that they are not getting basic justice. Those two things feed each other.

Read it all.

Best part of interview:

SPIEGEL: Afghanistan is famously known as "the graveyard of empires." Alexander the Great failed in the 4th century, the British in the 19th century and the Soviets only 20 years ago. All of them lost their status as a world power shortly afterwards. Why do you think you will succeed?

McChrystal: Well, I won't succeed, the government of Afghanistan will succeed, and that is the essential difference. This may be the graveyard of empires, but there is not an empire here, there is a coalition of 44 nations. And a coalition of 44 nations is never going to try to occupy a country and that's the big difference. That's why we are not viewed as occupiers. That's why the people haven't risen up like the mujahideen did against the Soviets.

The intentions are different, that is what a lot of people miss when they try to make simplistic historical analogies that tell you nothing of the current conflict. It makes a good title to a book, yet there is more to a region, a state, a people, an ethnic group and their interests. It's an absurd statement to say "Well if Alexander the Great couldn't do it, surely we can't." It completely neglects changes that exist through time, from the structure of the world to challenges that states, both developed and developing, face when it comes security. This is more about Afghanistan than it is about the United States, as McChrystal says, "I won't succeed, the government of Afghanistan will succeed, and that is the essential difference."

Here's to Afghanistan succeeding.

Update 6/23/10: McChrystal resigns. Petraeus to take over.

The Black Keys

2010-01-03T19:51:00.000-06:00

Classic.

Avatar: Eating Crow and Other Fun Stuff

2010-01-01T16:16:00.008-06:00

So the film is a hit. Which makes my prediction of it bombing wrong. Though if I were to give myself some credit, some things to observe. When looking at U.S. box office returns, it is not doing as well as The Dark Knight and is about equal pace with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. The difference? These films had half the production cost that it took for Avatar to be made. So while the film is a major hit at the moment, it's still not, at least in the United States, doing as well as past blockbusters. As I stated in my previous post, "Avatar's success will be dependent on its success worldwide." So far, this is holding true. So what are we to draw from this? I'm better at predicting U.S. box office returns than worldwide returns (which to be honest, I don't know anything about).

Update: More crow please, I haven't eaten enough.

Update 2: "Is Avatar Really the Biggest Movie of All Time?" by Derek Thompson, The Atlantic.

Update 3: Ticket sales, not ticket grosses.

Update 4: Top Grossing Box-Office Films, Avatar Not #1

2010

2009-12-29T20:04:00.002-06:00

A healthy reminder with the start of a new year.

Inception Trailer

2009-12-26T20:17:00.003-06:00

Snow

2009-12-24T10:39:00.001-06:00

Snow. Snow. Snow.

... WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM CST SATURDAY...

Ugh.

Film: Some People Call Me Obsessed Part 2

2009-12-23T22:22:00.003-06:00

Below is a list of directors and films I've seen by them (along with a list of films I still need to see in their filmography).

Martin Scorsese:

Who's That Knocking at My Door
Mean Streets
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
Taxi Driver
Raging Bull
After Hours
The Color of Money
The Last Temptation of Christ
Goodfellas
Cape Fear
Casino
Kundun
Bringing Out the Dead
Gangs of New York
The Aviator
The Departed

Films I have not seen:

Boxcar Bertha
New York, New York
The King of Comedy
The Age of Innocence

Stanley Kubrick:

Killer's Kiss
The Killing
Paths of Glory
Spartacus
Lolita
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
2001: A Space Odyssey
A Clockwork Orange
Barry Lyndon
The Shining
Full Metal Jacket
Eyes Wide Shut

Films I still need to see:

Fear and Desire

David Cronenberg:

Scanners
Videodrome
The Fly
Dead Ringers
eXistenZ
A History of Violence
Eastern Promises

Films I have not seen:

Stereo
Crimes of the Future
Shivers
Rabid
Fast Company
The Brood
Naked Lunch
M. Butterfly
Crash
Spider

Coen Brothers:

Blood Simple
Raising Arizona
Miller's Crossing
Fargo
The Big Lebowski
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
The Man Who Wasn't There
The Ladykillers
No Country for Old Men
Burn After Reading
A Serious Man

Films I have not seen:

Barton Fink
The Hudsucker Proxy
Intolerable Cruelty

Sam Peckinpah:

Ride the High Country
Major Dundee
The Wild Bunch
Straw Dogs
The Getaway
Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia
Cross of Iron

Films I have not seen:

The Deadly Companions
The Ballad of Cable Hogue
Junior Bonner
Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid
The Killer Elite
Convoy
The Osterman Weekend

Film: Some People Call Me Obsessed Part 1

2009-12-19T23:44:00.013-06:00

Below is a list of directors and films I've seen by them (along with a list of films I still need to see in their filmography).

Sergio Leone:

Once Upon a Time in America
A Fistful of Dynamite
Once Upon a Time in the West
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
For a Few Dollars More
A Fistful of Dollars
The Colossus of Rhodes

I have seen all of his films.

Ridley Scott:

Body of Lies
American Gangster
Kingdom of Heaven
Matchstick Men
Black Hawk Down
Hannibal
Gladiator
G.I. Jane
Thelma & Louise
Black Rain
Legend
Blade Runner
Alien
The Duellists

Films I have not seen:

A Good Year
White Squall
1492: Conquest of Paradise
Someone to Watch Over Me

Akira Kurosawa:

Stray Dog
Rashomon
Ikiru
Seven Samurai
Throne of Blood
The Hidden Fortress
The Bad Sleep Well
Yojimbo
Sanjuro
Red Beard
Dodesukaden
Dersu Uzala
Kagemusha
Ran
Madadayo

Films I have not seen:

Sanshiro Sugata
The Most Beautiful
Sanshiro Sugata Part II
The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail
No Regrets for Our Youth
One Wonderful Sunday
Drunken Angel
The Quiet Duel
Scandal
The Idiot
I Live in Fear
The Lower Depths
High and Low
Dreams
Rhapsody in August

Steven Spielberg:

Jaws
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
1941
Raiders of the Lost Ark
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Twilight Zone: The Movie
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
The Color Purple
Empire of the Sun
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Hook
Jurassic Park
Schindler's List
Amistad
The Lost World: Jurassic Park
Saving Private Ryan
A.I. Artificial Intelligence
Catch Me If You Can
Minority Report
The Terminal
Munich
War of the Worlds
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Films I have not seen:

Duel
The Sugarland Express
Always

Clint Eastwood:

High Plains Drifter
The Outlaw Josey Wales
The Gauntlet
Firefox
Honkytonk Man
Sudden Impact
Pale Rider
Heartbreak Ridge
Unforgiven
A Perfect World
The Bridges of Madison County
Absolute Power
Blood Work
Mystic River
Million Dollar Baby
Flags of Our Fathers
Letters from Iwo Jima
Gran Torino

Films I have not seen:

Play Misty for Me
Breezy
The Eiger Sanction
Bronco Billy
Bird
White Hunter Black Heart
The Rookie
True Crime
Space Cowboys
Changeling
Invictus

Part 2 coming soon.

Human Language Circuitry and Other Stuff

2009-12-16T10:01:00.002-06:00

The Foxp2 gene and the "Broca’s area" region of the brain might be the reason why we developed complex languages.

Now, genetic evidence may show how our language brain circuitry came about over the last half million years of human evolution. In a study published in Nature, Neuroscientists Genevieve Konopka and Daniel Geschwind at the University of California, Los Angeles have demonstrated that the human version of the FOXP2 gene –- one that mutated around the time humans developed the ability to talk –- regulates more than 100 other genes differently than the chimpanzee version of the gene. Other genes may also be involved, but there’s a good chance that this mutation helped us humans develop speech and language.
...
According to another recent study led by Chet Sherwood, a neuroscientist at George Washington University in Washington DC, a brain region critical to speech and language in humans developed substantially after humans split from chimpanzees. French physician Pierre Paul Broca identified this region of the brain studying brain-damaged patients incapable of uttering more than a few words. “Broca's area” typically occupies a much larger portion of the left half of the human brain than the right. Because right-handed humans also tend to process language in their left halves (this is reversed for lefties), some researchers think that lop-sidedness in Broca's area may help explain why humans –- and not chimpanzees –- developed language. Broca's area ballooned disproportionately during our species' evolution. Human brains are 3.6 times larger than those of chimpanzees, on average. And Broca’s area is more than 6 times larger in humans than chimpanzees according Natalie Schenker, a neuroscientist at the University of California, San Diego, who worked with Sherwood on the research

Wow.

But wait...

Marc Hauser, a professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard University, cautions that it’s too early to draw too many conclusions regarding the genetic basis of the evolution of language circuitry in humans. "I would be extremely skeptical about drawing inferences," says Hauser.

Damn, you're no fun.

Wolfmother - Cosmic Egg

2009-12-16T09:33:00.003-06:00

Live on iheartradio.

Mind. Blown.

The Duke Spirit

2009-12-09T00:22:00.002-06:00

The Duke Spirit - Lassoo

When are they releasing a new album? No idea.

Debating the Right, the Far-Right, and More

2009-12-08T21:54:00.011-06:00

I was searching my comments on BackType (It's called being bored) and found a couple interesting debates I had this year and last at Hotair. It is a conservative website, yet has the bloggers Allahpundit and Ed Morrissey, who both lean libertarian (Allahpundit more so than Ed). Charles from Little Green Footballs recently got into a little fight with Hotair and posted some of the more extreme comments that are present on the blog. While I think Charles goes a little overboard, these commentators do exist, as some of my debates will show. The following comment debates cover: Evolution, Sarah Palin, GLBT rights and Birtherism. I will post some excerpts of what I had to say, and give a link to the original blog post.

Evolution:
While not a very long debate, this one featured evolution deniers.
Excerpt from my comments:

This is what happens when you mix science and religion, the two should be separated. That doesn’t mean a scientist can’t have faith, yet s/he shouldn’t draw from his/her spiritual book to prove something.

...

Someone of faith can try to explain evolution and its coexistence with their religion, that’s fine. Yet when they omit chapters and misinterpret aspects of it (like Comfort), no, not okay.

Sarah Palin:
My feelings on Palin in a post about her starting a political group.
Excerpt from my comments:

I really wish this whole Palin phenomenon goes away. The right clings to her uncritically and the left exaggerates her faults. It’s just damn annoying now. Does anyone here really think she can handle 15 + debates in the Republican primaries for 2012? I don’t.

...

She had only a little more than two months of attacks on her in a campaign setting. Now spread that out to a year. Now spread that out to a year and a half. Her campaign would not be able to handle that amount of criticism while trying to maintain a clear message (i.e. spending more time persuading people that she is not the devil rather than persuading them why she is right to be president).

As for commitment, I see signs in her resigning as Governor as a clear indicator that she will not survive the primaries. Yet that’s just me.

...

I believe, along with others, that Palin resigned because of the onslaught of criticism against her (which came in the form of ethics complaints). Because of this criticism, she was not able to maintain her commitment as being Governor. She resigned if not wholly, partially because of this criticism. When looking at a candidate and whether or not they’ll be able to “handle” a campaign and stay committed, I look at past experiences. Resigning as Governor over criticism TO ME is a clear indicator she will not survive the primaries, and will ultimately drop out.

GLBT Rights:
Original post dealt with Rick Warren, Obama, and gay marriage.
Excerpt of my comments:

Marriage between homosexuals (and those who are transgender, etc.) would be between two consenting adults. I will say that again, two consenting…adults. To even compare or argue this slippery slope non-sense is absurd.

Onto the subject of equal rights. Some state that gays are actually allowed to marry…just someone of the opposite sex. I see that and raise you, “why are they not allowed in the military?” What is your legitimate argument on this? That they are allowed to serve…yet based on their mental thoughts…they have an inability to fight for our country, so no service for them? They cannot fight? They have an inability to translate Arabic (look it up)? Because of their thoughts?

That is a discriminatory practice of the State, an overbearing one at that. Some say “Hate Crimes” should not be in place because it considers the “thought” of the criminal. Yet the State in all its might should in this case (i.e. homosexuals serving in the military) consider the thought of an individual in relation to their sexual preferences to serve in the military? Please explain that one to me. I am listening.

...

Yet someone shouldn’t be restricted on the basis of their culture or beliefs from being married to another consenting adult. Someone who is into S&M can still marry, as long as it is to someone of the opposite sex. Someone who is very promiscuous can marry, as long as it is someone of the opposite sex. Whether or not homosexuals ascribe to certain practices or whether they are liberal or conservative in their sexuality, should not be in consideration on whether or not they should marry.

Let’s stop kidding ourselves here. The only reason why people are against gay marriage is either their religious beliefs or some type of neo-Darwinian argument. Simple as that.

...

On the same token [name omitted] ,what about those who are medically incapable of procreating? Should they also be, on the basis of natural infertility, be prevented from marrying (because they can’t procreate and help the species out). As far as I know they, heterosexual infertile people, are still allowed to marry.

Birtherism:
As for me debating (and mocking) Birtherism, click here.
Excerpt of a commentator and my response:

Who is this “DanStark,” Andrew Sullivan?

...

Funny how Sullivan is a Trig-Birther. It would be really funny to see Trig-birthers and Obama-Birthers fight it out. Or really tragic, whatever.

...

http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/born_in_the_usa.html
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/birthcertificate.asp

If you believe all of this is a forgery, then you sir are in fact a conspiracy theorist.

Hell, take pride in it, the JFK theorists didn’t stop after documents were released in the early 90’s.

The end.

Click here and it all makes sense.

Avatar: Boxoffice Bomb or Mega Hit?

2009-12-08T10:26:00.008-06:00

Next week, one of the most expensive films in recent memory will be released. From the mind of James Cameron comes a Sci-fi action adventure tale of planetary conquest. The budget? Depending on your source, from $237 million to $500 million. It is hard nowadays to not see a trailer or spot for the film when you turn on the television or go to the theatre. Yet will the massive amounts of advertisement draw people in? Remember, word of mouth is killer nowadays for films, and an instant hit can become a dud in a matter of weeks. The best model I can think of, with a large worldwide release similar to Avatar is the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. The second of the franchise, Dead Man's Chest, only grossed $423,315,812 in the United States (okay, maybe I shouldn't use the word "only"). The international gross for the film? $642,344,000. Which leads me to believe that Avatar's success will be dependent on its success worldwide (I'm also assuming the $500 million budget figure is correct). When looking at Google Trends in comparison to the Pirates of the Caribbean films, Avatar seems to have received a good amount of buzz. Yet with graphics equivalent to video game cutscenes, I have a feeling it's going to bomb. Avatar is no Titantic. Avatar is no Terminator 2. Will I be proven wrong? Probably. Its competition for the rest of the month is pretty weak. The only film I could see possibly knocking Avatar off from the number one spot is Sherlock Holmes . There is also the escapism factor, which will certainly help the film. Yet with no big names to carry the film, like Johnny Depp or Christian Bale, I doubt it will be a success.

It's a wait and see game from here on out, will James Cameron prove me wrong?

Update: Be sure to check my post "Eating Crow..."

Repost: My Political Identity

2009-12-04T19:53:00.006-06:00

The following is a repost from February 26, 2009 with some revisions:

In the meantime, I'm going to give two lists describing my political views. It is hard to characterize myself, so I'm going to give positive descriptions, and negative descriptions to help those people who want to either identify with me or insult me. There might be some contradictions on both lists, yet this is to be expected (for in the positive column, I take elements from each description and/or viewpoints). Some in the negative column might include off base descriptions, though that doesn't mean I view them negatively (i.e. I have nothing against someone being conservative, which I am not, though those who would identify me as one do).

Positive:
-moderate
-secular (yet not restrictive of religion)
-tolerant
-liberal internationalist
-for universal human rights
-idealist
-capitalist
-free trader (from a moderate stance)
-not a hawk or a dove
-individualist
-if not limited government, efficient government
-promotion of liberal democracy (and belief of)
-for gun rights (to a point)
-social equality
-belief in federalism (to a point)
-marriage for all (i.e. marriage for GLBT people)
-military service for all (i.e. acceptance of GLBT people in the military)
-against ethnic profiling
-fair response to illegal immigration (legalization, fines and closed border)
-drug decriminalization (users go to treatment not jail/prison, fines)
-for helping Iraq and Afghanistan transition from developing democracies to liberal democracies
-support for unions (to a point)
-support for business owners (to a point)
-for fiscal responsibility and decreasing the deficit
-optimist (i.e. I'm against alarmism)

Negative:
-imperialist
-cultural imperialist
-right-winger
-conservative
-liberal
-bleeding heart
-RINO
-Democrat
-heathen
-capitalist
-democracy promoter (against the will of [insert group])
-hawk
-militarist
-fascist
-backward
-emotionless
-colonizer
-bigot
-neocon (neoconservative)
-in denial

Political parties I have voted for (this does not mean I endorse them now):
Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party of Minnesota
Republican Party
Independence Party of Minnesota
Green Party of Minnesota

Obama's Speech on Afghanistan

2009-12-02T15:02:00.006-06:00

In September, I asked why Obama was addressing the nation on health-care yet not Afghanistan. Well I guess the wait is over, last night Obama revealed his plan for the troubled nation, stating he will deploy 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan.

Click here for the full transcript.
Below is an excerpt:

Our overarching goal remains the same: to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and to prevent its capacity to threaten America and our allies in the future.

To meet that goal, we will pursue the following objectives within Afghanistan. We must deny al Qaeda a safe haven. We must reverse the Taliban's momentum and deny it the ability to overthrow the government. And we must strengthen the capacity of Afghanistan's security forces and government so that they can take lead responsibility for Afghanistan's future.

We will meet these objectives in three ways. First, we will pursue a military strategy that will break the Taliban's momentum and increase Afghanistan's capacity over the next 18 months.

The 30,000 additional troops that I'm announcing tonight will deploy in the first part of 2010 -- the fastest possible pace -- so that they can target the insurgency and secure key population centers. They'll increase our ability to train competent Afghan security forces, and to partner with them so that more Afghans can get into the fight. And they will help create the conditions for the United States to transfer responsibility to the Afghans.
...
Second, we will work with our partners, the United Nations, and the Afghan people to pursue a more effective civilian strategy, so that the government can take advantage of improved security.

This effort must be based on performance. The days of providing a blank check are over. President Karzai's inauguration speech sent the right message about moving in a new direction. And going forward, we will be clear about what we expect from those who receive our assistance. We'll support Afghan ministries, governors, and local leaders that combat corruption and deliver for the people. We expect those who are ineffective or corrupt to be held accountable. And we will also focus our assistance in areas -- such as agriculture -- that can make an immediate impact in the lives of the Afghan people.
...
Third, we will act with the full recognition that our success in Afghanistan is inextricably linked to our partnership with Pakistan.

We're in Afghanistan to prevent a cancer from once again spreading through that country. But this same cancer has also taken root in the border region of Pakistan. That's why we need a strategy that works on both sides of the border.

Even though I have some problems with Obama's new plan for Afghanistan (i.e. after 18 months, what happens exactly? If conditions are worse than they are now, are we still leaving? Or is the exit condition based?), I agree with most of it. In the coming days we'll see if the rest of the nation is on board.

Update: Be sure to check Grading Obama's Afghanistan Speech by The New Centrist.

TV Show Hiatus: Why Bother?

2009-11-28T22:16:00.002-06:00

Now is the time of the year when TV shows stop for their hiatus till January/February. 24 stopped doing it, Lost stopped doing it, Chuck sort of stopped doing it, why does it continue for other shows? For serialized dramas, it completely ruins the flow of the show, and if it's a new show starting out, hurts the ratings. Find some other way to deal with the Nielsen ratings. Or better yet, start a show in January/February.

Silly rant? Yes.

The Goldstone Report: When Being "Fair" Goes Bad

2009-11-28T21:20:00.007-06:00

Via Commentary, Alan Dershowitz takes on the Goldstone Report in this "debate."*

Before you watch the video it would be good to at least look over the actual report.

Moshe Halbertal wrote a rather interesting criticism of the Goldstone Report, which can be read here.
Below is an excerpt:

In addressing this vexing issue, the Goldstone Report uses a rather strange formulation: “While reports reviewed by the Mission credibly indicate that members of the Palestinian armed groups were not always dressed in a way that distinguished them from the civilians, the Mission found no evidence that Palestinian combatants mingled with the civilian population with the intention of shielding themselves from the attack.” The reader of such a sentence might well wonder what its author means. Did Hamas militants not wear their uniforms because they were inconveniently at the laundry? What other reasons for wearing civilian clothes could they have had, if not for deliberately sheltering themselves among the civilians?

As for my take on this, I feel people (including Goldstone in his report) go out of their way to seek "balance" on an issue that isn't very balanced. I look at the actions of warring parties in a conflict, and clearly, a terrorist outfit like Hamas is going to use any means necessary, civilians be damned, to achieve their objective. I also look at intentions, and when you have a militant religious ideology as the backbone of your movement, like Hamas does, and borderline ethnic cleansing rhetoric thrown in the mix, it's not hard to see who is to blame. This isn't to say Israel should be cleared of any wrong doing whatsoever. Like Moshe Halbertal, I believe the Israeli government should do an internal investigation of all the accusations, yet to put the IDF on the same level as a terrorist group like Hamas, is really absurd. Debating settlements? That's fine, it's a complex issue. Yet when countries with human rights records that are among the lowest in the world start holding up the Goldstone Report as some type of statement, you know something is wrong. As I said in January,

On one side you have an established democracy that for years has been confronted with threats to its security and existence. It has a pretty large military and the means to defend itself. On the other side is a terrorist organization, which has limited representation out of nationalist fervor, and shoots rockets aimlessly into the democracy (with a focus on their civilians). Which side do you present more positively? Which side do you give leeway with when it comes to the facts? To many it’s a no-brainer, to others, it’s ambiguous.

Clearer to the point: One side intends to kill civilians while the other tries to avoid them.

Is the Goldstone Report "fair"? You decide.

*I say "debate" because he is debating against the report itself, not Goldstone, who decided against attending.

Random Post

2009-11-23T22:26:00.002-06:00

[Insert link to article.]
[Insert comment]

There, my work is done.

Oh, and follow me on Twitter or something.

Speaking of Wolfmother

2009-10-18T22:45:00.001-05:00

New Moon Rising

They're back!

I Cut Like a Buffalo

2009-10-13T19:03:00.006-05:00

That's right.

It's all Dead Weather here till Wolfmother drops.

Why Not Address the Nation on Afghanistan?

2009-09-18T16:39:00.005-05:00

President Obama recently addressed a joint session of Congress (along with the nation watching) on health-care, an important issue if there ever was one, to rally up support for his vision of reform. While I thought the speech was a re-hash of basic points that have already been made in the past, the point of the address was to win over people. Yet there is another issue the Obama administration can no longer ignore, the drop in support for the war in Afghanistan. The polls continue to be low, with a majority now opposing the war. Yesterday, CentCom Commander David Petreaus gave a speech in London to a wary British public that better days lay ahead in Afghanistan, if only we are committed. Joshua Keating at the Passport commented:

Sending Petraeus to rally British support makes sense, but it makes me wonder why the Obama adminsitration hasn't used Petraeus -- certainly the most well-known military officer in the country and a bona fide pop-culture icon -- to pitch the Afghanistan strategy to the U.S. public.

We need President Obama to make the case for us, not Petraeus. The President needs now to address the nation on Afghanistan and why we need to be there. If he does not do this soon, his own party will start to go against him (really without choice, as Democratic support for the war is currently at 23%) , and he'll be in a worse off situation than he is in today. It was easy to criticize the Iraq war while he was running for president, for good portions of the public were against it. This task will be much harder, yet it will be worth it. Not only for our security, but for generations of Afghans.

Sec. of State Hillary Clinton Campaigning for Gender Equality

2009-09-18T12:35:00.003-05:00

This is definitely a positive of having her as Secretary of State.

When Hillary Rodham Clinton traveled to Africa last month, she visited war-racked eastern Congo to speak out against widespread rape by militias. She choked up after meeting with two rape victims and promised more US help – $17 million for medical treatment and security for victims.

Now she's taking the issue to the United Nations, where the US is leading an effort to shore up a resolution to end sexual violence against civilians during armed conflict. The Security Council passed Resolution 1820 last year, but follow through is sorely lacking.

Women's rights are becoming a signature issue for America's top diplomat. In her official travels, Mrs. Clinton talks with women, meets with female activists, and presses the twin challenges of women's rights and abuse with political leaders. She wants US development aid to focus more on women, and has appointed the first US ambassador for global women's issues.

The Bush administration, too, championed women's rights, especially in Muslim countries such as Afghanistan. But no secretary of State has sought to make women as high a priority as Clinton is attempting. It's a potentially powerful shift. If she can pull it off.

This is not a surprise, being that she has been heavily involved in the issue for a long time.

I say, carry on. The world will be better off because of it.

Source: FP's Madame Secretary

Protesting: Why Organization Matters and Why the Media is Wrong

2009-09-17T14:32:00.008-05:00

There is one thing for sure about protests, no matter what the cause, they will attract nut jobs. This is one reason why I normally dislike them and rarely attend them (I have participated in only a couple protests in my lifetime. Luckily, for me, the protests were well organized and the issue was clear). The message of the protest morphs to be something that is counter to the original intention. Anti-war protests become anarchist and communist magnets, muddling the message of no war. The tea party protests become birther and racist magnets, muddling the message of government overreach. This is mostly due to a lack of organization within a protest, causing hostile message carriers to dilute the image and message, ultimately ruining any chance of convincing observers to their cause.

Yet one thing that I dislike more than protests is the media ignoring them or portraying all of them as nut jobs. The anti-war protests in response to the Iraq war were large and widespread throughout the world, yet were mostly ignored* by the media. Why? They did not fit the media's narrative. While my views have changed over the years on Iraq (was anti-war, then reconsidered due to borderline ethnic cleansing taking place in Iraq), I will never forget the lack of coverage of millions of people protesting. This can also be said of the protests of government overreach, where those who are protesting do not fit the media narrative. There is a difference though, whereas the anti-war protests were largely ignored, the government overreach protests are widely covered, and misrepresented. With some of the media going as far as to call ALL of the protesters “teabaggers,” it shows a very ugly side of journalism. The protesters have legitimate points, and to ignore them, is to be biased and unfair (looking at you MSNBC and CNN). On the other hand, to be completely in favor of the protests, is to also be biased and unfair (looking at you Fox News and the polivangelist Glenn Beck). This not only hurts the credibility of the media, yet it also ruins the chance for a casual observer to hear all sides of the argument.

Here is what I think needs to take place:

1. Those protesting government overreach need to organize better, and to reject the racists and birthers who want to join them.

2. The media needs to treat opposition to Obama fairly, without portraying ALL of them as lunatic nut jobs.

Photo from: Howstuffworks History

Be sure to look at The New Centrist's take on demonstrations.

*Update 1: The protests of 2003.

Update 2: Be sure to check the comments.

The 9/11 Commission Report

2009-09-11T14:12:00.001-05:00

You can read it here for free.

A Moment of Silence

2009-09-11T11:28:00.001-05:00

For those lost on 9/11.

Independents

2009-09-10T21:32:00.004-05:00

Here is a report by Charlie Cook about independents and why the Democrats need to pay attention to the current lack of support from them.

Listening to two briefings -- one by a Democratic pollster who had just conducted a survey for a group favoring health care reform, the other by a Republican pollster more skeptical of the reform plans -- I felt as if I were hearing a pair of reports by the National Transportation Safety Board on the same plane crash. But in sorting through the problems facing President Obama and congressional Democrats, focusing too narrowly on their disastrous handling of health care would be a mistake.

Obama and Capitol Hill leaders don't need to worry too much about their modest drop in support from Democratic voters or the predictable drop on the Republican side. But top Democrats should be very frightened about the sharp drop in support among independents, because it could ultimately threaten their party's hold on the House and shrink their majority in the Senate.

Lowering the deficit is key to winning them over.

Yet I'm sure if the Republicans act loony enough, the party of Obama will have nothing to worry about.

The Inglourious Basterds Review

2009-08-29T13:39:00.013-05:00

It was hard for me while watching the film to avoid criticizing it too much, to just watch and enjoy it. Yet being that I have watched too many films in my time, I could not help myself. While Inglourious Basterds is not my favorite Tarantino film (i.e. I like Kill Bill more), it is still a great film. The film is more Franz Fanon than Sam Peckinpah, more part of a fantastical alternate history than traditional fictional history, yet it works. The film follows a band of Jewish American soldiers led by Aldo Raine (played by Brad Pitt) involved in an Apache resistance against the Nazis. The film also features a Jewish girl named Shosanna Dreyfus (played by Mélanie Laurent), who survived a massacre where her entire family was slaughtered and now, years later during WWII, is the operator of a cinema theater. Both the Basterds and Shosanna want vengeance for the wrongs the Nazis have committed. The main antagonist in the film is the Nazi Hans Landa (played by Christoph Waltz), who is an evil genius and a skilled detective.

As a resistance film, it is rawer and bloodier than most. Whereas Ashes and Diamonds is moody, Army of Shadows is retrospective, and Battle of Algiers a play on morality, Inglourious Basterds offers no apologizes, it is pure Spaghetti in nature. As someone who has seen a fair share of Spaghetti westerns (and being that this film is from that mold), you begin to notice the ethical ambiguity they present. Yet one thing that is for sure, the Basterds, for all their apache-esque savagery, are more in the right than the opposition. Similar to Django, you can obviously find faults with Basterd’s actions, yet you cannot fault their motives. For the Basterds, they have a consequentialist worldview. Whether you like this film or not, it will most likely be based on whether you can handle this Basterd worldview. For Shosanna, like Bill in Death Rides a Horse or Beatrix Kiddo in Kill Bill, her revenge is not only necessary for her character, but also a long time coming.

There are problems with the film, the biggest one being the screenplay. The brief narration by Samuel L. Jackson was pointless and distracting. The ending of the film has plot holes in it, which has coincidences taking place without explanation. Another problem I had with the film was with how Ennio Morricone’s masterpieces were used in the film. In most films that use Morricone there is space for his music to develop, yet like Kill Bill, Tarantino uses only snippets, losing the magic Morricone’s music can add to a film. Nonetheless, the film despite these flaws, is one of Tarantinos’s best, and I recommend it.

Stark Rating
Entertainment Value: **** (4 out of 5)
Artistic Value: **** (4 out of 5)

Photo from: Vanity Fair

The Role of Women in Development

2009-08-21T13:18:00.003-05:00

The Women's Crusade by Kristof and WuDunn.

Here is an excerpt:

Tererai timidly voiced hope of getting an education. Luck pounced and told her that she could do it, that she should write down her goals and methodically pursue them. After Luck and her entourage disappeared, Tererai began to study on her own, in hiding from her husband, while raising her five children. Painstakingly, with the help of friends, she wrote down her goals on a piece of paper: “One day I will go to the United States of America,” she began, for Goal 1. She added that she would earn a college degree, a master’s degree and a Ph.D. — all exquisitely absurd dreams for a married cattle herder in Zimbabwe who had less than one year’s formal education. But Tererai took the piece of paper and folded it inside three layers of plastic to protect it, and then placed it in an old can. She buried e United States of America,” she began, for Goal 1. She added that she would earn a college degree, a master’s degree and a Ph.D. — all exquisitely absurd dreams for a married cattle herder in Zimbabwe who had less than one year’s formal education. But Tererai took the piece of paper and folded it inside three layers of plastic to protect it, and then placed it in an old can. She buried the can under a rock where she herded cattle.

...

In Arkansas, she took a job working for Heifer — while simultaneously earning a master’s degree part time. When she had her M.A., Tererai again returned to her village. After embracing her mother and sister, she dug up her tin can and checked off her next goal. Now she is working on her Ph.D. at Western Michigan University.

Amazing story.

This is an adapted essay from their book Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. You can buy the book on September 8th.

A Discussion on Trotsky

2009-08-11T10:32:00.003-05:00

With Christopher Hitchens and Robert Service, hosted by Peter Robinson.

Very interesting.

Robert Service's Trotsky book comes out October 16.

Enjoy.

Source:
Reason's Hit & Run

Music for Thursday

2009-08-06T14:15:00.001-05:00

The Parlor Mob - Bullet

Just awesome or insanely awesome?

Twitter Roundup for August 1st

2009-08-01T22:44:00.003-05:00

From my daily tweets. Ugh, did I actually just say that?

Liz Mair knowing what's best.

Marko Attila Hoare talks David Cameron and the EU.

Afghanistan, the long war?

Don't forget the Congo.

CNN lets on a North Korean apologist.

The end.

Twitter Roundup for July 31st

2009-07-31T22:57:00.006-05:00

From my daily tweets. Ugh, did I actually just say that?

Burmese generals can't contain the democracy movement.

Organic farming is a load of crap.

Some Blue on Blue violence regarding healthcare.

7 countries mad at Obama.

North Korean government purges undesirable officials.

Fast food introduced to North Korea.

Afghanistan, what are we going to do with you?

Scary cults out of New York.

Why a dog isn't this man's best friend.

Speaking of Burma.

Why human rights are not a joke.

Organic foodists respond to "load of crap" comment.

Birtherism: Understanding these crazy people.

I think I just wasted my whole day.

The Case for Israel Documentary

2009-07-30T22:56:00.004-05:00

For the Israeli perspective.

I don't know when I'll get around to seeing it, being that I have to buy it, yet it looks very interesting.

Natan Sharansky makes an appearance in the documentary, author of such books as the refusenik memoir Fear No Evil and The Case for Democracy: The Power of Freedom to Overcome Tyranny and Terror. Both are great books (though The Case for Democracy is a bit dated for 2009). He recently came out with a new book called Defending Identity: Its Indispensable Role in Protecting Democracy, a book which I have not read.

Living Wage?

2009-07-30T15:50:00.004-05:00

John Stossel has an article on the living wage and its flaws.

The media are never better at displaying their economic illiteracy than when they report on the minimum wage.

"Workers got a raise on Friday when the federal minimum wage was hiked 70 cents to $7.25 an hour," the Christian Science Monitor reported last week. "They'll be shouting, "Olé!"

They assume that if politicians declare that workers should get a raise, they will actually get it. But the idea that government can increase wages by decree with only good consequences rests on a serious economic fallacy: that employers set wages arbitrarily. If wages are very low, it must be that employers are stingy.

Actually, employers are stingy; they want to pay workers as little as possible, just as workers want to be paid as much as possible. But in a market—even a government-hampered market like ours—employers' wishes are tempered by the reality of competition. So even if an employer wants to pay workers who produce, say, $4 worth of value an hour only $2 an hour, he won't be able to. Someone else will hire them away for $3 or more.

I've actually been in favor of the living wage for quite sometime (not a major advocate or anything)*. It is hard to live on a wage that is too low. There are many people who are working minimum wage who aren't entry-level, the job they are working is permanent for them. So how about using age to determine the wage? For people under 21 (or 18 if you want to go lower) there is no minimum wage, for those over the age of 21, there is an appropriate wage. Seems like a good compromise to me. No?

*Update: For raising the minimum wage more so than getting a living wage.

Dead Weather Again

2009-07-30T13:55:00.002-05:00

The Dead Weather - Treat Me Like Your Mother

Bringing back cool.

Interventionism Dead?

2009-07-30T12:49:00.006-05:00

Slate article on the end of interventionism.

Consider the failure in Darfur—which I have already written about here twice. Consider Zimbabwe, where dictator Robert Mugabe has made a mockery of international disapproval, demands, and even assistance. Consider Iran, a country where election fraud was condemned and people took to the streets, all to no avail. In these three cases—and many others—the international community has offered little more than soothing words and hollow statements. What's more, it has not even felt the need to mourn its inability to turn words into action. President Barack Obama was hailed for being opaque in the case of Iran, and his liberal supporters, who care intensely about Darfur, stayed mum when the new president made no detectable progress on this issue.

In this new world, caution is more important than intervention. What some have described as Obama's "cult of pragmatism" is really a nice way of saying that Americans no longer have a taste for intervention. And without American leadership, there will be none.

There needs to be hesitance with using force, yet when force is needed, where will we stand? How will we be judged on Darfur a decade from now? If genocide is not worth an intervention anymore, what is? Are we back to solely intervening for national interest? The world is not our "playground," yet our military can still be a force for good.

Interventionism: Sleeping for now, or dead for good?

Update 1: Be sure to check out But I am a Liberal! He came across the same article. You might also like this post by Roland on Iraq and interventionism.

Update 2: Be sure to also read TNC and his take on this subject.

A Serious Man Trailer

2009-07-30T08:47:00.004-05:00

Coen Brothers.

Takes place in St. Louis Park, MN. A city I lived in for a couple of years.

I just hope it's better than Burn After Reading, a movie I really disliked.

Russia: The Human Rights Situation

2009-07-29T10:32:00.003-05:00

Article on the human rights situation in Russia.

Russia's new president is trying to show the world a more liberal face, but the body count of murdered human rights activists keeps rising. Being a political critic in Russia is getting more dangerous by the day, and now one prominent human rights organization in Chechnya has decided to close its office.

Yet another Russian human rights activist has been silenced in yet another brutal attack. This week unknown gunmen shot anti-corruption activist Albert Pchelintsev in the mouth with rubber bullets, in front of his apartment in the Moscow suburb of Khimki. The 38 year old was seriously wounded in the lower face and jaw but survived the attack.
...
In May, Amnesty International released a study, "Rule without Law: Human Rights Violations in the Northern Caucasus," which said that freedom of the press and freedom of opinion were restricted in the region. Minorities, such as the gay and lesbian community, were oppressed and ethnic minorities were being harassed by right-wing extremists. And rather than being independent, the justice system -- which was perilous and untrustworthy anyway -- was simply an adjunct of state power. Arbitrary killings, torture and "disappearances" were everday occurrences.

Not good.

Attack of the Killer Robots

2009-07-28T11:40:00.004-05:00

Here is a roundup of robot related articles by Reason's Hit & Run.

The scariest/funniest one.

Sign The First: We learn that the gub'mint is developing a robot capable of refueling by eating human corpse "biomass" scattered on the battlefield. Then, the robot's designer issues a non-denial denial, failing to show that the robots aren't capable of eating flesh and simply claiming that they aren't intended to do so:

RTI’s patent pending robotic system will be able to find, ingest and extract energy from biomass in the environment. Despite the far-reaching reports that this includes “human bodies,” the public can be assured that the engine Cyclone has developed to power the EATR runs on fuel no scarier than twigs, grass clippings and wood chips—small, plant-based items for which RTI’s robotic technology is designed to forage. Desecration of the dead is a war crime under Article 15 of the Geneva Conventions, and is certainly not something sanctioned by DARPA, Cyclone or RTI.

Does anyone believe that, once the robots gain sentience, the Geneva Conventions will even be worth the consumable biomass upon which they are printed?

Damn human flesh eating robots! Ha.

I Already Feel Old

2009-07-27T21:49:00.003-05:00

100 Things Your Kids May Never Know by Wired.com

Some highlights of those that apply to me:

Inserting a VHS tape into a VCR to watch a movie or to record something.

Playing music on an audio tape using a personal stereo.

Watching TV when the networks say you should. Tivo and Sky+ are slowing killing this one.

Rotary dial televisions with no remote control. You know, the ones where the kids were the remote control.

Rotary-dial telephones.

That there was a time before ‘reality TV.’

Blowing the dust out of a NES cartridge in the hopes that it’ll load this time.

Turning a PlayStation on its end to try and get a game to load.

Pay phones.

Vacuum cleaners with bags in them.

Not knowing who was calling you on the phone.

Finding books in a card catalog at the library.

The rotary-dial telephone is something I really remember when I was a kid. I loved playing with the phone, listening to the noise it made while I spinned the dial.

I also saw the evolution of video games from NES to whatever we have now. One of my favorite games when I was younger was Jurassic Park for Sega Genesis.

Source: Instapundit

Music for Monday

2009-07-27T17:00:00.001-05:00

Mando Diao - Gloria

Awesome song. Awesome music video.

When Evil Means Evil

2009-07-24T15:28:00.010-05:00

What is evil anyways? During the Bush years, this term was thrown around a lot and often mocked by, well, nearly everyone. It produces an image of a bogeyman, Satan personified, something so wicked you couldn't attach it to any state or person. So when the “Axis of Evil” list came out, I laughed. The list had “bogeymen” on it that were supposed to be feared and despised. Yet it didn't work. To me at the time, it was equivalent to the James Bond organization SPECTRE, something that could easily be made into a caricature. The media scorned Bush and Jon Stewart of The Daily Show made fun of the description. Hitler was dead, people responded, the “true” evil figure, and these were just people and states the U.S. hated.

Yet is the term not accurate in describing the actions committed by these “Axis of Evil” members? Are acts of genocide not evil? Is mass murder not evil? Whether the term “evil” is appropriate or not does not take away from the fact that state sponsored killing is wrong.

This brings me to this article on North Korea, where mentally and physically disabled people are being horrifically murdered in the name of Kim Jong-Il’s biological and chemical weapons program.

But among the accounts they carried with them is one of the most shocking yet to emerge -- namely the use of humans, specifically mentally or physically handicapped children, to test North Korea's biological and chemical weapons.

"If you are born mentally or physically deficient, says Im, the government says your best contribution to society... is as a guinea pig for biological and chemical weapons testing."

Even after settling into the relative safety of South Korea, for 10 years Im held on to this secret, saying it was too horrific to recount.

What are we to draw from this? Is this not…evil?

I recently watched a speech by Christopher Hitchens on this subject, which got me thinking about descriptions of “Evil” and whether or not the term should be used to describe state and non-state actors.
Here is an excerpt:

What do you think?

Source for North Korean article: Hot Air

Seven Things I Love

2009-07-24T10:45:00.003-05:00

I've been tagged by The New Centrist.

1. Being alive. Because if I was dead, that would be pretty shitty.

2. Living in a liberal democracy. If I was born in Iran, I know I would be severely depressed.

3. Film. I love it. I wish I had money and time to not only write screenplays but to direct films.

4. Music. The Black Keys, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and The Duke Spirit. Talk about awesome.

5. Politics.

6. Debate.

7. Family. This should not be last on the list. I am just going to claim no particular order.

Seven Others:
E. M. Zanotti (who I doubt reads my blog).
My list is very short.

The Wanted: A Service to Humanity? ...Or Not?*

2009-07-24T10:34:00.005-05:00

I came across a new show, and I think everyone should watch it.

Cheers to NBC.

*Update 7/25/09: Maybe I should take that "Cheers" back. Here is one take of the show, that it is "dangerous."

Service, disservice, you decide.

Shock: Obama is Acting Like a Politician

2009-07-22T11:37:00.005-05:00

President Obama won't reveal a list of health-care industry executives he met in private.

Well, at least it's bipartisan.

The still sort-of-new Barack Obama Democratic administration has again adopted another policy straight out of the administration of his much-criticized Republican predecessor, George W. Bush.

Obama administration officials have rejected a watchdog group's request for a list of healthcare industry executives who've been meeting secretly in the White House with Obama staffers to discuss healthcare changes being drafted there and in Congress.

According to the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, which is suspicious of the influence of health industry lobbyists and company officers, it received a letter from the Secret Service citing an Obama Justice Department directive and denying access to visitor logs under the "presidential communications privilege."

This is something I talked about in the past, before he was elected. This is how politicians operate.

Should Obama release the names? Sure, why not. Should we be worried about health-care industry executives meeting Obama? No. They have a voice in this health-care debate too.

Update 7/23/09: Hey, pressure works. Some still say it doesn't go far enough.

Chavez and Kin

2009-07-21T10:24:00.003-05:00

Article on the power of the Chavez family in Venezuela.

Barinas offers a unique microcosm of Mr. Chávez’s rule. Many poor residents still revere the president, born here into poverty in 1954. But polarization in Barinas is growing more severe, with others chafing at his newly prosperous parents and siblings, who have governed the state since the 1990s. While Barinas is a laboratory for projects like land reform, urgent problems like violent crime go unmentioned in the many billboards here extolling the Chávez family’s ascendancy.

While nepotism is nothing new to Latin America, where it is rampant, this article reminds me of the Castro family, who unsurprisingly have a large stake in the political affairs of Cuba.

Source: Hot Air

Will Protectionism Save Us?

2009-07-21T09:48:00.003-05:00

No.

A Reminder to All

2009-07-08T14:26:00.002-05:00

Foreign Policy Magazine looks at the most repressive places to live in the world.

North Korea

North Koreans enjoy the lowest level of freedom in the world, according to Freedom House. All power is held by Kim Jong Il, who assumed power in 1994 upon the death of his father, North Korea's founding leader Kim Il Sung, whose statue in Pyongyang is shown above. The regime maintains a network of prison camps in which thousands of political prisoners are subjected to brutal conditions. All facets of a person's life -- including employment, education, place of residence, access to medical facilities, and access to stores -- are determined by a semihereditary system of social discrimination that classifies citizens into 53 subgroups under broad security ratings (from "core" to "wavering" to "hostile") based on their family's perceived loyalty to the regime.

It's sadly a long list.

Source: Reason's Hit & Run

Errol Morris on McNamara

2009-07-08T12:49:00.003-05:00

Errol Morris talks about Robert McNamara, who recently died.

HOW should we remember Robert McNamara? As an engaged public servant who participated in some of the most important decisions of the 20th century? A hawk who served as the chief architect of the war in Vietnam? A technocrat who never fully understood the moral implications of his policies? A hero who steadfastly worked to prevent the escalation of conventional war into thermonuclear conflict? All of the above?

It’s impossible to mention his name without starting an argument. Mr. McNamara engendered strong opinions, particularly among those who came of age in the 1960s. People have wanted to know, “Did he ever say he was sorry?” They wanted an apology for his role in Vietnam. The publication of his memoir “In Retrospect” (in 1995) only seemed to make people angrier with him.

He was a very interesting character.

I suggest everyone check out Morris' great documentary on McNamara, The Fog of War.

Repost from Last Year: 4th of July

2009-07-04T20:04:00.001-05:00

Some videos for the occasion:

"Kate Smith - God Bless America"

"US National Anthem drowned out by cheers at 91 NHL ASG"

Everyone have a great day.

Photo from:
LIBERTAS

Bill of Rights: What Liberals and Conservatives Think of It

2009-07-01T15:08:00.007-05:00

Pretty funny. It's true for those on the fringes of the left and right. It's a caricature of those that lean left or right though.

The Dead Weather Equals Awesome

2009-06-29T23:42:00.001-05:00

Enjoy.

Interesting Debate

2009-06-26T13:20:00.001-05:00

Intellectual Property vs. Creative Freedom, by Cathy Young.

Borrowing is an essential part of the creation of culture. If we eliminated all derivative works, we would lose, among other things, Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (based on a story by an Italian writer), and Jean Rhys's acclaimed novel Wide Sargasso Sea, the story of Mr. Rochester's mad wife from Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. Of course, classics have also inspired mediocre sequels or reimaginings, such as third-rate novels that continue the story of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. But that's for readers to decide.

Stanford law professor Lawrence Lessig has argued that unless copyright law is reformed, it will end up stifling the creativity of a generation, particularly in the age of digital art. At the very least, the law should focus more on whether the copyright holder suffers actual economic loss, or be denied rightful gain, because of the infringement. As for restricting the use of one's character or story by other artists of writers, it seems fair that, like the right to sue for libel, this right should be terminated by death. (Personally, I would support a term of 50 years, with a portion of revenues from any derivative work published thereafter going to the original author.)

The debate continues.

Bukowski Time

2009-06-20T23:26:00.000-05:00

I am now reading Women.

Obama and Darfur

2009-06-03T21:50:00.004-05:00

Article from the Editors of The New Republic.

But it is not just the seeming absence of focus on Darfur that troubles us. What little indication we have of the administration's plans has been troubling as well. The Washington Post recently quoted a Darfur activist who had met with Obama's Sudan envoy, Scott Gration, three times. The activist described Gration's approach as follows: "He thinks that to keep banging on Khartoum is not the right way. He said he wants to build rapport with Khartoum." If this is truly going to be the administration's strategy, then it is deeply wrongheaded. Sudan's leaders are willing to do whatever it takes to stay in power.

Darfur is still a mess.

Write a letter to Obama here.

Politics aside, something needs to be done.

Newspaper Bailout?

2009-05-25T17:32:00.006-05:00

Reason TV:

Journalistic independence, that's a biggy.

Solutions for newspapers or in other words when I'll start paying for my news:

1. Get rid of the stupid folded super large paper versions of newspapers. It's hard to focus when I have to fold a paper 10 times and need to try to find the rest of a story on A12. Plus I get ink on my hands and it smudges. Go the Economist route, and use a magazine format. I know, I know, it's the traditional newspaper image, but whatever, I'm a consumer and I want to read with ease.

2. Do what Star Tribune is doing, even though it has its flaws for making profit. I'm sorry, I'm not going to pay money to know what's going on in Pakistan, that's what Google News is for. Yet I am willing to pay for in depth investigative journalism.

3. Christian Science Monitor style, all online.

A big NO to bailing out the newspaper industry.

Star Trek Review

2009-05-10T14:04:00.004-05:00

The film worked real well as a Sci-Fi film, and I liked it. As someone who occasionally watched Star Trek: The Next Generation when I was younger, I have some idea what Star Trek is about. For me, this film blasts everything before it out of the water. There were many moments that were just pure awesome, something that even the Wrath of Khan couldn't accomplish. That being said, I'm a big fan of J.J. Abrams, and maybe my taste for his work is simply why I like this movie so much. Cinematography was beautiful, and the score great (same guy who does Lost). Check it out.

Stark Rating
Entertainment Value: **** (4 out of 5)
Artistic Value: *** (3 out of 5)

Downright Scary

2009-04-29T00:34:00.003-05:00

Here is a video on Chinese black jails.

Surprisingly this video comes from Al Jazeera.

Source: Foreign Policy Passport

Worst Idea of Yesterday

2009-04-29T00:29:00.002-05:00

You're kidding me right?

Source: Instapundit

A True Protest

2009-04-27T16:09:00.003-05:00

5 lawmakers were arrested today protesting Sudan's Omar al-Bashir.

A spokesman for Rep. Donna Edwards, D-Md., told The Hill that the five and organizers of the protest from the Save Darfur Coalition crossed a Secret Service perimeter around the embassy and ignored three warnings to leave the property. They were expected to be fined for a misdemeanor and released.

Members of Congress arrested were Edwards; Jim McGovern, D-Mass.; John Lewis, D-Ga., a veteran of the civil rights movement in the 1960s; Keith Ellison, D-Minn., the only Muslim member of Congress, and Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif.

Also arrested were Jerry Fowler, coalition president; John Prendergast, co-founder of the Enough Project, and Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism.

A dignified protest, without any rocks or Molotovs.

Socialism for Breakfast

2009-04-26T19:50:00.003-05:00

Hit and Run's Michael Moynihan takes apart The Daily Show's soft glove representation of Swedish Socialism.

Not a particularly funny bit, considering the available material, but a few points about the total awesomeness of Swedish social democracy and the show's but-we're-only-joking case for the Swedish model. (They are, after all, making a serious political point in an unserious way.) Cenac's interview with ex-Abba frontman Björn Ulvaeus, during which he attempts to get him to admit that the song "Money, Money, Money" is a paean to American capitalism, leaves one with the impression that the millionaire songwriter is rather pleased with his country's glorious socialist history. Well, no.

While I agree on many points made by Moynihan, you got to admit the way Sweden reached its Socialism is preferable than say Venezuela. Socialism is fine if the people want it, as long as it doesn't come with the curbing of democracy, individual rights, isolation and an overarching State. The Swedish model is preferable to the Chavez model. That being said, I don't want either model.

Into the Dark

2009-03-22T14:06:00.002-05:00

It seems there is no party to turn to these days, both Democrats and Republicans seem to offer no solutions to our crisis, and are not helping at all. It's hard to comment on them. Meanwhile, the world is still the same, Iran still trying to fool the international community, and the others, still doing what they are doing. If I didn't know any better, I'd think we were still in 2008. While improvements have been made, other bad decisions were their replacement. I don't know what to say.

Is this apathy, disappointment, what?

Still on Hiatus

2009-02-26T21:28:00.009-06:00

In the meantime, I'm going to give two lists describing my political views. It is hard to characterize myself, so I'm going to give positive descriptions, and negative descriptions to help those people who want to either identify with me or insult me. There might be some contradictions on both lists, yet this is to be expected (for in the positive column, I take elements from each description and/or viewpoints). Some in the negative column might include off base descriptions, though that doesn't mean I view them negatively (i.e. I have nothing against someone being conservative, which I am not, though those who would identify me as one do). I might come back and update it occasionally while I'm on my hiatus. Stay tuned.

Positive:
-moderate
-secular (yet not restrictive of religion)
-tolerant
-classical liberal
-liberal internationalist
-for universal human rights
-idealist
-capitalist
-free trader (from a moderate stance)
-not a hawk or a dove
-individualist
-if not limited government, efficient government
-promotion of liberal democracy (and belief of)
-for gun rights (to a point)
-social equality
-belief in federalism (to a point)
-marriage for all (i.e. marriage for GLBT people)
-military service for all (i.e. acceptance of GLBT people in the military)
-against ethnic profiling
-fair immigration (legalization, fines and closed border)
-drug decriminalization (users go to treatment not jail/prison, fines)
-for helping Iraq and Afghanistan transition from developing democracies to liberal democracies
-support for unions (to a point)
-support for corporation/business owners (to a point)
-for fiscal responsibility and decreasing the deficit
-optimist (i.e. I'm against alarmism)

Negative:
-imperialist
-cultural imperialist
-right-winger
-conservative
-liberal
-bleeding heart
-RINO
-Democrat
-heathen
-capitalist
-democracy promoter (against the will of [insert group])
-hawk
-militarist
-fascist
-backward
-emotionless
-colonizer
-bigot
-neocon (neoconservative)
-in denial

Political parties I have voted for (this does not mean I endorse them now):
Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party of Minnesota
Republican Party
Independence Party of Minnesota
Green Party of Minnesota

The Difference Between Good and Bad

2009-02-01T11:23:00.006-06:00

The difference between good CGI (If video is taken off YouTube, look for the Transformers 2 trailer)...

and bad CGI...

George Lucas just had an aneurysm.

LOST: Are You Watching It?

2009-01-30T23:27:00.003-06:00

I am.

Some say the show has lost its edge, I say bull. Season 4 wasn't that great (worst out of all of the seasons, I wasn't a big fan of the Oceanic Six idea), yet I'm a forgiving person. This season is revealing a lot, and it's awesome.

Lostaway, okay?

In the Meantime

2009-01-28T16:42:00.002-06:00

John Coltrane - Every Time We Say Goodbye - 1961

Still on hiatus.

The Speech

2009-01-24T15:38:00.003-06:00

Here is the speech. It was a good speech, though I've heard better (from Obama I mean). But there was one part that kind of offended me, which caught me off guard a little. It is quoted below.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

…Um what?

"On this day, we gather," meaning obviously the inauguration, he won on election night and he is going to be sworn in as President. The use of "we" at first brings to mind "we" as American citizens, yet that is not necessarily what it conveys. It is “we,” those who voted for Obama, his supporters and followers. There is nothing wrong with that, and I have no problem with those specific words. Yet it is the next sort of words in where I'm a little offended, where people gathered "because we have chosen hope over fear, unity over conflict and discord." What am I to make of this, as someone who did not vote for Obama? That I most likely have chosen fear over hope and conflict and discord over purpose? From all the lines from his speech, this one will stick with me for a very long time. It will probably be the only line I will remember (which is sad, really). Maybe I’m overdramatizing the line, maybe not. Whatever the case, who is really to blame?

Obamanation: Image is Everything

2009-01-21T16:13:00.007-06:00

I was creeped out during the primaries, creeped out during the general election, and am now equally creeped out that this cult of personality still persists. It seems to keep growing, with no end in sight. It's one thing to feel empowered, uplifted and all around excited about the prospect of a politician you can finally believe in. It's a completely another thing to have idolization take place. Where a face replaces any objective meaning, where artists make propaganda like videos, and people go damn near hysterical with obedience (When someone starts a sentence with "Obama is asking me..." or "He wants me to..." it gets to a point where one is looking more for a father than a President to lead this nation). For God's sake, we even have corporations now in the act. It's one thing to praise him, it's another thing to worship him.

Being a cynic, I’m naturally a bystander to this phenomena rather than a participant, and I hope to keep it that way.

Back to hiatus.

Hiatus

2009-01-15T23:16:00.004-06:00

For a short period of time. I'll be back. In the mean time...

Laugh and cry at this trailer for Streets of Fire.

Oh Dafoe.

Food for Thought Three

2009-01-09T16:23:00.004-06:00

You are a news organization and you are covering a conflict. On one side you have an established democracy that for years has been confronted with threats to its security and existence. It has a pretty large military and the means to defend itself. On the other side is a terrorist organization, which has limited representation out of nationalist fervor, and shoots rockets aimlessly into the democracy (with a focus on their civilians). Which side do you present more positively? Which side do you give leeway with when it comes to the facts? To many it’s a no-brainer, to others, it’s ambiguous.

Clearer to the point: One side intends to kill civilians while the other tries to avoid them.

Foreign Policy Magazine Expands

2009-01-05T09:07:00.003-06:00

The Stark Tenet 3.0

2009-01-04T00:56:00.000-06:00

...with a new blog title design.

Lame.

2009

2008-12-28T11:27:00.002-06:00

A healthy reminder with the start of a new year.

Back to the 60's

2008-12-27T19:53:00.001-06:00

The Animals - House of the Rising Sun

Awesome.

The NY Times Has a Right to Make a Profit Too, Right?

2008-12-26T23:10:00.002-06:00

Oh boy.

Other Loyalties: The Taliban, Pakistan, and India

2008-12-24T00:35:00.003-06:00

Looks like the Obama administration is in for some "fun."

Baitullah Mehsud, the leader of the Pakistani Taliban who is accused of being behind the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, said he’d back the government if war breaks out with India. Baitullah promised the Taliban would to send "thousands of our well-armed militants" and hundreds of suicide bombers to Pakistan's eastern border with India "to fight alongside the army if any war is imposed on Pakistan." He also said the suicide bombers are being equipped with their suicide vests.

Baitullah’s call to support the military validates the long-standing Pakistani strategy of establishing strategic depth--supporting the Taliban and jihadi groups--to oppose India. Despite Pakistan siding with the United States after the 9/11 attack, many in the military and intelligence service continued to back this policy covertly. Little has been done to crack down on the multitude of jihadi groups inside Pakistan. And powerful elements within the Inter-Services Intelligence agency helped revive the Afghan Taliban after it was ousted from power in early 2002.

Time to revisit Hitchens...

In rather the same way, the international community is deciding to be, shall we say, nonjudgmental in the matter of Pakistani involvement in the Bombay unpleasantness. Everything from the cell phones to the training appears to be traceable to the aboveground surrogates of an ostensibly banned group known as Lashkar-i-Taiba, which practices what it preaches and preaches holy war against Hindus, as well as Jews, Christians, atheists, and other elements of the "impure." Lashkar is well-known to be a bastard child—and by no means a disowned one, either—of the Pakistani security services. But how inconvenient if this self-evident and obvious fact should have to be faced.

Now while I won't go out and say that we are about to see Armageddon in Southern Asia, it is still a major obstacle that needs to be taken seriously. We must find a way to curb these Taliban types from influencing policy in Pakistan. Otherwise, we're going to see more of this.

Pakistan-Indian peace conference anyone?

Second Amendment: An Individual Right

2008-12-23T23:03:00.007-06:00

How many times do we have to go over this? As many times as necessary. For even Associate Justices of the Supreme Court make mistakes.

As for the Second Amendment, Hardy finds that Cornell's article, and therefore Justice Stevens' opinion, contains a major factual error: the militia language which Cornell quoted was not from Tucker's description of the Second Amendment. The language was from Tucker's explanation of Article I's grant of militia powers to Congress. Tucker's description of the Second Amendment comes 20 pages later in the 1791-92 lecture notes, and is nearly a verbatim match with the text Tucker's 1803 book, unambiguously describing the Second Amendment as encompassing a personal right for a variety of purposes, not just for militia service.

The Cornell article is St. George Tucker and the Second Amendment: Original Understandings and Modern Misunderstandings, 47 Wm. & Mary L. Rev. 1123 (2006). Perhaps the error in article, and the derivative error in a Supreme Court opinion, could have been averted with bettter cite-checking.

Hating guns and/or blaming them for everything isn't an excuse for trying to infringe on someone's rights. Look, I'm not even a big gun person; I'm not into the "gun culture" or anything like that. I understand the Second Amendment as a right. That people have the right to defend themselves, their family and property. That they have the right to own a gun for the sake of owning a gun. This is America, not Europe. And if we were in Europe, by God, let it be Switzerland. Gun violence (as they call it) plaguing your community? Then do something about it; a gun is a weapon, it is not a motive. I think we'd all be a lot better off if people understood that.

Via: Reason's Hit & Run

For Fun: Thundercats Trailer

2008-12-23T12:56:00.003-06:00

This is a fan made movie trailer for Thundercats.

Hilarious.

Chávez: South America's Little Fidel

2008-12-20T12:35:00.006-06:00

Hugo Chávez is at it again, trying to extend his power by another referendum. Yet is it too late for him?

THE FUTURE does not look bright for Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. Last month, opposition candidates won control of the country's three most populous states and the two largest cities. The price of Venezuela's heavy oil has dropped below $35 per barrel, which is 40 percent below what the government says it planned for in next year's budget and less than half of what independent analysts say Mr. Chávez needs to sustain his heavy spending on projects such as the nationalization of domestic industries, purchases of Russian weapons and subsidies to clients including Fidel Castro and Daniel Ortega. Already, Venezuelans are experiencing inflation of more than 30 percent, shortages of basic goods and the world's second-highest murder rate. In less than five weeks, the inauguration of Barack Obama will remove Mr. Chávez's favorite foil -- George W. Bush -- and replace him with a president who may be more popular in Venezuela than Mr. Chávez himself.

Hopefully this will mark the end of the Bolivarian "Revolution."

Revisited: The Chávez Authoritarian Check List:

1. Create an external foe: Check
2. Breakup of political opposition: Check
3. Build up your military: Check
4. Nationalization: Check
5. Rule partially by decree: Check
6. Support terrorist groups: Check
7. Build a network of informants: Pending
8. Re-education camps: Soon to follow
9. Total rule by decree: Soon to follow

A Little Torture With Your Coffee

2008-12-20T01:15:00.002-06:00

Great finding everyone, we are all weak willed individuals who are obedient.

Some things never change. Scientists said on Friday they had replicated an experiment in which people obediently delivered painful shocks to others if encouraged to do so by authority figures.

Seventy percent of volunteers continued to administer electrical shocks -- or at least they believed they were doing so -- even after an actor claimed they were painful, Jerry Burger of Santa Clara University in California found.

"What we found is validation of the same argument -- if you put people into certain situations, they will act in surprising, and maybe often even disturbing, ways," Burger said in a telephone interview. "This research is still relevant."

Burger was replicating an experiment published in 1961 by Yale University professor Stanley Milgram, in which volunteers were asked to deliver electric "shocks" to other people if they answered certain questions incorrectly.

Pass the whiskey, I need a shot.

Lost: The Countdown Begins

2008-12-19T14:37:00.001-06:00

I can't wait.

Whitewashing Stalin

2008-12-19T12:07:00.002-06:00

Nothing to see here, only greatness.

In Russian classrooms, history teachers are guided by a new, government-approved textbook, Alexander Filippov's "Modern History of Russia: 1945-2006," which hails Stalin as an efficient manager who had to resort to extreme measures to modernize the lumbering Soviet agrarian economy.

There were, writes Filippov, "rational reasons behind the use of violence in order to ensure maximum efficiency."

What's that quote by George Santayana again, "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

The question here is, what if one knowingly manipulates it?

Via: American Power

Nanny State: The Year of 2008

2008-12-19T10:54:00.002-06:00

Reason TV segment:

Banning large inflatable gorillas? Talk about lame.

Nanny State 2008: Because we need to be treated like children...for the children...because they...might uh...die. Yeah, children will DIE!

UN Court Convicts Theoneste Bagasora

2008-12-18T17:42:00.014-06:00

The UN Court has just convicted Theoneste Bagasora, one of the masterminds of the Rwandan genocide.

A United Nations-backed court in Tanzania on Thursday convicted the one of the masterminds of the Rwandan genocide – a decision that is an important milestone both for a record of truth telling in Rwanda and for international justice.

Theoneste Bagasora, a former Rwandan Army colonel, was found guilty of "genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes" in the 1994 slaughter of more than 800,000 people. The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda also convicted ex-military commanders Anatole Nsengiyumva and Aloys Ntabakuze of genocide. All three were sentenced to life in prison.

Mr. Bagasora was the "highest authority in the Rwanda Ministry of Defense" and was captured in 1996, two years after Hutu militias, backed by the Army, went on a 100-day killing spree that targeted minority Tutsis and moderate Hutus.

Thursday's verdict is considered a boon for an International Criminal Court in The Hague that recently indicted Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir for genocide in Darfur.

"The Bagasora verdict is a rebuke to the self-serving and demagogic argument by al-Bashir and his supporters that accountability and justice through an international court is somehow 'anti-African,' " says Richard Dicker of Human Rights Watch in New York. "This is a conviction by an international tribunal for genocide against Africans, and it serves African victims."

Let this be a sign to other genocidal figures... you can't hide.

I remember being in 9th grade when I first found out about the Rwandan genocide. It was unbelievable to find out. Nearly a million people in a 100 days, it was depressing. Besides my obvious anger at the aggressors who, like Theoneste Bagasora, acted out and/or planned the genocide, I was also angry at my high school. For it wasn’t them (i.e. my high school) who exposed me to this tragic event, yet the History Channel, who ran a segment on it. It wasn’t until Hotel Rwanda came out that it started to be discussed, and even then, hardly anything was said. This event (along with others like what took place in the Balkans, and what is taking place now in Sudan) should be studied in every high school in the nation. It happened under our watch. That is something we shouldn’t forget.

I attended a speech a couple years back by a survivor of the Rwandan genocide. His name was Silas, a tall Rwandan, who's face did not bore the hell he went through. He told us of various situations where he could have lost his life, describing them as in terms of “nightmares.”

The first nightmare was in his hometown. Silas described that a group of people and himself were hiding out in a building (I believe a bar or restaurant). Hutu Soldiers came in and demanded money and beer for the war effort. One soldier spotted a man out and asked him for an ID. Apparently, whatever was on the ID did not please this soldier and he accused the man (who was a Hutu) of being a spy for the “enemy Tutsis.” He said the punishment for this was death. They made the people in the place (including Silas) stand in a circle around the man. The man was then shot (in front of Silas). After awhile, the brother of the man killed spoke up, and then this man was shot too. Eventually Silas was put in the same ordeal as the first man (i.e. put in the middle of the circle), yet Military Police outside of the building intervened (for reasons not specified) just in the nick of time. He then described two other “nightmares.”

One involved Silas being measured at a roadblock, in where Hutu militamen said he was Tutsi because of his height (Silas was taller than the bamboo stick they were measuring with). The militiamen gave two options for the people who were too tall for the stick, to “have their head cut or their legs”. The options obviously did not please Silas, who most likely would have been either handicapped or killed. Fortunately for him, a former classmate intervened and let Silas go. The third story involved him almost being killed again (saved coincidentally enough by another former classmate), yet I cannot recall the specifics of the story. When asked during the Q and A after the speech if he harbored any bitterness towards the outside world (for their lack of response), he told us he did in the past yet not anymore. He left us with the words “value peace.”

Rwanda will be remembered for many things; the horror that took place, the courage of those who tried and perished to defy extremism, and the international response. Yet one thing is fundamental, that when we say “never again,” we mean it. Otherwise, it is just a phrase. Yet for now, lets “value peace” with the conviction verdict of Theoneste Bagasora.

(Photo: AFP via radiofranceinternationale)

Corrected Democracy: Crackdown on Dissent

2008-12-18T11:23:00.003-06:00

Russia takes a great leap forw..err backward, to extending treason to cover those who work with NGOs.

Under Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, people who fraternized with foreigners or criticized the Kremlin were "enemies of the people" and sent to the gulag. Now there's new legislation backed by Vladimir Putin's government that human rights activists say could throw Russia back to the days of the Great Terror.

The legislation, outspoken government critic and rights activist Lev Ponomaryov charged Wednesday, creates "a base for a totalitarian state."

Government supporters and Kremlin-allied lawmakers said the bill — submitted to the Kremlin-friendly parliament last week — will tighten up current law. Supporters say prosecutors often have trouble gaining convictions because of ambiguities in the definition of state treason.

The bill would add non-governmental organizations based anywhere in the world that have an office in Russia to the list of banned recipients of state secrets. The government has repeatedly accused foreign spy agencies of using NGOs as a cover to foment dissent.

Critics warned the loose wording will give authorities ample leeway to prosecute those who cooperate with international rights groups.

Oh Russia.

How long will it take for the Medvedev/Putin duo to test Obama when he takes office? They are already testing the current administration's response.

Via: Hot Air

Update: Michael Moynihan of Reason. Also check out his older article whose title makes my opening sentence seem cliche and unoriginal.

Back to WWII

2008-12-17T12:17:00.005-06:00

There seems to be a bug going around in Hollywood...

Defiance

Good

Valkyrie

Defiance looks the best.

Wolverine Trailer

2008-12-16T20:18:00.001-06:00

Looks alright.

Fouad Ajami on Obama

2008-12-16T14:21:00.005-06:00

Here is a really good article on Obama, the Middle East and American foreign policy.

There is a detached tone to Mr. Obama's utterances on the Islamic world, a kind of knowingness. In part, it is no doubt an intended contrast to the heat and fervor of George W. Bush. If Mr. Bush believed he could remake that old and broken and wily region, Mr. Obama signals a fatigue with it, an acceptance of its order of power. If Mr. Bush believed that he could insert himself into the internal affairs of distant Islamic lands, Mr. Obama and his foreign-policy advisers portend a return to realpolitik and to a resigned acceptance of the ways of foreign autocracies. We have erred, the Obama worldview preaches, and overreached. We have overread the verdict of 9/11, and it is time to make our peace with regimes we have offended in the Bush years. It is the Scowcroftian way -- other lands, other ways.

Read it all.

Via: Foreign Policy Passport

The Nanny State Wants You to Drink Diet

2008-12-15T16:29:00.003-06:00

Looks like the Governor of New York has just added an obesity tax.

A can of Coke could soon cost New Yorkers more than just calories.

Gov. Paterson, as part of a $121 billion budget to be unveiled Tuesday, will propose an "obesity tax" of about 15% on nondiet drinks.

This means a Diet Coke might sell for a $1 - even as the same size bottle of its calorie-rich alter ego would go for $1.15.

Paterson's budget also calls for a 3% cut in education spending, a $620-a-year tuition hike at SUNY and a $600 increase at CUNY - and about $3.5 billion in health care cuts, a source said.

The Democratic governor will not call for a broad-based income tax boost, but he will push to restore the sales tax on clothing and footwear.

The drastic belt-tightening comes as lawmakers struggle to close a $15 billion deficit this year and next.

"It's painful to make these decisions," Paterson said Sunday.

State employees again will be asked to forgo their 3% raises next year and defer five days' pay until they leave their jobs, the source said. In all, Paterson will propose about $9 billion in cuts, $4 billion in new taxes and fees, and $1.5 billion in nonrecurring revenue, a second source said.

The so-called obesity tax would generate an estimated $404 million a year. Milk, juice, diet soda and bottled water would be exempt from the tax.

At least it is a tax on sales and not income. Not that I live in New York anyways.

Via: Reason's Hit & Run

I Hate Finals

2008-12-15T01:00:00.005-06:00

...I really do.

Music video time?

In Flames - Pinball Map

John Coltrane - My Favorite Things

Odd mix, huh?

Cult of Che

2008-12-11T21:22:00.006-06:00

Reason TV:
Click Here

Via: Instapundit