Lex Libertas

Halftime With Nazis

In the tradition of historically accurate and thought-provoking marching band halftime shows, a Texas high school decided to do a WWII themed performance. Include in the billing was "Deutschland Uber Alles," a song linked to Hitler, and a ceremonial showing of the Nazi flag.

I don't think they intentionally meant any harm, nor do I think they themselves are sympathetic to the ideals of National Socialiasm (though some of them perhaps the latter part). I do, however, have to wonder what on earth the producers of this show were thinking.

"I know, during halftime at the big game, let's show an introspective piece about the greatest war ever fought." To be fair, perhaps they were worried Liberals would scream about discrimination if they didn't give all particiapants equal access to the airwaves - just an example of the "fairness doctrine" in practice. After all, we know that war was only about coal.

McClintock Would Beat Bustamante

In a post-debate poll, when posited a choice between Busamante and McClintock, registered voters pick McClintock 49-42, and "probable voters" pick McClintock 56-37. In a dead heat between Arnold and Bustamecha, registered go 52-39 and probable go 58-36 for Arnold.

This illustrates what I've been talking about all along. If Arnold wasn't in the race, McClintock would still win nicely. The problem is that among all the people I know who are voting for Arnold, they say "I like McClintock, but I don't think he can win, so I'll vote for Arnold." With one week left, it's way too late to change any minds, but if these people had just given McClintock unqualified support from the begining, he would be in line for the governorship.

This being said, in the current situation, it seems wise for McClintock to bow out and give his support to Arnold, shoring up the GOP victory and showing he's a team player. This would also set him up nicely for a challenge next year against Boxer for Senate. With his statewide exposure, and a favorable exit from the race, I think he stands a good chance. In all actuality, I think I'd prefer to have in Washington than Sacramento anyways.

I'm a Professional's Computer

You are a professional PC. The kind that programmers, hackers and the like use. You're fast, optimized for crunching big tasks in no time. On your hardrive there will be lots of specialized tools for programming and such.

Anti-Semitic and Anti-Bush Graffiti in Beverly Hills

The graffiti was found early Sunday on upscale homes, two clothing retailers and a Pottery Barn store, which included statements hostile to President Bush and Jews, police Lt. Mitch McCann said.

The attacks, which targeted sites between Sunset and Santa Monica boulevards, coincided with the Jewish new year, Rosh Hashanah.

No, the Anti-War, Anti-Bush left isn't intolerant or anti-semitic. They're the epitome of peaceful, thinking, rational beings. Just one more example of the Democrats - Party of Tolerance.

"Love Is a Fallacy"

This is the best short story I've read in a long time. In "Love Is a Fallacy," Max Shulman demonstrates a wit and clarity of language that I find lacking in most modern writing (mine woefully included). The thesis of this story is that a good lawyer's wife must be "beautiful, gracious, and intelligent," and as a first year law student, the narrator sets out to make such a wife. Seeing as how it is "easier to make a beautiful dumb girl smart than to make an ugly smart girl beautiful," the author bargains for his roommates girl, who possesses the first two necessary traits, and tries to instill the third. His lessons in logic go terribly awry.

I urge you to take 15 minutes out of your day to read this five page story.

Schwarzenegger's Special Interests

Don't think he doesn't have any.

Schwarzenegger has received close to $7 million in contributions from real estate developers, high-tech companies and the entertainment industry.

Most Dangerous American Officials

I think they were aiming for serious, but I find it quite enjoyably humourous. The same Frenchman that brought you the 9-11: The Big Lie, claiming that no plane ever crashed into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, and that the attacks were plotted by a faction within the U.S. military, has given us another intellectual masterpiece - a deck of cards featuring the 52 most dangerous American officials.

On the one hand, I'm honored. It's good to know that we still strike fear into the hearts of loony left-wing, Stalinist sympathasizing, dictator and terrorist appeasing European intellectuals. The fact that Rumsfeld is the Ace of Spades is all the better. I would prefer that they see our Secretary of Defense as someone who is willing to actively oppose them. I would be afraid if these nutcases saw in our SecDef someone who would just follow our "enlightened elders" in their path of appeasement and ignorance, someone who would tow the line and turn a blind eye to atrocities while trading arms with the most vile regimes on earth.

On the other hand, it's just downright cute. I find the whole idea rather funny, and I plan on ordering myself a deck. In fact, it gave me a good idea for a deck about French people that I could build.

Warning: This next section is just good old-fashioned humour. I'm not a racist bigot, and I don't hate the French anymore than is necessary.

I knew it would be far too difficult to build a deck of the 52 biggest badasses of the current French goverment, so I decided to be charitable and open it up to all of history. Unfortunately, I could only find 4 in all of French history. Well, I guess that's an ace for each suit.

1. A 13 year old little peasant girl. [Joan of Arc]
2. An Italian of small stature. [Napoleon]
3. A smelly Celt. [Vercingetorix]
4. A stauch Catholic and opponent of the French Revolution (two things considered anathema by modern French). [La Rochejaquelein]

What Moon Were You Born Under?

In case you're interested, I found two neat ways to determine the moon you were born under.

A precise technical estimation

or

A pretty picture

I suggest you look at both. Armed with this knowledge, you can plug in your birthmoon to any random culturally specific astrology you so desire.

PS: This is all courtesy of the United States Navy - I don't wanna hear any more complaints about our government or the military being anti-Wiccan.

67% of Iraqis Prefer Life After Saddam

A recent Gallup poll shows that:
Nearly two-thirds of Baghdad residents say the removal of Saddam Hussein was worth the hardships they have endured, a report said Wednesday.

Wait, you mean they're actually happy that they no longer have to go through life terrified of the government? What about the fact that sometimes they don't have electricity? In all seriousness, I'm sure some people are shocked that Iraqis turn out to be normal, rational human beings. On almost any Cost-Benefit Analysis scale, life in Iraq now is miles ahead of where it was six months ago, and the invasion was worth it.

However, there is one troubling aspect to the survey:
Iraqis in the capital still maintain a great deal of skepticism about the motives of the United States and Britain.
Residents said they hold France and its president, Jacques Chirac, in higher regard than President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

So, they're happy the invasion happened, but they highly respect the one leader most opposed to the invasion. If Chirac had his way, they would still be living under Saddam, which, according to their own opinion, is less preferable. Doesn't make much sense to me.

American Religiosity

Some American Muslims have coined the term Judeo-Christian-Islamic to reflect their ideal of what the United States should be. *

How about just "Abrahamic."

How to Get Help

I find it odd that there is an entry in the help manual for Windows explaining how to access the help manual.

Using Help

You can get Help on each item in a dialog box by clicking the question mark button on the title bar and then clicking the item.

Just In It To Win

Last January, at a conference in Switzerland, he happened to chat with two prominent Republicans, Colorado Gov. Bill Owens and Marc Holtzman, now president of the University of Denver. “I would have been a Republican,” Clark told them, “if Karl Rove had returned my phone calls.”

So, angered at being left out of the club, Clark decides to switch parties to try to show Karl how he screwed up. I don't know why the Democrats are embracing this guy so much, he seems like their version of John McCain. When considering this party history, coupled with his lack of knowledge about the issues, it really seems as though Clark just wants to win - and doesn't actually care about what happens if he does.

Hours after his announcement, ABC’s Mark Halperin asked Clark for his personal ranking of the two most crucial U.S. Supreme Court decisions of the last quarter century. The general drew a blank (but privately vowed afterward to hit the books).

More seriously, Clark managed to create confusion about his position on the war in Iraq—opposition to which was supposed to be his calling card. Pressed by reporters, Clark said he “probably” would have voted last year for the congressional resolution that authorized George W. Bush to go to war. Suddenly, the Democratic establishment’s beau ideal—a four-star foe of the war, a MacArthur who could not be branded a McGovern—seemed to fade into just another wishy-washy pol.

What Clark meant, his aides scurried to say, was that he would have voted aye only to pressure Saddam Hussein into allowing more inspections, and as a way of scaring the United Nations into taking more action. But that was the rationale many Democrats in the Senate (including Kerry and Clinton) used to justify their yes vote.

In Iowa, he declared he “never would have voted for the war,” though war was precisely what the resolution he “probably” would have supported authorized.

California is Out of this World

Gray Davis has finally unveiled his grand vision for the state of California, "My vision is to make the most diverse state on earth, and we have people from every planet on the earth in this state. We have the sons and daughters of every, of people from every planet, of every country on earth."

Man, talk about using works not in the same lexical field. Unfortunately, this time it would appear that the transitive property has failed for Gray. Three pairs emerge with actual lexical connection: state belongs with country, country with earth, and earth with planet. State does not belong with earth (at least not in the sense of internal administrative division that Davis uses), and neither state nor country belongs with planet.

When Davis said he was out of touch with the people of California, he wasn't joking. He doesn't even know who those people are.

A Wierd Guniea Pig

History's largest rodent has been found in Venezula. At Phoberomys pattersoni, it's name is a mouthful. Called simply "Goya," and described by lead scientist Marcelo Sanchez-Villagra as "a wierd guinea pig, but huge, with a long tail for balancing on its hind legs and continuously growing teeth," it was as big as a buffalo, and weighed over 1,500 pounds.

A Good Idea For a Frivolous Lawsuit

A man in Oregon crashed his car while singing a Justin Timberlake song because a bee entered his mouth. Using the legal logic developed during the 90's, I think this man has a great case against Justin Timberlake and the record producers. I can just imagine the testimony now:

Plaintiff: "I was just driving along, minding my own business when the Timberlake song came on. Suddenly, the music and media image forced me to start singing and dancing - dancing in my car! What kind of respectable activity is that? All forced on me by the excellent vocal renderings of Timberlake and the beats of his producers. If they hadn't created such groovalicious music, I would never have opened my mouth and closed me eyes while pretending I was on American Idol, and that bee never would have come in." (Note to self - check statute of limitations. Perhaps it's still possible to sue American Idol for instilling a desire to be a performer, and eliciting my overactive imagination.)

Prosecutor: "Is it true, Mr. Timberlake, that you make 'groovalicious music?'"

Defendant: "Yes, it's true. My music is of the highest quality, and I've warned my producers for years of the dangers of releasing my music on an unprepared population. They would usually respond with 'shut up and sing, pretty boy.' Come to think of it, this created a hostile working environment, and until now, I never thought of the blatant homophobic overtones. It's a testament to my talent that I was able to perform at all under these conditions." (Note to self - sue producers)

Judge: "I am not able to make a ruling at this time because not enough minorities listen to Justin Timberlake. They tend to only have CD players, which have been outdated by MP3 players. Since nobody buys Mr. Timberlake's albums anymore, mp3s must be burned onto CDs. Clearly, distributing his music only by mp3 violates the equal protection clause, becuase minority groups can't figure out how to properly burn CDs."

Clark Jumps In

It's official, Wesley Clark has become the 10th dwarf. It's too soon to take a stance on what exactly this means, but I do (of course) have some random thoughts on the issue.

First, as Mark Kleiman points out, he is from the South, which is the only region to have produced a Democrat president since Kennedy. This is considered crucial for being able to win over the traditionally conservative Southern states, and may put into question some states that would normally be squarely Bush.

Second, he's a general, which clearly gives more credibility to any attacks on Bush's security issues. Though, he may not be too wise of a general. If people think Bush is a cowboy for going to the UN nine months before invading Iraq, Clark may well be a renegade, fast-draw cowboy for the way he wanted to provoke the Russians during his command in Kosovo. When the Russians took the airport at Pristina, Clark ordered a British general to put paratropers into the airfield - effectively engaging the Russians in combat. Gen. Sir Mike Jackson replied, "I'm not going to start the third world war for you."

Third, how "Democrat" is he? According to Drudge:
Wesley Clark fundraised for Republicans in 2001, for Pulaski County Republican Party (Little Rock)... December 2001: Clark registers to vote in Little Rock as independent... But in 2003, now he is a Democrat?...
And he only announced he was a Democrat on Sep. 4th of this year. Quite frankly, I could care less about this point, but it will be a charge leveled over and over against him by the other candidates. His moderateness may be good in a general election, but he has to get past the primaries first, and that means he must appeal to the party loyalists - a group that is enthralled by Dean.

Lastly, and it seems to be a common theme these days, Clark is not just ambiguous about his positions, he doesn't have any at all.
Asked if he is ready to start telling Americans his positions on domestic policy, Clark said, "I'll do my best, but there will be a lot of things that I don't know right away."
"I want to learn," he said. "I've got a whole period of time. I've got to go around America. I want to talk to people about the issues."

Great candidate to add. Someone who doesn't know what he wants or how to get it, and who is willing to put Russians in bodybags over a little airbase. And Bush is the stupid cowboy.

GTA and Fighting

A recent Gallup poll found that kids who played Grand Theft Auto (a game where you are a criminal working for the mob) "are more likely to have been in a fight than those who have not played." More fodder to help the Tipper Gore crowd rate and crack-down on a fine, enjoyable hobby.

A quick point out about the poll in particular, it in no way establishes causality and the pollsters freely admit that it may just be correlation, "The data can't demonstrate causality -- boys who are more prone to fighting may simply be more attracted to violent video games." Furthermore, the study only examined GTA and it's relation to violence, it didn't enquire about other games to get a bigger picture. Also, there was no distinction between the aggressor in the fight and the defender.

In short, there is still no proof that violent video games cause children to become violent criminals. I got in fights back in elementary school way before I ever played violent video games, and I haven't gotten in fights since. What would that data show, that Doom, Counterstrike, and GTA led to a decrease in my violent propensities? A funny aside, I even know of law enforcement personnel who play GTA - bust bad guys on the job, and play one in your off-time.

On a larger note, it seems that gaming is still not an accepted hobby, at least outside of Japan. As the poll notes, "62 percent of teenagers play games at least one hour a week, while 25 percent play six or more hours per week." Admittedly, I was one of the 25 percent - easily playing six hours or more at one sitting. Gaming - be it video or otherwise - is a rapidly growing medium of entertainment.

It also happens to be far more cost effective than most societally condoned avenues of entertainment. $50 for a game that will occupy over 100 hours of your time versus $10 for a 2 hour movie, or $50 for a 2 hour concert. Roleplaying games are even more cost effective - a $30 book can provide hundreds of hours of use.

Starting in the 70's with Dungeons and Dragons and arcade games, each generation has grown up spending more time gaming. This market provides fun no matter what you're looking for. Do you want to mindlessly wander around killing things while only using one button - play Diablo. Do you wish to test your tactical skills, reaction time, and mouse agility - try Counterstrike. Does a deadly ballet and the sight of blood excite you - pick up Bloody Roar. Would you like to create history - get Civilization. Do you think of yourself as the strategic equivalent of Napoleon - try Age of Empires. Is a 3000 page fantasy trilogy not enough to convince you that you are a wanderer in a mystical land - play Morrowind. Do you have a sick fascination with mundane modern life - take a break from reality to "play reality" with the Sims.

Mind you any number of games would fit into each of those categories, I just picked the ones I like the most. If your category isn't listed, I'm positive there are still many games out there for you. As more people get past the stigma and realize the entertainment and escape that games provide, I'm sure gaming will become more socially acceptable. I'm still waiting for the day when a Counterstrike or Starcraft tournament gets as much press and respectability as Chess.

(PS: Why does Chess escape the "violence" debate. It's a game about assassinating an opposing country's King, all while mowing down anything that gets in your way - be they military, peasants, or clergy.)

Gore's Mess

Madeleine Albright, when asked about the War on Terrorism answered, "Frankly, if there was a President Gore, we wouldn't be in this particular mess." That mess being our involvement in Iraq without international support.

Well, I would have to agree with her. If Gore were in office, we probably wouldn't be in Iraq period. We wouldn't take any decisive action without international support - which means we wouldn't take any at all - we probably would have sat down and talked with the Taliban about why they disliked us. We wouldn't have the Europeans outright yelling at us, and we wouldn't have impromptu anti-American demonstrations by Palestinians.

No, we would have a different mess. The "oil for palaces" program would still be in full swing, and the humanitarian crisis in Iraq would be trudging along nicely. The Europeans wouldn't be overtly criticizing us, instead the intellectuals would do it behind closed doors with copious amounts of wine and disdain. The Palestinans would love us because we would continue to put pressure on Israel to make harmful concessions, all while ignoring the spike in suicide bombings - funded by Saddam's $25,000 to each martyr's family. (For Saddam's links to terrorism, see here)

Gore's mess would be a world that still actively harbored terrorists, some of them (Palestine) with our support. Gore's world would have the continental US as the target of terrorism, and not Iraq. Gore's world would put American (and Israeli) security at the hands of world opinion. He would blindly trust the Europeans, a group who did nothing while a quarter of a milion people died in Yugoslavia, a place they could see from their own backyard.

In short, it's true that if Gore were in office, we would not be in our current mess - we would be in one far worse.

Fetal Emotions

-What's that thing smiling and crying?

-A mass of invasive tissue. Remove it and get on with your life.

Good News for McClintock

According to the most recent polling data, McClintock has gained significantly on Schwarzenegger and Bustamante.

Bustamante 30%
Schwarzenegger 25%
McClintock 18%
Ueberroth 8%

Ueberroth dropped out of the race on Tuesday, while the poll was still being conducted. I think that Ueberroth's votes will go half and half to the Republicans. If McClintock can get into the 20's, he'll definitely give Schwarzenegger a run for his money. Hopefully, with his support growing, more people who want him to win, but see him as a longshot, will start voicing support, and his numbers will increase even more.

In short, McClintock has benefited from Schwarzeneggers screw-ups, and the more air time he has, the better his numbers get.
Bustamante is stalling, which is consistent with the recent psuedo-scandals that have hit him recently. His illegal campaign money, and his racist associations have turned off some voters, even democrats.

This recall is one hell of a guessing game. I don't think anyone can tell with absolute certainty what will happen.

They Can Dish It, But Can They Take It?

For years I've been saying that about Affirmative Action that if we have it at Universities to "increase education," it ought to reflect real diversity, ie. intellectual, and not the artificial concept of race. Seeing different shades of skin will not increase education, but hearing different ideologies would. This idea threatens the liberal hegemony's hold on academia, so they just call us rascists and move on with their Marxist indoctrination.

In Colorado, some GOP leaders are trying to get more Republican university professors. The "Academic Bill of Rights" is aiming for more "intellectual diversity."

To be expected, the democrats are up in arms, calling it a new form of McCarthyism. The Colorado Senate minority leader said, "They're going to create a climate of fear in our universities, fear of being the professor who says the wrong thing." As if that's not currently the case. Few non-tenured professors would dare speak up and question the dominant "liberal" paradigm. As a student, I sure as hell won't speak my mind. If I question the professor's worldview, there goes my GPA.

I'm not saying I totally support this plan. Though I am opposed to traditional
Affirmative Action, that is becuase it is based on an artificial and divisive conception of skin color as an intrinsic part of our being - a measurable trait of our character. Intellectual ideology, however, is a legitimate way of classifying people. What gets me is how Democrats are willing to see everything through the eyes of race and vigorously work to get "proportional" campuses, but are completely opposed to any proportionality in ideology. After all, the people voted in a solid Republican majority in our national government, according to the "representativeness" that Democrats speak of, a whole bunch of "liberal" professors ought to be fired and replaced - all in the interests of "fairness."

They can dish it out, but they sure as hell can't take it.

Dems Talking About Race

The democrats are doing something they're quite good at, attacking others based on how much they talk about race. Dean commented "that he is the only white politician who talks about race to white audiences." Edwards hit back, replying "I think what Howard Dean said last night does a disservice to everyone he stood next to and all the people before us who have raised this issue over and over again in front of all audiences."

It's a battle to one up each other on talking about race ... but what about actually helping minorities? This is just part of the standard plan of keeping a group of people impoverished, so they can act as their "savior." Democrat leaders don't want blacks, hispanics, etc. to move up the social ladder, because when they do, they turn Repbulican. Furthermore, Republicans are the only one with issues to actually help out the lower classes.

What's the solution to inner city crime - strict gun laws assuring that only criminals have weapons, or conceal carry permits that allow law-abiding citizens to protect themselves and their neighbors? How about crappy schools - blind faith in the failing public school system, or vouchers to allow parents to decide where to send their students, or maybe charter schools run by private institutions? What about small businesses - taxing them and requiring a "living wage" to make sure that they don't run a profit, or lessening the tax burden to allow for growth, and hence more employment.

It's all fine and good to talk about "race," in front of whoever, but it's another thing entirely to help people. Even without talking about skin color, the Republican agenda contains items to help everyone, of all classes. The Democrat agenda does nothing but keep certain segments of our population in economic and physical fear, thereby assuring votes for "sympathetic" politicians.

Hillary and Gore in 2004

Great analysis by Dick Morris about the upcoming election.

Basically, Dean will be easily defeated by Bush, no matter what. If Bush's numbers sink, it would be a good opportunity for a strong Democrat to take him on and win - enter Al Gore. He'll jump in if he thinks he has a chance, to take away from a sure defeat against Dean. Hillary, meanwhile, does not want an incumbent Democrat in office in 2008, which would push off her run to 2012, when she'll be 65. This means she would prefer Bush to stay in office for another four years, leaving it open game for nominations, and coming from 8 years of a relatively unpopular president. In essence, she wants Dean to run.

Hillary does not want Gore to run, because he might win. So if Bush's numbers drop to a point where Gore will consider running, she'll have to pre-empt him by jumping in first. But her best hope is to have Dean run and lose.

Elitism in the Most Unlikely of Places

The Dixie Chicks have once again said something stupid.

The Dixie Chicks have been voicing their political opinions again by criticising Arnold Schwarzenegger.

She told German paper Abendzeitung: "America should be governed by people who have a clue. I hope he doesn't win."

I know liberals tend to be horribly elitist, but Country artists? That's the last bastion of unapolagetic hicks, god bless 'em.

For some unspecified reason, only a career politician can do politics. Not only is this far from the founders contempt of politicians, it's way off the mark when you consider that one of the greatest presidents was an actor.

Really, would our country have been better off with career politician Jimmy Carter in charge during the 80s? The Soviet Union would not only still exist, but it would control Afghanistan, Western Europe, and Japan; and we would still have hostages in Iran.

In short, conservatives - being the small government, rural hicks that we are - feel that nobody is more qualified than anyone else to do politics. We tend to evaluate people based on their positions, not their upbringing. Democrats, however, care more about qualifications than ideas. Hence the "Al Gore was way more qualified than stupid Bush," and "he's great in the movies, but he shouldn't be a politician."

What do career politicians get us? Gray Davis, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Al Gore.

German Republic of Texas?

A german historian just unearthed a plot in the 1840's to turn Texas into German territory.

The association used the money to send almost 8,000 members to Texas on the pretext they were fleeing political persecution or poverty. But, according to the historian, many were wealthy aristocrats and military officers planning to take control of the republic.

As part of plans to win logistical aid from Britain, Prince Solms-Braunfels courted Victoria’s favour for a new "Germany in the West", claiming British economic interests in California and Mexico were threatened by a westward- moving United States.

An early application of the doctine of containment.

From Europe, the Adelsverein had purchased more than three million acres of Texan land. But the group soon discovered it was unsuitable for farming and was occupied by some 10,000 warring Comanche Indians.

Oops, did we sell you that lot? Must've been a typo on the telegram, oh well.

The prince added that Britain considered sending military equipment overland from California.

The joys of Realpolitik.

"The government messenger was instructed to hand over the correspondence personally to the British consul. But instead of that, he was met by a US spy who drank him under the table and intercepted the information that was then sent to the White House."

That's a nice spook assignment. Back then they were supposed to drink with Germans, nowadays they walk uneasily in Mid-East markets.

Thanks to Counter-Spin for the link.

Davis the Anti-Immigrant

"You shouldn't be governor unless you can pronounce the name of the state." Tell 'em what you think Gray.

Of course, it might be solipsisitc on the part of the Arnold campaign to think that Davis was referring to him by demanding an apology. It may well be that Davis just hates all foreigners, and wouldn't want Ariana Huffington to be governor either. In any case, such rhetoric is reprehensible. To outright say such a thing is absurd, even if it was "just a joke." Just imagine the fallout if a Republican were to say something like that. Trent Lott was kicked out of the Senate leadership for far less.

That Democrats have a free pass on minority and immigrant issues is ridiculous, and doesn't reflect reality. Why isn't this the lead story in the LA Times? Worse yet, this story isn't anywhere in the LA Times. Do they not consider it newsworthy?

Davis makes this comment, yet Arnold's invitation to preside over the Mexican Independence Day parade is rescinded, and extended to Gray. I wonder what he thought of those in attendance who have accents. He probably thought them all unfit for personal participation in the American political arena, but fit enough to vote Davis into it.

Good Riddance

So Abu Mazen has resigned, big deal. It's not like he actually did anything. He caved in to Arafat, never stood up to Parliament, and didn't take any of the security actions needed to move the peace process forward. All while demanding concessions from Israel. He was obviously not the man for the job.

Mahmoud Abbas submitted his resignation as Palestinian prime minister today and Israel lightly wounded the spiritual leader of Hamas with an airstrike in Gaza City, events that put the Bush administration's initiative for Middle East peace close to the point of disintegrating.

One of the fundamental problems is that this is the Bush administration initiative, not the Palestinian or Israeli initiative. We can't force peace upon people, they have to want it. Clearly, right now, the Palestinians don't. Israel has made concessions in the past several months, they've turned over towns, relaxed checkpoints, and freed prisoners, with nothing but more terrorism on the part of the Palestinians.

Israeli officials have said that all-out war with Hamas is necessary for peace in the Middle East.

Necessary, but not sufficient. As long as any group with the ideology of terror is willing to sacrifice their members, peace is not attainable.

But in the eyes of most Palestinian politicians and analysts, Mr. Arafat emerged from the struggle strengthened with a public that, before Mr. Abbas's elevation, had shown signs of wearying of him.

More proof that the majority of the Palestinan people support this war of terror, and would prefer a proven terrorist in charge than someone willing to end the corruption of the Palestinian Authority and establish a legitimate state.

The crisis might force Mr. Arafat to yield more authority to Mr. Abbas in a bid to keep him in his post or to whomever he might appoint to replace him, other Palestinian officials said.

That seems to directly contradict the preceeding paragraph, which stated popular support for Arafat. If true, then perhaps some good might come of the current situation, but I doubt it.

... Palestinian officials said that if Mr. Abbas, a longtime leader of Mr. Arafat's Fatah faction, was unable to effectively fill the post of prime minister, no one else would be able to do so, either.

Not true, in fact almost patently false. Anyone associated with Fatah is necessarily a follower of Arafat, and thus not likely to challenge him. The culture of Fatah is corrupt, and anyone coming out of it is likely to be as well. We need someone from an independent organization, with his own loyal, well-armed followers. Someone not beholden to Arafat, and who is willing to lock up his cronies. Frankly, we need someone who's pissed off at the squalid living conditions and communal suicide that are the fruits of the current leadership. Someone who actually wants a better future for Palestine as a whole, and not just for him and his friends.

Should the resignation become final, Mr. Abbas would serve as head of a caretaker government while Mr. Arafat chooses a successor.

As if Arafat will appoint anyone with the backbone or support enough to challenge his authority.

Mr. Abbas, who was described as worn out and sad by those present, blamed Israel, the Bush administration and Mr. Arafat for undermining his government and his efforts for peace.

Israel and the US, right. It seems as though giving in to demands such as handing over towns and prisoners, while at the same time receiving nothing except suicide bombers is undermining Abbas. And the US forcing Israel to make concessions, while chastising them for any action taken to protect themselves also undermines Abbas.

The senior Israeli security official said that if Mr. Arafat did not reverse course and empower Mr. Abbas, "Arafat's personal destiny might change."

Amen to that. I would prefer to see Arafat's destiny change to MIA, but I understand that making him a martyr would only increase Palestinian fundamentalism. Better to ship him off to Paris where he can live the high life amid our "base Western culture." Hopefully he'll overdose on cocaine while in the arms of a parisienne prostitue. Although if that does happen, I guess the Palestinians would blame it on the Mossad.

It was shortly after Israel issued its statement a bomb struck the Gaza City apartment building where Sheik Yassin, a paraplegic, was meeting with other Hamas leaders. Sheik Yassin was lightly wounded by shrapnel in his right hand.

In response, Abdel Aziz Rantisi, another leader of the group, said."Our operations will strike everywhere. There is no sanctity to a house, to a street, to a car, nor to a politician, when it comes to an attack on a leader like Sheik Yassin."

As if there was ever any "sanctity to a house, to a street, to a car, nor to a politician." Palestinian terrorists have killed people returning from the Western Wall, and assassinated the Tourism Minister, Rehavam Zeevi, just to name a few instances of this so-called sanctity that never existed.

While a year ago Palestinians voiced increasing frustration with Mr. Arafat's management of the Palestinian Authority, that anger has now shifted to Mr. Abbas, said Dr. Khalil Shikaki, a noted Palestinian political scientist.

Talk about a short memory of who's fault it is and why they're in this mess.

Gary Coleman For Governor

I never though of him as a legitimate candidate, but it seems that I may have more ideas in common with Gary Coleman than the Republican frontrunner, Arnold.

He knows what it's like to be broke, and he has solutions to make California solvent. He would slash property taxes 40 percent and income taxes 25 percent. He would set up a health care fund, charging every living Californian $35 a month for health care. That would raise nearly $15 billion.

He is also for drilling for oil off the coast, in national forests and anywhere else there many be reserves. He says that every household should have a loaded gun, that casinos should be ubiquitous and that parents should be notified before their children have abortions.

Gary Coleman needs to be taken more seriously. It does seem infinitely unjust that a candidate with no exact views or policies should be the number one contender, while a candidate with views in sync with a number of Californians would be denied any sort of serious press.

If McClintock drops out, I may well vote for Gary Coleman.

Amnesty For Filesharers?

Does this mean the music industry cares about music downloaders?

The amnesty program would apply only to alleged infringers who have not been sued by the music industry trade group or identified by Internet service providers as a result of the trade group's subpoena process.
...
RIAA will not pursue legal action if infringers delete all unauthorized music files from their computers, destroy all copies (including CD-Rs) and promise not to upload such material in the future. Each infringing household member will have to send a completed, notarized amnesty form to the RIAA, with a copy of a photo ID. Those who renege on their promise will be subject to charges of willful copyright infringement.

Do they think filesharers are idiots? Let me get this straight. This amnesty will only apply to people who have not been identified. But in order to get it, they will have to identify themselves, with photo ID nonetheless. In effect, this creates a database of people the RIAA can search from time to time to see if they've downloaded so much as one song, then hit them with the "willful copyright infringement."

Anyone signing up for this amnesty would be better off just deleting the files and destroying the cds without signing up for amnesty. This way they can't really be prosecuted, and if they stay offline, they will never be caught. Anyone requesting the amnesty is just asking for harassment from the RIAA.

What if you forget a cd that you made five years ago and is now hidden in the recesses of your house. Can you be thrown in jail for "noncompliance?"

Frankly, I'm surprised that along with the notary, picture ID, home address and phone number, they aren't asking for any and all IP addresses. I haven't seen the form, perhaps they are.

More Terrorism in Russia

Two bombs exploded in Southern Russia on a commuter train, killing at least five. This sort of Chechen terrorism has drastically increased in frequency in the past year or so. Before this, terrorism was sporadic, but recently there has been a rash of bombings, including suicide bombings in Moscow and provinces in Southern Russia.

It seems as though the success of this tactic in Palestine has not gone unnoticed. As expected, the "let's blow ourselves up and kill innocents at the same time" approach is gaining converts, swayed by its efficacy in gaining international recognition, support, and eventually concessions.

For more posts on terrorism in Russia, see here and here.