Here's a woman who appears to have really been raped (as opposed to the Duke faker)... but when she reports it she ends up getting arrested for an outstanding warrant. I think that police and prosecutors should have employed better judgment here, as you want people victimized in this way to report the crime even if they have a warrant... I suppose, depending on what that warrant is for, no? So now the prosecutor and lawmakers are in response working on a new rule to prevent rape victims from getting arrested on outstanding warrants. But doesn't that encourage women who are getting busted to do what Crystal Magnum did in the Duke Rape case: cry, oh, yeah, I just got raped! in order to transform from arrestee into victim?
Don't know what the answer is here. What about victims of other crimes, such as assault, mugging, burglary, car-jacking? Will they also get a pass for their outstanding warrants if they report these crimes? Or do they get arrested for outstanding warrents when they report these crimes? What if the rape victim has an outstanding warrant for... rape!
2007-01-31
One Nation, One Standard
By Stanley Crouch Monday, January 29th, 2007 From the article:
Herman Badillo is a deputy mayor of New York and chairman of the board of the City University of New York. One of the things that has held minorities back is that many have lost sight of the value of the high standards that provide success in this country.
Herman Badillo is a deputy mayor of New York and chairman of the board of the City University of New York. One of the things that has held minorities back is that many have lost sight of the value of the high standards that provide success in this country.
The result was that too many people have begun to see actual shortcomings as "cultural" styles that have to be defended against racism. Not being able to read, for instance, or not being able to speak English are not "cultural choices"; they are examples of an impermanent condition that can be cured by instruction.
Badillo, in his new book, "One Nation, One Standard," shows he is well aware of the fact that minority students from the Middle East and Asia don't rebel against high standards of academic performance; they go about mastering them, which is the only explanation when it is obvious that the same level of performance is seen in black and Latino students who do the same thing.
The liberals who secretly did not believe that black and Latino students were capable of rising to the challenge chose to remove as many challenges as possible in the interest of "fairness," while the world of work moved along as it always had, not hiring them. It was never recognized that being trapped in the world of the poor because one is barely educated is a lot harder on the individual than putting in long hours of study when necessary.
Badillo recognizes the problems and rightly believes that Latinos and the nation at large will benefit from the imposition of high standards and the removal of the lower standards that express more condescension than any kind of actual regard for student potential.
2007-01-30
2nd & 3rd Racist University MLK Parties; Clemson & UConn
Two more racist honkey college student MLK Day parties have surfaced, these at major universities, Clemson & UConn. We reported and lambasted a similar party, at tiny unheard of Tarleton State University near Dallas. All got busted due to photos posted on-line, and all took the theme "gansta' party". These ignorant crackers associate MLK Day with the buffoonish characters that they see on BET and MTV rap videos, and think that it's funny to emulate them. I hope that they pay a steep social price for this, as indeed they seem to be. We righties think that universities have been inundated with PC-think. Apparently many white students have proven impervious to the PC movement, and in the most horrendous way.
I do admit that my view on the amount of white racism still extant in the US does not predict the survival of these types of parties at this late date, and that if three have been uncovered that must mean that there are more out there that have escaped detection. The massive institutional and social outrage visited on these fools, however, does support my perspective. All of the participants are apologizing and hiding from the public amid massive official and unofficial outrage.
I do admit that my view on the amount of white racism still extant in the US does not predict the survival of these types of parties at this late date, and that if three have been uncovered that must mean that there are more out there that have escaped detection. The massive institutional and social outrage visited on these fools, however, does support my perspective. All of the participants are apologizing and hiding from the public amid massive official and unofficial outrage.
‘Black Man’s Burden’: Life isn’t like the movies
This past weekend, I admired Forrest Whitaker’s brilliant portrayl of Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland. The Oscar talk is well-deserved (though Ghost Dog is still my favorite Whitaker vehicle), but Amin’s brutality was disturbing. And he isn’t the only African tyrant who is guilty of such abuses.
“Africa has had far too many dictators like that,” my wife remarked as we walked out of the theater.
James McAvoy also did a fine job as Nicholas Garrigan, Amin’s personal physician and “closest advisor”. In the film, Amin turned to Garrigan for advice on dealings with his ministers, his family and with the media.
Ultimately, Ugandans relied on him to tell the story of the despot’s attrocities. A Ugandan doctor tells Garrigan in the movie, “They’ll believe you. You’re a white man.”
And that line reveals the truth, doesn’t it? The character of Garrigan is fictional, created for the book by Giles Foden and adapted for the movie. Was the white man added to the story to make it more “believable”, or is he there to make an African tale more “marketable” to a white audience?2007-01-29
Farmer Tom on The Risks and Rewards of Farming
Our own Farmer Tom Philpott is featured on Six String Slinger's favorite lefty opinion site, Alternet.
If you're going to subsidize farms, wouldn't it make common sense to fund the little guys who must rely on a second income from a spouse who often works elsewhere? Instead in a "free market system", our government doles out the cash to big Ag. This to the detriment of family farmers in the US and small farmers who export goods to the US. It is also detrimental to our health as recent food scares have demonstrated.
Agriculture has been touted as a possible solution for Detroit as well. With plenty of land and plenty of poor people looking for work, the ruralization of Detroit's urban center might not be a bad idea. Fresh food, jobs, land improvement...
Another good idea that may languish on the Grand Blvd. of broken dreams.
If you're going to subsidize farms, wouldn't it make common sense to fund the little guys who must rely on a second income from a spouse who often works elsewhere? Instead in a "free market system", our government doles out the cash to big Ag. This to the detriment of family farmers in the US and small farmers who export goods to the US. It is also detrimental to our health as recent food scares have demonstrated.
Agriculture has been touted as a possible solution for Detroit as well. With plenty of land and plenty of poor people looking for work, the ruralization of Detroit's urban center might not be a bad idea. Fresh food, jobs, land improvement...
Another good idea that may languish on the Grand Blvd. of broken dreams.
Minimum Wage Increase Is Good for Business
A growing number of business owners are voicing their support for a minimum wage increase.
Paul's feeling is that no minimum wage should be mandated in a free market. Too bad there is no such thing as a free market. Markets are manipulated and abused all the time.
With the number of jobs that are moving to other countries it would be only a matter of time before employers would begin paying far below the minimum wage.
Wait. I forgot. Many already pay below minimum wage. This is why they hire undocumented workers...
If you could trust capitalists to do the right thing, there would be no need for a minimum wage. Unfortunately the temptation for greedy business owners is to take advantage of workers.
"People who tell you that raising the minimum wage will hurt small business are flat out full of it," said Lew Prince, co-owner of Vintage Vinyl, a music retail business in St. Louis. "Small business owners know that keeping workers is easier and cheaper than finding and training new ones."This is why most small businesses pay far above minimum wage if they can. You get what you pay for.
For many business owners, paying their workers well is common sense. "Trying to save money by shortchanging my employees would be like skimping on ingredients," said Kirsten Poole, a petition signer and co-owner of Kirsten's Cafe and Dish Caterers in Silver Spring, Md. "I'd lose more than I saved because of declining quality, service, reputation and customer base. You can't build a healthy business or a healthy economy on a miserly minimum wage."
A growing body of evidence shows that successful businesses that are "built to last" don't skimp on wages. "It is a sound business decision to increase the minimum wage," said venture capitalist Adnan Durrani, president of Condor Ventures in Stamford, Conn. "I have found that without exception in the successful ventures we've backed, providing sustainable living wages yielded direct increases in productivity, job satisfaction and brand loyalty from customers, all contributing to higher returns for investors and employers."
Paul's feeling is that no minimum wage should be mandated in a free market. Too bad there is no such thing as a free market. Markets are manipulated and abused all the time.
With the number of jobs that are moving to other countries it would be only a matter of time before employers would begin paying far below the minimum wage.
Wait. I forgot. Many already pay below minimum wage. This is why they hire undocumented workers...
If you could trust capitalists to do the right thing, there would be no need for a minimum wage. Unfortunately the temptation for greedy business owners is to take advantage of workers.
White Chick Falsey Accuses Black Man of Rape
In Heartford, Conn. a white chick named Rosemarie Clark told cops that a 300lb black man raped her in a park. The cops arrested nobody, but leaned on her enough that her story started changing. That caused them and the assigned prosecutor (who never went on TV to announce that an enormous 300lb black rapist was on the loose) to conclude conclude that she was lying, even though "she still maintains that a rape occurred". They decided to arrest her for filing a false police report, until some "rape councilors" convinced them not to... until local "black community activities" talked them back into doing the right thing: arresting her.
The comparisons to the Duke Rape hoax are obvious:
1. Her personal life was a mess and included drug use.
2. Area black leaders automatically took the side of the black person, in this case one that didn't exist; when the accuser's story fell apart, the NAACP stepped in and demanded her arrest.
3. Conservatives (white and black) didn't automatically side with the white person; in this case they didn't automatically embrace Clark and demand a dragnet for black men, and they didn't stick by her when her lies became obvious. The conservatives have been consistent in these cases, opposing fake accusers of either "race".
Differences: Nobody supported the fake accuser once her lies became apparent, the DA didn't stick by the fake accuser, and the local black activists took the correct side. The NAACP in Durham is still backing the Magnum, pressuring the new state AG's office that has taken the case from disgraged DA Nifong! How does the NAACP justify opposing the honkey chick Clark who falsely accused an unidentified black man, but support the black chick Magnum who has managed to get three innocent men arrested?
In the same city shortly after a 16-year-old girl filed a rape report, only to have herself also charges with filing a false police report. These articles also discuss the Clark case, and provide further refutation to the claim that "women never lie about rape."
The comparisons to the Duke Rape hoax are obvious:
1. Her personal life was a mess and included drug use.
2. Area black leaders automatically took the side of the black person, in this case one that didn't exist; when the accuser's story fell apart, the NAACP stepped in and demanded her arrest.
3. Conservatives (white and black) didn't automatically side with the white person; in this case they didn't automatically embrace Clark and demand a dragnet for black men, and they didn't stick by her when her lies became obvious. The conservatives have been consistent in these cases, opposing fake accusers of either "race".
Differences: Nobody supported the fake accuser once her lies became apparent, the DA didn't stick by the fake accuser, and the local black activists took the correct side. The NAACP in Durham is still backing the Magnum, pressuring the new state AG's office that has taken the case from disgraged DA Nifong! How does the NAACP justify opposing the honkey chick Clark who falsely accused an unidentified black man, but support the black chick Magnum who has managed to get three innocent men arrested?
In the same city shortly after a 16-year-old girl filed a rape report, only to have herself also charges with filing a false police report. These articles also discuss the Clark case, and provide further refutation to the claim that "women never lie about rape."
2007-01-27
Black-on-White Hate Crime
Some black teen girls assaulted some white teen girls, apparantly for no reason other than that offered by a shout reported of "I hate white people!" Less clear: if police arrested the correct group of girls. Question: what is more frequent these days in the US:
1. White-on-black hate attacks (up until years ago obviously this dominated".
2. Black-on-white hate attacks.
3. Hate attacks not involving whites.
I suspect that 3 is the winner, and the data seem to show that blacks not only commit 90% of all black/white violent crime these days, but also double the per capita black/white assaults classified as "hate crimes."
In any case, racial violence has become a rarity. Most Americans, I reckon, will never even know a person who, since 1985 or so, has experianced interacial violence, much less racially motivated violence. This story made headlines because of this rarity.
1. White-on-black hate attacks (up until years ago obviously this dominated".
2. Black-on-white hate attacks.
3. Hate attacks not involving whites.
I suspect that 3 is the winner, and the data seem to show that blacks not only commit 90% of all black/white violent crime these days, but also double the per capita black/white assaults classified as "hate crimes."
In any case, racial violence has become a rarity. Most Americans, I reckon, will never even know a person who, since 1985 or so, has experianced interacial violence, much less racially motivated violence. This story made headlines because of this rarity.
Three Ex-Terrorists
These three Arabs claim to be former Islamic terrorists who have transformed into advocates of democracy / toleration / freedom. UM-AA has them scheduled to speak on Tuesday, but Muslim students want to ban them.
2007-01-26
More Students Refuse to Declare Race on SAT
Tracking SAT scores by race is becoming virtually impossible because so many students now decline to designate a "race" when taking the test.
Black - White Scholastic Gap In Affluent Subburb
A Nigerian-born black anthropology professor from UC-Berkeley, John Ogbu, produced a famous 1996 study, transformed into a 2003 book) of black and white students at a high school in Cleveland's Shaker Heights subburb. He found that when matching for all salient socio-economic factors (two-parent households, income, home ownership, parental schooling, types of profession), black and white kids make different academic choices, and that these choices resulted in a marked difference in GPAs and test scores.
The title of his book tells it all: "Black American Students in an Affluent Suburb: A Study of Academic Disengagement." According to his research:
- Black and white students who make the same choices obtain about the same GPAs and SAT scores.
- Whites report reading more books
- Whites more often enroll in AP courses, and their cumulative curricula contains a higher fraction of AP courses.
- Whites more often identify themselves as responsible for their education, whereas the black kids more often identify their teachers as responsible for their educations. Parents report similar attitudes, and Ogbu describes the black parent attitude of the teacher-student relationship as that of a "beer mug: teachers pour in information."
- Black students often report that they feel they will not get graded or otherwise treated fairly, whereas white students expect to be graded and treated fairly.
His 1998 academic study, "Voluntary and Involuntary Minorities: A Cultural-Ecological Theory of School Performance with Some Implications for Education," classifies black African immigrants along with Asians as "voluntary" immigrants, and native black Americans as "involuntary". He shows that voluntary immigrants out-perform involuntary immigrants and native non-minorities in various academic measures ON AVERAGE, and have different attitudes and make different choices.
Reading these studies years ago helped develop the conclusions that I now have on these matters. I obtained and read the book soon after its publication. These studies provided a great influence in my work developing curricula and strategies for the Ben Carson Scholars program in Detroit, where we proved first-hand that black students who work hard and study quality academic material in a very traditional manner will obtain excellent results.
The title of his book tells it all: "Black American Students in an Affluent Suburb: A Study of Academic Disengagement." According to his research:
- Black and white students who make the same choices obtain about the same GPAs and SAT scores.
- Whites report reading more books
- Whites more often enroll in AP courses, and their cumulative curricula contains a higher fraction of AP courses.
- Whites more often identify themselves as responsible for their education, whereas the black kids more often identify their teachers as responsible for their educations. Parents report similar attitudes, and Ogbu describes the black parent attitude of the teacher-student relationship as that of a "beer mug: teachers pour in information."
- Black students often report that they feel they will not get graded or otherwise treated fairly, whereas white students expect to be graded and treated fairly.
His 1998 academic study, "Voluntary and Involuntary Minorities: A Cultural-Ecological Theory of School Performance with Some Implications for Education," classifies black African immigrants along with Asians as "voluntary" immigrants, and native black Americans as "involuntary". He shows that voluntary immigrants out-perform involuntary immigrants and native non-minorities in various academic measures ON AVERAGE, and have different attitudes and make different choices.
Reading these studies years ago helped develop the conclusions that I now have on these matters. I obtained and read the book soon after its publication. These studies provided a great influence in my work developing curricula and strategies for the Ben Carson Scholars program in Detroit, where we proved first-hand that black students who work hard and study quality academic material in a very traditional manner will obtain excellent results.
2007-01-25
Afghanistan Defies US, Won’t spray heroin
Amen! The US anti-drug prohibition is one of the stupidest government efforts in the history of humanity, causing massive unnecessary misery in the US, and even abroad. If US citizens want to consume drugs, they will, and if a struggling poor nation has the capacity to supply this demand, why stop them? Regulated and legal drugs will create fewer health problems for US citizens, and eliminate about half of the US prison population, creating more productive people and a lower tax drain. Legalize and regulate! Stand tall Afghan drug makers!
Another Sex Crime Injustice
I hope that the people who are outraged over the Duke Rape Hoax take their energy now and bring it to bear on this case, where a black teenager got 10 years for consensual sex with a honkey girl classmate. Is it racism, or just a mindless prosecutor applying a mindless law? Either way, it's clearly unjust, and certainly warrants as much outrage as does the Duke injustice.
But how will people like Nadir comment on this case, when they've applied "let the system work" approach to the Duke situation?
But how will people like Nadir comment on this case, when they've applied "let the system work" approach to the Duke situation?
Detroit Govt Closes Famed Kronk Boxing Gym
People around the world revere Detroit's Konk Boxing Gym, home of legendary -- and still extant -- trainer Emanuel Steward. Yet somehow Detroit's government has managed to moth-ball this gym, tossing out Steward's still-thriving operation, sending it to a Gold's Gym in Dearborn. Kronk's is the type of place that holds tourist and residential appeal for Detroit: it is (or was, and would be) a point of interest for people considering a visit, or considering a move, to Detroit.
I see this kind of misstep also in New Orleans, which you would think would enjoy fine formal appreciation of its historical masterpieces. But not so.
I see this kind of misstep also in New Orleans, which you would think would enjoy fine formal appreciation of its historical masterpieces. But not so.
Real Real Estate Racism
Some Detroit-area white realtors got busted for steering white and black undercover buyers according to their "race". Perhaps Nadir will justify this because it is "reality" and because the white buyers are better off in white neighborhoods and black buyers in black neighborhoods. I, however, hope these bastards get prosecuted to the fullest extent.
Meanwhile, blacks continue purchasing houses in white neighborhoods, including Nadir and nearly all of our mutual black home-owning friends. It appears that most home buyers take leadership over the stupid and worthless professionals known as "real estate agents", whose existence and justification in the internet age perplexes me.
Meanwhile, blacks continue purchasing houses in white neighborhoods, including Nadir and nearly all of our mutual black home-owning friends. It appears that most home buyers take leadership over the stupid and worthless professionals known as "real estate agents", whose existence and justification in the internet age perplexes me.
Pfizer & Grandma Stabenow
I was reminded recently about how our dear Senator Debbie Stabenow has been at odds with the pharmaceutical companies for years now, threatening to go after them (remember the highly-publicized excursion where she took bus-loads of seniors over to Windsor to get their medications?). You don't think maybe, just maybe the subject of Ms. Stabenow and her anti-drug company crusade came up at high-level meetings where Pfizer execs decided where and in what states they were going to maintain facilities, do you? In the end they voted with their dollars, just like we all do and I don't blame them. Why should they continue to do business in a state where one of it's top elected officials' publicly stated goals is to punish them?
Nice going Debbie. Thanks a lot. Now do us big favor, will you? Don't do anything the rest of your current term in office. Nothing. Just go to your office everyday, collect your fat government paycheck and try not to mess anything else up, okay?
How that woman's constituents find her worthy of being re-elected over and over again is beyond me.
Attack on drug companies will send jobs out of state
For some strange reason I don't think this is quite what Governor Granholm had in mind when it comes to attracting businesses to and keeping businesses in the State if Michigan.
Yep, Michigan Democrats are doing a bang-up job, aren't they?
Nice going Debbie. Thanks a lot. Now do us big favor, will you? Don't do anything the rest of your current term in office. Nothing. Just go to your office everyday, collect your fat government paycheck and try not to mess anything else up, okay?
How that woman's constituents find her worthy of being re-elected over and over again is beyond me.
Attack on drug companies will send jobs out of state
For some strange reason I don't think this is quite what Governor Granholm had in mind when it comes to attracting businesses to and keeping businesses in the State if Michigan.
Yep, Michigan Democrats are doing a bang-up job, aren't they?
Real Racism: White College Kids Ridicule MLK
Some white college kids staged an MLK Day party, featuring 40-ounces, afro wigs, gang-ware, and a mistral step show. It caused a campus controversy. I agree that this is racism, it is reprehensible, and that I would have predicted no such occurrence at this late date.
2007-01-24
Rehab: The New Diversity Training
Okay, this is about ridiculous.After Mel Gibson's anti-Jewish tirade, he went to rehab for alcohol problems. Michael Richards couldn't explain his niggardly attack on a couple of hecklers, and though he insists he doesn't have a drug or alcohol problem, he checked himself into rehab.
Now Isaiah Washington uses the word "faggot" to describe his Grey's Anatomy castmate, T.R. Knight, and after first denying he said it, Washington later admitted his transgression.
"I can neither defend nor explain my behavior," he wrote in the public apology he issued. "I can also no longer deny to myself that there are issues I obviously need to examine within my own soul, and I’ve asked for help."
So Isaiah Washington checked himself into rehab for psychological treatment.
2007-01-23
Asian Students Busting Admissions Race Curve
More stats on those Asian students beating the doors down at elite US university admissions offices. Asians compose just 5% of the US population, but:
Harvard: 18%
Standford: 24$
UC-Berkeley: 46%
Princeton: 13%
And of course they achieve these numbers not only *without* affirmative action, but *despite* it, because racial "diversity" considerations cause admissions officers to reject Asian students with better credentials than white applicants. This issue fascinates me because it contradicts people on both sides of the issue whom I oppose:
- Affirmative Action advocates who believe that the US is a generally racist place wherein black folks can only match their general population composition at elite schools via affirmative action; these data prove that elite schools indeed admit qualified non-whites without AA.
- Affirmative Action opponents who believe that AA blocks whites from admission to elite schools; these data prove that without AA, even fewer whites will get admitted! Why? Because just as blacks in general are choosing not to study enough or as well as whites, whites are failing in the same ways in comparison to Asians.
Harvard: 18%
Standford: 24$
UC-Berkeley: 46%
Princeton: 13%
And of course they achieve these numbers not only *without* affirmative action, but *despite* it, because racial "diversity" considerations cause admissions officers to reject Asian students with better credentials than white applicants. This issue fascinates me because it contradicts people on both sides of the issue whom I oppose:
- Affirmative Action advocates who believe that the US is a generally racist place wherein black folks can only match their general population composition at elite schools via affirmative action; these data prove that elite schools indeed admit qualified non-whites without AA.
- Affirmative Action opponents who believe that AA blocks whites from admission to elite schools; these data prove that without AA, even fewer whites will get admitted! Why? Because just as blacks in general are choosing not to study enough or as well as whites, whites are failing in the same ways in comparison to Asians.
Congressional Black Caucus: Blacks Only
A white guy got elected to a black-majority congressional district. So he figured he should join the Congressional Black Caucus, following in the lead of his predecessor, Harold Ford, Jr. Afterall, he assumed, the Congressional Black Caucus centers on issues pertinent to black people (albeit from a far left perspective only). Unlike perhaps any other white congressman or senator, a majority of his staff is black, including his Chief of Staff. Answer to his request: Blacks only.
Turns out that the Congressional Black Caucus also works to defeat incumbent honkey democrats facing black challengers in the primaries. Very interesting. I wonder how its members would feel if any white legislators worked to defeat black incumbents in primaries... or if they made crackerness a requirement to join some other caucus.
For shame.
Turns out that the Congressional Black Caucus also works to defeat incumbent honkey democrats facing black challengers in the primaries. Very interesting. I wonder how its members would feel if any white legislators worked to defeat black incumbents in primaries... or if they made crackerness a requirement to join some other caucus.
For shame.
2007-01-22
7 Smart Ideas for Low-Energy Design
Even we non-conservationists should embrace these seven smart ideas for low-energy design offered by Newsweek magazine. I define conservationists as those who oppose moving civilization forward because they want the earth to look exactly like it did (or, rather, like they think it did) before civilization. I support petro drilling in Alaska's Awar reserve, and all over the California and Florida coasts. However, I also support paying extra for a house that requires no AC in the summer and no heater in the winter... provided that govt officials don't require me to.
According to this article, diesel engines burn 40% less than non-diesel per output, and that if only some reasonable higher fraction of US cars made the switch, the US would consume an amount of petro less per day equal to what those retarded sheiks in Saudi Arabia produce in a day. The article also claims that via smart design houses can remain about 70 degrees in winter and summer without AC or heaters. Not even mentioned: backyard wells for toilet water and lawn watering, home effluent used as fertilizer, and mulching of all fallen leaves and grass cuttings.
I believe that people like me who desire an elevated society typified by such smart designs will make more inroads via civil appeals and free markets than by hysterical railings and forced marches.
According to this article, diesel engines burn 40% less than non-diesel per output, and that if only some reasonable higher fraction of US cars made the switch, the US would consume an amount of petro less per day equal to what those retarded sheiks in Saudi Arabia produce in a day. The article also claims that via smart design houses can remain about 70 degrees in winter and summer without AC or heaters. Not even mentioned: backyard wells for toilet water and lawn watering, home effluent used as fertilizer, and mulching of all fallen leaves and grass cuttings.
I believe that people like me who desire an elevated society typified by such smart designs will make more inroads via civil appeals and free markets than by hysterical railings and forced marches.
2007-01-20
Improving School Lunches
Our own Tom wrote this article, which advocates a drastic overhaul of US school lunches, as envisioned by a woman -- the organic, superstar chef "Lunch Lady" -- who shares my and Tom's advocacy of all-natural foods. But Tom and the Lunch Lady take what I call a leftist, socialist view of how to get there: more federal funds to guarantee every child in the US an all-organic lunch.
I offer these criticisms:
1. As I've already documented in this blog, the US govt (via fed, state, and local agencies) already spends enough for each kid that we ought to get all we need out of the current budget; Tom and the Lunch Lady ought to argue for more efficient spending, not yet more money to get wasted.
2. The Lunch Lady claims that on average, schools only get about $2.50 to spend for lunch ingredients. This presumably includes govt sources combined paying for "free" lunches, plus cash tendered by "paying" students. I say that we can at least double that by rectifying the spending waste.
3. Before we have any hope of improving school lunches, parents generally must value food in the way that Tom, the Lunch Lady, and I do.
4. I assume that Free Market principles have the best chance of getting the best food into the most kids. I believe that some huge fraction of kids qualifying for "free" and "reduced" lunches spend over a dollar a day (on average) to purchase garbage out of school vending machines and at the corner store. How can we get that dollar out of the coffers of Kraft, Frito-Lay, and Coke, and into the hands of Whole Foods?
I have already solved this problem for my kid. I spend less than $5/day to fix my kid an all-natural, all-organic, nutrient-rich, chemical-free lunch that I bag up and send with her. And every evening and all weekend she gets meals, snacks, candy, and drinks that would make Tom and the Lunch Lady proud. And I've done nothing that most other parents couldn't do; even low income parents could choose to improve the food they provide their kids, as the magical free market brings down the cost of nourishing foods.
I offer these criticisms:
1. As I've already documented in this blog, the US govt (via fed, state, and local agencies) already spends enough for each kid that we ought to get all we need out of the current budget; Tom and the Lunch Lady ought to argue for more efficient spending, not yet more money to get wasted.
2. The Lunch Lady claims that on average, schools only get about $2.50 to spend for lunch ingredients. This presumably includes govt sources combined paying for "free" lunches, plus cash tendered by "paying" students. I say that we can at least double that by rectifying the spending waste.
3. Before we have any hope of improving school lunches, parents generally must value food in the way that Tom, the Lunch Lady, and I do.
4. I assume that Free Market principles have the best chance of getting the best food into the most kids. I believe that some huge fraction of kids qualifying for "free" and "reduced" lunches spend over a dollar a day (on average) to purchase garbage out of school vending machines and at the corner store. How can we get that dollar out of the coffers of Kraft, Frito-Lay, and Coke, and into the hands of Whole Foods?
I have already solved this problem for my kid. I spend less than $5/day to fix my kid an all-natural, all-organic, nutrient-rich, chemical-free lunch that I bag up and send with her. And every evening and all weekend she gets meals, snacks, candy, and drinks that would make Tom and the Lunch Lady proud. And I've done nothing that most other parents couldn't do; even low income parents could choose to improve the food they provide their kids, as the magical free market brings down the cost of nourishing foods.
Trade Deficits Good?
USA today has a huge trade deficit... but beats the pants off of trade surplus countries for creating jobs, income growth, unemployment, and other measures. And in the 1930s, when the US suffered from a depression, it "enjoyed" a trade surplus. The late Professor Milton Friedman said, "Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself."
The Shrinking Middle Class
The middle class is shrinking because:
A. Formerly middle class Americans are slipping into poverty as their incomes and wealth get siphoned into the coffers of fat cats lighting $100 cigars with $20 bills.
B. America’s families are getting wealthier; a thriving economy is producing a bigger pie, and formerly middle class Americans have their incomes and wealth swollen so much than they now qualify as upper class.
Larry Kudlow ways that the answer is "B."
A. Formerly middle class Americans are slipping into poverty as their incomes and wealth get siphoned into the coffers of fat cats lighting $100 cigars with $20 bills.
B. America’s families are getting wealthier; a thriving economy is producing a bigger pie, and formerly middle class Americans have their incomes and wealth swollen so much than they now qualify as upper class.
Larry Kudlow ways that the answer is "B."
Nat Abraham’s Rebellion
Nathaniel Abraham, the nation’s youngest convicted murderer, was released a day before his 21st birthday. At 11 years-old he was tried as an adult and found guilty of second-degree murder. The judge sentenced him as a juvenile, however, and as a result, Abraham has a new lease on life as an adult.
From the moment he stepped outside the court room for hopefully the last time, the media has been buzzing about Nathaniel. Are they concerned about how he will make the transition to life on the outside after spending his formative years in prison? Do they wonder what type of education he received in jail and how it will help him become a productive member of society?
No. Everyone is talking about his suit.2007-01-19
Global Warming Facts
Human activities may have little or nothing to do with global warming. Scientists in this article refute human activities as explaining recent warming, and offer that we find ourselves in the inevitable temperature upswing as part of a recurring 1,500 year cycle. Other atricles (1 and 2) presents scientists who point to a warming sun as warming not just the earth, but also on other planets.
In any case, I favor "smart designs", which yield the most benefit for the lowest costs of time, energy, and material... though of course I oppose governments mandating this.
In any case, I favor "smart designs", which yield the most benefit for the lowest costs of time, energy, and material... though of course I oppose governments mandating this.
2007-01-18
Iraqi Puppet Regime?
Tough talk from a guy that Tom and Nadir label a "puppet" of the US. His supposed "puppeteers" can't be happy with these complaints.
Give us guns – and troops can go, says Iraqi leader
2007-01-17
Proposal to Block Bush Action Against Iran
Even if I support Bush striking Iran's nuclear resources (I'm not sure that I do), I do insist that he abide by the US Constitution, which requires explicit authority from Congress. I believe that Bush only sort-of obtained this for his invasion of Iraq. This proposed legislation -- authored by a dissident republican and championed here by Nadir's hero Pat Buchannon -- would explicitly hold Bush to constitutional rules in any attempt to attack Iran.
Racists Assassinations of Blacks, Hispanics in LA
They "were looking for a black person, any black person, to shoot, the police said, and they found one": a 14-year-old 8th-grade girl. Similar savages are assassinating Hispanics in a similar manner and for the same reasons. We can be certain that these racist brutes are ignorant, and the lowest possible forms of life. Similar people -- poor, ignorant, and otherwise powerless -- raped and lynched blacks in days gone by. Now it's happening again. And like back then, the educated people in power are making excuses and ignoring the situation, refusing to "get tough" with the culprits and their organizations, even sympathizing with and romanticizing those organizations.
The article cites:
- A "conspiracy to intimidate black residents of a northeast Los Angeles neighborhood."
- "A racially motivated attack in neighboring Long Beach on three young women who were visiting a haunted house on Halloween."
- Some anti-Hispanic racists "complained that illegal Latin American immigrants were stealing jobs."
- "... newcomers unaccustomed to living among large numbers of African-Americans, accuse blacks of criminal activity and harassing them."
The article cites:
- A "conspiracy to intimidate black residents of a northeast Los Angeles neighborhood."
- "A racially motivated attack in neighboring Long Beach on three young women who were visiting a haunted house on Halloween."
- Some anti-Hispanic racists "complained that illegal Latin American immigrants were stealing jobs."
- "... newcomers unaccustomed to living among large numbers of African-Americans, accuse blacks of criminal activity and harassing them."
Tax Cuts in NYC; Expect Tax Rev Boost
OK, here's another test of our favorite Supply Side concept, the Laffer Curve. NYC's mayor just announced a 5% cut in property taxes, and elimination of a special sales tax on cloths and shoes. This NYT article of course portrays this move as something that the city can afford because it has earned a surplus due to a very strong NYC economy. Will this writer be surprised when these moves result in INCREASED tax revs from real estate and clothing sales?
But isn't NYC real estate having some problems? The decrease in property taxe rates will... increase the value of NYC real estate! And what happens property values increase? Only supply siders seem to know (or, perhaps, the only people who know become supply siders). I wonder if NYC clothing sales are having a problem. Reducing sales tax should boost sales, no?
But isn't NYC real estate having some problems? The decrease in property taxe rates will... increase the value of NYC real estate! And what happens property values increase? Only supply siders seem to know (or, perhaps, the only people who know become supply siders). I wonder if NYC clothing sales are having a problem. Reducing sales tax should boost sales, no?
2007-01-16
Petro Prices Fall; Conspiracy to Rebound
Guess who wants to conspire with producers to coordinate lowering of output in order to boost prices / profits: Venezuelan Energy and Mines Minister Rafael Ramirez has said oil prices had fallen "too much" and that he would favor an extra meeting [of OPEC].
Tom Philpott: Military taps dropouts, cooks books
So I was doing a bit of what's known as "ego-surfing" (googling oneself) while procrastinating writing a column, and I came across an interesting tidbit by a fellow who happens to be named Tom Philpott, who writes about military affairs and not food politics.
It regards how the military has had to sweep an ever broader net to find recruits for Iraq duty -- drawing in thousands of high school dropouts while also cooking the books to hide the practice. This guy's no leftist, reformed or otherwise; just a guy who makes a living writing about soldiers for soldiers and their families. Check it out.
It regards how the military has had to sweep an ever broader net to find recruits for Iraq duty -- drawing in thousands of high school dropouts while also cooking the books to hide the practice. This guy's no leftist, reformed or otherwise; just a guy who makes a living writing about soldiers for soldiers and their families. Check it out.
A wartime Army struggling to attract enough “quality” volunteers is enlisting additional thousands of high school dropouts using an experimental screening tool to identify those most likely to complete their enlistments.
The Two Tier Attrition Screen (TTAS) is an added “quality indicator” that officials hope will allow the Army take in many more high school dropouts with greater confidence they won’t drive up attrition rates.
Years of research have shown that high school dropouts are more prone to be discipline problems in service and to be discharged early. The first-term attrition rate for non-graduates typically is 50 percent, almost double that of high school diploma graduates.
In fiscal 2006, which ended Sept. 30, the Army brought in 5900 non-high school graduates as TTAS (pronounced T-TAS) recruits. Not only do such recruits help the Army reach its numerical recruiting goals but the Army can exclude these recruits when calculating the percentage of high school diploma graduates recruited, which is an important quality measure.
For example, the Army announced last month that 81 percent of its non-prior service recruits for 2006 were high school graduates. That was disturbingly below the 90 percent Department of Defense standard for every service. But the proportion of high school graduates would have been reported as 74.3 percent if the Army had to count the 5900 TTAS enlistees high school dropouts. The number instead is ignored.
In March, Defense officials gave the Army permission to sign up 8000 TTAS recruits a year to ease increasingly difficult recruiting challenges.
The Army began to recruit up to 4000 specially screened non-graduates, and to exclude them from quality calculations, in fiscal 2000. The recruits needed to pass a high school equivalency exam, called the GED. They also were screened using a special test to assess motivation, developed by the U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences.
The “GED-Plus” recruits, as they were called, had attrition rates not much lower than that of high school dropouts. So in April 2005, the Army fielded TTAS, an improved screening tool. It combines a better motivation test with minimum score requirements on the math and word-knowledge portions of the military entrance exam. Finally, TTAS screens non-diploma recruits using weight-to-height proportions also called a body mass index.
2007-01-15
A New Gulf of Tonkin?
Republican Congressman and 2008 Presidential candidate Ron Paul fears a staged Gulf of Tonkin style incident may be used to provoke air strikes on Iran as numerous factors collide to heighten expectations that America may soon be embroiled in its third war in six years.Writing in his syndicated weekly column, the representative of Texas' 14th district warns of "a contrived Gulf of Tonkin-type incident (that) may occur to gain popular support for an attack on Iran."
The August 1964 Gulf of Tonkin incident, where US warships were apparently attacked by North Vietnamese PT Boats, was cited by President Johnson as a legitimate provocation mandating U.S. escalation in Vietnam, yet Tonkin was a staged charade that never took place. Declassified LBJ presidential tapes discuss how to spin the non-event to escalate it as justification for air strikes and the NSA faked intelligence data to make it appear as if two US ships had been lost.
Should a staged provocation take place in an attempt to justify striking Iran it would not be the first time the current administration has considered such a ploy.
US comptroller says US taxes would have to double to pay for Bush budget in 2040
While he acknowledged the single-year fiscal improvement touted by the Bush administration for 2006, he said that "it did not fundamentally change our long-term fiscal outlook." He also noted that since 2000, America's net social insurance commitments and other fiscal obligations have increased to $50 trillion from $20 trillion, representing four times the nation's total economic output. Rising national health care costs are the greatest culprit according to data collected by Walker's agency.
The head of the GAO also warned that if no action is taken now to control government spending, severe tax hikes could be necessary. He stated that, "balancing the budget in 2040 could require actions as large as cutting total federal spending by 60 percent or raising federal taxes to 2 times today’s level."
Of course, this doesn't matter to those of us who don't mind leaving a mess for our kids to clean up... Or global warming the next generation will have to deal with... Or a war for the next president to fight...
Oh, and get this:
During the course of the hearing, senators also asked Walker about the cost estimates presented by President George W. Bush for sending 21,500 more troops to Iraq this year, according to Air Force Times. Walker believed that the amount of money planned to be spent on the troop escalation was much more than needed for the number of troops involved. "I have some serious concerns about the numbers...It is unclear what much of the $5.6 billion is to be spent on," they reported him saying.
Remove Confederate Flag from SC Govt Property
Here's a chance for white folks to prove that they've banished racism: Recognize the facts that the Confederacy was no better or different than the Nazi empire, and remove all state-sponsored celebrations of it. Supporting that flag and its leaders can, in my assessment, be justified on either of two grounds: ignorance of the facts, or devotion to white supremacy. I believe that most whites who celebrate the confederacy are simply ignorant of the facts, and have not opened their minds to this subject.
Here some politicians address the flag problem in South Carolina. But removing the flag from state property represents only one step among several required to rectify this situation:
1. Remove confederate flags from all state-sponsored property or activities.
2. Remove statues as well, placing them in museums.
3. Replacing those statues with statues to people who fought the confederacy, fought for black liberation, or otherwise fought against slavery and for racial equality.
4. Rename schools, streets, and counties in a similar fashion.
By the way, I oppose any measures to ban private citizens from celebrating the confederates or the Nazis, such as Harvard's ban on swastikas and confederate emblems. I do support challenging such people in public, however.
Here some politicians address the flag problem in South Carolina. But removing the flag from state property represents only one step among several required to rectify this situation:
1. Remove confederate flags from all state-sponsored property or activities.
2. Remove statues as well, placing them in museums.
3. Replacing those statues with statues to people who fought the confederacy, fought for black liberation, or otherwise fought against slavery and for racial equality.
4. Rename schools, streets, and counties in a similar fashion.
By the way, I oppose any measures to ban private citizens from celebrating the confederates or the Nazis, such as Harvard's ban on swastikas and confederate emblems. I do support challenging such people in public, however.
King's Legacy
The article linked above is from The Washington Post, and it offers a sobering portrait of the last days of radical preacher Martin Luther King, Jr. Many of its questions on King's legacy and the current generation's relationship to it were probably truer in 1998 when this piece was written than they are now, nine years later.The war in Iraq, a criminal presidential administration and global injustice offer more reasons for Americans today to take up the mantle that King laid down on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel. For those who wish to remember King only as a warrior for integration, these thoughts will be unsettling. The heart of the good doctor's mission was a battle for justice and equality for all people. This is the war that we must wage today.
The following is my favorite quote by Martin Luther King, Jr. I used it in the introduction to my album, Distorted Soul 2.0, and the words are as true today as they were when King uttered them 40 years ago.
"And I say that there is a great need now for a radical reordering of priorities in America, and there is a great need for a revolution of values." - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Black Students Flee Detroit; White Subburbs Embrace Them
One of the many complaints against school vouchers -- all bogus -- is that white schools will reject black kids bearing vouchers. Detroit voters have rejected vouchers and limited the number of charter schools. But still Detroit parents are finding ways to get their kids into other schools, including suburban, white-majority government schools that permit non-residential enrollment.
This article explains that of about 100,000 K-12 students left in Detroit, over half -- 51k -- are taking their state money to government schools outside of Detroit's system, with 10k more each year expected to join them. Vouchers would mean that these kids could also choose private schools, including private school built inside Detroit, right in their neighborhoods.
This article explains that of about 100,000 K-12 students left in Detroit, over half -- 51k -- are taking their state money to government schools outside of Detroit's system, with 10k more each year expected to join them. Vouchers would mean that these kids could also choose private schools, including private school built inside Detroit, right in their neighborhoods.
Duke Rape DA Removes Himself
The New York Times has finally become open-eyed and objective with regard to this case, above and here. Events are moving fast, and it looks like the rich white guys will get justice, with the DA Nifong's career probably tanking. Another article shows that Nifong received a formal protest from the defense about his making defamatory comments to the press, which violated bar rules and forced the defense counter those public comments with their own, and about his refusal to meet with the defendants to hear their story (another ethics violation). The day after receiving that letter, Nifong continued with his public defamations. That makes it more likely that he will get disbarred, and exonerates the defense for taking its case to the public.
Let's just hope that this can somehow translate into a better deal even for non-rich people falsely accused of crimes. Would non-rich guys have gotten charged in this case? I say: probably. Local DA offices get federal funds to prosecute sex cases, so they have an incentive to make even the most spurious claims into charges, just to get the funding to press a sex case. If the accused here and accusers were both of the same "race", that might well have happened here, at least as far as taking DNA evidence. I reckon that even regular guys would have gotten justice once the DNA evidence had returned.
If the accused were black and the fake accuser white, I'm sure that all the people initially backing the accuser would have backed the accused victims, and we would have seen justice at least at the point of the DNA results. After all, it was only via the racial hoopla that this case proceeded past the DNA evidence, and in a racial reversal, that hoopla would have sided with the accused victims. In that case the crazy DA Nifong could have correctly positioned himself as the protector of falsely accused black men.
Any way, the only good I see from this is increased scrutiny on accusations of rape. The Mike Tyson case should have provided that for us, but he regrettably hired an incompetent attorney (one with no experience in criminal matters). Let's hope that the Duke lacrosse players and their parents now lead a crusade to protect all men against false rape charges.
Let's just hope that this can somehow translate into a better deal even for non-rich people falsely accused of crimes. Would non-rich guys have gotten charged in this case? I say: probably. Local DA offices get federal funds to prosecute sex cases, so they have an incentive to make even the most spurious claims into charges, just to get the funding to press a sex case. If the accused here and accusers were both of the same "race", that might well have happened here, at least as far as taking DNA evidence. I reckon that even regular guys would have gotten justice once the DNA evidence had returned.
If the accused were black and the fake accuser white, I'm sure that all the people initially backing the accuser would have backed the accused victims, and we would have seen justice at least at the point of the DNA results. After all, it was only via the racial hoopla that this case proceeded past the DNA evidence, and in a racial reversal, that hoopla would have sided with the accused victims. In that case the crazy DA Nifong could have correctly positioned himself as the protector of falsely accused black men.
Any way, the only good I see from this is increased scrutiny on accusations of rape. The Mike Tyson case should have provided that for us, but he regrettably hired an incompetent attorney (one with no experience in criminal matters). Let's hope that the Duke lacrosse players and their parents now lead a crusade to protect all men against false rape charges.
2007-01-13
Zogby: A Dangerous Speech that Ignores Reality
"The lesson of Vietnam is clear: A U.S.-led war cannot be won or sustained without the support of the American people. By failing to learn that lesson, the president has not only put Iraq at risk, but American leadership in the world and the stability of the entire Middle East."
2007-01-12
Treasure This: The Deficit is Down by Almost 1/3 from Last Year
"The deficit through the first three months of the current fiscal year is almost $39 billion, or 32.7%, lower than last year's comparable figure. Receipts are up a bit over 8%, as the supply-side tax cuts continue their "magic." The real surprise is that outlays have barely budged, actually going up at a rate that is substantially lower than inflation (Psst -- Don't tell Congress that). Will the media notice?"
Don't bet on it. That is at least not until they can find a way to give full credit for it to the Democrats.
Don't bet on it. That is at least not until they can find a way to give full credit for it to the Democrats.
Let's End Airport Security
While we're at it, let's eliminate the Homeland Security office. Surely Nadir will agree with me on these proposals.
NOLA Residents Protest Criminals
People in New Orleans choosing to commit crimes represent one of the biggest causes of Katrina misery. Now such people represent one of the biggest obstacles to recovery.
A protest recently featured signs, "Where's the Mayor?" and "No Leadership, No Results." Those would have applied during the Katrina aftermath, and applied equally to the Governor and to the US President.
A protest recently featured signs, "Where's the Mayor?" and "No Leadership, No Results." Those would have applied during the Katrina aftermath, and applied equally to the Governor and to the US President.
2007-01-11
Duke Accuser Magnum's Story Changes... AGAIN!
The defense attorneys are earning their dough just keeping up with Magnum's changing story. (Also here and here among many new articles triggered by this new development; also Ann Coulter asks for a single modern day example of rich white guys raping a poor black girl.).
The crazy DA Nifong, nor any of his agents, hadn't even interviewed her directly until this past December, a week or so after the director of the private DNA lab (retained when the regular lab's testing cleared the accused) admitted that he and Nifong agreed withhold exculpatory evidence. In the DA office's first interview with Magnum, we learn now these new claims... which contain just as many contradictions as her various rounds of claims to various police and other officials.
1. She arrived not just before midnight, but rather 40 minutes earlier.
2. The rape began before midnight and ended just before midnight, conveniently before the iron-clad alibi of one of the accused, who left in a cab just after midnight, right at the start of the time line that Nifong had previously documented.
3. One of the three accused "just watched" and did not participate in any of the oral, vaginal, and anal assaults.
This new time line occurs while somebody was talking on Magnum's cell phone, and while somebody was talking on one of the accusers. Also, time stamped photographs have a smiling Magnum dancing after this timeline. And her dance partner surely didn't arrive during this time line, and Magnum had previously claimed that the partner witnessed part of the rape, which the partner denies.
What frightens me is that if the accuser Magnum and the DA Nifong had their acts together, they could successfully convict these innocent guys. That's what happened to Mike Tyson, or rather I should say, no evidence exists to demonstrate that Tyson raped his accuser, other than her consistent word.
Also: 60 Minutes has the DNA lab director admitting that he gave Nifong the evidence of five other men's sexual DNA on Magnum prior to Nifong indicting the players. Remember that Nifong used this private DNA firm to preform even more sophisticated tests after the first, usual tests failed to confirm Magnum's story. The second testing did as well, but additionally falsified Magnum's claim to have had no consensual sex in the days prior to her rape fakery.
Even the New York Times has turned on Magnum, saying that each of her statements -- including the new one -- have contradicted all of the others.
The crazy DA Nifong, nor any of his agents, hadn't even interviewed her directly until this past December, a week or so after the director of the private DNA lab (retained when the regular lab's testing cleared the accused) admitted that he and Nifong agreed withhold exculpatory evidence. In the DA office's first interview with Magnum, we learn now these new claims... which contain just as many contradictions as her various rounds of claims to various police and other officials.
1. She arrived not just before midnight, but rather 40 minutes earlier.
2. The rape began before midnight and ended just before midnight, conveniently before the iron-clad alibi of one of the accused, who left in a cab just after midnight, right at the start of the time line that Nifong had previously documented.
3. One of the three accused "just watched" and did not participate in any of the oral, vaginal, and anal assaults.
This new time line occurs while somebody was talking on Magnum's cell phone, and while somebody was talking on one of the accusers. Also, time stamped photographs have a smiling Magnum dancing after this timeline. And her dance partner surely didn't arrive during this time line, and Magnum had previously claimed that the partner witnessed part of the rape, which the partner denies.
What frightens me is that if the accuser Magnum and the DA Nifong had their acts together, they could successfully convict these innocent guys. That's what happened to Mike Tyson, or rather I should say, no evidence exists to demonstrate that Tyson raped his accuser, other than her consistent word.
Also: 60 Minutes has the DNA lab director admitting that he gave Nifong the evidence of five other men's sexual DNA on Magnum prior to Nifong indicting the players. Remember that Nifong used this private DNA firm to preform even more sophisticated tests after the first, usual tests failed to confirm Magnum's story. The second testing did as well, but additionally falsified Magnum's claim to have had no consensual sex in the days prior to her rape fakery.
Even the New York Times has turned on Magnum, saying that each of her statements -- including the new one -- have contradicted all of the others.
Credit where credit is due
Paul says I never say good things when the gas prices go down, so I'm about to correct that behavior.I just topped off my tank for $1.95 per gallon at a Fusion station on Ford Road in Garden City, Michigan. I was at just over half a tank, so I didn't really need the gas. I just had to reward the owner for lowering the price below $2.00.
So I have to give credit where credit is due - to President George W. Bush. His policies have screwed the environment up completely, and the global warming that has resulted is causing unseasonably mild temperatures and lowered oil prices. There is a temporary silver lining that I must recognize. The fact that we are hastening the coming ice age (2012?) isn't a problem for me today.
Of course, his "New Way Forward" will destabilize the Middle East, and oil prices will rise before the winter is out, but for now I'll extend a single digit on my left hand to the president.
What? That's not my thumb?
The New Way Forward: Bomb The World!
Despite universal criticism, George Bush’s efforts to destabilize the Middle East continue unabaited. With a precarious situation in Afghanistan, US and Israeli troublemaking in Lebanon, and a week of airstrikes in Somalia, Bush predictably announced his plans to escalate the FUBAR in Iraq.
Bush’s “New Way Forward” speech was falsely advertised as “a change in direction”. It could have been more accurately described as “stay the course with more guns.”
2007-01-10
Dearborn Sunnis Vandalize Shias
Some Sunnis in Dearborn have vandalized and threatened area Shia, in retaliation for the execution of Hussein. Either Hussein has supporters here, or some Sunnis sensible enough to despise Hussein are so religiously retarded that they care in this manner about how the bastard was killed. Why haven't you heard of this "hate crime"? Because honkies didn't commit it.
Affirmative Action Boosted White Enrollment...
...at elite universities. Without AA, more Asians will enter such schools, as already demonstrated at UC-Berkely when California outlawed AA. Fewer blacks, and even whites, will get into the elite schools. But more blacks and whites will actually graduate, because they will get shifted to lower-tier schools, where their high school academic record has more appropriately prepared them.
As usual, Tom Sowell is on the mark here: if the elite US schools become more Asian and less white (and black), nobody should fret! INDIVIDUALS who want to attend such schools should just study harder and pick better courses in high school.
As usual, Tom Sowell is on the mark here: if the elite US schools become more Asian and less white (and black), nobody should fret! INDIVIDUALS who want to attend such schools should just study harder and pick better courses in high school.
Thomas Jefferson's Koran & White Slavery
I agree with Nadir and Christopher Hitchens about the US Christian fanatics who protested the use of a Koran by freshman Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., in his swearing in: they are uncivilized morons. And I also agree with Nadir (I hope!) and Hitchy *and* with Thomas Jefferson that we should ban all such books from official government ceremonies. In particular, do we want any democratic official swearing allegiance to anything other than the democratically established laws of his or her own government? I say that officials should swear to a single document: the US Constitution.
This Hitchy article informs us about a the Koran that Ellison used, belonging to Thomas Jefferson's own library. What was TJ's relationship with Islam? Well, when TJ was president, he confronted the Ottoman Empire, a descendant of Mohammad's own Muslim anti-democratic empire. Citing Mohammad's Koran and examples documented in other texts, Ottoman sea captians along the African Mediteranian coast waged an aggressive war of piracy against all European ships. Just as with Mohammad's desert piracy practiced against non-Muslim camel caravans, the Ottoman pirates seized all property, and the humans on board (sailors, soldiers, travels of both genders and all ages) received one of three fates: death, slavery, or kidnapping-for-ransom. In all, the Ottoman Arabs and Africans took 1 million honkies as slaves-for-life, and European shipping in the Mediterranean nearly halted.
Until TJ created the US Marines and launched the US' first international war, resulting in a treaty that ended the piracy, a declaration from TJ that the US government was neither anti-Muslim nor pro-Christian, and the words "Shores of Tripoli" for the USMC Battle Hymn.
I already knew that part. What I didn't know was that the genius and visionary TJ created his own Bible, which comprised the New Testament (apparently TJ shared my distaste for the entire Old Testament) edited to omit all the superstitions and fairy tale elements: no virgin birth, no resurrection, no water-into-wine, no walking on water. That's the Bible I want! Hitchy wonders about doing such a thing to the Koran, but does not ponder the implications. First, many homicidal fanatics would attempt to kill the editor, publisher, sellers, and readers. Second, whereas a book consisting of only Jesus' gospels minus the fables would constitute a great and inspiring work of original and appealing philosophy, such an effort would leave the Koran little changed, and still even more repulsive than the Old Testament.
This Hitchy article informs us about a the Koran that Ellison used, belonging to Thomas Jefferson's own library. What was TJ's relationship with Islam? Well, when TJ was president, he confronted the Ottoman Empire, a descendant of Mohammad's own Muslim anti-democratic empire. Citing Mohammad's Koran and examples documented in other texts, Ottoman sea captians along the African Mediteranian coast waged an aggressive war of piracy against all European ships. Just as with Mohammad's desert piracy practiced against non-Muslim camel caravans, the Ottoman pirates seized all property, and the humans on board (sailors, soldiers, travels of both genders and all ages) received one of three fates: death, slavery, or kidnapping-for-ransom. In all, the Ottoman Arabs and Africans took 1 million honkies as slaves-for-life, and European shipping in the Mediterranean nearly halted.
Until TJ created the US Marines and launched the US' first international war, resulting in a treaty that ended the piracy, a declaration from TJ that the US government was neither anti-Muslim nor pro-Christian, and the words "Shores of Tripoli" for the USMC Battle Hymn.
I already knew that part. What I didn't know was that the genius and visionary TJ created his own Bible, which comprised the New Testament (apparently TJ shared my distaste for the entire Old Testament) edited to omit all the superstitions and fairy tale elements: no virgin birth, no resurrection, no water-into-wine, no walking on water. That's the Bible I want! Hitchy wonders about doing such a thing to the Koran, but does not ponder the implications. First, many homicidal fanatics would attempt to kill the editor, publisher, sellers, and readers. Second, whereas a book consisting of only Jesus' gospels minus the fables would constitute a great and inspiring work of original and appealing philosophy, such an effort would leave the Koran little changed, and still even more repulsive than the Old Testament.
2007-01-08
And for the Anti-Affirmative Action Folks...
From LastChocolateCity.com:
Smarting from the sting of globalization and the loss of those good ole’ industrial wage jobs, Michigan voted to end affirmative action. Voters said ‘no more preferential treatment.’
Yet, can the majority of Michigan deal with this new world order? Can white America really deal in a merit based world? One day soon, affirmative action could have saved your behind.
NYT: Asians 12% of CA, but 46% of UC-Berkely
"Asian-Americans make up less than 5 percent of the population but typically make up 10 to 30 percent of students at the nation’s best colleges."
In CA, 12% of all residents call themselves "Asian", as do 46% of the students at elite UC-Berkely, for a student / state population composition factor of about 4 (they get admitted to UC-B at 4 times their state population composition). These students have always gotten admitted without Affirmative Action. Why? Because in high school, they take their school work very, very seriously. Maybe that's the answer to boosting black enrollment: black students in high school taking their school work seriously.
But nobody gets AA now at UC govt universities. The result: White students at UC-Berkely comprise only 29% of the population, well below their state composition of 44%, for an admissions factor of3/4 (compared to 4 for Asians). Black student composition equaled about 1/2 of their state comp.
Asians are starting to get mad because despite their huge numbers at elite schools, data show that their admissions numbers would be even *higher* in a truly race-neutral process! At UM-AA (prior to officially eliminating AA recently), "Asian-Americans were admitted at a much lower rate (54 percent) than black applicants (71 percent) and Hispanic applicants (79 percent) — despite median SAT scores that were 140 points higher than Hispanics and 240 points higher than blacks."
"Chancellor Birgeneau says he finds the low proportion of blacks and Hispanics appalling [after elimination of AA there], and two years into his tenure, he has not found a remedy." How about black students in high school adopting the academic attitude of their Asian counterparts?
Hey, you Affirmative Action proponents: In the name of achieving "diversity", do you advocate lowering standards for whites *and* blacks, and increasing standards for Asians, to manipulate these figures to match state demographics? WHY NOT?
In CA, 12% of all residents call themselves "Asian", as do 46% of the students at elite UC-Berkely, for a student / state population composition factor of about 4 (they get admitted to UC-B at 4 times their state population composition). These students have always gotten admitted without Affirmative Action. Why? Because in high school, they take their school work very, very seriously. Maybe that's the answer to boosting black enrollment: black students in high school taking their school work seriously.
But nobody gets AA now at UC govt universities. The result: White students at UC-Berkely comprise only 29% of the population, well below their state composition of 44%, for an admissions factor of3/4 (compared to 4 for Asians). Black student composition equaled about 1/2 of their state comp.
Asians are starting to get mad because despite their huge numbers at elite schools, data show that their admissions numbers would be even *higher* in a truly race-neutral process! At UM-AA (prior to officially eliminating AA recently), "Asian-Americans were admitted at a much lower rate (54 percent) than black applicants (71 percent) and Hispanic applicants (79 percent) — despite median SAT scores that were 140 points higher than Hispanics and 240 points higher than blacks."
"Chancellor Birgeneau says he finds the low proportion of blacks and Hispanics appalling [after elimination of AA there], and two years into his tenure, he has not found a remedy." How about black students in high school adopting the academic attitude of their Asian counterparts?
Hey, you Affirmative Action proponents: In the name of achieving "diversity", do you advocate lowering standards for whites *and* blacks, and increasing standards for Asians, to manipulate these figures to match state demographics? WHY NOT?
Hitchens Against Revenge
Hitchy quotes George Orwell's commentary on revenge, following WWII.
=====================
Properly speaking, there is no such thing as revenge. Revenge is an act which you want to commit when you are powerless and because you are powerless: as soon as the sense of impotence is removed, the desire evaporates also.
Who would not have jumped for joy, in 1940, at the thought of seeing S.S. officers kicked and humiliated? But when the thing becomes possible, it is merely pathetic and disgusting. It is said that when Mussolini's corpse was exhibited in public, an old woman drew a revolver and fired five shots into it, exclaiming, "Those are for my five sons!" It is the kind of story that the newspapers make up, but it might be true. I wonder how much satisfaction she got out of those five shots, which, doubtless, she had dreamed years earlier of firing. The condition of her being able to get near enough to Mussolini to shoot at him was that he should be a corpse.
"Black Activist" Sides with Duke Players
Unlike our own Nadir, Earl Ofari Hutchinson has analyzed the facts, reached a conclusion, and articulated it in "The Black Athlete". Like me, he believes that a failure to do so will assist real racism, making it harder in the future when black guys find themselves falsely accused, or a black girl really does get gang-raped by some white guys.
Then there's this intellectual coward, a black prof at Duke, who rushed out to lead the lynch mob prior to any facts emerging... but has refused comment since actual facts surfaced, none of which has supported the allegation, and most of which have combined to demonstrate many times over the falsity of the charges. Contrast him black Duke law prof James Coleman, who said nothing until facts emerged. His conclusions, based on facts, of course supported the players versus the prosecution.
Then there's this intellectual coward, a black prof at Duke, who rushed out to lead the lynch mob prior to any facts emerging... but has refused comment since actual facts surfaced, none of which has supported the allegation, and most of which have combined to demonstrate many times over the falsity of the charges. Contrast him black Duke law prof James Coleman, who said nothing until facts emerged. His conclusions, based on facts, of course supported the players versus the prosecution.
2007-01-05
Wages, Jobs Soar
Too bad a democrat isn't in the white house (re: Clinton) to claim credit for the repos passing the last tax cut.
Set Minimum Wage to $0/hr
... and not just for intern workers at Tom's farm and drummers in Nadir's band. Tom, do your interns earn enough to support a four-member family? Nadir, how about your drummer? Do you guys want the government to force you guys to pay all of your employees $20,000/yr (or whatever)? Why not?
"Most of the working poor earn more than the minimum wage, and most of the 0.6 percent (479,000 in 2005) of America's wage workers earning the minimum wage are not poor. Only one in five workers earning the federal minimum live in families with household earnings below the poverty line."
"Most of the working poor earn more than the minimum wage, and most of the 0.6 percent (479,000 in 2005) of America's wage workers earning the minimum wage are not poor. Only one in five workers earning the federal minimum live in families with household earnings below the poverty line."
What Bush Got Right, He Steered Wrong
"... on one central issue, Bush has been right. He has argued from the start that a modern, liberal democratic Iraq would be an example, an inspiration and a spur for progress in the Middle East... For all his intellectual shortcomings, Bush recognized that the roots of Islamic terror lie in the dysfunctions of the Arab world."
Education Trumps Health Care in Improving Health
The more education you get the longer and healthier you live. This correlation between education and health is stronger than the correllation between medical care access and health. If you want to live longer and healthier, spend your money on books, not doctor visits.
2007-01-04
Duke DA Signaling "Way Out" to Faker?
The Duke Rape DA Nifong has told the press that if the fake accuser, Crystal Magnum, cannot "claim with 100% certainty" that the three accused rich assholes "were the ones" whom she claims assaulted her, he will drop the remaining charges. This commentator wonders: Is he signaling -- via the press -- to her an easy "way out"? This would still let her claim to people bent on believing her (despite all the facts) that "some of those rich bastards" assaulted her but due to the trauma and confusion (and "they all look alike"!) she simply couldn't identify them all with complete certainty. That would leave Nifong to claim that he did the best he could for a poor black girl who got assaulted by some rich white boys.
This commentator also explores the obvious implications for people like Nadir who are "sitting this one out", when doing so leaves them with fewer bullets in their holster when something like this happens to non-wealthy non-honkies.
In a related development, Magnum has now given birth, and even she and Nifong agree that the three accused honkies did not produce the child. After her supposed trauma at their hands, she soon returned to stripping and "escorting", and to making babies. Those facts of course do not prove that she didn't get assaulted, but again: where is any evidence that she was? She is a sick, disturbed person, but not one who holds high government office. Nifong and the "community leaders" who have supported her demented episode are the real culprits.
This commentator also explores the obvious implications for people like Nadir who are "sitting this one out", when doing so leaves them with fewer bullets in their holster when something like this happens to non-wealthy non-honkies.
In a related development, Magnum has now given birth, and even she and Nifong agree that the three accused honkies did not produce the child. After her supposed trauma at their hands, she soon returned to stripping and "escorting", and to making babies. Those facts of course do not prove that she didn't get assaulted, but again: where is any evidence that she was? She is a sick, disturbed person, but not one who holds high government office. Nifong and the "community leaders" who have supported her demented episode are the real culprits.
New Orleans Repeating Same Old Mistakes
Most of us who voted for Bush were ashamed that he didn't do a better job in responding to Katrina. Instead of proving correct our assumption that republicans would more efficiently run a big ol' government agency, he instead provided the same ol' slow (7 days) and dunderheaded response that FEMA always has. The mayor behaved as all his predecessors had (no planning or actions), and the governor didn't follow the required processes to obtain a FEMA response. Yet officials of Walmart and other private companies, rather than leaders of the supposedly efficiently republican executive branch, disregarded local foolishness and quickly responded, and did so in ways that should embarrass those of us who had believed that republicans were smarter than democrats.
Meanwhile, the only reason that the calamity occurred in the first place is that the people who live in that area for decades have consistently made very poor choices. I am not speaking of those wallowing in poverty, but rather those who run the area, including just simple middle-class people who have jobs, who participate in the voting process, and who make choices about such matters as where and how to build and occupy houses. These people -- wealthy business owners, government officials, and self-sufficient middle class people -- collectively run a region.
Whereas the similar population of some region of Alaska obtained for themselves a needless, state-of-the-art "bridge to nowhere", this population in the NOLA region couldn't even trouble themselves to obtain an adequate levee system... or even *TRY* to obtain such. Now these same people are building fine new homes on land that received 20 feet of flood water, and they are shirking guidelines to inconveniently elevate these homes.
Meanwhile, the only reason that the calamity occurred in the first place is that the people who live in that area for decades have consistently made very poor choices. I am not speaking of those wallowing in poverty, but rather those who run the area, including just simple middle-class people who have jobs, who participate in the voting process, and who make choices about such matters as where and how to build and occupy houses. These people -- wealthy business owners, government officials, and self-sufficient middle class people -- collectively run a region.
Whereas the similar population of some region of Alaska obtained for themselves a needless, state-of-the-art "bridge to nowhere", this population in the NOLA region couldn't even trouble themselves to obtain an adequate levee system... or even *TRY* to obtain such. Now these same people are building fine new homes on land that received 20 feet of flood water, and they are shirking guidelines to inconveniently elevate these homes.
Mayor-Elect “Suicided” in Louisiana
So let me get this straight…
After three terms on the city council of your small town (Westlake, Louisiana; population 4,700 or so) you just won the office of mayor with 69% of the vote. You will be the town’s first new mayor in 24 years, and you will be the first black mayor in a town that is 80% white.
Most people would view this as a cause for celebration, not a reason to commit suicide, but officials in Calcasieu Parish want us to believe that Gerald Washington killed himself on Dec. 30 outside an old elementary school with a single self-inflicted gunshot to the chest.
What???
The family doesn’t buy it either.
“Calcasieu Parish is known to be racist,” Geroski Washington, Gerald Washington’s son, said in a telephone interview. “There were lots of folks who didn’t want my father to become the mayor.”2007-01-03
RIP Gerald Ford... Give Us a Break!
From Christopher Hitchens' obit:
=========
One expects a certain amount of piety and hypocrisy when retired statesmen give up the ghost, but this doesn't excuse the astonishing number of omissions and misstatements that have characterized the sickly national farewell to Gerald Ford. Instead, there was endless talk about "healing," and of the "courage" that it had taken for Ford to excuse his former boss from the consequences of his law-breaking. You may choose, if you wish, to parrot the line that Watergate was a "long national nightmare," but some of us found it rather exhilarating to see a criminal president successfully investigated and exposed and discredited. And we do not think it in the least bit nightmarish that the Constitution says that such a man is not above the law. Ford's ignominious pardon of this felonious thug meant, first, that only the lesser fry had to go to jail. It meant, second, that we still do not even know why the burglars were originally sent into the offices of the Democratic National Committee.
===========
Pat Buchanan has a different take.
=========
One expects a certain amount of piety and hypocrisy when retired statesmen give up the ghost, but this doesn't excuse the astonishing number of omissions and misstatements that have characterized the sickly national farewell to Gerald Ford. Instead, there was endless talk about "healing," and of the "courage" that it had taken for Ford to excuse his former boss from the consequences of his law-breaking. You may choose, if you wish, to parrot the line that Watergate was a "long national nightmare," but some of us found it rather exhilarating to see a criminal president successfully investigated and exposed and discredited. And we do not think it in the least bit nightmarish that the Constitution says that such a man is not above the law. Ford's ignominious pardon of this felonious thug meant, first, that only the lesser fry had to go to jail. It meant, second, that we still do not even know why the burglars were originally sent into the offices of the Democratic National Committee.
===========
Pat Buchanan has a different take.
2007-01-02
Factual Black - White Crime Stats
More evidence in favor of the view that in many important areas, blacks are on average today make poorer unnecessary choices than other groups. If you look further into these stats you will find that Asian Americans make better choices on average than whites in just about every crime category, and in a few -- DWI for example -- whites on average lead in making bad choices.
This particular article focuses on the incorrect assumptions that colored the Duke Fake Rape fiasco. When it comes to black-on-white or white-on-black crimes of property and violence, guess which one dominates... by several orders of magnitude.
From the US Bureau of Justice Statistics, all arrests made in the entire nation...
Here is the data for 2004:
All arrests made in the US:
White: 70% (= its pop fraction)
Black: 27% (2x its pop fraction)
Asian: 1.3% (1/3 its pop fraction)
Murder charges (9,000 total murders in the US):
White: 50% (7/10 its pop fraction)
Black: 47% (4x its pop fraction)
Asian: 2.4% (1/2 its pop fraction)
Rape charges:
White: 66% (= its pop fraction)
Black: 32% (2.7x its pop fraction)
Asian: 01.3% (1/3 its pop fraction)
Burglary charges:
White: 71% (= its pop fraction)
Black: 27% (2.3x its pop fraction)
Asian: 01% (1/4 its pop fraction)
DWI arrests:
White: 88% (1.3x its pop fraction)
Black: 09% (3/4 its pop fraction)
Asian: 01% (1/4 its pop fraction)
This particular article focuses on the incorrect assumptions that colored the Duke Fake Rape fiasco. When it comes to black-on-white or white-on-black crimes of property and violence, guess which one dominates... by several orders of magnitude.
From the US Bureau of Justice Statistics, all arrests made in the entire nation...
Here is the data for 2004:
All arrests made in the US:
White: 70% (= its pop fraction)
Black: 27% (2x its pop fraction)
Asian: 1.3% (1/3 its pop fraction)
Murder charges (9,000 total murders in the US):
White: 50% (7/10 its pop fraction)
Black: 47% (4x its pop fraction)
Asian: 2.4% (1/2 its pop fraction)
Rape charges:
White: 66% (= its pop fraction)
Black: 32% (2.7x its pop fraction)
Asian: 01.3% (1/3 its pop fraction)
Burglary charges:
White: 71% (= its pop fraction)
Black: 27% (2.3x its pop fraction)
Asian: 01% (1/4 its pop fraction)
DWI arrests:
White: 88% (1.3x its pop fraction)
Black: 09% (3/4 its pop fraction)
Asian: 01% (1/4 its pop fraction)
Hussein Hangs, US Iraqis Dance
I oppose the death penalty, and I think that this is a tacky way to start a government supposedly premised on freedom, democracy, and the advancement of civilization. But I do believe in war, and I think that the US troops should have just shot this guy when they found him, then made up a story to deny him any sympathy.
Uber Lib Feminist Now Opposes Duke DA
This chick originally bought the fake Duke rape assuser Crystal Magnum's story. More precisely, she bought the DA's claims... just like everybody else. But she has since joined the sensible people who bothered to evaluate the facts, once they materialized. I share her view that although we should despise Magnum, we should even more so pitty her, and despise the DA for not sorting this out rationally at the start. Magnum is a troubled and sick woman, one who probably creates a lot of messes for herself and others. Surely we should expect officials in the legal system to not transform one of her messes into a media sensation, and false arrest of other citizens.
Also a nice two-part summary from Tom Sowell: 1 and 2.
I will never understand the anti-police / prosecution champion Nadir sitting this one out...
Also a nice two-part summary from Tom Sowell: 1 and 2.
I will never understand the anti-police / prosecution champion Nadir sitting this one out...
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