Mill Street Press

Just found this nice interview with Mr. Hitchens

L33t Quote

"REASON: In Letters to a Young Contrarian, you talk about how it was libertarians -- specifically Milton Friedman and Alan Greenspan -- who did the most to end the draft by persuading President Nixon's special commission on the matter that mandatory military service represented a form of slavery. Is it the contrarians from unexpected ranks that enact real change?"

I never knew that two of my hero's were libertarians, in Greenspan and Friedman... I guess my admiration of them makes a lot more sense now.

The Economist has three good articles on the EU expansion.

It's very fresh to see Euro Land taking a chance on doing something so hard. I think we're all rooting for their success.

More bad news on the LV monorail.

From The Blufish Chronicles
................
"This comes from Ken Jowitt of the Hoover Institute out of Stanford University.

'Finally, adoption by the United States of an anticipatory strategy creates the possibility that other nations will justify military action against their existing or potential enemies on the same hard-to-prove assumption that their adversaries, when and if they possess wmd, will use these weapons against them. When Australia declares its right to preempt, it is only a bit more serious than Peter Sellers's Duchy of Grand Fenwick in The Mouse that Roared. China, however, might very well use the Bush security doctrine's logic to launch an anticipatory attack on Japan and/or a united Korea before they too "go nuclear."

It's a long article and was written pre-Iraqi Freedom, but I think worth the read."
.....................

Well really every war in history was considered preemption by one side or another... War always comes down to either believing in the perceived right thing, trying to build up your empire, or trying to defend from one of the prior two.

In 13 years we had a country break a treaty more times then I can count, support an attack on our homeland in the first World Trade Center Bombing. An attempted assassination of a head of state in Bush Sr., attack an Ally of ours in Israel by ways of funding terrorist bombers, plus attack us directly on almost a nightly basis over the no fly zone as we tried to protect the Kurds... Each of these things in it’s own was an act of war... Non-preemptive wars have been started for much less -Think a rouge Serbian terrorist group attacking an Arch Duke ala WWI.

Yet somehow our acts change the world order? I think not... But on top of that, the man we displaced was as close to evil as you can come. A mass murder, a man who had invaded 3 of his neighbors either directly or indirectly, a man who believed in the extinction of a race, a man who held his own people down through persecution.

After Sept 11th, their were really two types of people. People who wanted to say “Screw the World” and pull out our foreign interests -which I do believe would have made us safer. And there was a second group of people, people who said we can’t live the high life while so much of the world needs help. We will keep fighting the good fight, even if it makes our nations more dangerous. I can understand both thoughts, for pre 9/11 I was isolationist myself. However, now I think we owe it to the world to spread our wealth by way of freedom and ideas.

Via instapundit... This is a fantastic read, something I discuss much with friends, how this wars top supporters are people ages 18-30...USS Clueless - The truth is...

Well, this pretty much proves how worthless the 9/11 committee has become...Instapundit.com -

Hmm, this gives me funny visuals...New Scientist

This is why you don't release the pictures of the dead soldiers on their way back home... If their family’s wish to let the media take pictures when the caskets are separate, that is totally fine and honorably... Taking pictures without permission, is not.

This is very long, but I promise it will be the most important thing you read this month...
Taking Chance Home

Imagine...

"After we had arranged five chairs around a small table, I told them about our trip. I told them how, at every step, Chance was treated with respect..."

Except for the pool reporters taking pictures as the caskets were taken off the airplane.

"dignity, and honor. I told them about the staff at Dover and all the folks at Northwest Airlines. I tried to convey how the entire Nation, from Dover to Philadelphia, to Minneapolis, to Billings, and Riverton expressed grief and sympathy over their loss."

This is funny, because it is late. IMAO: Know Thy Enemy: Iraqi Republican Guard

""No protest would be complete without bad folk music."

Pat Tillman is not a hero: He got what was coming to him

This is one entertaining site...

Interesting, if you like the subject,,,

Responsible Nanotechnology: Lessons from History

Ah the things us Americans have to worry about...

Okay, so I'm starting to get annoyed that every time I turn on Hardball, Chris Matthews talks about the president stating he has never made a mistake... He never stated this at all, anyone who watched the press conference knows he never stated this... It was an awkward moment surely, but his exact words were...

"I wish you would have given me this written question ahead of time, so I could plan for it. (Laughter.) John, I'm sure historians will look back and say, gosh, he could have done it better this way, or that way. You know, I just -- I'm sure something will pop into my head here..."

"I hope I -- I don't want to sound like I've made no mistakes. I'm confident I have."

Read the whole transcript...


President Addresses the Nation in Prime Time Press Conference

And here's a story on the News using Bait and Switch... Thomas Sowell: Bait-and-switch media

Hmm, here's a good news story that shows how news can be made from nothing... Spitz Raises Spectre of US Missing Olympics

In an earlier post I stated polls don't matter until Memorial Day, I meant Labor Day -Always get the two mixed up for some reason...

I still believe the evidence was exaggerated, but this is still interesting. Saddam's WMD Have Been Found

More from a blogger...

Whose knows maybe I'll be eating crow about there not being any WMD soon... The real question is, would that crow taste good or bad?

I remeber all the rally's about educating the public on Alien Attacks after Independence Day came out.

More on the great escape...

Let me think... If you were in Saudi Arabia, and you got news that a bunch of Americans somehow just killed 3000 Saudi Citizens and you were worried about Saudi nationalists retaliating against any American in country... Wouldn’t you try to get out of the country? If the borders were closed, wouldn’t you try to get your family out of the country by any means necessary?

I don’t know the facts behind the case, I’m not judging that. But I understand why anyone with the last name Bin Laden would try to leave the country... I would do the same.

Not that I like the WTO by any means -I'm totally free trade, just don't like the way it's setup- but maybe it does have it's
purposes. Maybe the world community will force us to stop our subsidies... Though I don't think they will like what comes from it.

Prince Bandar is an absolutely amazing spokesman... I have no clue if he’s lying through his teeth or not... But still that doesn’t take away from his oratory skills.

I was watching him on Meet The Press, he tore up Tim Russert, absolutely amazing. He played Russert’s own game with him... Russert brings out quotes and somehow Bandar knew exactly what he was gonna say, cause he’d bring out his own quotes dealing with the same subject. I was laughing so hard, cause this guy must be some kind of genius. Freaking amazing... I mean I guess the Saudi’s have the best money can buy, but still freaking amazing.

Like I stated, he may be a lying pig, but I can’t help but like the guy... I mean I always found Clinton most likable when he was lying too, still freaking amazing.

MR. RUSSERT As I showed Bob Woodward's book, January 11, 2003, you're briefed by Vice President Cheney, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, about the war in Iraq. That's two months before the American people were told. Do you think that's strange?

PRINCE BANDAR Not at all, because at that time, the options were either the United Nations solution will work and Saddam will respond to it, or that will mean serious consequences which definitely meant ultimately will be war. And you don't make plans the night before you go to war. It takes time to plan. And my country is next door. There's 500 mile of borders with Iraq. And we were interested to know what's going on.

Give me a freaking break, the ambassedor of a country I am -as well as many American’s are- very suspicious of, just answered this question better then anyone in the U.S. Government.

PRINCE BANDAR I did not. The president talked with me for months about the high oil prices and how that could be damaging to the American economy and the world economy as it's recovering. And I informed him my government's policy, which is to maintain oil prices between $22 to $28. And we prefer $25 as sort of a medium, and that's the extent of that. There was no deal, no election--no connection to the election. And this is not the first time. In 2000, President Clinton asked us to do the same thing because the prices were getting too high, above $30.

MR. RUSSERT But in October of 2000, crude oil was $35 a barrel, so you didn't keep your end of the deal.

PRINCE BANDAR Well, there is a reason, because it's not a matter of crude. The reason you have high prices in the United States is the refineries are not enough to refine. There is a one-million-barrel shortage of refined products. So even if tomorrow we send you all the oil we have as crude, it will not change the facts here. Do you know, Tim, that the United States has not built a refinery for about 15 years? And like our oil minister said the other day in Dallas, we are willing to invest in refineries in the United States of America and that will be really the best route to go.

Again, freaking amazing.

Now here’s the kicker

MR. RUSSERT Let me ask you about September 13. This is the way Craig Unger wrote about it in The Boston Globe and now his book. "...what may be the single most egregious security lapse related to the attacks: the evacuation of approximately 140 Saudis just two days after 9/11. ... Let's go back to Sept. 13, 2001. ... American air space was locked down. ... But some people desperately wanted to fly out of the country. That same day, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States, long-time friend of the Bush family, dropped by the White House. He and President Bush went out to the Truman Balcony for a private conversation. ...the Saudis themselves say that Prince Bandar was trying to orchestrate the evacuation of scores of Saudis from the United States despite the lockdown on air travel." There was a flight from Tampa to Lexington. A former Tampa cop, a former FBI agent were on board providing security. The passengers included three young Saudis. "The planes took off from Tampa with the first of eight aircraft that began flying around the country, stopping in at least 12 American cities, carrying 140 passengers out of the country over the next week," "24 of whom were members of the bin Laden family."

Did you talk to President Bush about allowing those Saudi citizens to go home?

PRINCE BANDAR No.

MR. RUSSERT You never brought it up.

PRINCE BANDAR Period. But if you allow me, Tim, my only comment about this--the book and this quote you just read to me, in French, it's hogwash, number one. Number two, 9-11 Commission just declared--let me read to you what they declared. 9-11 Commission released a statement that says that "The FBI has concluded that nobody--nobody was allowed to depart on these six flights who the FBI wanted to interview in connection with 9/11 attacks or who the FBI later concluded had any involvement in the attack. The statement also says that the Saudi flights were screened by law enforcement officials, primarily FBI, to ensure that people on these flights did not pose a threat to the national security and that nobody of interest to the FBI with regard to 9/11 investigation was allowed to leave the country."
Now, the tragedy here, Tim, is that there are people who don't know how to take yes for an answer. If the 9-11 Commission says this, if the FBI says this and you still get people coming up with books saying, but they smuggled them.

MR. RUSSERT But, Prince, here's the question. This is a photograph of you with the president down at his Crawford ranch. He brought his family. Alison Walsh of The New Yorker wrote you are almost a member of the Bush family. That was her interpretation after doing an enormous amount of research. And 140 Saudis did leave the United States when Americans couldn't fly. The FBI agent--the FBI spokesman, John Inurelli, said, "I can say unequivocally that the FBI had no role in facilitating these flights." Jim Thompson on the 9-11 Commission asked Richard Armitage, the deputy secretary of state, "Did you, the State Department authorize this?" "No, sir." I asked the vice president of the United States on this program, did he know anything about it? "No, sir." Hundred and forty Saudis leave the country two days after September 11, and nobody knows who gave permission. You don't know anything about it. You didn't ask anyone for permission.

PRINCE BANDAR No, no, no, no.

MR. RUSSERT You didn't facilitate it in any way. The planes were just allowed to...

PRINCE BANDAR No, Tim. No, no, no. no. This is becoming exotic now. We had those people in the country, and a lot of them were relatives of the bin Laden family going to school, from teen-agers to some people in college. And we told--asked the FBI that those people are scattered all over America and with tempers high at that time, rightly so, we were worried that somebody and emotions will hurt them.

An Ambassador from SAUDI ARABIA just cleared up one of the biggest conspiracy theories in America. I don’t know if I should be thankful for his knowledge or be amazed at the lack of tact in our own administration.

...some little talk and then...

MR. RUSSERT You called the FBI?

PRINCE BANDAR Yes.

MR. RUSSERT And they gave permission?

PRINCE BANDAR And the FBI, according to Richard Clarke in his testimony, called him and he said, "I have no problem if the FBI has no problem." So we gathered them all in here, and then once they were here, they left. Now, the other airplanes were for Saudi officials who were here on vacation. And after this disaster took place, they all had to go back home to official positions. But it is not true that they were flying when Americans were not flying, Tim. Americans were flying and restrictions were lifted, but there were--I mean, the stoppage was lifted but there were restrictions. But think about it logically. Do you think--where are we, in a Banana Republic? I would take 148 Saudis, put them on aircraft and smuggle them out and nobody will know? Look, people have to take yes for an answer and read what 9-11 Commission said on this.

Freaking wow, I hope if I’m ever in a powerful position I have a guy like this on my team... Hm I guess I could hire Carville, but Carville got nothing on this guy.

I would like someone to look into "Tim. Americans were flying and restrictions were lifted, but there were--I mean, the stoppage was lifted but there were restrictions". but even without that, totally cleared up... Not only that but Richard Clarke??? Is this true?? If it is, man, then it's dead in the water.

Bandar went on with...

When a story like this, that has a prince, a princess, money, terrorism, it is exotic. The tragedy that I find when--I like this country and I like the American people. They're fair people. But one thing that is done in this country that really disappoints me, and I could say something stronger, is when somebody puts a story like that like Newsweek did, it's a big story. When the two people that started all of this, Mr. Basnan and Behymi, a month ago the FBI came and said, "After two years of investigation, there is no connections. There is no foul play." Guess what? How many times did you make a special program about it or Newsweek have an announcement? They didn't.

Then he showed amazing tact in building up Americans

PRINCE BANDAR That's not true. That's not true, Tim. If it was the reality, I don't blame the American people to hate us, but that is not the reality.

And then using this logic which I think we all understand.

PRINCE BANDAR Well, if you'll let me answer, I will tell you. Number one, when you talk about the one before, the Arabic paper, you were saying that they were saying bad things about American, Christian and so on. Look, have you heard some of the evangelical priests here, what they say about Islam and our prophet? And we all have our own cuckoos and they all sometimes say the wrong thing.

I don’t mean to be building the guy up morally, or as a truth teller... I have no clue if what he is stating is true or not... You know that’s not my job to find out.. It’s the American Media’s job to find out... Of course they won’t, in todays press, doing journalism is interviewing people on TV and letting the audience decide... A real journalist looks up the facts of what he stated, does the ground work and tells us what the deal is...

Read the Whole Thing.

"I refuse to prove I exists," says God, "For proof denies faith, and without faith I am nothing."

"But," says Man, "The Babel fish is a dead give away, isn't it?? It could not have evolved by chance. It proves you exist, and so therefore, by your own arguments, you don't. QED."

"Oh dear," says God, "I haven't thought of that...

God suddenly vanishes in a puff of logic.

....Douglas Adams, Hitchhiker Guide to the Galaxy.

Hanson answers some questions. I guess he will be answering one question a day...

L33T Qu3st0n

As we consider America's current efforts to bring order to Iraq and Afghanistan, are there insights that we can draw from America's post-war occupation of Japan that facilitated Japan's re-introduction into the world community as a productive and peaceful nation?

Hanson: "Well, we are way ahead of the game if you look at the postbellum pace of elections and proposed national autonomy�or the relative degree of damage in Iraq versus Japan, whose major cities were almost all in ashes at war�s end. The difference? The Japanese knew that they were beaten, and that it was a terrible thing to fight the Americans, who were as unpredictable and dangerous as they were magnanimous and charitable. I am not sure we have established the former yet in the Sunni Triangle."

Via Instapundit... Make sure to check out question 15, it's very telling about a lot of things... Cough, Cough notice the names of the deployments and the stats. Troop Morale Survey

Also interesting seeing the mix of spirituality... Really whows you what type of people inlist now a days.

This is starting to get interesting.

I'm not a big Coulter fan but here is more!

More on profiling.

Saw this on Kudlow and Kramer today, hopefully the main stream press get's out of it's partisan bickering and starts informing the people again soon.

Just so you know my positions on this...

I like random checking, I think it's important because we don't know who will hit us next -If you were in Bin Laden's Shoes wouldn't you be recruiting more the likes of John Walker?

But on top of that should be a certain amount of Police work -AKA Profiling. I'm not saying every man of arab decent should be looked at long and hard... I'm saying if you fall into a few criteria -one of which may be the country you attained you visa from- more scrutiny should be allowed to be placed upon you... Look I get a 25 minute question and answer session every time I fly just because I have the same name as a guy on the FBI's most wanted list. It's a pain, but it's life. If you want the privilege of coming into our country during war times, I think an extra few minutes of stress is not to much to ask.

Maxine Waters makes the most compelling argument for abortion rights I have ever heard...

“I have to march because my mother could not have an abortion.”

.....Maxine Waters at an abortion rights march over the weekend.

Tllman field? Tillman stadium? I guess those are obvious... What about Tillman park? You know many Tohono O’odom find the name Papago offensive... That would be an inside joke for us AZ people.

How do we give proper honor to Pat Tillman?

What made Tillman so beloved is that he was everything we wished we were. In him we saw what a human is capable of. A small man who became Pac 10 defensive player of the year. A man drafted in the last round who ended up breaking the single season tackle record for the Cardinals... And more, a honor student, a loyal friend. He was someone who wanted to give back to his country, he gave up everything he had -which was more then most have- to serve for others.

Naming a stadium after him? Well I guess that’s an honor, but are we really doing it for him? Or are we doing it for ourselves? Is this our gift to humanity? Is this our purpose in life? To honor the dead -who never wished to be honored- by naming a giant chunk of concrete after him? Is this what Tillman would want? Or are we just trying to feel part of something?

So I say this, how would Pat Tillman want to be honored?

In Pat Tillman we saw a man with infinite choices in life, a modern day Davy Crocket -with less tall tales I’m sure. A man who would return from the battle field and be anything he desired, whether if be to return to football, take on another sport, work his way up the corporate ladder, who knows maybe even be president...

How would he want to be honored??

I imagine him up in heaven looking down upon us all and yelling... “Honor me by finishing the life I would have had!!”

Pat Tillman did everything to the fullest, he was a man who managed to get a 3.8GPA while being a star football player. A lesser man would have seen his football career and slack off in school, or see his academic career and drop sports. A lesser man would take the easy road, pick and choose what to be great at... How often do we slack off in work? Slack off in family?

To Honor Pat Tillman I say imitate him. Be a better parent, read to your kids even if 20 minutes a night -don’t tell me you don’t have the time, what would Tillman do? Be a good worker, or a good employer. Be a loyal friend, say hello to your neighbors sometime. Do everything you do to the best of your ability.

Do you have dreams? I say go for them, don’t just say you will, actually go for them. Didn’t Tillman show you that anything is possible? Don’t you remember the life he lived? Don’t you remember that you want to honor him? If you’re a writer, write, a painter should paint, a journalist should walk down to his local police station and look for a story to cover. Only by living our lives to the fullest, only by trying to be the best at whatever we may choose can we honor Tillman.

Is this too hard for you? I mean naming a stadium... signing some petition, that’s easy, that’s being a hero by default... To truly be a hero, well that’s hard. But, doing the right thing always is. It’s the bad decisions that come easy.

I do not mean to throw him on some pedestal or turn him into a false idol. But through Tillman we saw all that God gave us, all that God makes capable in us. So if you wish to honor him, be the person he showed us all we can be. Finish his life for him.

Sometimes it's hard to believe that the whole world doesn't think like America... Here's a nice bit of proof to show how different other cultures are. For Japanese Hostages, Release Only Adds to Stress

Reminds me of a time I was walking down the street with a Japanese friend... A guy asked for a quarter to use a phone, I gave him one... The Japanese friend couldn't understand how he could possibly ask for such a thing, or how I could of given in.

Vodka takes on a Friedman Claim

L33T Quote-

"I've got sixteen words for you, 'cuz:
Saddam City - Shi'ites murdered by the tens of thousands and forced to live in rancid slums.
Ah, yeah, the 'good old days.'"

Interesting I was watching C-Span last night about this same debate.

I am going to read the book Eco-Imperialism on it shortly...

This is something I never thought about, but it makes a lot of sense... Even if all the claims about DDT were true -which they aren't by a long shot... Shouldn't we let Africa use the substance to eradicate Malaria? A disease which kills 2 million people a year and effects 200 million?

Paul Driessen was stating on C-Span that the amount of DDT needed to stave off malaria in Kenya -I'm pretty sure he said Kenya, I may be wrong it was 6:00AM, but just pick some Africa state, it's not important- would be about the same that 1 American Cotton farm would use back when we still used the stuff...

Think about how many lives we could save? How many people we could bring better lifestyles too without firing a single shot, without doing anything, then realize the world is a complicated place where what is right for us.... Is death to many others.

A great Commentary on the divide between the press and the people.

Sorry for all the Tillman stuff, but here is another great article...

Nothing L33T About it quote...

"At times like this you stop and think about, not only how good we have it, but what kind of system we live under."

"My great-grandfather was at Pearl Harbor. And a lot of my family has gone and fought in wars. And I really haven't done a damn thing as far as laying myself on the line like that."

................................Pat Tillman 953 days prior to his death.

This is probably the best thing I've read so far... It's short and sweet but says it all. It amazes me how many people felt they knew a guy they had never talked too... And I assure you, his death did not inspire this thought... We always felt like we knew the guy and that's why this death hurts so bad.

I haven't read this yet, but I guess it was one of the first shorts written by Stephenson... So if your bored enough, or a big enough fan of his, check it out. The Great Semolian Caper

I had stated earlier that a barrel of oil was selling between $33-37... This made it seem that each voucher was worth that amount, this is false... Acording to Friends of Saddam, Vouchers were worth between $0.10-$0.50...

More info on Al Jazeera via Instapundit.com...

And this...

I don't have much to say about this... But I ask you the reader, what do you think should be done?

If Al Jazeera is taken out or "censored," the NPR folk will scream bloody murder -even though these actions would be criminal in the states.

Taking out Al Jazeera would probably have one of three effects in the Middle East... The people would respect our power and shut up, the people would hate us more -if that's possible, what are out approval rating in the Middle East now?- or the Arab street would erupt in protest that would somehow become about America's helping of the Jews and oppresion of the stins -That's street for Palastinian... well actually I just made it up to be hip.

I am refraining from any -let me restate that, I am trying real hard to refrain from any opinions- on Iraq until June 30th... Upon June 30th everything changes in my eyes. If June 30th doesn't work, lots must change in the country, but until then it's up to you the read??

Any Comments or E-Mail?

I have updated my Other Writings Section and it looks about 1000X's better... Check it out if you wanna read my Anime Reviews, other Op-Ed's and scripts... I have a lot more to put up there... just deciding what else I should.

The NRO links to a story on the "War On Drugs" interesting stuff, that basically sums up my opposition to it... While you're there, check out M. Moore's comments on the terrorists/revolutionaries... Heh

Seeing he is my flavor of the month, here's his latest. Victor Davis Hanson on Iraq

Usually lead us to hell it seems. If people can't figure out how to use a bubble sheet, then my guess is, they really won't be able to use electronic ballots...

Bud Light - Making Faces

Guest Book - Pat Tillman

Rush is really at his best at times like this. Here's two articles about Tillman and the American Soldier.

OpinionJournal - Peggy Noonan

ESPN.com Ex-NFL player Tillman killed in Afghanistan

Pat Tillman killed in Afghanistan

I think everyone in Arizona must have a Pat Tillman story so here is mine...

Somehow 5 days a week at ASU, we ended class at the same time. He would head to the stadium for practice and I would head to my dorm which was in the same direction.

At the time he had long hair and looked like either a short beach bum, or a short headbanger. during the first couple of weeks I would always see this long haired guy walking in front of me, having no clue who it was... Then one day a friend walked with me back to my place and just freaked out when he saw Tillman in front of me.

So for the rest of the semester, I'd bump into him almost daily. It was amazing because he was such a small person, he had no presence about him at all. And to think of what he did on the field, to think of his great performances, to think he was an amazing intellect, to think this was a man who gave up 9 million dollars out of loyalty to THE CARDINALS!! and then gave up another 3.6 out of loyalty to his country. To think he refused all interviews, didn't even tell anyone but his close friends that he had enlisted...

To think that he lived more of a life in 28 years then most of us will ever dream of.

It's a very sad day for the living, but I have some strange feeling that Pat is up in heaven right now asking God to give him something more challenging.

May our prayers be with Pat’s family and friends... But we should rejoice for the life he gave us. He will be a hero for generations to come, and will do as much in death as he did in life.

Ex-NFL Player Killed in Afghanistan

And no sooner do I stand up for the guy, then he states the stupidest thing I have ever heard from a politicians mouth. Kerry Says His 'Family' Owns SUV, Not He

Unless you can find me proof that Kerry never served in Vietnam or that he fragged his superior... I just don't wanna hear it. I don't care of any "but" that you come up with... Unless you have served active in a war, unless you know what it's like to fight for your country I just don't want to hear it!! Nothing about Kerry's active duty should be questioned he did more then 99% of this country and that should be honored and respected. You have problems with his war protesting? Fine. His Senate record? Fine. Anything else is fine. But anyone who questions his war record should take a long look in the mirror and STFU. HoustonChronicle.com - Kerry war record filled with praise

Very quickly I am asked if this is some sort of Utopian world??

No not at all, I preach it because I believe it is inevitable... However it is not Utopia, but one step away from hell.

The world today has two major currencies, Gold and the U.S. Dollar. With the emergence of nano-technology Gold may become worthless within the next hundred years, that leaves but the American Greenback.

What happens when everyone realizes the greenbacks value is based upon nothing but trust? And monetary laws are based upon nothing but ponzi? -ponzi based upon inflation mind you- Well the dollar will collapse... And yes, this will happen, there is no doubt it will happen, is has happened to every currency ever created except for Gold.

1 Trillion dollars disappeared out of thin air on Sept 17, 2001 because of 9/11. With the entire world reliant on the American Currency imagine the trust that would be involved? Imagine if Asia all of a sudden decided not to buy any more bonds? The dollar would become worthless overnight. Imagine if the American Economy went into depression for any of a million reasons and the value of the greenback fell? Asia would collapse, which would cause the entire economic system of the world to collapse.

It will happen. There is no doubt... Don’t think I am preaching some Utopia.

What is the aftermath? A world of no currency? My prediction would be that land will be the only currency, and there is really only one way to increase land, that’s war.

And now I’m sure the whole world believes I’m psychotic!

Probably the best evidence for how silly and false the entire worlds monetary system is can be shown in the Great Amsterdam Tulip crash... Understand when you read about it... A piece of paper painted green with a presidents face on it, has less use then a tulip bulb... For more study, look at the radio crash of the 1920, the dot com boom?
For Study and more.

I have been working on a book called “American Socialism,” -though not very well, as I am not a novel writer... It’s purpose is to shown the end means of Capitalism is a new form of socialism -a form that socialists will call fascists. Just to let you understand where I am coming from... Think about this; We are getting to a point where nearly every American is invested somehow in corporate America... Everyone has bank accounts which help fund the capital to make new businesses, and soon everyone will be invested directly into corporate America through the stock market...

We may get to a point where our economic viability will not be based upon our employer, but the entire American economy. In a sense we will be a pure socialist country where the well being of the few is dependant upon the good of the many. A system in which you are as reliant on your competitor as you are your own employer. Where you paycheck consist of your quarterly dividend. Where we all are venture capitalists.

Socialism is basically the public sector owning the private sector... Well we are almost there, we just skipped the government faze of control... In the past week we have had some of the largest pension funds in America withhold votes for CEO’s. Think about how amazing this is? It changes everything! If that is taken to it’s end, we could outsource every job in America and be better off for it. We would get paid through our companies -mind you many companies, we must be diversified- overall economic picture. And we could go on doing whatever we love... I know what your thinking, we’d be exploiting the weak for our own good... This is not the case, as our system would spread... Soon we’d all be paying each other to do what we want to do... - I understand this sounds impossible, but it’s not, a basic understanding of how the monetary system works will show you small instances of this already.

I understand this all sounds fake, it very well might be. But not for long. Think of how many American retirees will make their living off of pension funds in the coming years? Now take that to it’s logical end?

I state this, because I plan on writing about it a bit in my Blog. I hope you enjoy.

Have I stated that this boom is based upon nothing?? No Dot Com boom, no Radio boom, no Biotech boom, not even a great Amsterdam Tulip boom.... Well I guess that's true, but maybe it's based upon a capital boom. The amount of capital in the hands of entrepreneurs is to the point of insanity... This could mean a secondary boom is soon to come... We have a boom now based upon loans... And soon the loans will turn into companies creating an entrepreneurial boom the likes of which has never been seen or known before in history. When these small business mature, I think the amount of innovation coming out of this country will change the world in every way... If I sound like I'm talking it up, I am... I believe it will change everything, the entire geo-political, geo-religious, geo-economic structure of the world... Read your economic history, there is absolutely nothing like this in the history of man. We may soon get to a point where we are more reliant upon corporate America then we are on the government. People will vote with their feet, cities will become more corporate and we will be able to choice the way we want to live in almost every aspect of life... Many will be afraid, many will claim it's the end of democracy... I think it's the opposite, I think it's a new form of new democracy...Three Big U.S. Banks Post Record Profits

Never before in my life have their been so many variables to the economy... The fear of a terrorist attack creating a "run on the bank" will be in the backs of every investors mind for a long time... But as for now the economy is as strong as it has ever been, and it is doing it on the basis of nothing but the hard American worker. Something big is happening in the world economy, something that no one understand and many are ignoring. I will probably write about my theory on what is going on soon... It has much to do with my "Community as a Commodity" section, but it's more then that. Americans are learning how to get paid for doing what they love... It changes everything we know about how the business structure works.
Stocks Jump; Forecasts Spur Buying Spree

I know it's an oldie but goodie.

A long interview with Neil Stephenson... It's hard to find, you need to watch the advertisement and get the free day pass, then go to the books section...

Here's another article on him...

If you haven't read him, he's is my favorite living novelist... He has a way of mixing real history, technology and logic that is unfathomable.

L33t Quote

"...You talk about fame, and say that your fame is like being the Mayor of Des Moines -- quite famous within a group of a few hundred thousand people, but largely unknown to everyone else."

L33t 2

"Why do you think people find the religious leanings of great scientists so disappointing? Why should they be mutually exclusive?"

"It's reductionism. You have to be able to reduce everything to interactions among particles. You can't have anything other than that."

1337 3

"There are also the attacks on science made by some religious groups."

"The fundamentalist churches nowadays do a much better job of promulgating their views and are much more vocal and outspoken, and if you're a secular person who doesn't have much interaction with organized religion, then the only time you ever see a Christian, it's someone saying that evolution is a lie and the world is only 6,000 years old. It's very easy to miss the fact that the Catholic Church and all the mainline Protestant denominations long ago accepted evolution and have no problem with it at all. I frequently run into militantly secular types who think that all Christians, for example, deny the theory of evolution. That accounts for a certain amount of the militancy of secular types in public discourse. They just can't believe people believe this stuff. It seems patently idiotic to them."

"I do not know with what weapons World War 3 will be fought, but World War 4 will be fought with sticks and stones."
....Albert Einstein

Thanks to Brian Moons great suggestion, anyone can now comment on any article you like... Just hit the comments and state what you want to state... No clue what trackback does, looking into it.

btw... No E-Mail address is needed, I'd suggest leaving it blank so you don't get spammed.

About Author Victor Davis Hanson, he be smarter then I.

Nothing Special, I just found this to be a good read.

If you think Al Jazeera has any credibility, you should probably read This.

I will set up a link to this blog in a couple hours...
Friends of Saddam

This is freaking hilarious and I have added it to my Blogs list...

Also I found out that Vic Hanson has a Blog, and because this temple is freaking stupid and I can't seem to put a second link next to his already link on my Smart People Section, I have just added his Blog to the Blog Section... hmm... Over the course of the past couple years my favorite journalists/op-ed writers have gone from... Hitchens to Sullivan to Hitchens to Friedman to Hitchens to Sowell to Hitchens to Hanson who is my current flavor of the month... Wonder who it will be next month?

This is what legalism get's you...

This Text is much longer, so probably the full address.

And one more L33t Quote...

"The Japanese people, since the war, have undergone the greatest reformation recorded in modern history. With a commendable will, eagerness to learn, and marked capacity to understand, they have, from the ashes left in war's wake, erected in Japan an edifice dedicated to the supremacy of individual liberty and personal dignity; and in the ensuing process there has been created a truly representative government committed to the advance of political morality, freedom of economic enterprise, and social justice."

"Politically, economically, and socially Japan is now abreast of many free nations of the earth and will not again fail the universal trust. That it may be counted upon to wield a profoundly beneficial influence over the course of events in Asia is attested by the magnificent manner in which the Japanese people have met the recent challenge of war, unrest,and confusion surrounding them from the outside and checked communism within their own frontiers without the slightest slackening in their forward progress. I sent all four of our occupation divisions to the Korean battlefront without the slightest qualms as to the effect of the resulting power vacuum upon Japan. The results fully justified my faith. I know of no nation more serene, orderly, and industrious, nor in which higher hopes can be entertained for future constructive service in the advance of the human race."

Maybe 10 years after this war, the same will be said about the Middle East... We are still allowed to dream right?

On study of the Pacific Conflict of WWII, I would like to start with Douglas MacArthur...

Was MacArthur right?
... We may never know the answer, in hindsight most of his predictions did come true. We ended up fighting Communism in Asia, not Europe... And there are certain wisdoms to be gained from his words in comparison to the War on Terror. We can never win a war if we fight it not to win... If we create so many rules of engagement, that victory is impossible.

This was his speech given to congress after he was relieved of his Duty from the Korean War. Old soldiers never die; they just fade away

L33t Quote 1

"If a potential enemy can divide his strength on two fronts, it is for us to counter his efforts. The Communist threat is a global one. Its successful advance in one sector threatens the destruction of every other sector. You cannot appease or otherwise surrender to communism in Asia without simultaneously undermining our efforts to halt its advance in Europe"

L33t Quote 2

"I called for reinforcements, but was informed that reinforcements were not available. I made clear that if not permitted to destroy the enemy built-up bases north of the Yalu, if not permitted to utilize the friendly Chinese force of some six hundred thousand men on Formosa, if not permitted to blockade the China coast to prevent the Chinese Reds from getting succor from without, and if there were to be no hope of major reinforcements, the position of the command from the military standpoint forbade victory."

L33t Quote 3

"But once war is forced upon us, there is no other alternative than to apply every available means to bring it to a swift end. War's very object is victory, not prolonged indecision. In war there is no substitute for victory."

L33t Quote 4

"There are some who for varying reasons would appease Red China. They are blind to history's clear lesson, for history teaches with unmistakable emphasis that appeasement but begets new and bloodier war. It points to no single instance where this end has justified that means, where appeasement had led to more than a sham peace."

"Like blackmail, it lays the basis for new and successively greater demands until, as in blackmail, violence becomes the only alternative. Why, my soldiers asked of me, surrender military advantages to an enemy in the field? I could not answer."

Think of the Kurds L33t Quote

"Of the nations of the world, Korea alone, up to now, is the sole one which has risked its all against communism. The magnificence of the courage and fortitude of the Korean people defies description. They have chosen to risk death rather than slavery. Their last words to me were: "Don't scuttle the Pacific.""

I know it's all long, but I think it's vital to what we are trying to do today. I am no militray expert or historian... But I muss say, if MacArthur had been allowed to fight the war his way, the Axis of Evil would most likely only consist of two States today.

In these trying times, we have to remeber to ask the important questions.

The Dirty Little Secret that the Kyoto Nations like to turn a blind eye too... Small Countries get their goods from mostly third world countries who are exempt from Kyoto...

L33t Quote

"DURING the 1970s and 1980s, when Brazilian governments were determined to colonise the country's last frontier, they pumped subsidies into the Amazonian interior. Today, the forces driving deforestation in Brazil are different: where once the logging and farming that eroded the forest served mainly the domestic market, it is now the demands of consumers in Europe and Asia that are driving�and accelerating�the destruction."

A Blog that's is all Wal-Mart news... That just pwnz imho!!

Now I must find the Target Blog, because Target is the greatest retailer ever created.

I was looking for a Patton quote and somehow came to this site, wow I have never laughed so hard.

A new keyboard for the other minority.

Oh yeah... Not that any poll should be taken serious until Labor Day... But looks like the general public also gave Bush's back nine good marks...

Funny, for I have never seen any speech so criticized by the media elite... How the gap widens between DC, New York and everyone else!

There needs to be more Outcry like this from Islamic clerics if they ever want to have respect in "The West."

L33t Quote

"In an essay that appeared in The Republic on April 11, Jasser acknowledged the troubling issue that helped prompt the planned rally: "(W)hat increasingly troubles Americans is the absence of any palpable mass movement in the American Islamic community condemning outright the targeting and killing of innocent civilians.""

Just in case you dont read the story, I wanna highlight the findings so far...

These are the people/organizations who have recieved oil, and how much they recieved in millions of barrels...

Russia
The Companies of the Russian Communist Party: 137 million
The Companies of the Liberal Democratic Party: 79.8 million
The Russian Committee for Solidarity with Iraq: 6.5 million and 12.5 million (two separate contracts)
Head of the Russian Presidential Cabinet: 90 million
The Russian Orthodox Church: 5 million

France
Charles Pasqua, former minister of interior: 12 million
Trafigura (Patrick Maugein), businessman: 25 million
Ibex: 47.2 million
Bernard Merimee, former French ambassador to the United Nations: 3 million
Michel Grimard, founder of the French-Iraqi Export Club: 17.1 million

Syria
Firas Mostafa Tlass, son of Syria's defense minister: 6 million

Turkey
Zeynel Abidin Erdem: more than 27 million
Lotfy Doghan: more than 11 million

Indonesia
Megawati Sukarnoputri: 11 million

Spain
Ali Ballout, Lebanese journalist: 8.8 million

Yugoslavia
The Socialist Party: 22 million
Kostunica's Party: 6 million

Canada
Arthur Millholland, president and CEO of Oilexco: 9.5 million

Italy
Father Benjamin, a French Catholic priest who arranged a meeting between the pope and Tariq Aziz: 4.5 million
Roberto Frimigoni: 24.5 million

United States
Samir Vincent: 7 million
Shakir Alkhalaji: 10.5 million

United Kingdom
George Galloway, member of Parliament: 19 million
Mujaheddin Khalq: 36.5 million

South Africa
Tokyo Saxwale: 4 million

Jordan
Shaker bin Zaid: 6.5 million
The Jordanian Ministry of Energy: 5 million
Fawaz Zureikat: 6 million
Toujan Al Faisal, former member of Parliament: 3 million

Lebanon
The son of President Lahoud: 5.5 million

Egypt
Khaled Abdel Nasser: 16.5 million
Emad Al Galda, businessman and Parliament member: 14 million

Palestinian Territories
The Palestinian Liberation Organization: 4 million
Abu Al Abbas: 11.5 million

Qatar
Hamad bin Ali Al Thany: 14 million

Libya
Prime Minister Shukri Ghanem: 1 million

Chad
Foreign minister of Chad: 3 million

Brazil
The October 8th Movement: 4.5 million

Myanmar (Burma)
The minister of the Forests of Myanmar: 5 million

Ukraine
The Social Democratic Party: 8.5 million
The Communist Party: 6 million
The Socialist Party: 2 million
The FTD oil company: 2 million

Maybe this war was about Oil... Just not in the way we though... Maybe it was for those who were fighting against the war

Im my opinion this is one of the biggest stories in my lifetime, yet it seems to be getting very little coverage... It shows what happens what a world organization gives the same powers and rights to Fascists, Communists, dictatorships, monarchies and democracy... Sadly the world isn't full of evenly moral leaders. The U.N. definitely has it's place, but as time goes on I think NATO will be where the real power lies and of course the "unofficial" alliances within the pacific rim. ABCNEWS.com : U.N. Officials Bribed by Saddam?

Does anyone else ever feel that the President can have his war on terror, or he can have his war on indecency, but he can't have both? Honestly in these times, I think we have more important things to worry about.

And does the government really want to put it's hand in here?

Honestly grow the freak up... All we need is one of our leaders screaming no blood for oil.

The Next Wal-Mart?

Here's a simple guide to basic economics.

But yes you can criticize me... Here is what I wrote the day the war started... It's interesting to see how I was right and how I was wrong.

..........
Written a few minutes after I heard news of the first bomb dropping in the War with Iraq....

A Letter from an Idealist…..

I believe in what we are doing today, not because it is easy, but because it is hard.

Today we send American troops into an endeavor, that no other people has ever been able to accomplish. To bring freedom to a culture, to a section of the world, that has never experienced what unalienable rights are. I admit, I was afraid, I even stayed undecided on this journey because of my fear of failure. Yet in the words of Abraham Lincoln “The probability that we may fail in the struggle, should not deter us from the support of a cause that we believe to be just.” Freedom is always just, freedom is always right.

For many this fight has been about weapons of mass destruction and American security. For me, it has always been about bringing Democracy to a people that so many believe cannot grasp it. Representative Democracy has worked in every section of this planet, by every people of every culture. And it is time to bring it to this last frontier. Many state that the Middle East is different, many state they are not ready for it. And to those people I tell you, “You are wrong.” For human kind has rights that are stronger then any nation, any tradition and any people.

If we fail, then we fail and I am wrong. Though I believe strongly that freedom will still come. If not today, if not this year, then sometime. And we will look back to the boldness that certain people have shown during this crisis, and we shall honor them as heroes. For even the French took more then one revolution to let freedom reign. And those who fought, and lost the first battle for their cause are now also heroes.

I read back to my journal on September 14th, just three days after the whole world was shaken.

“America consists of 5% of the world, we cannot live in such freedom and liberty alone. Its time we bring our values to the rest of the world, for our sake and there’s. A new manifest destiny has come, this time from North to South and from across oceans not just too them. It is time we let the whole world taste of freedom, for once they taste it they shall do the rest.”

What we try today is a noble experiment, as noble as that first experiment started by our forefathers; We hold these truths to be self evident, that all “people” are created equal. That they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights. That amongst these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among “people.” Deriving their powers from the consent of the governed.

For these truly are times that try mens souls. The summer soldier and sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country. But he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and women. Heaven knows how to put a proper price on its goods and it would be strange indeed if so celetrial an article as FREEDOM, should not be highly rated.

My words of course can do no justice to this cause, and that is why I quote those who are, and were greater then myself. And in keeping with this I shall end with George Bernard Shaw, for has it ever been truer.

“Some men see things as they are and ask why? Others dream things that never were, and ask, Why not?”

I have always liked it when people admit their mistakes. We all make mistakes, we all make a lot of them... The thing I hate most in politics are those who always state how they were right... Think Joe Biden as of late, Biden was always one of my favorite Senators but have you noticed how if he had only been in charge -or say God of America- everything would be peachy clean in Iraq right now??? Of course he never mentions all the things he also got wrong... Though, I don't blame Biden, I don't blame the President either for never sitting down and really talking to us about the whole WMD thing... We live in a world where a politician changes his mind, and the press screams of his hypocrisy for months... A politician admits his mistakes, and it's front page news for the next 2 months... I don't blame them at all. We live in a world where the press and politicians have become such adversaries that they have learned how to use each others responses to their own good....At the public’s expense.

So now for some late night ramble that won't make much sense, I'm writing fast and just want to keep you informed of what I'm working on.

Hitch has started the second guessing, well not really, he always was a stubborn SOB...

But it is not yet time to second guess. I shall wait till June 30th. That is the most important date of the war. We turned over Sovereignly in Afghanistan in a matter of weeks, but were afraid of Iraq splitting into three... Wait till June 30th, hang on, it's only a few weeks away... After June 30th we can answer all the questions. Could it be true that the people of the Middle East are the only people on the face of the planet that can't handle the responsibilities that come with freedom?? We shall know shortly...

Never Forget the Kurds!!! If we fail in Iraq, we must allow the Kurds their own state. They deserve a state more then most any people on this planet. They have held a democratic quasi state together through all this madness and more...

Not to give any hint of things to come... If after June 30th things don't look better I will be writing a lot about the situations and my changing beliefs... But right now I believe we need to show more force and less compassion. We build schools and streets while our soldiers get shot in the back. I'm starting to believe strength, not compassion, is the only road to respect... That may go double for this section of the world...

Why could we bomb the Japanese into the Stone Age and still have the respect we have from them? They respect our power mixed with our compassion. But they had to be beat down once before they could respect it fully... -Yes, yes, yes more to be written on this soon to come!!

So that sums it up... What will we be talking about in the next couple weeks? I will do my best Hanson impersonation and put on my history hat... I have been studying it a lot, even learning the language... We shall follow the history of U.S./Japanese relations, and Japans rise to the dominance... They have a lot in common with our current enemy -sadly a lot is different too.

And yes when June 30th comes, I will be stating my own mistakes and second guessing.

Other then that, expect the normal economic news, Anime news, Video Game news and Urban theory.

Sometimes I can feel my brain grow when I read Victor Davis Hanson.

L33t Quote...

"So here at home in Rome, in our world of utopian perfection and material surfeit, we fiddle in hearing rooms and in focus groups while our enemies burn — on the assumption that there is no room for human error, that hindsight is always perfect, that the messy choices of the present are never between bad and worse, and that humans are always expected to be godlike rather than fallible."

L33t Quote 2...

"By the same token, we want cheap gas, but neither wish to drill for it on our own precious soil (where wells at least can be developed in a far more environmentally conscious fashion than they can abroad, without our careful scrutiny) nor to curb our tastes for extravagant and uneconomical behemoth cars."

L33t Quote 3...

"even though we accept privately that such is never the case in this present unipolar world, where all the smug talk about the U.N., EU, and multilateralism means absolutely nothing without the will and skill of the American military. So let us feel terrible about not preempting the genocide in Rwanda; let us hate ourselves for belatedly preempting in vain to save a quarter-million Bosnians and Kosovars in the Balkans; and then let us be ashamed even more that we finally really were preempting to take out a mass-murderer in Iraq"

And of course I could go on.

China and Singapore beat all GDP expectations... Is this a sign of things to come for the U.S.? We're forecast at a 4.0% 1st Quarter GDP growth, don't be surprised to see 5.5% after all this. Whatever the case, the U.S. is experiencing it's strongest economic growth since 1983 and we're doing it without any major innovations... Imagine if Biotech takes off in the next couple years? Or Alt Energy? We could be on track for something that has never been seen before in Economic history.

I have always stated that after the Dot Com burst and the 9/11 tragedy, we should have fell into deep depression, we never even had a single down year -2001 ended at 0.2% growth- and the recession only lasted about 7 months. We lost 1 trillion dollars in capital on Sept 17 when the post 9/11 "run on the bank” occurred.. That's the equivalent to losing 20 million jobs within one day... We lost a few more trillion over the bursting bubble of the dot com, but that over a much longer period of 6 months... And today we have 5.7% unemployment, a historically low rate... There is a fundamental shift going on that no one can quite figure out yet. The American people and American economy are a most amazing thing... But something is going on... Time will tell when we figure out what it is. But it may be something big... Then again, 1 major terrorist attack stops it all in it’s tracks.

I had never read this essay by Sullivan, it was written a couple days after 9/11 and is a very good read.

Fallujah, by Christopher Hitchens

L33t Quote

"It's becoming more and more plain that the moral high ground is held by those who concluded, from the events of 1991, that it was a mistake to leave Saddam Hussein in power after his eviction from Kuwait. However tough that regime-change might have been, it would have spared the lives of countless Iraqis and begun the process of nation-rebuilding with 12 years' advantage, and before most of the awful damage wrought by the sanctions-plus-Saddam 'solution.'"

One thing that must be said, while it's true they may hold the "Moral High Ground" I think Bush Part 1 made the right decision... I just don't think the Nation would have been able to stomach the rebuilding of Iraq pre-9/11... And had we left with the job unfinished, things probably would have been worse then what ended up... Never forget what happened to Indo China when we left Vietnam.

Started watching Full Metal Panic the other night... It's very odd, kinda a mix between "Black Hawk Down," "Beverly Hills 90210," and "The A-Team." But highly entertaining... I've heard the back 12 episodes are much weaker then the front 12, but I will have to wait and see... So far I'd recommend it to any Anime Otaku.

How long before the Chinese Bubble bursts?....-Warning PDF File- The Chinese are building up the country to be ready for the 2008 Olympics, never has any country put so much faith into a sporting event... But after the Olympics what will happen? Will all the bad debt catch up with them? Will we have the second major Asian crash in 20 years? With the dollar appreciating, it may be time for the Chinese to make their currency independent.

I personally think the Chinese are on the right track though, I think their will be a recession by 2008 within the country... But the world may look very different by then too? Russia could be the most powerful country of Europe, and the Pacific Rim will be the second most important Economy of the world taking the place of Central Europe... With Russian and Chinese ties staying strong, you could see a new economic alliance similar to the U.S./Japanese.

Russia may become a force again, they will soon be the worlds largest producer of Crude, and already have the largest reserves of Natural Gas. I hope in four years we look back on Putin as being a strong decisive leader... And not a current Dictator.

This is absurd.

In about 20 years or so, when the war on terrorism is either won or lost, This will all make a very interesting story. I don't just mean Iraq, I mean everything. Whether you agree with the decisions or not, taking the war to the enemy -whether alleged or not- is incredibly bold... Maybe the boldest thing this country has ever taken on.

Rio de Janeiro state plans to wall off slums

Haven't read P.J. in a long time... It's just different now, with the internet and everyone writing politics he doesn't seem fresh anymore.... But reading this felt like reading a letter from an old friend -though it is a pretty weak article...

I think his Speech to Cato will probably never be topped.

This may be the funniest thing I have ever read. It reads like a SNL Parody, but it's real... A Hollywood elitist shows a sick and ignorant side. Oliver Stone's Twist - Is the director's latest film soft on Castro? By Ann Louise Bardach

Don’t get me wrong I think the embargo on Cuba is stupid, it has proven not to work and it’s time we try something new... I think P.J. O’Rourke said it best talking about the fall of the Berlin Wall... -Not an exact quote... “We have a 40 year cold war, a few hot wars in Vietnam and Korea and what finally tears down the Berlin wall? All the people of the USSR wanted to wear Levi 501 jeans while listening to Rock music on their Sony walkmans.”

And of course who could forget his..."You can't get good chinese takeout in China and cuban cigars are rationed in Cuba. That's all you need to know about communism."

Funny thing is, the refugees in Florida -10% of the Cuban population!! Are against lifting the sanctions. I guess if I were a person in power I’d ask them why. I’d assume they’d know better then me... But until I talk to them directly, I have never heard a good reason to keep the sanctions in place except that it would make Fidel richer then he already is and give “his” people more crumbs to live off of.

"It is truly a triumph of rhetoric over reality when people can believe that going into politics is "public service," but that producing food, shelter, transportation, or medical care is not. In California, producing shelter gets you condemned as a "developer" -- especially by those in "public service.""
FromThomas Sowell: Random thoughts on the passing scene

I haven't seen "The Alamo" but I hear it tarnishes Davy Crockett’s name by highlighting his faults -he did have many mind you- but not showing his strengths. This is a man who opposed slavery in a slave state, a man who stood up for Indian rights 100 years before this became the norm and took on one of the most powerful presidents in history. He died alongside Mexicans -Tehanos and Americans -Texicans in defense of freedom... Davy Crockett was by no means perfect, but he was an American Hero. John Fund takes on "The Alamo."

I wonder how long before America truly stands alone in the war on terror? We have few allies willing to fight for us, I think it could go either way, end up in a world war against Jihad, or end up fighting it ourselves... I also believe the only people in control of deciding that, are the terrorists and the appeaser.

John Talton shows the world what us Americans have to worry about... I believe in a utopian world people search for meaning in the strangest of places... Our new found war on obesity is probably the best proof of that.

I wonder what the Europeans will think when the American dollar recovers? With inflation inching up the Fed will raise the basis within the next few months -though might wanna wait till after the election... We’ll see a 1 to 1 dollar/Euro ratio again. America will adjust to a strong dollar economy away from the weak dollar economy we’ve dominated for the past year... The Euro’s will complain and never realize that the strength of the American economy is not in any shortcut, but our ability to change and innovate. A weak dollar? No Problem, we’ll shift our economy to commodities, a strong dollar? No Problem back to technology and inventions... And when the European Demographic change throws Europe into depression in 20 years, we’ll be the ones bailing them out. If only they would learn now.

Maglev is the future of the American City in my opinion... I find it funny that California is worried about it being used as a commuter transport... I feel Maglev is THE future of commuter transport... Can you imagine living 150 miles away from work and having a 30 minute commute -which will be possible when the Japanese 400mph Maglev becomes affordable and feasible.

When Payne Stewart won the U.S. Open a few years back... On the 18th hole he hit a 18 foot put to beat Phil Mickelson by 1... Payne ran up to Phil -whose wife was a week away from giving birth to their first child- grabbed his face and stated something akin to "There's a whole world off the green, your gonna be a father soon and nothing can compare to that...

I wonder if Phil is now happy he lost that Major. For a few weeks later Payne Stewart died in a plane crash... I see this put, Phil running to his wife and picking up his kid as an amazing bookmark to that piece of Golf Magic... I imagine Payne is looking down at Phil right now with a smile on his face. Payne Remembered

This is a real shame...
Americans can mass produce anything, yet we seem to have so many problems with city mass transit. We can build the most complex freeways in the world for $30 million a mile, yet produce light rail for $40-80 million a mile -something that isn’t much more complex then laying track on the ground. Our L’s and Monorails are being produced for about $120 million a mile. I feel once a company get’s the production down, we should be able to knock pile-ons into the ground and attach track for under $5 mil.

More on Phil Mickelson including his Wining shot and an Interview after the hit.

Though I do agree that the “Golden Bears” last win was probably the greatest Masters, and you can’t overlook Tiger’s first for his sheer dominance... This was one of the greatest.

C. Hitchens has a new article on the war... nothing really to say about it except for this leet quote...

L33t Quote.

"And Thomas Friedman, never more than an inch away from a liberal panic of his own, has decided that it is Kurdish arrogance—in asking to keep what they already have—that has provoked theocratic incendiarism."

Though Friedman is my favorite Op-Ed writer as of right now, I couldn't agree more and was on the floor when I read this.

New Link to track the casualties in Iraq. I'll keep it up for awhile.

I imagine Kerry has started receiving his daily CIA briefings for being the Democratic Nom... But I believe This shows how out of touch primary voters are with reality... The modern presidential election has become a game, where you must look like a partisan idiot, in order to attain the votes of the partisan idiots who vote in such things as Caucuses... Then spend your entire real campaign trying to show the rest of the nation you were just looking like a partisan idiot in order to gain your parties nomination and that you’re actually not so out of touch with reality...

But on a more serious note I think this is a great thing, I hope this Op-Ed is reprinted throughout Iraq, the insurgents must be told that no matter who becomes president this fall, America will not back down.

I think the best way to understand how liberal this war in Iraq is, is to listen to Old School Conservatives on Talk Radio or wherever else you may stumble upon them. No, not Rush Limbaugh, he’s not a true conservative, he’s independent. Not Hannity either, he’s a partisan... I’m talking about true red blooded conservatives, people like Don Imus or Pat Buchanan... They understand that this war is profound, that it is one part humanitarian two parts Idealist. And old school conservatives will have nothing of it... They wanna live their lives alone in a world isolated from certain realities, they refuse to believe that the poorest within our nation are among the richest in the world and we have certain obligations because of our strength... It’s no wonder that true Liberals like T. Friedman and C. Hitchens are backing the President so strongly in this endeavor. I believe it also shows how the modern Democratic party has turned into a party of contrarians instead of visionaries and thinkers.

Has any president in history had the expectations of our current? I believe the people and press hold him to an amazing standard, he must always live up to his “I can hear you! And the people who knocked down these buildings will hear from us all soon.” Every speech he gives is make or break, every policy he announces must change the world or he is considered a failure for the week... I cannot even imagine the pressure. Think of FDR, one of the greatest wartime presidents in history, did he need to reassure the public on a weakly basis or get lambasted for it? No, infact he only gave a few major speeches during the entire course of WWII. Can you imagine how that war would have ended up if every battle and policy decision he made was scrutinized by a press that is passivist by nature?

That of course is not to say that the president shouldn’t be questioned, Iraq is hell right now, and we must figure out how to straighten this all out unless we want to live the rest of our lives with color coded terrorist warnings. I just state this as a little empathy for the Prez... I don’t think any of us can appreciate what comes across his desk every morning.

Then something happened, a Birdie on the tenth I guess. All of a sudden we remembered why we liked this president, why his approval rating was higher then any other president in history and stayed that way for a longer period of time...

All of a sudden he was an American again, he showed compassion for our troops, he explained how hard what we are doing is, and he challenged us once again...

-I’ll try to stick with the best quotes, there were many-

“A secure and free Iraq is an historic opportunity to change the world and make America more secure. A free Iraq in the midst of the Middle East will have incredible change.
It's hard. Freedom is not easy to achieve. I mean, we had a little trouble in our own country achieving freedom.

And we've been there a year. I know that seems like a long time. It seems like a long time to the loved ones whose troops have been overseas. But when you think about where the country has come from, it's a relatively short period of time.

And we're making progress. There's no question it's been a tough, tough series of weeks for the American people. It's been really tough for the families. I understand that. It's been tough on this administration. But we're doing the right thing. “

Thank you dear God, thank you for finally coming to the American people and saying that!!

In talking about the Iraqi people and how they feel about America being in the country he stated...

“And they were happy -- they're not happy they're occupied. I wouldn't be happy if I were occupied either. They do want us there to help with security. And that's why this transfer of sovereignty is an important signal to send, and it's why it's also important for them to hear we will stand with them until they become a free country. “

And maybe in his most important statement, in the statement that shows how profound this thing we are trying is, he stated the following.

“And a free Iraq is going to be a major blow for terrorism. It'll change the world. A free Iraq in the midst of the Middle East is vital to future peace and security.

Maybe I can best put it this way, why I feel so strongly about this historic moment. I was having dinner with Prime Minister Koizumi, and we were talking about North Korea, about how we can work together to deal with the threat. The North Korea leader is a threat.

And here are two friends, now, discussing what strategy to employ to prevent him from further developing and deploying a nuclear weapon. And it dawned on me that, had we blown the peace in World War II, that perhaps this conversation would not have been taking place.
It also dawned on me then that when we get it right in Iraq, at some point in time an American president will be sitting down with a duly elected Iraqi leader, talking about how to bring security to what has been a troubled part of the world.”

That really sums it all up, what we are trying to do... It is incredibly hard! And there are many valid arguments against it. But it is bold and profound, maybe the most profound undertaking this country has ever embarked upon. We are trying to bring freedom to a region that has never had freedom, that most of the world believes never can have freedom... We may fail, odds are we will. But we will do our best and I wouldn’t count us out.

And finally to end...

“I hope today you've got a sense of my conviction about what we're doing. If you don't, maybe I need to learn to communicate better. I feel strongly about what we're doing. I feel strongly it's the course this administration is taking will make America more secure and the world more free and, therefore, the world more peaceful. It's a conviction that's deep in my soul. And, you know, I will say it as best I possibly can to the American people.”
“One thing is for certain, though, about me, and the world has learned this: When I say something, I mean it. And the credibility of the United States is incredibly important for keeping world peace and freedom.”

And with that, he was one of us again. It felt good that he was our leader again. I hope this is the start of a new presidency -or maybe an old- I hope with this, he remembers why we are willing to die for his vision, why people are traveling halfway cross this world because of his words.

The front half of the presidents press conference tonight may of been the most boring 15 minutes in television history. I was watching him speak and I couldn’t believe this was the same man from 3 ½ years ago... The man that never had a sense of words but always seemed to say the right thing at the right time. A man who gave the greatest inauguration speech since Kennedy, the greatest sermon since Graham, the greatest war speech since FDR and the greatest state of the Union since Reagan all in a 14 month period...

Then Iraq happened, and the President fell in stature... Even in the moment of victory on the carried Lincoln. Sure he looked great, sure he was confident, he had just supposedly won a war. But he didn’t relate with America like he once did. I imagine he is under great pressure and that I can understand, but Mr. President please look at the people you lead, please remember who we are, and why we are willing to back you in a war where many of our bretheren will die!

He stated such normal presidential rhetoric as... -And note, I only quote this because I think it was the most Inspirational thing he said.... And it's not Inspirational at all-

“The people of our country are united behind our men and women in uniform, and this government will do all that is necessary to assure the success of their historic mission.”

All I can say is WOW that puts "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat" to shame... Sign me up for the defense of our nation now!!!

And he seemed to be speaking to the people of NPR and C-Span in stating...

“The United States and all the nations of our coalition will establish normal diplomatic relations with the Iraqi government. An American embassy will open, and an American ambassador will be posted.
According to the schedule already approved by the Governing Council, Iraq will hold elections for a national assembly no later than next January. That assembly will draft a new permanent constitution, which will be presented to the Iraqi people in a national referendum held in October of next year.
Iraqis will then elect a permanent government by December 15, 2005 - an event that will mark the completion of Iraq's transition from dictatorship to freedom.”

It’s not that it’s bad, it’s just not needed, the people needed to be lead, and he bores us with technical jargon. Americans are not stupid, no matter how much DC and NYC want us to be. We just aren’t, we get it, we get what’s going on.... WE WANNA BE LEAD!! THAT IS IT!!

We don’t like to be told what we’re doing, we like to be challenged, we like to be told why we’re being challenged, we like to know what we’re attempting to do is something that most of this world believes is impossible. This is what we need to live, survive, understand what we are as Americans. We're told we can't go to the moon, so we go to the moon, we're told that Japan can never be a democracy so we make it a Democary 5 years faster then Germany. We're told humans can't fly, so we invent the airplane, told that electric light is impossible and prove the world wrong again. We're told the Cold War can never be won, so we win it. And we could go on all day like this, proving everyone wrong over and over, and only doing it in the name of "American Exceptionalism." And as long as America exsist, we shall defeat the greatest and overcome the impossible.

The president in his first year and a half challenged us daily, he told us we were a special people who were willing to do things that would make other countries question who we are... “There’s no way Americans would care about bringing democracy to a people who hate them, they must want the Oil, they must have other motives"... No guess what, we do care, we will fight not only for what we believe in, but we will fight so that you, the stranger from the foreign land who burns our flags and spits in our faces can also live your life with dignity and freedom...

Think of Tony Blair, more then the President over the past 2 year he “got” America, he understood who we are, what we try to live up to, and what keeps us going... Much like Churchill did so long ago...

In his speech to congress he stated...

“And I know it's hard on America, and in some small corner of this vast country, out in Nevada or Idaho or these places I've never been to, but always wanted to go...

I know out there there's a guy getting on with his life, perfectly happily, minding his own business, saying to you, the political leaders of this country, "Why me? And why us? And why America?"
And the only answer is, "Because destiny put you in this place in history, in this moment in time, and the task is yours to do." “

And...

“Tell the world why you're proud of America. Tell them when the Star-Spangled Banner starts, Americans get to their feet, Hispanics, Irish, Italians, Central Europeans, East Europeans, Jews, Muslims, white, Asian, black, those who go back to the early settlers and those whose English is the same as some New York cab driver's I've dealt with ... but whose sons and daughters could run for this Congress.”

“Tell them why Americans, one and all, stand upright and respectful. Not because some state official told them to, but because whatever race, color, class or creed they are, being American means being free. That's why they're proud.”

Tell me if that doesn’t sum up America and Americans? That is America at it’s best. And Bush needs to figure it out again, he needs to figure out what makes us Americans what we are, and he needs to speak to us.

There are many magical things about Golf... It is a very American sport, a lot of patience, a lot of planning and a lot of individualistic drive. Walking up the 18th hole of a Major, having the entire audience crowd around your last shot as you win is something that no other sport has, it’s Golfs little piece of magic to the world...

The back nine is another moment of magic. After you knock in the ball on the 9th green you have a whole new chance, a chance to start over. You put that nine behind you, and go on. A single birdie or great tee shot can change everything. You were down by 3, but now your on a streak, your whole season can change and you never even realized the point it happened until the ugly sports jacket is placed on your back.

I only wish I could find this in my sandbox.... I know, I know, it's old old news, but I still like it.

I moved my Anime Reviews to the Other Writings link... Yes it's a horrible link, when I get time I'll make it nice.

I find that the people’s love of Phil Mickelson can be summed up by our love of Spiderman. Everyone likes Spiderman because he acts the way we would if we had super powers. He goofs off, makes dumb comments and still has to worry about paying his bills. When we watch Phil walk down the green, I think we see in him ourselves walking down that green. Most golfers stay stoic and empty as the crowd cheers them... Most golfers hit a great shot and give a look that states “Nothing special, all my shots are great.” Phil can’t help but give a goofy smile when the crowed erupts for him or a little 2 step when he makes a great shot. Upon winning the Masters he jumped into the air and looked like an idiot, much like any of us would. His first words to his family was everyman poetry “Daddy won, can you believe it.”

That’s not to say there isn’t a place for super hero’s. We look at Tigers calm through the storm, his ability to show no emotion until the final hole where he drops into his fathers arms and cries, or lowers his head into his hat to get it all out. Maybe Tiger is the person we wished we were... Phil is the person we are.

I wish I had an exact quote, but ESPN said something great the night of the victory. It went something like... It’s hard to feel sorry for a man who has won 26 million dollars playing gold, 22 championships, has a wife who could melt a glacier and three kids who look like child models. Maybe Phils life wasn’t so bad, but maybe we wanted it to be better, we wanted Phil to be everything we projected upon him. And winning the Masters finally allowed everything we wished for him to come true.

As far as I’m concerned there is only one important news story from the weekend and it’s name is Phil Mickelson.

I am gone for Easter, I have left you with a lot of reading... 4 Reviews done by me of 4 different Anime. I also have added a link to other writings by me, it's not updated yet, but I will slowelt fill it.

I had been stating the Walmart Development was slated for 70 acres, it was actually 60 acres... Not a huge difference but I wanna keep this bog as clean as possible.

Proof of video games far reaching potential!

Walmart goes bust. The people have spoken and this barren 60 acre lot in Inglewood shall stay barren. I'm very split on this decision, while I never question people's take on their own community -I believe most community problems stem from other communities telling them how to live! I must also say that I believe the inner cities of America are indulging in self destructive behavior. 75% of Inglewood's retail shopping is done outside the city lines, the city is hurting for taxes yet the opponents of this bill fought it on grounds of hurting small business... There is basically none in this section of town... The plot of land itself sits next to a now defunct stadium and a casino/racetrack. It was to be a 60 acre development with many stores, not just a Walmart, in an area of town that is completely run down. The city council refused to even have a hearing on the development, even though the Mayor of the city was a huge backer of it... In the end the real victim will not be Walmart, I don't think anyone will cry over their spilled mile, it will be independent city developers. Walmart spent millions trying to push this deal, an independent developer will just look somewhere else. The city will stay in blight and Jesse Jackson will comfort their souls by telling them it's none of their fault... Or they'll just keep blaming the Koreans.

While I don't put much credence into these Polls, as we all know, we answer polls by the way we wish to be interpreted. I'm sure I would answer that the Battle of The Clone Wars really took place, just to be a jerk! This does bring up something many of us in the "Industry" worry about... How much of our entertainment is being used as a history lesson... I remember being shocked when I found out how absurdly inaccurate Braveheart was. I wonder how much of my historical knowledge is based upon falsities?

We are entering a world where Truth and Fiction are nearly impossible to decipher, where lies and honesty are in the eyes of the beholder. Future will be an interesting place where anyone can believe anything they want and send you a link to a Blog to prove it!