A Second Hand Conjecture

Quoting the Telegraph, Radley Balko (h/t Kingdom of Idiots) highlights some recent reports from the UK on waiting times for care that underscore the travails of government-run healthcare.

Hospitals across the country are imposing minimum waiting times – delaying the treatment of thousands of patients. After years of Government targets pushing them to cut waiting lists, staff are now being warned against “over-performing” by treating patients too quickly.

[...]

In March, Patricia Hewitt, the Secretary of State for Health, offered her apparent blessing for the minimum waiting times by announcing they would be “appropriate” in some cases. Amid fears about £1.27 billion of NHS debts, she expressed concern that some hospitals were so productive “they actually got ahead of what the NHS could afford”.

Keep in mind that for years the British government was pushing facilities to set limits on wait times, going so far as to set a target of six months as the maximum time for any patient to forego service. I don’t know about you but, if someone tells me that it will take “no longer than” six months to provide me a service, I am not going to expect delivery of that service any sooner than 5 months and 29 days. I am not alone in this expectation: (more…)

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Picking up where I left off last column, I’ll give you my take on 8 more NFL teams.

9. New York (Jets): Like the new coach. He’s dangerous and unpredictable. Kind of like Jon Gruden was when he first came to Oakland, then his first season in Tampa Bay. They have an okish O-line which should get a great boost from Nick Mangold. Chad Pennington’s finally been named the starter and my money is on Patrick Ramsey as the number 2 despite tough competition from Brooks Bollinger and Kellen Clemens. With Curtis Martin on the PUP, the more pressure than ever is going to be put on Pennington. Still, with a new coach, a rebuilding offensive line and a defense in the middle of the pack, they should at least break even this season.

10. Dallas: Ah, the guys everybody loves to hate (unless you’re from Dallas). Where do I start with this       crew? Yes, we all know about T.O. I still think he’s  real deal and that he has the common sense to know that this may be his last shot at NFL greatness. Drew Bledsoe, although I’m not a fan, is going to put up solid numbers this season, as long as he stays healthy. With a solid running game and a good, defense, the ‘boys are going to make NFC East mighty tough this season.

11. Miami: You gotta love Nick Saban. Granted the guy is a fashion disaster and reminds me more than a little bit of Richie Aprile from the Sopranos. Other than these two things, however, you have to give him credit for turning LSU around. I think he’s more than halfway towards doing the same thing in Miami. With a steal of a QB in place (Daunte Culpepper), he just needs to build a solid ground game and Miami is going to start making people nervous again. Of course, there’s always the Ricky situation, but frankly I couldn’t care less. And I don’t think Nick does either.
12. Tampa Bay: Since we’re discussing Florida teams, Tampa seems to be a Phoenix rising from the ashes of the last few years. After the first amazing year under head coach Chucky, they disintegrated. Chucky spent the next few years replacing just about everybody he didn’t like or who was over 30. Talk about Saban resembling a mobster. Whew. Anyway, Tampa’s new look seems mighty nice to me. With Chris Simms at the helm, the O is starting to step up the pace, at last. Michael Clayton and Joey Galloway are solid performers and Ike Hilliard is a great number 3. My concern is recent addition David “Mr. Olympia” Boston. I liked him when he was out in the desert, but in recent years he’s made some really bad career decisions. I’m all for wide receivers building up some bulk so that corners can’t toss them around like rag-dolls, but Boston has gone off the deep-end with the body-building. Granted he seems to have reverted to the normal standards of size for a wide receiver in the last year or two and decided to make a Super Bowl ring his goal instead of a Mr. Olympia trophy, but we still need to see whether he has his head in the game and his instincts anymore. On the D-side, I like the secondary and I’m liking Chris Hovan in the middle of the line, but Derrick Brooks is getting a little long in the tooth, and I just don’t see any current Tampa linebackers showing the talent to replace him.
13. Kansas City: Oh, whoa is me. What the heck happened to this team? Just a few years ago, they could have given the Colts and Rams a run for their money in the scoring department. Trent Green, ever underrated, was firing the pigskin left and right and the TD’s were flying. Priest Holmes was seemingly everywhere on the field and Dante Hall broke a new record every week. Now, these guys look like the Bad News Bears. Green is still the skipper, but he doesn’t seem to have anyone to throw the ball to except Tony Gonzalez. Can we say triple team? The O-line is aging and injury prone. The receivers aren’t much better, except for Hall and he’s mainly a return man. I’ve never heard of half of the guys on the defense, although the corners seem strong with Ty Law and Patrick Surtain definite Pro-Bowl candidates. Jared Allen had a strong season last year with 11 sacks, but he seems like the only bright spot on the D-line. I honestly wish Herm Edwards the best of luck with this crew. Maybe he can turn them around, but I predict at least two years of Titans-like rebuilding.
14. Green Bay: Speaking of teams needing a few years to rebuild… After the ongoing Brett Favre retirement issue finally ended, the Pack had a chance to get things together and gear up for the preseason. Although they’ve added some potentially star quality players on offense (Samkon Gado is ready to replace Ahman Green and Najeh Davenport) and defense (Charles Woodson and A.J. Hawk), the team seems to be wearing down. Favre is going to retire eventually. The O-line hasn’t had fresh blood until this year and there isn’t much hope for the receivers or tight ends either (despite some new faces). The only hope for the Pack to reach the post-season is impressive, Patriots/Steelers quality defense. They have the talent, but with a rookie coach who doesn’t have much in the way of defensive credentials at the helm, I’m just not sure that they are going to have a solid game plan in place.
15. Houston: Look I hate to pick on the Texas teams. Ok, wait a sec, no I don’t. I love picking on the Texas teams. Houston, for all the talk about them exploding onto the expansion team scene like Jacksonville did several years back, has fizzled. They have a gutsy, though questionably talented QB in David Carr. If his line actually managed to help him stay on his feet instead of laying on his back, we might just see what he’s capable of. I haven’t seen a line this bad in a long-time. Possibly ever. Maybe Carr owes them money? Gary Kubiak has a lot of work to do on this team and I think the first place to have started was the O-line. Unfortunately for David Carr, Kubiak chose to start with the D-line by choosing Mario Williams. I suspect young Mario will be a solid addition to the team, but with Domanick Davis facing injury issues, the Texans staff is starting to look mighty silly for not choosing Reggie Bush.
16. Arizona: Rounding out the second series of 8 teams with one of the NFL’s more unusual teams. The Cardinals are one of those teams that I just can’t figure out. The more I see them committed to staying in Arizona and wining games (new stadium, new star RB), the more I see them making the kinds of moves that would make Matt Millen shake his head (Russell Davis traded to division rival Seattle). Arizona seems to me like a boom-or-bust team this season. They certainly have talent, with (say what you will) Kurt Warner at the helm, Edgerrin James in the backfield, a wide receiver corps to make any NFL coach jealous (despite their somewhat lacking maturity level), and a defense that should at least be in the middle of the pack. IF Kurt can stay healthy AND the Edge shows that he was worth the $$$ needed to lure him out to the desert, then the Cards might just be looking at the post-season.

     Ok, for some reason I can’t fix number 10’s spacing.  Sorry about this.

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I’ve looked into the future, gentle readers.  Being the generous soul that I am, I am prepared to share with you what I have seen.  Behold: http://www.smartusa.com/

Yes, I know it is still a year or two away from release on our shores, but I am more excited about this than I was about the return of the Camaro (http://www.camaro.com/wordpress/).  If the new Smart gets the type of gas mileage that is being advertised (roughly the same range as Prius, 41-50 MPG), then I will be even more excited.  Not only is this going to save us a LOT of money in the long-run, but think how easy it’s going to be to park this baby.  Your old-school, 1950’s two car garage just became a four-car garage.  Sending the kids off to college?  This is the perfect first car for them.  Especially since $4 a gallon for gasoline is absolutely going to happen within the next 3-5 years.

Before you get all cynical on me now, and start talking about Hummers and Suburbans eating this little puppies for breakfast, allow me to point out the popularity of hybrids, alternative fuel source burners, and the Mini.  Granted, the Mini isn’t designed as a high MPG car, but it’s popularity and the resurgence in the roadster market convince me that size isn’t everything in the post-SUV world.  Add in the fact that the Smart also doubles as a convertible, and you’ve got the best of many worlds. 

Ok, now let’s take a step back and look honestly at the drawbacks that Smart has.  It is a two-seater, so this is not a primary family car.  While it has some storage area, it’s about as useful for grocery shopping as a chopper.  In crash tests versus the Mercedes E-Class, it has performed amazingly well, but this is still a vehicle that is dwarfed by the average SUV, so safety may be an issue.  I understand from reviews that the cabin space and comfort are quite good, but I’ve suffered from two roadsters in the past that were not good fits for a 6′, 200 lb frame (Miata, S-2000).  I’m very concerned about this aspect.

 In the long run, however, I honestly believe that this is the direction that automotive design is trending toward.  Granted the Smart might be pushing things a bit, but it is in no way far out of the mainstream.  With rising petrol prices and war with Iran seemingly imminent, I expect a radical drop in SUV numbers within the next 5-10 years.  In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to see less than 10 major models being marketed by 2015.  And, to me at least, that is a very good thing.

PS Have I mentioned the target price range for a brand new Smart is $14,000-18,000?  Beats the heck out of a hybrid Civic.

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Alien plant species that is.

SAN FRANCISCO – In an effort to preserve San Francisco’s natural habitat, The City approved a plan Monday that would cut down thousands of non-native trees along hillsides and parks.Under the Significant Natural Resource Areas Management Plan, a road map to guide The City’s efforts to revive San Francisco’s natural habitat, thousands of eucalyptus trees, shrubs and other non-native plant species would be cut down from 1,100 acres across 29 parks that are part of The City’s natural areas program. The plan calls for replanting native trees in some parks.

Eric Scheie (seemingly) vents his spleen at George Greene who introduced the horribly invasive alien plants, the eucalyptus tree and “Holland Grass”:

In what was obviously selfish and short-sighted thinking, this greedy fat cat thought that the importing [of] cheap, fast-growing trees and planting in a grove would be more attractive than what the biased article calls “a great deal of underbrush where wild cattle, rabbits, and coyotes roamed.”

Greene’s error was compounded when the subsequent owner donated the blighted grove to the city, because the unthinkingly sentimental, aesthetic-minded citizens of San Francisco turned it into a place for open air concerts

(link added). But wait. Is Scheie’s outrage real or sarcastic? Lucky for us, he provides this important clue:

URGENT CAVEAT: Please bear in mind that it’s sometimes tough to distinguish real life from satire in San Francisco.

Anyway, why does it seem that there is never so arbitrary a decision as that which defines what is natural and what is not? Nature is not, nor has it ever been, static. “Returning” it to some “natural” state is a purely subjective process and meaningless to boot.

Exactly when was the last “natural” state? Is the introduction of human-induced changes the sole criteria? Are humans not part of nature? What if the “natural” state, prior to human intervention was barren wasteland of no use to anyone, and very few living things? What if that human intervention allowed thousands upn thousands of diverse species to survive in what was once a barren and inhospitable place? Why is the “natural state, then, preferable?

In any event, this current project seems to be the exact opposite of Schumpeter’s “creative destruction” and perhaps instead should be called “destruction of creativity.”

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A blog that I found only a few weeks ago continues to interest me, The Conjecturer. Okay, maybe it is just the name, which would explain why I keep wandering over to Matt McIntosh’s Conjectures and Refutations despite his infrequent posts and my long time need to leave long winded comments at QandO where it “is all conjecture and thinking out loud.” It could also be that one of the two proprietors, Dan Allen, graduated from Vanderbilt as did my wife and where my son now attends. I am shallow, but that being said please take a moment to check them out. Joshua Foust is blogging on John J. Mearsheimer and his Jew obsessed realism, Guy Delisle’s new book on North Korea and Japan’ burgeoning influence in Central Asia (which he believes is a good thing, and I agree for some of the same reasons as he does) especially Kazakhstan, a country of special interest and expertise for Joshua. I am not sure what Dan is up to right now, but I hope he will have a post up soon.

Of particular interest to those of us enmeshed in the politics of the day and the unique evil of this White House is having Josh take us on a quick trip down memory lane to a previous instance of controversy over intelligence manipulation. We should take more of these on subjects such as torture, treatment of detainees, civil liberties, arguments over Constitutional Powers and a broad range of topics. They should induce broadly one of two responses. The US government is such a morass of evil and state sponsored oppression ( at least if you view this administration as being such) that I shall resist it at every step that I can reasonably attempt, which is the Billy Beck response. It isn’t mine, but it is logical, and really, I can respect and understand it. That is why I read his blog. Or, one can look at this administration as part of a tradition of imperfection which I would like to improve upon, but deserves no unique condemnation. I am not roused to the heights of anger because if I let this keep me angry I could never not be filled with rage. All of our past administrations had a mix of abuses or stupidity in these areas and the next will as well. The question is, do I rage or should I look at it as part of an ongoing struggle, but all in all my country is not such a bad place. I felt that way under Clinton and his various idiocies and abuses, I feel that way now. I don’t expect that many people will look at things that way, we tend to idealize the past and each administration inevitably fails to live up to that standard.

So I guess I am blind to the unique evils of these last few years in some people’s eyes, maybe so, but I suggest those same people are blind to what has come before and what is likely to come after. If it isn’t pure partisan bile, they are going to be angry and dismissive with those of us with a lower blood pressure for a long time.

Once again, go check out The Conjecturer and give your brain a workout. Oh, and Pogue is back with another Drunken Lullaby.

Technorati Tags: Clinton, Bush, White House, Joshua Foust, Mearsheimer, Kazakhstan, Constitution

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Native-born Houstonian, Dale Franks, provides a few good reasons to cast your vote for Bob Smither TX-CD22 this November:

So, take a look at Bob Smither, Republicans. He’s already on the ballot. He has promised to caucus with the Republicans, which for political purposes, makes him a de facto Republican. But, get this: he’ll be way more reliable in voting against the enlargement of government and encroachments on personal liberty than most other Republicans. Oh, and did I mention he’s already on the ballot? Write in campaigns are really an uphill battle, even at the best of times. I’m just saying. So, really, unless you want to see the seat turn “D”, Smither seems like the best of the available choices, Republicans.

(emphasis added). The bolded point above is one I think can’t be emphasized enough. This election season features a great deal of anti-incumbency fever, but while many Republican voters are not happy with their party’s shenanigans (but see this), they are still hesitant to pull the lever for a Democrat. This race offers the rarest of chances, a two-fer: (1) an anti-incumbent vote, and (2) a pro-small-government vote. All in one neat package called Bob Smither.

So, if you are tired of the same old shtick from Washington, and you are at all interested in getting the federal government out of your life, Bob Smither is the perfect candidate. In addition, if you think about the money you will save with a bona fide small-government Congressman representing you, you may as well head on over and donate a few of those dollars to help elect Bob Smither. Think of it as an investment in you future.

Also, be sure to check out the Bob Smither Campaign Page linked in the sidebar.  You will find lots of campaign coverage and links to how you can help there.

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Per Instapundit, reknowned old school blogger Steven den Beste has guest-posted at Chicago Boyz about “Disproportionate Response”:

During the recent war in southern Lebanon, one of the many complaints leveled at Israel was that its response was “disproportionate”. Care to hear the reason why the complainers wanted Israel to limit itself to “proportionate” responses?

Well do ya’? Do you care to? Sure you do, and I’ll tell you why.

Those of you who remember Steven, will remember such classics as his essay on Jacksonian foreign policy, and the rather hefty strategic overview of the War in Iraq. You will also remember how long it took you to slog through every lovin’ minute of those posts, and how you thought you’d never make it. But you came away from those posts smarter and invigorated by your new knowledge, as if you had just sipped sweet ambrosia from the cup of Zeus himself.

Well this time you can get that feeling in a mere fourteen paragraphs! And some of those are only a sentence or two. And yet, still filled with that same measured, no-nonsense den Beste analysis you used to have read hundreds of paragraphs to get.

For the rest of you, if you don’t know who he is, read the “Disproportionate Response” piece first. After that you’ll be curious enough to slog through the annals of den Beste.

P.S. If your really curious, don’t miss these article recommended by the Captain of the USS Clueless himself.

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Not as a terrorist act, though. Instead he won a contest as to who has the worst commute over the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, a part of Washington, D.C.’s infamous Beltway:

Now, here’s your chance – to bring the end to your bridge of misery. Tell us why your Wilson Bridge commute deserves to win the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project’s Toughest Bridge Commute Contest. The winner of the contest will personally demolish the old bridge by triggering charges that will cut a nearly half-mile stretch of the old bridge’s steel girders, causing them to drop to the ground.

Just to show you how tough the competition was, this guy did not win: (more…)

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In what I am sure will come as no surprise to most of you, Glenn Greenwald takes John Hinderaker and Charles Johnson to task for their respective sarcastic remarks concerning alleged attacks on journalists in the field. (h/t Who else?). According to Greenwald['s post]*, Hinderaker and Johnson, and those who think like them, have robbed America of its morality and ruined our national character:

Becoming a nation of John Hinderakers and Charles Johnsons — those who are apologists for, even outright advocates of, “tactics” such as the deliberate targeting of journalists based on the content of their reporting — has fundamentally changed the American national character in ways that are as dangerous and counter-productive as they are morally bankrupt.

(emphasis added). Of course, any one who openly apologizes and advocates for targeting journalists in the battle zone are quite deserving of our deepest disapprobation. So what, pray tell, could have elicited such a vitriolic screed from Mr. Greenwald? Well, let’s go to the source. (more…)

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Update:This will be kept near the top of the blog. Scroll down for new content.

After the surprising and encouraging interest we recieved last week when we asked if those of us looking for a smaller government should support Bob Smither for congress and help him raise money, volunteers and publicity, I have been asking around about what is the next step?

Well, the bloggers over at Inactivist have decided to take me up on this and they are helping us organize an effort to support the candidacy. Keith has put up a post for those who are in the Houston area on where to go this Sunday to meet Bob and help him get his campaign moving. I have a post up at inactivist explaining why those who favor rolling back the fiscal madness of the last few years, whether Republican, Libertarian, or independent should get behind Bob Smither and take advantage of the strange set of circumstances that have led to this opportunity. (Update: the media. “>there is a post up on QandO as well.) (more…)

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As Iran, perennial instigator in the Middle East, contemptuously seeks to create a new Persian Empire, it’s arch-nemesis, Israel, has not-too quietly announced that it will be up to any challenge.

With the purchase of two more German-made Dolphin submarines capable of carrying nuclear warheads, military experts say Israel is sending a clear message to Iran that it can strike back if attacked by nuclear weapons.

[snip]

The new submarines, built at a cost of $1.3 billion with Germany footing one-third of the bill, have propulsion systems that allow them to remain submerged for longer periods of time than the three nuclear-capable submarines already in Israel’s fleet, the Jerusalem Post reported.

The latest submarines not only would be able to carry out a first strike should Israel choose to do so, but they also would provide Israel with crucial second-strike capabilities, said Paul Beaver, a London-based independent defense analyst.

Now comes news that “Israel has appointed a top general to oversee a war against Iran, prompting speculation that it is preparing for possible military action against Tehran’s nuclear program.”

Maj. Gen. Elyezer Shkedy, Israel’s air force chief, will be overall commander for the “Iran front,” military sources told the London Sunday Telegraph.

[snip]

“Israel is becoming extremely concerned now with what they see as Iran’s delaying tactics,” said Israeli Iran analyst Meir Javedanfar. “[The planners] think negotiations are going nowhere, and Iran is becoming a major danger for Israel. Now they are getting ready for living with a nuclear Iran or letting the military take care of it.”

The prospect of Israel “living with” a nuclear Iran appears remote. Last week, Giora Eiland, Israel’s former national security adviser, told reporters that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would “sacrifice half of Iran for the sake of eliminating Israel.”

Israel striking first still seems pretty remote. As the article concedes:

Officially, Israel stresses that it does not want to take the lead in tackling Iran and that a massive campaign of air strikes would be best led by the United States, which has forces in Iraq that are much closer to Iranian targets.

Still, Israel has basically given Iran something to think about, and announced to the world that it won’t sit around twiddling its thumbs while the U.N. issues threatening letters drafting during high tea. At least some have clearly heard the message. Since Israel arguably faces the greatest danger from a nuclear-armed Iran, lesser action should not have been expected. (more…)

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Ah, with the pre-season almost over, it’s time to get serious about football.  So, gentle readers, I shall save you the vast amount of time, effort, and research required to keep at the leading edge of football news and give a team by team rundown and some additional updates.  I’ll do 8 teams now and fill in the rest 8 at a time later on.

1.  Pittsburgh (might as well start with the champs):  http://www.nfl.com/teams/trainingcamp/PIT  and see their performance in the pre-season http://www.nfl.com/teams/news/PIT.  My gut tells me that without The Bus to give the team heart and soul and without Antwaan Randle-El to provide a trick-play specialist and solid opposite to Hines Ward, the Terrible Towels will not be waving in Miami come February.

2.  Seattle: Success or failure for the ‘hawks still depends on Shaun Alexander as it did last year.  Granted, they were the better team going in to last year’s Superbowl (settle down Steelers fans, even your head coach thinks this is true [Coach Bill Cowher: "I'm not sure we were the best team last year. I think we played the best at the right time of year."] ), but even with a solid defense, the O depends on Alexander and the blockers, not Matt Hasselbeck.

3.  New England : Ah, the Bean Town boys.  No matter how much you may dislike them (and I certainly do), you can’t argue with this kind of pre-season,  http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/recap/NFL_20060826_WAS@NE.  If they can stay healthy and deal with Deion Branch’s holdout situation, they may be back in contention for the title.

4. Philadelphia: http://www.nfl.com/teams/news/PHI not bad. Not bad.  The now TO-less Eagles are back in the hunt for the “one missing ingredient” that will lead them to Super Bowl greatness.  IMHO, and I know I’ll take flack for this one, they could exercise the addition through subtraction option.  Ditch Donovan McNabb and add a QB with consistent, demonstrated clutch play ability.  About as likely to happen as me beating Clinton Portis in a 40, but I honestly look at the last 5 years of Eagles play and see McNabb as the weak link.  Granted every excuse has been made to cover him (bad receivers, RB by committee, too complicated a playbook (thanks Andy!), etc.), but in the long-run a QB is judged by whether he makes key plays and wins the big games.  McNabb, despite being a fantasy football dream, just doesn’t add up to much more than a slightly more talented Aaron Brooks.

5.  Denver: Getting rid of some dead wood http://www.nfl.com/teams/news/DEN.  Without Lelie, the receiver slot he occupied is going to be up for some mighty tough competition.  Rod Smith is a legend, but starting to fade and Javon Walker, although showing some flashes of Pro-Bowl talent, is still lacking consistency.  Also, looking at the depth chart, the Broncos should pray that Jake Plummer stays healthy well into next year if they want a shot at post-season glory.

6. New York (Giants): I like these guys.  I like these guys a lot.  http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/recap/NFL_20060825_NYG@NYJ.  Now look, I know Eli has a lot of ground to cover in order to be worthy of mention in the same sentence as his brother, but give the guy some credit.  He’s improved markedly since his first start just a scant few years ago and is beginning to show signs of the Manning “Touch.”  The thing about the Giants that makes them a real contender for January games is the improved defense that looks to be coming together and gelling nicely.  I expect a lot from new addition LaVar Arrington.  That guy is just amazing when he’s firing on all cylinders.

7. Tennessee:  What happenened to this team?  Just 6 years ago, the trio of Eddie George, Steve McNair, and unbelievable defense made even the best NFL teams quake at the thought of facing the Titans in the postseason.  Now, Sundays against the Titans look more like a half-speed, lay-back and relax week.  http://www.nfl.com/teams/depthcharts/TEN looking at this depth chart, you can see that some of the pieces are still in place, especially on the D-side of the ball.  Offensively, we have great big question marks at QB (Vince “Wunderlic” Young), RB (White, Brown, Henry, Committee?), and WR (how well are Bennett and Givens going to perform with a rookie calling the signals?).  IF the Titans experience less growing pains than usual with rookies in major slots, then their defense might win them a shot at the post-season.  Otherwise, don’t bet the farm on another Music City Miracle.

8.  Carolina: I expect a lot from these guys.  http://www.nfl.com/teams/news/CAR despite not being their best game, gives me a lot of hope that some new blood (DeAngelo Williams), will help this team return to Super Bowl form.  They have the tools and the talent; they just need to stay healthy down the stretch to have another shot at a ring.

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UPDATED (x2)

Libertarian candidate Bob Smither, vying for the U.S. Representative seat recently vacated by Tom DeLay, debated his two major opponents a couple of days ago (h/t Austin Cassidy):

TEXAS CITY — For a first-time event, the Texas City-La Marque Chamber of Commerce’s issues forum Tuesday achieved something no other area political meeting had this year. All three of the major candidates for the 22nd congressional district came to debate the issues.

The debate came just five days after Republicans announced plans to back Houston city councilwoman Shelley-Sekula Gibbs’ write-in candidacy against Democrat Nick Lampson and Libertarian Bob Smither in the race to replace Tom DeLay. It was the first time all three had participated in a debate for a race that may be one of the most watched in the country.

The theme of the race, as expected, was sounded early:

“I think the people of this country are fed up with DeLay-style political tactics,” Lampson said to a round of applause from a mostly Democrat-leaning audience. “We truly ought to be sitting down and discussing in a civil, respectful manner the issues that are affecting our great country.”

It was a theme Lampson stuck with most [of] the night.

Smither laid out a libertarian-sounding platform, although he was short on specifics. When discussing the funding of local projects, Smither made his point in a way sure to receive plenty of “Huzzahs!” from libertarians, but which received a somewhat less enthusiastic response from those in attendance:

Smither also touted his Constitution-first political philosophy and drew his fair share of jeers when he voiced his opposition to a number of federally funded local programs, instead wanting to see investment in those projects come from local sources.

“Why should a family in Arizona be taxed for the dredging of a (channel) in Texas City?” Smither queried. “Wouldn’t we be better served if we paid for it ourselves?” (more…)

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Happy Friday, gentle readers!  It’s time again for my weekly Questions and Answers session covering the beliefs and practices of Islam.  Feel free to jump in and ask any questions you’d like about Islam or Muslims.  The only rule, as always, is to keep the questions fairly general.  I don’t want detailed or highly technical questions like, “Well, sura xyz says this…,” etc.  Devolving into technical discussions defeats the point of this post.  I know many people are curious about the fastest growing religion in the world (http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9704/14/egypt.islam/).  Don’t be shy or embarassed to ask questions here.  Remember, the only foolish question is the unasked one. 

As always, I like to issue the following disclaimer:  I am neither an Imam nor one of the Ulema.  I am just “Joe Muslim,” the man on the street, so to speak.  I am not a recognized, legitimate authority on Islam.  In short, I’m the guy in the pew, not the guy on the altar.

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Captain Ed and Xrlq are suggesting that the Allen campaign, which is looking for a blogger, consider hiring Jon Henke. Somehow I don’t see Jon as interested, but power to him if he wants to cash in. However, if that isn’t what Jon wants to do, even though it probably wouldn’t pay as much, how about helping Bob Smither? It helps with accomplishing gridlock while putting a small government type in office. How about it Jon?

Technorati Tags: Senator Allen, Captain Ed, Xrlq, Senate blogger, Gridlock, Bob Smithers, Jon Henke

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(Listening notes: Robby and I watched X’s documentary, The Unheard Music. So tonight it is X’s Under the Big Black Sun)

A while back I mentioned Jon Henke’s latest project, Inactivist. There is a lot going on over there, Mona is stirring things up as usual, and brings our attention to Radley Balko’s post on asset forfeiture. Xrlq weighs in at his own place as well as in Mona’s thread. The two of them are in agreement, and I’ll side with them, but the comments shed some light on various nuances and both sites allow them to strut their stuff on this issue. Unfortunately since Patterico feels the telling has been a bit one sided Mona can’t resist calling him an authoritarian, no, a hard-core authoritarian. Sigh. As The Libertarian World Turns is a never ending series.

Alex, also known as Thoreau at Reason’s Hit and Run is now a regular and posting on stem cell research fraud, nuclear physics and a host of entertaining topics. Jon Henke makes an occasional appearance as does keith_indy. My favorite addition I must say, is D.A. Ridgely. Has he been blogging previously? It seems he has, and I missed it. Too bad. He is well worth the effort. I suggest you start here, here and here. The site is worth the effort as well, go poke around. According to Jon many more features are on their way.

Also, as always, go tell Pogue hello for me.

Technorati Tags: Inactivist, Science, drug forfeiture, Reason, X

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In understanding our present predicament vis a vis the Muslim world, as I have pointed out before, it is important to understand who our enemies are and what they believe. David Ignatius interviewed Ahmed Sheikh, editor in chief of Al Jazeera, and is sympathetic to the difficulties the news service has in covering the Middle East. I see his point, but Ignatius is a little too credulous and generous in his view of Sheikh and his efforts. I present these two quotes, the first from Sheikh and the second from Ignatious:

People say we are the channel of the insurgents. It’s not true. We are the channel of everybody. We are critical and balanced. That is what a journalist is supposed to do — not drum the official point of view but criticize, try to evaluate.

Hmmm…….

After 10 years, al-Jazeera is confronting one of the abiding truths of honest journalism: that the world is damned complicated, and that it’s very hard to know who the good guys and bad guys are.

Well I have a suggestion. Ignatious could be a bit more critical and try to evaluate Sheikh by asking him to start identifying the bad guys right here. One is a jihadist cleric, Abu Bakar Bashir, doing his best to undermine the state of Indonesia’s attempt to stay a democracy and the other is an Al Jazeera journalist. While sitting with a supporter of violent Jihad who is busy condemning all the Muslim worlds’ governments outside of the deposed Taliban, the reporter, Dr. Farish Noor, has this tough, critical, balanced response: (more…)

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With the close of the Doha Round, many see an end to free trade period, with a healthy portion of the blame going to Pres. Bush:

The Bush administration has been quick to point fingers at Europe, India, and Brazil, but the United States deserves much of the blame. That’s because, ever since September 11, the administration has made expanding free trade a key part of its efforts against global instability and extremism. As President Bush said at a recent appearance in Miami, trade talks “have a chance to help lift millions of people out of poverty around the world. … [O]ur government is strongly committed to a successful outcome of the Doha Round.” No wonder, then, that trade observers around the world see in the collapse evidence that the United States has ceded the helm of the global free-trade push. As one columnist wrote in Singapore’s Business Times, “The breakdown of the Doha Round of global trade talks is a reflection of the failure of the Bush administration to project U.S. leadership in the geo-economic arena.”

Dale Franks, who pointed me to the article, agrees that the Bush administration has been long on talk but short on action:

I have been decrying the Bush Administration’s subversion of Free Trade principles since 2002. Outcomes like this are one of the reasons. You can’t exercise leadership in Free Trade, while imposing protectionism on Shrimp or Canadian Softwoods. For the US, policy must match rhetoric, if we expect other nations to go along with us.

Actually, I had noted the tension between the administration’s rhetoric and its actions last year, highlighting a bold claim to end subsidies: (more…)

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After reading about a section of the IRS Code being struck down as unconstitutional (h/t Insty), I got to thinking about taxes in general and my fairly weak objection to them. At least weak for a libertarianish creature. You can get me much more exercised about repealing the Seventeenth Amendment (direct election of Senators) than you’ll ever get me worried about the Sixteenth (income taxes).

Unlike a lot of libertarians, I don’t have any great issue with paying federal taxes, although I have many issues with how they are spent. I just don’t subscribe to the “taxes are theft” mantra. Other libertarians have questioned this thinking as well:

Let me get right to an issue that illustrates what I mean. Libertarians are very fond of saying: “Taxation is theft.” And that gets them where? Actually it gets them almost no where. People look at them blankly and wonder what is wrong with this person spouting such nonsense.

The libertarian argument is consistent, given the premises of the argument. It goes something like this: “Taking property of any kind, money included, from an individual without their consent is theft.” The public would agree. Then the libertarian comes in with his “killer” conclusion: “Therefore taxation is theft.” And at this point 95% of your listeners have lost you. Why have they lost you?

Libertarians assume it is because they are irrational, stupid, immoral, mean, ad nauseum. But maybe the public is seeing something that libertarians, blinded by their own ideology, are not seeing? Let me rephrase the argument with another issue.

“Having sex with a person without their consent is rape.” The public would agree. Now we hone in on the “killer” conclusion: “Therefore sex is rape.” Put that way it is apparently false. There is a huge difference between sex with consent and sex without consent. The former, at most, is seduction while the latter is clearly rape.

(more…)

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I have a question. The vast majority of our traffic comes from the US, but we have a decent amount of traffic from other nations. There is an anomaly however. In a trend that has been true since our first few days the number two source of our traffic has been The Netherlands. That is ahead of Canada, the UK, anywhere. In fact, we get more traffic from the Netherlands than the rest of the world combined. It is a huge gap.

So my question is, is this normal? Do we have an extra measure of appeal in the Netherlands compared to the typical blog? Is there some factor I am not considering? I find this fascinating.

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Michael Totten is waiting to see if Ahmadinajead is going to unleash the dogs of war upon the world over at the Daily Dish. So far it seems he must have been alluding to Romanian oil rigs.

Technorati Tags: Ahmadinajead, Iran, Armageddon

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There is a great deal of discussion; amongst supporters, chastened hawks and ongoing opponents; of the US and its ally’s project in Iraq and what to do next. McQ has been posting up a storm on the issue and how hopeful/hopeless the situation is in Iraq. We can easily find hundreds more. However, a while back in discussing a certain someone I mentioned the Kurd’s, that partition should not be off the table, and that we have had some successes, at least for now.

I want to touch on that again. The Kurds have a saying:

Kurds have “no friends but the mountains,” or so an old saying goes. It’s hard for Westerners to grasp just how isolated these people feel. That partly explains their fanatical pro-Americanism: A friend, at last!

The question is, are we their friends? I would like to think so, and if we are what is the policy response? Partition? Continued efforts to keep the country together? If the rest of Iraq descends into civil war (actually, I would suggest it has been in one for some time) is salvaging a stable Kurdistan worth the effort? The sad matter is that for the most part all discussions of Iraq treat the question of Kurdistan as a nuisance. To many who oppose the war and continuing it they are an embarrassment. They are collaborators with the coalition or a responsibility that they do not want to admit that we might have. To others they are a pawn to be used in stitching together a settlement on Iraq’s future. They are an obstacle, because by wanting autonomy, or worse independence, they arouse fear in Turkey, Iran and other quarters, never mind that for the Kurds submerging them within the greater Iraq may mean a bloodbath. That they may not want to cooperate in such a “realist” scenario is considered intransigent and lamentable, though of course they are just interests to be weighed and bargained with to many.

It seems to me that in order to decide how we should approach the Kurds we have to know something about what they have accomplished. In many ways it is quite impressive. Michael Totten is guest blogging at Andrew Sullivan’s place (so maybe those who have given up on Sullivan himself should slide over there and check out Michael’s work, better yet, go to his site and hit the tip jar and support one of the best citizen journalists in the world) and he has pointed me to his piece over at Reason magazine on Kurdistan. (more…)

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Tyler Cowen over at Marginal Revolution had a reader ask him which philosophers he would recommend she should read. The discussion was interesting; I decided a good starting point would be Hayek, Popper, Quine and Hume. I also suggested Plato along with Aristotle’s Ethics, Merleau Ponty to cover the phenomenologist’s, skip Bertrand Russell except for fun, maybe some Kant. Wittgenstein if you have time.

However, I have wanted to put together a page filled with the most important writers for the well read libertarian leaning (I am keeping this a big tent request) man or woman to get around to reading if they so desire. I would like your help. This can include fiction and any genre that you feel is appropriate. List them in approximate order of importance. You can give as much of an explanation as you wish. If you want to give a full length book review, send it via e-mail or a link, we can attach the interview on the page we set up.

(more…)

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As someone who has absolutely no Native American ancestry (none, nada, zip, zilch, not even a great great uncle thrice removed), I’m constantly amazed by how many people I know who claim at least some distant American Indian ancestry. Part of me thinks this is a great thing as it offers a chance for the fading Indian nations to be remembered by those descended from them. Since they appear to have so many descendents, in theory, keeping the memory of the old tribes and cultures alive will be something many people have a stake in. On the flip side of the coin, however, since it seems to be a widely known fact that many Americans have some American Indian ancestry, a great deal of gray area is created for fakers and scam-artists. See the discussion below revolving around this issue.

http://www.badeagle.com/cgi-bin/ib3/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST&f=15&t=6267

I’ve read Dr. Yeagley’s work for some time and he never ceases to amaze with his musical and poetic ability and with the depth of his patriotism. I think we all acknowledge that the Native Americans have some legitimate grievances against the governments of the US, Canada, and Mexico, and it’s all too easy for some of them to get bogged down in general anti-Americanism. Here’s a man that provides a perfect counterpoint to that kind of feeling, however. It’s a shame he’s being torn to pieces by leftists, university pc police, and, perhaps worst of all, “fake” Indians.

Technorati Tags: Indians, Native Americans, leftists, Cherokee, Dr. Yeagley

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I don’t know who the joke is really on, but this is too funny too believe. Pogue is certainly jealous.

I should give a hit tip to Jon Henke by the way.

Technorati Tags: New York Times, Right Wing

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Judge Anna Diggs Taylor issued an opinion and order granting an injunction against the NSA warrentless surveillance program on Thursday, thereby closing off the first round of legal wrangling regarding the program. Her opinion has not been well received by many, including those who think she reached the correct result:

The judge may well be correct in her bottom line that the program exceeds presidential authority, even during wartime. We harbor grave doubt both that Congress authorized warrantless surveillance as part of the war and that Mr. Bush has the constitutional power to act outside of normal surveillance statutes that purport to be the exclusive legal authorities for domestic spying. But her opinion, which as the first court venture into this territory will garner much attention, is unhelpful either in evaluating or in ensuring the program’s legality. Fortunately, as this case moves forward on appeal and as other cases progress in other courts, it won’t be the last word.

(emphasis added). I think the real key is that last sentence, which essentially points out (correctly) that this isn’t over. The Sixth Circuit will have its say, and likely so will the U.S. Supreme Court. Because the issues raised are purely legal, if there is any reasonable alternative legal grounds on which to support the ruling, an appellate court can sustain the lower court opinon while laying out a more thorough legal anlaysis. The appellate court opinon(s) will be the ones that hold precedential value anyway, so this first shot across the bow is in many ways irrelevant. (more…)

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From Forbes on Andrew Young and more from the New York Times:

In an interview with Thursday’s Los Angeles Sentinel, he defended the charge that Wal-Mart runs mom-and-pop stores out of business saying “those are the people who have been overcharging us.”

The rub came in his elucidation: “I think they’ve ripped off our communities enough. First it was Jews, then it was Koreans and now it’s Arabs, very few black people own these stores.”

Needless to say Young has resigned from his position heading up “Working Families for Wal-Mart” and Wal-Mart it self has declared its outrage at the statements.
The sad thing is Andrew Young has made some valid points about the positive impact Wal-Mart has on the poor of our nation.

(more…)

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I know most of you who come by here care about property rights, and I want you to know Pogue Mahone does too. Of course Pogue covers the topic in the grand, twisted Pogue Mahone style. A giant cross, a giant cactus (or is it a bird) Paul Bunyan and Missisippi politics all figure. I think you get the picture, get on over to Ceilidh Cowboy.

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Alright, gentle readers, it’s time for my usual Friday Question and Answer session regarding Islam, Muslims, and our beliefs.  The only ground rule is that I don’t want highly specific questions, such as “Well, sura xyz says …” or “The Hanbali school of jurisprudence advises…”  That brings the discussion to an entirely too detailed and technical level which misses the intent of this post.  I want to answer the broad questions about Islam that many feel confused or concerned about and hopefully dispel some unhealthy misconceptions in the process.  So, having said that, I’ll now turn the floor over to you, the readership.

I would like to add a disclaimer here.  I am neither an Imam nor one of the Ulema.  I am an ordinary Muslim who happens to have some professional knowledge of theology and comparative religion.  I think that this makes it easier for me to explain Islamic beliefs in terms that are easier for non-Muslims to understand, however I am not a recognized, legitimate authority on Islam.  In short, I’m the guy in the pew, not the guy on the altar. 

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Ah yes, the elephant in the room. Or so we’ve been led to believe by the MSM and certain Christian fundamentalists (what strange bedfellows they make, huh?). Their argument essentially boils down to the idea that there is a massive deficiency in the core of Islam regarding the status and treatment of women. I believe that this is actually the opposite of reality.

First off, let me explain that my beliefs in regards to this issue are informed not just from actual religious study, but also from extensive travel and residence in worldwide Muslim communities. I’ve lived, worked, and studied amongst Arab, Turk, African, and Asian Muslims. I believe that I have the necessary credentials to speak fairly definitively on this issue. My conclusion regarding this issue is that treatment of women revolves around the societal norms for individual cultures, not their adopted religion(s). Put more simply, if you live in a country that was essentially tribal and medieval when Islam was adopted by the majority of its residents and it has not greatly modernized since that time, your women are probably treated poorly. If you live in a country that has been more open to modernity, or was culturally inclined toward equality of the sexes when Islam was adopted, then the women are probably treated as well or better than women in Western nations. Now, to qualify the above statements, let me make clear that I do NOT regard the standard of treatment for women in the West to be ideal. Indeed, I regard it as only marginally better than that of sub-Saharan Africa or Taliban-era Afghanistan. Yes, I acknowledge that women in the West have equal access to education, employment, and voting rights. No, I do not believe that they are well treated. This may cause more than a few eyebrows to rise, but let’s look at the facts. Rape, domestic abuse, and sexual objectification of women are all categories that Western countries certainly rank in the top 5 in. Combine this with a general self-centered, instant gratification, low moral culture and the seeds are sown for an environment that is hostile to women.

(more…)

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So, remind me again why the Communist Party, USA actually exists anymore?  From what I’ve read on their official website, they seem like Democrats who like to wear red.  For example, examine this report to the National Committee of the Communist Party.

http://www.cpusa.org/article/articleview/770/1/135/

 So, let me get this straight. In November, be sure to vote for your favorite Democrat.  Unlike the LP, they aren’t even trying to form a legitimate independent political movement anymore.  They’ve just given up and said, “Eh, go ahead and vote D.  We’re all on the same page.”  I’m not really sure who should be more worried about this attitude, CPUSA members or Democrats.  I mean, if the COMMUNIST PARTY is endorsing your candidates, how far from the mainstream have you wandered?  Note, however that they don’t seem to care much for good old “Joementum.”  That makes two good reasons to support him.

 Also, in my rereadings of Marx, Trotsky, and Mao, I failed to note where this was a major issue:

http://www.cpusa.org/article/articleview/764/1/49/

 Gee, when did Communism/Marxism stop being about dialectic materialism and the class struggle and start embracing boring old identity politics?

Look, I’m no fan of the CPUSA or any of its discredited ideology, but if I were a good little Marxist, I would be outraged about the fact that my party had absolutely abandoned its ideological roots and demand that it show a little backbone and initiative instead of simply caving into nice little, PC mild-mannered socialist lite garbage.  I mean when did the Donkey replace the hammer and sickle as the rallying icon for Communism?

Hmmm… why does this sound like an eerie parallel to the 2006 Republican Party? (cue Twilight Zone theme)

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***Our first Instalanche! Please take a while to look around. We have been discussing Islam, the purge talk that Glenn has been discussing, libertarians and war, Washington’s farewell address, Music and much more. You can find the categories on the the right of the main page. We have only been up a month, so it won’t take long to poke around.***

***If you visited xrlq’s site you were introduced to Mona, my take can be found here.***

In Houston the Libertarian Party has a shot at getting someone elected to replace Tom Delay. Should the outside world of libertarians act like the net roots with Lamont and adopt him? I’ll update this once I know more about him, but for now start here. If you know something of him leave comments and links. I would love a good discussion on this.

**Update: I should have also said small government conservatives as well as libertarians.

Michael left a link for Bob Smithers website. Chris over at Inactivist is discussing this as well.

Here is a rundown on his positions from his blog entry, “Why I am Running.”

(more…)

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I love Marginal Revolution. Alex is telling tales of Gordon Tullock’s insults. My favorite:

“Gordon,” I asked, “do you think we should ban child labor?” “No, keep working.”

I know, I am a major geek.

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(Listening notes: Veruca Salt- I watched Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory tonight. Just me, no kids, I don’t want to hear any snickering from you people;)

Economist: That looks like a $20 bill lying on the ground over there.

Other Economist: It couldn’t be. If it were, somebody would have picked it up already.

Or so one would think if the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) is true. I’ll just provide a link to a couple of discussions on the hypothesis, because today, though I question it, I am really interested in the question of even if it is true, does it matter? Or at least in one particular case. First what is the EMH? I’ll send you to Jane Galt for a basic idea: (more…)

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Appreciating what happened in the past is a difficult thing. It takes a conscious effort to understand the artistry behind the creating of things and experiences that now are done so easily with technology. The artistry can still be appreciated, but it rarely seems as remarkable when aspects of the artistry have been turned into something routine.

Billy Beck however has a deep appreciation for such things, and how amazing what has come before truly can be. A few days ago I let everyone know that Arthur Lee died. In his recorded work it isn’t as noticeable, though occasionally it peeks through, but Arthur was an amazing guitarist who in his live performances had a huge fan, a fan who would find inspiration in some of what Arthur was doing and go on to even more extraordinary heights as a guitarist, Jimi Hendrix. Go read Billy take apart what Hendrix was doing at Woodstock and see how to really appreciate our musical past, how to understand what was happening musically on that very day.

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After all the commentary about who is and isn’t a libertarian Jon Henke over at Inactivist ponders whether a new term might be useful:

The pursuit of liberty within US politics is actually harmed by usage of the term “libertarian”. It carries too much negative baggage and sheds very little light on an individuals political positions. Instead of being a useful label, it has become a tool to attack ‘extremists’, or a reward to withhold from pragmatists.

I suggest that the broad cause of liberty would be advanced more effectively under another, more generalized name.

In the comments he brings up my favorite name, because it describes quite accurately who I am, a liberal capitalist. Right now I have my links grouped into categories, and generally libertarian sites are under the label Liberal Capitalist, but unfortunately I can’t get my site to recognize and group the links. The term first came to my notice from Peter Jackson who is trying to start a post 20th century party with the name. I am curious what people here might think about how to accurately categorize and label us in ways that show a commitment to liberty while recognizing the political world we must operate within. Neo-libertarian, which I often use, doesn’t explain in its title what I really am to people who don’t really know what a libertarian is, or who associate it with conservatism. It also sounds like a splinter group rather than an attempt to build a larger pro-liberty coalition. Feedback please.

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Libertarians are characterized by a commitment to limited government and a clear-eyed devotion to empiricism, facts and the boundaries of human knowledge and planning.

So says Mona over at Inactivist, Jon Henke’s interesting new project (and by the way, what is it with Henke, McQ and Franks? How do they find the time to post the way they do at QandO and engage in all this other stuff? Plus whatever they do to earn a living. Just sayin’.) As a libertarian of sorts I am of course prone to think so, but I see little evidence that we deserve all that praise. Mona thinks we fall short as well and good for her, but she seems to think the Iraq War is an aberration. I think not. The failings of course go both ways in this debate and Mona unwittingly proves it. I have sat on this post for a week, and in no small part because of a dictum that Matt McIntosh lays out. However, I think I will post it anyway.
Mona also wants to begin a debate about who really is a libertarian. McQ has a lot to say on the matter and the idea that the Iraq war is a litmus test of who is exhibiting the above mentioned devotion to empiricism, facts and boundaries, as does Dale and the comments are as always interesting. As for myself, libertarians, even though I feel the free market view is correct, seem usually to be no more grounded in reason than any other ideology. I think we are right despite being as prone to dogma, prejudice and exaggerated pretensions of knowledge and wisdom as any other group of people.

I submit that too many libertarians today, namely, those who supported the invasion of Iraq but who refuse to face the reality that it is a hugely expensive debacle, are not operating as Hayekian libertarians generally do. Rather, they are frequently evading the ugly truth and engaging in overt blame-shifting, deplorable scape-goating, and rank excuse-making. They are doing everything, that is, save for manfully (I know, I know) accepting responsibility for having been utterly wrong; most certainly these libertarians are not crediting those who have been tragically proven right.

Once again, read McQ and Dale on this, but despite Mona’s assertions about using Hayekian reasoning, she needs to re-read him. This passage and the rest of her post suggest a fundamental misreading of Hayek. Of all the libertarian icons it would be hard to find a person more humble before the uncertainties of life. For someone who has just extolled the hayekian understanding of the limits of human knowledge Mona goes on to give blanket assertions about the way the world is which no human being could possibly know. Empiricism? The misapplication of scientific methods to the social sciences was a major concern of Hayek’s. Any pretensions that the various “correct” and “prescient” predictions of various figures were some kind of scientifically derived prediction that has now been empirically proven would have struck Hayek as ridiculous. (more…)

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I regard myself as a libertarian. But I think the term classical liberal is also equally applicable. I don’t really care very much what I’m called. I’m much more interested in having people thinking about the ideas, rather than the person.

– Milton Friedman

I see that McQ has weighed in regarding Ms. Mona’s efforts to dissect libertarians with scalpel-like precision. While I find that to be a tiresome and useless exercise, I can’t help but notice that there seems to be a certain method to Mona’s maddness. To a certain extent, I am sympathetic to the idea that the term “libertarianism” should stand for something. Certainly a core set of principles should be at the center of any -ism. One fundamental, I would think, would be an adherence to some minimum level of non-intervention by the state. Libertarians tend to disagree as to where that bar should be set: some find non- or nearly non-existence to be optimal; some are comfortable with a “night-watchman” presence; and still others are accepting of somewhat higher levels of state interference, albeit from more of policy-guiding position. Wherever the line should be drawn, it seems to me that libertarianism is primarily about the relationship of the individual to the state, and vice versa. Accordingly, if I were asked to do some line drawing as to who is and who is not a libertarian, I would think that this would be the place to start.

Mona (ahem) disagrees:

Well, I’m just a plane ‘ole, lower case “L” libertarian, who thinks Reason magazine and the Cato Institute get most things right in defending liberty and advocating for: limited government, the rule of law in which the individual is the unit of moral analysis, and an approach to truth and policy characterized by a devotion to fact and empiricism.

[skip highlighting particular bloggers]

So, those are some of the self-identified “neolibertarians.” Virtually all of them are in the tank for Bush and the GOP, most especially on any matter touching and concerning foreign policy or national security; any criticism they might make in those areas will almost always come from the right (i.e., we gotta kill a LOT MORE PEOPLE George!). (more…)

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(Second installment in the Great Lyrics Series)

I agree with Paul McCartney. There is nothing wrong with a silly love song, a perfectly useful thing to have around. A love song amplifies the feeling when you are in love and sweetly intensifies the ache when you aren’t and want to be. That can be true no matter whether the song is actually good (”I’ll Be Your Mirror,” “The Way You Look Tonight“) or syrupy dreck (”Endless Love,” ““). Of course, those are subjective opinions and your mileage may differ. However, in a functional sense outside of any aesthetic judgements, a love song can be considered successful by how well it arouses those kinds of feelings.

Most love songs, good and bad, share two things in common: a lack of specificity, and a focus on only the positive side. Again I will echo Sir Paul: there’s nothing intrinsically wrong with that, given the function the silly love song is designed and expected to perform. The benefit of bland universality is that listeners can more easily mentally and emotionally inscribe their own specific details and personalize the song. But bland lyrics are also boring to consider. They are heartfelt perhaps, and (at best) very good at conveying strong emotions, but the words rarely rise above the level of the slogan. At worst, bland love songs are too slick and too manipulative, and the cheap cliches produce (in some listeners) the opposite of the intended effect. Instead of being swept up in the strong emotions of “true love,” we are annoyed or even revulsed by the trite manipulation. (more…)

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Many of you who come by our little corner of the blogosphere are already aware of a certain flamboyant, cantankerous, master of the bon mot, pissed off, Irishman who goes by the name of Pogue Mahone as he sashays in to battle at QandO’s comment section. Possibly he does the same elsewhere. I have had many a good spirited tangle with Pogue over time, and I can’t say I have ever disagreed with someone as often as I have Pogue and simultaneously come away as happy for the experience. Pogue likes to get under peoples skin, but it hasn’t worked with me.

Now we are commenters and observers here at A Second Hand Conjecture, for the most part we do not do journalism, but we have had one big scoop. In fact I am responsible for this magnificent piece of investigative journalism, and it came right out of the box. It is here, in this amusing comment thread, that we discovered that Pogue is not some pissed of Irish poet. No we outed Pogue as a pissed off Irish Bee Keeper. Now this stands to reason, because I am a fan of beekeepers, especially a fan of Texas beekeepers. I can’t speak authoritatively about anywhere else, though it seems to be true to some extent everywhere from my limited experience, but Texas beekeepers are an eccentric lot. If you meet a beekeeper in Texas you can usually assure yourself of some interesting conversation. They are generally well read, have wide interests and are as independent a bunch of cusses as you will ever meet.

So why am I pissed? Because Pogue Mahone has been blogging since at least the ninth of August and he hasn’t told me yet. How did I discover his blog? A technorati link from his blogroll! How impersonal is that? At first when I saw the name of the blog link, Céilidh Cowboy, I figured it was from strange group devoted to the writings of H.P. Lovecraft, so I started to search the blog for where the link was in case these characters might be dangerous, and then I saw Pogue’s name. What is worse, the damn thing is well worth reading. Every damn post. It is a pissed off, funny Irish Texas beekeeper’s skewed view of the world as he takes on those who would crush the entrepreneurial spirit of teenage, would be nightcrawler magnates and other follies. So get over there and leave some obnoxious comments on the damn things. It is time for the blogosphere to give Pogue a blogwarming party and returned the favor. Besides, the man still owes me some honey!

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No, I’m not talking about the avant-garde of the cultural movement or even the most wired cities in America.  This is a new program set-up by the Sierra Club to help reduce dependence on non-renewable energy at the local level.  I like it for a lot of reasons; one of the best being that it is a local municipality based program not a federal fiat.  Check it out and see whether your city is already a member or not.

 http://www.coolcities.us/files/CoolCitiesfactsheet.pdf

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Rejoice O Ye of BBC fandom.  Guess what’s returning to US television screens on September 29? 

http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=2&id=37456

Plus on the other side of the Atlantic, filming has just wrapped on the second Christmas special and they’ve started up on Season 3.

 http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/

 Check out the new companion!

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Glenn Reynolds makes a good point that fits with what we have been discussing In my previous post.

It’s also worth noting, though, that a tip from a worried British Muslim played an important role, which is why measures that over-alienate Muslims and immigrants are likely a bad idea. Striking a balance is hard, especially with all the political posturing going on.

Of course, in some quarters this is really a passive aggressive way for Glenn to advocate the mass killing of Muslims, but I have such a generous heart.

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It is time once again for Omar’s Friday Qand A on Islam. Omar is trying to open up the floor, so to speak, to questions from the audience regarding Islam or Muslims in general. Omar doesn’t want heavily detailed questions like, “Well sura xyz says this” or “I read somewhere that Imam Maliki says this.” No, no, no. This isn’t a blogsite focusing on Islam and he already teaches a comparative religion section in real life, so he is only asking for general questions, like “Hey why don’t Muslims drink alchohol?” or “What do Muslims think about the Christian Bible?”, etc. Very general questions. If you’d simply like more specific information in book or website format, he can recommend those, too. So, please bring on the questions.

I have a question to start things off. How does the prohibition against interest work, is it a belief that all muslim sects have, and how do you see it affecting the economic life of Muslims in the US and Muslim countries economic development. Please limit your anser to 20 words or less;>)

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One of the reasons I was excited about Omar and Michael’s request to join me here was the opportunity to engage in a reasonable dialogue about Islam. So far I think we have succeeded. One thing tough struck me. Jason Pappas argued here that Islam itself is the problem, and over at QandO today Tom Perkins argues:

The Poet Omar Wrote:

“I mean we all know all Muslims are nothing but dangerous, violent primitives who respect nothing but the threat of cultural annihilation.”

Thing is Omar, that’s a good enough working description.

What Moslem’s there are who not merely don’t fit that description, but will risk their lives or what wealth they have to oppose it, they don’t seem to amount to much.

That’s coming from someone who doesn’t think much of C. “It’s the Jooos” Ford, BTW.

I take Tom at his word that he is not universally intolerant. I can’t say I have noticed anything to suggest otherwise. I also understand exactly what he is saying. Similarly with Jason, I can see where he is coming from as well, but I think in Jason’s case he is just wrong. (more…)

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Over at “Where the Buffalo Roam,” a quirky little blog located at Peter Jacksons Liberal Capitalist Party website where a strange group assorted characters occasionally post, a really strange and wonderful character, Peter’s wife, has posted an entertaining reflection on her marriage between a southern white male, an Indian woman from an orthodox Hindu family and the coming out of her gay sister. It is wide ranging in its discussion of orthodox religion and its impact politically and personally. It’ll make you smile while you contemplate the ridiculous and often tragic consequences of many cultural norms. One of my favorite sections:

Raised in ‘orthodox Hindu’ households, my parents had every right to expect that their seven children would continue the tradition of marrying whomever their parents select for them. [Darwinists take note: there is no natural selection – no ‘survival of the fittest’ – within orthodox cultures.] Their illusions were first shattered when I “came out of the closet” to reveal I had been shacking up with a southern Redneck (genus unknown) for almost two years. Emboldened by my act of courage, my sister immediately followed up by coming out to them. Peter and I used to joke that his stock shot up immediately.

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Paul Tagliabue’s successor has finally been announced. 

 http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/wcStory?contentId=5856546&FSO1&ATT=HMA

Actually, I’m not terribly surprised.  Roger Goodell was on the fast-track to take over when Tags stepped down.  My question is will he build upon the successes that Tags created or will he slack off and let football become a second-rate sport again?  How about completing the dream of returning the NFL to Los Angeles?  Only time will tell.

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Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add ‘within the limits of the law’ because law is often but the tyrant’s will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual.
Thomas Jefferson

Eliot Spitzer is currently the New York State Attorney General and the likely its next Governor:

Undeterred by humiliating failure, he came back to run again, twice winning the office he first sought so unsuccessfully; he has practically secured his party’s nomination for governor and remains on course toward election by a landslide this November, in part because nobody his own size dared to run against him.

I find Spitzer to be the perfect example of why too much power in one pair of hands is so dangerous. Large concentrations of power are an irresistable attraction to tyrants, who value that power more than anyone else. Consequently, the rights to wield that power, as with all rights, will eventually devolve to the tyrant. Hence why I believe small government is so vital.

In this case, as detailed by Professor Bainbridge, the putative tyrant has already been running roughshod with just a small concentration of power:

His attack on the mutual fund industry was “a gross abuse of prosecutorial power.” “Just a quick overview of Spitzer’s tactics over the past couple of years exposes the widespread abuse of authority and the rule of law in pursuing his popular agenda.” He has consistently exhibited “egomania and serial disregard for due process.”

I truly shudder to think what this man will do, in the name of the public weal, with the extensive police powers entrusted to the governor’s office, much less what he will do if and when he is elected to be a Senator or (heaven forbid) U.S. President.

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There are a few bands over the last 40 years or so that have achieved limited commercial success but enormous influence on other bands. Two good examples are The Velvet Underground and Alex Chilton with Big Star. This week one of those influential, but relatively obscure, bands had its driving force pass away. Arthur Lee of the band Love.

Arthur was a true pioneer. The first noticeable African American to lead a mixed race band, also a band that didn’t operate in the typical musical ghettos to which African Americans typically were relegated at the time. Their early work was the first truly psychedelic music of the sixties, and some has to be considered some of the first punk songs (I think I am going to suggest that my sons band cover some of Arthur’s early punk masterpieces.) The album Forever Changes consistently appears on music critics lists of the best albums of the sixties. Arthur Lee convinced Elektra to look into the Doors and hundreds of bands began experimenting with the rough edged psychedelia of the early albums. He inspired Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and many many others. Covers of their songs were done by The Velvet Underground, Yo La Tengo, Urge Overkill, The Ramones, Mission Of Burma,The Lyres, Lenny Kravitz, Husker Du, The Damned, Billy Bragg, Alice Cooper and the Boo Radleys among others. Brilliant, but erratic describes their work and Lee’s life. R.I.P.

Go ahead and download some of their songs. I am putting “My Little Red Book” and “7 and 7 is” on my ipod today.

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I am sure most have seen this, but if not, I suggest a little time exploring the “special” nature of Bush and Blair’s relationship.

I should give a hat tip to my wife. She is a teacher, and one thing I have learned from her is that teachers and their students are far more in touch with the goofy, wonderful  stuff floating around the Internet than me.

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