The PINLO Report

2003-06-29T21:36:00.000-04:00

Cartoonist Ed Gamble of The Florida Times Union finally hits the nail on the head after banging on his fingers for so long.

Below from the 06/29/03 edition:

2003-06-29T21:26:00.000-04:00

Shelby Steele of the Wall Street Journal explains how the recent Supreme Court ruling on Affirmative Action is anti-american

Martin Luther King's Dream defered again. At least another 25 years before the courts say they will allow certain folks to be judged by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin.

2003-06-27T22:05:00.000-04:00

Columnist Ann Coulter argues Deceased Senator Joe McCarthy was a hero

I say three cheers for Ann Coulter's Megaphone. :)

2002-09-21T00:46:00.000-04:00

Columnist Thomas Sowell skewers ardent multi-culturalism advocates

Excerpt:

People can define things inside their own heads any way they want to. It is only when they pretend to be talking about things outside their heads, in the real world, that they spread intellectual confusion and social chaos. Many a foolish policy is based on trying to make the real world match the picture inside someone's head.

Since all people and all cultures are equal -- inside the heads of the one-uppers -- any disparities in the real world are seen as injustices to be corrected. Therefore, if a high school punishes more black males than Asian females for misconduct, then apparently that school must be racist and should be sued.

Differences in income, mortality rates, unemployment, and innumerable other things are all automatically suspect as evils of society, because different groups cannot possibly be behaving differently, since they are equal inside the heads of the one-uppers. Countries that are poor cannot possibly be less productive, but must have been "exploited" somehow.

2002-09-20T10:36:00.000-04:00

Canada's waiting lists in their National Health Care System are now longer than ever: Average time from referral to treatment is 16.5 weeks

And this is the same system that American liberals want to bring to America. I can only speak for myself but I sure doubt many Americans want to wait an average of 4 months to get treatment after first seeing a general practitioner.

It should be noted that the more rural areas of Canada, though lower in population, had much longer waits for treatment than the average population.

Maybe Canadians are a little relieved from their misery knowing that their long waits for Cardiac Health Care is still a shorter wait on average than the National Health Care Systems of Britain and New Zealand.

2002-09-20T02:32:00.000-04:00

Preschool is overhyped.

You would think those who support early preschool education would base their beliefs on solid evidence, they don't.

Summary: Public supported pre-school is basically tax supported daycare.

2002-09-20T01:30:00.000-04:00

TYRANNY NAKED:

An interesting quote from Isabel Paterson, The God of the Machine (1993 Transaction Publishers edition, pp.255-6.)

There can be no greater stretch of arbitrary power than is required to seize children from their parents, teach them whatever the authorities decree they shall be taught, and expropriate from the parents the funds to pay for the procedure. If this principle really is not understood, let any parent holding a positive religious faith consider how it would seem to him if his child were taken by force and taught an opposite creed. Would he not recognize tyranny naked?

I read the above and think of those with positive religious faiths being forced to place their children into the public school system to be taught an opposite creed, and to pay for it themselves through taxation.

NOW is the time for the government to issue VOUCHERS to all families of school age children.

2002-09-20T01:29:00.000-04:00

Learn how to expose Evolution as a religion and rhetorically/logically disarm those who say it is not.

Those who call Evolution a science and not religion engage in the use of a logical fallacy called the “red herring"

For the benefit of those not familiar with what a “red herring” fallacy is, I will explain very briefly before demonstrating how most evolution backers illogically deny that evolution is a religion.

A Red Herring is a fallacy in which an irrelevant topic is presented in order to divert attention from the original issue. The basic idea is to "win" an argument by leading attention away from the argument and to another topic. This sort of "reasoning" has the following form:

1. Topic A is under discussion.

2. Topic B is introduced under the guise of being relevant to topic A (when topic B is actually not relevant to topic A).

3. Topic A is abandoned.

This sort of "reasoning" is fallacious because merely changing the topic of discussion hardly counts as an argument against a claim.

Now take a look at this real world example:

1. Topic A (the Theory of Evolution) is under discussion. Talk is of macro-evolution and how there is no proof, with most agreeing the theory has not been proven. Most would agree that pure FAITH would be required to believe that evolution, either godless or with god’s help, is a fact. It is pointed out that a belief system (in this case evolution) held to with ardor and faith is defined in Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary as a religion.

2. Topic B (Scientific Study or Science) is introduced under the guise of being relevant to topic A (when topic B is actually not relevant to topic A).

3. Topic A is abandoned.

Merely changing the topic of discussion to ‘scientific study method or science’ hardly counts as an argument against FAITH being required to believe that evolution, either godless or with god’s help, is a fact, or as an argument that contradicts the definition of religion as defined by Merriam-Websters Dictionary.

Reference my commentary from 09-20-02 for much more material on the subject of evolution being a religious belief.

2002-09-20T01:26:00.000-04:00

THE FIRST AMENDMENT :

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

The "Establishment of Religion" is not the same as abolishing all religion from government institutions or schools. The way I interpret that is to mean the Government is not to endorse any one religion over another.

Note carefully what the Amendment says here, "or prohibiting the free exercise thereof".

Why do liberals want to prohibit people from exercising their First Amendment Rights to pray or meditate at school? Answer: The Godless left wishes to establish their own religion of 'life spontaneously originating from mud, and nothing after death', in supremacy to all other religions. They view prayer as contrary to their religion and wish to denigrate any religion that has the political power to challenge their own power in the public school system. They will not admit this publicly, they dare not. They wish to hide behind the facade that since they lack religious rituals, which is in contrast to other religions, they are not a religion, and thus are free to teach their beliefs (actually religious beliefs) without restraint, disguised as scientific theory. I say to you, 'Religion Lite', or rather what is currently taught in the public schools, is a Religion, no matter how 'less filling' it is.

Only one religion has the political potential to challenge 'Religion Lite' at this time, and that religion is Christianity. That's why Christianity gets the most intolerant visceral reaction from the 'spontaneous life from mud' believers in control of and teaching their religious beliefs in the public school system. Liberals like to 'appear' tolerant of non-Christian religions, only because they have no large base of political power in this country. If the muslims or religious jews had a large political power base anywhere near the size of Christians in this country, and used it to influence moral issues, the superficial liberal tolerance for these religions would quickly disappear.

2002-09-20T00:58:00.000-04:00

EVOLUTION IS A RELIGIOUS BELIEF to those who fervently believe in it as fact...

A good starting point for exploring this statement is from what the BBC has to say.

A definition of religion is difficult. The variety of religions is so great that definitions become convoluted.

Now after being up front with their difficulty in defining religion, the BBC then moves on to deny that humanism is a religion, all the while including a full page discussion of humanism in their online lesson about World Religions.

Does anybody else find something amiss here?

Excuse me BBC, but if as you say humanism is not a religion, don’t you think it would be consistent to not bring up the subject of humanism in your extended lesson about World Religions? Why include it? Why bother to spell out in detail the 'system of belief' for humanists? Please note that the BBC does not say why humanism is not a religion, they just make their statement as a fact to be accepted as too 'obvious' to warrant further examination. More on this later, but first...

Let's take a look at what the Merriam-Webster Dictionary has to say with three of their four different definitions of Religion:

2 : a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices

3 : archaic : scrupulous conformity: CONSCIENTIOUSNESS

4 : a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith.

Is evolution not "institutionalized" in the public school system now? Do not those who push evolution demand "scrupulous conformity" with evolution to the exclusion of all other theories? Do they not try to imprint evolution into the "conscientiousness" of today’s kids? Is evolution not a "system of belief held to with ardor and faith"?

From my perspective it is a faith which has become a fervent cause for evolution's believers to fight for, a fight to keep their monopoly of religious belief established in the public school system.

From the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, their multiple definitions of Religious:

1 : relating to OR manifesting faithful devotion to an acknowledged ultimate reality or deity.

2 : of, relating to, OR devoted to religious beliefs or observances.

3 a : scrupulously and conscientiously faithful b : FERVENT, ZEALOUS.

Is not evolution the "ultimate reality" for believers in evolution? Is it not their ultimate belief as to how things are now, how they were, and how they will continue to be in the future? Are ardent evolution believers not "devoted" to teaching their belief in evolution as an unquestionable fact? Are they not "fervent" and "zealous" over the issue of evolution to the point that their belief has become a faith?

The only thing scientific about evolution is that it attempts to use scientific observation to validate the theory. Evolution can not scientifically be demonstrated and has not been proven.

Think about the following, and bear with me because this paragraph of analogy makes a crucial point. If somebody walked up to you and told you they believed the first ‘thousand’ humans spontaneously and simultaneously formed from the elements of the earth to give rise to what we now know call modern humans.... and that when we die we come back as salamanders. Would you not think of their 'belief system' as either their religion, or part of their religious beliefs?

Now stay with me here, I’m about to make my point with an analogy. How is the following is not a religion? A person fervently believes that life spontaneously created itself from mud, and over time evolved into what we call mankind. Upon death, nothing happens, no rebirth as a salamander, nothing that’s it. Has this not met all the previous requisites that allowed you to bestow religion status upon the first example I gave you? Both supply a version of how we came to be and what happens when we die. All of the world's religions, no matter how diverse, have at least one commonality, they offer an unproven version of how life originated.

Notice how in the first example I gave you there were no religious ‘ceremonies’ which needed to be described or observed from the "salamander" guy for most reasonable people to accept his described beliefs as 'his' version of a weird religion. Note also there was no mention of a "diety" for his 'system of belief' to be accepted as a religion. Just because people have traditionally thought of religion as involving a "diety" or even multiple gods, does not make such a definition reality in real life. Basically the salamander guy's religion is a stripped down version of religion, yet it is still is a religion no matter how bare bones it gets.

Likewise humanism is a stripped down form of religion, without ceremony, and found most common in combination with the belief in evolution, a belief that explains in such "believers" minds how we came to be and what will happen when we die. Just because many people have traditionally thought of religion as involving a "diety" or even multiple gods, does not make such a definition of religion reality. Indeed, such a definition is poorly thought out and far to narrow to be accurate enough to include all the great variety of religons in the world today.

It is time for people to wake up to what the definition of religion really is. Most folks have an old dictionary lying about the house and most of these are badly out of date. If you don't trust the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as being up to date, I suggest going to your nearest large bookstore and find the biggest thickest dictionary there you get your hands on to look up the definition of religion and religious. Old or small dictionaries cannot be counted upon as being authoritative.

My local trip to the closest Barnes & Noble Bookstore yielded the following definition of religion from the biggest dictionary I could find than was not sealed in plastic, the dictionary being called the "Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 2nd Edition, copyright 2001" with over 315,000 entries:

1. a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.

3. the body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices: a world council of religions.

6. something one believes in and follows devotedly; a point or matter of ethics or conscious: to make a religion of fighting prejudice.

9. get religion (informal) - to acquire a deep conviction of the validity of religious beliefs and practices.

Hmm.... humanism and evolution fit hand in glove with the above definition of religion. Evolution contains a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, while humanism provides a moral code for governing the conduct of human affairs as defined in #1 above.

Visit the "Council for Secular Humanism" or the "American Humanist Association" and witness for yourself how these organized groups of people adhere to a particular set of beliefs and practices as defined by #3 above.

A person could certainly say that those who believe in evolution make a religion out of fighting all alternative theories (reference #6 above).

Lastly as defined by #9, those who believe in evolution have a deep conviction of the validity of their religious beliefs, though like the BBC, they are confused as to what religion exactly is and deny that their own FAITH is a religion. I say FAITH because it requires faith to believe something that has not been proven a fact, and evolution is indeed unproven, something that can not be scientifically demonstrated no matter how much they repeat the lie that evolution is science.

Earlier I referenced the BBC saying:

A definition of religion is difficult. The variety of religions is so great that definitions become convoluted.

Here the liberal and humanist religion pushing BBC has basically admitted that old definitions of religion have become hopelessly OUTDATED in light of today's great variety of religions.

In summation here I would say to you that evolution is religious dogma to those who fervently believe in it, that this religious dogma has not been proven as fact, and has no place in the public school system where it has currently ESTABLISHED itself in direct contradiction to the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

2002-09-19T14:02:00.000-04:00

The world's collective amnesia

2002-09-19T13:52:00.000-04:00

Legal Group Seeks to Close Loophole Penalizing Home Schoolers

2002-09-18T19:08:00.000-04:00

Blaming Jeb For Voting Mess Is A Pitiful Democratic Deceit

2002-09-17T09:51:00.000-04:00

Ohio Child Rape Case Shows Need For 'Big Brothers' Policy Change

2002-09-17T03:02:00.000-04:00

Secretary of Education Rod Paige says a shortage of public school teachers could be ended if states put qualified non-teachers in classrooms...

Paige says of the NEA, which is the nation's largest teachers union:

I have been very troubled by the positions the NEA has taken and in general consider them to be guardians of the status quo.

2002-09-16T23:28:00.000-04:00

Same Sex Schools Show Successes

Sometimes you just have to wonder about the priorities of the Associated Press and the liberals who write for them. Example:

Research on single-sex education, done mostly in private schools, is inconclusive. It suggests the schools are more orderly and that girls tend to do better in math, science, athletics and social situations. But it found the self-esteem of girls attending such schools is not necessarily better than that of girls in other schools.

Who but an out of touch liberal could believe the absurdity that NOT improving self esteem BEYOND what is currently achieved in public schools is somehow a valid reason to look down upon same sex schools, all the while the same individual bluntly acknowledges same sex schools have BETTER results in math, science, athletics, and social situations. I find the assertion to be an illustration of absurdity.

Not IMPROVING self esteem deemed worthy of a BUT by the Associated Press? Deemed worthy of canceling out better academic, athletic, and social performance as "inconclusive" in a show of dubious relativism?

How about a reporter shows his/her dumb BUTT. That's much better. :)

2002-09-16T23:05:00.000-04:00

Activists seek end to animal rights group's tax-exempt status

2002-09-16T19:26:00.000-04:00

The Banks and Cultural Treason

A story which shows yet another way in which liberals do more harm than good to those they are claiming to help.

2002-09-16T09:37:00.000-04:00

A new book by Jerrold and Leona Schecter, documents that Soviet espionage in the US was even more widespread than believed, and had serious effects on the US. (Sept 16, 2002 entry) (post from Strategypage.com, after clicking link you must scroll down to Sept 16, 2002 entry)

Using newly-declassified US documents and recently-obtained KGB archives, here are the highlights:

@ The Rosenbergs were indeed Soviet spies, as was Alger Hiss.

@ Most of those "falsely accused" by the McCarthyites (including the much-maligned Whitacker Chambers) were, in fact, Soviet spies, assets, or sources.

@ US nuclear bomb scientist J Robert Oppenheimer was not just a Soviet asset, feeding them information on the US nuclear program, but went out of his way to arrange for other Soviet spies to be hired for key government agencies.

@ Harry Dexter White, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury and author of the post-war plans for Germany, was a major Soviet asset who provided information to other Soviet spies he had maneuvered into key government jobs. White went to great efforts to cause tension between the US and Japan in the late 30s in a bid to stop the planned Japanese invasion of Siberia.

@ President Harry Truman deliberately covered up evidence of the true extent of Soviet spying out of fear it would cost the Democratic Party the 1952 elections. The authors show that despite claims to the contrary by Democrats, Truman was fully briefed on the Verona Transcripts, a series of intercepted KGB communications from the late 40s which were kept secret until a few years ago. Truman reportedly doubted that the Verona transcripts could have been accurate; it has since been confirmed that they were completely accurate.

2002-09-16T02:46:00.000-04:00

Democrats play politics with National Security

2002-09-15T10:45:00.000-04:00

New Republic Magazine has some things to say about the evasiveness of most elected Democrats on the issue of Iraq:

Highlights:

#1 Oh, the party's leaders speak: They appear on talk shows; they write op-eds; they convene congressional hearings. But most of what they say is best understood as highly articulate evasiveness. They have devised a series of formulations designed to make the party appear to be offering a clear response to the president's proposed war, when it is actually doing the opposite.

#2 The Democrats are a party of bystanders, a party without a position on the issue that matters most.

#3 The Democrats rationalize their efforts to keep Iraq off the campaign trail by insinuating that the Bush administration, by proposing a congressional vote on Iraq before Election Day, is exploiting the war for political gain. But in fact, the real cynics are the Democrats, who are trying to conceal their views on the war until after November 5 and, thus, deny their constituents the information they need to cast an intelligent vote.

#4 The second evasion is that Democrats need not take a position on Iraq because President Bush has not yet "made the case" for war. But the case is clear: Saddam Hussein is pursuing nuclear weapons, and the only way to make sure he does not use them against the United States or its allies is to remove him from power. It is true that the Bush administration has not spelled out how close Saddam is to nuclear capability and exactly what weapons of mass destruction he currently possesses. But the case for war does not require that level of certainty. All it requires is confidence that Saddam is aggressively pursuing nuclear capability and that he could achieve it in years rather than decades. Given that, it is precisely the uncertainty about when Saddam will get the bomb upon which the pro-war argument relies.

That is why the Democrats' suggestion that they need not take a stand until the Bush administration provides empirical evidence misses the point. The empirical evidence is necessarily limited. More importantly, it acquires meaning only in light of a theory about international affairs. The Bush administration's case for war is its theory of preemption. And it is the Democrats who have declined either to embrace that theory or to refute it in the name of containment and deterrence.

#5 Democratic leaders are hiding behind the alliance's skirts, using Europe's opposition to avoid explaining how they see this dangerous world. Multilateralism, in the hands of today's Democrats, is not a foreign policy vision; it is an absence of foreign policy vision, an abdication of the party's obligation to think for itself.

2002-09-14T18:55:00.000-04:00

Canada's only reason for refusing to provide aid to African Women in need was that the Women's Health Center in Ghana did not provide abortion services.

2002-09-14T18:13:00.000-04:00

Thomas Sowell has recently published three statements worth repeating:

#1 What "multiculturalism" boils down to is that you can praise any culture in the world except Western culture -- and you cannot blame any culture in the world except Western culture.

#2 Teachers' unions often say that teachers deserve higher pay because they are doing an important job. But if you are doing an important job badly, you are doing more harm than if you were doing some minor job badly. Many teachers are overpaid for what they are actually doing, even if someone who did the job right would deserve far higher pay.

#3 The next time somebody talks about how we should be guided by "world opinion," just remember those Palestinians and Egyptians dancing in the streets after 3,000 Americans were murdered by terrorists. Remember all the young Americans buried under a sea of crosses on the beaches at Normandy because we had to rescue the terribly clever French, who had blundered their way into a war in which they surrendered after less than two months of fighting. Remember all the tinhorn despots and half-baked intellectuals around the world who constitute a large part of what is called "world opinion."

2002-09-13T02:07:00.000-04:00

Atta 'met Saddam' before attacks

2002-09-11T23:44:00.000-04:00

Are local newscasters doing a public service or blatent politicking for Democrats?

Read the following and decide for yourself.

For the past couple of weeks prior to Tuesday's elections local newscasters had been reminding voters that every vote counts and not to waste their vote by not voting. The trouble with their effort was the background photo. During each mini-sermon they gave was a photo of Nader supporters. In other words without saying it directly, they were sending the message indirectly to voters not to waste their vote by voting for Nader in the future 2004 elections. Why else would they show Nader supporters?

It seems to me the appropriate background to show would be that of South Florida election officials squinting at dimpled chads or a graph showing the close vote totals in the election results of 2000.

2002-09-11T18:47:00.000-04:00

Eleanor Roosevelt was right to oppose the commemoration of Pearl Harbor.

From Jennifer Harper of the Washington Times:

In her newspaper column on Dec. 8, 1942, first lady Eleanor Roosevelt told Americans why she opposed the commemoration of Pearl Harbor. "It is not a date for a holiday," she wrote. "It is a date that should make us work."

Apparently most of the country agreed with her at the time. Oh how things have changed in this respect... for the worse!

We have gone from the Greatest Generation who did what they had to do in WWII, to a generation in which many are hobbled by a liberal controlled education that has left them obsessed with feelings, morally confused, and badly deficient in their knowledge of history, the result being that they are unsure of what is right, hesitating at the moment when they should be showing courage and determination to support the U.S. government's effort to win the war.

The way to honor the memory of the dead from 9-11 is by righting the great wrong done to them, not by overblown grief-mongering.

2002-09-11T15:47:00.000-04:00

Pakistani police raid suspected al-Qaeda hideout

2002-09-11T15:36:00.000-04:00

Broward and Dade counties in Florida again suffer election day problems

No surprise here. No surprise that the county supervisors of elections there are Democrats that is. No doubt these two liberal leaning counties will continue to vote for Democratic Party incompetance.

2002-09-11T13:52:00.000-04:00

Paul Cellucci, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, yesterday chastised Canadian critics who worry that increased military co-operation with American troops threatens Canada's sovereignty.

2002-09-11T13:27:00.000-04:00

Mexico resigns from 1947 defense treaty with the Organization of American States.

Mexico's President Vicenti Fox calls it a cold war relic.

Fox's administration wants a security pact that would take into account other threats, including natural disasters, public health problems, poverty, terrorism and organized crime.

Fat chance.

2002-09-11T07:05:00.000-04:00

CNN running an online poll today asking what readers think about making 9-11 a National Holiday

Last I checked 40% of the respondents had said YES.

I thought to myself, how could so many people be stupid enough to celebrate a tragedy every year?

Then I remembered that roughly 40% of the U.S. population can be counted on to always vote Democrat. Surely that must be what explains the stupid response to the poll I first thought, but if not that then it must be thet pure greed of wanting to get paid for doing nothing.

On the positive side 60% said NO.

2002-09-11T02:01:00.000-04:00

More Teachers Bonding With Single-Sex Classes

2002-09-11T01:41:00.000-04:00

Why liberals are not on talk radio.

2002-09-11T00:41:00.000-04:00

A federal appeals court ruled Monday that a school district violated a Bible club leader's rights by refusing to give her club the same status and benefits granted to other school groups.

2002-09-10T23:10:00.000-04:00

What would motivate Democratic Party politicians to keep kids trapped in failing schools?

Let's take a look. Those who are more educated and more affluent tend to vote for conservatives. Thus, the incentives for conservatives are to help everyone get an education and move up the economic ladder.

For liberals who wish to keep large numbers of voters pulling their lever in the voting booth, they need to keep America's future voters as ignorant as they can get away with. Democrat politicians with this outlook could fairly be described as "Faustian intellectuals who would be as gods".

If not that then they are heartless souls "willing to sacrifice the future of other people's children to an abstract principle".

It is truly amazing how liberals say that Democrats best look after the interests of the "oppressed" poor and minorities all the while doing their best to keep these same folks oppressed inside a failing public school system, making no attempt at meaningful reform.

2002-09-10T20:53:00.000-04:00

After trolling through the editorial archives of the "Florida Times Union" (Jacksonville)...

here are some good politically incorrect reads on EDUCATION to recommend in the fight against failed liberal approaches to public education.

#1 Fixing schools

#2 Out of touch

#3 Chasing a Wild Goose

#4 Same Old Tune

#5 Quality Counts

#6 Gloomy Data

#7 The Rant

#8 Opportunity Missed

#9 An Easy Decision

2002-09-10T19:21:00.000-04:00

Teachers' salaries an indicator of education improvement?

That's the kind of twisted self serving thinking you get from the education establishment these days. What is most alarming is that many ignorant folk gobble that up as a cure for education woes.

When is the last time you ever heard of higher salaries as an indicator of improved fire or police department protection?

2002-09-10T12:34:00.000-04:00

Smoking linked to a doubling of risk for Sudden Infant Death (SID).

2002-09-09T16:11:00.000-04:00

From "Best of the Web"

A liberal's letter to the Washington Post. My Public Spirit Stops at My Daughter'

One April Falcon Doss explains why she chose to send her daughter to a private school:

For a card-carrying liberal, I was surprisingly unapologetic about our decision. Why should I sacrifice our daughter's future to an abstract principle? I wasn't up to battling the school system about class size, curriculum and extracurricular activities. And by the time any changes could be made, our daughter would have already missed out on a vibrant education

Here in a nutshell is the definition of an American liberal: one who is willing to sacrifice the future of other people's children to an abstract principle.

2002-09-08T00:57:00.000-04:00

59 Socialists in Congress

2002-09-08T00:42:00.000-04:00

Politically Incorrect Quote of the Day

In politics, the Democrat Party is the political home of the brainless and those corrupt members of the cognitive elite who have a lust for power. The latter are the Faustian intellectuals who would be as gods. - Dr. Samuel L. Blumenfield

While I agree with the general direction of Dr. Blumenfield's quote, I think he stretches the truth to far using hyperbole with the statement "brainless". It would be more accurate from my point of view to say that the Democratic Party is NOT the home of the brainless, but the home of the ignorant who refuse to exercise their brains, who become ruled by emotion, often being either a shallow feel goodism which does more harm than good or the emotion of envy, (see Ronald Bailey's study on envy).

When the good Dr. speaks of "Faustian intellectuals who would be as gods", I believe these to be fewer in number than he would lead others to believe, though they do exist in unprincipled politicians such as the Clintons who know only the permanent campaign with all policy about staying in power.

Regrettably Bush #43 sometimes shows the same unprincipled lust for power.

Be sure to read Dr. Blumenfield's opinion piece "How public schools are destroying the American brain."

2002-09-08T00:30:00.000-04:00

Women who have abortions are more likely to die later via suicide than those who give birth.

2002-09-07T23:10:00.000-04:00

With medical proof of brainwave activity in the unborn, why the Double Standard between the born and unborn?

The BBC publishes an interesting story today about brainwave activity in unborn babies, but fails to point out that unborn babies can legally have their brains sucked out.

Question... why is it legal to suck out the brains of the brainactive unborn but not the brainactive born? Pro-abortion supporters have no shame.

2002-09-06T14:07:00.000-04:00

The PINLO Report goes Weekly

All this daily posting and searching the web for things to comment on has been taking to much time out of my life, so I have decided to concentrate more on weekly commentaries of higher quality. For those seeking good daily updated blogs I recommend a look a my daily reading list in the right side column.

As the solo blogger here at 'PINLO', I have noticed I am often pinched for time and rush out commentary that is just not ready for print, not well proof read, and in general presents poorly even though the idea contained therein may be of high quality. I intend for future posts to be well proof read and easier to understand.

2002-09-04T23:14:00.000-04:00

Some speculation reported by Fox News that gets me excited

Bush intends to tell world leaders in his Sept. 12 address that the relevance of the U.N. itself is at stake, according to an official familiar with early drafts of the speech.

All part of Bush's supposed plan to call on the UN to back efforts to remove Saddam due to his failure to comply to agreements consenting to inspections for weapons of mass destruction and ending the Persian Gulf War.

Oh how I hope this speculation is oh so true.

2002-09-04T22:50:00.000-04:00

India has established an air base in Tajikistan...

the first Indian air base on foreign soil. If you follow the above link, look for the "Sept 4" story.

2002-09-03T15:57:00.000-04:00

A Computer Crash took away my ability to post online for almost five days

I'm back with apoligies for the unexpected break in posting.

Being without the internet for all that time I feel somewhat uninformed with the latest news and will be getting myself back up to speed over the next day or two before resuming posting.

2002-08-29T23:53:00.000-04:00

EVOLUTION IS A RELIGIOUS BELIEF to those who fervently believe in it as fact...

A good starting point for exploring this statement is from what the BBC has to say.

A definition of religion is difficult. The variety of religions is so great that definitions become convoluted.

2 : a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices

3 : archaic : scrupulous conformity: CONSCIENTIOUSNESS

4 : a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith.

1 : relating to OR manifesting faithful devotion to an acknowledged ultimate reality or deity.

2 : of, relating to, OR devoted to religious beliefs or observances.

3 a : scrupulously and conscientiously faithful b : FERVENT, ZEALOUS.

Is not evolution the "ultimate reality" for believers in evolution? Is it not their ultimate belief as to how things are now, how they were, and how they will continue to be in the future? Are they not "devoted" teaching their belief in evolution as an unquestionable fact? Are they not "fervent" and "zealous" over the issue of evolution such that their belief has become a conscious faith?

The only thing scientific about evolution is that it attempts to use scientific observation to validate the theory. Evolution can not scientifically be demonstrated and has not been proven.

Think about the following, and bear with me because this paragraph of analogy makes a crucial point. If somebody walked up to you and told you they believed the first ‘thousand’ humans spontaneously and simultaneously formed from the elements of the earth to give rise to what we now know call modern humans.... and that when we die we come back as salamanders. Would you not think of their 'belief system' as either their religion, or part of their religious beliefs?

Now stay with me here, I’m about to make my point with an analogy. How is the following is not a religion? A person fervently believes that life spontaneously created itself from mud, and over time evolved into what we call mankind. Upon death, nothing happens, no rebirth as a salamander, nothing that’s it. Has this not met all the previous requisites that allowed you to bestow religion status upon the first example I gave you? Both supply a version of how we came to be and what happens when we die. All of the world's religions, no matter how diverse, have at least one commonality, they offer an unproven version of how life originated.

Notice how in the first example I gave you there were no religious ‘ceremonies’ which needed to be described or observed from the "salamander" guy for most reasonable people to accept his described beliefs as 'his' version of a weird religion. Note also there was no mention of a "diety" for his 'system of belief' to be accepted as a religion. Just because people have traditionally thought of religion as involving a "diety" or even multiple gods, does not make such a definition reality in real life. Basically the salamander guy's religion is a stripped down version of religion, yet it is still is a religion no matter how bare bones it gets.

Likewise humanism is a stripped down form of religion, without ceremony, and found most common in combination with the belief in evolution, a belief that explains in such "believers" minds how we came to be and what will happen when we die. Just because many people have traditionally thought of religion as involving a "diety" or even multiple gods, does not make such a definition of religion reality. Indeed, such a definition is poorly thought out and far to narrow to be accurate enough to include all the great variety of religons in the world today.

It is time for people to wake up to what the definition of religion really is. Most folks have an old dictionary lying about the house and most of these are badly out of date. If you don't trust the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as being up to date, I suggest going to your nearest large bookstore and find the biggest thickest dictionary there you get your hands on to look up the definition of religion and religious. Old or small dictionaries cannot be counted upon as being authoritative.

My local trip to the closest Barnes & Noble Bookstore yielded the following definition of religion from the biggest dictionary I could find than was not sealed in plastic, the dictionary being called the "Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 2nd Edition, copyright 2001" with over 315,000 entries:

1. a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.

3. the body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices: a world council of religions.

6. something one believes in and follows devotedly; a point or matter of ethics or conscious: to make a religion of fighting prejudice.

9. get religion (informal) - to acquire a deep conviction of the validity of religious beliefs and practices.

Hmm.... humanism and evolution fit hand in glove with the above definition of religion. Evolution contains a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, while humanism provides a moral code for governing the conduct of human affairs as defined in #1 above.

Visit the "Council for Secular Humanism" or the "American Humanist Association" and witness for yourself how these organized groups of people adhere to a particular set of beliefs and practices as defined by #3 above.

A person could certainly say that those who believe in evolution make a religion out of fighting all alternative theories to that of the unproven theory of evolution (reference #6 above).

Lastly as defined by #9, those who believe in evolution have a deep conviction of the validity of their religious beliefs, though like the BBC, they are confused as to what religion exactly is and deny that their own FAITH is a religion. I say FAITH because it requires faith to believe something that has not been proven a fact, and evolution is indeed unproven, something that can not be scientifically demonstrated no matter how much they repeat the lie that evolution is science.

Earlier I referenced the BBC saying:

A definition of religion is difficult. The variety of religions is so great that definitions become convoluted.

Note that even the liberal and humanist religion pushing BBC has basically admitted that old definitions of religion have become hopelessly outdated in light of today's great variety of religions.

In summation here I would say to you that evolution is religious dogma to those who fervently believe in it, that this religious dogma has not been proven as fact, and has no place in the public school system where it has currently ESTABLISHED itself in direct contradiction to the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

2002-08-29T19:07:00.000-04:00

Equal time for creation in Cobb County Georgia?

The above Cobb county story was also featured on NBC News tonight and may be the "genesis" of a new movement to do something about the teaching of evolution as fact in the public school system.

In the short term, I applaud the efforts of the Cobb County School Board in Georgia to inform it’s students that Evolution is indeed a theory. The reason their efforts upset so many fervent (religious) believers in Evolution don’t like their religious monopoly in the public school system challenged.

Ultimately though I think all efforts to teach the origin of mankind should be left out of the public school system unless all views are taught. Let them choose as adults in the University system what courses and subject matter they wish to learn when it comes to origins of man.

Now evolutionists will wail that students in science will be greatly shortchanged and under prepared for college level study in science if not taught about evolution in the middle and High School grades. Get real guys, the average person can absorb the basics of evolution theory in a well taught one hour class. Entry level college Biology classes already repeat what is taught in Middle and High School before moving on to more complicated stuff. This issue is really a red herring brought up by evolutionists. What they really want is to teach and 'convert' kids to their own personal religion.

2002-08-29T18:59:00.000-04:00

ACLU Sues Over Evolution Disclaimers in Textbooks

The stickers, placed in new science books this month after requests from parents opposed to evolution on religious grounds, say evolution is a theory, not fact, and should be critically considered.

2002-08-29T01:16:00.000-04:00

Janet Reno's Political Correctness and push for Diversity in the FBI part of the reason for the intelligence failures of 9-11

Bill Gertz, Washington Times columnist seems to think so:

More important to the Clinton administration than countering domestic terror was the political correctness of an FBI reorganization under a new director, Louis J. Freeh. The Clinton Justice Department, led by Attorney General Janet Reno, sought to refocus domestic counterintelligence efforts on anti-abortion bombings, even though the FBI knew that problem was not as serious as the growing threat of Islamic terrorism.

'Momentous' moves
Mr. Freeh, following the push for diversity over performance, appointed a black, a Hispanic and a woman to top FBI posts on Oct. 13, 1993. The appointments marked a "momentous day," he said.

His reorganization also included the first of several shifts that seriously harmed the FBI's intelligence-gathering capabilities and led indirectly to the failure to detect the movements of bin Laden's al Qaeda network before September 11.

2002-08-28T19:13:00.000-04:00

An Ironworkers Union accounting scandal

Where are the big names in media on this? Why the silence? Is it because it a Union is involved?

2002-08-28T16:52:00.000-04:00

Yahoo!! I'm just Googling with enthusiasm after finding that both these Search Engines have me listed using the proper title and description.

Now if I can only work on moving up higher on the search results list for keywords.

2002-08-28T13:35:00.000-04:00

Help Prevent Democrats From Trying To Steal The Election in Your State and City

2002-08-28T12:17:00.000-04:00

Israeli Tips From Street Fighting in the West Bank.

2002-08-28T00:55:00.000-04:00

'Stability' is the last thing Iraq needs

In his National Post opinion Mark Steyn rebuts the much ballyhooed Brent Snowcroft opposition to regime change in Iraq.

A decade ago, Brent Scowcroft advised Bush Sr. to stick with Gorbachev and the preservation of the Soviet Union over Yeltsin and a democratic Russia. Last autumn, he argued in favour of leaving the Taliban in power. Inevitably Scowcroft now supports letting Saddam be because, if we start a war, "we could have an explosion in the Middle East. It could turn the whole region into a cauldron."

I agree. The only difference is that I think an explosion is long overdue and turning the whole region into a cauldron is a necessary step toward taming and then reforming it. It's the non-explosive non-cauldron Middle East that's caused so many of our present woes. But you can't expect Scowcroft, a notorious stability junkie, to accept such a premise.

2002-08-28T00:11:00.000-04:00

Iran hiding Al Qaeda fighters according to Arab intelligence services

2002-08-27T23:50:00.000-04:00

Could Apple's Jaguar be the Operating System of the future? Read why a BusinessWeek technology correspondent thinks the newly released OS X is clearly superior to Microsoft.

What I think is cool is that Apple wrote Microsoft's networking technology into its system so that it can network without difficulty to PC machines.

2002-08-27T23:22:00.000-04:00

EU corruption, cronyism, and abuse of power continues.

EU whistleblower quits after saying it is still business as usual with corruption, cronyism and abuse of power in the European Commission.

Three years ago his relevations forced the entire commission to resign. Speaking about the reform that took place since then he says, "Despite everything, I can't see any change in Brussels".

Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The EU sure needs to make its system more democratic and get away from all the unelected high level bureaucrats making decisions that effect all of Europe.

2002-08-27T16:41:00.000-04:00

Congressional Ratings are now online for the year 2001 from Citizens Against Government Waste.

Search from their page to see how they rate your Congressmen and Senator's handling of your money.

2002-08-27T16:27:00.000-04:00

"No Accounting For Congress", an opinion by the Non Profit Group 'Citizens Against Government Waste'

A blast from the past relevant to today's earlier posts.

2002-08-27T15:45:00.000-04:00

A suggestion to improve government,

Pass a bill like the one that passed last month requiring chief executives or chief financial officers to certify the accuracy of company finances under penalty of law, only this time require Federal Department Chiefs to certify the accuracy of their Department's finances under penalty of law.

Let's get this party started!!! Suggest it to your representative.

2002-08-27T14:14:00.000-04:00

The Federal Government scandal that politicians would rather you not know about.

The financial statements of many federal agencies are in such dismal shape that the General Accounting Office (GAO) -- the investigative arm of Congress that audits federal accounts -- has been unable to provide an opinion on the government's finances for the past five years.

And the bureaucrats leading these departments will tell you every year that they need more money. In the marketplace such abysmal financial integrity would lead to bankruptcy. In the world of the federal government, they just pick your pocket to make up for the government version of corporate malfeasance.

Who is going to hold these bureaucrats responsible for the actions? Make your voice heard to your representatives on this issue.

Whenever a politician asks for a tax increase, tell 'em what we really need is responsible accounting for funds used in government and cuts in spending.

Bush signed into law last month a bill requiring chief executives or chief financial officers to certify the accuracy of company finances under penalty of law. "There will not be a different ethical standard for corporate America than the standard that applies to everyone else," he said.

Nice words Mr. President, only they become a bad joke of empty rhetoric when you don't do anything to back it up. What about the different ethical standard for Government accounting?

My advice to you Mr. President, don't let your words become a bad joke. If you can straighten out government accounting the Republican party will greatly benefit, if not you only contribute to the growing dissatisfaction of a considerable number of voters with both major political parties.

2002-08-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

Absolutely shameful

Guess who is footing the biggest part of the bill for this? Good Ole U.S.A.

Who would ever guess by their actions that the folks at this meeting are there to save the world with environmentalism and sustained development?

Have you ever heard of sustained development? Tom DeWeese tells why if you value your property rights you should care what they are up to.

2002-08-27T07:21:00.000-04:00

"No I am used to my freedom of speech"

A revealing quote from a USA Today article (08-27-02):

while official Palestinian opinion holds that East Jerusalem should be run by Palestinians, few who live here want that if it means coming under the wing of Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority, which is perceived as corrupt, inept and ruthless.

They would rather live under Israel's control.

''Like the Jews, we are used to free coming and going,'' Mahalwes says. ''To turn it over to the Palestinian Authority? No. I am used to my freedom of speech.''

Do U.S. liberals and EU euroweenies really care that Palestinians have the right to free speech? You wouldn't know it from their support of the PA as a 'peace partner' and representative of the Palestinian people.

2002-08-27T00:07:00.000-04:00

Palestinian press group warns photographers against pictures of children carrying weapons

The Palestinian journalists union declared on Monday that news photographers are "absolutely forbidden" from talking pictures of Palestinian children carrying weapons or taking part in activities by militant groups, saying that the pictures harm the Palestinian cause.

Hmm, what took the Palestinian journalists so long to figure out that such photos were hurting their cause?

2002-08-26T21:50:00.000-04:00

Plain talk in Israel; twaddle at home.

Christie Blatchford of Canada's National Post writes about how Canada and Israel are the mirror opposites of each other in regards to what is expected and encouraged of their immigrants. After reading her opinion I find it easy to substitute Canada with the U.S. in her analogy.

The U.S. is making a big mistake in abandoning it's encouragement of the 'melting pot'.

UPDATE: If you liked reading the above link, you would probably like to see this post by Balagan too.

2002-08-26T21:20:00.000-04:00

V.P. Cheney speaks out today making the case for a preemptive strike on Iraq.

2002-08-26T20:17:00.000-04:00

Janes.com comments on the situation of many U.S. trained Palestinians participating on attacks on Israelis and more....

2002-08-26T18:41:00.000-04:00

"Sustainable Development" is the phrase that many use to hide their totalitarian ambitions.

2002-08-26T11:01:00.000-04:00

"Teaching to the Test Part II" by Thomas Sowell was added to my recommended reading list today.

2002-08-25T19:52:00.000-04:00

Governor Jeb Bush (FL) says the furor over his choice as Chief for the Department of Children and Families is "soft bigotry" against people of faith.

Can't you just imagine the howls from these same people on the left if pressure groups were encouraging the Governor to rethink his choice because the proposed new guy did NOT have beliefs with a foundation in the word of God?

2002-08-25T19:42:00.000-04:00

Voters care a lot of about education, but typically pay little mind to the nitty-gritty, said Lance de Haven-Smith, a political scientist at Florida State University.

"Most voters will not attend to the details of the policy proposals," de Haven-Smith said. "For that matter, most don't attend to policy at all."

Instead, if they care about education, they'll vote for someone they think does, too, in a broad sense.

"It's not the details," he said, "but the relative importance the candidate is seen attaching to the issue."And all three Democrats are stressing their support for better schools.

Boy did he ever get that right!! And this is the main reason that Democrats are able to demagogue this issue of education every year, claiming to care so much, yet producing dismal failure in the classroom. When will the public at large wake up!! Agghhhhh!!!!

Ok, rant over. I feel better now. :)

2002-08-25T16:58:00.000-04:00

Saudis in $200M Deal With Al Qaeda

No comment needed.

2002-08-25T00:24:00.000-04:00

The '90s expansion led to an excess capacity that drags on the recovery.

Even though the Washington Post puts that on it's front page (online), you can bet that there won't be any Democrats who will admit to it this coming election season!

2002-08-24T21:20:00.000-04:00

An addition to my recommended reading list today from Thomas Sowell.

He talks about some of the problems in education that the Teachers' Unions don't won't you to hear. Part II coming later this week.

2002-08-24T14:26:00.000-04:00

Busy tweaking my blog's template today.

Trying new color schemes. I should be posting again late tonight.

2002-08-23T16:58:00.000-04:00

Canada uses one third of their defense equipment budget increase for the Prime Minister's two new Business Jets

To find above linked story, scroll down to August 16, 2002 after clicking link.

Can't you just imagine the howling that would go on if a U.S. President were to attempt such a thing? Hey, why invest in defense when you got big brother to the south to take care of you (sarc). And what better way for the defense budget hating Socialist Dems in Canada to claim increases larger than what they actually are. Looks to me like a political trick (now exposed) used to decieve more moderate to conservative parts of the Canadian electorate for political gain.

2002-08-23T16:49:00.000-04:00

National Guard Enhanced Brigades feeling a bit demoralized

Strategypage.com publishes about an issue that few take time to think about, but need to.

2002-08-23T00:15:00.000-04:00

Safire is onto something, but misses the mark

Talking about newly verified evidence linking Iraq's Saddam with Al Qaeda, Safire says:

Such verification of data obtained from the captured terrorists awakened C.I.A. bureaucrats who for nearly a year waved reporters away from evidence of Qaeda-Iraqi links lest it justify U.S. action.

Where I think Safire gets it right is the "lest it justify U.S. action" part. When he talks about C.I.A. bureaucrats being awakened by the verified information I think his speculation is off base.

The reason why I think he is off base can be found in my opinion on August 4, 2002 asking:

"Why would the Bush Administration have first worked to caste doubt on the 9-11 terrorist leader's contact with an Iraqi agent in Prague?".

To me the real motive to cast doubt on the Atta-Iraqi intelligence connection was not that the C.I.A. could not verify the information, but that the US military was not prepared at that time to go to war with Iraq, it's precision munitions depleted by the War in Afghanistan. Thus the need to delay the public's demand (their minds still fresh with images from 9-11) for immediate war on Iraq, until the military was truly prepared. Basically a deniable strategic lie in the web of disinformation that we possibly may not hear the truth about for 50 years, if ever.

Back on May 8, 2002, Safire wrote another interesting column pointing out that all the denials to the Atta-Iraq connection came from ANONYMOUS sources. All very easy to deny or resurrect as the need calls for. Frankly I think it is good strategic thinking on the part of the Bush administration. Had Bush verified the Atta-Iraq connection last year, the amount of public pressure to go to war with Iraq right away would have been tremendous. Now with weapon stocks replenished, he can pick and choose the time of his leisure so as to achieve maximum surprise and minimize casualties.

2002-08-22T19:08:00.000-04:00

EU ignores US and NATO concern about Galileo

A Department of Defense official describes the EU action as "puzzling" and "disturbing". I really don't think it is all that puzzling, but it is disturbing in it's consequences for the future defense capability of NATO.

The reason I don't find it so puzzling is that it fits in so well with the philosophy of those who suffer from envy. In this case the envy of the United States.

Now some of you may be asking by now, what on Earth am I talking about? Well my friends, all you need to do to know what I am talking about is to make of quick read of one of the posts on my recommended reading list, "study on envy" by Ronald Bailey.
While reading and thinking about his post, substitute his thought of "Burn the Rich" with "Burn those you envy" (the US).

2002-08-22T16:28:00.000-04:00

Virus discovered to detect, destroy anthrax

The breakthrough could change the way countries prepare for and react to a biological attack.

Always good to hear good news :)

2002-08-22T11:39:00.000-04:00

Saudi justice for terrorists?

Remember the media story last week about the 16 Al Qaeda terrorists that Iran allegedly handed over to Saudi Arabia? If the recent past is any indicator of what will happen to them, don't expect much justice to be done The World Tribune reports that the Chechens who hijacked a Russian airliner last year, diverting it to Saudi Arabia and killing a stewardess, were sentenced to a mere six and four years in prison.

Does anybody believe that the Islamic Courts would mete out punishment more severe than that for the Al Qaeda terrorists? I don't think so. Thieves get their hands cut off, adulterers get stoned to death, murderers in the name of Islam get financial support and pretend showcase punishment if and when they embarass or cause a PR problem for the Saudis by showing up on their soil.

(Due to frames in the titled link you would need to look for the Europe section in the left column to find the story).

2002-08-22T01:57:00.000-04:00

Meat Market Abortions?

Planned Parenthood allegedly using unlicensed personel to assist in abortions at it's abortion clinics.

2002-08-21T18:30:00.000-04:00

Trying a new strategy to promote my site.

After noticing in a WebMonkey article that the Yahoo Search Engine was giving a site over 50% of it's hits, dwarfing all other search engines, I decided to take a look at what category I could fit into over at Yahoo with the intention of suggesting my site. Low and behold I find a category called "US Politics > News and Media" listed at the following URL.

Among the 24 listings there in Alphabetical order I found two sites that I think to be little more than spiffed up blogs, both liberal, and I thought to myself..... If Yahoo is willing to stick these two liberal blogs in with established mainstream media sites, what can I do to to get listed right there with them? How can I overcome any bias the Yahoo selector may have against conservatives?

Well I studied the two liberal blogs to see what I could do to make my site possibly 'look' more acceptable for the Yahoo listing I seek. The two liberal blogs are "NewsForChange" and "ProgressReport", both having a sort of 'air of respectability coming just from the name alone. Thinking that may be part of the reason Yahoo allowed them to list with more traditional media and needing to change my blog's title anyhow, I came up with the name 'The PINLO Report.

The WebMonkey article told me that it sometimes takes several months for Yahoo to add you to their Search Engine, but when and IF they do add me, I'll shout the good news and let others know what kind of web traffic that link is giving me.

Maybe I'm just a dreamer, but I sure do enjoy the thought of a bunch of liberals clicking through my blog just to see what is here. I smile just thinking about it. If I am a little too politically incorrect for some of the A-list blogs who like to call themselves conservative, then just imagine the reactions I will get from the left. Now if only I can figure out how to add the ability for others to leave comments for my posts. Ahh, the joy of discovery as I learn this new blog bit. :)

2002-08-21T14:37:00.000-04:00

Coincidental tie to Iraq and Abu Nidal?

Was it a coincidence that one of the 9-11 terrorists had an Uncle with ties to Abu Nidal and the intelligence services of Iraq of the former East Germany?

The Wall Street Journal has the story in today's editorial by Asla Aydintasbas.

2002-08-21T11:39:00.000-04:00

Islamic Cola

An Islamic Cola becomes a best seller in Saudi Arabia as American 'Coke' sees declining sales from a boycott of American goods.

US exports to Saudi Arabia declined by more than 40% in the first three months of 2002.

Axis of evil member Iran is happy about it though, an Iranian soft drink producer and distributer is doing the best it can to make up the difference.

If I were a betting man I would bet that the decline in sales from a year ago period has continued to drop.

2002-08-21T10:24:00.000-04:00

'New Accounting' from Ontario educrats?

The Ontario government is being urged by a forsenic accountant to take over the Toronto school board, the largest school board in Canada. The accountant describes the trustees there as 'dysfunctional' and 'misguided'.

Hmm.... I feel the same way about a large number of the school boards here in America.

2002-08-21T09:51:00.000-04:00

'Home School' extra curricular activity debate

Letting home schooled kids participate in extracurricular activities at public schools.

The USA Today published two separate articles about that subject today:

#1 "As home schooling rises, districts fail to meet needs"

#2 "Let local boards decide"

2002-08-21T08:33:00.000-04:00

US seeks regime change in Zimbabwe

Source: Washington Times

Better late than never I say. The Bush administration, after much waffling with trying to accomodate the terrorist Arafat, finally came to it's senses, and now seemingly has done so with tyrant Mugabe, a man who would starve his own people to stay in power.

Where is the political left in this country on Mugabe? I can easily imagine the vitrolic attacks on Bush long ago if Mugabe were a tyrant from the 'right' side of the political spectrum. Will the left now be disparaging Bush for attempted hegemony over Rhodesia? It is a bad situation for the 'left' in America that it has gotten so lost in it's warped values that I find myself wondering such things.

2002-08-21T01:18:00.000-04:00

Al Qaeda in Iraq

Source: The Washington Post

In a separate story World Net Daily reports that Bush is backing down on Iraq attack.

Frankly I am getting tired of all the speculative reports on Bush's intentions. I figure that the Bush team must be doing a great job with the disinformation campaign. I don't put much stock in the WND report.... and woe will be to Republican party fortunes in the coming elections of 2002 / 2004 should Bush fail to achieve regime change in Iraq. Surely Bush is aware of that.

2002-08-20T23:40:00.000-04:00

"The soft bigotry of lowered expectations"...

That title quoted above is a 2000 campaign quote from Bush, which came to my mind after reading Mark Steyn's "Multiculturalists are the real racists" quote below.

We're told the old-school imperialists were racists, that they thought of the wogs as inferior. But, if so, they at least considered them capable of improvement. The multiculturalists are just as racist. The only difference is that they think the wogs can never reform: Good heavens, you can't expect a Muslim in Norway not to go about raping the womenfolk! Much better just to get used to it

I am happy to see columnists of stature like Steyn and some in the blogsophere starting to speak out about this.

Back to the past: From three days ago my post "Multi-culturalism is just a form of racism by another name".

2002-08-20T10:09:00.000-04:00

Recommended Reading list addition

"Diversity & Multiculturalism, the New Racism", published by the Ayn Rand Institute.

2002-08-20T00:19:00.000-04:00

Saudi threat to withdraw billions

Source: UK's the Telegraph.

2002-08-19T20:44:00.000-04:00

Many nations around the world seeking more influence with the sole remaining superpower are competing with each other to build bigger, better, more elaborate embassies in Washington.

2002-08-19T10:36:00.000-04:00

California using deception to intimidate homeschooling parents to place their kids back into the public school system. Source: WorldNetDaily.

2002-08-19T10:14:00.000-04:00

Strategypage.com suggests that the US has an EMP (Electro Magnetic Pulse) surprise in store for Iraq.

2002-08-19T10:01:00.000-04:00

What do teachers and educrats in Maryland do who are embarrassed that their student's math scores are so low?

They place the kids in phony Algebra classes and then give them a statewide phony Algebra test at the end of the year to pretend to the world that they have strengthened their curriculum and improved their students math skills. Source: The Washington Times.

"A lot of algebra courses aren't really teaching algebra," said Tom Loveless, director of the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution in Washington. "And schools are giving up on kids who can't do basic arithmetic, putting them in phony algebra courses to cover up the problem."

2002-08-19T09:39:00.000-04:00

The National Education Association (a teachers' union) website suggests lesson plans for teachers that blame America for 9-11. Source: the Washington Times.

UPDATE 5:15pm: Christopher Johnson of MCJ has something to say.

2002-08-18T18:54:00.000-04:00

Bush pledges to balance the budget while pushing future tax cuts.

Somehow I don't think he has the backbone to push for the spending cuts needed to bring the deficits back under control. Threatening to veto a few upcoming spending bills in Congress just won't get the job done.

In my opinion Bush will lose the House to Democrats unless he pulls off an October surprise.

Bush's continued failed leadership on conservative values will only lead to the weakening of the Republican Party, giving a wide opening for a independent candidacy by John McCain to run to the right of Bush on all the points which Bush's actions have fallen short of his conservative rhetoric, most especially fiscal conservatism, all during which McCain will manage to maintain his appeal to independents and conservative Democrats.

It should be obvious by now, "I am not a Bush Republican". (Now should you follow that link, please note I agree with everything Alan Keyes has to say in his column except his comments on free trade.)