June 17, 2008
Read the whole thing An exerpt:
The 5-4 ruling is judicial imperialism of the highest order.Boumediene should finally put to rest the popular myth that right-wing conservatives dominate the Supreme Court. Academics used to complain about the Rehnquist Court's "activism" for striking down minor federal laws on issues such as whether states are immune from damage lawsuits, or if Congress could ban handguns in school. Justice Anthony Kennedy -- joined by the liberal bloc of Justices John Paul Stevens, David Souter, Ruth Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer -- saves his claims of judicial supremacy for the truly momentous: striking down a wartime statute, agreed upon by the president and large majorities of Congress, while hostilities are ongoing, no less.
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February 20, 2008
Cambio - the Spanish word for Change. And no, I'm not becoming a fan of Obama! But Cambio is coming for Cuba. In fact, with the resignation of Fidel in favor of his kid brother Raul, change might come a whole lot sooner than either of the Castro boys thought.
Photo(s) courtesy of Babalu Blog:
You can see the hope in their faces, the desire for change, with a picture of the Virgin, the Cuban flag and the word Cambio; Change. A change from the horrors of a true police state, a change from near universal literacy when there is nothing to read but what slips past the censors. Cambio! Change from universal health care that is divided into two parts, one for the cash paying wealthy, and one for everyone else where you have to supply your own medicine and your own sheets for your bed, if you can find one. The two touted hallmarks of the Castro Revolution are universal literacy and health acre, but the true cost is the jailing of dissidents, the execution of anyone for any reason at the whim of either Castro or his old partner Che. Pinochet, as bad as he was, couldn't match Castro for bloody dictatorial power.
Cambio - Change for an Island held hostage for 5 decades, change for a people where children like Elian Gonzalez don't have to lose their mother in a desperate flight for freedom. Cambio! Change for a people striving to be free; change
for a father wanting to raise his child in freedom and not in a wasteland of socialist promises that have fallen short of the goal. Cambio!
Cambio! Change for a people subjugated for 50 years to the power of a megalomaniac who held a great people hostage to his idea of a communist paradise but when his sponsor, the late and unlamented USSR, went belly up, so did anything coming into Cuba. Cambio! Change for a people held hostage to nuclear annihilation in the early 60's so that Castro could poke at the eye of the Yankee to the north. Cambio! Change that will not be long in coming. Cambio and a people will be free once again.
Fausta, my very good and dear friend perhaps said it as well as anyone: "Let's transition to a free, democratic Cuba; we all should pray for that!"
And a Tip O' the GM Derby to Henry Gomez
Posted at 12:13 AM
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, Carnelian.
, Sanitaire commercial vacuum cleaner.January 13, 2008
Brooks Brothers has a new line of "fancy" clothing for "men" (if you can believe the photo above). Now, I don't know about you, but the model above doesn't exactly look like a man to me, more perhaps of an older adolescent. Or, perhaps in the English phrase a "poofter;" afterall, that is lipstick he's wearing isn't it? Or maybe that is just coloring for the photographer. On the other hand, the whole line of clothes (follow the link) seems to be destined for the "worst dressed" list of someone. The jacket above is listed at $2,500.00. Wow, that's a lot of money, in fact, that's more than I've paid for my last 4 suits. Of course, I don't get paid for modeling which is probably a good thing.
Ta Ta for now!
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. Abey.December 28, 2007
... I look at the ruins of the Maya Civilization, I'm amazed that they did all that they did. What a place this was. Maya Ruins at Altun Ha, Belize.
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December 25, 2007
To All My Democrat Friends:
Please accept with no obligation, implied or explicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all.
I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2008, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great.
Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere. Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee.
To My Republican Friends: Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year........
author unknown but obviously an observer of Democratic promises and politics.
Posted at 07:20 PM
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And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.
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December 02, 2007
The Modernist vs. Post-Modernist Divide
Nothing brought out the differences between America and Europe more than the lead-up to the US’s war against Iraq in the spring of 2003. The bitter acrimony and recriminations, at that time, led many to believe that the old alliances had died, that the core strength of the “free world” – the US and Western Europe – had fractured and was moving in opposite directions. The common bonds that had knit these two regions together for so long were coming apart over the many contentious issues preceding the Iraq war. Those issues involved the relevance of the UN, the unilateral exercise of American power, the applicability of international law, and the utility of imposing democracy in an area of the world known for a history of sectarian violence.
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These issues came to a head as the US positioned itself to implement its neo-conservative foreign policy of addressing terrorism, liberating Iraq, and introducing the conditions for democracy in the Middle East. Yet what could account for the split in the partnership that the West had enjoyed since the end of WWII and that on the eve of the liberation of Iraq was coming asunder?
Were there different national interests? Was it different goals? Had their respective cultures changed? In varying degrees, it was all of these, but more importantly it was a profound change in the ideological worldview of one of the Western partners, i.e. Europe. Europe had moved into a political and economic environment of interdependence and cooperation unlike anything the world had yet seen -- a post-modernist world. But it was a development, one might add, due to the leadership of one of the other Western partners, the US; and an evolution that put Europe at odds with its long standing ally.
The former US Ambassador to the UN, John Bolton, an advocate of strong US leadership in the world, expressed the dichotomy between the US and Europe, at a meeting recently of the Global Strategy Forum. In his presentation before that body Bolton noted that “There is too much of a view in Europe that you have passed beyond history. That everything can be worked out by negotiation … we [Americans] don't see it that way.” He impugns the notion advanced by Francis Fukuyama that the “end of history” has been achieved, at least to such an extent that the world can rest on its laurels. America, on the other hand, still lives in the modernist world of power politics. Bolton asserts that the threat to world peace does not come from American neoconservative foreign policy, but from the perception that "we have passed beyond history". The “we” Bolton is referring to is the post-modern post-industrial Western world, typified by Europe, i.e. the “end of history” world depicted by Fukuyama.
The End of History
The word “history” in Bolton’s statement refers to the thesis advanced by Francis Fukuyama that what we know as history -- “the evolution of human societies through different forms of government” – is a process that would culminate in the “end of history”; an apotheosis whereby modern liberal democracy and market-oriented capitalism would establish a preeminence and justification as society evolves through historical trial and error. The “end of history” does not mean that historical events would cease, but that all other systems of governance would be discredited and that modern liberal democracy would no longer have any serious legitimate challengers -- not Monarchy, not Marxism, not Nazism, not Fascism, not militarism, and certainly not Islamism. For example, the political systems of North Korea or Cuba do not represent a viable and legitimate alternative to liberal democracy. Nor does the theocratic state system of Islam have any attraction among non-Muslims, and a problematic one among Muslims themselves, and does not have a universal appeal. Thus, according to Fukuyama, the prevailing trend is for non-Western states to become modern, whether economically, politically, or militarily. And the only way for them to challenge the West or to seek parity with it, is for them to move in the direction of modernity.
Furthermore, the concept asserts that the end point of mankind’s ideological evolution and the final form of human government is Western style liberal democracy and that these basic principles of the liberal democratic state cannot be improved upon. Thus the character of the state that emerges at the end of history is liberal democracy: liberal, insofar as it recognizes and protects, through a system of laws, man’s universal right to freedom; and democratic, insofar as it exists only with the consent of the governed.
For Fukuyama the conduct of life for that part of the world that has reached the “end of history” would be far more preoccupied with economics than with politics or strategy. Those countries would be so dominated by economic concerns, that there would no longer be ideological grounds for major conflict between nations, and consequently, the use of military force would become less legitimate. Additionally, this period will be underwritten by the abundance of a modem free market economy and the absence of state conflict. This characterization matches the situation in Europe at the present time.
Europe, the Post-Modernist State
Because the European Union embodies this “end of history” political construct it is the quintessential post-modern state system. It is based on based on the primacy of multi-national negotiations and the rule of international and regional law. The US, on the other hand, is more a traditional modern state which continues to see the world in terms of power and security. In other words, the Europeans are now living in an ideal world beyond Hobbes, while the US is still in the Hobbesian world governed by the old rules from the end of the Thirty Years War. Those rules involve balance-of-power politics, the doctrine that national security is paramount, and the presumption that states are fundamentally aggressive. Therefore the US, according to this European view, is mired in the politics of force and coercion; while the Europeans see themselves as having achieved a state of affairs uplifted by compromise and negotiation supported by a multi-national regional hegemony.
European multi-nationalism is the idea that the modern state system of national political sovereignty is no longer an absolute ideal. In their new post-modern system countries now accept interference in each other's domestic affairs; there is the dissolution of the distinction between “domestic” and “foreign”, “home” and “abroad”; there is acceptance of the jurisdiction of international courts of law; where monopolies of force are subjected to intrusive verification and self-imposed constraints; and there is the growing irrelevance of borders and the territorial imperative. That is why the Europeans are more amenable to the constraints of the UN, while the Americans are not.
The International System
This post-modernist multi-nationalism, Bolton says, are the true threats to world peace for they lull the practitioner into a false sense of security, thus making him prone to indecision, manipulation and danger, as in the case of Iran defying the provisions of the NPT and international community. The modernist v. post-modernist divide is exemplified by how the international community deals with problems that may arise between, say for example, France and Germany. In such a case negotiations can take place. But there are other leaders one cannot negotiate with. For example, it is extremely problematic to treat people like Saddam Hussein the way one treats one’s neighbors. Thus Bolton refutes the notion that neoconservative foreign policy is a threat to world peace; rather the notion that negotiation and compromise are agreeable to all; at all times is the threat to real constructive peace.
America and Bolton are of the view that international system is essentially anarchical; all nations vying for influence and control -- given their resources -- and attempting to further their interests. In the modernist worldview there is no social contract among the international community as there is in the domestic arena where citizens acknowledge the authority of the state to make and enforce laws. There is no final arbiter on the international scene, save a strong political actor exercising disproportionate power.
In the pre-modern world, war was a way of life. Now in this European post-modern, “end of history” view, war is anathema. Thus Clausewitz' dictum that war is an instrument of policy in the post-modern world is a sign of policy failure. But in the modern view, manifested by US neoconservative foreign relations, war is still an instrument of policy. While the members of the post-modern world may not represent a danger to one another, nations in the modern and pre-modern zones can pose threats to their neighbors and the world.
Thus, the Europeans are postmodern states living on a postmodern continent, at odds with and ill prepared to deal with, the real world of power politics, in an anarchic international system -- while America, recognizing the problematic nature of world politics, still is.
Lawrence Harris © December 2007
Posted at 11:35 PM
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June 30, 2007
During the last senate imbroglio over the "grand compromise" (read that as amnesty bill) Diane Feinstein (D. Ca.) postulated that it was time to bring back the "Fairness Doctrine" because talk radio was dominated by the right. In spite of the fact that the left has tried to take over talk radio with Air America and previous radio shows (including the political posturing heard on NPR and seen on PBS) and failed miserably to resonate with the public, primarily because the public is saturated by left leaning folk through out the so called main-stream media. Nothing shows this discrepancy and inherent "unfairness" of the so called "fairness" doctrine more than this cartoon. Of course, Feinstein's real complaint was that a combination of talk radio, the blogosphere, emails, faxes, phone calls from all across America did in that nasty bill, sorry Lefties, that is the way a democracy works, and since you derive the name of your party (The Democrat Party if you need a reminder) from the word "democracy" you really ought to have known that.
Lefties, we are calling your canard for what it is, a lie and an attempt to dominate what the public is allowed to hear. Won't work this time, won't work ever.
A tip O' The GM Derby 
to Gribbit's Word
Posted at 11:58 PM
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June 12, 2007
John's premise is that the law needs to be interpreted as it is written, not as someone thinks it ought to read. And he makes some outstanding arguments. Go and read, comment there then come back and let me know what you thought. Good job John, damn good job!
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May 05, 2007
Posted at 10:40 AM
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May 04, 2007
You may remember that G.M. announced the engagement earlier this year and provided a picture of the lovely couple in this post: It's Celebration Time!
Also, we want to keep G.M. in our thoughts. As you know, he went through a serious crisis last year, and now he has a new one. His son-in-law to be, Michael, is a liberal and a Democrat! From this day forth, Michael will be known as "Meathead."
Congratulations to everyone, especially the groom, who is getting more than he deserves.
Have a great wedding and a life full of happiness!
Oh, some of us at the office took up a collection and bought this beautiful cake for the wedding, which can be seen by clicking on the continuation button. It's the thought that counts. more...
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May 03, 2007
A older generation of pioneers and heroes grows smaller. Today, Wally Schirra, Navy pilot who fought in Korea and an astronaut who was part of the original Mercury Seven, passed away at age eighty-four. He was the only astronaut to fly in all three programs of Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo. His passing is a loss for the entire nation that remembers his bravery and service to us.
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April 18, 2007
When faced with a senseless tragedy such as the shootings at Virginia Tech, the mind reels! How can one person create such havoc and where does the mindset come from that would even think of doing such a thing? Yet, if we try to look at this tragedy with out trying to make sense of it, then we are heartless indeed. The wanton slaughter of students and faculty at Virginia Tech has roots in mindless rage, the same kind of mindless rage that drives al Qaeda, Mugabe, Hitler and Stalin and myriad other mass murderers. It can be best explained as narcissistic rage. As Dr. Sanity notes:
Much of the evil that humans do to each other comes as a result of Narcissistic Rage and Narcissistic Idealism. In the former case, we hear about or know individuals who manipulate, control, subjugate, hurt or kill others and they are able to do this because they do not consider other people as human or separate from their own Self; or because they are so enraged they are not capable of empathy.And so it seems with the wanton destruction of human life at VT. With the destruction, with the mental and verbal "gasp" that comes from hearing of this, of seeing it on television and hearing it on radio, with the sure knowledge that this will dominate the cable channels and airwaves for some time, we are faced with the inevitable why? And also the knowledge that this will soon become a political ploy for the left and the right as sides leap up to blame each other, to demand less or more gun control depending on your political leanings. more...
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April 17, 2007
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April 16, 2007
Our prayers and thoughts are with the victims and their families at this very tragic time. More on this later.
H/T to Glenn Reynolds
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