Hugo Chavez declares victory in the rape of the Venezuelan Constitution. 

The bully-boy from Caracas has bought the votes of the poor and uneducated via largesse from oil sales (but he has not significantly changed their lives because the infrastructure remains the same).  Sadly, it will be sometime before the folk realize that they have been bamboozled.

In the anti-vote demonstrations Chavez showed his true colors with gunfire, intimidation, beatings and arrests of what could have been essentially peaceful demonstrations.  No doubt Jimmah Cahtuh will be the first to raise a human rights issue now that the bully boy is triumphant.

I wonder who he will bring on as his Leni Riefenstahl?  Michael Moore?

UPDATE:  9:00 PM CST - This may have gone up too early, perhaps the people of Venezuela may not have lost their minds.  Reports coming in that Chavez may have lost the vote. 

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The following is a reprise of my post two years ago.  The Hungarian Revolution was in many ways the start of the fall of the Soviet Union, it just took another 35 years for the rot that was the Soviet Union to fall apart.  This is being reposted so that the heroes of the Hungarian Revolution are never forgotten, and that the enemies of freedom know what is ultimately in store for them. 

Tuesday, October 23rd, 1956. Stuttgart, Germany. Morning, a school day for me, like any other day; up and at 'em. Breakfast, grab the lunch bag, kiss mom and dad, off to catch the bus for school. But it wasn't an ordinary day, slightly over 600 miles due East from where I played in the forest, from where on the weekends I wandered about in the little town of Vaihengen near 7th Army Headquarters, war was breaking out.

It was not much of a war as wars go, but it was a war fraught with danger for the world and for the next several weeks, a war of ideas, of freedom as much as a war of bullets, tanks and death. Imre Nagy had been ousted as Prime Minister of Hungry for being insufficiently Communist and too liberal and the people of Hungry in general and Budapest in particular were upset, angry and willing to say so. Demonstrations began in Budapest, soon numbering thousands and tens of thousands. They marched, chanted, and demanded the restoration of Nagy.

The demonstration began as a march of solidarity with Wladyslaw Gomulka the Polish leader ousted for being "too liberal" and ended as a call for freedom and removal of the Soviet's from Hungry. As the crowds grew, Ernő Gerő, First Secretary of the Hungarian Communist Party, and someone known for his hard line stances, went on the radio to say that demands for separation from the Soviet Union were lies and rumors. But the people of Hungry said otherwise. As the crowds grew, the demands became louder and louder, and they marched on the radio station to force a retraction. A heavy truck was used to try to batter a way into the station. Police opened fire and skirmishes between the demonstrators and armed police took place throughout the city. According to the BBC:

A running battle began to clear the crowd away from the building, while clashes between demonstrators and armed police broke out elsewhere in the city.

When the crowds refused to disperse despite police opening fire on them, Mr. Gerő ordered Soviet tanks onto the streets.

The demonstrators, however, are showing no signs of giving up their protest, which is continuing into the night."

Scenes such as the one to the left would be repeated over the years as peoples sought freedom from tyrany; in Prague in 1968, in Warsaw, in East Berlin in 1989, in Lebanon in 2005. In Beireut in 1983, American and French troops, trying to keep the peace in Lebanon were senselessly murdered by those that think freedom can be stifled. The bottom line is that the search for freedom and self determination can be stifled and smothered for a while, but it can't be killed. Freedom always wins in the end.

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Drive over to Dr. Sanity's Place, she has the Carnival of the Insanities up and it is delightful. Click on the Link or click on the Picture for a short drive over.

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Blogs in the conservative (and perhaps some of the liberal) Blogosphere have been posting little diagonal bars on their blogs that say "Banned In Red China." How stupid of the Chinese I thought, banning blogs is as stupid as forcing Internet companies to conform to their paranoia about the Internet. Then, it struck me: "What is it that the Chinese Communist government fears the most?" Simple really, ideas! For the ruling class in China knows that it can enslave its people, but never their minds, never their yearning for increased autonomy, improved living conditions, a better way of life; freedom

Ideas such as freedom, universal rights, one man one vote, end of governmental terrorism, freedom to travel and to think and to print your thoughts; all these and more are feared by the oligarchy that is China today. And yet, there are those fellow conservatives who relish the idea of being banned in China and display that banner on their websites.

I don't understand that. I've believed, since the early days of the Goldwater bid for the Presidency that conservatives have better ideas than liberals. That so called progressivism and liberalism is so much more about "I know better than you what is better for you," than it is about human growth, dignity and etc. In other words, from my perspective, conservatism is a better political ideology than liberalism or progressivism.

So, it seems to me that conservative bloggers would want their words to get to the "common man" in China, to further inculcate in that individual the ideas that man is inherently free, that we are endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights; life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That the "government" is too often the problem and not the solution, especially in Red China. With our words, there will be ideas and with ideas, the formation of a sense that the Chinese can begin to assert themselves. That is what happened in Tiananmen Square in 1989 a group of students believing that there was a "better way of life" and erecting a "Statue of Liberty" proclaiming their desire to be free. The idea was so upsetting to the ruling class of China that the demonstration was put down with soldiers and tanks. This is the power that the idea of freedom has in China, and why it is so feared.

So, fellow bloggers, be not proud that you are banned in China, be angry because your words will not have the chance to help lead a people to freedom and you don't get to play a big part in the rise of eventually a free Chinese people.

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It is early Sunday morning, the stars are still out and the coffee is ready. So, looking around the blogosphere what do we find today?

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Dr. Sanity is up for a Weblog Award "Best Individual Blog" Go and vote for her, she is not only a fellow mental health professional, but one neat lady and a good friend since I started blogging.

Stop The ACLU is also up for an Award "Best of the Top 250 Blogs" Jay is always ready to take down the ACLU for its crazy positions.

And of course, my good friend and fellow Texan Texas Fred is up for Best New Blog Fred has a unique voice (literally as well as figuratively) and has been a guest on GM's Corner on internet radio many times.

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I was recently interviewed by my good friend Jeff Blanco over at Louisiana Conservative. Jeff is a great friend, and was constantly there supporting me in the early fight against cancer. Jeff's blog is a good one to add to your list of must read blogs.

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Cinnamon Stillwell has a terrific post up at her blog concerning the threat of anti-semitism at AMERICAN colleges and universities. Go read!

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I found this over at Mike Austin's The Return of Scipio.

A commander-in-chief who refuses to command. A Congress that is unable to govern. A political class that has lost the will to defeat America’s enemies. An entire subset of our own nation that actively works for her defeat.

Of what use is the ballot if the only men who come to power are of this type? We seek Andrew Jacksons yet find only Benedict Arnolds.

We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. We castrate and bid the geldings be fruitful.—C. S. Lewis

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I sent out a bunch of Thanksgiving emails and links to my reasons to give thanks and lo and behold one of my old blog friends re-connected. I didn't ever remember him being on the long list of e-mails that I sent out, but I'm glad he was. I first blogged about him here. William used to blog as the Bronx Pundit but has changed to William Dipini, Jr. Take a minute and drop by, Will has some good things to say and I like the way he says them. So, back on the Blogroll you go William, now, damnit, stay put you hear?

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I've just come from a little place called "WOW." It's not a real place, it's a place where one can sit and be in total awe of the written word, and when you are done with that reading, you sit back, eyes bright and shining, face just a little flushed, maybe even a little ringing in the ears.

Such a place is the one I just traveled to. The blog of my good friend the Assistant Village Idiot, whom I call AVI. He wrote Not Their Tribe and, friends, it has been a long, long time since I've read something so powerful. Go, now, read. I have commanded. And by all means, leave AVI a comment on this great piece of thinking and writing.

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In England, a hospital that could no longer afford the £18.50 (about $34.84) for a cremation of aborted fetuses children is burning the body in the same incenerator that is used to burn garbage and trash.

One local woman, who asked not to be named, said after the heartache of deciding to have an abortion she was mortified to find the hospital had used the same furnace they burn rubbish in to incinerate her terminated baby.

She said: "I am furious and very hurt. Imagine my horror when I discovered that my baby was incinerated in the same furnace as the hospital rubbish."

A tip 'O The GM Derby to Jeff @ A Little More To The Right

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The subject of 9-11 is frought with pathos. It is both a sad remembrance and an act of war. But, on the 5th anniversary of this tragic day, the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) has decided to show a production of a "Docu-Drama" called "The Path To 9-11". Now, in and of itself, that is nothing remarkable, the history of the socalled "docu-drama" is long and comical for its historical inaccuracies and/or outright fiction, witness the productions of "Death Of A President" in England for example (which many have defended on the grounds of "free speech").

Yet, let a shibboleth of the left be challenged (Clinton was a terrific - though perhaps oversexed president) and watch the fur fly. The reaction of much of the left is almost comical, nay, it is entirely comical and I'll take a few snippits from here and there to prove my point.

First up my friend Marc Cooper (a self identified "progressive") posts "The ABC's of Panderning" in which he states:

L.A. Times media columnist Tim Rutten perfectly nails the shameless shlockmeisters at ABC who think it's just spiffy to capitalize on the pain of the 5th anniversary 9/11 to broadcast one more manufactured piece of dreck -- a two part "docudrama" on the Twin Tower attacks powered by blatant right-wing spin.

More amusing (if that is indeed the word) are some of the comments from that blog entry. This one for example:

NeoDude Says:
September 9th, 2006 at 9:14 am

When has Right-Wing Nationalists (SALUTE!!!), in any Western tradition, not exploit a national tragedy?

How about this one (if you are a fan of conspiracy theories you will LOVE this one):

r. l. c. Says:
September 9th, 2006 at 10:14 am

It really is obvious what happened here. These projects don’t get made overnight and when ABC Entertainment (NOT the news division) OK’ed this Bush was riding high - just been reelected and had increased majorities in both houses of Congress. And what were the pundits saying? Why the GOP wiould be ruling the roost for a long time to come and the Dems were in “Disarray” (a town near Vegas, I believe). So why not get in bed with right wing crazies? They would be in position to help the Mouse with issues like Intellectual Property and Media Ownership. Its not personal, just business.

(Hell Robert Iger was a Clinton Contributor, as were a lote of ABC/Disney Execs)

Sure the Dems would complain but what could they do? Well its now two months from an election that will probably produce a tsunami for them and the miniseries don’t look so hot now does it? That is what happens when you listen to experts!

But Marc's commenters are rational compared to others (although that is obviously not saying much). For example, Ann Althouse has a terrific post on some of these left-wing rantings here and she has a link pointing to something called "AMERICAblog" with some suggestions to sue, boycott etc Disney, ABC and Apple because of the so called docu-drama. A sample:

Certainly we're going to be live-blogging the show, Sunday and Monday. I'd appreciate those of you in Australia and New Zealand, if the show does air there shortly, please give us feedback as to what they cut and what's still in the show? It will give us a window as to what defamatory material Disney/ABC insisted on keeping in the show, which will help the lawsuits and our organizing.

Secondly, when the show airs in the US, if Disney/ABC still run it, I want to be sure a number of us are live-blogging it to list the defamation and the errors. If Disney/ABC insist on making a cartoon out one of the blackest days in America history, then we will hold them responsible."

I think iTunes is a really good place to hit Steve Jobs and Apple. It is direct and to the point, and it is not platform-based.

It is OUTRAGEOUS that they are offering this as a free download.

They would notice immediately if there was a slack-off in sales.

I have already written to Steve Jobs and the iTunes crew about this.
samia | 09.09.06 - 6:38 pm |

It appears that the governments use of the MSM for propaganda distribution is becoming extremely transparent. If we, as Americans, cannot stop this from happening, or becoming any worse, then we have lost the control of our public servents, and more drastic actions must be taken. Boycotts/leaflets/emails/videos/ demonstations etc.
Joe Danger | Homepage | 09.09.06 - 6:43 pm |"

OK, how about this one:

As well as an organized and long-term boycott of Disney and ABC, we should use this opportunity to call for reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine.
nervesofsteel | 09.09.06 - 6:50 pm |"

The latest (well, maybe not the absolute latest) lefty "talking point" (I'm being generous here you understand) is that this is NOT the same as Michael Moore's fatuous "Farenheit 9/11" which everyone now says was a "polemic." A polemic?

WordNet
po·lem·ic (p-lmk): adj : of or involving dispute or controversy [syn: polemical] n 1: a writer who argues in opposition to others (especially in theology) [syn: polemicist, polemist] 2: a controversy (especially over a belief or dogma)

Again, I digress, the whole point of this little exercise is to point out the utter insanity of the left in regards to this docudrama. Reminds me of the "revised" words of the Bard: "The left doth protest too much, methinks."

Cross posted at The Real Ugly American

Update, I've only scratched the surface of the left's response to "The Pathway to 9-11" but James Joyner at Outside The Beltway has looked at how "The Left Remembers 9-11." It's an excellent read and I'm in awe of his article.

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In a series of threads on this Blog and on Marc Cooper's blog I've engaged an ideological opponent who writes under the name of Ahmed. Ahmed resents the support that I have given Israel in the war against Hezbollah and has accused me of a variety of things, not the least of which is xenophobia (a morbid or irrational fear of strangers) and of being less than honest:

Woodruff i was asking Gm Roper about a specific but very important claim he made which ive argued is not only totally false but also quite revealing in its dishonesty and historical ignorance

Ahmed took umbrage at my characterization of the differences and claimed that I was being dishonest and historically ignorant. Woody, my blogging partner rose to my defense with the following:

When G.M. gets back in circulation, he can take this up further with you. But, rest assured, he discusses issues honestly and intelligently. If you dispute his facts, then clear those up. If you dispute his honesty, then that "fact" of yours is wrong. [emphasis added]

Ahmed, will, I'm sure, be understanding if I disagree with his assessment. But he has a point of sorts, there is a lot of misunderstanding about what happened at the founding of Israel, what happened to both Jewish and Arab refugees and what the history says, especially since I'm being accused of being historically ignorant. Well, Ahmed, here are a few facts. You will, no doubt, dispute the source of these, but there are numerous citations to back up the quotes as you will see, some Israeli sources, some Arab sources and some United Nations sources, but all with substantial agreement that a substantial number of Arabs left the burgeoning state of Israel for a couple of reasons, but were not forced out at the point of a gun or by the evil Israeli IDF thugs in jackboots. So, lets begin the recitation shall we. more...

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1 Good research...great post!

Posted by: civil truth at Sunday, August 27 2006 04:24 AM (9f35F)

2 Gm id again strongly recommend that you check out the serious schloarly work of Benny Morris, Tom Segev and the other "New ISraeli historians" as they are called who have put out the most substancial work on the topic of the palestinain refugees. I agree with some of what is written. The reasons for leaving were multiple. There were large scale massacres, the word of massacres in places like deir yassin spread and people left in fear, psychological warfare, there were documented cases of villages fleeing war and expecting to return when the war ended and so on.Just as i suspected you opted not to do any independent research, instead you cut and pasted from a website which opens up to a quote from Ariel Sharon (the author of the Sabra and Shatilla massacres) and states that its purpose is to bolster the israeli states image. A blatantly bias site, perhaps its a bias you agree with but biased nonetheless. From my reading, there are gross omission of fact on the site. That is certain archieval information id sued and much is left out. The editorial comments are deseigned to minimise what the new state of israel actually did, more so there is no references at all to many statements by israeliu officials and ziniost spokes people who has been claiming for decades thgat there was a need tpo drive out the indegenous arab poppulation in order to make room for an jewish majority. But if we get into all of this im sure this will be a much longer debate involving sourcing, countersourcing and a variety of numbers thrown around. For the sake of clarity, then, let me make one point. Even according to your own blatantly biased source (a la cut and paste history)there is scant evidence to suggest that "600 000 palestinians" left "voluntarily" as you claimed. This is, like i said blantantly false and ahistorical. This is what i was disputing spefically. I want to focus on this claim and not get bogged down in a larger argument, whcih would be quite repetitive and preditable. I still think its dishonest and ive yet to see you back it up specifically. What youve tried to do has instead been lazy and lame. try again

Posted by: Ahmed at Sunday, August 27 2006 06:00 AM (RCXOg)

3 Ahmed, I suspect that given your political leanings no matter what I post or what I cite, you won't be satisfied. None-the-less, I appreciate your continuing to come here if only as a contrarian.

Posted by: GM at Sunday, August 27 2006 06:24 AM (S60yG)

4 Ahmed

Even if we accepted all the accusations of Morris & Segev (and Weinstock and Shlaim and Milstein and Pappe...) without comment, they still do not approach what has been done to the Jews in the ME. Not by an order of magnitude. "Wanting" Palestinians to leave and even scaring them off is not the same as robbing and killing. The Palestinians have more complaint against Jordan, Syria, and Egypt than they do against Israel.

I understand the desire and need for a partisan to try and shout to the world the crimes of a victim people, and anger against those some are believing innocent. It must be frustrating to encounter people who will entertain no criticism against Israel and not even look. But the balance scale is not with you. There are many in America and the west who are willing and even eager to hear of Israeli crimes. There are few in Arab and Muslim lands who will even entertain the notion that Israel has been mistreated. If you feel frustration, they feel it tenfold, and with better cause.

As Issa said, "Do not strain out a gnat and swallow a camel."

Also, Morris has recently said:
"There is a deep problem in Islam. It’s a world whose values are different. A world in which human life doesn't have the same value as it does in the West, in which freedom, democracy, openness and creativity are alien. A world that makes those who are not part of the camp of Islam fair game. Revenge is also important here. Revenge plays a central part in the Arab tribal culture. Therefore, the people we are fighting and the society that sends them have no moral inhibitions. If it obtains chemical or biological or atomic weapons, it will use them. If it is able, it will also commit genocide."

Posted by: Assistant Village Idiot at Sunday, August 27 2006 09:55 AM (1w197)

5 Outstanding and informative post, GM!
History repeats itself since 1947. The fact remains, that every Arab state, and indeed, Iran and the majority of Muslims worldwide, want the utter destruction of Israel, and have demonstrated that desire repeatedly.

Posted by: Ben USN (Ret) at Sunday, August 27 2006 07:17 PM (yYgeh)

6 Listen im no partisan of Arab regimes. They are for the most part decrepit, scrared of their own people. afriad of dissent ands have betrayed the palestinian people over and over again. I've written about this elsewhere and id be happy to go over my views with anyone. That said its simply a lie to suggest, as Ben, does that they all seek the destruction of the israeli state. In fact as Lebanon was being torn apart by the most recent ruthless Israeli assualt many in the pro american camp like egypt and the vile theocratic Saudi Arabia voiced their support for what Israel was doing. More so Palestinain refugees have faced horrible treatment and discrimination in Lebanon where they are barred from working in many occupations and confied to wretched refugee camps. There is simply no diplomatic support coming from any of the arab states to support a mass campaign in the west bank and gaza against the israeli occupation. the result is that palestinians have historically faced a strong and brutal Israeli occupation, intent on crushing and colonising them at the same time as theyve been betrayed every step of the way by the arab regimes. Ive said this for a very long time. As for Roper what a pathetic show. Let me try again and this time can i please ask for some honesty. You made a very specific claim that "600 000 palestinians" left in 1948 'voluntarily". This is simply a lie and it is to whitewash history, a disgusting act. not even your own blatantly biased and cut and paste history source can back you up. So put up or shut up time. Im asking you to substanciate what you wrote

ps AVI..i was talking about benny morris the historian not political pundit. If youve read his books (which i somehow doubt), specifically Birth of a Refugee Problem, youd know that he writes very much in the "just the facts, sir" mode. He has made, by far, the most extensive use of IDF, Irgun,, Arab and Hebrew sources. His writing has been quite influencial specifically in this regard and he remains a useful and imho quite objective historian. He is a zionst and lately has become in my opinion a thug, politically speaking. He wrote a number of years back that Ben Guirien should havew used the opportunitty presented by 1948 to ethnically cleanse and get ridf of all the palestinain arab from Israel (1948 borders). That he is now an advocate for ethnic cleansing and racist policies is quite distressing but it doesnt at all take away from the imporance of his work.

pps this reminds me that there was an absolutely brillaint debate on Israel on the eve of its 50 birthday on democracy now several years back. There was quite a heated disagreement between the panelists one Jewish, the other palestinain on alot of issues. I think it gets into some of what wqeve discussed and would be helpful for those here who are heavy on ideology and light on facts. Give it a liste, knowledge doesnt kill and let me know what you think

http://tinyurl.com/gqs8t

ppps Gm...balls still in your court to back it up or say youre wrong and retract

From Site Administrator:
Now, Ahmed. No subtle personal attacks through your email address, okay?

Posted by: Ahmed at Monday, August 28 2006 12:57 AM (8RP69)

7 Efraim Karsh, the British historian, has specifically demolished Benny Morris and other 'New Historians' by pointing out numerous gross errors and obvious poor scholarship in their 'new historicity'.

Just Google 'Efraim Karsh' for a host of details regarding his books and articles. A summary of his demolition derby may be found in his, "The Incredible Lightness of My Critics" [or something like that] on the web. As here in the USA, Israel too suffers from the brain-bereft Left.

Posted by: Famously Unknown at Monday, August 28 2006 11:40 AM (KhoUg)

8 Ahmed, you don't want an answer, you want to continue to postulate that you are right. I gave you an answer and I gave you the source from which I postulated my original claim some time ago. That your historians disagree with my historians is not my problem, historians frequently disagree about where this or that came from and who caused it.

There is no ball in my court, you just didn't like my answer and that my friend is your problem, not mine.

Posted by: GM at Monday, August 28 2006 01:41 PM (S60yG)

9 Ahmed, I don't even know who the political pundit Morris is. Of course I meant Benny Morris. I am no expert on Israeli history, but I have a fair knowledge of 20th C history and especially its tyrannical regimes.

I slipped into some knowledge of ME politics indirectly, first by knowing much Holocaust history and second by working in Romania and adopting sons from there. The successive slaughters of Romanians by invaders, uh, "from the southeast" over the centuries gave me a different picture of the whole Eastern Mediterranean.

Posted by: Assistant Village Idiot at Tuesday, August 29 2006 12:24 PM (1w197)

10 What Palestinians call the "Nakba" or in english the catatrosphe of 1948, is, in fact the central historical event of modern Palestinian history. I think both Gm and I would agree on that. The difference between us is that I cite the main scholarly work on the issue, whosem conclusions amongst serious histoirians are mostly uncontentious. That is there is a broadf area of agreement about the numbers, the various phases of flight as well as the causes. These conclusions have been reached through extensive research into archieves as well as first hand accounts of what happenned in 1948. As i said earlier the Israeli right has been far more open to these declarations as they have argued that the ethnic cleansing that took place, by the nascent israeli army as well as zionist militias sucH as the irgun (who menachim begin was a commander of and whose stated purpose was to displace by force palestians) was justified in fact alan dershowitz refers to the events as akin to "massive urban renewal" but not even he disputes that 800 000 refugess fled. Roper meanwhile cites pro israeli websites that cant even echoe his absurd denialist claim that 600 000 palestinians left "voluntarily". There are in fact entire books and voilumes written on this issue yet he cites a transparantly propogandist website. This is decindlingly unserious and i thank roper for making himslef out to be the fool. Very easy work for me indeed

Posted by: Ahmed at Tuesday, August 29 2006 10:59 PM (K+wJh)

11 Im usually not a fan of just posting other peoples work but this article is entirely critical to the debates we're having. Roper is playing loose and fast wit hthe facts and has now proven over and over again thah he doesnt pocess the historical knowledge (cut and paste doesnt count) to back up what he says. Weve yet to hear him defend his ahistrical comment that the refugees of 1948 exile was voluntary. Historical denila and a case of being led not by facts but ideology. Im glad to debate liberals, leftist, conservatives and libetarians who can substanciate their views. For dishonesty, stubborness and ignarance though, its too much

By Gary Olson

To grasp what's happening in the Middle East requires understanding two intertwined matters that are largely absent in mainstream media coverage and pro-Israeli government commentaries.

The first is the Cataclysm (Nakba) of the Palestinians of mid-July, nearly six decades ago. As Israeli political scientist Ilan Pappe noted in a recent ZNet piece, the story in today's headlines begins in 1948 when recently arrived Jews engaged in a well-planned "ethnic cleansing" campaign, an effort documented by respected Israeli historians and unimpeachable military sources. The facts are not in dispute and have entered some Israeli textbooks. In 2006 they are again attempting to enlarge the Jewish state and in Pappe's words, "complete the unfinished business of 1948: the total de-Arabization of Palestine"

In a forced Death March, up to 50,000 Palestinians were driven from their villages into exile, a number eventually reaching 750,000 in the Palestinian diaspora or dispersion. Haifa and Jaffa were "cleansed" and according to Benny Morris, the celebrated dean of the "new historians," Israeli massacres included: Salina(70-80 killed), Deir Yassin (100-110), Lod(250), Dawayima (hundreds) and Abu Shusha (70 likely). Relying on IDF archives, Morris documents massacres at Deir al Asad, Majdal Krum, Eilaboun and Sasa. Asked about the word "cleansing" Morris replied "I know it doesn't sound nice but that's the term used at the time. I adopted it from all the documents in which I'm immersed."

In all, 385 Palestinian Arab villages were razed to the ground by the Israeli army, including garden walls and cemeteries. Jews moved in, new towns and parks (Canada Park, which I visited, is an example) were built and map names altered. As Israeli military hero Moshe Dayan once said, "There is not a single place in this country that did not have a former Arab population." (Ha'aretz. 4/4/69). Although Israelis are well aware of these facts, I've observed American tourists departing Israel who remain ignorant of this history, still believing the Leon Uris tale about the Israelis "making the desert bloom."

This identity defining Palestinian trauma was brought home to me some years ago during a visit to Palestinian refugee camps in Tyre and Sidon in Lebanon. Upon learning that I would be journeying to Israel, elderly Palestinian camp residents showed me well-worn photos of their olive orchards and orange groves. Another displayed her old house keys. They asked if I might possibly visit their properties and send back updated pictures to show their children and grandchildren. The events of 1948 have animinated Palestian life and that of the "Arab street" to this day.

The second troubling feature is that it's impossible to understand Israel without recognizing its founding on this dispossession and exclusion of the native Arabs. According to Haifa University scholar Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi, this original sin "haunts and torments Israelis; it marks everything and taints everybody." A settler colonialist mentality prevails in which equality for all simply lies outside the Israeli mindset. There is a certain logic here because "The injustice done to the Palestinians is so clear and so striking that it cannot be openly discussed..."

In a sense this is a coping mechanism to avoid an otherwise obscene reality that runs counter to minimum moral standards and would undermine many of Israel's self-professed virtues. How else can they avoid facing the fact that their "beloved homeland has been built at the expense of others" and that the "cost of domination is their own bondage to oppression."

How does one face being "the last white settlers in Asia?" As Prof. Beit-Hallahmi observes, most Israelis avoid thinking about human rights anywhere in the Third World because that means thinking about Palestinian rights and "undermining the moral justification for Zionism." Instead, many simply choose to see the world as unjust and hypocritical, a jungle in which "might makes right." Banish all guilt. Act tough, don't identify with losers and be contemptous towards what the world thinks -- with the all important exception of U.S. public opinion.

It follows that although Israel is the only nuclear power in the region and has the third most powerful military in the world, it convinces itself (and many Americans) that it's a plucky, innocent, tiny country in constant mortal jeopardy with the Palestinians and surrounded by evil Goliaths. Nothing could be further from the truth but maintaining this sacrosanct mythology is embedded in the political culture and assiduously propagated.

Is there an answer? There are courageous and highly principled dissenters in Israel who do not have a moral blind spot where their government is concerned. But the majority of Jewish-Israelis remain silent and complicit. The solution is to end the Israeli occupation and face up to the fundemental 1948 issues. Palestinian land occupied in 1967 must be relinquished, the Apartheid Wall dismantled, some 9,800 kidnapped Palestinian political prisoners held in Israeli jails released, Israeli soldiers captured by Hezbollah must be freed, a fair division of Jerusalem negotiated and equal rights for all recognized at an international conference.

But unless and until peace is forced on Israel by Washington, the pipeline for its F-16s, sophisticated missiles and $109 billion U.S. taxpayer dollars over 50 years, only the bleakest future awaits all parties. An informed and aroused American public could make all the difference.

(A shorter version of this article appeared The Morning Call (Allentown,PA) on July 26, 2006).

Sources: Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi, ORIGINAL SINS (Interlink, 1993).

______________THE ISRAELI CONNECTION (NY: Pantheon, 1987). Benny Morris, THE BIRTH OF THE PALESTINIAN REFUGEE PROBLEM REVISITED (Cambridge: CUP, 2005).

Simha Flapan, THE BIRTH OF ISRAEL (NY antheon, 1987).

__________

Gary Olson is chair of the Political Science Department at Moravian College in Bethlehem, PA. The recipient of Fulbright and Malone study grants to Jordan, Syria, Kuwait, Egypt and Syria, he has also traveled extensively in Israel and Lebanon. Contact: olson@moravian.edu

Posted by: Ahmed at Wednesday, August 30 2006 12:10 AM (K+wJh)

12 Ahmed, you are nothing if not amusing. Your comment: Roper is playing loose and fast wit hthe facts and has now proven over and over again thah he doesnt pocess the historical knowledge (cut and paste doesnt count) to back up what he says. Weve yet to hear him defend his ahistrical comment that the refugees of 1948 exile was voluntary.

I posted historical evidence that not all palestinians were forced out at the point of a gun provide historical evidence and you comment that cut and paste doesn't count. You prove it doesn't count by cutting and pasting from a historian with a different interpretation. That is entirely laughable. Totally laughable. If that is the best you can do, why do you bother coming around?

The truth is that my assertion has been upheld with a variety of historical evidences and I've supplied those evidences. You claim that all I did was cut and paste but if you read what I posted, I told you that the article and the support for it was what I had based my original claim on.

Please, for your sake, get a life!

Posted by: GM at Thursday, August 31 2006 01:05 AM (S60yG)

13 G.M., please read Ann Coulter's book "How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must)." As you know from other conversations of yours and from conversations of mine with liberals, anything that you say that does not agree with their beliefs on a matter is considered factually incorrect by them. In the past, I have given solid historical data on events, yet they deny it either because they disagree with it and/or they don't like the source. You're wasting your time.

P.S. I have to laugh at another liberal, who used to frequent this area. Mark York, who has used false name after false name to get through and make crazy comments here, only to ultimately be banned again, has now taken to making his comments and responding to our posts on his site. It gets sadder and sadder.

Posted by: Woody at Thursday, August 31 2006 01:23 AM (v5VVJ)

14 Woody this may come as a big surprise to you but Im neither a Democrat nor a liberal for that matter. As for GM Roper, I'm glad to once again quote his claim that he has yet to substanciate with any reference to the historical record. Here's what he said "when Israel was founded, 650000 palistanians left israel most of them "voluntarily". He still has yet to engage himself with any of the serious scholarship on them matter and as ive said repeatedly he is making claims which would be laughed off, by the right wing in Israel. But what do you expect from someone who has already falsified what human right watch reports over at cooper, claiming incorrectly that they dont report Hezbollah committed atroacities. Notice, too, how i refer to them, as atroacites. Why i find the killing of innocent civilans, whether they be Israeli, Lebanese or Palestinians to be disgusting and morally indefensible. That i take it seriously when all the credible human rights organisations argued, using actual evidence, the the Israeli military as well as Hezbollah were enaged in targetting of cuvilan life. At this time I was pained to see the deaths in Haifa and the far greater death as well as sheer destruction in Beirut. When all of this was happening and hundreds of civialins were being killed, including he claughter of 12 innocnet children in Qana, Roper was cheering on the violence, blathering about Green Helmets and showing an immoral and disgusting devaluation of human life. This is a sort of fundementalism here, which is dangerous, ignorant and ugly and must be rejected as fiercely all other fundementalims including those who have exploited and subverted the islamic faith for heinous purposes. Gm start making coherant arguments for once.

Posted by: Ahmed at Thursday, August 31 2006 06:53 PM (56dbs)

15 Okay as for engaging Gm Roper in a substansial and factual discussion im pretty much ready to call it a day. Hmmm but i cant help but post this story, since one of the characters reminds me so much of the attitudes and mindset ive found here (read Seth, Gm and company) Hey dont one of you guys live in New york. Read on, for fun

True story from last night.

Doing the blue collar gig in the large office building when I come across a friendly guy's office and stop to chat. Like me, he loves sports, and that's what we usually talk about (of late, the Tigers' playoff chances). Like the weather, sports are a safe social topic, for if, in the Land of the Free, you talk openly about politics or war, you might anger, sadden or even frighten anyone who may be eavesdropping. But this guy and I have developed a rapport, and it appears that he, too, hates our war-world and is open to critiques and alternative explanations.

In the midst of our chat, the Middle East came up, so I stepped further into his office to answer a few of his questions. Though over 90 percent of the workers were gone, I could hear a few keyboards being hit in some nearby cubicles, and I didn't want to risk having my words misconstrued, or worse, taken at face value by a caged-in numbers cruncher.

We've talked briefly about Iraq, Israel and Lebanon before, so this wasn't new ground. Plus, the guy knows that I'm prepping for an upcoming debate in Tarrytown, NY, so he feels safe airing his own views on this issue. We discussed the ramifications of Hezbollah's stubborn resistance, the sorry state of Gaza, the ongoing misery in Iraq, when he asked me about the history of Zionism. Seems he doesn't know much about it, but is interested in it. I recommended a few books, like Simha Flapan's "The Birth of Israel" (a must-read for any beginner), and briefly reviewed some of the Zionist thinking and philosophy formed in the years leading up to World War II, as well as the early Israeli state history that followed that devastating conflict. It's always fascinating to see the expression on someone's face when they first learn about this stuff, as if some great heavy secret has been revealed that opens their once-closed world. I always emphasize that this history is easily available to anyone who desires to read it, and that the early Zionists were not shy about stating their opinions. It's all right there. All you need do is look.

No wanting to press my luck, I ended my little teach-in via some self-deprecating remarks, and exited while he laughed (the ol' comedy training comes in handy at times like this). I finished pulling trash in the main office area, then went into the men's bathroom to bleach the urinals, clean the toilets, and scrub the sinks. A few minutes later another guy who I sometimes talk to entered to take a leak, said hello as I wiped down the mirrors. A moment of silence passed before he asked:

"So, are you two guys philosophers or something?"

"What do you mean?"

"I heard you guys talking. The Middle East, right?"

"Yeah."

"Like, what's up with that?"

"Don't you follow the news?"

"Nah. Who gives a f***. I read the sports page."

"Well . . ."

"I mean, are the Arabs crazy or what?"

"No crazier than us."

"The hell with them. Who cares what the fuck they think."

"Maybe you should care what they think."

"Why?"

"Well, given that we're killing thousands of civilians and helping to tear up countries --"

"Ack. They'd hate us no matter what."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because we're the top dog, that's why."

"Really?"

"Yeah man. We're the best. That's why they hate us. Later."

And he left.

So there it is, Sonsters. One guy is curious and hungry for new information about issues that matter. Another guy has his head in a box (assuming he wasn't putting me on, though I didn't get that vibe). Which mindset do you think best defines modern America?

Posted by: Ahmed at Thursday, August 31 2006 07:06 PM (318O/)

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Posted by: MKV to iPad at Monday, December 13 2010 08:07 AM (mTDVr)

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The 140th Edition of the Best of Me Symphony is up at The Owner's Manual, with a Frank Zappa theme no less. Gary Cruse does an excellent job of introducing some mighty fine reading. Go scope it out.

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As I have said many times before, cruising the internet is fun, especially following links from one site to another to another and to another. Early this morning at around Oh-Dark-Thirty, I was looking up an e-mail address for my young friend Peter who was our guest from Germany when he was a foreign exchange student. I came across an email from my co-blogger Woody that led me to a post by my friend Marc Cooper on his old typepad account which led me to a post by a commenter which led me to a post by Dean Esmay, a noted liberal blogger. Scrolling around Dean's World I came across Dean's 12 rules and found them to be so delightful, I thought I'd adapt them for GM's Corner. So, without fanfare, here are the "12 Rules for Navagating in GM's Corner (with all appropriate apologies to Dean Esmay):

Periodically, I feel the need to remind people of a few things:

1) This web site exists for the sole purpose of publicizing and discussing whatever interests me, whenever it interests me, for whatever reason it interests me.

This includes whatever quirky whim strikes my fancy, at whatever time it strikes my fancy.

By the way, we've been talking about you, and we think you're getting paranoid. I hope you can deal with that.

2) "Conservative" means the following:
A.) Not limited to or by established, traditional, orthodox, or authoritarian attitudes, views, or dogmas; free from preconceived notions of some “Reality Based” world/Point of View.
B.) Favoring proposals for openness and honesty in government, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others except when those ideas and behavior intrude on the lives of others against their wishes (e.g., the tenets of islamo-fascism); broad-minded within the limits of being tolerant as noted above.

That is a Platonic ideal I strive toward, not a paradigm I claim to represent. If at any time you think I fail to meet that ideal, I invite you to say so. The more polite you are in saying so, the more seriously I'm likely to take you. But I ain't Socrates, and I ain't Bill Buckley. You'll just have to live with that.

3) If my definition of "conservative" doesn't fit in within the confines of what Al Frankin or Michael Moore tell you that "conservative" means, well, too freakin' bad. It's GM’s Corner, baby. You're just living in it.

4) So long as people remain reasonably civil, and make reasonable efforts to avoid ad hominem attacks, I'm willing to let them say damn near anything they want here.

5) I'm more tolerant of personal attacks on me than I am toward contributors. But I make no claims to perfection in either area. I do my best. But, I'd really rather you direct your heat toward ideas you don't like, rather than people who chafe your buttocks.

6) Don't get upset if you find me arguing with you. Don't get upset if several people argue with you. If you hang out here long enough, you'll find this can happen to anyone, at any time. Consider that you might be wrong, or, stand your ground and explain why everyone else is wrong.

There have been several times where I myself have been the only one defending my position against a dozen or more people who thought I was totally wrong. Other than hiring gypsy witches to put curses upon them and their progeny, I exacted no revenge at all unless they were so egregious I was forced (forced I tell you, yeah, that's my story and I'm sticking to it) to ban them (and even then, sometimes they use different ailiases and or IP addresses to get around the ban - that's ok, it only means that they were pretty clever at the time, not to say dishonest if you take my meaning.)

7) I freely confess to this completely arbitrary standard: people I'm familiar with will be cut more slack than people I'm not familiar with. Is that fair? Well, no. But I won't put up with trolls, or people who are abusive solely for the purpose of being abusive. My judgment on that point will, without apology, be tempered by how familiar I am with you and/or your writings.

Who's the final judge? Hey. It's GM’s Corner, baby.

8) I'll yank absolutely anyone's chain if I think they've crossed a certain line. Is the line always obvious, or set in stone? Nope. But regulars to this establishment respect it.

9) The longer you're here, the more slack you'll be cut. However, no one except my wife gets infinite slack.

So, does this mean I'll let The Assistant Village Idiot or Civil Truth or Marc Cooper or Texas Fred or Rick Calvert or Dr. Sanity or even Woody chew me out more than someone I'm not familiar with? Yep. Also, does that mean I'll let Shrinkwrapped or Too Many Steves or dougf rant more than I will someone I don't know at all? Yeah, it does. Them I've seen in action. You, I probably haven't.

Fair? Get your own web site, and we'll talk about fair.

10) Other than a few donations to fight my cancer that I've gotten now and then from readers, I get nothing for this. So, you know, if you don't like what you find here, don't let the door hit you on the ass on your way out.

11) There is no 11. [for an explanation of this, I forthwith give you some of the comments on Dean's 12 rules]

There is, in fact, an 11. I can understand why you choose not to mention it publicly, but to deny its existence is just COLD.

Posted by Gary Utter on September 22, 2003 at 3:52 AM

The first part of rule 11 is that you don't talk about rule 11!

Posted by Dean Esmay on September 22, 2003 at 4:10 AM

In fact, it is forbidden even to refer to "the rule between Rule 10 and Rule 12."

Or "the rule six down from Rule 5." Or "the rule whose number is a palindrome."

But "the rule that proclaims its own nonexistence" is permissible in certain very limited circumstances.

Posted by McGehee on September 22, 2003 at 9:49 AM

12) Argue. Tell me I'm wrong. Tell everyone else they're wrong. Play in GM’s Corner. Just remember whose it is. If you don't like it, you can appeal to GM, or you can just leave, and to be honest, I'd rather you left because I seldom grant appeals (big grin inserted here).

A tip 'O The GM Derby to Dean Esmay

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1 Conservatives don't need these rules, as, without then, they are smart enough to understand that ownership of the site carries rights to control it, honorable enough to understand that public discussion expects truth and reasonable discourse, and courteous enough to not be personally insulting.

Yes, there may be occasional exceptions to that, but the exceptions from the left are to act within the bounds of decency and reasonable discussion. Maybe this could go back to one of my series of posts on "Manners for the Left." The "reason" part we can't expect them to handle. But, they have no shortage of arrogance.

Posted by: Woody at Sunday, August 06 2006 03:00 AM (v5VVJ)

2 Uh, I wnated to argue about, oh I can't say, Yoo know, it's equal to 6 + 5. But I can't. What to do, what to do. :-)

Posted by: DADvocate at Sunday, August 06 2006 03:25 AM (XGI5R)

3 I can live with that. 12, minus one, rules is not too many to remember.

Posted by: Oyster at Sunday, August 06 2006 05:22 AM (YudAC)

4 Good evening. Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again. I am from Denmark and too bad know English, please tell me right I wrote the following sentence: "There no reason at all why you couldn take a couple of minuttes to get yourself some renters insurance quotes." Thank you very much :-(. Lucky.

Posted by: Lucky at Sunday, July 12 2009 09:40 AM (UlRN/)

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Posted by: Sea salt colon cleanser at Tuesday, October 13 2009 10:45 PM (GxwvN)

6 Give please. The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found. I am from Uganda and also now teach English, tell me right I wrote the following sentence: "Content of the officials will be explained by the form.The powerful items gave source to finance marine machines.The platforms vie the issues of the nearby near east and its special questions." With love ;-), Sites for finding people.

Posted by: Sites for finding people at Wednesday, November 11 2009 12:52 PM (GxwvN)

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Best of Me symphony is up at The Owner's Manual... this one features JRR Tolkein and couldn't be more fun. No, I don't have an entry there, but Tolkien is and has been a favorite of mine for over 40 years. Go, read and have some fun.

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Crusing through the blogosphere today I went to another mu.nu blog, Ace of Spades HQ. Ace has some unusually good reporting and this one was no different.

It seems as though Dakota Fanning's Mom Mother (cause she damn sure ain't no Mom) has decided to let Dakota star in an upcoming film called Hounddog. Dakota plays a 12 year old who gets raped because Mother has decided that the role had "Oscar" written all over it. Furthermore, Dakota gets to appear damn near nude with just her panties on. Cinematical says:

Though it's been done before, I was still somewhat shocked to read Dakota's mother and agent liked the explicit scenes, thinking they had Oscar written all over them. While that may be true, who in their right mind wants to see a 12-year-old girl stripped naked and raped on screen? Would you want to pay ten bucks for that?

A tip 'O The GM Derby to Ace of Spades HQ

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Well, the fact of the matter is that there will be a tradeoff. Companies, large and small will either have to raise prices and/or lay folk off in order to keep profit margins within the realm of feasibility. What's that you say? No they won't? How silly, of course they will. No politician is going to pass a law limiting profit (unless it's big oil and a windfall profits tax - and you see how well the last one worked) because they know that the funds for re-election come essentially from the pockets of investors and owners of small and large businesses. So, ask for the moon, you have as much a chance of getting that.

But, I digress, back to the issue of the minimum wage. Many states and localities have already passed minimum wages for residents in their respective political subdivisisons, so why aren't the generic leftists prodding them for increases and the rest of the country to catch up? Simple really, again politics. To effectively "buy" votes for the Democratic Party, there needs to be a national stage for Democratic politicians to run from.

It just won't do to have a bunch of Democrats touting a higher minimum wage as a local issue (although they are doing so for state wide initiatives). Ahhhh, but "The Democratic Party forced the administration to raise the minimum wage can be a national cry and be much more effective. But, that is still not the whole answer.

The rest of the answer lies in the amount of the raise. If $9.00 an hour is "OK" but not where it should be, why stop at $9.00, or $10.00 or even $15.00? Let us go all the way to $30.00 an hour for all entry level jobs, regardless of skills, education, or experience. Those don't matter anyway, because a minimum wage is just that... the minimum that you can pay someone for work received. But, you know, I've never had a generic lefty say "OK, you bet, let's do it." They all say something along the lines of "Don't be ridiculous." But, I'm not being ridiculous! If that, or some other figure exceeding a figure of say $18.00 an hour is what it takes to reach the "livable wage" criteria, why heck, lets do it.

If we did however, while the Democrats could claim victory for that election's pandering, it wouldn't hold up over the long term. No, not even close, in fact the resulting economic displacement and chaos would be horrendous. You see, the Democratic party really doesn't give a damn my dear, about the "little guy" they only want policies that insure his vote. Look at all the "grand coalition" of special interest groups called the Democratic Party and where they are today. The Democrats ruled congress and the senate from 1954 through 1994, with a single exception of the U.S. Senate on the coattails of Ronald Reagan's landslide, and that only lasted a couple of years. Are those groups substantially any better off now than they were then? Blacks? The Poor? The Hungry? The Homeless? Labor? Or, as it seems to me the Dems are running on the same issues that they have always run on? Except of course when a Democrat is in the White House. Whole different ballgame then friends.

So, why not raise the minimum wage all the way at one time? Because they want to use that issue again, and again, and again. $7.00 an hour now, in a couple of years, another $0.75 then another a dozen years after that. Each time decrying the lack of a livable wage. Yeppers dearly beloved readers, a platform they can run on forever, and never be held accountable for. No wonder the horses haven't been to the smithy since '33, same old tired platform, same old tired policy.

Thoughtful comments from generic lefties requested. No vitriol please or I'll take your comment down.

More on the Minimum Wage and other egregious fibs from my good friend Donald Luskin on my blogroll, who writes "The Conspiracy To Keep You Poor And Stupid." By the Bye, if Luskin isn't on your favorites list, he ought to be.

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1 Some firms will have to lay off workers or raise prices. Some will merely have to dip into prices. But this is macro policy and we can't get too absorbed in what happens to each individual business. Studies show that with modest increases in minimum wage, the job market doesn't suffer. And, since there hasn't been a minimum wage increase in several years even though interest steadily increases, the poorest people in our society are essentially getting a wage reduction every year. The economy is big and complicated and any market manipulation may have some negative effects, but liberals believe that those effects are modest and worth dealing with. That's why serious liberals are proposing a modest increase, because if the increase were larger the attendant effects on the economy would be too severe.

And you're correct that there is a political dimension (hey, that's politics), but it's no more cynical than proposing tax cuts around election time.

I think you guys are taking a pretty cynical approach on this because it is popular. It's an issue where the public already sides pretty convincingly with liberals. So instead of making a case against a realistic minimum wage increase, you're just condemning liberals. Fancy footwork, but it's not fooling anyone. Let's see a real case against a modest minimum wage increase, if anyone's got one.

Posted by: Mavis Beacon at Friday, July 14 2006 09:06 AM (vsxOH)

2 Mavis, I can always count on you for reasonable responses and friendly debate. Thanks. OK, lets take a look at what you said. You have not refuted my major point that this is politics, in fact, you have reinforced it. Too, while it is absolutely correct, as you note, the disruption will be minimal, but it will be a disruption and it will not substantially affect the family wage earner at the bottom of the ladder (the $5.15 an hour earner) and the purpose of raising a minimum wage for that individual is to help get him out of poverty. OK, lets go all the way... $20.00 an hour. So, the disruption will be significant, but it will only last for a few years then everything will revert to the status quo and we have to start over.

Rather, why don't we just admit that the $5.15 an hour figure is a starting point only and if there really is a family man/woman supporting a family on that, pay them the same wage and put them in an education program that will lift them out of poverty.

I think, based only on my own observations, that education is the key to poverty, but as long as schools are what they are and turn out the under-educated as they do, nothing is going to change. Yep, I'm cynical. It comes from being more liberal once and having any conservative ideas I espoused hammered by the more enlightened of my brethern.

By the way Mavis, welcome back, it's good to see you again.

Posted by: GM at Friday, July 14 2006 09:21 AM (S60yG)

3 GM: Are those groups substantially any better off now than they were then? Blacks? The Poor? The Hungry? The Homeless? Labor?

If the Democrats actually solved any problems, then they wouldn't have those causes to use in future elections. The Republicans are trusted more on national defense, and that is why people voted for them during the cold war to deal with Russia. (They trust them more on terrorism, too.) Unlike the Democrats with their issues, the Republicans actually solved the cold war problem and lost that voter concern, as a result-but, it was the right thing. I believe that had a lot to do with Clinton coming in, because people no longer saw a Russian threat and Clinton could use the "peace dividend" (a fancy phrase for gutting the military) to buy votes with new programs for their voters holding out their hands.

I do blame the Democrats for forcing moms to go to work. Years ago, the father was the sole breadwinner and the mother would stay home to nurture the kids. Because of inflation caused by huge Democratic budget deficits and trying to fund guns and butter during Vietnam, more people struggled with making ends meet. In addition, the tax code had the brackets fixed (by the Democrats), so inflation threw people into higher tax brackets with no real increase in spending power--thus, the difference had to be made up by the moms. This led to the womens' "rights" movement, that said that women should be paid the same thing as the traditional breadwiner (even though there were real differences in education, productivity, and commitment.) So, now, the breadwinner was finding more competition in the marketplace for his job and was forced to take less or work more hours for the same thing. Another liberal policy defeats the family and hurts the chilllllldrennnnnnn.

On the minimum wage, if it worked we wouldn't have to change it all the time. The market place will always have a leveling affect, and any short-term gains will be wiped out. It doesn't matter to the Democrats that some people will lose their jobs or some small businesses may die as a result.

If someone wants a "living wage," it is available. You just have to earn it. A minimum wage is a "starting wage"--not a living wage for someone supporting three kids. If someone relies on a minimum wage to support a family, then the problem is not with the wage base but with them.

Posted by: Woody at Friday, July 14 2006 10:13 AM (w7x8A)

4 I think everyone is ignoring a simple, if perhaps unsavory truth. There will always be a need for someone on the bottom of the totem pole. If everyone gets educated and works at think tanks, who will deliver pizzas and straighten aisles at Wal-Mart?

Posted by: bishopdic at Friday, July 14 2006 11:15 AM (+ZiH3)

5 Joe, good point. Thanks. You are of course right, if everyone made a minimum of 18 bucks an hour, soon they would still be poor, but unless the Democrats relented, they would be in a higher income tax bracket. My first job with the State of Texas paid the awesome rate of $350.00 per month paid once a month (so more taxes were held in witholding) and that worked out to about 1.99 an hour working as a therapist at San Antonio State Hospital. I'm making a lot more than that now, but I've also added a Bachelors and Masters degree since then. I'm just as broke, but broke in a better part of town. ;-)

I once took a class at the university on work counseling, most of the class were hard core liberals including our beloved (and he really is a nice guy) professor who was a strong proponent of liberation theology.. but I digress. They went on and on and on about the "poor" but not one of them could name the lady who cleaned our classroom (it was Maria as I recall) knew anything about her (her husband was killed in Vietnam and she raised 3 kids by herself, one was then a senior in the same university) or even seemingly enen saw her in the hallway, spoke to her, nodded at her or smiled at her. One of the invisible poor but far richer than any of those yahoo's.

Posted by: GM at Friday, July 14 2006 01:47 PM (S60yG)

6 How did Clinton handle the welfare and minimum wage problem?

When Clinton went into office he promised tax cuts for the middle class. He renegged on that promise and only after a resounding "Booo" he set about to making it right in his own twisted way. This is how he did it:

He extended and expanded the earned income tax credits to make actually 'working' attractive. But that wasn't enough. So then he raised the minimum wage. Then he had to go on the road to convince businesses to hire unskilled workers at the new minimum wage. When that wasn't enough, he made it easier to get food stamps, medicaid and housing assistance. So they were never really "off welfare" because the new minimum wage was in fact NOT enough.

When all this together eventually inflated many wages, in some cases to up to $30K a year, he started calling it his "tax cut for the middle class".

And THAT, my friend, is how the Democrats do things. They don't "fix" stuff, they just shift it around and slap a new label on it and everyone goes, "Ooooh!"

Posted by: Oyster at Friday, July 14 2006 02:55 PM (YudAC)

7 Funny how complex a seemingly simple issue like minimum wage can be. Essentially, I agree that minimum wage will always be poverty level. Although there may be a short lag time when it is first raised.

Recently Tennessee defeated an effort to have a state minimum wage. Oddly, one of the supporters showed, to me at least, the circular process that makes it self defeating. He wrote a op ed piece for the local newspaper supporting and had a lively discussion in his blog. The discussion focused on the increase in prices that the raise would cause. For some reason the exampe being used was frozen yogurt. The telling comment the blogger made, quoting his wife, was "Who can't afford to pay another nickel for frozen yogurt?" Well, the people making minimum wage, whatever it may be, would be the most likely to not be able to afford the extra nickel, dime, quarter, etc. The circle never ends.

Maybe minimum wage shouldn't be a living wage. Then more people might be motivated to learn more skills, be better educated and work harder.

BTW - GM, my first job with the state of Tennessee paid exactly what your first job with Texas paid. In college I had several work-study and university jobs that paid well below minimum wage as universities don't have to pay part-time student employess minimum wage. It helped me pay my way through college though and I was happy to have the jobs.

Posted by: DADvocate at Friday, July 14 2006 03:01 PM (XGI5R)

8 The first jobs I had: haying, picking berries and beans, had no minimum wage.
But if I had to start over, and I was unskilled, I would prefer to have a job at $5.15 per hour than no job at all because some rich politician wanted to "help" me get a "living" wage.
Incidently, I don't see thousands of working class people making a dying wage, keeling over left and right due to malnutrition.
All a "living" wage really means is owning a bigger TV, better stereo, dvd player, microwave, etc., i.e. luxury items for the most part.
Even unskilled workers who work hard, get raises as they become more experienced.
My wife and I have a young friend who started out working as a janitor, 10 years ago, and today he owns his own janitorial business, and with no education past high school.
He drives a Lexus when he isn't driving one of the cleaning trucks.
A kid starting out at McDonalds can rise up through the ranks also.
It's hard work, but it can be done, even without college, if one is honest, reliable, willing to work long hours, and has a good attitude.
College can help, sometimes greatly, but it isn't absolutely necessary to get out of poverty.

Posted by: Ben USN (Ret) at Friday, July 14 2006 10:46 PM (yYgeh)

9 I love this issue. ALL STUDIES HAVE SHOWN AN INCREASE IN UNEMPLOYMENT WHEN MINIMUM WAGES ARE INCREASED. Even Clinton's study in the 90's showed an increase in unemployment. This unemployment increase is ONLY short-term due to a growing economy. So when those that originally lost their job, secure another job, it is at an artificially increased value, which artificially increases the prices of goods and services which decrease the buying power of the consumer, which increases the need to make more money...do you see the problem yet?

One may ask why unions are for raising minumum wage? It would seem if wages are increased by the government there would be no need for unions. However, major unions have contractual language that state when the federal minimum wage is increased, union wages will automatically increase at the same rate.

Let the free market set the wages and prices.

Posted by: cracker at Saturday, July 15 2006 01:24 AM (Qh9mv)

10 MA just voted to increase MW to 8.50/hr--
thats more than most kids make up here in NH at their afterschool jobs. I remember when MW was 2.90/hr-- sheesh.

Posted by: Raven at Saturday, July 15 2006 03:37 AM (QopLx)

11 Raven - My first "real" job was as a lifeguard for the University of Tennessee. It paid $1.25 per hour, minimum wage was $1.65.

Posted by: DADvocate at Saturday, July 15 2006 04:41 AM (XGI5R)

12 I agree with you, GM; I've always made it a point to know all of the people who move within my sphere, be they cleaning ladies, repair men, janitors, food service workers, receptionists and so on. It astonishes me how often these people are taken for granted, often as you say, by the very people who claim to be so concerned about them

One of my first jobs was working in a flower shop for $1.75/hr, starting when I was in middle school. I learned the basics of flower arranging, then moved on to shopkeeping, then to ordering, and finally to bookkeeping (luckily my wage went up as I learned more!). It was always a surprise for customers to come in and see a highschool sophomore running a flower shop by herself, especially when a bride and her mother came in to plan the floral arrangements for her wedding.

Another job I had paid a dollar an hour (more of a volunteer job really, with a token wage) for teaching ESL to new immigrants to our town (legal ones, btw). It was funded in part by their wages, which were minimal, seeing that they had just immigrated. Most of them had found work at any of the many sympathetic Mom & Pop joints in town (an upper middle class college town in Oregon), many of whom also ended up unofficially sponsoring or helping out the people or families of the people working for them. But then all these people from California started moving up (the property and income tax there are minor compared to California's), and with them their GeneraBusinesses. Now, they've driven out just about every Mom & Pop shop in town, and the price of everything has shot sky high. It's almost impossible for teens or low-skilled workers to find employment in town now, so so much for the thought of encouraging responsibility through industry and money-management. In spite of the town's professed "committment to diversity", they've created a situation where even legal immigrants have been driven farther afield to find work (maybe that's what they intended all along?). Raising the minimum wage so greatly wouldn't benefit the workers as much as it would Big Business, who could afford to absorb the initial losses until their profit margin made up the cost of outlay. Not to mention that many of their employees tend to be skilled labour who can command a higher wage anyway. Small Business on the other hand, would suffer greatly under the economic pressure imposed by raising the minimum wage. Firstly, it would be difficult for them to come up with the initial capital to begin paying their few employees the increase, then they would have to rely on being able to make up this outlay as quickly as possible or be forced to lay off employees, or go under entirely.
I'm still trying to see how this would make our economy better...

Posted by: Katje at Sunday, July 16 2006 08:31 AM (odotS)

13 Since Cracker has read ALL MINIMUM WAGE STUDIES, he'll be able to explain why this one, courtesy of the British Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, disagrees with his foolish blanket statements: http://www.lowpay.gov.uk/lowpay/report/pdf/2006_Min_Wage.pdf

Those who asssert that inflation is a long term problem for the poor (and everybody else) are correct. The solution California is considering is to hitch minimum wage increases to the Consumer Price Index. The other solution, just let everybody keep earning $1.50 an hour until the market will no longer bear it, seems pretty unfeeling to me.

GM, I like to drop by every now and again, just to make sure you're behaving yourself

Posted by: Mavis Beacon at Monday, July 17 2006 04:58 AM (CSCpH)

14 If I want to understand minimum wage logic here, why should I consider a report prepared by a British government socialist? Mavis, that report has 174 pages. Before I invest that kind of time, the report would have to offer promises of something that I haven't seen. Can you reduce it to 200 words or less?

Minimum wage adjustments should be something reiewed and voted on by current politicians rather than defaulting to a CPI adjustment decided upon by previous legislators. Times change and so do philosophies, so nothing like that should be fixed.

But, it's so nice that minimum wages could be indexed to inflation while the wages of no one else are.

Posted by: Woody at Monday, July 17 2006 08:17 AM (v5VVJ)

15 Great article GM, but I have the solution.

I have reviewed obamassiah's retirement and wage plans, and have expanded upon them to their logical conclusion and created the end all be all of economic plans that will thrust this country out of the quagmire of income disparity and lack of services.

Read about it here!

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