Judea Pearl On The Evils Of Anti-Zionism*

*Image courtesy of AP Images.

Judea Pearl writes an interesting article for the "Los Angeles Times." I'm not sure I agree with his conclusion that anti-Zionism is worse than anti-Semitism, but he does highlight the hypocrisy of the academically enlightened in their viewpoints on the state of Israel. His answer to letters sent in response to this article is also interesting, if not historically accurate.

You can find an earlier posting from this blog concerning the mentioned symposium at UCLA here.

The Arab League Vs. The Rest Of The World*

*Image courtesy of AP Images.

Yes, the hubristic criminal in the foreground is Omar al-Bashir. I've commented on this evil individual before.

Apparently the above image was taken as he received a very warm welcome at the Arab League Summit in Qatar. And here it is important to note that as these nations continue to support genocide, rape, and other atrocities by denying that any international court has power to intrude--and for disingenuous reasons such as political destabilization--they continue to force an ugly wedge between themselves and their occidental counterparts.

Sadly, while not every Arab nation is represented at this summit, many in the West will increasingly begin to associate their Arab and Muslim neighbors with this kind of arrogant wickedness. It's all very unfortunate. And unnecessary. Why don't these nations pick up on this? I think that they do, but would rather have conflict in any sphere--political or otherwise--than stick their necks out and be on the right side of Sudan's suffering people.

I hope the international community will take a strong stand against this. But I also know that America will have to speak loudly if that is to be a realistic possibility. Perhaps President Obama, with all his distractions, would be wise to include this issue in his agenda. After all, what freedoms we have must be shared with the world if this American experiment is to reach its full potential. And at the very least, the world must accept that the individual human life has intrinsic value--to do otherwise is a confirmation of darkness, despair, and degradation.

And there's already too much of that.

Reality Check*

*Image courtesy of AP Images.

You might be forgiven for wondering just whom is pictured above, though he should be quite familiar in a few days. His name is Bishop John M. D'Arcy of the Fort Wayne-South Bend Diocese in Indiana. And he is one among a growing number of Catholics opposing President Obama's recent love affair with the Culture of Death. To the point, he and nearly 65,000 other good souls are protesting the honorary degree and speaking engagement offered by the University of Notre Dame to last year's ballot box regret. Significantly, they argue that the President's endorsements of stem cell research and abortion run contrary to fundamental Catholic teachings and basic morality. And I would have to agree.

It will be very interesting to see if Notre Dame--a fine institution of higher learning with a history of hosting sitting presidents--will rescind their offer. Otherwise, one might begin to wonder just who pays the bills to keep the place running. Granted, I very much see the point in seeking out powerful men such as the President to come and speak, even if there are basic differences in belief. But for those who so stridently carryout political doctrines obviously arrayed against the foundational ethics of the school, the students, and the board of directors? Honestly. Here's to hoping those scheduling speakers at Nortre Dame wise up soon.

In other news, the Cue-Card-in-Chief, et al. are officially tucking tail on the War on Terror--or at least this is so when it comes to selling the whole idea to the American public. Sadly, it appears that the whole thing has strangely been renamed "Overseas Contingency Operation." I'm about as thrilled as you are. Let us hope that this is just another PR stunt. . .or a silly word game to obscure the true nature of the rough and tumble work we must be about on the global scale. As if we couldn't take the truth after six years of war. Sheesh.

Thankfully, it seems at least that the willingness to fight in Afghanistan remains, though one prays this does not mean playing patty-cake with that murderous horde of zealots called the Taliban. Carpet bombing is too good for them, as are cushy seats and tea with any administration official or public servant of the USA.

And finally, some sanity over the whole AIG debacle from one Jake DeSantis. He makes some very important points about the true nature of those who made honest sacrifices to salvage the company's image and bottom line. If I haven't said so clearly before, taxing bonuses is indeed a bad idea, and government takeovers are a downright rotten idea. Long live the Jake DeSantis' of the world--may they be working somewhere much more deserving of their talent, common sense, and guts.

AIG Is Dirtier Than First Assumed (And That Doesn't Even Mention The Politicians Involved)*

*Image courtesy of AP Images.

It turns out that AIG bonuses were even larger than first assumed--$218 M to be exact, and we shouldn't be surprised if they get larger as more digging is done. Whatever the case, it seems our President was too busy filling out his NCAA brackets, insulting intellectually disabled athletes while interviewing with Jay Leno, and sending love notes to Iran to do anything about it. Or maybe he just didn't want to get sued.

Am I the only one sensing a lack of focus by the administration on what matters most here? Apparently Mark Steyn over at "National Review" thinks much the same while noting the hypocrisy of so many outraged politicians (and yes, they just might be the ones who passed the bailout without reading it).

Now there is the question of just how to punish this wanton spending on bonuses. Shouldn't we reward talent, even if the company fails? But is this really talent if they are responsible for the company failing? Maybe the company shouldn't be allowed to get that large? Maybe we should just tax the bonuses? There are all sorts of questions, some good and some bad. What I do know is that these lawmakers should have read the bailout bill before they voted to disperse taxpayer money. Better yet, they should have let AIG fail. After all, the market generally rewards merit, a quality in seriously short supply here.

In the end, while we have to admit that executive bonuses are often obnoxious, this sort of government involvement--too much and too late--is even worse.

Putin The Spy*

*Image courtesy of AP Images.

Here is an interesting bit of historical lint--Vlad Putin during his swinging, sexy spy days in the KGB. The linked photo was taken by Pete Souza, who swears this suave tourist was just a bit too interested in snapping photos of President Reagan in Red Square. Or human rights in America. Whatever the case, the authenticity of the photo seems to be under dispute.

Obama's No Friend Of The Military*

*Image courtesy of AP Images.

Stabbing American soldiers in the back sure didn't take him long. I guess we should be thankful he didn't spit on them. I mean really, did President Obama actually think he could raise money for Veterans Affairs by making our men and women in uniform suffer the inadequate services of private insurance companies?

The answer is clearly no. What he and his far-left ideologues attempted here was to stop not only current American warfare, but also all American warfare. The notion being of course that war of any kind is unjustified, and that it is especially so for enlightened Americans. What he clearly refuses to acknowledge is that though we prize peace, some wars must be waged with all our might if we and much of the rest of the world would be free. In the end, a virtue such as the love of peace can be corrupted into a vice if taken too far. Clearly, that is at least some of what we have here in this twisted and asinine display of liberal political fantasy.

Importantly, by causing soldiers to work with independent insurers, the quality of care is drastically cut--sometimes to nothing, and that undoubtedly would be devastating to our warriors in need of long-term care--the out of pocket expenses would be untenable, and recruitment rates would surely plummet. In fact, the brave men and women who keep us safe would find far less strength in the field, and that would be catastrophic for them, their families back home, and freedom loving people throughout the sane world.

As Commander David K. Rehbein of the American Legion argued, cutting the armed forces down by their roots is grossly immoral, whether or not President Obama or his hit man Rahm Emanuel want to hear it. This is appalling, it's shoddy treatment of those who have every right to demand our unwavering and complete support, and it's very telling of the current administration's willingness to place political principles above American blood. All involved should be deeply, terribly ashamed.

MEA CULPA. . .KIND OF: The ongoing financial disaster named Christopher Dodd finally admits to securing an outrageous $165 M in bonuses for AIG executives right after working citizens bail them out for $170 M. . .no wonder some are connecting the dots to Geithner's resignation.

GOOD NEWS: Mukhtar Mai--the women's rights advocate extraordinaire who suffered gang rape at the order of her local tribal council in Pakistan--is now married to the police officer assigned to safeguard her well being. Granted, the polygamy issue does give one pause, but at least she is safe and enjoying a relationship traditionally denied such victims. Here's to her happiness and that special hell most assuredly reserved for her attackers.

CENSUS 2010 UPDATE: A clean census? Well, now ACORN is involved. If The Golden Boy President's first 100 days are any indication, the Democrats are going to need all the gerrymandering help they can get for the next election.

Rembering The Founding Citizens*

*Image courtesy of AP Images.

Most of the major networks are refusing to cover it as an inspiration for what is happening right now--the protests, that is.

If you haven't heard yet, tens, hundreds, even thousands of Americans are gathering in major cities to protest the bailout of homeowners who could never pay their mortgages, the greedy banks that gave them their ridiculous sub-prime loans, and various other criminals inside and out of government positions that politicked for this economic disaster. However successful, these Americans have got the right idea--protesting like the no-nonsense citizens that fought and prayed our free country into existence.

Fittingly enough, they are calling these communions with commonsense "Taxpayer Tea Parties." And please note, this sentiment is on the upswing: there is a simple form letter available to sign online and festoon the office of our Big-Talker-in-Chief with, along with a list of upcoming venues where Americans still possess their sanity. Thank goodness.

I say Rick Santelli--whomever he is--should be awarded a lifetime free of personal and / or corporate taxes just for the idea. . .

WATCH THIS: Below is the report from FoxNews on the political downfall of Chas Freeman. It was not swift enough.