Albert Memmi The unaddressed questions (from November, 1973) of Albert Memmi still address the unworthiness [2] of Libya ** The most predictable outcome of Libya’s violent internecine struggle-cum-latest-Arab- “democracy movement” was aptly characterized by Andrew McCarthy [3]: “The Libyan people
Those who thought Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s agenda would be tempered by two weeks of nonstop protests outside his Captiol office couldn’t have been more wrong. State spending would be reduced, taxes would not increase and the University of Wisconsin’s
Last night’s Oscar show was so stunningly awful that even though I had to be up and out of the house by 4 AM this morning, the stink of the whole program couldn’t be allowed to stand before I hit
Fill ‘er up folks. Gas prices in Southern California have hit $4.59 a gallon. Oh, the media has finally started covering “Pain at the Pump” but they are not giving us the real reasons for the jump. Unrest in the
Last year I voted to extend the PATRIOT Act for one year. I regret that vote and was glad to have been able to correct it, although I am pained that the House voted otherwise yesterday. During this past year,
A second federal judge has just ruled that Congress exceeded its constitutional authority when it mandated that most Americans must purchase health insurance starting in 2014. Whatever the Supreme Court eventually decides on that constitutional question, the so-called “individual mandate”
Since June 21, 1788 when New Hampshire became the required ninth state to ratify the US Constitution, the seventeen enumerated powers specifically granted to the federal government in the Constitution have slowly expanded to allow central government involvement in virtually
Universally, democracy is being exalted. Everywhere one turns, one hears of its virtues: how democracy ensures human rights, fosters prosperity and shepherds in modernity. Yet democracy represents nothing more than the tyranny of the majority. In other words, contrary to
Yesterday, after watching a number of college basketball games, I decided to put on the classic Frank Capra film, “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.” I had not seen it in about 15 years and had forgotten most of its content.
I believe that Americans are the smartest and most innovative people in the world. If we weren’t how could we become the greatest economic, cultural, social and military superpower the world has ever seen? It puzzles me though why we
Apartheid. If there is an 800 lb. gorilla looming over the legacy of colonialism, apartheid is a prime candidate for it. That it qualifies as morally evil is debatable only by invoking cultural relativism, which out of ideological prejudice hypocritically
The one good thing about sitting through the painful lies and propaganda of Obama’s State Of The Union address was seeing the new Speaker of the House, John Boehner, in Nancy Pelosi’s seat. Seriously, you know it was killing her.
MSNBC’s Chris Matthews has gone on a three-day Bachmann-bashing binge over a speech she gave in Iowa last weekend. In the speech, Rep. Bachmann pointed out that the scourge of slavery was a horrible chapter in our country’s history, but
South Sudan is posed to become Africa’s newest country following this month’s independence vote. But Sudan’s Islamist government and its Iranian ally may not let the south break away without a fight. Just as it has done in Lebanon, Iraq,
George Will in today’s Washington Post: By the time Huntington’s book appeared, American had had four of what he called “periods of creedal passion” – the Revolutionary era (1770s), the Jacksonian era (the 1830s), the Progressive era (1900-20) and the
Never mind the fact that Rep. Lewis erroneously places the ‘pursuit of happiness’ in the preamble of the Constitution instead of the Declaration of Independence, this exchange is much more illuminating in terms of how thin the Democrats’ arguments are
Will the Jasmine Revolution that toppled Tunisian strongman Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali create more political freedom and liberty for Tunisia’s people? Or could it pave the way for creation of an Islamist-dominated state that imposes harsh new curbs on civil
It was as if someone was trying to send me a message. It seemed as though every radio talk show, every commentary, each political debate during the past twenty-four hours centered on the issue of individual power vs. collectivism in
Gunfights erupted in major Tunisia cities on Sunday, two days after president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled the country from deadly protests, after 23 years in power. It appears that the gun battles were between the army and security
In the minutes after the Fort Hood massacre at the hands of Nidal Malik Hasan, Americans waited to hear from their president, who was scheduled to speak at the Tribal Nations Conference. Hundreds of American Indian leaders were on-hand to
From Reuters: President Barack Obama issued an executive order on Friday loosening more restrictions on U.S. travel and money remittances to Cuba, a further step in his efforts to reach out to the people of the communist-ruled country. The latest
On Sunday, the southern Sudanese began voting on a referendum to secede from the Republic of Sudan and establish their own sovereign nation. By all accounts, they will soon secede from the Arab, Islamic country and form an independent African,
I had an e-mail exchange with an extremely reliable source of mine within the Palestinian Authority government who provided a unique window into how they plan to proceed. According to him, the PA has been going back and forth with
Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? –Isaiah 66: 8 The vote for South Sudan’s Referendum on Secession goes on for seven days, but in the minds and hearts of
Reality demonstrates that people act on their basest needs. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs says that basic needs are things like food, shelter, safety, and security. If one progresses up the scale, needs like love, belonging, esteem, and respect become important.
