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| A Rational Advocate REASONED VIEWS ON ISSUES OF THE DAY |
"The most formidable
weapon against errors of any kind is reason" Thomas Paine - 1776 |
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| THE BASIS OF RATIONALITY
Information gathered in the present, combined with that obtained
and processed over past periods of time, is reprocessed by our mind. If
the past information is either not factual or erroneously perceived,
judgments reached will not have validity. To achieve validity, reason
based on factual information must be utilized as the basis for making
reevaluations of past judgments and evaluations of all new judgments. This
website's purpose is to advance this rationale.
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Wright rode
into Iraq on March 20, 2003, with a platoon of First Reconnaissance
Battalion Marines—the Marine Corps' special operations unit whose motto is
"Swift, Silent, Deadly." These highly trained and highly motivated First
Recon Marines were the leading unit of the American-led invasion force.
Wright wrote about that experience in a three-part series in Rolling Stone
that was hailed for its evocative, accurate war reporting. This book, a
greatly expanded version of that series, matches its accomplishment.
Wright is a perceptive reporter and a facile writer. His account is a
personality-driven, readable and insightful look at the Iraq War's first
month from the Marine grunt's point of view. Sean
Hannity states totalitarian regimes, such as Hussein's in Iraq,
Hitler's Germany and the former Soviet Union, serve as breeding grounds
for evil, thus justifying President Bush's policy of pre-emptive action
against countries that could threaten American interests.
An engaging book of essays from Pulitzer Prize-winning philosopher and historian Durant should be essential reading for anyone interested in the evolution of thoughts An engaging narrative of key events leading up to the conferences at Yalta (Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin) and Potsdam (Truman, Churchill, Stalin) By Michael Beschloss 
The Power of Kings
"A compelling analysis of our nation's intelligence problems, including their historical roots...Provides a comprehensive prescription for correcting the deficiencies and improving national security." - Edwin Meese, former U.S. Attorney General  GETTING IT RIGHT A rollicking -- and revealing -- novel about the early days of the conservative movement This thought provoking book should be of interest to anyone concerned about Western security in the Post Cold War This book has been a standard introduction to its eponymous subject since its first publication in 1958 This book links some of the most fertile minds of our time to a centuries-old commitment to freedom, self-determination, and opposition to intrusive government
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A Review By Ben Cerruti of Energy Victory by Robert Zubrin If one where to agree with the author's premise that
"the war on terror?\" in which the U.S. is now engaged is directly connected to energy dependence, he has
presented in this book a rational approach to winning that battle in the next decade. By finding a way to
diminish the outrageous profits that Saudi Arabia, the major source of inexpensively produced oil, both their
direct and indirect funding of terrorism would, in turn, be diminished. ....read more....
click titles to
read commentary
ONLY REALISTIC PATH TO OUR SECURITY The Promise of Democratic
Peace
By Condoleezza Rice Soon after arriving at the State Department earlier this
year, I hung a portrait of Dean Acheson in my office. Over half a century
ago, as America sought to create the world anew in the aftermath of World
War II, Acheson sat in the office that I now occupy. And I hung his
picture where I did for a reason..... The Primary Reason for Regime Change in Iraq Speech - A.F. Academy June 2nd By President George W. Bush (www.freerepublic.com) Excerpts from speech - "Fighting this kind of enemy is a
complex mission that will require all your skill and resourcefulness. Our
enemies have no capital or nation-state to defend. They share a vision and
operate as a network of dozens of violent extremist groups around the
world, striking separately and in concert. Al Qaeda is the vanguard of
these loosely affiliated groups, and we estimate that over the years many
thousands of recruits have passed through its training camps.
"Just as events in Europe determined the outcome of the
Cold War, events in the Middle East will set the course of our current
struggle. If that region is abandoned to dictators and terrorists, it will
be a constant source of violence andd alarm, exporting killers of
increasing destructive power to attack America and other free nations. If
that region grows in democracy and prosperity and hope, the terrorist
movement will lose its sponsors, lose its recruits, and lose the festering
grievances that keep terrorists in business. The stakes of this struggle
are high. The security and peace of our country are at stake, and success
in this struggle is our only option."....
 flat tax revolution  Everyone knows that the
Federal Income Tax Code-all 9 million words of it-hurts economic growth
and stock market values. The current federal income tax code is beyond
redemption. It's complex, confusing, unfair and a corrupting influence on
our economy and society. It's time to get rid of it and the
IRS.What Makes Us Tick?
By Tom DeWeese Our nation, indeed our world has become much polarized in
the right/left spectrum. People now are categorized in one camp or the
other based on certain ideas. We live in a world of sound bites. For
example, today, if you attack the irrationality of the actions of the
United Nations, you’re a “black helicopter kook.” If you support the idea
that government should stay out of your bedroom you’re anarcho-lefty.
There is confusion. The sound bites and instant labeling boxes us in and
keeps us apart. If the shouting were to calm down, perhaps we might all
find that the left and the right have some very common
ideas.... The Proof's in the Pension
By John Tierney (N.Y. Times) I made a pilgrimage to Santiago seeking to resolve the
Social Security debate with a simple question: What would Pablo Serra
do?.... By Kathleen Parker As Brits stiffen their upper lips and politicians hustle
to reiterate that Islam is not the problem, cognitive dissonance grips the
planet. If Islam is not the problem, what is? And are we not inviting
self-defeat by refusing to recognize that Islam is at least part of the
problem?.... Constitutional Myths
and Realities
By Stephen Markman Justice, Michigan Supreme Court It might be nice if those policies that we favor were
compelled by the Constitution and those policies that we disfavor were
barred by the Constitution. is not, by and large, what the Constitution
does. Rather, the Constitution creates an architecture of government that
is designed to limit the abuse of governmental power. The delegates to the
Constitutional Convention of 1787 sought to create a government that would
be effective in carrying out its essential tasks, such as foreign policy
and national defense, while not coming to resemble those European
governments with which they were so familiar, where the exercise of
governmental power was arbitrary and without limits. Therefore, while the
Constitution constrains government, it does not generally seek to replace
the representative processes of government.... Recovering From Falling
Numbers
By Cal Thomas One of the reasons I prefer to be known as a conservative
and not a Republican is that Republicans too often compromise their
ideals, hoping the Left will like them. It never works. The Left despises
them anyway and, in the end, they've sold out for
nothing.... The Doctrine of
Preemption
By George F. Will What I will say tonight about the war on terror draws
heavily on my earlier life as a professor and student of political
philosophy. A long life in journalism and around Washington, D.C., has
taught me not just that ideas have consequences, but that only ideas have
large and lasting consequences. We are in a war of terror being waged by
people who take ideas with lethal seriousness, and we had better take our
own ideas seriously as well....
By Stephen Schwartz Since its
formation in 1932, Saudi Arabia has been ruled by two interdependent
families. The Al Sa’uds control politics and the descendants of Ibn Abd
al-Wahhab impose Wahhabism—a violent, fanatical perversion of the
pluralistic Islam practiced by most Muslims. Stephen Schwartz argues that
Wahhabism, vigorously exported with the help of Saudi oil money, is what
incites Palestinian suicide bombers, Osama bin Laden, and other Islamic
terrorists throughout the world. Schwartz reveals the hypocrisy of the
Saudi regime, whose moderate facade conceals state-sponsored repression
and terrorism. He also raises troubling questions about Wahhabi
infiltration of America’s Islamic community and about U.S. oil companies
sanitizing Saudi Arabia’s image for the West. This sharp analysis and
eye-opening expose illuminates the background to the September 11th
terrorist attacks and offers new approaches for U.S. policy toward its
closest ally in the Middle East....
 Benedict Arnold Drama Of The American Revolution In Five Acts By Robert Zubrin Benedict Arnold was the
greatest combat soldier of the American Revolution. Yet, in 1780, in
collusion with the beautiful Tory agent Peggy Shippen and British
spymaster John Andre, he attempted to betray General George Washing, the
Marquis de Lafayette, Alexander Hamilton and the critical fotress of West
Point into Royal hands. In this interesting narration in play written
form, the author lays out most captivatingly the events of the times that
could have led to the defeat of the American revelutionary army. It is
highly recommended to those interested in American history and is well
worth the read.
The
Pentagon's New Map
By Thomas P. M. Barnett The author, a
knowledgeable U.S. Naval War College senior military analyst,
provides the rationale for new military planning based on economic
globalization rather than on intermittent wars. He proposes that past
planning required the identifiction of a major nation that could become a
threat to our security. He states that 9/11 was what was required to
enable the consideration of this new approach. By taking on the task of
supporting the advances of economic globalization, the U.S. enjoys its
benefits "out of rational self-interest". His view of the world is that it
works in terms of a Core-Gap divide. He suggests integrating the
non-functioning Gap countries into the functioning Core countries and
further states the need to reduce globalization's grand complexity to four
elements. Movement of people from Gap to Core, movement of energy and
money from the Gap to a New Core and the exporting of the Gap's security
that only America can provide. To improve our military, he suggests
that conflicts between the military services can be minimized by
eliminating their separate identities once a senior officer reaches flag
rank. If this happens, the infighting over satisfying the desires of
the respective services would vanish. This would then remove the obstacles
to utilizing funding for military programs in a efficient and objective
achieving manner. The breadth of his vision is impossible to capture in a
review. The author provides a well thought out constructive view of what
our country's leaders should be seriously considering in their pursuit of
lasting security for Americans while at the same time removing the threat
from Gap country elements by improving their lot. This book is a must read
for those who desire the knowledge necessary to rationally understand the
issue of our nation's security.
By Thomas Sowell (TownHall.com) Few issues have
produced as much confused thinking as the "gay marriage" issue. There is,
for example, the argument that the government has no business getting
involved with marriage in the first place. That is a personal relation,
the argument goes. Love affairs are personal relations. Marriage is a
legal relation. To say that government should not get involved in legal
relations is to say that government has no business governing. Homosexuals
were on their strongest ground when they said that what happens between
"consenting adults" in private is none of the government's business. But
now gay activists are taking the opposite view, that it is government's
business -- and that government has an obligation to give its
approval..... (MediaResearch.org) Thirty million
Americans rely on broadcast television for their news. They form opinions
based on what they hear and see and to a lesser extent, read. Since
citizens cannot cast informed votes or make knowledgeable decisions on
matters of public policy if the information on which they depend is
distorted, it is vital to American democracy that television news and
other media be fair and unbiased. Conservatives believe the mass media,
predominantly television news programs, slant reports in favor of the
liberal position on issues. Most Americans agree, as the data below
indicate. Yet many members of the media continue to deny a liberal
bias....
  Ghost Wars By Steve Coll The author, as a
basis for his writing of the history leading up to the present mid-east
situation, provides the vital details for the reader to understand
the role played by Saudi Arabia in what has become our war on terrorism.
He shows how petro dollars were the catalyst for the spread of the Wahhabi
form of Islamic ideology into Pakistan and Afghanistan for export
throughout the world.
How to Cure Health
Care
By Milton Friedman The United States
spends a mind-boggling percentage of its GDP on a health care system that
virtually everyone agrees is a disaster. Is there any way out of this
mess? There is-and Milton Friedman has found it. By Thomas Sowell (TownHall.com) Those of us who are getting on
in years can remember a time when most people had no health insurance,
when we simply paid the doctors or the pharmacies and went on our way,
without giving it a second thought. I have especially painful memories of
having a hospital bill of $50 for the treatment of a baseball injury back
in 1949. You have no idea how big $50 was for me at that time. It was the
most money that I had ever paid for anything. But the bill got paid off, a
few dollars at a time, over a period of months. When and why did health
insurance, paid by third parties, become widespread in the American
economy? Like so many things that the government does, third-party health
insurance grew out of problems created by previous government
policies.....
WHAT WENT
WRONG?
DID YOU
KNOW?
As you walk up the steps to the building which houses the
U.S. Supreme Court you can see near the top of the building a row of the
world's law givers and each one is facing one in the middle who is facing
forward with a full frontal view - it is Moses and he is holding the Ten
Commandments!
DID YOU KNOW?
As you enter the Supreme Court courtroom, the two huge oak
doors have the Ten Commandments engraved on each lower portion of each
door.
DID YOU KNOW?
As you sit inside the courtroom, you can see the wall,
right above where the Supreme Court judges sit, a display of the Ten
Commandments!
DID YOU KNOW?
There are Bible verses etched in stone all over the
Federal Buildings and Monuments in Washington, D.C.
DID YOU KNOW?
James Madison, the fourth president, known as "The Father
of Our Constitution" made the following statement "We have staked the
whole of all our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for
self-government, upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern
ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten
Commandments of God."
DID YOU KNOW?
Patrick Henry, that patriot and Founding Father of our
country said, "It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this
great nation was founded not by religionists but by Christians, not on
religions but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ."
DID YOU KNOW?
Every session of Congress begins with a prayer by a paid
preacher, whose salary has been paid by the taxpayer since 1777.
DID YOU KNOW?
Fifty-two of the 55 founders of the Constitution were
members of the established orthodox churches in the colonies.
DID YOU KNOW?
Thomas Jefferson worried that the Courts would overstep
their authority and instead of interpreting the law would begin making
law....an oligarchy....the rule of few over many. DID YOU
KNOW?
The very first Supreme Court Justice, John Jay, said,
"Americans should select and prefer Christians as their rulers."
How, then, have we gotten to the point that everything
we have done for 220 years in this country is now wrong and
unconstitutional? |
click titles to read complete commentary  Freedom and Justice in Islam
By Bernard Lewis Bernard Lewis provides an insight into the Islamic world that is priceless.
He provides that which explains succinctly what has evolved in the last Century in the mid-east.
This article should be circulated throughout the western world and its contents broadcast to those many
who need to know what the actual historical facts are. The final words in this article send us an
ominous warning "either we bring them freedom, or they will destroy us"....
Iraq- One Nation, Divisible
By John Tierney (October 24, 2006 New York Times) An American in Iraq has finally gotten it almost right. J. D. Thurman, the major general who is the senior commander
of U.S. forces in Baghdad, has figured out the obstacle to America’s dream for Iraq. "Part of our problem is that
we want this more than they do,” General Thurman told The Times’s Michael Gordon, alluding to American efforts to
unify Iraqis. “We need to get people to stop worrying about self and start worrying about Iraq.”.... Robbing Parents to Pay
Teachers
By Alan Caruba It is an act of thievery to take
money to provide goods or services and then fail to do so. Our nation’s schools
have become a great criminal conspiracy, promising to educate our children, but
more often producing “graduates” without even the most basic skills, let alone a
useful, wider body of knowledge.... Understanding The Enemy
By Ben Cerruti It is quite evident that there are many who do not understand the nature of our enemy.
They seem to have the belief that defeating the Taliban and Al-Qaida will make terrorism go away.
It certainly would be helpful but pure logic tells us it falls far short of that goal. Common sense dictates
that one must understand what motivates these terrorists in order to implement the actions that will lead to
elimination of their acts against us. From what we observe, there should be no doubt that their motivation is
derived from the tenets of the Koran (Quran) which are followed by devout Muslims throughout the world.
To illustrate this I provide the following excerpts from the Koran (Quran):.... What the Pope Actually
Said
By Alan Caruba What Pope Benedict
XVI actually said was vastly overshadowed by the Islamic reaction to one line
from a lengthy, intellectually complex speech given on September 12th
at the University of Regensburg, Germany... Fanatics, heretics and the truth about Global
Warming
By Tom DeWeese "Oceans lash our coasts. Deserts Burn. The sky provides no
shelter. Turmoil of Biblical proportions threatens not just our weather
but life itself. Global Warming is upon us." Those words aren't from the
preview trailer of the silly, overblown, over dramatic film, "Day After
Tomorrow" that invaded movie theaters a few years ago. And they aren't
just carefully selected "scare" words developed from a sweep through a
thesaurus. These are the opening words to yet another hysterical diatribe
passing as news these days on the subject of Global Warming. This
particularly silly one greeted readers of a recent issue of Playboy
Magazine.... “Peak Oil” or Lots More
Oil?
By Alan Caruba In May 2006 I wrote, “I know
about the “Peak Oil” theory that says we either have or are about the reach the
point of diminishing returns regarding the world’s oil supply, but these recent
discoveries suggest there is still plenty of oil to be found.” In that
commentary I documented nearly a dozen new fields of oil and natural gas
discovered since 1995... They are one of the biggest publishers of textbooks in the
world, and they wanted to use some of my writings in one of their
products. My first thought was, "Gee, I'm coming up in the world." The
second was, "How do they intend to use it?" So I asked for a sample. A
good thing I did.... California Commits
Eco-Suicide
By Alan Caruba In late August, Democrats in the
California legislature and Governor agreed to a deal that would impose a limit
on all greenhouse gas emissions. As reported by the Associated Press, “The bill
would require the state’s major industries—such as utility plants, oil and gas
refineries, and cement kilns—to reduce their emissions of the pollutants widely
believed to contribute to global warming.”... Making Kids
Eco-Crazy
By Alan Caruba It’s back to school time for kids
and, of course, for the environmental crazies that means creating a huge
mythology of things that will kill them the minute they venture into the jungle
of hazards and horrors that await them in school. The biggest hazard I encountered
was a kid named Mario who, not surprisingly, ended up in jail. I did not worry
about what my clothes were made from, if the acrylic paints would poison me, or
the importance of using both sides of the piece of paper.... Do We Need Ethanol More Than
Topsoil?
By Dennis Avery I cringe when the urban newspapers casually say we can
make “lots of our auto fuel” as ethanol from cornstalks and wheat straw.
If we turn the crop stalks into ethanol, we’ll have the only problem that
could be bigger than an energy shortage—a topsoil shortage. That would
throw the First World’s societies into the same sort of downward hunger
and erosion spiral that bad farming has already forced upon
Africa.... Sabotaging U.S.
Sovereignty
By Alan Caruba The problem with the Bush
administration is that not enough of its officials have read the U.S.
Constitution. Take, for example, Section 2 of Article 2. When dealing with
foreign nations, it says that the President “shall have the power, by and with
the advice and consent of the Senate, to make treaties, provided
two thirds of the Senators present concur….”... Gasoline at $3 per gallon tells us vehicle fuel is scarce
in America right now. Some U.S. politicians propose to “fix” the high
prices with an “excess profits tax” on the oil companies. If you want less
of something, tax it. If you want less fuel at higher prices, just raise
the taxes on the energy companies. If you want more of something, raise
its price. Willing suppliers then find ways to provide it. Over time,
competition and investment bring down prices. The excess profits tax is a
political diversion to help you forget that it’s America’s own voters and
politicians who have created our current pain at the gas pump: Many of the
“excess profits taxers” have voted consistently against more
energy.... Lebanon, the Imaginary Nation
By Alan Caruba Before the Israeli attack, Lebanon no longer existed, it
was no more than a hologram. This is what the Lebanese journalist, Michael
Behe, wrote on July 30. His commentary was posted on the website of the
Metula News Agency in Beirut. To understand the Lebanese situation, it
helps to know that, despite a history that dates back to biblical times,
modern Lebanon was literally the invention of Western powers, England and
France, after WWI in 1920. It became independent of France in the early
1940s.... At what point do Americans and the rest of the world begin
to take Iran’s President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, seriously? He is making no
secret of his plans to acquire and use nuclear weapons against Israel,
England and America. As any student in Psychology 101 learns, there is
something called “projection” in which an individual “projects” onto
another person their own intentions, motivations, and justifications. If I
say you are planning to harm me, there’s a strong chance the truth is that
I am planning to harm you.... Despite the U.S. Senate’s August vote to end the quarter
century ban on offshore drilling, the Democrats could not resist
recklessly exploiting the current price at the pumps and oil company
profits for political gain while ignoring the most fundamental economics
of our national dependence on this energy source. The bill now goes back
to the House, which already passed it where a committee will work out an
agreement on the separate versions.... take a stand for freedom By Tom DeWeese Many patriotic Americans have rightly worried about the
nation's future in the hands of today's younger generation. Proven time
and again is their lack of understanding for American ideals and
principles of limited government, thanks to a woefully inadequate
education from government schools.However, such fears received at least a
small reprieve on January 24, 2006, when a group of law students at
Georgetown University Law School staged a dramatic protest during a speech
by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.... Ice Cores
Show Sun, Not Humans, Controlling Earth’s Climate
By Dennis T. Avery Humans now control Earth’s climate, James Hansen of NASA
told CBS’ “60 Minutes” last week. His evidence: the edges of the ice sheet
are melting rapidly. Hansen says the speed of this melting proves that
man-made greenhouse gases are responsible. Sorry, Dr. Hansen, but the
melting edges of the Greenland ice sheet don’t prove your point. Melting
around the edges is exactly what the Vikings saw on Greenland 1000 years
ago when they named the island—for its green coastal meadows. They moved
in with their cattle, and thrived for 300 years, during what we now call
the Medieval Warming....
Landowner's
Coalition Demands Repeal of ESA
By Tom DeWeese "Fed up" landowners have said "enough" to feeble efforts
by Congress to "fix" the Endangered Species Act (ESA). That's why a
coalition of property rights groups, led by the American Land Foundation,
Stewards of the Range, the American Policy Center, Liberty Matters, and
the PFUSA Grange have now gathered more than 6,300 signatures to a letter
calling for repeal of the ESA.... Mexican politicians continuously demand increased
immigrant visas for their citizens, an expanded guest-worker program, and
amnesty for their illegal aliens living north of the Rio Grande. But while
Mexico expects the United States to solve its social problems by allowing
the border to serve as a safety-valve for job seekers, its government
officials enjoy princely lifestyles and spend little of the nation's
wealth on education and health care, which are crucial elements in
promoting social mobility.... Goose-Stepping Iranians
By Alan Caruba An ignorance of history can leave an entire generation
vulnerable to threats they may otherwise dismiss as bombast. Most who
lived during the 1930s rise of the Nazi’s Third Reich are dead and all
that’s left are the images on the History Channel. That’s why the sight of
goose-stepping Iranian soldiers is eerily redolent of goose-stepping
German storm troopers.... Goodbye Europe
By Lowell Ponte Europe’s botched civilization, perverted by socialism and
lost faith, seems to have lost the will, the passion to sustain itself. If
it continues to practice today’s multiculturalist leftism, Europe’s
demographic doom will be sealed.... Whatever
Happened to the Ownership Society?
By LARRY P. ARNN - president of Hillsdale College Before Hurricane Katrina flooded the tear ducts of our
politicians and the vaults of our treasury, President Bush had us talking
about America’s “ownership society.” This is one of the best things he has
done. He did it prominently in his reelection campaign. He did it bravely
in relation to Social Security, which risks the outrage of the media and
the votes of older people who always vote. If he did it in some ways
foolishly, never mind. It showed promise because it had us talking about
something central for a change. This question of ownership is at the heart
of America. It always has been. “No taxation without representation”
echoed in the hearts and spirits of our fathers because it called up the
ideas they held most dear. If you may not tax me except as my
representative, then for the same reason you may not govern me except by
my consent. If you cannot take my property except by law and with
difficulty, then my title to my property is real. It is truly mine. I own
it. And if James Madison is to be believed, my ownership of my property
stands on just the same footing as my entitlement to speak my mind or to
say my prayers or to vote my conscience.... End the Tyranny
of Homework!
By Alan Caruba I do not recall doing much
homework when I was growing up. Most certainly, I was not burdened with it in
elementary school. It probably began in what is now called Middle School grades.
I do recall wondering, after having spent the better part of the day in school,
why the teachers thought that additional study at home would have any
benefit?.... The Hippocratic Oath, Abortion and Euthanasia
By Ben Cerruti The thought came to me recently that we no longer hear
from anyone about the historical practice of those in the medical
professions swearing to the “Hippocratic Oath” upon graduation from
medical school. At one time all reputable medical men
considered themselves bound by this oath In further thought I
realized that there could be a reason and it might be in the oath
itself. I believe I was right and it is in the following excerpt
from that oath. “I will give no deadly drug to any, though it be
asked of me, nor will I counsel such, and especially I will not aid a
woman to procure abortion” This leads me to the following
thoughts.... EUROPE - THY NAME IS COWARDICE
By Mathias Dapfner CEO, Axel Springer, AG A few days ago Henry Broder wrote in Welt am Sonntag,
"Europe - your family name is appeasement." It's a phrase you can't get
out of your head because it's so terribly true. Appeasement cost millions
of Jews and non-Jews their lives as England and France, allies at the
time, negotiated and hesitated too long before they noticed that Hitler
had to be fought, not bound to toothless agreements. Appeasement
legitimized and stabilized Communism in the Soviet Union, then East
Germany, then all the rest of Eastern Europe where for decades, inhuman,
suppressive, murderous governments were glorified as the ideologically
correct alternative to all other possibilities.... Kelo before Kelo was Kelo
By Craig Hiatt For a little more than a week now, the Blogosphere and
airwaves have been inundated with all things Kelo. While it is impressive
to hear and see such an uproar regarding personal property rights, Kelo's
much more sinister second cousin has been quietly eating away at the right
most Americans cherish.... Social Security Has No Trust Fund
By Ben Cerruti There are those in government and elsewhere that still
wish to insult the intelligence of the public by referring to a Social
Security Trust Fund when it simply does not exist. Let us look at
the simple facts.... EVER PROVIDED ON THE MIDDLE EAST Talk by Israeli scientist, Haim Harari (honoraria and bio), at a meeting of the
International Advisory Board of a large multinational corporation,
April, 2004.
As you know, I usually provide the scientific and
technological "entertainment" in our meetings, but, on this occasion, our
Chairman suggested that I present my own personal view on events in the
part of the world from which I come. I have never been and I will never be
a Government official and I have no privileged information. My perspective
is entirely based on what I see, on what I read and on the fact that my
family has lived in this region for almost 200 years. You may regard my
views as those of the proverbial taxi driver, which you are supposed to
question, when you visit a country....
WORLD
ISSUES click on titles to read complete essay Why is Al Qaeda terrorizing Iraq?
By Ben Cerruti Many Americans refuse to understand the simple
answer. Al Qaeda knows that the advance of democracy in the mid-east
will spell the eventual demise of the power and control of Islamo-Fascists
directly affecting those that profit from it. Using warped elements
of the tenets of the Koran these elements support the continued brain
washing of the proletariat into becoming unproductive automatons so as to
reap the rewards of oil producing revenue for their own well
being.... KILLING OSAMA & AL ZAQARWI WILL NOT END
TERRORISM
By Ben Cerruti There are those in the political arena and in the media
who proclaim that the capture or killing of Osama Bin Laden and Abu Musab
Al Zaqarwi would end Islamic terrorism. They state that the U.S.
should have gone after Bin Laden and Al Qaeda and not into Iraq.
Rational analysis defies this belief. It stands to reason that one
must go to the cause of what drives this Islamic terrorism and then
attempt to change that cause. To understand what is the causal
factor one must look to where the fomentation of it occurred and from
whence it was derived.... This website has had posted a poll question relating to
Islamic beliefs and recently also posted an essay by 'A Rational Advocate'
whose content was related to that subject matter. The following is an
email dialog that developed from the initial comments made by a visitor
whom shall be called Ms X. The commentary provides an interesting
insight to the rationale of some non-Muslims relating to the subject
matter.... Madrassas and American Public Schools
By Ben Cerruti Madrassas, Islamic Schools, and American Public Schools do
have a similarity. This similarity lies in the fact that they both
graduate students that have been indocrinated with a unilateral social
ideology. Some may argue that Madrassas deal with religion but, in
fact, the tenets of the Koran that are taught include much involving the
manner in which the society must function.... Will Al Qaeda Terrorism Go Away By Itself?
By Ben Cerruti Evidently there are some in the
Western World that think the answer to this question is yes. In the
U.S.A. we find among them many candidates vying to be the Democratic
candidate for President, acting as if we should have continued passively
after 9/11 and our military activity in Afghanistan, waiting for the next
attack by the terrorists on some target within our 50 states. In
Britain, where our President has visited recently, they attack the actions
of Tony Blair and the Coalition of the Willing in their effort to bring
democracy to Iraq. Their actions convey the feeling that they seem
to be on the side of the terrorists and thus to support the longevity of
terrorism..... This is a World War
By Ben Cerruti Many pundits, politicians,
members of the press, and others in our society, maintain the view that
the armed conflicts existing around the globe are not necessarily
connected. However, this view does not hold up when the obvious facts
emerge to show that there is a common thread that exists to tie them
together. This thread is terrorism..... The facts regarding
Iraq’s decaying infrastructure and the severity of the additional damage
done to it by looters, not withstanding that incurred during the war, have
not been broadly circulated to date. A number of credible sources involved
in the Iraq reconstruction have reported details of the conditions they
face. For instance, it has been reported that even toilets from all
schools have been removed by looters and every drop of sewage in Iraq
flows directly into the rivers. Also, major power plants and substations
have never been maintained over their 30 year plus life and are operating
at a fraction of their rating. In addition, substations have been
completely destroyed by looters and power lines dismantled in order to
sell the copper to Iran..... By Ben Cerruti It is apparent that
there is confusion in the mind of many people. It lies in the view that
they think we have engaged in a war in Iraq that is winding up with the
U.S. as winners. The events that have transpired involving mid-east
terrorists over the last 20 plus years, culminating with the events on
9/11/2001, can only lead any rational person to the conclusion that our
war is against terrorism and we are far from winners of that war
yet...... TRUMAN WAS WRONG
By Ben Cerruti What with all the hoopla
over the North Koreans recent nuclear saber rattling one would think that
some mention would be made of what got us here. We hear nothing about the
Presidential decision that led to the permanent separation of Korea into
two states. Fifty two years ago a confrontation between President Truman
and General Douglas MacArthur, over far east policy leading to this
decision, dominated the news. It resulted in the removal of MacArthur from
his position as Commander of the U.N. armed forces then fighting the North
Koreans..... IN THE NAME OF
RACIAL, CLASSLESS OR RELIGIOUS PURITY By Ben Cerruti President George W. Bush,
speaking a short time ago to the German Parliament, said "...others killed in the name of racial purity or the class struggle. These enemies kill i n the name of a false religious purity." Thus he rightly linked despots like Osama bin Laden, and those that support his ideology, to Hitler and Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin..... ARE WE BEHOLDEN TO OIL PRODUCING NATIONS?
By Ben Cerruti A view appears to exist
that America is more dependent on the receipt of mideast oil than the
supplier is dependent on the revenue from its sale. As a result we find
contentious argument both inside and outside of government as to the need
and methods for making our economy less dependent on foreign
oil.... The
following burning question, I would think, should rationally enter the
minds of the greater majority of civilized people in this country and
world. Why would educated young Muslims take the lives of innocent victims
along with their own in the conduct of suicidal missions in support of a
cause? It would appear contrary to any religious belief, including that of
Islam..... CAUSES OF ISLAMIC TERRORISM
By Ben Cerruti This morning I posed
myself the following questions. (1) Why can’t the causes behind the acts
of terrorism on our country dating back a decade be determined by a
rational analysis? (2) Why can’t we wean ourselves away from dependence on
the resources of the region of the world that threatens
us?......
Why do so many seemingly good people with a liberal bent
become pent up with rage when they read or hear the word "Christian" in a
conservative context. In their diatribe they invariably relate the
word to their villainous foe "the religious right", or as it is sometimes
called, "the Christian right". Regardless of the possible merits to
be found in the presented material, they lose rationality when they see
the word "Christian" even though it may only be referencing the most
positive moral virtues and perspective..... State’s Rights – What happened to them?
By Ben Cerruti The creator’s of our
Constitution were so concerned that the Federal Government would usurp the
powers of State Government that they included provisions to lessen that
possibility. However, time has taken its toll on these provisions
and the politics they had hoped to minimize has reared its ugly head in
the Supreme Court to further erode the powers of State
Government..... By Ben Cerruti In general elections
should a person vote for a candidate or his party affiliation? There are
various reasonable arguments that can be proposed to justify voting in
either manner. Perhaps it would be well to look at the motivation for
voting....... THE UNREASONABLE POWER OF
PUBLIC EMPLOYEE UNIONS By Ben Cerruti President Bush had
threatened a veto if the Homeland Security Act did not include provisions
that would allow the new department flexibility in dealing with
employees. Such provisions to include the right to waive collective
bargaining rules and to eliminate the lengthy and difficult procedures to
move or terminate federal employees now existing in federal law.
With difficulty, and some compromise with members of Congress, the Act was
finally enacted with provisions that somewhat minimzed the ability for
public employee unions to adversely affect homeland
security........ A visitor to this web
site recently had comments to make about the essay “Are You Conservative
or Liberal?” written by “A Rational Advocate“. As a result, an interesting
dialog developed that should be of possible interest to other visitors and
it follows..... ARE YOU LIBERAL OR CONSERVATIVE?
By Ben Cerruti The answer to this
question, as used in political connotation, requires an understanding of
the respective terms. This process involves the semantics of their use in
discourse. It stands to reason that a mutual understanding of the words
and terms when utilized in discussions is required for communication
between the parties involved to convey true meaning to the
discourse....... REDISTRIBUTION OF INCOME
By Ben Cerruti We
have been witness to a continuing use of class warfare by those in
government, abetted by the media and an assortment of special interest
groups and individuals. In this essay we will consider the methods
they use to establish definitions as it relates to the redistribution of
income...... TRUE CAMPAIGN FINANCING REFORM
By Ben Cerruti What
are the reasons for contributors to provide money to candidates for public
office? Common sense tells us that they are as
follows: 1. Ideological, meaning to promote the ideals in which the contributor believes. 2. Self-seeking, meaning to gain from the candidate commitment to actions that will be economically beneficial to the contributor..... THE CASE FOR TERM LIMITS
By Ben Cerruti There
are those that claim that elections are the most effective method of
holding legislators accountable for their actions. In a truly
democratic system this might be possible but unfortunately ours is not
such a system as experience tells us.... MISUSING
THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
By Ben Cerruti There
is a great misuse of meanings of certain words and phrases by many in our
society, with the greatest abusers being many media and political persona
and social opportunists (self-serving individuals and groups). It is
especially disingenuous when this practice takes place in the
categorization of people for the purpose of pitting one category against
the other.... SOCIALISSUES click on titles to read complete essay EUTHANASIA AND ABORTION By Ben Cerruti Hitting recent headlines
was the cognizant U.S. District Judge's confirmation of the Oregon
voter-approved law allowing doctors to assist in the death of terminally
ill patients. I wonder if this Judge is aware of the Hippocratic Oath. The
Hippocratic Oath, of course, is what historically was taken by those
entering the medical profession upon graduation from medical
school........ A visitor to this web
site recently had comments to make about the essay "Homosexuality Is Not Normal" written by “A
Rational Advocate“. As a result, an interesting dialog developed that
should be of possible interest to other visitors and it
follows... Homosexuality Is Not Normal
By Ben Cerruti Why do homosexual couples who wish to establish a union
between themselves insist on having the government allow them to be
endowed with the same marriage title provided to heterosexual couples? Why
are they not satisfied with being provided the same legal provisions in
the form of a title called "civil union"? A single answer to both
questions is obvious. They want society to consider their relationship
normal. The reason the government should not concede to their demands is
also obvious. Their relationship is not normal because man and woman were
put on this earth with complementary sex organs meant to procreate the
species.... Another visitor to this website recently had comments to
make about the essay "Homosexuality Is Not
Normal" written by “A Rational Advocate“. As a result, the
following dialog developed between the visitor, who is given the name Mr.
H, and A Rational Advocate (ARA).... WHY GO TO MARS
By Ben Cerruti The Space program had
become another humdrum government program to the average American before
the tragic loss of Columbia. It took that event to awaken us to think
about this program and the reason for its existence at this point in
time...... LEGALLY HACKING YOUR COMPUTER
FILES
By Ben Cerruti The 4th Constitutional
Amendment states:
"The right of the
people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects,against
unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants
shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation,
and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or
things to be seized" - Recently Representative Howard Berman, Democrat
from California, introduced HR5211,a bill to indemnify holders of
copyrights on files who use technological means to enter one's Computer
and disable the use of such files....... ALTRUISM IS AN ACT NOT AN INNATE
VIRTUE
By Ben Cerruti Altruism is defined as
regard for and concern for the welfare of others. An Altruist is defined
as one who adheres to the practice of Altruism. A problem exists in our
society in the interpretation of actions versus intentions. The
premise I take here is that a person cannot perform an altruistic act that
does not fulfill a personal intent to commit it. Thus the definition of
Altruism contradicts itself. By Ben Cerruti Published in 1932, a novel by Aldous Huxley, entitled “A Brave New
World”, described a fantasized society of the far future which has, as
time progresses, becomes less a fantasy and more a possibility. This
society controlled by an authoritarian centralized government practices
mass breeding of humans in laboratories, called hatcheries, replacing
normal maternal reproduction...... By Ben Cerruti Love
is a most misused word. Saying things like “I Love Cookies” or
“I Love It” or “I Love to Ski”, when the word that should be used is
“like”, is innocent enough....However, the word love also has another
common misuse, with which we are also all familiar, but this misuse
sometimes gives the user of the term a lot of
grief....
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