Tips on debt free living

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NYT Takes a Look at Iraqi Bloggers

Since the US-led invasion of Iraq, I've always found Iraqi bloggers to be more reliable sources of information than mainstream reporters. The New York Times today has an article about the three Fadhil brothers, who have been blogging at Iraq the Model since November '03. The article, "Pro-American Iraqi Blog Provokes Intrigue and Vitriol," is thoroughly disappointing. While I'd like to think that this is just a bad article unto itself, it would not surprise me if the Times ran this article for the sole purpose of discrediting Iraqi blogs, who in some ways threaten the readership of the New York Times."The mystery began last month when I went online to see what Iraqis think about the war and the Jan. 30 national election," begins the reporter. It's a little odd that a reporter for the NYT would wait until last month to research what Iraqis think about the war and the upcoming election.The flaw in this article, however, is its focus on a conspiracy theory by people posting messages on a blog called Martini Republic, who claim that these three bloggers do not actually exist, and that they are concocted by the C.I.A:
One reader suggested that the brothers were real Iraqis but were being coached on what to write. Another, in support of that theory, noted the brothers' suspiciously fluent English. A third person observed that coaching wasn't necessary. All the C.I.A. would need to do to influence American opinion was find one pro-war blog and get a paper like USA Today to write about it.It's good to see the Times covering a couple people who run contrary to the their politics, but instead of a revealing article about three people whose view on Iraq is vastly different from the one perpetrated in the news sections of the Times, this story turns into a mouthpiece for a couple conspiracy theorists. What this article should have focused on was the actual writings of the three brothers.Meanwhile, Ali, who recently began posting at Free Iraqi has some interesting insight into his anticipation of the Jan. 30 election.UPDATE: Jeff Jarvis [via Instapundit] gives this Times' reporter a good smacking today. Check out "Shame on the New York Times." Power Line has also commented.

Defending an Ideology at All Costs

A few bloggers (here, here, and here) are pointing to an article in the Washington Post today, "In One Night, Iraqi Turns From Friend to Foe," as further evidence of how desperate the MSM is to publish negative articles about Iraq. While I don't doubt this generalization, I don't see this article as falling into the category of an article concocted purely to fit an agenda (as others I've chronicled).According to the article:
Imaad said they were startled by a loud banging at the door. He went quickly to open it. When he did, Imaad said, there were about a dozen U.S. soldiers standing with their guns pointed at his head.
Imaad and his mother said the soldiers rushed in, ordering them to sit together while they searched the house. "You look poor," Imaad recalled one of the soldiers saying. "Why?"...The soldiers went to search his bedroom. He heard laughing, and then they called for him, he said. Imaad went to his room and saw that the soldiers had found several magazines he kept hidden from his mother. They had pictures of girls in swimsuits and erotic poses. Imaad said the soldiers spread the magazines on his bed and put his Koran in the middle.
"This is a good match," Imaad said one of the soldiers told him.
"It was a nightmare," he said. "I will never forget those bad soldiers when they put the Koran among the magazines."
While I don't claim to be a scholar on Islam, from my limited knowledge of the religion and in the context of the article, I assume that putting the Koran among porn magazines was extremely upsetting and offensive to the Iraqi man. This incident demonstrated a lack of cultural understanding on the part of the soldiers.
Hindocket, however, one of the aforelinked bloggers, says that the incident "suggests that the Americans must be the best-behaved occupation troops in history." Simon says the soldiers "did nothing (other than allegedly--no corroboration--juxtapose the porn with the Koran)." This might be "nothing" to some, but it may be something to a devout Muslim (apparently, it was).
As I said before, I agree that that the press has been overwhelmingly negative regarding Iraq. If there's any doubt left about this, I would point out a recent tally done by Arthur Chrenkoff about just how large the disparity is between negative and positive articles that are run; his findings are quite revealing. I think the bloggers missed the ball on this one, however.

Dolan Securing Place Among Worst Owners in Sports

Today's story in the Post about the possible break-up of Cablevision should be the worst news for Knicks' fans since they lost the '03 LeLottery. According to the Post story, Jim Dolan would become sole owner of Madison Square Garden, and thus the Knicks. When you talk about bad owners in sports, Dolan is among the elite few. The latest report in the Daily News that Dolan actually fired Wilkens, but wanted Wilkens say he stepped down, comes as no surprise:
According to a team source, Garden chairman James Dolan - and not Isiah Thomas - made the final decision on Wilkens' tenure in New York. Dolan, who attended Friday's game, was upset following the Knicks' ninth loss in 10 games. Dolan and Thomas met for 15 minutes in a room near the Knicks' locker room, and it was there that Dolan told Thomas to make the team's second coaching change in 13months. Thomas, the Knicks' president who named Herb Williams the interim coach, was still insisting yesterday Wilkens had resigned.Dolan admittedly knows nothing about basketball (take look at him during games, sitting under the basket next to the Knicks' bench--he doesn't exactly look engaged). He should stay out of basketball operations and stick to paying the bills. If Dolan wants to be a better owner, he should take a page out of Mavs' owner Mark Cuban's book: be up front with fans and start publishing a blog. As the Knicks lose more and more games, there will be fewer and fewer sellouts, and Dolan will wish he didn't alienate his fanbase.

NBA All-Star Picks

Although the All-Star Game itself tends to be a bore, it's always good to recognize the best performers from the first half of the season. My picks for the starting fives:Western Conference:G: Kobe Bryant--shooting percentage is down, but everything else is up.G: T-Mac--restrained by Van Gundy, but still putting up the numbers.F: TD--20 and 10 with 3 blocks, 35 minutes a game.F:KG--freak of nature, averaging career-high 15 rbs a game.C: Brad Miller--just edges out the overrated Yao Ming, who has similar pts and rbs but Miller also dishes out 4 dimes a game.Leastern Conference:G: King James--would be averaging a triple double if anyone on his team could shoot; coming damn close anyway.G: Allen Iverson--gets the nod over Dwayne for doing it without the Diesel, or much of anything really.F: Richard Jefferson--was enjoying best season as a pro before unfortunate injury.F: Antawn Jamison--Dwight Howard or Emeka Okafor will occupy this space soon enough.C: Shaq--Lakers should have kept him over Kobe.

NYT: Forget the news, we have an agenda!

If you pick up the New York Times today, you'll discover this captivating bit of news in Steven Erlanger's lead article, "Palestinians Worry About Cost of Peace:"
A large, pale poster of Mahmoud Abbas, the leading candidate for the Jan. 9 Palestinian presidential election, dominates the main entrance to this Palestinian village of 3,200 people. Mr. Abbas, the official choice of Fatah, the main Palestinian party, has foreigners excited about "windows of opportunity" and prospects for a renewed peace process.Just fascinating stuff, really. Honest Reporting has done an admirable job of summarizing what you wouldn't know from reading the Times:
When disaster strikes anywhere in the world, Israelis can be counted on to help. So it's no surprise that within hours of the devastating tsunami in the Indian Ocean, the following humanitarian missions all departed from the tiny Jewish state:
● The Israeli organization Latet ('To Give') filled a jumbo jet with 18 tons of supplies.
● A medical team headed by four doctors from Jerusalem's Hadassah Hospital arrived in Sri Lanka on Monday night (Dec. 27), carrying medicine and baby food. The doctors specialize in rescue operations, trauma and pediatrics.
● An IDF rescue team is now on its way to Sri Lanka with 80 tons of aid material, including 10,000 blankets, tents, nylon sheeting and water containers, all contributed by the IDF.
● A ZAKA rescue-and-recovery team arrived in the disaster areas Monday night, armed with its specialized equipment for identifying bodies.
● A Health Ministry contingent left for Thailand on Monday night to aid in rescue efforts. The group includes doctors, nurses and four members of the IDF.
● Israel has also offered its assistance to India ― a search-and-rescue team from the Home Front Command, as well as consignments of food and medicine.
Hmm..I guess Israel giving humanitarian aid doesn't qualify as news. Unless they had been "stingy," of course.

Times Says We're Stingy, Too

First the UN said we're "stingy;" now the New York Times, always eager to defend the UN, has chimed in as well in an editorial today. First of all, the Times flip flops within a matter of lines (isn't the election over? well, to most of us, anyway):
We hope Secretary of State Colin Powell was privately embarrassed when, two days into a catastrophic disaster that hit 12 of the world's poorer countries and will cost billions of dollars to meliorate, he held a press conference to say that America, the world's richest nation, would contribute $15 million. That's less than half of what Republicans plan to spend on the Bush inaugural festivities. The American aid figure for the current disaster is now $35 million, and we applaud Mr. Bush's turnaround.Is it $15 million or $35? They obviously knew that the $15 million figure was outdated, so why peddle it? The weakest part of the editorial comes here, though:

Bush administration officials help create that perception gap. Fuming at the charge of stinginess, Mr. Powell pointed to disaster relief and said the United States "has given more aid in the last four years than any other nation or combination of nations in the world." But for development aid, America gave $16.2 billion in 2003; the European Union gave $37.1 billion. In 2002, those numbers were $13.2 billion for America, and $29.9 billion for Europe.The Times sure took Powell literally. He said "combination of nations" and they took him to task, counting up 25 nations! One would only hope that France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Finland and 19 other nations contribute more aid per year than the US alone.The US is a generous nation. Could we be more generous? Yes, but Secretary Powell already said that U.S. assistance for this trajedy will exceed $1 billion. To jump all over the administration this fast is uncalled for.UPDATE: Jonah Goldberg of the National Review has slammed the UN in his column, "Turtle Bay Catch-22: The odious U.N." Among other things, he points out that American citizens send some $34 billion in private aid annually, ten times the United Nations entire budget.

Quagmire! Quagmire!

To the dismay of many, Iraqi elections will be held next month. Prime Minister Allawi updates the situation today in the WSJ as we draw closer to this historic moment:
The elections next month will be transparent and competitive, supervised across the country by the thousands of brave workers of the Independent Electoral Commission for Iraq, and by international organizations including the U.N. Iraqis will have over 250 different parties and political entities from which to choose--a far cry from the farcical referendum with Saddam as the single candidate who received 100% of the vote. They will be conducted in the open and under public scrutiny, and though these elections and the ones the year after will not by themselves create a democracy, they will be a major landmark event of huge significance. The resulting National Assembly will be one of the most important in our history--responsible for drafting our permanent constitution which will then be put to referendum for approval by the people. In addition, there will be voting for the 18 provincial councils and for the Kurdish Assembly, reflecting the important role of local government in the new democratic Iraq.

UN-US Relations

Shortly after Kofi Annan called for the UN and US to end their disputes, Captain's Quarters was less reluctant to agree with Annan's assertion that the US needs the UN:

What has the UN done for America? They've ignored the terrorist threat by linking it to Israel's status, creating a stalemate on the Security Council and an abject surrender on the Human Rights committees that abound at Turtle Bay (and are usually run by the worst abusers). They allowed Saddam Hussein twelve long years to ignore the cease-fire accords that kept him in Baghdad, and then once we finally bypassed the UNSC, we found out that member-nations like Russia, China, France, and Germany continued selling Saddam arms in violations of the sanctions they insisted would be enough to render him harmless. The oil-for-food program that we hoped would ease the sanctions' bite on ordinary Iraqis instead was transformed by the UN into a vehicle to stuff billions of dollars into Saddam's pockets, some of which went to fund terrorism in Palestine and almost certainly against the US.Read it all here [via InstaPundit].

Affordable Medication

How to Make Up News 101

Kirk Johnson is the latest New York Times reporter to concoct a negative story regarding Iraq ... out of pretty much nothing. The fact that "Fighting Is the Only Option, Americans Say" receives a headline (possibly a spot on the front page (that remains to be seen)) reflects on how desperate the Times is to put forth its agenda and not report the news. In this scintillating article, we learn about a gas worker from Denver and a financial advisor from Colorado (thus, "Americans Say") who are lukewarm about the progress that the coalition has made in Iraq. "I still don't see any good coming from this," the financial advisor says. "I'm saddened and angered." Ah, yes, the ole' quote five people who agree with you and you have a 750-word story.Geez, there's about to be an election in an country that's been under the tyranny of Saddam Hussein for two decades--you'd think the Times could come up with some actual news. Did the Times forget that the last Iraqi ballot looked like this? There's no reason why one blogger, Chrenkoff, can come up with so much fascinating news about Iraq, and the Times gives us this kind of offal. Are they short on employees down at forty-third street?Speaking of which, Chrenkoff has plenty of interesting stuff in his latest installment of "Good news from Iraq." Among the highlights are:--83 percent of Iraqis eagerly await an election and don't want it postponed.--Elections might be held over an extended period of time to counteract terrorists who wish to disrupt the democratic process.--Canada, Japan, and Germany are all playing key roles in the election.--FM radio is also coming to Iraq.--There's plenty more regarding the economy, reconstruction, humanitarian aid, and security. Read it all here.

Results Are In

Robert Barro of the Weekly Standard highlights a study being done by two professors about objectivity in the mainstream media's news coverage. Not surprisingly, the New York Times and CBS News lead the pack among the many liberal outlets [via RatherBiased]:
On the conservative end, the only two outlets below 50 were the Washington Times (35) and Fox News Special Report with Brit Hume (40). Although right of center, these ratings are much closer to the centrist position of 50 than to congressional Republicans' average position of 16.
The other 18 outlets are on the liberal side of 50. Particularly striking are the high liberal ratings for the New York Times and CBS Evening News (both 74), not too far below the average score of 84 for Democratic members of Congress. The news programs of the other two traditional television networks are closer to the center--62 for NBC Nightly News and 61 for ABC World News Tonight.
The one Internet representative, the Drudge Report, comes in at 60, moderately left of center. The most balanced reporting shows up in the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, CNN News Night with Aaron Brown, and ABC's Good Morning America, each of which had a score of 56. Interestingly, these balanced programs provided three of the four anchors for the main election debates--Jim Lehrer and Gwen Ifill from PBS and Charles Gibson from ABC. (It's hard to understand how Bob Schieffer from CBS made it in.)
One surprise is that the Wall Street Journal's news pages have the most liberal rating of all, 85, about the same as the typical Democrat in Congress. The rating for the Journal's editorial pages would of course look very different. (As one quipster observed, James Carville and Mary Matalin probably agree more often than the news and editorial divisions of the Wall Street Journal.)
Meanwhile, there are whispers that Katie Couric will be replacing Dan Rather. But what ever happened to the Rathergate investigation? Earth to CBS, the election is over!

The Optimist Speaks

Kofi Annan had more profound words of wisdom today as he declared "But the violence, if it continues, will have an impact on the elections. Elections don't take place in a vacuum." Well, no thanks to Kofi, elections are going to place. Meanwhile, Amir Taheri has more interesting things to say regarding the election:
There is another reason why fears of a Shiite takerover are misplaced: New Iraq will be a federation that grants a large measure of autonomy to the Kurds, some 20 percentof the population. Outside the Kurdish areas, provincial government assemblies, also to be elected on Jan. 30, will have a good share of power making to ensure that the central government does not degenerate into an authoritarian system.
Another claim made by the doomsters is that the Arab Sunnis, some 15 percent of the population, may boycott. This has not happened: All the main Arab Sunni parties have entered the race. In fact, Arab Sunnis make up a disproportionate share of the 7,200 candidates.
This is a popular election, and the overwhelming majority of Iraqis want it to succeed.
The campaign is certain to be a hard-fought one. And the terrorist insurgent groups are also certain to continue doing all they can to prevent the Iraq people from going to the polls.
Next to the three weeks of fighting that led to the liberation of Iraq, the few weeks ahead will be the most decisive in shaping the future of the country, and the Middle East as a whole.

The Big Unit Trade

When I saw the Dodgers hired Paul DePodesta, I figured that he would make them into a contender simply because he had been Billy Beane's assistant since 1998 and he was working with a budget almost twice as big as Beane's. Although the Dodgers did win the division last year, I was skeptical of his trade for hothead Milton Bradley and the proposed Randy Johnson deal seems to be a terrible deal for the Dodgers, too. If the trade goes through in its currrent form, the Dodgers would give up Shawn Green, Brad Penny, Kaz Ishii, and 2 others for Javier Vazquez and two Yankees' prospects. Obviously, DePodesta is eager to relinquish the $16 million that Green is owed, but Vazquez is going to be paid $35 million the next three years. Penny is 2 years younger than Vazquez and his career ERA is a bit lower. Kaz Ishii isn't great, but he's serviceable. As one LA Times writer has conjectured, there has to be something else in the mix for the Dodgers to do this, perhaps JD Drew.Ah, but those Yankees' prospects. According to Baseball America, Dioner Navarro is the Yankees' top prospect. And Eric Duncan was the Yankees' first round pack last year, you might point out. There's a reason why the Yankees trot out twenty-five mercenaries bought from various teams around the league every year: it's because they draft so terribly. In the past decade, the Yankees have drafted such studs as Tyrel Godwin, Danny Walling, and, yes, the immortal Shea Morenz. Yankees' prospects are nothing to get excited about. If the Dodgers are banking on Navarro and Duncan becoming solid major leaguers, they haven't been paying attention to the Yankees' recent drafts.So will the deal go down? I suspect it will not in its current form unless the Dodgers have other things cooking and they come to fruition in the very near future. Exchanging solid pitchers (Vazquez and Penny) is one thing, but giving up Green and Ishii for prospects does not make sense for a team that is supposed to be in contention, not in that beloved "rebuilding" phase. Expect DePodesta to have something else up his sleeve.

Rummy Under Fire

With all the controversy swirling around Secretary of State Donald Rumsfeld, one Power Line reader who is the father of a Marine has weighed in:
A letter of condolence from the SecDef is, honestly, not even worth opening. Families are much more interested in hearing from the men who served with their son and from their families. We share the constant knowledge and fear that it could be our door bell being rung. Sec. Rumsfeld doesn't know our son. He's a Lance Corporal. He directs a machine gun team. He is a vital link in the line that protects our way of life. He doesn't fight for his country, he doesn't fight for the SecDef, he doesn't even fight for his mom and dad. He fights for the guys on either side of him and for his team. He fights to secure his objective of the moment, which he may or may not understand or agree with. Sec Rumsfeld doesn't need to take time from his day to sign a form letter of condolence and he certainly doesn't need to take time to figure out what the LCpl was doing when he was killed or what kind of a man he was. His job is to make sure the LCpl didn't die in vain and that only as few LCpl's as possible will have to die to end this war in a successful manner.
Don't get me wrong, we would appreciate the condolence letter from the SecDef, as well as one from the White House and from our Senator and Representative, from the Mayor and Governor. But none would bring back our son. And they are all form letters, signatures be damned. A letter from his 1stSgt, from the men we know in his unit would be a treasure and a comfort.
Whether or not Rumsfeld should have been signing these letters himself, it's terrible PR. Frank Gaffney has also weighed in on "Rummy's bad rap."

Disturbing News from France

A couple weeks ago, the French Broadcasting Authority (CSA) finalized an agreement with Hezbollah's Al-Manar television. Among other things, this channel broadcasts so-called documentaries (as we know, that can mean a lot of things) about the Jews' quest for world domination, glorifies violence toward civilians, and accuses Israel of spreading AIDS throughout the Arab world [via LGF].The broadcasting of networks like Al-Manar undoubtedly affects French public opinion, which is why it is no surprise that the French were strong proponents of keeping Saddam Hussein in power and are opposed to so many US policies. Agence France-Press does not help the situation either when it refers to Hamas terrorists as "activists."What does the government do? It accepts bribes from Saddam Hussein and in return fights to keep him in power and spreads propaganda by claiming Yasser Arafat was born in Jerusalem on his death certificate. Meanwhile, a la John Kerry, French President Jacques Chirac is busy meeting with enemy leaders.A good summary of how Al-Manar markets terror is here. French-American relations are bad enough as is right now. Broadcasting this kind of propaganda does nothing but make the situation worse. Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin is trying to rectify this situation. Let's hope he succeeds.

More UN Corruption

Earlier this week, Lisa Meyers of MSNBC revealed how a UN worker accused of genocide was allowed to stay on their payroll [via Instapundit]:
Greig says eyewitnesses directly linked Mbarushimana to more than 30 murders, including killings of fellow U.N. workers.
In witness statements obtained by NBC News, one eyewitness says, "Mbarushimana... shot [a man] in the head as he was standing up." Another claims Mbarushimana "told his [men] to shoot them. The people on the ground were all then shot whilst they were sitting down."
Among those Mbarushimana is accused of killing is a woman and other fellow U.N. employees....
So what did the United Nations do?
After learning of the allegations in 1999, the U.N. kept Mbarushimana on its payroll. In fact, when he was arrested for genocide, he was working for the U.N. in Kosovo — on a project to stop genocide.

It's disconcerting that an organization which the US gives gives $7 billion yearly to conducts business in this matter. But should it really come as a surprise for an institution which has Hamas workers on its payroll.

"Talking Our Way to Peace"

Former Secretary of State James Baker makes some good points in an op-ed in today's Times:
First, it is critical that negotiations resume. For this to happen, of course, Israel must have a negotiating partner on the Palestinian side. That partner will best emerge from free elections. Elections have been scheduled for Jan. 9, and all who support peace between Israel and the Palestinians have an obligation to do all within their power to see that those elections are successfully held.
Palestinian candidates should clearly and unequivocally renounce terrorism as a means of achieving a political result - and call upon their supporters to do likewise. And those Palestinians should commit themselves to an unequivocal, good-faith effort to crack down on terrorist groups that make a target of Israel.
In exchange, Israel should announce that upon the election of a Palestinian negotiating partner, it is prepared to resume substantive negotiations for peace without requiring that all terrorist activities cease in advance. To require the absence of any terrorist act in advance simply empowers the terrorists themselves to prevent the resumption of peace negotiations.
Free elections will be crucial, but easier said than done. Not surprisngly, Hamas is already advocating a boycott (at least they're not endorsing Abdelhalim al-Ashkar).

Jason Giambi Flip Flops on Steroids

Back in February, Jason Giambi denied using steroids or any performance-enhancing drugs. Seems he's singing a different song now:
Giambi described to the grand jury how -- using syringes -- he injected human growth hormone into his stomach and testosterone into his buttocks.
Giambi called the products he obtained from Anderson "undetectable" steroids known as "the clear" and "the cream."
"The clear" is a liquid drug administered under the tongue a few drops at a time. "The cream" was described as a testosterone-based balm rubbed onto the body, the Chronicle reported.
Giambi said he obtained all the drugs -- and syringes -- except human growth hormone from Anderson. Giambi said he got the human growth hormone at a Gold's Gym in Las Vegas.
Read the whole report on ESPN. At least Giambi admits his wrongdoings. Some, such as Barry "I Ain't Never Met Tim Montgomery" Bonds, still deny all allegations, despite reports to the contrary.

Hip Hop and Politics

First there was the Kerry rap, then came Eminem's Mosh. Now activists in Kiev are using hip hop music for protests [via Drudge Report].
It took only four hours to make and is not on sale anywhere. But it's essential listening for the young protesters on the streets of Kiev.

Cars blare it out as they roar through the Ukrainian capital, DJs at the protests use it to set the crowd alight and an opposition television channel plays it several times a day.Singer Roman Kalin and guitarist Roman Kostyuk are the brains behind the song. They took slogans protesting against the result of a Nov. 21 presidential poll from their home town of Ivano-Frankivsk and set them to a hip-hop beat.

Islamic-Western Relations

This post is meant to underline the importance for America and the West of establishing strong, lasting ties with the Islamic world. Muslims make up almost 1/5 of the world's population, and at 1.2 billion people Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the world (excepting Mormons). As Islam spreads across the globe, it will be very important for U.S. national security and economic interests to keep on good terms with the civilization as a whole. We cannot take Islamic fundamentalists as an example of the entire religion, as Islam is by nature a peaceful religion in much the same way as Christianity and Judaism (in my view more so). There are many reasons for the problems in the US-Islamic relations right now, and I really don't have the time to explain them all. If you're really interested you should pick up the books Infidels and What's Right With Islam, both of which are instrumental to an understanding of this subject. However, my real point is that one of the key objectives of the next few administrations should be to address this issue, backing away from such an overt pro-Israel stance and re-assesing US interests in the Middle East.

Conservative Agenda/My thoughts on the Republican Party

This has been inspired in part by the article that our own Mr. Kau posted on the site a short while earlier (the NYPress article). I happen to be very much in agreement with the author of that article, for several reasons. I feel that my conservative values have been betrayed by the current president, and that my party has been hijacked by the radical right. For the time being, it looks as if the neo-cons are in control of my party. I hope this will change in the 2008 election, with either McCain or Rudy running for president (one a moderate Republican, the other a conservative Republican but not sealed off from debate and not unwilling to work with the other side). Hopefully (but very unlikely) the Constitution will be amended and the Govenator can become the Presinator. Ok, after that short digression I shall return to the point of my article: why I feel the Republican party of late has betrayed the conservative values it purports to stand for. I will outline this betrayal in a few points:1. The huge amount of spending that President Bush has forced through, without any way to pay for it. Conservatives (in my view) are supposed to stand for small government, i.e. less government programs, less taxes and less government regulation. However, during President Bush's term, the average increase in the annual budget was 6.7%, as opposed to 3.2% under President Clinton. Yes, this did have something to do with the split government (I was hoping that the Democrats would seize the Senate this year to at least have some ability to curb Bush's spending), but it also had to do with a fairly conservative fiscal policy on the part of President Clinton and the Republican Congress, who did work together to control spending during the 90s.2. The atmosphere of super-patriotism that Bush has created. This idea of "if you don't support your government you're unpatriotic" is nonsense. Dissent from the government is one of the proudest American traditionsm, and I believe any good conservative stands for the protection of individual rights, which goes hand in hand with the protection of private property.3. The expansion of Medicare through the recent $440 billion dollar bill. I thought that conservatives were against big government programs, but apparently I was wrong. It seems to me that unfortunately the Republicans have caught on not only to the Democratic idea of stealing the other party's issues, but they have also realized that bills such as this are the quickest and surest way to buy votes. With any luck the next generation of Republican legislators will not be so gung-ho about giant social bills.4. The push against free trade by the Bush administration. The steel tariffs were pure protectionist pork for the steel industry, something I would expect from the Democrats, but not from my party. If America is really serious about free trade (as I believe it should be) , then we must not only avoid such foolish tariffs as this, but we must also make our best effort to cut or eliminate industry subsidies, which are a gross waste of the taxpayers' money.5. Finally, the new Bush policy of nation-building. To me, a conservative does not support at all the idea of American tax dollars going overseas to build a foreign nation in our image, due to the fact that not only is it a waste of taxpayers' dollars on foreign people, but it has recently not been in our national interest at all. We would be better served using that money to influence politics in current countries in our favor, such as supporting the democracy movement in Iran or fostering political change in Saudi Arabia. It is crucial that America create strong bonds with the Muslim world, as this "civilization" will be one of the major players on the world stage in the years to come.I'm interested in the liberals' response to this, so Tim, Jai and James get on here and give it a shot.

The Cover-Up Continues

While the mainstream media would like you to believe that either a) Yasser Arafat died of cirrhosis of the liver, or b) he was poisoned by Israelis, one reasonable scenario has gone all but unmentioned: AIDS.David Frum of National Review Online has more on this [via Daniel Pipes]:
We know he has a blood disease that is depressing his immune system. We know that he has suddenly dropped considerable weight – possibly as much as 1/3 of all his body weight. We know that he is suffering intermittent mental dysfunction. What does this sound like?Former Romanian intelligence chief Ion Pacepa tells in his very interesting memoirs that the Ceaucescu regime taped Arafat’s orgies with his body guards. If true, Arafat would a great deal to conceal from his people and his murderously anti-homosexual supporters in the Islamic world.Before airlifting Arafat to Paris, French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier promised to “stand by” him. Was that why Arafat chose to be treated in France rather in any of the fraternal Arab countries that supposedly support his movement – because he could trust the French to protect his intimate secrets?
If Arafat was indeed gay, it would make perfect sense that Arafat and his supporters would do their best to cover this up. The fundamental teachings of the Koran are vehemently against homosexuality: if Arafat was indeed gay and it had been revealed, the reaction to his death may have been completely different--celebrations like these may not have occurred. Information from Islam101.com below:
Homosexuality and Lesbianism have no place in Islam. This issue is clear from the primary source of Islam, The Holy Quran. No Muslim scholar, Imam or a leader of a Muslim community can alter this injunction. A person committing such an act is in violation of God's Law and should seek repentence before God gives up on him or her. As the following verses tell us, it was the people of prophet Lot (peace be on him) who started this evil act and were severly punished by God.

We also (sent) Lut: he said to his people: "Do ye commit lewdness such as no people in creation (ever) committed before you? "For ye practice your lusts on men in preference to women: ye are indeed a people transgressing beyond bounds." And his people gave no answer but this: they said, "drive them out of your city: these are indeed men who want to be clean and pure!" But We saved him and his family, except his wife: she was of those who lagged behind. And We rained down on them a shower (of brimstone): then see what was the end of those who indulged in sin and crime! (The Holy Quran, 7:80-84)

Off to the Races

It's never too early: Gallup has already begun polling for the 2008 election. Preliminary results aren't too surprising.Right now the favorites among Democrats are Hillary Clinton (25%), Kerry (15%), and Edwards (7%). Bubba, Obama, and Gore are up there, too.The favorites among Republicans are McCain and Giuliani (10% each), and Powell (7%). Jeb, Condi, Frist, and Arnold get some votes also.See all the results here.UPDATE: In a feature article, "Rudy, We Hardly Know You Anymore," Chris Smith of New York Magazine discusses Rudy's potential '08 bid. He's pessimistic, though: "For Rudy to be a viable candidate in 2008, terrorism still has to be the central issue. He could vanquish it the way he vanquished the squeegee men." [via TalkLeft]

Iraqis on Allawi

In September, Iraqi PM Ayad Allawi addressed the UN in New York. Joe Lockhart, a senior Kerry advisor, cast him off as a puppet: "The last thing you want to be seen as is a puppet of the United States, and you can almost see the hand underneath the shirt today moving the lips." But not everyone feels likewise, specifically the Iraqi citizens. The Messopotamian, an Iraqi blogger, feels quite differently:
Now, Dr. Ayad Alawi, is a wealthy man, a highly qualified and successful physician, and could live quite comfortably in London a very decent and even affluent life, where he is holding a British passport and can enjoy all the benefits and amenities as any other British citizen. However, he chooses to serve his country and sacrifices his safety, security and the blood of his family; his brother had been assassinated before by the same Saddamist thugs during the rule of the defunct regime. This is Dr. Alawi, this is the patriot who is paying by the blood of loved ones, for his love and dedication to his country. Office, in these terrible times is no luxury, no sought after prize; it is a dangerous and excruciating responsibility.Maureen Dowd of the Times doesn't need to consult actual Iraqis, though. She mocked Iraqi PM Allawi in 800 words of slander after Allawi spoke at the UN:
It's heartwarming, really. President Bush has his own Mini-Me now, someone to echo his every word and mimic his every action....Actually, being Bush's marionette is a step up from Allawi's old jobs as henchman for Saddam Hussein and stoolie for the CIA. It's hilarious that the Republicans have trotted out Allawi as an objective analyst of the state of conditions in Iraq when he's the administration's handpicked guy and has as much riding on putting the chaos in a sunny light as they do.
Though Allawi presents himself as representing all Iraqis, his actions have been devised to put more of the country in the grip of this latest strongman - giving himself the power to declare martial law, bringing back the death penalty and kicking out Al-Jazeera.

The World Reacts

Not even Bush could call this one like it is: "My first reaction is God bless his soul," he said yesterday. Former President Jimmy Carter expressed more sadness: "He was the father of the modern Palestinian nationalist movement. A powerful human symbol and forceful advocate, Palestinians united behind him in their pursuit of a homeland." Nelson Mandela echoed similar thoughts: "Yasser Arafat was one of the outstanding freedom fighters of this generation, one who gave his entire life to the cause of the Palestinian people."I find the outpouring of condolences for Arafat a bit odd. Jeff Jacoby of the Boston Globe feels similarly:
How is it possible to reflect on Arafat's most enduring legacy -- the rise of modern terrorism -- without recalling the legions of men, women, and children whose lives he and his followers destroyed? If Osama bin Laden were on his deathbed, would we neglect to mention all those he murdered on 9/11?
It would take an encyclopedia to catalog all of the evil Arafat committed. But that is no excuse for not trying to recall at least some of it.
Perhaps his signal contribution to the practice of political terror was the introduction of warfare against children. On one black date in May 1974, three PLO terrorists slipped from Lebanon into the northern Israeli town of Ma'alot. They murdered two parents and a child whom they found at home, then seized a local school, taking more than 100 boys and girls hostage and threatening to kill them unless a number of imprisoned terrorists were released. When Israeli troops attempted a rescue, the terrorists exploded hand grenades and opened fire on the students. By the time the horror ended, 25 people were dead; 21 of them were children.

Examining the Leads

The death of Yasser Arafat, among other things, exposes to what extent newspapers will sacrifice journalistic standards to fit their agenda. The Journal, Post, and Daily News, considered right-wing by many, have factual leads to their stories today revealing the death of Arafat. They tell you the who, the what, and the where.Wall Street Journal:Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat died in a French hospital yesterday, leaving behind no clear successor and a system for governing Palestinian interests so feeble and impoverished that it might not survive the looming power struggle.New York Post:Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat died this morning in a military hospital in Paris, officials said.The death of the 75-year-old president of the Palestinian Authority was announced in the West Bank city of Ramallah, site of Arafat's headquarters.NY Daily News:Yasser Arafat, the father of Palestinian nationalism, died in a Paris military hospital early today, officials said.The 75-year-old Palestinian president never overcame a brain hemorrhage he suffered Tuesday, they said.The Times, meanwhile, tells you what happened, but it is mixed in along with pure opinion.New York Times:Yasir Arafat, the Palestinian leader, died early Thursday morning in a Paris hospital, a French military spokesman announced.Mr. Arafat, who was the symbol of the Palestinian revolution and aspiration for an independent state for some 40 years, died at about 3:30 a.m. Paris time of complications from an unknown disease after lingering in a coma for days, as his wife and closest aides struggled over his political and financial legacy.The reporter claims Arafat was a symbol of revolution and aspiration for an independent state, but as Roger Simon notes:
If Arafat had wanted a Palestinian state, he could have had one many times over. He wanted no such thing. He wanted hundreds of millions in the bank and the perks of a Mafia chieftain - and he got what he wanted. Looked at objectively, he had more contempt for the Palestinian people that anybody alive.Over at the two primary "news services," the AP and Reuters, the same kind of opinion is infiltrated into the two leads.Associated Press:Yasser Arafat, who triumphantly forced his people's plight into the world spotlight but failed to achieve his lifelong quest for Palestinian statehood, died Wednesday at age 75.Reuters:Yasser Arafat, the guerrilla icon turned Nobel Peace Prize winner who ended up isolated and locked in renewed conflict with Israel, died on Thursday, his dream of a Palestinian state unfulfilled. He was 75.And the glorification of a terrorist goes on and on and on...

Another Endorsement

Another shocker: Bin Laden, for all intensive purposes, endorsed Kerry in his latest video. Kerry endorsers now include Arafat, Kim Jong Il, and UBL--quite a group. But why are they endorsing John Kerry?
That should be pretty clear.UPDATE: Since there has been discrepancy over whether this is an endorsement per se, the words as translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute are here: It means that any U.S. state that will choose to vote for the white thug Bush aspresident, it means that it chose to fight us and we will consider it an enemyto us, and any state that will vote against Bush, it means that it chose to makepeace with us and we will not characterize it as an enemy.

Talk About Hypocrisy

John Edwards and the Kerry-Edwards blog had plenty of fun mocking Bush after he declined to name three mistakes he had made while in office. Well, looks like Edwards' running mate, Senator Flipper, is as guilty as the President. In an interview for MTV, a similar question was posed to Kerry. In fairness to him, this was probably the toughest question anyone in the media has asked him in months:
Yago: You said that President Bush has not admitted the mistakes he's madein the last four years. Looking back at this year, if there's one thing that youcould have changed about your campaign, or one mistake that you could've fixed,what would it have been?Kerry: Oh, there are a number of things, Gideon. I can't pick just one,because there are several. I was pretty frank about admitting a couple of them. I changed my campaign managers in mid-stream and it was risky. But I did what Ihad to do to correct what was happening. I've been blessed to have anextraordinary group of people come together in the end. There are times when Iprobably said a couple stupid things — not probably, when I have. And you wishyou hadn't said something the way you said it — it just happens. But all in all,I'm proud of this campaign, and I'm proud of the people involved in it."I was pretty frank about admitting them?" Yeah? Tell that to the swifties. I'm sure John Edwards will jump all over him for this one.