The Left was wrong..WMDs did exist in Iraq

The ongoing ISIS advance in Iraq has revealed that Saddam Hussein did indeed possess Weapons of Mass Destruction(WMDs). The terror group is now in control of the Al-Muthanna facility that is less than one hundred kilometers north of Baghdad. Al-Muthanna is believed to be a site that developed both sarin and mustard gas for use by Iraqi troops in the Iraq-Iran War. How this site escaped inspection prior to the US invasion of Iraq is anyone's guess? Will the left apologize for this error on the WMD front? Not likely...they never apologized for being wrong on the Petraeus driven Iraqi surge to begin with so holding one's breath here is most certainly futile. For more read http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/06/20/isis-now-in-control-of-saddams-notorious-1980s-chemical-weapons-complex-with-sarin-and-mustard-gas/

World Cup Update June 23

As predicted Brazil and Mexico are through in that respective order. The Dutch did well although they left it late to beat Chile and Spain salvaged pride by mauling the Aussies who return home with a record that does not do justice to their otherwise admirable performance (they led the Dutch 2-1 at one point in their clash). Portugal kept Iberian hopes alive yesterday but look like a shadow of the 2006 team that made it to the final four eight years ago. Ronaldo is not fully fit and it shows. The US could do some damage and may put a wrench in my predictions on this front (I had Germany and Ghana going through from the so-called Group of Death). Neymar now has four goals to his credit and if Brazil go far he could be the most likely Golden Boot winner. I am not a huge fan of this Brazilian team. It pales in comparison to the team of 2002, let alone 82 or 70 and seems like a facsimile of the 94 squad that groaned their way to victory. Nevertheless it is results that count and this Brazilian squad seems likely to trudge on to success carried on by the inertia of home field advantage,

PIty the Nation...Pity the Fools who run it...

The countdown to the end of the worst US Presidency in history is on..if one still had doubts on the positive efficacy of this current administration in the foreign realm the trade of five high profile terrorists for a deserter must put this to rest. The US appears weaker than ever in international eyes...it bungled the gains of the Iraqi surge, dropped the ball in Afghanistan, helped spread Jihadist aims via an ill-conceived endorsement of the Arab Spring, set up an Islamist group in Libya, allowed itself to be duped by Pakistan, and has shown itself to be inept at clamping down on tne stealth campaign by Islamists in the US, who have used political correctdness and a compliant mainstream media to checkmate anti-Jihadist efforts across the country. However I am not convinced from what I have seen that Republicans would be much better...they too have bought into the narcotic of political relativism and have allowed the Saudi snake to undermine the moral credibility of the party. The Obama administration is a disgrace but until the US wakes from its slumber...chooses right from wrong and stops giving a free pass to evil one can expect more of the same to follow.

Iraq...let it transition to a three state 'stability'

The rise of ISIS in Iraq brings the country closer to a Shi'ite/Sunni War. I don't have sympathy for either side but I do not wish for the country to slide into a war. Should the US intervene? I don't believe that it is in American interests to do so. While it is clear that Obama's premature evacuation of American forces, folllowing the gains of the 2007 surge, may have exasperated the condition it is in everyone's interest to allow local parties to sort this out themselves. Iran will do their best to support Shi'ite interests and will most likely supply enough ground support to nullify the Sunni Jihadists (as they did in Syria). The end result may be the division of Iraq into three sectors: Kurdish (which is already de facto), Sunni and Shi'ite which seems to be the most natural breakup of this region anyway.

Suarez to Barcelona for 50+ million pounds + Alexis Sanchez

As a Liverpool fan I would take this in a second. Sanchez is worth about 30 million pounds and comes with less baggage than Suarez. Liverpool can buy three players with that cash. A forward line of Sanchez, Sturridge, Lambert and Borini should be more than a threat next year. I can't see this being a great move for Suarez...he will have to play third fiddle to Messrs. Messi and Neymar in Catalonia. Not only that but Barcelona are a team in transition..it looks as though they have lost Xavi and Iniesta is on the downside...without an adequate supply line it doesn't matter who you have up front.

World Cup Predictions I

This tournament is all over the place. I thought England performed as expected in Group C and were unlucky not to take at least one point from their opening two games. I am still picking them to beat Costa Rica with Uruguay and Italy playing to a draw. Final standings - First Place Costa Rica...Second Place Italy. Brazil and Mexico should emerge from Group A with the hosts topping the group (sorry Croatia fans..I know the win against Cameroon got you all excited). The Dutch will top group B at the expense of Chile while the Spaniards will salvage some pride when they beat Australia. Colombia and Ivory Coast will move through from Group C, with the tournanent's most boring team (Greece) relegated to the nether regions Group E has France written all over it but Ecuador will pip Switzerland to the second spot. In Group F Argentina will emerge with Nigeria following close behind. The Iranians will seize third spot with a win over Bosnia (who can pride themselves on a decent rookie campaign) Group G will favour Germany who will beat the US to capture top spot. Second spot will be a toss up. I am picking Ghana to take it after they arise from the dead to defeat a limp Portugal. Group H..the group of sleep...Belgium to win with Russia in second place.

12 Great Questions to think about

An oldie but a goldie.... 1. Why is there something as opposed to nothing? 2. What are the limits of science? Has Cartesian Reductionism neared its level of usefulness? How do we incorporate the whole into our thinking? 3. How does complexity arise? Why is the sum of the parts so often less than the whole? 4. Is Randomness an illusion? 5. How are the Laws of Physics carried? 6. What is the relationship between consciousness, free will and the Anthropic Principle? 7. To what extent are we boxed in by our definitions of scientific terms? Discrete versus Continuous understanding of nature. 8. Why and how are we bound by perceived linearity? 9. The Subjective versus the Objective….Will Objectivism disappear altogether? 10. Why do systems become stable? How is this stability rocked? Is there an overall march toward a new zone? Is stability real or imaginary? 11. Why is our Mathematics limited? 12. What is an event? What comes together to make an event?

Quick Comment of the Day 2

There is no knowledge so powerful that an incompetent teacher can’t ruin it for their students.

Words from a Maverick

I live in a milieu, as an educator, where I am exclusively surrounded by individuals who hold views to the left of me. This is hardly surprising as modern liberalism has shifted in a direction that makes it more akin to social-democracy than anything else and most teachers are modern liberals by self-imposed definition.I have maintained my course even as the centrist paradigm has gravitated leftward. Detractors would say that I sam a slave to inertia but I choose to reject this categorization.I identify as a Classic liberal as it balances, with the required skepticism, both the excesses of each wing of the political spectrum. It is a philosophy rooted in reason, true to the enlightenment but scornful of the anarchism of the Romantics. It champions measured change and flies roughshod over unproven radicalism. Classic liberalism is not a flavor of the day philosophy, it has a proud history that originates from English liberalism and at its very core is the cherished concepts of freedom of speech, thought and action. Modern liberalism, in contrast, dances with dialectic materialism and is therefore corrupted by the veil of socialist groupthink. It has lost the essence of what it is to be liberal by exchanging the primacy of the individual for that of the collective. It is not a philosophy of tolerance, as is evidenced by the hysteria that is all too often directed against those who deviate from its dogma. Maybe one can see Modern Liberalism as a cacophony of nanny state voices, but what cannot be denied is the success of this idealism in broad swiping opposition, to establish its almost universal acceptance in education. This is a tragedy as it has blighted the diversity of opinion that should be a source of our intellectual strength. Sadly there are a few who see it this way. Perhaps it's the suffocation of the medium that has done it to them, or maybe it's the comfort of accepting the 'IS'.......I am not sure. Whatever the cause I am grateful the light has not been snuffed out so myself, like a few others, can with our hearts and deeds still resist the predominant orthodoxy.

FDR - Going beyond the myth

Why is FDR so lionized as a President? He subverted democracy by loading SCOTUS with his cronies, forced through the New Deal which actually delayed the economic recovery (many New Deal type programs were also the brainchild of the previous Hoover administration), interned Japanese Americans, clamped down on giving refuge to Holocaust victims and refused to bomb railways to the death camps. In addition he underestimated the both the brutality of Stalin and Uncle Joe’s ambitions, thereby dooming most of Eastern Europe to brutal Soviet domination. Yes, he did go to war to save the West but in reality he didn’t have much of a choice after Pearl Harbour. Hitler also made is easy for FDR by declaring war on the US only four days after this (arguably one of the biggest follies of the war). I will give FDR credit for Cash-and-Carry and Lend Lease but I think his status has been blown out of proportion by apologists such as Arthur Schlesinger. I believe that Harry Truman was a far superior president.

The US needs to let the Arab World solve their own problems

While there are some holding out for a long term improvement in Middle-East politics as a result of the Arab Spring, what is most evident is that the gains that have accrued to date have have come at too high a price. One could very easily argue that the Middle East is in fact worse now than it has been with both Syria and Egypt emeshed in Civil War. With his Cairo speech and his cheerleading of the Anti-Mubarak drivers, Obama must take on some responsibility for the debacle (his lack of common sense and political street knowledge were abysmal)and the arena is worse now for his ill-conceived interference.

Quick Comment of the Day 1 - Topic Obamacare

Obamacare is so convoluted that it makes the Byzantines seem like a bunch of Anarchists. It is the political equivalent of trench warfare. In WWI hordes of soldiers with much casualties were used to overwhelm a position with brute force alone. In Obamacare the public is beaten into a punch drunk acceptance by a level of bureaucracy that no sane human can be expected to figure out.

Star Wars is Evil....There I said it

I grew up in the generation that Star Wars was custom made for. At the age of eight I remember sitting with my jaw at ground level, mouth drooling, fixated on a universe that was simply unbelievable. If I had been moved to a utopia, this was it. That was then. My enthusiasm continued as I submerged myself in the somewhat duller Empire Strikes Back and the trilogy’s concluding episode Return of the Jedi. Years later when Lucas released these three with a few modifications I sat through them again with a healthy nostalgia. Jedi had taken over from a New Hope as my personal favourite and Empire seemed a slightly less disjoined than the time that I saw it as a kid. However the series had dropped remarkably in my overall esteem, the magic was tarnished and I couldn’t believe how insipid both the plot lines and acting were. Of course I was of an older age – one cannot dismiss that variable – but compared to the Science Fiction of the British Comic World – Judge Dredd and Rogue Trooper – not to mention the alternative Blade Runner or Dystrophic films, Star Wars looked remarkably inferior - at least by a parsec or two. In fact it was downright awful. I watched the prequels (hoping for a broader salvation) but loathed all three. The second was particularly bad and I cursed the fact that I had been duped, even at a young age by Lucas’ space odyssey of junk. Alec Guinness, who played Obi-Wan, was dismissive of Star Wars in his personal writing and rightfully so. The series was a gigantic con job, that used the brilliance of special effects to hide its glaring flaws. Nothing of substance emerges from the Star Wars – it is a massive cliché but worse than that is morally questionable something the masses who bathe in its sub-culture almost never admit. In A New Hope, Darth Vader carries out an unspeakable genocide, the destruction of the planet Alderaan. I remember even as a kid being shocked by that. Lets put this in context for a second – History is replete with its evil despots – Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot – all of them carried out massive genocides but none of them destroyed a planet and all of its inhabitants….not even close. Yet Vader does this in a matter of minutes… and we are exposed to it as a matter-of-fact. Of course its part of the story but get this …once Vader comes clean and has the dark side’s hold over him broken (in Jedi)..we are now supposed to cheer for this villain, sympathize with him as he takes his place alongside Obi-Wan and Yoda in the pantheon of Jedi. In fact Luke Skywalker ceremonially honours this genocidal lunatic in a funeral ceremony…Talk about turning your back on evil….What about all his victims? Was this monster not responsible for destruction in the billions (a likely estimate range for planetary populations)? But Lucas wants us to forget this because he (Vader) did the honourable ‘thing’ and saved his son. Frikkin Hell…story or no story!…fiction or not!…Does this not show how morally decrepit Lucas’ universe is? Now one could argue that I am wasting too much bytes on this line of thought (ink is so 20th century) …but unfortunately the Star Wars super meme has infected our collective conscious in a manner that is extremely pervasive… Kids know more about such asinine lines… as ‘I am your father Luke’ and ‘Use the force’ than the words of Churchill, Schweitzer or King. Adults dress up in Vader costumes…and when questioned about this will retort with a line such as Vader is the ‘ultimate bad ass’….which begs the next question where does that leave Genghis Khan who ‘only’ redrew the face of Eurasia?…A third-tier bad ass perhaps. Ideas drive action and Lucas has a twisted calculus that he has sold to the rest of us. Disney and Lego will of course further entrench this nonsense in the next generation’s mind set. It’s a further statement on the sad reality of a truism that we overlook as we amuse ourselves to oblivion. Now where did I put my son’s double headed light sabre that his grandparents got him.

On Intellectual Myopia

I often give more credit for the human intellect than it deserves. A friend of mine, who I have not seen for some time, but who I remain connected to through the medium of Facebook recently posted on his wall a link showing an outrageous act performed by religious Christians (the details are not important right now but suffice it to say it involved crucifixion). The act was either denounced or ignored as insignifican by the mainstream Christian world. He then argued, that if the world can see that such an isolated act is clearly that of fanatics and is not representative of Christianity itself, then why does the world not apply the same line of reason in judging Islam, with respect to the 911 attacks for example. . While the fact that Islamists have committed over 20,000 violent attacks since 911 was not evidence enough that the dreadful events of that day was not isolated, the existence of Islamist related groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood, the Iranian Twelvers, the Salafists, Hezbollah and Hamas as poweful forces within the Islamic World poured cold water on his poorly thought out argument. But as I pondered further upon the issue, what was more frightening is that my friend, who is highly educated, could draw such a faulty parallel that was so easily deconstructed. How was it that he was duped? Was he operating with wishful thinking? Was he in denial? or as a liberal - does he just not want to give credence and admit that anti-Islamist voices have been correct all this time. Either way he is either intellectually dishonest or just plain naive...but if this is the case with him...how many others are following suit? Its no wonder that Jihadists have been so successful in their propaganda strategies to date.

Obama's Folly

While there are some holding out for a long-term improvement in the Middle East’s smoking cauldron as a result of the Arab Spring, what is most evident is that the gains that have accrued to date have come at too high a price. One could very easily argue that the Middle East is in fact worse now than it has been with both Syria and Egypt enmeshed in civil war, and Turkey heading down a similar path perhaps in the not-too-distant future. With his Cairo speech and his cheerleading of the Anti-Mubarak drivers, Obama must take some responsibility for the debacle (his lack of common sense and political street knowledge were abysmal) and the arena is worse now for his ill-conceived interference than it was prior to his foibles.

Now it looks as though the US will be more actively backing the anti-Assad forces in Syria despite the reality that this apparent ‘lesser of the evils’ is aligned with the serpent head of Al Qaeda. While it is true that Assad and co. are in bed with the Iranian Mullahs such policy will not bear fruit for the US, it certainly didn’t in Libya where Obama’s short sighted approach in backing the anti-Gaddafi insurgency led directly to the Benghazi embassy attack –one of America’s worst foreign policy disasters in years (made worse by Obama and then Secretary of State Hilary Clinton’s cover-up).

The US would be advised to stand back and let both sides in the Syrian conflict beat each other to a pulp. The same is true in Egypt despite the fact that the military offers a better alternative to regional stability than do the thugs of the Brotherhood. US interference has done enough damage – Obama needs to tread lightly.

If he is tempted to involve himself in the region’s politics then he should offer his support for the Green Revolution in Iran. He let down the revolution early in his term while later on paving way for the Brotherhood in Egypt. To say that he got it ass backwards is an understatement. Smart vision can help but I doubt whether his team of Kerry, Hagel, Brennan and co. are blessed with such insight. If they do I have yet to see the evidence.

Race relations deteriorate..this is a tragedy

Front Page Magazine has an interesting article on how race relations have worsened under Obama. http://frontpagemag.com/2013/arnold-ahlert/obama-back-to-the-future/

Debbie Schlussel - Reality Check

Debbie Schlussel has done a great job in the past exposing the Islamist threat, illegal immigration and the degradation of American society. Her research is for the most part very thorough and her writing at times hilarious albeit poisonous. However she has a nasty habit of throwing under the bus those who disagree with her in the very slightest. The following is a list of some of those on the right who have earned her scorn (note that Schlussel is a Conservative Commentatator) and have been vilified by Schlussel in one form or another.
Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Bill O' Reilly, Dennis Prager, Michelle Malkin, Ann Coulter, Jonah Goldberg, Neil Cavuto, Pamela Geller, Robert Spencer, David Horowitz, Pat Buchanan (deservedly so), Aaron Klein, Daniel Greenfield, Andrew Breitbart, Ben Shapiro, Walid Shoebat, Brigitte Gabriel, John Hawkins, Mark Levin, Jenn Q. Public and Matt Drudge to name a few.
It seems that Schlussel has gone to great lengths to isolate herself as she continues to play the lone wolf card...I pity her as she has much to offer in the cultural war but her methodology of bashing so many of her potential allies is short-sighted and plays into the hands of her ideological foes, such as the Jihadist chorus at loonwatch.

United and Chelski drop points

Never thought I would be so happy to watch a goaless game but when these two teams drop points then I have to smile. United looked better than the Blues and Rooney was clearly the best player on the field but its the score line that counts.

Racial Violence...The rest of the story

The Big Question: Why does the MSM conveniently ignore black on white crimes? Here are the stats: http://www.examiner.com/article/federal-statistics-of-black-on-white-violence-with-links-and-mathematical-extrapolation-formulas

- 45% of black crime is against whites - Blacks commit murder at as rate that is seven times higher than other races - Blacks are 39 times more likely to commit a violent act against whites than vice versa.

White Aussie jogger, Christopher Lane, was targeted and gunned down in Oklahoma recently. There was the brutal twin murders of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom. Why have these acts of violence not received the same media outrage as the Trayvon Martin story?
This is not to diminish in any way the significance of white on black acts of racial violence but it is important in the ongoing fight against racism that all issues of hate are equally addressed.

Season starts off well...lets hope the train doesn't derail.

Liverpool are off to their best start in several seasons. Two games played, two wins, zero goals conceded. This may end on the weekend against United but it doesn't harm to dream. All of City, the Scum, Chelski and the Arse have dropped points. So far so good. There is still however an urgent need for another forward plus a central defender. Selling Suarez for 45 million pounds could solve both issues. The Reds have to move quickly.