Month: May 2006

Converts or Heretics?

I share a lot of views with John Stossel, the iconoclastic ABC reporter. I also share his view of the resilient intolerance of parts of the left. Money quote:

Q: For the record, when someone asks you what your politics are, what your point of view is, what do you say to them?

STOSSEL: I’d say I’m a libertarian. And I prefer the word ‘liberal’ except that the liberals stole the word and have perverted it to mean ‘big government running your life.’ So I’m stuck with ‘classical liberal’ and no one knows what that means, so I call myself a libertarian.

Q: That puts you at odds with both liberals and conservatives. Which side hates you or dislikes you more ‚Äì liberals or conservatives? You are in favor of legalizing drugs, you’re not against abortion ‚Äì things like that would annoy conservatives. But you’re also in favor of free-market solutions to just about everything, from schools to buses.

STOSSEL: I think homosexuality is all right. And yet the conservatives will pay me a $40,000 speaking fee — which goes to charity, by the way ‚Äì and invite me to their events and have me on their shows. But the liberals will have nothing to do with me.

You can tell a lot about a movement by whether it is mainly interested in finding converts or heretics. Neither side is blameless in this; but the lefties would be more convincing in their appeals for tolerance if they engaged in more of it themselves.

Pap from Pappas

Here are a couple of paragraphs to depress you about the honorable conduct of senior military figures:

Col. Thomas M. Pappas, the top military intelligence officer at Abu Ghraib, testified in the earlier trial of Sergeant Smith that General Miller had recommended the use of dogs during interrogations. But on Wednesday in the current trial, he testified that General Miller did not make any such specific recommendations.

General Miller did not appear in the earlier trial, invoking his right not to give testimony that might incriminate him. But he changed his position after the Senate Armed Services Committee delayed his retirement until he was more forthcoming.

So one colonel flatly contradicts himself; and another won’t testify unless he’s thrown a bone by the Pentagon. And we think these military tribunals have a chance in hell of showing why torture and abuse have occurred in almost every interrogation center in the war on terror? These people may not know how to run a military prison but they sure have figured out how to run a cover-up. Daily coverage of the Cardona "trial" can be found here.

Mexico and the Wall

A fascinating piece in the NYT today about evolving Mexican views of a big ol’ security wall along the border with the U.S. Some see it as a boon to Mexico – specifically as a way to force Mexico’s government to implement real economic reforms, rather than using the U.S. as a safety valve for its own malfunctions. I’ve wondered why a country would pride itself onn the number of people who leave it; and I’m glad to see some Mexicans see the point as well. Money quote:

"It’s fantastic," said Primitivo Rodr√≠guez, an immigrant activist in Mexico, when asked about plans to build walls. "It’s the best thing that could happen for migrants, and for Mexico."

Mr. Rodr√≠guez, who has served as an adviser to the Mexican government and an organizer in the United States for the American Friends Service Committee, said the porous border had for years been an important safety valve of stability for Mexico’s economy, allowing elected officials to avoid creating jobs and even taking legal measures to stop the migration of an estimated 500,000 or more Mexicans a year.

Government reports indicate that the Mexican economy has created about one-tenth of the one million jobs it needs to accommodate that country’s growing labor force. Meanwhile, remittances from immigrants ‚Äî estimated last year at about $20 billion ‚Äî have grown larger than some state and municipal budgets.

The Wall: a way to force Mexico to reform, which in turn would reduce immigration pressures. I’m beginning to believe that constructing this barrier first might be the best way to tackle this problem. And I say that as an enthusiast for immigration.

Hastert?

The scenario Brian Ross lays out is pretty familiar. Abramoff holds fundraiser for Hastert; Hastert puts in a request to the secretary of Interior; Abramoff clients benefit. Seems like business as usual in Washington. What else are they doing at the Palm? It doesn’t help, though, that Hastert turns out to be the recipient of the most money from Abramoff. Now you begin to see why he might be extra sensitive about FBI raids on Capitol Hill offices. Even with warrants. Maybe he’s next. (Update: Or maybe he’s not. TLB asks some questions about the ABC News story here.)

Pat Robertson Is A Big Muscly Liar

The more you think about his claim to leg-press 2,000 lb, the weirder it gets. I know, I know. This is hardly the most important thing going on right now. But one of the ten commandments – right after the one about gay marriage – is that you shouldn’t lie. A sports columnist, it turns out, has been on the case before:

That would mean a 76-year-old man broke the all-time Florida State University leg press record by 665 pounds over Dan Kendra. 665 pounds. Further, when he set the record, they had to modify the leg press machine to fit 1,335 pounds of weight. Plus, Kendra’s capillaries in his eyes burst. Burst. Where in the world did Robertson even find a machine that could hold 2,000 pounds at one time? And how does he still have vision?

How many leg-press machines can handle 2,000 lbs? I’ve never seen one. Assume that he used 100lb plates – rare, but they exist. Ten on each side? Ladies and gentlemen, I’m sorry to say that a leading light of the Republican Party is lying to sell protein shakes.