In the middle of Julian Assange's long diatribe on Google, we have this: The received wisdom in advanced capitalist societies is that there still exists an organic “civil society sector” in which institutions form autonomously and come together to manifest the interests and will of citizens. The fable has it that the boundaries of this …
The "Cult" of China Experts is Hardly New
Thorston Pattberg at Asia Times Online thinks he's found something novel: There is a cult of Western evangelists and self-righteous crusaders who are determined to dislodge non-Western nations and usurp their governments. Unfortunately, Western "experts" have hung around China for a long time. In the years immediately after the start of the People's Republic, same …
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The People That Feel the Shame Finally Speak Up
In France, no less: At today's rally, Zohra Bouchiba, a French Muslim, was handing out fliers for a prevention group for youngsters tempted by jihadism. “We should have been out here a long time ago,” she says. No kidding...in any case, a couple of weeks ago I reposted my piece They Feel the Shame, about Muslims …
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Beguiling the Left, One Charlatan and Crackpot Scheme at a Time
There was a time with the writings of "Karl and Fred" (Marx and Engels) were prominent on my reading list. During my growing up years, their followers controlled a third of the world's population and most of its nuclear weapons. During my career in the family business I spent a great deal of time in …
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No, They're Not Scientists, Either
And some will admit it: Many more in the Republican Party love using this line, "I'm not a scientist." Marco Rubio, John Boehner, and Rick Scott, have all used versions of this line to dismiss climate change science or promote creationism. In 2012, asked how old Earth is, Rubio repeated, "I'm not a scientist," twice. …
They Still Feel the Shame
On this, the thirteenth commemoration of 9/11, it's probably worthwhile to remind everyone that many Muslims are basically ashamed of the way their co-religionists are doing with ISIS, 9/11, etc. From my 2005/2010 post on the subject: It was a unique experience for my wife and I to attend the Arab Worldwide Evangelical Ministers Association …
The Tricky Part of the Caliphate
There's a good deal of bad news coming out of the Middle East these days, with the rise of ISIS in Syria and Iraq. The continued existence of either or both is in question, although give their artificiality it's amazing they've lasted as long as they have. In response to their brutality on Americans, Yazidis, Iraqi Christians …
The Disciples of Ayn Rand and the Disciples of Jesus Christ
There’s a great deal of kerfuffle over Ann Coulter’s article about Samaritan’s Purse physician Kent Brantly, his contracting Ebola in the course of treating it Liberia, his transport to the CDC in Atlanta and the cost associated with the entire process. Evidently she thinks him insufficiently patriotic to have gone to another place and fight …
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It's Easier to Vote When It Makes a Difference
@danbalz wonders why this keeps happening: The Center for the Study of the American Electorate (CSAE) recently issued a dreary summation about participation in the primary elections so far this year. Based on the 25 states that have already held their primaries, the report chronicled a pattern of voter indifference and, in some cases, record low turnout. I …
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Cold Blooded Politics: The Children's Immigration Mess
It seems that our political scene doesn't have many slow days anymore, and now we have a daily ration of news about children from Mexico and Central America arriving at our border for a new life. The Occupant doesn't want to see them for himself, lest the rest of us do the same via his …
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Positive Infinity 