The Difference Between Salafis and the Muslim Brotherhood

On a recent edition of Stakelbeck on Terror, he discusses with Tawfik Hamid the difference between the Salafis and the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.  (That discussion starts at about 13:30 into the video below). http://dl2.cbn.com/cbnplayer/cbnPlayer.swf?s=/Archive/News/Stakelbeck_Terror_082112_WS Five years ago, I got into an extended email debate with an Indonesian Salafi.  One of the points he tried …

The U.S. and China: Passing Each Other in the Night on Academic Freedom?

Students in China are caught between two systems, one Marxist-Leninist and one capitalist.  The result is this: The curious collision of ideological coercion and material opportunity births a conformity-breeding exhaustion. To resist the constant current of ideological homogeneity requires relentless energy and vigilance: to remember that no matter how compelling the words of the anchor …

Federal Agencies and Ammo: Make Sure You Don't Overlook the Important Thing

Federal agencies such as NOAA and the Social Security administration are trying to contain the excitement over their substantial ammunition purchases: Obscure federal agencies triggered a firestorm of conspiracy theories this week after they put out orders for thousands of rounds of deadly hollow-point bullets. But the agencies, most recently the Social Security Administration, are …

Ending the Next Civil War Won't Be That Easy

Some once part of the U.S. military are, to put it mildly, delusional about a possible internal rebellion: At issue is an article in the respected Small Wars Journal titled “Full Spectrum Operations in the Homeland: A ‘Vision’ of the Future.” It was written by retired Army Col. Kevin Benson of the Army's University of …

They Love to Feel the Whip

One of the most ill-starred love stories of the last century was that of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and Tsarina Alexandra.  Neither was equipped by temperament or upbringing to lead an absolute monarchy into World War I.  Nicholas was a weak-willed heir thrust into his role prematurely and unwillingly by the death of his …

Barack Obama and Small Business: They Wouldn't Get Very Far Without Us, Either

Things are getting very deep out there: President Barack Obama addressed supporters in Roanoke, Virginia on Saturday afternoon and took a shot at the business community. President Obama dismissed any credit business owners give themselves for their success: There are a lot of wealthy, successful Americans who agree with me -- because they want to …

Making the Fifty Square Metre Apartment Look Like a Mansion

That's what New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is about to do: Many will doubtless regard with skepticism the Bloomberg administration’s newly announced “micro-unit” pilot program. The administration is asking developers to submit proposals for the design and construction of an apartment building on a city-owned site in Manhattan; the city will adjust zoning restrictions there, …

What a Billionaire's Tax Means Depends Upon the Currency

The UN's latest idea for funding itself: The United Nations on Thursday called for a tax on billionaires to help raise more than $400 billion a year for poor countries. An annual lump sum payment by the super-rich is one of a host of measures including a tax on carbon dioxide emissions, currency exchanges or …

When It's Fashionable to be Cynical

Like now: President Obama spoke today at a campaign rally in Durham, New Hampshire. "You know, it's fashionable right now for people to be cynical. We go in cycles like this and right now a lot of people are saying "Oh, America is doing terribly" and "What are we going to do?"... Being cynical, however, …

The EU is Really Good at Undermining Certain Things

The head of the Global Forum on Migration and Development thinks they should be undermining their national identities: The EU should "do its best to undermine" the "homogeneity" of its member states, the UN's special representative for migration has said. Peter Sutherland told peers the future prosperity of many EU states depended on them becoming …

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