Posted tagged ‘Victor Davis Hanson’

Must Reads For The Week 7/26/14

July 26, 2014
The pen is mightier than the sword...

 The pen is mightier than the sword… (Photo credit: mbshane)

‘Guns Are Welcome”  At One Restaurant, Bucks A Trend, by Zach Noble, at theblaze.com. After seeing a story about a restaurant being robbed two days after posting a ‘No Weapons Allowed’ sign; Sharma Floyd posted a ‘Guns Are Welcome’ sign at her restaurant. The result was an increase in business.

Psych Patient Shoots Two At Hospital, Doctor Returns Fire And Stops Shooter, at philly.com. Here is an excerpt from the article, “It was not clear why Silverman, a doctor for nearly 25 years, was armed at the office. Bernice Ho, a spokeswoman for Mercy Fitzgerald, said Thursday it was against hospital policy for anyone other than security guards to carry weapons.”  Yeadon chief of Police Donald Molineux said Silverman, “without a doubt saved lives.”  Thank God Dr. Silverman disobeyed hospital policy and had a weapon. I bet it’s a 50/50 chance the Dr. will get in trouble for breaking the rule, because the anti gun crowd lacks any common sense.

White House ‘Quietly’ Exempts 4.5 Million People In 5 “Territories” From Obamacare, at zerohedge.com. American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Northern Marina Islands, and Virgin Islands were exempted from Obamacare because the cost of health care in these U.S. Territories was rising due to Obamacare. How can a State become a territory of the United States? It seems to be a much better deal.

To Make Elite Schools ‘Fair”, City Will Punish Poor Asians, at economicpolicyjournal.com. The admission process at New York’s specialized High Schools is being challenged by the NAACP in a civil-rights complaint against competitive admissions testing that has been around for 70 Years. The group that will be hurt most will be the growing  poor Asian-American immigrants whose kids do very well on the tests. When will these social engineers understand that people’s abilities can’t be made equal. You can’t produce a photo finish in a race by starting slower runners in front of faster runners, or by making faster runners wear a weighted vest. Can’t the social planners let each individual succeed or fail to whatever degree he chooses to define success or failure? Read the C.S. Lewis quote in my quote section.

The Administration Wants Economic Patriotism From Companies Dodging Taxes, at lasvegassun.com. Here is an excerpt from the article. “The President demanded ‘economic patriotism’ from U.S. companies who use legal means to avoid taxes and regulation through overseas mergers. “I don’t care if it’s legal”, Obama said, “It’s wrong”. The corporate tax rate in the U.S is one of the highest in the world. Of course these companies are going to try to legally pay as little tax as possible just like every other red blooded American does every April 15. The treasury is estimated to lose $17 billion over the next decade if the policy continues. That’s not even $2 billion a year, which is nothing compared to the Feds open market money laundering policy of printing 100’s of billions of dollars and purchasing government debt.

Man Chocked To Death by NYC Police For Selling Illegal Cigarettes, by Liz Klimas, at theblaze.com. and Young Girl Assaulted by Three Cops For Breaking Curfew, at libertypenblog.blogspot.com. The breakdown of the rule of law starts when our politicians and bureaucrats don’t have to comply with the law. As a result citizens are not as willing to comply with orders given by people in positions of authority who are lumped in with the bigger group of political and bureaucratic law breakers. Situations like these result in citizens having less trust in cops, and cops having less trust in citizens. You’ll see more and more of this if Government, laws, and regulations aren’t rolled back. On a side note, shouldn’t the President be in front of the cameras saying these cops “acted stupidly”, like he did when his friend, Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr, was arrested by police (read here)?

Three Kansas City Cops Stop To Play Pick Up Game, After Seeing Boys Playing Hoops In Street, by Jonathon M. Seidl, at theblaze.com. Since I just blasted cops, it’s only right that I post this article. I’d like to think most cops are probably like these guys. Where are the  Andy Griffiths.

My Letter To The Financial Times, London re: Eurozone Needs Quantitative Easing, by Partick Barron, at partickbarron.blogspot.com. Patrick Barron torpedoes a few myths about the benefits of Quantitative Easing in one short paragraph.

Bordering On Madness, by Thomas Sowell, at jewishworldreview.com. Thomas Sowell’s analysis of the border situation, immigration policy, and cultures. This is Dr. Sowell at his best.

General Patton’s Summer of 1944, by Victor Davis Hanson, at victorhanson.com. I’ve always been interested in WWII because my Uncle was in the 82nd Airborne. He fought in the D-Day invasion, Operation Market Garden, and the Battle of the Bulge. This article brought back some memories of my Uncle, and of the movie Patton which, came out when I was in High School.

 

 

 

Scandals, or Fundamental Transformations?

June 17, 2014

This article, Was Benghazi a Scandal? by Victor Davis Hanson, answers this question. The President has gone about ignoring the rule of law in so many cases it is hard to remember them all. Dr. Hanson catalogues many of these in his article. The President said he was going to fundamentally transform the United States of America, on the campaign trail in 08.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgnWt13aO9k

He is moving closer toward keeping his promise every day, as each new scandal/transformation comes and goes. We are being conditioned to accept this as the new normal because of the sheer volume of his usurpations of power. Why should anyone be surprised by anything he has done, if you consider his progressive radical back ground that anyone could have uncovered with a small amount of effort. Our founders said, “Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom“. In retrospect eternal vigilance seems like a bargain compared to the price, in time and effort, we are going to have to pay to get this ever-growing Government back inside of its constitutional borders.

Here are some excerpts from the article.

“In sum, what many Americans see as scandals are not scandals to the Obama administration. Our president believes instead that the law is fluid. Statutes are mere constructs dressed up by those with inordinate power to paper over race, class, and gender biases.”

“For the nobly progressive, the desired equality of result at home and greater fairness toward nations abroad require a sort of deconstruction of “settled law.” Liberal elites may be forced to emasculate their enemies, if need be, by politicizing the IRS, or by ignoring the law through executive orders, or by sending out officials to peddle untruths, or by doing almost anything necessary to enact social justice here and abroad. Some call it scandalous, but others see it as empowering and long overdue.”

“The more such scandals occur in the next two years, the more they will not be seen as scandals, but as mere bothersome hurdles to fundamentally changing America. In the age of Obama, you win the race not by playing by the fossilized rules of jumping over the track’s hurdles — but instead by running right through them to reach the finish line first.”

The Russian and Ukrainian Situation; Lets Take A Look

March 5, 2014

What can the U.S. and the President do, if anything, about the situation in the Ukraine? I view this situation through the lens of two things Thomas Sowell has said, 1) “Results observed at a given point in time may be a part of a process that stretches far back in time.”, and 2) “You can only choose from alternatives actually available.”

DECISIONS PRODUCE EXPANDING OR DIMINISHING ALTERNATIVES

Where the Ukrainian situation sits today is the result of decisions, by millions of people, that stretch far back in time. The President inherited the situation that existed the day of his inauguration, but he is responsible for the decisions he has made since then. His decisions were made from alternatives that were actually available at the particular time of each decision. Every decision that is made today influences future decisions in many ways. A decision made today can expand or diminish future decisions that are available. If you choose to travel from L.A. to N.Y. by car you have many options along the way that a person who decided to take a plane doesn’t. One preson is limited to what he can choose to do while on the plane like read, sleep, etc, while the person who drove can choose when to stop, what and where to eat, and even to change his mind and go somewhere else instead of N.Y.

Decisions aren’t made in a vacuum, or as I like to say, other people get to vote on how they will react to your decision. You don’t get to determine what other people decide to do after you make a decision, unless you use force to restrain their response.

INTERVENTIONIST OR NON INTERVENTIONIST UTOPIAS

Whether you are on the interventionist or non interventionist end of the spectrum, before you make up your mind about the Ukrainian situation, read these articles because the situation is more complex, from many angles, than it might seem. One thing is for sure, the U.S. can’t reset the clock and start over. The U.S. has to make a decision based on the reality that exists today, it can’t make a decision based on a utopian reality which exists on each end of the interventionist and non interventionist world views.

The truth is, the U.S., is stuck with bad or worse choices that politicians and bureaucrats from both ends of the spectrum have led us to.

ARTICLES

A 35-Step Guide To Understanding Why Russia Decided To Follow The Olympics With A War, by Miriam Berger and Julia Pugachevsky, at buzzfeed.com. This is an article that takes you through the time line of this conflict.

The Stepping Stone To The Ukraine Situation, by Victor Davis Hanson, at victorhanson.com. This article talks about how the Presidents actions since he was inaugurated have been seen as weakness by Leaders like Putin. Didn’t President Kennedy say, “We dare not tempt them with weakness”.

The Back Story To The Russia – Ukraine Confrontation, by George Washington, at economicpolicyjournal.com. There is a lot of information and opinion to digest in this article. Did the U.S. push Russia

Lugar and Obama Urge Destruction Of Conventional Weapon Stockpiles, at fas.org. In 2005 President Obama and Senator Lugar visited the Ukraine to push for the destruction of stockpiles of military supplies. Here is a quote from Obama, “Vast stocks of conventional munitions and military supplies have accumulated in Ukraine…….” Obama said. “We need to eliminate these stockpiles for the safety of the Ukrainian people and people around world, by keeping them out of conflicts around the world.” Is he saying in order to keep Ukraine out of conflicts they need to destroy their weapons? This sounds like the gun control debate, disarm yourself so you don’t provoke the bad guys.

Russia’s 25,000-Troop Allowance and Other Facts You May Not Know About Crimea, at rt.com. Russia Today talks about the Partition Treaty signed by Russia and Ukraine in 1999 to determine military bases and the Black Sea Fleet in the Crimea. Read about Black Sea Fleet here, at fas.org.

An American Special Ops Veteran On The Ground In Ukraine Speaks Out, at sofrep.com. Great background of life in the Ukraine from the perspective of a Spec Ops guy on the ground.

Must Reads For The Week 9/28/13

September 28, 2013
The pen is mightier than the sword...

The pen is mightier than the sword… (Photo credit: mbshane)

Bob Shiller Warns “I Am Worried About Bubbles” In Housing, at zerohedge.com. A little late to the party. Read a previous post about this written in May,  A Housing Recovery, Or Just Another Bubble.

Students Faces Possible Year-Long Suspension From School For Playing With Toy Guns At Home, at benswann.com. When will we stand up and say enough of this insanity. They anti gun nuts are trying brainwash a whole generation of school age kids into thinking guns, even toy guns are evil, and that anyone who has a gun as an outcast.

Maryland Parent Arrested For Challenging Common Core, at benswann.com. How dare the peasants question the ruling aristocracy. As Government intervention grows, it needs more force to quell dissent, and intimidate dissenters.

Republicans Now Leading The Push To Tax The Internet, at tammybruce.com. When you look at their track record, do you really believe big Government establishment Republicans want to repeal Obamacare?

Cyprus-Style Wealth Confiscation Is Starting All Over The World, at zerohedge.com. The countries retirement savings is a huge pile of money that is being eyeballed by Government.

Obama Administration Committing $320 Million to aid Bankrupt Detroit, by Erika Johnsen, at hotair.com. This is a too big to fail city. Do you want to bet that California will be a too big to fail state?

The Late, Great Middle Class, by Victor Davis Hanson, at victorhanson.com, The number of people who receive transfer payments from the Government, whether administrators of the redistribution state of those who receive the payments, is growing , while the number of people funding the administrative state is shrinking.

Victor Davis Hanson, Post Modern Prudes.

May 3, 2013
Victor Davis Hanson

Victor Davis Hanson (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Victor Hanson gives examples of social norms that seem to contradict themselves. His list of examples makes you think. How many more contradictions can you come up with. Read his article titled, Postmodern Prudes”, at victorhanson.com. Here are a few excerpts from the article. (more…)