Following digest of another article was published in Facebook by Robert Owen. To encourage reading by those for whom signing up to Facebook might be an obstacle, we reproduce it here. They should consider it though, as the comments section is also instructive reading.
Facebook: "Shall we learn from history?", by Robert Owen
Many liberal commentators have placed the blame for our nation's current economic difficulties on "laissez-faire capitalism," which they never define. George Reisman, Pepperdine University Professor Emeritus of Economics, insists that the term should be defined as "private ownership of the means of production [with government] limited to the protection of the individual's rights against the initiation of physical force." He would welcome a return to such a system. He states: "There are presently 15 federal cabinet departments, nine of which exist for the very purpose of respectively interfering with housing, transportation, healthcare, education, energy, mining, agriculture, labor, and commerce." Claiming that these intrusions are the underlying cause of America's economic travails, he adds, "Under laissez-faire capitalism, 11 of the 15 cabinet departments would cease to exist and only the departments of justice, defense, state and treasury would remain."
Socialism, either overt or the slightly more obtuse version practiced by today's establishment Republicans and Democrats, has been a dismal failure every time, in every culture with no exceptions. In our own history, the Pilgrims started with a socialist economy. After two years of starvation and death they were forced to try free market capitalism with individuals being able to keep the fruits of their own labor. William Bradford, passenger on the Mayflower and second Mayor of the Plymouth Plantation, records the results of the change to free market economics, "This had very good success, for it made all hands very industrious, so as much more corn was planted than otherwise would have been by any means the Governor or any other could use, and saved him a great deal of trouble, and gave far better content. The women now went willingly into the field, and took their little ones with them to set corn; which before would allege weakness and inability; whom to have compelled would have been thought great tyranny and oppression."
If our economy is to prosper again, we must stop the bailouts, end all forms of socialist welfare and once again allow "We the people" to keep the fruits of our labor. This formula made our nation the most prosperous civilization, with the most wealth to the greatest number of people, in all of history. This formula also resulted in the most charitable people in all of recorded history, caring for the sick, poor and needy in far better ways than any government program ever devised. Only a return to free market economics will prevent depression, famine and death. On this point the historical record is clear.
- Filed on Articles on "The Ethics of Capitalism" -
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query economics. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query economics. Sort by date Show all posts
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Ethics of Capitalism: the African dream
The Atlantic: "Africa's Amazing Rise and What it Can Teach the World"
(...) The economic evidence that they were right, building since the start of the new century, now seems incontrovertible. In the ten years from 2000 to 2010, six of the world's ten fastest-growing countries were in sub-Saharan Africa: Angola, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Chad, Mozambique, and Rwanda. In eight of the past ten years, sub-Saharan Africa has grown faster than Asia, according to The Economist. In 2012, the International Monetary Fund expects Africa to grow at a rate of 6%, about the same as Asia. (...) >>>
Feb. 26, 2012
~
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Socialist Utopia Redux: Argentina's serial collapse
"War with Argentina might save the United Kingdom and see Scots abandon independence move", opines @PurpleLine - Indeed. More tinder added to the global powderkeg. Argentina's socialists meanwhile have no learning curve to speak of, as is usual with the Left. The narrative without a doubt: socialism proper has NEVER been tried LOL -
Zerohedge: "Another Consequence Of Economic Decline"
Nearly 10-years ago to the day, the government of Argentina collapsed. Beset by weighty deficit spending and a completely unrealistic currency peg to the US dollar, Argentina became the poster child for the golden rule of economics: ‘that which is unsustainable will not be sustained.’ It’s reversion to the mean. (...) At this point, it’s all just tough talk and petty annoyances. But here’s the thing– there are four billion barrels of oil estimated to be within the Falklands’ territorial waters. Given the utter insanity with which Fernandez governs her country and the desperation in the Argentine economy, one cannot rule out the possibility of her trying to grab Las Malvinas by force. After all, military conflict is the ultimate social distraction.
I’ve often written that economics drives everything. A solid, vibrant, competitive economy lifts an entire nation into prosperity, while deteriorating fundamentals and a socialist agenda create inflation, unemployment, and social turmoil. War is just another one of those consequences. And given the vast deterioration in the global economy coupled with deeply-seeded conflicts around the world, the Falklands is just one of many that we may have to look forward to in 2012. >>>
Jan. 10, 2012
~
Zerohedge: "Another Consequence Of Economic Decline"
Nearly 10-years ago to the day, the government of Argentina collapsed. Beset by weighty deficit spending and a completely unrealistic currency peg to the US dollar, Argentina became the poster child for the golden rule of economics: ‘that which is unsustainable will not be sustained.’ It’s reversion to the mean. (...) At this point, it’s all just tough talk and petty annoyances. But here’s the thing– there are four billion barrels of oil estimated to be within the Falklands’ territorial waters. Given the utter insanity with which Fernandez governs her country and the desperation in the Argentine economy, one cannot rule out the possibility of her trying to grab Las Malvinas by force. After all, military conflict is the ultimate social distraction.
I’ve often written that economics drives everything. A solid, vibrant, competitive economy lifts an entire nation into prosperity, while deteriorating fundamentals and a socialist agenda create inflation, unemployment, and social turmoil. War is just another one of those consequences. And given the vast deterioration in the global economy coupled with deeply-seeded conflicts around the world, the Falklands is just one of many that we may have to look forward to in 2012. >>>
Jan. 10, 2012
~
Monday, January 30, 2012
Transnat'l Progressivism: Davos: FU Capitalism!
While the real avant guarde is looking ahead what what to do after the onset of the bankruptcy of globalization (entry Jan. 26), the degenerated elite is breaking up its annual confab at Davos. Jeffrey Folks is looking back -
Jan. 30, 2012
~
A new global paradigm -
If we can keep it together or not with the collapse of the monetary system and deliberately triggered revolutions that have destabilized the entire Middle East, this author is predicting the time of Cumbaya, #NWO, globalization, interconnectivity and interdependence, is over. Indeed, everything is in place for a new global paradigm -
Foreign Policy: "The End of the Win-Win World", by Gideon Rachman
I have spent my working life writing about international politics from the vantage points of the Economist and now the Financial Times. Surrounded by people who tracked markets and business, it has always felt natural for me to see international economics and international politics as deeply intertwined.
In my book Zero-Sum Future, written in 2009, I attempted to predict how the global economic crisis would change international politics. As the rather bleak title implied, I argued that relations between the major powers were likely to become increasingly tense and conflict-ridden. In a worsening economic climate, it would be harder for the big economies to see their relationships as mutually beneficial -- as a win-win. Instead, they would increasingly judge their relationships in zero-sum terms. What was good for China would be seen as bad for America. What was good for Germany would be bad for Italy, Spain, and Greece. (...) >>>
Jan. 26, 2012
~
Globalists descend on Davos #NWO -
CanadaFreePress: "Capitalism is the Problem—Who Knew?", Daren Jonescu
The perfectly named World Economic Forum—that is, an organization dedicated to the creation of a world economic system—is meeting in Davos again to discuss the problems of the day, and to propose solutions. Although the official problem-solving has not yet begun, a hint as to the direction of said solutions can be found in the definition of the main problem to be solved, offered by the group’s leader: the “out-dated and crumbling” economic system, capitalism. Surprise!
Among the problem-solvers in attendance: the dean of the China European International Business School, a joint project of the Chinese communist and European socialist governments; the President of the European Central Bank, formerly the head of the Bank of Italy; the Treasury Secretary to America’s first openly redistributionist President; and Tunisia’s new Islamist prime minister, who recently stood with a Hamas Party deputy and called for the “liberation of Jerusalem.” Who better to reform the world’s economy? (...) >>>
Jan. 24, 2012
~
Jan. 30, 2012
~
A new global paradigm -
If we can keep it together or not with the collapse of the monetary system and deliberately triggered revolutions that have destabilized the entire Middle East, this author is predicting the time of Cumbaya, #NWO, globalization, interconnectivity and interdependence, is over. Indeed, everything is in place for a new global paradigm -
Foreign Policy: "The End of the Win-Win World", by Gideon Rachman
I have spent my working life writing about international politics from the vantage points of the Economist and now the Financial Times. Surrounded by people who tracked markets and business, it has always felt natural for me to see international economics and international politics as deeply intertwined.
In my book Zero-Sum Future, written in 2009, I attempted to predict how the global economic crisis would change international politics. As the rather bleak title implied, I argued that relations between the major powers were likely to become increasingly tense and conflict-ridden. In a worsening economic climate, it would be harder for the big economies to see their relationships as mutually beneficial -- as a win-win. Instead, they would increasingly judge their relationships in zero-sum terms. What was good for China would be seen as bad for America. What was good for Germany would be bad for Italy, Spain, and Greece. (...) >>>
Jan. 26, 2012
~
Globalists descend on Davos #NWO -
CanadaFreePress: "Capitalism is the Problem—Who Knew?", Daren Jonescu
The perfectly named World Economic Forum—that is, an organization dedicated to the creation of a world economic system—is meeting in Davos again to discuss the problems of the day, and to propose solutions. Although the official problem-solving has not yet begun, a hint as to the direction of said solutions can be found in the definition of the main problem to be solved, offered by the group’s leader: the “out-dated and crumbling” economic system, capitalism. Surprise!
Among the problem-solvers in attendance: the dean of the China European International Business School, a joint project of the Chinese communist and European socialist governments; the President of the European Central Bank, formerly the head of the Bank of Italy; the Treasury Secretary to America’s first openly redistributionist President; and Tunisia’s new Islamist prime minister, who recently stood with a Hamas Party deputy and called for the “liberation of Jerusalem.” Who better to reform the world’s economy? (...) >>>
Jan. 24, 2012
~
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Smoke and Mirrors: fascism=Fabian socialism
Forbes: "Obama, Hitler, And Exploding The Biggest Lie In History", by Bill Flax
Numerous commentators have raised alarming comparisons between America’s recent economic foibles and Argentina’s fall “from breadbasket to basket case.” The U.S. pursues a similar path with her economy increasingly ensnared under the growing nexus of government control. Resources are redistributed for vote-buying welfare schemes, patronage style earmarks, and graft by unelected bureaucrats, quid pro quo with unions, issue groups and legions of lobbyists.
In Argentina, everyone acknowledges that fascism, state capitalism, corporatism – whatever – reflects very leftwing ideology. Eva Peron remains a liberal icon. President Obama’s Fabian policies (Keynesian economics) promise similar ends. His proposed infrastructure bank is just the latest gyration of corporatism. Why then are fascists consistently portrayed as conservatives?
In the Thirties, intellectuals smitten by progressivism considered limited, constitutional governance anachronistic. The Great Depression had apparently proven capitalism defunct. The remaining choice had narrowed between communism and fascism. Hitler was about an inch to the right of Stalin. Western intellectuals infatuated with Marxism thus associated fascism with the Right. (...) >>>
Sept. 4, 2011
~
Numerous commentators have raised alarming comparisons between America’s recent economic foibles and Argentina’s fall “from breadbasket to basket case.” The U.S. pursues a similar path with her economy increasingly ensnared under the growing nexus of government control. Resources are redistributed for vote-buying welfare schemes, patronage style earmarks, and graft by unelected bureaucrats, quid pro quo with unions, issue groups and legions of lobbyists.
In Argentina, everyone acknowledges that fascism, state capitalism, corporatism – whatever – reflects very leftwing ideology. Eva Peron remains a liberal icon. President Obama’s Fabian policies (Keynesian economics) promise similar ends. His proposed infrastructure bank is just the latest gyration of corporatism. Why then are fascists consistently portrayed as conservatives?
In the Thirties, intellectuals smitten by progressivism considered limited, constitutional governance anachronistic. The Great Depression had apparently proven capitalism defunct. The remaining choice had narrowed between communism and fascism. Hitler was about an inch to the right of Stalin. Western intellectuals infatuated with Marxism thus associated fascism with the Right. (...) >>>
Sept. 4, 2011
~
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Natural Resources: gas and oil in the East Med
RT: "New Mediterranean oil and gas bonanza"
The Middle East could soon see new battles over rights to oil and gas beneath the eastern Mediterranean in the Levant Basin and Aegean Sea. The discovery of huge reserves off Israel's coast is changing the geopolitical balance of power in the region. (...) Energy self-sufficiency had eluded the state of Israel since its founding in 1948. Abundant oil and gas exploration was repeatedly undertaken with meager results. Unlike its energy-rich Arab neighbors, Israel seemed out of luck. Then, in 2009, Israel’s exploration partner Noble Energy discovered the Tamar field in the Levantine Basin, some 50 miles west of Israel’s port of Haifa and with an estimated 8.3 tcf (trillion cubic feet) of highest-quality natural gas. Tamar was the world’s largest gas discovery in 2009. (...) >>>
Febr. 26, 2012
~
The Middle East could soon see new battles over rights to oil and gas beneath the eastern Mediterranean in the Levant Basin and Aegean Sea. The discovery of huge reserves off Israel's coast is changing the geopolitical balance of power in the region. (...) Energy self-sufficiency had eluded the state of Israel since its founding in 1948. Abundant oil and gas exploration was repeatedly undertaken with meager results. Unlike its energy-rich Arab neighbors, Israel seemed out of luck. Then, in 2009, Israel’s exploration partner Noble Energy discovered the Tamar field in the Levantine Basin, some 50 miles west of Israel’s port of Haifa and with an estimated 8.3 tcf (trillion cubic feet) of highest-quality natural gas. Tamar was the world’s largest gas discovery in 2009. (...) >>>
Febr. 26, 2012
~
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Book Reviews: "The Manchurian President"
RBO: L.A. Times smears exposé outing president. ‘Manchurian President’ describes extremists in White House posts", by Brenda J. Elliott
The LA Times has attacked a blockbuster book investigating President Obama and his radical connections, claiming the work echoes a movie in which communists try to hypnotize their way into the White House, WND reports. The book’s introduction, however, specifically states the work does not echo the film’s plot of a president brainwashed into becoming a sleeper agent for communists. “Pumped up polemics,” is how the LA Times described a series of hard hitting political books dominating the nation’s bestseller list, most notably including the new work, “The Manchurian President: Barack Obama’s ties to communists, socialists and other anti-American extremists.”
The new title, from WND senior reporter and WABC radio host Aaron Klein and historian Brenda J. Elliott, has been a NY Times bestseller since its release last month and just yesterday hit the esteemed Publishers Weekly list of top-selling books. The LA Times claimed the book “echoes [The Manchurian Candidate movie] the 1962 classic film in which Chinese communists try to hypnotize their way into the White House.” While the title is taken from The Manchurian Candidate book and movie, Klein writes in the book’s introduction the work specifically does not echo the film’s plot of a hypnotized president. (...) >>>
Jun 5, 2010
~
"The Grand Jihad", by Andrew McCarthy -
Big Journalism interview with Andrew McCarthy
Many Westerners can't face the truth about the connection between Jihad and the Koran. Islam is not a moderate, but an extreme belief. Islam is not mainstream. It is not a religion as we understand it. There is no separation of Mosque and State. It does not distinguish between spiritual and daily life, and that includes the law. Sharia law is making inroads. The Project is an incremental, but comprehensive campaign.
Jihad is the method to establish Sharia law. There is a debate in Islamist circles if one way to establish it, terrorism, hasn't outlived its usefulness with all the blowback. Word has it the Muslim Brotherhood is ready to throw Al Qaeda under the bus. The peaceful way to obtain the objective is through dawa, or stealth Jihad. There is no question that the objective of the Project is to establish Sharia law. The discussion is over the method.
Freedom to Muslims means submission to Islam. Therefore a discussion about freedom for women is ridiculous, as the two debators will talk at cross purposes. Peace in Islam means the establishment of global Sharia (the global Caliphate).
The Islamists agree with the left that the biggest obstruction to their ideals are liberty, individualism and the US Constitution (capitalism, Classical Liberalism, Liberty). There are historical links between the Left (and the far Right) with Islamism. But also now there's an understanding with advocacy groups like CAIR, ACLU and the Muslim Public Affairs Council.
People are evading the evident for two reasons. The assertion that the Project is real is often met with the response that the premise in effect validates the central thesis of the salafist-whabbist violent fringe of Islam. This is an admission that it is true, but that the interlocutor isn't willing to accept the fact: if 1.5 billion Muslims are convinced of this we're doomed, they say. Indeed. The other reason they are denying it, is because they share an agenda with the Islamists: the destruction of the free world. The media narrative in the Gaza propflot story was in place even before events had played out.
There are currently 85 Sharia Courts in the UK. There are 'debates' about it in the Netherlands. Full Sharia is thus established through a temporary state of apartheid: one law for Muslims and another for the rest of us. People's imagination just can't be stretched to the extent they can see it happen.
Asked what McCarthy sees as the remedy, this is awareness. Go after the terrorists obviously, but we must with all means at our disposal raise awareness to counter the dhimmi mentality. The 15 story 911 Mosque is a case in point: it has the subtlety of a sledge hammer. It's telling that in the name of tolerance and outreach a symbol of Muslim triumphalism is erected near Ground Zero.
June 2, 2010
~
Why Wilders and Hirsi Ali are right about Islam -
WSJ : "They Need to Be Liberated From Their God", by Matthew Kaminski
The 'Son of Hamas' author on his conversion to Christianity, spying for Israel, and shaming his family. 'I absolutely know that in anybody's eyes I was a traitor," says Mosab Hassan Yousef. "To my family, to my nation, to my God. I crossed all the red lines in my society. I didn't leave one that I didn't cross." Now 32, Mosab is the son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, a founder and leader of the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. Throughout the last decade, from the second Intifada to the current stalemate, he worked alongside his father in the West Bank. During that time the younger Mr. Yousef also secretly embraced Christianity. And as he reveals in his book "Son of Hamas," out this week, he became one of the top spies for Israel's internal security arm, the Shin Bet.
The news of this double conversion has sent ripples through the Middle East. One of Mr. Yousef's handlers at the Shin Bet confirmed his account to the Israeli daily Haaretz. Hamas—already reeling from the assassination of a senior military chief in Dubai in January—calls his claims Zionist propaganda. From the Israeli prison he has occupied since 2005, Sheikh Yousef on Monday issued a statement that he and his family "have completely disowned the man who was our oldest son and who is called Mosab." (...) As the son of a Muslim cleric, he says he had reached the conclusion that terrorism can't be defeated without a new understanding of Islam. Here he echoes other defectors from Islam such as the former Dutch parliamentarian and writer Ayaan Hirsi Ali. (...) "The problem is not in Muslims," he continues. "The problem is with their God. They need to be liberated from their God. He is their biggest enemy. It has been 1,400 years they have been lied to." These are all dangerous words. (...) >>>
Mar 6, 2010
~
Levin explains in essence the tenets of this blog: why the French and the American Revolutions are entirely different in nature. It explains the chasm between Europe and the US, between liberal democracy and liberty, Rousseau versus Locke, subjectivism or objectivism, collectivism and individualism, anti modernism versus modernism.
Salvo: "Statist Analysis: Liberty and Tyranny: "A Conservative Manifesto," by Mark Levin, reviewed by Terrell Clemmons
In Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto, Mark Levin identifies and analyzes two divergent, mutually exclusive philosophies of governance. Tracing the threads of each through American history, Levin discusses America’s founding, the Constitution, federalism, the free market, environmentalism, immigration, and the rise of the welfare state and shows how the conservative principles upon which America was founded have fostered opportunity, prosperity, and strength, and have preserved freedom.
Established on belief in divine providence and natural law, conservative principles recognize “a harmony of interests” and “rules of cooperation” that foster “ordered liberty” and a social contract, which brings about what Levin calls the civil society. In the civil society, the individual is recognized as “a unique, spiritual being with a soul and a conscience.” Though civil society recognizes and sanctions a transcendent, objective moral order, which the citizen has a duty to respect, it acknowledges man’s imperfection and anticipates flawed observance. (...) >>>
Dec. 29, 2009
~
Who's recommendation would you take?
MSNBC is running a poll: Glenn vs. Oprah. Vote here ...
NYTimes: "For Thrillers, Glenn Beck Is Becoming New Oprah"
Virtually every novelist in America fantasizes about being picked to appear on Oprah Winfrey’s talk show. But now an increasing number of writers have discovered a new champion: Glenn Beck, the outspoken media darling of populist conservatism. On his radio show and cable television programs, first on CNN Headline News and now on the Fox News Channel, Mr. Beck has enthusiastically endorsed dozens of novelists, a majority of them writing in the thriller genre. Mr. Beck, who now attracts 9 million weekly listeners on radio and 2.7 million daily viewers on television, often selects authors whose plots or characters reflect political stances that mirror his own. But he also promotes the work of authors who may disagree with many of his views. (...) >>>
Nov. 5, 2009
~
PJM Political 6/13/09: "Will Soft Despotism Mean Lights Out For The West?" (audio link)
Paul Rahe's website
In our Library
June 14, 2009
The LA Times has attacked a blockbuster book investigating President Obama and his radical connections, claiming the work echoes a movie in which communists try to hypnotize their way into the White House, WND reports. The book’s introduction, however, specifically states the work does not echo the film’s plot of a president brainwashed into becoming a sleeper agent for communists. “Pumped up polemics,” is how the LA Times described a series of hard hitting political books dominating the nation’s bestseller list, most notably including the new work, “The Manchurian President: Barack Obama’s ties to communists, socialists and other anti-American extremists.”
The new title, from WND senior reporter and WABC radio host Aaron Klein and historian Brenda J. Elliott, has been a NY Times bestseller since its release last month and just yesterday hit the esteemed Publishers Weekly list of top-selling books. The LA Times claimed the book “echoes [The Manchurian Candidate movie] the 1962 classic film in which Chinese communists try to hypnotize their way into the White House.” While the title is taken from The Manchurian Candidate book and movie, Klein writes in the book’s introduction the work specifically does not echo the film’s plot of a hypnotized president. (...) >>>
Jun 5, 2010
~
"The Grand Jihad", by Andrew McCarthy -
Big Journalism interview with Andrew McCarthy
Many Westerners can't face the truth about the connection between Jihad and the Koran. Islam is not a moderate, but an extreme belief. Islam is not mainstream. It is not a religion as we understand it. There is no separation of Mosque and State. It does not distinguish between spiritual and daily life, and that includes the law. Sharia law is making inroads. The Project is an incremental, but comprehensive campaign.
Jihad is the method to establish Sharia law. There is a debate in Islamist circles if one way to establish it, terrorism, hasn't outlived its usefulness with all the blowback. Word has it the Muslim Brotherhood is ready to throw Al Qaeda under the bus. The peaceful way to obtain the objective is through dawa, or stealth Jihad. There is no question that the objective of the Project is to establish Sharia law. The discussion is over the method.
Freedom to Muslims means submission to Islam. Therefore a discussion about freedom for women is ridiculous, as the two debators will talk at cross purposes. Peace in Islam means the establishment of global Sharia (the global Caliphate).
The Islamists agree with the left that the biggest obstruction to their ideals are liberty, individualism and the US Constitution (capitalism, Classical Liberalism, Liberty). There are historical links between the Left (and the far Right) with Islamism. But also now there's an understanding with advocacy groups like CAIR, ACLU and the Muslim Public Affairs Council.
People are evading the evident for two reasons. The assertion that the Project is real is often met with the response that the premise in effect validates the central thesis of the salafist-whabbist violent fringe of Islam. This is an admission that it is true, but that the interlocutor isn't willing to accept the fact: if 1.5 billion Muslims are convinced of this we're doomed, they say. Indeed. The other reason they are denying it, is because they share an agenda with the Islamists: the destruction of the free world. The media narrative in the Gaza propflot story was in place even before events had played out.
There are currently 85 Sharia Courts in the UK. There are 'debates' about it in the Netherlands. Full Sharia is thus established through a temporary state of apartheid: one law for Muslims and another for the rest of us. People's imagination just can't be stretched to the extent they can see it happen.
Asked what McCarthy sees as the remedy, this is awareness. Go after the terrorists obviously, but we must with all means at our disposal raise awareness to counter the dhimmi mentality. The 15 story 911 Mosque is a case in point: it has the subtlety of a sledge hammer. It's telling that in the name of tolerance and outreach a symbol of Muslim triumphalism is erected near Ground Zero.
June 2, 2010
~
Why Wilders and Hirsi Ali are right about Islam -
WSJ : "They Need to Be Liberated From Their God", by Matthew Kaminski
The 'Son of Hamas' author on his conversion to Christianity, spying for Israel, and shaming his family. 'I absolutely know that in anybody's eyes I was a traitor," says Mosab Hassan Yousef. "To my family, to my nation, to my God. I crossed all the red lines in my society. I didn't leave one that I didn't cross." Now 32, Mosab is the son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, a founder and leader of the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. Throughout the last decade, from the second Intifada to the current stalemate, he worked alongside his father in the West Bank. During that time the younger Mr. Yousef also secretly embraced Christianity. And as he reveals in his book "Son of Hamas," out this week, he became one of the top spies for Israel's internal security arm, the Shin Bet.
The news of this double conversion has sent ripples through the Middle East. One of Mr. Yousef's handlers at the Shin Bet confirmed his account to the Israeli daily Haaretz. Hamas—already reeling from the assassination of a senior military chief in Dubai in January—calls his claims Zionist propaganda. From the Israeli prison he has occupied since 2005, Sheikh Yousef on Monday issued a statement that he and his family "have completely disowned the man who was our oldest son and who is called Mosab." (...) As the son of a Muslim cleric, he says he had reached the conclusion that terrorism can't be defeated without a new understanding of Islam. Here he echoes other defectors from Islam such as the former Dutch parliamentarian and writer Ayaan Hirsi Ali. (...) "The problem is not in Muslims," he continues. "The problem is with their God. They need to be liberated from their God. He is their biggest enemy. It has been 1,400 years they have been lied to." These are all dangerous words. (...) >>>
Mar 6, 2010
~
Levin explains in essence the tenets of this blog: why the French and the American Revolutions are entirely different in nature. It explains the chasm between Europe and the US, between liberal democracy and liberty, Rousseau versus Locke, subjectivism or objectivism, collectivism and individualism, anti modernism versus modernism.
Salvo: "Statist Analysis: Liberty and Tyranny: "A Conservative Manifesto," by Mark Levin, reviewed by Terrell Clemmons
In Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto, Mark Levin identifies and analyzes two divergent, mutually exclusive philosophies of governance. Tracing the threads of each through American history, Levin discusses America’s founding, the Constitution, federalism, the free market, environmentalism, immigration, and the rise of the welfare state and shows how the conservative principles upon which America was founded have fostered opportunity, prosperity, and strength, and have preserved freedom.
Established on belief in divine providence and natural law, conservative principles recognize “a harmony of interests” and “rules of cooperation” that foster “ordered liberty” and a social contract, which brings about what Levin calls the civil society. In the civil society, the individual is recognized as “a unique, spiritual being with a soul and a conscience.” Though civil society recognizes and sanctions a transcendent, objective moral order, which the citizen has a duty to respect, it acknowledges man’s imperfection and anticipates flawed observance. (...) >>>
Dec. 29, 2009
~
Who's recommendation would you take?
MSNBC is running a poll: Glenn vs. Oprah. Vote here ...
NYTimes: "For Thrillers, Glenn Beck Is Becoming New Oprah"
Virtually every novelist in America fantasizes about being picked to appear on Oprah Winfrey’s talk show. But now an increasing number of writers have discovered a new champion: Glenn Beck, the outspoken media darling of populist conservatism. On his radio show and cable television programs, first on CNN Headline News and now on the Fox News Channel, Mr. Beck has enthusiastically endorsed dozens of novelists, a majority of them writing in the thriller genre. Mr. Beck, who now attracts 9 million weekly listeners on radio and 2.7 million daily viewers on television, often selects authors whose plots or characters reflect political stances that mirror his own. But he also promotes the work of authors who may disagree with many of his views. (...) >>>
Nov. 5, 2009
~
PJM Political 6/13/09: "Will Soft Despotism Mean Lights Out For The West?" (audio link)Paul Rahe's website
In our Library
June 14, 2009
~
A recent article on Pajamas requests to "[P]please circulate and pass on my review. The new Ayers release will get much media attention. And I believe my critique will be effective in countering it" ... here's an informative interview with an FBI agent on the Ayers issue ...
Pajamas Media: "Shame on The New Yorker," by Ron Radosh
Shame on The New Yorker and its editor David Remnick for playing a role in the attempt of Bill Ayers and his publisher to resurrect both Ayers’ book and his reputation. Beacon Press has announced that they are releasing an updated version of Ayers’ 2001 book Fugitive Days on November 12th, a publication date purposely held until after the election. As most everyone knows, the original edition had the misfortune of being published on 9/11/2001, a date that led to cancellation of Ayers’ book tour, and to reams of negative publicity. The last thing the American public wanted to hear about was the glamorization of a 1960’s terrorist. (...) >>>
8th Nov 2008
~
Le Quebecois Libre: "New Book by Prof Ed Younkins celebrates Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged"
Since it's publication in 1957, Atlas Shrugged, the philosophical and artistic climax of Ayn Rand's novels, has never been out of print. It continues to receive critical attention and is considered one of the most influential books ever published, impacting a variety of disciplines including philosophy, literature, economics, business and political science.
A new 432-page book entitled, Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged: A Philosophical and Literary Companion is about to be released by Ashgate Publishing Company and the editor is Wheeling Jesuit University professor, Edward W. Younkins.
Younkins is also the author of Capitalism and Commerce, and is executive director of Wheeling Jesuit University's Institute for the Study of Capitalism and Morality.
Celebrating the 50th year of Atlas Shrugged's publication, this companion book by Younkins is an exploration of Ayn Rand's pivotal work. Contributions were specially commissioned from a variety of eminent scholars who admire and have been influenced by Rand's book. Younkins included essays that analyze the novel's integrating elements of theme, plot and characterization from many perspectives and from various levels of meaning. >>>
A recent article on Pajamas requests to "[P]please circulate and pass on my review. The new Ayers release will get much media attention. And I believe my critique will be effective in countering it" ... here's an informative interview with an FBI agent on the Ayers issue ...
Pajamas Media: "Shame on The New Yorker," by Ron Radosh
Shame on The New Yorker and its editor David Remnick for playing a role in the attempt of Bill Ayers and his publisher to resurrect both Ayers’ book and his reputation. Beacon Press has announced that they are releasing an updated version of Ayers’ 2001 book Fugitive Days on November 12th, a publication date purposely held until after the election. As most everyone knows, the original edition had the misfortune of being published on 9/11/2001, a date that led to cancellation of Ayers’ book tour, and to reams of negative publicity. The last thing the American public wanted to hear about was the glamorization of a 1960’s terrorist. (...) >>>
8th Nov 2008
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Le Quebecois Libre: "New Book by Prof Ed Younkins celebrates Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged"Since it's publication in 1957, Atlas Shrugged, the philosophical and artistic climax of Ayn Rand's novels, has never been out of print. It continues to receive critical attention and is considered one of the most influential books ever published, impacting a variety of disciplines including philosophy, literature, economics, business and political science.
A new 432-page book entitled, Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged: A Philosophical and Literary Companion is about to be released by Ashgate Publishing Company and the editor is Wheeling Jesuit University professor, Edward W. Younkins.
Younkins is also the author of Capitalism and Commerce, and is executive director of Wheeling Jesuit University's Institute for the Study of Capitalism and Morality.
Celebrating the 50th year of Atlas Shrugged's publication, this companion book by Younkins is an exploration of Ayn Rand's pivotal work. Contributions were specially commissioned from a variety of eminent scholars who admire and have been influenced by Rand's book. Younkins included essays that analyze the novel's integrating elements of theme, plot and characterization from many perspectives and from various levels of meaning. >>>
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Friday, February 1, 2013
Arab Spring: the mystery of the IDF attack on Syria
...or Arutz Sheva - Syrian: Site Made Chemical Weapons; Shipped to Lebanon
Infowars: ´Diplomat: Real Target of Israeli Attack Was Syrian Base`
A western diplomat has told the Iraqi daily Azzaman that the real target of Israel’s attack on Syria was a facility housing 3,000 Iranian Revolutionary Guards, and that reports about a weapons convoy on its way to Lebanon being hit were merely a diversion. (...) >>>
Feb 1, 2013
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Infowars: ´Diplomat: Real Target of Israeli Attack Was Syrian Base`
A western diplomat has told the Iraqi daily Azzaman that the real target of Israel’s attack on Syria was a facility housing 3,000 Iranian Revolutionary Guards, and that reports about a weapons convoy on its way to Lebanon being hit were merely a diversion. (...) >>>
Feb 1, 2013
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Sunday, October 16, 2011
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Money & Economy: it's the deteriorating asset base, stupid!
Zerohedge: "Everything You Know About Monetary Policy Is Wrong... And Why This Is Very Bad News For Europe"
For over a year we have been cautioning that even more than a "liquidity versus solvency" debate, the biggest unspoken factor (though slowly gaining prominence) not only for Europe, although manifesting itself there most prominently, but all across the developed world is the quality of the (deteriorating) asset base, thanks mostly due to the Fed's influence over corporate cash misallocation, and courtesy of the fact that the bulk of credit money creation in the past decade has come via the shadow banking system, broad asset collateral. Last year MF Global taught us that it is this shadow collateral which exists merely in ledger entries between fractional reserve entities (mostly broker dealers and hedge funds), that is now extremely scarce and has to be pledged and repledged in daisy chains of ultra rehypothecation, and which just like robosigning exists until it is actually called for delivery, when the entire collateral<->money linkage falls apart. It is this intersection of traditional monetary liabilities and new shadow aggregates that is completely undiscussed by conventional economic literature, and is why traditional monetary theory is completely helpless in coming up with credible and effective means of returning the world to a growth state. In other words, the Krugmans of the world are absolutely unable to explain how shadow banking should be accounted for when explaining something as simple as the leverage collapse, first in Europe, and then in the US (we have covered the collapse of shadow banking repeatedly, most recently here). (...) >>>
May 5, 2012
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For over a year we have been cautioning that even more than a "liquidity versus solvency" debate, the biggest unspoken factor (though slowly gaining prominence) not only for Europe, although manifesting itself there most prominently, but all across the developed world is the quality of the (deteriorating) asset base, thanks mostly due to the Fed's influence over corporate cash misallocation, and courtesy of the fact that the bulk of credit money creation in the past decade has come via the shadow banking system, broad asset collateral. Last year MF Global taught us that it is this shadow collateral which exists merely in ledger entries between fractional reserve entities (mostly broker dealers and hedge funds), that is now extremely scarce and has to be pledged and repledged in daisy chains of ultra rehypothecation, and which just like robosigning exists until it is actually called for delivery, when the entire collateral<->money linkage falls apart. It is this intersection of traditional monetary liabilities and new shadow aggregates that is completely undiscussed by conventional economic literature, and is why traditional monetary theory is completely helpless in coming up with credible and effective means of returning the world to a growth state. In other words, the Krugmans of the world are absolutely unable to explain how shadow banking should be accounted for when explaining something as simple as the leverage collapse, first in Europe, and then in the US (we have covered the collapse of shadow banking repeatedly, most recently here). (...) >>>
May 5, 2012
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Tuesday, May 15, 2012
In Defense of Liberty: Steyn's foreword to Wilders' book
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| - Artwork by Bosch Fawstein - |
When I was asked to write a foreword to Geert Wilders’ new book, my first reaction, to be honest, was to pass. Mr. Wilders lives under 24/7 armed guard because significant numbers of motivated people wish to kill him, and it seemed to me, as someone who’s attracted more than enough homicidal attention over the years, that sharing space in these pages was likely to lead to an uptick in my own death threats. Who needs it? Why not just plead too crowded a schedule and suggest the author try elsewhere? I would imagine Geert Wilders gets quite a lot of this. And then I took a stroll in the woods, and felt vaguely ashamed at the ease with which I was willing to hand a small victory to his enemies. (...) >>>
May 15, 2012
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Sunday, March 24, 2013
Building the state of Europe: it's a criminal tyranny!
"Here is my Saturday Essay in the Irish Daily Mail. It is a lengthy piece, but then in the countries caught in the eurozone, interest in what is happening in Cyprus is intense. British readers can be happy they are not trapped in the single currency. But they are still trapped in the EU...which is why they may want to read on."Mail Online: The New Soviet Union: Cyprus shows how the EU destroys democracy
24 March 2013
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