"THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC" & THE SHOW MUST GO ON...

Welcome InstaPundit and Politburo Diktat readers! I hope you will enjoy your stay.

I want to thank everyone who visited, participated in, commented on, and linked to this week's edition of Carnival of the Capitalists, in the same way as Wayne Hurlbert, by singing the old song, Thank You For The Music, by ABBA.

Cheers! Which one do you prefer: Budweiser or Miller? I have a secret mission. I am trying to convert American beer drinkers to the right stuff...

ADMINISTRATIVE NOTE: SITE METER PROBLEM

For you who are interested in my blog's site stats, you have to be a bit patient. If you click on the Site Meter button, you get auto directed to a default info page. I don't know why it is happening. I have to contact Site Meter.

In the meantime, read Glenn Reynold's post on open counters, site traffic, and "transparency in readership numbers."

CARNIVAL OF THE LAISSEZ-FAIRE CAPITALISTS

I want to thank Jay Solo for giving me the opportunity to host this week's edition of Carnival of the Capitalists.

I want to start out with giving last week's host, Wayne Hurlbert of Blog Business World a box of kettle corn (instead of regular popcorn;). Please enter EGO coffee-house, kick back and relax and have a cup of java! Jour de féte! Here we go, time for the entries!

As a host, I took the liberty to comment on some of the posts, giving book recommendations, and linking to some of my posts.


Blogging for Business

Wayne Hurlbert (Blog Business World) has written an interesting post on how Blogs build Google PageRank:

Blogs are becoming a powerful tool, for strengthening any website’s Google PageRank, by taking advantage of what blogs have to offer.

Businesses should take note. A business blog can work wonders.

Google PageRank (one word) is the measure of an internet page based on the number and importance of a site’s incoming links.

[Editor's comment: EGO's main / index page has a PageRank of 5.]


Next week's carnival host, Peter Caputa of pc4media, has a clever plan that will put the big news organizations out of business...

Currently, all we do in blogging is publish and evaluate macro-trends. Blogging is dumb. We've only distributed part of the writer's job. We need to start working on systems that let every process in the news room, happen outside of the news room.

[Editor's comment: For more thoughts on blogging versus journalism, read my post, ANNUAL BLOG REPORT.]


Please stop by Yuma County Chamber of Commerce in Arizona, and help them to find what they are looking for...

Books and blogs have a lot in common with respect to the way you can find them online. Business blogs, or those tied to generic subjects like food, are often highly-ranked in search engines due to their specific subject matter. It is much less difficult for the owner of a topic-specific blog to promote it to a clearly-defined audience. (Browsing Better for Blogs?)

[Editor's note: Please feel free, both to browse the archives and use the search engines on EGO! ;)]


OSCommerce Experts have some expert advice in the art of Search Engine Results Positioning.

There is a surprisingly simple approach that organizes the flood of online goodies, improving chances of these being accurately matched and delivered to the appropriate consumer. This involves taking down information about these products or commodities and filing them so it would be easier to pull these up for future (and hopefully immediate) need. Doing so separates the clutter from the essentials. The best example for this would be the Search Engines.

Michael Lauher of Junk Drawer gives you an entertaining song-and-dance lesson on Blogs, Linking Strategies, & Google.

Mr. Lauher summarizes his post in the following way:

In this post, I examine how webmasters can use a possible change in Google’s algorithm to improve their search engine standings. It is believed that Google now uses a method to determine “Authority” websites. Based on a technical paper written on the subject, I examine how websites get to be “authority” sites and how a webmaster can use that information to work on making their own websites authority sites through blogs.

Marketing and sales

Fouro of Fouroboros says:

A few thematic posts on Creativity -- how it has to sneak under the radar when the suits aren't looking; and how even creative types fight amongst themselves whether design "sells out" to the Man.

Business

Be an interested participant of this carnival and check out the post, Stealthy Retail Growth. Here is an excerpt:

I challenge anyone to read a sampling of newspapers in America, Europe, and the Far East and not find a story about Wal-Mart. The big box discount retailer is always in the news, garnering both good and bad press.

[Editor's comment: I wish Wal-Mart and other big chain stores could enter the Swedish market. You have only three different big chains to pick from here in Sweden.]


David St Lawrence of Ripples asks the question: Are micro-businesses socially isolated? Mr. Lawrence states:

This post contrasts the social aspects of a micro-business with the social aspects of corporate life. It is a topic worth further discussion.

Les Jones has a nice collection of e-riffic links:

E-commerce-related links, and a discussion of InfoWorld's annual IT salary survey, with results for the job of e-commerce manager.

Management

Photon Courier describes two different kinds of Management Mentalities, as observed by Peter Drucker. [Editor's book recommendation: Edwin Locke's The Essence of Leadership: The Four Keys to Leading Successfully.]


Jay Solo sent the following e-mail:

Rob (Gut Rumbles) looks at what supervising people is, and provides descriptions of various types of supervisory styles.

Capitalism and Entrepreneurship

Jeff Cornwall of The Entrepreneurial Mind has found the new (baby) boom(erang?):

This post looks at another economic boom for entrepreneurs that is on its way due to the baby boomers getting toward old age (OUCH!). (We will not go quietly...)

Here is an excerpt from the post, Governments Don't Price Well, @ voluntaryXchange:

If the government priced the same way that firms do, more civilians would have traveled to space on their own dime. But, they don't ... and its probably because a bureaucrats job isn't on the line when making that sort of pricing decision.

Fly over to Drake Associates in California, if you want to read more about space:

The success of Scaled Composite's Space Ship One is stirring some interest within NASA about funding through reward rather than direct investment in projects and programs. It is part of the larger transformation initiative within the Space Agency that is reviewing strategies, goals, resources and methods. This brief questions whether this approach will achieve the outcome NASA wants or anticipates. (NASA ponders the right stuff.)

Before you land on the ground again, swing by Catallarchy.net and read David Masten's report from Mojave Spaceport in his post, Dawn of the Space Age?

I know that you want more, so jump over to Small Business Trends and read Anita Campbell's post, The Entrepreneurization of Space. Here is an abstract of the post:

Space is becoming the new frontier for entrepreneurs, as the U.S. government loosens its hold on space travel and even encourages private citizens to build spaceships.

[Editor's comment: If you don't feel lost in space, you are more than welcome to read my post, SPACESHIPONE AND THE MAN ON MARS.]


Economics

Dave Munger reports:

I've done my first Fisking, a lengthy one of a lengthy criticisms of Reganomics that some author posted at the Democratic Underground.

[Editor's article recommendation: America's Funeral: Ronald Reagan in Perspective by Scott Holleran. Capitalism Magazine, 06/14/04.]


Donald E. L. Johnson of the Business Word Inc. gives you a list of consequences if Kerry's $7 minimum wage would be implemented:

Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) says he will increase the minimum wage to $7 (Why not $10 or $20?), which will increase unemployment and the number of uninsured while making health care jobs and military service more attractive. Thus, we'll be able to fight the war on terrorism on multiple fronts and rebuild every nation in the world. At the same time, increasing the minimum wage will:

[Editor's comment: On a related issue, read my post, THE LAND OF OPPORTUNITY.]

Barry Ritholtz has the big picture outlook in his post, All the President's Indicators. Here is his description:

I wanted to try something a little different this week: I gathered a variety of economic, political, and market based electoral indicators, and posted them all in one place. The result: Depending upon which one you rely on, either President Bush or Senator Kerry are guaranteed to win the November election. (So much for indicators)

It was one of those odd coincidences: I came across so many separate "Presidential election indicators" in one day, I decided to gather them all in one place, for your blogging pleasure . . .

[Editor's comment: As a former purchaser and student of business administration, Purchasing Manager's Index is one of my favorite indicators.]


The Market

Steve Verdon clarifies his entry, Evolutionary Game Theory, as follows:

Given its rather theoretical topic here is a short description to use if you want:

Evolutionary game theory provides justification for the solution concept in game theory, the Nash equilibrium, besides the usual assumption of hyper-rationality on the part of the players. It tightens up some of the current economic justifications for game theory, and provides explanation for things previously unexplained such as why a parent will care for children.

Have you ever speculated about a price level of $60 for crude oil? Go to Incite blog and get the facts. Here is a brief summary:

Speculator argues that under the current structure of world crude markets, $60 crude prices are a functional impossibility, despite the scare-monger's hype and rhetoric. ($60 crude oil is a fantasy.)

Michael Seneadza (a.k.a Trader Mike) gives us an introduction to moving averages.

The article shows some simple uses moving averages to help an investor identify trends. It also gives examples of how moving averages can be used to help decide when and if to buy or sell stocks. (Trading 101: Moving Averages.)

[Editor's book recommendation: I am glad to see that one of Mike's favorite books is Victor Sperandeo's Trader Vic--Methods of a Wall Street Master. Editor's note to Michael Seneadza: What's your take on Michael Covel's trend following method?]


Michael Kantor (The Calico Cat) gives the following sound advice: Don't invest your 401k money in company stock. Here is a synopsis:

Notes disturbing data that a large percentage of 401k accounts are invested primarily in company stock. Didn't people learn anything from Enron?

Arnold Kling of EconLog is commenting on the housing P/E ratios and he is arguing that we are not necessarily in a housing bubble:

My response, like Brad's, is that home prices are too high if and only if long-term interest rates are too low. If long-term interest rates are too low, then the easiest speculative strategy is to short long-term Treasury securities in the futures market.

Taxes and regulations

Here is an excerpt from Roth & Company's post, What part of '60 days' don't you understand?

Mr. Dirk had the winning bid on a house that was up for auction. He withdrew money from IRA accounts to pay for the house...
Considering only federal taxes and penalties, Mr. Dirks will pay $52,916 for the use of $118,000 for 76 days. That works out to an effective interest rate of 215.37%

I hope you have enjoyed this edition of the Carnival of the Capitalists. Please go to Jay Solo's CotC info page to find out more about upcoming events.

IRAN - HQ OF TERRORISM. NEW EVIDENCE.

Ali Akbar Nategh Nouri has moved up the ladder of the theocracy regime, after he got defeated by Muhammad Khatami in the election in 1997. Read his memo as the Head of Supreme Leader Intelligence Office. Here is a translated excerpt:

Your report on different strategies in support of future Al Qaida plans has been reviewed. In clarifying any doubts, the Supreme Leader has insisted on reminding that, “Fighting the International Imperialism, with US & Israel as the main two enemies of Islamic order, is the main goal of our Islamic Order (regime). ‘Jamming’ their economic system, ‘de-crediting’ them in ‘political investments/ negotiations’, and endangering their ‘balance’ & security is crucial and an ‘obligatory task’ to be achieved. (Free Iran News / ActivistChat.com, 06/27/04.)

Related: My post, IRAN - HQ OF TERRORISM.

THE INNOCENT BY JACKSON CRAWFORD

Please welcome a new columnist, Jackson Crawford. Jackson Crawford is currently pursuing a BA/ MA in Classics (Greek and Latin) at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, where he is the president and one of the four founders of an informal Objectivist club. Click here if you want to contact Jackson Crawford.

The Innocent

“Why are you here, American?”

Jack Severson was blindfolded, gagged, and had his hands tied behind an uncomfortably stiff wooden chair. He had just now become conscious, and rather than wonder why he was so restrained, he was compelled to wonder over why someone would interrogate a gagged man.

Realizing his error, the interrogator removed Severson’s gag, but not the blindfold, and repeated his query.

“I come as a bringer of justice,” Severson answered.

The interrogator, a swarthy Arab man wearing a checkered headscarf atop his thickly-bearded face, sat across from the bound Severson on a card table in a dark, dusty room, very much perplexed at his newest captive. “What kind of justice?”

“Reward for the good, and punishment for the evil.”

“Have you accomplished this justice?”

“Not fully.”

“What remains to be done?”

“In this particular case, the extinction of your philosophy must be achieved, and the extinction of all philosophies which deny that existence exists.”

The interrogator was now completely befuddled. “What philosophy do you mean is mine?”

“I mean Islam.” Severson intentionally slurred the last syllable of the word to make it sound like “lamb.”

***

Severson next awoke with the “lamb” syllable still ringing in his head. He noted, however, that his gag had not been replaced. He must have been knocked out after his last comment to the interrogator, he concluded, though he could feel no pain in his head.

He began to hear the footsteps of someone who was wearing boots clipping swiftly toward him, then stopping just before him. “You’ll get what’s coming to you, you filthy Jew,” came out of this new interrogator’s mouth, but surprisingly, in a French accent.

“I’m actually not Jewish,” Severson replied, as casually as he would have replied back home in the States.

“You wear the uniform of Israel.”

“That’s true – a country which respects the freedom of religion.” Severson heard the European’s teeth grinding, and added, “Don’t worry – I wasn’t waiting for you to list the freedoms available to the citizens of Islamofascist regimes like the one which you’re aiding. Your silence serves that purpose.”

The European snorted, then responded, “What god is this of yours, who imbues you with such impudence?”

Severson turned his blindfolded face toward the European’s face and answered, “Devm qvaesivi – et me repperi.”

The European looked quizzically at Severson. He had recognized Severson’s words as being in Latin, as the European’s great-grandfather had been a classical scholar of some repute. The European himself had never attempted the language, however, because he had been taught by his teachers, by his professors, and by his peers that it was a tongue of the rich (who, the European thought, could not help but be evil) and that, besides, the great Romans themselves had been white men, and therefore had necessarily been racist and “sexist.” Never mind that the European himself was a white man. “What does that mean? I demand to know what that means!”

“I sought God,” Severson explained, “and I discovered myself.”

“Blasphemous talk is that! And within the walls of a mosque!”

“Such words are blasphemous only to a hater of life,” was all that Severson could pronounce ere again he was knocked unconscious.

***

Severson awoke in a state which he would have called dizziness had he been able to see anything. He was sick to his stomach, his head hurt, and he was in dreadful fear for his life, but he knew that he had to remain composed, remain defiant, lest he give his savage captors more fuel.

He could hear nothing but Arabic talk around him, interjected with occasional profane statements borrowed from English, but he could definitely distinguish four voices speaking. One was the European’s, the other was the first interrogator’s, and he could hear two other Arabic voices. All spoke in menacing tones which Severson assumed could only mean more pain.

“American,” the European finally said, addressing Severson, “so sorry to see that you were without consciousness for so long.”

Severson briefly wondered why the European would waste his breath to say such a thing, but decided not to waste his own breath asking.

“You may wonder why I care,” the ugly French-tinted voice continued, “but I insist that you must be in good form for your decapitation tonight.”

Severson’s sickness in his stomach doubled over to make him feel like he was boiling water in his abdomen. He had been afraid that this would be his fate, but was still astonished to know it. Immediately, he began to think over what he would do to try to escape… and came to the horrifying, angering conclusion that, as well-restrained as he was, he currently had no opportunity to rid himself of these menacing monsters who held him.

“Peace,” the European said in a mockingly sweet tone, “will come to you shortly.”

***

It must have been very late at night when Jack Severson again heard voices near him. He had fallen asleep for the first time since being captured, and the air around him had a stillness which he had never ere noticed.

“Wake up, American,” he heard the European’s whisper from behind him, “it’s 3:00 a.m., prime time in America.”

Severson’s blindfold was ripped off of his head from behind him, revealing his long-unused brown eyes to the brightness of the theatrical lights shining on his face. He blinked hard, trying to focus on something, anything, and was dismayed when the first thing which he could see was a shabby, rat-like man with a long knife in his hand.

“Tell us of yourself,” said the knife-wielder, grinning like a psychotic, “for the benefit of the crowd.” Severson could only conclude that by “the crowd,” the man meant whatever audience was watching through the video camera pointed at Severson.

Severson strained forward, trying to get a better focus with his still-blurry eyesight, and as he did so, noticed that the rope which held his two hands together behind his chair had been slid over his hands after having been tied, rather than affixed to both of his hands individually. He had no time to wonder why this was – he had only time to consider how best to use such an opportune fact to his advantage.

“My name is Jack Severson…” He said it loudly, trying to draw attention toward his mouth, and away from his hands, where he was slowly, painfully, slipping the rope off.

“…from Calvin, Texas…” One hand was free. Now, he had to use that hand to loosen the rope enough that he could slide back over his hands, and then simply drop it back off whenever it was time to make his bid for escape.

“…I have a Master’s degree in Greek and Latin…” Severson had loosened the rope, and now began to slide it back over his hands.

“…and I am fighting for Israel because I have a score to settle with Allah…” This irritated Severson’s captors, as he knew it would, and they started to come around from behind the camera to position themselves behind Severson. He had to be swift now. With his heart thundering loudly in his ears, he worked frantically to slip the rope back over his arms without making his movements perceptible.

“…the philosophy of whose religion is responsible, more than the actions of any specific human being, for the murder of my best friend, Captain Layne Gennaro of the United States Marine Corps, in Iraq, and for the savagery which you now see depicted…” Severson was done with his sleight-of-hand, and just in time. The ratty man, the burliest of his captors, placed a sweaty, grimy hand around Severson’s mouth.

The man who spoke with the most authority, Severson’s first interrogator and, Severson assumed, the leader of the group, began speaking into the camera now. “In the name of Allah, the merciful, the compassionate…”

Now, Severson thought, was the time for action. He could see the long, thin knife, like the kind he would have used back home to fillet fish, making its way slowly, ritualistically toward his throat. He would have to time this just right, he knew, but his captors would definitely be off-guard for this…

“…all glory to Allah…” The man continued chanting.

Severson’s captor had slipped into Arabic now, which made Severson even tenser because he couldn’t know which word, if any, was the signal to cut. He took a deep breath, the deepest of his life, and, feeling every single cell in his body jump, he dropped the rope off of his hands, put his right hand gently on the wrist which held the blade to his throat, and, twisting the blade away from his own skin, he stood up to face the knife-wielder.

The ratty-looking Arab man trembled, terrified of the prospect of facing an opponent who could fight back. Severson silently, swiftly, efficiently, pulled the knife from the turbaned man’s fingers and turned it immediately on its original holder, stabbing him in the solar plexus.

“In the name of the greatness of man,” Severson proclaimed in his low, even voice, as he pulled the instrument from that man’s chest, throwing it into the neck of another man who charged him, screaming madly, with an AK-47. Then, with a high, karate-style snap kick, he leveled the man in charge of the operation, leaving only the European.

The European was frozen in abject terror. He easily could have picked up any number of weapons in his vicinity, but found himself unable to move in the presence of what seemed like a god to him. This American, this man, this Prometheus, who did not shrink from pronouncing the judgment of “evil,” who did not hesitate to defend himself, who did not worry over what his neighbors would think of his confidence, of his courage – this man who was unequivocally a human being and a lover of his own life.

Severson reached down and picked up the AK-47 which one of his attackers had dropped, pointing it at the European. “Are any other terrorists around?” He asked the question without emotion, without a hint of the murderous excitement which the European noticed had possessed the Arabs whenever they had killed.

“I swear, Sir…” The European waved his hands frantically before his face, trying not to see the weapon, perhaps thinking that in so doing the gun would disappear. When it didn’t after a few seconds of frenetic waving, the European collapsed on his rear, in tears and with wet pants. “…just I am here, Sir, and you. I… Sir, I am a famous peace activist, I am ‘Collectifâme,’ Sir… are we not brothers of a sort, Westerners?”

“You ask if we are ‘brothers’ because we are Westerners? You make the mistake of saying that we are both Westerners – your country betrayed the intellectual legacy of Aristotle, of ancient Greece and Rome, long ago, and you lost the title, if you ever had it, by living like a savage. Now, you shall die like a savage, and so shall your continent if it changes not its direction.” Severson deposited a single bullet in the European’s chest, killing him instantly, and then flung the weapon to the ground in disgust.

Severson turned now to face the camera, which was still recording, or so he presumed by the red light which was blinking on it. He decided to give a statement to those who were watching, not knowing whether the audience consisted of Americans, Israelis, or Arabs, or even whether he was broadcasting live. “I know not,” he began to speak with collected determination, “what forsaken pest-hole of the Middle East this is where I have been taken hostage. I know not who my captors were, what flag they flew, or what cause their hearts answered. I do know that savagery will not have its triumph over civilization without a fight. America lives. Israel lives. Remarkable individuals all over the world live who have heard the clarion call of reason, of individual rights, of free markets and capitalism. We treasure our lives, and we will not surrender them to those to whom life is naught save a passage to a deathly otherworld. We refuse to worship at the altar of death, and we refuse to be martyred. Force has been brought against us, and we shall answer in force, though our way is not a way of force, nor of faith, which is its co-conspirator against the mind. Our way is reason. As long as the torch of reason, born in ancient Greece and handed over across the centuries to different hands, but most gloriously to the hand of the United States of America, burns somewhere, even in the soul of one man, the legions of death are not safe. Truth, reason, reality, and justice will prevail. No degree of force employed by evil can ever match the power of a single human mind which has grasped the fact that A is A. Again, though I know not where I am, I will find my way, and fight my way, back to civilization, and I will arrive there alive.”

‘All glory to Allah’ had been the last thing which Severson had heard from the lead captor. He concluded his own broadcast with “All glory to man,” and turned off the video camera.

He walked around the room for a few minutes, a room which he noticed was actually very small, windowless, and not at all decorated like the mosque which the European had described it as being. A mosque, Severson thought, that worst of places where un-reality is hallowed, where rights are willingly submitted to an unperceivable, malevolent monster, where human dignity is stripped off of every human back and replaced by a level of pride not even worthy of a rat…

Jack decided that staying in the room would not help, and he had, after all, resolved to make it back to civilization alive. With marked distaste for the implement, he shouldered the AK-47 and slowly, cautiously, opened the single door of the room.

What he saw was not the dry, wind-blown environment of the Middle East. What he saw was the symbol of the United Nations, emblazoned in white on a clean blue wall in a carpeted, air-conditioned hallway. He poked his head through more, directing his gaze toward his right, and saw, to his amazement, the nighttime skyline of New York City through a window which was clearly high above the earth in a skyscraper.

Severson threw the AK-47 to the ground. The European had been right when he had said that this was a mosque – it had all of the characteristics which Severson had thought to himself were those possessed by such a place. Evil had crept into the heart of America in the form of this building, of this institution, and Severson, if he were to make it back to civilization alive, needed no rifle as a weapon. No, this was a much worse battle – he needed his mind, and all of the strength which his character could summon.

CARMEN BIN LADEN

Osama bin Laden's sister-in-law, Carmen bin Laden, has written a book with the title, Veiled Kingdom. It will be out in bookstores in Sweden next week (En Gyllene Bur = A Golden Cage in Swedish). Gunilla von Hall interviewed Carmen bin Laden in Genève on June 24. I wonder if her ex-husband, Yeslam bin Laden, has stopped transferring money to Osama... Here is an excerpt from Diane Sawyer's interview with Carmen bin Laden:

On whether some members of the bin Laden family may have ever helped finance Osama's activities:
"My opinion is yes ... I think they would say, 'OK, this is for Islam.' They would give. For Islam they would give." (ABC News, 10/24/01.)

NEW EGO PRODUCTS IN TIME FOR YOUR 4TH OF JULY PARTY

I have added two new EGO products. How about wearing a stylish apron when it is time for your next Bar-Bee-Que. After you have eaten, exercise by throwing a flying disc. (Read the interesting history of the Frisbee®) Both the products are on sale. Thanks for your order! :)

Related: My posts, THE HEAT IS ON! and EAT MEAT! [Editor's note: You are welcome to send me your BBQ recipes and inform me about your favorite steak house restaurants in America.]

THE MULLAH MASTER MIND GAME

Read Angus McDowell's article, Pawns in Tehran's bitter power struggle.

From Noumenalself's post, Those tricky Iranians:

The Iranians are not a bunch of fools. They know how to manipulate the Western press. They knew that a "human interest" story could easily distract from murky reports about student unrest. And with all the media attention on the Berg and Johnson and Il-Sun killings, it would be a no-brainer that an Iranian mini-crisis would create lots of attention of its own.

On the day (12/14/03) of Saddam Hussein's capture, I wrote the following:

It's time to put the spotlight on Iran. When will Mohammad Khatami and the mullahs receive the same treatment as Saddam Hussein? I will keep writing posts on Iran, until the ayatollah regime is gone. It could take a long time, because they are "smooth talkers" compared with "Baghdad Bob." President Khatami said at the UN digital summit that they have blocked 240 "websites that are not compatible with Islam."

If you want to expose the Mullahs and stay informed on what is going on Iran, join Blog-Iran's Freedom Challenge.

Related: My post, BLOGAGANDA BY THE MULLAH.

Priorities


UPDATE 06/24/04:
Here is an excerpt from Jefferson Morley's article, Assertive Iran Sends Uncle Sam a Message:

In commentary, the sailors are seen as pawns in a geopolitical chess game between Iran, the largest country in the region, and the United States, the region's preeminent military power. At stake: Iran's influence over soon-to-be sovereign Iraq and the spread of nuclear weapons in the region. (Washington Post, 06/24/04.)

How should the Western world respond to this message? My suggestion is to use gunboat diplomacy, instead of Foreign Secretary Jack Straw's version of a so-called "policy of constructive engagement."

SPACESHIPONE AND THE MAN ON MARS

This news item should definitively be categorized as a Dollar post (Dollars & Crosses News Commentary @ Capitalism Magazine).

In the news: First privately funded manned flight opens new chapter.

Is this the first step towards space tourism? How long will it be until you could book a ticket to Mars?

From USA Today:

But in its own way, this short flight on a pint-sized rocket was a giant achievement. Funded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and built by legendary airplane designer Burt Rutan, it's an example of what makes America such a vibrant place. The project unites the nation's genius for free enterprise, its hunger to push back frontiers and its abiding love of contests. (Yahoo News / USAToday.com, 06/22/04.)

[Editor's note to Linda Zimmerman and Quent Cordair: Cheers! To my readers: Go to the studio at Cordair Fine Art and read the post, Toasting the Launch of SpaceShipOne.]

For more links, go to Cox & Forkum's post, Open for Business. [Editor's comment: Do you see the dollar sign?]



Related: My post, NASA: LOST IN SPACE?

UPDATE 06/23/04:
Read Anita Campbell's post, The Entrepreneurization of Space.

UPDATE 06/26/04:
Here is an excerpt from Robert Garmong's article, Privatize Space Exploration:

There is a contradiction at the heart of the space program: space exploration, as the grandest of man's technological advancements, requires the kind of bold innovation possible only to minds left free to pursue the best of their thinking and judgment. Yet, by placing the space program under governmental funding, we necessarily place it at the mercy of governmental whim. The results are written all over the past twenty years of NASA's history: the space program is a political animal, marked by shifting, inconsistent, and ill-defined goals. (MensNewsDaily.com, 06/23/04.)

AN EYE FOR AN EYE...

I am not a religious person, but I had to use the above title in order to describe my outrage over the beheading of Paul Johnson, Jr. I had the same reaction as Nicholas Provenzo (Rule of Reason):

When I reflect upon the kind of mentality that would commit such an act, it makes me shudder. When I reflect on the mentality that will not answer such deeds with righteous, ruthless force, it makes me want to punch the wall.

You have to read Edward Cline's open letter to President George W. Bush. Here is the first part of the letter:

Dear President Bush:

It is necessary to point out, if only for the record, that your failure to retaliate for the beheading of Nick Berg last month, has only emboldened terrorists to expand their range of operations from Iraq to Saudi Arabia, and to proceed to behead Americans and Westerners there, as well, combining those actions with murderous rampages. Yesterday, it was Paul M. Johnson, Jr.'s videotaped murder that was thrown back in our faces. Next week or next month it will be another American's. (CapitalismMagazine.com, 06/19/94.)

If you want to understand the situation in Saudi Arabia, read Stephen Schwartz' article, The Arab Hall of Mirrors.

THE CHARLOTTE CAPITALIST

Please stop by Andy Clarkson's cyber place (The Charlotte Capitalist) in Charlotte, North Carolina.

CARNIVAL OF THE CAPITALISTS AND THE BLOG BUSINESS WORLD

Wayne Hurlbert of Blog Business World is hosting this week's Carnival of the Capitalists. You really get in a party mood after you have read the introduction of the post! [Editor's note: Wayne: Join the carnival next week and you will get Cracker Jack caramel popcorn!]

Please note that EGO will host next week's (June 28) carnival. For more information, read Jay Solo's post, June 21 Carnival of the Capitalists Is Up, and go to the CotC info page. I look forward to your entries!

POST PAGES

Every individual post has now its own page. The blog is a bit "under construction" at the moment... I have to fix some things later on:

* Adding a time stamp to the post.
* Creating a link back to the home page (current posts on the front page).
* Doing an inventory of the archives.

Please inform me if you have any problems with the new format.

UPDATE 06/21/04:
After I have been "tagging" along with the template today, I want to quote Mark Pilgrim and say: "Every article need a permanent home."

LIVING ON THE PLANET.COM

I have joined the Living On The Planet weblog community network.

WHAT IS BEAUTY?

Here is a new column by Burgess Laughlin:

What is beauty?

I am a regular reader of the online Objectivist news service TIA Daily. I recommend it as a way to receive essentialized news about current events (and links to full articles). It saves time and prevents emotional exhaustion.[1] [Editor's comment: I signed up for a free trial subscription. I want to subscribe to the service in the future, but I can't afford it at the moment. I don't want to "rattle" my tip jar too often, but I want to inform you that I have added a new PayPal button. If you want to donate money, please scroll down to the Support category. Thanks!]

Recently TIA Daily added two new regular columns, "Human Achievements" (by Shrikant Rangnekar) and "Things of Beauty" (by Sherri Tracinski). Both are inspiring because they remind readers of good in the world.

The daily "Things of Beauty" column provides a brief description of and a web link to a beautiful work of art or other item. This raises a question: What is beauty?

I often look first to philosophers for answers to big questions. However, I find no discussion of beauty in Ayn Rand's writings, not even in her book, The Romantic Manifesto, her main work of esthetics. I suspect that is because, though Ayn Rand valued beauty, she valued other things more -- especially the virtues of the ideal man.

The Ayn Rand Lexicon, in the article on "Beauty," contains brief comments Ayn Rand made in a question and answer session after Lecture 1 in Leonard Peikoff's lecture series, "The Philosophy of Objectivism" (1976).

Ayn Rand there describes beauty as "a sense of harmony." She discusses a beautiful face as an example. She notes that "if all these features [of a face] are harmoniously integrated, if they all fit your view of the importance of all these features on a human face, then that face is beautiful." (Emphasis added.)

She says her description of beauty is "an objective definition." That is doubly true. First, her process of defining beauty was objective: She looked at facts of reality and logically drew conclusions. Second, beauty itself is objective, as described below.

In the history of philosophy, a traditional meaning of "objective" is: pertaining to objects, as independent of consciousness (which allegedly "distorts" objects in the process of coming to know them).[2]

Ayn Rand's meaning of "objective" is radically different. In her philosophy, "objective" means: characteristic of the relationship between an external object (such as a tree) and our idea of it, where the relationship is one of using reason and logic. Ayn Rand's concept of objectivity thus refers to three things: an object, a logical method of producing an idea of the object, and the idea itself in context of previous knowledge. Her concept bridges the ancient chasm created by the false dichotomy of out-there versus in-here.

Beauty -- as a viewer's sense of harmony when seeing the features of an object -- is objective. A "sense of harmony" is a couplet of fact and value. "Harmony" recognizes certain facts about an object -- for example, the symmetry of facial features. "Sense" here is an emotional response to an evaluation of those facts.

A face beautiful to a Chinese painter 2000 years ago may not have been beautiful to an Italian sculptor living in Galileo's time or to a Congolese facemask carver today. This does not mean beauty is "subjective," that is, arbitrary and therefore infinitely variable from one individual to another.

As Ayn Rand cautiously notes, beauty is indeed in the "eye of the beholder" -- where "eye" is a metaphor. Beauty begins with an object and ends in an idea and emotional response in someone's mind, in full context of the viewer's knowledge and values.

In Ch. XI, paragraph 5 of Anthem, the hero, Equality 7-2521, reveals Ayn Rand's understanding:

"It is my eyes which see, and the sight of my eyes grants beauty to the earth."

Burgess Laughlin
Author, The Aristotle Adventure.
Co-founder, Portland Area Objectivists.

Foot notes:
[1] Click here for information about subscribing to TIA Daily.

[2] An example of this philosophical meaning is: "8. Of or pertaining to something that can be known, or to something that is an object, or a part of an object; existing independent of thought or an observer as part of reality," from Random House Dictionary of the English Language, 2nd edition, unabridged.

GOOGLE WEB / SITE SEARCH

As you could see, I have added a Google Web / Site search feature at the top of this page. I hope you will enjoy this tool and use it often. You will help keeping this blog running by searching the web and my site. Maybe my blog could become your start page? [Editor's note: How about adding my blog to your "Super Kickstart page"?] Please tell me what kind of features you are interested in the future. I am thinking of setting up a news feed again.

For more on the web / site search powered by Google, read the following articles:
Google Expands Paid Search by Joanna Glasner (Wired News).
Google to publishers: Some butter for your bread by Stefanie Olsen (CNET News).

EXTERMINATE THE ROOT OF TERRORISM, NOT ONLY THE BRANCHES...

From The New York Times:

It's hard to imagine how the commission investigating the 2001 terrorist attacks could have put it more clearly Wednesday: There was never any evidence of a link between Iraq and Al Qaeda, between Saddam Hussein and Sept. 11.

Now President George W. Bush should apologize to the American people, who were led to believe something different. (The Missing Link, International Herald Tribune, 06/18/04.)

George W. Bush shouldn't apologize for this. America has a moral right to invade and attack a hostile country as an act of self-defense. It has been a bit of a gamble to focus so heavily on Saddam's intent on getting WMD and his link to Al-Qaida. Read Cox & Forkum's post, When Worlds Collude, if you want to get the "missing" links tied together...



Don't you think it is time to put the spotlight on the HQ of terrorism - Iran? I believe that it had been a better choice to attack Iran as the first member of the Axis of Evil. Here is an excerpt from Herbert London's article, Fighting Iran in a Regional Mideast War:

If it wasn't clear before, it is crystal clear now that the war in Iraq is a regional war. At stake are the tyrannies that hold sway over the Middle East. At the epicenter of this tyrannical world is Iran, a nation feverishly panting for nuclear weapons and simultaneously funding and supporting terrorist organizations of every stripe. Iran is terror central. The mullahs in this peculiar nation realize that a stable Iraq on its border that will make strides economically challenges willy-nilly the very existence of the present Iranian government. (ChronWatch, 06/16/04.)

Root Causes (12/04/03)

For more cartoons like this, check out John Cox & Allen Forkum's book, Black & White World.

AL-QAEDA'S OPERATION IN SAUDI ARABIA

Just when you thought it was safe...


In the news:

Al Qaeda Moves to Targeted Attacks in Saudi Arabia. (Ghaida Ghantous, Reuters, 06/14/04.)
A Web of Terror. (Sarah El Deeb, Associated Press, 06/15/04.)
Website shows US hostage in Saudi. (BBC, 06/16/04.)

Do you trust the Saudis? Here is an excerpt from Lisa Myers' article, Saudi prince: Zionism to blame for terror attack:

Other senior Saudi officials reaffirmed the claim that supporters of Israel — Zionists — were behind the terror attacks.

Prince Nayef, the Saudi Interior Minister said, "Al-Qaida is backed by Israel and Zionism." (NBC News, 06/15/04.)

For more cartoons like this, check out John Cox & Allen Forkum's book, Black & White World.

Related: My post, SAUDI ARABIA'S TERRORISM CONNECTION.

UPDATE 06/17/04:

Go to Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) and read a translation of an interview with the commander (Fawwaz bin Muhammad Al-Nashami) of the Al-Quds Brigade terrorist group. The jihadists attacked sites of the oil industry in the city of Khobar. Read Daniel Kimmage's (Al-Qaida's Next Action Hero. An insider account of the Khobar assault) take on the Sawt Al-Jihad (Voice of Jihad) interview. Here is an excerpt from the article:

Al-Nashmi's story takes the form of an interview with Voice of Jihad. Al-Nashmi recounts a heroic "battle" in which he, along with comrades called Nimr al-Baqmi, Husayn, and Nadir, set out to cleanse the Arabian peninsula of infidels. In one violent day, they attack the offices of two oil companies and a compound for Westerners, seeking out and killing non-Muslims, beating off assaults by Saudi security forces, and finally escaping with one holy warrior martyred. (Slate, 06/16/04.)

Jefferson Morley at the Washington Post has the following question: Is Al Qaeda Winning in Saudi Arabia?

2RSS.COM, FEEDBURNER.COM

I have added Feedburner and 2RSS.com to the EGO RSS category. Read Bob Stepno's article, News on Demand, for a good overview of RSS readers. [Via Jeff Jarvis.]

CARNIVAL OF THE CAPITALISTS BY AN ACCIDENT(AL VERBOSITY)...

This week's edition of the Carnival of the Capitalists was planned to be hosted by "We The People" blog, but it had to change location at the last minute. Deb & Jay @ Accidental Verbosity stepped in and saved the carnival entries from being lost in cyber space... [Editor's note: I hope that Donnie of "We The People" is doing alright and that his blog will return to the blogosphere...]

Wayne Hurlbert (Blog Business World) will host the carnival next week. Please note that EGO will host the carnival on June 28. Go to the CotC info page for more information.

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND ITS CRITICS

I debated with myself if I should vote in the European Parliament election. It was also a specific community election in the region I belong to, so decided to go and vote. (I voted "yes" for building a highway in the area.) I ended up voting for the new Euro-skeptic party called the "June List." The "June List" got 14.4% and 3 seats in the Parliament. Hopefully they could create a sort of gridlock together with other critics in the HQ of bureaucracy, i.e. in Brussels, and at the same time change the opinion here in Sweden. Many of the candidates of the "June List" are economists, businessmen, and supporters of a free market economy.

Now it is time for a referendum on the EU Constitution!

UPDATE 06/14/04:
Arthur Chrenkoff invites you to enter a no-spin zone (to paraphrase Bill O'Reilly). Read his post, Spinning the Euro-results. [Via InstaPundit.] Read Mark Steyn's comment on the United Kingdom Independence Party, in his article, The lunatic mainstream had better start worrying fast. The leaders of the mainstream parties are worried about the election results in many countries and are calling for a mobilization against the Euro-skeptics. Robert F. Gay ends his article, Skeptics Win EU Election, in the following way:

In commentary following the election, losing parties complained that voters do not understand the work of the European Union and its importance, indicating that there needs to be a continued pro-EU propaganda campaign to educate them. But voters have been sending the same message again and again and it doesn't look like they'll mind if the door hits the backsides of a few stubborn politicians on their way out. (MensNewsDaily.com, 06/14/04.)

UPDATE 06/20/04:
J.F.O. McAllister of Time Magazine is asking the following question: Closer Union Or Superstate?

Does this constitution, as the Euro-skeptics claim, push the E.U. far down the path to a single superstate?

The straight answer is no. Though countries like France, Germany and Belgium want the E.U. to integrate more, other countries like Britain, Denmark, Sweden and Poland do not—they feel the heat of the Euro-skeptics behind them and want to preserve national sovereignty without turning their backs on the constitution. ... Under the new constitution, E.U. member states will still retain a national veto in foreign policy, taxation and social affairs. (Time Magazine, 06/28/04, Vol. 163, No. 26.)

The Daily Telegraph has a different take on situation:

The constitution to which Mr Blair has just put his name gives the union legal personality, creates a single EU jurisdiction, establishes a European criminal code and provides explicitly for the supremacy of EU law over national statutes. "This constitution," says Article I.5, "shall have primacy over the laws of the Member States." If this is not a federal state, what is? (This is what it means. Telegraph.co.uk, 06/20/04.)

At least you can't accuse the bureaucrats to rush things... It has taken about two years for them to get a consensus on the constitution. The constitution will not take effect before year 2006. The next point on the agenda is to elect a new President of the Executive Commission. Deutsche Welle reports:

The leaders did put off naming a new president of the Executive Commission to replace outgoing European Commission President Romano Prodi. The differences on the decision underscored tensions between Britain, France and Germany that remain on the future course of the EU. (European Leaders Agree on Constitution. DW-World.de, 06/19/04.)

Maybe "Dr. Emmanuel Goebbels-Cant, EU Commissioner for Political Philosophy" @ Euro-Trashed.com will be available...?!

POOR EUROPEAN UNION VERSUS THE RICH UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

I have written before about the poor economical status of Sweden. You could now compare the countries of the European Union with the United States of America. Read Dr. Fredrik Bergström (President of the Swedish Research Institute of Trade) and Mr Robert Gidehag's (President of the Swedish Taxpayer's Association) report (PDF), EU versus America. Luxembourg is the only European country that has a higher per capita GDP than the average state in the USA!

UPDATE 06/20/04: Read the editorial, Europe vs. America, in the OpinionJournal. [Hat tip to Fredrik Norman.]

BOOK OF THE MONTH

I have been a bit late with this month's book. Jeff Britting's book, Ayn Rand, is not in the stores yet, but I have added it to my wish list at Amazon.com. You could read more about the book here.

CARNIVAL OF THE CAPITALISTS AND THE WINDOW MANAGER

This edition of the Carnival of the Capitalists is hosted by Director Mitch of The Window Manager. [Editor's comment: Mitch, I hope you have a good view! ;)]

Please note that EGO will host the carnival on June 28. Go to Jay Solo's post, June 7 Carnival of the Capitalists, and the CotC info page for more information.

END THE APPEASEMENT NOW!

It is time for leaders of the Western world to wake up and understand that our freedom is at stake if we don't act soon. Appeasement and sucking up to the mullahs and sheiks in Middle East is not a working strategy.

Here is a quote from Marcus J. Goldman's article, Call Me Paranoid:

In our geopolitical world, there is a firm distinction between good and bad, right and wrong. Our killers have nothing but pity for our perceived weakness and division....or do they? This truly is the season of perpetual paranoia. (MensNewsDaily.com, 06/06/04.)

Thousands of candidates have signed up for membership in the "Global Islamic Martyrdom Brigades" at the "Center for the appreciation of the Shahid" in Tehran. The martyr bombers (shahids) could pick the following alternatives:

* Against the Occupiers in Iraq.
* Against the Occupiers in Jerusalem.
* Towards the Execution of the Fatwa against Salman Rushdie.

Maybe you are wondering why the fatwa against Salman Rushdie is on the list. Mohammad Ali Samadi of the "Committee for the Commemoration of Martyrs of the Global Islamic Campaign" gives the answer:

Salman Rushdie is the only non-military target for us, because we believe his attack against Islam was much worse that a military assault. (Parinoosh Arami, Reuters, 06/05/04.)

So, what is the solution to this situation? Read Walt Tylenda's opinion piece, Terrorists: Allah will run out of virgins before U.S. runs out of bullets. He ends the article in the following way:

The only way to vanquish Muslim hostility toward Western civilization is to secularize Islam by force. Until that's accomplished, there will be no peace between them and us. The military's mission in Iraq should be to create real fear throughout the Muslim world that Allah will run out of virgins before America runs out of bullets if they don't shackle their religious lunatics with secular governments that are willing to peacefully coexist with the West. (Imperial Valley Press, 06/04/04.)

Alex Epstein provides you with "intellectual self-defense" in his article, World opinion be damned. Here is an excerpt:

The proper response to the anti-American voicers of "world opinion" is to identify them as our ideological and political enemies -- and dispense justice accordingly. In the case of our militant enemies, we must kill and demoralize them -- especially the Arab and Islamic regimes that support terrorism and fuel the Islamist movement; as for the rest, we must politically ignore them and intellectually discredit them, while proudly arguing for the superiority of Americanism. Such a policy would make us safe, expose anti-Americanism as irrational and immoral, and embolden the world's best elements to support our ideals and emulate our ways. (EnterStageRight.com, 06/07/04.)

UPDATE 06/08/04: From Alex Epstein's email list:

I will be interviewed on the Thom Hartmann show--a national radio show based in New York--from around 12-12:30 ET on Wednesday, June 9th. The topic will be my most recent op-ed, "World Opinion Be Damned." You can listen to the interview live over the Internet at Thom Hartmann show -- or listen to an archive of the show at White Rose Society. The op-ed is available at The Ayn Rand Institute's MediaLink page.

Hartmann is a liberal, and a fairly intellectual one, so the interview should be interesting. As always, any feedback (positive or negative) will be appreciated. (Alex Epstein, 06/08/04.)

BLOG-IRAN: THE 1ST ANNUAL FREEDOM CHALLENGE

Time for my weekly post on Iran. Yesterday I received an email message from Free Iran News. Here is an excerpt:

Dear Blogger, Activist and Compatriot:

We are contacting you as well as many other bloggers who have been active with regard to relaying news and information about the Iranian people's struggle. Yesterday, June 5th, marks the beginning of a contest called the "Freedom Challenge", which will run until July 9th (18tir).

From the site:

If you are a blogger who supports the Iranian people in their struggle for freedom, then you've come to the right place. To participate in this challenge, which will run from June 5th - July 9th (18tir), all you need is a blog and the desire to unite with thousands of other bloggers from around the world, who all believe in the Iranian people's right to be free from the tyrannical hell that is currently imposed upon them.

Your objective, as a blogger, is to try and recruit as many fellow bloggers as you can, to join the 'BLOG-IRAN' Coalition. If you aren't currently a member of 'BLOG-IRAN', don't worry, you can join the coalition right now, and begin competing in this challenge immediately.

REAGAN'S STRUGGLE AGAINST ALZHEIMER'S

From Fox News / AP (06/06/04):

As first lady, Mrs. Reagan came under sharp criticism for focusing on designer clothes and White House parties, while sometimes ignoring important social issues.

Her husband's decade-long struggle against Alzheimer's changed all that, thrusting her into a political battle over the funding of stem cell research that is opposed by anti-abortion activists and the Bush administration.

From CNN / AP (06/05/04):

As the years progressed, Reagan gradually slipped from public view, although Mrs. Reagan continued to make appearances on his behalf. Reagan's older daughter, Maureen, became a staunch advocate for Alzheimer's research, and the family -- often fractious in the past -- drew together for strength and support.

Read Nick Assinder's article, A meeting of minds, for an interesting piece on the relationship between Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan.

Go to the Politburo Diktat for a list of links on the death of Ronald Reagan.

REMEMBERING D-DAY

Do you know what the letter "D" really stand for in D-Day? Here are some good sources for keeping the memory alive:

The Sixtieth Anniversary of D-Day @ Blackfive - The Paratrooper of Love. [Via Mudville Gazette.]
Normandy 1944 @ Encyclopædia Britannica. [Via Patriots for the Defense of America.]

German Chancellor, Gerhard Schröder, attended the ceremony. For a related topic, read my post, HISTORY REVISIONISM IN GERMANY. My "home" country, Sweden, didn't play a good role during the World Wars. As a neutral country it acted in a middle-of-the-road fashion without taking any real stand against Hitler's Germany. Read my post, THE DARK SIDE OF SWEDEN, if you want to get a glimpse of the dark parts of history. [Editor's note: It is the National Day of Sweden on June 6.]

Generation Chasm

For more cartoons like this, check out John Cox & Allen Forkum's book, Black & White World.

INTERNATIONAL CAPITALISM DAY

Time to Celebrate Capitalism™! This event is founded by a guy called Prodos in Australia. If you want to understand why you should fight for laissez-faire capitalism, please take some time and read The Bernstein Declaration. [Editor's note: I look forward to Andrew Bernstein's forthcoming book, The Capitalist Manifesto.] Dr. Bernstein will be speaking at the walk for capitalism in New York City. I participated in the activity in December 2002. Here is an excerpt from my post, RADICAL FOR CAPITALISM:

I walked for capitalism in Gothenburg on December 1. I think it was good timing to have it in early December as an antidote to the stupid "Buy Nothing Day." This was the second time I joined a demonstration. Last time (I think it was 1984) it was against socialism and the regulated economy. The goal this time was to spread a positive message and show why capitalism is both a moral and a practical system. Some anti-capitalists from the "Attac(k)" organization distributed flyers with their propaganda. A more aggressive mob of about 10 people tried to infiltrate the demonstration and interrupt our peaceful walk. They didn't care about our right to freedom of speech. The good thing was that the police took care of the problem. A local politician gave a speech after we have finished the walk. It was pretty ok in the beginning but ended in party slogans. It had been better to invite a strong individual like Oriana Fallaci. Read her article, Fiorentini, esprimiamo il nostro sdegno ("Fiorentini, we express our disdain" - translated from Italian).

Overall, I think it was worth the time to attend the event. My hope is that some of the participants and others who have read about the event will be interested in reading the Bernstein Declaration and studying the six "official" thinkers for the Prodos' Celebrate Capitalism™ campaign.

15 YEARS SINCE THE MASSACRE AT TIANANMEN SQUARE

Read What happened to the student heroes of Tianamen? by Oliver August and Sophie Roell.

Fifteen years ago the world recoiled at images of China's brutal crushing of student protest. The Chinese put 21 of the leaders on a most wanted list. Some are still defiant, others have fled the country, most pursue studies and careers in the US. (Times Newspapers Ltd., 06/03/04.)

Go to China Support Network and read about one of the individuals mentioned in the above article. Zhang Ming is hunger striking in a prison in Shanghai. Another person mentioned in the Times Online article is Wuer Kaixi ("the pundit"). BBC did an interview with him on May 28. Here is an excerpt:

The student movement of course wanted to achieve political aims. Our expectations at the time ware quite clear and definite.

We wanted legal recognition of the student organisation, we wanted an organisation in China similar to the trade union Solidarity in Poland, which could become a platform for promoting democracy in China, for promoting multi-party politics and for promoting freedom of speech as well as a series of other democratic developments in China.

Here is the last paragraph of a resolution by Rep. Christopher Cox (Republican, California):

Today, on a bipartisan basis, Congress stands united in support of freedom for the people of China. Fifteen years ago, Tiananmen Square marked not only a tragedy, but a decisive turning point in the fight for freedom. People's Liberation Army troops won the battle against the Chinese people that day, but they will surely lose the war to imprison the human spirit -- because we will never forget. The day will soon come when all of the Chinese people will have the right to speak and debate freely. The hope symbolized by the Goddess of Democracy will ultimately triumph. (We Will Never Forget, Tech Central Station, 06/04/04.)

[Editor's comment: I wonder who voted against the resolution (400-1)...]

Here is a great quote from The Washington Times' editorial:

Appeasement-oriented Sinophiles have an original way of looking at today's anniversary. They argue that the 1989 crackdown actually aided the cause of democracy because Beijing is afraid of the international backlash similar repression would cause today. If anything, the opposite is true. Increased business and diplomatic relationships after Tiananmen and during Hong Kong and Taiwan hostilities signal that the world isn't interested in interfering in Chinese affairs. (The Washington Times, 06/04/04.)

Lev Navrozov paints a scary scenario in his article, The Tiananmen Square Massacre and China’s Top-Notch Weapons of Future Warfare.

The communist dictators did not only crush the protest at the Tiananmen Square, they have also clamped down on protesters on the web. Related: My posts, REMEMBER TIANANMEN SQUARE 06/04/89 and BLOGSPOT SITES BANNED IN COMMUNIST CHINA.


(Image source: BBC News / AP.)

CARNIVAL OF THE VANITIES AND READ MY LIPS

Tiger of Read My Lips is hosting this week's edition of the Carnival of the Vanities. He has done a great job with the carnival and has taken time to illustrate every entry with a picture.

[Editor's note: Tiger wrote as point #7: "Just in case you were wonderin', I would personally appreciate commentary on how well you think I did in pickin' pictures to represent these submissions." I like the "Man Above All" picture. It resembles in a way the same spirit as Nick Gaetano's cover art for Ayn Rand's book, The Virtue of Selfishness, don't you think?

Regarding "Blog*Spot" and getting to the right post and permalink problems. As I already told my readers, I am PRO-BLOGGER, but I am aware of some kinks that I have to iron out with the help of Lisa @ Elegant Webscapes and consulting Blogger's help desk and knowledge data base. I will soon turn on the "post page" so that every individual post gets its own permanent page.]

Please note that EGO will host the carnival on August 25.