Tuesday, March 30, 2004
THE IMPERIAL MAP OF BLOGGAHLAND
The Ministry of Cartography @ the Politburo Diktat has issued the map of Bloggahland. I am trying to figure out my exact location on the historical map of Africa, but I think I need some help from the Commissar, or maybe my readers could help me out? Anyway, I am pretty happy with the isolated position in northeast territory. It is at safe distance from the war zone of the Moonbat Colony of Leftieland, and at the same time not too close to the Vast Right Warlike Confederation. I agree on the classification of my blog as an analyst, but please note that I don't belong to any tribe of any sort.
THE 9/11 BLAME GAME...
I recommend you to sign up for The Ayn Rand Institute's MediaLink service. Onkar Ghate's op-ed, Diverting the blame for 9/11, explains in an objective way how America's foreign policy should be in the future.
For a right-wing version of the blame game, read David Horowitz article, How the Left Undermined America's Security Before 9/11. For a leftist version, read Julia Turner's article, Could We Have Prevented 9/11?
UPDATE 04/02/04: In the news:
Date set for Rice 9/11 testimony.
The Speeches of September 10 and September 11.
For a right-wing version of the blame game, read David Horowitz article, How the Left Undermined America's Security Before 9/11. For a leftist version, read Julia Turner's article, Could We Have Prevented 9/11?
UPDATE 04/02/04: In the news:
Date set for Rice 9/11 testimony.
The Speeches of September 10 and September 11.
Sunday, March 28, 2004
THE REAL RULERS OF IRAN
Amir Taheri's article, Who rules Iran?, [via Free Iran News] is a real eye opener. Did Chris Patten's moral compass stop working after he ended his job as a colonial governor of Hong Kong?
Saturday, March 27, 2004
A FREE MARKET IS A FAIR MARKET
Oliver Willis ("Like Kryptonite to Stupid") and Rob "BusinessPundit" have a discussion on how the market economy should be regulated.
I know a great place for further studies of the ideas of capitalism... A few days ago, I received an interesting news alert on how the University of South Carolina [Editor's note: Registration required. Hat tip to Betsy Speicher's CyberNet.] has received a donation of $1 million from the company BB&T to study the ethics and moral foundations of capitalism. Here is an excerpt from the article by Emma Ritch:
"USC will get the funds over the next couple years, said business school dean Joel Smith III, and will use the money to create a capitalism ethics class, a capitalism-focused professorship, a lecture series and a room in the business library dedicated to the works of authors that support free enterprise such as Ayn Rand." (Mercury News / AP, 03/24/04.)
As a radical capitalist and an American in spirit, I have a hard time to cope with the mixed economy in the socialist "paradise" of Sweden. Here are the rights of the workers controlled and micro-managed by strong unions. The ruling Social Democratic Party is giving moral support to the unions in exchange of an endorsement by the unions leaders and a huge share of votes by the working class in the next election. It's hard to find any form of "basic human decency" (using Mr. Willis' words) here in the welfare state. It's all about party politics, pressure groups, and an inefficient public sector.
I recommend Oliver Willis to read the following books, after he has finished Reefer Madness:
Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal by Ayn Rand.
Andrew Bernstein's forthcoming book, The Capitalist Manifesto.
I know a great place for further studies of the ideas of capitalism... A few days ago, I received an interesting news alert on how the University of South Carolina [Editor's note: Registration required. Hat tip to Betsy Speicher's CyberNet.] has received a donation of $1 million from the company BB&T to study the ethics and moral foundations of capitalism. Here is an excerpt from the article by Emma Ritch:
"USC will get the funds over the next couple years, said business school dean Joel Smith III, and will use the money to create a capitalism ethics class, a capitalism-focused professorship, a lecture series and a room in the business library dedicated to the works of authors that support free enterprise such as Ayn Rand." (Mercury News / AP, 03/24/04.)
As a radical capitalist and an American in spirit, I have a hard time to cope with the mixed economy in the socialist "paradise" of Sweden. Here are the rights of the workers controlled and micro-managed by strong unions. The ruling Social Democratic Party is giving moral support to the unions in exchange of an endorsement by the unions leaders and a huge share of votes by the working class in the next election. It's hard to find any form of "basic human decency" (using Mr. Willis' words) here in the welfare state. It's all about party politics, pressure groups, and an inefficient public sector.
I recommend Oliver Willis to read the following books, after he has finished Reefer Madness:
Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal by Ayn Rand.
Andrew Bernstein's forthcoming book, The Capitalist Manifesto.
Friday, March 26, 2004
TRACKBACK
I have added HaloScan's trackback feature to my blog.
Go and read Commissar's (The Politburo Diktat) post, TrackBack Dialectics, for a "Marxist" take on this tool (of the working class;). Here is a message to my fellow bloggers: Please do me a favor and put a trackback link to this post, so I can see if it is working properly. Thanks for your help!
UPDATE 04/16/04: Commissar has a new lecture with the title, Trackbacks - The Peoples' Version.
UPDATE 07/18/04: Here is a message to Rick E. Bruner: I use HaloScan's trackback feature together with Blogger. If you want to "continue the discussion," click on the link to read Politburo Diktat's posts, TrackBack Dialectics and Trackbacks - The Peoples' Version.
Go and read Commissar's (The Politburo Diktat) post, TrackBack Dialectics, for a "Marxist" take on this tool (of the working class;). Here is a message to my fellow bloggers: Please do me a favor and put a trackback link to this post, so I can see if it is working properly. Thanks for your help!
UPDATE 04/16/04: Commissar has a new lecture with the title, Trackbacks - The Peoples' Version.
UPDATE 07/18/04: Here is a message to Rick E. Bruner: I use HaloScan's trackback feature together with Blogger. If you want to "continue the discussion," click on the link to read Politburo Diktat's posts, TrackBack Dialectics and Trackbacks - The Peoples' Version.
THE NEXT 10 OR 20 YEARS?
Here is a new column by Burgess Laughlin:
The next 10 or 20 years?
My own book-writing projects are sweeping looks at some thread in the fabric of history. Likewise, some of my favorite nonfiction books for reading cover great periods of time. Leonard Peikoff's *Ominous Parallels* is an example. He traces the roots of National Socialism from Plato's philosophy, through Kant, and into the 20th Century.
From my reading of history, I have come to believe that a radically new philosophy -- whether good or bad -- can have its maximum effect on a culture only after at least three philosophical generations pass. That is how much time is needed, first, for the philosophy to pass from the originating philosopher to intellectuals who, second, apply that philosophy to each department of a culture, and then, third, for those effects to show up in daily life.
Lately, however, I have been thinking about shorter periods. Perhaps because I am about to become a grandfather, I have been wondering what the near-term future will bring for me, now at age 60, and for the individuals I value most.
My first thought was that 10 or 20 years would not make much difference in the society and culture in which I live. In reconsidering, I realized that for some individuals living at certain times and in certain places, 10 or 20 years could bring major changes in the conditions of life.
Here in the United States, there was a great difference politically and economically between life in 1922 (a few years after victory in Europe) and 1932 (in the depth of the Great Depression and at the conquest of Germany by Nazis). Ten years after that, in 1942, Western Civilization was fighting for survival -- as it has been ever since.
The initial assault came from post-modernists, the Latter Day Kantians. The follow-up attacks are coming from religious fundamentalists -- Islamic fundamentalists from without, and Christian, Jewish, Environmentalist, and Hindu fundamentalists from within nominally Western countries. Thus, fideism is filling the vacuum created by the philosophical skeptics.
While the Objectivist movement itself, led by The Ayn Rand Institute, continues to flourish, the surrounding culture is decaying at an accelerating rate.
For the short-term, however, one hope stands out clearly. A rational sub-culture -- of which this discussion forum is one element -- may offer a partial refuge. When, on the short-term, rational individuals devote their attention and their wealth to trading with other like-minded individuals, they not only benefit immediately, but they are building their long-term future as well.
Burgess Laughlin
The Aristotle Adventure - intellectual history for students and general readers.
The next 10 or 20 years?
My own book-writing projects are sweeping looks at some thread in the fabric of history. Likewise, some of my favorite nonfiction books for reading cover great periods of time. Leonard Peikoff's *Ominous Parallels* is an example. He traces the roots of National Socialism from Plato's philosophy, through Kant, and into the 20th Century.
From my reading of history, I have come to believe that a radically new philosophy -- whether good or bad -- can have its maximum effect on a culture only after at least three philosophical generations pass. That is how much time is needed, first, for the philosophy to pass from the originating philosopher to intellectuals who, second, apply that philosophy to each department of a culture, and then, third, for those effects to show up in daily life.
Lately, however, I have been thinking about shorter periods. Perhaps because I am about to become a grandfather, I have been wondering what the near-term future will bring for me, now at age 60, and for the individuals I value most.
My first thought was that 10 or 20 years would not make much difference in the society and culture in which I live. In reconsidering, I realized that for some individuals living at certain times and in certain places, 10 or 20 years could bring major changes in the conditions of life.
Here in the United States, there was a great difference politically and economically between life in 1922 (a few years after victory in Europe) and 1932 (in the depth of the Great Depression and at the conquest of Germany by Nazis). Ten years after that, in 1942, Western Civilization was fighting for survival -- as it has been ever since.
The initial assault came from post-modernists, the Latter Day Kantians. The follow-up attacks are coming from religious fundamentalists -- Islamic fundamentalists from without, and Christian, Jewish, Environmentalist, and Hindu fundamentalists from within nominally Western countries. Thus, fideism is filling the vacuum created by the philosophical skeptics.
While the Objectivist movement itself, led by The Ayn Rand Institute, continues to flourish, the surrounding culture is decaying at an accelerating rate.
For the short-term, however, one hope stands out clearly. A rational sub-culture -- of which this discussion forum is one element -- may offer a partial refuge. When, on the short-term, rational individuals devote their attention and their wealth to trading with other like-minded individuals, they not only benefit immediately, but they are building their long-term future as well.
Burgess Laughlin
The Aristotle Adventure - intellectual history for students and general readers.
Thursday, March 25, 2004
RE-ELECT GORE?
Someone named Cynthia has posted the following comment at the EGO forum:
"I found a site which has Re-elect Gore T-shirts and bumper stickers, so I thought I'd share. This time, let the best candidate (actually) win!"
I don't get it. Al Gore didn't get elected in the first place, so how could he get re-elected? What am I missing here?! Feel free to join the discussion!
Related: My post, PRESIDENTS' DAY.
"I found a site which has Re-elect Gore T-shirts and bumper stickers, so I thought I'd share. This time, let the best candidate (actually) win!"
I don't get it. Al Gore didn't get elected in the first place, so how could he get re-elected? What am I missing here?! Feel free to join the discussion!
Related: My post, PRESIDENTS' DAY.
Wednesday, March 24, 2004
OBJECTIVIST CONFERENCE IN LONDON
Mark your calendar: Objectivist conference in London, September 24 - 27. [Hat tip to Vegard Martinsen & Karl Martin Mertens, FSO mailing list.]
Tuesday, March 23, 2004
THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
In the news:
Atheist appeals against religion in American oath.
A Family and a Flag.
I am interested in getting more information on the author of The Pledge of Allegiance, Francis Bellamy.
As an American in spirit, I look forward to the day when I will be able to recite the original pledge...
Related: My post IN GOLD WE TRUST.
UPDATE 03/24/04: Read David Holcberg's post, The Pledge of Allegiance vs. Education.
UPDATE 03/25/04: Check out Howard J. Bashman's blog "How Appealing" for more on this case. [Via Rule of Reason.]
Atheist appeals against religion in American oath.
A Family and a Flag.
I am interested in getting more information on the author of The Pledge of Allegiance, Francis Bellamy.
As an American in spirit, I look forward to the day when I will be able to recite the original pledge...
Related: My post IN GOLD WE TRUST.
UPDATE 03/24/04: Read David Holcberg's post, The Pledge of Allegiance vs. Education.
UPDATE 03/25/04: Check out Howard J. Bashman's blog "How Appealing" for more on this case. [Via Rule of Reason.]
MIJAILO MIJAILOVIC: GUILTY
Anna Lindh's killer, Mijailo Mijailovic, has been sentenced to life in prison. Could you guess how long time a "life sentence" is in Sweden?
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