Common Sense for Uncommon Times - Fair and Balanced |
|
|
Random, occasionally rambling thoughts with links to interesting, scandalous, or partisan news of the day. Fair and Balanced 
We owe the liberty and freedom we take for granted to the enlisted men and women in the armed forces. They sacrifice family, ease, and even life laboring in service to all of us. The least we can do for them is honor their devotion with dignified pay scales, decent education for themselves and their children, and reasonable compensation for service away from their families and death on the battlefield. Flag waving politicians who praise the troops on one hand and cut their pay and benefits with the other should be deeply ashamed of themselves.
|
Friday, August 30, 2002
(LILEKS) James : the Screed Lileks takes on the European left, the American hand wringers, and anybody else who sees joy in poverty. Not for the faint hearted, sensitive, or tree sitting crowd. posted by Dave on 9:23 AM | 0 comments link -------------------- Thursday, August 29, 2002
International Warmongering Mark Steyn offers one of the few international voices speaking on behalf of the "Get Iraq" campaign. Worthwhile reading to understand some of the internal Republican dynamics. posted by Dave on 9:22 AM | 0 comments link -------------------- Saturday, August 24, 2002
TNR Online | Majority Rules (print) The New Democratic Majority is a great read and an interesting insight into the political realignment taking place in the United States. posted by Dave on 1:38 AM | 0 comments link -------------------- Thursday, August 15, 2002
LILEKS (James) The Bleat Lileks is as close as we come to a philosopher/poet/parent/pundit and his work is always intense, personal, and finely attuned to nuances that most miss until he points them out. Today's piece on an invasion of Iraq is a masterpiece of balance with the citizens of Iraq on both sides of the scale. He comes down firmly on the side of "dump Saddam". So do I. The best antidote to terrorism turns out to be democracy and I can't see Bush and company choosing Saudi Arabia as their first test case for imposing elections and freedoms. A democratic Iraq, however, will shed great light on the whole region and Arafat, the mullahs in Iran, and the heretical Saudi princes can all scurry for cover at the same time. Of all the Al Qaeda members rounded up and herded to Cuba, there isn't a single Muslim representative from India, the world's largest Muslim state with a population of 150 million Muslims.There's something intoxicatingly liberating about living in a democracy where you have the freedom to say and do what you like. We could spend a century racially profiling visitors from the Middle East and still not solve the terrorist dilemma. Far easier and smarter to share the boon of freedom now and let them choose their own futures. It's unlikely they'll choose terrorism. posted by Dave on 10:11 AM | 0 comments link -------------------- Tuesday, August 13, 2002
Mercury News | 08/13/2002 | INS greets New Zealand woman with handcuffs and humiliation I am big, bearded, and travel often. To my surprise I never get checked, never get patted down, and only had to take my shoes off once. During this time I have seen many female seniors being checked, including one particularly frail looking woman in a wheel chair. The story I linked to is a troubling example of bureaucratic idiocy run amok. I never thought I'd say it, but Norman Mineta has got to go. posted by Dave on 9:52 PM | 0 comments link -------------------- |