audendi

Found this very interesting photo essay on graffiti written on the latrine walls at American bases in the Middle East. Worth a look.

There, I said it. Straussians, especially like the people at the Claremont Institute and Hillsdale College, and the Department of Defense and the White House, have all but ruined our country. I think Leo Strauss himself was much misunderstood, in fact, and the people harming America by dragging us into war, after war, after war, are the people that we must hold to account every year by going out and voting, and more importantly, by taking action. The loss of liberty in this country has gone on too long. We must make our stand, every day, and say, “Across this line you shall not pass.”

This is of course a somewhat dramatic way to make the statement in defense of freedom in the truest, best sense of the word. But I feel that in these times it is necessary to ring the bell, sound the alarm, and wake people up. It’s not too late, but we are running out of time. The fact is enemies of freedom and liberty surround us on all sides, regardless of what party badge they wear, be it Republican or Democratic.

The time to act is coming in Ohio. Vote against the war, and vote with your brain, not just your heart. Be smart about it, Ohio will be an incredibly important state the rest of this primary election season. I am calling all of you readers (as few you may be) out. The time to do the hard work to win this country back is now.

Tell me who would win in a battle of wits, my friends (and my enemies, numerous as they may be on these internets). Leo Strauss or Ron Paul?

I’m not so concerned with the Straussians or Leo himself, but the totally crazed disciples of his that made one man’s philosophy a religion of death and destruction.

Essentially, I dare you to comment coherently in this blog. I’m sure you know I’m biased one way, and you know whom I would pick in this grudge match. Win, lose or draw, say your piece.

Your Internet Pal,

Daniel Greene

They deftly maneuver, and muscle for rank
fuel burning fast on an empty tank

Well, those barbarians finally did it. They finally got what they wanted. The extremists murdered Benazir Bhutto in cold blood. What a loss, what a tragedy. I remember seeing Prime Minister Bhutto speak at Hillsdale College on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. She delivered her address on September 15, 2002..

In light of the seemingly chaotic political climate around the globe, I think it would be good for all concerned to set aside a moment and consider what she had to say - it was a message of hope and peace, in contrast to the hate and murder promoted by religious extremists:

” …The microcosm of America that was destroyed on September 11—people of all races, ethnicities and religions—is everything the extremists abhor: men and women, working side by side as equals; Muslims, Christians, Jews and Hindus, together building worldwide trade and communications. America is a symbol of what can be to millions of oppressed people all over the world. America means everything to those deprived of human rights and the rule of law. America symbolizes modernity, diversity and democracy, and it is these three things which are the fanatics’ worst fears.

At this time of continuing crisis, the American people and their leaders must understand that those who would use violence and terror in the name of Islam are heretics and hypocrites. They are criminals, not clerics. Their actions contradict the teachings of the Holy Prophet of Islam, who wrote, “Whenever the prophet of God sent forth a detachment, he said to it, ‘Do not cheat or commit treachery, nor should you mutilate or kill children, women, or old men.’” And there is a specific prohibition in Islamic law that bans killing by stealth and targeting a defenseless victim in a way intended to cause terror in a society.

It grieves me that included in the list of the victims of the perfidy of September 11 is the image of Islam across the world. Our religion is not what these people preach; in fact, it is the opposite. Islam is committed to tolerance and equality, and it is committed by Koranic definition to the principles of democracy. It is ironic that despite the strong commitment to democracy in Islam, most Muslims today are living in dictatorships. The Muslim people want freedom, and they need support in their search for political, economic and social empowerment. Much like the people of the communist world of the past, the Muslim people today are hostages in totalitarian regimes that flourished during the days of the Cold War.

In the West, there is often talk about the “Muslim street.” The street most often seen here on television is the street of fanaticism whipped into a frenzy. But there is another Muslim street. It is a silent street of women who suffer discrimination in every aspect of life. It is a silent street of students who are not educated. It is a silent street of businessmen and businesswomen who are not allowed to compete freely. It is a silent street of human rights activists who are jailed, political parties that are decimated, and political leaders who are either prisoners or exiles. It is the street of the people constrained by the totalitarian powers of the state. It is the street of the future in the chains of present-day intolerance, ignorance and dictatorship. And it is the street far more likely to explode than the street of the religious extremists.

Continued »

Erik Prince, co-founder and owner of Blackwater USA, and a graduate of Hillsdale College, is in a lot of trouble right now. Blackwater is, in essence, the U.S. government’s biggest provider of non-uniformed soldiers (mercenaries) inside Iraq. Is he George W. Bush’s Remirro de Orca? His sacrificial lamb, if you will? What will happen if (more likely when) a Democrat becomes the next President?

Have you ever heard of the phrase “Ballots not Bullets” - a phrase used in the 19th century? If not, it was the idea that paper ballots, not use of violent arms, was the appropriate way to settle political disputes large and small. If you look at the evolution of the political process in America, you see the overriding importance of the use of the ballot box. Concomitant with this is the importance of free access to the ballot box, the right to free association, the right to a free news media, the right to life, and so on. It seems that anymore these days, our public officials abuse their positions of power without but a peep from the people. It seems that things are falling apart and that the operators of our public institutions are asleep at the switch. Some people feel that this process is inevitable, the sign of some sort of end times, some apocalypse that will, nay must, befall our dear republic. Well, to hell with that notion. There is hope. There is a way out. But the answer must come from within ourselves. We have to lay aside our apathy, our avarice, our sheer laziness and greed. We must come together and defend this country not with violent revolution but with loving, peaceful persuasion, hard work, and consistent voting. But what does this have to do with Dr. Ron Paul, Texas Congressman running for the Republican nomination, and for President of These United States?

Well, I’m just some guy you probably have never met from Dayton, Ohio. I wasn’t born here, but I was raised here, and I love where I’m from - ok, technically I live in Beavercreek but I went to school in Downtown Dayton, so there. I don’t have a college degree, yet, but I know enough to tell you that the vast majority of the people running for president in both parties have a lot of trouble saying what they mean, and even worse, meaning what they say. You know this to be true, just watch the television for five minutes, look at their faces, watch their expressions. Most of them don’t mean a word of it, and you know it.

Ron Paul is different. Now, I don’t agree with him on everything, but he is clearly a hardworking, honest man. He has put his time in serving this country, and now that he feels the time is right, he has decided to run for President. Almost eleven months ago he announced, and people everywhere didn’t even hear about him, because he was not taken seriously by the ‘mainstream’ media. Well, that doesn’t matter as much anymore, because the media is being democratized before our very eyes, the power of information is being handed down to the regular people. People like you and me.

I am a registered independent and I really want someone that I can support in the March 4 primaries here in Ohio. Ron Paul doesn’t just stand for a lot of the things I stand for, he stands for them with great courage and conviction. He is the only candidate this election cycle that should, no, that deserves, to be Chief Executive of the United States of America.

- D. Greene
Friday, December 14, 2007

Beyond my problems with their content and editorial practices, my problem with the Dayton Daily News and Dayton City Paper is that their websites are difficult to use and in general, not very good at all. For a paper with a huge budget, DDN’s website is a disgrace. For DCP, their website is understandably bad as they have a comparatively meager budget. But still, it could be a whole lot better without increasing their costs too much.

To sum up, they don’t care enough about their work to present it well on the web.

Which says a lot about how they report the news. I get the impression that the Dayton Daily News’ ownership does not give a rip about our community. Which is really too bad, because their print edition is very nice. The web edition just needs a lot of help.

We’ve opened up a new front on the war on terror. It’s an attack on the unique, the unorthodox, the unexpected; it’s a war on different. If you act different, you might find yourself investigated, questioned, and even arrested — even if you did nothing wrong, and had no intention of doing anything wrong. The problem is a combination of citizen informants and a CYA attitude among police that results in a knee-jerk escalation of reported threats.

This isn’t the way counterterrorism is supposed to work, but it’s happening everywhere. It’s a result of our relentless campaign to convince ordinary citizens that they’re the front line of terrorism defense. “If you see something, say something” is how the ads read in the New York City subways. “If you suspect something, report it” urges another ad campaign in Manchester, UK. The Michigan State Police have a seven-minute video. Administration officials from then-attorney general John Ashcroft to DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff to President Bush have asked us all to report any suspicious activity.

The problem is that ordinary citizens don’t know what a real terrorist threat looks like. They can’t tell the difference between a bomb and a tape dispenser, electronic name badge, CD player, bat detector, or a trash sculpture; or the difference between terrorist plotters and imams, musicians, or architects. All they know is that something makes them uneasy, usually based on fear, media hype, or just something being different.

Even worse: after someone reports a “terrorist threat,” the whole system is biased towards escalation and CYA instead of a more realistic threat assessment.
- Bruce Schneier

Read the rest here.

Slate has come out with the Iraq Position Locator, a great little table detailing the positions of various public officials, presidential candidates, and policy groups as they regard the War in Iraq. It includes where they stood on the invasion in 2002, where they stand on it now, what they think about the surge, what they offer as solutions, and whether or not they’ve been to Iraq. Check it out.

Iran is not a threat to our security in the long run.

So they get a bomb. Big deal. So they get ten bombs. Then what?

Really, think about it. The U.S. has thousands of operationally capable nuclear missiles which can strike targets anywhere in the world.

Iran has one shoddy bomb that might work, and no missile delivery system capable of hitting us.

So then Iran does what? Has Hizbullah use a suitcase nuke to hit Jerusalem or Tel Aviv? Well, the Israelis aren’t stupid. They have a couple hundred operational nuclear missiles (Olmert publicly admitted as much). They would decimate Tehran and every major military base in Iran, everything associated with their nuclear program, and they would probably hit Damascus, which is sponsored by Iran, just for laughs.

The U.S. would do the same. Remember how the USSR never nuked us, and never used one of their many proxies to nuke us? Even though they fought us via proxies in N. Korea, N. Vietnam, etc etc. Yeah, well, this is different because?

I’ve written up a lengthy post-debate summary here - 9/5 NH Debate: Ron Paul pwns Hannity. Here’s video of some of his highlights:

Continued »

The Neon movie theater in downtown Dayton is screening No End In Sight for one more day, Thursday, September 6, 2007. Check out the trailer here.

I just got done watching it there myself. (little known fact: you can purchase beer and drink it in the theater)

The film is showing one more time tonight, Wednesday, at 9:40 pm. It screens one last day tomorrow at: 3:00, 5:10, 7:30, and 9:40.

If you give a damn at all about our occupation of Iraq, or are wondering why things have descended into such chaos, this film gives a succinct, coherent, and detailed exposition of many of the reasons why the American occupation of Iraq has been an almost total failure. It does not get into whether or not we ought to have gone in, or whether we have a right to maintain our presence there, but provides a fairly cold recounting of the facts, if such a thing is even possible given the subject matter.

One of the employees at the Neon explained that the film is only screening for a week because almost no one has gone to see it. We are talking about a film that has received almost universal critical acclaim.

This is truly shameful. The film deals in uncomfortable truths, ones that we should all be aware of. People everywhere, people like you, need to be aware of the reasons we have arrived where we are in Iraq at present. I am begging you, I am pleading you, I am telling you as a concerned citizen to go see this movie now! Show that you give a shit. No excuses, go see it tonight.

He was my age. He was from my city. He left behind a wife and child. May he rest in peace, and may god have mercy on his soul. My thoughts go out to his friends and family, who have been robbed of someone special.

Continued »

That video was from 1994. He accurately described what would happen if Saddam Hussein’s regime was toppled by an invading American force. In 1998, the Project for a New American Century called for regime change in Iraq. Allow me to explain:

On January 26, 9 days after Drudge first broke the Lewinsky scandal, President William Jefferson Clinton appeared on television, visibly emotional, to assure the nation that he did not have sex with that woman.

On the same day, The Project For A New American Century, a think tank of intellectuals concerned with foreign policy, sensing weakness, wrote an open letter to President Clinton, urging him to take action against the Baathist regime. Just take a look at who signed the letter. Perle, Fukuyama, Armitage, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Kristol the younger, Bennett, Bolton, Kagan, and so on and so forth.

It took them a few years and a lot of whinging about Iraq to get their guy installed and their policies implemented, but five years later, they finally got their wish. An interesting exercise would be to plot the respective net worths of the signers of that letter to Clinton to a graph, showing their trajectory from 2003-2007, especially.

This debate is always framed, and Cheney argues the same way, that ‘everything changed after 9/11.’ Sorry, but I am going to have to pre-emptively nuke that argument from the comments section of this blog. The real question is, what changed between 1994 and 1998 to get Dick Cheney’s cohorts to push for the precise thing he warned against, and the thing he defended George H.W. Bush for not doing?

Hat tip to ChenZhen for blogging about it first.

Soldier captured:
“My name is Keith Matthew Maupin. I am a soldier from the 1st Division,” he said, looking into the camera. “I am married with a 10-month-old son. I came to liberate Iraq, but I did not come willingly because I wanted to stay with my child…

…Maupin, of Batavia, Ohio, and Sgt. Elmer C. Krause, 40, of Greensboro, N.C., were listed as missing…”

I’ve heard that name before.

I used to go to school at DCHS with Amanda Maupin. Are they related? They look related… It’s not really a common name. Goddammit. Fuck…. I don’t have any idea …..