Here's some delicious irony.
Anyway, if Google holds firm with their plan to un-censor searches in China. everybody, please go do some Google searches, click on an ad, and buy something made in the USA that you need. It will support Google, support freedom by keeping pressure on the totalitarian Chinese government, and maybe help stimulate the U.S. economy.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Friday, January 8, 2010
There's a Joke in here somewhere...
The Jan 2010 Irish Herald's lead article is titled "Harshest Budget in Living Memory", and describes the difficult budget decisions that must be made to more or less balance the Irish budget for 2010. There are budget cuts totaling $6 billion, which is still less than 20% of the estimated budget deficit of $32 billion. These cuts affect salaries and welfare. There are increased taxes. It sounds reminiscent of the California budget mess. But, every cloud has a silver lining.
"(Finance minister) Lenihan sounght to offer one boost to public morale by cutting taxes on beer, wine, and liquor."Apparently, there is a bit of supply-side economics here too to boost the economy:
"...sales in pubs and liquor stores represent an exceptionally high percentage of its (Ireland's) economic activity"
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Worst Letter of the Year
The year is still young, but a letter to the editor in the Jan 5th San Jose Mercury News sets a high standard for historical ignorance. Scroll down to read:
"Peace is possible only with justice"
This sounds nice, but it historically false. There was a long period of peace during the time of the Roman Empire. There was a hundred year period of European peace starting 1814 after the Congress of Vienna. Neither period is especially known for "justice". Strike one.
"In Mercury News letters to the editor, the Israeli blitzkrieg...
The letter writer is criticizing previous letters. As noted before, he never addresses any specific points.
Instead, he attempts an impossibly long leap of logic and metaphor to link a letter to the editor, part of our freedom of expression enshrined in the Bill of Rights, to blitzkrieg, an act of war which features concentrated armored spearheads, including "terror elements", and infamous bombings of civilian cities. Strike two.
"...continues..."
Blitzkrieg means lightning-war. By definition it is short and swift. It does not "continue". Strike three.
Three major flaws in less than two sentences. That's why it's my early nominee for Worst Letter of the Year.
"Peace is possible only with justice
In Mercury News letters to the editor, the Israeli blitzkrieg against the Palestinians continues...You can safely ignore the rest of his letter; it's just self-praise followed by nine rhetorical questions, devoid of facts or cogent arguments. But that looks good compared to the flaws in the tiny fragment presented.
"Peace is possible only with justice"
This sounds nice, but it historically false. There was a long period of peace during the time of the Roman Empire. There was a hundred year period of European peace starting 1814 after the Congress of Vienna. Neither period is especially known for "justice". Strike one.
"In Mercury News letters to the editor, the Israeli blitzkrieg...
The letter writer is criticizing previous letters. As noted before, he never addresses any specific points.
Instead, he attempts an impossibly long leap of logic and metaphor to link a letter to the editor, part of our freedom of expression enshrined in the Bill of Rights, to blitzkrieg, an act of war which features concentrated armored spearheads, including "terror elements", and infamous bombings of civilian cities. Strike two.
"...continues..."
Blitzkrieg means lightning-war. By definition it is short and swift. It does not "continue". Strike three.
Three major flaws in less than two sentences. That's why it's my early nominee for Worst Letter of the Year.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Left Wing Firebrand has Feet of Clay
U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, Democrat from Florida, received recent fame thanks to his stinging (and some would say crude) criticisms of Republicans. Progressives like his "guts".
While Grayson can dish it out, telling former V.P. Dick Cheney to"STFU", he can't take it. As one might expect, his opponents have opened their own camel-cased web site, MyCongressmanIsNuts. In a move out of the Chinese Communist playbook, Grayson has asked Attorney General Eric Holder to prosecute and imprison the critic, based on the technicality that the owner of the website isn't one of his constituents, therefore she can't claim him as "my" congressman. Even though, in their "About Us" page, they say only that they are from Central Florida.
Similarly, Al Franken isn't "my" Senator. But when he runs roughshod over Senate tradition and ends up casting the critical 60th vote for Health Care Reform, he is my Senator. (for the record, I'm not sure what I think of the health care bill, and who knows how it will end up after the House and Senate get together anyhow.)
In any case, if some dubious technicality is the basis for five years in jail, better read that Cap and Trade bill and the Health Care Bill very carefully. Though 5 years is only half what you'd get in China for "subversion".
While Grayson can dish it out, telling former V.P. Dick Cheney to"STFU", he can't take it. As one might expect, his opponents have opened their own camel-cased web site, MyCongressmanIsNuts. In a move out of the Chinese Communist playbook, Grayson has asked Attorney General Eric Holder to prosecute and imprison the critic, based on the technicality that the owner of the website isn't one of his constituents, therefore she can't claim him as "my" congressman. Even though, in their "About Us" page, they say only that they are from Central Florida.
Similarly, Al Franken isn't "my" Senator. But when he runs roughshod over Senate tradition and ends up casting the critical 60th vote for Health Care Reform, he is my Senator. (for the record, I'm not sure what I think of the health care bill, and who knows how it will end up after the House and Senate get together anyhow.)
In any case, if some dubious technicality is the basis for five years in jail, better read that Cap and Trade bill and the Health Care Bill very carefully. Though 5 years is only half what you'd get in China for "subversion".
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