Dev Imperium » Politics

20 Questions for Truthers

joby — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 02:55:53 +0000

There are fewer things more vile than the persistent accusations of Truthers that the US Government perpetrated the attacks of 9/11. The ignorant suppositions of these fools do nothing to expose truth but just feed paranoid fantasies. CounterKnowledge put together a list of 15 questions for Truthers, and then 5 more questions. These “questions” are an attempt to point out the counter factual and entirely illogical basis of the Truther dementia.

(5) We are being asked by the truthers to believe that the 19 hijackers were “patsies”, or non-existent. If that was the case, and if the intention of the real plotters in the US government was to justify military interventions to overthrow hostile regimes in the Middle East, why were 15 out of the 19 ‘bogus’ Al Qaeda terrorists given Saudi nationality? The other four hijackers consisted of an Egyptian, a Lebanese and two citizens of the UAE. We are being asked to believe that the conspirators behind 9/11 decided that they would make the hijackers citizens of allies of the USA, not enemies. Why were they not given Iraqi, Iranian or Syrian identity? Why were they not given forged links with terrorist groups (such as the Abu Nidal Organisation, the PLFP-GC or Hizbollah) with closer links to Tehran, Damascus and above all Baghdad? If we are supposed to believe that the Israelis had a hand in 9/11, then why were none of the patsies Palestinians linked to Fatah or Hamas? What kind of conspirator sets up a plot to frame an innocent party without forging the evidence to implicate the latter?

(10) If the WTC towers in New York City were destroyed by controlled demolitions rigged by US government agencies, then why were the fake terrorist attacks used to cover up these controlled demolitions so insanely convoluted? Why concoct a scenario involving the hijacking of planes which are then crashed into tower blocks (involving complicated planning involving remote controlled flights timed with explosives detonated in the towers, which allow plenty of opportunities for gliches and technical errors)? Why not use a more simple means, such as a truck bomb?

Context

joby — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 20:30:23 +0000

I have long despised Santayana’s advise: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”, because while there may be some superficial truth to the statement it is usually invoked by one drawing a parallel to between a historial incident and a current event despite being ignorant of the full context of both. Without understanding the facets of a historical event you can not understand the true reasons for success or failure, nor can you apply leasons learned to a current event if you do not have a fair understanding of its facets. In essence: Context Matters.

So to aide the few out there that read this, I will point you to David Bernstein’s post on the USSR’s malignant role in the Middle East. There is no grand wisdom or lesson to be applied directly to the current battles in Gaza — just an understanding of one of the key facets of the conflicts in the Middle East

Remembering a “Progressive” victory

joby — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 04:00:06 +0000

From Reason:

This Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court will host a reenactment organized by the Supreme Court Historical Society of the 1908 case Muller v. Oregon, a landmark Progressive Era decision where the Court unanimously upheld Oregon’s law limiting female laundry employees from working more than 10 hours a day.

This “progressive” victory was made on the following basis:

The Brandeis Brief made much the same point, claiming that since women were responsible for bearing future generations, their bodies were in some sense collective property. “The overwork of future mothers,” Brandeis wrote, “directly attacks the welfare of the nation.”…

Writing for the majority in Muller, Justice David Brewer followed Brandeis’ lead. “As healthy mothers are essential to vigorous offspring,” Brewer wrote, “the physical well-being of woman becomes an object of public interest and care in order to preserve the strength and vigor of the race.”

Although shocking this isn’t much different from other oppressive views imposed on us be government for our own good: smoking bans, fatty food bans, campaign finance reform, gun bans, etc. All are efforts, largely by “progressives”, to sacrifice our freedom for the good of the state.

Meet the new tyrant, same as the old tyrant.

Blagojevich: Can’t stop laughing

joby — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 20:00:36 +0000

Yesterday, I finally read about the sit-in that is going on in Chicago. The basic story is that the workers at a window and door manufacturer got screwed by their employer, Republic Windows and Doors. Republic has been losing money and finally went bankrupt after Bank of America canceled Republic’s line of credit — probably because BoA didn’t want to throw good money after bad. You may not have heard but there has been some recent financial trouble because banks lent money to people they shouldn’t have, so it is good so see a bank acting responsibly to ensure that they don’t lose more money. Unfortunately the employees got the short end of the stick — Republic folded and laid-off all their workers with only 3 days notice. The workers staged a sit-in at the factory demanding their 60 days severance and accrued vacation time.

The workers do deserve their money, but Republic has no money to distribute, so the workers are demanding that Bank of America “loan” Republic the money to pay them even though there is zero chance that they’ll get the money back. It is of course a stupid idea, but I don’t want to heap scorn on the workers (or even their union) because they’re just trying to get what they deserve. I do have nothing but scorn for the politicians that have rushed to embrace this cause — particularly Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich (D).

The governor rushed to embrace the cause and has even ordered all state agencies to stop doing business with BoA until they accede to the workers demands. Nice. This is exactly what got us in the financial crisis in the first place — government pressure on business to act in an irresponsible way to achieve a social end. The actions of this douche just piss me off.

But then I saw the news this morning: Governor Blagojevich was arrested for trying to sell an appointment for Obama’s senate seat.

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

Sorry, I usually try not to enjoy the misfortune of others — but the his tears are so sweet. I love it when corrupt politicians get what is coming to them, and this douche just adds another layer of joy to his misfortune.

And of course most reports either fail to mention that Blagojevich is a Democrat or do so in later paragraphs…

Merry Repeal Day

joby — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 08:01:48 +0000

Today is the 75th Anniversary of the Repeal of Prohibition — a victory for common sense over regulation. It’s kinda sad that even though it has been 75 years since the end of Prohibition, there are still numerous local/state/federal limits — from state liquor boards and stores to the setting of the drinking age to 21. I have sincere doubts that these unwarranted restrictions are not going to be lifted any time soon since they are generally popular with both the right (for “moral” reasons) and the left (for “health” reasons). And now the restrictionists/prohibitionists have moved to smoking and fatty foods as the new way for government to control our lives.

In the past I have been a committed drug warrior — largely because of my fairness/retribution instincts — but I’ve been largely convinced that the “War on Drugs” is completely idiotic. The billions spent by all levels of government has done nothing to make people’s lives better, has lead indirectly to the deaths of thousands, and directly to the murder of innocent citizens at the hands of the police. The complete inability of the Drug War to accomplish anything positive demonstrates, again, how counterproductive government action can be.

Reason has been running several articles on this anniversary including: The Lessons of Prohibition.

Minority vs. Minority

joby — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 03:00:45 +0000

California’s Proposition 8, which limits California to recognizing only marriages between a man and a woman, appears to have passed due to overwhelming African-American and mild Latino support:

According to exit polls, whites opposed the amendment 53-47. But blacks supported it 70-30, and Latinos supported it 51-49. The polls have blacks at 10 percent of the electorate for this issue, with Latinos at 19 percent and whites at 63 percent. (Asians, at six percent, opposed the proposition 53-47.)

it wasn’t too long ago that the courts had to intervene to allow interracial marriages. Kinda sad that just as we elect our first Black President, the African-Americans of California reject recognition of the relationships of another minority.

Although, in some tepid statements, Obama publicly stated that he was opposed to Prop 8, he also said that he opposes gay marriage. By straddling the fence and never investing any capital on the issue within the African-American community, it seems he doomed it to failure. I wonder if Ellen will be so friendly with him if he visits her show again…

I can’t screw up Alabama

joby — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:38:10 +0000

Charles Barkley plans to run for Governor of Alabama:

Brown: So are you going to run for governor?

Barkley: I plan on it in 2014.

Brown: You are serious.

Barkley: I am, I can’t screw up Alabama.

Brown: There is no place to go but up in your view?

Barkley: We are number 48 in everything and Arkansas and Mississippi aren’t going anywhere.

HEH.