All posts in category Politics

Extreme Decision 2008 – Primaries

So what about the candidates?

Not an attempt to persuade, rather an unhelpful blathering of dropped from a helicopter on a snowboard-, restauranteur pioneer of Pripyat, Ukraine-style observations of their current standing. In other words, more of what you see on TV, only bloggy-style:

  • Obama: Speaks very well, in line with values of many, yet enough folks are still too prejudiced and others are secretly afraid he won’t stand up against a Republican monster.
  • Biden: Oh, please! This is where I put the expression “jacking your dick” because it belongs somewhere.
  • Edwards: Doesn’t inspire enough passion. He articulates many things people want done but no one believes he can get them done.
  • Richardson: Seems like he’d be a solid cabinet member once Clinton wins.
  • Kucinich: Another place, another time…
  • Clinton: Tremendous lead among mainstream and corporate interests. Not offensive enough to drive off everyone else who’s pissed and demands change.
  • Paul: Attacked viciously because he loudly proclaims the popular will on major issues. Can’t have that! Very good chance he’ll be a 3rd party spoiler and screw everything up for the Democrats.
  • Giuliani: Charisma and bald confidence will get you a lot of places (see Bush Jr.) but there’s plenty more mud headed his way. Not acceptable to the loud minorities of Republicans, too vulnerable on too much.
  • Romney: 3-way furball between these last. Slip-ups will dog Romney and prejudice will play a role here, probably wrongly. (There are a lot of bizarre Christians who are decent people in their private lives and who insist on screwing up the private lives of others, he doesn’t deserve singling out for those qualities)
  • Huckabee: The kind of unkind conservative Republicans love. McCain’s biggest competition from the values voters. Could make it.
  • McCain: Momentum will build when the media realizes all that hugging with Bush means “Old Freaky” has plenty of support where he needs it. The aroma of a “comeback” story will be intoxicating. A survivor, a veteran, and a dirk-carrying operator with the best chance.
by vthunderlad on December 24, 2007  •  Permalink
Posted in Campaign 2008

Posted by vthunderlad on December 24, 2007

https://losthunderlads.com/2007/12/24/extreme-decision-2008-primaries/

Crackpot Realism

Via antiwar.com:

In 1958, the New Left sociologist C. Wright Mills made a seminal contribution to political science in his book The Causes of World War Three by introducing the concept of “crackpot realism.” He applied the notion specifically to the intellectual outlook of top government officials, especially the ones known as the “serious people,” who have proven their capacity for dealing with important practical affairs by, say, managing a giant corporation, such as Halliburton or G. D. Searle, or a huge educational institution, such as Texas A&M University or the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.

Mills’s key insight was that although such people have indeed been movers and shakers, they have moved and shaken within such a constricted milieu of experience and training that in most respects they are fools. Despite having developed supreme confidence in their own judgment and a corresponding contempt for other people’s views, they are astonishingly ignorant of many workaday aspects of the world and bewildered in the face of unexpected difficulties. As government leaders responsible for matters of war and peace, they have a tendency to paint themselves into corners of their own making and, then, seeing no way out, to conclude that their only escape lies in dropping bombs on somebody. As Mills observed, “instead of the unknown fear, the anxiety without end, some men of the higher circles prefer the simplification of known catastrophe.”

From Robert Higgs (a crackpot himself, but one who was capable of writing a good column) at http://www.lewrockwell.com/higgs/higgs68.html. 

by acilius on November 20, 2007  •  Permalink
Posted in Politics
Tagged

Posted by acilius on November 20, 2007

https://losthunderlads.com/2007/11/20/crackpot-realism/

Lonely Candidate

Via Wonkette, a strangely funny political website.

http://lonelycandidate.com/

by acilius on September 26, 2007  •  Permalink
Posted in Campaign 2008
Tagged

Posted by acilius on September 26, 2007

https://losthunderlads.com/2007/09/26/lonely-candidate/

Universalized Conscriptionment

 It’s necessary ASAP. How else to get the country to move beyond caring and moping about to mobilizing against war? Plus, if we believe ourselves to be a powerful force for good we should have plenty more combat troops to enforce our goodness.

I’m not kidding.

(Title Bushinated so’s our children and leaders can understand. – Earl)

by vthunderlad on September 14, 2007  •  Permalink
Posted in Politics

Posted by vthunderlad on September 14, 2007

https://losthunderlads.com/2007/09/14/universalized-conscriptionment/

A provocation from Mencius Moldbug

Lefalcon seems to be interested in “political theology,” the notion that all political ideologies are really religious doctrines in disguise.  Below, Mencius Moldbug of the “Unqualified Reservations” blog tries to identify the religious doctrine behind the liberal internationalism that animates supporters of things like NATO, the UN, etc.

  http://unqualified-reservations.blogspot.com/2007/07/universalism-postwar-progressivism-as.html

If you don’t want to follow the link, I’ll put the key paragraphs after the jump:

(more…)

by acilius on September 13, 2007  •  Permalink
Posted in Politics, Theology
Tagged ,

Posted by acilius on September 13, 2007

https://losthunderlads.com/2007/09/13/a-provocation-from-mencius-moldbug/

Bush’s logical successor

Courtesy of Wonkette, a photo of the candidate the Republican Party wishes it could might as well try to put in the White House in 2008.

Bush’s logical successor

by acilius on September 8, 2007  •  Permalink
Posted in Campaign 2008, Weird Pictures

Posted by acilius on September 8, 2007

https://losthunderlads.com/2007/09/08/bushs-logical-successor/

Mahmood Mamdani on Iraq and Darfur

The following paragraphs began an article by Columbia University’s Mahmood Mamdani comparing Western attitudes to Iraq and Darfur.  The article originally appeared in the LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS in March and was reprinted in THE AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE last month. 

The Politics of Naming: Genocide, Civil War, Insurgency

Mahmood Mamdani

The similarities between Iraq and Darfur are remarkable. The estimate of the number of civilians killed over the past three years is roughly similar. The killers are mostly paramilitaries, closely linked to the official military, which is said to be their main source of arms. The victims too are by and large identified as members of groups, rather than targeted as individuals. But the violence in the two places is named differently. In Iraq, it is said to be a cycle of insurgency and counter-insurgency; in Darfur, it is called genocide. Why the difference? Who does the naming? Who is being named? What difference does it make? (more…)

by acilius on September 4, 2007  •  Permalink
Posted in Iraq, Ogaden & Darfur, Politics
Tagged

Posted by acilius on September 4, 2007

https://losthunderlads.com/2007/09/04/mahmood-mamdani-on-iraq-and-darfur/

An email I sent to P, in which I critiqued your least-favorite blogger

P-funk has been sending me emails lately with his views on society and class in Brazil, a topic whereupon my ignorance is almost total.  So I keep trying to change the subject.  Something he said yesterday reminded me of a recent posting on Steve Sailer’s blog, so I took the opportunity to introduce him to that site and my reservations about it.  With P’s permission, I copy the message below.   (more…)

by acilius on August 15, 2007  •  Permalink
Posted in Politics, Responses
Tagged ,

Posted by acilius on August 15, 2007

https://losthunderlads.com/2007/08/15/an-email-i-sent-to-p-in-which-i-critiqued-your-least-favorite-blogger/

Women’s Dress

I got this off the Internet.  (I’ve modified it slightly for readability.):“God, the Most Merciful, gave us three basic rules for the dress code for women in Islam:

“1.The BEST garment is the garment of righteousness.

“2.Whenever you dress, cover your chest (bosoms).

“3.Lengthen your garment.

“While these three BASIC rules may not sound enough for those who do not trust God, the TRUE believers know that God is ENOUGH.  God could have given us more details to the point of having graphs, designs and color rules, but He, the Most Merciful, wants to give us exactly these very basic rules and leave the rest for us.  After these three basic rules every woman is more aware of her circumstances and can adjust her dress for her situation.  Any addition to these basic Quranic rules is an attempt to correct God or improve on His merciful design.

“What better than to quote God’s words in description of this trait of the human race:

“‘We have cited in this Quran every kind of example, but the human being is the most argumentative creature.’ (18:54)

“We have no obligation to follow but God’s rules, just as His messenger did all the time.  Innovations and fabrications that added thousands of rules to the women’s dress code are nothing but idol-worship and should be refused.

“STAY WITH GOD.  That is where the winners go.

“May God bless us with His mercy and guidance.”

 

My reason for being interested in the passage above is as follows:

I have heard people make statements about what is (supposedly) obligatory dress for Muslim women, statements in which these people claim to have very specific information about the guidelines and the permissible range of choices prescribed in the Islamic religious system.  However, people can be a bit vague about where these guidelines are located.  Maybe the fault is mine, for not pressing them hard enough to give me “chapter and verse.”

In any case, it is easy to throw around religious claims.  It is more challenging to cite passages of Qur’an and Hadith and then to explain how you interpret these passage to arrive at the desired conclusion.

I cannot verify the 100% accuracy of the quoted material above.  However, if it is indeed the case that the Qur’anic injunctions regarding women’s dress are that sparse and that open to interpretation, then I would say the following:

The position that the absolute minimum for women’s public dress is a loose-fitting black garment called abaya and a head cover with a face opening, seems much less authoritative than some would maintain.

 

by lefalcon on July 19, 2007  •  Permalink
Posted in Politics, Realms of Araby
Tagged

Posted by lefalcon on July 19, 2007

https://losthunderlads.com/2007/07/19/womens-dress/

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