Not The End, But A Return
You may have noticed that I have not been blogging for some time. The reason is simple. I am burned out, and feel as though I am just repeating myself. All of what I have to say is in my archive, or on my website, and I no longer can add to them.
As a boy and teenager, I enjoyed drawing and painting. I majored in art in school, and as a young man went to art school. But, I also joined the Army
Sat, 29 Mar 2008 13:14:52 -0500
Why are University Faculty Generally Lefist
Naomi Schaefer Riley pushed an article, "The Ivory Tower Leans Left, but Why?" in the February 29, 2008, The Wall Street Journal, reporting on soon to be published study of why university faculty are so on the left. Faculty support for democrats, usually liberals or the socialist inclined, versus republicans, runs to about 80-90 percent. This is documented by party contributions. But the 20
Sun, 02 Mar 2008 15:24:01 -0600
Hitler Again, And Now Mussolini
Sometimes there is an historical falsehood that is so convenient, so persuasive that it must be true, especially because of the reputation of those who assert it, that one can not kill it by driving a stake through its its heart. Such is the belief that Hitler was elected, and it came up again in a recent comment about the danger in democracy--that Mussolini also was elected added.
Once again,
Sun, 02 Mar 2008 09:55:12 -0600
World Freedom 2008
Freedom House has published its report on freedom in the world in 2008. In summary, it says: [T]he year 2007 was marked by a notable setback for global freedom. The decline was most pronounced in South Asia, but also reached significant levels in the former Soviet Union, the Middle East and North Africa, and sub-Saharan Africa. It affected a substantial number of large and politically important
Tue, 26 Feb 2008 09:17:47 -0600
Terrorists Exploiting Second Life?
Hi folks and back.
I have spent some time in the virtual world of Second Life (SL). I have taught a democratic peace seminar there (the associated blog is still online here, and all posts on this seminar are in my archive.). I also set up a SL samurai school for fun and taught samurai fighting with the katana and naginata. So, I know something about SL first hand.
Western intelligence agencies
Mon, 25 Feb 2008 10:08:20 -0600
Blog Vacation
Hi Folks. I will have to take a blog vacation for about a week or more. If you miss my words, take a look at my archive. I think you will find more than enough there of interest, such as this "A Moment For A Good Laugh."
Fri, 15 Feb 2008 07:51:48 -0600
It is now clear that the democratic peace has been well proven by the decline in world violence as the world has become more democratically free. I have written several blogs on this with accompanying plots of violence. See here for the latest. And see the blog archive topics PROPOSITIONS-->DEMOCRACIES HAVE THE LEAST SEVERE INTERNATIONAL AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE?RESULTING DECLINE IN VIOLENCE.
In
Wed, 13 Feb 2008 08:36:14 -0600
Not A Left-Right Political Scale, But Three--The Political Triangle
In this time of intense politics I continue to hear commentators locate the candidates on a left-right scale. There is even a blog entitled, "Left, Right and Centered, and a news source title, "The Left Right Debate". And you probably have used the left-right political scale yourself to characterize politicians or friends. As a concept this scale is deeply imbedded in our minds--it is our
Tue, 12 Feb 2008 14:35:58 -0600
Economic Freedom-->Human Rights-->Prosperity
Anthony B. Kim in his article, The Link between Economic Freedom and Human Rights, is right: Economic freedom is essentially about ensuring human rights. Strengthening and expanding it guarantees an individual's natural right to achieve his or her goals and then own the value of what they create. Amartya Sen, a Nobel laureate economist who has made considerable contributions to development
Mon, 11 Feb 2008 09:50:48 -0600
An Endorsement for McCain
The struggle for party nomination in each primary/caucus in each state is thrilling and political drama. It is democracy functioning, as it should, and illustrates what is meant by "the people decide." Now it is time for my own endorsement of one of the candidates.
I am on domestic issues a libertarian, and if I were only concerned with them, I would have endorsed Republican Ron Paul earlier.
Fri, 08 Feb 2008 21:28:18 -0600
Nature's Law: Change By Leaps and Bounds
A statistical study of three language groups showed that languages change in leaps and bounds, another confirmation that earthquake like change is a rule of nature. In my study of conflict, I have adopted catastrophe theory as the best model of social and political change, one that fits my social field theory and conception of the conflict helix (pre-edited version--full edited and revised
Thu, 07 Feb 2008 10:26:19 -0600
Islamofascism At Work
"Saudi Businesswoman Lands in Riyadh Jail - For Having Coffee with Male Colleague at Starbucks" No doubt this is just one incident, and a more minor one, of the millions that women suffer under Islamofascism, what the Muslim terrorists we are at war with want to impose on the world. Of course, this is just another religion that many people believe, and we should not be disrespectful of the faith
Wed, 06 Feb 2008 08:06:40 -0600
Saddam Hussein Planned To Redevelop All WMD
On the question of Iraq's WMD and whether Saddam Hussein was enough of a danger to the U.S. to justify invading Iraq (leaving aside that he was a megamurdering bloody dictator and a danger to his neighbors), read the following editorial inThe Wall Street Journal of 2/1/08, p. A-14 (my comments in brackets): Journalists are taught never to "bury the lead." Yet it looks as if that's precisely what
Tue, 05 Feb 2008 08:16:42 -0600
Women In Islamofascist land
We live in an era during which bloody thugs are allowed to seize or inherit a country and as long as they control it with their guns, they are considered a sovereign government and have all the international legal rights given, say, the United States. They thus can rape, pillage, and murder its inhabitants at will. Witness North Korea, Sudan, and Burma. We also live in an era in which about 50
Mon, 04 Feb 2008 10:09:57 -0600
Will The Next President Promote Democracy?
So, whether Democrat or Republican, will the next American president promote democracy? An answer is given by Gerald Hyman in his December 7, 2007,
" Democracy Promotion in the Next Administration." Hyman is the Center for Strategic and International Studies' senior adviser and president of the Hill's Program on Governance. He has this to say: (my comments are in brackets): Q1: Will the next
Sun, 03 Feb 2008 14:25:53 -0600
Printing Press, Xerox, and Now Google Book Search--Three Cheers
As some of you may know, Google is digitizing 32 million books. The cost may be $800 million, was begun in 2004, and may take ten more years. The content of those books already digitized is available here, and that greedy, blood sucking, capitalist company is making them . . . free.
Some of my books and articles are now in Google's database, with full contents to be searched or read. Those not
Sat, 02 Feb 2008 08:13:58 -0600
Yes, Democracies Commit Democide, But...
That democratic governments have killed about two million people in the last century should come as a shock to most readers. About 1.8 million of this is foreign democide, while the domestic mainly due to Republican Spain during the Civil War (102k), India, and France after WWII. The foreign involves 365k for France, 573k for the UK, and 573k for the U.S. For the UK and U.S, these totals include
Thu, 31 Jan 2008 13:12:24 -0600
Press Freedom and World Peace
Newspaper editors hardly have to be told about the importance of press freedom. Nor do they need to be lectured on the virtues of peace. But surprisingly, few editors seem to be aware of, or articulate, the strong connection between the two. Quite simply, a free press promotes peace; creating a universally free press would promote universal peace. The bridge between the two is liberal democracy.
Wed, 30 Jan 2008 14:34:36 -0600
Waging Peace Through Democracy
As long ago as 1795 Immanuel Kant argued that a world of democracies would create perpetual peace. This idea has never been lost. But not until work beginning in the 1960s by Dean Babst and carried on by many other researchers and historians has it been established through scientific and scholarly studies that in fact democracy IS a way to peace. Theory, case studies, and empirical evidence now
Tue, 29 Jan 2008 08:14:54 -0600
The Mortacracy That Is The Congo
The International Rescue Committee has recently published a Congo Special Report on Mortality in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. To estimate the mortality, the IRC "used a three-stagecluster sampling technique to survey 14,000 households in 35 health zones across all 11 provinces." Based on this and previous surveys, it estimates that "5.4 million excess deaths have occurred between August
Mon, 28 Jan 2008 08:49:24 -0600
How To Effectively Democratize (Repost)
In response to my "How Can Top Experts Miss the Solution to a Nuclear-Free World?, Anonymous asked: [W]hen you promote spreading democracy, clearly a worthy goal, what do you think is the best way to do that? Where does U.S. military intervention, diplomacy, the UN, etc. fit in? I have given a partial answer to this in my blog of March 2, 2006, "How To Effectively Democratize". I repost it below
Fri, 25 Jan 2008 08:46:57 -0600
This Is It--The New Blog Template
This is about as far as I will go in revising the old blog template. There should be no overlap between text and sidebar, and the layout should be good, as it is on my Mac. Please, Windows users, let me know if there is a problem of any kind. I want this easy to read, with well contained graphics, and links to what I consider most important. Cheers
Thu, 24 Jan 2008 09:18:35 -0600
Blog Template Problem
Several readers have informed me of a template problem with my blog (hat tip to all). Portions of the sidebar that was on the left overlay the text on the right in Window's pc, making the blog difficult to read. I use a Mac, system 10.4, and tested the blog with five different browsers without seeing a problem. This is clearly a Window's issue. It may be temporary, but I do not want to bet on it.
Tue, 22 Jan 2008 23:06:23 -0600
Freedom, Democracy, and Human Development
In a recent The Wall Street Journal commentary, "The Real Key to Development," Mary Anastasia O'Grady writes: Are the world's impoverished masses destined to live lives of permanent misery unless rich countries transfer wealth for spending on education and infrastructure?
You might think so if your gurus on development economics earn their bread and butter "lending" at the World Bank. Education
Tue, 22 Jan 2008 06:45:07 -0600
The Great Intimidation Day
Today is the Great Intimidation Day, the day honoring Martin Luther King (MLK) with a national holiday all his own. It is a the day of shameful fear of the consequences of not voting for it, of not being politically correct, of being called a racist.
In 1983, the bill making this day a national holiday passed the House by 338 to 90 and the Senate by 78 to 22. President Reagan then signed the
Tue, 22 Jan 2008 04:39:21 -0600
