That seems harsh Kimmi, there's a long way to go but I don't think our current point nor our trajectory is in keeping with Bell's pessimistic prediction. Blacks are moving into the suburbs in considerable numbers; whites are moving back into the urban settings similarily. If we could eliminate the utter scab that is the War on Drugs I suspect we'd find the fundamentals beyond that abominable distortion of a policy have become considerably improved.
Completely apt. I utterly melt every time I observe a seeing eye dog; they strike me as four legged personifications of all that is good and pure in the world. And, of course, the magnificent Labrador is an angel even by dog standards. The only thing I don't envy in your dog, Mike, is when that time comes.
If the aliens arrived right now we'd tell em to go stuff it (politely). Things aren't bad enough for one and for another Bell's predictions about the trajectory of African American advancement haven't proven accurate enough.
Bob's schtick was an open invitation to ridicule Mike. The alternative to mocking it was to be angered by it or ignore it. The former was something he always derived great glee from and the latter cast the whole commentariate in a bad light so ridicule was by far the preferable response.
My Grandfather was a fisherman, I saw stuff somewhat similar to Snarks teeth coming up at me over the gunwales pretty frequently as a kid so I'm rather inured. They are fun in the human lips tho.
Well of course they do. I'm only thirty percent in favor of digging up my lawn to get rid of gophers but I can say with great confidence that my interest would skyrocket if I could get my neighbor to take the lead on it for me.
Different people can read different things into the same polls obviously. What my own take on it is that the Israeli's (very sensibly) think Iran getting the bomb would be a highly undesirable thing but they part company with Likud and the right on whether Iran would use the bomb on Israel if they got it. To wit, the Israeli's haven't been convinced by Bibi et all that the Iranian regime is mad enough to commit suicide (a sentiment I agree with).
As for left/right dem/gop Labor/Likud comparisons I agree it's a facile comparison. Kadima is a centrist party and the peace wing in Israel is currently moribund from despair (courtesy of Palestinian idiocy after the Gazan withdrawal).
Yes that's some better reasoning than I'd originally expected. On the other hand, though, I suspect that China will be historically unique when (if!) it rises to power in that it's commercial success will be deeply dependant on global trade ties. China simply doesn't have the internal resources to be an economic superpower without importing epic masses of raw material from outside. That's significantly different from the other historic rising powers who could afford to b protectionist because they produced their economic output using both internal labor AND raw materials. I mean short of invading all of Eastern Russian and Mongolia they just don't have the resources to go it alone and I'd think that'd act as a huge brake on any extreme protectionist impulses they may have.
Also, in the long run it seems to me that China has a demographic chrisis of epic proportions on its hands via their one child policy. I frankly remain deeply skeptical that a rise to global superpowerdom is even plausible for China.
The point, Scott, is that if there really are great masses of customers who disapprove a boycott is a valid response. On the other hand if it's a handful of tools who've set up some boxes to spam negative reviews onto the metacritic sites that's considerably less acceptable (and also kind of lame).
Unfortunately, Tom, the Iranians learned that lesson quite well. If Israel could have pulled an Osirac or a Syria you can bet your bottom dollar they'd have done it already. Even the Israeli hawks concede that the worst that Israel could do right now (assuming every aspect of the operation went perfectly) would be to set the Iranian program back by years, not eliminate it entirely. Iran's nuclear infrastructure is too hardened and dispersed to Osirac. I wish it were otherwise.
Mike, it's not exactly a criticism per say, just an observation of fact, Libertarians just have a lot further to go on this issue. The right and the Left both would hate this proposal so of course politically speaking it's a non-starter.
Are you connected with Israel on some personal level Gruntled or just a dilettante like myself (I have Israeli friends but that doesn't count)? Either way, well done because that's a solid B+ imitation of the standard Likud tract (well except for that little turd cherry of a final paragraph, tsk on that).
It's particularly apt in that it pretty much covers all of Israels history up to the present day, well if by present day you mean the mid-70's which is again, an excellent enactment of the Likud and Israeli right in generals mindset.
What this ignores, of course, is that contrary to your assertions the Palestinians have made considerable efforts towards peace with Israel. Arafat, the old crook, of course never believed in it and played the whole affair like one giant con but many of his technocratic successors have definitely played it straight. Salam Fayyad, for instance has done yeoman's work on developing an accountable administration and security cooperation with Israel and internal stomping has pretty much put an end to the horrific terror attacks that Israel suffered in the 90's and early aught's. I'd note again you get points in your Likud impersonation for pretending that military belligerence and that fence they threw up is entirely responsible for the ending of the attacks as if there aren't a slew of Israeli targets on the other side of the fence.
Of course this leaves out that we know pretty much out how far the Palestinian administators were willing to go to try and resolve the conflict thanks to wikileaks. This also leaves out that the Israeli right continues to have no answer as to what they propose to do about Israel's mounting demographic crisis or what they're going to do when the Palestinians abandon the two state program entirely and begin demanding annexation and a vote in Israel itself. But that's the Israeli right for you, always talking about the seventies (or earlier).
Snarky, you have an excellent point but we actually have an answer which can be summed up in one word; Bollywood. The Indian sub-continent has a sprawling, developed and sophisticated entertainment industry which is made by Muslims for Muslims and is fully capable of transmitting cultural mores that, while not exactly American or Western, are quite compatible with them.
If I were President and causing culture to progress in the Middle East was my big foreign goal then a massive focus on defusing the Indian/Pakistani affair would be one of my top priorities. If Kashmir and the fraternal hostility between those two nations could be cooled and put to bed I suspect that Bollywood would mainline cultural development into the middle east at an even faster rate than it does now.
I'm with ya on all that James, and certainly any political realist would say that the powers that be in Iran would really prefer to keep the party going about the way it is now while the religious powers gorge themselves on the gravy train and watch as their IRG underlings steadily take over the reins of power in the country. Neither of those constituencies have any interest in vaporizing in a wave of Israeli retaliatory nuclear strikes. But of course American neo-cons and Israeli right wingers don't really care if that is likely enough, they just want it to be plausible enough so they can start a war with Iran.
Intifada #2 was bad Jaybird but what really really screwed the left wingers over was the goddamn idiocy that happened after Sharon pulled Israel and her settler crazies kicking and screaming out of Gaza. The Israeli's still haven't entirely settled and resolved their angry hissy fit throwing settlers from that area today and all they got for that withdrawal was Hamas in control of Gaza and an initially relentless but now intermittent shower of makeshift rockets into Israel proper. That killed the land for peace constituency in Israel stone dead; at least so far.
If you add in US allies in that border on their waters you get a dominant allied surface fleet that could (under the old school of reasoning) chase China off the water. Most likely of course the Chinese would just sink such a fleet with land based aircraft, rainstorms of missiles and subs as Blaise aptly noted.
*Comment archive for non-registered commenters assembled by email address as provided.
On ““The Space Traders””
That seems harsh Kimmi, there's a long way to go but I don't think our current point nor our trajectory is in keeping with Bell's pessimistic prediction. Blacks are moving into the suburbs in considerable numbers; whites are moving back into the urban settings similarily. If we could eliminate the utter scab that is the War on Drugs I suspect we'd find the fundamentals beyond that abominable distortion of a policy have become considerably improved.
On “Man’s Best Friend”
Completely apt. I utterly melt every time I observe a seeing eye dog; they strike me as four legged personifications of all that is good and pure in the world. And, of course, the magnificent Labrador is an angel even by dog standards. The only thing I don't envy in your dog, Mike, is when that time comes.
On ““The Space Traders””
If the aliens arrived right now we'd tell em to go stuff it (politely). Things aren't bad enough for one and for another Bell's predictions about the trajectory of African American advancement haven't proven accurate enough.
On “Iran, Israel, And Wannabe Masters Of War”
Bob's schtick was an open invitation to ridicule Mike. The alternative to mocking it was to be angered by it or ignore it. The former was something he always derived great glee from and the latter cast the whole commentariate in a bad light so ridicule was by far the preferable response.
"
My Grandfather was a fisherman, I saw stuff somewhat similar to Snarks teeth coming up at me over the gunwales pretty frequently as a kid so I'm rather inured. They are fun in the human lips tho.
"
Well of course they do. I'm only thirty percent in favor of digging up my lawn to get rid of gophers but I can say with great confidence that my interest would skyrocket if I could get my neighbor to take the lead on it for me.
"
There is a significant Muslim component to Bollywood. Muslims (Indian Muslims specifically) are a big part of their audience.
"
I liked the basketball playing robot. The new gravatar's eyes follow me around the room. Creepy!
"
Different people can read different things into the same polls obviously. What my own take on it is that the Israeli's (very sensibly) think Iran getting the bomb would be a highly undesirable thing but they part company with Likud and the right on whether Iran would use the bomb on Israel if they got it. To wit, the Israeli's haven't been convinced by Bibi et all that the Iranian regime is mad enough to commit suicide (a sentiment I agree with).
As for left/right dem/gop Labor/Likud comparisons I agree it's a facile comparison. Kadima is a centrist party and the peace wing in Israel is currently moribund from despair (courtesy of Palestinian idiocy after the Gazan withdrawal).
"
Hmm I wrote a reply to this but it vanished.. wonder if it got caught in the spam filter for some reason?
On “The World American Dysfunction Made”
Yes that's some better reasoning than I'd originally expected. On the other hand, though, I suspect that China will be historically unique when (if!) it rises to power in that it's commercial success will be deeply dependant on global trade ties. China simply doesn't have the internal resources to be an economic superpower without importing epic masses of raw material from outside. That's significantly different from the other historic rising powers who could afford to b protectionist because they produced their economic output using both internal labor AND raw materials. I mean short of invading all of Eastern Russian and Mongolia they just don't have the resources to go it alone and I'd think that'd act as a huge brake on any extreme protectionist impulses they may have.
Also, in the long run it seems to me that China has a demographic chrisis of epic proportions on its hands via their one child policy. I frankly remain deeply skeptical that a rise to global superpowerdom is even plausible for China.
On “A vendetta against BioWare?”
The point, Scott, is that if there really are great masses of customers who disapprove a boycott is a valid response. On the other hand if it's a handful of tools who've set up some boxes to spam negative reviews onto the metacritic sites that's considerably less acceptable (and also kind of lame).
"
Yeah Bioware has done some fine work.
On “Iran, Israel, And Wannabe Masters Of War”
I stand corrected on the principles.
"
Unfortunately, Tom, the Iranians learned that lesson quite well. If Israel could have pulled an Osirac or a Syria you can bet your bottom dollar they'd have done it already. Even the Israeli hawks concede that the worst that Israel could do right now (assuming every aspect of the operation went perfectly) would be to set the Iranian program back by years, not eliminate it entirely. Iran's nuclear infrastructure is too hardened and dispersed to Osirac. I wish it were otherwise.
"
Bob ran himself off Mike. I'm still feeling quite sad about it myself but it's important to keep the distinction in mind.
"
Mike, it's not exactly a criticism per say, just an observation of fact, Libertarians just have a lot further to go on this issue. The right and the Left both would hate this proposal so of course politically speaking it's a non-starter.
"
Are you connected with Israel on some personal level Gruntled or just a dilettante like myself (I have Israeli friends but that doesn't count)? Either way, well done because that's a solid B+ imitation of the standard Likud tract (well except for that little turd cherry of a final paragraph, tsk on that).
It's particularly apt in that it pretty much covers all of Israels history up to the present day, well if by present day you mean the mid-70's which is again, an excellent enactment of the Likud and Israeli right in generals mindset.
What this ignores, of course, is that contrary to your assertions the Palestinians have made considerable efforts towards peace with Israel. Arafat, the old crook, of course never believed in it and played the whole affair like one giant con but many of his technocratic successors have definitely played it straight. Salam Fayyad, for instance has done yeoman's work on developing an accountable administration and security cooperation with Israel and internal stomping has pretty much put an end to the horrific terror attacks that Israel suffered in the 90's and early aught's. I'd note again you get points in your Likud impersonation for pretending that military belligerence and that fence they threw up is entirely responsible for the ending of the attacks as if there aren't a slew of Israeli targets on the other side of the fence.
Of course this leaves out that we know pretty much out how far the Palestinian administators were willing to go to try and resolve the conflict thanks to wikileaks. This also leaves out that the Israeli right continues to have no answer as to what they propose to do about Israel's mounting demographic crisis or what they're going to do when the Palestinians abandon the two state program entirely and begin demanding annexation and a vote in Israel itself. But that's the Israeli right for you, always talking about the seventies (or earlier).
"
From your lips to God(ess?)'s ears Kolohe, and I typed that so hard my keyboard creaked.
I only pray to that distant vague agnostic whatever that your optimistic take is the correct one.
"
That's certainly a consistant Libertarian solution Mike, as politically impossible as it is compliant with Libertarian principals.
"
Snarky, you have an excellent point but we actually have an answer which can be summed up in one word; Bollywood. The Indian sub-continent has a sprawling, developed and sophisticated entertainment industry which is made by Muslims for Muslims and is fully capable of transmitting cultural mores that, while not exactly American or Western, are quite compatible with them.
If I were President and causing culture to progress in the Middle East was my big foreign goal then a massive focus on defusing the Indian/Pakistani affair would be one of my top priorities. If Kashmir and the fraternal hostility between those two nations could be cooled and put to bed I suspect that Bollywood would mainline cultural development into the middle east at an even faster rate than it does now.
"
God laughs indeed J.L. I have had similar thoughts myself.
"
I'm with ya on all that James, and certainly any political realist would say that the powers that be in Iran would really prefer to keep the party going about the way it is now while the religious powers gorge themselves on the gravy train and watch as their IRG underlings steadily take over the reins of power in the country. Neither of those constituencies have any interest in vaporizing in a wave of Israeli retaliatory nuclear strikes. But of course American neo-cons and Israeli right wingers don't really care if that is likely enough, they just want it to be plausible enough so they can start a war with Iran.
"
Intifada #2 was bad Jaybird but what really really screwed the left wingers over was the goddamn idiocy that happened after Sharon pulled Israel and her settler crazies kicking and screaming out of Gaza. The Israeli's still haven't entirely settled and resolved their angry hissy fit throwing settlers from that area today and all they got for that withdrawal was Hamas in control of Gaza and an initially relentless but now intermittent shower of makeshift rockets into Israel proper. That killed the land for peace constituency in Israel stone dead; at least so far.
On “The World American Dysfunction Made”
If you add in US allies in that border on their waters you get a dominant allied surface fleet that could (under the old school of reasoning) chase China off the water. Most likely of course the Chinese would just sink such a fleet with land based aircraft, rainstorms of missiles and subs as Blaise aptly noted.
*Comment archive for non-registered commenters assembled by email address as provided.