Is Bush Courting War?

The announcement that we are sending humanitarian relief into Georgia presents a danger for the U.S. If the soldiers who are providing this aid come under fire or are wounded or killed, what is our next step?

I think it’s safe to say that the Russians don’t want a war with the United States. Given the irresponsibly belligerent talk from John McCain (and the trotting out of Hitler warnings again from the usual neocon suspects), can we say the same of Bush? Is it possible these men would court war to maintain power?

I am afraid to say, I can’t answer those questions with certainty.

Let’s all hope the Russians come to their senses.

Charles Murray: College is a Waste of Time

I’m a big fan of Charles Murray. Murray, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, gained famed several years ago for his book with Richard J. Herrnstein, The Bell Curve.

At the time, the book was, in part, interpreted as racist because it pointed out that blacks, on average, score lower than whites on IQ tests; Murray and Herrnstein noted that the cause of this discrepancy is uncertain, but also suggested that both genetic and environmental factors might be involved. Murray (Herrnstein died just before the book was released) is defending the book to this day, and since then there has been a ton of research and commentary on the validity of IQ and what, if any, conclusions can be drawn from the measurement.

Though I disagree with any suggestion of a genetic underpinning (recent evidence has demonstrated an all but certain correlation to environmental factors), the book still made some valid points, most notably this one: intelligence (however measured) has vast and important implications for success. In an America that is increasingly under pressure from the Republi-Conservative idiocracy, this obvious statement needs to be emphasized as early and as often as possible. That is to say: Intelligence is not fixed at birth. Every American must strive to develop their intellectual capacities. Wealth, happiness, and success depend upon it.

At any rate, Murray has penned a piece in today’s Wall Street Journal suggesting that college is a waste of time for most people and that certification tests would do more than the current system to equalize the unfair distribution of the wealth in this country.

I agree. Read the piece and let me know what you think.

Maureen Dowd Hits Hillary

Gotta love Maureen Dowd.

With today’s column, she takes on Hillary’s traitorous behavior, writing:

Obama also allowed Hillary supporters to insert an absurd statement into the platform suggesting that media sexism spurred her loss and that “demeaning portrayals of women … dampen the dreams of our daughters…

…It would have been better to put this language in the platform: “A woman who wildly mismanages and bankrupts a quarter-of-a-billion-dollar campaign operation, and then blames sexism in society, will dampen the dreams of our daughters.”

Amen, sister. Hillary simply lost to the better candidate. She didn’t lose because she’s a woman. For one thing, before this primary season, everyone hated Hillary, remember (Clintons = liberal liars)? For another, Obama’s ground campaign outclassed Hillary. And lastly, Barack Obama, despite the media memes that have been floated out there, is undoubtedly (there were 22 debates to judge him on) a deeply intelligent man who comes off as a person of sound judgment and character. I’d bet my Blackberry that he has never cheated on his wife.

Hillary may be deeply intelligent too, but the sound judgment and character thing? Not so much.

I wrote a post the other day about it being high time for the Hillary Hags to it hang it up. A commenter suggested that using the word hags was in itself sexist, but I dispute that idea. I was writing primarily about women, but certainly the same ideas apply to men. More to the point, these women have made Hillary’s loss about gender. It’s only fair to characterize these idiots with the same weapon they use against Obama, the media, me or anyone else who finds Hillary to be a loathsome politician.

You all may love your Clintons, but after Wednesday at the convention, it’s exit stage left. Barack Obama needs your vote. And if you can’t stomach that, then think of it this way: That 14 year-old girl in Alabama needs an abortion. You’re really going to pull the lever for John McCain?

If that is the case, all I can do is remind you that you are cutting off your nose to spite your face. Good luck with that.

Russian Cyberattack on Georgia

Apparently, the Russians launched a cyberattack concurrently and in coordination with their military attack on Georgia. It is, according to the New York Times, a first.

This kind of attack seems destined to be a permanent feature of future wars. The story, by John Markoff, is here.