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5.4.2002 1:33 AM Why I bother with Paul Krugman, I don't know. Does this man have any idea about supply-side economic thought? Not by the looks of this paragraph:
Ignoring the silly claims made by President Bush that tax cuts were needed to increase demand, the purpose for tax cuts is to create more incentives for entrepreneurs to invest and build businesses. High tax rates encourage people to hold on to their money instead of taking risks on new ideas. By lowering rates, people are more inclined to take a chance on starting a new business, expanding production, or plowing money in a new idea. Krugman misses this because he's steadfastly within the mainstream Keynesian school where macroeconomic elements are the only thing seen. Supply-side (and I would include Austrian economics even though it isn't specifically supply-side) focuses on microeconomic elements. Tax cuts stimulate individuals to take more risks which cause macroeconomic effects. Krugman's whole economic approach along with his cynicism makes him blind to this. The one who ends up looking the most ignorant is Krugman. And this guy might win a Nobel? "Window of Ignorance" Sean Hackbarth | 12:56 AM Francis Fukuyama's Our Posthuman Future appears to be the most important book published this year. I know, there's lots of time left for some even more thought-provoking tome to come out. But the response to it already shows he's challenging deeply held positions. I haven't read it yet (it's still on the large, large "must read" pile), but what intrigues me most from the reviews is his discussion of human nature. Knowing the essence of human nature will make finding answers to biotech questions much easier. Human nature also goes to the heart of politics and political philosophy. Is Man, by his nature, good? Does Original Sin (if it exists) forever corrupt Man's quest for perfection? Is there such a thing as Progress? If so, to what end is Man progressing? How do people decide when enough Progress is enough? Can Progress be stopped at all? Who stops it and how? So many questions, so many answers. Fukuyama takes his conception of Human Nature from Aristotle. This shows that these questions have confounded human minds for centuries. It also shows that there may be human universals if people of the 21th Century can learn from a man from ancient Greece. "Our Posthuman Future: Biotechnology as a Threat to Human Nature" Sean Hackbarth | 12:35 AM There shouldn't any surprise that our present war sparks curiosity in all aspects of war. War movies are big--think Behind Enemy Lines even if it wasn't that good. The upcoming Memorial Day holiday may for once focus on the real meaning behind the holiday--those who gave their lives to preserve our freedom. War-related books have sold well in the past few years with the immense popularity of Stephen Ambrose, warts and all. Now, Patrick Wright comes along with his Tank: The Progress of a Monstrous War Machine. Bruce McCall notes that Wright "liberates military history from the military expert's blinkered view and places the saga of the tank in human, political, philosophical and occasionally even metaphysical contexts that draw ideas into his book the way a magnet draws iron filings." "Tank: Annals of the Land Battleship" Sean Hackbarth | 5.3.2002 12:28 AM Can we end this ridiculous notion that Arafat gained power through free and fair elections? He rose to power like any other thug does: he bullies, shoves, and murders his way to the top. "Arafat, Elected?" [via Reductio] Sean Hackbarth | 5.2.2002 11:10 PM Human Rights Watch is already indicting Israel for war crimes. When will they issue a similar report denouncing Palestinian crimes? They say they're working on "a separate report on those responsible for suicide bombings directed against Israeli civilians." Those attacks have been going on for months with no outcry from this group. But when Israeli forces go on the offensive to prevent future homicide bombings, HRW comes out quickly with a report bashing Israel. A little one sided from these eyes. This is not to say that everything the IDF did in Jenin was appropriate. Crimes may have occurred, and they should be dealt with by the Israeli government. For instance, there is some evidence that Israeli soldiers had Palestinian civilians open doors they believed to be booby-trapped. However, HRW doesn't mention that Palestinian fighters used civilians as protection and to later claim Israeli atrocities. HRW's chief investigator, Peter Bouckaert said civilians weren't forced by Palestinian fighters to stay in Jenin, but that could be because the civilians support the terrorists and oppose Israel. Remember, the Arafat-controlled media is constantly spewing anti-Israel propaganda. That doesn't mean it was right for Palestinian fighters to continue to hide among civilians. Maybe HRW will notice this in a future report. "Israel/Occupied Territories: Jenin War Crimes Investigation Needed" Sean Hackbarth | 12:09 AM The fight for freedom is constant. Although the U.S. is the greatest country on earth, Deroy Murdock notes Marx's ghost haunts much of our public policy. "Mayday, Mayday" Sean Hackbarth | 5.1.2002 11:59 PM Great news! Jimmy Eat World wanders to Milwaukee 8.3.02. "Performance Update: Jimmy Eat World, John Mayer" Sean Hackbarth | 11:15 PM Ten thousand brave Cubans may have signed a petition demanding Castro to respect human rights, but don't expect this thug to change his ways. He's like Arafat: once a ruthless thug, always a ruthless thug. There are no principles behind his actions. It's all just a continuous grasp of power. The Cuban economy stinks, then blame it on the Yanqui embargo. The U.N. Human Rights Commission called Cuba on its human rights violation, then create a huge public protest denouncing the "treasonous sycophants" who dared tell the truth about the Communist prison island. In a twisted way, I wish Castro was developing weapons of mass destruction. Then the U.S. would actually get serious about liberating Cuba. Cuba would be on the axis of evil list along with Iraq, Iran, and North Korea. Invasion plans would be coming together to avenge the Bay of Pigs. But as long as Cuba isn't a threat to the U.S. our unofficial policy is to wait until Castro dies then see what happens. The ones who suffer the most are those trapped under Castro's heal. That includes a little boy--Elian Gonzalez--sent back to that awful place with the help of the U.S. government. "A Cuban Petition" [via OxBlog] Sean Hackbarth | 1:59 PM The Palestinians now concede that 56 died in the Battle of Jenin, not the hundreds claimed by some. Kofi Annan is considering not sending a U.N. investigation team since a massacre didn't take place. This news won't stop the Arab street from proclaiming the evils of "war criminal" Ariel Sharon. Throughout the propaganda battle over Jenin, the Israelis have been more open and truthful about what happened. While Palestinians and their sympathizers screamed to anyone who would listen about the mass graves and atrocities, Israel offered pictures that showed little of the camp was actually damaged. They also didn't stop reporters from interviewing soldiers who were fighting there. What Israel has objected to is the U.N. investigation team, and for good reason. History has shown that the U.N. has been more sympathetic to homicide bombers and their cause than Israel's right of self-defense. "Jenin 'Massacre' Reduced to Death Toll of 56" [via Drudge] Sean Hackbarth | 1:59 PM Now, U.S. and Czech intelligence don't believe Mohamed Atta met with an Iraqi official before the 9.11 attacks. It won't stop preparations for Iraq's liberation, but it will certainly give war opponents ammunition. "No Iraq Meeting for Atta" Sean Hackbarth | 1:31 PM Stephen Ambrose has lung cancer. How this news will affect future writing is unknown. "Historian Stephen Ambrose Diagnosed with Lung Cancer" Sean Hackbarth | 4.30.2002 2:04 PM Mahdi Abdul Hadid of the Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs understands Arafat very well. To Hadid, Arafat "is a maestro of tactics and his strategy is to survive.'' Not to bring peace, mind you, but to survive. If tossing out crumbs to make others believe peace will happen, so be it. But once a terrorist, always a terrorist. "Arafat Must Rally, Regroup" Sean Hackbarth | 1:58 PM The "cruel" Israelis say Arafat is allowed to leave his Ramallah compound, but he might not want to leave. He seems to be eating well. Hummas, tuna, fresh fruits and vegetables, even Coca-Cola fill his kitchen. Wow, the Israelis certainly know how to starve a guy into submission. "13,200 Pitas Dispatched to Arafat During Siege on Compound" Sean Hackbarth | 4.29.2002 11:00 AM I will not be taking part in this charity function. Fourth Annual Masturbate-A-Thon [via blogdex] Sean Hackbarth | 4.28.2002 11:16 PM According to Dr. Michael Gazzaniga
While I'm sure that decision doesn't prevent British women from aborting their children after 14 days, at least they're coming to a more sensible realization of the humanity of the unborn. I find it interesting how scientists use terms like "blastocyst" and "zygote" to refer to fertilized human eggs. It is a way to disconnect morality from science. Most would have serious qualms ripping stem cells from unborn children, killing them in the process, but extracting stem cells from a 13 day-old blastocyst removes any sense of the beings humanity, making the destruction process easier to bear. Now, let me directly confront one of Dr. Gazzaniga's points. He writes,
The simple response is "So what?" The doctor's point doesn't address the humanity of those unborn. It only addresses the means of their demise. Dr. Gazzaniga continues,
The reason people didn't hold funerals for naturally aborted children is the lack of knowledge. Natural abortions may occur without the mother's knowledge. No knowledge, no ability to mourn. In those cases when a mother does know she miscarried, there is sadness. I've witnessed it first-hand in the case of close friends. I didn't see any joy in that household. I heard the bad news and pondered what could have been. What could that child have been when they grew up? What would that child have looked like? What kind of joy would that child have brought to the world? So people do grieve. Dr. Gazzaniga's comments don't add to the debate over the humanity of a fertilized human egg. He goes on about how embryos divide and unite, but so what? That detail doesn't prove or disprove the humanity (and right to life) of that bundle of cells. Even hard line abortion advocates can't claim completely that an embryo isn't a human being. That has never stopped them from promoting abortion-on-demand. But if you're not a hardcore pro-lifer, at least you should err on the side of caution and consider the possibility that that blastocyst, zygote, whatever, is a person whose rights must be protected. That means banning abortion and scientific procedures where embryos are used as cell farms. "Zygotes and People Aren't Quite the Same" Sean Hackbarth | 1:13 AM Ken Adelman wants the U.N. team investigating the Jenin battle to ask these questions:
The focus needs to be that Israel is using force defensively, not offensively like the terorists. It's not good enough to only ask what happened in Jenin. It's more important to ask what could have happened if Israel didn't attack. In Adelman's words "we must react even before they [terrorists] act." That's what happened in Jenin. Did civilians die? Most definitely. Were they "massacred?" No. Civilians weren't the intended targets as the Washington Post reports. The battle began with the Israeli army thinking the Palestinians would back down when they moved in. Instead, Palestinian fighters dug in and Israeli reservists were left frustrated. The story goes on into more detail, but the point that must be remembered is that the IDF went into the camp to prevent future homicide bombings. Their intelligence told them that Jenin was a hotbed for terrorist cells. If Israel wanted to they could have completely flattened the camp. They didn't. The point of Jenin wasn't to humiliate Palestinians, but to prevent future attacks. That's self-defense, a right any nation has. "The Right Questions" "Israeli Reservists Tell of Jenin Assault" Sean Hackbarth | |
ABOUT When I'm not pondering the fate of the universe, I'm reading, writing, or selling books. Here you'll find comments on politics, culture, books, and music. Not necessarily in that order. MAILBOX sean--at--theamericanmind.com  Support democracy and human rights in Iraq! 
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