Month: August 2003

Arianna’s Ex: ‘She’s a Chameleon’. You know you’re a professional spots-changer when your own ex-husband — who not only came out of the closet after the divorce, but came out of the closet and questioned his Republican loyalties, to David Freakin’ Brock — calls you a “chameleon” in that New York Times profile you were waiting for. And given Arianna’s radically changed positions on Proposition 187 and immigration, this passage was especially intriguing:bq. After Ms. Huffington stated in interviews her opposition to Proposition 187, a ballot measure that bars immigrants from receiving state services and that Mr. Schwarzenegger supported, Mr. Huffington went out of his way, calling a reporter two times after an interview, to say she had encouraged him to support the measure in his campaign. [Hit & Run]

A disturbing video. On the ITV Channel 4 news tonight I saw some of the more disturbing of news footage I have seen. A cameraman points his camera at a group of US soldiers by a tank or other armoured vehicle. A soldier by the vehicle raises his gun and fires. You hear the crackle of rounds and see the muzzle flashes. Then the camera drops to the ground. The cameraman was already dead…. [Samizdata.net]

It’s interesting to see this post and another post about a similar (although much less serious) incident from Dale Amon, a Crusader. Most of the Crusaders refuse to face the consquences of the policies they advocate (and indeed there are many comments attacking both the victims of these incidents, and even Dale Amon for posting them).

Justin on Irving. Justin Raimondo on the notorious Irving Kristol essay: “Yes, says Kristol, we neocons exist. Not only that, but we have the power

22 Die As Insurgents Battle Afghan Police [AP World News]

bq. The assault began shortly before midnight Saturday when about 400 guerrillas traveling in trucks drove across the border from Pakistan and attacked the police headquarters in the province’s Barmal district, about 125 miles southeast of Kabul, said provincial Gov. Mohammed Ali Jalali. It wasn’t clear how he knew the men came from Pakistan.

This is a story to keep an eye on. If a force that large could make a successful attack and then get away clean, they’re sure to be back for more. I think it’s also significant that the guerillas went after sepoys instead of attacking American troops.

My questions for Presidential candidates. [Scripting News]

There’s a pretty good selection of questions–enough that if a candidate actually answered them all, you’d be able to get a pretty good idea of what his position would be on any other subject that’s not mentioned.

I doubt that it would be possible to get straight answers to these questions out of the candidates, though–unless you consider the third party candidates who are effectively excluded from the system anyway.

Doug Newman at The Libertarian Enterprise –

Blinded by Dumbo – Had Algore done as president what Bushnev has
done, the Republicans would have tarred and feathered him. As it is,
they’re happy with their Dumbo. [tle]
bq.
The disreputable side of me almost wishes Al Gore had been elected in
2000. How much of the above could he have gotten away with?

George W. Bush is the biggest tyrant and socialist ever to stink up
the Oval Office. And those in the media who call themselves
conservatives absolutely love him. What do they want to conserve?
Oppressive taxation? The world’s most lavish welfare state? A federal
education department that they once wanted to abolish? Gun control?

All establishment conservatives want to conserve is Clintonism. They
never get rid of anything that Clinton, LBJ, FDR, Woodrow Wilson,
etc. gave us. Democrats are at least honest when they say they support
high taxes, welfare, gun control, etc. Republicans say they oppose
these things until they get their guys in charge.

…

No matter which faction of the Socialist War Party prevails in 2004,
nothing will change. Domestically, we will have more socialism year by
year. And we will have troops spread all over the globe for God knows
what purpose. We will be in Iraq for several years to come, if not
permanently. We never will catch Osama bin Laden. Hatred for America
will continue to spread throughout the Arab world and in our infinite
hubris we will not pull our troops out of there. More restrictions
will be placed on our God-given right to self-defense. There will be
more and more federal intrusion into education and medicine. But if
Republicans are responsible for this, their supporters will tell us
that this is no big deal, because they are blinded by Dumbo.
[End the War on Freedom]

Chris Heilman: “This is a sorted and annotated list of all 135 candidates in California’s special recall election.” [Scripting News]

Most of them have web sites, although some of the sites are rather lacking in detail.

I came across an article by Justin Raimondo from 1999 about Clinton’s war on Serbia and the smear tactics the leftists used against opponents of that war. It’s interesting to compare to the Iraq war and the smears by the Crusaders.

Carl F. Worden at Sierra Times –

IRS vs. KUGLIN – FedEx Pilot Vernice Kuglin was acquitted of
income tax evasion by a Memphis jury. Seems that the IRS couldn’t
convince the jury that any law said she owed anything. [rrnd]
bq.
I think it’s time for everyone reading this to send a very polite
letter to the IRS, telling them they read about the case in Memphis,
and is it true that there is no section in the U.S. Tax Code that
requires an individual citizen to pay federal income taxes?

Don’t be threatening in any way, or announce that you plan to stop
paying federal income taxes. This request is for your personal
edification, and you just simply want to know the truth.

Like Kuglin, you probably won’t get an answer back, but just to
prove you sent the letter and that they received it, be certain to
send the letter via certified U.S. Mail, with a return receipt
requested. When you get that receipt back, staple it to a copy of the
letter you sent the IRS, and put it somewhere real secure, like a
personal safe or bank deposit box.
[End the War on Freedom]

An even better excerpt from the article:

bq. Thanks to the IRS’ arrogance and stupidity, and Kuglin’s refusal to plead to lesser charges, Kuglin accomplished what Bob Schultz and the other “tax protesters” had been denied all along: To force the IRS into a public debate and to answer the question of whether or not the Tax Code requires an individual to pay personal income taxes. Kuglin and her two attorneys, Larry Becraft and Robert Bernhoft, have unequivocally forced the IRS to show its hand, and 12 judges hearing that debate ruled the answer to be “NO”.

From leor:
bq.
“To delight in war is a merit in the soldier, a dangerous quality in
the captain, and a positive crime in the statesman.” — George
Santayana

“Bring them on.” — George W. Bush
[End the War on Freedom]