Month: November 2006

Milton Friedman RIP

The world lost a giant last night, Millton Friedman passed away at the age of 94. His ideas were the basis of Reaganomics, and the basis of the current tax cuts which have led to a booming economy.

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The most important single central fact about a free market is that no exchange takes place unless both parties benefit. — Milton Friedman 

The world lost a giant last night, Millton Friedman passed away at the age of 94. His ideas were the basis of Reaganomics, and the basis of the current tax cuts which have led to a booming economy. His ideas on liberty and free trade and how those are inseparably tied are fundamental to my personal philosophy. He will be missed, and he will be remembered.

From Wikipedia:

Milton Friedman (July 31, 1912 – November 16, 2006) was an American economist who made major contributions to the fields of macroeconomics, microeconomics, economic history and statistics, and who was also known for his advocacy of laissez-faire capitalism. In Capitalism and Freedom (1962) he advocated minimising the role of government in a free market in order to create political and social freedom. In 1976, he won the Nobel Prize for Economics for his achievements in the fields of consumption analysis, monetary history and theory and for his demonstration of the complexity of stabilization policy. His television series Free to Choose aired on PBS in early 1980. It became a book, co-authored with his wife, Rose Friedman. The book was widely read, as were his columns for Newsweek magazine.

Hung Like a Moose

moose.jpgI really don’t think this is what most people think
when they use this phrase!

Pogo Moose Incident -Fairbanks, Alaska

“They were laying new power cables which were strung
on the ground for miles. The moose are rutting right
now and very agitated. He was thrashing around and got
his antlers stuck in the cables. When the men (miles
away) began pulling the lines up with their big equipment,
the moose went up with them. They noticed excess tension
in the lines and went searching for the problem. He was
still alive when they lowered him. to the ground. He
was a huge 60 inch bull and slightly peeved…

— Contributed From Alaska by my Father.

Pakistan Rounds up Illegal Afghan Immigrants

Pakistan has rounded up 70 illegal immigrants, as reported by the Pak Tribune. I expect more of this to come over the next days and weeks.

As a follow up to yesterday’s report on the mass registration underway, Pakistan has rounded up 70 illegal immigrants, as reported by the Pak Tribune. I expect more of this to come over the next days and weeks.

QUETTA: At least 70 Afghan nationals have been nabbed during an operation against illegal immigrants in Chaman and Noshki here on Tuesday. Police arrested them under foreign act and started investigation in this regard. Illegal immigrants were allegedly involved in killing, kidnapping, robbery and other anti-social activities.

Both Musharraf and Sherpao are taking a harder line in preparation for the coming cross-border Jirga, and you have to wonder if the lack of attention to the Taleban operating freely in Waziristan wasn’t just to lull them into coming out in the open. I’ll believe that when they capture Sadiq Noor.

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Waziristan Update

The cross-border Tribal Jirgas are now starting, as we can see from this article:

CHITRAL, 13 Nov, 06: A Jirga comprising of teams from Chitral and Afghanistan met at Bir Kot Nari of Kunar province Afghanistan to discuss cross border Law an Order situation. The Chitral team comprising of Nazims Union councils and elders was led by Tehsil Nazim Sartaj Ahmad Khan, while the Afghan side was led by Lali Ameer member  Afghan provincial assembly.

The Jirga  agreed on controlling any possible terrorism activities and proclaimed that soil of both countries will never be allowed to be used by miscreants. A committee was detailed to discuss these matters after every two months. It was decided that a registration card would be issued to Afghan refugees before crossing the border. The two parties also agreed to inform each other before taking any stern action in case of any type of violation of borders.

They agreed for mutual understanding that both nationalities having mutual religions, culture and history. They stressed upon for keeping of peace at each price. (GH Farooqi)

I suspect we will see more of these along different sections of the border leading into the grand Tribal Jirga in which Musharraf and Karzai are rumored to be participants of. We will have to wait and see if the outcome is good or not. Meanwhile, registration of Afghanis and other foreign “refugees” continues, from Pak Tribune:

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Salute to Veterans

eagleflag.jpgTo those who have served, and those are are still serving, a heartfelt thank you. Memorial Day honors the fallen, this day is to honor those who survive, for that can sometimes be harder. I thank my father for his three tours in Viet Nam, and I thank my nephew who still serves.

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New Leadership

At some point we have to break the nihilistic scare and crisis cycle; whether we tell folks they are doomed by terrorism, or doomed by global warming, or doomed by marxism, or fundamentalist christians, or second-hand smoke, it makes little difference. Leading with fear always fails over time.

Thousands of bloggers are retroactively handicapping the elections, so you aren’t going to find that here. Instead let’s look forward together. The Democrats will have their new leadership, and so too in turn will the Republicans — will the new leaders bring new direction?

Large-scale questions face us in this bright new millenium, questions about direction and goals for the next one hundred years which should be answered soon. Over the past few years most of our leaders have looked into the future and blinked, turning back to the moment, the news cycle, and the comfort of past debate. The few who are focused on the long term future tend to be ignored by their peers. It’s more comforting to talk in circles than to lead to new direction.

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vote Vote VOTE!

fogtrees.jpgThis morning’s drive to the polls was wonderful — we moved through the fog, seeing grey dim trees outlined blurrily in the distance, but springing into brilliant fall colors as we neared. Like the political polls that have become closer and more accurate, so too were the red and yellow leaves drifting slowly to earth seen close-up.

When we showed up early in the am, there was already a short line. We voted without showing ID, but that’s because they have us on a checklist as having shown picture ID before. New voters in Kansas do need to show identification. The poll workers were talking about the number of early voters they’ed had, which was double the previous number. Combine that with longer than normal lines in the morning, and you have some big turn out in a Red district, I hope that’s happening everywhere.

Sadaam Sentenced to Death By Iraqi Court

“The verdict placed on the heads of the former regime does not represent a verdict for any one person. It is a verdict on a whole dark era that has was unmatched in Iraq’s history,” Nouri al-Maliki, Iraq’s Shiite prime minister, said.

“The verdict placed on the heads of the former regime does not represent a verdict for any one person. It is a verdict on a whole dark era that has was unmatched in Iraq’s history,” Nouri al-Maliki, Iraq’s Shiite prime minister, said.

Sadaam Hussein was sentenced to death after his conviction, along with his half-brother and another senior ex-official for 148 murders on one day in a town in Iraq.

Picture from Halabja, 1988

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This verdict is a victory for freedom against tyranny everywhere, not just Iraq. When Tyrants know they will be brought to justice or even could be brought to justice, they behave differently. You can bet that Chavez, Achmadinejad, and Kim Jung Il are paying attention.

 saddam head.jpgOver time all tyrants die, some just take longer than others.

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