| February 1st, 2006 |
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Never has anyone been so blessed in his enemies as President Bush. I've long since become disenchanted with the Republican Party (not conservative principles) but I cannot forsee any circumstances that would compel me to vote for the Evil Party instead. Despite his myriad failures, I still believe the US dodged a bullet last November. The price we pay for those quadrennial spectacles is the president of the United States, an office that was once meant to enforce laws or thwart Congress, promising to be omnipresent and omnipotent to every individual in the country, and lately the world. President Bush cannot and should not be held solely responsible for this phenomenon. The modern presidency is just as much a media creation as it is the result of choices made my individual presidents. Men like Thomas Jefferson and James Madison couldn't get elected mayor of a medium sized burg today, let alone president. These days presidents must have agendas. They steer the ship of state. They drive the economy. They are leaders of the free world. I think this is why no libertarian will ever win a significant office: they have to put an enormous chunk of principle in cold storage just to participate in mainstream political debate.
If I were president, this would be my State of the Union speech during times of peace: "You don't need me to run your life. These aren't the programs you're looking for. You can go about your business. Move along." In times of war, it would be this: "Commander, tear this world apart until you find al-Qaeda, and bring me Osama, I want him alive!"
Governor Tim Kaine definitely smells what the Rock is cookin'.
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Well I'll be. Who'd have thought? Old Europe isn't quite dead yet. In case you haven't been paying attention, practitioners of the Religion of Peace have been calling for the murder of Danish cartoonists and the boycotting of Danish goods. What was their crime? Making illustrations of Mohammed. The cartoons can be found here along with many other historical illustrations of Mohammed. I, for one, am going to buy Danish whenever possible. The courageous Dutch politician Geert Wilders - who has to be guarded 24/7 because, you guessed it, peaceful Muslims have threatened to murder him - has also put the cartoons on his website. In fact, free speech is breaking out all over Europe. No matter who it comes from, it always warms my heart to see people brave enough to stick a thumb in the eyes of the foaming Bronze-Age fanatics.
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