THE NEW ENLIGHTENMENT

The Objective Standard

Early in 2006, we received email and snail mail solicitations for a new journal, to begin publishing in the spring of 2006:  The Objective Standard, A Journal of Culture and Politics.  Volume one, number one came out this spring, and volume two, number two reached us a few weeks ago.

Yes to Embryonic Stem Cell Bill Veto

Why would I make such  a statement as in the title to this blog?

Do I not value research?  Indeed, I do value it highly.  Do I not think that embryonic stem cell research holds extraordinary promise for mankind?  Indeed, I do think this.  Do I want embryonic stem cell research?  Yes, indeed I do want it, very much.

Then why support Bush's planned veto?

Let us be clear.  I do not support Bush, nor do I support his rationale for vetoing the bill.  With regard to issues like embryonic stem cell research, Bush is the voice of the Dark Ages, when Christianity held full sway and waged total war against knowledge, man's mind, and life itself.  Leave it to Bush's highly truncated "thinking" to equate an embryo with a fully developed human and to join the anti-life crowd absurdity that proclaims that life begins at conception.  However, dealing rationally with people who think this way is impossible because they reject reason.

No, the reason why the bill should be vetoed is because government has no business being in the funding and control of research.  It has to extract money from citizens under threat of force to have the funds to redistribute.  Before postmoderns wrecked the language, we used to call that taking "stealing," and it still is.

It is bad enough when government funds and controls physical science, which is one reason physical science research is sputtering.  It is as bad, if not worse, when government controls biological reseaarch.  Remember the Wizard of Id?  Control = the gold.  Government research is wrong morally.  And, because there is no split between the moral and the practical in reality and reason, government research is wrong in practice.

We must make every effort to get away from the idea that life consists of living on the government teat.  We must beat government back into its solely proper role as protector of rights and nothing more, certainly not provider of any material goods and services.

What Is Restraint for Israel Now?

Apparently, Doufous George (W. Bush) has called on Israel to "show restraint."  We know what Righteous George wants:  both sides of the same issue. He is as rational as Israel's foes, so we can dismiss him as irrelevant.  Still that leaves the question.

What should Israel use as a criterion or criteria of restraint?

What if?

The latest kerfuffle involving North Korea makes me wonder something.  What if we ceased any governmental discussion of anything to do with North Korea?

Alter Egos

All day, talking heads all over the news have been wringing their hands about North Korea and its recent demonstration of rocketry.  In no time, each head morphs into hand-wringing about Iran.  Opinions about causal explanations vary as widely as do opinions about what to do about any of this.

About the only choices we have come down to deciding whether we want our war(s) now or later with these regimes.

What is driving all of this?  On stage are alternating puppet shows:  The Kim Jong Il Show followed by the Mullah Ahmadinejad Show.  Why are these regimes acting so high, mighty, and haughty?

What lets these minor entities think they are King Kongs?

North Korea is the alter ego for China, and Iran is the alter ego for Russia.  By the way, where did all that Communism go, other than to our universities, press, and Democrats?  North Korea is the way that the Red Chinese can act out what is really on their mind, with absolutely no danger of losing face.  The same can be said of Iran and Neo-Communist Russia.

China and Russia can batter us one way, then another, via their proxies while sitting around the fabulously effective U.N. Security Council table and dispassionately pulling their beards and proferring the wisdom of talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk... Their pip squeaks can give us wedgies (Europe may not notice its wedgies), and even risk warring with us.  China and Russia would stay out of the warring--at least directly, of course--but not support us, while we expend blood and treasure--and they accrue wealth and status.

What North Korea and what Iran might do creates far fewer worries than whether we have any backbone left.  We sure as hell have no proper leadership judging from Afghanistan and Iraq.

The inevitability of war may well hang on that infamous Law of Unintended Consequences.  If China and Russia unleash their pit bulls, thing may get really desperate.  Then, desperation may visit China and Russia.  There is no way to know right now.

What Makes the Fourth of July Work

You know what makes the meaning of the 4th of July?  Of course, we can never exclude that magnificent Declaration of Independence, but there is a meaning that lies at the base of that document, something that will cause us to perish if we lose sight of it.

To Those in America's Military

Today is the 3rd of July here in America (CONUS).  In Iraq and Afghanistan and most of the Pacific Ocean region, it is the 4th of July.  We are not being the first, but we are adding our grateful thanks to you in uniform and in military support who make the meaning of July 4th enduring.  We served ourselves in the Navy 25 years, and we hold you in the highest esteem.  Along with Happy Birthday to our grand country go our unending thanks to you for keeping the lamp of freedom lit.