Friday, August 03, 2007

Editorial Round-up

Time for a round up of editorials that I find interesting and hope you do as well.

1. Rich Lowery examines how JFK's assassination destroyed patriotic liberalism.

2. Ann Coulter talks about how the YouTube debate crowd was more "hippy" than "hip."

One of the funniest things about the debate was the fact that Bill "Hey I'm Hispanic" Richardson got a whoop for wanting to raise teacher's pay. Why does anyone think that raising teacher pay will help education? Do they get smarter when you pay them more?

The argument might be made that higher salaries would attract better workers, but I doubt the validity of that. Those with a modicum of intelligence could make more in the private sector in the long run. Besides, teachers are paid better than everyone thinks.

I just do not think that teachers often deserve what they make. When I was in college I had a few class with Education majors and they were by far the dumbest people I have ever met. I resolved that day that my children would never see the inside of a public school.

I want my kids educated in a manner that fuses Western commitments to rationalism and science to the Judeo-Christian world view. I do not want them hearing propaganda delivered by near illiterates.

3. Cal Thomas asks the question "What if we win?"

Its a good question, and one the Dims do not want to have to answer.

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

Invade our allies, coddle our enemies

B.H. Obama wants to invade Pakistan, our not great but functional ally, but pull out of Iraq.

In essence he is saying that he will shut down one safe haven, but allow them to set up another in Iraq. At least Pakistan is remote and far away from our other vital interests.

This ties into the false thinking I have observed on the Left. They all scream about taking our eyes off bin Laden and act like catching him automatically means the end of America's struggle to protect itself from Islamic terrorists. They see the War on Terror as a giant manhunt that ends when the bad guy is read his rights and behind bars. This could not be further from the truth.

The capture of bin Laden, while a worthy goal, would only be a symbolic victory. The problems of Islamic extremism do not begin and end with bin Laden or even Al Qaeda itself. They are merely manifestations of the deep spiritual and cultural sickness that grips the Middle East.

The people who blow themselves up in Iraq are not screaming the name of bin Laden as they die, they are yelling praises to Allah.

Al Qaeda is just one of the many terrorist groups spawned by a region that has been in a cultural Dark Age ever since Mohammad rode out of the desert preaching his blasphemies.

Osama is not preaching anything more than what is heard a thousand times a day on Arab tv and on the Arab street.

Attacking Pakistan will not get you bin Laden.