Welcome! This is an unapologetic, agenda-free zone. Just commentaries on current events that’ll move you to think, laugh, rage, and even cry.
For 3 days this week, Judge John Roberts fielded questions from Senators conducting public hearings on his nomination to become the next Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. And, by acclamation, Roberts gave a tour de force during which he displayed promethean jurisprudential skills with Zen-like humility. By contrast, no doubt due to the… Read more.
President Bush addressing the nation last night from dry land in New Orleans… Last night, President Bush addressed the nation on his recovery plan for New Orleans (and other areas affected by Hurricane Katrina). And, even the most cynical Bush basher had to be encouraged by his comprehensive vision. Of course it helped that his… Read more.
According to Reuters, some shrewd photographer caught President Bush writing this note yesterday, during unbearable speechifying at the UN World Summit, to his school-marm, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, asking to be excused to go wee wee. Is nothing sacred… News and Politics Read more.
Just months ago, Ukrainian President Victor Yuschenko was heralded in Washington as the hero of Ukraine’s “Orange Revolution.” And, despite unsightly scars (from dioxin poisoning) that make him look more like a beastly ogre than the matinee idol he used to be, Yuschenko stood proud as a rare joint session of the U.S. Congress showered… Read more.
The United Nations General Assembly in New York: More a Tower of Babel than a tribunal for resolving international conflicts and coordinating humanitarian relief! 175 Heads of State and Government will assemble in New York City today for a world summit marking the 60th Anniversary of the United Nations. Unfortunately, the record of the UN… Read more.
By any objective measure, South Africa’s transition from Apartheid to Democracy has been a resounding success. Over 2 terms (the first under the leadership of Nelson Mandela and the second under current President Thabo Mbeki), the ruling African National Congress (ANC) has made unprecedented strides in providing basic services (from running water to electricity to… Read more.
Only weeks ago, I decried the Orwellian Agreements Yahoo!, Microsoft, and other technology companies signed with the Chinese government to spy on the Internet activities of Chinese citizens. Of course, the tech titans involved protested with indignation that they would never become stool pigeons for China’s police state. But no amount of protestation could disguise… Read more.
Creationism – the biblical account of the origin of man (the Adam and Eve not Steve version) that was crucified in the (first) trial of the 20th Century, Tennessee v. John Scopes – has been resurrected in the guise of Intelligent Design. Intelligent-design theory adds a scientific gloss to creationism by arguing (according to my… Read more.
Timing is everything! Therefore, with the world now focused on providing all kinds of relief for American victims of Hurricane Katrina, no one should be surprised that pleas for (yet more) relief for African victims of chronic starvation have been entirely ignored. And, in this regard, I refer you to the BBC article “Malawi appeal… Read more.
For Interpol, “4-1-9” scams have become as notorious and unstoppable as narcotics trafficking. They are named after the section of the Nigerian penal code which addresses fraud schemes. And, although Nigerians are the masters of these scams, Europeans, Asians and even Americans are honing similar schemes with remarkable success. 419 scams take many forms but… Read more.
