DIJA up 200 points

Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 200 points. Why? Republican fiscal policy and certainty promised. That is why.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) rocketed more than 200 points skyward earlier today, blowing past the 11,400 level to hit its highest point since Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy on Sept. 15, 2008.

Of course the line in the lamestream media will be that Bernanke is responsible… Essentially this;

The blue chip barometer continues to draw strength from the Fed’s second round of quantitative easing, or QE2, in which the central bank has pledged to buy $600 billion in government bonds.

This is me, this is you, this is America!

Islam and Muhammad debate

Another debate at Liberal Forum, this time dealing with the religion of Islam and its history. Click HERE to view it and enjoy!

Somali pirates need to be stopped!

Voice of America News has an article about piracy hijacking and the statistical trends during the past five years. The main points are that attacks are increasing and their reach is exceeding that of traditional piracy routes we know of. In 203 hijackings either guns or knives were used and almost 800 hostages were taken. There have also been a rise in attacks within the South China Sea as well.

However Gulf of Aden attacks are down. A curious change but one that may correlate with the rise in South China Sea attacks. In other words, movement from traditional fronts of the Gulf of Aden, etc are moving to South China Sea, in  response to the setbacks by Philippines counter terrorism efforts, hammering against Abu Sayyaf “bearer of the sword”. The movements could coincide with reorganization of al shabab an al qaeda affiliate in Somalia.

Al shabab is a powerful force in Somalia that facilitates a safe haven for piracy. In 1969 a military coup led by Major General Muhammad Siad Barre initiated a socialist state that lasted until 1991. Northern clans established relatively stable rule, while the South turned into violent clashes by clans vying for power. Thousands of civilians were killed prompting the useless UN presence of which led to the tragic 1993 Battle of Mogadishu in which there was US fatalities. Transitional Federal Institutions since 2004 were in exile because of the threat of assassinations. All of this enables global Islamic terrorist organizations to supplant themselves and exorcise power as al shabab has done through Shariah law.

There is a counter insurgency grassroots movement called The Alliance of several warlords willing to attempt peace and stability. They fight back the violence of al shabab with some African Union help.

Rossi vs Murray second debate

Here is the second debate breakdown of Dino Rossi and Patty Murray for a seat in the Senate representing Washington, for October 17, 2010. The debate format was ridiculous and seemed like more news programming at times. It was laughable of the local news, channel 4 KOMO News. It was unprofessional to me and tired. Let the candidates speak I say, don’t waste my time with your slick little presentations of their ads, etc!

Dino Rossi and Patty Murray basically repeat the usual lines from the last debate. Same topics as well for the most part and rather boring. Patty Murray dodged a bit, Rossi got a few digs in during Social Security, but there was a lack of specifics overall. The winner? They both lost, because they both don’t seem to have specifics or want to elaborate on anything. Although on don’t ask don’t tell, Murray said she would vote for the repeal of that EVEN though it would have an adverse effect. Murray, a BIG mistake on that one.

Opening Remarks

Rossi: America in trouble. Course correction needed. Government overreach. Talked about family. Dino Rossi a bit more dynamic.

Murray: Says families struggling, she will be advocate. State is family and is working for investments.

If elected what will you do

Murray: Work to be peoples voice. Talks to community leaders for investments. Talked about Kent Valley damn example. Hanford mentioned again. Jobs are focus, don’t forget veterans. Responsible balancing of federal budget.

Rossi: Fiscal cliff. Hits China, I like! Stop reckless spending. He balanced biggest budget in state history with Democrat majority as example. 17.4% functional unemployment highlighted. Let small business be successful.

Murray rebut: Make sure families have investments by her presence in Senate. Work with small businesses. Tax cuts for middle income families.

Rossi rebut: Re-authorize 2001-2003 tax cuts including those that hurt small businesses. Rossi misspoke big time, Murray knew it.

How to get out of economic mess

Rossi: Looking in eyes of men that are unemployed. Create an atmosphere friendly to certainty for businesses. Re-authorize tax cuts. Give bussinesses oppurtunity to plan. Modest taxation, reliable regulation, let em chase the American dream.

Murray: Families know people unemployed and struggling. Works hard to talk to community leaders. South Park bridge, Murray bringing money to that community. Says Rossi won’t fight for you in that way. Says no credit available.

Rossi rebut: Federal government only creates temporary jobs, takes away from private sector. Stimulus jobs costs 320,000 dollars for each one. Talking about what works for a long-time, unemployment high so stimulus failed.

Murray: Goes to work sites. Rossi will fire private sector employees.

Federal deficit – where to cut and be specific

Murray: Cut 14 billion from President’s budget. Freeze her own pay, no new buildings for secretary of hud. Claims Rossi wants to follow Bush economic agenda. Can make tough cuts, can’t promise tax cuts to wealthy.

Rossi: Earmarks. Murray changed over 18 years. Murray did not cut budget and number 9 in earmarks which now contribute to her. Hitting her with examples left and right. Ban earmarks until budget balanced.

Murray rebut: Didn’t hear balanced budget, when he did say it.

Rossi rebut: Second coming of Ronald Regan, but she isn’t. Already has earmarks for next year. Does one thing in DC does another at home.

Health care

Same responses. Rossi came off a bit better.

Immigration – what to do with children born and raised

Rossi: Secure the border first, cannot entertain anything else.

Murray: Northern border highlighted.

Rossi rebut: Open to ideas for what to do with people born here.

blah, blah, blah

Democrat slavery, Republican liberty

Political party platforms define the governing political philosophies and how they are to be applied. Platforms for the Democratic party began in 1840, while the Republican party platform began in 1856. It is important that either party was entirely focused on the Constitution more so than any current platform seems to do, although Republicans are showing promise.

The very first Democrat party platform was in 1840 and it lists 9 Resolved principles of which politics form.  There is only one mention of slavery and it is number 7. It states;

7. Resolved, That congress has no power, under the constitution, to interfere with or control the domestic institutions of the several states, and that such states are the sole and proper judges of everything appertaining to their own affairs, not prohibited by the constitution; that all efforts by abolitionists or others, made to induce congress to interfere with questions of slavery, or to take incipient steps in relation thereto, are calculated to lead to the most alarming and dangerous consequences, and that all such efforts have an inevitable tendency to diminish the happiness of the people, and endanger the stability and permanency of the union, and ought not to be countenanced by any friend to our political institutions.

Line one, prior to “;” essentially says that congress should not interfere with, “domestic institutions of the several states”. Now the important part surfaces, as to what these institutions are, namely institutional slavery stating that all efforts by “abolitionists” to rid the US of slavery (one of the United States most tragic histories) was actually to reduce happiness of the people and should not be entertained by any political institution, namely congress. The federal government should not determine the outcome of slavery, inherently the Democratic party saw nothing wrong with slavery, and in fact thought it made people happy. It stays the same for the 1840, 1844 and 1848 platforms until 1852 in which several other governing principles were introduced. Number 7 specifically dealt with slavery, and had lasted since 1840, it was now not given a number and moved below that last number  of 9. Then below, there is an added portion that states;

Resolved, That the democratic party will resist all attempts at renewing, in congress or out of it, the agitation of the slavery question, under whatever shape or color the attempt may be made.

It is clear the Democrat party does not want any change in the use of slavery for America. In 1856, the Republican party is birthed and the 1856 Republican political party platform is defined! How does the Democrat party deal with such opposition to their view that slavery makes people happy? They now make a more coherent argument for slavery, as well as concluding that they are reasserting their focused energy toward that position. The whole platform becomes entrenched with defense of slavery. I will quote some of the more interesting and telling portions below, but not quoting all parts that mention the word “slavery”.

Resolved, That we reiterate with renewed energy of purpose the well considered declarations of former Conventions upon the sectional issue of Domestic slavery, and concerning the reserved rights of the States.

1. That Congress has no power under the Constitution, to interfere with or control the domestic institutions of the several States, and that such States are the sole and proper judges of everything appertaining to their own affairs, not prohibited by the Constitution; that all efforts of the abolitionists, or others, made to induce Congress to interfere with questions of slavery, or to take incipient steps in relation thereto, are calculated to lead to the most alarming and dangerous consequences; and that all such efforts have an inevitable tendency to diminish the happiness of the people and endanger the stability and permanency of the Union, and ought not to be countenanced by any friend of our political institutions.

2. That the foregoing proposition covers, and was intended to embrace the whole subject of slavery agitation in Congress; and therefore, the Democratic party of the Union, standing on this national platform, will abide by and adhere to a faithful execution of the acts known as the compromise measures, settled by the Congress of 1850; “the act for reclaiming fugitives from service or labor,” included; which act being designed to carry out an express provision of the Constitution, cannot, with fidelity thereto, be repealed, or so changed as to destroy or impair its efficiency.

3. That the Democratic party will resist all attempts at renewing, in Congress or out of it, the agitation of the slavery question under whatever shape or color the attempt may be made.

As you can see, point 1 mirrors point 7 from their historical platforms from 1844 to 1852. The great Compromise of 1850 had already finished, halting a four year confrontation between slave supporting states of the South and then non-slave states of the North or free states. This uneasy tension that culminated in 1850 followed the Mexican-American War (1846–1848). Thus in point 2, the Democratic platform was the support of the “compromise measures”, thus because of it being law, could not be agitated or repealed, etc. Point 3 is again a reiteration of what was stated in the 1852 Democrat party platform.

How did the Republican party deal with such law and entrenched interests by the Democrat party? Their 1856 party platform states the following;

This Convention of Delegates, assembled in pursuance of a call addressed to the people of the United States, without regard to past political differences or divisions, who are opposed to the repeal of the Missouri Compromise; to the policy of the present Administration; to the extension of Slavery into Free Territory; in favor of the admission of Kansas as a Free State; of restoring the action of the Federal Government to the principles of Washington and Jefferson; and for the purpose of presenting candidates for the offices of President and Vice-President, do

Resolved: That the maintenance of the principles promulgated in the Declaration of Independence, and embodied in the Federal Constitution are essential to the preservation of our Republican institutions, and that the Federal Constitution, the rights of the States, and the union of the States, must and shall be preserved.

Resolved: That, with our Republican fathers, we hold it to be a self-evident truth, that all men are endowed with the inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and that the primary object and ulterior design of our Federal Government were to secure these rights to all persons under its exclusive jurisdiction; that, as our Republican fathers, when they had abolished Slavery in all our National Territory, ordained that no person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law, it becomes our duty to maintain this provision of the Constitution against all attempts to violate it for the purpose of establishing Slavery in the Territories of the United States by positive legislation, prohibiting its existence or extension therein. That we deny the authority of Congress, of a Territorial Legislation, of any individual, or association of individuals, to give legal existence to Slavery in any Territory of the United States, while the present Constitution shall be maintained.

Resolved: That the Constitution confers upon Congress sovereign powers over the Territories of the United States for their government; and that in the exercise of this power, it is both the right and the imperative duty of Congress to prohibit in the Territories those twin relics of barbarism—Polygamy, and Slavery.

The first paragraph calls for a restoration of principles to “Washington and Jefferson”. Secondly the reliance upon the Declaration of Independence as embodied within the Constitution is honored and preserved which is essentially, if arguing against slavery, liberty for all! Thirdly after paraphrasing the pertinent parts of the Declaration of Independence, the Republican duty is presented;

… to maintain this provision of the Constitution against all attempts to violate it for the purpose of establishing Slavery in the Territories of the United States by positive legislation, prohibiting its existence or extension therein.

Thus to Republicans, the Democrats are interpreting the Constitution in an incredibly racist way, not using an honest originalist perspective. If all are to have liberty and if the Constitution is the best government to facilitate and foster individual liberty and it being the supreme law of the land, to the Republicans;

it is both the right and the imperative duty of Congress to prohibit in the Territories those twin relics of barbarism—Polygamy, and Slavery.

Islam and the Way of Muhammad

Muhammad was the son of a merchant and orphaned at age six eventually marrying a rich widow Khadijah and having six children. Born in 570 AD, Muhammad (Arabic: محمد, Muḥammad) himself is considered an ideal man, al-Insān al-Kāmil (الإنسان الكامل) in Arabic. By 630 AD all of Arabia was under his control. He is not considered divine nor is he to be worshiped. He is humbly a messenger of Allah and a model in how a Muslim should live his or her life. As the Qur’an declares, Muhammad is a; “… beautiful pattern (of conduct) for any one whose hope is in Allah and the Final Day, and who engages much in the Praise of Allah.”(Surah 33:21)

Please view the rest here or by hovering your mouse above the Islam tab and choosing the article you with to read.

Great moment in sports

One of the greatest moments in sports history.

The Age of Discovery and Globalization

The Age of Discovery (15th-17th century) is dominated by the European peoples, specifically Spain and Portugal under the British Empire, extensive use of the waters to explore and map out the known world. In turn this introduced a scale of interaction between large swaths of land, ruled by opposing empires, never before contemplated. The Eurasian and African continents, for example, engaged in abundant trade of culture and peoples with the New World, raising the involved partners standard of living to new heights.ref During the time of this European naval expansion saw the rise of modern nation states which helped distribute influence and supplant fertile ground for diverse cultures. A foreign policy embodied in a civilization, that can be called proto-globalization, extirpates local and regional differences across the globe homogenizing human societies toward a common path of modernity.

During the 18th, 19th and 20th Century Western civilization or the West referring to North America and Europe (more specifically Western Europe) is a consistently integrated path of modernism that forms many geopolitical influences. Cornerstones of civilization such as culture, how society is corrected by law, religion coincide through political philosophy and with an economic history of proto-globalization within the West, led to an exportation of western modernism. Applied with varying degrees, for better or worse, is seen by most across the world as imperialism or colonialism by the British Empire and hegemony by the United States. Nations of the world were literally and essentially given a path that would either be adopted completely, rejected wholeheartedly by a strict brand of their own modernism or stasis, or a hybrid system was pursued accepting Western wealth through economic globalization but for the support of their own identity in regional traditional culture and posture in the world upon the international stage. With support for only specific elements of Western civilization, namely economic proto-globalization, many nations map out a hybrid system for their own internal domestic politics in ways which are consistent with its societies heritage of culture. Subtly during the 20th and 21st centuries industrial modernism through the Western civilization template, has been pushed back significantly and continues to be challenged by many, now modernized and sufficiently culturally assertive, non-West nation states.

A very good book to read on this topic is: The Clash of Civilizations And The Remaking of World Order By Samuel P. Huntingtonref

Hu Jintao and Chinese government hold prisoners

*UPDATE*: Wife of Liu Xiaobo has now disappeared.ref

Chinese President Hu Jintao, free Liu Xiaobo and Gao Zhisheng. NOW! Speak up Obama, speak up Clinton! SPEAK UP AMERICA!

We must, as American foreign policy, constantly and consistently demean China through their human rights abuses. There is no excuse. Please visit Free Gao.com