Category Archives: Media Criticism

Media Criticism, Political Commentary, Technology and Society, War Commentary

Social Media In Iran

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The leader’s bizarre Twitter feed:

Iran’s ruler is doing what the Soviet Union used to do and what Hugo Chavez did more recently. Both used the West’s language of human rights as weapons against the West while resisting everything Western human rights activists stand for. Partly they were just being cynical, and partly they were pointing out the West’s supposed hypocrisy.

You could argue that I’m just doing what Khamenei is doing by saying the other guy has no clothes, but there’s a difference, and it’s crucial. I actually care about human rights, not just for Americans, but also for Iranians and everyone else. Plenty of Iranians care about human rights, too, but it’s safe to say that pretty much none of them are fixtures in the Iranian government.

He thinks Americans are stupid. And of course, he’s right, at least about the ones with whom he’s “negotiating.”

Business, Economics, Education, Law, Media Criticism, Political Commentary

Police Unions

The problem with them.

It’s not just police unions — public-employee unions in general are an abomination. The teachers’ and prison-guard unions are a huge part of the disaster that is California government (not to mention its educational system). Roosevelt had the right idea in wanting to make them illegal.

[Update a couple minutes later]

Want a lawless police force? Federalize it.

Al Sharpton is an idiot, and should be an embarrassment to any news network, but it’s MSNBC.

Media Criticism, Political Commentary

The Clinton Foundation

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Is it just a huge international money-laundering scheme?

It sure looks like it.

[Update a while later]

Hillary’s cynical song of self:

You know already that if Mrs. Clinton runs for president as an Elizabeth Warren-style populist she won’t mean a word of it, any more than she would mean it if she ran as a ’90s-style New Democrat or a ’70s-style social reformer. The real Hillary, we are asked to believe, is large and contains multitudes.

In other words, she’s singing a Song of Herself. She will say, do, and be pretty much anything to get elected. And the rest of us are supposed to fall in line because we prefer our politics to be transactional not principled, our politicians to be opportunists not idealists, and our national creed to be “do what you gotta do” not “upon this rock.” This is what might be called the Clinton Bargain: You can always count on their self-interest trumping other considerations, so you never have to fear that they can’t be bought.

The only question is who is doing the buying.

If you’re not a subscriber, do a Google search for “Hillary’s Song Of Self” and it should give you a readable link.