Privacy Note: TrackMeNot

Tool generates fake searches for privacy - Tech News & Reviews - MSNBC.com

TrackMeNot is a tool that works with Firefox (only...sorry IE users) to make it harder for people to establish a pattern of what you search the web for. Follow the link for the whole story.

President Bush sez...

FOXNews.com - Iraq How-to Manual Directed Arab Military Operatives In Afghanistan - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News

..."I Told You So."

Well, probably not. But I can feel it coming. I should note that this IS a FOX News exclusive, and FOX News has been ...um... 'accused' of being right-wing biased. Draw your own conclusions here. Or, I can spell it out for you.

You will probably NEVER see this on MSNBC or CNN. What will happen when (or if) history proves President Bush right in his actions in Iraq? Will mainstream media deny it ever happened? Will they perform some kind of journalistic sleight of hand and put a BIGGER story up to divert your attention from their blunder? "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!"

Only time will tell. But I find it amusing that the media STILL harps on how Bush lied about Iraq and why we went in there. Here's the facts that I could find...there's only two, so just deal with it.

1. There were still WMDs in Iraq as of the 2003 invasion. They were just seriously degraded beyond any usefulness as a weapon. This is supposedly based off of Italian intelligence. However, as far as anyone has found, no NEW WMDs were made.
2. The above link to the FOX News article. Still not concrete, though (it explains why in the article).

My point is, more and more news is coming to light (just barely) about just how bad Saddam was (and is). Leaving him in power there, if he was, in fact, helping the Taliban, would have been extremely stupid.

I also find that the more and more I dig through the news, the more I begin to think President Bush isn't the low-watt bulb so many people make him out to be, nor do I think he's doing such a bad job (if a bad job at all). But, why must I come to this conclusion only after DIGGING for information? Why isn't this out in the wide open?

I'll let you all ponder on that for a while.

PS. Good, relevant Bible quote, from Proverbs 18:2. "A fool finds no pleasure in understanding, but delights in airing his own opinions." Since I do find pleasure in understanding, but ALSO delight in airing my opinions, what does that make me? Half a fool? Half an ass? Half-assed?

There but for the grace of God...

FOXNews.com - Lawyer Stabs Neighbor Believing He Molested 2-Year-Old Daughter - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News

I have a three year old son. 'Nuff said.

Oink Oink

TPMmuckraker August 30, 2006 01:59 PM

For anyone who cares about government spending, the above link will take you to a site detailing a small drama of sorts that has taken place in the Senate. A couple Senators (Obama, Coburn) proposed a bill that would put money towards a Google-like search engine that the public could access and find information on government spending--what money went where.

Well, a short while ago, a Senator put a "secret hold" on the bill, preventing it from reaching the floor. A source inside Sen. Stevens' office (who leaked the info on the condition of anonymity) said the hold came from that office.

Anything else regarding this bit of news is less relevant to the hold issue (the link, and a link leading off of it, question Sen. Stevens' involvement in other pork schemes).

I should note that ANYONE can RIGHT NOW find information on government spending, thanks to the Freedom of Information Act (or should be able to, anyway). This bill would simply make finding this information easier. Stopping this bill does not trample on a citizen's rights...but it does make you question the motives of those involved. Why would anyone want to ensure that finding FOIA information on government spending remains difficult?

iPods on a Plane?

WoW Forums -> I played WoW, I became a terrorist (story!)

Apparently, if you carry your iPod on board a plane, MAKE DAMN SURE you have it properly secured...OR ELSE.

Here's a story about a WoW player who accidentally dropped (and flushed) his iPod in a lavatory, thus prompting a bomb scare and flight diversion. The link leads to his story about what happened, and is a pointed example of government pushing the limits. As our author states, "Thomas Jefferson predicted that every government will, over time, grow to protect solely its own interests, and I agree with him."

This is more than just a funny story, this is a testament to what Thomas Jefferson said some 200 or so years ago. As constituents of our elected officials, we can make threats to the jobs of these so-called leaders in office. It baffles me why we don't...we keep electing the same morons over and over again. I guess there's not a whole lot of choice out there. Only those with money can afford to run for the highest offices in the country, and I find it hard to believe that these people would put the public's interest over their own.

That, however, isn't always true. But, majority rules.

Constitutional violation?

Union Leader - Police property: It's finders keepers in NH - Thursday, Aug. 24, 2006

It seems to me the retention of seized property in this case is a violation of the 5th and 14th amendment, that no person be deprived of their possessions under due process of law. The gray area here is that the CDs in quesiton were properly seized under the 4th amendment; yet after being found not guilty, does 'due process' require these CDs to be returned, as they are not illegal copies? I can see this easily going to the Supreme Court, and the justices therein ruling in favor of the plaintiff.

THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!!

Nude people in town center could prompt ban - Boston.com

You knew someone was going to go here...

"A parking lot is not a strip club. It's a parking lot," resident Theresa Toney told the Select Board last week. She said she has seen repeated instances of naked people hanging out downtown. "This is a problem. What about children seeing this?" Toney asked.

Yeah? What about it? Shall we expose the minds of our young children to the ridiculous notion that the human body is something to be ashamed of? Shall we let them obtain such a low image of self-worth that they could turn into anything from a molester to someone who just eats themselves into a body that furthers their feelings of low esteem (think "repressed" here folks)? Good God, it's not like these young people are fornicating in public. Go take your antiquated Puritanical beliefs and sit in the closet, grousing about how ugly you are.

Apparently, even the Antichrist is cool

Microsoft to sell software tools for games - Games - MSNBC.com

I'm sorry, but despite how much people may think (including me at times) that Microsoft is the Evil Empire, $99 a year for a program to MAKE your own Xbox games is TOO FREAKING COOL!

The other side of the coin

Jill Carroll asked to die by gun - Conflict in Iraq - MSNBC.com

As days turned to months, Carroll, who speaks Arabic and moved to Iraq to fulfill a dream of being a foreign correspondent, said she was interrogated, but, at times, was given a remote control to a television set where she watched the Oprah Winfrey show. She said her captors also let her play with their children.

At one point, she said they served her from a platter of chicken and rice "that would have been fit for an honored guest."

"We have no problem with you. Our problem is with your government," her captors told her as they prepared to release tapes of the journalist wearing a headscarf and weeping.

The bold text is at the core of what the 'doves' (most Democrats, for example, as well as most Americans right now) would say is the reason why we need to be OUT of Iraq. Our meddling in foreign policy (the way we have so far) breeds contempt in people and creates extremism.

That's a very valid point.

However, even if we were to leave the entire Middle East to its own devices, that will not stop the march of extreme Islam in its attempt to cover the world in sharia law. If history is any guide, we should be wise to recall how Islam spread in the world some several hundred years ago--by the sword. Well...for that matter, so did Christianity at many points in history. But (with few exceptions nowadays), Christians don't forcibly convert people to Christianity.

It seems that only in Islam do we have people going across major tracts of land and bodies of water to create fear in the name of a religion. In Christianity, Jesus tells his apostles that when they preach His word in foreign towns, if the townspeople do not accept the teachings, to leave the town and dust off their (the apostles') feet, leaving the town to its own devices. Does Islam teach this? I've never heard of it. As I've understood it, the path of Islam isn't complete until every single human being on the planet is converted. Or, they're left as second-class citizens in a caliphate.

So leaving Iraq might help reduce hatred in the general populace, and maybe make the pool of willing jihadists smaller. But it won't eliminate it. History has indicated (see my article below) that acts of extremism are less likely (not completely absent, but less likely) in democratic countries. The last truly homegrown terrorist I can recall, that wasn't linked to any outside religion, was McVeigh (I could be wrong). But the Middle East and parts of Africa--especially places where democracy is either very new or non-existant--seems to be a breeding ground of extremism.

Personally, I feel we need to finish the job in Iraq. We also need to ensure that it's a country by Iraqis, of Iraqis, and for Iraqis. We need to get them up on their feet--if it includes sending in more troops to quell the insurgency, then so be it--and then let them do as they need to, unless we're asked for help.

That's my feelings on it, anyway.

This kind of blows my mind

Turks: We Don't Want Europe - Newsweek: International Editions - MSNBC.com

Businessmen like Mehmet Yazici, head of the Altinok extractor-fan factory outside Istanbul, fear they'll go bankrupt complying with EU rules. If Altinok were to go by the book, its old East German-made stamp-pressing machinery would have to be replaced—it doesn't conform to EU safety standards. And under Brussels' labor laws, Yazici wouldn't be able to use teenage part-timers to package boxes after school or ask regular workers to pull 50-hour weeks.

Part-time teenage labor and 50-hour weeks is against EU law!? Hell, that's the norm in the United States! In fact, a 50-hour week is a dream for most white-collar workers in the US. Wow. Yes, Turkey, I wouldn't join the EU if I were you. Very restrictive. Holy crap.

Where's that line in the sand?

Michael Gerson on How 9/11 Changed Bush - Newsweek National News - MSNBC.com

"From those events [of 9/11], President Bush drew a fixed conclusion: as long as the Middle East remains a bitter and backward mess, America will not be secure."

This is the one thing that I think the 62% or so of Americans polled (that's 100% minus Bush's current approval rating, not necessarily just the 55% who DISapprove of Bush's job) seem to miss. Why did we invade Afghanistan? Why did we invade Iraq and oust Saddam? And why do I sometimes think we need to lower the boom on Iran and Syria? Because as long as the Middle East remains such a mess, America will NOT be secure.

Why don't these people get this? All we (and the media) can focus on is the hundreds (not tens of thousands or even millions) of soldiers that gave their lives in Iraq. How many troops have died in Iraq and Afghanistan to date? Does it yet surpass the number of people who died in 9/11? Or London? Or Madrid? Or all of the above? Does it yet surpass the number of people who COULD have died very possibly this past weekend? What is the measure that we use to determine when too many young men and women have died for what a lot of Americans seem to think is a stupid idea?

"Every element of the Bush doctrine was directed toward a vision: a reformed Middle East that joins the world instead of resenting and assaulting it."

There's no doubt that we seem to be fostering even more resentment muddling around in Iraq (etc) right now. And if history ends up proving that President Bush did the worst possible thing invading Iraq, then that old adage will have proven true: the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

"Some commentators say that America is too exhausted to confront this [Iran] threat. But presidential decisions on national security are not primarily made by the divination of public sentiments; they are made by the determination of national interests. And the low blood-sugar level of pundits counts not at all. Here the choice is not easy, but it is simple: can America (and other nations) accept a nuclear Iran?"

I predict, unfortunately, that before 2008, President Bush may have to institute the draft again. You know why. And I swear, if the media starts decrying an invasion of Iran (or whatever we have to do), then perhaps it's time to put the First Amendment aside for a second and gag the press. Because it's one thing to be free to express your opinion. It's another thing to erode national morale when we would need it the most. To be honest, if it were to incite unrest even in this country, that could be construed as a threat to national security. And I really see things heading this way, considering how much the Bush administration has been testing just how far they can push the Constitution aside to get the job done.

So, can America accept a nuclear Iran? Well, can the media actually back off a bit and stop bringing down the morale of an entire country? Can we Americans actually, for once, hope that our elected officials are acting in our best interests (or at least trying to)? Or should we just kowtow to the peacenicks and let Iran have its nukes? Should we just open the floodgates to Hell, and let every Tom, Dick and Atta march in with briefcase nukes? Sure! Why not?

That was sarcasm, by the way.

"Americans have every right to expect competence and honesty about risks and mistakes and failures. Yet Americans, in turn, must understand that in a war where deception is the weapon and goal of the enemy, every mistake is not a lie; every failure is not a conspiracy. And the worst failure would be a timid foreign policy that allows terrible threats to emerge."

No comment. I think the quote speaks for itself.

What is my final thought on this article? America, you need to get a clue. There are times when we have to shoulder the burden and risk our children in a distant land. And this is it. Unless you have a better idea. I'd really like to know. And, how will this idea of yours work? What guarantees its success? What makes it a better idea than what the administration is doing now? I'd really like to know.

Al Gore for President...

DRAFT GORE: AL GORE FOR PRESIDENT 2008

Al Gore...because he can't be any worse than "Dubya."

No, seriously. If you support his ideals about our environment and domestic policy, you should seriously consider signing this petition. I don't know about his foreign policy expertise, but he's the best Democratic possibility we've seen in a long time.

If you're a Republican, or just think Al Gore is a goon, then I guess you can pass on the petition. Unless, for a laugh, you'd LIKE to see his name on the ballot, just so you can vote for the other guy. Yes, I know people like this; who makes comments like this.

Now, "Draft Gore Dot Com" touts VP Gore's record and stance on things like the environment. They have links to various people giving him praise, including former President Clinton. Also, the petition says that our current administration is "a government that tramples our Constitution, wages unjust war in our name, sacrifices our economic future, and puts our very planet on the endangered species list." Well, we all know my stance on this so-called "unjust" war we're waging in Iraq...and if you don't, I'll break it down for you. We were, at the very least, duped into going in there looking for WMDs (and no, I wouldn't put it past the administration to outright lie about it, but there is proof of intelligence saying there WAS WMDs in Iraq just before we went gallavanting through their country); and now that we're there, and deposed of 'the Butcher of Baghdad' (I'm sure he got that name for a good reason), we owe it--I say OWE IT--to the Iraqi people to leave them with some semblance of a country, let alone a prosperous one. That means staying there (and even adding troops if needed) until the job is done. Period. Or their democratically-elected government tells Dubya, "Get your troops outta here." One or the other. We, as 'average' citizens of the United States, have NO REAL IDEA what's going on in there. Some have an up-close view (our troops, journalists, relief workers), but nobody (especially us armchair jockeys watching the news every night) can really see the Big Picture, except the higher-ups in our government and military. So calling the war 'unjust' really boils down to nothing but conjecture. Until it's written in the history books (and history will always bring out the truth in time).

Jesus, I was putting up a post about petitioning Al Gore to run for President, and I went off on that tangent. Okay. Back to the topic at hand.

I don't know just how much base this grass-roots Internet effort (they just recently used a word, regarding Lamont's victory over Liebermann in Conneticut using grass-roots Internet efforts--called 'Netroots') to get Gore to run really has, but in the end, it's really his decision. I'm sure he had his reasons to refuse to run in 2004. I, personally, would LIKE to see someone charged up running for President on the Democratic ticket in 2008. I'm unsure about Hillary Clinton, and I haven't really seen any other potential candidates one can really get excited about. "DGDC" seems to have polling data that shows if Gore were to run in the primary right now...well, here's the blurb right on their front page:

A large straw poll of 13,000 people by AlterNet has Al Gore blowing away all potential candidates for 2008 -- 35% to Hillary Clinton's 7%. In a DailyKos poll of 13,000 people, Gore leads all contenders by a whopping 68%, with the runner up, Russ Feingold, at 15%. And on Democrats.com poll, Gore again has a huge lead with 38%.

(I should note these are Internet polls, like they'd have on CNN.com, and therefore are probably not scientific and, therefore, an accurate sampling of Americans' views.)

To be perfectly honest, for me anyway, it'd be REALLY exciting to see Gore running against McCain in 2008. Holy. Crap. TWO quality candidates running for office?? Well, if our last presidential election is any indication, we'll have a chimp and an orangutan running instead.

So sign the petition. Maybe it'll work. Maybe Gore's been calculating this since his defeat in 2000. If so, he must have an assload of patience.

"First Class" Idiots

CNN.com - Protesters 'boarded U.S. plane' - Aug 8, 2006

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. You can't be running around saying "Don't do that," or "Doing that is wrong," unless you come up with a solution.

What, exactly, should Israel do? Let Hezbollah be, so they can accumulate MORE rockets and prisoners? No, that's bullshit. So if you don't want Israel in Lebanon attacking (not Lebanese military but) Hezbollah militants, then SUGGEST A SOLUTION instead of whining or doing stupid-ass shit like forcing your way on a plane to look for US weapons bound for Israel. Oh, the stupidity!

And I'm going to rant about Iraq now. If there was even the CHANCE of WMDs in Iraq, should we have sat blithely by and let Saddam have his way with ... well, even the Arab countries in the region? He has a history of lying through his teeth, for crying out loud. The biggest mistake I can see out of all this is basing a major assault off of some faulty Italian intelligence (they did find WMDs, by the way, but they were significantly degraded, NOT destroyed as promised I should note).

Now that we're in there, we DO owe it to the Iraqi people to be able to live a fulfilling life without the threat of mass kidnappings and car bombings. Pulling our troops out right now (or even in the near future) is STUPID. What's going to fill that power vacuum? People are reeling over the deaths of 2 Marines here, 4 soldiers there...it's nothing compared to the sacrifices given in World War 2 (for example). No, I don't like the fact we have young men and women dying in a strange and foreign land (where many of the population there would rather we be gone), but we're in there now; so support them and think about the bigger picture for a change.

I have no doubt that our administration (both Bushes and even Clinton to some degree...at least in recent times) is a wellspring of idiocy when it comes to foreign policy. But, depending on the angle you look at it, there is some method to the madness that isn't solely based off of some ideals of imperialism. Look at WHO it was we deposed and WHAT they did, and you tell me we're doing the wrong thing.

People who balk at the US interfering in such regions as the Middle East seem to forget what the ideology of radical Muslims is: to establish a regional--if not global--caliphate (Sounds almost like Hitler's vision for the Third Reich covering the whole globe, does it not???). That means YOU, Mr. and Mrs. Protester, would become a second-class citizen (if you didn't convert to Islam) and NOT have the ability to even wander the streets with signs, chanting slogans, let alone do anything else.

The Word of the Week (or so)

zaftig - Definitions from Dictionary.com

zaf·tig or zof·tig, (zäf-tik, -tig), adj.
1. Full-bosomed.
2. Having a full, shapely figure.

Brought to you by the Guardian Unlimited.

The Word of the Week (or so)

zaftig - Definitions from Dictionary.com

zaf·tig or zof·tig, (zäf-tik, -tig), adj.
1. Full-bosomed.
2. Having a full, shapely figure.

Brought to you by the Guardian Unlimited.

(Note (8/9/06): Yes, this got posted twice. Don't know why.)

Quick comment on Iraq

In Connecticut, Lieberman is on the brink - Politics - MSNBC.com

I don't have a lot of time, so this is going to be incredibly terse. I'll have to follow up later.

Should we have gone into Iraq? Probably not. We seem to be establishing a very bad track record for spreading democracy. Should we just up and bail? Definitely not, lest we repeat our last half-ass attempt at helping a country. I speak of Afghanistan in the 1980's, when we helped the resistance fighters against the Soviets. Once the Soviets were out...nothing. This made Afghanistan (or helped anyway) a perfect breeding ground for the Taliban, which we NOW have to deal with today.

If we bail on Iraq, God only knows where that will go. If anything, we need to stop being so candy-ass and put MORE people in there. Not only are we getting a reputation of making bad foreign policy, but other countries are going to see us as a country with no backbone. It'll make us a soft target, and only worsen problems in the future. For example, we will have less 'street cred' when the time comes to REALLY deal with Iran.

So, stop whining over '2 deaths in Baghdad' every other day. Yes, it's a shame that someone died. But what will it really mean in the end?

It's like something out of Planet of the Apes...

Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.com

In June, a monkey boarded a train at the underground Chawri Bazaar station and reportedly scared passengers by scowling at them for three stops. It then alighted at Civil Lines station.

It was just on its way to work that morning. That must be where he conducts all his monkey business. Yuk, yuk, yuk.

Seriously, though. It's almost like the monkey had a destination in mind. Really strange.

Having nothing better to do with their time...

CNN.com - Authors to Rowling: Don't kill Harry Potter - Aug 1, 2006

I say kill the little bugger off. I mean, really. What a nancy.

If you don't do anything else today... (POST #400)

eBay Government Relations

...do this.

PS: This is post #400! zomfg! I have nothing better to do with my time! How amazing is that!?

More Castro shiat...

BBC NEWS | Have Your Say: Castro illness: What next for Cuba? ...

On one front:

"I have read many of the posts on this page. Just about every European has stated something positive about Castro and Cuba (and has been rough on the US). For those of you who have expressed those ideas - you are absolutely clueless. Imagine people getting in a raft in shark infested waters to get a place they have never seen before just to get out of where they live. That happens EVERYDAY in Cuba.

What I find ironic is this same thing happens with North Africans trying to get to Europe - and it's the Europeans who are turning these people away. Funny how Europeans don't want people looking at them and there faults. I just hope when our European friends decide to make comments about Cuba and the US - at least know what your talking about. Being anti-American is just to easy."

This seems to be very true. Being anti-American is very popular in the world today. It seems everyone loves the underdog and hates the ...uh... overdog? It's the popular thing to do. But, is there reason behind anti-Americanism, at least as far as Cuba goes? What do people who have lived in or been to Cuba think?

Let's take a rough tally.

Those who have lived there and LIKED it: 0 (hmm.)
Those who have lived there and HATED it: 1
Those who have visited there and SUPPORT it: 9
Those who have visited there and DONT: 5
Those who just WHINE about Cuba (pro or con): Countless

Despite the fact that the posts kept rolling past (I mean, some people's posts got skipped accidentally), I find it interesting that the one and only person I found that claimed to have LIVED there ran away from Cuba because of the regime and life there in general. But, people VISITING Cuba seemed to support it more than deride it (or its government). It makes you wonder how much of the real Cuba these yea-sayers actually saw.

More of my comments and observations (mostly counters or comments to people's posts)

"I hate to rain on your parade, but the Cuba economic, educational and health care model is HARDLY the one americans dream about, or anyone else for that matter.

Answer me one question Martyn? If it is such a utopia, why do people continue to float over here to the US on inner tubes, bathtubs or whatever they think will float?

Answer me that one if Cuba is such a communistic utopia."

...and...

"People risk their lives every year to make the 90 mile journey, often on small rafts, to flee his dictatorial goverment. That is what the people inside think of life in Cuba."

The "why do people continue to float over here" argument seems to be used an awful lot. What are they basing that on? Actual demographics? Or what they see on the news? Or, even a stereotype BASED off of the news? None of the people who have made this argument against Cuba has backed it up with ... well, anything. Other than what images the news gives us. How many people live in Cuba? How many of them wish to escape?

Other interesting viewpoints:

"Cubans flee to America for a simple yet fairly unknown reason. Migration from a third-world country to a first-world country is somehow regarded as an amazing thing when it's Cuba. Yet the flow of immigrants is far fewer than Mexico, where the US actively tries to stop immigration, as opposed to Cuba, where the US ENCOURAGES it. Cubans are not allowed to emigrate to america by US laws, not cuban laws. If, however, they hijack a boat, for example, and go over illegally, they are "fleeing the communist terror" and will be made US citizens."

---

"'Fidel is everything good and everything bad about the Revolution'. A university student shared that with me in a university class in Havana. She didn't whisper, and the other students nodded & added their comments. I had the privilege to study in Cuba a few years ago, & those words ring true for me as I continue to follow the news about the ailing leader. Yes, there are tough circumstances in Cuba, but comparatively, they live far better than the much of the caribe and Lat Am.

Cuba is NOT the only country with emigrants, especially in Lat Am. With all the talk of US immigration laws, let us not forget the good fortunes that Cubans receive when they arrive like citizenship after 1 YEAR!

Important changes are coming for Cuba, and those changes must be carried out by Cubans in Cuba."

---

"I got back yesterday from a year spent living and studying in Cuba, so I know that the latest developments will be greeted with hope and happiness by 99% of Cubans. It's true that Fidel did many great things when he came to power (eradicate illiteracy and create a free healthcare system etc) but that was over 40 years ago and times have changed. Nowadays, Fidel champions his medics and teachers abroad, but it remains unmentioned that this is at the expense of the living standard of the average Cuban. Cubans can only get good healthcare if they know/bribe a doctor, and many common medicines are only available in dollars. Standards have fallen in schools and universities. Cubans earn less than 50 cents a day. Hopefully Cuba's future will now be decided by Cubans, not by the USA or Raul."

---

"Having recently spent a month in Cuba, i found many people in favour of the continued revolution. How many "Evil Dictators" provide free eduction, healthcare, housing and food to all? As one man put it "Under this regime i know i will always have a roof over my head and food on the table for my family." How many people round the world can say that? Leave Cuba for the Cubans!"

---

"I recently visited Cuba and found a vibrant and good natured people who supported Castro. In a recent study Cuban's were in the top 8 happiest nations. [note: orly? which study was that?] I can see Cuba being destroyed by US imperialism and turned into another Las Vegas. Under the crushing US embargo they have achieve very much domestically. The US needs to realise partnership will create change not embargos and forced regeime change."

---

He must have been doing something right...

BBC NEWS | Americas | Castro: Profile of the great survivor

President Castro has used US hostility as a reason to reject democratic reforms to his one-party state.

But Cuba under his rule has made impressive domestic strides.

Good medical care is freely available for all, there is 98% literacy, and Cuba's infant mortality rates compare favourably with western nations.

Does it take an oppressive communist dictatorship to have such superb educational and health systems? That doesn't make sense. They have a crappy economy (mostly due to the loss of Soviet support some 20 years ago), so how can they manage to put out some of the world's BEST doctors and have universal health and education? They're poor, they're oppressed, but damn are they healthy and smart.

Wierd!

So, is Castro's reluctance to implement these "democratic reforms" simply a case of "father knows best?" Is it because he hates the idea of anything that sounds American (or styled after America)? Or is it just because he's a stubborn old coot?

I think the two leading communist countries in the world must be Cuba and China. Cuba for its education and health systems, and China for ... well, its adaptability. You don't hear anything about China having 98% literacy or a world-renowned health-care system. To me, present-day China sounds an awful lot like late 19th century America...minus the political freedoms.

I've always been curious what makes certain countries work (or not work in many cases). Why should Cuba be known for education, health-care and cigars (as well as communist oppression)? Has Castro paid for all these luxuries (full health coverage and education, even in the United States, is a luxury--let's face it) using the moneys seized in the late 50's when he took power? Has improved trade with countries like Venezuela helped here?

And speaking of "oppression"...how many Cubans really DO hate Castro? I'm sure the vast majority of Cuban exiles hate him. What about Cubans left in Cuba? Do 20% of all Cubans in Cuba hate him? 40%? 80%? Can you have a populist revolution if it isn't popular? And, if it isn't popular anymore, why haven't there been a lot of reports of uprisings in Cuba as of late? You'd think with how rabidly the United States treats Cuba, our media would be all over populist uprisings in Cuba. I haven't heard of any (that's not saying there aren't any).

Whether Castro is a good guy or the devil incarnate is irrelevant...once he dies, that country will descend into chaos without such an icon to rally around.

Anyway, that's my random thought for the day.