Flawed Skull

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12/17/2006

"Evil is the root of all money"!!!!

In the tradition of all mindless populist catchphrases, the phrase "money is the root of all evil" stands out

due to its popularity. However, like most things economic, when you dig beneath the surface,

the truths in the subject are sometimes counter-intuitive, which of course the various brands of leftists

never ever understand (or care to). I thought it prudent to include the following amusing letter to FT (Financial Times)

Dear Economist

How would an economist respond to the phrase “money is the root of all evil”?

Mike Choe, via e-mail

How do you think the economist on board FT's editorial space answered? Or instead, how would YOU respond to the phrase if muttered in your presence? Suffice it to say I'm ashamed to think that I probably would have brushed it aside with an intellectually inconsiderate "Yup" even while thinking otherwise, because frankly "who cares" is a valid objection and so is trying to not sound pretentious and pompous. Anyway, lets just get to the economist's response.

Dear Mike,

Economists always seem to talk in dollars and cents, yet few economic models contain any reference to the stuff.

The reason why economists will use strange phrases such as “the value of a kiss is $49” is not that they think money is particularly important, but simply that it is a convenient way to measure things. If a toffee apple is worth $7 then a kiss is as good as seven toffee apples; however if the toffee apples cost $6 and the kiss costs $50 then the toffee apples are a better buy.

All that said, why do we have money at all, rather than using - for instance - toffee apples as a medium of exchange? One reason is that the price of toffee apples may fluctuate wildly, which means that although I could in principle write a contract denominated in toffee apples, it would be hard to have much confidence in what that contract really meant. Contracts in the ancient world were sometimes denominated in salt, because it had a stable price. These days, dollars are even better.

A complementary explanation is that money is a simple way for people to gain credibility. I can settle my debts by writing a note that says “I owe you one kiss,” but I may not make good that promise, nor will you be able to use my IOU to pay for anything else. If, instead, I give you $49, this is a promise made by the US Treasury, a more dependable debtor.

In short, we need money because people simply don’t trust each other. In the words of economists Nobuhiro Kiyotaki and John Moore, “evil is the root of all money”.

Sweet, isn't it?

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9/30/2006

the Israel Lobby (a.k.a. Mindless Conspiracism)

For the intellectually bankrupt, morally repugnant, or hopelessly naive lot who believe in the lie that is the Israel Lobby (furthered by Walt and Mearsheimer's 'paper'), here is a devastating and easily understood, logical critique of one mentioned point : Israeli influence over the Iraq war:
http://www.geocities.com/martinkramerorg...
Martin Kramer needs to replace people who are entirely enamored with a 'Flat World' (yes, Mr. Freidman, you earn from your mediocrity) and flout spaces in esteemed national dailies.

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8/19/2006

Zionists control the media, Don'tcha Knowww???

We infidels are inherently stupid, according to the Qur'an (literally we are "men who do not know"). Therefore we must believe everything that Muslim spokesmen and 'intellectuals' tell us as talking heads on CNN, MSNBC, BBC, etc. Since infidel stupidity is quite axiomatic, we do not need to be explained to, the reasons of our self-deception. Or perhaps, you see, its the Evil Zionist Designs ®© that have befuddled our senses, fooled our perceptions and have non-locally transformed a gentle Muslim gentleman treating infidels into a murdering ululating sociopath on the news.

According to recent polls, most famously, the one conducted by MSNBC, Americans' perception of Islam is the lowest it has ever been. Talking heads on the telly naturally gathered around this rather exotically strange and unexplanable development and informed their proletariat (that is, we the people) that this was indeed an alarming trend that must be curbed. They, in their majestic wisdom arrived upon the delectable truth that this development was most certainly the cause of the images media throws upon the wretched racist redneck masses of the evil Infidelistan that is the US. So, you see, its the media's fault. Don't they know that showing ululating psychopaths chant the kalimah (La ilaha il Allah, va Muhammad'un Rasool Ullah -- There's no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his Prophet) and behead infidels in some hinterland of civilization will fuel negative perceptions of The Great Noble Religion of Peace © ?!? How could they be so irresponsible so as to show things as they are?!?

Folks, that is the question we seek the answer to in this post.

So, you see, folks, they could be so irresponsible as they are controlled by the Vast Right Wing Neocon Zionist Redneck Racist Apartheid Nazis © These sub-humans are so wretched that they would show decent peace-loving Muslims as terrorists! You see Reuters was started by a Jewish man Paul Julius Reuter, hence its part of the the conspiracy. But wait....the fact that Reuters - a reputed newswire agency let blatantly amateurish doctored photos from Lebanon pass through the wire, even though a cursory glance by a competent photo editor would have caught the fraud skews our analysis doesn't it? Even though established by an international, usurious Jew, why would a member of the said conspiracy want to skewer world opinion against the Zionist Entity (Israel) ? Perhaps.

But, if you are one who followed the trail of logical thought from the above analysis, you are part of the Zionist Enemy Number One, wallahi!! Why, you ask!?! I'll tell you why! As Arab Media has shown us, the sneaky, clever Zionists had used Reuters to doctor the photo to turn opinion against the Zionist Entity so that they could expose it and hence discredit all the atrocities that they have committed upon the helpless Lebanese and Palestinian souls! AHA! gotcha now, didnt they!?!?

*Sigh* I wish I was making this up.

To those who don't get it -- I hope you trip on a landmine.

Signing Out!

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6/16/2006

Ministry of Love, Truth, and Justice

It appears that the isles of those stiff-upper lipped Anglo-Saxons have not learned their lessons from 7/7 or the Cartoon Jihad demonstrators threatening genocide and destruction on the British populace. The latest from The Guardian:

UK: Police may let Muslims see terrorism intelligence

The police are considering a proposal to let selected British Muslims examine the intelligence used to mount anti-terrorism raids before they take place, the Guardian has learned.
The proposal will be considered as part of a review of the raid in Forest Gate, east London, a fortnight ago when 250 officers stormed a family house searching for a chemical weapon which was not found. One man was shot and police have apologised for the "hurt" caused by the raid which has further damaged strained relations with the local community. The review began this week and is expected to be completed before the end of the month.

Public policy these days, to put it mildly has 'gone to the wolves.' The biggest hole in the cruiseliner of democracy is spitting fountains up to starboard but alas, the captain and crew are blind or too worried about icebergs. As we have repeatedly seen, the so-called 'religious leaders' in the Muslim community are at the forefront of fomenting hatred against Infidel host societies. One wonders who these 'selected British Muslims' might be and who decides upon who these will be. If the likes of Inayat Bunglawala are chosen, it does infidels' confidence in their security apparatus no good.

I'm in no mood for commenting any further on the dhimmi policies of the Labour Government. The following comment by the poster 'Jesus Christ Supercop' in DhimmiWatch puts it all in perspective.

CAUTION: Must not be read with drinks in mouth. Spillage probable and this blog cannot take any responsibility if such results ensue.

I travelled to the future and found this article in a newspaper:

Police frustrated at lack of anti-terrorism success
Captain Obvious
Tuesday February 22nd, 2008
The police are frustrated at their lack of success in fighting terrorism. Four terrorist attacks within the last two years have left 5,000 people dead, and only one alleged strike was succesfully prevented in last November, when two men of Asian background were seen trying to detonate 5,000 kilograms of fertilizer in the middle of Buckingham Palace, after they had decapitated the Prime Minister and his entire family.
A senior police source said: "We became suspicious when we received calls about the Prime Minister being beheaded on live television. We identified the alleged murderers as men of Asian descent, and consulted with local community leaders. We decided not to bring in the men for questioning because it would have sent the wrong message, and could have caused tension within the community. The fertilizer was confiscated because it was obstructing traffic within the Palace."
Other sources said that the police is planning to share more intelligence with local community leaders in order to improve their ability to combat terrorism. More police officers of Asian background are being hired, in cooperation with local community leaders. The police believe that this will considerably reduce community tensions and encourage an atmosphere of dialogue and understanding.
Andy Tool, spokesman for the Metropolitan Police Interfaith Dialogue Initiative Of Trust (MPIDIOT), has stated that the force is considering letting go of many of their caucasian officers because they create unnecessary community tensions and could potentially upset religious sensitivities during anti-terror raids.
In other news, the suspects of last week's car bombing filed a complaint againts the European Union and the United Nations for inhumane treatment when the police refused to give them soft drinks and Playstations while they were in custody. Jack Llama, head of the United Nations Political Correctness Commission, said that the matter was being investigated, and added that a trade embargo againts Britain was not out of the question.

Simply Brilliant!

3/23/2006

Cartoons and Political Labels

'Bigoted provocations,''Fascistic intolerance,' etc, etc.

We live in a global village (yes I'm as cliched as they come). This is not so much a village due to anything but technology. If there weren't hi-def satellite transmissions of the most unworthy pieces of 'news,' there would not be a global 'village' to speak of. Which makes sense when discussing the whole Mohammad cartoon fiasco. Initially I had settled for siding with the proponents of freedom of speech as there was massive hysteria on the other side. However, now its time to ummm, analyze and scratch beneath the (yes thats right -- another cliche coming up) surface.

Ever since the advent of communists, common labels became hopelessly skewed. These included -- reactionary, progressive, right-wing, left-wing, and in India, communalism, etc. etc. Communists have over the decades perfected the art of ad hominem and a lot of other pseudo-intellectuals have borrowed their technique and used it to great avail. For the lazy masses hurling about in their modern-day mental drones consisting of layers of work, finances, work, children, and finances, this technique gets great results. This is because the faculty of critical thinking required an ever-acute eye for propagandistic rhetoric and verbiage and I believe people frankly don't have the time or the interest in following public debates on issues critically as a lot of it does not affect their lives directly. So in effect, if someone like Robert Spencer tries to open a debate on the 'real' causes of terrorism around the world today and how they might have something to do with core Islamic traditions, Ward Churchill and company will hurl the previously-mentioned labels the first time and in effect disparage Mr. Spencer's credibility. This might have nothing to do with the argument Mr. Spencer might make. It has all to do with circumabulating the real debate and instead hurl abuses to stay in power. This is exactly the sort of thing Romila Thapar, Irfan Habib and other 'eminent' historians in the Marxist academic halls of India do to defend their lousy outmoded so-called 'scholarship'.

So why did I mention all of the above? Simple reason: political correctness. It is the epidemic plaguing serious discussion today. Those who do not adhere to this monstrosity borne out of good intentions are labelled fascists and right-wing nuts instantly. It is a fact that people calling themselves 'liberal' or 'left-wingers' usually adhere to the scriptural doctrine of political correctness more than the so-called 'conservatives' or 'right-wingers'. This is not to say that all conservatives are free from the clutches of this dogma either. But the real point is the harm that this dogma causes in obfuscating open and honest debate. This is a top-down trickling of ideas. It's sort of common knowledge that a Middle American and a common man in India holds onto opinions and views that cannot be deemed 'politically correct', but often the ideology is forced from the top-down by media giants like Times and India Today.

So in purview of the above, if we were to see through the looking-glass (yes more cliches thank you), we would see an enormous amount of obfuscation and rhetoric on the issue of the Mohammad cartoons. It's true that the hysteria of the Muslim mobs was maddening and truly condemnable. But why exactly did it take them 5 months or more to put up their demonstrations? What purpose did it serve? Why did the Iranian nuclear issue get hidden in the process? One would find out from our great friend Google, that the Danish imam Achmed Abu Laban who went on a tour of the Middle East to publicize the issue of the cartoons after the Jyllands-Posten refused to apologize, carried in his portfolio the 12 original illustrations and also 3 fake ones which were way more offensive. He spread bile and vile propaganda against the Danish people and spread victimology. He wailed to the Egyptians about how being a Muslim is inviting harassment and persecution in Denmark. It is also said that at the Islamic summit at Makkah of the OIC was set the agenda of pursuing the agitation against Denmark to dilute the Iranian nuclear issue and to disparage Denmark's reputation which was to get a seat at the rotating temporary UN Security Council.

So began the campaign. Embassies were burnt, flags were torched, effigies of Western leaders were trampled and torn, Jihadi slogans were screamed out loud. Amid all the hysteria people naturally took sides. Some took to the freedom of speech argument, while mostly Muslims and some so-called liberals pursued the argument about 'responsibility' to be exercised while speaking freely. These people were, of course, an hour late and a dollar short as they were absent during the Piss Christ and other such controversies. So naturally people saw the hypocrisy. However, some of the commentators questioned the events and realised that it was all planned rage by the dictatorships of the Middle East and by tinfoil hat logic stated that we should not provide 'fuel' to the Middle Eastern tyrannies to use their people for political purposes. Absurd, indeed.

Among all the verbiage and sloganeering, I asked myself the above questions and arrived at various answers. SO yes, there was a conspiracy afoot. Yes, freedom of speech is absolute when it comes to mocking religious figures. Yes, there should be 'responsibility' in exercising freedom of speech but not when disparaging religious figures. Yes, indeed the hysterical murderous Muslim mobs were incited by the dictatorships. But, one must stop and ask how is it that these people are so easily provoked over cartoons? They say its cos Mohammad is a very respected and deeply loved character to them. They say Mohammad was the perfect man, he was merciful and peaceful. NOW WAIT A MINUTE....to show that Mohammad was a peaceful man you are committing arson, vandalism, murder and calling to genocide. We have to say that Islam is a religion of peace or we are to be killed. Is this 1984 yet or what!?! Orwell would be smiling in his grave (rather meekly). Who exactly are the fascists and racists? The people calling for genocide and mayhem and terrorism in the name of avenging cartoons or the cartoonists? Even that specious organisation - the United Nations had to get involved. A political poster of UN is posted here later. The UN Human Rights Commissioner takes time off from petty everday things like the genocide in Darfur or massive starvation in the rest of Africa or the unrest in Haiti and religious persecution in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and instead issues a strong worded statement to the effect of condemning Denmark. I know why Bush put John Bolton in there!

The racists, bigots, and fascists were calling the people questioning their behavior racists, bigots and fascists. It does NOT get more Orwellian than this. And within this devious and pathetic development, the establishment of political correctness served as the oxygen in a combustion keeping the false flickers of victimhood and grievance alive. All the while, the broker at Wall Street or the banker at HSBC or the grocer down the street doesn't give a fart and arrives at the conclusion that both sides must be equally responsible.

Conclussion: get rid of political labels...or use them carefully and if you know your argument is based on sound logic and facts, ignore ad hominem and rally on with it.