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Milton J. Madison - An American Refugee Now Living in China, Where Liberty is Ascending

Federalism, Free Markets and the Liberty To Let One's Mind Wander. I Am Very Worried About the Fate of Liberty in the USA, Where Government is Taking people's Lives ____________________________________________________________________________________________ "Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice. Tolerance in the face of tyranny is no virtue." -Barry Goldwater-

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Why We Will Never Be At Peace With Islam....

Today's brutal shooting and suicide bombing death of Pakistani opposition politician Benizir Bhutto illustrates yet again, that Muslims cannot tolerate successful women in their midst. In Iraq, al Qaeda has targeted woman politicians in their terror campaign, too, so its not just a Pakistani issue. These crazies will even kill their fellow citizens in an attempt to implement their barbaric inhuman religion. Zealots have taken over Islam, moderates have allowed this to happen and they will continue to kill in an attempt to create anarchy.

Islam is the religion of death and destruction. I offer this thought and assessment, why is that so many Muslims are willing to blow themselves up and kill dozens of innocent civilians? Why is it that Muslim daddies kill their female children when the nebulous concept of family honor is somehow mysteriously wronged? Its because the religion teaches them to do this.

Swiftboat.....

The new verb in the American vernacular, swiftboating, refers to the surge of negative ads and other accusations against a candidate that the writer feels are unfair. In the case of candidate John Kerry in the 2004 presidential race, 'swiftboating' refers to the questions and accusations raised on his service in the military in Vietnam and his behavior following the service. Most of the claims made against John Kerry, principally by fellow serviceman, John O'Neill, were never answered by Kerry during the campaign despite him being fully capable of doing so. Current popular belief is that he did release the records and other material that the accusation focused on and that these accusation have been effectively rebutted. But, in reality, few of the accusations lofted by the Swiftboat Veterans for Truth have been answered and the specific military records asked for still have not been requested nor released by Kerry.

Additionally, the American press have taken almost no interest what-so-ever in the story, principally, in my opinion, since they refused to dig deeply into the story while the accusations were being made. Their complicity in protecting the Democrat Kerry shows that the press is not an honest arbitrator of information particularly when it comes to politics. The press will attempt to protect a Democratic candidate if they can while pursuing stories such as the ridiculous story based on forged documents foisted upon us by Dan Rather and feeble CBS News organization just days before the election in an attempt to smear George Bush. Why isn't their a word to describe that? Maybe because it is too scary to imagine that the American press is complicit in overtly supporting one candidate over another dishonestly.

Here is more information on the swiftboating of John Kerry.

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Calling People Idiots....

I read this recent quote...
Jim Rogers: ‘Bernanke is an Idiot’

Jim Rogers, co-founder with George Soros of the Quantum Fund, readily admits he’s a "dollar bear looking for a big rally” so he can sell.

.......

Rogers has traded his bullishness in America for faith in China’s economy — he even moved to Singapore and intends to raise his family there.

He encourages Americans to put their investment dollars there as well.

Why China? "All Americans are spending a lot of money in China now, so why don’t we get something back? They’re among the best capitalists in the world. Massachusetts is more communist than China is these days,” Rogers said.
So, Jim Rogers is calling others idiots. Jim Rogers is famous for wearing wearing bowties on TV and riding a motorcycle across China after being a hedge fund manager. Listen to him and you deserve what you get.

And on moving to China? He didn't move to Hong Kong, which is technically in China, and is just a Special Administrative Region. Moved to Singapore? Several hours away from China by airplane and not part of China, even remotely so. Can't get good schools or decent unpolluted lives in china I suppose? And China is the future? Maybe for aggressive cancers and other absurd life challenges. China is really the dumping ground for the rest of the world. And most people over the next 5 years that follow this clown Rogers advice and commit new money to China will get killed, in my humble opinion.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Torture....

I am enjoying this debate going on with respect to torture these days in the US. The debate has revolved principally around waterboarding. Some classify the procedure of waterboarding as torture and some regard it as an aggressive interrogation technique. Some probably just think of it as proof that we Americans are evil people and deseerve everything that happens to us. So what is it? And who cares?

Well, one has to first ask is the US using torture? I would say not if the question is whether-or-not waterboarding is torture. We do not hang people up by their thumbs, burn them with cigarettes, push bamboo shoots under their fingernails, summarily execute prisoners and do other acts of permanent physical abuse to detainees. Those things are clearly torture. So what is waterboarding then? We do know that it does not injure the 'victim' permanently but is uncomfortable and appears to make detainees talk.

Waterboarding is a technique where the prisoner is tied to a board, angled gently head-down and pitchers of water poured on their face that stimulates a response similar to drowning.

The Defense Department is not allowed to use this technique but the CIA is as per Congress.

So, now that we know what it is, we can debate whether-or-not it is torture. I kind of fall on the side that it is not torture since it does not cause physical permanent damage. Simple answer to a simple problem. I do not consider psychological considerations in this answer and i do not think that it should play a role in the torture debate anyway.

Then one has to ask, who cares? Most rightly think that we should not torture detainees for 2 reasons; 1. It typically does not work and detainees generally will tell their torturers whatever they want to hear in order to end the pain. This is particularly appropriate when one is torturing a detainee in order to prosecute them for a crime and the 'confession' is used as evidence against them. This is not what is happening to the terrorists where aggressive techniques are being used. 2. Our adversaries on the battlefield use these techniques because the US uses them. The US actually trains soldiers to respond to this technique in interrogation situations. Its realistic to think that it can and will be used against our soldiers irrespective if we determine it is illegitimate. And what is the point of delegitimizing a relatively benign technique when much more brutal and deadly techniques are used by wild eyed Muslim fanatics anyway?

So, we as a people have to decide what techniques are reasonable in what situations. In this article, a former CIA agent has this to say....
These words could have immeasurable value if Mr. Kiriakou could unburden himself from inexplicable second-guessing. ABC's Mr. Ross asks if waterboarding "compromised American principles or saved American lives?"

Mr. Kiriakou says: "Both."

Bad question, bad answer.
As the article explains, the CIA agent says that it both saves lives and compromised American principles. Lose-lose? It cannot be. We can make a value judgement here. We either decide to lose lives of Americans and innocents of other countries, or selectively use aggressive techniques when warranted. It appears to me to be a very easy question to answer. I choose life as the driving factor in determining what is appropriate. It is a small price to pay and one that can be argued as justifiable. Save lives. Sounds good to me. tough to see the downside of this one.

But what do the Democrats do? Nothing! Good that they are taking a principled stand. I guess that the focus group results haven't come out yet. However, the press is taking a more aggressive stance as they try to protect Democrats and absolve them of all responsibility. In this article by the San Francisco Chronicle ominously titled Was Pelosi aware of CIA's tactics?, the debate is colored in conspiracy tones, trying absolve those Democrats that were aware of the technique years ago. What good does this do? This is the old 'When did they know and what did they do about it?' meme. Legalistic manure. But that is not the point. The question is:
Is it torture and if it is, does that trump the life saving aspects that have to be addressed


I think that this debate has transformed from the typical juvenile Bush bashing into America bashing. It appears to me as if certain people think that since the country is bad, that we don't deserve to protect ourselves. Is this reasonable as an approach? I simply do not think that these people should be trusted looking after our best interests.

And, so my readers know, I have been tortured. I know what torture is. I lived in New York and used to read the New York Times. That was a torture so criminal and heinous, that I would welcome waterboarding.

Bali, Kyoto And Other Great Holiday Spots To Visit With Taxpayer Dollars, Hob-nob With Brain Dead Celebrities And Pretend That You Care About Others..

The global warming moniker has now transformed into more digestible climate change title in an attempt for good [and sometimes not so good] intentioned liberals to change everyone's behavior for their own good. 'The planet is in danger, so let me take your funds to make changes for your benefit' and tell you how to live your life. I will fly around to all kinds of nice vacation places because I am working for the betterment of humankind and I know what is better for humans than you do.

In 1997, the Senate voted against the Kyoto global warming agreement 95-0. The bill and the vote can be found here and this is what was agreed upon at the time....
Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--

(1) the United States should not be a signatory to any protocol to, or other agreement regarding, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change of 1992, at negotiations in Kyoto in December 1997, or thereafter, which would--

(A) mandate new commitments to limit or reduce greenhouse gas emissions for the Annex I Parties, unless the protocol or other agreement also mandates new specific scheduled commitments to limit or reduce greenhouse gas emissions for Developing Country Parties within the same compliance period, or

(B) would result in serious harm to the economy of the United States; and

(2) any such protocol or other agreement which would require the advice and consent of the Senate to ratification should be accompanied by a detailed explanation of any legislation or regulatory actions that may be required to implement the protocol or other agreement and should also be accompanied by an analysis of the detailed financial costs and other impacts on the economy of the United States which would be incurred by the implementation of the protocol or other agreement.
The Clinton administration did not support passage of Kyoto, otherwise, it would not have been unanimous. But Clinton was able to take both sides of the issue later by supporting it, **wink**wink**. And where was the messiah Al Gore at the time? Oh, maybe he was working on inventing the Internet. Clowns today try to blame George Bush for this? Ha. Now Democrats are all for it? We will see.

So, even Democrats voted not to agree to Kyoto, principally because it was not very fair and laid a huge amount of costs on the US. At that time, common sense reigned.

Yes, there is climate change. It is changing all the time. Sea levels has risen 400 feet over the past 16,000 years. The globe is warming and irrespective of what we do, the climate will change and this will impact the planet.

The problem I have with all these clowns running around in the circus, is that even if humans have contributed to the change in the climate, then.... what has that been, what IS effective and what does it cost? Its all idiotic since we know none of this. The way I look at it, the global warming crowd don't care if what we do has an impact or is effective as long as we are doing something.

Genesis 1:28 says....
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
I think that we have done a pretty good job and just what God has wanted.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

What Is More Fun?

The hijab or Jib Jab?

Well, another Muslims Daddy killed his daughter, this time a 16 year-old in our back-yard near Toronto, Canada for not wanted to wear the Islamic proper headdress for women, the hijab....
Friends at the victim’s school said she feared her father and had argued over her desire to shun the hijab, a traditional shoulder-length head scarf worn by females in devout Muslim families.

Homicide investigators had been standing by, as it soon became clear the young girl wouldn't survive the attack.
Muslims are incapable of living in today's world. The article was silent on how the daddy murdered his daughter, typically an honor killing is done by slitting their throats, but maybe this Muslim daddy just beat his young daughter to death. Its amazing that we give these barbaric people even an ounce of respect.

Here is a pic of the murdered girl killed due to Islamic tradition by her daddy....

But also please notice, that Muslim daddies do not kill their sons, only the girls. Parents in Muslim countries only encourage their boys to strap on suicide vests and blow themselves up in crowded markets and buses so that as many innocents are slaughtered as possible in their atrocious attacks.

And it seems as if rape is also acceptable in Islamic culture. And even feminists are unable or unwilling (think... scared) to speak out against these atrocities. Disgusting people.

I prefer Jib Jab.

Mathmatical Proof...

For those single guys seeking to meet a woman in order to get married, please see the following....

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Concern....

I appreciate the concern some people have expressed for my safety and the safety of my family since I have been very critical of Muslims and the religion. So, I think that it is important to keep these things in mind....

1. I do not get much readership, so chances are that there are few crazed Muslims reading these pages. Probably too busy beheading Innocent victims or shooting barbers that cut men's hair to non-Islamic short lengths. Also, Arabic language readers may-or-may-not be able to fully comprehend what I am saying and many probably can't read at all.

2. It would be very difficult for crazed Muslims to track me down using this venue to identify me.

3. If they have the capacity to track people on the net, then this is truly dangerous not just to me but to many many others. Better to find this out now.

4. There is no way that terrorists or threats will keep me quiet. This is exactly the problem. Barbarism in the Muslim world should not threaten the very freedoms that we have and that do impact our lives positively.

5. If one disagrees with what I say since they think that it is inappropriate, not neighborly or downright crazed, then they have a point. But I have chosen to be controversial.

6. I worked with many Muslims and when September 11th happened, many said that this was not their religion. I believed them at that time, now I do not. Most are strangely silent and they have the responsibility to speak out for moderation and common sense. I do not see this.

7. I am a believer in people. I believe in natural right and natural law. I think that people are innately good. I think that the coercion and threats that Islam imposes on people is a violation of natural rights. No one should be forced to live under a regime where apostasy is punished by death, children are murdered by parents due to wrongs against the nebulous concept of family honor and arbitrary death at the hands of angry Muslims cloaked in the vile concept of Sharia Law is tolerated and not exposed to what it is, a tool of coercion and violation of natural rights.

8. If someone actually does attempt to kill me for what I say here, then this proves my point. Their behavior should not be tolerated.

Also, I have been considering what Socrates said a couple of thousand years ago...
"The unexamined life is not worth living."
So what does this mean?

Socrates said this while defending himself in court after he had been found guilty of heresy and sedition. Heresy is a crime that threatens an established religion, and sedition is a threat to the state, both typically punishable by death.

Socrates was charged with these crimes since he was annoyingly very vocal, routinely telling people what he thought about them, bluntly communicating what was on his mind and embarrassing and angering many prominent people in ancient Athens. Socrates routinely walked around insulting and chastising his neighbors. Kind of crazy, I suppose, and they wanted him to be silenced.

When found guilty, however, he was offered some sort of clemency to the sentence of death to keep his mouth shut. But, as this passage explains....
If they thought he could just keep his mouth shut and stay out of trouble, that would be impossible. First because to keep his silence would be a disobedience to a direct command from God. Of course he knew they could not believe he was serious about this God thing so he puts it a different way, he explained to them that he felt it was his responsibility, "... to let no day pass without discussing goodness and all the other subjects about which you hear me talking and examining both myself and others," he felt that this activity, "is really the very best thing that a man (or women) can do, and that life without this sort of examination is not worth living ..."

He chose death rather than silence. He chose death because he considered participation in that type of conversation whose goal it is to find the truth, to search for wisdom, essential for the nurturing and growth of the soul as well as for the health and welfare of the state. The love and pursuit of wisdom was both religious and patriotic. He believed his death would be a witness to this belief. It was out of piety and patriotism that he accepted to be a martyr in defense of the right and the responsibility of the citizen to participate in independent critical thinking.
Socrates was put to death with a lethal dose of hemlock.

Since I live here, in this virtual world and also in the real world, I fully intend on continuing to pursue truth since I think that my participation, no matter how small, is an addition to collective wisdom. I believe that this is what God wants and intends for us to do. I also think that no matter how difficult this personal examination is, the exploration of us as a people(s) and the review of our culture(s) is the only way that we will grow and lead our children to fuller, more productive lives.

Anyone that does not agree with what I have said here, then should look to Voltaire and what he said about my right to say what I say....
I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.
He actually never did say this in his writing but some believe this is what he intended to say. Voltaire was also threatened by death for his participation in questioning the wisdom of the day and many of the early philosophers had to code their beliefs and criticisms in order to stay alive.

And all of this leads me to think of the quote sometime attributed to American civil rights leader Martin Luther King on non-violent resistance....
"If your opponent has a conscience, then follow Gandhi and nonviolence. But if your enemy has no conscience like Hitler, then follow Bonhoeffer."
Bonhoeffer was a leader in opposing Nazism, anti-Semitism and the horrendous German treatment of Jews. He was put to death on direct orders by Adolph Hitler just days before Hitler committed suicide. I feel that I am in good company. So, do Muslims have a conscience?

Saturday, December 08, 2007

No Sense Of Humor......

Christmas Season And Health....

During this time of year, lots of us overindulge in food and drink and this can adversely affect our health. So, in order to assist the public in their pursuit of good health, MJM is posting the following so that you can detect early signs of disease or other malaise that can impact your fun and enjoyment during this time of the year....

Christmas in Hong Kong....

Back in the US, the Christmas season starts right after Thanksgiving. Here in Hong Kong, it actually starts a little earlier but the decorations don't seem to go up at any special time. Today I was out and noticed that in Statue Square, a tree and other decorations are going up since it seems as if the festive sites in Central are not being prepared this year like they have in the past. I am a little disappointed since the gawdy decorations will be missed. However, as always, there are all kinds of lights, colors and other decorations all around town. Just want to share some of them with you here.....

Thursday, December 06, 2007

Insults With Class And Character......

I hear Democrats calling Bush a liar, monkey, smirker all kinds of other stuff. They have redefined dullness and idiocy in their political discourse. But some of the following really made me chuckle....

“He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire.”
–Winston Churchill

“I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure.”
–Clarence Darrow

“He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary.”
–William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway)

"Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?"
—Ernest Hemingway (about William Faulkner)

“I’ve had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn’t it.”
–Groucho Marx

“I didn’t attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it.”
–Mark Twain

“He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends.”
–Oscar Wilde

“I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend... if you have one.”
–George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill

“Cannot possibly attend first night; will attend second, if there is one.”
–Winston Churchill’s response to George Bernard Shaw

“I feel so miserable without you; it’s almost like having you here.”
–Stephen Bishop

“He is a self-made man and worships his creator.”
–John Bright

“I’ve just learned about his illness. Let’s hope it’s nothing trivial.”
–Irvin S. Cobb

“He is not only dull himself; he is the cause of dullness in others.”
–Samuel Johnson

“He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up.”
–Paul Keating

“Winston, if you were my husband, I would poison your coffee!”
–Lady Astor to Winston Churchill at a dinner party

“Madam, if I were your husband, I would drink it!”
–Winston Churchill’s response to Lady Astor

"Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I'll waste no time reading it."
—Moses Hadas

"There's nothing wrong with you that reincarnation won't cure."
—Jack E. Leonard

"He has the attention span of a lightning bolt."
—Robert Redford

"They never open their mouths without subtracting from the sum of human knowledge."
—Thomas Brackett Reed

"He inherited some good instincts from his Quaker forebears, but by diligent hard work, he overcame them."
—James Reston (about Richard Nixon)

"In order to avoid being called a flirt, she always yielded easily."
—Charles, Count Talleyrand

"He loves nature in spite of what it did to him."
—Forrest Tucker

"He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any one I know."
—Abraham Lincoln

"His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork."
—Mae West

"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts — for support rather than illumination."
—Andrew Lang (1844-1912)

"He has Van Gogh's ear for music."
—Billy Wilder

“Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go.”
–Oscar Wilde

"You, Mr. Wilkes, will die either of the pox or on the gallows."
–The Earl of Sandwich

"That depends, my lord, whether I embrace your mistress or your principles."
–John Wilkes's response to The Earl of Sandwich

"A modest little person, with much to be modest about."
—Winston Churchill

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

Even The New York Times Is Horrified By The Behavior Of Muslims As-Of-Late....

The teddy bear incident and the brutal sentencing for a victim of a gang rape of a young woman in Saudi Arabia is causing even The New York Times to open their eyes to the lunacy that permeates the Islamic world in the Middle-east. And even some moderate Muslim voices are being heard since these ridiculous cases highlight the absurdity of the religion and the way that it is practiced....
Khartoum’s few friends, in the Arab League and China, should make clear that such cynical games will only increase its isolation. The world should expect better from Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah, who has introduced some — but not nearly enough — political and judicial reforms. The king has a hallowed responsibility in Islam as Keeper of the Two Holy Mosques of Mecca and Medina. What one Muslim leader, Ibrahim Mogra of the Muslim Council of Britain, said about the Sudan case can also be applied to the Saudis’: “How does this help the cause of Islam? What kind of message and image are we portraying about our religion and our culture?”
Maybe The New York Times thought that American Muslims were natural Democratic voters and conveniently overlooked the brutality of the religion towards other religions and women so as to not irritate these potential Hilary Clinton and/or Barak Obama lever pullers. Its good that even the clowns on the Editorial pages there see that its not just Bush that is the evil in this world!

Monday, December 03, 2007

How A Teddy Bear Can Insult Islam.....

Muslims almost always think that killing people is the answer to even the smallest insult to their crazed religion....




Teddy is looking kind of sad after crazy Muslims in Sudan want to behead a teacher whose students named Teddy Muhammad. Yea, who would want to be named Muhammad if it means that one would be labelled a crazy frothing at the mouth Muslim?




And of course we all saw Caddyshack where the Baby Ruth in the pool caused panic and the sterilization of the whole thing.



Someone is going to kill me now? The whole "reason" behind the crazy Sudanese Muslims going wild over the teddybear incident is that idolatry is not allowed in Islam. Therefore, since the teddybear is named Muhammad, then people may idolize the teddybear as Muhammad and this is strictly against one of the basic tenets of Islam. In fact, most religions, even Christianity do not allow idolatry. One of the 10 Commandments says....
#2 Do Not Make Any False Idols
But this Commandment does not negate....
#6 Do Not Murder
This teddybear thing could have been handled much easier. It would have been so so much easier and appropriate, if this teddybear upset people, to have approached the teacher and explained to her the problem. And then it could have been dealt with and the teacher, who may not have realized her 'crime' would have learned something new... That Muslims are outraged by the simplest and most innocent of slights.

Just Another Suicide Bomber....

Responsibility....

I am no longer even remotely interested in sports since i think that this form of entertainment has lost its sense of moral leadership in American society. Its become just a better paid form of professional wrestling. But, the shooting death of professional football player Sean Taylor highlights the violence facing black men in the US everyday. Lots of people like to blame slavery, the racist treatment of blacks in the South and much of the US up until recently, lack of educational opportunities, poor inner-city living environments, lack of opportunity, and a host of other ills facing inner city and black citizens everywhere. But in reality, its ultimately the responsibility of the black community to change and build their own lives. The money quote in this story is here....
Blame drugs, blame Ronald Reagan, blame George Bush, blame it on the rain or whatever. There's only one group of people who can change the rotten, anti-education, pro-violence culture our kids have adopted. We have to do it.
Blame is only an excuse for not doing the hard work that will ultimately have to be done by blacks and other inner-city residents to cleanup and safeguard their communities.