Awalnet, and the Saudi Internet Scam
by Donovan on 2/25/2007 2:34:23 AM
I seldom feel a great need to rant in my posts. However, given the plethora of public relations pieces masquerading as news, sometimes, one must provide a second opinion. Take Awalnet. The worst DSL service I have ever seen, anywhere, bar none. You'd think Awalnet/Saudi Arabia would have figured... Continue »
Conservatives and support for our troops
by Donovan on 2/23/2007 8:49:19 AM
MisterE strongly opposes the lack of material support for our troops. Often, I find myself similarly outraged - it is too easy to fly a flag and make a speech praising our troops when the cameras are on you - then hand money to the nice men in suits who will bankroll your political career when the ... Continue »
Causes of Poverty - what is the margin for error?
by Donovan on 2/12/2007 1:04:41 PM
Is it logical to expect poor people to exercise MUCH better financial judgment than rich people? The question seems odd. After all, look at the self-help section in any bookstore, and you'll find hundreds of titles by rich people about how to get richer. But the thing is, if one expects poor peo... Continue »
CIA opposed the reported links between OBL and Saddam
by Donovan on 2/10/2007 7:32:26 AM
In 2002, the CIA (and most of the rest of the intelligence agencies) challenged the Bush Administration behind closed doors regarding their assessment that Saddam-Osama were somehow linked together. (In public, Tenet strongly supported Bush - because that's his job.) But Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and... Continue »
How many enemy insurgents did Bush fund?
by Donovan on 2/9/2007 11:54:07 AM
Under the terms of Clinton era anti-terrorism legislation, anyone who funds a terrorist organization has committed a crime. Under the terms of the Patriot Act, even unknowingly funding such organizations can be a crime. People who negligently hand over their money can be arrested and prosecuted in... Continue »
Classical liberalism - clarified
by Donovan on 2/9/2007 10:53:58 AM
One of my self-appointed duties on WIS is correcting mistaken understandings of political theory. Having spent many years studying politics, economics, and law, I am not coming to this from one or two on-line articles under the belt. Thus - to respond to Shaun's political theory discussion. Shau... Continue »
Man who helped lead America into Iraq not guilty of a crime
by Donovan on 2/9/2007 9:07:34 AM
The following story ought to surprise no one: A special unit run by former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's top policy aide inappropriately produced "alternative" prewar intelligence reports on Iraq that wrongly concluded Saddam Hussein's regime had cooperated with Al Qaeda, a Pentagon investiga... Continue »
Blogger arrested in Egypt, world yawns
by Donovan on 2/5/2007 10:56:49 AM
In China, and in many countries in the Middle East (and elsewhere), insulting the government is considered a criminal offense. Government officials monitor such posts and blogs, looking to apprehend undesirables. And American security contractors, for the most part, teach these governments how to ... Continue »
US military action should be governed by international treaties
by Donovan on 2/5/2007 5:10:37 AM
Say the word "treaty" and people will suddenly get all cock-eyed. "You mean trust them durn fur'ners? You mean let them have control over us?! You traitor!" Funny. Such folks pretend to be capitalists - but don't understand that the basis of capitalism is contracts - which is all a treaty is. ... Continue »
Partygoers in Saudi Arabia to be lashed
by Donovan on 2/5/2007 4:49:14 AM
Somehow, this story doesn't surprise me... RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA — A Saudi Arabian judge sentenced 20 foreigners to receive lashes and spend several months in prison after convicting them of attending a party where alcohol was served and at which men and women danced, a newspaper reported Sunda... Continue »
Straight ahead, damn the torpedoes! Flip-floppers Unite!
by Donovan on 2/5/2007 1:29:25 AM
Shaun has a cute little post about his "gratitude" to John Kerry for demonstrating a flip-flopper to the world. Indeed - he dramatically prefers the courage of a president who runs away from war, who ensures that his family members never face serious threats - such conviction! Such profound stea... Continue »
Stem Cell Ethics - the state of the art
by Donovan on 2/4/2007 8:29:35 AM
Should women be permitted to donate their eggs for money? Such a bizarre question. Women are permitted to sell much more than that, and often, left with few alternatives. But it's odd to me that the scientific consensus splits over this particular controversy, as some exercise their strangely chi... Continue »
Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome: the lifetime costs of war
by Donovan on 2/4/2007 4:45:28 AM
One of those factors of the war in Iraq seldom spoken about is what happens after the ticker tape parades decline, after the flag waving ends, after people who have been exposed to severe trauma are asked to return to their families, rebuild their lives as if nothing happened, and to hold jobs. S... Continue »
The Science of On-line Dating
by Donovan on 2/4/2007 3:29:21 AM
I get sort of thrilled every time a scientist takes on pseudo-science. It's a rare thing for someone to claim, "You're so-called scientific tests are pointless, useless, and methodologically flawed." Hence, as a former on-line dater myself, this one caught my eye When I see extravagant ads for onl... Continue »
Good Sex Is Not a Rat Race
by Donovan on 2/4/2007 2:56:06 AM
Generally, I'm one to look for the wisdom in old moral principles, rather than jettisoning them. The old saw about "good girls/bad boys" comes to mind here... For years the story on rat sex has been this: the male seeks above all else to ejaculate quickly, and once he has done it with one female, h... Continue »