10-4-14 Hodgepodge

Too Late -- or Not Yet?

In a column titled, "Will the West Defend Itself??", Walter Williams answers his own question, at least in the short term:

Westerners getting the backbone to defend ourselves from terrorists may have to await a deadly attack on our homeland. You say, "What do you mean, Williams?" America's liberals have given terrorists an open invitation to penetrate our country through our unprotected southern border. Terrorists can easily come in with dirty bombs to make one of our major cities uninhabitable through radiation. They could just as easily plant chemical or biological weapons in our cities. If they did any of these acts -- leading to the deaths of millions of Americans -- I wonder whether our liberal Democratic politicians would be able to respond or they would continue to mouth that "Islam teaches peace" and "Islam is a religion of peace." [bold added]

The question appears to be rhetorical: First, that has already happened with the Islamist atrocities of September 11, 2001. Second, in his parting shot, Williams sees a significant obstacle to our nation adopting a principled foreign policy of national self-interest.

Weekend Reading

"Kids are not born with knowledge that we adults take for granted, e.g., that they should eat healthy food, or that they must think before they act." -- Michael Hurd, in "10 Tips for Navigating Children Through Childhood" at The Delaware Coast Press

"A deadline is sort of like having a GPS in your car, or a compass on a ship." -- Michael Hurd, in "Deadlines: Really Such a Bad Thing?" at The Delaware Wave

"Whenever the government pays for health care, the government will ultimately decide what care patients may (or may not) receive." -- Paul Hsieh, in "Who Decides What Medical Care You Receive At End of Life?" at Forbes

My Two Cents

From Michael Hurd's piece on deadlines, I learned that he has been writing two columns a week for nearly a decade. My thanks go to him as a reader for his consistently good writing, and as a writer for the inspiration.

Need to Roll Your Eyes? There's an App for That!

I can practically hear the ad copy for this one: "Is your shopping list the only thing in your life you haven't yet succeeded in politicizing? There's an app for that."

The goal of this free app is to let people find out more information about the brands they purchase and the ideologies of their leaders and employees. After downloading the app, a user just has to scan a bar code using their phone's camera, and then wait for the information to pop up: the number in red is for contributions to the Republican Party, blue for the Democratic Party, and green for others.

Those of us who don't insist on everyone thinking, speaking, and acting in lockstep can use this app, too, no installation required. Here's how: (1) Find someone staring at his smart phone in the grocery aisle, agonizing with furrowed brow over a choice in brands of something you, too, are about to buy. (2) Strike up a conversation. (3) When said individual obnoxiously broadcasts his choice in brands -- or laments that all brands present deserve boycotts -- select the one he finds most objectionable and leave.

Fortunately, I am pretty sure I haven't seen anyone using this in the month-plus since I heard about it.

This is not to say that, under some circumstances, boycotts are appropriate and useful, but making a buying decision at this level, for everything, is absurd, at best.

--CAV