text:
Is Democracy Cool Again?
One of the more interesting Twitter commentaries on the upheaval in Tunisia says "this will be fascinating year for Arab world. And US is at risk of falling on wrong side of history. Time to get on the right side". And by "right side" they mean the side of democracy. The warning comes none too soon. Wired notes that the fall of the Tunisian regime comes precisely at the time when the Obama administration began a massive escalation in foreign aid to that country.
The Freedom Agenda is respectable again. After years of laughing at the idea that spreading democracy was America's most useful foreign policy weapon and touting grand bargains with the worst regimes in world, even the New York Times sees in the departure of Tunisian President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali the startling idea that Arabs will not necessarily tolerate tyranny forever.
Make that tyranny and poverty. The unrest in Tunisia was as much about hardship as outrage. Despite the persistent belief to the contrary, centralized states do not always get the trains to run on time. Food prices have been rising the world over and Tunisia was no exception. Making and growing things, not reducing a "carbon footprint" and tootling around on rickety bicycles, may be what the world needs most. Oil at $100 a barrel reminds us that energy prices are the single biggest driver of food price volatility. The focus on Green Energy has not only pushed up the revenues of exiting oil producers to record levels by restricting new production, but has also increased food prices.
Windmills don't do much to grow grain or move food across oceans. They don't run trains or the trucks that deliver goods and services. The world has been told for a long time that the greatest challenge facing the "planet" is Global Warming. Most people outside of the Western environmental lobby knew that the biggest challenge has always been putting food on the table. But man doth not live by bread alone. He also liveth, as some would have it, through grand bargains with tyrants which alone could bring peace to the world.
71 Comments, 71 Threads
1. evan
While not Arab, Turkey has a fair facsimile of democracy, and a growing economy. And yet…January 14, 2011 - 4:32 pm Link to this Comment
2. CharlesWhite
Ya, like someone in our current (or past) Democrat administration will get this… They where increasing the Aide for the "Status quo" now that the apple carts been turned over "0bama" will sure not let this crisis go to waste, he'll quickly halt the Aide to Tunisia and send it to Hezbollah… (followed by a bowing session) With the coming employment, housing, _______ (fill in the blank) collapse and hyper inflation coupled with the worthless Dollar what chance does the budding freedom in Tunisia have? H3ll what chance does it have here!!!January 14, 2011 - 4:33 pm Link to this Comment
3. Forgotten Man
I would really like to visit Tunisia and Algeria, and Lebanon. If they would just be reasonably peaceful I'm there in the next year or so. Nothing bigger than .30 cal anywhere within earshot please.It would be really nice and financially rewarding for all concerned nations if this could be accomplished.January 14, 2011 - 4:34 pm Link to this Comment
4. Storm-Rider
Free people are naturally prosperous because they bring home the fruit of their own labor. An unnatural state of serfdom and poverty occurs when government (a small group of other people) forcefully robs and then "collectivizes" the fruit of other people's labor – in violation of natural law (all men are created with an equal right to the fruit of their own labor in pursuit of happiness). The temptation to pig out on collectivized property and to use it for bribing people and buying votes is an irresistible force for most people in government. Orwell said it best:
"It had long been realized that the only secure basis for oligarchy is collectivism. Wealth and privilege are most easily defended when they are possessed jointly. The so-called "abolition of private property" [Communist Manifesto] meant in effect the concentration of property in far fewer hands than before… In the years following the Revolution it [The Socialist Party of Oceania] was able to step into this commanding position almost un-opposed because the whole process was represented as an act of collectivization… It had always been assumed that if the Capitalist Class were expropriated Socialism must follow; and unquestionably the Capitalists had been expropriated. Factories, mines, land, houses, transport, everything had been taken away from them; and since these things were no longer private property it followed that they must be public property. Ingsoc [Socialist Principles of Oceania], which grew out of the earlier Socialist movement and inherited its phraseology, has in fact carried out the main item in the Socialist program with the result; foreseen and intended beforehand, that economic inequality has been made permanent." George Orwell – 1984
Serfdom and poverty are inevitable in a collectivist society because the people comprising collectivist (excessively taxing) government are greedy for property, and so is the so-called proletariat class – the lazy class which depends on collectivist government to rob the working class on their behalf.
Compare Marx to Adams and Jefferson:
"In one word, you reproach us with intending to do away with your property. Precisely so; that is just what we intend… The proletariat [lazy, tax-eating, non-disabled poor] will use its political supremacy to wrest, by degree, all capital [property] from the bourgeoisie [laboring, tax-paying middle class], to centralize all instruments of production in the hands of the state [Marxist Government]… Of course, in the beginning, this cannot be effected except by means of despotic inroads on the rights of property… and the abolition of this state of things is called by the bourgeois, abolition of individuality and freedom! And rightly so. The abolition of bourgeois [middle class] individuality, bourgeois independence, and bourgeois freedom is undoubtedly aimed at… We have seen above that the first step in the revolution by the [non] working class is to raise the proletariat [lazy class] to the position of ruling class to win the battle of democracy." Karl Marx
"Among the natural rights of the Colonists are these: First, a right to life; Secondly, to liberty; Thirdly, to property; together with the right to support and defend them in the best manner they can." Samuel Adams
"The true foundation of republican government is the equal right of every citizen in his person and property and in their management… To take from one because it is thought that his own industry and that of his father's has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association–the guarantee to every one of a free exercise of his industry and the fruits acquired by it… The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not… Take not from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned." Thomas JeffersonJanuary 14, 2011 - 4:56 pm Link to this Comment
5. Odysseus
Too bad the President didn't publicly support the Iranian students and demonstrators as forthrightly as he has their Tunisian counterparts.January 14, 2011 - 5:31 pm Link to this Comment
6. Eggplant
evan @ 1 said:
"While not Arab, Turkey has a fair facsimile of democracy, and a growing economy. And yet…"
For Tunisia, the other shoe hasn't yet dropped. If they follow standard operating procedure, they'll do something idiotic like adopt sharia, persecute their minorities and require their women to walk around in black bags with eye holes.
Forgotten Man @ 3 said:
"I would really like to visit Tunisia and Algeria, and Lebanon. If they would just be reasonably peaceful I'm there in the next year or so."
Me to! Ancient Carthage is located in Tunis. I'd love to tour the place. Some of the best Roman ruins in the world are in Libya. Lebanon has amazing Greek ruins. Damascus is supposed to be one of the Arab world's most interesting cities (not as nasty as Cairo). I've previously "done" Egypt but I'd like to do Egypt again. Lots of interesting stuff to see in Egypt. Unfortunately Egypt is ***Very Dangerous*** with lots of Islamic fanatics who dream about killing Jews and Christians (they do their best to kill local Egyptian Christians). For the most part, the Egyptians are real nice people and it irritates me that the Egyptians can't get this evil out of their system (I wish there was some way the Copts could end up back in control).January 14, 2011 - 5:34 pm Link to this Comment
7. Walt
Authoritarian governments are always socialist, whether the iron socialism of communism or the softer socialism of Europe. But essentially they are all the same. The Left proclaims they care, they only want to help, they only want what's fair for all. They never tell you the truth, that what they really want is to rule. Rule your life, rule your soul, rule your very being, your every breath. But socialism inevitably fails, and failure leads to hungry kids, and hungry kids leads to angry men, and angry men lead to democracy or totalitarianism. And you never know which it will be..
In failing lands where price of bread
Is far beyond a poor man's pay
Where hungry kids lie in their bed
That man will look to find a way
To feed his kids and keep them well
When government has failed to keep
The promises that they did sell
That lulled the populace to sleep
The bubbles burst, they always do
The dreams of socialists soon die
As benefits flow to the few
And in their beds the hungry lieJanuary 14, 2011 - 5:47 pm Link to this Comment
8. stoicheion
Note to self; "Self, after the Obama collapse and civil war, and your takeover of America as the First Tyrant, DO NOT promote relatives into positions of power."
Actually, America has done a pretty good job. In 1776, there was only one other 'democracy'; Switzerland (Since 1310). Now there are over 100 with some form of consensual government.
I think the difference here is one of perspective. Philosophy if you will. Big Kill vs Gatherers. This is thousands of years old and still unresolved. Going from 1 to over 100 by a slow and steady advance goes unnoticed by the Big KIll crowd.
For those unfamiliar with the theories, let me take a bit 'o Richards BW. Back in the day ( way back, as in caves, skins and pointy sticks), there were two important ways of feeding the tribe. First was hunting, second was gathering. The hunters soon learned that bigger animals had more meat ( duh! This was before the internet and google). So hunters hunted the big animals. This was easier. Small animals were harder to catch and had less meat. The problem was Big animals could hurt you if things went wrong. So the safest way to hunt big animals was by using fire to drive them over a cliff. At the bottom of the cliff, they became the 40,000 B.C. version of McDonalds. This was termed "the Big KIll" by anthropologists. Mainly because nobody knows what the cave men called it. Not McDonalds and NOT GIECO.
Meanwhile, about the same time some gatherers were gathering having killed off all the big animals in the area. THey noticed that the grasses they were gathering were extra tasty. So tasty that they decided to make camp next to a local stream. over time, that camp became a city. Then there was civilization, followed shortly there after by politicians.
So that is why were have one group of people that prefer slow steady gains leading to a common goal and one group of people that want it all RIGHT NOW. Big Kill vs Gatherers, or, if you prefer, Conservatives vs Liberals.
AS a conservative gatherer I think we are doing pretty good and in another century or so we will have a global government that is consensual in nature, which means the end of war. Remember, war is a government function. NO nations means no wars. Democracy is inevitable. Borg 'em.
Then there is the Big Kill hunter in me that thinks by nuking Moscow and Beijing one fine night next week, we can get there by the end of the year.
9. Kinuachdrach
W wrote: "there is a real reason why authoritarianism is bad. It leads to policies which ultimately engender unrest and ruination."
Indeed. But look around — 'democratic' governments around the world are also actively pursuing policies which are unsustainable and will lead to ruin. (Think of the Anthropogenic Global Warming scam, for example).
Just having an election from time to time does not change anything. The Tunisian disturbances were apparently sparked when police impounded a street vendor's cart – his only means of support — because he did not have the proper permit, and he burned himself to death in protest. How is that police action different from a judge in California shutting down water to agriculture (leaving thousands unemployed), or a bureaucrat in Washington shutting down drilling operations in the Gulf of Mexico (leaving more thousands unemployed)?
Elections are not a magic talisman. By the same token, lack of elections does not automatically mean cruel repression. There is something else at work here.
10. Morton Doodslag
So glad the democracy project is tamping down Islamic fascism in Turkey, Gaza, Lebanon, Iraq, and Afghanistan. I was a fool. I supported war in Afghanistan and Iraq. I thought that 9/11 proved finally that America finally took the threat of Islam seriously, and would do whatever necessary to crush it wherever it raised it's ugly head in threat against us. Instead we got nation building with f**king Sharia as the foundation in both Iraq and Afghanistan, enshrining the very essence of Islamic Jihad and assuring that these nations will never be friendly to us.
When Muslims are given the chance, 100% of the time they vote for Islam Uber Alles.
11. Blast From the Past
Most Arabs come from places with no oil or if from places with oil are far removed from the narrow clan base that profits from the oil. Most North Africans are only Arabs by definition, being speakers of a form of Arabic and descended from an amalgam of native Romanized Christians or Animist Berbers with Arab tribes that arrived comparatively recently, after the 8th century. When the Arabs jacked up the price of oil in 1973 the real losers were all the people in 3rd World places like Sub-Saharan Africa. The Green Revolution depended on cheap petroleum based fertilizer and insecticides. The Saudis did give the starving millions something to replace the food they no longer could grow, mosques. Now the love is coming back around as oil revenues are falling and food prices are rising even for the members of the Ummah.
Over the long term, freedom and prosperity win.
Francis Fukuyama's "End of History" message, in essence. What I believe happened is that he mistimed "events, dear boy, events."
I also suspect that the end game – where freedom and prosperity win – is still precariously balanced at an indeterminate 50-50 tipping point.January 14, 2011 - 6:26 pm Link to this Comment
13. Josh
exsqueeze me, didn't you just post yesterday on Lebanon and the failure five years later of their Orange Revolution?
I don't know squat about Tunisia or whoever it is who just bugged out or even exactly why he bugged out, just because a bunch of twittering yutes gathered in front of his palace to be gassed and shot. What I'm subtly saying is I don't know if his dictatorship was justified, given what I assume is an Islamic population, as in retrospect just perhaps the shah of Iran was justified, or even (hold your nose for this), saddam hussein. btw, I would never have said such a thing even five years ago, but now … I just don't know anymore. Maybe Tunisia can get it right. For the first time in the world.
BUT, if it was a revolution of rising expectations in today's global environment of failing systems and overcapacity, then I don't know that it's a good sign at all. And, the one thing that Islam always supports is a populist revolution against any centralized government, especially secular, as they assume will always be exploitational and corrupt. In which, they may very nearly be right, though they lose by being so dogmatic (if that's the term) about it, they leave no room for anything at all.
On the matter of where the US sits on this officially or unofficially, I hope we're on the side of the angels, as soon as we can figure out which side that is.January 14, 2011 - 7:22 pm Link to this Comment
14. Bohemond
Let's see. It's hardly a secret thjat if democracy ever comes to Egypt, the result will be pretty much the same as the Gaza elections: the insane blooodthirsty theocrats will come out on top. Similar to the "popular revolution" in Iran in 1979; and Turkey is "democratically" bgecoming a Shariah state.
Hitler was elected, remember?January 14, 2011 - 7:41 pm Link to this Comment
15. Victor
FM Lieberman and his faction in the IDF will nuke Syria, Iran or someone else in the near future—
Hoping his little Rodina in the Sun fantasy/ regime will get Putins support
—no chance buddy–you are on your own
Putin says
– he is not stupid.
After that all the world will boycott all Israeli products–end of story.
End the of Rodina in the Sun–It is surprising that Russian emigrants, like FM Lieberman, still idolize Stalin and the horror–well never mind-it is what it is, and was
There are lots of sane Israelis–but they do not get any air time on this Titanic disaster of the Lieberman regime.January 14, 2011 - 8:00 pm Link to this Comment
16. The Wobbly Guy
How does having democracy promote beneficial outcomes when there is significant ethnic differences within a region? And especially when these ethnic differences translate into actual gulfs in achievement, wealth, and opportunity?
It's once been said that democracy is two wolves and a lamb deciding what is for dinner. Liberty is a lamb armed with a gun. What if it's ten wolves and a lamb, and the wolves are armed as well? The lamb doesn't stand a chance.
No, effective democracy is, I contend, an end state where the wolves have been tamed into dogs. You cannot use it as an instrument to bring peace and prosperity in so many places because the conditions simply are not suitable.
I point to Spain and Chile as examples where a fascist regime led to democracy where a democracy might have failed right away. For the ethnic problem, Southeast Asia is replete with examples. Certainly I can see it in Malaysia, just across the Causeway.
Democracy, diversity, prosperity. Pick any two.January 14, 2011 - 8:14 pm Link to this Comment
17. The Wobbly Guy
Checking online, I see that there is a fractional Jewish minority in Tunisia, 1% of the overall population, mostly stuck on an island. This implies they have little share of the national economy, unlike the minority chinese in much of Southeast Asia.
This lack of a gulf, more than anything else, would protect them from overzealous majority Muslims when democracy arrives. So this could be a classic example – democracy, diversity (of a sort), but no prosperity.January 14, 2011 - 8:26 pm Link to this Comment
18. Victor
FM Lieberman and his faction in the IDF will nuke Syria, Iran or someone else in the near future—
Hoping his little Rodina in the Sun fantasy/ regime will get Putins support
—no chance buddy–you are on your own
Putin says– he is not stupid.
After that all the world will boycott all Israeli products–end of story.
End of Rodina in the Sun–surprising that Russian emigrants, like FM Lieberman, still idolize Stalin and the horror–well never mind-it is what it is.January 14, 2011 - 9:01 pm Link to this Comment
19. Alexis
Wired notes that the fall of the Tunisian regime comes precisely at the time when the Obama administration began a massive escalation in foreign aid to that country.
Of course. Massive increase in foreign aid will usually destabilize a country. The question is, "Who controls the loot?"
In a kleptocracy, foreign aid undermines the local economy. While government officials and their thieving friends get rich pocketing foreign aid, ordinary people face higher prices for everything precisely because there is more money in the economy – money ordinary people rightly assume will never trickle down to them.
Even in the best scenario, foreign aid goes through the local government and gets distributed by the local government, enhancing the power of the local government.
We should watch Tunisia carefully. Is this really about democracy? Let's wait and see.January 14, 2011 - 9:08 pm Link to this Comment
20. Unsk
Obama is more to blame than Wretchard lets on. See, oil and all commodities( that includes grains and other foodstuffs that can be sold on the world market) are rising because Helo Ben is devaluing the dollar through QE2. And Helo Ben believes he must do dat in part to cover Buraq's enormous deficits. (The other part is to cover the thieving Big Bank's back). Since America is the world's breadbasket, our needed food exports are just getting started on their way to getting very expensive for those with weak currencies or are tied to the dollar like China, as Helo Ben has a lot more printing of money in store.
So I think a great bronx cheer is in order for the oh so compassionate Democrats, Helo Ben and our great Savior, Buraq Hussein Obama! They're well on their way to starving millions around the globe. Such compassion.January 14, 2011 - 9:42 pm Link to this Comment
21. stoicheion
Unsk, I think it is more stupidity then malice. None of them dudes are smart enough to pour piss out of a boot with the instructions written on the heel as we say down here.January 14, 2011 - 9:59 pm Link to this Comment
Walt @7. Outstanding poem! Original? Wherever it came from it is an apt description of what is coming in this country if the politicians keep on screwing us over. I am 72, was in the military for 20 years, and am now ready to take "what ever means" are necessary to keep my children "free" in the truest sense of the word!January 15, 2011 - 3:18 am Link to this Comment
With the Obama Admin, as well as the Clinton one, I think the lack of support for democracy has less to do with a Realpolitik approach than it does embrace of the "We're no better than anyone else and the philosophical underpinnings of our country are not superior to anyone else's."
After all, if you support democracy then you have to agree that some ideas and lifestyles are better than others, and that is the biggest Leftist no-no of all. Once there is a chink in that armor their whole sorry mess comes unzipped.January 15, 2011 - 4:04 am Link to this Comment
24. Libertyship46
"Time to get on the right side". And by "right side" they mean the side of democracy."
Try telling that to Obama. He refused to help the protesters in Iran after their election, even though this was the best chance in 30 years to overthrow the regime there. Nope, when is everybody going to understand that this guy just doesn't care what happens around the world. He is a European socialist who only cares about massive domestic government spending on huge social welfare programs. Everything else is, as he is so fond of saying, "a distraction."January 15, 2011 - 4:17 am Link to this Comment
25. Marie Claude
Eggplant, Evan
Tunisia was and probably still is a safe place for tourists, Tourism is the main revenue for Tunisia, so the police managed that the foreigners weren't annoyedJanuary 15, 2011 - 5:07 am Link to this Comment
26. Vanguard of the Commentariat
This is just such a perfect storm of so many failed lefty policies it is hard to figure out where to start. The most glaring one is the large destablizing influx of Obamacash. I thought it was "imperialist" to do anything of the sort, or is that only when Republicans do it? Libs have long wanted gasoline to be $8 a gallon, to "reflect its true environmental cost", so they do not exactly have the stomach to do much about rising oil prices no matter how many hospitals, public schools and homeless shelters are affected. The situation in the world is reminiscient of 1979, where Carter's foreign policy based on "human rights" led to China invading Vietnam, Vietnam invading Cambodia, and the Soviet Union invading Afghanistan. Oh, and Castro had troops in Africa. Wonder where the "anti war" movement was then, after all, those were all lefty peacenik model regimes waging war on poor third worlders. (Its OK if you call it "agrarian reform".) They sure weren't marching on the White House like they were during Vietnam, or later Iraq, or posturing as human shields. I guess "peace" means the US sits on the sidelines in critical self reflection and mails out blood money while the rest of the world descends into hell.January 15, 2011 - 5:22 am Link to this Comment
27. nickel
Stormrider, your comments were great. I kept the entire comment in my "quote" file for propagation to the rest of us who need to understand more of the nature of our impending oppression. Thank you for your clear voice.January 15, 2011 - 5:53 am Link to this Comment
28. waterwillows
This idea that everything has to be 'collectively or publicly' owned and shared by everyone, brings to mind everyone sharing the same public toilet. Even if maintained, not quite the same as one's own toilet.
I do so wish private bathrooms were back in vogue. Much nicer for all.January 15, 2011 - 5:58 am Link to this Comment
With all due disrespect, what does a Don Ricardito de Fernández y Podhòrertz know from Tunisia?
The _nuevoseñorito_ even sees this point itself, sorta, insofar as the poor but revolting Tounnies themselves quickly disappear into a quagmire of win'mills, an' Freedumb Agendas, an' miscellaneous assorted whatever that is all a little less off F&P's usual beat.
Why, it doesn't even much bash America's Barry!
Meanwhile, anybooby who is in earnest about Native Management should address herself to a problem noticed by the New York Times Company account:
"Thank you, Al Jazeera", read one sign, commending the Arab news channel for its nightly coverage of the unrest in the past month — long before the Western news media took serious notice. Many here credit Al Jazeera's broadcasts with forging the sense of solidarity and empowerment that moved Tunisians across the country to take to the streets simultaneously.
¡Happy days! (through affordable healthcare)
–JHMJanuary 15, 2011 - 6:00 am Link to this Comment
30. nicke
Walt. If you haven't already published those lines of poetry you should. They are the best lines I have read in many years. Congratulations and thank you for sharing them with us.January 15, 2011 - 6:09 am Link to this Comment
31. Josh
not too far OT, analysis by race of US education rankings:
in summary, for each racial group, US schools outperform the world – or at least come close, if you believe the mainland China results are really that high.
You can look up Tunisia on the chart, but a lot of Islamic nations didn't even play.January 15, 2011 - 7:22 am Link to this Comment
32. Habu
4. Storm-Rider
Five stars …. "engrossing, trenchant,and accurate"
Habu Review and Saturday Coupon News…
Great job dude.
HJanuary 15, 2011 - 7:23 am Link to this Comment
33. wildiris
30. Josh
Thanks for the link. All I can say is "wow, just wow". I'm bookmarking it so I can pass it on.January 15, 2011 - 7:36 am Link to this Comment
34. steeple
Maybe the "Starve thy Neighbor" meme will get a little more traction now as we turn cropland into production for fuels vs food. It's very green you know. And that's a key reason why the price of grains are at multiyear highs. And we haven't even yet implemented the 15% ethanol standard, up from 10%. Just to remind that this isn't just a liberal issue, there are lots of people in the corn belt getting rich off of this.
It's time that this Greenhouse Gas fiasco gets rolled back so that we can use the resources that we were blessed with to fix the problems of not enough fuel and food.January 15, 2011 - 8:06 am Link to this Comment
35. Habu
This is what you get when there's not enough bread for your Tunis sandwich.
Well, I personally don't see this as a totally home grown revolt rising simply from inflationary prices. I see the inflationary price rises as an opportunity for foreign intrigue and the fomenting of unrest in a country that has a fairly diverse US business base.
I don't see democracy (a republic yes) as anything but developing the traditional "tyranny of the majority" which is 98% Islamic and we all know what that means.
Further along it won't be tenable for the US to be able to maintain either our corporate interests there or the important military forward-operating sites we have in place. This will become another tumultuous place of lawlessness and Islamic fundamentalism with the concomitant death spiral into total chaos and poverty, probably aided by the growing Chinese presents in Tunisia which they will exploit in the coming decade to move into the Med.
This was not home grown revolution but has all the earmarks of outside intervention.January 15, 2011 - 8:18 am Link to this Comment
36. Steve C.
"Oil at $100 a barrel reminds us that energy prices are the single biggest driver of food price volatility."
The single biggest driver of the price (or volatility of the price) of any good is the balance between supply and demand. The barking dog in this case is a reduction in overall supply based on the impact of weather in South America and Australia. To make a finer point, it's the anticipated reduction in supply reflected in the futures market, i.e. price is information.
Unsurprisingly, humans never miss an opportunity to miss and opportunity. So aside from weather their is the usual "unanticipated" confluence of Poor Government Policy.
Many non first world nations subsidize (control) the price of basic foodstuffs. At some point the burden becomes unsustainable and the government eliminates the subsidies and the result is food riots.
As the first world floods the market with cheap currency, financial institutions seek a higher return stampeding into "the next big thing" which today appears to be commodities.
Ethanol mandates play a role as well. Why should American farmers sell corn to feed lots when they can collect government production and tax benefits supplying Archers Daniel Midland and others? After all, the government has mandated that Americans use food as an oil substitute. The organized few collect their rent while the diffuse many pay the bill and endure the predictable but somehow "unintended" consequences.January 15, 2011 - 9:05 am Link to this Comment
37. Insufficiently Sensitive
@4 Storm-Rider, splendid. And Wretchard as always.January 15, 2011 - 9:10 am Link to this Comment
38. visitor
can't tell the players without a program…
any body have a link to a good summary of the situation in Tunisia?January 15, 2011 - 9:31 am Link to this Comment
39. visitor
A little BBC suplied background on Tunisia.January 15, 2011 - 9:45 am Link to this Comment
40. Storm-Rider
American Leftists are the Pigs of Animal Farm who see themselves as "more equal than others." The Marxist Pigs are enthralled with the idea of government (themselves) owning the fruit of the laboring "little animals" where all the eggs, apples, corn, etc. is placed into a commune – a communal pot under their exclusive control. The Marxist Pigs control communal property – they are the commune-ists. The Marxist Pigs, after gorging themselves with a lion's share of communal food, require all the "little animals" to approach their communal pot, tails wagging, in order to receive their leftover rations; and they must lick the hand that feeds them. Pig (Marxist) government encourages the lazy proletariat animals to relax in the barn while the others work in the fields; with this they can set up a perverted form of "democracy." The Pigs control all the property in the communal pot, so they are in a position to in effect steal property from the laboring animals ("from each according to his abilities") and give to the lazy ("to each according to his needs") in return for votes. The lazy animals have unlimited needs, so the laboring animals may be taxed without limit. The Marxist Pigs are the managers of this struggle between the working and lazy classes, and through vote-purchasing (votes purchased with stolen property) set up a self-perpetuating perverted form of "democracy" which keeps them in power. The Marxist Pigs must not allow the "little animals" to write a Declaration or Constitution, but if they do it can be ignored or arbitrarily changed because they are "living documents."
The Marxist Pigs of Animal Farm turn to Socialism/Communism because they get to be "more equal than others;" they get to be the not-to-be-equalized-equalizers of the "little animals" (serfs). Their "equality" of course is a massive Orwellian lie. Never mind that the Marxist Pigs end up as a new ruling class – superior (unequal) in property and superior (unequal) before law. Never mind that the equality between the lazy animals and the working animals finally ends up as equal poverty – because eventually the working animals become exhausted and there won't be enough food – except of course for the Pigs who always raid the pot first. The lazy animals (proletariat class) turn to Socialism/Communism because they get to feast on the fruit of the laboring class – and flip them the bird as they swallow down.
The end game of Marxist "social justice" is anarchy followed by dictatorship, because with time more and more laboring animals become demoralized and exhausted and head for the barn – hands outstretched to the Marxist Pigs. Eventually there aren't enough laboring animals in the fields to support the bloated Pigs plus the animals in the barn. Food production falls and hunger ensues. The "little animals" are desperate and resort to theft and if necessary to violence in order to obtain some food. At this point the Marxist Pigs "come to the rescue" with a "dictatorship of the proletariat" (code for dictatorship of the Marxist Pigs). Self-serving economic collapse is not a bug within Marxism; it is a cardinal feature.
"If ye love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home from us in peace. We seek not your counsel, nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you… " Samuel AdamsJanuary 15, 2011 - 9:50 am Link to this Comment
41. Habu
40. Storm-Rider
And who today are the global Marxists pigs?
Which nation is building a military much,much larger than is necessary for defense?
Which nation has openly declared it wants global hehemony?January 15, 2011 - 10:44 am Link to this Comment
42. coisty
The same country that has used its global cultural power to spread cultural Marxism around the world: The USA.January 15, 2011 - 10:53 am Link to this Comment
43. Habu
42. coisty
Sad dude, very sad. Go back and hit the bong one more time.January 15, 2011 - 11:06 am Link to this Comment
44. Storm-Rider
Coitsy is right in the sense that our country has been infiltrated by both cultural and economic Marxism. I pray to God that "We the People" can eventually defeat the American Marxist counter-revolution.
Here are some links to Cultural Marxism:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkwgbQ_VarAJanuary 15, 2011 - 11:23 am Link to this Comment
45. Josh
H @ 43: I dunno dude, maybe #42 has a point. Don't we have a potus who believes from each according to his ability, to each according to his need? Isn't Baywatch violently imposed on the trembling populations of nations that can only dream of the wonders of lycra, and don't we try to scare them into submission by also causing the broadcast of Knight Rider? Much less burdening the planet's ecosystem with the carbon footprint needed to inundate us all with high frequency radio waves just so people worldwide can use twitter and facebook to bring down legitimate governments? The world is in the grasp of that hideous strength, and that hideous strength is us.
/don't bogart that salvia my friendJanuary 15, 2011 - 11:26 am Link to this Comment
A fine example of this is Cuba, once a 'Democracy'. Before the communist regime (Government) "took over their lives", Cuba was prosperous, clean, shining. It's people were 'proud' of 'their' Cuba. How sadly things have changed. Now Cubans and their Government run "lifestyle" is 'hidden' from the tourist who of course, have only the 'best' of everything. And native Cubans are banned from participating.
Listen good, people in America, especially those who 'think' they are in poverty, should really take a look at what a 'Government run' 'everything' does to its people. Because….
…Now in Cuba, there is tons and tons of poverty (Real and dirty poverty) the Communist/Socialist Government of Cuba 'rations' how much food they can purchase (ration coupons/cards), Food and staples are scarce. The 'Government' tells them what they can and can't 'talk about', what can be imported, what radio and TV shows the listening and viewing public can watch. How religions are run. The Cuban Government health care system for "Cubans" is horrible, vastly different from hospitals who service 'visitors' (tourists).
People like Carter and 'others', will beg to differ because he/they see only what the Cuban Government wants them to see. And that is not a lie. Many of the pictures found at the following website were smuggled out of Cuba at great risk to the individuals who want the truth be told.
SEE: http://www.therealcuba.com/ for what we can be headed for..
The sad and 'scary' thing about those in the United States who beg for the 'Redistribution of Wealth' (a softer catch phrase then 'socialism', which is yet another 'softer' catch phrase for 'communism' ), and a Government Control of Health care, is that once the Government gets their 'tentacles' around Healthcare, they have their 'tentacles' around 'us' (you). There will be no stopping the Government from overreaching into every individuals lives. If they haven't gone far enough now, I don't want to give them a reason to continue.
Why? Because if we don't fight back against government 'control' over and 'in' our lives, one day people will ask the same question and the answer will be – Because the Government 'can', because we 'let' them. The 'Government' can 'giveth' and the Government can 'taketh' away. And, " that's" no Lie!January 15, 2011 - 11:27 am Link to this Comment
47. Evanston2
I can't believe Wretchard could be so wrong. The lack of democracy in the Middle East has nothing to do with Arabs and everything to do with Islam. The exceptions prove the rule: Israel isn't Muslim, and democracy emerged in Turkey from a military dictatorship that specifically banned Islamic parties. Since this ban has been lifted, democracy in Turkey is rapidly disappearing. Tunisia has kicked out a dictator, whoop-di-doo. Unless the military seizes control (creating a "democracy") along the lines of Egypt, we will have the dictatorship of Sharia which smothers freedom in ways that Tunisia's departed dictator would never have dreamed.January 15, 2011 - 12:07 pm Link to this Comment
48. Habu
45. Josh
What the hell kind of delerium has infected your deepest fissures? Lycra,Baywatch, Knightrider, carbon footprint and all this from the heinous, lurid, USA exporting Marxism.
Can you be any more lame?
Tell you what. No one has any business seriously discussing the virtues of having Tunisia become a democracy until they have read and UNDERSTAND the Ferderalist #10, THE most cogent explaination of it's numerous shortfalls ever written. I am under no illusion that even 5% here will read it …to busy grinding out chloroform text.
Further I'm not rising to any more rancid bait in an effort to counter what some contributors think is a valid and logical argument. A pure waste of my time.
Damn Habu did you get up on the wrong side of the bed?
So what's it to 'ya?
Hey dude just ask'n , don't get postal and all..chill.January 15, 2011 - 12:16 pm Link to this Comment
49. Josh
h @ 48: Can you be any more lame?
Well, that was my best effort, though what import that has for the world is another matter.
regrading the ferderalist #10, Madison never met Nancy Pelosi and didn't have to deal with an Islamic element. in any case I miss your intent – are you saying that a democratic republic must be proof against what we fear will prevent it, various Islamic centripalities, or that these will indeed prevent it?January 15, 2011 - 1:37 pm Link to this Comment
50. captaingrumpy
In the days before Obama and the other Presidents that APPEASED the ruling dictators,you could stop all aid to country's that terrorised their people and it would help. NOW they send millions abroad to different countries and get or ask for nothing in return.It has become normal to just hand out money to nations no matter what they do.
How about a bit of common sense and force democracy onto nations by denying them any help.It would not take long before they would help themselves to a better future.Look at the PLO, or West Bank. America sends Millions,and I mean Millions of taxpayers dollars to them to keep the peace.They are a hairs breadth away from revolting against Hamas.If money were held back then I think the PLO problem would solve itself.But America MUST not help by way of money.Wait until you see the inside of those houses.You would not believe the luxury they live in whilst crying poor.The ruling class in the West Bank mostly live in Syria,with large houses and large bank accounts.Their wages in the Gov of the West Bank are higher than the US.Because it's American and European money.They are really taking the world for a ride.Some of the Aid money goes directly to Iran,and that's why they prefer money to food for aid. If they get too much food,then they sell it on the black market.Just ask any soldier that has returned from Iraq or Afghanistan, what the black market is like for aid products?
Look at Haiti,There was enough money sent to pay each person $2000. Where did the money go?, to the organisers in Haiti and America.People MUST be downtrodden enough to force a change of Gov themselves.
Why not give it a go,and save the taxpayers money for America.January 15, 2011 - 1:38 pm Link to this Comment
51. Ari Tai
re: (benevolent) dictatorships taming the wolves, creating a necessary, but not sufficient environment for democracy.
Is there a third (less bloody) alternative? Colonialism, or perhaps some form of receivership / a twist of salvage law of the sea? Auction off the disaster case? Win-win perhaps? Commercial exploitation for the colonist, stability for the colony, with economic followed by political freedom for the colony. Weigh costs in dollars and lives from each approach. We know what Allende had planned before Pinochet (use Cuba as a proxy for the analysis, but Chile would have been much more bloody – the sovs were much more sophisticated and ruthless a decade after Castro's revolution).
Granted, the collectivists have reached the Left's equality of income goals (save for their elites, but by definition they are angels, deserving of all their perqs). Hmm. Occurs to me I'd much rather have large scale income inequality that's visible and criticized (as a goad to improve the worth of the least of us) than a government that refused to share the wealth.January 15, 2011 - 2:16 pm Link to this Comment
52. blert
Haiti and the Maghreb, Araby and the rest are uncorrectable societies.
My Nephew is down in SA in the heart of HIV/AIDs…
It's all that he can do to get them to change ANYTHING…
Like stopping projective coughing!
The 'hygiene' of the locals simply can't be posted here. It's too shockingly bad. Really, beyond belief.
Sending in food aid just makes the tragedy worse. They're hitting the wall, Easter Island style, and there's nothing you can do about it. Permitting immigration from such sources is to shift the tragedy home.
Our national economic advantages are being neutered by the Resident as fast as he can go. That's a core philosophical belief for the Zero. America is too….. Whatever… And he's here to stop her.
I note that former South Africans can't visit Disney World — when they're white. Talk about in your face racism!
Meanwhile, every manner of wahhabist scum is permitted to rage against America from blood pulpits without the slightest tremors from 'homeland security.' What a joke.January 15, 2011 - 2:25 pm Link to this Comment
53. Unsk
Let's be clear. Those countries that have implemented Democracy without the the supremacy of the protections of our god given unalienable rights and liberties, have or will fail over time. Far too many fling around the word Democracy without that context.
Islam is not compatible with our concept of liberty. Period.
Those Islamic countries that try democracy without neutering Islam first, will fail. Also, those western democracies, including America, that grant equal religious rights to Islam without specifically forbidding those Islamic practices and those parts of Sharia law incompatible with our fundamental rights will succumb eventually to the ravages of Jihad.
As for the economic sphere, protection of property rights are key to the success of any market based economy whether it be Egypt, Tunisia, Turkey or California. Our current depression is as much a result of a failure to protect our citizens' property rights from the ravages of the far left fascist/marxist/ stalinists, as anything else.January 15, 2011 - 2:53 pm Link to this Comment
54. Habu
53. Unsk
Nicely put.
My skepticism over any lasting Islamic country installing "democracy" is predicated on what you pointed out. Islam and democracy or even a democratic republic is an oxymoron due entirely to their Islamic philosophy.
Those who buy into this Tunisian situation changing the Islamic world are in for a mind cratering let down when they reflect on just how democracy and Islam mix. You can call something anything you want, ie. The PRC or the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) but it doesn't make it so, and to suggest that the USA exports Marxism more than Marxist based countries are is risible lunacy.January 15, 2011 - 3:25 pm Link to this Comment
55. Marcy O'Rourke
Absolute proof or American decadence that we no longer even give lip service to the idea of democracy, which, as you say, is the inborn desire of every man and the only road to freedom and prosperity. Always enjoy your pieces and their very original and passionate thinking.January 15, 2011 - 3:38 pm Link to this Comment
The Elite Marxist Pigs that control all property/food and dole it out to the hand kissing laborers AFTER giving the lion's share of the leftovers to their lazy supporters(Marxist voters with their unlimited needs) had best look out.
Look out for what?
The rusty bayonettes that will become familiar with their intestinal tracts.
"Gangrene and a Marxist pig makes for an entertaining sight", said the laborers, and their was no shortage of laborers in the fields, after implementation of a simple law, "You work you eat, you don't work, you don't eat".January 15, 2011 - 8:22 pm Link to this Comment
57. The Wobbly Guy
Ari Tai @51
It's not even islam that could be the trigger. Any form of difference in culture, language etc could be the basis for the failure of democracy.
My personal preferred solution is the one chosen by Japan – homogeneous societies tend to deal better with income inequalities.
If China does colonise Tunisia and suppresses the indigenous muslim population for its own demographic needs, would you be in favor or against?
I tend to take the view that the Chinese state capitalist/authoritarian system is a far sight better than any islamic alternative on offer.January 15, 2011 - 9:52 pm Link to this Comment
58. Dr. Shait
Go Carthaginians!
Best of luck to you, You will need it. Somewhere in your Armed Forces lurks a man or men. Are he/they the equivalent of George Washington or Santa Ana?
Is there a bearded Turban somewhere calling the shots? Do it right O' Children of Hannibal and become something special or do it the usual half-assed way and stay as you are changing only the faces and names at Government House. Dr. halitJanuary 15, 2011 - 10:08 pm Link to this Comment
59. Bob Murphy
.57 Wobbly Guy
Any particular reason that China should want to take over Tunisia when a decaying Russia in a demographic death spiral is next door with all kinds of natural resources and space?
They can walk to the Russian Far East.
Of course, BOTH those countries face a demographic crash, but China will have a huge surplus of military age guys with no gal friends for a few decades before they crash.
It doesn't appear that Tunisian oil reserves are enough for China to get into a bother over.January 16, 2011 - 12:58 am Link to this Comment
60. pavan
President Obama has a knack for choosing the wrong side. He has been sending aid to Tunisia to help support the dictator. Recall when the people revolted in Honduras in 2009, Obama was also on the side of the dictator. Now he is supporting Castro by loosening restrictions on travel. He won't support the only democracy in the Middle East, and he does little to prevent Iran from getting WMD to destroy that democracy, Israel. Russia is bringing WMD into Venezuela and, as usual, he does nothing. He returned Churchill's bust to the UK, he crams unwanted legislation down our throats, and basically acts like a wannabe Castro or Chavez. No wonder he always supports the wrong side … that's the side he is on.January 16, 2011 - 7:24 am Link to this Comment
Pavan #60:
Maybe someone should give Obama a bust of Neville Chamberlain? Might be more to his liking.January 16, 2011 - 11:31 am Link to this Comment
62. Mike Stone
RWE – Might that not be doing him too much honour?
Neville Chamberlain wasn't perfect, but he did a good job of rearming Britain. In particular, the Spitfire went into full production in mid-1938. Has the Obama Administration done anything equivalent?January 16, 2011 - 1:48 pm Link to this Comment
63. Henry Reardon
Storm-rider (Comment #4)
There is an important error in your comment: the proletariat, as Marx used the word, is not the lazy, tax-eating, non-disabled poor as you put it but rather those who do (industrial) manual labor or work for wages. The proletariat class does not contain farmers or shopkeepers or anything else: they are, essentially, the industrial workers. As such, they are not inherently lazy, as you suggest.
I don't say this to defend Marx or Marxism, both of which I loathe, but just so that all concerned understand the ideology proposed by Marx and his followers. Lenin, for instance, saw a huge distinction between the new and rather small proletariat of Czarist Russia – Russia was very late in beginning its industrialization compared to Germany and England – and the ancient and immense serf class that made up 90% of Russia in those days. Lenin feared the serfs for their darkness, ignorance, and superstitions but made strenous efforts to win over the proletariat: after all, Marx described the Communist Party as the Vanguard of the Proletariat. The literate proletariat was supposed to rise to the top of the social structure with the aid of the Communist Party, those intellectuals who had figured out that collectivism was the solution to society's ills.January 16, 2011 - 2:40 pm Link to this Comment
64. Storm-Rider
Henry Reardon, 63
I believe Karl Marx was a liar. Marx knew full well that the proletariat class was not the working class – they were and are the lazy class. The working class reflects our higher human nature – our innate desire to labor and to reap the fruit of labor in pursuit of happiness – property honestly earned leading to self-esteem through creativity. The Proletariat class reflects our lower human nature – our greedy desire for leisure at the expense of someone else's labor – property not honestly earned leading to self loathing through lack of creativity. If Marx had been a defender of the working man he would not have advocated destruction of the laboring "middle class owner of property" along with their individuality, independence and freedom.
"The proletariat (lazy, tax-eating, non-disabled poor) will use its political supremacy to wrest, by degree, all capital (property) from the bourgeoisie (laboring, tax-paying middle class), to centralize all instruments of production in the hands of the state (lazy, tax-eating Marxist Government)… Of course, in the beginning, this cannot be effected except by means of despotic inroads on the rights of property. You must, therefore, confess that by "individual" you mean no other person than the bourgeois, than the middle-class owner of property. This person must, indeed, be swept out of the way, and made impossible… And the abolition of this state of things is called by the bourgeois, abolition of individuality and freedom! And rightly so. The abolition of bourgeois individuality, bourgeois independence, and bourgeois freedom is undoubtedly aimed at." Karl Marx
If Karl Marx had been a defender of the working man he would not have wished to destroy the working man's family by confiscating the working man's private gain.
"Abolition of the family! Even the most radical flare up at this infamous proposal of the Communists. On what foundation is the present family, the bourgeois family, based? On capital, on private gain… The bourgeois family will vanish as a matter of course when its complement vanishes, and both will vanish with the vanishing of capital." Karl Marx
Karl Marx hated the ordinary working man. His desire was to create a "new man" which would be a militant, nameless, faceless, non-individual – a cog in the Marxist State Mechanism. Karl Marx wished to establish the Borg – with the Marxist ruling class (Lenin, Stalin, Trotsky, Mao, Castro, Che Guevara, Pol Pot…) as Borg Masters. Karl Marx hated the individual – especially the boring, laboring, "bourgeois" middle class man who, due to being made in the image of God, had an innate desire for life, liberty and fruit of labor in the creative pursuit of happiness. Karl Marx was an evil genius.
"Society does not consist of individuals but expresses the sum of interrelations, the relations within which these individuals stand." Karl Marx
"And still, you personified mankind; I may take you by the power of my mighty hands and crush with fierce force. In the meantime, as the abyss gapes before me and you in the darkness, You will fall in it and I'll follow you, Laughing and whispering into your ear: "Come down with me, friend! Karl Marx
As followers of Karl Marx, Lenin and Stalin, had they been defenders of the working man, would not have murdered over 20 million of them – the hated Kulaks – who worked for a living – and who had the audacity to desire the fruit of their own labor.
The Soviet dissidents were under no illusions about the evil nature of Karl Marx and his followers.
"We have arrived at this view of [Marxist] socialism in attempting to account for the contradictions evident in the phenomenon at first glance. And now, looking back, we feel confident that our approach indeed accounts for many of socialism's peculiarities. Understanding socialism as one of the manifestations of the allure of death explains its hostility toward individuality, its desire to destroy those forces which support and strengthen human personality: religion, culture, family, individual property. It is consistent with the tendency to reduce man to the level of a cog in the state mechanism…" Igor Shafarevich
"World socialism as a whole, and all the figures associated with it, are shrouded in legend; its contradictions are forgotten or concealed; it does not respond to arguments but continually ignores them–all this stems from the mist of irrationality that surrounds socialism and from its instinctive aversion to scientific analysis…. The doctrines of socialism seethe with contradictions, its theories are at constant odds with its practice, yet due to a powerful instinct–also laid bare by Shafarevich–these contradictions do not in the least hinder the unending propaganda of socialism. Indeed, no precise, distinct socialism even exists; instead there is only a vague, rosy notion of something noble and good, of equality, communal ownership, and justice: the advent of these things will bring instant euphoria and a social order beyond reproach…. The author also convincingly demonstrates the diametrical opposition between the concepts of man held by religion and by socialism. Socialism seeks to reduce human personality to its most primitive levels and to extinguish the highest, most complex, and "God-like" aspects of human individuality. And even equality itself, that powerful appeal and great promise of socialists throughout the ages, turns out to signify not equality of rights, of opportunities, and of external conditions, but equality qua identity, equality seen as the movement of variety toward uniformity…. It could probably be said that the majority of states in the history of mankind have been "socialist." But it is also true that these were in no sense periods or places of human happiness or creativity." Alexander Solzhenitsyn
http://www.robertlstephens.com/essays/shafarevich/001SocialistPhenomenon.htmlJanuary 16, 2011 - 4:36 pm Link to this Comment
65. Henry Reardon
Let me repeat that I have no affection whatever for Marx, his toxic ideology, or his followers. Also, I have the deepest respect for Solznhenitsyn and his good friend Shafarevich, who both personally suffered in the Gulag. I've read The Gulag Archipelago several times now and have never been so moved by any other book.
My only objection to your remarks is to characterize the proletariat as the "lazy, tax-eating, non-disabled poor", as you did in COmment #4. In Marx's theories the proletariat was far more narrowly defined as skilled industrial workers and no one else. Marx saw these individuals – and NOT the peasants/serfs let alone the people who worked in shops – as being the seed for his revolution. But he felt that they couldn't do it alone and fancied him and his followers the (self-styled) intellectuals as being essential to "guide" the proletariat in the process of creating a revolutionary situation that could be exploited to overthrow capitalism.
Inevitably, practice departed from theory rather dramatically when Lenin tried to follow Marx's teachings but Lenin held to Marx's notion that the proletariat was the industrial workers alone. Lenin quickly resorted to armed force to force the serfs to follow his will. He actually tried to work with the proletariat but soon found that most of it was unsuitable to his needs. He formed temporary alliances with the skilled technocrats – like the engineers that operated the Moscow sewer system – for as long as it took for them to train replacements, then disposed of them too. Make no mistake about it, Lenin was a vicious bloodthirsty brute whose only saving grace was that he died young, helped along by an assasin's bullet that didn't kill him but is thought to have contributed to the strokes that *did* kill him. Unfortunately, his successor Stalin was equally ruthless but lived a lot longer.
So again, I am NOT defending Marx, or Marxism or any follower of Marxism; I am just disputing your definition of the term proletariat as it appears in Marxist theory. Marxism has been one of the biggest blights on humanity ever to occur.January 16, 2011 - 9:24 pm Link to this Comment
66. Mark v
You say, "democracy", as if it's a GOOD thing.
It's not. America is not a democracy, and you should be thankful it's not.
Read the Founding Fathers – they loathed and FEARED democracy.
That's why thy established a REPUBLIC.
The difference is vast and profound.January 17, 2011 - 6:07 am Link to this Comment
67. Storm-Rider
"I am just disputing your definition of the term proletariat as it appears in Marxist theory."
Marx was late to the table when it came to addressing the injustice of Medieval Feudalism. He had to invent a new form of "class struggle" which, despite the popular notion that it represented serfs vs. Lords, actually represented the injustice of taking "from one because it is thought that his own industry and that of his father's has acquired too much" and giving "to others, who, or whose fathers have not exercised equal industry and skill…" Marx desired to rob the laboring middle class in order to give to the lazy or less industrious as a means to destroy free enterprise, classic liberalism and the family. The end point of Marxist class struggle is when both the lazy and laboring classes are finally equalized in serfdom (back to square one), loomed over by a superior class of not-to-be-equalized equalizers.
"As Orwell himself recognized, even slavery could be sold if labeled "freedom." In this vein, who could ever conscientiously oppose the pursuit of "social justice," — i.e., a just society? To understand "social justice," we must contrast it with the earlier view of justice against which it was conceived — one that arose as a revolt against political absolutism. With a government (e.g., a monarchy) that is granted absolute power, it is impossible to speak of any injustice on its part. If it can do anything, it can't do anything "wrong." Justice as a political/legal term can begin only when limitations are placed upon the sovereign, i.e., when men define what is unjust for government to do. The historical realization traces from the Roman senate to Magna Carta to the U.S. Constitution to the 19th century. It was now a matter of "justice" that government not arrest citizens arbitrarily, sanction their bondage by others, persecute them for their religion or speech, seize their property, or prevent their travel. This culmination of centuries of ideas and struggles became known as liberalism. And it was precisely in opposition to this liberalism — not feudalism or theocracy or the ancien régime, much less 20th century fascism — that Karl Marx formed and detailed the popular concept of "social justice," … "The history of all existing society," he and Engels declared, "is the history of class struggles. Freeman and slave, patrician and plebian, lord and serf … oppressor and oppressed, stood in sharp opposition to each other." They were quite right to note the political castes and resulting clashes of the pre-liberal era. The expositors of liberalism (Spencer, Maine) saw their ethic, by establishing the political equality of all (e.g., the abolition of slavery, serfdom, and inequality of rights), as moving mankind from a "society of status" to a "society of contract." Alas, Marx the Prophet could not accept that the classless millenium had arrived before he did. Thus, he revealed to a benighted humanity that liberalism was in fact merely another stage of History's class struggle — "capitalism" — with its own combatants: the "proletariat" and the "bourgeoisie." The former were manual laborers, the latter professionals and business owners. Marx's "classes" were not political castes but occupations." Barry Loberfeld
"To take from one because it is thought that his own industry and that of his father's has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association–the guarantee to every one of a free exercise of his industry and the fruits acquired by it." Thomas JeffersonJanuary 17, 2011 - 6:08 am Link to this Comment
68. Storm-Rider
Karl Marx believed and taught that a Democracy can be conquered at the ballot box. Marx believed that Communism can "win the battle of democracy" through Marxist class struggle where the tax-eating, labor-challenged (lazy) proletariat class, with the aid of an effete tax-eating Marxist ruling class of intellectuals, can expropriate the property of the laboring tax-paying middle class. The end of Marxist class struggle is a homogenized and economically equalized class of serfs – the proletariat class plus the newly impoverished former middle class. The two non-laboring classes (Proletariat and Marxist leadership) can legally vote themselves the property of the laboring class in a pure democracy. Marx didn't mention a Constitutional Republic in the Manifesto – I believe he knew that a middle class majority could not be defeated if they were empowered to limit taxation through an amendment process – which would be the death of Marxism. BTW – the amendment will have to originate from State Legislatures – too many Federal Senators and Congressmen from both political parties would prefer to leave things as they are – they have in effect become our Marxist Ruling Class.
"The proletariat [non-disabled poor] will use its political supremacy to wrest, by degree, all capital [property] from the bourgeoisie [middle class], to centralize all instruments of production in the hands of the state [Marxist Government]… Of course, in the beginning, this cannot be effected except by means of despotic inroads on the rights of property… In short, the Communists everywhere support every revolutionary movement against the existing social and political order of things. In all these movements, they bring to the front, as the leading question in each, the property question, no matter what its degree of development at the time… We have seen above that the first step in the revolution by the [non] working class is to raise the proletariat [another lie] to the position of ruling class to win the battle of democracy." Karl Marx
Karl Marx understood that a Democracy can be perverted into totalitarian government. This occurs when enough of a population goes over to the Proletariat Class – with outstretched hands – voting for the Party which will rob the laboring Middle class on their behalf. Eventually under Marxism the Middle class is worn down – exhausted and demoralized by what amounts to slave labor. When the Middle class finally succumbs there will be a dramatic fall off in production of food and other goods and services – anarchy ensues – and who "comes to the rescue" but the Marxist leadership class (the Pigs of Animal Farm) who robbed the workers to buy the votes of the lazy in the first place. Envision a cruise ship where more and more passengers run over to the left side looking for "free stuff" from government – of course the "free stuff" is the fruit of other men's labor – the laboring men still slogging it out on the right side. Eventually there will not be enough laborers and entrepreneurs on the right side of the ship to prevent it from capsizing. Voila: Social Justice ends in Dictatorship – not a "dictatorship of the proletariat" – that is another of Marx's lies – it will be a Dictatorship of the Marxist Ruling Class.
Marxism is the road to both serfdom and tyranny; serfdom because the work ethic is destroyed in the middle class as they become exhausted through excessive taxation of their labor while the proletariat class remains in serfdom because there is no need for them to labor – they can live off the labor of others; tyranny because the whole Marxist system is based on inequality before law (unequal tax law) and destruction of the individual's God-given rights to liberty and property.January 17, 2011 - 6:33 am Link to this Comment
69. Storm-Rider
"Now, in the United States bourgeois society is still far too immature for the class struggle to be made perceptible and comprehensible…" Karl Marx
Karl Marx wrote his thoughts about the United States in 1852, but it is now 2011, and the American Marxists have decided that the United States is ready for Marxist class struggle – you are in it – do not underestimate the power of Marxist class struggle. Marxism can only be defeated by limiting Federal taxation to around 10% so that Federal government does not get more than God – so that Federal government does not become a Marxist god (State/local government should also be limited to around 10% taxation). We must amend our Constitution to that effect, along with a balanced budget. Starve the American Marxists by keeping your own property – the property for which you labored.January 17, 2011 - 6:43 am Link to this Comment
RE: democracy vs republic theme.
Democracy is both a concept and a set of physical institutions designed for the purpose of governing.
As a concept, democracy represents freedom and equality among individuals, in direct opposition to the various forms of totalitarianism, of which Marxism has been the most effective and challenging to defeat. It is perfectly appropriate to frame political debate in terms of democracy vs totalitarianism (which is nearly synonymous with Marxism in terms of political viability.)
As a set of governing institutions, democracy is a one-man one-vote architecture, which is very different from the distributed power structure of the republic we have in USA.January 17, 2011 - 8:15 am Link to this Comment
71. Storm-Rider
"…the "proletariat" and the "bourgeoisie." The former were manual laborers, the latter professionals and business owners." Barry Loberfeld
It doesn't take long for the proletariat class to become the lazy class once they become fully or partially supported by the fruit of middle class labor. Just look at the perverted way our legal system addresses disability. Far too many people are now legally classified as disabled when they really are not – this is especially true in the field of psychological "disability." These people receive Social Security and Medicare benefits – property redistribution from the laboring middle class to the lazy proletariat class. Criminals, drug dealers and drug users are supported on the backs of the middle class. The United States is in the process of manufacturing a barn-riding proletariat class – hands outstretched to a neo-Marxist government (the Pigs of Animal Farm) which controls their will via property.
"In the general course of human nature, a power over man's substance amounts to a power over his will." Alexander Hamilton
"There are those who still think they are holding the pass against a revolution that may be coming up the road. But they are gazing in the wrong direction. The revolution is behind them. It went by in the Night of Depression, singing songs to freedom. So it was that a revolution took place within the form. Like the hagfish, the New Deal entered the old form and devoured its meaning from within. The revolutionaries were inside; the defenders were outside. A government that had been supported by the people and so controlled by the people became one that supported the people and so controlled them." Garet Garrett
The neo-Proletariat class will vote for the neo-Marxist Party (do I have to tell you which one that is?) to confiscate property from the laboring middle class on their behalf.January 17, 2011 - 9:54 am Link to this Comment
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After Dev D, it's been ages since I last wrote a music review for Bollykings. Rusted brain cells, a stressful lifestyle, inconsistent writing and generally repetitive music albums from Bollywood – these are the three top reason why you guys don't get to read music reviews here. Read the Rockstar music review.
Rockstar Music Review – Killer Rock Music for Bollywood Music Buffs!
Music of Aisha – A Spellbinding Score from Amit Trivedi
With Aisha releasing in a few days, Amit Trivedi is shining as the new star on the Bollywood music scene. Every new music album of his is awaited with breathless anticipation.
Teen Patti: Music Review
The much awaited Big B starrer, Teen Patti has released its rocking music on the hottest radio station, Radio Mirchi. With a talented musician duo of Salim-Sulaiman, what more can one expect? Present at the release, were the musicians, along with Amitabh Bachchan, producer Ambika Hindhuja, director Leena Yadav and debutant actors Dhruv, Vaibhav, Siddhrath […]
Ghajini music review – Sensational!
The music of Ghajini seems to have reached the audience now. If you have not heard any of the movie's songs or are wondering what the music is like, read this honest music review of a sensational music album by AR Rahman.
- Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan – Can these living legends be compared? November 20, 2010
- Upcoming Hindi Movies of 2011 March 1, 2011
- Will Tees Maar Khan be a Hit or a Flop? November 18, 2010
- How to Review a Movie – 9 Questions to Ask Yourself October 31, 2011
- Action Replayy – Yet Another Akshay Kumar Dud! November 8, 2010
- How is the Hindi Film Industry a.k.a Bollywood performing? October 17, 2013
- Ranbir Kapoor Is Besharam! March 20, 2013
- Lootera: Yet Another Forbidden Bollywood Romance Or Not? March 16, 2013
- The Good, the Bad and the Ugly – Latest Bollywood Movies of 2013 March 13, 2013
- Zila Ghaziabad – Movie Review March 10, 2013
- Lootera: Yet Another Forbidden Bollywood Romance Or Not?: [...] has already showcased his ability to turn a ...
- Upcoming Hindi Movie - Jolly LLB: [...] a political journalist, Subhash entered film...
- MONU THAKUR: I think sonu nigam is one of the best singer of Hi...
- parsu: have u guys heard the name of pars, he is the best...
- Aymen Khan: Good read but sorry to say not a correct one at th...

subset: commoncrawl


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'Gangnam Style' becomes 1st video to reach 1 billion views
"Gangnam Style" has just become the first video to reach and surpass one billion views.
This morning, Psy's mega-hit reached this unprecedented milestone just 27 days after surpassing Justin Bieber's "Baby" as the most watched video on YouTube, Billboard reports.
Photo: Psy performs "Gangnam Style" on the "Today Show" on Sept. 14, 2012. (TODAY)
Well it happened folks.
According to studio estimates, the colorful toddler-targeting entry, which is being distributed by Kenn Viselman Presents (Viselman formerly found massive success as producer of The Teletubbies) earned a truly awful $448,131 from 2,160 theaters in its three-day debut frame. That gross yielded a per theater average of $207.
$207 per theater equals an average of 30 people at each theater over the course of the entire weekend.
According to EW the movie cost $20 million to produce and another $40 million to market, which needless to say makes this a beyond huge bomb. The record was previously held by 2008's animated fiasco 'Delgo' which only made $511,920 in its opening weekend in - wait for it - also 2,160 theaters
(via The AV Club)
For one ticket. I mean Andrew Garfield is cute … but that cute?
What. Didn't see this coming.
The premiere of the cable network's mini-series Hatfields & McCoys drew a staggering 13.9 million total viewers, 4.8 million adults 18-48 and 5.8 million adults 25-54 from 9-11 PM to become the the No.1 non-sports telecast in ad supported cable television history.
Michael Ausiello reports on Twitter that 7.3 million tuned into the season 2 premiere of The Walking Dead last night, 4.8 million of which were in the 18-49 demo. This demo breakdown makes it a basic cable record.
Those are almost Jersey Shore numbers.
AMC is calling it the "strongest telecast for any drama in basic cable history."
Last night's season six premiere was up 24 percent over last year, to a total of 2.2 million.
Tony Bennett, in his 61st year as a recording artist, proves his timelessness this week as his "Duets II" becomes the pop vocalist's first No. 1 album.
Remember that record that Kanye and Jay-Z broke a few weeks ago, Lil Wayne's got them and then some.
"Carter" has sold over 300,000 downloads via iTunes in only its first four days of release, according to Cash Money/Universal Republic Records. That outpaces the 290,000 that "Throne" moved through iTunes in its entire first week.
Behold the Cal Ripken Jr. of Broadway. Having been with Phantom of the Opera since its opening in 1988, Andrews has given 9,118 performances in four different roles over a 23 year span.
His final show will be September 3rd. That's going to be a tough record to break.
The 2011 MTV VMA's scored 12.4 million viewers. Damn. The most watched telecast in the cable net's history.
By comparison last year's topped out at 11.4 million and the previous years' were around 8.5-9 million, dipping as low as 5.7 mil in '06.
This also makes her the first woman to accomplish the feat. Jackson did it with Bad in 87-88. Perry's singles are/were "California Girls", "Firework", "Teenage Dream", "ET", and "Last Friday Night."


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That concludes our live coverage of tonight's 24-point upset. Power has beaten Collingwood. Pies have finished the season by losing three of their last four games. Much soul searching will be done at the Lexus Centre in the off-season. What once looked like a challenger from outside the top four has been knocked out in the first round of the finals.
Port Adelaide ... what a story. From a stinker of a side to the second round of the finals series. It has beaten a side that most pundits expected to prevail. The Power is playing with flare and has winners all over the ground. They will see no reason why another upset (even against Geelong), can't be repeated - again and again. Hinkley is a man full of belief and that flows onto his men who play for him and for the guernsey. What an intriguing finals series this is shaping up to be.
Return for Tigers vs Blues elimination final at the G tomorrow from 3pm for the best footy coverage in the business.
Heath Shaw should've kicked the ball at Monfries at half time because that's as close as he got to one in the second half #aflpiespower — Dylan (@_DylanM) September 7, 2013
GOALS: COLLINGWOOD: Swan 3, Cloke 2, Beams, Keeffe, Macaffer, Williams. PORT: Schulz 3, Wingard 3, Boak 2, Wines 2, Monfries, Westhoff.
BEST: COLLINGWOOD: Swan, Williams, Pendlebury, Beams, Sidebottom. PORT: Logan, Westhoff, Boak, Wingard, Schulz, Monfries, Cornes.
CROWD: 51,722 at the MCG. UMPIRES: Dalgleish, Donlon, Jeffrey.
- Port will now play Geelong on Friday night at the G. Pies will ponder what might have been.
- Second upset of the finals with Freo accounting for Geelong by 15 points in Geelong earlier today.
- Several key Magpies have shockers, including Cloke, Brown, Reid and Grundy.
- Port's lesser lights stand up with Wines, Wingard, Lobbe and Logan playing out of their skins.
- Port score 27 times from 43 inside 50s; Pies have 58 inside 50s for 18 scores.
- Bucks looking for holidays destinations; Malthouse considering match-ups for tomorrow.
- Port went in $4.30 underdog; Pies were as short at $1.20.
So Port, which leads by 24 with two mins to go, will win this. They will meet Geelong at the G on Friday night...
Keeffe pumps Collingwood forward but it's Westhoff with the defensive mark... one of the best on ground.
Crowd is starting to leave... all of them in black and white.
Wingard finds Schulz on the lead... he will line up for his third. To make it a 24 point margin... He does!
Didak pumps his side forward but O'Shea takes a good defensive mark.
Port wins it back... Pittard kicks long... off hands and Wingard gets the crumbs and kicks it into the third level... Power will win this... They are up 81-63, 22min mark last term.
Broadbent had a chance to seal the game... Power up by 12 and he misses from 25m on the run... out on the full...
Broadbent puts it right to the line but it's punched through. Power lead 74-63, 21mins last term. 6.30 to play.
Pendlebury tries to clear but it's out on the full. Broadbent takes the kick...
Ball is 10m from Port's goal. Ball up.
Ollie Wines has just kicked the most remarkable goal - especially given the context of the season. He picked it up from the feet of about five players, snapped without seeing the goals and it sailed through (somehow). Power lead 73-63 with 7mins to go.
Cassisi great tackle on Pendlebury... holding the ball. He finds Ollie Wines. Wines, from 50m, on track... punched through. Port leads 67-63, 18mins last term.
Boak soccers it off the deck and kicks a GOAL! Power back in front, 66-63, 16mins last term.
Ball is in Port's forward line... out of bounds. Throw in... Seedsman tries to clear but it's marked by Logan on the 50m mark. He has had a great game! He puts it to the goal square. Stacks on the mill. Ball up.
We've played 14 mins in this final term... Sidebottom misses to the left. Pies lead 63-60.
Pendlebury to Didak to Swan. Mark 40m out... Having a shot. No, passes it to Sidebottom who is only marginally closer.
Moore - great tackle on Sidebottom. Holding the ball. Kicks to Young, the sub. He finds Schulz. Schulz kicks a behind. Pies lead 62-60, 12mins played.
Hamish Hartlett with a brilliant burst of speed through the middle kicks it inside 50, and Angus Monfries outmarks Marley Williams. His shot at goal is disappointing - rather than having a set shot, he snaps and misses to the near side. Pies lead 62-59, 10mins.
Jay Schulz marks inside 50m. Pushes his kick right. Pressure? Usually reliable. Pies lead 62-58, 7mins last term.
It's given a goal and the Pies lead again, 62-57.
Cloke has kicked a goal but it's being reviewed. If it's a goal, the Pies will lead by 5.
Blair has a shot from 35m. Doesn't make the distance. Punched through for a rushed behind. Port leads by a point, 58-56 3 mins last term.
Nick Maxwell playing at full forward (defensively) on Justin Westhoff. Good move by Bucks.
Pies kick the first goal of the last term through Dayne Beams. Port leads 57-55. Beams has 27 disposals. Game on.
GOALS: COLLINGWOOD: Swan 3, Cloke, Macaffer, Williams, Keeffe. PORT ADELAIDE: Schulz 2, Wingard 2, Wines, Boak, Monfries, Westhoff.
- Pies kicked first three goals of the third term and opened up a seven-point lead at the 10min mark of the quarter.
- Hinkley threw Westhoff to defence where he played as a loose man. In a crucial piece of play, that man took a goal-saving mark and then one minute later marked at the other end of the ground (he could not finish the play with a goal)
- Port kicked last two goals through Wingard and Wines - both long goals.
- Power not only arrested Collingwood's momentum but managed to take an eight-point lead into the last term.
Poor kick from Westhoff. Bad kick. One behind. Port leads 57-49, 24mins third term.
Power have lifted, no doubt, and now have the momentum approaching three quarter-time. Meanwhile, Port inside 50 again. And Westhoff has it 35m out and can put the Power further in front.
Ollie Wines kicks a fantastic goal from 50m, giving his side a seven-point lead at the 21-min mark.
Boak behind puts Port in front 50-49...
Where was the free for Angus Monfries, taken high by Marley Williams in the forward pocket.
Wingard marks 48m out. Where was his opponent? Great kick from 52m... goal! Scores level at the 17-min mark. 49 apiece. As Sam Colquhoun is subbed off... Aaron Young on.
Port are just resisting the damage while not really attacking. They need to start taking some risks and try and break the game open.
Make no mistake... this is a cracking contest. Pies by six points, 13mins third term. Port trying desperately to stop Collingwood's momentum.
Westhoff has been moved to defence to try and stem the bleeding.
Rushed behind to Port... their first score of the term. Pies lead 49-43, 11mins third term.
Speaking of Swan, he has kicked another, his third goal. Pies lead 49-42, 10mins third term.
Time for Hinkley to move Broadbent from Swan... the Brownlow medallist is having an enormous impact.
Swan has marked in front of Broadbent and will have a shot 45m out, slight angle. Kick goes across the face... no score and Port clears through Gray.
Pies have kicked five of the last six goals.
Josh Thomas has a shot from the boundary. The ball thuds into the post. Pies lead for the first time in a long time. 43-42, 7mins third term.
Dwyer centres the ball and Swan has marked on his chest. Plays on. Goal. Scores level 42 apiece, 6mins third term.
Great tackle Marley Williams on Robbie Gray. Tackles like that win you finals. Free kick Collingwood.
Blair goes back to Shaw who loads up and kicks it long to the goal square. Keefe has marked against Carlile. He kicks his first goal for the season and gives Collingwood the start it wanted. Port leads 42-36, 3mins third term.
Play underway in the third term. Port leads by 12 points. Pies go inside 50 first.
Heath Shaw should be reported for being a prick. #biggirlsblouse #AFLPiesPower — Mr AFL (@MrAFL) September 7, 2013
GOALS: COLLINGWOOD: Williams, Cloke, McAffer, Swan. PORT: Schulz 2, Wingard, Monfries, Boak, Westhoff.
- the quarter ended by Heath Shaw throwing the ball in Angus Monfries' face (will explain all shortly)
- OK, so the Power kicked the first goal of the term through Justin Westhoff. Then Shaw gave away a silly free (Shaw? Never!) gifting Monfries a free without the ball even being tossed up in the middle.
- Those two goals at the start of the term is the margin at halftime.
- Pies had Port's measure around the ground in that quarter but didn't hurt the scoreboard... Port kicked 4 goals to 3 for the term.
- Have the Pies been unlucky with the umps? (Port leads free count 12-9) Have your say in the Comments section.
- Leading disposals: Beams (17), Sidebottom (15), Cornes (14), Swan, Hartlett and Ebert (13).
- Port have nine players who have racked up double figures. Pies have five.
- Port leads total disposals 182-163
CHAD WINGARD for PM #auspol #AFLPiesPower — Nick Heathcote (@nickheathcote) September 7, 2013
If Port gets another before the siren (2mins to go) expect Pies to activate Didak to start the third.
Ebert pumps it long from inside the square. Wingard is alone in the goal square. Goal! Pendles giving it to Marley Williams who left Wingard 30m on his own. Port lead 41-30, 24mins second term.
McAffer snap - GOAL! Pies back in the contest. Port leads 36-30. Beams has lifted with 16 disposals, seven this term. 22mins second term.
Trav Cloke kicks the Pies' third and suddenly it's a two goal game. Port leads 36-24, 21mins second term.
Collingwood has kicked just two goals in nearly a half of footy, despite leading inside 50s 29-18. Port defence doing magnificently.
Wingard has marked 48m out. Tugs it to the right. Minor score. Power lead 36-18, 18m into the second.
Elliott intercepts the Port kick. He doesn't have a shot (should have). His kick is terrible and Port have it back.
Meanwhile, Brad Ebert has a chance to extend the Power's lead but great pressure applied by Goldsack causes him to miskick and it's a behind. Power lead 35-18, 15mins into the second.
Angus Monfries is being booed by Collingwood supporters because he was the recipient of high contact from Heath Shaw... go figure!
Good build up by the Pies. Shaw to Swan. 45m out on the angle, wrong side for a right footer. Good contact but Westhoff punches it through on the line. Port leads 34-18, 12mins into the second.
Finally, Pies get a goal in this second term. Took them 8 mins but it came off the boot of Marley Williams. Could this be the spark? Port leads 34-17, 8 mins into the second.
Dear @CollingwoodFC hope you're enjoying @Essendon_FC removal from the finals #TeamBombers #aflpiespower — trent (@tromper99) September 7, 2013
So, all Port so far this term. They lead 34-11 and the Pies need a goal desperately.
Cloke marks strongly in front of Carlile, but he's 80m from goal. He loads up and goes long to the square. Harry O has given away a big free... to Lobbe.
Wow! What an opening to the second term. Three unanswered goals in the first three mins. Suddenly Port leads by 24 points. Make that 23... as Dane Swan hits the post from outside 50m.
So, two goals in the opening minute to Port has given them an 18-point lead. Meanwhile, Jay Schulz has taken a SCREAMER! All over the back of Nathan Brown. He leapt up and took a beauty. And, more importantly, he kicks the goal to give Port a 24-point lead.
And Heath Shaw, who though he was hard done by in the previous marking contest (Westhoff may have given a little nudge), has given away a free in the square... Monfries kicks the goal. Port leads 28-10. Pies not happy.
Second term underway and the first goal has been kicked by Travis Boak. Port leads 22-10.
Now that's what I call awesome, desperate, hard finals footy. #aflpiespower — David Lombardi (@lombers) September 7, 2013
GOALS: COLLINGWOOD: Swan. PORT: Westhoff, Schulz.
Talking points:
- Sidebottom with 11 touches
- Jonas with 8 disposals and 4 marks for Port
- Pies leading inside 50s 17-10
- Port leading the free kick count 6-1 (Pies fans not happy)
Less than two minutes to go in this first term. It's been a fairly entertaining, but error riddled opening term. Port has probably had the upper hand and should lead by more.
Neither side kicking with over 70 per cent efficiency at the moment. Lots of errors.
Rushed behind to Port. Port doing all the scoring. They would prefer a major though. Port lead 16-10.
Up the other end Hamish Hartlett attempts a running kick at goal but the pressure from the Pies player means a behind is the best he can do. Port leads 15-10, 22mins opening term.
O'Brien has a long shot for goal from the arc... doesn't make the distance but Cloke marks strongly. Tight angle, misses... one behind. Port leads 14-10, 21mins opening term.
Wines kicks a mongrel out of defence, making it difficult for Monfries. This allows Shaw to mop up and deliver to Swan on the lead. Swan converts the goal from the angle, 30m out. Port leads 14-9, 19mins opening term.
Sidebottom wins it at the stoppage and snaps. It lands on the chest of Dane Swan. He misses from 35m. Port lead 14-3, 15mins in.
Port leading disposals 54-36.
Schulz outmarks his opponent Brown. Brown coming off for the blood rule. Meanwhile, Schulz kicks the goal. Port by 12 points, 13 mins into the first.
Power have definitely controlled the play in the past five mins.
Sidebottom tries to do too much in defence and he is run down by Jay Schulz. Ump rewards him. His set shot misses and brings up a behind. Port leads 8-2, 11mins.
Angus Monfries has won a (soft) free against Heath Shaw. Set shot. Hits the post. Port leads 7-2, 10mins opening term.
So the nervous opening five mins has passed... Pies dominated inside 50s in the first few minutes but could only manage two behinds. Port converted the first goal of the game with their second inside 50 entry.
Monfries marks on the wing and is shoved. 50? No. Kicks down the line and Westhoff outmarks Maxwell (easily). He plays on and snaps with his left foot... IT'S A GOAL, the first of the match. Port leads 6-2, 7mins first term.
Jamie Elliott marks the neat kick inside 50 by Scott Pendlebury. Elliott, who has kicked 30 goals for the season, misses. Pies lead 2-0, 4mins played in the opening term.
First score is a rushed behind to the Pies. Pendlebury kicked it long to a Cloke-Carlile contest. Power player drifted in front and punched in through.
Play underway here at the G. Out of bounds on the wing.
Bench: Port - Wines, Moore, Pittard. Pies - Seedsman, J Thomas, McAffer.
Power are wearing a predominantly white strip... an improvement on their clash with the Blues last week (but I would still like to see more contrast than we have tonight).
Anthem being sung. Power players locked arm in arm, as are the Pies.
Already this weekend we have seen the Hawks prevail by 54 points against the Swans at the G and Freo upset Geelong in Geelong earlier today by 15 points.
Everyone (I've been listening to) thinks Collingwood easy tonight... I agree Pies will probably win... but it won't be one-way traffic. Port has been outstanding in patches this season. They play an exciting risk-taking brand of footy. They have several options up front and a midfield that can go with the best. I think they are a red-hot chance.
The late out of Lynch leaves young Grundy to fend for himself in the ruck. Matthew Lobbe has had a great year and is very agile. Expect Matthew Westhoff to share the ruck, whereas Grundy will pretty much go solo for the Pies. Could the ruck contest play a part in the outcome?
Hinkley said pre-match that "whoever wins the midfield will win the match".
Last time: Port beat Collingwood at AAMI Stadium, 13.8 (86) to 7.9 (51)... it was a Saturday arvo when both teams paid tribute to John McCarthy.
Magpies coming onto the MCG now, led by Nick Maxwell.
Port Adelaide has been buoyed by the re-signing of skipper Travis Boak during the week. Coach Ken Hinkley said on radio pre-match that his ink reflected the positivity among the playing group at the moment.
Pies by 20 points for me. Have your say in the comments section pre-match and all through the coverage.
Who do you think will win? Port led by as many as 39 points last weekend put failed to put Carlton away and ended up losing by a point. Collingwood lost to the Roos in what would have been less-than-ideal prep for Bucks and his boys.
Subs are Didak for the Pies and Aaron Young for Port.
Poll: Is Alan Didak currently in Collingwood's best 22?
- Yes
- No
Total votes: 1990.
You will need Cookies enabled to use our Voting Feature.
Poll closed 7 Sep, 2013
These polls are not scientific and reflect the opinion only of visitors who have chosen to participate.
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Collingwood-Port Adelaide elimination final. We've already got significant news thanks to a key late change. Magpies big man Quinten Lynch is out with his spot taken by Jamie Elliott. Does that mean young Collingwood ruckman Brodie Grundy will shoulder the workload for close to the whole game? Port Adelaide has named an unchanged team.


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MENASHA, WI (WTAQ) - Authorities say an overturned semi truck has shut down a portion of Highway 441.
Neenah-Menasha firefighters say the westbound lanes of 441 at Appleton Road may be closed for hours while they work to put out a fire.
The crash was reported just before 11 a.m. Wednesday. As of about noon, they were not sure if anyone was hurt or what was inside the semi.
Meanwhile, traffic is being re-routed off the highway at Oneida Street and back on at Appleton Road.


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Orlando Timber Creek 2-sport star Stuckey Mosley picks Toledo basketball
Story | Sep 24, 2013 | 12:07 AM
Orlando Timber Creek 2-sport star Stuckey Mosley picks Toledo basketball
Story | Sep 24, 2013 | 12:07 AM
Lehigh fills coaching staff with familiar name
Story | Sep 3, 2013 | 4:23 PM
Lehigh head coach Brett Reed announced the addition of Kyle Griffin to the staff on Tuesday. Griffin comes to Lehigh from the Hoop Group where he has served as Director of Team Events since August of 2011. Griffin is a...
Loyola (Md.) season opener has Patriot feeling
Story | Sep 18, 2013 | 4:23 PM
The head coaching tenure of G.G. Smith will officially kickoff at Loyola University Maryland on Friday, Nov. 8, when the Greyhounds open the 2013-2014 regular-season at Binghamton. The Bearcats are coached by former Rider head coach and Dunmore (Pa.)...
Easton product honored at Rider
Story | Jun 19, 2013 | 4:28 PM
Senior David Hightower recently was named Rider Male Athlete of the Month for May. Hightower, an Easton High graduate, earned All-East honors and qualified for the NCAA East Regional in the 110-meter hurdles. At the NCAA Regional he broke the...


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The Belgium 48 Hour Film Project
See below for 2012 results.
For more information on 2014, click here...
The Judges Have Spoken!
Our panel of judges has made its decision. Congratulations to all of the filmmakers and teams who participated. We are proud to announce our winners!
Best Use of Character
"<3" by Sjoerd de Bont
Best Use of Prop
"Vier" by Franky's Frames
Best Use of Line
"Clean !" by Shaggafilm
Best Use of Genre
"Poppemie" by 2SkinFilms
Poetic Value Award
"Masterplan" by Purple People Park
Best Special Effects
"Vier" by Franky's Frames
Best Sound Design
"<3" by Sjoerd de Bont
Best Cinematography
"Siglium" by Antwerp Art Office
Best Editing
"Solanum" by Community Service P.B.
Best Acting
"Clean !" by Shaggafilm
Best Writing
"Clean !" by Shaggafilm
Best Directing
"<3" by Sjoerd de Bont
Runner Up for Best Film
"HL0316" by The Sheep Factory
Best Film
"<3" by Sjoerd de Bont
Belgium 48HFP Links
- Sign up for the Belgium mailing list
- Find the Belgium 48HFP on Facebook
- Follow the Belgium 48HFP on twitter
- Join a Belgium team
- Email Erik Van Overloop, Belgium Producer of the 48HFP
- Look up films from Belgium using our
Film Catalogue
- Put a 48HFP badge on your homepage or blog
- Other 48 Hour Film Projects in Belgium:
2014 • 2012 • 2009 • 2007


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Hi everyone,
As the title says, I am very red and it stings after I moisturize during the end of my fifth week of The Regimen. I've had redness most of the time, but I really am now. I've been catching myself scratching the flakes off at night. Could it be irritation from that? Should I use tons of jojoba oil? I've done DKR everyday, twice a day. Never missed a day. Times varied slightly, but I've done it religiously. It feels like I have a sunburn, but I don't go out very much. Am I allergic? There's no swelling.. If you have any questions or suggestions, let me know. Thanks
Face Very Red And Stinging After Almost 6 Weeks In
Started by WeAreMadeOfStardust, Sep 02 2012 03:59 PMredness stinging 6 weeks
1 reply to this topic
Posted 02 September 2012 - 03:59 PM
Posted 08 September 2012 - 07:49 PM
I've had the same problem. I use Jojoba oil whenever I get out of the house, works great, but don't apply too much are your skin will look really oily. I used to have redness/stinging really bad, but now my skin seems to be adjusting. I think that the cause is benzyl peroxide, and it just takes time. I still flake at night, that's normal. It's from tossing and rubbing your face against your pillow, if you really want to get rid of the flakes when you wake up, do this: before getting in the shower, apply alot of jojoba oil and rub it for about 2 minutes across your face. That should help get rid of the flakes.
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This company's free iPhone app offers international calls for 6 cents per minute to landlines and 30 cents to mobile phones, using Wi-Fi hot spots.
Truphone is offerng free calls to US numbers on Thanksgiving. If you know anyone in the US, this could be the time to call them and tell them how to say 'niche' properly
The latest version of Truphone's VoIP app makes calls sound better and instant messages easier to manage. Plus, it lets you add funds to your account with just a few taps.
New service will enable international travelers to use a single phone and single SIM card to make calls in many countries while avoiding roaming rates.
Also: Netbiscuits has partnered with AdMob to bring the company's advertising platform to mobile users, and Google announces that iPhone and Android users can now edit Google Spreadsheets.
Starting next week, the App Store download will incorporate functionality for Skype, Twitter, Google Talk, MSN Messenger, and Yahoo Messenger communications.
The Truphone application sold in the App Store now works for iPhone users outside Wi-Fi hot spots, but U.S. customers traveling abroad should beware of AT&T roaming charges.
An earlier version of this story mischaracterized the state of the U.S. iPhone 3G's SIM card. It can be removed, but AT&T does not provide an unlock code so that another carrier's SIM card will work on the phone.
How to make calls on your iPhone without a cellular connection
In a legal case that could have a profound affect on the UK mobile industry, T-Mobile was yesterday ordered to route calls over VoIP company Truphone's low-cost service