Buscaraons

8.11.03

The new imperialism and America: a phillipic against Paul Johnson

Paul Johnson's paens to Americanimperialism under the guise of liberty renders his polemical screed against Napoleon rather hollow, shallow and self-serving.

Indeed, Napeoleon attepted to unite Europe, and the world, through the French language, the Code Napol?on, the Continetal system and the jurisprudence of the Conseil d'?tat. He, too, undertook to build an empire of liberty, Yet the British, fearful at being outcompeted by a united Europe, jealous at the continent's social mobility which underscored their social rigidity, captained several coalitions to defeat Napoleon's empire of liberity..

Britian paid its gratitude by approving the pan-European Restoration and its resultant reaction. The rulers, who lost everything but learnt nothing, repressed the ordinary folk for their temerity in having embraced the promises of Napoleonism.
So why do he praise the Americans what he denies to Napoleon in advancing the empire of liberty? Because the Corsican wasn't an Anglophone and didn't advance the Anglophere.

As for Europe today, why should Europeans embrace the Americans? Its empire of liberty simply perpetuates the old British policy of thwarting, undermining or outright sabotaging of any efforts to unite Europe. So of course, rationally and emotionally there's an enormous gulf between the English Channel. Britian has only felt European when it could dominate the continent and keep it as divided as possible. America is even more ambivalent towards Europe due to the religious dissident roots of its English cultural heritage. The continent is only as useful as it advances the American empire of liberty. If not, Europe is written off as illiberal, antidemocratic, cowardly, unworkable, decadent and contemptible.

¶ 18:48

6.11.03

Pascal Bruckner et la critique d'Islam: c'est justifiable

Quel article pol?mique! Je suis en d?saccord avec son d?sire de vomir les religions dans leurs ensembles et je suis un peu tann? d'?couter les vieux clich?s que le christanisme pour defendre le Dieu mis?ricorde ? fait appel aux autodefes, la galive et le feu. Oui c'est un triste h?ritage mais pas la seule. Car au moins, le christanisme a aliment? les valeurs qu'il exalent nottament la lib?rt? de conscience, la contestation, la dissidence. En tout cas, le message important c'est que l'islam comme le christainisme peut- et selon lui- doit ?tre critiqu? lorsque le premier n'accepte pas la la?cit?, la tol?rence; en bref les valeurs d'une soci?t? ouverte. En principe, je suis d'accord et je sympathise avec le pol?mique mais je voudrais seulement rappeller Bruckner que la?cit? peut conduir de nouveau ? l'intol?rence contre le croyants qui veuillent ? leur tour critiquer la soci?t? la?cque.

Cardinal Tucci: smacks

For all those that still think that the Vatican's blind and appeasement minded towards islamojihadism, this interview by Cardinal Tucci will disabuse them of that assumption.

El bilingualisme: un advantage compartiu

Ahir pass? pel sitio de Randal Parker, on he trobat aquest article. Es queixava que l'immigraci? il?legal amena?a l'unitat i la coh?rencia cultural del pa?s. Scott Martens refut? en part Randall.

Per la meva part, estic en desacord quan Randall constata que els pa?sos biling?es/biculturals generen tensions i conflictes. No es el bilingualisme com a tal sin? quan un grup ling?istic no sols vol dominar sin? aplastar l'altre endins la mateixa ?rea. Digue'm ?es qu? Turquia es un pa?s millor perqu? prohibeix penalment el parlar del kurd al carrer?

Ad?mes, el monoling?isme/monoculturalisme tampoc es un model a seguir. Jap? i els pa?sos ?rabs es troben al marasame perque el monolingualisme imposa una certa homogen?tat cultural que els impedien a trobar solucions o evitar aquells que exigeixen cavnis profounds. No veu que el monoling?alisme que l'EE UU t? es algu artificial que no es troba en la maj?ria de pa?sos. En fet que li xoca es que els immigrants volen preservar llur lleng?es i cultures i que potser no tenen els recursos per cumplir amb l'exig?ncia cultura de parlar angl?s.. i sense accent. Adem?s, no veixg com el bilingualisme afectaria els EE UU. La guerra contre els terroristes exposa un gran defecte cultural americ?: la denigraci? d'aprendre lleng?es estrangeres i el desdany societari de con?ixer les cultures forasteres han dexiat- i dexien- encara els americans amb un gran disadvantage. Pitjors els americans demostren un provincialisme bastant exasperant: el m?n ha de seguir i saber tot els matisos de la cultura alta i popular am?ricana per? els americans no reciproquen.

En tot cas, els americans aprendren deixen estar els immigrants a parlar llur lleng?es i preservar aquells pr?ctics cultural compatible amb les valors culturals americanes no es un cost que s'sha d'eliminar a ultran?a sin? un advantage comparatiu a cultivar.

¶ 15:09

5.11.03

No blogging today

Due to teaching committments, there'll be no blogging.

Pas de bloggage aujourd'hui

En raision de obligations docente, il n'y aura pas de blogging aujourd'hui.

¶ 10:16

4.11.03

Children are influenced by parental example

I just love these reports (no link) that confirm commonplaces. No kidding that kids are influenced by parental example. If a parent reads, the children wil want to imitate the mom or dad. If both parents smoke, the kids will as well; etc etc. Only modern societies, with their cult of the totally autonoumous individual and liberatarian ethics can forget such a ludicriously obvious and require a study to remind them of as such.

L'avarice vous rend cave

J'?merveille du fait que les Nig?rians ont pu escroquer 463 000$CAN des Qu?b?cois. Ils ne sont pas les uniques car des Espagnols se firent prende aussi. Je me moques de personne qui croient que lorsqu'ils re?oivent un courielle d'une entit? quelleconque d'un pays africain qui promet une commission d'X millions, on doit se m?fier un peu n'est pas? Malheureuement, l'avarice rend les gens cave et il ne vois que des z?roz apr?s le montant. Comme si vous les verriez ce montant-l?

The Chinnok helicoper attack: some question

Over the weekend, the American nmilitary lost 15 soldiers when their Chinook helicopter was shot down by an anti-aircraft missile. I was to busy to comment on the subject though I did read othr blogs that did write a post on the event. I was struck at how one obvious issue wasn't raised?

Why wasn't th Chinook fitted with flares and chaff dispensers to trick such missiles? The Coalition military is very aware that such missiles are in the hands of the guerillas, so why no protection for the helicopters? Forget Vietnam, Somalia and Chechnyia have underscored the chopper's high vulbnerability to such weapons.

True in the case of Somalia, flares and chaff would've been useless against an RPG missles because it's not a heat seeker. Still I'm sure that effective countermeasure are feasible for 'dumb' rockets like the RPG and LAWs. Surely retofitting such anti-missile defenses on transport helicopters and cargo planes can't be that expensive; not more costly than losing a large number of soldiers in a single attack. Undoubtedly, there will be a rather sober after action report on the incient and the appropriate countermeasures adopted.

¶ 14:15

3.11.03

The letter X and the Suadia Arabian guardians of morals

Gee what a surprise. An article from Arab news with a sharp sense of humour. I couldn't agree more Al-Faisal that the letter X as well as the mathematical symbols + and x are dastardly plots to corrupt Moselm youth. Remember we learnt our deviousness from the Joooos. Froma Christian theological perpective, the aforementioned letters and symbols are subtle plots to prolyestize them about our Saviour's death and resurrection. From such mustard seed would sprout the great tree of Christian faith in the epicentre of Islam. Nonetheless, I must grudgingly salute the vilagance and sheer brillance of the moral guardian to have thwarted such a subtle tactic. We Christians will simply have to come up with an even more nefarious, but subtle, plot.

A cool blog to peruse

A neat bilingual- Italian-English- blog on cuurent events in Italy and Europe

¶ 12:18