Archive | October, 2002

When a Ukrainian immigrant murdered Ennis Cosby, the son of Bill and Camille Cosby, Ms. Cosby blamed America. She wrote, “I believe America taught our son’s killer to hate African-Americans.” Reeling from the pain of her loss, Cosby’s lashing-out deserves understanding and empathy, but this does not make what she wrote any less wrong. The [...]

Random thoughts on the passing scene: People who cannot be bothered to learn both sides of the issues should not bother to vote. Considering that we all enter the world the same way and leave in the same condition, we spend an awful lot of time in between trying to show that we are so [...]

It happens every October. A handful of particularly uptight Christians prohibit their children from participating in Halloween, because they consider it “satanic.” While a parent has every right to control his child’s activities, I think the claim is just plain silly. The implication that the Prince of Darkness, if you believe in such, would count [...]

Like many people, it crossed my mind early in the Beltway Sniper case that this might be a terrorist attack. I reserved judgment, realizing — unlike the armchair experts who flocked to fill airtime on cable news channels — that I did not know all of the facts available to the police. But the moment [...]

‘Why now? Why? Why? Why? Why? That’s the question I think everyone is asking.” So agonized the half-brother of Lee Malvo, the alleged 17-year-old sniper, baffled by the causes behind the Washington, D.C.-area shooting spree that left 10 people dead. One answer came from a friend who quoted John Muhammad, the senior alleged sniper, saying [...]

One of the most common laments in letters from readers is a sense of helplessness to do anything about the negative trends in politics and society. Yet the people who make those laments have the ultimate power in the most powerful nation on earth. All they have to do is exercise that power in the [...]

Investing is the most supremely arrogant thing that you can do. In effect, whenever you buy or sell an individual stock — or even if you trade an index fund with the intention of timing the market — you’re placing your judgment ahead of the judgment of the entire world. You’re saying that you’re right, [...]

In the past few weeks radical Muslims have attacked again, including a bombing of a French ship, a bombing that killed hundreds–mostly Australians–in Indonesia, bombings in the Philippines, and possibly a bombing of a Moscow McDonald’s restaurant. The director of the CIA told Congress in October 2002 to expect another major attack within the U.S.’s [...]

Let us take a closer look at what such admiration consist of by grasping the concept of psychological visibility. Every person holds fundamental ideas about himself. Take Tom who thinks “It’s important to make healthy, honest choices in my life. I want to feel proud of the way I’m leading my life.” He values, not [...]

We hear so much about “rights” — a right to this and a right to that. People say they have a right to decent housing, a right to adequate health care, food and a decent job, and more recently, senior citizens have a right to prescription drugs. In a free society, do people have these [...]