Random Thoughts for February 2003

Random thoughts on the passing scene: Everything is relative. In most of coastal California, Ted Kennedy would be politically middle of the road — and, in San Francisco, right of center. A lot of what is called “public service” consists of making...

The Fetish of “Relevance”

One of the many fashionable idiocies that cause American schools to produce results inferior to those in other countries is the notion that education must be “relevant” to the students — and especially to minority students with a different...

In Defense of the Cowboy

Those who oppose war with Iraq–from foreign heads of state to homegrown antiwar protesters–employ a common expression of contempt for the American war effort. America, they sneer, is acting like a “cowboy.” A mock interview with Saddam Hussein...

Saddam and Bush: A Dialogue Not Worth Having

President George Bush has been thrown the gambit by Saddam Hussein. In his interview with CBS News anchorman Dan Rather, Saddam proposed that Bush debate him before the world on live television. Establishing a dialogue in the midst of a crisis sounds on its face like...

Dictatorship by the Numbers in Venezuela

The leaders of the Venezuelan opposition have demanded immediate new elections to replace would-be dictator Hugo Chavez, arguing that the referendum scheduled for this August will give Chavez time to establish a dictatorship and render elections meaningless. These...