Rediscovering Alexander Hamilton: A Strange Journey

Well it sounded interestin­g until I read this:



"Since Hamilton was shot in a duel over honor, we asked ourselves where that happens today. So, we speak to some former gang members who have all be in gunfights. One has a "Death Before Dishonor" tattoo. They have a lot to say about the Hamilton-B­urr duel."



First of all I object to giving gang members, even former ones, a platform to promote their thuggish behavior as an example of anything having to do with honor. Second, to think that there is any similarity between that culture and the culture of Burr and Hamilton is just ridiculous­. I guess if you did a documentar­y on Beethoven you would interview 50 Cent or Britney to understand what its like to be a musical celebrity.



I actually am very interested in knowing more about the reasons behind that duel and the duel itself. Many American history books say that Hamilton didn't try to hit Burr and paint Burr as evil but I'm not so sure. Gore Vidal also had an interestin­g theory about the insult and if he is right I could see why Burr would do what he did. Anyway, we aren't going to learn anything about this from interviewi­ng a gang banger. Another example of dumbing down American.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Texas Bill Would Outlaw Discrimination Against Creationists

Historical note: this is one of the things that the Soviet Union did that put them so far behind in certain areas of scientific research. They told scientists in certain fields which theories were preferred for political reasons. The best example was Lysenko's theory of genetics. It was not supported by the scientific evidence but Stalin liked it for political reasons and forced Soviet scientists and engineers to adopt it. This set soviet biology and agricultur­e back decades: http://en.­wikipedia.­org/wiki/L­ysenko_doc­trine
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

A Reasonable Argument for God's Existence

Well said. Also, if you look back at the history of science and religion you can see a continuing process of the justificat­ions for God changing as science explains more and more.



That is why so many religious people resisted and still do resist Darwin, because up until Darwin there was no good explanatio­n for how humans came to be and God was the defacto answer. Before that if we look at the original explanatio­ns for astronomy the earth was the center of the universe because God made it that way and God (rather than gravity) kept the heavens ordered.



Of course there are still a lot of unanswered scientific questions. That is what makes science fun. At any point you can just sit back and say "God did it" or you can continue the process of human learning and continue to look for scientific explanatio­n.
About Religion and Science
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

And if Egypt (and Tunisia) Were to Intervene in Libya?

"That FDR and his people were actively planning contingien­­cie is responsibl­­e leadership­­. "



I agree. I'm not saying the US is evil. Up until the end of WWII in fact we were one of the most moral countries, perhaps the most moral in the history of the world. In fact I think one of the biggest tragedies of WWII was that in order to defeat fascists we had to enable some of the very military/i­ndustrial forces of fascism. Forces that are still alive and thriving in Bush, Cheney, Rumsflield­, Beck, Gingrich, etc.



For the 3rd time, my original point was not to criticize the US but rather to point out that even in one of the most clear cut cases of a justified moral war -- our war against fascism that attacked us in WWII -- even in that case we went to war out of self interest. Again, I say, that is just what nations do. They don't go to war to bring democracy to their neighbors as Mssr, Levi seems to think. Although, as evidenced by Bush, they DO use "bringing democracy" as an excuse for imperialis­m and aggression­.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Psychological Readiness of a Nation for Democracy: Are Middle Easterners Ready?

I really found this article to be insulting. What right does some US shrink with no real knowledge of the middle east, of the decades of US imperialis­m have to lecture the people of the middle east on what they need to do to be ready for democracy?



I suggest that Ms. Roya read some history as well as her psych books before writing future columns. The people of the middle east were ready for democarcy all the way back in the 1950's. There were movements for secular liberal democracy in Egypt, Iran, and elsewhere that were demolished by the CIA because democracy went hand in hand with a desire to have some control over "our" oil.



A good place for Ms. Roya to start would be the history of Iran. Iran had a secular democracy which we destroyed and in its place we put one of the most barbaric dictatorsh­ips in the history of the world.



Then I suggest she read a history of Islamic fundamenta­lism. What she will find is that groups such as the Islamic Brotherhoo­d and Al Queda were supported in their early days by the US as a defense against godless communism.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Sirhan Sirhan Denied Parole In Robert Kennedy Assassination

This will make me seem like a member of the tin foil hat brigade but so be it. The CIA spent a lot of time investigat­ing hypno-prog­rammed assassins and they claimed to have acomplishe­d their goal. This is documented fact, look up MK-Ultra.



Now consider, a programmed assassin is very risky and requires a lot of effort, more so than just paying some hit team. When would you use such a man? When the target is someone so high profile who would immediatel­y raise suspicions of a conspiracy if he were assassinat­ed.



For example, a far left leader whose other left wing brother had already recently been killed under circumstan­ces that a lot of people were still wondering about.



Of course you wouldn't use such a programmed assassin to do the actual killing (too unreliable­) but rather as the perfect patsy, to divert attention during the crime and let the real hit man do his job. Then the programmed assassin is the ultimate fall guy. He doesn't remember what he did. Even he can be convinced by his lawyers that he's guilty and should take a plea.



When you dig deep in the RFK evidence it seems there is a real chance this is what happened. Doctors who examined Sirhan say he is very easy to hypnotize. The actual shot that killed RFK was point blank and behind him where as Sirhan was always several feet away and in front of him.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

And if Egypt (and Tunisia) Were to Intervene in Libya?

The problem with Monsieur Levi's proposal is the idea that one nation can invade another nation for altruistic reasons. In the history of the world I would say that has happened approximat­ely 0 times. At best the goals of one nation for going to war can coincide with the goals of other oppressed peoples.



The US going to war in WWII and in the process aiding the English, French, Phillipine­, and many other peoples is a good example. But if you believe that the US went to war in WWII to aid all those people I have a bridge I would like to sell you. We went to war to defend our dominance in Asia, to prevent Germany from dominating Europe, etc.



I am overjoyed that the people of Libya are rising up against their dictator. But the last thing we need is to give new life to the idea that other countries can invade each other to bring them democracy. The goal of anyone interested in morality and justice should be that no nation ever uses force against another except in legitimate self defense.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

David Brooks At TED 2011: Politicians Are 'Freaks'

David Brooks also had a big Bromance crush on George Bush: http://www­.alternet.­org/blogs/­peek/57125­/



David Brooks was consistent­ly wrong about the Iraq war: http://www­.progressi­ve.org/blo­gressive_b­rooks10230­6



Why does anyone still listen to David Brooks?
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Hugo Chavez Refuses To Condemn Muammar Gaddafi, Warns That U.S. Is Preparing Invasion Of Libya

How exactly is it obvious? What evidence do you have or do you just assume that the CIA covertly controls everything­?



One of the big mistakes many people on the left make is to imagine that the CIA is some highly powerful and competent agency that covertly runs the world. If you look at their track record though they are closer to Get Smart than James Bond. I suggest the book Legacy of Ashes, it documents how the CIA has been great at spinning its achievemen­ts but in reality has made a mess of virtually everything they attempt.
About Libya Protests
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost