gdp's Comments

Frontpage Magazine : The New York Times vs. David Mamet

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 10:50:24 +0000

"... a bold critique of Christian forgiveness in light of the demands of Jewish justice ..." That certainly piqued my interest. This is the kind of review that brings me to the theatre. Too bad the Times killed the play. Perhaps a revival elsewhere ...

Frontpage Magazine : America's Empty Slogan: 'See Something, Say Something'

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 11:05:22 +0000

Interesting to note that after Newtown massacre, leftists want greater scrutiny of all gun owners and buyers even thought they are innocent of any wrong doing. Sellers must “profile” buyers by law (if the law is passed). At the same time, citizen judgment used to “profile” suspicious terrorist activity is denounced by those same leftists. No law is being suggested to single out those with a questionable background. Common sense suggests a careful eye should be cast upon those with sympathies to jihadi causes.

Frontpage Magazine : Jihad in Boston?

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 14:17:02 +0000

Why wait? Given recent history we shouldn't be shy in saying the default assumption is a jihadi attack. One only has to add "assumption" in one's statement to indicate that we reserve the right to revise our opinion as the facts come in. Let's not be dhimmi-whipped into being afraid of suggesting an hypothesis. Indeed, given the record of 10-20000 jihadi attacks around the world since 9/11 we should be adamant that it is natural to assume that an attack with this M.O. is likely jihadi. If it is the exception, then it is the exception that proves the rule.

Frontpage Magazine : Jihad in Boston?

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 11:32:17 +0000

Bloomberg has spent a large fraction of the NYPD budget on monitoring Muslims and their institutions. I doubt other cities have done the same. These programs have come under criticism from pro-jihadi groups. It would not be surprising if a jihadi attack occurred in Boston instead of New York. While there's an outside chance this one isn't a jihadi attack, the odds are against it. It has the M.O. of such an attack and that should be a reason for proceeding as if it were an Islamic attack. It pays to play the odds.

Frontpage Magazine : Christian Indifference to Christian Suffering

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 18:42:35 +0000

If you're reading this site and supporting it, you're doing it. Pat yourself on the back. The next step is getting the word out ... spread the word!

Frontpage Magazine : Christian Indifference to Christian Suffering

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 15:36:12 +0000

Your courage if laudable. But might I suggest that you help your fellow Christians learn about the false prophet of the Islamic faith? Most Christians believe that Islam is just as good as any other religion or denomination of Christianity. Perhaps you can help Christians understand that Islam is opposed to the divinity of Christ and is eternally hostile to Christianity.

Frontpage Magazine : Christian Indifference to Christian Suffering

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 15:24:33 +0000

Let's review our record of helping Muslims: We have been helping them for 50 years. We’ve supported the (1) Arabs in the Suez Crisis and in general from 1948 to 1967. (2) We supported the UN resolution for Israel’s return of territory from the ’67 war. (3) We helped Egypt get back the Sinai and (4) helped Muslims fight the USSR. We’ve helped the Muslims in (5) Bosnia and (6) Kosovo, We’ve help (7) Kuwait and protected (8) Saudi Arabia from Saddam. We give (9) Egypt $2-3 billion a year. We fund the (10) Palestinians and help the (11) Lebanese; we’ve tried to establish a democracy in (12) Iraq and (13) Afghanistan; we helped (14) Arafat rise to power in Palestine; we gave the (15) Taliban $43 billion in early 2001; we sell fighter jets to (16) Pakistan. (17) We fund Fatah ($68 million 6/07) and (18) Hamas ($40 million via the UN). (19) Provided aid to Tsunami victims in Indonesia and earthquake victims in Pakistan. (20) Sell Saudi Arabia state of the art weapons. (21) Help Islamists rise to power in Libya, Syria, Egypt, Gaza, etc. As Paul Berman noted in "Terror and Liberalism", there is no group of people that we've helped more in the last 50 years than Muslims. Muslims come first ... why? I suggest that both left and right see an altruistic purity in helping people that are least like us and have nothing to offer the world (aside from natural resources that we found for them.)

Frontpage Magazine : Christian Indifference to Christian Suffering

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 14:56:23 +0000

The reason is far less complicated: “love thy enemy.” Christians believe in the altruistic doctrine to put others first. The “other” comes before self, kin, and country. We sacrificed Americans fighters in Iraq to help Muslims while we turned our back on the suffering Christians. Bush didn’t hate Catholics or Orthodox Christians. They just weren’t “other” enough. It’s selfish to help one’s own.

Frontpage Magazine : Egypt: Too Big to Fail?

Sun, 24 Feb 2013 00:48:38 +0000

We are propping up Morsi just like we (foolishly) propped up Mubarak. It's time to pull the plug and let Egyptians sink or swim. They might have trouble at first but I don't think they are ready for 100% Brotherhood. If they are then we definitely should not support Egypt and if they are not then our support isn't needed for Egyptians to do what's right. Either way, it's time to end the aid. We made a huge mistake in 1956 when Eisenhower supported Nasser. We made further mistakes when Reagan supported the Mujahideen in Afghanistan. Bush made another mistake by nations-building in Iraq and calling for elections in Gaza. Obama continued the failed policies and look at what is happening. Enough of our "help!" It's time to pull the plug.

Frontpage Magazine : Egypt: Too Big to Fail?

Sun, 24 Feb 2013 00:39:06 +0000

We are agreed: US should cut aid to Egypt. Let us all see what Egypt is really made of.

Frontpage Magazine : Egypt: Too Big to Fail?

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 13:07:30 +0000

Excellent article until the last sentence: "It is well-past the time we let them know that, unless they change their ways, their nation’s ride on the U.S. gravy train will end." This implies that there can be such a thing as a moderate Islamist and we can encourage such behavior by bribing them. I suggest we unilaterally and unconditionally end all support now! We and the MB have no common values. This is an opportune time to end an unnecessary foreign aid program. Sadat never needed the bribe. As Bernard Lewis points out he already decided he didn't want to war with Israel and he decided he wanted to take Egypt out of the Soviet sphere of influence. Sadat and Begin allowed Jimmy Carter to imagine that he brought them together ... and they both pocketed $2 billion a year in the process. The Sadat regime is gone ... our promise has been fulfilled. It's time to cut the strings. Without our aid the Egyptian population is more likely to throw out Morsi. This is the time to change our policy.

Frontpage Magazine : What the Left Does Not Understand About Islam

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 13:52:29 +0000

You're responding to a troll. However, your point is right on and there might be a few out there that need to hear it. So let's finish the list. Besides Friedman and von Mises, libertarians with Jewish ancestry include Ayn Rand, Murray Rothbard, Frank Meyer, Robert Nozick, etc. One can hardly imagine the revival of classical liberal thought without these giants. Good point, traeh, glad you brought it up.

Frontpage Magazine : We’re All Nazis Now?

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 01:06:51 +0000

Thanks for the tip. Caught some of the duo on youtube ... can’t take that singing away from him, he’s got it. I saw Bennett perform about a year ago in the fabled Great Auditorium in Ocean Grove, NJ. (It’s known for its acoustics.) He introduced his daughter. The last time I heard him perform before that was at the Greene Street Cafe in Soho in the 1970s but I don’t remember the trio backing him. Still a great singer (despite my criticism) but then so is Streisand. And Daniel Barenboim is a superb conductor/pianist. One just can’t look for political wisdom in the random musician. But then again, division of labor is just that.

Frontpage Magazine : Live by the Sword, Die by the Drone

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 23:12:08 +0000

That last paragraph tells us everything we need to know about IRL. No further comment necessary!

Frontpage Magazine : Brennan’s Testimony and Waterboarding Misinformation

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 16:13:46 +0000

Since jihadi refuse to accept and abide by the traditional rules of war, why should they benefit from them? They stand outside the nation-state system of rules, treaties, and laws. Like pirates and other stateless fighters, they have no moral claim to treatment under the rules of civilization. Only with organize fighters can there be reciprocity. When Lincoln got fed up with Confederate executions of black soldiers who surrendered, he issued an order that state for every captured black soldier who was killed, the Union would kill a Confederate in captivity. This ended executions of captured blacks immediately. Reciprocity is the foundation of the rules of war. Jihadi fail to abide by rules and should not benefit from them.

Frontpage Magazine : We’re All Nazis Now?

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 16:00:44 +0000

Bennett quotes: “The first time I saw a dead German, that’s when I became a pacifist.” Speaking of his WWII experience. “They flew the plane in, but we caused it.” Speaking of 9/11. No wisdom here ... just an emotional crooner running at the mouth. Great voice & little else. On reflection the persona of Sinatra and Bennett comes across in their singing. Sinatra has the tough street kid who can hold his own but can be tender with the opposite sex. Bennett has a “please don’t hurt me” voice that’s tender out of fear, sentimentality, and weakness. Sinatra--masculine. Bennett--wimp. Sinatra-I'll love you; Bennett--please love me. Sinatra-just; Bennett--self-loathing appeasement enemy-enabler. Do others hear that or am I getting old?

Frontpage Magazine : Live by the Sword, Die by the Drone

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 04:40:19 +0000

The European nations were too small to defend themselves and indeed even welcomed authoritarian and communist governments into a coalition. The American founding fathers solved the problem that the Europeans failed to solve. In the “critical period” after the revolution, the founders feared that the newly independent 13 states would (1) fight among themselves like Europeans (2) be too small and easily picked off by imperial powers. They created the constitution to solve this problem: a consolidated nation to defend against future imperial threats yet a federal structure to allow liberty to thrive in each state. Europe was never able to do that. Most European nations are too small to be viable against major powers. They fail to maintain a resolve for independence and depend on the kindness of foreign powers like America. It’s not our job to liberate the world. Learn how to defend your own freedom. That’s what our founders did and they created a nation that has maintained the economic and military power to do just that. PS It wasn’t the we “wronged” Eastern Europe (although I wish we weren't so generous to Stalin as I note above) but that Western Europe got lucky. We (USA & UK commonwealth) liberated Western Europe and funded (Marshal Plan) its recovery so that we’d have allies. As you note the USA wasn’t threatened by Nazi Germany. The real reason we went to war was that we believed if we allowed the whole of Europe to become totalitarian we’d have no allies to face this evil in the future. We reasoned it was better to face it with the UK (and its commonwealth nations) and with the help of the other totalitarian devil (Stalin) than to deal with a totalitarian monstrosity ruling the whole eastern hemisphere.

Frontpage Magazine : Live by the Sword, Die by the Drone

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 15:42:11 +0000

Continental Europe was open to communism. In France and Italy communists often got 25% of the vote after WWII and so did many other nations. Almost nowhere has communism take root without the broad help of indigenous home-grown communists. In Easter Europe the communists often formed coalition governments before they took over. The Soviets used military might only when they had a sizable homegrown communist party to support. Even the last, Afghanistan, was a case of the Afghan communists asking the Soviets for support. Almost all Continental European nations had large communist parties. They subverted their own governments. It’s not our job to save Europe from itself ... but we have. Did we make mistakes along the way ... of course. Our leftists betrayed our interests. However, Europe was communists because it welcome communism or failed to maintain a unanimous opposition. And Arab countries today are becoming Islamist because they welcome a revival of Islam or are too morally weak to oppose it. We are not to blame for the internal corruption of foreign societies. Others have to fight for their own freedom--both ideologically, morally, and with insurgent opposition if necessary. Europe allowed totalitarianism to take root. Muslims allow Islamists to take root. Without internal support neither would happen.

Frontpage Magazine : Live by the Sword, Die by the Drone

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 13:41:44 +0000

"Trying to get rid of communism by invading the Soviet Union was the morally right thing to do. What I regret is that it was led by Hitler ..." Getting rid of Hitler was also morally right and one can regret it was led (in part) by Stalin. If I were alive in 1941 I'd wish we stay out until they exhausted each other then finish them both off. Our concern is our defense, not foreign civilians. We didn't fight Hitler to save the Jews and Slavs nor fight Japan to save the Chinese and Koreans. We weren't the world's police and I wish we weren't today. I reject your calculus (millions killed by A vs. millions more killed by B) as a reason for us to choose sides. It's our people that we defend and sadly we sometimes need help. That being said, it was already clear that the Soviet Union was a threat to humanity. By the end of the 30s the evidence was overwhelming (as you note). There's no doubt that FDR was too generous towards the Soviet Union when their opposition to Hitler was already a fact. He did more than form an ad hoc alliance; he was a true believer that led an ignorant population to help a tyrant. After Churchill's Iron Curtain speech, Americans learned about communism and opposed its further expansion. Without America the world would have lost the fight against the totalitarian powers. Net net our contribution was crucial. Today, the American people are ignorant about Islam. We (i.e. Obama) have helped the Muslim Brotherhood take over the most important Arab nation (Egypt) and we're about to help them in Syria. Once again we are betrayed by our leaders, betrayed by our press (leaving us ignorant about Islam), and betrayed by our academics. The left in America has compromised our efforts and aided our enemies--then and now. If (or when) the American people wake up they'll realize they squandered opportunities and it will cost them much more to make up for it. Sound familiar?

Frontpage Magazine : Live by the Sword, Die by the Drone

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 13:26:12 +0000

Apparently not (see below).