Our peace-loving dissidents

All War is WRONG

and if you don't agree with me...

I WILL KILL YOU!

via LGF, this great news:

The soldier was walking to a convenience store when a sport utility vehicle pulled up alongside him and the driver asked if he was in the military and if he had been in any action.

The driver then got out of the vehicle, displayed a gun and shouted insults at the victim. Four other suspects exited the vehicle and knocked the soldier down, punching and kicking him.

“And during the assault the suspects called him a baby killer. At that point they got into the car and drove off and left him on the side of the road,” Detective Ed Troyer with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department told KIRO 7 Eyewitness News.

On Role Models

Bill Linskey, more commonly known as "Dartmoor Bill", who died on Tuesday aged 85, was the longest-sober member of Alcoholics Anonymous in Britain and Europe, having not touched a drink for the past 53 years.

Hey, he was a member of Alcoholics Anonymous. Who leaked his name to the press?

James Taranto

Ann Althouse re: Rudy

I commented on this post by Ann Althouse. I agree with most of what she says, except this:
Hawkins faults Giuliani for accepting some gun control and for taking a moderate position on immigration. These aren't my issues. I see other people getting fired up or manipulated over them. I just want sensible people to make sophisticated policy decisions.

So, here's my comment.

I like Rudy. In my opinion, his weakest point is illegal immigration - and I don't think that it's just the social conservatives or isolationists who take this issue seriously. I think for most Americans, it is their issue - just look at how Buchanan's book is selling. I don't see how you can be strong on national security and weak on illegal immigration. Btw, I think Bush's position on this issue contributes a lot to his low approval ratings.

Publius Pundit returns from Belarus

...after a trip to Belarus and Ukraine.
Here is the first post in what I expect to be a big interesting series.

Dancing Lenin

via Suzanne
What is it, anwyway?

I know the secret reason...

...why Von Bek hates neo-cons. It's not the supposedly traditional isolationsism of the true American conservative.

It is David Frum's face.

Youth Forum

According to the official site of the official Belarusian Youth Union (heirs to the Soviet Komsomol), this is a picture from the Congress of Youth Organizations of C.I.S., Eastern Europe, and Baltica.

vi papandos

Isreal gives up on disarming Hiz

Commenting on Tammy Bruce article:

I very much agree with Tammy Bruce.
While I think Olmert is no worse than his predecessor Sharon, I do hope Israelis stop electing appeasers. I also hope they boot some of the IDF high brass, who have been B.S.ing both the Israeli public and the allies. The IDF needs to become stronger and smarter in order for Israel to succeed, and while I can say only good things about ordinary Isreali soldiers, the militery elites in Isral seem as corrupt and devorced from reality as Olmert and Co.

Hence the article notes that the only way to eliminate Hezbollah would be to evacuate the entire region.
I disagree with this. I think another way to eliminate Hizbollah is to prove that their cause is hopeless. No international force will do it, unless there is will to win: to cut off Hizbolllah from Syria and Iran, at any cost, even if it means war with Syria, and yes, with Iran. I wish the mullahs would go without a war, but I don't see how the opposition in Iran can overthrow the mullas. It doesn't seem to be in the cards. I think we should hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

Commenting on JPost: You're on your own, Israelis

I just read an article titled "Nation of know-it-alls" in Jerualem Post.

Before this last war, I'd given up on peace negotiations. I didn't think they were necessary anymore. Now, while I certainly don't believe in them like I did in the Oslo days, I think we have to consider them again. With Syria, for starters.

I left the following comment:

The author makes the same error he admittedly made before, which is the same sinh of which he accuses his opponents: he over-generalizes. Olso peace didn't work, so go IDF! Lebanon war failed, so DOWN with IDF! How about having a better IDF? As long as mullahs are in power in Iran, Israel will not know peace. Is the IDF capable of taking the mullahs on? I have no idea, but I know that diplomacy won't solve anythig, with the UN being on Hizbollah/Iranian side, along with the US State Department. You're on your own, Israelis.

Teens Defend Polygamy at Utah Rally

I subscribe to Maggie Gallagher's Marriage News (don't ask why)

This week, they have an article with a wonderful title: Teens Defend Polygamy at Utah Rally

"Because of our beliefs, many of our people have been incarcerated and had their basic human rights stripped of them, namely life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," said a 19-year-old identified only as Tyler. "I didn't come here today to ask for your permission to live my beliefs. I shouldn't have to."

I think Tyler has a point. It is possible that polygamy indicates some sort of emotional problems with the people involved. But the more the "normal society" harasses such people, the less we'll know about both dangers and benefits of polygamy, and the harder it'll be to distinguish between abusive polygamists and those who harm no one.

They said they spoke voluntarily. They gave only their first names, saying they were protecting the privacy of their parents.

They shouldn't have to.

Impressions from Landmark Forum

Last night, I went to this event at Landmark Forum, , where I was invited by my comrade Andy, you prolly remember him. It was too much like Herbalife and Tuppaware party, so I left. Boy, am I angry at him!

The history behind this stuff is very interesting. Historically, this is the secular version of Scientology (the founder guy, Werner Erhard, was supposedly friends with Scientology founder, and then they fell out).

These Forum people have some interesting ideas and techniques, but when I think about their Transformation (a concept copied from Zen's enlightenment), taking place on an industrial scale (four hundred of people in the friggin hall) in a matter of three days, I get more than sceptical. I don't believe in quick fixes, or in transformation that is initiated and managed from outside. And when I look at that French lady who conducted the seminar - who wasn't bad, but... when she started talkin about how "we" don't know what it means to be human, I just thought "transform my ass"

I understand why people want a different life from the one they have. I am one of them. But profoundly changing your life is not something that can be packaged and then swallowed and digested in a matter of three days. It is something that has to be built by yourself, and it takes years. A bootcamp like that could be a catalyst or a boost, and I admit that for some people this education, as they call it, really is helpful - possibly. But for me personally, the hyped atmosphere and the dehumanizing size of the congregation are enough to turn me completely off.

My authoritative opinion on Perelman

I think that Perelman's refusal to accept the Field's medal for his mathematical discovery is his peculiar way of being nasty, whether he realizes it or not.

It's not a big nastiness, because the only thing being hurt here is the feelings of mathematicians - and who cares about the feelings of mathematicians.

Of course, maybe he's afraid that once he gets the million dollars, he'll get robbed - then ofcourse it's not nastiness, it's OK.

But if it's true that his excuse is that he has nothing to say to the mathematical community, then I, as True and Only Leader and Teacher of the Civilized World, disapprove of his desicion.

Insomnia

With all the emotional problems Lenin has to deal with, I must say I remain positive. It may seem to you sometimes that I'm being negative or nasty and depressed, but on the inside, Lenin is always positive. Hurray for Lenin and hurray for positivity!

Being a genious inventor, I have introduced the concept of loops into the field of self-understanding, self-knowing, self-loving, self-being, self-actualizing, self-making, and self-representing. A loop is, as anybody familiar with electronic music may tell you, is a piece of something taking place in time in a repeated manner. As the artist currently known as Prince correctly formulated, A loop is a loop is a loop is a loop is a loop.

In our so-called brains, loops are recorded by our environments: our parents, teachers, friends, lovers, cultures, countries, religions, advertising. Our loops are recorded by our mom who wasn't there when we needed her, by the heartbreaks we embrace, and by the world telling us what's good for us.

The world will tell us we need to be successful in our careers, make money, and have a lot of fun; or that we need to be a creative, preferably suffering artist; or that we must bang a lot of chicks or have a nice romantic boyfriend. Driven by these stereotypes, we follow our past and our outside circumstances, instead of following our hearts.

And here comes the Big Question: how do we know how to follow our hearts? How do we know how to stop living someone else's life? How do we know what life is really ours? Who is the real "me"?

Perelman's Proof

The text in Russian says: from this it follows => therefore => stick your million up your butt

by LJ user ellustrator

WaPo:
They received their awards from King Juan Carlos to loud applause from delegates to the conference. But Perelman was not present.

"I regret that Dr. Perelman has declined to accept the medal," Ball said.

news
A UK newspaper, The Sunday Telegraph, reported on 20 August that it had tracked down Perelman to a flat in St Petersburg, where he reportedly lives with his mother. The mathematician is quoted as saying: "I do not think anything that I say can be of the slightest public interest. I have published all my calculations. This is what I can offer the public."

Do Jews belong in Israel?

It is exciting to see Judith of Kesher Talk, who has followed Lenin developments since the glorious CFK days, comment on this humble blog. Welcome, Judith! In response to this post about Jews having to prove they are the same Jews the Bible is talking about, Judith says:

Actually Ivan, they can. DNA testing shows that Jews (of all branches) and Palestinian Arabs can trace their ancestry back to Judea/Israel/Palestine.

Also there's a genetic marker which most people who claim cohain ancestry have, which dates back to that time and place as well. Being a cohain (priest) is hereditary through the male.

The genetic aspect of this is indeed interesting, and I should know more about it. Here is, however, my comment, that I'm reproducing here:

I've heard about the DNA proof. I guess my point is that it doesn't matter. If you need such proof to begin with, there's no way it will be enough. You'll come up with another reason why Jews don't belong in Israel.

The reason I think Jews do belong in Israel is because wherever they go, they are told "Go back where you came from". They are told that in Israel, too, but Israel is the only place where Jews can settle and say "We are not going". They love that land, they care for it, they build a civilized state on it - and to me, that means they belong there.

New song posted at MySpace

It's not exactly new - I wrote it about three years ago, and you may have heard it live.
Anyway, here it is - "Unwanted Man"
I recorded it at home, and played all the instruments by myself, including drum machine, fretless bass, acoustic guitar, electronic keyboard, and bongo bongos. I also sang with my mouth.
Enjoy :)

Wisdom #-34968

Womanizing is not always fun, but it is always interesting.

Baby here I come

More here

History links

So, I've been talking about Americans' readiness to fight the war against isalamists, and what they are and aren't willing to sacrifice.

Here's a WaPo article on the topic.

And here's a paper by a Princeton historian Harold James, Lessons of History. Highly recommendo.

Solzh's speech

Pajamasmedia links to a post at The Belmont Club that has the full text of Solzhenitsin's speech at Harvard in 1978. Before I write about the speech, I want to say what I think about Solzh.

I think he is - or at least was - a brave, honest human being, concerned with Russia and her fate. I also think he is arrogant and narcissistic, the way Russian writers come prophets get, and ungrateful to America for giving him a refuge from the Soviets. Finally, I think his prose is mediocre and boring.

Now that we got Solzh's persona out of the way, let's examine his speech, which after decades got so many people thinking and talking. He makes several point that are indeed worth discussing.

Contemporary worlds - here Solzh talks about the West not understanding other cultures, including those it conquered in the past.

How short a time ago, relatively, the small new European world was easily seizing colonies everywhere, not only without anticipating any real resistance, but also usually despising any possible values in the conquered peoples' approach to life. On the face of it, it was an overwhelming success, there were no geographic frontiers to it. Western society expanded in a triumph of human independence and power. And all of a sudden in the twentieth century came the discovery of its fragility and friability. We now see that the conquests proved to be short lived and precarious, and this in turn points to defects in the Western view of the world which led to these conquests. Relations with the former colonial world now have turned into their opposite and the Western world often goes to extremes of obsequiousness, but it is difficult yet to estimate the total size of the bill which former colonial countries will present to the West, and it is difficult to predict whether the surrender not only of its last colonies, but of everything it owns will be sufficient for the West to foot the bill.

On this point I pretty much agree. Most of Western colonial expansion was motivated by opportunities to get rich, and backed by the self-righteousness of the Christian doctrine, which basically says that only Christians go to heaven. People from former colonies keep coming to Europe, and we how some of them are destroying it from within.

Then he talks about "blindness of superiority" in the West, and the westerners' tendncy to measure other cultures by their own yardstick. Wich I think is funny, considering this passage:
When the modern Western States were created, the following principle was proclaimed: governments are meant to serve man, and man lives to be free to pursue happiness. (See, for example, the American Declaration). Now at last during past decades technical and social progress has permitted the realization of such aspirations: the welfare state.

What we have here is a superficial understanding of American and Western values. Anyone who has read J.S.Mill can understand how much Solzh is missing in his understanding of what liberty is - and liberty is just one of the Western values, though probably the most important one. So, here we have a bearded sage who accuses the West (which had saved his freedom if not life) of not understanding other people's values - and ten seconds later, he does just that: demonstrated the shallowness of his own understanding of others' values. Then he talks about how the West lives a "legalistic life" - Any conflict is solved according to the letter of the law and this is considered to be the supreme solution.

Agains, there is some truth to that, as we can see from all kinds frivolous lawsuits which serve anything but justice. But Solzh again demonstrates the shallowness of his understanding of Western values. Yes, our administration of justice has been over-formalized. But it doesn't mean that we in the West care more about the letter of the law than we do about justice. Justice - a latin word - has been a cornerstone of Western civ since Rome. And the reason that our legal system, inherited from the Romans, has worked for so long, is because we attach value to the principle of justice itself, not its formal representation (a sin, that according to historians, destroyed Rome) This is something that the separation of Church and State allows for: while the State is busy with the mechanical aspect of justice, people still gather in their churches and aspire justice as a principle, divorced from the formalities of civil law.

to be continued

Commenting on SITWSM

Something in the way she moves is an excellent blog, mostly about world affairs. Some of the posts there seem more insightful to me than what I read in The Weekly Standard.

TaliaXianne says:
Many analysts whom I've recently listened to think that Olmert is on his way out. I am kind of bummed about that because I rather like Ehud Olmert. I think that he showed more will than many of the PMs before him.

Lenin comments:
I think your point of Olmert possibly being the best PM lately is well taken. But I think there is a contradiction between knowing what's at stake and trying to be a humanitarian.
It's not the time for Israel to try to be popular. I think a clear understanding of that, and of what's at stake, has been lacking in Israel, and especially among Israeli politicians, who in my view, have been practicing treason for the sake of political gain.
The roots of it, I think, have to do with leftism, or rather, with the double-dealing that Islael gov't has engaged since Ben-Gurion. With the tradition of fearing internal opposition more than the enemy (see Altalena_Affair)
With counting on America (instead of the IDF) to save Israel.
Olmert failed and the IDF failed because of a long tradition of bad politics in Israel, not because of Olmert's persona.

Tehran fashion popular among CIS leaders

Summit in Sochi: Ties are for wussies.

Tammy Bruce heardbroken

I console her by saying that things are even worse than she thinks, here.

Lenin speaks:
I share your disappointment, but I'm not sure if it's Rice, as opposed to Bush, is responsible for all those decisions to do nothing.

I don't see how the previous Secretary of State was doing a better job. I think the problem is not so much with Rice, but with the whole institution of diplomacy: Western diplomats's aim these days seems to be their own personal or institutional empowerment - as opposed to welfare of their nations.

So if diplomacy fails, and the government admits it, that means war - not the GWOT that Bush keeps talking about, but a real war, with diplomatic relations going down the toilet, and stock markets too. Is Bush ready for this? Is the US as a nation ready for this?

The State Department seems to be the worst US government agency, in terms of how much damage to the country they cause. But the underlying problem, I'm afraid, lies with the government as a whole, and the American public. We are still not really prepared to fight this war. We're prepared to complian about our politicians - often with good reasons, but we're not prepared to lose our jobs and give up our comfort. Most of us don't realize the magnitude of the danger, and we'd rather believe in democratization of the Middle East and other miracles that will get the job done without much sacrifice on our part.

Stupid ass white people don't know shit about livin' in New York

The right-wing Republican thin-lipped b*tch' Ann Coulter is ugly, but goodness, Sandra Bernhard is just a lot uglier. Somebody with her looks shouldn't use the word "sexy" so much. Women who are oblivious to how crappy they look - that's really opposite to sexy, but I'm sure they think it's cute. Sandra Bernhard's commercial reminded me of a great movie, What ever happened to baby Jane

P.S. I stole the title from here

Commenting on LGF

Should Olmert go?

Olmert almost certainly will go. If you poll Israeli soldiers and their families, I'm pretty sure they despise Olmert for this failure. Bibi is not perfect, but there aren't many good politicians in Israel.
Unfortunately, the problem with Israeli politics and the IDF are much deeper than Olmert or Sharon or whoever will get blamed most.
Uri Milstein, one of the most respected military Israeli historians, described similar failures in Israel's previous wars, that were made look like successes.
Israel's political problems are very similar to ours in the US: we have plenty of politicians who fight their political opponents much harder than they do our country's enemies.
I think that very few people, even Bush supporters, realize how serious the jihadi threat is. Few people believe that jihadis really hope to win - and ideologiocally, they are winning. Too many Americans are serious enough about fighting this war, and too few believe it is really being waged on us.

Lost war: lessons for Israel and the world

When I read the news that Olmert was accepting the ceasefire that had nothing good for Israel, rendering all the war effort with all the dead civilians pretty much useless, I asked myself - what's wrong with the guy? And why do the Israeli people keep putting such politicians in office?

Coincidentally, the same day I started reading the book by Uri Milstein about Itzhak Rabin, in Russian translation, and as I finished it over the weekend, the answers became much more clear, though in a frightening way.

Before reading the book, I didn't know much about the internals of Israeli politics. The Israeli government elite have always seemed at least as corrupt as in the West, and, not unlike in the West, there seemed to be a fondness for socialist values, which undermined Israeli economy and security, just as it does elsewhere.

What I didn't know is where the roots of this leftist tendency were, and the extend to which the Israeli society was crippled by this tendncy - and by the politicians who have been using this ideology to advance their power. The truly tragic result of that is that the IDF and Security Forces in general became inadequate. This is something I would not have believed before the Lebanese campaign, because like many people in the West, I believed that the IDF was the among the best trained, best equipped, best motivated armies in the world. In part this is true - just look at the photographs from the current campaign: these guys and girls know what they're fighting for.

What the Israeli public needs to look at, beyond the persona of Olmert & Co., is the whole mythology of lies that have been central in Israeli politics. Bullshit war heroes, bullshit victories, and bullshit "peace process", that were supposed to serve Israel and its survival, instead served the politicians who were more afraid of their opposition inside Israel, than of the outside threat. The army's purpose, therefore, has become not defending Israel, but keeping politicians in power.

to be cont.d

More on the Republican primary dbate

Here's the coverage from AP. There's one point that I forgot and the AP article doesn't mention.

Both candidates were asked, If you lose the primary, would you support your opponent? Spencer said no, and McFarland said yes, she would always support a Republican nomenee. I liked her answer better, even thogh in my previous post I imply that party loyalty is not such an important thing. But in this case, I think McFarland's answer had more class and made more sense.

Commenting on AN, again

Karol's blog is known for it's comment section. There's always heated debate there, and unlike most heated debates, the ones on Alarming News often contain interesting points. It's a lot of fun reading Karol argue her point. So, here's my comment to her post saying Libermann should not run - as Karol said in the comments, it would be "beneath him".

By the way, why is his name spelled "Lieberman"? That's just wrong. It's not pronounced Lie-berman? It's pronounce Lee-berman. So, out of protest and indignation, I will spell his name "Libermann", with an extra "N", which stands for "Wrong spelling". Hello, my name is Lenin, I am from the former Soviet Union, and I am here to teach America how to speak proper English.

OK, here's the comment:

* * *

I was talking to a guy last night who's always been a Democrat, but said he was frustrated that the party has gone too far in the Daily Kos direction, but he would never vote Republican. The angry senator from Georgia and his speech at the Republican convention in '04 also comes to mind. Finally, people like Glenn Reynolds have been entertaining the idea of a third party for a while.
"Republican" has been a curse word for many people, for a long time ("and he called her a bitch, a slut, and a Republican"), and with Dems being practically useless for the country, I think there's going to be more demand for a third party. After all, the two that we have are arguably the most corrupt institutions in America, so I think it would be good for the country if people like Lieberman, as pathetic as he may seem, put some heat under the big two's behinds. He's decided to run, and I'd rather see him win than this Ned guy.

Comrade's B-day and NY Howl's show

I don't go out often these days, but this week has been an exception. The other night I saw a political debate at Pace University, between two Republicans who want to run for Senate against Hillary Clinton. The debate got personal and confrontational from the start, and it was fun to watch. I may register and vote in the primary for KT McFarland, she seems like a sharp, tough lady who knows about foreign policy, and who I think is more likely to defeat comrade Hillary, though I'm not overly optimistic about that.

So, last night I attended the 29th birthday of my friend and Wifebeaters veteran Yaron Makaron at a newly opened huge bar in Park Slope. Seeing Yaron and his beautiful girlfriend is always a treat and a great conversation. Then, I went to Bowery Poetry Club, where the band New York Howl played their debut CD release show.

Man, that was great. It was so rock'n'roll, unbelieavable. The opening act, Jason Trachtenburg's experience, was all fun and cuteness. My friend - and also Wifebeaters veteran - Jessica kept cracking up at Jason's opening remarks that went like "And this song is from my country period, which was 88-89, because that's where the industry was heading..."

By the time the Howl started, the club was packed. The show was all out, pure rock-n'roll. The Doors meet Sex Pistols, or something along those lines. The crowd went nuts. Rock stardom! Amazing. You can hear their songs here.

French people are silly

According to sitemeter, my blog has recently been visited by people from unusual places like Paris, Berlin, Boulogne-Billancourt, Ile-de-France, The Hague, Geneva, and Tehran (the Geneva hit comes from the United Nations office, no less). My Self and the entire Sovnarkom is pleased to know that the UN's awareness of Lenin is on the rise.
However, all you Irano-European people e-mailing my post to each other should stop being pussies. Instead they should on click the link that says "Comments", and say "Hi" to Grandpa Lenin.
Come on guys. Don't be afraid to show your love.

Introduction

Hello!

My name is Ivan Lenin.

Ivan is my real first name, and my last name is Leonov. I call myself Lenin because you idiots love Lenin, and because I look a lot like him.

American Liberalism

The history of American liberalism consists of two parts. Part one is before Trotsky, and part two is after.

I'm with the one that was before (in case you're wondering)

Muslims: just like the US

Some guy mocks people who believe that jihad is a real thing, using a trory that says,
Seattle Muslim American was a Christian

Lenin responds:

What James Joyner chooses to ignore is that the guy is a result - or victim, if you prefer - of Islamic indoctrination. The problem is not any political group or "organized movement".

The problem is ideology. Since childhood, millions of Muslims are told that it's OK to kill for the sake of Allah. Are James Joyner and Co going to deny that? I won't be surprise if they do, because their denial seems to go far enough.

It's not an organization that is seeking to destroy us. It's an ideology that people believe - they believe it enough to kill and die. They don't have to belong to Al Qaida. They don't have to attend a mosque. They just have to believe it.

So yeah, bringing up your children to blow people up is "just like murders committed in the United States." Nothing to see here. Just those paranoid conservatives looking for excuses to kill people.