Peggy Noonan writes of something being wrong, perhaps dishonest, in Big Business. I think it's a byproduct of the Clinton Years. No, I'm not blaming Clinton directly. It's an effect of his playing fast and loose with the truth. Clinton set the tone. Now the chickens have come home to roost...

Who want to be a Dictator? Regis Philbert: Welcome to the new PBS (Palestinian Brocasting Service) game show "Who wants to be a Dictator?" I'm your host, Regis Philbert. Our first contestant today is an older fellow from teh middle east, looking spry in that white and blue khaffya, let's welcome Mr. Yasser Arafat! Yasser Arafat : Good day, Mister Philbert. RP: How are you today, Yasser. YA: Doing fine, thank you. I'm just happy to have a chance today. RP: Let's get started. Our first question today, for influence and power in the Middle East, what organization was founded in the 1959 for the purpose of "Palestinian liberation"? YA: That would be al Fatah. We established it so we could blow up Jews and destroy Isreal. RP: That's right! Yasser, you've won the control of Fatah and the power of the terrorist organization. YA: (smiling) Good. Thank you, Regis. RP: Let's continue. What organization was founded in 1964 as an umbrella for dozens of Middle Eastern Terrorist organizations, including Black September, the group that killed the Isreali athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics? YA: (Rubs chin, gazes at ceiling) That would be the Palestine Liberation Organization, or PLO. RP: Is that you final answer? YA: Yes. RP: That's right! YA: (Smiles widely) Excellent! RP: Yasser, you've earned a chance at control of the PLO! Are your ready? YA: Yes, Regis. {More to come...}

What our Enemies don't understand... I was reading this piece by Eugene Volokh, and it got me thinking. Go take a read, then we'll talk about it... Welcome back... Mr. Volokh makes some excellent points about our internal dissent, that it may give strength to our enemies. And he correctly identifies the dissent as a long term strength. We may release a prisoner who is truly guilty because of a consitutional technicality, but in the long run, we learn from the dissent and become more effective in our policies because we are critical of the shortcomings of whatever we do. That's the thing that really throws outsiders for a loop. We are critical of our own actions. We do rip ourselves apart internally over issues. To dictators, this looks like no one is in control. "How could Bush let them say that?" they think. "How could the Americans do anything to us when they are in a state of near revolt?" Well, Mr. Dick-tater, we argue amongst ourselves. We like to argue. We have an entire subset of an industry dedicated to arguing amongst ourselves. I know, if some one published a critical editorial in your newspaper, you'd have them shot. We'd just read it and call them bad names, then get on with the task at hand. You don't get it. We're generally open and honest, and very, very argumentative. That doesn't mean we don't stand together. Dissent doesn't necessarily equal disloyalty, even if it sounds that way at times. We let the idiots like Edward Said and Maureen Dowd speak, so we can shred their arguments in public, and so we can prove them wrong by kicking your dictatorial ass and making things better in the world.

Saudi Commercials... I saw one on Bravo last night while the Lovely Jessica and I were watching "Not without my Daughter", the Sally Fields movie about an American woman who marries an Iranian, emigrates to Iran, and is essentially held hostage to a man who beats her and abuses her. He threatens to take her daughter from her, and being a m,other, she is in thrall to him until some outsiders help her escape. This was quite possibly the worst movie for the Saudis to choose for advertising. It portrays Islam as heartless, demanding submission from women and children and oppression of all people in the name of Allah. The events take place in Tehran during the Iran-Iraq war, and they show the "induction" of kids off the street, the various evils of the men in that sort of society, and the way that the culture enforces its network of oppression through the 'good will' of friends and coworkers. Then came the Saudi ad. A ballsy move on their part, but all I could think of while viewing it was "lying bastards!" Sweet Jessica asked me if they really expected us to believe them... "Are they that stupid?" she asked. Apparently, they are that stupid.