The Positivity of Absolute Value

It has been an interesting few days in Iran, with protesters aggressively speaking out against Ahmadi-nejad's regime.

Gateway Pundit has some segway news, as well as the current inside information, as he points out that this whole situation is receiving little western media attention.

Judging what little I know of Ahmadi-nejad, and speaking from what limited exposure I have had to his politics, I will say that I sort of saw something like this coming.
Any fool with a sharp tongue and used car salesman's personality can be a dictator, but it takes a certain level of charisma, even genius if I may be so bold, to make them love you for it.

And I simply have yet to see these traits in Ahmadi-nejad. After reading the letter he wrote to President Bush, this judgment, in my opinion was solidified.

There is one thing that I hold to be true, (and I call it a truth because in all of my studies thus far, I have yet to see it falter) and it is that Man will rule himself to his own end. That has been the case for all whom I have observed that have strived for more and more power. They will fall. It is only a matter of time. The length of time is determined by that particular person's ability "to make them love you." That is what it takes. And that is precisely what I think Mr. Ahmadi-nejad lacks.

I really think that as long as we maintain our diplomacy, then we will be able to just sit in the bleachers and watch this regime crumble beneath itself. There will be no nuclear warfare or any military action necessary at all. It will be like watching American Idol. Gripping for the first five minutes, but generally pointless to be a part of once the realization that one is simply wasting their time sets in.

(Pulled from Instapundit)

Kevin Drum at The Washington Monthly has this on the GOP and their incessant tax cuts.

300 Billion ain't so bad. That's only 9 zeroes, come on.
A little scientific notation and the deficit will look good as new.
Promise.

Whether it is an Axis of Evil, as President Bush has called it; or and Axis of Good, as President Hugo Chavez is calling it, there is most definitely an Axis being formed.

Chavez is continually maneuvering himself into more and more power and ultimately, given things that have been said between both parties, this could be a dangerous thing for the United States. We already have the growing powerhouse that is China to keep an eye on, and if we're not careful, we could face trouble from the south as well.

As it stands they are no real threat, but if they unite...
Which if Chavez has his way that is precisely what they'll do.
I am not trying to be a defeatist here, and I know that times have drastically changed over the last eighty years or so, but historically speaking around the year 2015, our one hundred year reign will expire.

This isn't something to dwell upon, merely something to address so we can avoid the mistakes that so many have made before us, and keep our position as the dominant world power.

And no he hasn't shot anyone this time.
What is wrong with you news mongers?
Always wanting to know what's going on whether or not your top officials wish to reveal the truth.
Seriously, don't you know when to remain silent?

However, outside of their point of view, Cheney may be in trouble.
He may be called as a witness in the Libby leak case.
This is rather humorous, I think.

But we shall see.
Whether he likes it or not, no matter how irrelevant the Vice President's job is, Cheney's actions speak for the administration. For good or ill.

One would think that after three decades of tireless search, endless leads and clever clues, we would simply give up and realize that Jimmy Hoffa was never buried in some remote location in the Andes in order to cast a shadow of mystery on future generations of gumshoes.

Whoever offed the Hoffa, probably tossed him into a wood chipper and repainted his barn with the airborne debris. I mean seriously, why wouldn't you spend your time searching for a buried treasure which at the end of the day may afford you a new pair of cuff links.

Regardless, I must admit that fiasco after farce fiasco, I am pleased that the search continues. Particularly because it produces moments like this.

And I laugh, and it is good.

(Pulled from The Moderate Voice)

This is a fun post by Randy Barnett at the Volokh Conspiracy.

Surprisingly I knew the answer to the question, and even the case from which it was pulled.
I guess school does actually serve a purpose other than drinking too much and meeting hot chics.

Right, like that actually happens to me.

Apparently 26.5 million veterans are now at risk of identity theft, because a senior data analyst without any authorization, took their information home and then was robbed.

Authorities are saying that this could affect anyone discharged after 1975, but the risk is most likely minimal as the burglars probably don't realize what it is they have.

Still, if you have served since that time, you may want to keep an eye out.

Ah if only this reply were real.
If only we could actually send it.

Seriously, as comedy it is quite hilarious.
As a point for point logical response to the
rantings of a madman, it holds its water.

Kudos to the author.

(Pulled from Instapundit)

Michael Barone at U.S.News.com thinks that the country may be far from the dire predicament depicted by popular opinion. In fact, he thinks we may be enjoying the greener grass that is so fundamentally difficult to obtain.

He gives us his numbers to try and help prove his point, while spinning a positive tale of fortune and hope in the downtrodden's general direction. I'm not sure, but I will say, hang around the blogosphere long enough and you will find a quite fascinating anomaly; roughly half of the bloggers out there agree with him, and the other half, you guessed it, disagree. The blogosphere bears a striking resemblance to the country at large; who would have thought?

I would like to mention this though, my political science professor disagrees with Michael wholeheartedly. But then, he is just a political scientist; and one who teaches at that. You know what they say about those who can't do (disclaimer: I am a political science major. I am joking and I hold all of you beautiful political scientists in the highest regards).

(Pulled from Instapundit).

Well, just a little more than half of the voters in New Orleans disagreed with my post yesterday as they re-elected Mayor Ray Nagin.

We'll see how this term unfolds against the backdrop of the previous one.
The city is ready to rebuild and they will have a familiar, though perhaps now questionable, leader to pave the way back to prosperity.

amba over at Donklephant has the latest on the state of the immigration reform legislation.
We all knew this was going to be ugly, and by following the links in amba's post you can see just how ugly it is.

Also in the post is Senator Feinstein's Orange Card Program amendment. If passed, this program would replace the current three tier S. 2611 bill currently on the slab, which at the very least is confusing and far too long winded; and some would argue not very feasible for the future direction of this country.

As I have mentioned before I think the issue that both houses should be focusing on is expediting and simplifying the process which leads to naturalization.
Feinstein's new amendment, while not really addressing the issue of time, does seem to simplify the process a little by adding a very black and white first step towards Permanent Residency. Here is the current legislation for obtaining a Green Card if you wish to see the process.

And while the standards enumerated in Feinstein's amendment may seem high to some, we are talking about taking illegal immigrants, and making them legal citizens. I only advocate attempting to shorten the time frame an immigrant must endure while trying to become a citizen, not lowering our standards.
One should hope that the standards be set extremely high. We should not let just anyone into this country without exercising the strictest possible scrutiny; as these people will ultimately have all of the same rights and liberties a citizen holds. There is nothing wrong with that notion as long as these immigrants can show they are worthy of the privilege, for that is precisely what it is, a privilege.

Whether the Orange Card is the solution to the legalization process or not, I am somewhat excited to see that it is being debated.

I'm not so sure the chocolate city is ready for another Ray Nagin term.
But then again I live in Arizona, how would I know.

I mentioned before that I generally agreed with Bush's speech on the immigration situation, and what he intends to try and do about it according to said speech.

When I said that, I thought I was being pretty conservative, but apparently I was writing in the middle of the road again.
For I certainly do not agree with the speech as much as this man and his fellow conservative bloggers (who, in what I dub an ironic show of contempt, actually didn't care much for the speech at all as it did not take an aggressive enough stance on their agenda).

So now Bush has the conservative wing of the blogosphere throwing a tantrum, while the Dems are probably sitting back to enjoy the show.
I agree with Jim on one thing here, the conservatives are now guilty of that which they accuse the left of constantly. Which probably wouldn't make any difference at all except for the fact that in six months time, the democrats, much as they do now, will have nothing to lose.
Though these little outbreaks by the republicans may serve as entertaining, by poking good fun at the democrats who spend most of their time way out in left field anyway, really do nothing to effectively hinder their present, or future efforts to regain seats.
Much in the way the democrats have really got it backwards by mounting their entire political offense behind anti-Bush sentiments (as Bush cannot constitutionally win another term), I fear the right may be pushing the same envelope by doing nothing but name calling and finger pointing at the democrats.
Again, the houses aren't the theirs to lose.
The right may want to focus on rallying behind the president and his decisions. He may not be pushing their agenda to the radical extent they would like to see, but at least he's pushing it.
I am not advocating either side by any means, I just think it's kind of funny that both major political parties think they can gain control of the majority of this country using the same tactics that my friends and I used when we were in the fourth grade.

So in conclusion I guess I have to realize, that even though I made a valiant effort to develop a partisan opinion on this issue, so far I remain still insipidly chained to the middle.

(Link pulled from Instapundit).

She may be a neo-con like all the rest, but she does have some diplomacy to her.

And thankfully, she is exercising that diplomacy at a time when we need it most.
Whether you are an advocate of the war in Iraq, or an opponent, I think there is general agreement that we are stretched a little too thin at the moment to go and start another one.

Between Hamas led Palestine, Ahmadi-Nejad's uranium hungry Iran and good old North Korea still off in the background, it would certainly not be too far a stretch for the administration to wage another. Though given those three powers and our current military situation, it would not be the smartest thing someone could think to do.

Instead we need patience. We need good relations.
We need a sense of diplomacy and positive foreign political action.
Let this administration be known for both ends of that spectrum.
The administration that took on terrorism by:

• Waging all out warfare on a nearly invisible foe, an all out warfare that has never had any real estimated completion time

• And the administration who effectively postponed world war three for another time and place through the use of rational politics and logical reasoning.

Why not?
Bush could save his administration yet.

Back to the point though, I am thankful we are beginning to see a little of that said diplomacy in Rice's recent antics.
Let's just hope it continues, and that the Cheney/Bolten combination remain simply the yin to our yang.

I pulled this from Glenn at Instapundit.
It is the full text of the President's speech on immigration reform and where he stands on the issue.

Generally speaking I agree with most of it.
I don't think that we should grant full amnesty because they are by virtue of the word and our legal system, illegal. However the "rational middle ground" that Mr. Bush proposes-though by no stretch as easy to come by as he made it sound-will have to be there. If it is not there then we must either grant full amnesty, or deport in between seven and twenty million immigrants back home. Even if these options were possible, neither of them are rational.

I still have a hard time with the fences though. I understand the idea is not to build one great wall of America across the entire southern Mexican/American border, but instead to build high-tech fences in more populated areas and simply use more barriers and tighter patrol for the rural sections.
So far so good; but even though Mr. Bush stresses continued diplomacy with Mexico, I still have a hard time imagining that putting up fences won't leave some people miffed. Probably a lot of people.
There is also an argument out there I have heard that says as long as we are putting up barriers to stop southern immigrants, we might as well spend the extra two billion for a northern wall to keep those immigrants from crossing over as well.
Though I mostly view this argument as jest, there may be something to it. If we put a wall up against Mexico, and nowhere else... I begin to sense the miff factor again.

Overall the President's message-in my opinion-was one both of immigrant tradition and maintaining the structure and integrity of our legal system. There is no need for aggressive action against these immigrants. They are only trying to make a life. Still they should have to do it legally, according to our rules.
I know the current system sucks; believe me I have seen it in action. And there should be legislation implemented to try and expedite the process and make it easier for the hard working people who are just trying to have a better life become citizens. But the system is what it is, and it is the American system. It may be a terrible process, but it is the legal process, and it is the one that should be followed.

#2.
That is how many posts on the Positivity that will remain linkless.
No stories to report here, no information to relay.

I only come on tonight for a few moments to wish all of the ladies out there who have given birth once or twice or however many times, a warm and congratulatory "Happy Mother's Day."
You most certainly deserve it.

I look at this day and I think of all the people who are out there right now.
The doctors and nurses, the military and police force, the social workers and therapists, the biochemists and geneticists and yes, even the Republicans and the Democrats.

I think about all of these people and the differences they are making, and am enlightened to take a more reductionist point of view. Without this day, this mother's day, we certainly would have no mothers.
And certainly with no mothers we would have no populace.
And with no populace we would have absolutely no technological advance.
And with no technological advance I would be simply a bored, albeit rambling fool.

Thank you to all those who were brave enough to bring people into this world, who would eventually become just crazy enough, to change it.
Kudos.

The White House, along with the Republicans who apparently matter, are pushing forward with all their might for General Michael Hayden, despite some new flack he is receiving for decisions made at the NSA.

Hayden, as I have mentioned, is in line for the director's chair at the CIA.
He is an acting General. I may be making this up, but I think he is the only acting military officer that has ever been considered for the job. If I am making that up I am sure you will all let me know.

With Senate hearings on the horizon (and by the way he is expected to pass) ill news is a begotten friend.
What do you think of Hayden?
What do you think of his wire tapping policies?
What do you think of his view on the fourth amendment? That is the important question I think.
Or do you not know what the fourth amendment says? Tsk tsk.
For like two dollars you can order a pocket constitution that you can have with you at all times. Now why wouldn't you want to do that?

Glenn Reynolds has this on everyone's favorite star.

I think that it happened later rather than sooner, and this makes me happy.
Perhaps there is hope for the young people of this country and their growing lack of political efficacy.

I would just like to point out here that I never liked the guy.
Not from the moment I gained conscious recognition of him and began to realize what he would eventually bring to the dinner table.

Google has released a new desktop application.

There is a lot of cool techy stuff involved, but I doubt I possess the technological wherewithal to rehash it all here. Still, you should give it a read. Especially if you are as much a Google freak as I am.

This is kind of ridiculous, but awesome.
I have said this before as well, Steve Jobs is one of my heroes.

If only he weren't so bullheaded.
The holographic images that adorn the walls in the home of Bill and Linda Gates, you know the ones that automatically switch from painting to painting, to fit their respective aesthetic pleasures depending upon who enters room, could be automatically switching for Jobs and his wife. Instead I'm sure he is confined to spending millions on the actual original paintings, only to have them sit there and remain that same painting. What pain he must be in.

Ah propriety, such a bitter sweet love affair.

As I am sure by now you have all heard of the letter that President Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad has sent to President Bush.

If you have not had the opportunity to read it, here it is.
And here is a rather poignant interpretation of it by James Lileks.
(Pulled from Instapundit.)
Some individual opinions can be found here, here and here.

The letter is a little lengthy and long winded. Ahmadi-Nejad tends to ramble a little with the style of his writing. His extraneous sentences and his excessive use of the comma are a little reminiscent of another infamous dictator's writing style who, in the spirit of diplomacy shall remain here disclosed.

What I think goes unrealized in the letter is the perceived, albeit crucial difference between Islam and Christianity. I cannot speak for Muslims as I am not a Muslim, but I do have some insight into the Christian perspective, as I used to be one. Christians do not recognize Islam to be in any way equal to Christianity. Though Muslims acknowledge the existence and importance of Christ, they view him as a mere prophet, a messenger for Allah. They do not recognize that he is the Son Of God. The only begotten child of the Almighty Father sent to earth to redeem us of our inequities. Immanuel, who was crucified died and was buried, so that we may be forgiven.

This is the difference between Christianity and a multitude of other religions. I point it out here because in all of Mr. Ahmadi-Nejad's appeal for a global monotheism, I fear he fails to realize that President Bush, as a Christian, will never recognize him as a saved, born again human being. As far as Mr. Bush is concerned, he needs to pray for the soul of this unsaved non-believer, and most other Christians stand right behind him in doing so (at least that is what they think they are doing). So as far as trying to reach our President on a religious platform, forget it.

All of the other things mentioned in the letter were clearly pulled from our daily media coverage. At least that is where I hope Ahmadi-Nejad has gotten all of his information. Because if I am wrong, and his intelligence department procured the numerous items recounted in the letter, then it is a sad day for Iran indeed.

Please, take the time to read the letter.
It is clearly a call for silence. As silence is held very sacred in the eastern parts of the world. Silence until the storm blows over. Silence until the mighty lion retreats back into his cave for some ill begotten slumber. Silence while we (Iran) re-man our forces and continue on with our selfish plans.

At least that is my take on it. Prove me wrong.

In case of some really bizarre sequence of events you have been following this case, here are the latest unravelings.

I think the decision was a no brainer, but there are those out there who would disagree with me I'm sure.

Just imagine.

Cal Poly MBA Trip has this.

And in the post they link to a PBS documentary of sorts on Wal-Mart and it's overall good for America. Emphasizing their relationship with China, which over the last fifteen years has helped them to change the face of retail.
As a firm advocate of Wal-Mart (I have said it before, Sam Walton is one of my heroes) I found this text documentary fascinating.
Wal-Mart opponents and proponents alike should indulge themselves in this online chunk of retail knowledge. It will add fuel (cheaply purchased at your local Wal-Mart) to this heated debate.

BTC News has this on the intelligence of the White House potentially appointing General Michael Hayden to Director of the CIA.

If you spend some time with this post you will see the extent of the controversy.
The debate over the terminology in the fourth amendment will in all likelihood remain a semantic one, regardless of the fact that "probable cause" really is the dominant term in said amendment, inherently preceding "reasonable searches and seizures."

One follows the other; Reasonable searches and seizures must be the effect of the probable cause, not the other way around. If it were the other way around we would be a totalitarian society, with the police "reasonably" coming into our homes and finding probable cause. That is just not how American society functions.

But there is an overarching concept here that I feel must be pointed out; That is regardless of these specific arguments, regardless even of this particular president, the Executive Branch has become too large. Maybe this is my libertarian shoulder devil speaking, but I think that president's over the last few decades have overextended their power in all aspects of Government.

Given articles like these:
1. Recent
2. And not so recent,

we see a trend that reaches deep into our modern history. Again it has nothing to do with either president, that is not the point. The point is the concept that the Executive is growing, and perhaps growing too large, is known and generally perceived to be a bad thing.

This should be addressed, but unfortunately I don't see that happening in the near future.
Most people would reach for the most power, but it is only the truly powerful who get it.

Interesting post from Iraq the Model.

Whether or not you support the war, or perhaps support only parts of it, or absolutely zero of it; It is still enlightening to at least see and hear the opinions of those on the other side. Even if they not only disagree with those you may hold, but radically and somewhat ignorantly attempt to discredit them.

Atrios has the latest on the Tom DeLay shenanigans.

I think the water is beginning to heat up a little.
Mr. Texas will soon need an ace up his sleeve, if he is to come out smelling like a basket of bluebonnets.

It certainly appears so.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez with his natural resource muscle, continues on his quest to control South America.

He and Nicaraguan Presidential hopeful Daniel Ortega have come to an agreement that is being viewed by some as a deal to sell Nicaragua oil on credit, so that present money can be focused on fighting poverty.

Sounds like a pretty good shtick to me.

Well, despite his endorsement of it not a week ago, Mexico President Vicente Fox has sent the new drug legislation back to Congress.

Even though upon sending the bill back there was no mention of the heat that his administration has been receiving from Washington, one can imagine that it was probably the key factor in the change of opinion.

It's too bad...
I kind of wanted to see Fox go out with a bang.
As I think he has missed the opportunity with the immigration thing.

No big surprise there though.
He has this.

And what it says is that the Alexandria jury hearing the case, has allowed Moussaoui to live.
Albeit behind bars for the rest of his life.

I think a lot of people expected the death penalty, and not surprisingly so, as the remnants of September 11th still ring loud and clear in the minds of Americans.

But was it the right decision?
This opens a host of arguments ranging from "murder is murder, down with the death penalty;" to "our inadequate and mostly broken penitentiaries are sullied with convicts who almost received the death penalty, and we are funding it."

What does the death penalty mean to you?
Did Moussaoui deserve it?
If not then who, if anyone does?

Watch this.

It is a video of Stephen Colbert effectually roasting a large portion of the guests at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.
Including the President and Vice President.
Very funny indeed, but I don't think he will be asked to return next year.

See, I disagree with David Schraub at The Moderate Voice, who posted this under the title:
"This Is Just Dumb."

I think "This Is Just Funny" would have been a much more appropriate title.

The Examiner has some poignant and heated words for Senator John McCain and his apparent stance on clean government versus first amendment liberties.