Iran: Going through the Motions

Posted on Tuesday, March 6, 2012 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

The United States, Russia, China, France, Britain, and Germany agreed today to face-to-face talks with Iran regarding its nuclear program. While I am confident the talks will lead to nothing, they are a necessary component of the United States’ coercive strategy against Iran before American conducts an overt attack on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. Of course, the Iranians might magnanimously agree to give up their nuclear ambitions. However, the chance of that happening is about as likely as the Israelis abandoning the Holy Land to the Palestinians. Continue reading →

Posted in Defense, Energy Security, International Security, Middle East, Nuclear proliferation, Politics, War | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

The Left’s Cognitive Dissonance on Race

Posted on Sunday, March 4, 2012 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

“I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

                                 –Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., August 28, 1963

Several years ago, James Ewell Brown Stuart University in rural Alabama established white-themed dorms. The purpose of these dorms is to immerse students in the history and experience of Anglo-Saxon culture. The administration says the dorms are not segregated because “no more than 50% of each dorm can house individuals fitting” the white ethnicity. To live in this dorm, “you have to agree to take on a project fitting” the white ethnic theme. In other words, dorm residents “of any race might have to write an essay about some aspect” of the white “experience on campus, for example. There are also educational and cultural programs within the dorm.”

Outraged yet? Continue reading →

Posted in Blogging, California, Policy, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 85 Comments

Writers of the Future Contest Update

Posted on Saturday, March 3, 2012 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Back in December, I posted an article on the Writers of the Future Contest. Since then, the contest has reported 4Q11 contest winners, and rejections have started trickling in for 1Q12. Unfortunately or fortunately, I have no news to report on my own submission. That said, I have analyzed the data reported thus far to provide some further insight for those interested in the contest.

Continue reading →

Posted in Science Fiction, Technology, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Humanity Optional: Matthew Yglesias Spits On Breitbart’s Grave

Posted on Thursday, March 1, 2012 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Source: Twitter

On the heels of Andrew Breitbart’s death, one particular left-wing zealot expressed his own twisted schadenfreude at Breitbart’s demise. Matthew Yglesias, a contributor to Slate Magazine, tweeted that the “world outlook is slightly improved with @AndrewBrietbart [sic] dead.”

Breitbart’s body isn’t even in the ground, yet Yglesias, in his supreme arrogance, symbolically spits on Breitbart’s grave.

What happened to civility and manners in this country? What happened to the respect for four young children who lost their father, and a wife who lost her husband?

Whether one agrees with Breitbart or not, such vitriol is beneath human decency, and is reserved for the filth which subsists on the bitter cud of spite.

Creatures like Yglesias embody the problem festering in American society today. They hide behind their words and take pleasure in another’s death for no other reason than ideological differences. They stifle dialogue and lock themselves in their self-aggrandizing echo chambers, unwilling to engage with others who have opposing views. By providing Mr. Yglesias with a platform from which to spew such filth, Slate Magazine is also blameworthy, and its credibility is challenged.

Mr. Yglesias, your comments have only served to validate many of the claims Breitbart made about the liberal intelligentsia during his life. You have only succeeded in embodying the worst right-wing stereotypes about liberals.

Posted in Blogging, Leadership, Politics | Tagged , , | 35 Comments

Andrew Breitbart (1969-2012)

Posted on Thursday, March 1, 2012 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

I was shocked today to hear of Andrew Breitbart’s sudden and untimely death. At 43, he died in the prime of his life, just when he was starting to make a major difference in the world. My heart goes out to his wife and his four children.

Breitbart served as a lightning rod for conservatives who were frustrated with a media establishment that, knowingly or unknowingly, filters its views through a left-leaning prism. He exposed blatant corruption in organizations like ACORN that the mainstream media ignored for years. He also broke the Anthony Wiener scandal. Most importantly, he provided a place for conservative bloggers like me to have a larger platform than we otherwise would have on their own.

Breitbart was fearless, passionate, and determined. Love him or hate him, he certainly enlivened political debate in this country.

Andrew, we will sorely miss you.

Posted in Blogging, Leadership, Politics | Tagged , , | 14 Comments

Koran Burning Incident Underscores Dangers of “Advise and Assist”

Posted on Sunday, February 26, 2012 by kevinremus

I thought I would take a moment to comment on the recent events surrounding the burning of Korans by American troops in Afghanistan. The events of this week have reinforced the part of my previous post that mentioned the danger posed to those in an “advise and assist” role from the soldiers or police officers the American soldier is supposed to be advising or assisting. Like many former trainers, I have been extremely distressed by these events because it is easy to remember the time when I was worrying about Afghans turning their weapons on me. Continue reading →

Posted in Central Asia, Defense, Leadership, Policy, Politics, Terrorism | Tagged , , , , | 57 Comments

Six Silly Questions Reporters Should Not Ask of Anyone Advocating Military Action Against Iran

Posted on Sunday, February 26, 2012 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Reza Marachi and Trita Parsi published a piece on The Huffington Post Friday called “Six Questions Reporters Should Ask of Anyone Advocating Military Action Against Iran.” They take the usual liberal approach that the “silly” warmongering Neanderthals just don’t get it, and are about to make the same mistakes all over again.

They further argue that:

“A familiar, toxic mix of sloppy politicians and politicized foreign policy experts is telling the American public that an irrational Iranian regime hell-bent on acquiring and using nuclear weapons poses an imminent threat to its safety — despite the highest levels of America’s national security establishment speaking on the record to the contrary.”

They then self-righteously contend that the “ghosts of America’s neoconservative past have successfully shaped the policy around its selling points despite next-to-zero discussion about the consequences of war.” To top it off, they smugly declare that Iran’s bomb is “neither in existence nor imminent.”

Good luck proving either contention.

Nonetheless, both gentlemen presume to educate the press on which questions to ask officials, so that the media can somehow expose how ill-thought out this whole policy supposedly is and how the potential strike on Iran will fail. It turns out, much to the authors’ likely chagrin, that these queries are rather easy to answer. So if you are a reporter who suddenly felt enlightened by these questions, go no further. The answers are here. Continue reading →

Posted in Defense, Energy Security, Finance and Economics, International Security, Middle East, Nuclear Power, Nuclear proliferation, Peak Oil, Policy, Politics, Terrorism, War | Tagged , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Tis the Season of Dictators

Posted on Friday, February 24, 2012 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Starting with the demise of Saddam Hussein, a number of Middle Eastern dictators from Hosni Mubarak to Muammar Qaddafi have fallen from power.

Yet one remains:

Admiral General Aladeen.

Of course, Admiral General Aladeen is comedian Sacha Baron Cohen’s amalgamation of all the ridiculous things we’ve seen Middle Eastern dictators and their offspring do over the years ranging from Qaddafi wearing goofy Michael Jackson-esque costumes and keeping a voluptuous Ukrainian nurse, to Uday Hussein’s torture of Iraq’s soccer team.

If you enjoy over-the-top satire (with a dose of inappropriateness), The Dictator looks to be a humorous political diversion of art imitating life.

For further laughs, check out the official Republic of Wadiya site, where Admiral General Aladeen recommends some of his favorite websites like Cash4Gold (best rates paid for gold teeth) and the UN Commission on Human Rights (hilarious site).

I’m actually a bit surprised the political correctness police haven’t griped about this movie yet. Either way, I look forward to seeing it.

Posted in Humor, Middle East, Politics | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

The Practical Impact of Declining Home Prices

Posted on Wednesday, February 22, 2012 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Source: Adapted from CNN and National Association of Realtors

Today, CNN reported that home prices reached their lowest point in more than 10 years. According to the National Association of Realtors, the median U.S. home price fell from $219,000 in 2007 to $154,700 as of January 2012. While this fact may be good news for buyers, it certainly is a negative development for sellers. Moreover, it is a negative development for the country as a whole, because it affects homeowners’ spending behavior.

Lower housing prices negatively influence consumer spending behavior, because of the wealth effect. According to this economic principle, by “making people feel less wealthy,…the decline in home values inhibits consumer spending and hampers the nation’s stop-and-start economic recovery.” Since consumer spending is responsible for roughly two-thirds of GDP, a persistent decline in home prices does not bode well for the current anemic economic recovery.

It is possible to model how the 29% median home price decline impacted the median family over the last five years. The chart at the top of this page shows how a homeowner’s equity would decline to less than zero if that homeowner bought a house in 2007 at the median home price of $219,000 with 20% down and a 30-year fixed mortgage rate of 5%. From 2007 to January of 2012, this hypothetical family would have invested a total of ~$59,000 in their home, yet would have negative equity of ~$6k. Not only has their home equity been completely wiped out, but also their debt obligations require them to invest an additional $6k just to break even. In other words, if they sold their home today, they would lose more than their total investment. In this case, a 29% depreciation of their home represents a 109% decline in their equity.

©2012 Reflections of a Rational Republican

That said, families that had lower mortgage rates and took on less mortgage debt at the onset, would be relatively better off today than those who did not, as the chart above shows. However, everyone is poorer off by the tune of $7 trillion in household wealth according to a recent Fed white paper.

Until this imbalance corrects itself, people will be belt-tightening for some time to come. I know I sure am.

Posted in Finance and Economics, Investing, Policy, Politics | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

The Power of Time Perspectives

Posted on Tuesday, February 21, 2012 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

In the above video, Professor Philip Zimbardo discusses some intriguing theories about how people’s time perspectives affect their behavior. He posits that belief systems regarding time influence everything from work ethic to health.

Incidentally, Professor Zimbardo is also the same person who ran the Stanford Prison Experiment, which is featured in the video below.

Both perspectives present some intriguing theories about human behavior. I’m curious to hear what readers think about each video.

Posted in Education | Tagged , , | 5 Comments