Starving Women for Sex

That's legal, according to our ally Afghanistan -- you know, the country whose war we are fighting and where we are spending billions in aid. According to The Guardian,

Afghanistan has quietly passed a law permitting Shia men to deny their wives food and sustenance if they refuse to obey their husbands' sexual demands

The law also gives the guardianship of children to fathers and grandfathers, and forces women to get permission from their husbands if they want to work.

The next time some Muslim or useful idiot attacks critics of Islam, and starts screaming about "Islamophobia," keep this type of law in mind. It's supported by far more than just a tiny minority.

The law has been backed by the hardline Shia cleric Ayatollah Mohseni, who is thought to have influence over the voting intentions of some of the country's Shias, which make up around 20% of the population. Karzai has assiduously courted such minority leaders

When people in the west see Islam as a threat to our societies and freedoms, it isn't a phobia -- it's concern based on the reality of how Islam is practiced in many places, especially when it is backed by governmental authority.

HOT5 Daily 8/16/2009

1. "Again: We aren’t against reform; we’re just against the reform you’re proposing." A point that bears repeating.

Representative Sample: People have legitimate concerns about everything they have seen, so far. Attempts to assuage these fears has failed, miserably. We all recognize that there is a problem with the system. We all want reform. We just don’t want the reform we have been offered, so far.

2. "Has anyone done more to torpedo ObamaCare than President Obama himself?" Based on his own words.

Representative Sample: if an educated intellectual like Barack Obama could simply outline a set of specific basic health care reforms that could be shown to work, he would do it. He should also be able to confidently and rigorously defend his plan in front of skeptics. But because President Obama has chosen to rely on popular myths (instead of documented research) and staged rallies (instead of true debates) to sell his health care reform ideas

3. "Arm Ships and Shoot the Pirates?" Of course. It's amazing that we even need to ask that question. But naturally there are opponents that spout nonsense about "escalating" violence.

Representative Sample: Advocates say onboard teams with weapons would deter or defeat ragtag bands of pirates in flimsy skiffs. On April 25, pirates tried to board the Italian cruise liner MSC Melody as it headed in the Indian Ocean from southern Africa to Europe, but Israeli private guards opened fire and the assailants departed.

4. "USAF Plots Needs for a Fantastic Future" Some interesting ideas on future projects for the Air Force.

Representative Sample: How does a giant nuclear-powered flying laser sound; or a hypersonic bomber that launches satellites; or a tactical fighter firing laser and microwave beams?

5. "When it was “cool” and unremarkable to make Hitler comparisons"As with many things, it isn't a problem if the left does it. Something to keep in mind the next time someone on the left whines about over-the-top attacks on Obama.

Representative Sample: Book burnings horrify civil libertarians but this precensorship is far worse. Know-nothing book burners may burn a single book but copies of it remain and the ideas live on. Academic pre-censorship makes sure that the book the author wishes to write never sees the light of day.

To submit a blog post for HOT5 Daily, please e-mail me at unrright@NOSPAMgmail.com. Put HOT5 in the subject.

Hypocrite-in-Chief

According to the Washington Post, the president actually criticized "scare tactics" by opponents of health reform. But in the second paragraph, we find that Obama asserted that Americans are "held hostage by insurance companies." Sounds a little like a scare tactic, doesn't it? Obama's entire pitch on healthcare involves scaring the American people about the current system. His ridiculous whining about opponent scare tactics just reveals him to be a gigantic hypocrite.

When the president isn't being intellectually dishonest or hypocritical about the health care issue, he's blatantly lying or spouting doubletalk.

"I don't want government bureaucrats meddling in our health care - but the point is I don't want insurance companies' bureaucrats meddling in our health care either,

What's that supposed to mean? He wants far more government involvement, which obviously necessitates government bureaucrats "meddling," plus he's been working with insurance companies to get their support for his "reform" efforts, even while he demonizes them. 

Hypocrisy, intellectual dishonesty, scare-tactics, doubletalk, and lies -- that's President Obama on healthcare.

HOT5 Daily 8/15/2009

1. "Fiscally conservative/socially liberal [=libertarian] voters abandoning President Obama?" If not, what are they waiting for?

Representative Sample: once again fiscally conservative, socially liberal voters are starting to wonder if they made a bad bargain.

2. "How to Convert Atheists"Good luck with that. But still good advice on how to at least have a decent conversation.

Representative Sample: 1.  Don’t quote the Bible. Would you convert to Hinduism if somebody quoted the Vedas? Of course not. An ancient, mythological book is just an ancient, mythological book until after you accept the religion.

3. "World Politics Review: Israel Boosts Nuclear, Conventional Deterrence" Getting ready for Iran?

Representative Sample: Worries over Iran’s continuing nuclear ambitions, and Tehran’s ongoing support for Hezbollah and Hamas, have spurred big Israeli investment in strike aircraft, submarines, surface ships and missiles — both nuclear and non-nuclear — tailored for long-range strikes on heavily defended targets.

4. "Africa: U.S. Boots On Congo Ground" More perspective on why that's a really bad idea.

Representative Sample: Will this new peace force answer rebel bullets and bombs, with high velocity love letters and flower bombs? This kind of thinking is dangerous and idiotic to say the least, and I am highly skeptical.

5. "Mohammad and Man at Yale: Book Burning (One Cartoon at a Time)" Yale preemptively cowers before radical Islam.

Representative Sample: Book burnings horrify civil libertarians but this precensorship is far worse. Know-nothing book burners may burn a single book but copies of it remain and the ideas live on. Academic pre-censorship makes sure that the book the author wishes to write never sees the light of day.

To submit a blog post for HOT5 Daily, please e-mail me at unrright@NOSPAMgmail.com. Put HOT5 in the subject.

The Second Amendment in Action

Four criminals picked the wrong Harlem shop to rob. As they tried to put plastic cuffs on two employees, beating one who resisted, 72-year old Charles Augusto Jr grabbed his shotgun. He killed one of attackers and mortally wounded the second. The other two were also hit and fled bleeding. Both were found by police and arrested. Augusto, obviously acting in self-defense, was not charged. 

Had Mr. Augusto relied solely on the police for protection, rather than arming himself, at best he and his employees would have been robbed and possibly beaten. At worst he'd be lying dead, after the criminals decided it might be better not to leave witnesses. Fortunately he didn't have to find out what might have happened.

Department of Really Bad Ideas

The U.S. military is already tied down in two long-term nation-building projects, and has numerous other smaller commitments. But Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institution thinks we should send troops to the Congo.

If the situation is to improve, we need to do the one thing that is required above all others -- strengthen security, especially in eastern Congo. And by now we should have learned the hard way that there is only one way to do so -- by leading through example, with the deployment of at least modest numbers of American troops, to spark a broader strengthening of the current U.N. mission.

Even O'Hanlon recognizes that his own idea sounds crazy, given our current situation, so he proposes that we create a new military formation, a "peace operations division." This would be comprised of hastily-trained volunteers to be sent on peace-keeping missions. Sounds great, huh? Where do I sign up?

The Congo is one of the biggest basket cases on earth. The UN peacekeeping mission is often part of the problem, with corrupt, underpaid, poorly-trained "peacekeepers" contributing to the general hellish state of the country. Even if we weren't wrapped up with Iraq and Afghanistan, getting involved in Congo's mess would be a terrible idea. Its problems will not be solved by peacekeeping efforts -- if they are ever solved at all. They'll be solved by even greater killing & violence. The only thing that will stabilize such a situation is a central government powerful and efficient enough to exterminate the various armed gangs and rebels and impose order -- or in the absence of that central power -- local forces able to pacify & defend their own regions -- at the individual village level if necessary. Humanitarian aid, refugee camps, evacuating villages, working with a corrupt and ineffective government, foreign "peacekeepers," and all the other things currently being done -- which O'Hanlon foolishly wants the U.S. to jump into -- are the equivalent of putting a dirty, bacteria-laden band-aid on a sucking chest wound.

HOT5 Daily 8/14/2009

1. "Political tension continues to distract Pakistan and exacerbate its woes" Update on Pakistan.

Representative Sample: The continuing political tension in Pakistan undermines the government's ability to tackle the country's multiple crises. On the political front, the government needs to implement constitutional reforms to strengthen democracy and civilian institutions. On the security front, it needs to shift from carrying out counterterrorism military operations to delivering better governance

2. "Surprise: Aggressively Challenging Weasels is Something People Like" Protests about healthcare apparently gaining support.

Representative Sample: In other words, when you respond to prevarication and weaseling with incredulous mockery and you demand that the people whose job it is to listen to you actually listen to you, you can pull people to your side.

3. "Questions for Christians" 40 questions. Great mix of humor and serious points.

Representative Sample: 16. Why is god dependent on human translation efforts to spread his message?

4. "Who Is Spreading “Fear”?" Don't worry, it's ok when the left does it.

Representative Sample: he also talked about doctors being more inclined to cut off a diabetic’s foot than treat him because they would make more doing the amputation than with preventive care. The claim, of course, is Obama’s plan would discourage that

5. "ABL Dings Missile With Low-Power Beam" Successful missile defense test.

Representative Sample: Boeing's Airborne Laser Team conducted its first successful test in flight August 10 of a ballistic missile intercept using a surrogate death ray.

To submit a blog post for HOT5 Daily, please e-mail me at unrright@NOSPAMgmail.com. Put HOT5 in the subject.