Friday Reading

Obama to one of our former best friends, "Don't call us, we'll call you" or maybe it's "GFY" - as CDR Salamander notes in You can't vote "present" to history ..... Maybe he's still miffed about that Empire thing. Which, you know, never really affected him.

How to Stifle Speech - Clifford D. May - National Review Online:

The OIC (Organization of the Islamic Conference), in its 1990 “Cairo Declaration of Human Rights in Islam,” declares that “Everyone shall have the right to express his opinion freely” — but then adds: “in such manner as would not be contrary to the principles of the Sharia,” which is to say Islamic law as interpreted by Iran, Saudi Arabia, Libya, and other despotic members of this international religious/political alliance.

Theirs is not a different view of freedom of speech: It is a death sentence for freedom of speech. And it is what they intend not only for the lands they now rule but globally. What does it tell us that they are finding so many people in the West willing — indeed, eager — to assist them?

Why the Democrats prefer anecdotes to the details of their bills - Betsy's Page :

, "...reality doesn't feature rigged results."

Iran trying to influence the election in Iraq? Well, why not? They are mortal enemies of real republics. See Relax and Deep Breathley by Richard Fernandez of Belmont Club. Make you wonder why the Iranian government hates freedom so much...

How To Clean Up the Tax Code by Bruce Bartlett - you know until the "Fair Tax" thing is implemented.

Andrew Samwick on federal budget "investments" designed to spur job growth Difficult to Administer and Prone to Abuse:

So what do we need that we typically entrust the government to provide? Infrastructure -- repair of the old and expansion of the new. We need trillions of dollars of it, more than enough spending to replace the reduction in private sector demand that has occurred during this downturn. Two years, over a trillion dollars of wasted spending, and counting.

Bridges, highways, waterways, building ships for the Navy, developing new aircraft, and budgeting for repair and upkeep of what we have all work for me.

Secure Nation on How the Rise of Social Media Transformed Disaster Response in Haiti. Social media is a big topic in disaster relief circles. But you better have the bandwidth. Some of the things here could help. See also here for an example.