Thomas Sowell: "Who Needs Europe?"

Wall Street Journal ^ | Aug 25, 2003 | Thomas Sowell

[Carry_Okie]

There were two slaps in the face, the latter of which may more concerning than what Sowell cited: "international standards" and the chilling words, "compelling State interest."

[prairiebreeze]

From a Google search:

Eric Hoffer was a American social philosopher. He was born in 1902 and died in 1983, after writing nine books and winning the Presidential Medal of Freedom. His first book, The True Believer, published in 1951, was widely recognized as a classic. This book, which he considered his best, established his reputation, and he remained a successful writer for most of his remaining years.

At age seven, and for unknown reasons, Hoffer went blind. His eyesight inexplicably returned when he was fifteen. Fearing he would again go blind, he seized upon the opportunity to read as much as he could for as long as he could. His eyesight remained, but Hoffer never abandoned his habit of voracious reading. He was completely self-educated.

His work was not only original, it was completely out of step with dominant academic trends. In particular, it was completey non-Freudian, at a time when almost all American psychology was confined to the Freudian paradigm. In avoiding the academic mainstream, Hoffer managed to avoid the straightjacket of established thought.

Hoffer was among the first to recognize the central importance of self-esteem to psychological well-being. While most recent writers focus on the benefits of a positive self-esteem, Hoffer focused on the consequences of a lack of self-esteem. He finds in self-hatred, self-doubt, and insecurity the roots of fanatacism and self-righteousness. He finds that a passionate obsession with the outside world or with the private lives of other people is merely a craven attempt to compensate for a lack of meaning in one's own life.

link: http://www.freedomsnest.com/hoffer.html

Interesting bio. I have to wonder about the last sentence though, and it's application to Freepers. heh

Prairie

[George Smiley]

Mr. Sowell is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution

Mr. Sowell is IMHO the most brilliant person in the entire U.S.

[PistolPaknMama]

Hey George! Long time no see!

...and bump to follow.

[chatham]

Beyond Sowell's Brilliant mind, his ability to present his case with such clarity is Breathtaking. Not to mention his courage.

[liberallarry]

bump

[syriacus]

As if to fulfill Hoffer's prediction to the letter, France gave a red carpet welcome to Zimbabwe's brutal dictator Robert Mugabe this year,

Chirac chastized his countrymen for not caring enough about each other during the recent heat wave.

They are only following his leadership.

[The Raven]

>>asking for troops to help out in the Iraq quagmire

Quagmire? I see you've been biased by the media!!!

[VoiceOfBruck]

Eric Hoffer was/is one smart cookie

Was.

Whenever I'm in a used book store, my first stop is the Eric Hoffer section.

[Non-Sequitur]

Quagmire? I see you've been biased by the media!!!

Merriam Webster defines quagmire as "a difficult, precarious, or entrapping position." I don't need the media to see that that is a pretty accurate description of what we've gotten ourselves into. There are no easy answers, regardless of what the administration thought. It is a precarious position for the troops involved. And it looks like we are going to be stuck there for years to come.

[sd-joe]

>> "Who needs Europe? Apparently we do, seeing as how we're asking for troops to help out in the Iraq quagmire." <<

Not really. Any troops from anywhere would be a help to share the financial burden. India has considered giving troops ( non-European); Australia has provided troops ( non-European).

And we have turned down countries who have wanted to add conditions to their offer.

[Non-Sequitur]

India has considered giving troops ( non-European)...

Considered and rejected, unless they serve under UN auspices. The only countries with large units in Iraq are the United Kingdom (European) and Poland (European). Can the UN be far behind?

[Kay Ludlow]

How many more decisions based on socialist doctrine will the High Court foist on American society, while Congress looks the other way, before the people take matters into their own hands and amend the Constitution to elect the High Court Justices?

I don't think electing judges is the answer, I think impeaching them for ignoring the constitution and relying on extra-constitutional (european) law is the answer. When we went to electing Senators instead of having them appointed by the states, we really seemed to lose them as advocates for the rights of the states, so I'm not sure that was to our benefit.

[Mrs Zip]

ping

[Protagoras]

Mr. Sowell is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution.

And a noted libertarian.

[Protagoras]

The recent pro-sodomy ruling cited European law.

Pro sodomy or anti government interference where it doesn't belong? The second is correct, the first is an emotional "I'm more moral than you" rant.

[El Laton Caliente]

I agree on both points, but would like to add that I believe using the “Living Constitution” theory should additionally be an impeachable offence for a Supreme Court Justice.

The idea that justice could reinterpret law base on changing intelligencia doctrine instead of “original intent of law” is outrageous. It is an open license to legislate from the bench. Just what the nation needs, trail lawyers and judges re-writing law at their whim.

I can’t understand why Congress hasn’t taken on this turf battle.

[tjg]

While the definition you cited may be technically correct, it doesn't fit the common usage of the word. If Vietnam was a quagmire, than Iraq is not.

But it's an interesting definition. I never thought about it this way before, but everytime I get into my wife's vehicle, and she's behind the wheel, I've entered a quagmire. And let me tell you, it qualifies as a quagmire by anybodies definition.

[Dilbert56]

"Quagmire" when applied to American military operations overseas means "Vietnam", synonymous with defeat. There are a lot of good stories about Iraq coming out, one even in the NY Times. Iraq is not Vietnam no matter how hard the media tries to discredit Operation Iraqi Freedom.

[Noachian]

I don't think electing judges is the answer, I think impeaching them for ignoring the constitution and relying on extra-constitutional (european) law is the answer. When we went to electing Senators instead of having them appointed by the states, we really seemed to lose them as advocates for the rights of the states, so I'm not sure that was to our benefit.

I'd gladly go for impeachment if it solved the problem, but it won't. Impeachment is something Congress has to do and therein lies the problem. Congress has a hands-off attitude toward the Court, and has all but abandoned its authority to regulate the High Court. Try to remember the last time Congress impeached a sitting judge.

So, if our elected representatives in Congress won't protect the American people from the Courts excesses, and the Executive won't either, who speaks for the People?

The American people now find themselves in a situation where de facto laws are being made by an unelected and unaccountable branch of government. The safeguards against this situation are stated in the Constitution, but those safeguards aren't being implemented by the Congress who is suppose to champion the rights of the people. The agenda of most congressmen are not the same as the people who elected them to office, and this isn't about to change in the near future.

That leaves the American people with only one option: To take matters into their own hands and subject the High Court to direct elections by amending the Constitution. If the people refuse to act then this travety of constitutional law will continue, and at some point will become irreversible. Once that happens any impeachment, or amendment trying to limit the Court's authority, will be declared unconstitutional by the High Court itself.