For most, first nude photo shoot will be at the airport

I am a person who normally accepts all sorts of security checks, searches, questioning without complaint and protest: After all, I do want people matching my characteristics to receive more attention than your average Jewish grandma from Long Island.

I am extremely dismayed by the recent changes at U.S. airports involving the installation of full body X-ray scanners.

I have several concerns.

First, it seems that the TSA people are completely missing the obvious: If some Jihadi shows up at Newark airport with a bunch of stuff hidden in her crotch, it is already too late!

Second, I do not trust these machines not to deliver deadly doses of radiation to innocent passengers. You, know, advanced, computerized machinery coupled with humans never fail, right?

Third, the current administration and their supporters seem to have an unhealthy aversion to possibly offending Muslims (see, for example, the culling of Juan Williams). I can imagine a devout, covered Muslim woman (and her husband) having serious issues with a nudie scanner as well as the rub-down procedures authorities are talking about.

I fully anticipate a bunch of scenes created at a bunch of airports in the coming months to cause TSA officers' attention to be shifted to airline pilots and grandmas. The rest of us will not be any safer: Just hope and pray that they adjust those machines right and your fellow passengers have guts.

Forget about the debt and the deficit, focus on spending

It's simple: Democrats seem to think "spending" levels are a given. They do not understand economic activity responds to incentives.

Therefore, they think one can only reduce deficits and pay down debts by increasing tax rates on people who generate wealth.

That is a recipe for disaster.

When spending is out of control, it is spending that must be reigned in.

Trends in Economic illiteracy

The College Board has a web site called Trends in Higher Education. It seems to be a poor attempt to market the notion that everyone needs to go to college.

The web site is extremely annoying with the display constantly changing out of my control.

However, it contains a nugget in the introduction to the Trends in Student Aid section that is too tasty to forego:

… college prices continue to rise rapidly, while family incomes decline or at best remain stagnant. … The unprecedented 2009-10 increase in federal grant aid prevented the rising prices from being reflected in the net prices facing low- and moderate-income students.

So, tuition costs are increasing and aren't we happy that student aid is offsetting these increases.

Nobody pays any attention to the role of higher and higher subsidies in why colleges can charge higher rates for ever more crowded classes inhabited with students who are living on loans and grants.

Incidentally, the College Board, while trying to sell a college education, unintentionally makes one of my favorite points very effectively: The benefits of a college diploma are private and exclusive to the recipient.

There is no acceptable reason to use taxpayer money to subsidize the college diplomas of a bunch of people.

Shame on the Christian Action Network

I had not heard of the so-called Christian Action Network until I noticed a report on Hürriyet's web site.

Now, I am not a fan of the Ground Zero Mosque plan.

Nor am I a fan of people who want to associate whole groups of people with terrorism because of their national origin or religious beliefs.

Apparently, the Christian Action Network has a "documentary" called Sacrificed Survivors: The Untold Story of the Ground Zero Mosque.

The poster for the film features the lone flag of the Republic of Turkey over the ruins of the World Trade Center following the 9/11 attacks by Muslim terrorists.

The Christian Action Network justify their use of the Turkish flag in laughable terms:

Turkey was chosen because the country serves as a reminder of what can happen if "stealth jihad" is successful. Turkey was once a staunchly pro-American ally with a secular identity. Unfortunately, it is today governed by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party, which has brought Turkey in the opposite direction.

The government of Turkey was elected in democratic elections and have stayed in power via democratic means. This is the same government that tried to pass a resolution allowing the U.S. 4th infantry division to stage on Turkish soil prior to Operation Iraqi Freedom. Domestically, allowing staging grounds for the U.S. force on Turkish soil was considered to conflict with national sovereignty and the parliament opposed the resolution by a narrow margin. Coalition forces were still able to use the well known Incirlik Air Force Base:

In response to the events of Sept. 11, 2001, Operation Enduring Freedom began in October 2001. Incirlik served as a main hub of humanitarian airlift operations to Afghanistan, MC-130 special operations missions, KC-135 refueling missions and sustainment operations for deployed forces. The aerial port managed a 600 percent increase in airflow during the early stages of OEF. When U.S. contingency airbases were constructed in Afghanistan and Uzbekistan, Incirlik's airflow supporting OEF decreased to a baseline sustainment level. With the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom March 19, 2003, ONW ended. Incirlik's last ONW patrol returned to base March 17, 2003. This flight terminated a successful 12-year mission to contain Iraq militarily. The 39th ASEW inactivated effective May 1, 2003.

The 39th Wing was deactivated and the 39th Air Base Group was activated, effective July 16, 2003.

Aug. 19, 2003, the first rotation of deployed KC-135 Stratotankers and Airmen arrived at Incirlik to support Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

Jan. 6, 2004, more than 300 soldiers of what would become thousands transited through Incirlik as the first stop back to their home post in the U.S. after spending almost a year in Iraq. Incirlik was part of what was then described as the largest troop movement in U.S. history. Incirlik provided soldiers with a cot, warm location, entertainment and food for their first few hours outside of a hostile war zone.

March 12, 2004, the 39th Air Base Group deactivated, and the 39th Air Base Wing activated to provide the best mix of required support in the Global War on Terror.

June 1, 2005, Incirlik activated one of the Air Force's largest C-17 Globemaster cargo hub operations in support of OEF and OIF. Hub operations deliver much-needed supplies such as add-on armor, tires, engines and more to U.S. Forces in theater via the 385th Air Expeditionary Group, a tenant unit at Incirlik.

The Turkish people have been the target of al-Qaida attacks. The Turkish government does its utmost to combat terrorism. Turkey has been an part of the ISAF in Afghanistan since the beginning.

In light of these facts, it is shameful for anyone to use the Turkish flag as the symbol of al-Qaida attacks because the current democratically elected government of Turkey embraces freedom of religious expression.

Could Turkey be gripped by the bloody hands of Islamic extremists? Sure. It has happened before.

The only way reasonable people can stand in the way of terrorism is by discriminating between terrorists and innocent believers.

The Christian Action Network seems to have failed spectacularly at that.

If they actually want to understand the threat, I recommend they peruse the excellent information provided by the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point.

What a joke it is to live in New York State!

So, last night, there was a debate among the candidates for governor of New York state.

There quite a few people on the stage.

Jimmy McMillan from the Rent is too Damn High Party thinks rents are too damn high in New York City and cannot spell tenant. I agree with him that the rents in New York City are indeed too high. He proposes to set up a strict city wide rent ceiling to deal with it. I disagree. After all, decades of rent control and real estate market manipulation by the government is what brought about the current situation in New York City and the surrounding area. Abolish rent control, get rid of the artificial supply restrictions caused by set aside subsidized housing, eliminate government subsidies for those who "purchase" $700,000 apartments, and you might get somewhere.

Charles Barron, a former Black Panther, thinks diversity of opinion is tied to the ethnic and racial heritage of a person, on which we disagree. He also thinks taxes in New York State are not progressive enough! Instead of lamenting the fact only a few New Yorkers are rich, he wants to penalize success even more, failing to see the relationship between the tax burden and how the wealth flee the state the first chance they get. He literally asked How about taking it out on the rich?

Howard Hawkins wants to cut the tax cuts for the rich. As with everyone else who keeps repeating that refrain, he fails to realize that even if the government confiscates everything "the rich" make, there isn't enough money to feed the ever-expanding appetite of the New York State government. We seem to agree that there is no need to for a whole bunch of targeted taxes and subsidies. Make the tax code, both at the Federal and the State level, simpler. Income is income. It ought not to matter whether you make that income painting houses, trading stocks or driving trains. How about a flat tax, Mr. Hawkins?

Kristin Davis from the Anti-Prohibition Party, wants pot, prostitution, and gambling legalized. Fine. However, she fails to realize, at the rate New York State is going, we are all going to end up prostituting ourselves to pay for MTA's union workers wages and benefits, gambling our earnings away for a chance to "make it," and getting high to forget about it all.

Warren Redlich from the Libertarian Party started out by pointing out the salary of the head of the New York Public Library: A whopping $689,000. That, actually, seems to be progress, my friends, because, according to a New York Times article from 2006, the library's president and chief executive was $800,000 just a few years ago. We'll agree that cutting the size and reach of the government in New York State would reduce the burden on the people of New York State. When people work for themselves, rather than to feed the tens of thousands of bureaucrats whose inflated salaries, benefits and pensions form the bulk of the state's expenditures, incredible things happen.

Mr. Cuomo was polished and at home on stage. He represents business as usual. He represents the party that gave us Elliot Spitzer and prevented Governor Patterson from running for Governor. He does not question whether government programs should exist. He talks about cutting waste and fraud in those programs. He talks about operating "the system" better. I know a lot of people will fall for that, but that's just playing around the margins. "The system" is the problem.

Mr. Paladino was completely unpolished. He could not time his responses well. He frequently ran out of time without being able to complete his sentences. He seemed to have been heavily coached to try to avoid making gaffes. He was trying to be someone he isn't. But, his main point is sound: Central government is not the answer. He is the only real alternative to Mr. Cuomo's "business as usual".

Maybe he won't be able to get anything done because he won't be able navigate Albany. But, we in New York State are at the point where it would be better for the state government not to be able to do anything than do something.

It was refreshing to see most of the candidates agree that the burden of the state government is too high and that various "targeted" programs that have been going on for decades are deadweight on the people of New York State.

It was depressing that all candidates other than Mr. Paladino basically represent the interests of the New York City area.

I wish there had been a straight debate between Mr. Paladino and Mr. Cuomo, the only two credible candidates.

How to bury oneself with words

Some people have too a high opinion of their own intellectual abilities. That's OK. However, with some, this goes beyond just healthy self-esteem and turns into a suicidal mental diarrhea.

Chris Coons, the Democrat running for the Delaware Senate seat vacated by Vice President Biden manages to provide an example while attempting to make fun of her opponent Christine O'Donnell, Republican, for the brevity of her position on jobs (Ms. O'Donnell, by the way, was really impressive in the debate).

[Christine O'Donnell] Believes jobs are created when businesses are freed from endless taxes and bureaucratic red tape.

That's the complete text of O'Donnell's jobs platform on her website: Just 15 words.

Chris Coons seems to think you need something more than freeing individuals to pursue profitable opportunities for the wealth of a nation to grow.

You don't, but that's another matter.

Mr. Coons then goes on to hilariously describe how he plans to implement a whole bunch of growth and employment killing initiatives:

My jobs strategy focuses on four areas: restoring our innovation economy, assisting small businesses, growing our green economy, and rebuilding a viable manufacturing sector.

Well.

Restoring our innovation economy: Entrepreneurs innovate when they perceive an opportunity to profit. Of course, heavy taxation and bureaucratic red tape destroy profit opportunities. +1 for Ms. O'Donnell.

Assisting small businesses: Pretending to assist small businesses by throwing them a check here and another check there is a fools errand. Small businesses are helped when they get to keep more of the profit they make by providing people with goods and services for a price consumers are willing to pay and are free to pursue potentially profitable ventures without having to worry about some government inspector giving them a hard time over the dimensions of the breast-feeding facilities. Another +1 for Ms. O'Donnell

Growing our green economy: The "green" economy will grow when producers are able to provide "green" goods and services at prices consumers are able to pay. Requiring taxpayers to fork over thousands to get some people new cars and others new windows, and everyone to use corn to fuel cars instead of feeding people, increases the burden on the most productive members of society, causing great harm to the economy as a whole. Every dollar you waste to give 10 cents to some windmill manufacturer has to come out of someone's profits — reducing incentives to hire and innovate. Another +1 for Ms. O'Donnell.

Rebuilding a viable manufacturing sector: This is no different than saying your plan to grow the economy is to rebuild a viable horse & buggy industry. The U.S. horse & buggy industry shrank due to market forces, the same way the U.S. manufacturing sector shrank. Trying to take resources from industries that provide people with goods and services which are valued greater than it costs to make them to rebuild industries that are no longer profitable destroys the nation's wealth and businesses. And, Ms. O'Donnell scores again!

The final score is 4-0 for Christine O'Donnell on Chris Coons' own ideas and proposals.

And, here is another one. Worth a chuckle:

I'll also work to help small businesses by standardizing the home office deduction and creating a temporary direct-lending program at the Small Business Administration to offer low-interest loans to healthy small businesses facing difficulties accessing credit.

First, given two small businesses both facing difficulties accessing credit, who decides which one is the healthy one, deserving of the low-interest loan?

More importantly, Mr. Coons, like pretty much all people like him, misses a most fundamental point: Real enterpreneurs do not start businesses so they can get a standard home office deduction or so they can access a temporary direct-lending program.

No, they get into business because they believe they can produce something at a cost less than what people are willing to pay for it and sell it to make a PROFIT.

Mr. Coons, you are too impressed with yourself and you seem not to be taking your opponent seriously.

Why Miller, O'Donnell, Paladino and others are good candidates

William F. Buckley Jr. said:

I'd rather be governed by the first 2,000 names in the Boston telephone directory than by the faculty of Harvard.

That's why.

What's up with the thinly veiled death threat?

What do you think when you read the following quotation from 1010global?

With climate change becoming increasingly threatening, and decreasingly talked about in the media, we wanted to find a way to bring this critical issue back into the headlines whilst making people laugh.

Well, I thought they had a couple of off-color, potentially offensive jokes.

It did not occur to me that they would show a video of little children's brains being blown off by their teacher upon hearing that the children are not interested in reducing their carbon footprint by 10%.

I believe, He who issues the first death threat admits he's lost the argument.

Below is a copy of the video (as 1010global have removed it from their web site). CAUTION RECOMMENDED: IT CONTAINS GRATUITOUS VIOLENCE WHICH I PERSONALLY FOUND VERY DISTURBING.

For more on this, see O…M…G – Video explodes skeptical kids in bloodbath and A message to 10:10 -sorry, just doesn't cut it by Anthony Watts.