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Topics:	Welcome! As this is your first visit here, please read about this site, or create your profile. Antitrust: Socialism in Disquise Imagine yourself as the owner of a local movie theatre. One night you awaken to a phone call; a friend tells you to drive down to the theatre immediately because what is happening has to be seen for yourself. Taking his advice, you drive down only to find it open, with somebody selling tickets while the crowd goes in to enjoy the movies. You hop out of your car to confront the stranger stationed at your box office, who is counting the huge wad of cash he had just acquired. As he sees you, smiles, hands you one of those bills, and pockets the rest. Read the rest... General story written by Mike Walters on 6/10/2003 at 10:32:34 PM Comment! [ ] La-La Land Economics Recently, the professor of my economics class discussed the "flaws of markets," claiming, "markets are only more efficient than state run intervention when they approach perfect competition." She then addressed public choice theory, the idea that government ureaucracies are inefficient because bureaucrats tend to care mainly about their budget and job security rather than the function they are supposed to perform. She dismissed the idea as "la-la land" and claimed that bureaucracies could be efficient as long as bureaucrats acted in the "best interests of the country." Read the rest... General story written by David on 4/9/2003 at 8:12:45 PM Comment! [ ] Is There Really a Race Problem at UT-Austin? Recent events at the University of Texas at Austin have prompted many students, faculty and citizens to call for action in the name of improving race relations. Three incidents in particular are cited to convince people that something is needed to change the 'unfriendly atmosphere' on campus. A few weeks ago some unknown person tossed eggs at the statue of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and a couple of other buildings on campus. The Daily Texan reported that certain students attending off campus fraternity parties wore "racist" attire. Also, the paper reported the claims of student Kevin Curry, who said that he was harassed by a police officer in the Texas Union because he is black. Curry was asked to show identification, and as he began to appear to move away from the officer, he was given a more thorough check. Read the rest... General story written by Brendan on 4/9/2003 at 8:11:28 PM Comment! [ ] The Next Phase of the War on Terrorism Most people predict a quick victory in Iraq, and rightly so, but not many people are talking about the next part of the War on Terrorism. Ridding Iraq of a ruthless tyrant and stripping it of its weapons of mass destruction will reduce the threat of terrorism to the United States. Freeing the Iraqi people and allowing them to pursue their inalienable rights to happiness, will foster positive opinions about the U.S. among Iraqis. The world will be a much safer place due to this phase of the war. However, much more must be done to prevent the violence of the fundamentalist Islamofascists led by Osama bin Laden and others. Read the rest... Conservative story written by Brendan on 3/23/2003 at 11:43:50 PM Comment! [ ] Subversion in Bush Country: Austin Becomes 65th Community to Pass Resolution Against War in Iraq If an alien drove across the Congress Avenue Bridge that links the north and south halves of Austin on the night of President Bush's State of the Union address, he might be forgiven for thinking he was in France rather than the United States, let alone in the city where Bush launched his political career. Several thousand members of Austin Against War, the University of Texas International Socialists, and the Texas Green Party lined the bridge holding signs with venomous insults directed at Bush such as "We Don't Want Your Fundamentalist Fascist Crusades Or Your Oily Wars" and "Bush is Evil This I Know." Read the rest... General story written by Brendan Steinhauser on 2/13/2003 at 12:24:02 AM Comment! [ ] You Own Your Life! A recent reading of John Locke’s Second Treatise of Civil Government provided me with some important insights into the nature of rights. In today’s world, when the term "human rights" is used to justify the "right" to healthcare, social security, affirmative action, and cable television, while property rights are being violated for the "social good" and criminals are let off with a slap on the hand, the concept of rights is all the more important to understand. Read the rest... Objectivist story written by David on 1/29/2003 at 2:39:42 AM Comment! [ ] In Defense of US As the start of the new semester is upon us, I feel it is my duty to prepare those of you who have not taken history here at UT. Get ready to hear about the evil white Christian male and his hundreds of years of responsibility for the plight of every other poor soul in the world. You will be told that the United States of America is a corrupt and wicked nation that imposes its culture on the rest of the helpless third world. Professors will explain to you that all the injustice in the world stems from the policies of the arrogant and imperialistic regime that is The United States. You will hear how the founding fathers were ruthless slave-owners who spoke of freedom only for white males who owned property. Professors here will consistently fall on the extreme left of the political spectrum, and you will be expected to agree with them. Anti-war protestors will shout down prominent speakers like Colin Powell and other rational proponents of using military force. Basically, you will be made to feel guilty for being an American citizen. Read the rest... Conservative story written by Brendan Steinhauser on 1/24/2003 at 11:11:02 PM Comment! [ ] Modern Art and Visions of Values Two weeks ago, the Battalion featured a photo of a life-like ultra-realistic human sculpture in the local gallery. The model clearly showed great talent in its construction – although I did not see it in detail, I will grant that the artist has better skill in the reproduction of a human body than I ever could. However, which specimen of the human race did he choose to portray? Did he decide to create a beautiful woman entranced by some book (or perhaps a lover)? Did he create a strong hero that gave the audience a sense of courage, pride, and confidence? Perhaps, he showed a wise man (or woman) lost in though over some crucial problem? No, the artist portrayed an old woman, deeply wrinkled, and with a smiling, yet meek expression, as if to tell the world "fate has tossed me this way and that, and here I am at your mercy." This typifies an approach to art that is commonly group under "modern art." As I will explain however, modern art is such a complete failure as art, that there is no term to describe it other than anti-art, the epitome of what art is not, and should not be. Read the rest... Objectivist story written by David on 1/24/2003 at 2:13:15 AM Comment! [ ] Putting Liberals into Context One of the biggest problems with the rhetoric of today’s liberals is their use of context-dropping whenever it suits their ideological needs. Context-dropping is the over-simplification of ideas to create floating abstractions that ignore relevant distinctions that exist in reality. Read the rest... Conservative story written by David on 1/2/2003 at 10:57:02 PM Comment! [ ] The anti-war protesters: what are they for? A recent incident at University of Texas is indicative of the nature of the pacifists opposing a war with Iraq. After the student government of the University of Texas passed a resolution condemning a U.S. attack on Iraq, the Young Conservatives attempted a debate with the "Campus Coalition for Peace and Justice." However, as CNN reported, "Most listeners in the audience seemed to agree with the Campus Coalition, or at least people on that side seemed more vocal about their feelings… When an antiwar advocate began heckling a student in the pro-war camp, other supporters of the President's policies stood up, and a fistfight almost broke out." One can easily imagine what "more vocal" means when reverse-translated through the filter of CNN’s liberal bias. Apparently, the "peace protesters" are not so peaceful. All over the world, they have been rioting against "aggression." What is the true nature of the anti-war sentiment in America then? Much insight about the nature of the "anti-war" protest can be found in their "Statement of Conscience," which has been endorsed by thousands of professors and students across America. Read the rest... Conservative story written by David on 12/9/2002 at 3:28:36 AM Comment! [ ] The Paradox of Profiling Within a week [of being a student at UT] I was suspected of being a potential terrorist, called a "racist," and told that I was part of the reason why Saddam Hussein is an evil guy. Imagine what finals week could be like. Read the rest... Conservative story written by Erin Selleck on 11/21/2002 at 1:42:36 PM Comment! [ ] Noam Chomsky: Terrorism Apologist Speaks in Austin Infamous linguist and amateur foreign policy pundit Noam Chomsky made an appearance at the University of Texas in Austin a few weeks ago. He spoke in the LBJ auditorium for about three hours about the history of U.S. foreign policy as well as current events. His deceitful rhetoric focused mainly on the Israel-Palestinian conflict, as well as the War on Terrorism. Many students in attendance said that they still remember the comments Chomsky made approximately one year ago after the September 11 attacks. Read the rest... Conservative story written by Brendan Steinhauser on 11/17/2002 at 4:52:44 PM Comment! [ ] A Short Response Concerning the Republican Controlled Congress Over the recent mid-term elections, the Republican Party captured the majority in both houses of Congress. Combined with the election of George W. Bush, this gave the Republicans total control of the government. The critical questions now are, what effect will this have on the economy, on the amount of government spending, and our personal liberties? Will Republicans act in the way they say they will act, or disregard what their party is supposed to stand for? Read the rest... Libertarian story written by Reece Pickett on 11/17/2002 at 4:50:06 PM Comment! [ ] PeTA: Terrorists in Disguise As the United States prepares itself for the post 9-11 world, it must fight the threats of domestic terrorism as well as terrorism abroad. Osama bin Laden’s network, Al Qaeda, tops most people’s lists of the most serious threats to our security, and for good reason, but there are also many homegrown terrorist groups at work in this country. As the war on terror continues, we must destroy all terrorist groups that seek to cause loss of life, liberty and property. We cannot take any threat lightly, and we must neutralize those groups that want to bring our great nation to its knees. One of these domestic terrorist networks is a fringe of the animal rights movement. These sometimes apparently docile organizations have engaged in violent acts of terror, and will continue to do so until they are dealt with appropriately. Read the rest... General story written by Brendan Steinhauser on 10/28/2002 at 9:50:47 PM Comment! [ ] Disney Socialism I just finished watching the 1998 Disney movie "A Bug Life" and despite my hopes to the contrary, I was reminded how pervasive socialist ideology has become in absolutely everything Disney produces. I have come to expect collectivist overtones from most mainstream television programming, but the extent to which its animated films are full of socialist indoctrination is simply disgusting. Unlike most liberal media companies, Disney produces more than the usual "multicultural" garbage but actually inserts Marxist ideology into the plot of its animated children’s movies. Read the rest... Conservative story written by David on 10/15/2002 at 12:51:56 AM Comment! [ ] On the Nature of Free Will and Volition The debate between free will and determinism is one of the most ancient in philosophy and has led to many misconceptions about what the various positions are. For this reason, before I go into explaining just what free will is, I have to cover what it is not. The major positions on the nature of volition can be described as determinism, indeterminism, and self-determinism. Click "Read the rest..." for the rest of this (non-political) essay. Read the rest... Objectivist story written by David on 10/15/2002 at 12:31:46 AM Comment! [ ] Reparations One issue that has gained unwarranted media attention in the last few years is the movement supporting reparations for American slavery. Proponents of this movement include the likes of Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Johnnie Cochran and Randall Robinson. They contend that the United States should compensate black Americans for the unpaid labor that some of their ancestors performed up until the Civil War. Although most Americans support the ideals of justice, equality and fairness, this movement does not truly uphold them. Read the rest... Conservative story written by Brendan on 8/27/2002 at 10:24:40 AM Comment! [ ] The Virtues of our Time: Collectivism, Nihilism and Pragmatism American politicians today generally act on the dominant philosophy of the day, which can be described by three main values: collectivism, nihilism, and pragmatism. These values directly contradict those held by the founders of the United States: individualism, moral objectivism, and principled action. While both conservatives and liberals accuse each other of immorality, the loss of traditional, rational values in favor of a bankrupt "postmodern" philosophy has lead to a contradictory, inconsistent, and ad hoc policy that is the primary cause of most of the problems America faces today. Read the rest... Conservative story written by David on 8/11/2002 at 4:58:13 AM Comment! [ ] Thugs and Their Supporters The thing I find the most outrageous about politics in today's world is not that so many collectivist and authoritarian governments exist, but that it is the free nations of the world that support them. The U.S. is building North Korea a nuclear plant in exchange for it agreeing to not build more nukes, as millions of its citizens starve, kept alive by the millions in aid that the country gets every year, while North Korea diverts its entire industry (supported mostly by western aid) towards making more weapons and keeping a huge conscripted military force in the army instead of allowing their enslaved masses to raise any crops. Read the rest... Conservative story written by David on 8/3/2002 at 2:35:57 AM Comment! [ ] "Innocent" Civilians Ok, so explain this one to me. Palestinian terrorists are applauded and made martyrs for suicide bombings which kill Israeli civilians. Their deaths are celebrated as great, joyous events. The Israeli government responds to the persistent acts of Palestinian terrorism by killing a leader of the Hamas (and apparently a number of Palestinian civilians; Israel should... Read the rest... General story written by Laurel on 7/23/2002 at 9:35:51 PM Comment! [ ] Politics for the Uninitiated -- An Essay in Progress Politicians in America and elsewhere often like to remind people of their "civic responsibility" to participate in the political process, usually to vote for them through the electoral process. It is no secret however, that Americans actually participate in their government to a much smaller degree than most other democratic nations. This essay is written for non-voter as well as the casual and party line voter as a brief introduction to political concepts, especially as practiced in America and as encouragement to get involved in the political process. However, I won’t be invoking any "civic duties" here – my message is that politics matters, and it matters to you. This essay is not meant to rehash a Government 101 class or a party platform – rather, it is meant to give you the tools to understand party politics in America, and tell you why it is crucial that you do so. I will cover three major topics – a brief history of American political development, basic principles of government, and an overview of today’s political spectrum and how the major parties fit in it – from a classical liberal perspective much like that of the founding fathers. Read the rest... Libertarian story written by David on 7/14/2002 at 1:18:45 AM Comment! [ ] Ten Questions and No Answers Ten questions. It seemed so simple. In an academic atmosphere like George Washington University, ten questions should have had all the makings of a grand debate. It all started when the International Socialist Organization (ISO) announced it would be holding its annual DC socialist conference at George Washington University on March 9th. The conference was titled "A World of War and Poverty: We Need a Socialist Alternative!" In light of the failure of the socialist ideology worldwide, the American Society for the Defense of Tradition Family and Property (TFP) activated its TFP Student Action group to ask a few questions about this "socialist alternative." On March 6, TFP Student Action took to the campus passing out a statement titled "Ten Questions for the International Socialist Organization." Nearly 3,000 copies of the questions were handed out to students and faculty amid lively debate. The ten hard-hitting questions focused on some of the contradictions and errors of the socialism in general and the ISO in particular. They called on the Socialists to define themselves and their beliefs. They pointed out the double standards they have adopted in their criticism of modern society. Finally, the questions stressed the failure of socialism to deliver what it promises and the tendency of socialist parities worldwide to hide behind moderate platforms to get themselves elected. The tenth question asked the students for questions that would be presented to the ISO. An ISO representative had agreed to appear with TFP Student Action members on GW Radio's "The Right Way" program on March 13th. In addition, Student Action members attended the ISO March 9 Conference and came away for a few more questions of their own. The ground was set for debate. However, as the March 13th match approached, socialist representatives failed to appear. There were plenty of socialists outside the student union building manning a table but nary a soul to step in the radio studio inside. Radio listeners were left to speculate as to why no one wanted to defend the socialist cause. Their apparent lack of revolutionary zeal left the George Washington University student body with ten questions and no answers. Read the rest... Conservative story written by tfpstudentaction on 3/19/2002 at 9:22:31 PM Comment! [ ] Connecting the Dots To my pleasant surprise I came across a USA Today article, earlier today and guess what: The National Guard is having great difficulties not lying about what strength they are operating at. Some units even have a history of keeping these phantoms for months. Read on. Read the rest... Libertarian story written by Tejano on 2/22/2002 at 12:08:13 PM Comment! [ ] P-Day I say that for President's Day next year, we start the first ever Penis monologues. We can call it P-day. And we will open the public up to abuses that men go through in modern day America. This will be accomplished through extremely informative games like: Pin the Penis, Best Ejactualtion, and Hand-job dash. Then we will have wise and educated men tell tales of how much their Penis means to them, and how women have abused them in the past. Read the rest... General story written by TAMUagg on 2/17/2002 at 1:00:00 PM Comment! [ ] Which Image Should the Aggie Review use? click on ""Read the rest..."" to see the choices..' Read the rest... Other story written by David on 2/17/2002 at 1:00:00 PM Comment! [ ] The War on Terrorism and the War on the Economy The basic and only guiding principle for politicians should be the protection of the citizen’s life, liberty, and property. However, having failed at protecting the lives of innocent Americans on September 11th, many politicians actively enacted and promoted policies that only worsened the recession and demonstrated the negative consequences that result from government meddling in the economy, even when done with the best intentions during an economics "crisis." (The 1st "real" article!) Read the rest... Conservative story written by David on 2/17/2002 at 1:00:00 PM Comment! [ ]	Welcome! Please, Create a Profile or Login: Username: Password: Today's quote is: "Wit is educated insolence. " - Aristotle Search the Aggie Review Search WWW
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