Aug 25^th

Thomas Sowell’s column today is titled “Random thoughts on the passing scene.” The entire column consists of unrestrained nastiness. Sowell begins with an outright lie: he says of the agreement with Iran that, “We are supposed to pretend that there is something there, when there is nothing there that will stop, or even slow down, Iran’s development of nuclear weapons.” That comment is ample evidence that Sowell has not bothered to read the agreement, or if he has read it he doesn’t understand it, or if he understands it he is lying about it.

What about the high level Israeli’s who support this agreement? Here is a partial list: Shlomo Gaza, Chief of Intelligence, Major General; Carmi Gillon, Director of Israel Security Agency; Ami Ayalon, Vice Admiral, Director of Israel Security Agency; Itamar Yaar, Colonel, Deputy Israeli National Security Council; Arie Pellman, Israeli Security Agency official. Sowell must think that he understands this agreement much better than these, and other, Israeli officials who support this agreement are trained in such matters and who are charged with protecting their country.

Then Sowell comments, “Do the people demanding that the police have more “training” ever say that the hoodlums should have had more training by their parents…” Yes indeed, what about that hoodlum Henry Louis Gates, Harvard Professor, arrested on the porch of his own home after showing the arresting officer his driver’s license which had his home address clearly printed on it? Surely his mother should have told him about the risks of living in a white neighborhood. Most black youngsters are told by their parents about how to deal with police so that they aren’t killed. There are many more disgusting examples but none that would bother Sowell.

“The majority of record breaking tax money collected by the federal government today is simply transferred by politicians from people who are not likely to vote for them to people who are likely to vote for them,” Why would a poor man unable to feed his family vote for a someone who pledges to cut his food stamps, reduce his rent subsidy and eliminate his family’s Medicaid? Then we have another group of voters not mentioned by Sowell; they will vote for the Congressman who refuses to raise the social security tax base, will sign Grover Norquist’s no tax pledge and instead borrow the money to pay for our wars.

Sowell tells us. “…how unbelievably stupid it was to import millions of people from cultures that despise Western values…” “Import” means to bring in; Europe did not bring these people in, the people came in very much of their own accord because any European country was safer than their home country. Some, but certainly not all, may “despise democratic values” but far more are alienated because they are relegated to outsider status. Once again Sowell throws a simplistic analysis at a complex problem.

Thomas Sowell bemoans the fact that there are so many Republican candidates “splitting the vote as to guarantee that the nomination could go to some mushy moderate.” Let’s hope that doesn’t happen because the further to the right the Republican candidate stands, the more assured of victory the Democratic candidate will be.