Barrel Strength

Would restricting free speech lead to increased safety, as some would argue either blatantly or implicitly? After the riots and threats of terror that emerged after the publication of the Danish cartoons, some of the chattering and governing classes have concluded that silence is a price worth paying for the “social peace”. They are content to believe that the causality flows in only one direction.

And dovetailing with this presumption is the shibboleth that Islamist terrorism is driven by grievances. Not so, says Melvin Lee, a US naval captain who serves as special operations officer for the commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe, and commander, U.S. 6^th Fleet. Capt. Lee takes a long, hard and well-researched look at the origins of today’s jihadi violence.

 h/t to Michael Rubin, National Review Online

An elegant summary of conservatism:

The conservative movement constitutes an alliance of those who accept unchangeable facts rather than trying to wish fantasy into reality, remake human nature, or avoid economic tradeoffs. Traditionalists embrace timeless morals, even when they deny one immediate gratification. Libertarians embrace the sovereignty of consumer demand and the sometimes-disorienting effects of technological change, even when the result isn’t to one’s personal liking. And hawks embrace the reality that America lives in a dangerous neighborhood, one full of bullies, pirates, and fanatics who respond to gestures of good will with contempt, larceny, and brutality.

Use the federal government’s online pre-budget consultation process to tell them to cease funding the Canadian Human Rights Commission.

The deadline for input is February 11, 2008.

h/t to SDA