Archive for October, 2008

The filibuster

Monday, October 27th, 2008

The filibuster is unconstitutional. This writer doubts that it will hold.

Democrats in the U.S. Senate of the coming 111th Congress are unlikely to allow a prospective minority of 41 Republican senators to thwart important legislative initiatives the Democrats believe a Democratic president will approve. The simple fact of the matter is that the Constitution of the United States does not provide for a filibuster. Majority Senate Democrats will discover this significant fact and bring important bills to floor votes, in defiance of Senate rules, before debate on the bills has concluded. Moreover, regrettably, they will be right to do so, because the Senate rule in question is unconstitutional.

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IBD on trade

Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008

To leading free traders, for the United States merely to trade with the world is not enough. In the name of their ideology of free trade, we Americans are also to sacrifice our industrial vigor, to compromise our independence of action, to submit our incomes to increased taxation, and to empower a global bureaucracy as well.

The editors of Investor’s Business Daily (IBD) led Monday,

Starting To Pay Price for Our Protectionism
By INVESTOR’S BUSINESS DAILY | Posted Monday, October 20, 2008 4:20 PM PT

One hopes that the “our” in this title does not refer to the United States; for, before a nation could “pay [a] price for our protectionism,” one would have thought that the nation had actually “to protect” something first. Adhering to NAFTA and joining the WTO wouldn’t count.

But apparently it does refer to the United States. This IBD editorial thus should be interesting. (more…)

The third debate

Wednesday, October 15th, 2008

This evening’s debate had no clear winner. John McCain said nothing especially important or memorable. For his part, Barack Obama did not even try to do so. Under the circumstance, since it is not the blog’s style to offer tactical advice to candidates, The Economic Nationalist sees little point in presuming upon the reader’s attention to remark further upon the matter. (The comment roll however is open below in case any reader should nonetheless wish to remark.)

Baldwin for president

Wednesday, October 15th, 2008

The Economic Nationalist has been persuaded that a Barack Obama presidency would directly result in a large number of U.S. abortions that would not otherwise have occurred, and furthermore that Mr. Obama knows that it would do so. Unlike Mr. Obama’s opponent John McCain, The Economic Nationalist is not impervious to new information. It withdraws its endorsement of Mr. Obama forthwith.

Pathetically, this writer shall now vote Chuck Baldwin.

HJH

The rectitude and origins of the war in Iraq

Tuesday, October 14th, 2008

The Economic Nationalist suddenly seems to be publishing several articles weekly, after whole months of one article or none. Such are the times. Anyway, an interesting paleoconservative discussion over the rectitude and origins of the Iraq War is brewing over at Eunomia. Click and read comments at least by Daniel Larison, “Adam01″ and this writer if the topic interests you. —Howard J. Harrison

Baseline data for the Crash of 2008

Tuesday, October 14th, 2008

For reference, the Crash of 2008 can be judged to have opened Monday, Sept. 15, when AIG had sought emergency federal funds over the weekend and, on that Monday, Lehman Bros. had filed for bankruptcy. To estimate the extent and effects of the Crash therefore one wants for a baseline prices at U.S. market close Friday, Sept. 12. On Friday, Sept. 12, 2008:

  • the S&P 500 closed at 1251.70;
  • the Dow Jones industrial average closed at 11,421.99;
  • the Euro closed at $ 1.4215;
  • the Japanese Yen closed at 107.76 to the dollar;
  • oil closed at $ 101.18 a barrel; and
  • gold closed at $ 763.70 per Troy ounce.

Observations as the Crash unfolds

Tuesday, October 14th, 2008

What a wild ride! The S&P 500 is up 12 percent today alone. Who can say which way the Crash of 2008 will next lurch? (more…)

The so-called Freedom of Choice Act

Thursday, October 9th, 2008

It is unimaginable to this writer that any government would compel a conscientiously objecting physician, nurse or pharmacist to participate in the abortion of an unborn child, even when the government in question were under the control of pro-choice leadership. (more…)

Cambria on the 21st-century liberal

Thursday, October 9th, 2008

Before quoting Cambria Will Not Yield, ere readers point the fact out to me, I would state that I am well aware of Cambria’s enthusiastic anti-Catholicism. What is important to understand however is not that Harrison is Catholic and that Cambria is anti-Catholic, for though Harrison is indeed Catholic (and happily so) The Economic Nationalist is not The Catholic Apologist, nor is it principally about Catholicism as such. Rather, what is important to understand—indeed, critically important—is that nearly the worst, most contemptible, most disloyal, most cowardly thing we right-wingers have been prone to do in recent decades is to tear one another down in a pathetic, servile show meant to impress godless liberals whose hearts, emptied of the love of Christ, are filled instead with black hatred for us.

Our civilization is dying. We have no time any longer for internecine warfare on the right, and it is unseemly—or worse—that you and I should tolerate relentless, repeated, intentional injury by the left better than we tolerate mere perceived heterodoxy among our own friends, fellows and kin.

I for one shall not play that liberal game. I am determined to provide a model of the manner in which we men of the right ought to treat one another, if we men of the right really care about passing down to our posterity the magnificent civilization our ancestors have passed down to us. I am therefore entitled to regard Cambria as friend and I shall do so, with pleasure and without reservation. The privilege is mine.

Cambria writes,

The 21st century liberal, therefore, is a lot meaner and less willing to engage in debate than his 1950’s counterpart. He is meaner because his ideas have become embodied and are self-evidently wrong, thus forcing him to stay mad-dog delusional every single second of his life. And he is unwilling to debate because he has consolidated his power and doesn’t have to debate.

Cambria is right.

Howard J. Harrison

The second debate

Wednesday, October 8th, 2008

This brief article, which you can quite safely skip, offers no deep or especially noteworthy commentary today. It merely remarks briefly on the latest presidential debate.

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