Ouch

VDH slams the taboo subjects no one is comfortable talking about.

1) Illegal Immigration and California

To summarize - illegal immigration is costing the state a lot money. It is one of the reasons we are bankrupt.

2) Iraq

The surge worked. Will it's opponents recognize it?

3) Affirmative Action

It is a sick system. It benefits middle class blacks and hispanics (who just get lumped in with mexicans) and disadvantages asians of all financial backgrounds. He sums it up best:

It provides psychological alleviation of guilt, without the need to be tutoring in the ghetto, sending your kids to a mostly Hispanic school, or living among the lower classes.

4) The Ivy League is a Naked Emperor

You can get as good an education at San Jose St as Stanford or the Ivies if education is the goal. What the Ivies provide is the network and contacts - such an education should now be considered the equivalent of a debutante ball.

5) The “Middle East” is a Fraud

The grievances we hear about land in Israel and Palestine are a crock. There are tons of historically disputed lands all around the world from Europe to Africa and no one blows themselves up over it.

Summary -

He brings up a point about Iraq I never thought about before...the opponents of the war always argued it was about oil. Really? Why then has the price of oil gone up since the invasion? How come America isn't getting rich off Iraqi oil? Opponents of the war love to bring up the WMD point - there were no WMDs - ipso facto the war was unjust. But then what was the war about? Oil? If the war was about oil, then why hasn't oil gotten cheaper? Where is the ipso-facto?

Fact is, we didn't control either of these things. We didn't know for a fact Saddam had WMDs. We now know, he was making an elaborate deception that he had WMDs so Iran wouldn't mess with him. Ironic, yes. But lies by the Bush Administration. No. Incompetent intelligence. Yes...although not totally incompetent. Saddam played his hand like he had something. He didn't. But was it worth the risk if he did? And aren't there external benefits to him being out of power. I think so.