Random Thoughts on the Passing Scene

Economist Thomas Sowell occasionally uses his syndicated column to release a bunch of one liners that he thinks up. They tend to be hit or miss, but his latest column contains two tidbits, one humorous and one sad, that are worth passing on. This one made me chuckle:

The media often mention "ultra-conservatives" but never "ultra-liberals." Have ultra-liberals become extinct, gotten lost, or met with foul play? We cannot ignore the fate of fellow human beings, even if we differ with them politically. At the very least, we can report them as missing persons.

And this one made me sad:

If the continuing carnage in Iraq accomplishes nothing else, it should silence the "national greatness" bunch who have been pushing the idea that we should be creating democracies around the world.

Alas, I doubt that the neocons who are so keen on national greatness will ever learn. The above brings to mind a pet theory I've had for a few years: that when it comes to the military, conservatives sound just like leftists: it's always a lack of money or will that causes the failure, not any intrinsic flaw in the ideas behind it.