Wednesday digest

- Now here's a formula for success: the Koran from 8 to 3, then reading, writing and arithmetic from 3 to 5. (H/T: Right Wing News.)

- After last year's arrests, some commentators are suggesting that racial profiling deserves a second look (see here, here and here). Personally, I'm not sure it's a good idea, not because I really care about the inconvenience and bad feelings that a young, bearded Muslim male may have to deal with at the time (tough), but rather, my concern is that an overzealous screener or border guard may, through aggressivity, contribute to potential radicalization and thus help create a terrorist-in-the-making. It's a question of risk management. I think the concept of "passenger profiling" might be worth pursuing, whereby you allow screeners the latitude to give more attention to individuals they deem suspicious, rather than operating on the assumption that there's a potential suicide bomber in everyone regardless of their demographic. As the Israeli ambassador to the UN asked rhetorically regarding Hezbollah, the Party of God acts in the name of which God? That's a fact that can't be ignored, although as I said above, it's a delicate balance between stopping attacks from being carried out and driving young men into the arms of al-Qaeda and friends by going over-the-top.

- Condi says the Mideast peace accord is a good first step. I'd say that if the US, Israel and Lebanon's "government" have a hope in hell of keeping the people of south Lebanon out of Hezbollah's grasp, they've got to win the race against time for the rebuilding of the area. If Nasrallah's gang is more effective at providing services and assistance to the displaced, Lebanese democrats are going to lose any foothold they may have had in that region in the fight against the terrorists.

- Now this is some good stuff from Walter Williams:

Rank nations according to whether they are closer to the capitalism end or the communism end of the economic spectrum. Then rank nations according to human rights protections. Finally, rank nations according to per capita income. Without question, citizens of those nations closer to capitalism enjoy a higher standard of living and a far greater measure of liberty than those in nations closer to communism.

- I generally don't mind Slick Willie, but I think he ought to learn to resist the urge to take pot shots at his successor. The unwritten rule of being a former US president is that you keep your mouth shut about the policies of the current Commander in Chief. Although it plays well to the balcony at times, I think that it makes Clinton look petty. And he doesn't need any more of that, does he?