Men "thirst" for vengence, or at least are pleased to see it occur JustOneMinute: Now Ask Them About Coercive Interrogation: "On scans, both men and women seemed to feel the pain of partners they liked. But the real surprise came during scans when the subjects viewed the partners they disliked being shocked. 'When women saw the shock, they still had an empathetic response, even though it was reduced,' Dr. Stephan said. 'The men had none at all.'

Furthermore, researchers found that the brain's pleasure centers lit up in males when just punishment was meted out."

Men and women are different. Men seek Justice more than Mercy.

SHEEN AIKIDO : "After every grading there are some students disappointed, and even upset, if they have not been successful in obtaining their next grade. Gradings are not rewards for training hard or attending sessions regularly, although both of these elements are necessary if your Aikido is to develop properly. Gradings are but an assessment of the student's ability to move on to the next stage of their training. The belt system is merely an indication that you have knowledge of the techniques at the lower grades and are ready to move on. However, previously learnt techniques. Even the highest grades of Black Belts continue to practice basic exercises and drills, always striving for perfection.

One must always remember that attaining Black Belt is not the end of the student's training, only the end of the first phase, although student's can be justifiably proud of achieving a Dan grade, it is only the start of their Aikido training. By the time the student has obtained this grade they will be fit, strong and have the correct technique and should be mentally competent enough to be able to embark on a most exciting journey knowing they will never reach their destination (perfection)."

Grim's Hall: "Francis J. Beckwith has a review of a new book on the separation of church and state. I was not aware of the Ku Klux Klan's role in the move of that doctrine to the fore of American jurisprudence, as a result of anti-Catholic prejudce -- if the book is correct in its assertion, that is ...

I tend to think that the American courts have taken the doctrine of separation a bit too far, but also that the doctrine does point to a useful ideal. American society works best when religion is not used as a weapon against one's fellow citizens, but only as a weapon against one's self. Insofar as you wield the sword to strike down the evil in your own heart, you and your society benefit from it. The individual Senator or President can benefit from that practice as much as ordinary men or women, because of course they are nothing other than ordinary men or women."

Yes, Church "doctrine" needs to be separate from law. But the basics of not murdering or assaulting or robbing or stealing or defrauding or violating contracts -- are all required for civilization. When violations of these legal norms are reinforced as sins in a culture, there will be fewer violations. And more civilization.

Victor Davis Hanson on Iran on National Review Online: "we all agree on the extent of the crisis, but not on the solutions, which can be summarized by four general options.

First is the ostrich strategy — see and hear no evil, if extending occasional peace feelers out to more reasonable mullahs. "

This seems to be the one the Dems favor. Bush should be pointing out how well it worked in Rwanda; and how well it's working in Darfur, now. And even contrast it to Iraq.

Nobody wants to die for a mistake -- but what about risking death for freedom?

On the Latin America summit, some lessons Hemispheric threads - Washington Times: "The first is to recognize that we are once again in a battle of ideas and ideals. As shown spectacularly by the elections in Bolivia, the populist agenda has been resurrected, promising a quick fix and 'independence' from U.S. economic 'imperialism.'"

Yep. "Socialism is back."