>>Wasn't Einstein basically a commie?
Einstein was basically a commie, yes. Here's a link to his famoous "Why Socialism?" Be careful not to read it while operating heavy machinery:
http://www.monthlyreview.org/598einst.htm
and here's The Einstein File, a book about Einstein's political mischief, recorded in the FBI files:
http://www.theeinsteinfile.com/
Conservative Group Opposes 'Bush Packing' Appointment of Miers
Mon Oct 03 2005 09:52:34 ET
To National Desk
Contact: Jesse Binnall of the Public Advocate
FALLS CHURCH, Va., Oct. 3 /Christian Wire Service/ -- Public Advocate President Eugene Delgaudio has issued the following statement following the appointment of Harriet Miers to serve on the Supreme Court.
"The President's nomination of Miers is a betrayal of the conservative, pro-family voters whose support put Bush in the White House in both the 2000 and 2004 elections and who were promised Supreme Court appointments in the mold of Thomas and Scalia. Instead we were given 'stealth nominees,' who have never ruled on controversial issues, more in the mold of the disastrous choice of David Souter by this President's father.
"When there are so many proven judges in the mix, it is unacceptable this President has appointed a political crony with no conservative credentials. This attempt at 'Bush Packing' the Supreme Court must not be allowed to pass the Senate and we will forcefully oppose this nomination."
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My thoughts exactly...
Re Einstein's advocating socialism...
Thanks for the link, that's interesting stuff.
Some thoughts:
Socialism isn't necessarily the 4-letter word that many seem to think it is. The US economy is a mixed (ie capitalist and socialist) one where some (most) property is privately owned and some publicly, and we seem to do OK.
I wonder how Einstein would react to the abundance of evidence now available (ie since 1949 when he wrote "Why Socialism") that refutes the effectiveness of a purely socialist or maybe better communist/socialist approach. The USSR, North Korea, Cuba, and Red China are examples of national econommies where what he seems to advocate have blatantly failed.
The advantage of private ownership of say, wages, is demonstrated by the Laffer Curve. Historical proof of the LC has been demonstrated in 3 fairly recent US administrations - Kennedy, Reagan, and GW Bush. Einstein, as a mathematician, could not ignore this evidence.
So I'm not sure he would write "Why Socialism" were he alive today.
Nor was I saying that Ms Mier's undergraduate studies guarantees she would be a strict contructionist, only that in the absence of much other evidence this was a) interesting and b) instructive as to her mindset.
The evidence that she's strict-constructionist is that she and the President say she is. People will make up their own minds as to whether to believe them. Personally I trust this guy W.