Per Arne Karlsen

On this day in 1992, a young Muslim woman stood on a train platform with only a duffel bag, a tenacious spirit, and an active mind. These were all she needed now.

Before she wrote a best-selling autobiography, the stories of her childhood would have sounded as foreign to Westerners as her name, Ayaan Hirsi Ali. From the moment she could speak, she was taught to obey authority without question, to honor her parents no matter what, and to remember her second-class position as a woman.

The horrific nature of the Islamic culture into which Ayaan was born can be concretized in a single event from her childhood. In order to eliminate the possibility of sexual pleasure and to preserve her virginity for the husband her parents would later choose, her elders subjected her to a form of hell on earth. As Ms. Ali explains, “There is no other way to describe this procedure. . . . After the child’s clitoris and labia are carved out, scraped off . . . the whole area is often sewn up, so that a thick band of tissue forms a chastity belt made of the girl’s own scarred flesh.”

Fortunately, while growing up in Kenya, Ayaan attended a colonially-influenced school and learned of a different kind of culture—one where girls were not mutilated but venerated; where independence, not blind obedience, was prized; and where a woman was free to pursue her own life in her own way.

Now, standing on this train platform, she faced a choice. Her parents had arranged for her to marry a Muslim. That meant a life of submission not only to the dictates of Mohammed and the community but also to those of an unchosen husband. Her only alternative was to run away and start a new life somewhere else.

Ayaan got on the train and marked the date: July 24, 1992. Of this day, she later wrote: “Every year, I think of it. I see it as my real birthday: the birth of me as a person, making decisions about my life on my own.”

Happy Birthday, Ms. Ali!

Image: Courtesy of Tali Yashinski Despins

Related:

• “Welcome, Ayaan Hirsi Ali“

In a previous blog post I showed how the Securities and Exchange Commission has wielded power, assaulted businesses, and ignored fraud. Now it appears that the SEC colluded with the Obama administration to assault Goldman Sachs, boost the administration’s chances of passing the financial “reform” bill, and line the coffers of Obama’s reelection campaign. Quoting the Washington Examiner:

It seemed a little odd last week when the Securities and Exchange Commission settled its lawsuit against Goldman Sachs within two hours of Senate passage of the Democrats’ Dodd-Frank financial reform bill. After all, who could ask for a more perfect backdrop than a successful prosecution of the investment colossus of Wall Street and a prime mover in the economic crisis of 2008? But this one looks stranger still considering that the SEC action was announced on April 15 of this year, only a week before the legislation was brought before the Senate, thus neatly bookending debate on the proposal. And it gets even stranger. On the same April 15, President Obama’s campaign organization, Organizing for America, purchased a Google ad directing people who Googled “Goldman Sachs SEC” to donate money at my.barackobama.com.

Whether or not evidence of collusion in this case is conclusive, the sad fact is that there is no reason to put such corruption past the SEC or this administration. Fortunately, as John David Lewis has argued, the brazen evil of Obama and company is providing a kind of political clarity that could lead Americans to see that our alternatives really are capitalism or statism.

In a recent article in Investor’s Business Daily, Thomas Sowell explains why Obama’s economic policies are bad for the economy:

The current issue of Bloomberg Businessweek has a feature article about businesses that are just holding on to huge sums of money. They say, for example, that the pharmaceutical company Pfizer is holding on to $26 billion. If so, there should not be any great mystery as to why they don’t invest it.

With the Obama administration being on an anti-business kick, boasting of putting their foot on some business’ neck, and the president talking about putting his foot on another part of the anatomy, with Congress coming up with more and more red tape, more mandates and more heavy-handed interventions in businesses, would you risk $26 billion that you might not even be able to get back, much less make any money on the deal?

Of course you wouldn’t. No rational person would. And this phenomenon of businesses hording cash is rampant today for this very reason. Just as Pfizer does not want to risk its cash on investments, so other businesses don’t want to risk theirs on new employees or equipment or innovations or branches. As Sowell points out so clearly, Obama’s economic policies are thwarting the economy.

But Sowell misses the more important point: the moral factor. The fundamental offense for which Obama’s economic policies should be condemned is their violation of businessmen’s moral right to keep and use their wealth and property as they see fit. The crucial point to be made is that for a government to put its boot on a businessman’s neck or to “kick [his] ass” is profoundly immoral. Unfortunately, the worst Sowell and most other “defenders” of capitalism can say about our increasingly enslaved society is that such policies are bad for business.

It is time for Americans to realize that if we want to save this country from the likes of Obama (and Bush for that matter), we must argue not merely for the economic superiority of capitalism, but also, and more fundamentally, for the moral propriety of capitalism. For elaboration on this, I recommend Craig Biddle’s “Capitalism and the Moral High Ground.”

Here’s a great interview with Steve Simpson in which he argues that Americans need to recognize freedom of speech not as a permission to be granted when it suits social purposes, but as a right to be protected at all times. (The interview is in the first hour of the July 17 podcast.) For more on this subject, see Simpson’s article “Citizens United and the Battle for Free Speech in America,” which is also available in audio.

A message from Yaron Brook of the Ayn Rand Institute:

UPCOMING AYN RAND INSTITUTE EVENT—THE ATLAS SHRUGGED REVOLUTION, SEPTEMBER 14, 2010

I am very pleased to announce that on Tuesday, September 14, 2010, in New York City we will hold our second annual Atlas Shrugged Revolution fundraising dinner event.

Last year’s event attracted 125 attendees and raised more than $400,000—and we hope that this year’s event will be an even greater success.

Here are the details for this year’s dinner:

Tuesday, September 14, 2010
6:00 p.m.
W New York
541 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10022

John Allison of BB&T Corporation will again join me to discuss the public’s continuing interest in Atlas Shrugged—and the ideas behind it. We will also update attendees on the work being done by ARI to promote Ayn Rand’s philosophy at this critical time in our nation’s history.

For more details and to register, please visit our event Web site.

We hope you’ll be able to join us in Manhattan on September 14, for ARI’s second annual Atlas Shrugged Revolution event!

Sincerely,

Yaron Brook
President and Executive Director

P.S. At this year’s event we will again hold an auction of rare Ayn Rand books and manuscripts. Images and descriptions of the items are available for viewing on the Web.

Copyright © 2010 Ayn Rand® Institute. All rights reserved.

A message from Yaron Brook of the Ayn Rand Institute: UPCOMING AYN RAND INSTITUTE EVENT—THE ATLAS SHRUGGED REVOLUTION, SEPTEMBER 14, 2010 I am very pleased to announce that on Tuesday, September 14, 2010, in New York City we will hold our second annual Atlas Shrugged Revolution fundraising dinner event. Last year’s event attracted 125 attendees and raised more [...]

Due to popular demand, we have created a quick-and-easy means of upgrading to our new Audio, E-book, and Premium subscriptions. If you wish to upgrade, simply click on the Renew/Upgrade button in the navigation bar, log in, and make your selection. Upgrade prices based on your existing subscription and the upgrade alternatives will appear next to the options. (For instance, if you currently have a Print subscription with two issues remaining, the price for upgrading to a Premium subscription will show as $10.)

Full descriptions and general pricing for all options can be found on the subscriptions page.

Upgrade today and access TOS on the go!

Due to popular demand, we have created a quick-and-easy means of upgrading to our new Audio, E-book, and Premium subscriptions. If you wish to upgrade, simply click on the Renew/Upgrade button in the navigation bar, log in, and make your selection. Upgrade prices based on your existing subscription and the upgrade alternatives will appear next [...]

If you are attending OCON next week and have any interest in starting an Objectivist community club in your hometown, this is a good opportunity to learn from those who have a successful track record in such ventures:

Join the Oclubs.org workshop at OCON. Learn how to start & grow an Objectivist Community Club in your hometown!

• The Colorado Objectivist community has more than 60 members and 7 monthly events
• Chicago has 40 members in its community and 7 events per month
• Atlanta’s new Objectivist community is thriving with 30 members and 1 event per month

Learn how these cities got started!  Join Oclubs for a 45 min presentation and workshop at OCON. This event is either for people who already run a community club and want to grow it or for people who want to start one.

Wednesday, July 7 at 6:15p -7:00, 5th Floor, Charleston F room

Oclubs.org was started to support the leaders of Objectivist clubs. We create resources, answer questions, and share advice. Read our Mission Statement here.

If you are attending OCON next week and have any interest in starting an Objectivist community club in your hometown, this is a good opportunity to learn from those who have a successful track record in such ventures: Join the Oclubs.org workshop at OCON. Learn how to start & grow an Objectivist Community Club in your [...]

If you are attending OCON next week and have any interest in starting an Objectivist community club in your hometown, this is a good opportunity to learn from those who have a successful track record in such ventures: Join the Oclubs.org workshop at OCON. Learn how to start & grow an Objectivist Community Club in your [...]

The print edition of the Summer issue has been mailed; the online and e-book versions have been posted to our website; and the audio version will be posted on Wednesday, June 30. (Due to production setbacks, the print edition mailed a few days late. I apologize for the delay.)

The contents of the Summer issue are:

From the Editor

Letters and Replies

ARTICLES

Israel and America’s Flotilla Follies (and How To Avoid Them in the Future)
by Craig Biddle

Why Anthony Daniels Smears Ayn Rand
by Alan Germani

How to Protect Yourself Against ObamaCare
by Paul Hsieh

The Montessori Method: Educating Children for a Lifetime of Learning and Happiness
by Heike Larson

A Review of the Korean Television Series Dae Jang Geum
by Sarah Biddle

An Interview with Philosopher of Science David Harriman

Objective Moral Virtues: Principled Actions
by Craig Biddle

BOOKS REVIEWED

Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism, by Susan Jacoby
Reviewed by Daniel Wahl

The Beginnings of Western Science: The European Scientific Tradition in Philosophical, Religious, and Institutional Context, Prehistory to A.D. 1450, 2nd ed., by David C. Lindberg
Reviewed by Frederick Seiler

The Greatest Trade Ever: The Behind-the-Scenes Story of How John Paulson Defied Wall Street and Made Financial History, by Gregory Zuckerman
Reviewed by Daniel Wahl

That First Season, by John Eisenberg
Reviewed by Joseph Kellard

If you have not yet subscribed to TOS, you can do so now and achieve instant access to this new issue and all back issues. Subscriptions start as low as $29. Subscribe online or by calling 800-423-6151.

Enjoy!

The print edition of the Summer issue has been mailed; the online and e-book versions have been posted to our website; and the audio version will be posted on Wednesday, June 30. (Due to production setbacks, the print edition mailed a few days late. I apologize for the delay.) The contents of the Summer issue are: From [...]

I’m pleased to announce three new TOS subscription options and a substantially reduced price on our online-only subscriptions.

The new subscription formats are audio, e-book, and premium. The Audio subscription (which includes access to the website or HTML edition) provides MP3 versions of TOS articles and reviews that can be downloaded to and played on your computer and a wide variety of audio devices. This enables you to enjoy TOS articles while driving to work, exercising at the gym, strolling on the beach, or the like.

The E-book subscription includes access to both EPUB and PDF versions of the journal (as well as the website edition). The EPUB version offers reflowable, resizable text and works with a variety of devices including laptop and desktop computers, the Apple iPad, the Barnes & Noble Nook, and the Sony Reader. The PDF version is a digital replica of the print journal, which can be viewed on all the aforementioned devices plus the Amazon Kindle. (Kindle subscriptions are available separately as well.) The E-book subscription provides you with highly flexible mobile access to TOS articles.

The Premium subscription includes all of our subscription products—print, audio, e-book, and website—enabling you to read or listen to articles practically anywhere and anytime.

Finally, the price of our Online Only subscription has been reduced from $49 to $29, enabling almost anyone to subscribe to the rational alternative to liberalism and conservatism.

Full descriptions and pricing for all options can be found on the subscriptions page.

Enjoy!

I’m pleased to announce three new TOS subscription options and a substantially reduced price on our online-only subscriptions. The new subscription formats are audio, e-book, and premium. The Audio subscription (which includes access to the website or HTML edition) provides MP3 versions of TOS articles and reviews that can be downloaded [...]

Forbes recently published an argument against the stimulus bill, focusing on its so-called “dark side.”

A little over a year ago the Obama administration passed a staggering $787 billion stimulus package designed to rescue the economy. More than half of that money has now been spent, and the economy is still just creaking along. But now people are realizing that there is a dark side to this spending orgy. It has to end, and then we have to pay the bill.

Yes, Americans are learning that they will have to pay the bill. And hopefully they are learning that government spending is no way to stimulate the economy. But what Americans most desperately need to learn is that such spending packages are not merely economic atrocities but also, and more fundamentally, moral atrocities.

This spending bill, like all welfare legislation, amounts to legalized theft and forced redistribution of wealth. It forces producers—such as those who design and manufacture sofas, and those who design and manufacture video games—to hand over a large portion of their earnings to those who refuse to work and choose instead to lounge around on sofas and play video games all day.

This is utterly immoral. It is a gross violation of individual rights. Thus it is profoundly un-American.

Americans who care about individual rights should condemn such legislation not merely as economically untenable, but also—and more importantly—as morally unacceptable. Only then will we begin to reverse the statist trend that is leading this once-free country ever closer to tyranny.

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/astrowoosie/120750647/

Forbes recently published an argument against the stimulus bill, focusing on its so-called “dark side.” A little over a year ago the Obama administration passed a staggering $787 billion stimulus package designed to rescue the economy. More than half of that money has now been spent, and the economy is still just creaking along. But now [...]

Anyone concerned with freedom in the financial markets should read this new, internal review by the SEC, in which the Commission admits that it:

• failed to “take appropriate action” related to fraud at Allied Capital, a politically-connected company staffed with former SEC employees;
• did not visit Allied’s offices a single time during their “investigation”—“even though they were located just blocks from the SEC”;
• never investigated “whether Allied was a Ponzi scheme, because of how it financed its dividends” (using proceeds raised from the sale of stock to uninformed investors);
• “inexplicably” deleted the work papers from an examination of Allied in which an SEC employee expressed concerns that the company was engaging in a Ponzi scheme;
• vigorously investigated David Einhorn—the man who exposed Allied’s fraud —both “after Allied met with [SEC] officials” and “without any evidence of wrongdoing” on the part of Einhorn;
• gave clearance to an SEC employee who “supervised the investigation against Einhorn” to register as a lobbyist for Allied immediately after leaving the agency;
• took no action when Allied admitted to the SEC that one of the company’s “agents” had engaged in “illegally obtaining Einhorn’s phone records”;
• concluded soon after the investigation that Einhorn was not guilty of violating federal securities laws but never told him what his status was with respect to the law and whether he was still being investigated “despite his request for such notification.”

The SEC is under new management and, according to The Washington Post, has promised “to fix the problems.” But since then it has:

• sucker-punched Goldman Sachs with charges of fraud for letting sophisticated investors pick what they want to buy from a list of what other investors want to sell;
• continued with the fraud charges against Goldman despite a 3-2 split along party lines among the five commissioners;
• timed the charges to coincide with the push for financial legislation by Obama.

The SEC has not been and is not concerned with prosecuting fraud. Since its inception, the SEC has pursued not justice, but power, and it has used that power to support its political masters. The case against Goldman is more of the same.

Related: Book Review: Fooling Some of the People All the Time

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jsmoorman/2298671281/

Anyone concerned with freedom in the financial markets should read this new, internal review by the SEC, in which the Commission admits that it: failed to “take appropriate action” related to fraud at Allied Capital, a politically-connected company staffed with former SEC employees; did not visit Allied’s offices a single time during their “investigation”—“even though they were [...]

“Everybody Draw Mohammed Day” is tomorrow, May 20. If you’d like to participate and help defend the requirements of human life and civilized society, please email your drawings to blog@TheObjectiveStandard.com by midnight tonight (May 19).