Yes, this country has absorbed huge migrations of illiterate peasants in the past -- notably Italian immigrants at the turn of the last century. But also notably, half of them went back. We got the good ones. America was not yet a welfare state guaranteeing room and board to the luckless, the lazy and the incompetent from cradle to grave. -- Ann Coulter
Making predictions is always tricky business, especially during a volatile war on terrorism. But I thought it might be entertaining to see what some fairly prominent bloggers think 2003 holds for the world. So I put together 16 questions and invited quite a few bloggers to weigh in with their opinions. The following people were generous enough to take time out from their busy holiday schedules to reply to survey...
Will there be a war with Iraq before the end of March of 2003?
Yes: John Hawkins, Charles Johnson, Henry Hanks, Laurence Simon, Rachael Lucas, Scott Ott, Glenn Reynolds, Tim Blair, Steven Den Beste No: Ken Layne
Saddam Hussein: will he still be in power at the end of 2003?
Yes: No: John Hawkins, Charles Johnson, Henry Hanks, Laurence Simon, Rachael Lucas, Scott Ott, Glenn Reynolds, Tim Blair, Steven Den Beste N/A: Ken Layne
Will there be a terrorist attack in the United States that kills more than 100 people?
Yes: John Hawkins, Charles Johnson, Henry Hanks, Laurence Simon, Scott Ott No: Rachael Lucas, Glenn Reynolds, Tim Blair, Steven Den Beste N/A: Ken Layne
If we go into Iraq, how many casualties do you expect to see (on the side of the US and our allies)
John Hawkins: "Probably 300 or less" Charles Johnson:"Very few" Henry Hanks: "Less than 200" Laurence Simon: "A Few hundred" Rachael Lucas: "Less than three thousand" Scott Ott: "Dozens" Glenn Reynolds: "Fewer than 100" Tim Blair: "Below 50" Ken Layne: "a few hundred" Steven Den Beste: "50-150"
Do you see Syria continuing to openly support Hizbollah for the remainder of the next year?
Yes: Charles Johnson, Henry Hanks No: John Hawkins, Laurence Simon, Rachael Lucas, Glenn Reynolds, Tim Blair, Ken Layne N/A: Scott Ott, Steven Den Beste
Do you believe their will be any battles in Afghanistan in 2003 that will have over 100 casualties on either side?
Yes: John Hawkins, Glenn Reynolds, Ken Layne No: Charles Johnson, Henry Hanks, Laurence Simon, Rachael Lucas, Scott Ott, Steven Den Beste N/A: Tim Blair
Will the Palestinians get a state in 2003?
Yes: No: John Hawkins, Charles Johnson, Henry Hanks, Rachael Lucas, Scott Ott, Glenn Reynolds, Tim Blair, Ken Layne, Steven Den Beste N/A: Laurence Simon
Do you expect a revolution in Iran during 2003?
Yes: Scott Ott, Glenn Reynolds, Ken Layne, Steven Den Beste No: John Hawkins, Charles Johnson, Henry Hanks, Laurence Simon, Tim Blair N/A: Rachael Lucas
Will the US and Korean sign a deal that will end North Korea's nuclear program?
Yes: John Hawkins, Rachael Lucas, Ken Layne No: Charles Johnson, Henry Hanks, Laurence Simon, Scott Ott, Glenn Reynolds, Tim Blair, Steven Den Beste
At the end of the year, will Yassir Arafat still be the man in charge in the 'disputed territories' or will he be a figurehead / out of power?
In Charge: John Hawkins, Henry Hanks, Scott Ott, Tim Blair, Ken Layne Figurehead / Out Of Power: Charles Johnson, Rachael Lucas, Glenn Reynolds, Steven Den Beste N/A: Laurence Simon
By the end of the 2003, do you think the general consensus will be that the
anthrax letters were mailed by "domestic terrorists", by agents of a "foreign terrorist group", or do you think the case will still be unsolved?
Domestic: Foreign: John Hawkins, Charles Johnson Unsolved: Henry Hanks, Laurence Simon, Rachael Lucas, Scott Ott, Glenn Reynolds, Tim Blair, Ken Layne N/A: Steven Den Beste
Osama Bin Laden -- do you believe he's still alive?
Yes: No: John Hawkins, Charles Johnson, Henry Hanks, Laurence Simon, Rachael Lucas, Glenn Reynolds, Tim Blair, Ken Layne, Steven Den Beste N/A: Scott Ott
Pick the candidate who will receive the Democratic nomination from President? (Ok, we won't know this for sure until 2004, but what the heck).
John Kerry: John Hawkins, Rachael Lucas Joe Lieberman: Charles Johnson, Tim Blair John Edwards: Henry Hanks John McCain: Laurence Simon Dick Gephardt: Scott Ott Howard Dean: Glenn Reynolds, Ken Layne N/A: Steven Den Beste
Do you think Bush will end 2003 with his approval rating still above 60%?
Yes: Henry Hanks, Scott Ott, Glenn Reynolds, Tim Blair, Steven Den Beste No: John Hawkins, Charles Johnson, Laurence Simon, Rachael Lucas, Ken Layne
Do you think the Dow Jones will crack 10,500 in 2003?
Yes: John Hawkins, Rachael Lucas No: Charles Johnson, Henry Hanks, Laurence Simon, Scott Ott, Glenn Reynolds, Tim Blair, Ken Layne N/A: Steven Den Beste
Will a human baby be cloned in 2003?
Yes: John Hawkins, Charles Johnson, Henry Hanks, Laurence Simon, Rachael Lucas, Scott Ott No: Glenn Reynolds, Tim Blair, Ken Layne N/A: Steven Den Beste
