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Tuesday, May 31, 2005
The Deep Throat ThingConfirmed by the WaPo. I had to laugh at this though: He was the romantic truth teller half hidden in the shadows of a Washington parking garage.Earlier: But Felt's repeated denials, and the stalwart silence of the reporters he aided -- Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein -- kept the cloak of mystery drawn up around Deep Throat.So to recap, he was the romantic truth teller half hidden in the shadows of a Washington parking garage who lied for over 30 years about it. Meanwhile, others aren't so certain about the truth of Felt's confession: On the other hand, as the years rolled by, Nixon ruled out Peterson and everyone else at Justice and FBI because they could not possibly have had access to what was perhaps Deep Throat's greatest revelation.
This was the story in the Washington Post of November 8, 1973 saying that a crucial White House tape of June 20, 1972 featuring Nixon and his chief of staff, H R Halderman, had been "doctored" and that the problems on the tape were of a "suspicious nature".
Deep Throat told Bob Woodward that this tape contained "deliberate erasures". This was the sensational story of the 18-and-a-half minute gap on the tape. It remains one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of Watergate because it contains the probable identity of Deep Throat.
When Deep Throat leaked the information about "deliberate erasures" to Woodward at some time in the first week of November 1973 only six people in the White House, or for that matter in the world, knew about the problem of the gap in the tape. They were Richard Nixon; Rose Mary Woods (Nixon's personal secretary); Alexander Haig (The White House chief of staff); Haig's deputy, Major General John C Bennett and two trusted Nixon White House aides, Fred Buzhardt and Steve Bull.It's long been suspected by those in the know that Deep Throat was not just one person, but a composite of several people. The advantage from the informants' standpoint was that they could then claim not to be the leaker because they hadn't been at a particular meeting. And of course from Woodward & Bernstein's point of view, they could offer plausible deniability to new sources for that same reason. In theory, they could fill in the gaps based on their guesstimates and just claim they got it from Deep Throat. Hugh Hewitt mentioned on the radio that John Dean did a book revealing Deep Throat's identity. That book is called " Unmasking Deep Throat". Published by Salon, it sits at #630,574 on Amazon's Hot 700,000 list. Unfortunately there are no reviews with spoilers so I went on to Google. Here's an article Dean wrote earlier this year for the LA Times. He's coy, but he sure doesn't sound like he's describing the #2 guy at the FBI here: I have little doubt that one of my former Nixon White House colleagues is history's best-known anonymous source — Deep Throat. But I'll be damned if I can figure out exactly which one.
English to Democrat TranslationYou might say that Mr Right is functioning as your own personal Babelfish.
The Media Start to AwakenOur buddy Patrick Hynes scores a regular column in the Concord (NH) Monitor, with the first one up today on corruption in the New Hampshire governor's office. I have always said that the mainstream media would co-opt the bloggers; it's good to see it starting to happen. Congratulations, Patrick!
Interview with Sam BrownbackWorth a read. There's a fair amount of buzz around Brownback as a potential presidential candidate, which won't be cooled by this: John Hawkins: I understand. In 2008: Are we going to see Sam Brownback toss his hat into the ring for the presidency?
Sam Brownback: Well, I’m looking at it and I am considering it. No final decision has been made. My wife and I are talking about that. I’ve made some early trips into Iowa and New Hampshire, Michigan, and last year some travels around South Carolina. I haven’t been there this year and I’m considering it. It’s quite a challenge and so I’m taking time and looking at it quite carefully.That about as candid a response as I've ever seen a politician make about whether he's running. Compare that to Hillary's ridiculous "I haven't even thought about it" claims.
The Reality-Based Community? Part LIRalph Nader calls for the impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Cheney. Minutes from a summer 2002 meeting involving British Prime Minister Tony Blair reveal that the Bush administration was ''fixing" the intelligence to justify invading Iraq. US intelligence used to justify the war demonstrates repeatedly the truth of the meeting minutes -- evidence was thin and needed fixing.We talked about problems with the memo previously. Beyond the issues raised there is that the memo reflects the impressions of the writer and not some objective truth that can be verified. Indeed, as Power Line wrote when the memo first surfaced, the best indications are that the memo is wrong on that score. The Bostonist is opposed, but chiefly on the pragmatic basis that the votes would not be there.
McCain ReactionsI concur with Jack Kelly's take. I'm not sure McCain will run for president in 2008 (he'll be awfully old). But if he does, he'll run more for the ego boost he'll get from a fawning press corps than because he thinks he has a serious chance to win. If McCain does run, he'll skip the Iowa caucuses, win the New Hampshire primary (where independents can vote), get killed in South Carolina, and then fade away, like four years ago. The press corps wouldn't fawn if McCain ran as a regular Republican instead of a "maverick." McCain's role as chief broker of the compromise already has generated lots of favorable attention from the MSM, which is what butters his toast. Sorry Hugh, McCain's a winner, not a loser.John Hawkins has an early McCain 2008 poster.
Foreign Policy SmackdownPat Hynes covers the ongoing battle over the direction of conservative foreign policy between National Review and the Weekly Standard. As usual Pat's analysis is spot-on, although I do wonder about this part, where he summarizes Rich Lowry's major points: 1. The best defense is a good offense.
2. A healthy skepticism of government action.
3. A healthy appreciation for all instruments by which national power is projected.
4. A healthy appreciation for the role of democracy in fostering liberty.
5. A solid grounding in American traditions, “built on the four schools identified by Walter Russell Mead.”
In my view, the neocons would have no gripe with items 1, 3, and 4 above. As for number two, I think the neocons are more optimistic on the question of the government’s competence than the average conservative.The term "neocon" has migrated a bit from its original meaning. The central tenet of neoconservatism is the Principle of Unintended Consequences, which holds that the unintended consequences of government action are frequently equal to and opposite from the intended consequences. Thus welfare, which was intended to help people out, ended up trapping them in poverty. So the idea that neocons might object to item 2 on that list seems a little odd. I understand where Pat's coming from on this, but it highlights the need for some new terminology. It's obviously true that if you are a big believer in the Principle of Unintended Consequences, then you should have been opposed to the notion of remaking the Middle East, which is a vast government project rife with potential for bad unintended consequences. And yet, it is clear that neocons have been pretty enthusiastic supporters of the war in Iraq. What's going on here? Three things: 1. Neocons (true neocons) are a much smaller and less influential group than is commonly assumed. This should be obvious given that Bill Kristol is arguably the most influential and famous neocon. I myself came over to the Republican Party via the neoconservative bridge, but I no longer consider myself a neocon. I'm more of a National Review guy than a Weekly Standard guy. 2. The War in Iraq is not necessarily a violation of the Principle of Unintended Consequences. We have put the systems in place to allow the Iraqi people to determine their own future. The systems that were in place were preventing that to happen, which was boiling over elsewhere. 3. Not all the people who support the war are neocons. This should also be obvious. Yeah, the paleos are against it. But those in favor include the traditional conservatives at the National Review, and folks like Michael J. Totten who are liberal on just about everything else. This is (I think) what our good friend Neo-neocon is getting at with the name of her blog.
One Question about HillaryLorie Byrd does the asking, which means it's a good one.
Michelle Malkin Covers ArtShe notes some of the more ridiculous art in the news, including a photograph of the painting that depicts President Bush getting sodomized by an oil sheikh (which of course, won an award). Interestingly, the piece won an award from a "local gay arts activist", whose only complaint was that Bush should have been on top. I'll confess to being a little confused about the whole point of the homoeroticism of the president. The left (and presumably local gay arts activists) think there is nothing wrong with homosexual behavior, right? Then why do they snicker when they see depictions of right wingers engaging in it? Is it all just about "the hypocrisy"?
Showing Proper Respect for the KoranDanegerus has the photo. And yes, it does look quite a bit like Tevya.
Contra Bill MaherCheck out Incoherant Ramblings (not a misspelling), the blog of Risawn, a gal milblogger in Kosovo. Lots and lots of intelligent commentary and some excellent photos, particularly of her trip to Greece (there's a pair of pix in there that should get a good laugh). I discovered this via an apparently new John Hawkins project, called Conservative Grapevine, where he has quick links to recent posts by conservative bloggers. Looks like it's going to be a regular morning stopping place. Check out the blogroll over there; this has indeed been a wonderful weekend for my ego. (Update 1: Gulp! Guess I gloated too early, now I'm not in the blogroll!) (Update 2: Looks like somekind of rotation on that blogroll; some of the other folks who were up there this morning are also gone now)
EU FolliesMark Steyn is going to have a difficult time parodizing the current EU mess. Was it only yesterday that he wrote this: Only in totalitarian dictatorships does the ballot come with a pre-ordained correct answer. Yet President Juncker distilled the great flaw at the heart of the EU constitution into one straightforward sentence that cut through all the thickets of Giscard's unreadable verbiage. The American constitution begins with the words "We the people". The starting point for the EU constitution is: "We know better than the people."Unfortunately, before the ink was dry on that joke, the Dutch took him up on it. Unlike France's referendum, which was binding on the government, the Dutch vote is advisory. Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende's governing party said Monday it will accept a "no" verdict only if turnout reaches at least 30 percent and if 55 percent of those who vote reject the charter.But if Richard Delevan is correct, the Dutch will exceed those numbers. Will Balkenende start moving the goalposts?
Monday, May 30, 2005
Why Not Make Everybody Valedictorian?Sheesh, this is a dumb article even by Margaret Talbot's standards on the growing practice of not having class valedictorians any more. The story starts with Sarasota High School, where apparently several students had perfect GPAs. The school had a system in place to break ties. “If the G.P.A.s were the same, the award was supposed to go to the kid with the most credits,” Kennedy explained. It turned out that one of the top students, Denny Davies, had learned of this rule, and had quietly arranged to take extra courses during his senior year, including an independent study in algebra. “The independent study was probably a breeze, and he ended up with the most credits,” Kennedy said.
Davies was named valedictorian. His chief rivals for the honor were furious—in particular, a girl named Kylie Barker, who told me recently that she had wanted to be valedictorian “pretty much forever.”Let me get this straight. You wanted to be valedictorian pretty much forever, but you never thought to find out what the rules were? Now Davies, not being piggish, offered to be co-valedictorian with Kylie. Problem solved? But the Barkers weren’t excited about it. “The principal was trying to make everybody happy, and when you do that there’s always somebody who isn’t,” Cheryl Barker said. “I guess it was me.”Well, I have a question for you, Mrs Barker. On what basis should your daughter have been valedictorian alone? Should the school have reversed its policy and said that ties go to the person with the fewest credits? The rest of the article is pretty much standard liberal fare: Why are we putting the kids through so much pressure, and who's going to remember who was valedictorian five years from now.... In some ways, it seems that the valedictorian is a status designed for a simpler time, when fewer people aspired to college. It isn’t entirely suited to a brutally competitive age in which the dividing line between those who go to college and those who don’t may be the most significant fissure in American society, and in which the children (and parents) of the upper middle classes have been convinced that going to an exceedingly selective college is the only way to insure wealth and happiness.But of course, almost anybody who's in the running for valedictorian is going to college, and most of them are going to those exceedingly selective schools. And ironically it is Cheryl Barker who has the last word: Cheryl Barker still marvels at how hard Kylie worked, how determined she was, how she never missed a day of school, how she’d go to the library all the time to use the computer because they didn’t have one at home. Barker thinks that it was a mistake for the high school to stop naming a valedictorian and a salutatorian. “Those kids all know who the No. 1 and 2 are, anyway,” she told me over coffee. “Everyone’s so afraid of getting sued or losing their jobs these days that they try too hard to candy-coat things.” But, she added, “there are some kids who what they’re good at is studying. That’s what they do. They deserve something special to strive for. They do.”Exactly.
New Linker LinkedFirst of all, you have to love the name: Lump on a Blog. Second, how could I resist when he puts me in with this company: My first daily stop was Hugh Hewitt, followed by Powerline, Little Green Footballs, and Polipundit. A quick right at The Kerry Spot and it was on to The Corner, Kerry Haters (now Brainster's), Crushed Kerry (now Anklebitingpundits), Instapundit, Ratherbiased, and Rathergate. Then it was onward to explore the other hard-hitting, no-holds-barred pit-bulls of the blogging community. These were, and still are, some of the biggest giants in the blogging business.:) One of these things is not like the others, but I'm not complaining! Thanks Lumpy!
OODA Loops and An American HeroInteresting article on one of the greatest military minds of all time: To find out how to design a good jet fighter Boyd went to Georgia Tech and got an engineering degree. It was while studying thermodynamics there that he realized that the key to fighter operations was energy, trading off potential and kinetic energy. Assisted by Tom Christie and $1 million of purloined computer time, he developed Energy-Maneuverability (E-M) Theory. It allowed him to draw performance curves for every airplane that flew and predict which fighter plane would win in a matchup. In the late 1960s he headed up an ad hoc guerrilla group in the Pentagon, the “Fighter Mafia,” that designed the best fighter aircraft in the world, the F-16.
More On the DePaul StoryJohn Ruberry has been covering this case from the beginning.
Celebrity SightingsRachel wants to know whom you've seen and the circumstances. My Hollywood sightings are pretty pathetic; about the only ones I can remember are Paula Prentiss & Richard Benjamin. Back in 1968, my parents, who were active in the anti-war movement, had a fundraising party for Gene McCarthy, and those were the two "draws". They had been in a critically acclaimed (and quickly cancelled) TV show called "He and She". Benjamin went on to appear in "Catch-22" and "Goodbye, Columbus". I saw Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner filming "The Lady in Red" when I lived in San Francisco. Film shoots were an everyday occurence there, but that was the only time I can remember seeing real stars. In New York in 1980 I saw Sigourney Weaver working on some film; I think it was "Eyewitness". She was tall and really, really thin. I do better in the world of sports. I met Joe Namath at Super Bowl XXX. A friend of mine and I were hanging outside Sun Devil Stadium, just watching the passing parade. John said, "Hey, look, there's Joe Namath!" I turned around, fully expecting to say, "That's not Joe Namath," but it was him, coming down out of a nearby parking garage. Everybody was asking for an autograph, but he begged off saying he was late and needed to be on the field for the coin toss. So as he walked past, I said, "Joe, you gotta shake my hand!" and he did. Definitely one of my idols growing up, although my favorite Jets player of that era was Don Maynard. In 1995, I was at a closing dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse for an apartment complex we had financed. I had to go to the bathroom, which required walking to the end of a row of tables and then hanging a left. As I neared the final table, a huge guy was standing there, looking at me nervously. It was Charles Barkley, and the funniest thing was that I could see the fear in his eyes--"Damn, this guy's going to make a fuss and ask me for an autograph"--so I gave him a wink of recognition and walked right by. Around 1988 I was at a Phoenix Suns game when they announced Dave Winfield was in the audience. Everybody's applauding and looking directly at me for some reason. Turned out he was in the row behind us. Nice guy, another really big man. So I've met Hall of Famers in the big three sports. Another guy bound for the Hall of Fame that I came close to was Tim Brown, receiver for the Oakland Raiders. It was at the Players' Party at Super Bowl XXX. I was just hanging out watching the band (I think it was Meatloaf) when all of a sudden a whole bunch of bouncers were zooming past us shouting "Coming, through, coming through!" They were bodyguards surrounding Tim Brown, who was on his way into the private section of the party. He was surprisingly small, but every muscle on his body looked perfectly toned. I wouldn't say ripped because that gives an image of bulk; Brown just didn't have an ounce of fat on him. Chuck Cecil (Green Bay & Houston safety), whom I met at a party, looked the same way. I also met Philadelphia defensive lineman Byron Evans on a golf course in Phoenix. A friend and I were playing a round and invited the twosome behind us to join in. One of them was Byron, who was one of the biggest men I have ever seen. But I outdrove him on all but one hole (I can give the ball a pretty fair knock when warmed up). He wore shorts and you could see his knees had been operated on many times.
Sunday, May 29, 2005
I'm Sure They're Very Nice SweatshopsThis is hilarious: Wristbands sold to raise money for a campaign against world poverty are made in Chinese sweatshops in "slave labour" conditions.
The conditions are disclosed in confidential "ethical audits" of factories that make the ultra-fashionable white wristbands for the Make Poverty History campaign, started by a coalition of more than 400 charities.
The Over-The-Hill GangProving that it's a little hard to make a getaway when you have to use a walker. Cue a fast escape and it would have been almost the perfect crime. But theirs was to be anything but a textbook getaway. Hampered by various arthritic, respiratory and prostate problems, they staggered and wheezed their way through the final stages of the heist.
Their shambolic exit was topped off when one of them, Rudolf Richter, fell over in front of the vehicle and, unable to get up by himself, had to be dragged inside by his cohorts.Hat Tip: Tim Worstall
Back When Blow You Meant Something DifferentNoticed this auction on ebay.
Kuttner on How the Dems Can Win(Welcome Slate Today's Blogs readers! Please look around and if you like what you see, consider bookmarking this blog's home page) It starts out okay; I agree with much of what he says about the Republican party and the conservative movement. Yeah, there are the obligatory snarky digs. But when it comes time to look at his own party and the liberal movement, Kuttner doesn't come off so well. In one story line, liberal interest groups have disproportionate in?uence, leaving the Democratic Party with a message too left wing for the country on both social issues and national defense. On economics, New Democrats want a modernizing party committed to ?scal responsibility, globalism, and market-like strategies for social problems such as health care and education. This is said to be “pro-growth,” though its detractors view that as a code for pro-business. The Democratic Leadership Council (DLC), initially cheering Gore-Lieberman as just the ticket, became progressively disillusioned the more populist Gore sounded. In a DLC postmortem, Joe Lieberman declared that Gore’s “economic populism stuff was not the pro-growth approach. It made it more dif?cult for us to gain the support of middle-class independent voters who don’t see America as … us versus them.”
The opposite view -- whose exponents include Tom Frank, Robert Borosage, and David J. Sirota -- holds that by failing to run as progressives, Democrats allow Republicans to use cultural issues as a proxy for class issues. Frank, sifting through the ashes of the Democrats’ 2004 defeat, wrote recently in The New York Review of Books: “Conservatives generally regard class as an unacceptable topic when the subject is economics -- trade, deregulation, shifting the tax burden … . But de?ne class as culture, and class instantly becomes the blood and bone of public discourse … . Workerist in its rhetoric but royalist in its economic effects, this backlash is in no way embarrassed by its contradictions.”So far so good; that fairly summarizes the two sides in the debate. Guess which side Kuttner endorses? In theory, either recipe could produce a governing coalition. But a resurgent Democratic Party built on progressivism would be more worth having. Good lord, where to start? First, notice the assumption that underlies the whole economic populism argument: That Democrats are better for the working class economically. But the jury's quite obviously out on that issue. Look at Europe, which has the kinds of business and labor laws the Democrats would like to see enacted here; are Europeans doing better than we are? No, they are quite a bit behind us economically. France's GDP per capita ($28,700) is almost 30% lower than ours ( $40,100), and that gap has widened during the last 20 years. Economic populism is a bunch of nonsense. We hear all the time about the gap between the wealthy and the middle class, and how it's growing and how awful it is for society. But think about it for a second. The only time the gap between the wealthy and the middle class grows is when the economy is doing well. The rich, because of their ownership of financial assets do very well indeed in a strong economy. But does that mean that the middle class does poorly, or that they do better when the economy is in the tank? Obviously not. You ever notice that economic populists all pine for the glory days of the Depression? So much so that they are constantly seeing it just around the corner, like Paul Krugman, still holding out hope for his long-awaited double-dip? Is it because those were great times to be a working man in America? Obviously not. But they were great times to be an economic populist. Anyway, back to Kuttner's piece: Economic progressives such as the late Paul Wellstone have won working- and middle-class support, often in improbable places. The hugely popular Bernie Sanders, very likely the next senator from Vermont, got elected and re-elected more by rallying the locals than the Birkenstock set.It worked in Minnesota and Vermont (well-known conservative bastions). And Robert? The Birkenstock set are the locals in Vermont. It's all downhill from there. Look, when I was a kid I thought communism could work, that it was better for the common man. But the common man disagreed, and over time he was proven right. Economic progressivism is code talk for "Let's try communism again, but this time we won't kill the goose."
They Also ServeSuperb article on the mothers of US Marines. Perhaps surprising coming from the New York Times Magazine and the Dean of the J-School at Cal, but it's well worth the (long) read.
The Blogger's FriendWhen you can't find anything to write about, look for the latest Mark Steyn and link. This one's about EUtopia and how it will handle no votes this week: Alas, this tactic doesn't seem to have worked. So, a couple of days before the first referendum, Jean-Claude Juncker, the "president" of the European Union, let French and Dutch voters know how much he values their opinion:
"If at the end of the ratification process, we do not manage to solve the problems, the countries that would have said No, would have to ask themselves the question again," "President" Juncker told the Belgian newspaper Le Soir.
Got that? You have the right to vote, but only if you give the answer your rulers want you to give. But don't worry, if you don't, we'll treat you like a particularly backward nursery school and keep asking the question until you get the answer right. Even America's bossiest nanny-state Democrats don't usually express their contempt for the will of the people quite so crudely.Kind of like the election for Washington's governor, where they kept counting the votes until the Democrat won.
Saturday, May 28, 2005
I'm Sure It's An Environmentally Friendly Motor HomeThe folks at Lucianne are having a hard time controlling their giggles at this one: Margaret Beckett today urges the Bush administration to accept that the "incontrovertible" weight of scientific evidence on the dangers of global warming is stimulating an urgent worldwide dialogue that the US must seriously engage with - or risk being left out.Punchline: She will be holidaying by caravan, as usual, if her conference timetable permits this summer.A caravan in the UK is what we call a motor home in the US.
"I actually did sign the 180, before I did a 180."Polipundit catches a pro-Kerry blog actually trumpeting the imminent release of Kerry's signed 180.
Hunter S. Thompson Update--Now With Jeff Gannon Tie-In!HST's still dead, still the subject of countless stories. Organizers of a memorial for Hunter S. Thompson plan to erect a 150-foot structure _ courtesy of actor Johnny Depp _ to shoot the gonzo journalist's ashes onto his ranch near here.
Friends and acquaintances gathered Thursday to discuss the Aug. 20 invitation-only service, which will be six months after Thompson shot himself in his Woody Creek home.
Actor Johnny Depp poses for a portrait June 21, 2003, in Los Angeles. Depp, who portrayed the author in the movie version of Hunter Thompson's book "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" will pay for the construction of a 150-foot tower, which will resemble Thompson's "gonzo fist" emblem with a cannon at the top. As per Thompson's wishes, his cremated remains will be shot out of the cannon onto his property.
Jon Equis, the event producer working with Thompson's family, said the tower will be 12 feet wide at the base and 8 feet wide at the top, where a cannon will be placed.
Depp, who portrayed the author in the movie version of Thompson's book "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" will pay for the tower, designed to resemble Thompson's "gonzo fist" emblem.
As Thompson requested, his ashes will be shot out of the cannon onto his property.Meanwhile, Jeff Gannon just keeps on giving. Turns out that he's at least partly responsible for HST's "assassination". : But even in death, Hunter is causing trouble.
: Conspiracy theorists claim he was assassinated
: because he was about to blow the lid on a White
: House child sex porn ring with links back to
: the Franklin Cover-Up case, (which uncovered
: 15 year old callboys staying at Bush Snr's
: White House).
: Jeff Gannon, A White House journalist, was
: recently unmasked as a male escort entrepreneur
: called James Guckert, but crazy conspiracists
: reckon he is really Johnny Gosch, a kid taken by
: a paedophile ring in Des Moines in the 80s. One
: of the other victims of the ring, Paul Bonacci,
: testified that he helped kidnap Gosch to
: participate in a paedo orgy at the Bohemian
: Grove club... an event he claimed was secretly
: filmed by Hunter Thompson.Coming soon: Was Jeff Gannon at the Grassy Knoll?
Everybody Complains About the Environmental WackosHere's the highly entertaining story of a rancher who finally did something about it and won a lawsuit for $600,000. It's long but worth the read. Essentially what the story boils down to is that an Earth First! spinoff was trying to stop the rancher from being allowed to use federal land and lied about how he was taking care of the property.
Friday, May 27, 2005
You Can't Make This UpAdam McKay has a post over at the Huffpo where he seems to be saying, "Can't we all just get along?" I honestly don't think the right and left or liberals and conservatives or queer-ass liberals and Nazi boneheads disagree as much as we seem to.
So let's try something. I'm going to list issues that concern me as a parent, a taxpayer and moderate. Then you post and tell me where you disagree or think I'm out of bounds or that I'm being a pussy Democrat who wants to let gay rapists teach our children... Let's see if we can pinpoint all of this insanity so we can end it and get to work on things that actually matter.Gee, sounds like Adam's not one of those barking moonbats, but a sane liberal, just trying to reach across the aisle to find common ground. Uh, no. Here's Adam's latest project (extreme obscenity warning).
Iran-BloggingThought I'd do a little homework on Iran, on the off chance that place becomes somewhat more newsworthy in the next year or so. Here's an excellent article on where the Europeans are wrong: If Iran has decided to get the bomb, it is not going to stop because Straw talks to a junior mulla. Nor would the promise of investment and trade persuade them to change course. As for the threat of “referring” them to the United Nations, then above-mentioned Asefi has already described it as “laughable”.
Shamnesty InternationalAll the institutions of the left have lost their moorings.
Translation ServiceHillary, in an interview with Judy Woodruff: CLINTON: Well, I don't know many Democrats who support gay marriage. Translation: CLINTON: Well, I don't know many Democrats who have national ambitions who admit that they support gay marriage. Hat Tip: Just One Minute
Favorite Bands?Ankle-Biting Pundits wants your favorite bands and singers. Here's my list: #1 The Who (1970s Arena Rock) #2 Renaissance (1970s Art-Rock) #3 Caldera (1970s Jazz-Fusion) Are we seeing a trend here? #4 Return to Forever (1970s Jazz-Fusion) #5 Santana (mostly the 1970s albums) #6 Jeff Beck (and his various groups) #7 U2 (my modern group) #8 Steeleye Span (1970s folk-rock) #9 Todd Rundgren/Utopia (more 1970s) #10 Enya
You Say Po-Tah-ToThe Brits are messing with our common language. What do you expect from a country that pronounces clerk as "clark"?
When Knives Are Outlawed....Criminals will no doubt resort to candlesticks.
Friday OdditiesRioting winemakers? Only in France. Protesting winemakers in southwestern France set fire to train cars, pelted them with rocks and blocked rail traffic on their way home from demonstrations Thursday, authorities said.Clinton's 16-year-old lover? Life in Prison for DUI? This case might have a deterrent effect. I have mixed feelings about this one. Yes, he's a hazard, but would he be getting life if he'd actually killed someone in a DUI? Then why is he getting life to prevent him from killing someone?
Put Kondracke In the Coalition of the Chillin'Actually, maybe he's the first member of the Coalition of the Republicans Won. Challenging article by one of the savviest observers of the American political scene. The Coalition of the Chillin' is made up of those who don't think the world ended when the gang of 14 made their deal. I'm on board with that, even if they haven't linked me (not enough snob appeal?). Update: Captain Ed is leading the Coalition of the Grillin'.
Thursday, May 26, 2005
Galloway Going Down?That's what this article implies, based on research by this blogger, who started his blog early this week and has already been linked by Little Green Footballs and Roger L. Simon. It can happen!
Fair Trade is NeitherAlex Singleton shows why.
Why Newspaper Circulation is DownPam Meister tackles the decline of the fishwraps.
Israel Supporters Must Go, Holocaust Deniers May StayJohn Ruberry has post on DePaul's holocaust denier.
More Bowling PicsOur buddy Chris at Lucky Dawg News pointed this site out to us, which has pictures of lots of people bowling, including Hillary Clinton (terrible form), Richard Nixon in an op-art shirt, and John Kerry, actually looking graceful in an athletic pose for a change.
Always Check Your NumbersThis article is good overall, but you gotta wonder about the opening sentence: For more than four years - steadily, seriously, and with the unsentimental rigor for which we love them - civil engineers have been studying the destruction of the World Trade Center towers, sifting the tragedy for its lessons.Uh, let's hope that they haven't been studying the destruction of the WTC for more than four years, since it only took place about three years and nine months ago.
Peggy Noonan On Our Latest HeroesThis one's not to be missed: You've heard the mindless braying and fruitless arguments, but I'm here to tell you the facts, no matter what brickbats and catcalls may come my way. Lindsey Graham defied the biases of his constituency to do what was right, not what was easy. Robert Byrd put aside personal gain to save our Republic. David Pryor ignored the counsels of hate to stand firm for our hopes and dreams. Mike DeWine protected our way of life. These men are uniters, not dividers.
How do I know?
Because they told me. Again and again, and at great length, as they announced The Deal. And I believed them, because I am an idiot. Or as they might put it, your basic "folk" from "back home."
Listening to them I thought of some of the great and hallowed phrases of our Republic. "The rooster who thought he brought the dawn." "The only man who can strut sitting down."Great stuff!
Jesse, DNC FinedAnkle-Biting Pundits has the scoop. Michael King's taking book on how long before Jesse cries racism. "It's another Selma!"
More On Dead GI's PhotosAs a followup to this post of mine the other day, Van Helsing notes that FDR (that fascist!) prohibited the publication of photos of dead US servicemen during World War II.
When Parity Is 2-1What would we do without the New York City Council? With nary a dissenting vote, the City Council yesterday passed sweeping legislation to bring so-called potty parity to the city's bars, sports arenas, movie theaters and other venues at which long lines at the ladies' room have long been a frustrating fact of life.
The measure, called the Women's Restroom Equity Bill, will require all new establishments falling under the terms of the legislation to maintain roughly a two-to-one ratio of women's bathroom stalls to men's stalls and urinals. Existing establishments will have to come into compliance when they undergo extensive renovations, while restaurants, schools, hospitals, and municipal buildings are excluded.Good to know that New York doesn't have more pressing issues facing it. Hat Tip: Just One Minute
Why RINOs Don't Change Their Spots--Errrr HornsGood observation by Dana at Northshore Politics. As I mentioned in the comments, another drawback to switching is that the next time you run for reelection, in the primary you'll be facing the voters who've been voting against you in previous elections.
Hardware CornerACE (that's Airborne Combat Engineer) wants to know, if you could keep only three tools and three materials in your toolbox, which would they be? I'd keep the socket wrench and hammer. I said screwdriver in my response, but realized afterwards that the cordless drill (with screwdriver bits) was a better answer. For materials, I'd take nails, screws, and a roll of duck tape. What's that? It's duct tape? Why a duct? (Bonus Marx Brothers points).
Thank You, Howard Kurtz!Brainster's pops up in his media notes column today for the prediction that McCain would win New Hampshire in the 2008 Republican primaries, and nowhere else. Thanks also to Kitty, who linked the post over at Lifelike. As I mentioned in an email to her, the odds that Howard found us through her post are about 50%.
This Just InThe New York City Council is liberal: Infuriating law-enforcement organizations and his colleagues, a City Council member, Charles Barron, introduced a resolution yesterday urging clemency for a convicted and escaped cop-killer, Assata Shakur, formerly known as Joanne Chesimard.
On May 2, 1973, Chesimard was involved in a roadside shoot-out with New Jersey State Police after the vehicle in which she and two companions were traveling was pulled over because of a malfunctioning taillight. During an exchange of gunfire, a New Jersey state trooper, Werner Foerster, was wounded. Chesimard, then a member of the Black Liberation Army and the Black Panther Party, was convicted of first-degree murder in 1977 for seizing the incapacitated trooper's side arm and using it to shoot him in the head.
While serving her sentence at New Jersey's Clinton Correctional Institution for Women, Chesimard, with the help of fellow members of the Black Liberation Army, staged a prison break in 1979. She escaped to Cuba, where she was granted asylum and is now shielded by the island nation's communist dictator, Fidel Castro. On May 2, New Jersey law enforcement announced that the Justice Department raised the bounty on Chesimard, 57, to $1 million from $50,000, and added her name to the list of wanted domestic terrorists.
Mr. Barron's council resolution, which he announced yesterday at a press conference on the steps of City Hall, calls on the New Jersey State Police and the Justice Department "to cease portraying Assata Shakur as a terrorist, and ... to rescind the reward for Shakur's capture and grant her clemency." The Brooklyn council member's resolution praises the convicted murderer as "a social justice activist, a poet, a mother, and a grandmother."She wrote poetry? Well, in that case, she must be innocent! Here's a good site on Chesimard from a Law Enforcement point of view. The good news is that the million dollar reward may spur some bounty hunters to take up the chase. I strongly suspect the push for clemency is coming as a result of the increased reward money. Here's an interesting post where three liberal bloggers take on the Chesimard case, and a communique from Mos Def, musician and actor, proclaiming her innocence. I don't know the real facts of the case, obviously, but I am suspicious of the claim that she didn't have any gunpowder residue. There's an aroma of "Mumiamania" about this case.
This Just InBill Moyers is a liberal. As the extra little cherry on top, all Moyers' nut conspiracy theories were being broadcast on PBS, subsidized by the U.S. taxpayer. Not only that, but Moyers takes a cut of every video of his show sold, and he has family members on the payroll. Let's see now: a corrupt, partisan demagogue and his family caught feeding at the taxpayers' trough. Let's just hope he never took a free golfing trip to Scotland!
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Rainbow KidsYou will not believe this one.
Kitty Gets Mentioned Over At ABPOur buddy Bulldog Pundit mentions her as one of the women who could make it in the rough and tumble world of op-ed punditry. I concur with that assessment, especially since Kitty has had an op-ed published in USA Today.
Caption Contest Here's a photo with unlimited possibilities.
Lots of Updates at Lucky Dawg NewsThe crybaby of the week is up, as is Chris's revelation that political correctness has come to NASCAR.
A History of Anonymous SourcesNeo-neocon looks at the increasing practice of using anonymous sources and concludes that it all stems from the most famous anonymous source of all. One thing that I've definitely noticed in the last few years is the increasing use of anonymous "experts" and "insiders" and "those in the know".
JibJab Guys to Hawk SudsI'm sure you all remember their hilarious "This Land is Your Land" parody from last summer. Next up: This Bud is Your Bud.
Just When You Despair About Young PeopleYou hear something like this: The students of Mr. Pallesi’s Leadership Class, at Sierra High School, located in the foothills east of Fresno, CA, loved what Operation Soldier, was currently doing for American’s military.
The students loved the cause so much, they dontated $1100.00 dollars to Operation Soldier, on Friday, May 20th, 2005.
The money was raised through various fund raiser events, that the students held throught the school year. Those events were everything from car washes, to dinners, to selling snacks at a snack stand on campus.
Several students in the Leadership class, related how they have loved ones, and friends that are in the Armed Forces, and are fighting overseas in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Heather Harrelson, a junior at Sierra High School, and student in Mr. Pallasi’s Leadership Class said, “It makes us proud to be able to help those that sacrifice to much, so that we may have what we enjoy everyday.”
On hand to accept the donation from Mr. Pallesi’s Leadership Class was Operation Soldier President, John Bush.John is our old friend from My Take on Things, and Operation Soldier is a worthy cause as highlighted by this article: It is with great honor that Operation Soldier and our Patriot Down Foundation presented Randy and his family with a $1000 contribution, to help offset and alleviate the financial burden of traveling back and forth to Walter Reed.
The Bad News is Right Wing News is On VacationThe good news is John's got links to his greatest hits posted at the top of the blog. Read his interviews with Ann Coulter or Victor Davis Hanson.
July the 4th is Punch Out a Flag-Burner Day!A proper and measured response to this. Hat Tip: Michelle Malkin
On the Other Hand(Welcome readers of Howard Kurtz's Media Notes Column! Please take a look around and if you enjoy what you read, bookmark this blog's home page). The Arizona Daily Star (known to Tucson Republicans as the "Red Star") claims that McCain's clout has grown. May 23, 2005, will go down in the history of the U.S. Senate as the day John McCain announced a dramatic last-minute compromise over judicial nominations and filibusters.
It could also mark the unofficial beginning of the Arizona Republican's second campaign for the White House.
McCain emerged as a clear winner Wednesday as the dust settled on a bipartisan agreement that allowed a yes-or-no vote on some of President Bush's judicial nominees.
The leading role McCain played - as deal-broker, problem-solver and peacemaker - is fueling speculation in Arizona and the national media about what it could mean for the four-term lawmaker in 2008.Here's my speculation: McCain runs in 2008, and wins New Hampshire (where "independents" are allowed to vote in either primary), sending the media into swooning fits. And doesn't win anywhere else, allowing the media to concoct the narrative that his bid was derailed by dark forces in the GOP. A rerun of 2000, in other words.
Graham Taking Heat in South CarolinaAs Hugh Hewitt remarked on the show yesterday, Lindsay Graham was something of a rising star in the party, having ascended to the Senate after doing a marvelous job in 1999 as one of the House managers of the impeachment proceedings. Not any longer. Seduced by the media, he has fallen out of touch with South Carolina. “The calls won’t quit, and they’re almost all against Lindsey,” state Republican Party chairman Katon Dawson said.
Dawson counted more than 900 phone calls to party headquarters in 36 hours — mostly from people who helped elevate Graham from the House to the Senate in 2002.
Graham unleashed this anger Monday night, when, as part of a bipartisan group of senators, he announced a last-minute compromise to end the Senate’s filibuster crisis.Why is it that whether a Democrat or Republican gets national (i.e., presidential) aspirations, they all move to the left?
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Major Tommy PittmanMajor Tommy Pitman, who has died aged 90, won an MC in Palestine in 1936 while serving with the 11th Hussars.
In September that year, the 11th Hussars were rushed to Palestine to help suppress the First Arab Revolt, and C Squadron was deployed in the northern area along the border with Lebanon. One afternoon, Pitman's troop was called out to support a platoon of the York and Lancashire Regiment that had been ambushed on the Acre-Safad road by an Arab force many times their number.
On arriving at the scene, Pitman found that three members of the platoon were dead, four were wounded and there was a man lying out in the open whom no one had been able to reach because of the intense Arab fire. Pitman ordered his armoured cars to give him maximum covering fire while he and a comrade tried to rescue the man.
The pair ran forward while bullets hummed around them like angry wasps and ricocheted off the boulders. They found the casualty, dressed his wounds and carried him back to safety. Pitman was awarded the MC and received the decoration from King George VI, who was Colonel-in-Chief of his regiment.The MC is the Military Cross; it is considered roughly equivalent to the Bronze Star in the United States. Hussars are cavalry, although by WWII they were riding tanks, not horses.
We Support the Troops But the editorial cartoonist at the Seattle Times?
I Want to Agree with Hugh, But...It's tough when he's suggesting that we support Democrats over RINOs. 4. It will be much easier to persuade GOP voters to abandon Lincoln Chafee and Olympia Snowe in 2006. Worse than useless, defeating one or both of these incumbents will send a much needed message on how the party regards deals based on scissoring the Constitution.And he has been specific on the show; he's not just talking about abandoning Chafee and Snowe in the primaries in favor of more conservative Republicans (which I could support); he's talking about abandoning them in the general election. As I've said before, Chafee is the RINOest of the RINOs, but he's a darn sight better than any of the Democrats from the Northeast. Suppose Patrick Kennedy decides to run against him? Would Hugh say that he's better than Chafee?
The Latest Teen SlangBuckley F. Williams has been keeping up with the lingo and finds the newest schoolyard putdown.
Just a Funny Photo Jeez, how did we miss this one over at Kerry Haters? There's Kerry's rather girlish pose, there's the guy about to get kicked in the nuts (and apparently anticipating it)... I mean, this is the perfect photo. Better late than never, I suppose. Hat Tip: Wonkette, via Polipundit
Whither the Blogs?Rachel has an interesting post on the future of blogging. As I mentioned in her comments, I think long-term the MSM will start to co-opt the bloggers. You can already see signs of it; Captain Ed has written for the New York Sun and Kevin Drum now plies his trade at Washington Monthly, while the Daou Report has been absorbed into Salon. The interesting thing is that the right side of the blogosphere seems much healthier than the left side. That's because the left side of the media are so dominant and blinkered by their institutional biases. Look at the big stories to come out of the blogs in 2004: Ra thergate and Christmas in Cambodia. Why did they arise? The first one happened because an MSM outlet was so blinded by anger at Bush they ran with an obviously bad story, and then compounded the error by stonewalling for days before admitting that perhaps the documents could not be proven true. The second came about because the media were unwilling to dig deep into Kerry's past for fear of finding something that would scotch his candidacy. In other words, neither story would have happened had the media been doing its job. Look at the lefty bloggers' big story of 2004. As best I can figure it's the mysterious object Bush had under his jacket at the first debate. In 2005, they got Jeff Gannon; our side brought down Eason Jordan, again after the media tried to bury the story.
Robert McCartney UpdateNow that the spotlight is off the McCartney case, things are reportedly getting uglier for his sisters. Now that the news media caravan has moved on, the immutable rules of fear and complicity that govern life in Belfast's ethnic ghettoes have reasserted themselves. The sisters' situation has become precarious.
A few days ago, police warned them of threats to burn their homes and businesses.
It did not come as a surprise. The sisters have endured harassment on the street. They have been visited at midnight by family members of the accused, advising them it would be wise to leave the neighborhood.
There also has been an ugly smear campaign on the Internet.
"They said that two of us were prostitutes, that two of us were handbag thieves, that one of us had wiggled her way into an old lady's will, and that one of us was seen frequenting the police barracks late at night," said Paula McCartney, 40, a mother of five and a part-time university student in women's studies. She has emerged as the family's spokeswoman.
"I do think a lot of people are still supporting us, but it's silent support," said McCartney, sipping tea in the living room of her modest flat.
"The open hostility that we're getting, that comes from the relatives and the associates of the murderers. But when you figure that there were at least 15 involved in Robert's murder, you're talking about a hell of a lot of people, especially in a community like this," she said.Hat Tip: John Ruberry
PCUJohn Ruberry has an amusing post on the trials and tribulations of the Marquette Warriors/Golden Eagles/Gold/Your Nickname Here.
Kerry: I Actually Did Sign The 180....Even Joan Venocchi is suspicious. ''I have signed it," Kerry said. Then, he added that his staff was ''still going through it" and ''very, very shortly, you will have a chance to see it."
The devil is usually in the details. With Kerry, it's also in the dodges and digressions. After the interview, Kerry's communications director, David Wade, was asked to clarify when Kerry signed SF 180 and when public access would be granted. Kerry drifted over to join the conversation, immediately raising the confusion level. He did not answer the question of when he signed the form or when the entire record will be made public.
Several e-mails later, Wade conveyed the following information: On Friday, May 20, Kerry obtained a copy of Form 180 and signed it. ''The next step is to send it to the Navy, which will happen in the next few days. The Navy will then send out the records," e-mailed Wade. Kerry first said he would sign Form 180 when pressed by Tim Russert during a Jan. 30 appearance on ''Meet the Press."Where will the records be sent out? If it's directly to Kerry, this is worse than useless, as you can bet the records will be scrubbed before they are released to the press. The idea of the Form 180 is for the Navy to release the records to a third party for their independent review. We've seen the records Kerry wants us to see; what we need a look at are the infamous other 100 pages or so. Hat Tip: LucianneCaptain Ed & has similar thoughts. But Michelle Malkin says John O'Neill claimed that Form 180 authorizes the military to release the information to anybody who asked. Looking at the form here, that appears to be incorrect, as the form asks for the address to which the reply is to be sent. 3. Where reply may be sent. The reply may be sent to the member or any other address designated by the member or other authorized requester.My suspicion, as I mentioned in the comments here, is that Kerry will fill in his own name and address in that block and then try to hand the (scrubbed) files out to the media.
Monday, May 23, 2005
Why The Deal GallsBecause the Repubicans should be able to do what they want by this point. Remember after the 2000 election the Democrats kept saying that Bush had no mandate for leadership. I don't buy it, but at least an argument could be made that didn't require willful stupidity. At first, the Republicans had a bare majority in the Senate, but then Jim Jeffords bolted, giving the Democrats control of the upper house of Congress. In 2002, the people said "Enough of that" and the Republicans improved by two seats to 51. And in 2004... well you know about that. Four more Republican Senate seats and a president returned to office with the most votes in the history of the country. By now he's got a mandate, right? And yet a handful of Republican senators sold two of his nominees down the river. Chuckie Schumer griped last week that if 51 senators could pass a judge, then senators from states representing about 21% of the population could make decisions for the rest of the country. But here we have 14 senators probably representing an even smaller portion of the population making a deal that effectively binds us all.
Deal AnalyzedCaptain Ed reads the tea leaves and says the deal amounts to Saad being thrown under the bus and Myers left dangling. Pryor, Owens and Rogers-Brown get passed. Filibusters remain an option later, but the moderate Democrats agree that it can't just be conservative judicial philosophy from otherwise acceptable nominees. He's surprised at Hugh's tame reaction on the blog, but he obviously didn't listen to the show; Hugh was frothing at various points. Near the end of the show Hugh commented that it was good he was ending before he said more. It's really on what happens in the future. Obviously Frist is the big loser today, for failing to keep his caucus in line. If this doesn't work out, the Republican mods will pay a stiff price, especially the ones with further aspirations (McCain & Graham). But it might work out. Remember this deal isn't with Harry Reid & Ted Kennedy, it's with Democratic mods like Joe Lieberman. And the reaction on the Left has not been triumphant as yet.
Mods Cave?Hugh Hewitt is on the warpath. Power Line says it's hideous. Caller to Hugh's show says they have kept the Nuclear Option in the event the Democrats act in bad faith.
The Times on BloggingSorry, but I didn't get any further than this: To analyze Web log buzz, the study zeroed in on a few dozen political blogs, from left-leaning forums like Daily Kos and AmericaBlog to conservative ones like Instapundit and Power Line, as well as middle-of-the road sites like BuzzMachine and Wonkette. All were "filter blogs," or blogs that comment on - and link to - content found elsewhere on the Web, according to an emerging taxonomy of the form.Don't you just love that? Kos and Aravosis are left-leaning, but Instapundit is conservative? And Jeff Jarvis and Wonkette are middle-of-the-road? That's absurd. Kos and Aravosis are left-wing, Jarvis and Wonkette are liberal (although Jarvis is more moderate) and Instapundit is libertarian. The only blog they've placed correctly on the political landscape is Power Line, which is indeed conservative.
Pat Tillman PostHis family complains about the delay in telling them what happened to Pat that fatal day. That's legitimate; from the accounts it does appear that the army was aware almost immediately that he was killed by "friendly fire". And this detail is a little disturbing: The investigation also revealed that soldiers later burned Tillman's uniform and body armor.Not good; the coverup is always worse that the original crime. That said, I have to wonder about this part: Mary Tillman says the government used her son for weeks after his death, perpetuating an untrue story to capitalize on his altruism -- just as the Abu Ghraib prison scandal was erupting publicly. She said she was particularly offended when President Bush offered a taped memorial message to Tillman at a Cardinals football game shortly before the presidential election last fall. She again felt as though her son was being used, something he never would have wanted.Except that it was about two months before the election and was non-political.
Warren PeaceWarren Beatty bores them to tears at a Berkeley Graduation. Imagine a hot day in Northern California, and having to listen to this tripe: I'll repeat I wanted to be rooting for Arnold, but he'd have to take some of that bombastic marketing and market the right thing — telling rich people like me the truth: that with a state debt of $18 billion caused by energy deregulation and the dot-com bust, our taxes are going to have to be a little higher on the rich. No matter what that group of advisors say. And maybe only temporarily. Which is what both Ronald Reagan and Pete Wilson did.
And tell them, Governor, just as your advisor Warren Buffet told you before you told him to be quiet and do 500 sit-ups, that Proposition 13 has to tax businesses the same as homeowners, and that'd raise about $5 billion a year. It won't make business leave California. And that the Bush tax cuts for the upper 1 percent in California alone amount to about $12 billion a year, so what's the point of ruling out all new taxes on the rich other than to make sure they continue to finance your nonstop campaign advertising?
And what is the sense in running to Wall Street and borrowing $15 billion, raising the debt to over $30 billion, and then coming back here and trying to cut programs and obligations to nurses, firemen, teachers, cops, students, schools, the elderly, the blind and disabled, and then denigrating these good people as special interests? Please. These are the people you should be especially interested in.The article describes the speech as similar to Bulworth, and it certainly is; a bunch of nonsense considered profound by only the idiot left.
Monday Microbe MiningHere's an interesting blog from a New Zealand woman living in Vietnam. I read it for awhile, couldn't detect any significant political content, but it does give you a feel for what things are like in the city formerly known as Saigon. It's always this way here in Ho Chi Minh City- nothing is advertised. EVER. The only way you get to see anything is if you happen to drive by a venue and translate the poster into English.The Ominous Harbinger is pretty funny, although not often updated. More Next Week!
Prediction: Liberals Will Change Their Minds On This IssueRight now there seems to be uniformity of opinion that medicare paying for Viagra for former sex offenders is a bad idea. Countdown for liberals saying that if we're going to pay for Viagra, we should pay for it for sex offenders who've served their time: 3, 2, 1....
I'll Probably Catch Hell for Linking ThisBut it's extremely well done, and the lyrics are particularly appropriate (definite volume check before clicking). Tut-tut, tsk tsk, deplore the imagery, doncha know?
Let's See Some Gory PhotosSheesh, Greg Mitchell is an idiot, as I have remarked before. The Times survey covered the period from Sept. 1, 2004, until Feb. 28, 2005. During that time, 559 Americans and Western allies died, but readers of the L.A. Times, The New York Times, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, The Washington Post and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution did not see a single photo of a dead U.S. serviceman. Nor did readers of Time and Newsweek.
The Seattle Times carried a photo three days before Christmas of a dead U.S. soldier, killed in the mess hall bombing, but his body was covered.How dare they cover the body of a bombing victim! We need to see those photos so they can be used to stop the war!
Liberals Start to Forget Newsweak Got It WrongAt least, that's my take on this ridiculous piece by Terry Neal. The liberal Web site Buzzflash.com has been screaming about Newsweek's retraction for a week. Liberal writer Greg Palast wrote in his blog: "But I don't want to leave out our President. His aides report that George Bush is "angry" about the report -- not the desecration of the Koran, but the reporting of it. And so long as George is angry and Condi appalled, Newsweek knows what to do: swiftly grab its corporate ankles and ask the White House for mercy."Hello? The desecration of the Koran story was false, Terry. It didn't happen. It couldn't happen, at least not as described. Try flushing a Koran down the toilet sometime and report back to us. So of course the President was angry about the report; it was a lie that led to the deaths of 18 people. A certain and clear pattern has emerged when a damaging accusation or claim against the Bush administration or the Republican-led Congress is publicized: Bush supporters laser in on a weakness, fallacy or inaccuracy in the story's sourcing while diverting all attention from the issue at hand to the source or the accuser in the story.That's called defending yourself against phony charges, Terry. When your accuser says something fallacious or inaccurate, you point out the fallacy or inaccuracy and call into question the rest of the allegations. There's another clear and consistent pattern: The news media rushes a story because it has anti-Bush overtones, and when they get caught try to claim that it was all done in good faith. Hilariously, he goes on: Often this tactic involves efforts to delegitimize the entire news media based on the mistakes or sloppy reporting of a few. We saw this with the discrediting of CBS's story on irregularities in President Bush's Texas Air National Guard service in the 1970s. Although the CBS "scoop" was based on faked documents, the administration's response and backlash from both conservative and mainstream media essentially relieved Bush of having to deal with the story. In other words, the allegedly "liberal" media dropped the story like a hot rock.The allegedly "liberal" media dropped the story because they had been pursuing it for years like Ahab after the white whale. The memo story was the first new lead on the case since 2000; when it turned out to be a dry hole they decided that Abu Ghraib-type stories were the only remaining club with which to beat Bush.
Gorgeous GeorgePaul Mirengoff (Deacon of Power Line) smacks down the left for their support of George Galloway. Leftist bloggers and important elements of the mainstream media gushed over Galloway's wrestling interview-style performance. Some wondered why Democratic senators weren't more like Gorgeous George. Never mind that Britain's Labour party expelled Galloway for bringing them party into disrepute.
Fortunately, the subcommittee's ranking Democrat, Senator Carl Levin, had no desire to be like George. In a version of the "strange bedfellows" wrestling scenario, Levin stood side-by-side with the Republican chairman, Senator Norm Coleman, demanding straight answers to straight questions. In response, Galloway derided Levin for supporting the "illegal" war in Iraq, something Levin says he never did. Maybe the Jewish name fooled Galloway.
At the end of his day in Washington, Galloway, in the words of the Scotsman was "no closer to clearing his name than when he took his seat in front of the subcommittee." The admirer of Stalin and Saddam had, however, become a hero to the adolescent element of the American left.Lest you think he's wrong about Galloway becoming a hero, check out some of the blogs mentioning him on Technorati. Like this one.
Sunday, May 22, 2005
No More Left TurnsSo says Keith Thompson in a long and moving account of his political evolution. My estrangement hasn't happened overnight. Out of the corner of my eye I watched what was coming for more than three decades, yet refused to truly see. Now it's all too obvious. Leading voices in America's "peace" movement are actually cheering against self-determination for a long-suffering Third World country because they hate George W. Bush more than they love freedom.It's not really all that new though; in the 1960s who was rooting for a totalitarian, evil regime and who was rooting for democracy? Yes, the South Vietnamese government was not perfect. But compared to what came afterwards they were angels. The difference was that we could actually kid ourselves that Ho & his thugs might be better than the US-backed government. With Saddam and the insurgents, there is no kidding oneself.
The Ultimate Bleeding HeartGet this bit from Stephen Elliot over at Arianna Hufnpuf: It's really not so complicated. A fifteen-year-old boy sets off to commit his first crime. He's a bumbling criminal, his chances of success were never good. Where are his friends? There is evidence of psychological trauma, but isn't there always? Who is this young Jesse James and where did he get his gun? Who cares? The boy is sentenced to thirteen years in adult prison. There will be no school, no rehabilitation. The child is thrown into a warehouse, a crowded meat locker, separate from the adult population but without access to education, gang intervention, drug programs, etc. Not even eligible for education courses offered to adults because the child populations has to be kept separate from the adult population until they turn eighteen, at which point they are mainlined into the system. There is no doubt Alonza will come out worse then he went in. His chances were always low; now there is no chance at all.Here's what the bumbling boy did: It's the second week in March, 2000, just days after the election. A fifteen-year-old boy named Alonza Thomas walks into a convenience store wearing a bandana over his mouth and nose. He's carrying a gun. He places the gun against the clerk's chest and demands money. Another clerk tackles the boy and a struggle ensues in which the gun is fired leaving a tidy hole in the store rooftop. Plaster and dust sprinkles on the combatants while the boy is subdued.Yes, a gun was fired. So what, nobody was hurt, right? Look this is simple. The kid needs to be locked up as a menace to society. The only difference between him and a killer is aim. If you want to grumble that he should be afforded an education while he's in an adult prison, fine (although I doubt he'll be very interested). But don't expect tears from me because he got a stiff sentence. And get this: Because the financial expenditures that we are going to put into punishing Alonza Thomas are much higher, hundreds of thousands of dollars higher, then they would have been had we tried to rehabilitate him. And the likelihood of his continued drag on society are astronomically higher. There is no academic debate on this. Everybody knows the numbers. Studies have been done. It is well documented that threats of longer sentences do not deter crimes, particularly threats to adolescents that they will be tried as adults. The research is unambiguous and the conclusions exactly what one would expect.We aren't punishing Alonza with a longer sentence because it acts as a deterrent to other juveniles. We're punishing him with a longer sentence because it acts as a deterrent to Alonza committing more crimes; he's not a threat to do so while in jail. Other Voices: Ex-Liberal in Hollywood has much the same take, but he does a full-on fisking. Talk Left sees this as a serious article.
New DigsFor Rudy Carrera, fka Carreterus Linnaeas. Will I be the last person left on blogger?
Who's the Victim?Business Weak checks in with a defense of the Pepsi COO entitled "Bloggers Finger a New Victim". In case you're not aware, Business Weak is the business publication for liberals. Back during the 1980s they must have run hundreds of articles on the "structural" budget deficit and how we were not going to get it down without raising taxes. The liberal line in other words. Get this part: Others bloggers (sic) used her words as a platform to disparage women's rights in India or view her stance as a direct slap to U.S. troops. Meanwhile, The Times of India tried to take the executive's side: "Who could blame Nooyi for thinking East Coast campuses at least were still bastions of liberal thinking and giving them a 'I'm-one-of-you vibes'?" the paper said in her defense. Well, don't you just love that? Notice that the "other bloggers" are not mentioned by name. And of course, Nooyi thought she was in safe territory; unfortunately for her, she was addressing the Columbia B-School grads, not the J-Schoolers who would have carried her off the stage on their shoulders.
Saturday, May 21, 2005
Fools and Their MoneyThe latest to cash in on liberal lunacy appears to be George Galloway. He has returned to Britain from his barnstorming appearance on Capitol Hill with what his associates claim is a firm offer of a two-week lecture series in America.
One friend said that Galloway could now set himself up as a successor to Michael Moore, whose documentary, Fahrenheit 911, became a lightning conductor for enemies of President George W Bush.I said all along I was happy with all the money Michael Moore made; it was that much less for Democratic candidates.
Honoring the Medal of Honor WinnersNice little story about a guy who's dedicated himself to visiting the gravesites of winners of the Congressional Medal of Honor, and checking to see if there's mention of the award on the gravestone. Here are some interesting Medal of Honor facts: Congress created it in 1861 and has revised and toughened its terms over the years. By far, the most were awarded for service during the Civil War - 1,522, not counting 893 that were revoked during a strenuous review that was undertaken in 1917 after many veterans feared the granting of medals had gotten out of hand. Among those who lost their medals were the 29 soldiers in President Abraham Lincoln's funeral guard.
By World War I, the medal had attained the special significance it holds today. Only 124 Americans received the medal for valor during that war, compared with 424 granted for service during the Indian Wars of the late 1800s.
Since then, the honor roll is as follows: World War II, 464 medals; Korea, 131; Vietnam, 245; Somalia, two; Iraq, one.
The last was awarded posthumously to Army Sgt. Paul R. Smith, who protected his unit at Baghdad Airport on April 4, 2003, by firing a .50-caliber machine gun at attackers until he was fatally wounded.We covered Sgt. Smith here and here.
Loved This BitIn Christopher Hitchens' evisceration of George Galloway: In a small way--an exceedingly small way--this had the paradoxical effect of making me proud to be British. Parliament trains its sons in a hard school of debate and unscripted exchange, and so does the British Labour movement. You get your retaliation in first, you rise to a point of order, you heckle and you watch out for hecklers. The torpid majesty of a Senate proceeding does nothing to prepare you for a Galloway, who is in addition a man without embarrassment who has stayed just on the right side of many inquiries into his character and his accounting methods. He has, for example, temporarily won a libel case against the Daily Telegraph in London, which printed similar documents about him that were found in the Oil Ministry just after the fall of Baghdad. The newspaper claimed a public-interest defense, and did not explicitly state that the documents were genuine. Galloway, for his part, carefully did not state that they were false, either. The case has now gone to appeal.When I visited England during my college years in 1976, one of the classes we took was instructed by a Labour MP, who was on occasion able to get us into Parliament to observe it in session. What immediately struck me the first time was the biting, sarcastic way that speakers were treated, with catcalls and derisiveness. If somebody from the Tory side said anything vaguely patriotic, the Labour MPs would cynically humm "Rule Brittania", while a Labour MPs musings about the common man might get a few bars from the "Internationale" from the Conservatives. It was like a particularly rowdy high school class full of very smart and cynical kids. Galloway gets this description: He had had to resign as the head of a charity called "War on Want," after repaying some disputed expenses for living the high life in dirt-poor countries. Indeed, he was a type well known in the Labour movement. Prolier than thou, and ostentatiously radical, but a bit too fond of the cigars and limos and always looking a bit odd in a suit that was slightly too expensive. By turns aggressive and unctuous, either at your feet or at your throat; a bit of a backslapper, nothing's too good for the working class: what the English call a "wide boy."Uriah Heep, in other words.
My Ten Favorite Books--Updated!Now you have to understand that unlike a lot of Americans my age, I dedicated some time in my teens to reading the classics, and when I say the classics I mean the books listed on the backs of Classics Illustrated comics. That's a pretty good list, although, of course, skewed with action books to appeal to young men. I hasten to add that my opinions are based on how I felt about the book at the time, not necessarily how I would feel about it now. 1. The Count of Monte Cristo. Dumas' classic tale of revenge, set against the backdrop of post-revolutionary France. Edmund Dantes is thrown into jail, denounced by three men who want his job, his girl, and his silence. After many years he escapes the jail and becomes a wealthy man. He seeks down his three accusers and avenges himself with amazingly intricate and fascinating plots against them. 2. Crime and Punishment. Doestoyevsky's warning about the dangers of nihilistic thought seemed especially apropos to a young man growing up in the era of Charles Manson and the Weather Underground. 3. Leave it to Psmith. Wodehouse's masterpiece, the linchpin to the Blandings Castle series. The flowerpot theme is developed; the scene will be mentioned in every Blandings Castle book to follow. 4. Men Against the Sea. The sequel to Mutiny on the Bounty, it tells the tale of what happened to Captain Bligh and those on the Bounty who declined to rebel, and their thousands of miles' journey to civilization in a large rowboat. 5. Treasure Island. The first book I ever re-read. 6. Gone with the Wind. I've said on many occasions that this is the great American novel, disrespected by many because it's "just" a romance. But it spawned an entire genre of fiction as well as one of the greatest movies of all time, and is a terrific read. Scarlett is a classic character, flawed and ruthless but admirable in her determination. 7. Bertie & Jeeves (pick them all). Funniest stuff ever written. Most first person characters are earnest and smart. Wodehouse had the genius to create a silly young man as his narrator. 8. Dune. Frank Herbert's novel of intergalactic intrigue, set against a desert planet where every droplet of water is precious. 9. Sherlock Holmes (pick one). I have never outgrown him. 10. Lord of the Rings trilogy. I think you've heard of this one. Read it in 9th & 12th grades. It would be interesting to pick it up again now that I've seen the movies. Other books that didn't quite make the cut, but are great: Tai-Pan (Clavell), anything else by Doestoyevsky or Dumas, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (Heinlein), Stand on Zanzibar (Brunner), the Flashman novels (Frasier). Probably five other books that I'll think of the minute after I post this. Your favorites? If you list them on your blog, put a link in the comments and I'll update my post to link to it. Update: Kitty's list is up. I'll admit, I only recognized three of the books, and have only read two of them (Angela's Ashes and The Godfather). Rachel's list is up as well. I'd definitely go with "The Wind in the Willows" as a book that electrified me the first time I read it.
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