Saturday, April 09, 2005
The One Hundredth Anniversary Of The Beginning of Uncertainty
Excellent Brian Greene op-ed in the NY Times regarding the 100th anniversary of the annum mirabilis; highly recommended. Brownian motion, spooky action at a distance, E=m(c(squared)) - notice how I got around the lack of a superscript - all the craziness of the unbelievable but apparently quite true quantum universe started, for all intents and purposes, a century ago with the publication of four papers, any one of which would have made the reputation of the man who wrote it for the ages. Go - now - read: I can't put it any simpler than that (hat tip to the brilliant Lubos Motl)...
In Defense of Power Line
Power Line has a new look, and the Titanic Three have apparently dropped the nicknames, but it's the same great content as always. People have been having a field day with their mistaken assumption that the Schiavo memo was a Democratic trick (see this truly idiotic post by paid Dean shill Markos 'Kos' Zuniga, but be forewarned, it's full of childish profanity - and remember, folks, this is the most popular liberal blog by a LOOOONG shot).
The fact is, as they state here, this isn't Rathergate or Eason Jordan revisited...Power Line has admitted the mistake, as have, to my knowledge, all bloggers who thought the same (including myself). Incredibly, there are still those who maintain the 60 Minutes II memos were genuine, and it was precisely CBS and Rather's baffling decision to hang on to the story despite its quite obvious phoniness that did them in. None of that pertains here...
The fact is, as they state here, this isn't Rathergate or Eason Jordan revisited...Power Line has admitted the mistake, as have, to my knowledge, all bloggers who thought the same (including myself). Incredibly, there are still those who maintain the 60 Minutes II memos were genuine, and it was precisely CBS and Rather's baffling decision to hang on to the story despite its quite obvious phoniness that did them in. None of that pertains here...
Another Dreadful Article at CounterPunch
Having sullied myself with the Jensen article, I figured why not just keep going? I'm already filthy...here's a quaint little number by William A. Cook taking on that other global monster, Israel (don't look for denunciations of Islamic extremism from the Radical Left - after all, Islamic terrorists are fighting the bad ol' U.S., so they can't be wrong).
I don't have the patience for another fisking, so here's just a sampling of the garbage:
...Shamai Leibowitz, an Israeli human rights attorney from Tel Aviv and a reserve sergeant in the Israeli tank corps[:] "For years, American taxpayers money has funded the occupation � the torture chambers, the military apparatus, the bulldozers used in house demolitions, the building of settlements and now the construction of the West Bank wall, declared illegal by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Americans should be held accountable for where their money is going"...
...[in considering the rise of anti-semitic incidents in Europe as found in 'The Report on Global Anti-Semitism' by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, there is]...[n]o mention of the Intifada and Israel's occupation of Palestine, no mention of the million bullets fired by the IDF in the opening days of the Intifada, a bullet for every Palestinian child according to Noam Chomsky ("Anti-Semitism, Zionism, and the Palestinians" 3/22/05), no mention of the military crackdown in the West Bank or Gaza, the destruction of homes, the torture chambers, the wanton killings of civilians, the checkpoints and humiliation of the indigenous population, or the illegal continued construction of settlements...
...in short, while the report reflects a renewed anger and frustration against the Israeli state beginning in 2000, it does not address what may have caused this rise in what it terms anti-Semitism; it merely lists the incidents and denies the possibility that people across the globe, including member states of the EU, which it condemns outright, could have as much reason to express resentment and outrage at the government of Israel as they do about the government of George W. Bush.
Alright, hold it a minute - did you catch that? Cook has just excused anti-Semitism as a legitimate means of opposition to Israel. I challenge you to explain that paragraph in any other way. Realizing how monstrous this admission is, he then tries to explain away anti-Semitism using the tired old 'hey,I don't hate Jews, just their homeland' tactic. I'm not bothering to excerpt that; you can read it in the article, but the following is too good to resist:
If I place Bush's National Strategic Security Report objectives, its expressed empirical goals, in context with those of former leaders with visions of empire, including Hitler, I do not criticize an American for being American or convey a veiled hatred for Americans because they voted Bush into office.
Perfect: the obligatory Bush-Hitler comparison, right out of the blue, apropos of nothing...this has apparently become a badge of 'street cred' among the Radical Left.
Having made that point, let me extend the analysis even further to explore the rationale behind the use of the term "anti-Semitism." Joseph Massad, Professor of modern Arab politics and intellectual history at Columbia University, published an article on this very term in Al-Ahram Weekly On-Line, (2004/720/op63.htm) wherein he presented the evolution of the term and its various misunderstandings in different countries of the world.
This is too rich (alright, I'm lapsing into fisking, I realize). To explain why we misuse the term 'anti-Semitism', Cook relies on the notoriously anti-Semitic Joseph Massad of Columbia University! This is akin to Bill Clinton explaining that a certain sexual act isn't really sex.
...Noam Chomsky questions even the need for such a document in the United States directed at anti-Semitism, "You find occasional instances of anti-Semitism, but they are marginal. There's plenty of racism, but it's directed against Blacks, Latinos, and Arabs that are targets of enormous racism. Those problems are real, but anti-Semitism is no longer a problem, fortunately. It's raised (by privileged people) because they want to make sure there's no critical look at the policies the US supports in the Middle East"...
Is Noam Chomsky the most repulsive man alive? All signs point to yes (oh, all right, Mugabe's worse, and Saddam - still, he makes the top 1000)...
Dr. Massad closes his piece with these observations: "Today we live in a world where anti-Arab and anti-Muslim hatred, derived from anti-Semitism, is everywhere in evidence. It is not Jews who are being murdered by the thousands by Arab anti-Semitism, but rather Arabs and Muslims who are being murdered by the tens of thousands by Euro-American Christian anti-Semitism and by Israeli Jewish anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitism is alive and well today worldwide and its major victims are Arabs and Muslims and no longer Jews. The fight should indeed be against all anti-Semitism no matter who the object of its oppression is, Arab or Jew."
This is just a case of semantic game-playing. Massad thinks if he shuffles the shells around enough, we'll forget which one the ball is under. Regardless of the merits of Massad's view of the origins of anti-Semitism, its worldwide accepted meaning is irrational hatred of Jews.
Of course, it will come as no surprise when I tell you that Mr. Cook's occupation is college professor...
I don't have the patience for another fisking, so here's just a sampling of the garbage:
...Shamai Leibowitz, an Israeli human rights attorney from Tel Aviv and a reserve sergeant in the Israeli tank corps[:] "For years, American taxpayers money has funded the occupation � the torture chambers, the military apparatus, the bulldozers used in house demolitions, the building of settlements and now the construction of the West Bank wall, declared illegal by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Americans should be held accountable for where their money is going"...
...[in considering the rise of anti-semitic incidents in Europe as found in 'The Report on Global Anti-Semitism' by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, there is]...[n]o mention of the Intifada and Israel's occupation of Palestine, no mention of the million bullets fired by the IDF in the opening days of the Intifada, a bullet for every Palestinian child according to Noam Chomsky ("Anti-Semitism, Zionism, and the Palestinians" 3/22/05), no mention of the military crackdown in the West Bank or Gaza, the destruction of homes, the torture chambers, the wanton killings of civilians, the checkpoints and humiliation of the indigenous population, or the illegal continued construction of settlements...
...in short, while the report reflects a renewed anger and frustration against the Israeli state beginning in 2000, it does not address what may have caused this rise in what it terms anti-Semitism; it merely lists the incidents and denies the possibility that people across the globe, including member states of the EU, which it condemns outright, could have as much reason to express resentment and outrage at the government of Israel as they do about the government of George W. Bush.
Alright, hold it a minute - did you catch that? Cook has just excused anti-Semitism as a legitimate means of opposition to Israel. I challenge you to explain that paragraph in any other way. Realizing how monstrous this admission is, he then tries to explain away anti-Semitism using the tired old 'hey,I don't hate Jews, just their homeland' tactic. I'm not bothering to excerpt that; you can read it in the article, but the following is too good to resist:
If I place Bush's National Strategic Security Report objectives, its expressed empirical goals, in context with those of former leaders with visions of empire, including Hitler, I do not criticize an American for being American or convey a veiled hatred for Americans because they voted Bush into office.
Perfect: the obligatory Bush-Hitler comparison, right out of the blue, apropos of nothing...this has apparently become a badge of 'street cred' among the Radical Left.
Having made that point, let me extend the analysis even further to explore the rationale behind the use of the term "anti-Semitism." Joseph Massad, Professor of modern Arab politics and intellectual history at Columbia University, published an article on this very term in Al-Ahram Weekly On-Line, (2004/720/op63.htm) wherein he presented the evolution of the term and its various misunderstandings in different countries of the world.
This is too rich (alright, I'm lapsing into fisking, I realize). To explain why we misuse the term 'anti-Semitism', Cook relies on the notoriously anti-Semitic Joseph Massad of Columbia University! This is akin to Bill Clinton explaining that a certain sexual act isn't really sex.
...Noam Chomsky questions even the need for such a document in the United States directed at anti-Semitism, "You find occasional instances of anti-Semitism, but they are marginal. There's plenty of racism, but it's directed against Blacks, Latinos, and Arabs that are targets of enormous racism. Those problems are real, but anti-Semitism is no longer a problem, fortunately. It's raised (by privileged people) because they want to make sure there's no critical look at the policies the US supports in the Middle East"...
Is Noam Chomsky the most repulsive man alive? All signs point to yes (oh, all right, Mugabe's worse, and Saddam - still, he makes the top 1000)...
Dr. Massad closes his piece with these observations: "Today we live in a world where anti-Arab and anti-Muslim hatred, derived from anti-Semitism, is everywhere in evidence. It is not Jews who are being murdered by the thousands by Arab anti-Semitism, but rather Arabs and Muslims who are being murdered by the tens of thousands by Euro-American Christian anti-Semitism and by Israeli Jewish anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitism is alive and well today worldwide and its major victims are Arabs and Muslims and no longer Jews. The fight should indeed be against all anti-Semitism no matter who the object of its oppression is, Arab or Jew."
This is just a case of semantic game-playing. Massad thinks if he shuffles the shells around enough, we'll forget which one the ball is under. Regardless of the merits of Massad's view of the origins of anti-Semitism, its worldwide accepted meaning is irrational hatred of Jews.
Of course, it will come as no surprise when I tell you that Mr. Cook's occupation is college professor...
An Extremist In My Own Backyard - Fisking Robert Jensen
Actually, since I live in Austin, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of extremists in my backyard, but I'm posting about one in particular today. When I started school at the University of Texas almost twenty years ago, in the fall of 1986, Robert Jensen was already regarded by a good chunk of the student body as a complete lunatic. Apparently, nothing's changed.
Jensen has written an article in favor, not just of Ward Churchill's right to be a jerk, but in favor of his conclusions about 9/11, as well. It's no surprise that it's posted at Alexander Cockburn's hateful, vile CounterPunch. (This article is a couple of months old, but it's new to me, having just discovered it thanks to PirateBallerina.) Here's a few of the lowlights:
There's more, depressingly, and it doesn't improve. Read the whole sorry article, if you can stomach it...Jensen goes on to seriously ponder whether the 9/11 attacks constitute justified violence (he concludes they do not - but to even consider it shows an incredible degree of moral bankruptcy), then of course, concludes in a rousing summation of what a bunch of arrogant murderers Americans are.
I am truly at a loss for words. Robert Jensen, you are despicable. Makes you feel like you need to shower just reading it, doesn't it?
Jensen has written an article in favor, not just of Ward Churchill's right to be a jerk, but in favor of his conclusions about 9/11, as well. It's no surprise that it's posted at Alexander Cockburn's hateful, vile CounterPunch. (This article is a couple of months old, but it's new to me, having just discovered it thanks to PirateBallerina.) Here's a few of the lowlights:
...The main thesis Churchill put forward in "'Some People Push Back': On the Justice of Roosting Chickens" is an accurate account of the depravity of U.S. foreign policy and its relationship to terrorism...Remember, folks, that was Malcom X's tasteless, hateful response when questioned about the Kennedy Assassination. One might be excused for wondering what chicken it was that would shortly come home to roost on Malcolm's doorstep.
...Malcolm X was correct, and it was appropriate for Churchill to quote him: Chickens do, indeed, come home to roost. And whether U.S. citizens want to acknowledge it or not, there likely will be chickens heading our way for years to come...
I also take a core assertion of Churchill's essay to be that we citizens of the U.S. empire bear some collective responsibility for those crimes, depending on our level of power and privilege, and our capacity for resistance. As Churchill explained recently, he includes himself in that category, not as a perpetrator but as a member of movements that have failed to stop the crimes (just as I would include myself). Further, those people at the top of the power pyramid must accept their responsibility for those crimes, even if they are not directly involved in the planning and execution of specific criminal acts. The technocrats "at the very heart of America's global financial empire" which U.S. policy serves, he wrote, are not innocent.Notice how Jensen and Churchill accept 'guilt' for 9/11, but at a lower level than ordinary, non-activist folks like you and I, who are perpetrators by our own inaction (this is the kind of sloppy, lazy reasoning that comprises academic Leftism these days, folks - as bad as it is, it's not unusual in the least). If you are involved in the world of finance in America, or just have some degree of power (interesting how Jensen doesn't consider himself powerful - I ask you, can you have an editorial printed whenever and wherever you like? I can't...), Jensen accuses you of, in essence, flying those jets into the buildings. And despite Jensen's later attempts to distance himself, this is, in fact, Churchill's 'little Eichmanns' argument all dressed up in its Sunday Best.
All of those claims are supported by evidence, law, and basic moral principles widely shared across philosophical and spiritual/religious traditions. Churchill is correct in refusing to retract those claims.Right, then; that settles it, everyone agrees we're barbaric monsters. Didn't you hear? Jensen said so, and that's that...
I am fortunate to remain employed at my university and engaged in the larger intellectual and political world.The only true statement in the article (oh, I know there's no context - read the article, I'm making a point here...).
I also owe a larger intellectual and political debt to Churchill. His books were influential on my thinking and were one gateway to my exploration of issues involving the U.S. attacks on indigenous people. It was by reading Churchill's work, particularly A Little Matter of Genocide, that I finally acknowledged the obvious: The European holocaust against indigenous people constitutes genocide and should lead us to confront the barbarism at the heart of the United States.So, Robert, do you owe a debt to Churchill himself, or to whomover he happened to rip off? Just curious...'The European holocaust'...how does one live with the self-loathing creeps like Jensen have? How do they sleep at night?
To right-wing forces: Feel free to take passages from this essay out of context to "prove" that I am anti-American, support terrorism, and use the classroom to indoctrinate helpless students in my demonic left-wing ideology designed to destroy our country.With the exception of my little joke, clearly labelled as out of context, I have provided context for every other excerpt. There's no need to take things out of context when the context itself is so damning.
To Ward Churchill: There are points in the essay that I think missed the mark, perhaps mostly out of a lack of sufficient time and space for detail in argument.This is, without question, the most bizarre excuse ever for hate speech: you see, Churchill just didn't have the space or time, so naturally, he used 'little Eichmanns' as a kind of shorthand. Wow...but wait, Jensen has more on this...
Perhaps better than labeling them Eichmanns would be to talk about the degree of Eichmann-ness in various positions. Maybe stock traders aren't directly analogous to Eichmann, but simply have more to answer for morally than many others. Maybe a university professor who by uncritically teaching the mythology of a benevolent U.S. empire provides support for imperial crimes has more Eichmann-ness than a secretary at the Pentagon.Do me a favor. Read that paragraph slowly, three times, and think about it. Really. Just do this one thing for me...because that excerpt is perhaps the most ridiculous argument in the history of mankind. I really believe that, and if you read it closely, I think you'll agree. 'Degree of Eichmann-ness', indeed...'Dude, I had to break up with Julie...her dad's like, a state trooper, and that's just too high a degree of Eichmann-ness for me...' Holy moly...
All are, in some sense, part of the system, but all have different levels of privilege, power, and culpability. Some directly contribute to the maintenance of the system but are well below the level of responsibilities of an Eichmann. By using the comparison so loosely, the term loses meaning. Ironically, if so many people can be Eichmanns in some sense, then the actual Eichmanns in our system -- the people in the military, government, and corporations in charge of the actual institutions of war and economic domination, the Pentagon planners and the bank officials who squeeze crippling debt payments out of Third World countries -- are off the hook.I know this is a long post, folks, but stay with me...this is amazing. 'Actual Eichmanns' - remember, Eichmann was in charge of transporting Jews to death camps in Nazi Germany - include people in the military, government, corporations engaged in 'economic domination' (well, that's everyone at Microsoft), Pentagon planners, bank officials...jeez, Rob, why stop there?
There's more, depressingly, and it doesn't improve. Read the whole sorry article, if you can stomach it...Jensen goes on to seriously ponder whether the 9/11 attacks constitute justified violence (he concludes they do not - but to even consider it shows an incredible degree of moral bankruptcy), then of course, concludes in a rousing summation of what a bunch of arrogant murderers Americans are.
I am truly at a loss for words. Robert Jensen, you are despicable. Makes you feel like you need to shower just reading it, doesn't it?
An Inexplicable Omission
While reviewing my blogroll, I realized I didn't have the Therapist on there (he will be now). What an oversight! Although I link to him often, he deserves to be on your regular reading list; it's high-quality satire, and that ain't easy, so check him out...
Early Morning Must-Read: The Hitch Gets Slammed
Regular readers know I love Christopher Hitchens (no, not that way....his writing, silly!). Still, no one's perfect, and Hitch has a real blind spot when it comes to religion. It's not that Hitch is an atheist that bugs me; he's just so unceasingly militant about it. I mean, he REALLY, REALLY doesn't like religion.
It stood to reason that he wasn't going to go easy on the Pope, and he hasn't. Since I'm not a big fan of kicking people in the immediate aftermath of their death, I'm throwing a spotlight on this Robert Musil piece taking the Hitch's Pope coverage to task...Hitch, you're great, but you need to chill a little on the religion thing, man...you keep obsessing about it, I might confuse you with an editorial writer for the New York Times...
Bonus points to Musil for working in a slam on Maureen Dowd, and the hat tip to the Minuteman - welcome back!...
It stood to reason that he wasn't going to go easy on the Pope, and he hasn't. Since I'm not a big fan of kicking people in the immediate aftermath of their death, I'm throwing a spotlight on this Robert Musil piece taking the Hitch's Pope coverage to task...Hitch, you're great, but you need to chill a little on the religion thing, man...you keep obsessing about it, I might confuse you with an editorial writer for the New York Times...
Bonus points to Musil for working in a slam on Maureen Dowd, and the hat tip to the Minuteman - welcome back!...
Friday, April 08, 2005
It's North By Northwest By A Hair...
...followed closely by Psycho, and The Birds with a strong third-place showing, for Best Hitchcock flick...as you can see, I've got a new poll up...the political polls will return in May, and the votes will be cumulative, with a twist so fiendishly clever that I have to hide it from Mel Martinez's aides for fear it will be revealed...
Miscellanea: Special Hatewatch Edition
Via Instapundit, here's a very thorough roundup of the some of the more disgusting screeds floating around these days...
Even Kofi Annan is bashing the UN these days...
My Aunt Nicki reminds me that I haven't blogged yet on Richard Gere's Mideast Peace Initiative, so here's a plethora of photographs of our former Weekly Jackass...
Are you sitting down? Howard Dean supporters are...get this...more liberal than the public at large!!!!....
Here's another shocker...boys and girls are different, it seems (has anyone shown this to Lawrence Summers?)...
Oh, and (yawn), Martha Burk's back...
Even Kofi Annan is bashing the UN these days...
My Aunt Nicki reminds me that I haven't blogged yet on Richard Gere's Mideast Peace Initiative, so here's a plethora of photographs of our former Weekly Jackass...
Are you sitting down? Howard Dean supporters are...get this...more liberal than the public at large!!!!....
Here's another shocker...boys and girls are different, it seems (has anyone shown this to Lawrence Summers?)...
Oh, and (yawn), Martha Burk's back...
Dr. Shackleford Gets Generous
The esteemed doctor is throwing out coveted Jawalanches like no one's business, so get 'em while they're hot...plenty of good reading for a Friday afternoon here...
I Respond, Uninvited, To A Letter in the New York Times
From yesterday's Letters:
My response:To the Editor:
Paul Krugman ("An Academic Question," column, April 5) is correct that the lack of conservative faculty members in college is caused not through bias but by deficiencies in conservative ideology.
From the laissez-faire, anti-unionism of late-19th-century Republicans to the melding of those trends in today's neoconservative movement, the result of conservative ideology has almost always been deleterious for the majority of Americans.
Academics look at evidence and come to conclusions. Today's conservatives start with a conclusion and then try to find anything to support that conclusion to the exclusion of all contrary evidence. Their arguments tend to fall apart under the lightest scrutiny.
It is no wonder that the vast majority of well-educated academics are "liberal."
Brandon Bittner
Royersford, Pa., April 6, 2005
Dear Brandon:I'm confident my argument won't fall apart under even the closest scrutiny (hat tip to Donald Luskin)...
After carefully weighing all the available evidence, I have reached the following conclusion:
Go suck an egg...
Mark Coffey
Midday Must-Read Followup: I-O-Me
Dale Franks at Q&O has more on the Social Security "IOU" scam, and mentions the same Donald Luskin article linked to by Viking Pundit...
Is This The Fifth Sign of the Apocalypse?
The Cookie Monster is reportedly giving up sweets...
Also, don't miss the exclusive footage of Satan buying ice-skates...
Also, don't miss the exclusive footage of Satan buying ice-skates...
Today's Must-Read: Better Fix Social Security Now, 'Cause Medicare's Next
A quite alarming chart and some excellent links and commentary by Viking Pundit. I realize that Social Security reform is fading fast, politically...that's a real shame. I'm a supporter both because I think it really is in trouble, but more so, because I'm a believer in the 'ownership society'. As I've commented before, if the Democrats win this one, it will be a pyrrhic victory...
To The Surprise Of No One, I'm Wrong Again
Okay, I admit it...I thought Sandy Berger destroyed precious evidence regarding the Clinton administration's handling of the War On Terror. If this short article by the Wall Street Journal is correct, there could have been no handwritten notes in the margins, as I and others have suggested. Kevin Drum, you win this round...
First, Memogate II collapses; now this...what's next, a Peabody for 60 Minutes II? Oh, wait...
First, Memogate II collapses; now this...what's next, a Peabody for 60 Minutes II? Oh, wait...
Thursday, April 07, 2005
60 Minutes II Wins Peabody
Details here...
In related news, congratulations to Oliver Willis on his first Pulitzer and good luck to Jayson Blair as he goes for that Nobel Prize in Literature...
In related news, congratulations to Oliver Willis on his first Pulitzer and good luck to Jayson Blair as he goes for that Nobel Prize in Literature...
Miscellanea: Hope For The (Other) Man From Hope? Edition
Fellow Texan Ryan James thinks it's looking more like Huckabee with the withdrawal(?) of Sanford...
James Pinkerton at Newsday says not so fast, what about Haley Barbour (Haley Barbour???!!!)...
Punditish returns and wonders, 'How high is high enough?'...
Carpe Bonum's summary of Memogate(less): 'stupid, stupid, stupid'....
The Fargus Report weighs in, too, but mysteriously leaves us in mid-thought: Karl Rove, anyone?...
I haven't blogged a single word about the Minuteman Project - so why start now? Suzanne, take it away...
James Pinkerton at Newsday says not so fast, what about Haley Barbour (Haley Barbour???!!!)...
Punditish returns and wonders, 'How high is high enough?'...
Carpe Bonum's summary of Memogate(less): 'stupid, stupid, stupid'....
The Fargus Report weighs in, too, but mysteriously leaves us in mid-thought: Karl Rove, anyone?...
I haven't blogged a single word about the Minuteman Project - so why start now? Suzanne, take it away...
Egg On My Face...Or Yours?
The controversial 'Josh Marshall' (heh, heh...ahhh...) regarding the political benefits of playing up the Terry Schiavo controversy has been revealed to have come from an aide to a Republican senator (now unemployed). So, we 'wingnuts' have a lot of explaining to do, eh? Not so fast...Power Line and Mickey Kaus say there's rather less than meets the eye. Kevin Drum is unable to resist the lure of the Siren and has much, much more...
The Thunder Down Under
Tim Blair is on a roll...first he has a linkfest worthy of Arthur Chrenkoff, then he 'brings' us this 'wonderful' story on the use of 'so-called' scare quotes; 'I'm' sure you'll 'enjoy' it...
While Celebrating Our Jackass, Don't Forget the Buffoon
Via Viking Pundit, I am reminded that Ankle Biting Pundits has a new award out, as well - and it's a most worthy receipient. Check it out...
Candidate Update: Sanford Says No Run
Mark Sanford, my favorite dark horse for 2008, has ruled out a run for the presidency (hat tip to Alexander McClure at PoliPundit). If you're a regular here, you know I don't put much stock in such denials, but I think Sanford's odds are a little too generous at this point - I'm knocking him down a bit...
CURRENT ODDS: 18-1
CURRENT ODDS: 18-1
That MoDo Mojo - Dowd Obsesses Over Religion (Again)
They ought to consider a name change at the New York Times; perhaps 'The Anti-Religion Daily Rag' would be more appropriate. Rare is the day that goes by without an attack on Republicans and their dang religion, consarnit. Maureen Dowd ruins what should have been a slam-dunk of a column, criticizing Tom Delay's ethics (or lack thereof), by pointless snarky references to his faith.
The point of Dowd's article is that Delay is becoming a liability to Republicans. It's a legitimate concern for those of us on the right, and Dowd would be foolish not to raise it. There is nothing about Delay's problems that is remotely related to religion, however, yet the title of the editorial is 'The Passion of the Tom'. (Get it? Doesn't make sense? But...but...it's Maureen Dowd, she's smart and funny...you get it now?)
Then there's this incomprehensibe, pathetic cry for attention (look at me! Aren't I cute?):
The Times has become obsessed with religion...there's an excellent, thought-provoking editorial waiting to be written about Tom Delay and his increasingly troublesome ethical lapses, or the perception thereof...this ain't it. Dowd...Rich...Krugman...throw a dart, you can't miss - no matter what the issue, with the Times, it all comes down to that old-time religion. The last time the Times got this obsessed about something it was Martha Burke and the Masters...serendipitous timing...but I better watch it. That sounds vaguely religious, and I wouldn't want to upset the delicate sensibilities of the Times Editorial Board...
The point of Dowd's article is that Delay is becoming a liability to Republicans. It's a legitimate concern for those of us on the right, and Dowd would be foolish not to raise it. There is nothing about Delay's problems that is remotely related to religion, however, yet the title of the editorial is 'The Passion of the Tom'. (Get it? Doesn't make sense? But...but...it's Maureen Dowd, she's smart and funny...you get it now?)
Then there's this incomprehensibe, pathetic cry for attention (look at me! Aren't I cute?):
...there's some skittishness in the party leadership about the Passion of the Tom, the fiery battle of the born-again Texan to show that he's being persecuted on ethics by a vast left-wing conspiracy. Some Republicans are wondering whether they need to pull a Trent Lott on Tom DeLay before he turns into Newt Gingrich, who led his party to the promised land but then had to be discarded when he became the petulant "definer" and "arouser" of civilization. Do they want Mr. DeLay careering around in Queeg style as they go into 2006?Why the born-again reference? Why refer to the hated Mel Gibson movie with such a clunky analogy? Why can't Maureen write a comprehensible sentence? Why...why...why?
The Times has become obsessed with religion...there's an excellent, thought-provoking editorial waiting to be written about Tom Delay and his increasingly troublesome ethical lapses, or the perception thereof...this ain't it. Dowd...Rich...Krugman...throw a dart, you can't miss - no matter what the issue, with the Times, it all comes down to that old-time religion. The last time the Times got this obsessed about something it was Martha Burke and the Masters...serendipitous timing...but I better watch it. That sounds vaguely religious, and I wouldn't want to upset the delicate sensibilities of the Times Editorial Board...
A Pair of Must-Reads...
...from the excellent Tech Central Station. Sylvain Charat speaks of the need for a new Perestroika...in France, and Ryan Sager has a good summary of the controversy at Columbia. Almost made it to another Friday, folks!...
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
And Lubos Makes Three...
I've already posted my opinion of Krugman's latest, and I've linked to James Miller's response; now the brilliant Lubos Motl weighs in...'Kruggie', baby, try a little harder next time, that's what the Times pays you the big bucks for...
Weekly Jackass Number Eighteen: Jane Fonda
It's not a sin to protest wars. Not everyone shares the same sense of morality, and political dialogue without the ability to dissent is not dialogue at all. There is no shame in John Kerry testifying on Capital Hill against the Vietnam War. There's a hell of lot of shame in buying into the 'Winter Soldier' garbage and testifying that we routinely engaged in war crimes with approval at the highest level. Atrocities were committed in Vietnam, yes; people were prosecuted, and court-martialed, and some got away with murder, literally. The vast majority of soldiers, though, did their level best and counted the days until they could be home with friends and family.
Consider, then, the case of Jane Fonda, long known as 'Hanoi Jane' for her Vietnam era antics. There is no more reason to begrudge Fonda's opposition to the war than there is Kerry's. Breaking bread with the enemy, however, goes a long way past legitimate opposition. Fonda didn't just oppose the war, she engaged in propaganda against America. Right-wing fantasy? Hardly...here's an extended excerpt from Snopes.com:
Now Fonda is in the news again. She's got a book to sell, so she's trotting out an 'apology' that isn't even an apology. As Michelle Malkin notes in this excellent editorial, writing and saying that you engaged in a 'betrayal' and suffered a 'lapse in judgment' is not an apology, it's a confession. Despite her pledge to 'set the record straight' in her new book, Bryan Curtis writes in Slate:
Is what Fonda did unforgivable? That's not up to you and me...I'll leave that to the POWs and the Almighty. Fonda's not asking our forgiveness, though...she's justifying betrayal because her country, she feels, was betraying its citizens. In other words, two wrongs making a right...pathetic.
It's entirely possible to come to the conclusion that Henry Kissinger and Richard Nixon are war criminals (I'm not saying I agree with that, I'm saying it's possible to come to that conclusion); Christopher Hitchens has certainly crossed that river - but Hitchens would never conflate his opposition to his nation's policies with a tacit endorsement of tyranny. I suggest a protest of our own against Fonda, in the most reliable way I know of; just don't buy her book...
Consider, then, the case of Jane Fonda, long known as 'Hanoi Jane' for her Vietnam era antics. There is no more reason to begrudge Fonda's opposition to the war than there is Kerry's. Breaking bread with the enemy, however, goes a long way past legitimate opposition. Fonda didn't just oppose the war, she engaged in propaganda against America. Right-wing fantasy? Hardly...here's an extended excerpt from Snopes.com:
...in July 1972...actress Jane Fonda arrived in Hanoi, North Vietnam, and began a two-week tour of the country conducted by uniformed military hosts. Aside from visiting villages, hospitals, schools, and factories, Fonda also posed for pictures in which she was shown applauding North Vietnamese anti-aircraft gunners, was photographed peering into the sights of an NVA anti-aircraft artillery launcher, and made ten propagandistic Tokyo Rose-like radio broadcasts in which she denounced American political and military leaders as "war criminals." She also spoke with eight American POWs at a carefully arranged "press conference," POWS who had been tortured by their North Vietnamese captors to force them to meet with Fonda, deny they had been tortured, and decry the American war effort. Fonda apparently didn't notice (or care) that the POWs were delivering their lines under duress or find it unusual that she was not allowed to visit the prisoner-of-war camp (commonly known as the "Hanoi Hilton") itself. She merely went home and told the world that "[the POWs] assured me they were in good health. When I asked them if they were brainwashed, they all laughed. Without exception, they expressed shame at what they had done." She did, however, charge that North Vietnamese POWs were systematically tortured in American prison-of-war camps.That's not opposition, it's treason...
To add insult to injury, when American POWs finally began to return home (some of them having been held captive for up to nine years) and describe the tortures they had endured at the hands of the North Vietnamese, Jane Fonda quickly told the country that they should "not hail the POWs as heroes, because they are hypocrites and liars." Fonda said the idea that the POWs she had met in Vietnam had been tortured was "laughable," claiming: "These were not men who had been tortured. These were not men who had been starved. These were not men who had been brainwashed." The POWs who said they had been tortured were "exaggerating, probably for their own self-interest," she asserted. She told audiences that "Never in the history of the United States have POWs come home looking like football players. These football players are no more heroes than Custer was. They're military careerists and professional killers" who are "trying to make themselves look self-righteous, but they are war criminals according to law."
Now Fonda is in the news again. She's got a book to sell, so she's trotting out an 'apology' that isn't even an apology. As Michelle Malkin notes in this excellent editorial, writing and saying that you engaged in a 'betrayal' and suffered a 'lapse in judgment' is not an apology, it's a confession. Despite her pledge to 'set the record straight' in her new book, Bryan Curtis writes in Slate:
Fonda has little new to say about Vietnam and offers few words of contrition�and these only for posing in front of an anti-aircraft gun, which she says she wandered in front of by mistake.Finally, there's this, from MSNBC:
Fonda, whose memoir �Jane Fonda: My Life So Far� comes out next week, said she did not regret meeting with American POWs in North Vietnam or making broadcasts on Radio Hanoi. �Our government was lying to us and men were dying because of it, and I felt I had to do anything that I could to expose the lies and help end the war,� she said.Let's sum up, then, lest I be accused of thrashing at a straw man: Fonda admits that her trip was a betrayal, but she doesn't regret it, nor the broadcasts, nor the use of American POWs who were being tortured as objects to make her political point with. She does regret getting too close to an anti-aircraft gun, though...that's a relief.
Is what Fonda did unforgivable? That's not up to you and me...I'll leave that to the POWs and the Almighty. Fonda's not asking our forgiveness, though...she's justifying betrayal because her country, she feels, was betraying its citizens. In other words, two wrongs making a right...pathetic.
It's entirely possible to come to the conclusion that Henry Kissinger and Richard Nixon are war criminals (I'm not saying I agree with that, I'm saying it's possible to come to that conclusion); Christopher Hitchens has certainly crossed that river - but Hitchens would never conflate his opposition to his nation's policies with a tacit endorsement of tyranny. I suggest a protest of our own against Fonda, in the most reliable way I know of; just don't buy her book...
Quick Shots: Goodbye to a Very Funny Man
I had completely missed this piece of bad news: for some of you it's old hat, other's will say "Mitch who?", but a very funny and talented comedian has died at the age of 37. I saw Mitch Hedberg at a comedy club in Austin...he was great, and he'll be missed...
The great Christopher Hitchens on Saul Bellow...
Accusations of anti-Semitic behavior from Columbia professors are dealt with in Power Line and The Nation...I'm always intrigued by stories that encapsulate the left-right divide, and this is definitely one of them. Read them both, and you decide. The always-interesting Little Green Footballs has more on the controversy...
Later tonight (time permitting), it's time for the Weekly Jackass! Stay tuned...
The great Christopher Hitchens on Saul Bellow...
Accusations of anti-Semitic behavior from Columbia professors are dealt with in Power Line and The Nation...I'm always intrigued by stories that encapsulate the left-right divide, and this is definitely one of them. Read them both, and you decide. The always-interesting Little Green Footballs has more on the controversy...
Later tonight (time permitting), it's time for the Weekly Jackass! Stay tuned...
Midday Must-Read: The Inimitable Mark Steyn
Mark Steyn has done it again...for your own pleasure, I highly recommend this missive entitled 'The Pope's Divisions'...
Who's Crazier, Churchill or His Lawyer?
Ward Churchill's lawyer is obviously well-suited to his client. David Lane has previously told us how unfair it was that his client hasn't been given an opportunity to 'respond' to CU's investigation; now Charles at Little Green Footballs tells us Lane is wondering if Churchill's critics intend to employ Nazi racial purity laws against his client. I think we'll just settle for the truth, Mr. Lane, if it's all the same to you...
Today's Must-Read: Another Krugman Dissenter
I'm not the only one to interpret Paul Krugman's most recent column as a claim that conservatives aren't in academia because they're superstitious fools - take a look at this Tech Central Station column by James Miller. I couldn't have said it better myself (though I tried) (hat tip to Real Clear Politics)...
Wednesday Morning Headline Check
Brilliant author Saul Bellow has died...
As has Prince Rainer...
Nicholas Kristof thinks the best way to honor the Pope would be to send troops to Darfur...
I don't have a link yet, but CNN is reporting that April 18th will be the start of the conclave to select a new Pope...
As has Prince Rainer...
Nicholas Kristof thinks the best way to honor the Pope would be to send troops to Darfur...
I don't have a link yet, but CNN is reporting that April 18th will be the start of the conclave to select a new Pope...
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
What Causes Terrorism? Terrorists...
Okay, after going all touchy-feely on that last post, I'm shifting into attack mode. The Bernoulli Effect reminds me of one of my biggest beefs with 'progressives': the desire to 'understand the roots' of terrorism. This, of course, is famously the same disagreement that resulted in the rupture between Christopher Hitchens and the Left. I spoke in the previous post about questioning assumptions; the assumption here, and I believe it is greviously mistaken, is that if the United States were somehow more just, more of a good global citizen, we wouldn't have people flying airplanes into skyscrapers. Bull, I say, and bull again.
Talk about your slippery slopes...it doesn't take much imagination to see how an 'understanding' view of terrorism leads quite quickly to a Ward Churchill with his 'little Eichmanns' and 'coming home to roost' garbage. I'm not interested in painting a hagiographic portrait of a U.S. that's faultless; of course, we've made mistakes, and we've been on the wrong side a few times.
Far more frequently, though, we've been on the right side. The United States has, for a couple of centuries, stood as a beacon of freedom and opportunity that draws in immigrants likes moths to a flame. How many millions have left behind oppression and found their dreams here, we will never know...yes, some fail, and yes, at times, there is injustice, but I'll take my chances here over anywhere else.
My favorite foreign language movie is 'Au Revoir, Les Enfants' (Goodbye Children) by the great French director Louis Malle. It's a beautiful movie about a private school run by monks in German-occupied France that is secretly sheltering Jewish children from the Nazis. The monks, as a treat for the children, arrange a screening of Charlie Chaplin movies. The boys are greatly entertained, laughing at the antic's of Chaplin's Little Tramp, and cutting up as only young boys can.
Then the Chaplin short 'The Immigrant', from 1917, is shown, and as the Statue of Liberty comes into view in New York Harbor, a hush comes over the room. The reverent awe in the eyes of the immigrants on the screen is matched in the eyes of the young boys in the audience. The scene is one of the most powerful in all of cinema, pregnant with emotion made all the more vivid when one imagines the horror of living under Nazi occupation. This is what America has meant to the world, more often than not. I don't care to attempt to understand the motives of those who fly airplanes into skyscrapers; I'm not about to be lectured on morality by a fiend who beheads his victims; and I won't indulge in abdication of my humanity in a misguided attempt at empathy.
Terrorism is not an argument, not a response, not a cry for help, not a tactic, but an atrocity. It deserves our condemnation, nothing more.
Talk about your slippery slopes...it doesn't take much imagination to see how an 'understanding' view of terrorism leads quite quickly to a Ward Churchill with his 'little Eichmanns' and 'coming home to roost' garbage. I'm not interested in painting a hagiographic portrait of a U.S. that's faultless; of course, we've made mistakes, and we've been on the wrong side a few times.
Far more frequently, though, we've been on the right side. The United States has, for a couple of centuries, stood as a beacon of freedom and opportunity that draws in immigrants likes moths to a flame. How many millions have left behind oppression and found their dreams here, we will never know...yes, some fail, and yes, at times, there is injustice, but I'll take my chances here over anywhere else.
My favorite foreign language movie is 'Au Revoir, Les Enfants' (Goodbye Children) by the great French director Louis Malle. It's a beautiful movie about a private school run by monks in German-occupied France that is secretly sheltering Jewish children from the Nazis. The monks, as a treat for the children, arrange a screening of Charlie Chaplin movies. The boys are greatly entertained, laughing at the antic's of Chaplin's Little Tramp, and cutting up as only young boys can.
Then the Chaplin short 'The Immigrant', from 1917, is shown, and as the Statue of Liberty comes into view in New York Harbor, a hush comes over the room. The reverent awe in the eyes of the immigrants on the screen is matched in the eyes of the young boys in the audience. The scene is one of the most powerful in all of cinema, pregnant with emotion made all the more vivid when one imagines the horror of living under Nazi occupation. This is what America has meant to the world, more often than not. I don't care to attempt to understand the motives of those who fly airplanes into skyscrapers; I'm not about to be lectured on morality by a fiend who beheads his victims; and I won't indulge in abdication of my humanity in a misguided attempt at empathy.
Terrorism is not an argument, not a response, not a cry for help, not a tactic, but an atrocity. It deserves our condemnation, nothing more.
On The Need To Question Assumptions
Some bloggers disable comments for various reasons, some of them quite good...I've been fortunate that most of my commenters are really cool and interested in making good observations instead of slinging slime. I hope that doesn't change, because I think that give and take is crucial to avoid intellectual laziness.
I've got a couple of folks who like to keep me on my toes when I slide into easy generalizations, and I'm grateful for that, because it makes me more conscious of being 'fair and balanced'. No one who reads this blog will doubt that I'm a Republican and a conservative, but I hope they'll find that I'm open to discussion.
On that note, I'd like to recommend a post at the Fargus Report. Timothy Fargus is a frequent commenter here, and though he's on the opposite side of the political divide, I find his contributions to be most valuable. In this post, he has the intellectual courage to examine a comforting assumption, and to admit he finds it lacking.
Well, good for him, but bad for us if we don't follow suit. There's plenty to disagree on out there, but we owe it to ourselves and our political opponents to at least examine the core beliefs at the heart of our assumptions with a harsh light from time to time...okay, I'm off my soapbox now, enjoy your Tuesday evening!...
I've got a couple of folks who like to keep me on my toes when I slide into easy generalizations, and I'm grateful for that, because it makes me more conscious of being 'fair and balanced'. No one who reads this blog will doubt that I'm a Republican and a conservative, but I hope they'll find that I'm open to discussion.
On that note, I'd like to recommend a post at the Fargus Report. Timothy Fargus is a frequent commenter here, and though he's on the opposite side of the political divide, I find his contributions to be most valuable. In this post, he has the intellectual courage to examine a comforting assumption, and to admit he finds it lacking.
Well, good for him, but bad for us if we don't follow suit. There's plenty to disagree on out there, but we owe it to ourselves and our political opponents to at least examine the core beliefs at the heart of our assumptions with a harsh light from time to time...okay, I'm off my soapbox now, enjoy your Tuesday evening!...
The Madness Isn't Quite Over...
The Baylor Bears women are taking on Michigan State for the National Title tonight...GO BAYLOR! (I'm a shameless promoter of the Big 12, what can I say?)...
UPDATE 9:51 p.m. central: Congrats to the women of Baylor for a convincing victory and well-deserved national title!...
UPDATE 9:51 p.m. central: Congrats to the women of Baylor for a convincing victory and well-deserved national title!...
Howard Dean Sounds Off (Again!)
Some choice quotes from the DNC Chairman (hat tip to kausfiles):
What about you, you hypocrite, you might say...Do I hate Democrats? Nope, just 'progressives'...but hate is such a strong word...let's just say I dislike most of their policies intensely - it's not a personal thing. It's precisely the 'personification' factor of progressive hatred, never more evident than in the venom routinely slung at our president, that will doom the Democrats unless they distance themselves from it...and Dean is the disease, not the cure.
[The Clinton-Lewinsky scandal] had an adverse effect on people who write for a living. It rewarded journalists for titillating gossip stories. People got promoted and investigative reporting went out the window because the big story was about sex and salaciousness and misbehavior, not about substantial things...
I guess Howard doesn't have a problem with Presidents who lie to grand juries in civil proceedings...
The values of America are much closer to the Democratic Party than the Republican Party. The Bible talks about Jesus reaching out to people who are different than He was, reaching out to sinners, reaching out to everybody and including everybody. I don't see those values in the Republican Party.Those 'chicken littles' who think the sky is falling on the Republican Party need to keep in mind the quite substantial Dean factor...this man can't avoid controversy because, at heart, he truly hates Republicans.
We have to acknowledge people's fears. It's not just about gay rights and abortion. It's fear of what happens to their families. What they need is a signal from the Democratic Party that we're going to make it easier for them to raise their kids. The mistake is to think we're going to talk people out of their fears. These are not logical fears. Most kids will turn out fine, even in this era of bad stuff on television and things like that. You cannot sit down and logically explain to people why they have their fears.
So, Howard, if you can't use logic, you're recommending...snake oil? You'll have to explain it slowly, I'm a conservative, so logic isn't my strong suit...
What about you, you hypocrite, you might say...Do I hate Democrats? Nope, just 'progressives'...but hate is such a strong word...let's just say I dislike most of their policies intensely - it's not a personal thing. It's precisely the 'personification' factor of progressive hatred, never more evident than in the venom routinely slung at our president, that will doom the Democrats unless they distance themselves from it...and Dean is the disease, not the cure.
Krugman: No Conservatives In Academia? It's Because They Believe In God
That's the message in the latest screed from the world's most annoying economist. Once again, a Times editorialist trots out the tired accusation that the Republican party is composed of theocrats just because it's not hostile to people of faith. Then he tells us Republicans don't feel comfortable in academia because we're superstitious folk who don't mix well with science (tell that to Einstein or Godel, 'Kruggie', believers both).
Nowhere in Krugman's piece will you find mention of the witchhunts undertaken by radical professors against academics who dare to question the dominant leftist paradigms, or the comfort given to Ward Churchill, as opposed to Lawrence Summers (hardly a conservative's poster boy). It's a shame 'the paper of record' has an editorial page more suited for toilet paper most days...
Nowhere in Krugman's piece will you find mention of the witchhunts undertaken by radical professors against academics who dare to question the dominant leftist paradigms, or the comfort given to Ward Churchill, as opposed to Lawrence Summers (hardly a conservative's poster boy). It's a shame 'the paper of record' has an editorial page more suited for toilet paper most days...
Best Wishes to Peter Jennings...
...who has been diagnosed with lung cancer. To say it has not been a good year for the MSM anchors would be a gross understatement. Bad news indeed; let's hope for the best...
Quick Shots: Is Tiger Woods Irrelevant? Edition
Good piece in Sports Illustrated on how important the upcoming Master's tournament is to Tiger Woods...highly recommended for sports fans...
And for the rest of you, check out this lovely photo essay on Pope John Paul II at Labosseuse...
And for the rest of you, check out this lovely photo essay on Pope John Paul II at Labosseuse...
Tuesday Morning Must-Read: Berger's Crime Much Bigger Than His Time
The Washington Times has a devestating editorial on the Sandy Berger plea bargain, and a suggestion for a quite feasible motive. Since the Justice Department dropped the ball, one can only hope the heat stays on long enough to end this man's government career. He stole important, classified documents on the War on Terror; he destroyed them intentionally; he lied about it to federal investigators; he isn't going to jail. Disgraceful...
Monday, April 04, 2005
Aljazeera Continues To Honor Pope
In a followup to my nicely received (thanks for the links, guys!) post on Aljazeera's 'blasphemous' praise of the Pope, I have to say that (at least on their English site - maybe someone that reads Arabic would know about their regular site) they've been quite cordial about the Pope in article after article, going so far as to call him one of the leading figures of the 20th century.
What does it mean? Not much, probably...but it sure beats the alternative...and besides, how many chances do you get to praise Aljazeera?
What does it mean? Not much, probably...but it sure beats the alternative...and besides, how many chances do you get to praise Aljazeera?
Third Time's A Charm...
...for Roy Williams, who wins his first national title on his third trip to the Championship, but first with North Carolina (the other two were with the Kansas Jayhawks). Illinois showed up in the second half after all, but fell short 75-70. A good end to a game that started very poorly indeed. And now, the madness ends, until March of 2006...
A Dud Of A First Half
What a letdown the National Championship has been so far...Illinois has embarrassed themselves thus far, down by 13, with only 27 first half points...wow, it was such a great tournament until the Final Four!...Here's hoping for a miracle second half...
Miscellanea: Does Defense Win Championships? Edition
It does in sports, but Democrats had better hope it does in politics, too, if Ronald Brownstein's latest is true (and I think it largely is) (hat tip to Real Clear Politics)...
Carpe Bonum pays tribute to the Pope's views on the intersection of science and religion, a subject dear to my own heart, as well...
If you haven't heard, freedom-loving, progressive San Francisco may regulate blogs; Charles at Little Green Footballs has the details...
Rusty Shackleford takes issue with the Pulitzer Prize committee (and he's right on target, as usual)...
The great Chrenkoff reminds us of the good news from Afghanistan as only he can...
I linked to this earlier, and it just disappeared...I mean, the post is gone...very odd...but this is a great fisking from Tim Blair, who was kind enough to send some traffic my way today (thanks, Tim!)...
Carpe Bonum pays tribute to the Pope's views on the intersection of science and religion, a subject dear to my own heart, as well...
If you haven't heard, freedom-loving, progressive San Francisco may regulate blogs; Charles at Little Green Footballs has the details...
Rusty Shackleford takes issue with the Pulitzer Prize committee (and he's right on target, as usual)...
The great Chrenkoff reminds us of the good news from Afghanistan as only he can...
I linked to this earlier, and it just disappeared...I mean, the post is gone...very odd...but this is a great fisking from Tim Blair, who was kind enough to send some traffic my way today (thanks, Tim!)...
One Last Shot At Redemption
As horrible as my bracket was this year (and it was awful), I did have Illinois winning the championship. True, I had them beating Duke, but at least I got the state right. I just hope it's a better game than Saturday's Final Four matchups were...
Royals Postpone Wedding: World Stifles Yawn
The BBC is reporting that Prince Charles has bowed to the inevitable and is postponing his wedding until Saturday; those of you sick of the coverage of the Pope's death now have a weekend of Royal Wedding saturation to look forward to.
In all seriousness - Great Britain: isn't it time to dump the whole monarchy business? Does anyone REALLY care about these yo-yos? It's a bit of a joke, now, isn't it? I mean, Elton John, singing the umpteen millionth rewrite of 'Candle in the Wind', is that what we have to look forward to? "Hello, Camilla Bowles, you were the Queen's least favorite girl...and it seems to me that you lived your life like a spoiled, rich anachronism..."; ahh, I should have been a songwriter.
In all seriousness - Great Britain: isn't it time to dump the whole monarchy business? Does anyone REALLY care about these yo-yos? It's a bit of a joke, now, isn't it? I mean, Elton John, singing the umpteen millionth rewrite of 'Candle in the Wind', is that what we have to look forward to? "Hello, Camilla Bowles, you were the Queen's least favorite girl...and it seems to me that you lived your life like a spoiled, rich anachronism..."; ahh, I should have been a songwriter.
Monday Morning Quick Shots: Catching Up On The News
Lots of stuff going on; here's a few quick recommendations:
Jack Kelly has the scoop from one of Volcker's investigators: 'We did not exonerate Kofi Annan' (hat tip to the Instapundit)...
Tonight, of course, is the National Championship for the men, but on the women's side, congrats to the Baylor Bears, who will be playing in their Championship tomorrow...
The incredibly nasty Marburg virus continues its worst breakout...
Iraq has chosen a Sunni as speaker of the National Assembly...
And, good news, indeed, Syria has announced a complete pullout from Lebanon by the end of the month...
Jack Kelly has the scoop from one of Volcker's investigators: 'We did not exonerate Kofi Annan' (hat tip to the Instapundit)...
Tonight, of course, is the National Championship for the men, but on the women's side, congrats to the Baylor Bears, who will be playing in their Championship tomorrow...
The incredibly nasty Marburg virus continues its worst breakout...
Iraq has chosen a Sunni as speaker of the National Assembly...
And, good news, indeed, Syria has announced a complete pullout from Lebanon by the end of the month...
Sunday, April 03, 2005
Aljazeera Footage Draws Quick Condemnation
It's an old story, right? Radical network Aljazeera has aired footage considered outrageous and indefensible. Another barbaric beheading, perhaps? Hostage footage? A videotaped message from bin Laden?
Nope, they dared to treat the passing of Pope John Paul II as a major story, rather than just the death of an 'old tyrant', and the radical Islamists are hopping mad.
And some say their coverage isn't fair and balanced!...What a world we live in...
Nope, they dared to treat the passing of Pope John Paul II as a major story, rather than just the death of an 'old tyrant', and the radical Islamists are hopping mad.
And some say their coverage isn't fair and balanced!...What a world we live in...
How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
Nope, I'm not talking about the U2 album, but an interesting article in the New York Times regarding our aging nuclear weapon stockpile. The argument isn't really about dismantling, but about what to do with the W-76 warhead carried on our fleet of nuclear submarines. An upcoming program aims to extend the life of the warheads, but some weapons scientists say there's a design flaw that would keep the warhead from exploding with its intended force.
Three options present themselves, then: overhaul the existing warheads, replace them altogether, or do nothing at all. What makes this debate so fascinating, of course, isn't this particular weapon so much as the window it opens onto the nuclear debate. If you believe that a nuclear deterrent is absolutely essential to our security, you're likely to favor the replacement option. If you believe nuclear weapons are a moral outrage or an anachronistic relic, you're likely to vote for doing nothing. That's leaves the middle option as the safest, but most likely ineffective, route.
There's an intriguing back story here that the article only deals with on the surface, involving high tension, the suicide of a top designer, and the pressures of the Cold War. Highly recommended, but leaves me hungry for more; maybe Richard Rhodes should make his nuclear duo a trio...
Three options present themselves, then: overhaul the existing warheads, replace them altogether, or do nothing at all. What makes this debate so fascinating, of course, isn't this particular weapon so much as the window it opens onto the nuclear debate. If you believe that a nuclear deterrent is absolutely essential to our security, you're likely to favor the replacement option. If you believe nuclear weapons are a moral outrage or an anachronistic relic, you're likely to vote for doing nothing. That's leaves the middle option as the safest, but most likely ineffective, route.
There's an intriguing back story here that the article only deals with on the surface, involving high tension, the suicide of a top designer, and the pressures of the Cold War. Highly recommended, but leaves me hungry for more; maybe Richard Rhodes should make his nuclear duo a trio...
Oil-For-Food Update: Simon Outs His Sources
Roger L. Simon, who has been doing some marvelous reporting on Oil-For-Food, lets us know who his sources are. Despite the desire of Kofi and his allies to paint the scandal as over following the finding of the second Interim Report that Kofi was merely incompetent, not corrupt, it ain't over. The fat lady isn't even warming up yet, folks (hat tip to the Instapundit)....
Miscellanea: A New Poll and a New Era Edition
On the trivial side of the ledger, I have put up a new poll; as mentioned before, I am keeping the results of the my political polls, and I will repost them from time to time and keep a cumulative total...
The new era I refer to is that of a new papacy, and Lubos Motl (who is the Arthur Chrenkoff of physics - if that's too obscure for you, it's a giant compliment) has an excellent post on the contenders...
Kevin Drum has more on handicapping the Vatican...
In other Pope-related postings, Michelle Malkin is not happy with the MSM's coverage, and Professor Bainbridge has a picture and post you ought to see...
Our good friend the Daily Kos has added a trackback feature (dare I? I dare...) and has announced a 'radical' redesign (how appropriate!)...
The new era I refer to is that of a new papacy, and Lubos Motl (who is the Arthur Chrenkoff of physics - if that's too obscure for you, it's a giant compliment) has an excellent post on the contenders...
Kevin Drum has more on handicapping the Vatican...
In other Pope-related postings, Michelle Malkin is not happy with the MSM's coverage, and Professor Bainbridge has a picture and post you ought to see...
Our good friend the Daily Kos has added a trackback feature (dare I? I dare...) and has announced a 'radical' redesign (how appropriate!)...
Today's Must-Read: Steyn Says Crack-Up Not All It's Cracked Up To Be
The inimitable Mark Steyn (pay attention, Maureen, this is how to be smart and funny) takes on the notion of a conservative crack-up as only he can. To whet your appetite, here's a few choice excerpts:
...Norman Lear, who produced all those critically acclaimed issue-confronting heroine-gets-an-abortion '70s sitcoms that seem a lot more dated than ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' these days, has now produced a People For the American Way ad in which a man who identifies himself as a "common sense Republican" objects to any attempt to end the Democratic filibuster of Bush's judicial nominees. As things turn out, the "common sense Republican" has so much common sense he's an official with a union that endorsed John Kerry...The man is good; go read it, post-haste...
...Blog maestro Andrew Sullivan decided that America was witnessing a "conservative crack-up" over Terri Schiavo and the embrace of her cause by extreme right wing fundamentalist theocrat zealots like, er, Jesse Jackson and Ralph Nader. Sullivan was last predicting a "conservative crack-up" during the impeachment era, on the grounds (if I recall correctly) that Republican moralizing would dramatically cut into Strom Thurmond's share of the gay vote. In the '90s, the Weekly Standard ran innumerable special editions devoted to the subject: Conservative Crack-Up; Conservative Crack-Up 2; Conservative Crack-Up -- The Musical; Abbott And Costello Meet The Conservative Crack-Up; Conservative Crack-Up On Elm Street; Four Weddings And A Conservative Crack-Up; Rod Stewart Sings Timeless Favorites From The Great Conservative Crack-Up, etc...
Somebody File A Missing Persons Report
Have you noticed that since things started looking better in Iraq and the Middle East, specifically since the Iraqi elections, there has been nothing but silence from perenniel publicity seekers Michael Moore and Barbra Streisand? Moore's last 'letter' on his website was January 10th, regarding the People's Choice Awards, and Babs hasn't posted a 'statement' since January 28th, coinciding quite nicely with the aforementioned elections. Cat got your tongues?...
That MoDo Mojo: Whaaa???
Stunned; I am literally stunned. The newest Maureen Dowd column is up, and - I'm not kidding folks, Dave Barry couldn't make this up - it's called 'Curveball the Goofball'. Let's repeat that slowly together - 'Curveball the Goofball'. I can't figure out whether Dowd has succumbed to dementia, or if it's me.
I'd tell you what the column is about, but I have no idea. Oh, I read it, but it follows few of the rules of the language I know as 'English'. There's something about fishing, and of course, 'Rummy' and 'W.', and Ahmad Chalabi makes an appearance, and the CIA, and then...Curveball. (That's Curveball, the Goofball). Curveball....um, the Goofball...eh...hmmm....uhhhh....(falls over in a slump)....
I'd tell you what the column is about, but I have no idea. Oh, I read it, but it follows few of the rules of the language I know as 'English'. There's something about fishing, and of course, 'Rummy' and 'W.', and Ahmad Chalabi makes an appearance, and the CIA, and then...Curveball. (That's Curveball, the Goofball). Curveball....um, the Goofball...eh...hmmm....uhhhh....(falls over in a slump)....
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