Who's More Independent? You Be The Judge...

Charles at Little Green Footballs has an interesting post about leftwing journal In These Times and the ludicrous assertion that blogs on the right are part of the rightwing 'message machine' and the lefty blogs are free from such tainted sources. As Charles says, this is in fact exactly the opposite of reality.

Daily Kos is a notorious paid Dean lackey, Josh Marshall names his 'All Social Security, All the Time' insider blog Talking Points Memo (not ironically, I might add), Atrios gets his paycheck from radical billionaire George Soros, Oliver 'Like Potatoes to a Big Steak' Willis is so dirty with insider [cookie?] dough that he's a walking conflict of interest...I could go on and on and on...Michelle Malkin is a media figure, as is Hugh Hewitt, but I know of no rightwing blogger who gets 'talking points' that are then relentless run over and over and over, a la 'The Coalition of the Faint-Hearted'. Ridiculous, but typical of the 'Big Lie'...

Today's Must-Read: The Worst Professor in America Meets His Adoring Public

How can you resist an in-depth look at the Ward Churchill Notoreity Tour? Predictably, the most surefire result of the recent controversies is that Churchill will make a bundle shouting out how he's being silenced, from sea to shining sea...

The Return of Beagle Blogging

Hi, everybody...my daddy got a digital camera for his birthday, so he has finally joined the 21st century. What does that mean for you? Well, for one thing, there will be a lot more beagle blogging, and just in time...I am working on a MAJOR investigative report that will shake up the canine world from top to bottom. At the request of Barney Bush, I am holding off publication until later this week, that's how big this thing is...so stay tuned to my Daddy's blog, you can't afford to miss this one. Until then...Woof!

Quick Shots: Sokal, Relived

Some Saturday morning blog browsing:

A couple of good items from the great Tim Blair - if you're familiar with the Sokal hoax, you'll love this one; this one is great for the headline alone, but the links are excellent as well...

Why is it that everytime Jimmy Carter opens his mouth, criticism of the U.S. comes out? Maybe he should get a job as editor of Le Monde...

Via Power Line, some Senate vote counting by Robert Novak: is a breakthrough imminent?...

Come On, Howard, Who's Kidding Whom?

Blue State Republican has a good post over at Mike Huckabee for President 2008 on Howard Dean's attempt to woo the 'values' voters. That dog won't hunt...Dean's insincerity is obvious, shown by his pathetic attempt to say the values of Christ are Democratic values. Umm, news flash, folks, I don't think Jesus would describe himself as a Republican or a Democrat...to paraphrase Abe Lincoln, we need to be worried about being on His side, rather than vice versa. If the religious vote has tended to go Republican these days, it is only because that is the party that has been more welcoming. See the Washington Times article referred to in the post for more good discussion...

Friday Evening Must-Read: Churchill at Berkeley

I missed this when it was first posted, but Benjamin Kerstein at Dairy of an Anti-Chomskyite has a great post on our favorite radical professor visiting our favorite radical campus...check it out, and enjoy your Friday night...

Miscellanea: Special Birthday Edition

I'll be on the road in a couple of hours, and won't be able to post again until this evening; in the meantime, here's some special iron-fortified goodness for you to chew over:

The invaluable Victor Davis Hanson on the failed Mideast policies that preceded the Bush Doctrine; excellent, as always...

Now that an American (and a fellow Texan, to boot!) has been indicted in Oil-For-Food, it's a real scandal!...

Sadly, though, Oil-For-Food has involved some very familiar faces. I recommend you send your children out of the room before clicking this link...

Here's a blog that started about the same time as mine from a new commenter and a self-described 'reformed liberal', so check it out, won't you?...

Michael Young, in Lebanon's Daily Star, on the Syrian legacy:

After 29 years, the Syrian regime, which we must reportedly thank for having robbed Lebanon blind, assassinated its leaders, bombed it cities and killed many thousands of its civilians, leaves a legacy no one cares to resurrect.

Ouch! (hat tip to RealClearPolitics)...

Meanwhile, Syria shows its kindler, gentler face - forgive me if I'm cynical...

From Little Green Footballs: Kofi tries to deflect blame, Britain none-too-happy...

Carpe Bonum, meanwhile, is mired knee-deep in a scandal involving blogs, carnivals, vanity, and SUV babes. No word yet on an auction for the movie rights...

Punditish is suffering from withdrawal symptoms, so show your sympathy by paying him a visit...

And if those links aren't enough to satiate your voracious appetite, here's more from the good Dr. Shackleford...

The Shortest Must-Read Ever...

...from the Bernoulli Effect. Indeed. Heh.

Sanford Gets Some Good Buzz

Thanks to Clint for pointing out this WSJ article on Mark Sanford; it's a good insight to why I still consider him a good dark horse possibility in '08, despite his 'not running' denial. I'm not changing his odds for now, but give it a read, he's an interesting character...

Weekly Jackass Number Nineteen: Terry Jones

Terry Jones is rightfully considered a comic legend for his work with Monty Python, and I'm a big fan of that work. Jones also doubles as an occasional columnist for the Guardian and an author, and I'm not a fan at all of that work. Jones puts on the same airs in much of this work as the Python fellows did, trying to lend an air of absurdity to the War On Terror and the Iraqi liberation, and I'm sure the Kossacks and their ilk are laughing it up. After we sample a few choice excerpts, I think you'll understand why I'm not even cracking a smile.

Here's Jones on the devestating tsunami that tugged at the world's heart:

I am bewildered by the world reaction to the tsunami tragedy. Why are newspapers, television and politicians making such a fuss? Why has the British public forked out more than �100m to help the survivors, and why is Tony Blair now promising "hundreds of millions of pounds"? Why has Australia pledged �435m and Germany �360m? And why has Mr Bush pledged �187m?

Of course it's wonderful to see the human race rallying to the aid of disaster victims, but it's the inconsistency that has me foxed. Nobody is making this sort of fuss about all the people killed in Iraq, and yet it's a human catastrophe of comparable dimensions.

According to the only scientific estimate attempted, Iraqi deaths since the war began number more than 100,000. The tsunami death toll is in the region of 150,000. Yet in the case of Iraq, the media seems reluctant to impress on the public the scale of the carnage.

Where to begin with excrement like this? Well, the 100,000: this is a widely discredited figure from a vastly flawed study that has been absolutely dismantled in numerous pieces such as this one...next, the source of the civilian deaths (probably 1/10th what Jones claims) has become almost exclusively terrorists. Thus, since Jones by his own admission wants to help the people in Iraq as much as the tsunami victims, he should be pounding the pavements rounding up support for those opposed to the terrorists (i.e., the Coalition). But no, it's easier to demonize our side that actually try to help theirs, eh, Terry?

Now, Jones is hitting the stump promoting his new book ridiculing the War on Terror, and here's the kind of trenchant analysis we can expect to see if we shell out the bucks:

Jones doesn't shy away from disagreeing with the current Washington wisdom being bruited about: that, with the end of Saddam's regime, the Iraqi elections, and recent demonstrations in Lebanon, going to war in Iraq was the right decision.

The status of democracy in Iraq is still tenuous, he says, and regardless, the end can't justify the means.

"Is it worth all the destruction of the infrastructure? Worth all the deaths? It's a question you can't answer," he says.

What is it, really, with the short-term focus of the Radical Left? If 10,000 die so that millions can have a better future, that's not worth it? Infrastructure? What's infrastructure, in the grand scheme of history? You can answer the question, Terry: Yes! Yes! Emphatically, yes! It is worth it; and you can help end the deaths if you get on board with the right side in the here and now.

My final excerpt (I can't take much more of this idiocy) is from Jones's newest column:

A report to the UN human rights commission in Geneva has concluded that Iraqi children were actually better off under Saddam Hussein than they are now.

This, of course, comes as a bitter blow for all those of us who, like George Bush and Tony Blair, honestly believe that children thrive best when we drop bombs on them from a great height, destroy their cities and blow up hospitals, schools and power stations.

It now appears that, far from improving the quality of life for Iraqi youngsters, the US-led military assault on Iraq has inexplicably doubled the number of children under five suffering from malnutrition. Under Saddam, about 4% of children under five were going hungry, whereas by the end of last year almost 8% were suffering.

Of course, the report proved nothing of the kind, even if we accept its statistics as accurate. Jones claims it says Iraqi children are worse off; what it says it that the malnutrition rate has doubled, and of course, that is a terrible thing. Isn't it expected, though, in a war zone, as horrible as it is for the children involved? The broader point, and the reason the children aren't worse off, is this:

The 92% who aren't suffering from malnutrition, and those of the 8% who get help and survive, now actually have a future in front of them, instead of life under the thumb of a brutal tyrant; a few among them will even someday rule their country, a privilege that will be granted not from nepotism, but from democratic elections. I say it again, Terry: Yes, it's worth it! Very much so...

Terry knows better, though; he knows we could have avoided this whole awful mess, if we had just exposed the Iraqi children to Monty Python...think I'm kidding? Here's the end of the CNN piece:

Python, on the other hand, leaves a more positive legacy, he says. He tells a story about an inner-city schoolteacher who noticed that Python skits had a softening effect on his rough students' behavior.

"Instead of the kids being bullies, they would go around being silly," he says.

Oh, if only Saddam were still in power, with all that grand infrastructure in place, and the Iraqi kids were running around being silly while their parents lived in fear...what a great world that would be! This Weekly Jackass award is quite well deserved...truly disgusting. Mr. Jones, you ought to be ashamed...

UPDATE 04/15 8:41 a.m. central: Thanks to the great Tim Blair and the esteemed Dr. Shackleford for the links - a nice start to my birthday...look around and stay a while, folks, good to have you here...

Look Out Your Window: Are Pigs Flying?

Well, lo and behold - the Kos gets one right:

From Washington Times interview with DeLay:

Mr. Hurt: Have you ever crossed the line of ethical behavior in terms of dealing with lobbyists, your use of government authority or with fundraising?

Mr. DeLay: Ever is a very strong word.

Umm, Tom? The right answer was "no".

That's about right; Delay isn't doing our side any favors with talk like this...

Good On Ya, Mate

Here's a piece of legislation I can definitely get behind: Congressman Jeb Hensarling of Texas has introduced the Online Freedom of Speech Act. Get the details here (hat tip to the Instapundit)...

An Early Birthday Present

One day before my birthday, I've passed the 50,000 visitor mark for my first major milestone. I started this blog on November 21st, 2004, so it's been a little less than five months. I'm pretty happy with that, and I'd like to take a moment to thank a few people (the producers tell me that they'll cue the orchestra if I go on too long, so I'll make it quick and painless).

My first visitors, of course, were friends and family, so thanks, you guys (I'm quite pleased to say my mom is a regular visitor). Two of my earliest supporters were Nettie and bebere, and I'm glad they've stuck with me. Other regulars or semi-regulars who are bloggers are greatly appreciated, too, such as Carpe Bonum, Clint, Miriam, Fargus, Punditish, the Sheep's Crib, Knemon, The Therapist, Pam Meister, The Bernoulli Effect, Suzanne Wood, Mike Huckabee President 2008, Corposant, killrighty, RyanVOX, Mover Mike, Presidential Primaries 2008, and Nixon1971.

Then there are the established veterans who have been kind enough to throw me links from time to time or blogroll me, including the brilliant Lubos Motl, The Young Conservative, The Hobbesian Conservative, Professor Bainbridge, Viking Pundit, Commonwealth Conservative, Erick Erickson, the esteemed Dr. Shackleford, Ed Driscoll, and Betsy Newmark. Finally, a big chunk of that 50,000 comes from just about a couple of dozen links from the big dogs on the block: The Instapundit, PoliPundit, Captain Ed, Little Green Footballs, Arthur Chrenkoff, Tim Blair, TKS, and Michelle Malkin.

The problem with doing one of these things is you always leave someone out, so drop me a line in the comments if I did so with you (it wasn't intentional, I promise!)...thanks for the visits, and I'll try to keep things fresh, fun, and interesting...speaking of, later today or this evening I'll have the Weekly Jackass, so stay tuned!...

The Empty Cathedrals: European Secularism

Another great article / book review in the WSJ today, this time relating to European hostility towards religion. If the United States turned into a theocracy, it would be disastrous; an even greater tragedy, though, would be to raise secularism into the state religion in the mode of Europe. Read why here...

Taking Back The Word Liberal

Wow, what a great article by Joel Engel in the Weekly Standard, who articulates beautifully the meaninglessness of the word 'liberal' as co-opted by today's progressives. As I've stated before, classical liberalism accomplished many great things, and was a reaction to abuses that were quite real and quite undemocratic.

Now, we have the U.S. decried as 'fascist' for ending two of the most loathsome regimes of recent years in the Taliban and Saddam's Baathist dictatorship. We, incredibly, have people accused of being hatemongers for shedding light on hateful statements made by radicals such as Jane Christensen and Ward Churchill. We are condemned for having a 'culture of death' by Frank Rich*, because of the chronological coincidence of Terry Schiavo and Pope John Paul II's final days.

That's why I'm so glad to see Engel's article, because it provides much needed clarity for those of us who are uncomfortable condemning 'liberals' in view of the classical meaning of the word, and its close assocation with democracy and freedom. I've often been at pains, at times awkwardly so, to insist that it is not the Left en masse that I oppose, but only the most radical elements, yet I've made my point clumsily in some cases. Now, if I find myself at a loss for words, I can just point to Engel's article, and say, "This - this is what I'm trying to articulate". Needless to say, I give it the highest of recommendations.

*That would be the same Frank Rich who has no problem with the culture of dead fetuses, but can't wait to condemn those who believe the coldest murderers among us maybe shouldn't live the rest of their lives on easy street at taxpayer expense (yep, I said easy street. I'm tired of hearing how tough prison is. Every meal is paid for, no rent to worry about, no broken-down cars, or unexpected expenses...that's not hard. What's hard is making a living, showing up for work day after day, taking care of your loved ones, raising a family, doing the right thing...in fact, it's a truism that it is these very everyday struggles that proved too difficult for almost every single prisoner to handle).

Now, I've said before that it's probably a good thing, all in all, that abortion is legal. I've also said that I find it abominable how it is celebrated as the single defining accomplishment of democracy by some of the more strident pro-choicers. The fact remains that, in the vast, vast majority of cases, unwanted pregnancies are the result of irresponsible behavior; yet, those who would teach abstinence as a virtue to our children are dismissed as 'unrealistic'.

This Article Will Blow Your Mind - Figuratively

Following up on my earlier churlish chastisement of MoDo for what I saw as a flagrant foul, our good friend the charming bebere (have you checked out her poetry site yet?) sends this gem from the Weekly Standard - I literally laughed out loud (no, really, I mean it)...

Plugging A Book I Haven't Even Read

I haven't read Freakonomics, nor have I bought it, but I will be doing both. I was already a little intrigued from reading this Slate piece; the coup de grace is this Opinion Journal article. Read it yourself, and tell me it doesn't make you just want to run out and buy it. Maybe Mr. Landsburg should quit his day job as an economist and start hawking books for a living...

That MoDo Mojo - Ehh, Whatever

I'm giving Maureen a pass this week; her newest column is apolitical and it didn't really move me one way or another - except for one of my pet peeves, the misuse of 'literal'. Here's MoDo's opening:

Baby boomers' almost comic fear of aging reminds me of that silent movie scene in which Harold Lloyd hangs precariously from the hand of a giant clock, literally pulling time from its moorings.

Alright, I know it's nitpicky, but Harold Lloyd wasn't 'literally' pulling time from its moorings; he was figuratively doing so. You make the big bucks as a columnist, you ought to know that, that's all...

Terrorists and Nukes: How Scared Should We Be?

DJ Drummond has a long, comprehensive look at the prospects of nukes falling into the hands of those who wouldn't hesitate to use them. Highly recommended - whether you agree with the conclusions or not, some very good issues are raised...

Wictory Wednesday: The National Edition

This Wictory Wednesday, you can help out no matter where you live; the beneficiary is the National Republican Senatorial Committee. You can read the details here. I'm sure you know the drill by now: help out if you're willing and able, and, of course, click on a couple of random links from the blogroll at bottom left and send some much-appreciated traffic to a stranger...who knows, you might find a new favorite blog (just keep coming back here...pretty please, with sugar on top? You know things just wouldn't be the same without you...).

The Stupidest Thing I've Heard In Quite Some Time

I've been generally supportive of Mahmoud Abbas; I've always had the feeling he's fairly moderate and somebody who can be reasoned with when push comes to shove, but this is quite ridiculous. To encourage militants to give up their guns and obtain employment with the Palestinian Authority (a worthy goal), a point system has been established. So far, so good...but then there's this:

A high school diploma, for example, is worth eight points, while a year in an Israeli prison or on the run counts for two points each. Gunmen don't get credit for time served in Palestinian lockups, but they win extra points if they were wounded by Israeli army fire or had their homes demolished.

Notice the assumptions at play here: if you were on the run or imprisoned by the Israelis, you were just serving the cause; if you were imprisoned by the Palestinians, you're a criminal. Sometimes, parody is insufficient in the face of life itself...

Today's Must-Read: Gimme That Old-Time Religion (In A Very Small Dose)

The Instapundit, in his not-so-secret-identity as Glenn Reynolds, weighs in on religion in politics, and concludes that Americans like their religion, but in small portions...

My Niece Introduces Prom Blogging

Hey, guys, my name is Audra and I'm 18 years old if you didn't catch my first guest blog. I'm almost done with school and I'm going to leave home and go to Angelo State next year. This is my Uncle Mark's blog and since everything is always so serious, I thought I'd bring a little flair to it today. The picture is from my very last prom this past weekend. It was a blast and everyone danced the entire time. Thanks for checking out my guest blog and please leave me comments!!! I'll be sure to guest blog again some time later ; ) - NOTE FROM MARK: She really loves the comments (she tells me that's the best part of the blog - should I be insulted?), so don't be shy...

Miscellanea: Where's The Plan, Paul? Edition

Holy frijoles, there's a lot of good stuff out there today...

Let's start with this beauty from Hoystory, who's got the goods on Krugman (hat tip to Viking Pundit)...

Welcome back, Punditish (I was hoping it was just a technical glitch). Check him out, folks, always some good stuff...

More on Sy Hersh's unique take on journalism at Carpe Bonum...

Daniel Drezner reminds us not to equate 'liberal' with extremist...just so. That's why I try to make the point from time to time that it's not Democrats or liberals that I'm peeved with, it's that particular branch now widely known as 'progressives' that get my motor running...

Wanna hear Joe Biden's idea of humor? Make sure you're not eating...

And congrats to Captain Ed...he's been making quite a splash lately (hat tip to the Instapundit)

JFK: Cleared On One Charge, Guilty Of Another

Well, as suggested by Fargus, I checked out Michelle Malkin on the Mr. Smith/Fulton Armstrong kerfuffle, and it appears Kerry is in the clear. However, in a much less serious but far more embarassing gaffe, Kerry's 'voter intimidation' speech seems to be lifted from The Onion and Scrappleface (d'oh!).

Ground Zero Update

You ever wonder what's happening with Ground Zero? We all know about the design contest for the Twin Towers' replacement(s), but will the dang thing ever get built? What about the other plans for the site? Satisfy your curiousity here (that's two New York magazine pieces today - I'm not getting kickbacks, I swear)...

Today's Must Read: The Slippery Slope Writ Large

Seymour Hersh has a way with words; in fact, two ways...read the details here. Thus does the mind of the conspiracy theorist work (and while you're reading it, think of 60 Minutes II, Michael Moore, and the notion of 'larger truths' than the literal truth)...

James Carroll: A Study In Loaded Terminology

I very much enjoyed James Carroll's magnum opus Constantine's Sword, though I did have to question how his version of early Christianity could possibly be embraced by the Catholic Church. I must say that as a columnist, he consistently disappoints me. His latest column is an exercise in studied fairness that is anything but.

The subject is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and despite Carroll's measured attempts to show both sides, his language betrays his sympathy. Far better for an opinion writer to state his loyalties up front than to hide behind a false mask of neutrality.

Consider the following passages:

...Does Israel's nearly completed ''security barrier" effectively define the permanent border? If announced new Jewish settlements are built east of Jerusalem, cutting off Palestinian areas, where does that leave the Palestinian hope for Jerusalem as capital of its nascent state? How can that state come into being at all, with Israel tightening its grip on much of the West Bank?

...How can Abbas maintain power and the Palestinian truce -- if Israel and America give him nothing of what he needs?

...The Sharon government is in no hurry to take up final-status questions again. Instead, a tactic of unilateral separation, coupled with the new ''facts on the ground" -- the security barrier, expanded settlements around Jerusalem -- preempt negotiations. Palestinians want no part of the truncated state that such facts define.

...One imagines George W. Bush with a piece of straw in his mouth. His boots up on the table. Shucks. What a view. But does the president see that the very survival of Israel -- as a democracy, even as a nation -- is at stake here? Does he see the ever more desperate plight of the Palestinian people? Having turned Iraq into a recruitment and training center for terrorists, can he see how the final collapse of peace between Israelis and Palestinians will fuel Arab and Muslim hatred of America? What is Bush waiting for? What good is the view if the rancher is blind?

This last paragraph is particularly galling;...'having turned Iraq into a recruitment and training center for terrorists' is such a completely one-sided view of the situation in that country that one wonders if Carroll prefered the stable dictatorship of Saddam Hussein to the tenous, but inspiring, fledgling democracy taking root.

All of these examples show clearly a distrust for Sharon and contempt for George W. Bush. I would argue, though, that it is precisely the tough stances adopted by Sharon and Bush, coupled with the death of the Noble Peace Prize winner and permanent obstacle to peace Arafat, that have brought new opportunities to the arena. I do share Carroll's worry that the position of Abbas is weakening, and that's not a good thing, when you consider his likely replacement with a militant.

The question, though, is what is Israel, or the United States, to do? Clearly, negotiations must be pursued, but negotiations can last indefinitely; it is to Sharon's credit that he has begun to do unilaterally what must be done to lesson the violence and change the dynamic. For far too long, the open wound that is the Middle East has been allowed to fester; at last, steps are being taken that might bring some relief.

What Would Willie Do?

He'd throw a party for several thousand and donate the proceeds to tsunami relief. Today, on CD and DVD, a recording of a great January 9th concert to raise funds for tsunami relief is out; hear some great tunes and support a good cause at the same time. You can't beat that combo...

Also on the local front, tickets for the 2005 Austin City Limits festival go on sale Friday, April 15th (my 37th birthday). The price is $85 for a three day pass, and this year, each day's attendance will be capped at 65,000, so it will sell out. This year's festival is September 23-25.

Quick Shots: Wow, We Dodged A Bullet!

Man, oh, man, I'm glad we didn't elect this man; here's the latest from Senator Kerry (hat tip to Viking Pundit)...

Wizbang celebrates its 2nd blogiversary (congrats!)...

Note to Dr. Shackleford: don't feel bad, when the NY Times quoted me, they didn't drop me a link, either...

Taking Liberties With Michael Moore's Liberties

An entertaining excerpt from Byron York's new book detailing the Fahrenheit 9/11 hype machine can be found here. I take issue with one assertion...that Moore's film had only the 32nd best opening weekend in 2004. York's assertion rests on Fahrenheit's $23 million box office take that weekend. That's not the whole story, and in an article that shows how expert Moore is at misleading people, it's sloppy enough to seriously undermine York's message.

How so? Fahrenheit got its $23 mil from only 868 screens. That's a very healthy $27,000 + per screen average. Fahrenheit also would go on to expand to 2,001 theaters at its height, and the $23 million represents 20% of its total North American box office take. By comparison, Shrek 2, the biggest box office draw of 2004, got a little over $25,000 per screen, but showed in over 4,100 theaters, a number that would only increase slightly at its peak. Furthermore, Shrek 2's opening weekend represented over 25% of its take. (All of these statistics can be easily verified at BoxOfficeMojo - I've taken the liberty of rounding off a little).

The meaning of these numbers is this: Fahrenheit opened surprisingly strong, and as a consequence, more theaters took a chance on putting it on more screens once they had them available. Furthermore, the relatively small percentage of total take from opening weekend means the film had legs. Finally, it's worth noting, on worldwide box office receipts of $222 million, versus $21 million for production and advertising, that Fahrenheit grossed 10 times its cost even before DVD and video receipts and other ancillary figures are included.

Why am I spending so long defending Michael Moore? Well, I'm not really - I'm just asking for a more rounded view. York's point, and it's well made, is that Moore's film was never as big in the heartland as he claimed it was. Well, Byron, we already knew Michael Moore was a habitual liar and chronic publicity hound...but his overall success is undeniable, and a fuller picture of the box office reveals a film that truly was a major, major hit. I'm calling this one a draw...

Miscellanea: My Dog's More Southern Than Yours Edition

Over at Mike Huckabee for President 2008, Blue State Republican argues for what might be called the 'Deep Southern' strategy...

You can read more of frequent commenter Timothy Fargus's take on the education / political persuasion debate here...

In case you missed it in the comments, Pam Meister directs us to this article from Front Page Magazine about the same subject...

Charlie Rangel has just announced his new translation of the New Testament...

Prof Bainbridge has some thoughts on the 'assumptions' trap in this excellent post...

The Bernoulli Effect would like to dissent from the WSJ re: Sandy Berger...

Power Line has more on the Barone article I referred to earlier...

Now THIS Is My Kind Of Post

The Minuteman skewers Krugman, and ends with an obscure joke relating to Fermat's Enigma...I salute you!...

The Nuclear Option: Mickey Kaus Weighs In

One of my favorite liberal bloggers is Mickey Kaus of kausfiles. He's got some interesting thoughts up on the 'nuclear option' debate. This is a subject I haven't mentioned at all, up to now, as both sides have seemed to be pretty well exhaustively covered. Kaus's post is an exception, though, raising some intriguing points I haven't heard before.

For the record, I would like to see the impasse resolved without going nuclear, but, as with the conservatives in academia debate, the best way to avoid extreme measures from one side is to restrain from them on the other. The criteria for rejecting judges seems to have far more to do with ideology than ability, knowledge, and competence; and that's a reflection of just how activist the judiciary has become. In the perfect world (unattainable, but why not reach for it?), ideology wouldn't enter the courtroom; decisions would rest solely upon solid legal foundations.

This is the problem I have with Roe v. Wade; legal abortions are probably inevitable, and maybe that's a good thing, considering the alternative (though I could never support them with the fervor of those on the Left who seem to feel that any common sense restriction, such as parental notification, is equivalent to the enslavement of womankind). Regardless, Roe was the worst kind of judicial overreach, inventing a constitutional right to privacy out of whole cloth, and, I suspect, forever injecting extreme partisanship into the judiciary. Even if you support the outcome, bad law makes a bad precedent by definition.

Michael Barone: Trust The Hard Numbers

Despite recent public opinion polls reflecting discontent with a good chunk of the Republicans' domestic agenda, and some obvious missteps and overreaching, I haven't been very concerned about the long-term damage, for no better reason than a gut feeling. Michael Barone provides a more solid base of comfort with his latest, particularly in two areas: wording of polls, with some interesting results, and the percentage of congressional districts carried by Bush (59%, versus his 51% electoral margin). Highly recommended...

More On The Leaning (Leftward) Tower of Ivory

Cathy Young of Reason magazine writes in the Boston Globe on yet another study confirming the astonishly high degree of liberal dominance of academia, and suggests the best way to head off legislative solutions (something I would like to avoid) would be to embark on a new brand of affirmative action. Pardon me if I don't hold my breath...

Today's Must-Read: Washington Needs A New Election

Not the District of Columbia, but the state; and that's the reaction many, if not most, will have after reading this article on the mess that was the Washington governor's race by the Wall Street Journal's John Fund. Essential reading...

The Times Continues Its Assault On Religion

Clearly, the NY Times editorial board has decided to push the culture war to unheard of extremes. How else to explain yet another high-profile editorial, this one the first 'revamped' Frank Rich piece, slagging red-state religious nuts?

A sign that you are dealing with a fanatic is that conversation always drifts back to one subject. Ironically, in constantly decrying the fanaticism of the religious right, it is the Times itself that displays the most reckless fanaticism. Read the Rich column, and notice how many 'touchstones' he hits, despite their complete irrelevance to any recent events: the Left Behind series of books, Mel Gibson's The Passion...this is last summer's news, but Rich has a point he wants to make, never mind that he makes it week after week after tiring week.

I have met Baptist preachers who talk about religion less than the New York Times does. I wish I had a subscription just so I could cancel it.

John Kerry: Count Every Vote, As Long As It's For A Democrat

Everyone's favorite French-looking Democratic presidential candidate / has-been is back, and he's still whining about the 2004 election. Appearing before a League of Women Voters forum, Kerry mentioned, as examples of the rampant voter 'intimidation' that we've got to put a stop to, Democratic voters who were told that they voted on Wednesday, instead of Tuesday, and others who were told that they couldn't vote if they'd ever had a traffic violation.

Now, if true, this kind of stuff is pretty low. In all honesty, though, and at the risk of sounding pompous and arrogant (but this is a John Kerry story), how stupid do you have to be to fall for those two things? Shouldn't there be an expectation that you should be able to understand from the non-stop radio, television, newspaper, internet, and citizen forum coverage what day the election is on? And the traffic ticket thing - who could possibly believe that? I can't imagine, even if these violations occurred, that even .0000001% of the electorate could be fooled by them.

Of course, Kerry doesn't mention the two specific, well-proven, and quite reported on, instances of genuine attempts to disenfranchise Republican voters: (1) the unbelievably low attempt to throw out the ballots of military personnel in election 2000 on the well-founded grounds that they would support Bush in a higher proportion than Al Gore, and (2) the slashing and flattening of tires in Milwaukee in election 2004 on vehicles intended to transport Republican voters to the polls, carried out by Democratic activists who were charged with criminal offenses.

By all means, let's count every vote, and if foul play occurs on either side, it should be condemned and referred for prosecution. Let's quit pretending, though, that it is only Republicans who engage in dirty tricks. Bad electoral sportsmanship, I'm afraid, is a bipartisan affair.

A Masters Worthy Of The Name

If you're not watching the Masters, by all means tune it in, pronto: Tiger Woods just birdied the 16th with one of the most improbable chips shots in memory to take a two-shot lead in the final round...however, an errant tee shot on the 17th means it ain't over yet...

UPDATE 6:13 pm central: Tiger bogied 17 and 18, to blow his 2 stroke lead; he heads into a playoff with Chris DeMarco...

UPDATE 6:34 pm central: And Tiger birdied the 18th in a playoff to win his fourth green jacket...nicely done! That should put an end to the naysayers (it won't, though) as he retakes the World Number One ranking.

Why We Fight

Those who think that the lack of stockpiles of WMDs made the Iraq invasion morally wrong should consider this report. I've said before that I think the WMD argument was played too heavily, and I stand by that. Still, there is no doubt that in a world where the U.S. had shown less resolve, where France and Russian held sway in the Security Council, that the sanctions would have been lifted and Saddam would have cranked up the WMD production programs again.

There is no greater nightmare than a terrorist organization with nuclear weapons. We must keep the pressure on North Korea and Iran in the strongest possible way. It's almost too painful to contemplate a nuclear missile hitting NYC; 9/11 was horrible beyond belief, but the destruction from a nuke - well, even the possibility cannot be tolerated. John Kerry and George Bush found rare agreement in campaign '04 on the most pressing issue facing America: they both said nuclear proliferation. They were right.

More On 'Hanoi Jane'

Robert Caldwell of the San Diego Union-Tribune has an editorial today making many of the same points I and others have made; to wit, that talking about a 'betrayal' and a 'lapse in judgment' is not equivalent to an apology. What makes his editorial a must-read is that it includes some particularly damning comments from Fonda's appearance on '60 Minutes', including Fonda's admission that she sees nothing to apologize for (hat tip to Real Clear Politics)...

Sunday Morning Must-Read: A Democrat Warns His Party Leaders On Faith

Kevin Starr, a history professor at USC, has an editorial at the LA Times lamenting the hardcore cultural stances taken by the Democratic Party. While I don't sympathize with his nostalgic look at the New Deal (we're still trying to fiscally retrieve ourselves from its guarantees), I do agree with his point that the gains of the Democratic Party of old owed their successes to the Judeo-Christian ethical system. Starr is right on target in warning that unless the Left quits demonizing the faithful, the rightward turn of the electorate will harden into a permanent electoral shift. Good advice...but is anyone listening? (My answer: Hillary is, and that's partly why she's dangerous in '08).