Monday, April 18. 2005
McCain New England Repub announces the end of McCain's political aspirations here. Right Wing Nuthouse RWN outdoes themselves: First, a cool and literate piece on Ann Coulter, comparing her to Tom Paine here. And then a thoughtful and complimentary piece about David McCulloch here. Good thinking and good writing. The Demise of Community Block Grants The excellent reporter Steven Malanga of The City Journal: "By killing the program, the Bush administration will do more than just save billions of taxpayer dollars. It will send a message that cities must cast off the 1960s dependency mentality that viewed federally subsidized programs as the only road to inner-city community revival and economic development—a notion that years of failed efforts should now put to rest." Read his detailed report of the program's failures here, and feel grateful that Bush is taking out some of the trash. Media Elite Something tells me that I'm not a member of the media elite. Raising this subject may be beating a dead horse, but it never ceases to amaze. Kathleen Parker: "With a few exceptions, journalists tend to think mostly alike about most things, and they generally tend to be more liberal than mainstream America. This isn't a criticism necessarily - there's no Fourth Estate conspiracy - it's just the nature of the beast. After all, what kind of person wants to labor long hours in exchange for public contempt and low pay? Brilliant people, obviously." Read entire here. Ramsey Clark Good for a laugh. A dog bone to NC via LGF: "Ramsey Clark’s radical left wing International Action Center will be hosting a conference tomorrow at Public School 41 in Manhattan, to fight a nonexistent draft and work out effective strategies for sedition: National Conference Against the Draft & Military Recruiting. (Hat tip: NC.)" Read entire comment here.
Saturday, April 16. 2005
Left-Handed, Left-Eyed, etc. Southpaws do have it tough. I am one, and I'm surprised we aren't an aggrieved minority so we could get free money. There's no doubt left-handedness is abnormal and maybe due to a touch of low oxygen at birth. It messes with your handwriting, but mainly with your shooting and tennis. Brain confusion. If you are left-handed, and left-eyed - no big problem. You shoot lefty and if you want, you can buy a lefty gun, but I doubt it's worth the trouble unless you shoot competitively. (Easy to tell which eye is dominant - roll up a piece of paper and look through it like a telescope - which ever eye you use - that's it.) If you're right-handed and left-eyed, it gets interesting. Mixed dominance for sure. Ideally, you would shoot lefty and play tennis righty, and just adjust and assume you'll never get to Wimbledon. Bill Hanus offers advice on this age-old dilemma here. Hey Dylanologist - I know this applies to you, big guy.
Friday, April 15. 2005
"Constitution Not a Living Organism" says Scalia. Funny figure of speech, brings odd images to mind. But of course he is right. It's a legal document - a contract between the people of the states and the federal government. As is said about the Ten Commandments - "It's not the Ten Suggestions." Without that contract, there would have been no real union, just a confederacy. Piece on Scalia's speech here. How did so many get hoodwinked into thinking that a contract was a living organism, anyway? Surely not lawyers? If you want to change it, you amend it. The Coming Showdown Please remind me again...Who won the election? The coming showdown over judges and the courts, and of course, the Supremes. HH gets the real story here. More France and the EU Chirac defends EU as polls turn negative: "Mr Chirac said the treaty was needed to keep the EU "strong and organised" and defend its interests against the power of the US or of India and China." Read entire here.
Thursday, April 14. 2005
France and EU More on the possibility of France rejecting the EU. Good post by Belmont Club here.
Max Ernst Yes, there are things we like from Europe. If visiting New York this is a must see. Let's try to forgive the Germans and the "Frogs" for their Anti-Americanism folly and take in some of the good stuff. Like Ernst. "A founding member of the Surrealist group in Paris, German-born Max Ernst (1891–1976) was one of the most inventive artists of the 20th century. His paintings, steeped in Freudian metaphors, private mythology, and childhood memories, are regarded today as icons of Surrealist art. Comprising some 180 works, this exhibition—the first retrospective to be shown in New York in 30 years—includes his most important paintings, his celebrated collages, drawings, sculptures, and illustrated books lent by private and public collections in Europe and the United States."
Click here: The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Special Exhibitions: Max Ernst: A Retrospective
Old News
The New Criterion does not always make friends in the Liberal, Anti-Dubya and all around beat up the Conservatives playground but what the hell sometimes "ya gotta do what ya gotta do." Although this piece on Berkeley was reported in 2002, it hasn't changed much. All the liberal thinkers and Berkeley grads might want to skip this link.
Good Blog
Here at Maggie's Farm we don't feel we have space to highlight every worthy blogger, but one has to give credit when credit is due. Here is another reason to like the Midwest - the land of nice people with good values. A quote from his recent post, which sounds like Mr. Grim's My Back Pages: "Etienne Gilson once remarked that "politics is the concern of the quarter-educated." Well, I think he overstated things a bit, but I do have to agree that I'm getting tired and bored of politics. There are plenty of bloggers around to comment on politics. But what is sorely needed is a voice for high art and culture. It's my metier and what I am going to focus on in the future. There are several reasons for this. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Conservatives have largely won the debate on religion/morality and completely dominate the field concerning politics and the economy. But where conservatives (from neo-con to paleo-con and from the religious right to freethinkers) have greatly failed in is the debate on culture and aesthetics. Conservatives have largely abandoned the cultural/aesthetic side of the equation to the loony left...and with dire consequences.
How Soon We Forget VDH summarizes all of the wrong predications, reckless claims, timid attitudes, and plain stupid things that have been said about the war on terror since 9-11. He does not omit our intellectual leaders in Hollywood: "Do not dare forget our Hollywood elite. At some point since 9/11, Michael Moore, Sean Penn, Meryl Streep, Jessica Lange, Whoopi Goldberg, and a host of others have lectured the world that their America is either misled, stupid, evil, or insane, bereft of the wisdom of Hollywood's legions of college drop-outs, recovering bad boys, and self-praised autodidacts." Read entire here. France has Always Hated the US Matthew Price reviews Phillippe Roger's "The American Enemy: The History of French Anti-Americanism" in the Boston Globe. It's a fascinating review of the long history of French condescension and contempt: "In his book ... published in English this month by the University of Chicago Press, Roger surveys two centuries of political polemics, pulp sci-fi serials, and travelogues, unearthing an often entertaining treasure trove of outrageous overstatement and bitter accusation that variously depict America as a stunted wasteland, a soulless technocracy, and a racist behemoth hell-bent on world domination." Read entire here. Gays in the Military Clinton's cowardly maneuver gave us the ridiculous situation which exists now in the military. It's not every politician's favorite subject, but people's sexual fantasies and habits are none of the military's business. We don't have to like everybody's habits. America should be, and is, grateful to, and proud of, anyone who is willing and able to pick up a rifle and serve the country. Period. Not surprised that the WaPo agrees.
Cost of Living "WASHINGTON, DC—A report released Monday by the Federal Consumer Quality-Of- Life Control Board indicates that the cost of living now outstrips life's benefits for many Americans. "This is sobering news," said study director Jack Farness. "For the first time, we have statistical evidence of what we've suspected for the past 40 years: Life really isn't worth living.""
Read entire here.
Wednesday, April 13. 2005
The Asian Century The US has gotten comfortable dominating the world economically and, more or less, militarily. Except for the usual anti-American moaners and groaners. Its' been a good deal for the world, but in our wealth and security we have become maybe too-comfortable. Even though we have done some foolish things, I doubt any nation in the history of the world can match our good intentions or our good deeds. And now our supposed "ally," Europe, is on a self-destruct mission. But now with China waking up - thanks to global capitalism - and with India on a tech roll - thanks to global capitalism, there is no doubt that a change is coming. It doesn't have to be a bad thing, but Jim Pinkerton is worried (not that this train can be stopped): "Thus the three wheels: First, China gets closer to India, as the two nations seek a New Asian Order. Second, China grows more hostile to the United States and Japan. Third, China bolsters nuke-crazy North Korea.
Those are three fuses burning across the Pacific, whether we like it or not - whether we know it or not."
Read his piece here.
Polls, Made to Order It's pretty well-known that the results of polls can be easily pre-determined by the way in which the questions are asked (eg "When did you stop beating your wife?"). When polls are intended to influence or to advocate, a savvy pollster can come up with just the numbers you want by tilting the questionnaire. So how do we know when to trust a poll? Unless we are poll experts, we need a Pat Caddell on TV to go over it for us. Michael Barone takes a closer look at some recent poll numbers, including Social Security and Schiavo, among others, here.
 Quick Thinking
"...thinking, Gladwell tells us—or, more precisely, thinking too much —can trip us up. Consider the curators at the Getty Museum who were offered the opportunity to purchase a rare sixth-century Greek marble statue of a young man. After a year of sophisticated archaeological and geological analysis that included core sampling and electron spectrometry and X-ray diffraction, they handed over nearly ten million dollars, cer-tain that the piece was authentic, a find. Meanwhile, two leading art historians, Frederico Zeri and Evelyn Harrison, and Thomas Hoving, the former director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, each came to a different conclusion after simply eyeballing the piece: even in the face of such compelling scientific data they felt it was a fake. And they were right: In the first two seconds of looking —in a single glance—they were able to understand more about the essence of the statue than the team at the Getty was able to understand after fourteen months. "
Thus begins Susan Halpern's review of two books which deal with "intuition" and unconscious thinking, one by Malcolm Gladwell and one by Elkhonon Goldberg. The point, I suppose, is that we don't know what we know..but you already knew that, right? We bring much more to bear on decisions that we are aware of, so that quick decisions - not impulsive decisions - can be pretty good ones. An example from relationships: "as Gladwell reports, there is speed dating, where unclaimed singles scurry around a room sizing up potential mates in a couple of minutes. Gigerenzer's work shows that most people need not spend a lot of time, or encounter a tremendous number of new prospects, to find a suitable partner." Re the latter - duh. How about anyone who would talk to you. Read entire interesting but long piece in NY Review of Books here.
DeLay I don't think Tom DeLay is the nicest guy in the world. He is a tough guy, not a metrosexual, and his morals are probably about average for politicians, which isn't saying much. You maybe wouldn't have him over for dinner. But the guy has been targeted. Why? Because he is strong and very smart and effective at managing legislation. And the now-weak Dems want blood. Humans are most destructive when they feel small and weak. My advice? Take it on the chin, Tom. Take it like a man. Use the rope-a-dope technique, like Clinton did. It's part of the job we pay you to do. But stick around, Tommy. Here's The Real Story by Wes Vernon. Here's the Soros angle of the story. I'm with Stupid It's all over the blogosphere (we need a better name for it, it's an awkward word to type) that John Kerry has been complaining that Democratic Ohio voters were told to vote on Weds, Nov 3. Turns out his reference is a piece in The Onion, a satirical website. Prayer Immoral? I don't understand why the NYT/ACLU/Democratic Party etc. keep getting their panties in a wad about religion in America, because in fact it is beginning to feel like the pre-Constantine Roman Empire around here. My neice jokes about not using the "J" word or the "G" word in school. Here at Maggie's, we feel that a little prayer never hurt anyone. Massingale reports: "The Louisiana ACLU is recommending that officials at a public school in New Orleans be "fined or jailed" for failing to stop prayer before a high school baseball game. ACLU of Louisiana executive director Joe Cook says that prayer at a school related function is "un-American and immoral."" Well, at least they haven't proposed throwing Christians to the lions...yet. But would they object? My pastors would say "Pray for Joe Cook." Massingale offers link to: Ten Ways to Pray in School.
Tuesday, April 12. 2005
Tax Freedom Day is April 17th this year. That is to say, you have worked until then to pay taxes. An Alternative to King Parker Professor Bainbridge is a double threat - 2 blogs. His wine blog here. I hate the way Parker dominates the field - not his fault tho - no competition. Troop Cuts in Iraq Ahhhhh. That feels just right. Here. Vengeance The Delay pile-on and the Bolton thing are all about puerile political vengeance. Some folks haven't gotten over the election yet. Re Bolton - who wants a UN Amb. who won't criticize it?
Canadian Politics and Missile Defense "Condi has just handily taken one of those butt-kicking, knee-high leather boots of hers, sunk it into lil’ Paulie Canuckistan’s back bacon, and drop-kicked him into a state of irrelevancy. By adopting his position against the missile defense program, the Prime Minister has essentially guaranteed that Canadian business will be his cell mate in passive-aggressive hell." Read entire here.
Mondovino The movie is said to be the anti-globalist Fahrenheit view of the wine world. Kerry Howley reviews the documentary on US and French wine, which opened last week in NY: "Almost thirty years ago, nine French wine critics gathered in Paris to preside over a face-off of French and American wines. Chardonnays battled with white Burgundies, Cabernets sought to displace Bordeaux. The French had always said fine wine was primarily a function of place—and that place was France. But following the blind tasting, the critics found they had chose a Californian Cabernet as the top red and placed three Napa Valley whites within the top four. As he downed a 1972 Napa Chardonnay, one critic reportedly gushed, "Ah, back to France." " Read entire here. Sierra Club Sells Out Is this called "The ends justify the means?" How the SC determines it's position on immigration here.
Monday, April 11. 2005
The Brooklyn Daily Eagle Too cool. Thanks, CL, for retrieving the link. Every edition of the famed Brooklyn Daily Eagle from 1841-1902, on line, thanks to the Brooklyn Public Library. Back then Brooklyn was its own town - an NYC suburb with farms. You could easily waste hours on their site. Remember how difficult it used to be to review old newspapers? Microfiches? Awful things. Ain't the internet grand? Osprey My neighborhood Osprey is back - as of yesterday. I don't see it, but hear the screechy call. He/she/they will be screeching out my window for the next few months, and the babies will be crying for fish all day long. Will need to do an Osprey Bird of the Week...As annoying noises go, what could be better? Twenty years ago, you would never see one in these parts.
A Fifth "Great Awakening"? It just could be happening. In the US, the RC Church isn't participating, but it didn't participate in the first three either, did it? I don't want to give advice to the RC Church, being a Protestant, but the evangelicals are leading the charge in bringing the life of the spirit to a world of malls, self-obsession, and empty holidays. Not the Presbyterians, not the Methodists, not the RCCs, not even the Congregationalists or the Dutch Reforms. It's not a competition, and it's not a race, so whoever does it doesn't really matter. I have no fear of the role of religion in public life. In fact, I feel it's essential. Humans are worshipping beings, so we will find something small, like Self, or booze, or fun, or $, or power, or whatever to worship if we can't imagine something bigger and more worthy. Jack Kelly discusses here. Married Priests Why not? It's an 11th Century artifact. Just like infallibility is a 13th Century artifact. Nothing to do with anything Christ taught that I know of. Celibacy is fine for monks. Kristof in the NYT here What Direction for the Church? "If getting on the side of history means embracing the radical individualism at the core of what passes for today's thought, the church's slide could accelerate." Thomas Bray in the Detroit News. A thoughtful consideration of where the RC Church finds itself today. But his piece contains the common error of confusing filling seats with saving souls: "For the fact is that John Paul II, far from being a simple-minded reactionary who everywhere and always opposed modernity, was a theological moderate who wrestled hard to rediscover, on behalf of his drifting flock, the hard truths that lie at the center of human dignity and an ordered society. His real legacy may be less a matter of conservatism or liberalism than a church that uses both faith and reason as the means of finding its way -- a church largely reconciled to the Enlightenment, in other words." Good piece. Read entire here. Secularists Don't Get It, Says Steyn Why bother writing, when Steyn does it better: The root of the Pope's thinking - that there are eternal truths no one can change even if one wanted to - is completely incomprehensible to the progressivist mindset. There are no absolute truths, everything's in play, and by "consensus" all we're really arguing is the rate of concession to the inevitable: abortion's here to stay, gay marriage will be here any day now, in a year or two it'll be something else - it's all gonna happen anyway, man, so why be the last squaresville daddy-o on the block. Read entire here.
Saturday, April 9. 2005
The "Jewish Cabal" You have to check into Al Jazeera once in a while to see what some Moslems are thinking - and, in this case, some leftists in Britain. It's not news that the US supports Israel's existence, but this is nuts: "A Jewish cabal have taken over the government in the United States and formed an unholy alliance with fundamentalist Christians," said Tam Dalyell, a Labour party deputy and the longest-serving House member. "There is far too much Jewish influence in the United States," he added. Read entire here. Turkey
It pains me to see a wonderful, fascinating country run into problems. I love Turkey, and would hate to see it turn to the Dark Side. From The Week:
Why we are reading Mein Kampf: Dogu Ergil Turkish Daily News
Islamic fundamentalism is gaining ground in Turkey, said Dogu Ergil in Ankara’s Turkish Daily News. Hitler’s Mein Kampf is a current best-seller. So is that absurd anti-Semitic forgery The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Strangely enough, this wave of hate has been growing ever since the U.S. invaded Iraq. The war angered many Turks, who feared that it would lead to Iraq’s Kurds forming an independent Kurdistan on their borders. That, in turn, would lead Turkey’s Kurds to want to break away, fracturing our nation. Over the past two years, Turkey’s ruling party has been steadily distancing itself from the U.S. Rather than derive their power from a close relationship with the superpower, Turkey’s rulers have begun to rely more on “internal forces,” particularly the “nationalists, statists, and Islamists.” These disparate “fringe groups” want to take Turkey in different directions. The one thing that unites them is “anxiety of change and hatred of the enemy,” and they view America, the Jews, and Israel as the enemy. Fortunately, these groups are not yet in charge. Turkey can still return to the pro-Western path if it regains a more positive “unifying idea”—the promise of E.U. membership.
Russia's Culture Wars "The absurd witch-hunt in Russia is a cautionary tale for the United States as well. If nothing else, it should show us the true worth of President Vladimir Putin's protestations that Russia is firmly on the road to democracy. It is also a demonstration of the dangers of hate speech laws, of criminalizing expression that offends people's sensibilities, and of equating criticism of religion with bigotry. These are relevant issues we face at home, too." Read entire piece by Cathy Young here: Click here: Reason: Religion in Art? Nyet!: Casualties in Russia's culture wars
Friday, April 8. 2005
Illegal Immigration Illegal means illegal. The new Minutemen are doing what 90% of Americans would want to do. I've talked myself hoarse on this subject. Disgusted with both Clinton and Bush Admins. on this issue - weenies. Got nothing further to say. Read Confederate Yankee here.
A Thanks to Ward Churchill
WC raised awareness of the reality of US campuses: "What happened? In the 1960s, universities collapsed “in the face of a little juvenile swagger.” They never recovered, most of them, and now Hamilton College (among many others) is reaping the fruit. Which leads us to the second, and more general, issue raised by the Hamilton follies, an issue we have often adverted to in these pages: the politicization of higher education." Read entire: Click here: Notes & Comments April 2005
Kudlow Defends Tax Cuts
The Vast Left Wing conspiracy
NR Editor's preface: "EDITOR'S NOTE: This piece is excerpted from NR White House Correspondent Byron York's new book, . York's new book details how MoveOn.org, George Soros, Michael Moore, 527 groups, Al Franken, and other Democratic activists built the biggest, richest, and best organized political movement in generations. Among other things, the book discusses MoveOn's origins and how, in the summer of 2004, the group used its Internet organizing power in an attempt to create the impression in the media that there was a wave of anti-Bush anger sweeping the country."
Read piece: Click here: Byron York on The Vast Left Wing Conspiracy on National Review Online
Catholicism
Hugh Hewitt on criticism of Catholicism:
"But there's a second journalistic sin at work in the agenda-driven commentary about the Pope's "failure" to modernize the Church on issues of celibacy, contraception, and the ordination of women. Simply put, most of the American media is simply ignorant of the Pope's critics on the right. There is a valid case to be made that whatever disenchantment existed with John Paul II came more from those Catholics still unreconciled to Vatican II, and deeply distressed about John Paul II's refusal to steer back into the pre-1960 Church." Click here: Criticizing John Paul II
A Professor Speaks
This is why we need heroes like Horrowitz. I think the Anonymous says it all.
"Despite my European background I found myself deeply surprised by the political bias on college campuses here in America. Left-wing bias is almost undetectable among European college faculty compared to America’s academic institutions. The bias that I have encountered has so many facets that I am still encountering new ones. " Click here: FrontPage magazine.com :: Confessions of a Politically Incorrect Professor by Anonymous
City Journal Speaks Truth to Power
How the City of NY messes things up. It's the West Side, now. Steven Malanga:
"But far from encouraging this eruption of the free market, the businessman mayor is out to derail any development of the MTA site that competes with his plan to build a stadium there to lure the 2012 Olympics. In pushing his centrally planned vision, the mayor who was once a CEO seems to have lost faith in the free market and succumbed to New York’s political culture, which reflexively favors its own idea of how the city’s economy should work over the more inventive and spontaneous visions of entrepreneurs. That culture believes that it is okay for government to warehouse valuable land, to employ restrictive zoning that unreasonably limits how the free market can work, and to micromanage economic-development projects with paralyzing inefficiency. Occasionally, the free market fights back and wins, as in Times Square, where market forces overwhelmed a government plan to make the area an uninspiring office district and instead revived it as a bustling entertainment and tourism mecca." Click here: City Journal Spring 2005 | How Not to Develop the Far West Side by Steven Malanga Hillary Meter here
The Pan Am Building The architectural story of "New York's ugliest building," and the plan that almost destroyed Grand Central Station: Click here: BOOKFORUM | apr/may 2005 Tone Deaf Music and the mind, with music: Click here: Cognitive Daily A Case Against Ideological Diversity Intelligence as a Cult
This piece by Steven Lagerfeld in the Wilson Quarterly is, like, you know, really intelligent:
It may seem implausible to speak of a cult of smarts in the age of Paris Hilton and 30-second political attack ads, when it appears that America is being relentlessly dumbed down. But don’t blame dumb people for that. Dumbing down is the idea of film and television executives, political consultants, newspaper magnates, and other very intelligent people. It’s a shrewd moneymaking strategy. It also reveals one of the problems of putting too much stock in pure brainpower: Smart people are uniquely capable of producing noxious ideas. http://wwics.si.edu/index.cfm?fuseaction=wq.essay&essay_id=105057
Thursday, April 7. 2005
Still Not Fonda Fonda She sounds severely messed-up and lost, but is selling books. Her savings account is probably OK. Jonathan Yardley: "But then with Fonda -- for all her intelligence, her commitment to her ideals, her fundamental decency -- it always boils down to self." Read entire, and you will have up-to-date chat for your fancy cocktail parties with the disgusting baked brie, when you usually have nothing significant or scintillating to "bring to the table." Plus you don't have to read the book, if you're a "slow reader": Click here: First Person, Singular (washingtonpost.com)
Tom Delay Spotted Crossing Border
Minnesota Politics: Finally, the Explanation
Click here: Minnesota medical marijuana bill advances Krugman's Ailment
We are beginning to feel badly for Paulie K, whose condition appears to be deteriorating alarmingly. Can someone who cares please bring him to a board-certified shrink? There is one on almost every street-corner in NYC. You can tell them by their beards, tweeds, bow-ties, and credit-card machines. Who knows - a touch of Haldol might just do the trick. He's right on the edge of the abyss. The youthful-looking James Miller has the latest sad story, plus his own tale of woe from the once-venerable, now-lamentable, Smith College: Click here: TCS: Tech Central Station - The Science Haters Calling All Farmall Fans
There are thousands of you out there, in both red and blue states. Show your pride! Proclaim your identity! Don't be just another anonymous little twit, like you really are! Be SOMEBODY, not Nunzio Nessuno or whatever his name was! And coming soon: A Maggie's Farm t-shirt with a classic Farmall H! (We will order at least ten.) Click here: Farmalls
Jeb Praises Horowitz New Google Maps
Thanks, Martin Peretz, for Honesty "If George W. Bush were to discover a cure for cancer, his critics would denounce him for having done it unilaterally, without adequate consultation, with a crude disregard for the sensibilities of others. He pursued his goal obstinately, they would say, without filtering his thoughts through the medical research establishment. And he didn't share his research with competing labs and thus caused resentment among other scientists who didn't have the resources or the bold--perhaps even somewhat reckless--instincts to pursue the task as he did. And he completely ignored the World Health Organization, showing his contempt for international institutions. Anyway, a cure for cancer is all fine and nice, but what about aids? "
Wednesday, April 6. 2005
Tick Tock It has been 65 days since John Kerry promised to sign Form SF-180 to release his military records. How do I know? PoliPundit has an SF-180 Clock: Click here: PoliPundit.com » The SF-180 clock Motu Proprio "The life and martyrdom of Saint Thomas More have been the source of a message which spans the centuries and which speaks to people everywhere of the inalienable dignity of the human conscience, which, as the Second Vatican Council reminds us, is "the most intimate centre and sanctuary of a person, in which he or she is alone with God, whose voice echoes within them" (Gaudium et Spes, 16). " I have never read an Apostolic Letter. This one by Pope JP II proclaims Thomas More Patron Saint of Statesmen and Politicians. God knows they need their own saint. An interesting document:Click here: Motu Proprio proclaiming Saint Thomas More Patron of Statesmen and Politicians - John Paul II (31 October 2000) The Global Church The RC Church, of which I am not a member, grew from 700 million to 1.2 billion members during the papacy of JP II. As the Cardinals ponder, surely global evangelism, global freedom and global justice will be on their minds. Click here: TCS: Tech Central Station - Where Is the Poland In This New Cold War? Newspaper Index 1. The Wall Street Journal is read by the people who run the country. 2. The Washington Post is read by people who think they run the country. 3. The New York Times is read by people who think they should run the country. 4. USA Today is read by people who think they ought to run the country but don't really understand the Washington Post. They do, however, like their statistics shown in pie-chart format. 5. The Los Angeles Times is read by people who wouldn't mind running the country, if they could spare the time, and if they didn't have to leave LA to do it. 6. The Boston Globe is read by people whose parents used to run the country and they did a far superior job of it, thank you very much. 7. The New York Daily News is read by people who aren't too sure who's running the country, and don't really care as long as they can get a seat on the train. 8. The New York Post is read by people who don't care who's running the country, as long as they do something really scandalous, preferably while intoxicated. 9. The San Francisco Chronicle is read by people who aren't sure there is a country or that anyone is running it; but whoever it is, they oppose all that they stand for. There are occasional exceptions if the leaders are handicapped minority feminist atheist gay dwarfs who also happen to be illegal aliens from ANY country or galaxy as long as they are Democrats. 10. The Miami Herald is read by people who are running another country but need the baseball scores. 11. The National Enquirer is read by people trapped in line in the grocery store
Tuesday, April 5. 2005
Demographics The voting demographics look discouraging for the Democrats for the future. I guess America doesn't really want to be another Canada or France. Hmmm. John Fund: "A treasure trove of data on the meaning of the 2004 presidential election has just been released, and you can bet that if reporters don't look at it carefully, strategists for potential candidates will. The 2004 election numbers may explain why Hillary Clinton is taking care to present herself as a centrist." Read entire: Click here: OpinionJournal - John Fund on the Trail
Causes of Terrorism, Again Maggie's has been over this ground several times. (I could bring the posts up if we could figure out how to do the permalinks.) This is just more evidence that Maggie's is always right. Our general view has been that terrorism is caused by terrorists - ordinary evil, destructive folks like the ones The Analyst discusses - and this supports that. When will we quit trying to "understand" badness? Rotten sleazy people are a dime a dozen in this world. What's to understand? What is worth understanding is goodness and selflessness and sacrifice and integrity. How does that kind of behavior appear in ugly apes like homo sapiens for whom the Law of the Jungle seems to come naturally? "London's Sunday Times has reported on new research that reveals that the typical al-Qaeda recruit is a well-educated professional. He is likely to have been educated in the West and come from a wealthy family, according to forensic psychiatrist and researcher Marc Sageman, who examined the backgrounds of 500 al-Qaeda members."
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