Maggie's FarmWe are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for. |
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Thursday, March 30. 2006Lotsa Thursday Morning Cool LinksSick Building Syndrome exists only in the minds of trial lawyers. Doctors say the "mold" thing is a joke, too, because mold is everywhere. Just look in my fridge. h/t, Lucianne. Having it both ways: Dems insisted that the felony concept be entered into the illegal immigration bill, then loudly complained about it. Pretty slick. Pretty slimy. Women: About cooking for hubbie, and plastic surgery. Ten Napel Is there a War on Christians in the US? RTLC has a piece on Bush's terrible salesmanship, which he equates with poor leadership. I agree with most of what he says, except I am not sure that those two can be so easily equated. You always wondered what went on inside the Teacher's Lounge, didn't you? The secrets, revealed. Springtime for Taliban in Afghanistan. And oh, I notice they have a new spokesman. When will we see him at Princeton? Steyn on the decline of national sovereignty, via Driscoll What is truth? Powerline on the reporting on the legality of the NSA taps. John follows up by reviewing the transcript - and the NYT twisted its reporting - once again. They just cannot help it. The courage that makes America great: Waldenbooks and Borders refuse to carry issue of magazine with Prophet cartoons. A good idea from SDA:
Echoes of our piece on When Illegal is not Illegal: When Illegal is Right, What is Wrong? From good ol' Orson Card, in a fine review of Three Books that Name Names, some interesting details about the women's vote:
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Wednesday, March 29. 2006Wednesday Lunch LinksSan Francisco: Ace contrasts SF's desire to remove the Christians, with a local political bacchanalia. Maybe we should just give California to the Mexicans. The B-sub-s switches from matter to anti-matter 17 trillion times per second. I feel that way sometimes. Physics News at YARGB LaShawn thanks God for her sobriety. And the meaning of prayer, by SC&A. Excellent discussion by Auster on how classical liberalism led to the modern mega-state.
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Weds Morning LinksYour tax dollars at work. Homeland Security buys 80 security cameras for tiny Alaskan fishing village. Osama - take note. Who organized the illegal immigration marches? The Spanish radio stations. "Immigration backlash"? Saunders says no, at RCP. Gimme gimmeThis is said better, about the sad plight of the French, than I could say it, from No Parason:
Image of a typical French person from party theme site here. Tuesday, March 28. 2006Tuesday Martini-Time Links"Get back to work, you lazy bastards." Stirrings of wisdom in the Yale Daily, quoted by Ace:
More on Aztlan - with the map! Moonbattery. Tuesday AfternoonSkiing in Dubai: Indoor skiing. Amazing Iraq claims Mosque massacre was faked. Sneaky. Too much good stuff to mention. Read Gateway today. He has become a daily must-read. How does he find the time? The government-led Mexican invasion of America, and Azatlan Irredentism (both links to Daily Pundit) Meet Yosh Bolton. Princess
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Tuesday MorningDemonstrations against Christian youth group in San Francisco More on politicization of education, from Horsefeathers:
Probably doesn't matter what you know, either...if you have her job. Can you believe a Dean said that? Euthanasia in Holland: Killing babies compassionately, in the Weekly Standard. Yes, if it's OK to kill them before they are born, why not after? This is the amoral consequence of pure Utilitarianism. Thanks, John Dewey. Georgia may OK Bible as textbook. Huh? The Bible needs to get an OK? Welcome to The Reconquista. Michelle. I do not think that they are kidding, either. Poll on illegal immigration. It's a loser for both Dems and Repubs.
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Monday, March 27. 2006When Illegal Is Not IllegalWelcome to visitors from other sites. While you're here, take a look around the Farm - click "Maggie's Farm" on top. The Barrister has already made a very thoughtful post on the topic of illegal immigration, but I'd like to add a little follow up to show another side to this whole debate that is frequently overlooked: the role of language itself in framing the issue. Perhaps the most commonly heard euphemism these days is "undocumented worker," an old standby of the illegal immigration lobby, but in truth it is only one term amidst an entire vocabulary of lies and distortion peddled by illegal immigrant advocates from Ted Kennedy to George W. Bush and used to dictate the terms of the broader discussion. With that in mind, I've prepared a little glossary of phrases to help the discerning reader wade through the abysmal media coverage of this issue as well as the half-truths, logical fallacies and outright falsehoods uttered by the political leadership of both parties. "Hard-working people" A favorite of President Bush, most often used to describe illegal aliens and thereby to excuse their illegality. An irrelevant point, since merely working hard at one's job (if we accept this premise) is obviously not a legitimate excuse for violating the law of the land. See also "good-hearted people." "Jobs Americans Won't Do:" Another Bush favorite, this phrase is used so casually by the President that hardly anyone has taken the time to study the implications of such a statement. In fact, this glib phrase is a true monstrosity, as it implies that there are entire types of jobs which not a single American is willing to do - and what's more, the President apparently is approving, or at least accepting, of this unwillingness of millions of his own citizens to perform such work. A tacit endorsement of the creation of a foreign-labor underclass to perform menial labor. "We Are A Nation of Immigrants:" A particularly vile half-truth. While a majority of Americans are descended from immigrant ancestors (that is, foreigners who entered this country after its independence), only about 15 percent of Americans today are foreign-born. And how does the fact that large numbers of legal immigrants have come to this country at certain times in American history serve as a good argument (or any argument at all, actually) for granting amnesty to illegal aliens in 2006? "Comprehensive Approach/Reform:" A phrase often on the lips of Bush and co., this is the current "hip" way to refer to a mass amnesty of illegals, without actually saying so. "Unwelcoming/Un-American:" Adjectives used more often by the left, but increasingly by the right as well, to delegitimitize any attempt at controlling our borders or enforcing immigration law. Hillary Clinton recently put a new spin on this old standard by calling a Republican immigration bill un-Christian as well. "Migrants/migration:" While civilized, lawful countries maintain immigration policies, the use of the word migration conjures up visions of flocks of birds headed northwards unimpeded, or perhaps of the great migrations of antiquity: nobody describes the Goths or the Huns "immigrating" across the steppes and into the Roman Empire. By using the word, the user hopes to create a psychological sense of a vast and imminent force beyond the control of law-abiding societies. "Welcoming society v. lawful society:" A relative newcomer, most recently found in Bush's weekly radio address (itself a masterpiece of immigration Newspeak), which draws a false parallel between enforcing the laws of the nation (a clear, concrete concept) and a vague notion of being "welcoming," which as defined earlier is simply an emotional appeal for non-enforcement of the same laws. Bush claims that we can be both at the same time, when the two concepts are clearly diametrically opposed. "This bill is not an amnesty/I am firmly opposed to amnesty but...:" Usually (but not always) an excellent indication that the bill in question is an amnesty. "Tightening/strengthening the borders:" Usually used in connection with initiatives to hire a couple dozen new border patrol agents, or to spend millions on surveillance equipment that doesn't either impede or capture anyone wishing to illegally enter the country. At right: Hard-working Mongol immigrants facilitate a cross-cultural dialogue with Polish knights at Liegnitz, 1241 A.D.
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Monday Morning Links"Marriage is for White People." WaPo, H/T, Instapundit You can't understand history without understanding microeconomics. Libertarian Leanings. And you can't understand Girl Scout Thin Mints either. IKEA founder flies coach and drives an old car. Just like me. A short history of numerology, and what it has to do with the WTC. Belmont The Top Ten Air Guitar solos. The Top Ten high-tech cars for 2006 From the Am. Princess on illegal immigration:
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Sunday, March 26. 2006Sunday LinksThe School Voucher push in Calif. This is an idea whose time is coming. Blogs are off the hook with the FEC. Thank goodness. A comprehensive review of the WMDs, Saddam and Al Quaida, and the Russian Connection - that you will never find in the New York Times. Facts do not fit their mindset. A dress that will truly fit: Spray-on "I love you" becomes sexual harassment. We must be in the End Times, because the world has gone nuts. How did we miss Scalia on judges? No better than Joe Six-Pack on moral judgements. No doubt. They're lawyers, for heaven's sake. Damn, he is 70 years old already. Paul a bit too easy on the NYT? Seems to me that they will buy any story that fits their view of the world, and reject stories that do not. From View from 1776:
The new role of judicial review in government. The Prof The Marines notice kids. Meanwhile the Christian peaceniks try to schmooze the Imams instead - whose religion commands them to kill non-Moslems. When did God command Christians to stop using their God-given brains? Free money? Why not, just like speech? Who needs banks, nowadays?
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Saturday, March 25. 2006Saturday Morning LinksAn online interview with Chomsky, here. Problems with polygamy: it leaves some guys with nobody to love. 75% of respondents (Who are these people?) agree with Charlie Sheen that 9-11 was faked. Normal folks call that spending too much time in Tinseltown, where all reality is fake. Easter Eggs banned in St. Paul. Worried about Jihad, folks? Afraid the Moslems might come in with a bomb to your Parking Violations Department in the Town Hall? Is that the American Way of Life? Dems floundering for a message? My opinion? They don't dare say what their real message is. Super piece by Ace on the subject. Bob Kerry admits new intel demonstrates Saddam-Al Quaida links. Russians gave Saddam US attack plans. Why? They want the oil. Epicures discover Basque cooking. Will it replace French cuisine? Not on my watch.
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Friday, March 24. 2006
The Religion of Peace
Bad Day at Work? Go Postal, and Feel Better!Friday Mornin' LinksThe dihydrogen monoxide environmental crisis. This chemical can have a very serious impact on the environment. Gee whiz, what happened to the Harvard logo on that paper about Israel? Headline of the Week: (via Drudge): French Anarchists Riot over Job Security Our neutral news media: Bush makes me sick. The people will kill him if he is freed. As I said before, I want this guy at Yale. Neither rain nor sleet...what? This dude is fine for military duty, but not for the Post Office. I guess the Post Office is extremely picky about who they hire...and, from the opposite end of the moral spectrum, marathoner jailed for false disability claims in UK. Incredible photo, via Fark. Don't miss the crow. Now it's California levees. Why permit people to live in idiotic places, if taxpayers have to support it? Why not make dangerous flood zones into wildlife sanctuaries, and be done with it? Art News: Panda bear painted on a single hair. Nice for over the fireplace? German Beer update, from Der Spiegel "They were a really nice family." Tennessee Pastor's wife suspect in killing of husband. Haven't I always said "Beware of "really nice" people"?
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Thursday, March 23. 2006Not in this weather...
Great Mercedes advt - watch.
Thursday Morning LinksIn praise of duct tape. And for sportsmen, there is real Duck Tape too. Michelle's Headline of the Day yesterday: AP: Clinton vows to block bill criminalizing illegal immigrants. Hey, Barrister - how about a Fallacy of the Week on Double-Speak? What I wonder is what that would mean for all the folks who come here legally, with Green Cards, etc.? Part-Time Pundit has a Guard the Borders Blogburst. From the Brussels Journal, another obituary for Old Europe:
Image: I just love the sugar-free concept. You buy two jelly doughnuts and a sugar-free coffee, and think you are being healthy.
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Wednesday, March 22. 2006Wednesday Mid-Day LinksThe Indian stock market. Hot. Impeach Ginsburg? There's an idea. It's academic, of course. "A spiritual necessity"? "In Europe, the welfare state has become a spiritual necessity." Interesting. An Allen-Condi or Condi-Allen ticket? I'd consider it. Wal-Mart welcomed in China...(but not in NYC) The Lego Wars. This is the UN's idea of a good idea. Anti-War or Anti-Bush? Ya gotta decide, folks. I agree with this quote from Balloon Juice:
and Murdock at NRO has a similar take:
Why all of this hate? I thought we were supposed to hate nothin' 'cept hatred...
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Adbul Rahman and HashimiOK. We have the apologist for the Taliban at Yale. And Abdul Rahman on trial for his life for converting to Christianity. No wonder even some reasonable folks are growing weary of helping these people. What do they call Christians and Jews? "Sub-human feces-eating pigs." I do not disagree with Bush's aspirations, but I wonder if these stone-age people deserve it. If Rahman is executed, there will be hell to pay. And hey, Lux et Veritas in New Haven - I'd prefer seeing these two guys in the opposite positions. Where is Belarus?In reading all about the "revolution" in Belarus in places like Publius, I realized I knew nothing about it. Here is where it is. Used to be called "White Russia." Population ten million. Broke from Soviet Union in 1991. Details here. Capital is Minsk. I know a joke about Minsk, but I'm not going to tell it now. Wednesday Morning LinksThe Odyssey, illustrated. 2500 year-old pictures of the tale. Immigration: Just give me some truth: a quote: "a million people illegally entering the United States is clearly a passive policy choice, not an inevitability." Norm on why we should still read Marx. Harvard Prof Russell considers Horowitz's The Professors Yes, there is a double standard. And there should be, too. What 14 year old fellow would sue this gal complaining about a sexual encounter? Seems to me like every 14 year-old's dream come true.
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Tuesday, March 21. 2006Tuesday Cocktail Hour LinksYou are being sold, and don't know it. Product placement ads in movies and TV shows. The Pacifist Left marches over the cliff with their grey pony-tails, with Cindy leading the way. Haven't we all noticed, however, that the Pacifist Left always picks which side should be Pacifist, and which side is entitled to go to war (ie, whatever side opposes the evil, evil US)? Cindy, remarkably, sides with Germany in WW2. I am not sure this represents true pacifism... And the LA Times likewise goes over the cliff. Claude Allen steals because he's black? So what about all of the white thieves? Lots more white thieves than black thieves in the USA...guess it's cuz they're white. A counter-protest in France. Who knew? Without Instapundit? Trout fishing in basement, in Belgrade. Convenient, yes. Sporting? Well... Women spend a total of two years of their lives getting ready to go out. Would it be more accurate to say that women waste two years of their husbands' lives waiting for them? Welsh Church turns other cheek - and gets stabbed in that one too. Wake up, UK. We love ya, but you are acting like schlemiels.
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Tuesday Morning LinksNeed 19,000 acres in Botswana for hunting? Mr. Free Market can tell you how. We are close to full employment. But the French would never stoop to learn from us. They have been trained to want a free ride, not a chance to excel. Tobacco Louges....didn't we used to call these "bars"? From RTLC:
Daily Pundit thinks Condi is a Rockefeller Republican. For you young 'uns out there, that means a non-conservative. Zero-tolerance as a post-religious morality, and the loss of England Did you know that being raped is a crime under Sharia Law? Yes, ladies - you made him do it. Apparently this passes for thought at Yale:
What the heck does that mean? It is not English, but if I can de-code the BS, I think it means that if we don't meet guys from the Taliban, how can we decide whether we want to be Taliban ourselves? By that logic, why not admit dogs and cats too? Jeff Miller on truth vs. doctrine- shopping. Who is in this new peace mini-movement? Same old people.
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Monday, March 20. 2006Trying to re-live the 1960s
Well, it looks like the "radical" pampered youth of today have somehow got it in mind that those radical 60s are something to emulate. Go for it, kids. But never forget which side your bread is buttered on - your freedom here to make a fool of yourself. H/T, Michelle. And do not forget that you will need to work someday, and to be free to speak your mind later, when wisdom arrives along with gray hair.
100,000We have had 100,000 visits We hope you all visit daily. Your visits to Maggie's are our reward. Yes, Maggie's Farm has been around for a year, but we didn't have the stat-gathering format that we have now, thanks to Blogmeister Chris - our Guardian Angel. And his system is more accurate than Site Meter - tho we use that too. And it's Spring, but it will be 26 degrees (F) tonite and we are having light snow flurries right now. Spring Morning LinksPouring Water on a Drowning Man - the Brit NHS, from Tangled Web The history of drinking and socializing and dating. Does it make sense to throw the small ones back? Env. Econ. Light at the end of the tunnel in Iraq? How much of the negativity is pure partisanship? YARGB has Iraq comment update.
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