Sunday, June 29. 2008
Luskin on Obama, with comments on the Social Security mess Today's Insanities Repubs cannot reply to obvious Leftist intimidation Maternity Prom dresses? How enlightened and progressive. Just give me a dang table gift. Capt. Capitalism A deep thinker? Justice Kennedy's Song of Himself. Related: Liberals collectively pee in their pants. I just want one more guy or gal in there who reveres the Constitution more than their personal preferences. The self-inflicted economic death of Ohio. WSJ. A sad story. I like Ohio. A website about "Creative Capitalism." My view: "Creative Capitalism" is the opiate of the mega-wealthy. If I invest in a business, I want my full share of the profits. I will decide, myself, what to give away, and to whom. Nanny state fest, at Blue Crab. Just read a few of his latest. Related, at Betsy: No scores for games. As she comments, "It's clear that future battles of Britain won't be won on its playing fields." The greatest student prank of all time. Tiger Please remember this 13th Century Law from the City of Augsburg: The selling of bad beer is a crime against Christian love. — Law, the City of Augsburg, 13th Century
Via Free Republic: DURAGI, Afghanistan -- Early morning, and 14 U.S. soldiers stand in a semi-circle for a mission briefing. Four Humvees, engines running, rumble beside them. "We're going to Warshallah today," Army Capt. Sam Karr, 28, of Manhattan, Kan., tells his platoon. "I guess it has, like, 200 bad guys in it. That's nothing, dudes -- we've got 14, so we're good."
Another case for global cooling. Reference Frame
Saturday, June 28. 2008
 Leaving tonight for a fishing trip (not for Catfish, however), so I will offer this good pile of items:
What it's like to be a bat. The Englishman appreciates Scalia's historical sense. As do I. Why humans left Africa 80,000 years ago Why men are becoming reluctant to volunteer with kids. Brits harassed for flying their flag The Canadian Human Rights folks blinked. Driscoll is quite right: it was to save themselves. What change does Obama offer us? JC Phillips Americans overwhelmingly support conservative economic policies Swedish nanny state wants to tell you who to invite to your birthday party. They should tell their nanny to go jump in the lake, or fjord, or whatever. More on "I hate practicing medicine." Via Bainbridge: Justice Breyer as culture warrior. Re guns, Surber's Just ask me What's really up with Arctic sea ice? (And do we care? Well, it is interesting.) My view on oil markets. Coyote Time for a Grand New Party? Beijing is ready. Just don't breath the air. I agree that this is stupid. Liberals as enablers of totalitarianism Taliban back to their old ways. Gateway I went to Wiki today to check the history of the Fairness Doctrine I also had to refresh my understanding of the Turing Test. The real question is whether people can think. The value of a practical education: John Hawks. Related, at Villainous, who wonders who should teach From a piece at Dino: The Beltway MSM are historically 12 to 1 for the Democratic ticket, and have said that their favorable coverage is worth perhaps 15 points in electoral results. That’s in a normal year. But this appears not to be a normal year; we sense that there’s payback on the minds of some in the press. The coverage could get pretty out-of-control before November rolls around.
Re "settled science," McQ at Q&O wonders whether Al Gore has read this yet.
The Bad News Banks Amnesty International hits bottom The EU goes to ground Why guns are a feminist issue. Class. Values It's just a question of who they're afraid of. Indeed. More on the father of Canada's health care system, and his renunciation of it. It's a basic lesson in how reality works. Why McCain isn't doomed. The New Patriotism will be on display in Denver. Also, no fried food? Good grief. Change we can be shocked at. Rick Moran
Friday, June 27. 2008
Getting the French to work. (h/t, Flares) It's about Amendments 1,2, and 14. The NY Sun on the candidates and Heller. And Tiger on the NYT on Heller. A quote: "There are plenty of Constitutional rights that drive inefficient, inconvenient, or even unwise public policy. One can recognize that a right exists and deplore the consequences of the right." Lots of wisdom in that simple sentence. Rights aren't about efficiency or even effectiveness - they are about human dignity and freedom. As the old saw goes, "Mussolini got the Italian trains to run on time." Save the planet - ban drive-thrus. The insane world of Congress. Powerline. Nevertheless, House Dems seem headed for a "permanent majority." Even if deserved, it's a depressing thought because they do not seem to understand even the basics of free market economics - or to value freedom as I understand it.
Thursday, June 26. 2008
Sometimes forces defy control, like weather. This about captures it. It's not a perfect world, and only the seductive and subtle salesman Devil himself would suggest that it could be otherwise. Life will teach us humility, if nothing else: it seems designed to do so. Furthermore, as our Dr. Bliss often says, no two people would ever agree on what "perfect" might mean anyway. For some, it's the womb. For others, it's constant challenge and difficulty.
 The DC gun ban case should be out this morning. It won't be the be-all and end-all, but it will be interesting.
Why the Left abandoned Darfur. A quote from Bernard-Henri Levy at SC&A: We are prisoners of a scheme of thought in which, if you are a victim and if you don’t play a role, if you don’t have a part on the big stage, in the big history, in the big tale of the opposition of the evil empire and the good anti-imperialist forces, you don’t really deserve attention.
Why passenger trains don't work in the US: Charlie Martin at Pajamas A Utah warning for McCain Dems want the fairness doctrine back. At Tiger: "There should be no doubt that this is nothing less than a broadside attack on freedom of speech." Another guy eaten by a Mountain Lion. Too bad they won't stick with healthy fruits and vegetables. I guess they haven't had the advantage of modern nutritional "science." It's best to be armed in serious lion country. You can't throw them a banana any more than you can throw a Jihadist a pork chop. Anatomy of surrender. Bruce Bawer in City Journal: "Motivated by fear and multiculturalism, too many Westerners are acquiescing to creeping sharia." Global warming causes terrorism? Add it to the list. I'm pretty sure it causes my Athlete's Foot, too. Check these photos of Berkeley antiwar folks. The pics say it all. Our blog friend at Squaring the Boston Globe is resigning from blogging following his wife's cancer diagnosis. We will miss his good work, but it's the right thing to do. Best to his family, and God's presence. The case against Turkey's ruling party. Prison had "criminal subculture." That's headline news, folks. Why won't jailbirds behave like the sweet, passive, innocent victims of The System that they are? Guess they didn't get the memo. Who are the subprime villains? Every story needs a villain. If you're a paranoid, anyway.  And, speaking of witchhunts, has it occurred to Americans that those evil evil oil speculators might not be American? Hong Kong to have its own commodities exchange. Chart on the left from the piece at Dino.
Photo: Cahoon's Hollow, Wellfleet, Cape Cod
Wednesday, June 25. 2008
 That's a photo of Ellen Carrington, Miss Tennessee, who carries an S&W .40. I see nice bulges, but no gun bulge. Maybe she cutely stows it in the back of her panties.
European vexillophobia Stunning pic of Sting Ray migration. (h/t, Grapevine) 50 scientifically-proven ways to be persuasive. God bless the speculators. Stossel Great moments in climate alarmism. Climate Skeptic More Quincy. Mirrors FEMA doing a great job. That's not news, though. Obama's lack of normal modesty. Am Thinker Big governments serve the needy worse Performance-enhancing drugs in the white-collar workplace If Scalia writes DC v. Heller (h/t, Insty) Ethanol: minimal impact on gas prices, pressure on food Thank you for smoking. More on global cooling Physics prof says nothing you can do about warming. Too bad, because I think we need more global warming, and I'd like to help. When talking makes things worse. Max Boot Since when did the Presbyterians go insane? Good grief.
Imus interviewed Rolling Stone's Jan Wenner this morning, about Wenner's recent interview of Obama. (Wenner is an Obamamaniac, but it's all about style for him. And "change" - as Wenner profoundly said, and I paraphrase: "Everything is going so wrong. We all want change today.") Anyway, Wenner said that Obama told him that his favorite song is Dylan's Maggies Farm, which he has on his iPod. Clearly we enjoy the spirit of the song too, but if Obama really wants to be a cool dude, he needs to get hip to Maggie's Farm blog.
Tuesday, June 24. 2008
 The 100 push-up program. Like Joe Carter, I will begin today. Naw, maybe tomorrow...
The AP wallows in a parody of gloom. "Could be seen as patronizing" Really? Iran's "nightmare scenario" mulled: NY Sun Defending the faith: LaShawn on Christian Apologetics Another Obama flat-out lie. McCain gets meaningful endorsement. A Coney Island of the Mind, revisited. The first time I read it, I was blown away. Academic cannon fodder. A lesson in economics from a Chinese finance minister. Look at job growth in Texas. The Bush Paradox. David Brooks. A quote: Bush is a stubborn man. Well, without that stubbornness, that unwillingness to accept defeat on his watch, he never would have bucked the opposition to the surge. Bush is an outrageously self-confident man. Well, without that self-confidence he never would have overruled his generals.
 Quoted at EU Referendum:
He was asking, "Has Europe's terminal crisis begun with a triple no vote?", telling us that, "The ultra-Europeans have overplayed their hand," and then asserting: "We can now glimpse a chain of events that will halt, and reverse, this extremist push towards an Über-state that almost no one wants."
He may be right when he says: "the attempt to override the triple "no" votes of the French, Dutch, and Irish peoples has brought the EU to a systemic crisis of legitimacy," adding, "A line too many has been crossed. Any sentient citizen can see that the process has become unhinged."
Girls forbidden to whistle at construction workers Quote from a speech posted at Brussels Journal: To say that the luminaries of the conference disappointed my hopes is to understate things. But to say that that were luminous is to be perfectly accurate. I’ll just name three of the most prominent and powerful: • Secretary-General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, Ekmeleddin Ihsanouglu of Turkey.
• Former Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.
• His Royal Highness Prince Turki bin Faisal al Saud, former director of Saudi intelligence, and until recently the Saudi Ambassador to the United States. These men are educated… well traveled… experienced… wealthy… and Westernized. And each of them told the conference that for the West and Islam to reconcile, the West must abandon the principle of free speech.
From Investor's Business Daily: No one likes war. War is a horrific affair, bloody and expensive. Sending our men and women into battle to perhaps die or be maimed is an unconscionable thought.
Yet some wars need to be waged, and someone needs to lead. The citizenry and Congress are often ambivalent or largely opposed to any given war. It's up to our leader to convince them. That's why we call the leader "Commander in Chief."
George W.'s war was no different. There was lots of resistance to it. Many in Congress were vehemently against the idea. The Commander in Chief had to lobby for legislative approval.
Along with supporters, George W. used the force of his convictions, the power of his title and every ounce of moral suasion he could muster to rally support. He had to assure Congress and the public that the war was morally justified, winnable and affordable. Congress eventually came around and voted overwhelmingly to wage war.
George W. then lobbied foreign governments for support. But in the end, only one European nation helped us. The rest of the world sat on its hands and watched.
After a few quick victories, things started to go bad. There were many dark days when all the news was discouraging. Casualties began to mount. It became obvious that our forces were too small. Congress began to drag its feet about funding the effort.
Many who had voted to support the war just a few years earlier were beginning to speak against it and accuse the Commander in Chief of misleading them. Many critics began to call him incompetent, an idiot and even a liar. Journalists joined the negative chorus with a vengeance.
As the war entered its fourth year, the public began to grow weary of the conflict and the casualties. George W.'s popularity plummeted. Yet through it all, he stood firm, supporting the troops and endorsing the struggle.
Without his unwavering support, the war would have surely ended, then and there, in overwhelming and total defeat.
At this darkest of times, he began to make some changes. More troops were added and trained. Some advisers were shuffled, and new generals installed.
Then, unexpectedly and gradually, things began to improve. Now it was the enemy that appeared to be growing weary of the lengthy conflict and losing support. Victories began to come, and hope returned.
Many critics in Congress and the press said the improvements were just George W.'s good luck. The progress, they said, would be temporary. He knew, however, that in warfare good fortune counts.
Then, in the unlikeliest of circumstances and perhaps the most historic example of military luck, the enemy blundered and was resoundingly defeated. After six long years of war, the Commander in Chief basked in a most hard-fought victory.
So on that historic day, Oct. 19, 1781, in a place called Yorktown, a satisfied George Washington sat upon his beautiful white horse and accepted the surrender of Lord Cornwallis, effectively ending the Revolutionary War.
Practicing medicine has become a crappy job. Insty Tom Wolfe returns to Wall Street Where in the Constitution....does it permit Congress to tell us what lightbulbs to use? Ted Poe is funny.
A pilot's ideal cockpit, via Theo: 
The Czech libertarian spirit is alive and well. SDA In defense of sweatshops. There is no reality in the Dem energy "policy." The best movie ever about Communist Romania Miss Tennessee has a concealed carry permit. Majority of Dems want to nationalize oil industry. Is that before - or after - they nationalize medicine and Big Food? Maybe they should just tell us what they don't want to nationalize. Evidence supports School Choice. Pajamas 27 daily affirmations for bloggers Carla and Michael attack the Massachusetts tax dragon. Good luck to them. I am breathlessly awaiting the Supremes' DC gun ban decision. Any day now.
Monday, June 23. 2008
 Bad boys get more girls. (h/t, Flares)
Another drop-out who made good. Carl Right Wing Prof vs. The Power. Obama losing his sheen? Pajamas. Heck, he's just another Chicago pol. Breaking his promise re public financing clinches the argument. But the card he has up his sleeve is the Race Card. Is the high price of oil really unintended? Synthstuff. He is right: high oil prices is Dem official policy. Should McCain pick a lady Veep? Pot OK, tobacco not. The incredible disappearing Iraq War. Confed. Yank The Global Warming Inquisition. We just knew this was coming. Do you know your lumber? Not like Sipp, you don't. Citigroup to fire tons of bankers. A once-great company is now a mess. Thanks for nothin', Sandy Weil. Newspapers in deep trouble. Why I don't want kids. Captain Capitalism. Kids are, no doubt, impractical. But who wants to be practical? Correcting your Mozart deficit. NY Sun Sharpton vs Imus, Round Two? Good grief.
Me back from Maine, refreshed and full of clams, mussels and Codfish, and happy to have a hot shower with something called "soap." My summer vacation time is all used up, but I still have my weekend boating schedule to keep me summering although I am already thinking about hunting season. Did some thinking about how to improve my little corner of Maggie's Farm, but did not come up with any great ideas, other than to post less, more often, if only to make my job easier for me. I am not trying to compete with Insty. However, I have catch-up today since I have been happily without any news for going on two weeks. Funny how life goes on just the same whether you know what's happening or not. News is at least half entertainment and diversion/distraction but, on the other hand, being informed and involved is one's duty as a citizen in a free republic - even in summertime. Sad to hear about Russert. A decent, likeable fellow, too young to go. Carlin too, although I never quite enjoyed his humor too much. Memento mori. Here's a view of Acadia park, where I have been bumming it. Yes, the water is cold: 
Back to reality? What is "reality"? One Cosmos My alcoholism, from Dean's World. A damn good piece. (h/t, Mod. Voice) A vehicle from the point of view of a dog. Bad idea: dogs must be expected to adjust. Another blogger we enjoy takes a break. Prof Deneen. Wise move. Production without compensation is insane. At Maggie's, we are all insane. Mordechai Kedar on that Al Jazeera interview, at Youtube Dr. Merc already posted this, but it's a serious point. Obama not ready for prime time. But neither was Bush the Younger. Related: How to read a far Left-wing hack like Frank Rich. Related: Thinking about David Brooks' piece on Obama Power blackouts in the strangest places. The NYT is rife with biased reporting on Israel. They are rife with biased reporting about everything else, too. Pssst. I can make you a deal on a Pious Prius. It's a marketing triumph. Another Irish referendum? I guess you can keep making them vote until they vote the way you want them to. The exodus of the middle class from San Francisco. Isn't it rather basic that prices go up when a thing is desirable? What's the big deal? That middle class is making a killing by selling their SF houses. Theophobia. Prof. Bainbridge Loses 80 lbs. on a MacDonalds diet 16 year-old plans solo sail around the world. Mom claims to be relaxed about it. Happy 5th Birthday, American Digest. Vanderleun is a member of our cybertribe, I think. Kelo update. Volokh Democrat language, translated. It is not complicated. Not enough cheap power? Blame the Evil Corporations. Are men more sexy if they do housework? Dr. Helen. Sexy or not, of course men do housework. It just has to get done sometimes - but as little as possible to maintain minimal decency. It's called "man clean," meaning that the pizza boxes and beer cans go to the garbage before you have a girl over. Via Coyote: "Democrats are great public supporters of science over faith (e.g. stem cell research, evolution) except when the science is economics and one's faith is in government." Where's the virtue in permitting evil to triumph? Neoneo What's the Dem energy policy? Related: The Big Lie about ANWR. The big economic story of the year is about the bond insurors. From Bloomberg: "Financial Security and Assured Guaranty Ltd.'s insurance unit were the only bond insurers to keep a top rating and stable outlook from Fitch, Moody's & S&P."
FSA has been the strongest, meaning there is no hope for Assured.
and more at Bloomberg: "The funds are concerned that they may get stuck with the debt because banks that have agreed to act as buyers of last resort can cancel those agreements when insurers' credit ratings drop below specified levels."
and more. It's a fascinating story with all sorts of implications for debt markets and for muni markets. I don't understand the ins and outs of credit default swap pricing, but I can understand the implications of the collapse of the bond insurors. As we said here months ago, if Maggie's were a billion-dollar fund we'd have been buying distressed credits for 8 months. And now we'd be selling them to the other hedgies and making millions.
Sunday, June 22. 2008
A video tribute to the guys (and gals) in harm's way, from Theo Why are they sending me this advt? "You may qualify for Medicare to pay for your powered wheelchair." Sheesh. Not quite yet. The Caracas-Jihad connection. NY Sun The train wreck of single-payer medical care in California. Same thing happens in China: Being a baby girl in India is a bad deal. The multiculturalist cult demands that we respect this, however. Ten interesting facts about kissing The Left takes on Toyota and the Prius. They can whine all they want, but I won't listen until a communist country builds a car anybody would chose to buy. RIP Tim Russert. NYT
Thursday, June 19. 2008
From Obama and McCain: Now that the two parties have finally selected their presidential candidates, it is time for a sober-- if not grim-- assessment of where we are. Not since 1972 have we been presented with two such painfully inadequate candidates. When election day came that year, I could not bring myself to vote for either George McGovern or Richard Nixon. I stayed home. This year, none of us has that luxury. While all sorts of gushing is going on in the media, and posturing is going on in politics, the biggest national sponsor of terrorism in the world-- Iran-- is moving step by step toward building a nuclear bomb.
Sunday, June 15. 2008
 Back from the sea. Heading down to Maine now for a few more days of vacation. By this hour, there should be no traffic hassles. And, no - I have not been invited to anybody's grand waterfront "cottage" in one of those upper-crust Maine villages. I will be roughin' it in Acadia Park, like the working class, no-trust-fund, non-country club Reagan Republican that I am, with some old college pals. Definitely no golf. Clams, beer, and lots of fresh fried cod with fries and cole slaw. Salt and vinegar on the fish. A few lobsters, too. I shall swim - or at least immerse - in that ice-cold June water, if only to try to stay clean. Lots of hiking around. No golf, but some deep-water fishing. I have pre-posted some things to try to help keep Maggie's in business. See y'all in a while. (No, I do not do cameras. I do love looking at photos of stuff, but I learned that, when I go somewhere with a camera, I focus on the camera instead of on the thing itself. So I gave 'em up.)
Pre-posted for your reading pleasure, like all of Bird Dog's posts this week: Are men boring? Women think so. They never met me. Inconspicuous consumption. The less money your peer group has, the more bling you buy. Giving poor kids laptops does nothing for them. Saudi-run VA school teaches hate. But if some cultures hate, then isn't tolerance of hate multiculturally tolerant? The utopian origins of Dilbert's workspace The few, the proud. Harvard's 5 ROTC grads Politics and religion: Permitted, but not encouraged? The Myth of Equality: Bynum in The New English Review Why the FCC should not exist Get ready for the oil price drop
Some Father's Day eye candy, courtesy of Theo: 
Friday, June 13. 2008
Good piece by neoneo on Keillor on Obama's silver tongue. I thought TV had rendered old-fashioned oratory obsolete, and had been replaced by TV's Cool Charisma. Maybe not. After all, a passionate preacher is still a fine thing. Remember when Biden said Obama was "articulate and clean"? OK, here's "articulate," without the teleprompter.
Where's my warming? How long must I wait?
 Re the Supremes' Guantanamo decision, Scotus Blog. Also, Powerline. Also, Dem Project.
Obama admits he is in favor of higher gas prices Time to learn what Credit Default Swaps are, because they are the next big mess. David Warren: Silencing Canadian clergy Survival tips for time travel to 1000 AD. (h/t, Attack Machine) Dude, Where's my recession? Insty All bad weather is henceforth from Global Warming. More from Chicken Little. How does your compensation compare? h/t, Dr. Bob's Weds. links The religion of peace. SDA, with an example. Image: The Iowa, at work. h/t Theo. Raw violence can be strangely beautiful.
Thursday, June 12. 2008
The Anchoress writes up a storm: Go ahead, impeach him What's in your spouse's wallet? Are the media ever going to tell us what Obama believes? Related: Not the Jim Johnson I knew. Getting mighty crowded under that bus. Mr. Sun is letting us down. No sunspots = cooler climates. Is Maggie's Farm the only website that favors global warming? Coyote: "perhaps 99% of all government policy failed on incentives issues" Financial advisors' scare tactics on seniors. Sounds like they learned these tricks from the Dems. Related: How long will you live? Where are all those Priuses? Daily (marital) sex - for one year. A burden, but do-able - depending on the book I am into. A true gentleman never disappoints a lady in need. Drones for the people! McCain vows to crack down on free enterprise. What? Well, nobody's perfect, right? Speaking of imperfection, the YouTube of McCain's slip-ups
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Yellow Science.