Sunday, August 31. 2008
Dr. Merc, who is experiencing some nice gusts down in the Keys, wanted to make sure we didn't miss Steyn's piece on Sarah Palin - The Hostess with the Moosest. Steyn emerged from estivation to produce this. It begins:  First, Governor Palin is not merely, as Jay describes her, "all-American", but hyper-American. What other country in the developed world produces beauty queens who hunt caribou and serve up a terrific moose stew? As an immigrant, I'm not saying I came to the United States purely to meet chicks like that, but it was certainly high on my list of priorities. And for the gun-totin' Miss Wasilla then to go on to become Governor while having five kids makes it an even more uniquely American story. Next to her resume, a guy who's done nothing but serve in the phony-baloney job of "community organizer" and write multiple autobiographies looks like just another creepily self-absorbed lifelong member of the full-time political class that infests every advanced democracy.
Second, it can't be in Senator Obama's interest for the punditocracy to spends its time arguing about whether the Republicans' vice-presidential pick is "even more" inexperienced than the Democrats' presidential one.
I did kinda wonder what sort of person feels motivated to write two autobiographies at his age. Except for his odd parents and his nomination, what could he have to tell? Anyway, read the whole clever piece. Photo: Palin works on her husband's commercial fishing boat on weekends. Oh, and did we mention that she runs 7-10 miles per day? Or that she turned Alaska's politics upside down? Or that she refused her governor's perk of car and driver to drive herself to work? Or that she has had more executive experience than Obama, McCain and Biden combined? Plus she is a likeable, non-angry female. As in Insty's case, the females in my family are like totally fired up. Win or lose, she will be a national figure for years to come.
Saturday, August 30. 2008
Our pal Roger sent this in today: Maybe Howard Dean can pick up Hillary Clinton on the waiver wire in the off-season. 
 Via Powerline, this is Sarah Palin as Miss Wasilla in 1984. Lots more good photos at Powerline, with comments too, of course. The unhinged Lefties seem truly freaked by Palin's selection. A quote via Classical Values:
Mitt Romney would've been the safe choice--he would've delivered Michigan, along with a 51% victory. With this choice, McCain has stated his intention to "shoot the moon". He's solidified his existing alliances and has now reached out to many disenchanted Democrats, but without alienating his base of support. He's going to try for a blowout... Bill Kristol says: There will be rocky moments. But they will fade if the McCain campaign lets Palin's journey take its natural course over the next two months. Millions of Americans--mostly but not only women, mostly but not only Republicans and conservatives--seemed to get a sense of energy and enjoyment and pride, not just from her nomination, but especially from her smashing opening performance. Palin will be a compelling and mold-breaking example for lots of Americans who are told every day that to be even a bit conservative or Christian or old-fashioned is bad form. In this respect, Palin can become an inspirational figure and powerful symbol. The left senses this, which is why they want to discredit her quickly.
Big Labor's stake in Obama. PJ. Related, What's in those Annenberg files? Have you noticed this too? Mental skills fade earlier than thought. As the earth cools, warming hype gets more hysterical Via Driscoll: The End of the New Democrats Dem platform is for whiners. Robert Robb at RCP. It begins: The Democrats have titled their party platform, "Renewing America's Promise." A more honest and accurate title would be, "We'll Give You More." The soul of the Democratic philosophy is summed up in this passage from the platform: "For decades, Americans have been told to act for ourselves, by ourselves, on our own. Democrats reject this recipe for division and failure." Note the disdain for the ethos of self-responsibility. Democrats do not merely regard it as insufficient. Instead they regard the idea that people should provide for themselves as divisive. Even more significantly, Democrats regard self-responsibility as a "recipe for failure." In other words, Democrats don't think the American people are capable of making it on their own. And so, Democrats have a government program for, well, everything. Democrats want government to help you raise your kids, send them to college, train and retrain for a job, buy a home and save for retirement.
Megan says this. Some truth to it, but it misses the main point, I think, which is that govt isn't about caring - it's about protecting our freedom. Govt does not and cannot "care": Democrats show little expressed sympathy for those who work to make the money the government taxes to help the beset-upon mother and the soldier and the kids. They express little sympathy for the middle-aged woman who owns a small dry cleaner and employs six people and is, actually, day to day, stressed and depressed from the burden of state, local and federal taxes, and regulations, and lawsuits, and meetings with the accountant, and complaints as to insufficient or incorrect efforts to meet guidelines regarding various employee/employer rules and regulations. At Republican conventions they express sympathy for this woman, as they do for those who are entrepreneurial, who start businesses and create jobs and build things. Republicans have, that is, sympathy for taxpayers. But they don't dwell all that much, or show much expressed sympathy for, the sick mother with the uninsured kids, and the soldier with the shot nerves. Neither party ever gets it quite right, the balance between the taxed and the needy, the suffering of one sort and the suffering of another. You might say that in this both parties are equally cold and equally warm, only to two different classes of citizens.
Friday, August 29. 2008
We have plenty of political beefs with John McCain, but admire him as an extraordinary American. Maggie's Farm is now on board with this ticket - and not only because their opponents are radical nuts. 
Who is Sarah Palin? She is 44 years old, a former mayor, and the first-term governor of Alaska who ran on an anti-corruption platform. She is a strong advocate of offshore drilling. She is the mother of five including a child with Down Syndrome. In her tenure as Alaska governor she has pursued ethics reform, budget reduction, and natural gas development. In short, she is unlike anyone on either ticket and unlike anyone ever to be on a major party’s ticket.
That's from PJ. She is the real deal. She's an evangelical Christian with 5 kids who grew up hunting with her dad. She is reputed to be a crack shot. She has a kid with Downs. She first helped support her young family by working as a commercial fisherman. Her husband is an Eskimo who has been a fisherman and an oil field worker, wears a goatee, who races dogsleds. For what it's worth, she has more executive experience than all 3 other national candidates combined (and more real life experience than Obama-Biden combined). Agree with them on everything or not, these two rugged folks and proud Americans are honorary Maggie's Farmers.
 Just what I hoped for from McCain - a bold and ballsy and politically brilliant pick. Changes the whole dynamic.
Not that I do not appreciate the other choices, but I did not want to see Mitt (who I admire a lot) up there. Put Mitt in the Cabinet - anywhere, and he will do any hard job for our country. Just keep him away from the medical. I never met anybody named Sarah that I didn't like, and this Sarah is full of beans. The un-Hillary, too: she's neither angry nor bitter, and doesn't resent being female. Good on you, John. She was my choice, too. As a clincher, she's a Lifetime Member of the NRA, and her hubbie is a dog-sledding Eskimo. What more could you ask for? As Mona Charen says: Is it just me, or does Sarah Palin seem more genuine than the average pol? Admittedly, I'm strongly prejudiced in her favor because she is the living embodiment of the pro-life cause. But she is also the opposite of the America Obama sketched last night. He wants us all to think of ourselves as broken, beaten, and in need of government help. He caricatures the conservative message as "You're on your own." Palin, of Alaska, still carries the spark of the frontier, the independence, and the spunk. I think Americans will identify with her far more than with Senator (been in Washington for 97 years) Biden.
I want to be "on my own," and I suspect Sarah does too. This pick leaves Obama's pity-pot, America-hating whining in the dust-bin. McCain isn't perfect but he is a fine man, and this Sarah is a super-fine lady. It's the winning ticket: bet on it.
The psychiatrist Krauthammer notes, interestingly, that there is nobody to vouch for Obama. Shrinks are trained to notice things like that: how do people relate, and to whom. Where are the witnesses to his ability? Where are his friends and colleagues? Are there any left? A quote: So where are the colleagues? The buddies? The political or spiritual soul mates? His most important spiritual adviser and mentor was Jeremiah Wright. But he's out. Then there's William Ayers, with whom he served on a board. He's out. Where are the others? The oddity of this convention is that its central figure is the ultimate self-made man, a dazzling mysterious Gatsby. The palpable apprehension is that the anointed is a stranger — a deeply engaging, elegant, brilliant stranger with whom the Democrats had a torrid affair. Having slowly woken up, they see the ring and wonder who exactly they married last night.
Yes, he does seem like the elegant mysterious stranger who arrived out of nowhere like the Music Man. Immature people without personal foundations fill in those blanks with their own hopes and dreams. The reality is that he is a fine but not extraordinary black preacher/talker who has never done much, who nobody seems to really know, who carries a barely-covert communitarian message which is not my vision of America (except in my own neighborhood, where we all give eachother a hand). Fantasy is fun, as is ego-tripping. Reality is the problem, and hard reality is often a bummer. Let's grow up, America, and not feed on pixie-dust.
 I didn't hear the speech, so no opinion. I see that McArdle says:
... it was basically standard Democratic Convention Boilerplate: nothing we haven't seen before from Obama, or for that matter, every Democratic presidential candidate in living memory.
Tiger thought he did a good job. Here's the real issue: Obama's stealth socialism Here's Spike Lee with his Obama-worship: "You can divide history. BB Before Barack. AB After Barack."
I hope he was joking. And the WaPo's Gerson has a public orgasm in print. Neoneo said the other day: ...I’m puzzled when I see the starry-eyed acolytes, be they wedded to Obama or to Hillary. I have no idea how a grownup thinking person can invest that much love and hope in any politician.
But she knows why, and so do I. The ten worst colleges in the USA. #1 worst? University of Bridgeport. Hampshire College also on that list. More on how the economy is improving. More: the rebound The greening of Fresh Kills landfill PJ O'Rourke on God Dr. Clouthier: Five reasons government medicine would be bad for the US News you do not want to hear about
Thursday, August 28. 2008
Stanley Kurtz at WGN. Remarkable show, calm and rational. Give it a listen - it's worth the time. Stanley Kurtz is the best and Milt, if a bit naive, seems like a reasonable person. Related: Obamunists attack radio station. You can hear their attempts on the above radio link. This is getting strange and creepy. If John McCain had attended a white supremacist church for 20 years, and shared a board membership with a skinhead terrorist and began his first foray into politics at a skinhead's house with his convicted terrorist wife, would it effect his campaign? Would it be mentioned? The question is quietly raised: Is Obama the Manchurian Candidate?
 The colossal Antonine ruler statues found in Turkey. Marcus Aurelius in photo.
Wonder what "Deep Green," aka "Deep Ecology" means? Here's wiki. I guess you might call it a pagan religion, more or less. Oslo rots. It's not your grandfather's Oslo. Via Open Left, a quote: There is a populist message at the convention: individual Americans versus a system of lobbyists, partisan bickering, fear-based character attacks, old white men and George W. Bush. It might seem like weak tea and a bit inchoate so far, but it is possible Obama will tie it together, and ramp it up, in his speech.
Why government medicine remains a bad idea, at Pajamas: Public healthcare becomes the default option, but it never outperforms private or semi-private care, as exhaustive comparisons of European healthcare regimes show. State-of-the-art care becomes harder to access, as incentives for healthcare providers, administrators, and consumers are all skewed by artificial constraints. Those without the money to obtain the best treatment, or the connections to pull strings, find it increasingly hard to get appropriate medical care. The most pernicious aspect of government provided health care, though, is in the rationing of medical care and services. When the commodity being mismanaged is healthcare, the results include injury, disability, and death. Chilling examples from Canada show why single-payer, universal healthcare is not the way forward.
Obama's sociopathic friend William Ayers said this: Bring the revolution home, Kill your parents.
A good addition to our blogroll: Will Wilkinson's Fly Bottle Do facts matter? Poverty level, unemployment better under Bush than with Clinton The journey of a confident man. Politico
A quote from a Robert Samuelson piece in the NY Sun: By all rights, we should be having a fierce debate over the role of government. What should it do, for whom and why? What can we afford? Who should pay? These questions would suggest a campaign that seriously engages the future, but instead, we have a bidding war between candidates to see who can promise the most appealing package of new spending programs and tax cuts... As we watch the conventions, we should recognize that we've entered an era of fantasy politics. Like fantasy football and baseball, fantasy politics is an exercise in make-believe that is intended to keep its players occupied and to make the winners feel good. Senators Obama and McCain emit pleasing slogans and programs that, as often as not, are disconnected from the country's actual problems they'll encounter in office.
Wednesday, August 27. 2008
 "Toga, toga, toga." And McCain has some fun with it too. Image via Ace. But is anybody watching this convention? I doubt it. I won't watch either one. What for?
The racism excuse is ready to go. Gimme a break. Mini-cows. Get yours, now, before the prices go up. You already read this: Totten on the truth about Georgia. Yet another warning about global cooling. And now the Great Freeze begins, earlier than expected. Who cares about Ayers and Dohrn? I do. Lefty fascist loony toons. Clayton Cramer - Help find that good guy a good job. Preferably in Boise. Wind farms are subsidy farms. No kidding. A quote from Mona Charen: I so wish I could support Barack Obama. It would be great -- truly magnificent -- to elect a black president of the United States. Watching the convention coverage on Monday night, I was moved by my friend Juan Williams' almost tearful reaction to Michelle Obama's address. He shook his head in amazement that an African-American woman was in the position she was. And it moved me to see how moved he was. I wish I could send Michelle Obama -- so attractive, so poised, so stylish -- a cyber hug. I'd wager that millions of other Americans, like me, would love to see someone like her as First Lady. Or at least I would love to support the person Michelle Obama has conjured for us this week -- successful working-class girl who worked hard, upheld traditional values, and was rewarded by a great nation.
A robo-skeleton for the paralyzed. Cool. I am not my brother's keeper. The author of Love and Houses, Marti Leimbach, has a blog. The return of Big Labor. I thought we had "evolved" beyond that mess. Look at this. Sheesh. A modern social contract. Gates Dem ex-Gov Rendell on Obama: Adlai Stevenson? He is too kind. Adlai was spineless, but he did have depth and humor. More on Obama and abortion. This goes beyond abortion. Is this what ladies want? Bill is dissing Obama. Politics is so mature. Dissent is unpatriotic - sometimes. From Sowell: There are countries in Europe that would love to have their unemployment rate fall to the 5.7 percent unemployment rate to which ours has risen. Yet those who seem to want us to imitate European economic and social policies never seem to want to consider the actual consequences of those policies. "Unacceptable" is one of the big weasel words of our time-- almost always said when the person who says it has no intention of doing anything, and so is accepting what is called "unacceptable." Republicans won big, running as Republicans, in 2004. But once they took control of Congress, they started acting like Democrats and lost big. There is a lesson in that somewhere but whether Republicans will learn it is another story entirely. When we hear about rent control or gun control, we may think about rent or guns but the word that really matters is "control." That is what the political left is all about, as you can see by the incessant creation of new restrictions in places where they are strongly entrenched in power, such as San Francisco or New York.
 I get 90% of my ideas for my website posts in the shower. And this is probably why.
My morning shower thought for today was this: Why were the top two Dem candidates people who have never accomplished anything substantial or difficult in their lives - other than to be in elections? (Note to John McCain: An ad asking "Name one thing Obama has accomplished in his life.") This is not coincidence. Many politicians are not very good at regular life, but these two stand out as having only been good at being, not at life accomplishment. Being female, being black, and being medium-smart and above-average crafty and calculating. They have never run anything, made anything, or done anything: It's all about being them. As Dino notes: Think about this: most people have someone whom they know or with whom they work, a relative perhaps, who has a thicker résumé and a longer list of achievements than the Democratic presidential candidate. Consider this: if history were different and Senator Obama had decided this year to run to become governor of Illinois, would he have been given rock-star status? Could his Republican opponent have run against him as “too inexperienced” to govern the Prairie State?
These folks are all about Jive Talkin': Admittedly, I will always tend to vote for the more conservative candidate in any election, even if he or she is brain-damaged. That's because individual freedom and protection of our freedom is my main political agenda. That's my bias. I'm sure the Lefties approach things similarly. However, my resume (and life experience) is deeper than Obama's or Hillary's, for sure. But that's not saying much.
I'm fairly good with nuance, but 99% of the time good vs. evil is rather clear. A banner from the Dem convention protesters - which might as well be from the Dem convention: 
BTW, I am not saying that the war in Iraq was a good idea. I am open-minded about that, but it's history now. The proof is in the pudding. However, I have no doubt that it was about good vs. evil.
Insty notes: BEWARE: In America, racism is everywhere! Everywhere people don't support Obama, anyway . . . .
Since about 50% of Dem primary voters voted for other than Obama, the rampant Dem racism is proven. No wonder MLK Jr. was a Republican. Same as Abe Lincoln.
Tuesday, August 26. 2008
 Any room left under the bus? Toss Ayers under it, now. Related: Where did Obama's mo go? Also, you just can't win with the Clintons. Obama was smart to keep away from them: they make a mess wherever they go (see video). Related: Nervous Dems want Obama to look strong. Metrosexuals aren't supposed to look strong.
Related, I think this is crazy talk: All of us driven by a simple belief that the world as it is just won't do — that we have an obligation to fight for the world as it should be.
We are? Why is it named "Shell Oil," or Royal Dutch Shell? Answer here. It's about seashells.(h/t Jungle Trader, who always has good tidbits) More on the race-pandering rent-seekers who need Obama to lose the election. But they already have a plan: If he wins, he'll be a token black guy; if he loses, it will prove the depth of American racism. (Note semi-colon use.) The Red Primer for Children and Diplomats The dangers of excellence, in the pomo world. So why did they let Phelps swim? Dunce du jour: Nancy Pelosi thinks that natural gas doesn't come from wells and isn't a carbon fuel. Double-dunce: She doesn't understand her church's stand on abortion. The current Dems are McGovern redux. Rick Moran. No new ideas in 50 years, really. Stuck on faith in government, instead of faith in people. A great Obama endorsement: "For our gay-lesbian- bisxexual-transgender rights to continue to grow and not further diminish, then we need to stand behind [Obama].
Ad he really does not want this story to get out. It's out. The most retarded ways celebs go green. h/t, Attack Dems favor global welfare? What a brilliant new idea. Via Tim Blair: Imagine telling somebody twenty years ago that by 2007, it would be illegal to smoke in a pub or bus shelter or your own vehicle or that there would be £80 fines for dropping cigarette butts, or that the words “tequila slammer” would be illegal or the government would mandate what angle a drinker’s head in an advertisement may be tipped at, or that it would be illegal to criticise religions or homosexuality, or rewire your own house, or that having sex after a few drinks would be classed as rape or that the State would be confiscating children for being overweight. Imagine telling them the government would be contemplating ration cards for fuel and even foods, that every citizen would be required to carry an ID card filled with private information which could be withdrawn at the state’s whim. They’d have thought you a paranoid loon.
Photo via Theo, who is busy harvesting this week. He is a farmer.
Good grief (h/t Vanderleun). Where's the stable and the manger? 
Monday, August 25. 2008
 Throw the speculators in jail! The good news? Home sales up. Bubble needed a little correction, same as the oil bubble. Beware of bubbles, suckers. It's musical chairs.
Hamas leader's son embraces Christ, and even the Dem church and state meme is no longer operational. Why Obama would be bad for black Americans An online beauty pageant for nuns I agree with Insty. MADD should have a couple of beers and chill out a little. They have become cranks. Where have all the real men gone? They are all around, if you just look. Via Insty: Dems rally against teacher's unions. It's about time. Darfur: depressing topic. Nobody knows what to do, and nobody wants to offend the Moslems. Hey Al Gore: It's gonna be a very cold winter. But if you look at the poll on that article, most people want it to be warmer. Wussies. From the editors of NRO. It begins: The Democratic party that meets today in Denver is one that many of its forebears would hardly recognize and might abhor. The determination to face down our enemies that characterized Harry Truman, the willingness to cut tax rates that John F. Kennedy showed, the pro-life convictions that informed Hubert Humphrey and Ed Muskie, even the free-trading instincts that Bill Clinton possessed — all have been banished from the party of Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
In place of these older political strains are a restless welfare statism; a hope, masquerading as a strategy, that we can talk and charm our way out of foreign crises; and a social liberalism that prefers the courts to do its heavy lifting. This party has found perfect exemplars of its ideology in its nominees.
Read the whole thing.
This is likely my last week as a regular at Maggie's, so I have been given a special vacation break dispensation to post ad lib. If I begin my new job after Labor Day thinking about this friendly Yankee site, I won't be doing what I need to be doing. And I need to get ready to move this weekend. My only issue is my guns. Guns to NYC? I will leave them with my buddy in Mass. I have no clue about NYC gun laws.  Volleyball is boring? Not if 1) you are playing or 2) pretty girls are playing in their underwear. h/t, Insanities.
Obama's tax plans would give you a 64% tax rate in California, for the self-employed. Bob Brinker. Would you work hard for that? Not to mention Obama's cap gains tax plans. How Conservative are Americans? Just ask them. And how Left is Obama-Biden? Fred Barnes Related: The "tender-minded". And speaking of tender... I smoked a pork butt yesterday. Had some friends over for beers and pulled pork. Don't tell me that it isn't Yankee food. It is now. Best ocean photos. Gay parade, no vet parade. Are gays the new vets? Who lied about Iraq? Chronic plagiarist? Hey, that's old news. As somebody said, maybe he'll teach Barack to fish. I don't think Barry's Dad knew how to fish. Since conventions no longer select candidates, what's their purpose now? To create a TV narrative. The narrative is always the same: "Things are terrible. We are wonderful." "Hillary is like 'Are you kidding me?'" Dave Barry Insty: GOOD NEWS ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT: "According to a study by the Desert Research Institute, pollutant levels at the beginning of the 20th century were two to five times higher than current levels of pollution."
How to destroy a state (or country) - Malanga on New Jersey's gradual suicide. One quote: ...why has reform been so difficult? In part because the kind of big-government, tax-consuming policies that are doing so much damage have also given more and more residents a stake in the current system. State and local government employment is among the highest in the country on a per-capita basis, having increased by 15 percent from 2000 through 2006 alone. Hundreds of thousands of current and retired public employees aren’t about to vote for changing the system, for fear it would eliminate their perks and benefits. Meanwhile, the state’s recent tax increases have fallen entirely on upper-income residents. Those earning more than $200,000 a year, who account for just 4.9 percent of households filing tax returns, are paying 60 percent of all personal income taxes. Jersey has even managed to make its onerous property taxes progressive by instituting a means-tested rebate program: higher-income residents don’t get cash back. The effect of all this is to make New Jersey a place where just a few businesses and residents pay the freight while so many others are on the public dole, in one way or another, that reform becomes virtually impossible. Of course, such a system cannot sustain itself very long before collapsing, as some businesses balk at expansion, others (like the newspapers) shrivel, and declining opportunities stifle job growth. That’s why Jersey now lurches from crisis to crisis.
 Is college worth it?
Consider a young man who is at the 70th percentile in language and mathematical ability. He is easily a good enough student to get into mid-level universities. As far as his “people skills” go he is average, but in small motor and spatial skills, he’s at the 95th percentile. The fellow could go to college and get a degree that would put him on track for a management job – where he probably wouldn’t rise far because he’ll be competing with many others who have better skills.
On the other hand, he could become an excellent electrician. If he were to do that, he would probably earn substantially more than if he became a manager and also enjoy far greater job security. Moreover, there is the important matter of personal satisfaction. Our young man will probably have far more of it in a career where he can see tangible results every day and quite possibly become his own boss.
Conclusion: “(G)uidance counselors and parents who automatically encourage young people to go to college straight out of high school regardless of their skills and interests are being thoughtless about the best interests of young people in their charge.” Murray has that exactly right. We need to break out of the mindset that you can’t be a success in life unless you have a college degree.
Obama hipsters! Iowahawk. h/t Jules Clintonista whining. Sheesh. We are all gonna drown! Greenland glacier does glacial things: It is too early to say it is clearly global warming, Zwally said. Scientists don't like to attribute single events to global warming, but often say such events fit a pattern. University of Colorado professor Konrad Steffen, who returned from Greenland Wednesday and has studied the Petermann glacier in the past, said that what Box saw is not too different from what he saw in the 1990s: "The crack is not alarming... I would say it is normal."
Normal? It's a crisis! Run and hide!
Photo on top: pulled pork. Mr. Brown is my favorite. Lower photo, my new neighborhood hang-out: Scratcher's. I will miss Rudy's, but Scratcher's has cute gals - without brown roots, and with all of their teeth, too. I am looking forward to a change. Hope and Change!
Saturday, August 23. 2008
 Besides a break from daily content production (which is usually just fun to do, if a bit time-consuming), we need this vacation to re-think our purpose here at Maggie's. It was never primarily a political purpose, but we all tend to get caught up in the thing-du-jour - especially in an election year.
That was never our original intention. Many other people do that better than we do, and we do not need to be an echo chamber. We did want to represent our traditional views, but to not get caught up in the daily frenzies. But the temptation is strong because we are passionate about our beliefs about the America we love. And our original intention was never to feel any obligation for daily posts. We all have day jobs, but we - or I - got caught up in the fun of it, and we all read tons of stuff on these nets every day anyway. Futhermore, I have accepted a new job in NYC, beginning in September. Do not worry about me - I have a good 5-year contract. A big move. Can't let life stagnate, but it's not going to be like work in the countryside. I expect 14-hour days, and look forward to a fresh new challenge. Give me your best shot, Big Apple. I think I can take it, and too much comfort is not good for a young fellow. My huntin' buddy will take good care of my Springer, and put her to work more than I will be able to. She is a biddable gal, and promiscuous with her affection. I will sneak these links: The Village Idiots, notes a commenter at LGF. Yep. The physiology of perversion. This actually makes sense. The vicious cycle of Dem urban control. Duh. Via Classical: He's at least as fresh a face as Madeleine Albright.
Doctors vs. Economists. Related: Harvey Cushing photo journal. Try that, economists. Pure, delighted malice. SISU Is this video the election? Now, the new question: Are you an antisemite? The ethos of authoritarianism in the Middle East. Maybe they love it. I hate it. Excuse me, but who is supposed to be the next president? Hmmm. From Town Hall: Rob Long asks "Isn't [Biden] sort of the stupid person's idea of the smart person's candidate?" Yes, he is. But that's not fair to stupid people. Even stupid people who watched Biden embarrass himself during the Alito hearings --remember the "I hate Princeton" moment followed by the donning of the Princeton cap?-- know that Slow Joe is all tenure and no talent.
I missed this Officer Krupke moment. Did Obama just lose the election? I don't think so, but I hope he will. I will follow the rules, after that.
Friday, August 22. 2008
2008 coolest in 5 years. Too cold for my tomatoes, up here. They do not like these cold nights. Gonna get colder, too. Hey, Al Gore - mail me a new down comforter and a heater for my garden. Chavez' bridge to the 19th Century. What happens to the earth's cognitive surplus? Well, a lot of it goes into these internets, doesn't it? Kingsfield v. Bainbridge How hard is TIME pumping Obama? Seven covers! He is a media-created sensation. I guess he sells soap. Jennifer Horn for New Hampshire Evil racist videos at Classical Values "We reject the pernicious belief, commonly held at our most highly esteemed institutions, that fighting our nation's battles is someone else's job." The Corner Jim Cramer on natural gas and wind power De Toqueville on the nanny state. A subquote: It would be like the authority of a parent if, like that authority, its object was to prepare men for manhood; but it seeks, on the contrary, to keep them in perpetual childhood: it is well content that the people should rejoice, provided they think of nothing but rejoicing.
After 40 years, the Left still doesn't get the eclipse of socialism. Socialism is tricky. To enforce it and to maintain it, not only do you need some guns but you need to make sure you do not punish achievers and risk-takers to the point that they quit, or climb over the wall and leave for more hospitable shores. Of course, your Wise Leaders always get all they can get - power, babes, money, cars, houses - because they deserve it for their selfless service to the ignorant masses. And, if ignorant, ignorant because of the government schools. Too many good recent posts by AVI to link separately. Gun control: Why, it's almost enough to make someone think that gun control doesn't actually reduce violence, or do anything to instill morality in the heart of someone intent on murdering their fellow man.
Who knew?
Shit and alligators. Nice place, Florida. Caveat emptor, and quit whining and taking my money. Hollywood conservatives to rally for McCain Obama will lose "because he is a flake." Right. He cannot resist the spineless moral equivalencies, which are nothing but rationalizations for timid passivity. Are schools "social service centers"? Why not try to teach the kids math first before trying to do something more difficult? Gotta love these sorts of virtuous idiots. Pay off your conscience with $11, paid for with parents' tuitions. It's a con game. Stealth technology: The Prius is killing off all the blind people. Memo to Toyota: It would be more fun to drive if you gave it a computer-generated Harley sound-effect.
 Hallmark does gay marriage
George Will on tough schools Jules is back on the job Is growing up in England as terrible as UNICEF says it is? A quote from Dalrymple's piece: Consider one British parent, Fiona MacKeown, who in November 2007 went on a six-month vacation to Goa, India, with her boyfriend and eight of her nine children by five different fathers, none of whom ever contributed financially for long to the children’s upkeep. (The child left behind—her eldest, at 19—was a drug addict.) She received $50,000 in welfare benefits a year, and doubtless decided—quite rationally, under the circumstances—that the money would go further, and that life would thus be more agreeable, in Goa than in her native Devon. Reaching Goa, MacKeown soon decided to travel with seven of her children to Kerala, leaving behind one of them, 15-year-old Scarlett Keeling, to live with a tour guide ten years her elder, whom the mother had known for only a short time. Scarlett reportedly claimed to have had sex with this man only because she needed a roof over her head. According to a witness, she was constantly on drugs; and one night, she went to a bar where she drank a lot and took several different illicit drugs, including LSD, cocaine, and pot. She was seen leaving the bar late, almost certainly intoxicated.
They're paying attention now. Noonan. One quote: An attractive, intelligent man, interesting, but—he's hard to categorize. Is he Gen. Obama? No, no military background. Brilliant Businessman Obama? No, he never worked in business. Famous Name Obama? No, it's a new name, an unusual one. Longtime Southern Governor Obama? No. He's a community organizer (what's that?), then a lawyer (boo), then a state legislator (so what, so's my cousin), then U.S. senator (less than four years!). There is no pre-existing category for him.
Obama has no position on the federal role in education? I have an opinion: it has no role whatsoever. Note to John McCain: The correct answer is "My wife owns lots of real estate, some for investment purposes. I keep out of it." Rank hypocrisy from George Soros What's up with Joe Lieberman?
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