Friday, April 30. 2010
My men's study/confessional group has been reading the Letter to the Hebrews for a couple of months. One of the topics we stumbled into this week was a discussion of obedience to God, and dutifulness. (Here's a recent post on obedience via Vanderleun.)
While we guys all seem to acknowledge the need for discipline for spiritual growth, many of us confessed our tendency to lazily and self-congratulatingly replace a life in the spirit with "Christian" dutifulness and "doing good." We more or less ended up thinking of moral and religious dutifulness, if lacking the Holy Spirit and the direction of God, as clanging cymbals - empty noise. Of course, that was one of Christ's teachings.
From a Christian standpoint, pride in one's Christian dutifulness and righteousness is a devil's snare - as is pride in one's humility. From Screwtape's Letter #14 with his advice to his apprentice Wormwood:
Your patient has become humble; have you drawn his attention to the fact? All virtues are less formidable to us once the man is aware that he has them, but this is especially true of humility. Catch him at the moment when he is really poor in spirit and smuggle into his mind the gratifying reflection, “By jove! I’m being humble”, and almost immediately pride—pride at his own humility—will appear. If he awakes to the danger and tries to smother this new form of pride, make him proud of his attempt—and so on, through as many stages as you please.
“In this election… we have got to realize there is no longer any such thing as a conservative Democrat. It doesn’t exist. I used to be one of them. When I worked for Bill Clinton, that’s what I was. Now I’m extinct. There are no more of me. I’m a dodo bird. Now you are either a Reid-Pelosi Democrat or you are a Republican.”
Dick Morris
Adam Smith's The Theory of Moral Sentiments. h/t, Washington Reb
Shawcross: Britain's humiliation
Legally, what's an "offended observer"? I am one, all day long.
Pew: More trouble for Democrats
If the government runs medical care, they will own your body. Bought and sold.
Mexico acknowledges migrant abuse, pledges changes. Yeah, sure.
Immigration: New third rail in American politics announced
Market-Based Membership Approach to Healthcare At the Same Monthly Cost As a Cell Phone Plan
Obama to Wall Street: “I Do Think at Certain Point You’ve Made Enough Money”. He made 5.5 million last year. Plus he gets free room and board from the government with a free chopper to the golf course. More from Driscoll
"Where's our money?" The SEIU protest (h/t, Theo):
Thursday, April 29. 2010
 Neither an imminent 10-meter ocean level rise nor the prospect of a flooded basement deters the Fearless Al from this waterfront purchase.
So does anybody still think he really believes his nonsense? Yes, he is making ark-loads of $ from it but, even so, he is so on board that it would be too late for him to change his mind regardless of facts.
Like Al Sharpton and Tawana Brawley.
But "facts" and "evidence" are just patriarchal and racist tools of oppression anyway, aren't they? In this brave new world, we all get to pick our own facts, depending on how we feel or on which side our bread is buttered, and reality is a politico-socio-emotional construct. Isn't it?
Remind me to post my bit on "Psycho-utopianism" some time soon.
Thirty-five years ago, South Vietnam fell to the communist North. Twenty-eight years ago, President Reagan addressed the British Parliament at Westminster in his famous “Ash Heap of History” speech, to where tyrants will be sent by those valiantly defending freedom.
Yesterday, I went to Orange County’s “Little Saigon”, Westminster, to attend a forum marking the 35th anniversary of the fall.
Before the forum, attendees went outside in the Sid Greenstein Freedom Park for a minute of silence before the war memorial there, the only one in the US honoring US and Vietnamese who fought together.
I knew three of the speakers well (and two others less from shared personal experiences, more as acquaintances, but major figures) from many years of collaboration and friendship to not let the Vietnamese and American sacrifices be in vain, to educate new generations in the lessons personally witnessed and learned...
Continue reading "A Tale Of Two Westminsters: 28 and 35 Years Later"
Re Goldman, from Cardinalpark at Tiger:
The one thing I thought the Goldman executives should have remarked, when questioned about their tactical short overlay to reduce their long exposure to the mortgage morket, would have been to add that, had they not gone net short, they very likely would have been in line testifying with Dick Fuld from Lehman Brothers. And I know which questioning, however ignorant, I would prefer to face.
Today, I am a proud Goldman alum.
Is Congress ignorant about how business works, or do they feign ignorance for populist, political purposes; boob bait for the bubbas? Hard to tell. For certain, the WH is ignorant, as Dino reminds us via this reposted IBD chart:
At Politico today: The Wall Street-Washington divide. My gut tells me it's all a big diversion.
From Smith's The Ghetto-ification of America at Pajamas:
What big government has done to the nation’s inner cities and poor blacks is nothing short of a moral crime. Unless the Democrats are stopped, a lesser though damaging crime will be committed against every other community. Ghetto-light may be your neighborhood all too soon.
It is reminiscent of Dalrymple's observations in the UK which I linked a week or so ago.
 A fun Costco prank. Goat balls?
From The Crushing Patriarchy, Episode 12:
The assumption of a ‘natural’ 1:1 gender ratio in all occupations is itself a prejudice, albeit a modish one. On what basis do we determine that there ought to be a particular ratio of male and female philosophers, or mathematicians, or engineers? At what point and on what basis do we determine that a particular gender is sufficiently “represented” in a given vocation?
Ambinder: The Democratic Message for 2010
Teach Social Justice - Or Else
Obamacare Requires You To "Show Your Papers"
Why reporters are down on the President. And no presser for 10 months! Shocking.
Orszag explains how ObamaCare imposes rationing
Stealth Statehood for Puerto Rico?
Astroturf to support the Cult of Personality
Why Obama is going negative
Adler at Volokh likes Cape Wind. I think it is insane. These costly bird-shredding eyesores will never make money without taxpayer subsidies, and will never amount to a hill of beans as far as energy sourcing goes. Tax-subsidized feel-good baloney.
 This feature back by popular demand. I will post the info later today, although our readers will figure it out first.
We seem to have some knowledgeable birders here. What a world!
Wednesday, April 28. 2010
"You ain't so big, you're just tall that's all."
Probably Reed's best-known song, and it's about work, not love. Everybody can relate. Dylan's "Maggie's Farm" echoes this classic in another way, does it not?
As in many of his recordings, you can hear his wife "Mama" chiming in sometimes.
Many of our readers are impressed by Charles. He has had an interesting life. Here's his Wiki bio.
 City Journal: Preservation Follies - Excessive landmarking threatens to make Manhattan a refuge for the rich.
NASA doubts climate model certainty
BBC: Climate party is winding down
Competition for The Teaching Company: Free Yale intro courses on DVD
Yale bans student-faculty gay sex. (I assume gay sex is included in this.) What about platonic romance?
Why women wear make-up. Villainous
Just what we need: A new mental diagnosis. Computer Stress Syndrome.
Americans, if not Obama, know Israel's strategic value
There is little new in the Arizona law. When I enter a foreign country, I carry a passport. Whether you agree with the law or not, "illegal" means illegal. Americans understand that. Our friend Never Yet Melted sees it differently.
More People Figuring Out that Law School's a Bad Value
Stay away from Mexico
Big biz considering dumping their insurance. Quote:
I’d like to write this off to the law of unintended consequences, but that would be pure nonsense. Not only was this known as a probable outcome, but Democrats lied through their teeth when they denied it. It was and is completely intended. It is the companies, however, that will be demonized for doing precisely what Democrats hoped they’d do (or, one assumes, the penalty for not supplying health care would have been much higher and any tax on Cadillac plans much lower). Single payer, here we come.
From John's Demonizing Goldman Sachs:
I'm not a particular fan of either Goldman Sachs or Congress, but today's hearing confirms that, given a choice, I'd rather have Goldman Sachs regulating Congress than Congress regulating Goldman Sachs. Goldman's employees are much smarter, considerably more honest, and far more likely to have my interests at heart.
Palin:
“I’m sick and tired of Obama and the White House coming out with yet another new crisis that has to be fixed by government sticking it to the people and taking more of what we earn and produce. Instead of allowing our small businesses especially to keep what we earn… But see, to many in the White House including our own president, I don’t know when they’ve run a business. I don’t know when they’ve been a CEO where they had to look out for the bottom line and they had to make payroll and live within their own means with a budget. They’re from government. They’re community organizers. They’ve been spending other people’s money for so long that the free enterprise principles that all of us believe in, it’s all foreign to them.“
The grown-ups of Euroland do not want to further enable the PIGS (Portugal, Ireland, Greece, Spain) in their profligacy, but they are all tied together now, for richer or poorer.
Good summary in The NYT: Greek crisis poised to spread.
Also, good at Mead. He explains why we should care. I don't think Americans do care very much, unless they are in finance.
 Who he?
Dan is running in Southwestern CT against Jim Himes, who washed Chris Shays down the drain in the Obama win.
This November is a chance to remove Himes, a likeable ex-Wall Streeter but a Lefty Pelosi Dem, and to replace him with a new breed of bold Conservative.
Dan has an impressive resume, is an excellent speaker, and a personable fellow. We have met him several times.
He says:
I am running for Congress to restore the values of free enterprise and individual liberty to Washington. Fairfield County families want practical solutions on the economy, healthcare, and transportation. I will use my background as a businessman and a State Senator to implement new ideas to get our economy growing again and create jobs for our families.
All the answers coming out of Washington are for “more government”—whether bailing out banks, taking over auto companies, building record deficits for pork-barrel stimulus, or having government take-over our healthcare system. Our current Congressman, Jim Himes, has been a rubber-stamp for this big government agenda. I believe there is a better way. Through solutions that support small businesses and empower middle class families, I believe that we can get our country back on the right track.
He is trying a 3-day $30,000 money bomb. Send him a few bucks if you can. This could be the year for Blue State Conservatives.
Tuesday, April 27. 2010
Now that ObamaCare restricts the pay of all at health care firms to $500k, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie – struggling with the huge deficits that are causing states to cut basic services -- wants to restrict the pay to executives of non-profits that provide services to the state for aid to 1 million needy families.
Depending on size, pay will be limited to between $105,850 and $141,000.
Further:
Executives are not the only target for contract changes, according to the memo:
• State money shall no longer be used for any employee seeking reimbursement for tuition, textbooks and supplies "unless such courses are required by the contract, licensing certification and Medicaid standards."
• Agency officials must seek state permission before they buy a new vehicle. They must justify its use to fulfill the state contract, demonstrate they have sought three bids, and shall not to exceed $25,000 unless they are buying a passenger van or vehicle for disabled people.
• Agency officials must seek state approval before spending more than $250 per person, per event on travel expenses.
• State money may not be used to defray severance costs unless the employee served more than a year with the company. And that would be capped at two weeks of severance pay and benefits.
Executives can try to make more from private contributions targeted to their salaries, bonuses and benefits. That should be interesting.
As if the US didn’t already have enough lawsuits, and as if excess litigation isn’t one of the prime drivers of medical costs, and as if the Democrats didn’t garner 90% of tort lawyers’ contributions, ObamaCare will create a new boom in lawsuits.
A Qui Tam action is brought by a private citizen against a company for fraudulent claims on a federal agency in violation of the False Claims Act. If triumphant, the claimant gets part of the court award.
To now, it was necessary for the claimant to be the provider or original source of otherwise unknown information. If not, the claim was denied court jurisdiction.
Now, the failure to be the provider or original source will not deny jurisdiction, and should there be such dismissal the government can oppose the dismissal and allow the court case to proceed.
Guitarist and harmonica player Reed was really the first cross-over bluesman. Whether he was marketed as blues, rhythm and blues, or rock and roll, he was really a bluesman all the way. His music feels familiar even to those who have never heard him because so much of his style was borrowed by rockers in the 60s.
He drank too much, died at 51.
Excellent, from Daniel Pipes: In Europe, Remorse Has Turned to Masochism. He nails it. One quote:
... it is Europe’s very readiness to acknowledge its faults that prompts self-hatred, for societies that do not engage in such introspection do not lacerate themselves. Europe’s strength is thus its weakness. Although the continent has “more or less vanquished its monsters,” such as slavery, colonialism, and fascism, it chooses to dwell on the worst of its record. Thus his book’s title, The Tyranny of Guilt. The past, with its violence and aggression, is frozen in time, a burden Europeans expect never to throw off.
Related, Sowell's Misusing History: Inhumanity, like humanity, is universal.
We saw this play in NYC a year or two ago, but now it's back in town at the Westside Theater: The Screwtape Letters.
It is straight from CS Lewis' book. Mrs. BD's lady's Alpha group is going to see it together.
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“We could have an ice age any time.”