Monday, January 21. 2008
Sippican, who has several clips to watch, seems to be as much of a Cary Grant fan as I am. Hollywood at its best. From near the beginning of Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House:
 We posted this link yesterday from American Thinker: Alinsky's tactics: Hillary and Obama. A quote:
Obama's four-year stint as a political organizer and agitator in Chicago's South Side neighborhoods gave him a hands-on education in Alinsky revolutionary tactics, which he seems adept at using now. His problem, however, may be that he is in direct competition for the ultimate power prize, the Presidency, against another Alinskyite, Hillary Clinton, who studied Alinksy and his rule book and turned down an offer to work for him.
Here's a summary of Alinsky's Rules for Radicals. Simon at Classical Values considers The Democrats' Gramscian Problem. Divide and conquer to create the brotherhood of man, without use of arms. Alinksy was indeed a Gramscian Marxist, in my view, although he is often labelled otherwise. We did an introduction to Gramsci here. ("The long march through the culture.")
Simon links to a piece at Armed and Dangerous about ideological warfare and the Gramscian damage to America. He lists the most important Stalinist propaganda memes: - There is no truth, only competing agendas.
- All Western (and especially American) claims to moral superiority over Communism/Fascism/Islam are vitiated by the West’s history of racism and colonialism.
- There are no objective standards by which we may judge one culture to be better than another. Anyone who claims that there are such standards is an evil oppressor.
- The prosperity of the West is built on ruthless exploitation of the Third World; therefore Westerners actually deserve to be impoverished and miserable.
- Crime is the fault of society, not the individual criminal. Poor criminals are entitled to what they take. Submitting to criminal predation is more virtuous than resisting it.
- The poor are victims. Criminals are victims. And only victims are virtuous. Therefore only the poor and criminals are virtuous. (Rich people can borrow some virtue by identifying with poor people and criminals.)
- For a virtuous person, violence and war are never justified. It is always better to be a victim than to fight, or even to defend oneself. But ‘oppressed’ people are allowed to use violence anyway; they are merely reflecting the evil of their oppressors.
- When confronted with terror, the only moral course for a Westerner is to apologize for past sins, understand the terrorist’s point of view, and make concessions.
He observes that these notions would have been considered insane just a generation ago, and comments: The first step to recovery is understanding the problem. Knowing that suicidalist memes were launched at us as war weapons by the espionage apparatus of the most evil despotism in human history is in itself liberating. Liberating, too, it is to realize that the Noam Chomskys and Michael Moores and Robert Fisks of the world (and their thousands of lesser imitators in faculty lounges everywhere) are not brave transgressive forward-thinkers but pathetic memebots running the program of a dead tyrant.
Read the whole thing. Photo: Neo-Marxist tactician Antonio Gramsci
Another view of the Rocky Mountain Front in Montana (more here). That's Ear Mountain. Been there. A.B. Guthrie's The Big Sky took place around there. (thanks, ap) 
Sunday, January 20. 2008
Reading for those considering a career in journalism, via SISU
This is a reposting from one year ago: I do not have the provenance of this remarkable photo which came in over the transom, but it is clearly somewhere West. A gold star for the photographer who must have spend many patient hours watching this carcass in the snow. The picture tells the story: a Red Fox and a Magpie were happily dining on a deer carcass when Mr. Golden Eagle passed by. Does he believe that he can take a fox? I doubt that he can, but he can sure rattle his equanimity, and interrupt his luncheon. 
h/t, Theo 
Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, Chapter 1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Sosthenes a brother, 2 To the church of God that is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that invoke the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place of theirs and ours. 3 Grace to you and peace, from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 I give thanks to my God always for you, for the grace of God that is given you in Christ Jesus: 5 That in all things you are made rich in him, in all utterance and in all knowledge, 6 As the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, 7 So that nothing is wanting to you in any grace, waiting for the manifestation of our Lord jesus Christ. 8 Who also will confirm you unto the end without crime, in the days of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful: by whom you are called unto the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing and that there be no schisms among you: but that you be perfect in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11 For it hath been signified unto me, my brethren, of you, by them that are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. 12 Now this I say, that every one of you saith: I indeed am of Paul; and I am of Apollo; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul then crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I give God thanks, that I baptized none of you but Crispus and Caius: 15 Lest any should say that you were baptised in my name. 16 And I baptized also the household of Stephanus. Besides, I know not whether I baptized any other. 17 For Christ sent me not to baptize but to preach the gospel: not in wisdom of speech, lest the cross of Christ should be made void. 18 For the word of the cross, to them indeed that perish, is foolishness: but to them that are saved, that is, to us, it is the power of God. 19 For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise: and the prudence of the prudent I will reject. 20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For, seeing that in the wisdom of God, the world, by wisdom, knew not God, it pleased God, by the foolishness of our preaching, to save them that believe. 22 For both the Jews require signs: and the Greeks seek after wisdom. 23 But we preach Christ crucified: unto the Jews indeed a stumblingblock, and unto the Gentiles foolishness: 24 But unto them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men: and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
Yesterday, in CT: 
Saturday, January 19. 2008
The only public expert I pay attention to, Bob Brinker, predicts "no Armageddon" in the markets. If he is wrong, it will be the first time - and he is no youngster. Correction, sure. Corrections are routine, as is hysteria. Corrections are buying opportunities, but, in the long run, it doesn't matter...and but, on the other hand, in the long run we are all dead.
Our piece on the strange Salton Sea reminded me of western Montana's not-strange but wonderful 1500-acre Freezeout Lake WMA (Wildlife Management Area) between Great Falls and Choteau, on the Rocky Mountain front. I have visited it twice, birding - not hunting. It's a small WMA, but packed with life. I have only been there in June, but during migration the shallow lake harbors over 300,000 Snow Geese and 10,000 Tundra Swans, not to mention everything else. Here's one guy's report of the geese. When I went, the birds that stood out were the Western Grebes dancing, the Avocets, the Phalaropes, and the Short-Eared Owls. Tons of breeding ducks. This place looks like a good place to stay, near the lake. Nice view of a cute butte. When I have been out that way for a week, I have stayed at the excellent, Nature Conservancy-run Pine Butte Guest Ranch. Photo above: Snow Geese over Freezeout, from this Snow Goose site
Snobbery is so sweet. NY Sun Global warming hysteria fading in Canada. ht/ Junk Science, along with cartoon above Peter Lawler reconsiders the Repub candidates The Top Ten american political speeches. RWNH The Law of Unintended Consequences: AIDS money to Africa Crisis of violence among American Veteran reporters. When will the madness end? Tax rebates will not help the economy. Related: Prepare to be Stimulated The environmentalist case for fascism. Coyote Bill Clinton's anger management problem. NYT Dear Third World Farmer: The West likes you just the way you are. Chertoff: The danger of Europe-based terror
Friday, January 18. 2008
With her venom, sarcasm, and recklessness, Ann Coulter is a lousy poster-child for Conservatism, but she can be entertaining even though she will never persuade anybody: President George W. Bush is evidently the first mentally retarded person to get a Harvard M.B.A., graduate from the U.S. Air Force Flight School, be elected governor of Texas, and then be elected president of the United States twice. I guess this is what they call "mainstreaming." Admittedly, it took Bush two weeks to learn to prounounce "Shiite," but he had higher grades at Yale than John Kerry. Then again, who didn't?
More Coulterisms at Small Dead Meadow Mice
 Inflation plus recession? Blue Crab. What's a Fed to do? My prediction: A baloney "stimulus package" to maintain the illusion that government can help, a significant rate cut, and slow growth during 2008. Note that most of our inflation is due to oil and ethanol.
The bad news: One in five still trusts the MSM Sex in the "mature" ages
"Does it have to be said? Does it have to be said now? Does it have to be said by me? " An AA aphorism, but useful to everyone
Thursday, January 17. 2008
A photo of midtown Park Avenue today, just north of Grand Central Station before the snow started, on my way to the Waldorf to meet Dr. Bliss for lunch at the Bull & Bear, and to catch an interesting talk or two from the sachems at the American Psychoanalytic Annual Meeting, including Drs. Otto Kernberg and Roy Schafer (the former whom I respect enormously, and the latter whom I have a deep gratitute and appreciation for, which I was pleased to have the chance to tell the old fellow today). One hopeful sign for the economy: No bankers jumping out of windows, as far as I could see, and no disturbing blood spots on the sidewalks to upset the gentle and largely genteel Psychoanalysts who were gathered from across the globe to try to add to their understanding of the human soul. 
Bruce Kesler of Democracy Project was kind enough to send some readings a while ago explaining how poverty has been dealt with by the US government. I forgot to post them at the time, probably intending to write more about it: 1. The Safety Net Delivers. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities 2. The Effects of Government Taxes and Transfers on Income and Poverty. US Census Bureau 3. Federal Transfer Payments to Low-income Households Tops $17,000. The Tax Foundation
Jackie Robinson was VP of the Chock Full o' Nuts coffee company, whose chain of luncheonettes in NYC were as well-known from the 20s through the 60s as MacDonalds is today. Note the prices. And note the piece of Scotch tape holding up the Dodger's banner - for those few who might not recognize the great man. 
Wednesday, January 16. 2008
Quoted from Prof. Deneen's Let the Good Times Mold: Observing the people seeking accelerated intoxication and wandering in herds looking this way and that hoping to see actual outbreaks of ecstasy, I couldn't help but be struck by the forlornness of the appearance of revelry, the desperation that underlie the efforts to appear joyous, the unexceptionalness of the now-unremarkable female ululations and the wholly predictable male whoops. The celebration seemed more a set of expected and dutiful going through motions, all actual meaning of the original purpose of the celebration lost to the unbroken hedonism of our culture and, more importantly, the overarching disbelief in any actual "structure" that could sustain genuine outbreaks of "anti-structure." A mockery instead of a celebration, a self-consciously mimiced charade rather than an outbreak of overturned or reversed roles, in a concentrated form my encounter with Bourbon Street over the weekend helped me to understand better my dissatisfaction for much of what passes for apparent celebration in our culture.
Bad loans discussed vigorously by Michelle. Who is to blame if you take out a fraudulent loan, or a loan you doubt you can pay off? Sovereign funds from the Middle East might help rescue Citibank's liquidity, but they will extract a heavy price for that investment. If you gamble, you're on your own. When you win, you win. When you lose, don't come crying to me. And please don't claim that you are a victim because you didn't read the terms of the loan. Basic literacy is assumed in financial transactions, as is the assumption of risk. As we can see, your lender also assumes his share of risk. But don't listen to me. I think the stock market is a gambling enterprise unless you have a 20-year time horizon. Blue Chip US stocks have not moved an inch in 8 years - other than downwards recently.
They're not illegal guns, they're "undocumented firearms." h/t, Ace
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