Friday, August 18. 2006
Very poor form: Jimmy Carter continues attacks on Bush Mayor Bloomberg really hates smoking. He does have strong nanny-state impulses, but I'd rather see him as gov of NY than run for Pres. Baleen whales once had teeth. Libertarian Leanings takes on George Will and John Kerry. My opinion? If in office, the Dems would do pretty much the same as Bush has done. What was Israel's goal in Lebanon? Dino Dems declare war on Walmart. They will fight them until they no longer? pose a threat to the American Way of Life. Very brave, the Dems. (I think noone told the limo-liberal snobs how much working class people love Walmart.) Captain Ed Interview with Uri Lubrani on Iran. Gateway
Plants. Ever thought about them? They're pretty good. They just sit there in all weathers. You don't have to bring them in when it rains. You leave them. They grow. Norm Geras of Normblog
Thursday, August 17. 2006
 The Fair Tax. Now some liberals support the idea. No lawyers, no accountants - sounds worth thinking about.
Defeated Moonbat in Mexico seems to be almost threatening the government. This does not bode well for Mexico. One miracle: nobody blamed the US yet. Empty suit, or Leisure suit? Middlebrow, like many others, demonstrate's Lamont's lighter-than-air platitudes. Free Market health care? Go to India for cheaper surgeries. Why not? For several generations, the prosperous of the world have come to NYC for top medical care. Why not both ways? The secret is that Hezbollah is the government of Southern Lebanon. The NYT loves Hezbollah. And, by the way, do you know what a "hudna" is? I didn't. It is a sort of Moslem rope-a-dope. The application of markets to LSU academic departments. Interesting unintended consequences. Marg. Rev With a whimper. Cubans view Fidel as slowly fading out.
[Without a picture frame], you can't know where The Art stops and The Real World begins. You have to put a "box" around it because otherwise, what is that shit on the wall? Frank Zappa (h/t, Owner's Manual)
Wednesday, August 16. 2006
 Global warming is a hoax.
Lamont-Lieberman. Not many people care. Bernard Goldberg on Mike Wallace. Soros says "war on terror" is no more than a lousy metaphor. (I agree - it's a war against Islamic imperialism.) Ankle Biting. More thoughts on Soros' foreign policy views at View from 1776. You have to wonder who named Soros an expert on anything other than currency trading? Bishop of Rochester blames multiculturalism for Brit Jihadism. I don't know whether he is right, but he makes good points. YARGB Rates up, housing values down. What will be the effect on spending? Daily Pundit A chat with Bibi Netanyahu: Am Thinker A propos of our post on the Red Fox this week, I see that the killing has begun at Free Market Towers, now that the pheasant poults have arrived. Fat? Blame yourself. The world now has more obesity than hunger. Put that on your plate and eat it, Mr. Malthus. Obama delivers anti-pollution speech, then hops into his SUV. How many times have I told you that this is all about politics and power: no-one really believes this stuff. Lebanon. A bit of backlash against Hizbollah, but of course always some anger at Bush!
Those people who will not be governed by God will be ruled by tyrants. William Penn
Tuesday, August 15. 2006
"A pic of the Global Hawk UAV that returned from the war zone on Monday under its own power. (Iraq to Edwards AFB in CA) - Not transported via C5 or C17..... Notice the mission paintings on the fuselage. It's actually over 250 missions.... (and I would suppose 25 air medals). That's a long way for a remotely-piloted aircraft. Think of the technology (and the required quality of the data link to fly it remotely). Not only that but the pilot controlled it from a nice warm control panel at Edwards AFB. It has really long legs- can stay up for almost 2 days at altitudes above 60k.
They flew it via satellite control to Australia, and we flew missions during OT&E that went from Eddy to upper Alaska and back non-stop.
 Racial profiling begins in the UK. It's about time. If my sort of people were blowing things up, I would not mind a bit - it keeps everyone safer, including honest Moslems. Ace
Resurrecting the Wooly Mammoth. Always wanted a pet mammoth. And they would be the green way to get to work, except that the nether end of their GI tract probably produces more greenhouse gasses than the average Hummer. Darn those Indians for killing them off. Gunther Grass admits his membership in the Waffen SS. "...before anti-semitism was fashionable," notes Glenn. "Diversity" and the illiberal academy: good stuff. Protein. A quote: True diversity, of course, is to be celebrated:
We may be the only blog in the world who finds slime molds (good photos there of different varieties, including photo below) interesting. The first time you see one on the forest floor, the garden, or the edge of the lawn, you tend to think somebody spilled some poisonous orange glop from a bucket. They are difficult to categorize: not exactly fungi, and not exactly protista, but probably more like protista - eg animals. Their colony creeps around slowly, munching on bacteria, and when they run out of food, they creep into the sun and form spores, and wait. There is new science on how this thing adjusts to changing conditions. 
You can tell a lot about a fellow's character by his way of eating jellybeans. Ronald Reagan
Monday, August 14. 2006
 That was a huge billboard, many years ago, as you approached NYC from Yankeeland, via the Bruckner Blvd. Levy's rye bread. Good bread, with the whole flavorful caraway seeds in it. The perfect bread, for us gentiles, for ham and swiss cheese, with plenty of mustard!
That old sign was up there for 15 years or more. As a kid, it seemed exotic: I never had met a Jewish person. Later, they ran ads like the one on the right, in the newspapers. A sort-of precursor of Benetton. You do not have to be Jewish to find Nathan's Aliyah Diary interesting. Check it out, if you haven't. Israel is serious about citizenship: it is not a right - it is a hard-earned privilege. Requiring a Jewish doctor/professor from America to work in the persimmon orchards, and to clean the horse stalls, says it all. Would your doctor do that? What would you or I be willing to do to become an American citizen? It just happens that Maggie's Farm has no Jewish staff (except for our guest author Nathan, who posts willy-nilly from various points in Israel). However, we support Israel - not as a US puppet - but as a democratic, free, civilized, peace-loving state which has become the scapegoat of the Middle East, and their favorite hate-object with which they maintain power.
Re-posted from May, 2005  Pacifism
The wonderful Kentucky author Wendell Berry wrote this piece a couple of years ago. There is much in it with which to disagree, but it is a point of view shared by many good people, presented by a fine fellow. I met him one time, and I have to say that I think he's the kind of rugged guy who'd be happy to shoot you if you came onto his farm and messed with his family. But he says not...I think. The view is not far from that of the RC Church, for which Life is the high sacred value, trumping all others. There is a conflict with other sacred values, such as human dignity and freedom. Remember the Brits in the 60's marching and carrying signs reading "Better Red than Dead"? It all comes down to the question of whether anything is worth dying for. The Pacifist might ask a different question: "Is there anything worth killing for?" "... we cling in our public life to a brutal hypocrisy. In our century of almost universal violence of humans against fellow humans, and against our natural and cultural commonwealth, hypocrisy has been inescapable because our opposition to violence has been selective or merely fashionable. Some of us who approve of our monstrous military budget and our peacekeeping wars nonetheless deplore “domestic violence” and think that our society can be pacified by “gun control.” Some of us are against capital punishment but for abortion. Some of us are against abortion but for capital punishment. One does not have to know very much or think very far in order to see the moral absurdity upon which we have erected our sanctioned enterprises of violence. Abortion-as-birth-control is justified as a “right,” which can establish itself only by denying all the rights of another person, which is the most primitive intent of warfare. Capital punishment sinks us all to the same level of primal belligerence, at which an act of violence is avenged by another act of violence."
Addendum: Another view, from a piece in One Cosmos: This is why I consider Gandhi such an unqualified--you will pardon the expression--ass. The notion that violence is a priori bad or immoral is one of the most pernicious ideas imaginable. As I have said before, it is as immature, stupid and dysfunctional as the idea that your immune system is bad because of the violent manner in which it greets invaders. Pacifism is the moral equivalent of AIDs; it is like equating a compromised immune system with robust health.
Hello. Good morning. The Left is anti-Semitic. End of rant. Read it yourself "Nazi Kikes out of Lebanon." And the Left doesn't want to believe in Jihad. Why? Because they don't know what to do. And one more rant/thought: Why is war a "crisis"? War is not crisis. It is war. Jihadists throughout Brit universities. Very nice. Aren't those Brits "nice." Very MULTICULTURAL! But they caught the head of Al Quaida in Britistan. Also, Brit Moslems urge Blair to "stop violence." Huh? Scoop? Good fun. "I was raised in the Hebrew faith, but I converted to narcissism."
Sunday, August 13. 2006
 Editor Bird Dog feels like a one-armed paper-hanger around the Farm right now, with the News Junkie in Mt. Desert Island, the Chairman at Northeast Harbor, The Barrister preoccupied with his grandkids, and Gwynnie at her California mountain retreat. With the help of some Summertime Re-posts, we shall persevere.
The Doryman's Reflection: A Fisherman's Life. This looks good. Bookslut And speaking of dory fishing, here's a good link about it. 51% of Dems want Bush to fail. There is something deeply wrong about that attitude towards one's country. Polipundit When you flush in NYC, where does it go? Sierra Blanca, Texas. Remind me to never go there. Does masturbation make you blind? Furedi at Spiked makes the case that the Masturbation Movement's agenda is to make people blind to love and passion. Brave New World: Biology. From a piece in The Atlantic: Inside the Billionaire Service Industry: "A comparable level of exclusivity is available to the well-heeled patient wanting insulation from the American health-care system. For initiation fees of $1,000 to $15,000 and annual dues of between $2,500 and $50,000 (six levels of membership are available), a company called PinnacleCare assigns “advocates” who will manage a client’s health care—investigating specialists and medical research, securing access to top doctors, and juggling appointments. (The cost of the treatment itself is separate.) Nearly all of the advocates are women, and they exude a motherly efficiency, cooing to their clients and sweet-talking the surgeons. But one suspects that their claws come out when necessary. Having an advocate present during a hospital stay, one client said, is like having an extremely knowledgeable relative on hand for hours a day, exerting relentless pressure to get whatever the patient needs."
 John 6:35-51
35Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away; 38for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. 39And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.” 41Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43Jesus answered them, “Do not complain among yourselves. 44No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. 45It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. 46Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48I am the bread of life. 49Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
Saturday, August 12. 2006
Guys dancing on treadmills. Very clever You Tube The Fantasy World of International Law. Rabkin in Weekly Standard. h/t, Powerline The Eurosoviet Union? Free speech in the EU under threat. Classical Values NYT tries to understand terrorist "grievances." It's very simple, folks: The world isn't dominated by mullahs yet. That's the grievance. The Times is so Left that they cannot contemplate religious/spiritual motives: everything is material, and only the US is evil. And here is an example of what mullahs do to women. Betsy takes a look at Reuters' anti-Israel and anti-USA bias. A nuclear power website. h/t, Synthstuff It's time to profile terrorists. Duh. Examiner Al Gore: hypocrite.
Friday, August 11. 2006
Written 8/8/06 On Thursday a.m., before the harrowing trip into Katyusha land of Kiryat Shemona, I visited my friend Eliaz Cohen, a poet and a delightful human. He is called up for emergency reserves during this northern war, replacing some of the younger boys who have been sent up north. Eliaz insists on giving phone directions in Hebrew. He thinks this will improve my language skills, as directions by phone are more difficult. Directions to his outpost at the edge of Jenin, go something like this; Go towards Afula, but stop short after Junction Megiddo (that place where the last battle of the Apocalypse will take place between the children of light and of darkness) to Junction Sargel. Turn right on Sargel road (“Ruler road, as it is supposedly straight as a .....). When I get to this village (an Arab name), DON’T TURN THERE, when I get to that village, (another arab name DON’T TURN THERE, ibid. for the next few villages. When I get to a sign saying Msof M’atnim (which I later learn means, “collection place for cargo”), BUT DON’T GO TO THE END!
Continue reading "Aliyah Diary: A poet, a physicist, and a psychoanalyst at the edge of Jenin"
When you put the Devil out, please make sure he takes his bags. h/t, True Grit
Thursday, August 10. 2006
From an excellent essay by The Fjordman in Brussels Journal: Let me first say that there are positive aspects to the welfare state model. It would be hypocritical of me to say anything else, as I have enjoyed some of its benefits by growing up in one. It is also not entirely incorrect to say that it has worked better in Scandinavia than anywhere else. Still, my view is that there are critical flaws to this model. Although they may not bring the system down right away, they will do so over time. My bet is that we are approaching the point where the Swedish welfare state will cease to function. Even if you consider a national welfare state to be a totally closed system without migration in or out and without international competition – which isn’t possible, of course – there are internal flaws that will, over time, weaken the structure. Judging from the experiences in Scandinavia, the welfare state worked to some extent because it was based in small and ethnically homogenous nations, with a strong cultural and religious (Protestant) work ethic which had just experienced several generations of a booming capitalist economy. These traits kept the system afloat for decades, but the work ethic and the sense of duty slowly got eroded and replaced by a sense of rights, while the high taxation and the passivity bred by the system eroded initiative and the will to take risks. Again, these flaws are inherent to the model. They make time to develop, but they will, eventually.
Whole thing here.
Note to the ACLU: This came in over the transom, and I think the elimination of these insidious intrusions of the divine into governmental documents could keep your staff busy for many years. The Preambles of the constitutions of all 50 States Of The United States:
Alabama 1901, Preamble. We the people of the State of Alabama, invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish the following Constitution. Alaska 1956, Preamble. We, the people of Alaska, grateful to God and to
those who founded our nation and pioneered this great land... Arizona 1911, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Arizona, grateful to Almighty God for our liberties, do ordain this Constitution... Arkansas 1874, Preamble . We, the people of the State of Arkansas, grateful to Almighty God for the privilege of choosing our own form of government... California 1879, Preamble . We, the People of the State of California,
grateful to Almighty God for our freedom... Colorado 1876, Preamble. We, the people of Colorado, with profound
reverence for the Supreme Ruler of Universe... Connecticut 1818, Preamble. The People of Connecticut, acknowledging with gratitude the good Providence of God in permitting them to enjoy... Delaware 1897, Preamble. Through Divine Goodness all men have, by nature, the rights of worshipping and serving their Creator according to the dictates of their consciences. Florida 1885, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Florida, grateful to
Almighty God for our constitutional liberty, establish this Constitution... Georgia 1777, Preamble . We, the people of Georgia, relying upon protection and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish this Constitution... Hawaii 1959, Preamble . We, the people of Hawaii, Grateful for Divine
Guidance, establish this Constitution.
Continue reading "One nation, under God: Our State Preambles"
The best minds are not in government. If any were, business would hire them away. Ronald Reagan
Wednesday, August 9. 2006
Hey, George McGovern Ned Lamont! 
Re-posted from August, 2005  "Redskins": One Indian's View
In a piece by Tucker at Town Hall: "The federal Trademark Trial and Appeal Board has already ruled that the word Redskins is racially derogatory and offensive." My reaction to such nonsense: I am Iroquois, by partial but adequate blood. You can see it in my face if you look carefully, but it mainly comes through in my eyes - I can see stuff outdoors that the Paleface cannot. Baby snakes and quiet birds and a rustling leaf and a turtle just thinking and a canvasback hidden in a snowstorm and a red-tail in a cloud. I love the name Redskins. Or Chiefs, or Indians, or anything that reminds us of our ancestry here in the New World. I do not know why almost any reference to Indians is racist. And I hate the undignified racial and ethnic whining and victim talk from Indians or from anyone else. Everyone should be thanking their God or gods that they are in America. And every human should grant themselves the dignity to not be a complainer. It is childish and reflects poorly on the complainer. In fact, I don't even mind "filthy savage," which Mrs. Bird Dog has been known to endearingly (?) label me after an unbathed and unshaven weekend clearing brush and drinking Ballantine Ale and covered with sweat and bloody scratches from prickers and branches. It's sort of a badge of pride - our Indian ancestors were not exactly emerged from the Stone Age and we did not bathe and did not change our clothes, and probably smelled terrible, and, compared to Samuel Pepys, we were savages for sure. We were happy to burn people, cut off their genitals and eat them, scalp them, and torture them, and we were always fighting with our neighboring tribes for fun, for glory, for land, or for no reason at all. Our people looked red because of the red-tinted bear fat we anointed ourselves with in the winter to keep warm. We didn't have central heating, or down parkas. Stone Age, although there was a culture worthy of anthropological study, if pre-literate barbarian culture is your bag. So I say quit it with the hyper-sensitive PC BS in our name - I would prefer that the Indian past be remembered rather than erased, stone axes and all. So Hello Atlanta, Hello Dartmouth - quit erasing us - we were tough deer-hunting, enemy-slaying, stoic, happy-to-die and short-lived braves, and hard-working squash and corn-planting and oyster-picking squaws. Our old ones crawled off into the woods to die when they felt they couldn't keep up. We had a concept of dignity. We learned to handle pain and a difficult life was what we expected. In the Northeast, our greatest discoveries were maple syrup, corn, squash, and tobacco. Good things. We got here first. Probably by mistake, while chasing a herd of Musk Ox across the Bering land bridge and getting lost in a snowstorm, and losing our GPS in the snow, so we deserve no credit for adventurous exploration. So call us whatever you want, (I prefer being called "Chief") but just don't forget us. We are part of the American heritage, but we were on the wrong side of history. It happens, and we died, mostly from new diseases like colds and flu introduced by the earliest fishermen and explorers long before the Pilgrims, but alcohol didn't do us much good either: Indian Brave like firewater too much. Not your fault, white man - you had your own problems and your own views, and we had no idea what was happening, and in a sense, we are lucky that you English saw us as even human, with souls, thanks to your Christian educations. True Indian braves, like cowboys, never complain. (Photo: An Ogalala Chief, 1907)
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