Maggie's Farm

From a piece at Moonbattery:

I'll be away tomorrow, but I have these gems now:

Ship rigging, and other technologies which created wealth in antiquity.

How to blog. Sipp

Canada: A link to libel constitutes libel? This could render blogging dangerous up there. SDA. More on related Canadian insanity at Coyote. I wonder what Canada would do with this link to Riehl: God Bless Racist America.

Your sexual intentions show on your face. Sheesh. Where's my mask?

A tough cop: "Kill the bastards."

Krugman denounces ethanol subsidies. So does McCain. So do I.

An "all-Bolshevik conference" remembers the Columbia student riots. Groovy, dudes: how very advanced and progressive.

More on how free trade has increased American prosperity. As far as I can tell, only dinosaur unions oppose it, as with the recently-tabled Colombia agreement.

Affirmative Action for boys.

Dems planning $40 million hit on McCain

Nationalized medical care? Polls are against it

Assessment 101. How teachers (should) do it.

Clinton's missteps. Politico

The University of Delaware's freshman indoctrination.

The knock on the door: House to house searches for guns...and twinkies?

The population crisis. Steyn

The real cost of public schools.

Obama campaign: "Get me more white people." Dick Morris: Obama's weakness is weakness

Mr. Free Market loves Texas

LaShawn on chastity.

Fun with Richard Dawkins. Video at Thompson

Mugabe evicting farmers, wants revote. I reckon I was wrong to trust that guy.

"Prevention" does not reduce medical costs

Traumatizing blacks to serve the Left. Am Thinker. The Dem Party is a plantation.

Michelle has slides from Petraeus' talk

Surber got all the answers: Just Ask Me

A website dedicated to "exposing" the "Christian Right."

Any excuse to raise taxes: LA wants global warming tax. Meanwhile, Al Gore plans mega-buck advertising scare campaign.

Quoted from Jim Miller on wars:

Those who know little military history often think that most wars are like World War II, immense and relatively short.  In fact, many wars are like our two century long war with pirates, low intensity, but unending.

Americans are often criticized for wanting instant results, and I think there is some truth in that criticism.  Perhaps if we knew our own history better, we would be more patient, less ready to expect a quick victory in our wars with the pirates— or in the war on terror.

More on global cooling. But of course it has nothing to do with "climate change." Huh? Isn't cooling "change"?

Paul Mirengoff for 2nd VP

Smallest girl in the world. Happy little kid.

American Indians were Arabs, claims US textbook. Probably Palestinians, don't you think?

Trying to turn the battle of Basra into Tet. If I recall correctly, the good guys won Tet, didn't they? It was Cronkite who lost it.

Law School deans prepare for US News ranking changes. Amusing. (h/t, Insty)

Obama tries to make it clear that he does love America. Also, Does Obama understand defeat?

Generational divisions about climate change.

Sad story about how Mexico serves as a stepping stone for illegals.

McCain: Dems show failure of leadership. Leadership is an interesting subject. Been thinking about it lately, although I do not lead anything or anybody except, barely, myself.

Terrible economy, right? No jobs, right? Dr. Sanity. The media distortion is unbelievable. As Dr. Helen says on another topic:

Funny, if a Democrat gets in the White House next year, my guess is that the US will suddenly become a wonderland where pretty ponies and butterflies live.

More on pessimism and protectionism. Heritage Foundation

Why Hillary should be winning. Salon

Confederate Heritage Month. Prof B. takes a look at the Civil War, suspects it would have happened without slavery as a factor.

Global warming causing disease, says Doc. He's a shameless fear-monger.

Shiver my timbers. More pirates

KKK supports Obama, says noted commentator Snoop Dogg

Bloggers dying? It's an epidemic, a crisis! It's their wishful thinking, thinks me.

How surprising. Brit employers like to employ people who want to work hard.

We celebrated too soon: Mugabe plans a delay

Petraeus comes home to face another battle. I think he can handle it.

Privileged teens who "hate America". I thought you had to be taught to hate. Who taught 'em?

A "green" 7000 sq/ ft. house? Ugly as sin.

The internet will become obsolete, beginning this summer. It was nice while it lasted.

"Who says San Francisco doesn't honor vets?" Driscoll

The school crotch inspector. Reason

Fallacies: A nice example of data selection bias. Coyote

The real inconvenient truth: How warming zealotry can damage the earth.

Fun stuff at Bits and Pieces

How the heavy hand of China creates a Potemkin village for the Olympics

A quote from Luskin:

WOW. How fortunate are we to live in an age where all major political parties want to stabilize both the Earth's atmosphere and stabilize financial markets." Take THAT, global warmers! Take THAT, subprimates!

And speaking of grandiosity, our friend Sissy notes in Saint Obama awaits his Michael Kelly that Michael Kelly's 1993 NYT essay, St. Hillary, which Peggy Noonan refers to as the first and definitive Hillary take-down, can be read online. A quote from Kelly:

...asked if she has always been impelled by what she called, in a recent interview with the Washington Post, "a burning desire" to "make the world better for everybody," Mrs. Clinton say, with a slight, self-conscious laugh: "Yeah, I always have. I have not always known what it meant, but I have always had it."

Sheesh. Who asked her to fix my life? I am an adult. I just want the govt to leave me alone. Virtue sure can be creepy when combined with vanity and power.

And speaking of Mrs. Clinton, another repeated campaign lie comes out. It's a campaign based on lies from start to finish.

From an intriguing essay on the psychology of voting by Sewell at Am. Thinker:

Erich Fromm can tell us a lot about what is behind how most people vote. He makes the point that most people are terrified of being an on-their-own, take-care-of-themselves, free, adult human being. So, we attach ourselves to surrogate family units and surrogate parents to escape from our freedom. That translates to belonging to and becoming psychologically dependant organizations as diverse as the company for which we work and our boss, to the church we attend and its clergy, and the political party to which we belong and the parent figure who gets our vote.  Identifying with the group becomes our new collective identity, and we surrender our individual identity and freedom.

Ask any priest, pastor, rabbi, teacher, psychotherapist, supervisor, or elected official and they will be happy to confirm that the people they deal with are all trying to work out their childhood agendas on any available authority figure.

Photo: Wuzzat? A reader sent in this photo of somebody's well-decorated Butterfly House. Do those things work? How soon before it's filled with bees and wasps?

Islam has taken over the UN's Human Rights Council

Thinking about prayer. Dr. Bob

Drug companies invent new diseases? Sometimes, maybe. Good example.

The Fed caused the credit crunch. Mankiw

Writing mastery eludes NYC schoolkids. It eludes me, too.

Mercedes Marxists: The Clintons

Insty:

LARRY KUDLOW: "Recessions are part of capitalism. They happen every so often. We’ve had two in the last 25 years. And it looks like we are entering a third one after today’s jobs-loss report."

Sexual harrassment in Kindergarten

Finally, someone in the MSM admits: No current global warming

Luck vs. hard work. A poll, by country

Who are the people who stiff the banks?

Colorado College punishes for satire. What idiots (h/t, Minding the Campus). They might expel Jonathan Swift and give tenure to Ward Churchill.

MSM bias joke

Cow humor

Hillary's error, from Dick Morris. A quote:

The Clintons' entire approach to this campaign season was based on learning the wrong lessons from their political history. They survived the Lewinsky imbroglio, the pardons scandal, and the theft of White House gifts and assumed they were bulletproof. They confused our forgiveness with gullibility and came to feel that they could get away with anything. When Hillary won her Senate seat in New York, after Giuliani dropped out and Lazio could offer only nominal opposition, she believed she could sell voters any kind of chimera and they would fall for it.

Limited government vs. expansive government. No Left Turns

Blame these monsters for airline drink policies

Radical gays vs. Moslems: Who wins?

Protein takes an interesting look at Barone's piece on academics and Jacksonians in the Dem party. Especially the racism part.

Speaking of Obama, Coulter read his book. See what she found. Related - Obama, Community Agitator. Israpundit

Did Al Gore go nuts in 2000? Am. Thinker

Skook made me think about possibles bags, ie pocketbooks, and I was reminded that  guys needed them because clothing didn't have pockets. Who invented pockets?

Obama-Gore 08? Dino. Good grief. And Obama gets another endorsement. That sure will help him.

I don't care how they check up on foreigners on American soil, but I do not like this. Where is our Constitutional right to privacy? And speaking of observation, Garbage Men double as cops. That really stinks.

Immigration does nothing positive for the UK. Small Dead Armadillos. No kidding.

Iraqis line up to join the army. Ace. Hmmmm. Maybe these dudes know something.

A mom discusses raising her autistic kid. Video. "A slice of heaven"

It's what's for dinner: Ted Turner says warming will cause cannibalism. He suggested no recipes. Speaking of impending cannibalism outbreaks, it was 19 degrees here this morning when I went to Dunkin Donuts.

Why don't "they" like America? AVI thinks about it. I would debate the premises. Exactly who doesn't "like" America, and why should it matter?

Clinton lie du jour: No spectacles in the army?

The crisis of barmaid ogling in the UK. They are also dealing with the crisis of Euroland bus routes. Aren't they lucky to have folks who really care about them?

Speaking of Euroland, poll shows they've had enough with the Moslems. Darn hypocrite racists.

The Prof takes a look at McCain's Annapolis speech, and is not impressed by its content. Me neither. Needs a bit of the vision thing. A bit of inspiration and cheerful optimism. (h/t, Insty). Repubs nominated the man - now he needs to become a candidate and show some zip. Since Obama will corner the market on negativity about America, John needs to ring some positive, uplifting bells. Bells of Freedom, I hope.

Note to illegals: Get your Maine drivers licenses now, before they go away.

Prof Deneen wonders whether Malthus was right.

The sliding scale, from Viking:

The sliding scale between "rich" and "poor" - I guess it depends on whether you're being taxed or receiving benefits.

Photo: A Mr. Free Market-style wave of the Capitalist cigar to Buddy and to Roger de Hauteville, (ex-King of Sicily) whose recent efforts at humor have struck a chord. That's a '96 Montecristo #10 - too strong for my taste.

Michelle flipped the switch - on. Speaking of meaningless but vanity-feeding gestures, a great bit from Thompson. A quote:

If not to have a discernible impact, directly or by example, what, then, is the point? What drives this level of anxiety over soft drinks and peanut butter residue? Unless much of this is indeed about seeking out pretentious guilt and then wringing one’s hands for public display and personal gratification?

It’s not that I necessarily believe that my eating a KitKat is going to lead directly to the death of a baby in the developing world, or that drinking a Fanta means one more “disappeared” trade unionist, it’s more a case of knowing that if I do these things I’m letting myself down, that I’m going against the standards I’ve set for myself.

Standards that apparently serve no objective purpose, whether enacted or not. Could these ineffectual standards then be about something less tangible and more intimate? Could they perhaps be about how a person wishes to seem, to themselves, or in certain kinds of company?

I don’t care what anyone else thinks of me.

But of course. What was that about unrecycled peanut butter jars?

I usually just give up and throw it in the bin (as long as no one’s watching).

"Punished with a baby..."? True, changing diapers at 3 AM is an annoyance, but is that what Obama meant?

Granola strikes out grittily against oppression. Jules

Do jails do any good? Betsy

The Prophet's pedophilia banned in the Netherlands. If I were a holy prophet, I wouldn't want that advertised either.

A note to Alice Walker, from Phyllis Chesler

Mugabe is gone! Who'd a thunk it?

The rising price of biofuels

How to lie with statistics, Swiss style. See how they selected 1961 as their index for the second graph? It's in the fine print.

McCain in his own briar patch. Am. Thinker. McCain has been wrong about a few things, but McCain-Feingold has been the worst. As has been widely noted, that law limits the individual's political speech - but not the political speech of media (and, thus far, not the political speech of blogs and websites). It's nuts.

I thought Villainous Company was on hiatus, or had retired. I guess not. She has a good piece up about "conversations on race." (h/t, Anchoress)

Roger's snaggle-tooth blood-pudding eaters piece (below) effectively fisked the newspaper article. The photos were worthy of Pallywood, and they ignored the aggressive efforts over the past few years of the Dept. of Agriculture to expand the food stamp program.

Link to Maggie's Farm or we will drown these puppies. (Thanks to Sipp for this brilliant blog marketing concept from his I'm the only serial killer in MA)

"I'm just so sick of this world, and Obama can fix it." Cinnamon. Also, Obama busted.

What the clean energy scam is doing to Brazil. Heartbreaking

Media "selling us on fear and recession for years now." Speaking of which, The Independent declares with glee: US heading for a great depression. That is ridiculous, but schadenfreude sells papers.

Speaking of schadenfreude, Leftists claim that the GOP coalition is terminally broken. Our friend Right Wing Prof takes a look.

Something in Rick Moran wants to walk away from Iraq. And something else in him doesn't. As Never Yet Melted notes, nobody is saying about Europe, "After 60 years they still can't stand up for themselves." I hope we will still have troops in Iraq in 10 years. Tiger has a good take on the Basra deal.

Zimbabwe "election" update: The Independent (h/t, Norm)

"Poll shock: America not like Hollywood." Steyn

Crime update, in the UK

A quote from the always-interesting Mediocracy:

The idea that we should seek to equalise outcomes between the "highly motivated" and the "less well motivated" is interesting. It suggests that giving everyone the chance to do well means (in the minds of people like Baroness Blackstone) neutering "doing well" to the point where everyone does well, regardless. Demanding that all universities have resources "concentrated" on them, across the board, is equally vacuous.

Man-made global black holes: Be very afraid. Al Gore should take this crisis on: The End of the World

Picking a VP for McCain. Blackburn? (h/t, Insty)

Surrender by Al Sadr. This kind of thing might explain why.

Global warming is making people crazy? Unbelievable. (h/t, Carnival of the Insanities)

"Hillary flings dirt but it sticks to her." Sullivan. Also, "Obama didn't go to law school for nothing." neoneo/ Also, "Barack Obama: Our new appeaser." Michael Goodwin

Bobby Jindal update. Blue Crab

How over-rated is John Steinbeck? NY Review of Books

Farm Scams. Conspiracy:

Whatever you want to say about the sharpies on Wall Street, they are pikers compared to Max's and Chuck's friends down on the farm when it comes to picking the pockets of taxpayers and consumers, or concocting a system in which the farmers get all the gains while the government assumes most of the risk.

From a letter to the editor by Don Boudreaux:

So I commend you on your "Earth Hour" effort.  Persuading people across the globe to turn off lights for one hour supplies the perfect symbol for modern environmentalism: a collective effort to return humankind to the dark ages.

Last skiing trip of the year. Leaving tonight for Killington. Looks like excellent snow conditions. Will leave you with these:

Yard Sale of the Century. US Equities. The average bear market lasts 10 months. We're roughly at month 6. 

Exurban Existentialism for Bozos, with a nod to our friend Sippican.

Brave, brave Sir Robin. No Pasaran

Incomes up, inflation moderates. Here. 

Warren Buffet invests like a girl. h/t, Wall St. Fighter

Is Mitt a good VP choice?

I didn't know that being an inner-city pastor was such a good gig. White UCC pastors don't live like that. Speaking of Rev. Wright, is it racist to quote him?

The will to power. Stumbling. As regular Maggie's readers know, we believe that people who want power are insane.

From Betsy:

Michael Medved notices that people seem to be personally content with their own situation while pessimistic about the country at large.

Her? She is one of Theo's gals. Hope to find her skiing.

Obama doesn't like the "You're on your own society." But he's on his own, despite his wife's absurd complaints about their million dollar annual income. Does he think I am a child? Related: His wife thinks I am ignorant. Me?

Has religion become a political wedge issue? First Things.

The Clear Channel story is becoming a good legal soap opera. Already, a Judge takes a stand.

"At the consideration of our comparative insignificance." Sissy. It's about warming - and larger topics.

The return of the Mercedes Benz of Peace

The pressure politicians feel to "Do Something!" The Law Prof on the subprime mess.

Uranium found in the hands of our Lefty South American friends. Dangerous buffoons.

More evidence that Dems do not donate, Repubs do - regardless of income. Blue Crab.

Exposure to Western ways makes Moslems more hateful. The corner

I do not smoke pot, but criminalizing it is ridiculous and expensive. If people want to be potheads, fine. Let them be lazy bozos, but just don't make me pay their bills.

My opinion on Obama's race speech: Condescending to white folks. We aren't stupid, and we aren't racist - and we are sick of "conversations about race." If black folks want to join Team America, then somebody like Obama ought to tell them how to do it, because he joined it, like so many fine black folks I know.

Elephant with camera. Wonderful stuff.

The geezer acts like a normal person. McCain. More on McCain's speech and the "league of democracies."

Hillary's List of Lies. Dick Morris

Moronic reporters. Even I know that Blackwater Fever is malaria.

The Mahdi "Army" is back in business. How is the MSM reporting this?

Pat Dollard's war on Hollywood

Pregnant man. He is very happy.

Chavez "endorses" Obama.

Busted: Ivy League hos in trouble in NYC. 10,000 names on file - their client list could make for good entertainment. These gals aren't hos - they are courtesans.

Homo antecessor in Europe 1.3 million years ago

Calmly rational as always, Neoneo on autism

If Dems had a good candidate, GOP would be toast.

Are biofuels to blame for rising food costs? Same topic: Let them eat Ethanol. Why don't they call it alcohol?

Sharper Image goes bust.

Making a perfect macaroon for The Century Club

Take time to grow up a little between college and grad school

Leftist churches set a time bomb for the Dems

Marriage in the UK, quoted in full from Insty:

NO MARRIAGE, PLEASE, We're British: "The number of Britons tying the knot has collapsed to a record low, it has emerged. The proportion of men and women getting married is below any level found since figures were first kept nearly 150 years ago. . . . The evidence that marriage is withering away at an increasing pace was met with a furious response from critics of Labour's benefits system, which disregards the status of husbands and wives and pays parents extra to stay single." Well, that's certainly going to produce the ideal society.

World's tallest man gets custom car.

A Dem wonders why nobody tells Hillary to quit.

The Obama's tax returns. The Corner

If politics is about branding, then what car are they?

The joy of free markets. Coyote

What feminism has descended to.

A new book: Slavery, Terrorism, and Islam

Can't Make This Stuff Up Department. The National White Privilege Conference

Are the successful living too long?

About that ice shelf. Castle

Eli Lake at the NY Sun bothered to study the Saddam and Terrorism report. (h/t Anchoress). That's what we need full-time reporters for.

I will be wending my way after work today to Rudy's Bar & Grill under heavy sniper fire. Pray for me.

Speaking of Clinton lies, At least she didn't claim to be in Cambodia

McCain gives good straight talk on mortgages

A good example of why the Dems lept at the chance to abandon Hillary. Also, David Brooks on Hillary's Long Defeat. It's true: you can't keep your eyes off a traffic accident. Also, What's worse - racist or sexist? Classical Values

A close call. Back from the brain dead.

Suburbs in decline. Boston Review

Separate and unequal at Harvard. Hoist on their own dumb PC petard.

NYT lied, frogs died. Can't the MSM get it into their heads that there is no significant global warming? It's a model, not a fact. But lies are stubborn things.

Time is ripe for the Iraqis to kill Al Sadr

Want to join the Hour of Power?

What next? Does Gov. Paterson have a bad case of TMI ?

Our occasional commenter Mr. Snitch gets it about the Dem race. ...I think. From what I can tell, that race is over. You can be very dead long before the Doc writes the death certificate.

Unbelievable. The Massachusetts-Chavez connection. h/t, Insty

Photo: McSorley's Ale House, 1937

It's almost a moot point in Cuba because few can afford computers, much less internet connections, but Babalu noted the blog blockade in the People's Paradise - and now Reuters is running the story.

I wonder whether they can read Maggie's in Cuba.

h/t, Theo

"It's frightening how easily she lies." re Hillary. After years of press adoration, she is not used to being called out on her lying. 

Money and the America's Cup. These are not gentlemen.

Moving home at age 50. Neoneo. Same theme at Dr. Helen.

What housing crisis? Dino. Sounds like a normal correction to me, and a good chance for people to get into the housing market. More at Insty. Funny how markets work, isn't it? Prices drop, people buy. Prices get too high, people speculate.

Big Corn and the Ethanol Hoax.

Mixed feelings about living in NYC. Megan. Everybody should try it for at least a while. I know an older couple up here who moved out of the city years ago, and now just sublease an apartment for three weeks every August to get their annual dose.

Signs out of hospital against medical advice - then sues hospital for letting him

Talk about very old news

The US media are not reporting this global non-warming story

How many said they were going to Easter services? 2/3 of Americans.

Everybody is mentioning this LA Times piece which repeats the lie that Bush linked Saddam with the 9-11 attack

Myths about American medicine. (h/t, Kevin MD)

I had to look up the history of sumptuary laws. Lots of things fall under that category.

Can people regenerate body parts? Scientific American (h/t, Jim Miller)

Speaking of regeneration, scholars discuss the Resurrection. What does bodily resurrection mean? (h/t, News for Christians)

Mick Danger explains it all to Obama

Pin up courtesy of Theo

Wolf shot in the Berkshires. I missed that story.

Those sophisticated Europeans. Am. Thinker. 

You need to see trees to get better. No doubt. Works for me every time.

Pakistan. A turn in the road. And now they are tops in suicide bombers. How pleasant for them.

We have posted about Hawaii hijinks occasionally. Here's Pajamas.

Mary had a little tractor? Bring your tractor to school day! (Thanks, Dr. Merc)

Is praying for Jews anti-semitic? I do not understand that.

Global cooling is killing the sloes. This is not funny.

The end of Britain as we know it. CSM

I am back in NYC today for a family Easter weekend, and I will be happy to worship tomorrow with them at Redeemer Presbyterian Church. Just in case anyone is online today, here are a few I found this morning:

Iranian textbooks.

John Lennon: "I was a poseur."

Ever had this disease? Disconnect anxiety. A symbolic form of separation anxiety, no doubt.

MA casinos go down. Good.

Obama did get us talking. Anchoress on racism.

Freeze in the dark, then. Surber

A lucky man? John McCain.

"It's the Clintons, Stupid." Jules. Exactly right.

Liberty and restraint. Dr. Bob takes on ye olde dilemma. There can be no liberty without a moral and civic-minded, civic-participating, and civic-volunteering population. Period. That's why Euroland is losing their liberty.

How to win the energy wars.

Vanderleun is sick of politics, and wants to clean his mind with better things, like Find Out Who Your Friends Are: