Maggie's Farm

That is Fred and Jeri. We would post her alone, if she had just had a thong on and were posing at a beach. Jeri for First Lady, and forget about Fred! (photo via Viking)

Islamberg, NY. I do not like their practicing with Port Authority uniforms. Does that make me Islamophobic? Wizbang

"Are you now or have you ever been an AGWOCS Denialist?" Classical Values

Where's the outrage? 12 year-old beheads kafr (kaffir). LGF. No outrage because of multicultural tolerance, I suppose - same as taking scissors to clitori: those cute Moslems have their quaint habits.

The Tiananmen Massacre was 18 years ago today. Seems like yesterday. Needs to be remembered.

A naive Bush was wrong about Putin. Putin is a normal paranoid Russian. I say paranoid because nobody harbors ill will towards Russia - nor does anybody think very much about Russia at all. And paranoids always imagine that people are thinking about them.

How good is our climate data? Keep scrolling down at Watts Up With That? You would think weather experts would know better.

McIntyre discusses "urban bias" in climate data at Climate Audit.

A fine "health and safety" rant from the UK. Tangled. It's beyond Nanny State: Granny State?

The Media Mob. If they are so discontented, maybe they should do something else. I am part of the media, and I am happy as a clam.

It's about The Narrative. The Anchoress gets it.

Bring on the next phony scare. Kim

Young Europeans think the EU is a joke.

LA: In a  green state with filthy water.

The Second World War. Not politically correct anymore.

Carbon Fraud. Moonbattery. The latest Wall Street scam.

If a task is too easy, men won't do it.

I am going to keep my burkha on until you give me $250,000. Gates of Vienna. Our money, by the way. That's a good gig, if you are a scumbag.

The media admits its quagmire. It's a moral quagmire. Driscoll. We do not need you guys to make up our minds for us.

The Earth is about to melt. Yikes. I am scared. (h/t, RW Nation) Why do we even pay attention to morons? Amusing, I guess.

Hewitt: The Immigration Bill is dead. Probably so. The American people hate it.

Moslem child abuse. In addition to their female-abuse, and etc. Gateway

"Beyond parody."  Like so many things these crazy days. Meat without death.

All you might want to know about Vince Foster. He sounds like a good guy, who got in over his head. He was an aristocratic guy who had never encountered ruthlessness.

Private jets for climate change. Blue Crab

Un-American? Not a Yankee, that's for sure. About Hillary, at Betsy. Different values.

Did somebody steal the Repub Party? Polipundit.

The Guardian supports Chavez' closing of free media. It figures. Totalitarian socialism and free thought do not mix.

New York Times: Rosie O'Donnell was a useful idiot. Miller

Prison is a good deal. Sort of a socialist paradise? Ace. What's the difference?

Gates says poverty is the problem. Wrong, and stupid. Jihad is the problem. Is that not obvious?

Good time-waster. Create your own action hero.

Finding faith in the Oval Office. Lincoln and God

I have seen a number of articles noting that climate stats can be distorted by the "heat island" effect of urban measurements, but this example from Coyote takes the cake.

India is growing almost as fast as China. Dino.

Blinkx: Competition for YouTube?

"Terror plot stopped at JFK. Yawn." Auster. Why isn't it a big story? Because it doesn't fit the narrative, of course.

Re the Repubs: Dr. Sanity stands up for Bush. Riehl wants to let bygones be bygones, and to look positively towards the future. However, Rick Moran has a bad case of Republican Depression. His gloomy piece on the subject begins with this favorite Monty Python skit:

C: I wish to complain about this parrot what I purchased not half an hour ago from this very boutique.

O: Oh yes, the, uh, the Norwegian Blue…What’s,uh…What’s wrong with it?

C: I’ll tell you what’s wrong with it, my lad. ‘E’s dead, that’s what’s wrong with it!

O: No, no, ‘e’s uh,...he’s resting.

C: Look, matey, I know a dead parrot when I see one, and I’m looking at one right now.

O: No no he’s not dead, he’s, he’s restin’! Remarkable bird, the Norwegian Blue, idn’it, ay? Beautiful plumage!

C: The plumage don’t enter into it. It’s stone dead.

[...]

C: Look, I took the liberty of examining that parrot when I got it home, and I discovered the only reason that it had been sitting on its perch in the first place was that it had been NAILED there.

(pause)

O: Well, o’course it was nailed there! If I hadn’t nailed that bird down, it would have nuzzled up to those bars, bent ‘em apart with its beak, and VOOM! Feeweeweewee!

C: “VOOM”?!? Mate, this bird wouldn’t “voom” if you put four million volts through it! ‘E’s bleedin’ demised!

O: No no! ‘E’s pining for the Fjords.

C: ‘E’s not pinin’! ‘E’s passed on! This parrot is no more! He has ceased to be! ‘E’s expired and gone to meet ‘is maker!

‘E’s a stiff! Bereft of life, ‘e rests in peace! If you hadn’t nailed ‘im to the perch ‘e’d be pushing up the daisies! ‘Is metabolic processes are now ‘istory! ‘E’s off the twig! ‘E’s kicked the bucket, ‘e’s shuffled off ‘is mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin’ choir invisible!!

THIS IS AN EX-PARROT!!

Funky Coney Island amusements end up on the auction block. That's the Wonder Wheel on the right. The Cyclone will remain as a souvenir of a great American beach place. Shoot the Freak was a good sideshow, and the Fat Lady, of course.

A bit of perspective on Conservative Depression. Bruce Kesler is probably correct that the Republican Party is not the Conservative Party.

Twelve laws every blogger should be familiar with.

Superb comment from Jay Guevera at Moonbattery. It's about warming.

Britain, lobotomized. This does sound like satire.

Flip this house. It was a scam.

Tulsa. Packed with illegals.

Big Brother is watching. The UK observation bunker. This is sick.

I guess it takes more than a village to learn how to spell "tomorrow."

Men are natural, fully organic antidepressants. Of course we are. No wonder the gals need us, long for us, dream of us, desire us. I am going to try this line next chance I get down at Rudy's Bar and Grill, and hope I don't get smacked upside my head by a cute biker gal with a tatoo or two, a two-carat zirconia stuck in her belly button, and bigger biceps than my flimsy but sensitive sticks. My local pub in Pittsfield is not exactly a refined watering hole, but they have FOX News on one TV and ESPN on the other. Bill O'Reilly and Red Sox fans up here. I met O'Reilly one time. He was an arrogant jerk, plus he seemed about 10" taller than me, which I deeply resent as a reasonably-sized 6'1" fellow.

George Will makes clear the differences between liberals and conservatives.

Hillary's private jet travel. The press will give her a pass. Double standard, as usual. Why? Because in the world of leftist politics, the ends always justify the means. The historical imperative, ya know?

Save the Catholic schools. Sol Stern at City Journal

The Billy Graham Library. Modest, and just right.

Sick of Bush? The amnesty bill has been the last straw for his supporters. I know he's a liberal, but still... Comments from RTLC, Paul at Powerline, RWNut House, Captain Ed, LaShawn, Classical Values, Flopping Aces, and our pal Dino takes another look at Peggy Noonan's harsh article. Bush is on his own now, methinks, and running on empty. Call us, W - we can help! It's not too late.

The Dangerous Book for Boys, reviewed.

John Stossel on the double thank-you implicit in free-market commerce. A quote:

I suspect ignorance about economics leads many to believe that when two people exchange goods and money, one wins and the other loses. If rich capitalists profit, the poor and the weak suffer.

That's a myth.

The Left wishes to imagine that government is the reason for American prosperity. Wrong. It is the historical absence of intrusive and oppressive government which is the cause. Dinocrat discusses.

The Thought Police at Tufts have no sense of humor. Satire under attack. Am. Thinker

"Not since I was 16 have I wanted so badly to be on my own."

Powerline's Scott Johnson, in response to Hillary Clinton's statement this week: "It's time for a new beginning, for an end to government of the few, by the few and for the few, time to reject the idea of an "on your own" society and to replace it with shared responsibility for shared prosperity. I prefer a "we're all in it together" society."

How is that as a contrast to the earlier QQQ today from our hero Maggie Thatcher in 1980? 

Al Gore flunked out of Vanderbilt Divinity School, then dropped out of Vanderbilt Law School.

I didn't know those facts.

He ain't qualified to either preach to, or lecture at me. By the way, how did he do in Physics 101?

Fascinating video via Ace.  One guy says that the impetus for the anti-amnesty storm, from all sides of the political spectrum, is the unspoken motive of "it's cultural". It is partly cultural, for sure, which is why we often term it an "invasion."

On the other hand, the amnesty bill is purely politically-driven. With black votes securely on the Dem plantation, everybody wants to pander to the (present and future) Mexican vote, which is now of sufficient size to determine elections. 

Microsoft launches Virtual 3D New York City. Flares

If Liberals want to imitate Europe, here are some ideas worth imitating: Lowering taxes

They will believe anything in Russia. Man, that is dumb.

Do not eat any food from China, Part 5. Or any food in China.

What is the ideal climate for the earth? Damn good point, from yet another skeptical scientist with the big picture in mind. Blue Crab. Sometimes I think the whole world is insane.

Ferdinand the Bull and other children's books, and Iraq. Excellent piece from neoneo.

Academic moonbattery isn't as bad as you might think. RWN.

Sharpen up your message, Fred. Powerline

What are people's images of God? Interesting, and not what you might think.

The same old tired politics of greed, envy, resentment, and whining emerge once again from multi-millionaire, private-jet-addicted Mrs. Clinton. Does she have a single middle-class friend? Or a single real friend? I doubt it.

Well, she knows first-hand that the distribution of riches and power aren't "fair." She got them purely by exploiting - and putting up with - a hideous marriage. However, she does not realize that most people seek neither riches nor power, but seek just freedom from government burden and government interference to build their own lives according to their own lights. She must imagine that everybody is like her: hungry, greedy, angry, empty, and unfulfilled. It's a psychodrama.

It has always been darkly amusing to me that the most redistributionist of our politicians are always the greediest and the most worshipping of personal wealth: see Edwards, Kerry, Kennedy, Soros, Clinton, Reid, Pelosi, etc etc. There is a level at which taxes no longer effect your daily life, and are just another minor expense.

No doubt her advisors told her that this could be a winning theme, plus a distraction from her Iraq vote.

Although this theme stands in opposition to the hearty and healthy red-blooded American themes of opportunity, risk, adventure, and the freedom to chose your own path through life, pursuing whatever heart and conscience decide - and living with the consequences - I guess her pollsters have concluded that there are voters out there who are mad that somebody else has more toys than they do. This is a truly infantile, negative, and mean-spirited appeal to the lowest and least admirable aspects of human nature.

Editor's note: Blue Crab calls it a fresh new exciting idea for America - socialism. 

Not from us, but from Daily Kos. (h/t, LGF).

I guess there are people - even in America - who value some things more highly than the freedom of the individual mind, soul and spirit. It's a shame.

Greenpeace: Lost whales as a good source of renewable oil.

Don't go to the beach. The sand can make you sick. Science Daily

Whose jobs are the illegals taking? Coyote says "nobody's"

Are CEOs underpaid? The Prof has the link.

Britain has become a fascist state. Tangled Web. Not to worry, Brits. It's for your own good.

Pictogames. Make games out of your photos. This actually looks kind of fun.

Yesterday, Chavez closed another independent TV station. Gateway. It gives me the creeps that the American Left supports this. As Tammy Bruce says: "...that pesky tyrannical authoritarianism is a hallmark of "socialist revolution" folks. Always has been, always will be."

I am saying nothing about Cindy Sheehan.

How the government is going to tax your Social Security checks. Viking.

Is "dyslexia" a euphemism for "not too smart"? Daily Mail

At the Supreme Court: interesting Seattle case on the use of race for public school admissions.

Our blog: Predictably and amusingly, lots of search hits on our Box Turtle post for "farm p*rn" and "animal p*rn."  If we wanted hundreds of thousands instead of our elite thousands of discriminating readers, farm p*orn would surely be the way to go because there are clearly tons of still-closeted bestiality fans out there. Unpredictably but also amusingly, I see lots of hits on "Removing Pachysandra." At Maggie's Farm, one must admit, you never know what you might find. We are pleased that our Brit blog pal Theo named us his "Best Blog in the Known Universe" - or something like that - for the week. Thanks, Theo. You have exquisite taste in both blogs and women. And how was the sailing in Newport, I hear you asking. Wonderful, but we didn't win. Deservedly so. A fairly good strategy for the breezy but shifting conditions, but our tactics didn't work out and, in one race, we fouled another boat at the windward mark. Fouled them badly, but unintentionally, and put a nice ding in their fiberglass in addition to annoying their crew quite a bit in doing so to the point of using unsavory language. We were coming on too fast, and had little room to maneuver. We apologized profusely after that race, and bought them boat drinks.

Let's chat. Dems meet with Muslim Brotherhood.

Activist Cash. Where does the money come from? Look it up here.

Democracy is no defence against tyranny. Samizdata on the Venezuela mess. True to Socialist form, Chavez sent in his tanks. Another Worker's Paradise in the making.

How I learned to love Vlad. A 2006 Guardian piece on Putin. h/t, Free Republic. Apparently Russians don't mind being ruled.

The UK becomes more Orwellian. Small Drowned Baby Polar Bears

Al Gore's fan club. Rich folks with SUVs. h/t, My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy

Gag me with a spoon. The life of Bill and Hillary. These two are what my friend would term "rude, crude, and socially unacceptable."

Soft drinks bad for your health? Somebody tell Mayor Bloomberg.

Rachel Carson. A bad person? Moonbattery. True, she was a pioneer enviro-hysteric, but she was right that DDT was harmful to animals, especially those higher on the food chain. But if not for DDT, we would still have malaria in New England. In 1900 it was a major public health problem up here. It is not a tropical disease.

Be very afraid of "Big Recreation." And quit using your grill, too.

A town that told the food Nazis where to stick their transfats.

Why infant morbidity rates in the US are higher than in other countries - we spend too much money. Right Thinking. Never take a statistic at face value.

People are too stupid for democracy. An old argument in new clothes. Cafe Hayek

A fine day for the beach, but I am going to Rhode Island this morning for a couple of days of sailing.

Duke group mocks Group of 88. Here's their newspaper piece.

Tawfik Hamid on how to end Islamophobia. Exactly.

New York's Bravest lowering standards to avoid DOJ problems. Apparently literacy standards are racist. LaShawn digs into the subject. If those of African heritage really have lower average "g" than other races, as abundant studies show, it's a big problem. I remain a skeptic.

Norwegians getting rich on oil. Norway?

Git offa my lawn, kid. Synthstuff. And I really mean it.

Is Fred Thompson the Reagan Reagan? Fred visits New England.

Is Obama the liberal Reagan? RWNH

The mess in Lebanon, thanks to Al Quaida. A damn shame, because it could be and once was a fine country.

Top execs face pay crunch. Stockholders must be deciding that enough is enough.

Sarko wants to eliminate "tu" for profs. Right on! He is demanding some respect from Iran, too.

Should home ownership be the American dream? Yes, as a defence against inflation. But if not? Tigerhawk. I think it's more sentimental and historical. Not to mention that it is forced savings.

Valerie Plame? Ho hum. But she did push her husband forward, after all. Just One Minute. That is not what she said.

The MSM refuses to discuss Al Quaida and terrorist torture. Thjey would rather talk about panties on the head.

Prediction: Immigration bill will pass Senate

China hopes to clean up pests and disease before the Olympics. Maybe their food, too?

Peggy Noonan's excellent piece on illegal immigration. A quote:

We should stop, slow down and absorb. We should sit and settle. We should do what you do after eating an eight-course meal. We should digest what we've eaten.

We should close our borders. We should do whatever it takes to close them tight and solid. Will that take the Army? Then send the Army. Does it mean building a wall? Then build a wall, but the wall must have doors, which can be opened a little or a lot down the road once we know where we are. Should all legal immigration stop? No. We should make a list of what our nation needs, such as engineers and nurses, and then admit a lot of engineers and nurses. We should take in what we need to survive and flourish.

As we end illegal immigration, we should set ourselves to the Americanization of the immigrants we have. They haven't only joined a place of riches, it's a place of meaning. We must teach them what it is they've joined and why it is good and what is expected of them and what is owed. We stopped Americanizing ourselves 40 years ago. We've got to start telling the story of our country again.

The photos are of International Etchells

Are bad manners  and obnoxiousness hate crimes? I thought there had to be a crime before you could have a hate crime. Where's the ACLU? Heck, I've been called all sorts of names in my life. Sticks and stones...

15 year-old outsmarts UN Climate Panel

The model graduation speaker: Mr. Rogers. I am sure that I would agree.

Illegals register to vote in Texas. 

Al Quaida is better at media manipulation than at war. So they do what they're good at.

Hispanic immigrants to the US: 42% of births are out of wedlock.

Sarkozy wants to reform the Sarbonne. Excellent ideas.

30 years later, Argentinian mothers still march for justice for their dead.

A pill that stops menstruation. Volokh

A plague of locusts. The 17-year cicadas are crawling up from their 17-year stay in the soil, and will soon be all over the place. Predictably, there will be articles about how to cook them. This piece from 2004 explains how the broods work. I have always enjoyed watching birds try to catch them when they fly.

More about the new WalMart walk-in clinics. Always amazing the way markets can figure out things that experts and government cannot: it's because experts always have blinders on, and government is stupid.

Atheist donates 22 million to NYC's Catholic Charities. Good move. Great organization, with no political agenda.

Your friend Google wants to know you much better. Yes, it is creepy. But if you don't like it, use Dogpile.

This invasive species seems to have no friends. Not cuddly enough, I guess.

A treadmill desk. Not a bad idea. But the irony in the concept does not escape me.

Hansen: Cut America Some Slack. I agree. A quote:

...radical American egalitarianism is what terrifies our Islamist enemies. Bin Laden—many of the terrorist’s family were living in the United States on September 11—knows the insidious dangers of Americanization, both from his own wealthy youth spent enjoying the high life, and the failure of his Sharia law to compete with Spiderman for the attention of most of his flock.

Read the whole thing.

Do we need or want more women's colleges? Sister Toldjah

"Short-dicked white boys" and "niggers." I never heard these details of the Duke story.

Sen. Kyle is baffled. From one of his constituents, Linknzona

It must be those dang Presbyterians again, violating dogs' rights. Blair

Women are to blame. Good point, from Stumbling and Mumbling. The entry of women into the job market in massive numbers over the past 20 years has certainly held down wages - not because they are women, but because it greatly increased the supply of labor in all areas, from law to medicine to government to business to clerical to the military.

SPECIAL TO THE NEW YORK TIMES. May 24, New York. New York City's Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced a series of bold new initiatives to protect the health of New Yorkers today.

The Mayor's approval rating of 76% has been largely due to his efforts to safeguard city residents from tobacco smoke, trans fats, cars, guns, and other ills with which the ignorant masses are too stupid to deal with on their own. He seeks to build on this foundation with his ambitious new program, entitled "A City That Really Cares."

Highlights of his proposals, which the City Council is expected to accept with little debate, include the following:

1. Banning the sale or wearing of heels on women's shoes over 2" high.
2. Requiring the wearing of warm scarves when the temperature drops below 40 degrees F.
3. Banning sunbathing in all New York City parks and beaches.
4. Requiring a serving of broccoli and carrots with every restaurant meal served within the five boroughs.
5. Banning the dangerous habit of swimming at ocean beaches.
6. Requiring the unplugging of all TVs and toaster ovens when not in use, due to fire hazard.
7. Banning any employer from demanding more than three hours per day of computer work, due to risk of carpal tunnel syndrome and eye strain. (Any work on Bloomberg machines will be exempted due to the important role of financial services in the city.)
8. Requiring the wearing of sturdy rubbers during rain, and lined boots during snow.
9. Requiring the wearing of hats during sunny days, and wool hats when the temperature drops below 40 degrees F.
10. Banning the use of iPods on city sidewalks due to the street-crossing risks iPods cause.
11. Banning all dangerous sports in schools or on city property. While the list is not complete, this will certainly include football, soccer, dodgeball, and handball. Running and jogging may also be banned, as they contribute to joint diseases and anorexia nervosa.
12. Banning the sale or use of any tobacco products indoors, outdoors, or in any vehicles other than golf carts, limousines, or private jets and helicopters.

Violators will meet a stiff fine of $250 per incident. One thousand police officers will be transferred to a new Public Health Unit of the NYPD to monitor compliance, with many more expected. This unit will have extensive rights to enter your home to check for tobacco smoke, trans fats, and safe TV use.

During his presentation, the Mayor emphasized his committment to health. In response to a question asking why he had not included a ban on sale of alcohol products, meat, candy, soda, junk food and and fried food, the Mayor replied "Now just hang on. This is only Phase One. As people get used to following good habits, we will introduce further steps in our "The City that Really Cares" program. So let's be constructive and positive, and work together in a stepwise fashion to guarantee good health for all New Yorkers."

Public health experts praised the Mayor's presentation. Dr. Harvey Weiss, Professor of Public Health at Columbia University and an advisor to Mayor Bloomberg, attended the press conference and stated "This is a wonderful beginning, but there is so much more we can do to help people."

"The people of New York need to understand that we really care, and we care enough to include significant enforcement in this program. We will get to butter, chicken fat, lard, eggs, meat, cheese, creme brule and ice cream as time goes on. Plus we are deeply concerned about cell phone usage, overly-tight lingerie, poorly-fitting shoes, and of course the crisis of noise pollution. We hope to submit requirements for noise-free jackhammers and garbage trucks in the near future."

"Health is too important to be left up to people."

Does "fair trade" coffee do any good? Berndt at TCS doubts it. It's more of a "feel-good" deal.

Al Quaida in Lebanon. CSM. These guys say they will fight to the death of them all. More at Gateway. Meanwhile, the Taliban are having a tough go of it. It seems that the Brits killed all of their officers. Good show.

Snow in Colorado this week.

World CO2 emissions will grow 60% by 2030, and there isn't a damn thing anyone can do about it.

50% of Americans are pro-life, 45% pro-"choice." Those are interesting numbers. (h/t, News for Christians)

1/4 of American Moslem males would like to kill Americans. Of course, those are the numbers of those who will admit it. Contemplating that makes me uneasy around Moslems. The charted info is here. Maybe it's time to take a long hard look at our immigration policies...eh, Pres Bush?

Nobody told Mayor Mike that hybrids are worse for the environment, so he is going to mandate hybrid taxis. Damn the data - he "cares". Am I the only person who is sick of this sanctimonious guy? Yes, he runs the place, but does he have to "care" so much? It's not masculine. I am waiting for him to mandate rubbers when it rains.

When Reagan demolished RFK in debate. Like to see that video, but the Kennedys blocked its release.

Boehner applies bad language to the immigration bill. Somehow, I think he is not fully behind Bush on this one.  And Senator Kyl not looking strong right now after pulling a fast one on Arizona voters. Surber. And let me say that I like Prof. Bainbridge a good deal, but I do not want him to preach the Good Samaritan parable to me in the context of immigration law: there's a word for that sort of argument. Eric has some interesting thoughts from Gingrich about immigration: he feels he was hoodwinked the last time he voted for reform. Not surprisingly, Bush's poll numbers crash whenever he brings up amnesty for illegal immigration. I'm glad he isn't poll-driven, but how far will he go to destroy his party?

News flash. Black kids from intact, religious families do best in school. LaShawn

Last week Illinois overwhelmingly rejected a state medical care proposal. This week, California overwhelmingly rejects "free" preschool. Is this a pattern?

The Nigerian Anglicans sending a mission to the US. The Nigerian Bishop's reply to the American Episcopal bishop is too funny.

More on how the greedy geezers soak us working stiffs. Viking. It is, indeed, the rich stealing from the poor.

Forcing lightbulb change is pathological. Thanks for saying so, Glenn.

The Palestinians are victims. Victims of the Arabs, who want nothing to do with them. Neoneo. There is a real bias against them in the Arab world. It's kinda funny that the only people who really try to help them are the Brits, the US, and Israel. They are in the "difficult to help" category.

Ball of Fire. If you didn't hear this Algore satire, it's good. By the great Paul Shanklin. Link here.

Nations, ranked by obesity rates. Tiger Hawk. Hey! We're Number One! I guess there is plenty of hunger in America - an endless hunger for carbs.

Ant or grasshopper? If you aren't sure, take the spending habits survey. Ants win, of course.

Everybody loves Sarkozy now. Pajamas. They are lucky to have him. Can he be France's Maggie Thatcher? He has the chance.

How does illegal immigration harm American citizens' unskilled labor? It holds down wages.  Dem Project

Everyone has linked ex-Dem Senator Bob Kerry's essay on how Iraq should be handled. Why? Because it is sensible.

Stalin as a "fine young criminal." Book review via A&L Daily. (h/t to one of our blog friends, but I forget who.)

Sacrificing fetuses in utero. No Left Turns

Thompson speaks. As usual, no BS, and no calculation.

Three ordinary lives in Baghdad. CSM. A good look.

Iran plans summer war campaign in Iraq to empower the Dems. Never Yet Melted. Sheesh - they are working hand-in-hand.

Edwards charges $55,000 to speak about poverty. That $ came out of your tuition check, parents.

Want Pat Buchanan's view of amnesty? National suicide, says Pat.

More on Hillary's nationalized babysitting proposal. Betsy. Would those babysitters be the same folks who work at the Post Office?

College boozing and heart problems. Time

Gotta record that macaca moment, says Kos.

From a Dr. Sanity piece on the greenies:

The "elites" have never abandoned their dreams of imposing a socialist paradise, and one of their basic strategies is to undermine capitalism by using the talking points of their "environmental religion".

I suspect that they truly believe that if humans would abandon capitalism and technology; go back to the cave and live the "simple life", then their ideology would finally work in the real world and their dreams of a religious caliphate international socialist paradise would finally be realized.

Perhaps that is why they have consciously and deliberately joined forces with radical Islam, which suffers from the same inabilty to bring peace (unless you count death as the ultimate "peace") and prosperity to their adherents; and has the same fantasy.

Kim du Toit imagines his singles ad, were he to find himself single:

”Foul-tempered old man, very set in his ways, not especially fond of women, but willing to put up with their shit for the occasional burst of laughter and even-less-frequent good time, seeks woman of any advanced age who will not scream and call for the cops when she sees him at her front door. Pets okay, as long as they don’t crap on the rug or chew his shotgun stock.”

Flares into Darkness on work, markets - and adult reality. Every young person should read this, and we wish we had written it. A quote:

The sad fact of life in a market economy is that you have to do what somebody else wants in order to get paid. You don't generally get paid for what is fun for you or for what you want to do; you get paid for what somebody else wants you to do, and usually that's something they themselves don't want to do for some reason. Maybe the work is tedious, maybe it requires high levels of responsibility, maybe it is dirty or dangerous. One thing you can be guaranteed is that it's something somebody else doesn't want to do themselves.

Now this is contrary to what most of us learn in school and in our cultural role models. We learn that we should be "free". We learn that we should be self-actualizing. We learn that we should break the rules and make things better and in the end everyone will reward us for "doing the right thing". Don't bet on it.

Photo: Quaking Aspens in winter, from the Tree link earlier today.

Prof. B. likes Fred Thompson because he isn't a doodyhead. Fascinating photo to the right in honor of Fred, who is was known for a red-blooded fondness for the ladies during his single years. Not a problem for me: I can relate. I am clean and thoughtful, but want to have fun and do not want a heavy "relationship."

Parenting. The Dems plan a parenting conference. No Moms or Dads invited. Meanwhile, Hillary proposes a national Pre-K program. This might be characterized as nationalizing the babysitting industry. No doubt specialized training and certification will be required. It's like "Healthcare," right? Need the government brainiacs, because we are so stoooopid.

Another climatologist changes his tune. Tim Blair

Bored by the Wolfowitz story? A brief synopsis at Willisms gets directly to the point.

John Bolton vs. pompous Brit interviewer. Bolton is good.

News flash. George Washington had slaves.

Milton Friedman is poisoning your food. Worstall

Sweden update at Brussels Journal. A good graph too. A quote:

Sweden is viewed by many outsiders as a model nation. Swedes are keenly aware of this and want to keep up appearances. Since suicidal Multiculturalism is all the rage in the West, Swedes want to prove that they can be more suicidal than anybody else. It’s an ideological beauty contest, which serves Swedes fine, since they like to excel at everything they do.

When government tries to micro-manage the economy. The corn ethanol mess.

Another live coelecanth. It is so cool.

We have said it at least ten times: Never eat anything from China. What we term "garbage," they term "food."

The Anchoress doesn't mind the immigration bill. It's a debate worth holding, but I don't think Congress will hold the debate.

Photo: Fun with body-painting in Key West. It is apparently impossible to take a photo in Key West without including some dissipated drunk in the background.

Immigration: John at Powerline:

Like most of what President Bush does, his position on immigration is heartfelt and sincere. Do you remember all the talk during Bush's first term about how he intended to "spend his political capital?" This was said to be a lesson he learned from his father's Presidency. I never realized that by "spending his political capital," he meant driving his approval rating down to zero by the time he left office.

Mark Steyn labels the immigration bill "a capitulation, not a compromise."

Americans are depressed. Why? Have we become a nation of whiners like the French? Ridiculous.

Our air is cleaner than it has been in 100 years. So what is the anxiety? American.com

Carter, yet one more time, shows his dark side, via Drudge. This man needs to go to church more than anyone I can think of, because his sanctimoniousness contains/conceals a public meanness which I find nauseating.

Math, Marx, and Mau-Mauing the multiculturalists. This is fun.

Kid forced to see Al Gore's movie four times. WTH?

Doctor goes to jail for writing pain meds. Apparently, a jury was convinced that medication control was more important than human pain. This story breaks my heart, but there is nothing I can do about it.

Roger Daltrey thinks Al Gore is a jerk. via Drudge

A movement to push back against Castro, in Spain. This looks good. Better late than never.

China will take $3 billion stake in Blackstone Group. Clever of China - and clever of Blackstone.

Carbon for me but not for thee. The hypocrisy - nay, deception - abounding amongst the carbon fanatics causes me to doubt whether they really believe anything of what they say. Perfect example, at Samizdata. I guess gummint carbon doesn't count. Gaia apparently loves Government Carbon.

Here's my pledge: When politicians, bureaucrats, and Greenies quit flying and driving, and quit generating tree-murdering piles of paper upon which are written unintelligible rules for me, I will reconsider their sincerity.

I'll never forget my Greenie friend who preached thus to me in my cozy red-neck bar one snowy night this winter in the Massachusetts Berkshires: "I have to drive to get to work, but you could ride a bike because you're closer." My reply: "They will have to pry my F-150 out of my cold dead hands."

Yes, she had driven to Rudy's Bar and Grill too, in her Camry, and somehow made it home without a DUI. I don't approve of wasting precious ethanol as a fuel, but I do believe in that old "in vino veritas." My friend is very moral and sanctimonious, but she does like to drink stuff with ethanol in it.

She prefers Wild Turkey (which is entirely organic), but she isn't too picky about guys.

Photo: Is that my friend? Or is it Gaia herself, in human form? I forget.