Thursday, May 11. 2006
Sowell takes a look at the politics of illegal immigration. Honestly, I have no idea where either party really stands on this. Buy American? A Ford Mustang is 65% American, and a Toyoto Sienna is 90% American. Cafe Hayek All too true-About sex, from Ace: Hold the phone, you're saying heterosexual women are attracted to men? In my personal experience, I have not found that to be the case. What did Ahmadinejab's letter mean? Was it a heart-felt reaching out, or war talk? Dino says that there is no doubt - it was a last chance to convert to Islam. I'd tend to agree with that. Melanie Phillips on the EU: It is astounding that Europe is not merely systematically unravelling the moral settlement at the heart of western civilisation but is using such coercion to do so, riding roughshod over the democratic rights of individual countries to pass laws in accordance with their own religious and moral beliefs and values. It is a clear illustration of the totalitarian impulse at the heart of not just the EU project but the ‘progressive’ universalism which the EU project embodies: the belief that individual nations have no right to express their known particular values through their own laws, because laws and values rooted in the particular are by nature exclusive and discriminatory; that the only legitimate laws and values must be universal and supranational; and that because these are universal, they are by definition unchallengeable and therefore any person or state who defies them must be guilty of prejudice and punished accordingly. This is cultural totalitarianism: a supranational religion of nihilism that is now to be ruthlessly enforced by the Savonarolas of secularism.
Brit High Court requires armed hijackers be given refugee status. Unbelievable. I never owned a slave (altho I could use a few), nor did my ancestors, at least in the past 400 years. I am guilt-free, and if this is what the Dems offer, then I am agin it. The Caliphate is becoming a serious goal of Islam. How much denial can the West tolerate? Quite a lot, I guess. CSM What women can see in men's faces. Live Science Via Instapundit, on Europe: LES JONES: "The consequence of Europeans not having children is that their elaborate social welfare system and free healthcare are liable to collapse in a generation or two as a consequence of their birth rate being below replacement level. They obviously know where babies come from, but it's less clear they know where adults come from."
The author of the Iliad is either Homer or, if not Homer, somebody else of the same name. Aldous Huxley
Wednesday, May 10. 2006
The safest cars. Talent vs. Hard Work: A new book proclaims hard work to be the winner. Piece at Marginal Rev - read the comments, too/ Ayaan at Harvard. LGF. "What are they learning here?", she asked someone. Do you doubt the tilt of the LA Times? Patterico Barry Bonds is no Babe Ruth. Here are the numbers. A simple solution to illegal immigration. PoliPundit. Sensible, too. From Country to Heavy Metal: The Telecaster. Driscoll A Google Manual: Part-time Pundit. Google can do lots more for us than most of us realize. More on Jane Jacobs. It's great to see the outpouring of essays about her. This from View from 1776: Jane Jacobs and Adam Smith Land of Oz. California judge proclaims a legal right to a dlploma. I Are Educated, at RTLC
Proverbs are always platitudes until you have personally experienced the truth of them. Aldous Huxley
Tuesday, May 9. 2006
This is the Second Annual Riesling Week. This reminds me - I need to drink more Riesling. Behave yourself, and leave your arrogance at home. Travel tips for Americans. I might add - leave your expectations of efficiency, politeness, and energy at home, too. Bush's best day in office - the day he caught a 7 1/2 lb. bass As the waters warm, it's kite-tubing season. Video. Polish Joke of the Day: A Polish immigrant goes to the Wisconsin Department of Motor Vehicles in Milwaukee to apply for a driver's license and is told he has to take an eye
test. The examiner shows him a card with the letters:
C Z J W I X N O S T A C Z
"Can you read this?" the examiner asks.
"Read it?" the Polish guy replies, "I know the guy."
 A way with words: Who came up with these phrases?
“Let there be light,” “Eat, drink, and be merry,” “The powers that be,” “A prophet has no honor in his own country,” “Ye of little faith,” “Fight the good fight,” “Am I my brother’s keeper,” “The spirit is willing,” “The salt of the earth,” “A law unto themselves,” “Filthy lucre,” “A man after his own heart,” “Signs of the times.”
It was William Tyndale. Read about him at Auster's. Fag weekends? That's what the Brits are coming to. First they came for the cigarettes, then they came for the ice-cream..."Smoked Haggis" at Tangled Web. How can proud Celts and Saxons permit themselves to be ruled by nags and cranks?
Idealism is the noble toga that political gentlemen drape over their will to power. Aldous Huxley
Raphael was a contemporary of Michelangelo and DaVinci - the High Renaissance. The early Renaissance art intrigues me more, but Raphael's Madonnas, and his work at the Vatican, had a major impact, despite his short life. He definitely liked to paint cute cherubs. This is Isaiah - definitely a dude to listen to. 
Monday, May 8. 2006
 Brits want to ban ice cream trucks! Is there anyone as totalitarian as someone who wants to do you good?
Orlando Patterson of Harvard wants to know why black males fail to learn, and he is not afraid to explain that it is cultural. Augean Stables. How come this is obvious to everyone except academics? Adios, police. 200 mph on a motorcyle. Video here. (h/t, RRWH) Hugh Hewitt has this right, I think: I can't seem to find Eleanor Clift's age on the web, or Rutten's, but I suspect both began their media careers in the Vietnam/Watergate era, a time in which media folk became convinced --no matter their particular distribution of talents-- of their collective moral superiority, their obvious intelligence, and the divine right of columnists/pundits.
Gaia will blow her stack - because of Bush, of course. Maxed-Out Persistent Sexual Arousal Syndrome. Guess what, honey - now you know what it feels like to be a guy. via Mens'News Daily An appreciation of Jane Jacobs, by Husock at City Journal. We are all in her debt, today. She, single-handedly, saved our cities from becoming soul-less Soviet-style mass housing projects. Just look at thriving "Alphabet City" in NYC today: the Lyndon Johnson era planners would have torn the whole place down as a slum, and now one-bedroom apartments there are going for over a quarter million bucks - in that old slum. The Vatican roughs up the DaVinci Code. Definitely the wrong approach. I do not like to see the Vatican learning from the Jihadists. They should either ignore it, or use it as a teaching opportunity. RTLC The renovation of the Met: And, one hopes, no more banners. Nice job, Board of Directors.
An intellectual is a person who's found one thing that's more interesting than sex. Aldous Huxley
Sunday, May 7. 2006
NYT defends Zarquawi. Very strange. Powerline/ If the Times ran the country, we'd be France, which is creaking towards collapse, according to Captain Ed. Secret Castro jokes, in Cuba. Publius King Tut's penis found: it was there all the time. Lucky him: an Afterlife without it would feel like an eternity. Which reminds me - don't edit this out, Bird Dog - about hyena clitorises, somehow. The Egyptians believed that they could change from male to female, because their clitori (?) are large enough to be the envy of any gal. The top ten conservative colleges. Iraq labor unions targeted by terrorists: Norm Ron Howard and Andy Griffith had a chat about DaVinci Code. Middlebrow Using Kelo to block WalMart in Calif: Big Lizards
Saturday, May 6. 2006
 States ranked by tax burden. Interesting. Surprised to see Wyoming as #2.
National maps of religious identification. Isn't it great that somebody bothers to make these? A planetarium on your PC: a fine thing for amateur astronomers. Remembering Nixon - the last liberal Republican. Driscoll. Probably further to the left than today's Dems will admit to being. Stats on church-going across the country. Al Quaida has been defeated. Is that clear? Lib. Leanings If socialism is dead as an idea, why isn't it buried? Synthstuff LomaAlta is not pleased with GOP treachery on immigration. Need a job? Find one. Unemployment is headed towards zero. Does the MSM mention it? Polipundit Can students mention religion? Or is it forbidden? A travesty, in NC. Rhymes with Right (h/t, News for Christians) Latest immigration poll: Americans want enforcement. Calif. Yank Image: my bodyguard
Friday, May 5. 2006
Patrick Kennedy? As sad as any addict, but would this guy ever have been elected if his name were Pat Shaughnessey? What has he ever done with his life? Resign, and take care of yourself, Patrick, and grow up. And try to make something of yourself, on your own. And quit it with the self-pity and pity-mongering - and the lying. Do not repeat your father's life. How long has it been since I recommended this stuff? The Teaching Company. Great. LaShawn makes some good points, and has some good immigration links. Mexico's shame: No-one wants to live there.
Thursday, May 4. 2006
Yale deserves this guy: Iowahawk. And Hawk deserves his free Pepsi.
Wednesday, May 3. 2006
Able Danger and the Clintons: They want to get rid of Curt Weldon, real bad. Gateway. Kill the messenger. Blankley blows off a load of steam on illegal immigration, here. Echoes of Shelby Steele's piece. More good news from Canada: Captain Ed aka "Special Ed." What a pleasure it is to see Canada begin to return to sanity. And more on Transgender bathrooms. WTH? What is wrong with these people, Dr. Bliss? And why should anyone care? Clayton Oh, I forgot to mention - That day without illegals was great! Can we have more of those? Please?
Tuesday, May 2. 2006
A fence is going up along the border. Good news for the Canadians: We must envy them - they have a real Republican administration now. Demography in Britain, from Tangled Web: Sorry, I'm just working on my update of the Beach Boys 1960'S classic (Fun, Fun, Fun), given the news that about 20% of British women reaching the end of their fertile life are childless, compared with 10% in the 1940s. In 2004 the UK fertility rate was 1.77 children per woman, considerably lower than the 1960s peak of 2.95 children. Suffice to say, population replacement level is 2 so we're in serious decline folks, and it's official! But hey - it's not bad news, no sirree! An ICM poll shows us that both men and women believe it is more important for women to enjoy themselves than to have children - with 64% of men and 51% of women agreeing. (This assumes having children is not enjoyable, mind you!) A majority also thinks that doing well at work and earning money count for more than bringing up children. Just 36% of women believe that people put children ahead of their career. In a sign of the way male attitudes have changed after feminism, only 32% of men think women should put children before work. Both men and women say it is more important to live comfortably than to have children. Of those surveyed, 61% thought this against just 32% who said bringing up children came ahead of material success.
Turning Point in Iraq? From CNN (H/T, HH): Meanwhile, in an attempt to reach out to insurgents, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said he has been meeting with seven armed groups in hopes of agreeing a deal to include them in Iraq's political process. None of these groups include people loyal to al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, according to a statement issued Sunday from Talabani's office. "These groups who are holding talks with the president are those who believe in a prosperous Iraq. Their will to fight America has waned," said a spokesman in the president's office. A source close to Talabani said the meetings have been under way for some time. The groups are realizing that Americans are not their true enemy, the source said, and that they have been "fighting the wrong enemy."
Monday, May 1. 2006
"The word "genius" isn't applicable in football. A
genius is a guy like Norman Einstein."
Joe Theisman, NFL football quarterback & sports analyst.
Protest against gringo products in Mexico. Kelo in Rivera Beach. City wants to take 30 homes for private development. More Darfur. Is there a double standard, where genocide in Darfur must be stopped by the US, but genocide by Saddam was OK? NY Sun Why can't we buy our own caskets on Amazon? TCS If money can't buy happiness, why not let the government take it all? Lee and Miller, with the help of Adam Smith, at TCS take on the notion that we should all be taxed to poverty. A quote: They regard the satisfaction of a broad range of needs as an entitlement or right, to be guaranteed by government. In effect, they would supplant the Jeffersonian formula -- the individual's right to pursue happiness -- by one that demands of the state "a right to happiness." Maybe it is in the nature of things for us to adapt to improvements in our lives, with the happiness they provide being temporary. But we would surely add to our happiness by spending more time appreciating how blessed we are compared to those of a few generations ago. A good way to begin is by considering how much the pursuit of wealth has added to the length, health, comfort, beauty, and meaning of our lives and the lives of those we love. If that doesn't make you happier, then don't expect more government spending on mass transit and recycling newspapers to do so either.
Read it all.
Monday morning runaway cab 
My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy cannot find it in herself to miss Galbraith. A Noah/government joke. Not bad. GOP bloggers. A litle guy looking for a career? Kentucky now has a jockey university! Impeach Bush? Bring 'em on! The world has gone nuts. Evangelical Outpost. Elaine Pagels writes fiction? How would I know? It could be. Interesting stuff, but probably only of historical interest. "Only of historical interest"? Tom Paine. A complicated life. A summary, here. I never knew that the French almost killed him. Darfur. What do people want? It is a horror. But is it a political football, too? Do I want unilateral US involvement? I don't know. Don Sensing (of One Hand Clapping) says you cannot have a life and be a sole blogger. I think that's right. That's why we have a Farm; a plantation, really, with slave-writers. Free Speech Zones at the University of Nevada. WTH? FIRE Gays do not get married, even when they can. They just want the freedom - I can sort-of understand that. Gay Patriot. Deep thinking in Vermont, on the war in Iraq. Env. Repub. What happened to the Green Mountain Boys? This truly blew my mind. I had to have a beer after I read this one: McCain thinks "clean government" is more important than free speech. Didn't he take a vow to defend the constitution? And who ever heard of clean government anyway? Captain's Quarters. Good reasons for Jews to flee Euristan. But can they enter the US legally? Or is it only Mexicans? Gates of Vienna Reason # 127 why the UN is a joke: The New Human Rights Commission. Gateway Moslems are joining the May Day protest. Why not? It's commies, Moslems, illegals, criminals, etc. Good grief. Bird of Paradise. Hey - it's our country. We get to decide who joins. Is Bush spending more than the "liberals" did? Yes. With eight million people, ya gotta have some moonbats. From LGF: 
Friday, April 28. 2006
Santa Anna is smiling in his grave.  Story here. Please tell me, somebody: what laws do I need to obey, and which ones do not matter? Just curious... cuz I am a little bit confused. Details of the story at Linknzona.
This is getting stranger: the Duke kids used a broomstick? My skepticism about this case is growing by the day. Moslems in space? Daily Pundit Todd Beamer's Dad had a piece in the WSJ yesterday about United 93. A new Indian empire? India expands military bases to protect oil supplies. Captn. Ed. 52 Lessons that lawyers can learn from card players: Althouse Kudlow makes a visit to Planet Hillary: Kudlow (h/t, Powerline). Sounds very similar to what View from 1776 said this week. A quote: Hasn’t Clinton noticed the spread of free-market capitalism that has become such an enormous wealth creator across the globe? The growth principles of higher after-tax returns for work and investment, deregulation to limit government’s reach, and the privatization of government-run companies have become almost commonplace. Clinton would have us turn the clock. She defines her goals in terms of “a middle-class life, education, health care, transportation and retirement.” But all this is nothing more than a dose of government spending and regulating — a sure prescription for more taxes and a declining economy. Why not employ the tax code to reward success rather than punish it? What about investor-owned savings accounts for health care, retirement and education? Why not put pro-market consumer choice, rather than government, at the center of the 21st century economy? How about helping the nonrich get rich?
And that Kudlow piece on Hillary makes for a nice segueway to this piece on Chirac: He proposes a govt. commission for innovation? How is that for an oxymoron? The article really does read like a satire. Cannot be too cynical to understand politics: The Sen. Rockefeller memo, at YARGB. Yes, it is clear that there is a war going on, and the Dems are loaded for bear. What did Dana Priest know and when did she know it? New info, from Confed. Yank
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