Thursday, February 11. 2010
If Amsterdam airport had a high-tech body scanner, the Christmas panty-crotch bomber wouldn’t have gotten on board. They’re in use at 19 US airports, so far. For those with privacy concerns about the explicit images they can produce, there is the option of a pat-down search.
Can you visualize the pat-down searches? Do you believe that a pat-down search would be as revealing of metal or non-metallic weapons, plastic or chemical explosives?
The Dutch are now using full-body scanners for US bound flights. “New software, however, eliminates that problem by projecting a stylized image onto a computer screen, highlighting the area of the body where objects are concealed in pockets or under the clothing and alerting security guards.”
Not to let science stand in the way of disarming security, the Figh Council of North America affiliate of the Islamic Society of North America and CAIR protesteth.
"It is a violation of clear Islamic teachings that men or women be seen naked by other men and women," FCNA explained. The group noted that Islam emphasizes modesty, considering it part of the faith. "The Qur'an has commanded the believers, both men and women, to cover their private parts" and to be modest in their dress.
While exceptions can be made in cases of "extreme necessity," FCNA indicated that passenger body scans do not rise to that level.
I wonder if using them for this purpose would rise to that level?
An Arab Ambassador in the United Arab Emirates is suing his wife for emotional and moral damage after he married her without seeing her face and discovered that she was cross-eyed and had a beard.
Who knew? The restoration of Elk to Kentucky has been a huge success. (Thanks, reader.) Now they need their hunting season, since the predators haven't found them yet. No Cougars or wolves seen in KY lately, alas. Wildcats, yes! A wonderful state, but too far from salt water for me.
There used to be forest-dwelling buffalo ("Bison" for purists) throughout Kentucky, Indiana, Missouri, Tennessee, Illinois, Ohio, too. How about trying a restoration of them? I do know that they bust through fences...
Wednesday, February 10. 2010
 I suppose "Partridge" could refer to Ruffed Grouse, Chukar, Huns, Red Grouse or any little chickeny bird. Even Cornish Game Hens or chicken. This was very good with my Chukars.
Grilled Partridge with Wild Mushrooms and Hazelnuts
4 Partridge
4 Tbs. Olive oil
2 Tbs. Chopped rosemary leaves
3 Tbs. Cider vinegar
4 Tbs. Extra virgin olive oil
4 Cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 lb. Oyster mushrooms (3-4 supermarket packages), stems removed, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 lb. Porcini (or crimini or baby bella) mushrooms, slice 1/2 Inch thick
1/4 cup Fresh (blanched) hazelnuts, roughly chopped
1/4 cup Chopped scallions
Remove backbones from partridges with game shears or heavy scissors and place partridges in bowl. Add olive oil, rosemary and cider vinegar and toss to coat. Allow to stand 2 hours, covered and refrigerated.
Preheat grill. Place partridges breast side down on grill (indirect heat) and cook 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a 12-inch sauté pan, heat oil until smoking. Add garlic and sauté until golden brown. Add mushrooms and hazelnuts and cook, stirring constantly, until softened, about 3 to 4 minutes. Season, add scallions, and place on platter.
Turn partridges over and grill other side until thighs are cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove and arrange over mushrooms and serve.
How Global Warming Makes Blizzards Worse.
If there's no snow in DC next winter, that will be because of global warming too. I guess we'll have to add blizzards to the Complete List.
Also amusing: Moose numbers in MN dropping "because of global warming." Moose numbers in other states burgeoning...because of global warming?
Why they have begun terming snow "blizzards" I do not know. I took a drive this morning and saw nary a Moose, just an ordinary snowy day:
A friend was thoughtful enough to give us a year's subscription to Zagat's online for Christmas. Zagat's has gone global now.
A (free) alternative to Zagat's is Yelp. Pick your city. I have been warned, however, that a 3-star rating on Yelp in NYC is equivalent to a 5-star rating elsewhere. New Yorkers are highly critical and demanding about dining - and about everything else. "If I can make it there..."
For example, we were in the city this weekend at the Irish Repertory Theater and were looking for Venetian restaurants in the neighborhood. We tried Le Zie in Chelsea on 7th Ave. Not pricey. Zie had some rough reviews on Yelp (people love to bitch in reviews) but the place was better than any neighborhood trattoria in Italy. The ten "small plate" seafood appetizers were wonderful, and the Venetian calf's liver with onions and vinegar sauce was a fine treat.
It was fun checking out Zagat for Venetian restaurants in NYC. Here are a few of them, for your amusement.
The menus give a good idea of what Venetian cooking consists of:
Cipriani
Osteria al Doge
Antica Venezia
Osteria Laguna
REMI
All good fun. Here's inside Le Zie:
Sunday, February 7. 2010
A reader referred us to a Weisberg post at Slate, subtitled Blame the childish, ignorant American public—not politicians—for our political and economic crisis.
I don't know what he means by "political crisis." The essay does seem to reinforce our post yesterday about liberal condescension. However, does he have a point or not, here?
Sixty percent of Americans want stricter regulations of financial institutions. But nearly the same proportion says we're suffering from too much regulation on business. That kind of illogic—or, if you prefer, susceptibility to rhetorical manipulation—is what locks the status quo in place.
At the root of this kind of self-contradiction is our historical, nationally characterological ambivalence about government. We want Washington and the states to fix all of our problems now. At the same time, we want government to shrink, spend less, and reduce our taxes. We dislike government in the abstract: According to CNN, 67 percent of people favor balancing the budget even when the country is in a recession or a war, which is madness. But we love government in the particular: Even larger majorities oppose the kind of spending cuts that would reduce projected deficits, let alone eliminate them.
Let me put the hypothetical question this way: What Federal programs would you cut or eliminate (in addition to the Federal Dept of Education) which affect you or your family personally?
Saturday, February 6. 2010
In the (now, sadly, defunct) New York Sun:
Given the nearly total absence of fanfare, you could be excused for not knowing that this was the quincentenary of Andrea Palladio's birth. Generally it is a kind of condescension to treat the great cultural figures of the past as though, in some sense, they were, or needed to be, our contemporaries. And yet a respectable case could be made that, of all the architects who lived before the 20th century, few were as influential as Palladio (1508-80) or came closer, in the arc of their reputation, to being what we would now call a "starchitect."
Read the whole thing.
Here's Wiki on Palladio. Below is a photo of Villa Capra, aka Villa Rotunda, in Vicenza.
 Story by Alexander in the WaPo. One quote:
...even with Democratic fortunes on the wane, leading liberals insist that they have almost nothing to learn from conservatives. Many Democrats describe their troubles simply as a PR challenge, a combination of conservative misinformation -- as when Obama charges that critics of health-care reform are peddling fake fears of a "Bolshevik plot" -- and the country's failure to grasp great liberal accomplishments. "We were so busy just getting stuff done . . . that I think we lost some of that sense of speaking directly to the American people about what their core values are," the president told ABC's George Stephanopoulos in a recent interview. The benighted public is either uncomprehending or deliberately misinformed (by conservatives).
This condescension is part of a liberal tradition that for generations has impoverished American debates over the economy, society and the functions of government -- and threatens to do so again today, when dialogue would be more valuable than ever.
Liberals have dismissed conservative thinking for decades, a tendency encapsulated by Lionel Trilling's 1950 remark that conservatives do not "express themselves in ideas but only in action or in irritable mental gestures which seek to resemble ideas." During the 1950s and '60s, liberals trivialized the nascent conservative movement. Prominent studies and journalistic accounts of right-wing politics at the time stressed paranoia, intolerance and insecurity, rendering conservative thought more a psychiatric disorder than a rival.
Read the whole thing. For many, we think, Liberalism is a matter of social fashion; conformist, self-congratulatory, conspicuously virtuous and "open-minded" (not that I think it is virtuous or open-minded at all - how many Liberals check out Maggie's for fresh views on things?). It says that they aren't rubes, but rather "caring," sophisticated, and bien pensant. Part of the crowd, acceptable. Nice.
I don't think that we Maggie's Farmers are morons or uncaring even though we do like our guns and our Bibles and our Constitution and our ceegars...and lots of other things.
I also think that the condescension often passes over into raw hate, as Dr. Bliss discussed recently. Related, see Liberal Hate Speech at Am. Thinker.
Photo is Lionel Trilling, a neurotic Liberal who also had interesting things to say about literature.
Friday, February 5. 2010
From Phi Beta Cons:
My point is that the common notion that a college education is essential to doing most of the work in the economy is mistaken. The ability of individuals to do work seldom depends on anything they studied in college.
True indeed. Nothing wrong with a liberal arts education, though, as life-enrichment for those too lazy to figure out how to obtain it on their own. (It's called "reading.") A rigorous high school education ought to be enough for most practical purposes, and adequate preparation for any job training or apprenticeship which doesn't require advanced math or science.
Thursday, February 4. 2010
 The O admin seems determined to quietly undo Clinton's welfare reforms. We have learned over the years that the Dems and the Lefties want all the people on the government plantation that they can collect. That's what "health care" is was all about, but the people saw through it.
It's what most Dem programs are about: everybody a slave to the Massas in Washington, and relying on their "generosity" (see Medicare).
Heather MacDonald now reports in Championing Dependency that New York is experiencing attacks on Clinton's welfare reform. Good essay. One quote:
This double-sided attack on New York’s welfare reform lacks all empirical basis. Since 1995, the city’s welfare rolls have dropped nearly 70 percent, from 1.1 million to 350,000. Rather than increasing, as opponents of welfare reform warned, the child poverty rate in New York City dropped 34 percent during the same period, compared with a 5 percent drop nationwide. In 2008, New York City had the lowest child poverty rate—26.5 percent—and the lowest total poverty rate—18.2 percent—of the country’s eight largest cities.
Work, even at minimum wage, remains the best route out of poverty. When tax credits and medical and housing benefits are included, an average single mother of two with an $8.25-an-hour job in New York City receives a $63,000 annual income. On welfare alone, that same mother would pull in $43,000 a year—a whopping amount for non-work, to be sure, but still less than work provides.
I visited Venice for a few days many years ago, and do not feel driven to return - it's a giant tourist trap with a pickpocket team on every block - except that I wouldn't mind catching the Venice Regatta in August:
On further thought, I wouldn't mind getting a little more experience with Venetian cooking. All I know about it is Risi e Bisi, which doesn't look like much but which is killer delicious when Mrs. BD makes it.
Here's When I Paint My Masterpiece live with The Band in 1971:
Wednesday, February 3. 2010
Rohmer died on Jan. 11. From a summary of Rohmer's movies:
Claire's knee—and the consternation it arouses in the diplomat—is a painstakingly constructed symbol of rationalisation gone amok. It gives us something by which to measure the diplomat's drift from reason. It also underlines the odd humour of the "Moral Tales": in Rohmer's world, faces are symmetrical, bodies proportional, and words are perfectly measured. Everyone is beautiful, and everything is in its right place. Everything, that is, except the intentions of his heroes.
The trailer for Claire's Knee (1970) - in French - sorry, but you can get the gist of it:
Tuesday, February 2. 2010
Down the mall from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, a new museum will open next November, the National Museum of American Jewish History. It tells the story of Jews in America, the many contributions from Nieuw Amsterdam to “God Bless America” to today in every walk of life, and the appreciation for the opportunities coming from being freer than elsewhere due to freer markets, speech and observance under the rule of law. It’s the same story for every immigrant group to America.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBmglA-yCCk
Considering a trip to the Dolomites and the Veneto this August, with visits to Venice (not again!), Padua, Verona, Castelrotto (Kastelruth), etc. Apparently the people in the Dolomites do not really think of themselves as Italian (they had been part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until WW1, and Mussolini Italianized the names).
Found out there are many villages up there in the Dolomites where the people mostly speak Ladin (not to be confused with Ladino). Several million people in the Veneto speak Venetian, too. People in Castelrotto speak German.
Photos below of Castelrotto, which looks more alpine-German or Swiss than Italian. It's the south Tyrol:
 Found a Wooly Bear caterpillar curled up cozy in the wood pile the other day. I carefully placed him under a hunk of bark in the woods. I have loved these critters since I used to find them with my Mom as a young kid.
They contain a cryoprotectant that keeps them vital during their winter hibernation. When it warms up, they will wake up and eat like crazy, pupate, and become a tiger moth - the Isabella Moth.
Monday, February 1. 2010
 During the 1700s and 1800s the Brits scoured the planet to find cool places to visit (or to make money). Amelia Edwards was one of them, and she wrote about it. It was the era when, if you saw a couple of ladies riding side-saddle in the desert or the mountains, the natives would think "They must be English."
From Amazon:
British writer and Egyptologist AMELIA EDWARDS (1831-1892) was a published writer by age seven. Among her books most beloved by readers past and present are the novels Barbara's History (1864) and Lord Brackenbury (1880), and the travelogue A Thousand Miles Up the Nile (1877).
She wrote mysteries too.
We have in hand her book about her trip to the Dolomites: Untrodden Peaks and Unfrequented Valleys.
Her other books here.
Sunday, January 31. 2010
Does President Obama “feel your pain” or is he feeling his own, getting kicked in the bottom by the Tea Parties? Do establishment Republicans, late to the party, join the conga line or waltz around the Tea Party theme?
Remarkably, Internet-power Instapundit Glenn Reynolds and MSM Newsweek’s Eleanor Clift sorta agree about the impact of the Tea Parties.
Reynolds, early and consistently encouraged by the people power of the Tea Party movement, writes in today’s Washington Examiner that,
It's one thing when record stores or video rental places get dis-intermediated. It's a whole different ball game when people who rely on politics not only for their livelihood, but for maintaining their considerable sense of self-importance discover that they may not be quite as necessary as it once seemed.
But that hard lesson is becoming apparent. In fact, the Tea Party movement seems to be showing better political judgment than either of the two major political parties.
Reynolds believes the Tea Party movement will have even more power going in to the 2010 elections, as it develops a Contract From America.
It's a set of ideas developed via an interactive Web site, where voting determines which elements are most important. And it's not a top-down contract consisting of promises made by leaders to the voters -- it's more in the nature of a contract of employment from the voters, which politicians may choose to accept, or look for alternative employment.
This is basically a crowd-sourced party platform, with the smoke-filled rooms and convention logrolling taken out of the picture. More dis-intermediation. I'm guessing that the political class won't like it much, either.
But whether the political class likes it or not, this sort of thing is probably here to stay. While 2009 was the year of denigrating and ignoring the tea parties, I suspect that in 2010, they'll be listened to quite closely. Those who fail to do so, are likely to find themselves out of a job.
Dan Riehl comments re: "fragmentation" of Tea Party movement. It is already, and that's a strength, bottom up instead of top down.
Eleanor Clift, columnist at Newsweek, reluctantly recognizes the Tea Parties past successes, despite the Conventional Wisdom (i.e., from liberals like her).
Less than half a year later, the tea-party movement is the tip of the spear shaping the White House policy agenda, putting Obama on the defensive on spending and forcing Democrats to elevate deficit reduction as a priority.
Clift is correct in recognizing the grass-roots pragmatism of Tea Partiers, supporting moderate candidates as long as they represent a turn away from more government intrusion into our pockets and lives. Clift concludes by asking limited government types to reply to President Obama’s newfound interest in hearing from those who oppose him. And, we are to believe that Clift, Obama, and their ilk will now, after never listening before?
To offer your two-cents to the Contract From America, here’s your invite.
My July 4th Tea Party in LotusLand with photos.
Saturday, January 30. 2010
 At what point do American Liberals become Conservatives? I mean, at what point would government and government control and redistribution be sufficient to satisfy them so that they would cease seeking more, and just stop and try to freeze it in a Conservative fashion, as happened in the Soviet Union, North Korea, Cuba, and China?
One of the things that converted me to Conservatism years ago was that none of my Liberal and Lefty friends could or would answer that question. I liked to ask them what arguments they could make against free food, socialized legal insurance and auto insurance, free nose jobs and boob jobs and IQ injections - and free PhDs in Social Justice and Peace Studies for all.
It gradually dawned on me that they had a dream of an eternal childhood of ease, like many peoples' dream of a Florida or Arizona retirement or of being the wife of a hedge fund owner (but with them in control of it, I suppose, to keep the personal dreams and spirits of others stifled for the greater good).
Being a bred-in-the-bone New England Yankee Puritan, I find the idea of ease and irresponsibility to be repellent. Except occasionally...as a treat. We seek effort and additional effort - hence Maggie's Farm.
(Photo is of a life of ease. Even the effort of chasing birds is pure fun for this fine fellow, who has it made thanks to the benevolence of his master.)
Thus our stale repost below from a few years ago for those who haven't seen it -
 At a news conference late last night following a special meeting of Democrat Party leaders, the Dems announced "We are sort-of Communists."
The eagerly-awaited announcement came as a relief to the nation's Democrats, who have longed for the day when they could come out of the closet and begin to explain their goals and ideals clearly, instead of pussy-footing around and hemming and hawing.
"The time of bourgeois "Progressive" incrementalism is past," they asserted in a prepared statement, which highlighted proposals for free housing, an end to taxation, free medical care, free food, 100% employment, an environmentally-advanced outlook, free TV, unlimited sex for all without committment, World Peace, and no homework, among other items certain to please all voters, and not just those attracted to modern, advanced, scientist- and social-scientist- approved ideas.
"We hereby generously vow to sacrifice our time and effort to secure Happiness and Freedom from Worry for the little people." they stated, "whether they want it or not," adding "We are willing to bear the burden for them - nay, we are determined to bear the burden and the burden of thinking for them - and nothing will get in our way. That shows how much WE CARE."
"We're tired of pretending. After 70 years of careful preparation, we believe the country is finally ready to deal with the truth. There is no need for us to play games anymore. If we can send a man to the moon, we can meet our peoples' needs here at home. It is time for us to stand up for Happiness Now - Equal Happiness for All the Workers and Little People in 1898 1914 1937 1956 1965 1973 2006."
When asked what had brought the Party to this point, a spokesman stated:
"Our leaders were frankly exhausted by answering questions about how much taxes they really wanted, and about how much government control over life and business they really wanted, and how much they deeply care for and want to help people, and especially the children. They decided that it was time to play it straight, and I am confident that the voters will welcome our proposals. If not, we will have to consider all and any necessary means to ensure true and equal happiness for all. It is time to make Comrade Jefferson's dream a reality."
"We aren't "totalitarian," he said, "That is an ugly and vicious slur on our intentions. We are TotaliCAREian. Give us a chance to show the people how much we Totally Care." He added "We caringly and compassionately totally care about every tiny detail of your life, so we want to know about it."
Their 2006 Campaign press release, which has been over two generations in preparation, is titled "A Manifesto for the Future" and subtitled "A New Brave New World Deal for America." It appears to offer something for everyone. Major sections excerpted below:
NO TAXES!!! No more complicated tax forms, and no more scary IRS!!! How can we do this? Trying to regulate businesses is too slow and too difficult. We'll just take them all over, and they will work for The Good of All instead of the wealthy few!!! We are tired of trying raise tax rates. We'll take all of the money!!! It is simpler for government - and for you - for your government to own everything, instead of collecting taxes. Plus you won't need money anymore!!!
FREE MEDICAL CARE!!! Free medical attention will be available in our special government Happy Health Control Centers, with euthanasia cheerfully and painlessly prescribed for those who feel "really sick as shit," by our buxom People's Paradise Express Hostesses. And for you gals: Free required abortion for all!!! (but depending on genetic analysis and Government Health Dept. scientifically-determined population and genetic needs.) Free treatment of disease based on modern, advanced and Scientific Cost-Benefit Analysis!!!
DEEPLY SATISFYING WORK FOR ALL!!! No more money worries or job worries. We'll take care of it. We will find work for you to do!!! All will work and will have deeply personally satisfying work for the good of all!!!- 100% employment, when and where we decide best. This will give the people the Human Dignity they want, and all will feel like part of the beautiful village. No-one will be too disabled for the Human Dignity of Deeply Satisfying Work, and even old age will no longer deprive you of that Deep Satisfaction (until you are no longer useful).
NO MORE MONEY WORRIES!!! Since the government will run the businesses, you won't need any money!!! All of your needs will be met by a loving, caring government whose experts know what is best for your happiness in life, based on Modern Scientific Psychological Studies. No more envy, no more antiquated and fatiguing ambition, no more disappointment and depression - and no more bills!!!
FREE HOUSING FOR ALL, NO HOUSEWORK - AND FREE TV!!! Everyone will have their own personal, comfortable, temperature-regulated "Happy Cube" with a Free Wide Screen Government TV with FREE Government Stations just for you, to keep you entertained and happy in your Free Government cube - including 24/hr/day Psychologist-designed scientific PORN!!! And with expert psychologist-sexologist performers!!! And there will be co-ed Happy-Hygiene Units on every floor!!! Plus no more housework!!! You won't own a house to bother with!!!
NO HOMEWORK!!!! You don't need no education. (Our Expert Trainers will prepare you efficiently for the work for which are are best suited, as scientifically-determined.) We have already eliminated most of the "hard stuff," from education, but why bother with any confusing ideas and math and history dates and all of that difficult nonsense that gets in the way of happiness and TV and much-needed relaxation (unless the government determines that you have a needed aptitude). There will be no need to continue to strain your brain!!! We will worry about things for you!!! No complicated information to make people unhappy. We will let you know what you need to know to make a good adjustment and to be happy. No books - who needs those boring old things and their old-fashioned ideas? Everyone would rather just relax!!! Government TV is more fun and more relaxing, and less confusing. No news - we will worry about that for you! Why worry your brain? You work hard - take it EASY!
NO DIRTY DIAPERS AND SCREAMING BRATS!!! Children will have all of their needs met in special cheerful and psychologist-designed government Child Full-Service Development Centers, so all Bio-Moms will be free for the deeply satisfying Work Satisfaction they have sought for so long. No more dirty diapers and no more screaming brats. Government Growth Adjustment Expert Specialists will handle all of the problems, and take care of them for you from the day they are born, including orthodontia (if cost-effective) and including Science Diet Kiddie-Kibbles. You did your part, Bio-Moms. Now we'll do the rest!!!
NO ANNOYING SUNDAY MORNING CHURCH!!! You can sleep in every Sunday Morning, but you might be lucky enough to have an important deeply satisfying job for the good of all on Sunday morning. You won't need a confusing, inscrutable god - we'll be your god, but unlike the old god, we will give you everything you really need and want - for free. We care about you more than that obsolete, demanding, no-fun god did. And all religious disagreements will be solved!!! For fun on Sunday, try our Government Scientific 6-hole Happy People Miniature Golf Courses, or our Happy Bowler 10-foot bowling alleys, where everyone is a winner!!! Or just stay in your Happy Cube and watch TV in peace!!! We can give you Heaven - today!!!
FREE SEX FOR ALL WITHOUT COMMITTMENT!!! You may think you have that already, but we will take it to another level for you. Marriage is obsolete. Who really wants to put up with that boring, aging spouse and those predictable, dull bedroom habits? No more marriage, which means no more marital problems!!! Bring anyone you want to your personal and private sleeping cubicle in your Free Government Housing Home Sweet Home Happy Cube!! Sex for the little people and workers should be no more of a big deal than going to the bathroom: we've suffered enough bourgeois sentimentality. We will stand up firmly for Scientific Sexual Health and Hygiene.
WE'LL BE GREEN!!! No more cars!!! No-one will need cars except for Government Authorities and the Happy Thought Police forces. Everyone's Free Government Housing Home Sweet Home Happy Cube will be within healthy walking or biking distance - based on scientific calculations - of their assigned deeply satisfying job. That is what we are willing to do for The Environment!!! And your Free Government Bio-degradable Clothing will be specially designed for your outdoor needs, produced by happy workers with environmental values in their manufacture. And, because we will be Green, there will be No More Bad Weather!!!
FREE HEALTH!!! There will be no smoking, no alcohol, and no meat! These things will be reserved to console your over-stressed and sacrificial Leaders. Thus everyone will have free health, along with our expert-designed tofu-based diets and the daily exercise programs which will be required, for your convenience and health, at your deeply satisfying workplace. Those with genetic disorders will, as is rational, spare the people from the burden of their children. In this way, we will achieve a healthy, happy nation. One day's use of Soma or marijuana will be issued to workers at the end of each workday, to ensure happiness, a positive attitude, self-esteem, and a peaceful spirit. And, if you get sick, you just go to one of our Happy Health Control Centers, where you can peacefully unburden Society of your problem!!! No more guilt!!! And free sanitary crematorial services!
FREE FOOD!!! Since you won't need money, our Government Free Food Happy Pantries will offer free food for all, with special expert nutritionist-designed, organic-like balanced diets designed for your particular needs and work!!! No more worries about what to fix for supper. We'll worry about it for you, with your health and happiness in mind!!! It will be meat-free, poison-free, fat-free healthy nutritional substances, which will please our wonderful progressive vegans!!! Just add water to your scientifically freeze-dried and dehydrated tofu Lovely Health Treat!!!
WORLD PEACE!!! Not to worry. We'll figure it all out, because We Love World Peace. World Peace is just Great!!! You can just be happy and we can do the thinking for you. If war is needed to create peace, our Swedish and Swiss mercenaries will take care of it for you. And you won't even need to know!!!
Continue reading "A re-post from 2006: Dem Leaders Issue "Happiness Manifesto:" Promise "Heaven, Now!: Admit "We are Commies!" and Propose "TotaliCAREianism" for USA, "Permanent Joy for All of the Little People""
Friday, January 29. 2010
Health care may contribute to the defeat of Senator Barbara Boxer next November, or it may work in her favor. California’s legislative Democrat majority are going for broke (literally) with their party-line votes in prior years for single-payer health care and yesterday’s state Senate vote for the same.
There are some legitimate arguments to be made (low Democrat turnout and many of the Democrats voting for Brown being confused about health care or actually wanting a more radical plan than in Congress) that ObamaCare was less decisive in Massachusetts than conservatives think. So, there may be some reason to believe the issue will play out a bit less positively for Republicans in California, Democrats hope.
My last post California Is Not Massachusetts spoke to why Senator Barbara Boxer will be a tougher political opponent than Coaxley in Massachusetts: demographics are more amenable to Boxer (e.g., almost 5 times larger percentage of Hispanics in California; Boxer hasn’t alienated the influential overwhelmingly liberal Jewish vote in California, whereas leading Republican Campbell is negative toward Israel’s security needs); and her likely Republican opponents are not the able campaigners that Brown was in Massachusetts. I, also, posited that tempers against Obama and his Washington Democrats are likely to cool some between now and November, as some Democrats chill on their extremism. To the last point, that really does remain to be seen, and hollow words are less likely to be given credence by Independent voters now than in 2008. Further, Boxer’s extreme liberal stances are not likely to either change much or be hidable by her. (Note: a stat aficionado journalist corrects me on another point. There is a higher proportion of Democrat congressmen in Mass. than California, and California’s lower percentage of Independent voters is because California does not hold open-primaries as does Mass.)
On the other hand, although early polls are poor indicators, Boxer does currently lead prospective Republican candidates: 45% Boxer, 41% Campbell; 47% Boxer, 39% DeVore ; 48% Boxer, 40% Fiorina. Yet, Boxer’s lead has narrowed some, and her favorables have dipped by about 5% to 40% with 45% disapprovals.
Senator Barbara Boxer is a firm supporter of ObamaCare. Single-payer is a more extreme and direct takeover of health care. Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed the same prior two attempts by the Democrat legislators, and would do so again, if passed before November. The leading Democrat contender for governor, former governor Jerry Brown, spoke in favor in 1992 but is “stonewalling” about it now. The leading Republican contenders are opposed. This sets up an issue to be debated in the 2010 governor race.
Boxer will be affected or drawn in to the health care debate. Tom Campbell opposed ObamaCare. So do the other Republican contenders. Thus, it should be expected to be a factor in the Senate race. A legislator and oral surgeon dismembers the California Democrats' bill. Another commenter calls it all “political kabuki”:
A serious bill would talk about where, exactly, the $200 billion a year [more than the entire California budget, already tens of billions in deficit; proponents say that all sources of health spending in California is about that or more, assuming they can redirect it all into the government’s hands, and power] is going to come from and just how California will be able to afford a single-payer system at a time when the budget is awash in red ink.
But that’s what a serious bill would do and this isn’t a serious bill. For Democrats, it’s a feel-good vote that lets them show their supporters that they feel their pain, without having to face the possibility of actually having to make a single-payer system work in California.
It’s no better on the GOP side of the aisle. Republicans will win political points with their conservative backers by attacking a single-payer plan and ignoring the millions of Californians who would like to see them come up with a health-care alternative.
When single-payer disappears from the political radar for another year, both Republicans and Democrats will be able to say that they fought the good fight.
The latest California Field poll displays the core liberal-lean among California’s registered voters, which Boxer will depend upon. Sixty-five percent of registered voters disapprove of the “way Congress is doing its job,” 69% disapprove of the “way Congress is handling health care,” but just shy of 50% say they’re inclined to vote for a Democrat for the House in 2010 versus 32% for a Republican (a similar proportion holds across age groups; only among those earning above $100k do Republican leaners top 40%). A third less immigrants are inclined toward Republicans, immigrants comprising about 17% of California’s registered voters (Latinos – 27% of all Hispanic voters - lean Democrat by 50-24, and White Hispanics by 44-37).
Long story short, unseating Boxer will depend upon her, Sacramento and Washington Democrats continuing to piss off voters as much as they have up until now (ever flexible apologist for whatever latest version of ObamaCare Ezra Klein is depressed at its diminished emphasis by the Obama admin, meaning it will be deemphasized) and the California Republican candidates being as effective as Brown in Mass. in presenting themselves positively and be viewed as honestly in tune with popular discontent. I remain skeptical of both, as we move into the stretch.
We would never, even for personal use, advise violating the incomprehensible American ban on Cuban tobacco by using Top Cubans.com. However, we do find their latest rankings interesting, if mundane:
 Dress shoes need to be shined regularly if you do not wish to look bedraggled, don't they?
A spit shine requires a little water (or spit). Here's the USMA method.
And from The Art of Manliness, here's How to Shine Shoes like a Soldier.
It takes a toothbrush to do it right and to get into the seams. People say 30-40 minutes per shoe for a definitive shine, less for a touch-up shine. Obsessionals like to top off a shine with a coat of clear polish.
I read that you are supposed to edge the sole too. News to me, but makes sense.
Photo is a good J. Press Oxford shoe - off the rack and not too fancy, but good enuf for government or academic work. Maybe when I win the lottery I'll have foot molds taken in London and Rome and have them make me custom shoes and loafers like my prosperous friends do.
Wednesday, January 27. 2010
After all I’ve counseled, my 9-year old son insists on doing it his way in tomorrow’s 4th grade elections to the student council.
His speech is about how he will tell the students what the council decides, rather than tell the council what the students want. Liberal.
And, he’s carrying in a bag of candy for the students, to get the students to elect him. Corrupt.
If he wins the election, will he bring home congrats letters from Pelosi and Obama?
Grrr!
I'll post the election results in the comments.
Meanwhile, this approach might have been better:
OK, OK, I've failed as a husband, too!
The MSM meme is that the middle class wants more care and attention from the O. More goodies, more empathy, etc.
That is BS. What the middle class wants is less taxes, fewer government jobs, less government - and to be left alone to do what they can do best with less government getting in the way of our lives and stifling the economy.
As Insty posts today:
MICHAEL LEDEEN: The Real State Of The Union: Fear. “This fear is extremely broad-based. It is not limited to social class nor to domestic or foreign policies. Banks are not lending, companies are not hiring, because they are afraid of what Obama will do next. Both are afraid of onerous taxes, including new health care burdens, and the banks fear new regulations and the consequences of the recently declared war on evil bankers by the president. Seniors are afraid they will be deprived of medical treatment. Juniors are afraid they are going to be forced to buy health insurance they don’t think they need. Across the board, Americans are afraid they’re not going to find work, and won’t be able to afford a house. And, as the Massachusetts vote showed, Americans are worried about threats from abroad, worried about Iran, afraid of terrorist attacks, and afraid the Obama Administration doesn’t take all this seriously enough.”
Related: “The drop in individual income tax revenue in fiscal 2009 was the steepest since 1939. As the chart shows revenue continues to plummet in fiscal 2010.” John Galt was unavailable for comment.
Yes, President O. If you really want to do something for the middle class, shut up with the programs and destimulate.
Also related, Arthur Laffer says we are headed for a train wreck. That is not good for the middle class.
Tuesday, January 26. 2010
The new New Left consists of public employees and their handlers, says Malanga.
There are two Americas: the tax-eaters and the taxpayers. And, he says, there are no red or blue states: only blue metropolitan areas. One quote:
What makes these cities so Blue is a multifaceted liberal coalition that ranges from old-style industrial unionists and culturally liberal intellectuals, journalists, and entertainers to tort lawyers, feminists, and even politically correct financiers. But within this coalition, one group stands out as increasingly powerful and not quite in step with the old politics of the Left: those who benefit from an expanding government, including public-sector employees, workers at organizations that survive off government money, and those who receive government benefits. In cities, especially, this group has seized power from the taxpayers, as the vast expansion of the public sector that has taken place since the beginning of the War on Poverty has finally reached a tipping point. In New York City, this coalition has helped roll back some of the reforms of the Giuliani years. In California cities and towns...
Malanga at City Journal with The Real Engine of Blue America. (h/t, reader BL). I am reminded of Ben Franklin's quote:
"When the people find they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic."
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