Between The Coasts

2003-06-11T19:55:00.000-05:00

The New Site Is Fun

C'mon over

2003-06-10T19:57:00.000-05:00

Thanks for Stopping By, BUT

Please go to MY NEW SITE

And if you update your links, I will be forever grateful.

The blog still sucks but it sucks less. Lots of work to do on the new one, but I like the new home...

Thanks to all of my loyal readers - If it were not for you, the blog would suck more.

2003-06-10T02:15:00.000-05:00

It's a Process, Acidman

It will take a while, but I am finally moving off of blogspot. Many, many, many thanks to Dean - He is running a jihad of massive proportions. We'll see how it goes, but I should be moved over by the end of the week. Archives? Who knows? Who cares?

2003-06-09T17:52:00.000-05:00

Empire Maker

No, I am not into horse racing. Mark sent a solid article from the WSJ-Online, and it is easy to sympathize with the views expressed in the conclusion:

The Victorian historian J.R. Seeley famously joked that the British had "conquered and peopled half the world in a fit of absence of mind." The Americans have gone one better. The greatest empire of modern times has come into existence without the American people even noticing. This is not absence of mind. It is mass myopia.

Unfortunately, this myopia is one of the things that makes the American empire very different from -- and, I believe, less effective than -- the last great Anglophone empire, the British one. Americans have no qualms about sending their troops to fight in faraway countries. But they expect wars to be short and the casualty list to be even shorter. Since the war in Iraq officially ended, 40 U.S. soldiers have lost their lives, some as a result of terrorist attacks. Already there is a queasiness about this. When can our boys come home?

The realistic answer is: not for at least five years, the minimum duration of occupation that will stabilize Iraq. And if the British experience of governing Iraq after World War I is anything to go by, 40 years might be more realistic. Alas, nobody in Washington is willing to contemplate a military presence on that time scale. The U.S. may be a "hyperpower," the most militarily powerful empire in history. But it is an empire in denial, a colossus with an attention deficiency disorder. That is potentially very dangerous.

I began on a note of optimism, pointing out just how much has been achieved by the war against Iraq. If Saddam's overthrow marks the beginning of a sustained attempt to build peace in the Middle East, we will have cause to celebrate the advent of this American empire. But if Iraq is just another ephemeral military adventure, then I am filled with foreboding. For the moment America loses interest in what it has initiated, the cycle of terror will resume.

Don't lose interest. How could you lose interest? Vote for Dick Gephardt.

2003-06-08T23:29:00.000-05:00

Dr. Luskin is doing his best with the Crimes. I don't know if they'll know how to read this, but I hope they do.

2003-06-08T22:17:00.000-05:00

Can You Help Chevy?

GM sucks and they are demonstrating that loudly in IRL competition.

With some of the top teams in the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series mired in the back of the field with engine issues, Chevrolet is taking action to turn around its program before it's too late.

IRL newcomers Toyota and Honda have beaten Chevrolet like a rented mule this season. Faced with a horsepower gap - and an even bigger perception problem - the American automaker is hoping to solve it with European engineering.

Ford needs to get back into Indy competition. If it becomes important to Americans, things will go well.

2003-06-08T21:49:00.000-05:00

Governor Holden Says God Wants Tax Increases

I choked on my coffee reading this crap - The Democrat, Holden, wants to increase Missouri state taxes, the Repbublican legislature wants to cut spending, but "by the grace of God," we should never cut spending:

This is a difficult time in Missouri history...and a difficult time for our country. But I truly believe that we'll solve this budget crisis through the wisdom of our people and by the grace of God.

There are moments in our lives when there should be no shame in asking for guidance from a higher authority. At a time of great disagreement among good people, this is one of those moments.

Today, the people of Missouri are a higher authority...and we are their servants. Pass the budget referendum...and let the people decide.

Thank you very much and God bless the great state of Missouri.

That is sick hyperbole. A very sick man.

2003-06-08T21:08:00.000-05:00

Help Geoffrey - His brother would be a good mate - Geoffrey should not be feeling this pressure to be a reproduction artist.

2003-06-08T20:51:00.000-05:00

It's the Constitution, Stupid!

If you care about the judicial system and the Dims filibuster tactics, you must read this post over at Powerline. This needs to be a huge issue in the '04 election - Educate your neighbors.

2003-06-08T20:09:00.000-05:00

The Ball Isn't Bouncing His Way

DJ had the car and he is definitely the driver to win at Pocono, but a cut tire almost cut his health. Go check the picture, he's actually lucky that he got out with a burned hand...

But Schroeder had a wreck in the same turn and his healthy survival is even more amazing. Both of these guys were going 200MPH into turn 1 at Pocono and hit the wall square. It's amazing that they are walking away.

And on the IRL side of the map, Al Unser, Jr. had a nice comeback victory. I am happy for him...

2003-06-08T19:47:00.000-05:00

Are the American People Perceptive Enough?

Will they see what my home State Senator sees?

Sen. Pat Roberts, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said a congressional investigation of how intelligence was used in the run-up to the war is premature. "There's a little tad bit of politics being played here," Roberts, R-Kan., told CNN's "Late Edition." "I think it's very, very counterproductive."

or wll they listen to the butthead, Levin?

"I think that the nation's credibility is on the line, as well as his," Levin said, referring to Bush. "This nation has got to lead in this world. If we're going to really lead in a war against terrorism, we must have people who believe in us, who, when we say that something is true, believe that it is true.

"And there is real doubt now that that is the case, because there's too much evidence that intelligence was shaded."

It's amazing that anyone votes for Levin - It shows the power of the welfare state. There are obviously enough people getting free goodies from Levin that they wouldn't dare get rid of him. Michigan freeloaders.

I'm with Roberts - Very, very counterproductive.

2003-06-07T23:52:00.000-05:00

Eric did his normal bang-up job with this month's "Smarter Harper's Index."

2003-06-07T22:44:00.000-05:00

Graham Destroys Own Election Bid with Logic

"So many of the things we want to do depend on that prestige," Graham said. "We're not going to get countries to join us in an effective war on terrorism unless they basically respect our leadership."

Bush should use that statement to support his '04 bid. Not even a dopehead like Chirac would respect Graham, that completely idiotic pinhead.

2003-06-07T22:32:00.000-05:00

Whacking Day is one of the most interesting daily blog reads for my tastes - I do like the motorcycles.

I think I might be getting duped, but what's up with the current link result? "Is Whacking Day Over?" Where's the blog? Is this a hacker or is it a clever marketing ploy. I think I am too stupid to figure it out.

2003-06-07T21:55:00.000-05:00

We Need that Pit Cam

While we're on the racing topic, this is my kind of diversity.

UPDATE: Here's the story on their travails - Not bad, I say:

Shawna Robinson was a lap down when she left pit road for the first time Friday night, but the problem wasn't caused by NASCAR's first all-female pit crew. It was a mistake by the driver.

Robinson jumped the start in the Craftsman Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway and had to come in for a stop-and-go penalty. She lost the lap while on pit road.

"I was just so fired up for doing well that I messed up and started too soon,'' Robinson said.

The seven-woman pit crew went over the wall three times, all during caution periods of the O'Reilly 400 to change two tires and add gas to the No. 49 Team Texas Chevrolet. While the stops weren't fast, they never cost Robinson position on the track.

"I really felt like I let these girls down. The only mistakes made out there were my fault,'' Robinson said. "But this is just a start for us. These girls were awesome.''

Robinson finished 18th in the 36-truck field, five laps behind winner Brendan Gaughan, who won at Texas for the third straight time.

"Now we know we can do it, no question about it,'' said gasman Gail Stracener.

I'll bet Gail is a good gasman.

2003-06-07T21:30:00.000-05:00

Shithead Confesses

Suspend the idiot.

Jeff Gordon is sorry he wrecked Sterling Marlin twice in the last three weeks, and acknowledges that he probably has become a more aggressive driver.

Impossible as it may seem, he's become even more of a dickhead.

The four-time Winston Cup champion accepts responsibility for crashes that spun out Marlin in the non-points NASCAR all-star race and again last Sunday in Dover, Del. They oppose each other again Sunday at Pocono Raceway.

"I apologized for getting into him," Gordon said. "It was not intentional."

But Marlin wasn't convinced.

"Two times in the last three weeks?" he asked rhetorically. "He's a better racer than that."

But at least there are still some good people in the sport:

After making repairs and returning to the race in Dover, Marlin had a chance to retaliate, but declined as Gordon lapped him.

"It's in the back of your mind, but still, it ain't the right thing to do," Marlin said.

2003-06-07T21:11:00.000-05:00

A Good Reason to Avoid Wal-Mart

Hillary will be polluting the aisles:

Hillary at Wal-Mart

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's Washington-area book-signing to launch publication of her memoir will not be held at one of the capital's tony book stores but at a Wal-mart in the Virginia suburbs.

Clinton is scheduled at the Fair Lakes shopping center in Fairfax County Wednesday at 7 p.m. To schedule a marketing event for a $28-a-copy book at a Wal-mart suggests publisher Simon and Schuster is going beyond the usual book-reading public to sell the million printed copies of "Living History." Wal-mart is based in Arkansas.

A footnote: Clinton, serving her third year in the Senate, is at the forefront of Democrats to an unusual degree for a junior senator. She has helped lead the apparently successful effort to extend child tax credits to people who do not earn enough to pay federal income taxes.

2003-06-07T19:52:00.000-05:00

Fat Slags

Via NRO, Hitchens on the Dixie Chicks:

...At the debate a few hours earlier, he lost his temper when someone asked about country band the Dixie Chicks and the flak they copped for criticising George W. Bush's Iraq policy.

"Each day they dig up dead bodies in personal death camps run by a Caligula dictator," Hitchens shouted, "and I'm being asked to worry about these fucking fat slags - do me a favour!" The debate broke up soon after.

2003-06-07T17:33:00.000-05:00

Some Appreciation, Some Disgust

Being in the business of stopping the fraudsters, I fail to see some of the humor of this piece - Follow the screen progression to the end. On the other hand, it is pretty damn funny. Discovered via Whackingday.

2003-06-06T23:06:00.000-05:00

Am I a link blogger?
Pejman rocks with his post on the Senate Dim Obstructionists.

2003-06-06T22:59:00.000-05:00

The Grouchy Old Cripple pointed to an excellent Boortz column. Good guess! It is indeed about taxes and socialism via the Dims redistribution strategies - The welfare queen robbing America...

2003-06-06T22:52:00.000-05:00

Geoffrey is always spot-on, and he pointed toward the Dancing Bush Trick that he stole from someone else...Lots of stealing going on...

2003-06-06T22:23:00.000-05:00

I am thankful for people like Dr. Luskin. Some of us just shake our heads at Krugman's filth, but Dr. Luskin aims and fires at the lying bastard.

2003-06-06T22:06:00.000-05:00

Here's Your All-American Icon

Kmart:Bankrupt; Martha:Jail

Tellingly, Stewart wasn't indicted for insider trading in ImClone Systems shares, though the SEC did sue her and Peter Bacanovic, her broker at Merrill Lynch, on that ground. At a press conference yesterday in southern Manhattan, James Comey, the U.S. attorney for Manhattan, said that indicting her for insider trading would have been "unprecedented" in the case of a "piggyback" trade, where a broker tells a client (Stewart) what to do based on what he learned from another client (Sam Waksal, former CEO of ImClone, who has pleaded guilty to multiple criminal charges stemming from the investigation). Comey said he "exercised his discretion" not to indict and "deferred to the SEC."

But Comey could not ignore, he said, repeated lying to the SEC, repeated lying to shareholders and conspiracy to obstruct justice, which included the physical alteration of documents. He denied the case was about Stewart's considerable wealth and celebrity. "This case is about lying, lying to the FBI, lying to the SEC, lying to investigators," Comey said. He called it a "tragedy," but added, "It's a tragedy that could have been prevented if these two people had only done what parents have told their children for years." That is, when you are in a jam, don't try to con your way out of it.

She is a very rotten human, don't you doubt that. Her defenders are the same people who defended Clinton's lawlessness, but at least the justice system is dealing with her.

2003-06-06T21:26:00.000-05:00

90% Crap, Part Neuf

I figure I'm crap if Jay get's on Acidman's link list, but I'm still delisted. Crap, I'm telling you, mine is crap, crap. Jay is fine, but I don't figure I'm doing too badly for a part-part-time blogger.

2003-06-06T21:09:00.000-05:00

James Madison Knew the Threat of the Leftists

Great quote via The Federalist:

"...[T]he government of the United States is a definite government, confined to specified objects. It is not like the state governments, whose powers are more general. Charity is no part of the legislative duty of the government."

--James Madison

And an unusual perspective on the abortion bomber arrest:

While Jihadis were settling into our suburbs and planning terrorist attacks for 9-11, Janet Reno tasked a third of U.S. law enforcement, at a cost of $30 million, to the mountains of North Carolina to search for a nut who is suspected of bombing an abortion clinic -- in other words, to make a big statement about protecting abortion at the expense of 3000 Americans who died on 9-11.

I'm not sure all of that is Reno's fault, but it is an interesting perspective on decision-making and resource allocation. As they say, it took 5 years to find the bomber but Bush is a screw-off for missing bin Laden in a 18-month world-wide search...

2003-06-06T21:00:00.000-05:00

The Rule of Law Threatens Your Civil Liberties

The Dims relativism and sick hatred of Bush creates incredibly poor judgment, Ms. Malkin points to this at the end of her piece on the Ashcroft storm:

The media elite may remain stubbornly oblivious to the dire consequences of winking at violations of immigration laws. The families of the murdered Sept. 11 victims can't afford that academic luxury. Yet, under the headline "Mr. Ashcroft's abuses," the St. Louis Post-Dispatch {Gephardt Country} piled on: "Normally, immigrants with minor visa violations aren't arrested. But in the wake of Sept. 11, the Justice Department tried to deny the men bond and adopted a 'hold until cleared' policy."

Do these critics really believe that turning all the illegal alien detainees loose before running thorough criminal and terrorist background checks would have been the ideal choice in the aftermath of Sept. 11? And wouldn't all these editorial know-it-alls be the first to complain if Ashcroft allowed the release of a single detainee who turned out to be a terrorist? The squawking never ceases.

Ashcroft is in the Damned if you, Damned if you don't position - You prosecute criminals, you're violating their rights; you don't prosecute and innocent civilians are getting killed by terrorists - but he is leading with values rather than the moral relativism of polls, so he can't go wrong.

2003-06-06T19:46:00.000-05:00

Right Wing Drunks Stifling Punks on Left

CNSNews covered a commie lovefest...A ouple of interesting highlights:

"I turn on the radio, and I hear these talk shows with right wing drunks calling in, and I ask myself, where are our drunks?" Faux said. But, he added: "The advantage of being a progressive is that you don't have to get drunk to make your speech."

Lesson here is only call in when you are drunk, so that they will bitterly say "Where are our drunks?"

Kim Gandy, president of the National Organization for Women, charged that "Rupert Murdoch [and his] cronies" are "stifling our messages and keep our messages from being heard, and when we get them out, they are drowned in a sea of lies." Murdoch is chairman of News Corp., which owns the Fox News Channel.

Gandy described her reaction to being seated near Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly, host of The O'Reilly Factor, at this week's Congressional Correspondents' Dinner in Washington.

"As I looked over at him at the next table holding court, I thought of the fact that there are literally millions of people who get their news from Bill O'Reilly," Gandy told the audience. "[They] actually think that he is telling them the truth about what is happening in the world.

"They get their perspective on the world from The O'Reilly Factor and from Stupid-borough Country, uh...Scarborough Country," she added, a reference to MSNBC's Scarborough Country, hosted by former Republican Congressman Joe Scarborough.

If they are so concerned about the media, why are they ignoring the Socialist gabbing from CNN-ABC-CBS-NBC, and MSNBC is liberal as all hell, maybe discounting Scarborough. Idiots.

2003-06-06T19:29:00.000-05:00

Don't Make Me Work for Rumsfeld

Nobody wants to be Chief of Staff of the Army.

I always have troubles believing that Rumsfeld is that bad to work for, but the story on that account is fairly consistent. Whether or not he is a good guy, I loved this section of an editorial piece Mark pointed to:

...Part of the answer is Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld. To put it plainly, Rumsfeld treats people like crap. Working for him is like working for Leona Helmsley, except that Leona is less self-centered. Unless you are one of his sycophants, equipped with a good set of knee-pads and plenty of lip balm, you can expect to be booted down the stairs on a regular basis.

Truth be told, some senior officers deserve to be treated that way, because that is how they always treated their subordinates. But Rummy does not discriminate between perfumed princes and the real thinkers and leaders. He has driven more than one of the latter to hang up his hat in disgust, to his service's and the nation's loss.

Rumsfeld seems as if he has solid principles of leadership which would prevent him from mistreating people, but I guess I'm wrong on that accord...

2003-06-05T23:57:00.000-05:00

Welcome to all of you who are searching for "Jeff Gordon sucks."

Jeff Gordon represents the worst of our country - He must be a Dim. Welcome to the site...

2003-06-05T23:28:00.000-05:00

My Job Is Comparatively Peaceful

A scary day for Dare, but word is that he'll be all right.

2003-06-05T20:41:00.000-05:00

Extraordinarily Brave Shot from the Left

My good friend Coops sent this missive to us today:

Everyone says Hillary Clinton is going to run for president in 2008. The left, the right, the middle--they all say it.

Let me set the record straight--Hillary WILL NOT run for president in 2008. Why? Because she wouldn't think of challenging an incumbent Democrat seeking reelection.

Sometimes Coops is a Leftist punk, but he's a good guy.

UPDATE: Coops may be off his rocker, but this response to his declaration takes a larger cake:

my question as well- do you think kerrey is going to win? i think he'll win the nomination. my brother frank thinks (because of clinton connections) that they will nominate gephardt because he WILL lose. so hillary can run in 2008. but personally, i don't think hillary can run for president and win. i think she has to be VP first. and kerrey won't do that because he can't have 2 northeasterns on a ticket.

although i guess it didn't hurt to have 2 greedy assholes on the republican ticket in 2000. oh but i forget that wasn't an election, that was coup d'etat brought to your by our supreme court.

personally, i'm never voting again. i have recommended reading before the next election.

Political Fictions by Joan Didion.

Not only is she one of the best writers-she's so good, I have to read slowly because her sentences are complex-unlike anything you see in American journalism today.

It make you look at elections in a new way-sort of the "The Boys on the Bus" when i was in high school.

Absorb that and imagine Kerrey winning anything?

2003-06-05T20:26:00.000-05:00

Sometimes, the Good Guys Win!

Expiring links, so here is the story:

28 charged in grand counterfeiting scheme
By CHRISTINE VENDEL
The Kansas City Star

Area law enforcement officials said Tuesday they had charged 28 persons and crippled a large check counterfeiting ring that involved $500,000 in losses.

The officials said members of the ring created fake payroll checks on computers using the names of area businesses, including the Kansas City Country Club, Woodside Tennis and Health Club, the City of Kansas City and the Jewish Community Campus.

Members of the group and others cashed at least 94 of the checks at area banks since September 2002. A sampling of the checks in Jackson County shows a range from $2,300 to $6,780.

The crimes occurred in 18 cities in seven counties in Kansas and Missouri. Police think 125 persons were directly or indirectly involved in the scheme.

Kansas City police led the investigation with help from police departments from Overland Park and Olathe, the Secret Service and the U.S. Postal Service.

U.S. Attorney Eric Melgren said eight persons were charged federally and an additional 20 persons were charged locally in Kansas and Missouri.

Those facing federal charges include William Cunningham, 29, Derek Mayfield, 32, James Hughes, 23, Vernell Murphy, 53, Michael Clemmons, 30, Yixin Zhu, 42, and Joegina Davis, 22, all of Kansas City, and Joseph Flowers, 28, of Kansas City, Kan. All were arrested Monday and Tuesday. Cunningham, Murphy, Flowers and Davis were released on bond.

The federal indictment alleged that the eight suspects conspired to make and pass counterfeit checks.

If convicted, each faces a maximum of five years in prison, without parole, for the conspiracy charge. They also face a maximum of 10 years on each count they are charged with for making and passing the checks.

Fifteen of the 20 persons charged locally were arrested in a series of sweeps Monday and Tuesday across Kansas and Missouri. They face a variety of forgery charges. Police continued to look for five suspects who were at large Tuesday.

Police said the scheme was sophisticated: The forgers duplicated payroll checks that looked like ones issued from the businesses. Members of the ring also researched where each business had its account and cashed the fake checks at branches of those banks.

Police said the investigation was continuing. One lingering question Tuesday was where the money made from the operation went.

None of the people charged is "living high on the hog," and no large bank accounts have been found, said Kansas City Police Capt. Kevin Chrisman.

Authorities were looking into links to similar forgery operations in other cities, including Atlanta; Chicago; Memphis, Tenn.; and St. Louis, and working with law enforcement officials in those cities.

Melgren said he hoped the criminal charges would help educate the public about counterfeit checks.

"Businesses need to know that current technology makes it possible for someone sitting at a computer to generate counterfeit checks that appear authentic," he said.

I think prison for life, less 3 years for good behavior, is appropriate. I'm tired of these assholes diluting our society's value. I know some of the law enforcement guys through an industry group and I cannot wait to see them and hear the celebratory talk.

2003-06-05T20:14:00.000-05:00

Acidman Shows the Way

...to self-analysis...

I took the test:

As a weblogger, you might not be as concerned about popularity, but more with the ideas and theories that you strive to understand. Because routines aren't your strong point, you might be more likely to work on the concept of how to do a blog, but not be as excited to keep it up.

I strive to understand how Bush can possibly win less than 50 states in '04, but then I slap myself and remember California and New York.

UPDATE: And it is hard to keep up. I like the concept but now that I discover that I'm not much of a salesman, it's time to go play golf instead of doing this blogging thing...

2003-06-05T19:24:00.000-05:00

Growing the Welfare State Enhancing Society

Donald Luskin caught this fine gem from the Crimes:

"The Company's core purpose is to enhance society by creating, collecting and distributing high-quality news, information and entertainment."

Enhancing society? And we know they are CREATING the news. Any reporters there? High quality? 'Dowdification' being a word like 'bomb' tells you something about the Crimes' society, and Krugman creates an entirely criminally negligent product on his own. Some of the reporting is very well done, but it will be a great improvement for the Crimes to get rid of the Raines deceptive headlines and emphasis. Raines was into creating the NY Marxist Crimes News.

2003-06-05T18:41:00.000-05:00

The Dims Want to Lose the War on Terror

I'm tired of the Patriot Act complaints. The dims and the Libertarians all claim that we've lost our civil rights, but they can never cite a case.

House Democrats, meanwhile, complained about the way the Justice Department has used its current anti-terrorism powers, especially considering a department inspector general report Tuesday that criticized the government's treatment of illegal immigrants held after the attacks.

The inspector general found "significant problems" in the Bush administration's actions toward 762 foreigners held on immigration violations after the attacks. Only one, Zacarias Moussaoui, has been charged in the United States with a terrorism-related crime; 505 have been deported. Some were held for up to eight months and others complained of abuse.

Ashcroft said department policy, "for which we do not apologize," is to detain people who are in the country illegally for as long as it takes to clear them before they are deported.

Hello? They're breaking the law. ILLEGAL ALIENS. I'm not sure which word the Dims don't understand.

The Dims are inviting a repeat of 9/11 by refusing to allow our law enforcement community to continue to enhance our ability to protect our country.

But Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (news, bio, voting record), D-Texas, said, "My fear is that we may go to the point of changing the culture of America, the First Amendment protections and the Fourth Amendment protections."

I think most would agree that people in Sheila's district should make sure we don't need to listen to her hogwash anymore. Her crap getting into the press is proof that there has been no damage to the 1st Amendment.

2003-06-05T17:45:00.000-05:00

100% Tax Cut for the Poor

Don Crawford has a wonderful idea for a new Republican tax cut:

The Republicans should announce a huge 100% tax cut for the bottom 40% of wage earners. And it should be called THE WORKING POOR TAX RELIEF ACT. And, of course, since the bottom 40% of wage earners already pay no taxes and since 100% of 0 is 0, it would have neutral effect on the economy and on the federal budget.

100% tax cut for the working poor makes more American sense than the Marxist 50% redistribution plan.

2003-06-04T23:03:00.000-05:00

Via Postrel, I had seen this before, but it's better the second time. You need high-speed access for it...How many takes before they got this right???

2003-06-04T22:37:00.000-05:00

Ted Rall is a Huge Fucktard

I am sorry for the language, but he blames 9/11 on Reagan? "Bush I"?

Presidents Reagan and Bush I armed and funded similar men with identical religious and political beliefs in Afghanistan during the 1980s and 1990s. The result was Al Qaeda, the Taliban, Osama bin Laden, September 11, 2001. So why the hell are we doing it again?

Rall is way off the edge...

2003-06-04T22:04:00.000-05:00

Are You Born With It?

Via The Federalist:

"Somehow liberals have been unable to acquire from life what conservatives seem to be endowed with at birth: namely, a healthy skepticism of the powers of government agencies to do good."

--Daniel P. Moynihan

2003-06-04T21:07:00.000-05:00

Senator Graham, Conspiracy Freak

Quote of the day here from Tracey Schmitt:

"Senator Graham sounds increasingly more like a conspiracy theorist than a presidential candidate," Schmitt said. "Whether it's national security or the strength of the economy, the Democrats' best hope seems to be to hope for the worst."

2003-06-04T19:59:00.000-05:00

The Dim's Solution to the Failure of Education

If they flunk the test, let's quit giving the test. Tests that require a certain level of knowledge in order to get a high school diploma are under fire. People say that teachers should teach students how to think instead of teaching to the tests, and I agree with that notion, but if you can't teach them to think well enough to pass the test, you failed at teaching them how to think. Linda Chavez nails the issue.

Nearly half of all states now require, or are in the process of implementing, graduation tests to ensure that students who have been passed from grade to grade actually learned basic skills during their 12 years of public education.

Now, some policymakers and politicians-not to mention the affected students and their parents-are crying foul. In Florida, black activists have even called for a boycott of the state unless Gov. Jeb Bush reverses the requirement that students pass a state exam before they receive a diploma.

You already knew that the Dims don't like accountability or responsibility...We should give the diploma because the kid showed up to class sometimes - Who cares if he learned anything?

Several organizations now advocate abandoning so-called high-stakes testing; and in some states, groups have organized to boycott the test. The Los Angeles Unified School Board voted unanimously in April to oppose implementation of the statewide test for graduation next year, but this is like shooting the messenger instead of facing the problem.

A far better solution would be for parents-and other taxpayers-to refuse to support schools that fail to teach. Funding for education has increased exponentially over the last 40 years, but the quality of education hasn't kept pace. Requiring students to pass graduation exams before receiving their diplomas was supposed to make schools more accountable.

So far, the only ones being held responsible are the students. If we're willing to deny diplomas to seniors who can't demonstrate they've earned them, maybe we ought to deny paychecks to school administrators and teachers who aren't doing their jobs.

I think that's right - we need to watch the performance of the teachers - Even if they teach to the tests, at least the kids will learn something.

2003-06-03T23:44:00.000-05:00

Finally, Bush is Doing a Fine Job

Scott Ott is on fire:

Democrats Celebrate Bush Foreign Policy Wins
(2003-06-03) -- Democrat leaders across the country today celebrated President George Bush's foreign policy accomplishments, as Europeans backed the American plan for Iraq, and Arab leaders supported the roadmap for peace in the Middle East.

"I used to be saddened...saddened and dismayed," said Sen. Tom Daschle, D-SD,"but now I'm joyful...joyful and encouraged at how well our President is doing overseas. I can see now that we were all wrong to doubt his diplomatic skills just because he hadn't traveled abroad much. Apparently integrity and resolve are the same in any language."

Presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry agreed.

"This is a time for all Americans to recognize how God has blessed us with a leader of the President's caliber," said the Massachusetts Senator. "As a Vietnam veteran, I appreciate a man who knows how to wage war and negotiate peace. I can understand how our military personnel are proud to serve their Commander-in-Chief."

The other 37 Democrat presidential contenders expressed similar sentiments, as they lay aside personal and political issues to unite behind what's good for America and the world.

Check out Scott's site...

2003-06-03T22:50:00.000-05:00

Me, in My Next Life

Dullest blog did it again:

Leaving my shoes near the front door --June 2
I took off one of my shoes and placed it on the floor near the front door. I then took off the other shoe and placed it adjacent to the first one. I left the two shoes there until such a time as I needed them again.

UPDATE: Why does a blog like that get more comments than a blog like Right Wing News? Oh well.

2003-06-03T19:35:00.000-05:00

"Son, you just committed a Level 5 person felony"

Our DA kicks ass:

The teenage burglary suspect was still gasping for air when he got a backyard legal lecture from one of the two men who chased him down.

"Son, you just committed a Level 5 person felony," said the man, Paul Morrison.

As the Johnson County district attorney, he knows a lot about such things.

The impromptu workout Sunday capped an otherwise quiet 49th birthday for Morrison, who sprinted barefoot through several yards in his western Lenexa neighborhood before the 16-year-old suspect gave up.

"Not bad for an old man," Morrison said Monday.

2003-06-03T19:12:00.000-05:00

Tony Snow Rips on the Anti-Taxpayer Crowd

First, the plan makes the income tax even more progressive. Families earning more than $100,000 would pay 73.3 percent of the total income tax burden. Families earning less than $50,000 would pay only 2.9 percent of the bill.

Second, the poor get the largest proportional tax breaks, the richest, the smallest.

Now, the really troubling part. Our tax code is insanely imbalanced already, with half the public paying nearly 100 percent of the income taxes. This mocks the idea that citizenship demands that each person pull his or her weight. Two generations ago, Americans celebrated success, and urged kids to do well and accumulate wealth. We're now on the verge of a society that cleaves into two classes: Those who pay taxes and those that get tax money from Uncle Sam.

Keep drumming it in - It is difficult to drown out the Dassholes.

2003-06-03T18:51:00.000-05:00

Brit Hume, Master Anchor

Good story via Curmudgeonly and Skeptical - Sometimes he is probably boring to some people, but he is the master, and he does live the fair and balanced mantra unlike others on Fox. But when he is a guest commentator on Fox News Sunday with Tony Snow, he is unabashedly conservative, and I can't figure out how he does both roles so perfectly. And by the way, every single time, he kicks Juan Williams' butt, and Juan looks like a puppy soaking in the rain, but I bet they get along backstage because Juan is not one of those dishonest liberals.

2003-06-03T18:27:00.000-05:00

These People Want All of the Reward
None of the Risk

The number of lawsuits filed against U.S. mutual fund companies jumped 25 percent from 1998 to 2002, according to ICI Mutual, the insurance company for the $6.3 trillion mutual fund industry.

IT IS SPARKING protestation from fund managers that the bear market has given birth to “a bull market of legal claims”.

[...]

It meant that, while fund companies did not necessarily face additional liabilities, they could be left with higher defense costs, she said. “It is frustrating to know that litigation is hurting shareholders,” she said, adding that the costs of defending cases were running into tens of millions of dollars.

Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley, two the most powerful mutual fund houses in the U.S., are involved in lawsuits over technology funds.

They were willing to take the year-over-year 80% return, but when their investment sector was highly over-valued, and it crashed, it was the fund manager's fault?? Holy Techfreak! These people should pay the defense costs when they lose. Idiots.

2003-06-03T07:56:00.000-05:00

Dave's back for a quick one

GOTTA GET IT OFF MY CHEST

I, like Acidman, hate women. In my case, though, you can't really call me a misogynist because I hate men just as much. In fact, I hate humans. Humans, and cats. We hates them! And Hobbitses, too – nasty, sneaking little hairy-footed Hobbitses – what has it got in its pocketses? Mmmh? (Oh! Sorry. Damned Tolkien keeps creeping into my rants… I hate Tolkien.)

I hate crime and criminals, and I hate cops, too. I hate terrorists, and I hate Homeland Security drones. Liberals and leftists of all stripes are hateful, and I want to smash all their smarmy, semen-dripping faces. I hate the smug, fat Republicans and I hate tofu-eating, devious, lying Democrats. (I only pity the
Greens, though.)

I hate people who have no music in their souls, and I hate musicians, too (but not Tiny Tim; I like Tiny Tim). I hate writers, and painters, and potters and lice. I hate scholars and preachers and black beans with rice. (Sorry. Damned Dr. Seuss!)

For years, I hoped that Richard Petty's hat would catch fire. I wanted Jeff Gordon to miss third gear every time he shifted. Now I'm hoping that Jesse Jackson buys a NASCAR car and loses every race he enters, just to prove how racism holds the brothers back, and next time Bobby Unser gets arrested, I
want the charges to stick. I hate them all.

Some people might think that I'm not a warm person, but they would be wrong. I have a warm and tender side. I like kids, for example (on Sourdough, with lots of horseradish), I like soft, furry puppies and blogsites with flower skins, and single malt Scotch, and chickens ('cause chickens is smart). But all the rest, I hate.

And I hate it that nobody seems to like me. What the hell is the matter with people?

There, I feel better now.

smilingdave8

OK, get that blog going but don't do it on Blogspot.

2003-06-02T23:17:00.000-05:00

This stuff would drive Margi crazy.

5/1/2003:
yAh wElL i don"T thiNK iM gOnNA bE uSiNg thiS bLoG no moRe dA onLy rEAsOn i hAb iT iS cuS i liKE hoW dA sTuFf on dA sidE iS.. n yAh.. hAHA.. iM tRyinG toh fiGurE ouT hOw i cAN puT tHAT AlL... on xAngA.. sOO yAh
// Thursday, May 01, 2003
______________________
4/29/2003:
mAjOr lAgGinG gOiN' oN
// Tuesday, April 29, 2003
______________________
just when u think things can't get any worse, they do.
but life's like the sand in a hour glass
sooner or later everything hits rock bottom
and all you can do is be patient n wait
till something comes and turns everything around.

goTTa bE pAtiENT
aFtEr aLL iTs a viRtUe

// Tuesday, April 29, 2003
______________________
tOdAy wAs bLaH
SIMPLE AS THAT...
// Tuesday, April 29, 2003

_____________________
4/28/2003:
hEeY... sKoOl wAs aAigHT i gUeSs.. uGh.. bLOcK sCheDuLinG.. gOOd yEt bAD.. wELl thAsS LiFE .. nuDdiNG mUch hAppEnd todAY.. sOO yAh.. iM oUttIe
// Monday, April 28, 2003

I'm just thinking that it looks like he/she works too hard at it...

Then I found it - A Berkeley wannabe:

aMbiTioN: gEttIng iNtO uC bErEklEy, jOininG a daNcE teAm thErE
bEcUmInG a pHySicAL thErApiSt oR aTleaST gETtInG mY dEgRee bY the
aGe oF 23...

2003-06-02T23:08:00.000-05:00

Here's a thoughtful post on taxes by someone who takes a lot more care and time than I on the topic.

2003-06-02T23:03:00.000-05:00

Intrepid = Insidiously Stupid

Via NRO - Helen Thomas to be honored by NOW. OK, she had her good times, but she should have retired while she was on top.

2003-06-02T21:57:00.000-05:00

You Won't Catch Me Buying Ben and Jerry's

Ben is at it again, distorting the truth to advance his vision of communism for America:

These huge tax cuts are a bad idea, but what really galls me is thinking about that moment when somebody in Congress offered up this latest idea to take from the poor to give to the rich, and a majority said "sure." These are not the American values I was raised with.

HELLO?!?! No one is taking from the poor. It's hard to participate in a tax cut if you don't freakin' pay taxes, friends. And no one is giving to the rich. Thank heavens that DC is wasting less and yes, the rich are keeping more of their own money, which ought to partially go back into the economy, friends.

Ben is pissed off that the tax cut didn't mandate more communism in America - It didn't mandate further redistribution of wealth, it didn't mandate more welfare.

2003-06-02T21:50:00.000-05:00

If You Can't Beat 'em, Join 'em

"Terrorism course proves popular with federal managers." Quite the headline, guys.

2003-06-02T21:47:00.000-05:00

NASCAR Going Nowhere

Via The Federalist, thoughtful comments on the Jesse Jackson bribes:

"How fitting that Jesse Jackson has subjected NASCAR to his unique brand of activism. Like so much of Mr. Jackson's world, car racing involves noise, smoke and spinning in circles while ultimately going nowhere. Meanwhile, poor blacks in the bleachers wonder how this helps them.... NASCAR should ignore Mr. Jackson's pay-me-or-I'll-scream-racism racket. If its executives still believe they owe blacks something, they should underwrite groups that actually improve the lives of underprivileged black folks." --Deroy Murdock

Car racing is more fun than Mr. Murdock thinks, but he is right on with his assessment of Jackson and the big bribe.

2003-06-02T21:40:00.000-05:00

It's About Time

I've not been to a concert at Carnegie Hall, but I had the pleasure of hearing the NY Philharmonic play Beethoven's 9th at Avery Fisher Hall, and the first thing that struck me was the poor acoustics.

The move would give Carnegie Hall the oldest orchestra in the country and deprive Lincoln Center of the first cultural institution established there. For the Philharmonic, going to Carnegie Hall means it can exchange the flawed acoustics of Avery Fisher Hall for a stage of undisputed sound quality, without having to foot the bill for a costly renovation. It would also turn the orchestra, now led by Lorin Maazel, from a rent-paying tenant into a managing partner.

"We've got two major institutions — one is the greatest hall in the world, the other is the greatest orchestra in the world," said Zarin Mehta, the Philharmonic's executive director. "This merger is to strengthen our respective positions."

It looks like a good deal all the way around.

2003-06-02T21:21:00.000-05:00

Safire Works for the Crimes?

It's hard to believe they continue to have at least one person on their staff who isn't half insane or who isn't telling lies. It's good that we finally have some rational discussion on this topic.

Turn now to the charge heard ever more stridently that U.S. and British leaders, in their eagerness to overthrow Saddam and to turn the tide of terror in the Middle East, "hyped" the intelligence that Iraq possessed germ and poison-gas weapons.

"Hype" means "exaggerate." As used by those who were prepared to let Saddam remain in power, it is prelude to a harsh accusation: "You lied to us. You pretended to have evidence that you never had; you twisted dubious intelligence to suit your imperialistic ends, so we were morally right and you were morally wrong."

Never mind the mass graves now being unearthed of an estimated 300,000 victims, which together with the million deaths in his wars make Saddam the biggest mass murderer of Muslims in all history. Never mind his undisputed financing of suicide bombers and harboring of terrorists, from Al Qaeda's Abu Musaab al-Zarqawi to the veteran killer Abu Nidal (the only "suicide" with three bullets in his head, dispatched in Baghdad probably because he knew too much.)

And never mind our discovery of two mobile laboratories designed to produce biological and chemical agents capable of causing mass hysteria and death in any city in the world. Future discoveries will be dismissed as "dual use" or planted by us.

No; the opponents of this genocidal maniac's removal now accuse President Bush and Prime Minister Blair of a colossal hoax. Because Saddam didn't use germs or gas on our troops, they say, that proves Iraq never had them. If we cannot find them right away, they don't exist. They believe Saddam sacrificed tens of billions in oil revenues for no reason at all.

It's just hard to believe that an organization that hires Krugman and allows him to continue to spit out his drivel is smart enough to keep Safire going.

Today's Journal had a similar line of thought - Weapons of Mass Distortion:

For these opponents of war, it isn't enough that a tyrant and his psychopath sons have been deposed. It doesn't count that mass graves have been uncovered, that torture chambers have been exposed, or that Saddam's victims can speak freely for the first time in 30 years. The critics are now claiming the war was illegitimate because no one has yet found a pile of anthrax in downtown Baghdad.

[...]

But who's trying to deceive whom here? That Saddam had biological or chemical weapons was a probability that everyone assumed to be true, even those who were against the war. U.N. inspections in the 1990s had proved that Iraq had such weapons, including 30,000 liters of anthrax, and Saddam had used chemical weapons against Iran and Iraq's own Kurds. The French themselves insisted that disarming Saddam of WMD, as opposed to deposing him, had to be the core of U.N. Resolution 1441.

2003-06-01T17:08:00.000-05:00

Jeff Gordon Sucks

But at least Ryan Beat his ass.

"I definitely got into him," Gordon said. "There's no doubt about it. I certainly didn't mean to. I don't know if I caught the apron or just got a big push, but we were racing hard for position, and the front end just took off on me. I tried to stay out of him, but I couldn't."

Sounds like Clinton, doesn't he? He acts like Clinton, too!

Marlin had a fast car this weekend, qualifying sixth and running the fastest lap in the lone Winston Cup practice Saturday morning. Sunday, Marlin was running in the top five until the collision with Gordon.

"You've got to give and take in this league, and he has done a lot of taking," Marlin said. "It's disappointing. We had a shot to win this thing. ... The car was good. It's been good just about every week, but it seems like we can't avoid all this crazy stuff that happens out here."

Marlin came into the race ninth in the Winston Cup points standings, having finished in the top 10 in five of the last seven races.

"I'm sure he's mad," Gordon said. "I was mad when I got hit by him one time at Richmond. Hopefully, we'll get past it and move forward. He's not a guy that I really talk to a lot. He doesn't talk to me a lot, so I would imagine we'll see one another on the race track again."

Jeff has a lot of problems in his life, but the latest is taking out other drivers in an aggressive fashion that doesn't fit with pure auto racing. I hope there are a lot of drivers who start taking him out. Gordon must be trying to knock people out so that he can pay his allimony. I really detest the guy.

Tony Stewart used to be the hated one, but Jeff has taken Tony's spot with pure aplumb. Who to root for? "ANYBODY BUT JEFF!"

2003-06-01T16:37:00.000-05:00

Why? Because They Pay the F'ing Taxes! That's Why

Mr. Lindholm's site is a great daily visit, but he really made my day with his post on the Capital Hill Gang exchange between Novak and Shields. You'll have to scroll down to it because it's Blogspot - "Capital Gang Insta-rebuttal." It could be titled "Idiots and Handouts vs. Sensible Economic Policy for a Non-Socialist Country - A Contrast."

Eric's conclusion?

Got that? You can't give a tax cut to somebody that doesn't pay taxes. That's why, in the tiresome words of Democrats, that "tax cuts benefit the rich" - they pay the taxes!

And have I said lately that Blogspot sucks? I just don't have the time to go somewhere else, and apparently, Mr. Lindholm doesn't either.

UPDATE: While you're over at Viking Pundit, you should check in on the fact that Gephardt is stealing money from the people of Missouri, not to mention the taxpayers here in Kansas by missing 85% of the congressional votes he is paid to make. 1 out of 10, if you'll allow me to round. Stealth candidate: We wouldn't want to represent our District, would we - We wouldn't want to define ourselves by making the votes on the issues for which the voters rely on us to represent them? Kerry's at 35%. Much better, that bastard only shows up to work on 2 out of the 3 days upon which his constituents rely on him to show up.

These guys would be fired in real life.

2003-06-01T10:06:00.000-05:00

I may have made a prediction on the quitting thing yesterday - No blogging today, but Acidman is blogging again, maybe? I have never had the bad fortune of being that pissed at someone in the blogosphere.

...It's off to work for a while, then a little racing, then a friend has free tickets to Ted Nugent, Kenny Wayne Shepard and Double Trouble, and ZZ Top...Quite a day so off I go.

2003-05-31T20:57:00.000-05:00

Stupid Dim Line-up

I was looking at this passage for solutions - Help me out:

In stark contrast to that fanfare, Dean stood in the rain on a Manchester, N.H., sidewalk to assail the bill, sharing his umbrella with the two reporters who showed up. He said all of Bush's tax cuts — including those passed in 2001 — must be repealed. He believes the cuts are part of a "radical plan to dismantle Social Security, Medicare and our public schools."

The former Vermont governor, like his Democratic rivals, cited the 2.7 million jobs lost during Bush's tenure in the White House and pointed to the fact that a day earlier, the president signed a bill allowing the federal government to borrow as much as $7.4 trillion, an increase in the federal debt limit.

"The president promises everything and delivers nothing," Dean said.

In signing the bill, Bush said the package — less than half the amount he initially sought — will provide tax relief to 136 million taxpayers by offering breaks to families, businesses and investors.

Jim Dyke, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, said of Dean's call for a repeal: "It sounds like each day another Democratic presidential hopeful makes a commitment to the American people of a $2 trillion tax increase. That's not just a bad idea, it's bad economics."

Gephardt, who also wants to repeal Bush's 2001 tax cut and this year's reductions to pay for health care coverage, said his plan would stimulate the economy more than Bush's "misguided tax cuts."

Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina said the nation will not return to the economic growth of the 1990s unless "we as Democrats have the backbone to say we must stop this tax cut" for the wealthy.

Edwards, in a speech before the San Francisco Bar Association, said, "the president should not, today, be celebrating passage of tax cuts for the wealthiest people in the country."

These Dims are bloomin' idiots if they think that DC keeping more of our money will help us out of a depressed economic cycle. Smart Dims and Republicans alike know that you either cut taxes or spend like crazy on infrastructure, but you don't just hoard the money for another Robert Byrd museum. Carefully watch for any suggestion of a solution - There is none. And Dick's national healthcare proposal can't boost an economy, can't help our healthcare system, and won't even help the doctors and hospitals. It would just be more DC bureaucracy.

2003-05-31T19:34:00.000-05:00

Be Very Glad You're Not in Europe

I'm sure there are some fine folks in Europe. I've been to Vienna, Germany and Switzerland, and I had a great time, but this little article made me thankful for being here in the Heartland:

A group of about 350 protesters disrupted a meeting of France's Socialist Party, tossing rocks through the windows of a conference center and accusing the party of not being radical enough.

When the Socialists aren't radical enough, you are in big trouble.

The activists divided themselves up into the two camps to show their diversity. One is the "intergalactic village" - grouping environmental, anti-nuclear or other social activists. The other is the "anti-capitalist, alternative, anti-war village."

That's the kind of diversity Jesse Jackson could bring - Why wasn't he invited? (See prior post.) With that kind of diversity, who needs common sense?

2003-05-31T19:01:00.000-05:00

Diversity is Good but Bribing Jackson is Nuts

"NASCAR does not endorse political views,'' president Mike Helton says. "NASCAR endorses diversity.''

Dora Taylor, hired by NASCAR to head its diversity program after she helped turn Denny's from worst to first in its industry, says NASCAR remains serious about going after new markets by attracting minorities.

"It's a win-win scenario all the way around,'' she says.

Not if it involves Jackson, counters one of his most vehement critics, activist Peter Flaherty.

Flaherty is president of a tiny outfit with a pretentious title, the National Legal and Policy Center, in Falls Church, Va., which purports to promote "ethics in government'' while exposing the "hypocrisy of the left.''

To this end, Flaherty, conservative cohort Ken Boehm, and their staff of three, have been waging a campaign against NASCAR's relationship with Jackson on the Internet, radio, television and in newspapers.

They have been trying to bring down Jackson for a couple of years, alleging his nonprofit Citizenship Education Fund is crooked and that the $250,000 NASCAR has donated to it over the past two years -- among the contributions of many -- is going into his pockets.

"It's basically a slush fund for Jackson,'' Flaherty says. "One thing that is indisputable is that it has nothing to do with broadening the base of NASCAR. This is not a nonprofit, it's an entity that's run to push the financial benefit of Jesse Jackson, his friends and family, some of whom have become quite wealthy.''

[...]

Taylor says the money NASCAR gives goes toward support of the annual conference Rainbow/Push sponsors in Chicago. This year's conference, June 21-25, features workshops on sports, the influence of the Hip Hop culture, economic and educational issues. Among the speakers are NCAA president Myles Brand and several members of Congress.

This is horse hockey. That 250K could buy a lot more diversity if spent properly. They are not interested in diversity, they are paying off a man who bribes all of corporate America to line his pockets. Jackson's criminal activity is OK because he is a minority and we are aiming for diversity. Just plain horse hockey. It sure isn't diversity for auto racing.

2003-05-31T17:32:00.000-05:00

Time for Introspection

If Acidman quits, I'm quitting.

2003-05-30T16:42:00.000-05:00

Oh, THAT Liberal Media

MRC hit it out of the park with coverage on the anti-taxpayer garbage from the major media outlets:

Prompted on a front page New York Times story that was little more than a press release for the left-wing Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), ABC, CBS, CNBC, CNN and NBC on Thursday night all treated as an indictment of the supposed unfairness of the income tax cut how parents earning between $10,000 and $26,000, who don't pay income taxes, won't get the increased child care credit from $600 to $1,000 against their income tax payments. But CNBC, NBC and CNN never clued viewers in on how those in that income range pay little, if any, income tax while ABC and CBS only mentioned that little fact late in their stories -- after delivering profiles of supposed victims who will not get the tax break.

All but one network story ignored how those making more than $110,000 don't get the higher child credit either and none pointed out how the tax cut bill eliminates another three million families from having to pay any income tax at all.

ABC and CBS cited the CBPP as authoritative, but failed to tag the group as liberal. See item #3 below for more on the New York Times story, including the specifics of the income earners involved in this made-up controversy who may in some cases have income taxes withheld from their paychecks, but who get more back from the federal government through the EITC and child credit than they pay in, and so are more akin to welfare recipients than taxpayers.

ABC's Peter Jennings opened the May 29 World News Tonight by lamenting how "it turns out that a whole lot of people in the country who could use the money are not going to get it." Linda Douglass misleadingly claimed, leading into a look at a victim, that "one group of taxpayers was cut out of this legislation at the last minute, and that was low-income working families with children. Rhonda Williams is an office messenger raising two children alone. She thought she would be getting some extra money from a tax cut bill. She was wrong."

"The tax cut the President just signed will not help many who need help the most," CBS Evening News anchor Jane Clayson fretted before Bill Plante profiled a woman who "earns just above the minimum wage, the kind of taxpayer the President says he wants to help. But she won't be getting that refund check the President says is in the mail. An eleventh hour change in the tax bill prevents millions of low-income working Americans...from receiving an extra $400 child tax credit." Plante picked this soundbite from the woman to feature: "I just think it's ridiculous. I can't believe that they would give money to the rich when the poor need it so much. I can't understand it."

Spoken like a member of the Washington press corps.

Like ABC, NBC made the subject its top story as Tom Brokaw led the NBC Nightly News by insisting that in what "could be an embarrassing omission in his tax cut package, families making between $10,000 and $26,000 a year come up short." CNBC anchor Brian Williams employed similar language: "We learned today there is an embarrassing omission in what is now the law of the land. Families making between $10,000 and $26,000 a year get left out while critics say many who do not need a tax cut get one anyway."

How you "need a tax cut" when you don't pay taxes was a conundrum Williams did not address.

In the subsequent story run by both NBC and CNBC Campbell Brown euphemistically referred to how "children's advocate groups, who estimate about 11.5 million kids will be denied the benefit, today voiced outrage at the administration and Congress."

Earlier, CNN's Inside Politics led with the news created by the liberal group. Judy Woodruff intoned: "We begin with an unexpected hitch in the President's campaign-friendly message about tax cuts. A day after he signed the bill into law, it is now clear that child care tax credits won't be going to as many families as some thought." Kate Snow's story, which never mentioned how few, if any, of these people pay income tax, also ran later in the evening on NewsNight with Aaron Brown.

In all of those stories, only two reporters made any reference to the reality that those in the below $26,000 low-income level with kids don't pay income taxes. ABC's Linda Douglass, late in her story, gave it a clause: "Many low-income families do not pay income taxes but are entitled to a portion of the child credit." CBS's Bill Plante got to it in the very last sentence of his distorted story: "But the White House, in addition to passing the buck to Congress, also points out that many of the families who will miss out on the $400 child tax credit already pay little or no income tax."

So, in other words, there's no story here. Or there wouldn't be for any media outlet more interested in conveying reality than in serving as advocates for a left-wing group's crusade against tax cuts.

[emphasis mine]

These crackpots are focused on redistributing income. 21st Century Robin Hoods.

UPDATE: As pointed to in comments - Check this well-done piece on the topic.

2003-05-30T16:20:00.000-05:00

They're Saving Up for '08

It looks to me like they gave up on '04.

DNC Backs off Layoff Decision; Bush's Fault?

(CNSNews.com) - In a way, it's George W. Bush's fault that the Democratic National Committee decided to lay off 10 black staffers - a decision that drew protests and bad publicity. DNC communications strategist Jim Mulhall was quoted as saying that the DNC has a "strong commitment" to diversity. He's also backing away from reports that the DNC will lay off 10 black staffers in an effort to save money for the upcoming presidential campaign. A report in the Washington Post quoted Mulhall as saying, "As we adjust staffing levels to deal with the new political realities of facing George Bush and his immense resources, we will make sure the DNC is in the strongest position to wage an effective campaign next year." He seemed to imply that if President Bush weren't raising so much money, the layoffs on the Democratic side might not be necessary.

They should just call up MoveOn.org for help - Plenty of idiots over there...

2003-05-29T23:07:00.000-05:00

I am compelled to throw this out there - I am worried about the fact that Bush is travelling to Jordan. Do you want to talk about a hot bed? Some people thought it was risky to do the carrier landing in a jet rather than a helicopter, but the increased risk there was minimal in my mind compared to going to a territory where religious fanatics are teaching their people to hate and to kill.

I am sure that the Secret Service will be up to their eyeballs in threats and I do not think it is worth it. On the other hand, it shows the brave leadership that has become the calling card of this president.

I am worried about this.

2003-05-29T22:57:00.000-05:00

Send the Arcata Politicians to Pakistan

Frank Salvato has a nice piece on the idiots who do anything to oppose the war on terrorism. The reasoning is that the Patriot Act intrudes on our civil liberties, but these people are truly cracked in the head, and they should be living in Saudi Arabia or some other place that caters to terrorists.

One town that I would probably enjoy visiting but would never want to reside in would be Arcata, California. It is probably a quiet upstanding little town. In fact when I did my research on Arcata the main punch of its city webpage was the fact that there were several farmers markets open and operating. But the people who actually run Arcata are a bit remarkable. They have imposed a fine on any city supervisor or employee that cooperates with the federal government regarding the use and implementation of The Patriot Act. The Patriot Act was enacted after the tragedy of September 11th for the sole purpose of giving the law enforcement community the tools with which to catch those who would do us harm. Their reasoning is that some elements of the act are too intrusive into the lives of individuals.

It should be stated that The Patriot Act is a controversial piece of legislation that our lawmakers are continuing to debate and refine. It was an absolute necessity directly after September 11th and many of its provisions are required today so we can avoid reliving the horrors inflicted on us that fateful day by those who hate.

[...]

That being said the issue of not cooperating with the federal government in the War on Terror is not very patriotic. Frankly, that is a kin to what some foreign nations are doing to our federal government, countries that are feeling the heat because of it too.

[...]

In the years prior to September 11th the people who flew those planes into our buildings killing thousands of us were living among us, peacefully, productively, as our neighbors, our friends and perhaps even those that sold us our produce. They were evil and bad people who played the game and killed our fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters. They gave no outward appearance of their sick and twisted intentions yet they delivered malevolence to our people the likes of which has never been seen before. We can never, ever forget this.

What Arcata is doing has nothing to do with civic virtue and that’s not who I want to buy my produce from!

Idiots, maybe Libertarian, but they are idiots.

2003-05-29T22:46:00.000-05:00

No Mo MoDo

Via HobbsOnline - It's about time someone did something to slow this woman's awful destruction of journalism. (She used to be OK.)

http://www.lufkindailynews.com/

5/30/03
Maureen Dowd not wanted here
By MARC R. MASFERRER

The New York Times' considerable credibility problem is now our problem, as well.

But unlike the Times, which has been engaged in a torturous exercise of naval gazing and self-flagellation, with its accustomed arrogance, since it was revealed that one of its younger reporters had committed all sorts of journalistic sins, we are doing something about it, and fast.

Until she explains to our satisfaction her own ethical transgression — an apparently deliberate distortion of a comment by President Bush — you will not find the work of Times columnist Maureen Dowd on this page.

I wish the rest of the country were as sensible as Lufkin, but Lufkin is between the coasts, and that just may be where sensibility comes naturally.

Send MoDo out to pasture...

2003-05-29T21:59:00.000-05:00

I don't think anyone noticed, but I have not been inspired to blog anything tonight...

Had a tough day at work and I'm just not so fired up about anything, but at least no one missed me...

2003-05-28T23:33:00.000-05:00

Big Thanks to The Federalist

They pointed to this from the Washington Times:

"Apart from their utter failure to educate the vast majority of their students in large urban school systems, the biggest outrage perpetrated by the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers is to charge their members exorbitant union dues, spend relatively nothing negotiating labor contracts and then pour tens of millions of surplus dues dollars into election campaigns of Democratic Party members. Once elected, Democrats return the favor by pouring billions of taxpayer dollars down the public school rathole. The victimized urban school children never manage to learn much, but lots of the public loot finds its way into the pockets of the teachers who can't, or don't, teach. ... If the NEA doesn't cease and desist, the EEOC let it be known that the matter would be pursued in court. Too bad the NEA can't be taken to court for its failure to educate millions of children." --Washington Times

2003-05-28T23:19:00.000-05:00

Here's a Google search for you:

Someone arrived here using this:

"Believes in the Consent of the Governed"

I hope it worked out.

2003-05-28T22:53:00.000-05:00

The Sick Left

I wish I had not visited Right Thinking from the Left Coast tonight. I would not have encountered this sick fucktard.

Of course, the name of his site describes the whole problem with the left and the Dims:

I Live in a Giant Bucket
People Suck

Dims hate the world and don't trust people.

2003-05-28T22:41:00.000-05:00

I like seeing someone fisk Ms. Dowd, the top snot of the East Coast. I fisk every sentence in my mind when I read her, but am too lazy to write it down. Formerly, she was rational, but I have discovered that she is anti anything good. The content of the fisking is excellent, but there are some format problems.

2003-05-28T22:16:00.000-05:00

Sentimental Business Quotes

You know, I usually don't have time to focus in on those daily quotes in my planner (yes, I'm a tard, and I still write with a pencil and keep my calendar on paper), provided by the Franklin-Covey School of Obscenely Perfect Leadership, but today's quote hammered home an attractive concept:

Success? One word. Integrity. End of story. That's it. You may not even succeed at your business but if you did it with integrity and did it to the best of your ability, that's the key.

--Cristina Carlino

This concept works perfectly for blogging, especially if you're not succeeding.

2003-05-28T21:32:00.000-05:00

Lazy Posting - Propaganda Time
-----------
God Bless the Tax Cut
-----------
Seriously

I love government propaganda when it is from a Republican Administration - They don't need to slant the truth nearly as badly. I love it.

Economics is not a science, it is an art, and you could find just as many people saying the opposite of what these people are saying (Brahms is better - No, Chopin is better), so I guess the test will be in what the economy is like in 18-24 months...

Hang in there - I know there is a lot of material here, but it's worth it - The emphasis is mine (OF COURSE):

Here is what economists are saying about the
Jobs & Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003:

"The tax cut is good for the economy short run, intermediate run, and long run. The longer term positive consequences of leveling the playing field between the taxation of capital and labor are potentially enormous." Richard Vedder, Distinguished Professor of Economics, Ohio University

"This legislation not only will provide an important boost to the U.S. economy, it moves the tax code toward greater fairness and gives taxpayers more of their own money. The real winners are working families." Russell Lamb, North Carolina State University

“This bill should provide significant help in re-establishing a rate of economic growth consistent with much-needed higher levels of employment. The modest tax relief provided in the bill will provide some help on the supply side of the U.S. economy, and additional cuts in marginal rates on income-producing activities will be even more beneficial in the long run.” John C. Soper, Ph.D., Boler School of Business, John Carroll University

"The just passed tax bill is very cost effective. Americans will enjoy a higher standard of living and more job opportunities as a result of the tax package." Richard W. Rahn, Senior Fellow, Discovery Institute

“This dividend and capital gains provisions of this law represent a significant, positive step forward in making our tax system more efficient. By reducing the tax burden on equity financed corporate investment, we will reduce or eliminate a few of the many unhealthy economic distortions created by our complex tax code, and provide an environment that is more supportive of long-run economic growth.” Jeffrey R. Brown, Department of Finance, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

“The 2003 Tax Act will benefit all Americans by improving the economy's performance in both the short and long term.” John H. Wicks, University of Montana

“The 2003 tax cut, while not as dramatic a reduction in the tax biases against saving as the President originally proposed, is nonetheless a step in the direction of real tax reform. The accelerated rate cuts, the reduced taxes on interest and dividends, and the improved depreciation allowances will boost employment, productivity and wages across the board, and lift GDP in 2003 and 2004. The next key step is to make the tax relief for capital formation permanent.” Stephen J. Entin, President, Institute for Research on the Economics of Taxation

“An excellent law that will improve corporate governance, reduce capital market distortions, increase the rewards to work and valuable risk taking. Long term economic growth will be enhanced.” Robert Tamura, John E. Walker Department of Economics, Clemson University

“Now is the time to add a fiscal stimulus by speeding up the planned tax cuts through the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003, rather than wait for them to be slowly phased in. Speeding up the tax cut resolves the uncertainty to whether the tax cuts will ever occur and puts much needed additional cash in taxpayer's hands. With a reduced tax rate, we increase the ability of small and medium sized firms to hire more workers.” Richard D. Marcus, Associate Professor, School of Business Administration, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

“Cutting taxes is not only an important economic stimulus, it is an equally important stimulant for personal liberty.” Paul J. Zak, Claremont Graduate University

"Many of President Bush's tax cuts, such as marginal rate reduction and dividend relief, have been in the direction of fundamental reform of the tax system that will generate sustained long-term growth." Chris Edwards, Director of Fiscal Policy, Cato Institute

"This tax relief package will provide a solid boost to small business, the economy and job creation. Critical pro-growth measures -- such as reducing income tax rates, cutting the capital gains tax and expanding expensing levels for small business -- will enhance incentives for investing and entrepreneurship. That's exactly what the economy needs right now." Raymond J. Keating, Chief Economist, Small Business Survival Committee

“The President's tax cut makes two important contributions. First, although the economy already shows significant improvement, the tax cuts clearly speed the recovery. Second, it increases individuals' economic freedom by allowing them to keep a larger fraction of their earnings.” John Rapp, Professor of Economics, University of Dayton

“President Bush’s balanced tax relief plan will help individuals, families and business owners better spend, save, or invest more of their own earnings in a way that will unlock capital, enhance economic activity, and foster job creation.” Paul G. Merski, Chief Economist & Director of Federal Tax Policy, Independent Community Bankers of America

“I strongly support the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003. The Act will increase the after-tax income and cash flow of both consumers and investors, leading to greater job growth through increased consumer spending and capital accumulation.” Craig A. Stephenson, Ph.D., Babson College

“The passage of the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 represents significant tax reform by sharply reducing the double taxation of dividends. In addition, by accelerating previously enacted income tax cuts, the act should provide significant stimulus to economic growth over the next two years. When combined with the original tax cut passed in 2001, the act provides the most significant rollback in tax rates since the Reagan tax cuts.” John Ryding, Bear Stearns

“The Bush Administration tax cut increases household disposable income, raises the after-tax returns on equity and provides incentives for business investment. Whether you rely on a demand-driven model of the economy or one that is supply-driven, the economic impact of this package is clear: it will boost growth and create jobs.” Mickey D. Levy, Chief Economist, Bank of America

“Cuts in dividend and capital gains taxes will stimulate investment and grow the economy. The nation should be grateful that President Bush has persevered on this issue.” John Semmens, Phoenix College

"The combination of the income tax cut and the stimulants for capital investment bode well for economic growth in our country. As people spend and businesses invest, demand for goods and services will increase, ultimately creating jobs for Americans." Dr. Rebecca A. Thacker, Ohio University

“In the short-term, this act will stimulate the economy by providing immediate tax relief for millions of Americans. Over the long-term, it enhances economic growth by encouraging business investment and improves economic efficiency by reducing the taxation of dividends and capital gains.” William Walstad, Professor of Economics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln

"Timely medicine to strengthen a struggling economy with tax relief for overburdened taxpayers and investment incentives to spur growth and create jobs. And a good step toward long-run tax reform, to boot." Dr. Michael J. Boskin, T.M. Friedman Professor of Economics and Hoover Institution Senior Fellow, Stanford University, former Chairman of the President's Council of Economic Advisers

“The Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 is another positive step forward for taxpayers. Much more work remains to be done, but this legislation marks provides both qualitative and quantitative improvements in our federal tax system.” John Berthoud, Ph.D., President, National Taxpayers Union, Adjunct Lecturer, George Washington University

“I believe the new Jobs and Growth Tax Relief law and continued easy money will do just that; create more jobs and growth, beginning in the last half of this year and through 2004. President Bush and the Congress are to be congratulated on their achievement.” Dr. Beryl Wayne Sprinkel, President, B.W. Sprinkel Economics.

“While the economy has been growing, it can and should grow faster. This bill sets the stage for sustained economic growth. It is a down payment on a long-overdue restructuring of our tax code.” Charles Upton, Department of Economics, Kent State University

“The President's tax cut, although less than he wanted, will still lead to an improved U.S. stock market and an improved economy. By increasing the incentive to produce goods and services it will lead to greater employment and wealth for all Americans, but will primarily benefit the working class.” Dr. Gary Wolfram, George Munson Professor of Political Economy, Hillsdale College

“Cutting tax rates on dividends, on capital gains, and on income earners is not ‘trickle-down economics.’ It is gush-down economics. Virtually every working American will gain from the new incentives to invest and work.” David R. Henderson, Research Fellow, Hoover Institution

“President Bush's Tax Relief plan will help to create the incentives needed to boost the economy's growth rate. The fundamentals of our economy are strong and the economy is poised to grow at a healthy 3 to 4% per year under the leadership of a President who understands that the economy is composed of individuals who want to be productive and to be fairly rewarded for their effort. The improving consumer confidence figures of the last few days bears out the readiness of the economy to respond to this stimulus package now.” Sherry Jarrell, Asst Professor of Finance and Economics, Wake Forest University

“The new tax bill is a solid boost to the economy’s long-term growth potential, and its effects will start to be felt immediately. At the same time, it’s a down-payment on fundamental and much-needed reform of the tax-code.” Donald L. Luskin, Chief Investment Officer, Trend Macrolytics

“The President’s jobs & growth package is the best elixir for the economy’s ills. This package will place money into the hands of consumers than spend, and back into the businesses and corporations that are responsible for hiring workers and investing in new projects and equipment. There’s even relief for investors, particularly those that depend on dividend-yielding securities. And rightfully so, as these are the entities that are suffering the most.” Richard Yamarone, Director of Economic Research, Argus Research Corp.

“Any tax relief on the double taxation of common stock dividends is more than welcome. Previous double taxation of dividends has favored debt usage by firms over issuing equity. As a result, it has encouraged firms to use more debt than otherwise, thereby increasing bankruptcy risk among American businesses. Also, double taxation has caused firms to cut back on dividends. More and more firms do not pay any dividends today. As a result, for investors at least, dividends are not useful in valuing many firms. And, many investors must take the risk of making large capital gains on their investments. With less taxation of dividends, risk-averse investors will find that buying common stocks is more attractive than otherwise. Risk-averse investors like dividends, as they are returns paid now rather than hopefully paid later in the form of capital gains. With huge declines in stock prices in recent years, investors are scared of buying stocks. Dividends will reduce investors' fears of stocks, as they can get returns paid out faster than if they had to rely almost entirely on capital gains. With more investors returning to the stock market, stock prices can be expected to be benefit from the greater demand. Thus, this change in tax policy should benefit firms, investors, and economy in general.” James W. Kolari, Chase Professor of Finance, Texas A&M University

Music to my ears.

2003-05-28T07:34:00.000-05:00

Luskin did a formidable job on the latest Krugman package of stupid crap. Check it out.

2003-05-28T00:00:00.000-05:00

Andrew Sullivan Plays a Good MRC

Andrew Sullivan Caught Kurtz on the liberal media deal:

WHAT LIBERAL MEDIA? An interesting exchange on Howie Kurtz's "Reliable Sources" this past weekend. The discussion was about the liberal-left leanings of most political drama on television. Why isn't there a conservative version of, say, the "West Wing?" Over to Howie:

KURTZ: One thing these programs have in common, conservatives are practically invisible. President Bartlett in The West Wing is a Democrat. Martin Sheen, in fact, made anti-war ads before the invasion of Iraq. "Mr. Sterling" is a California liberal based loosely on Jerry Brown. Why aren't there any Republicans?

O'DONNELL: You will never get that TV show. You'll never, ever get the Republican TV show. the Writers Guild of America, my union, is at a minimum, 99 percent leftist liberal and, like me, socialist. And we don't know how to write it. We don't.

Was there some irony there? Sure. But truth as well.

While you're over there, check out the carry-on post - I have to agree with Andrew, a big pet peeve...

2003-05-27T20:28:00.000-05:00

Be Very Glad You're Not a Shareholder

I'd be hot if I were - This guy hit the Forbes Dishonor Roll for very good reason.

Tenet's stock has fallen 70% since late October, when the first of many alleged billing and accounting improprieties surfaced at the company. Though he still holds 1.8 million shares and 6.5 million options, Barbakow cashed in on $111 million worth of his holdings in January 2002--vaulting to the top position on our Executive Pay scale.

Thanks to his cash-out, and the subsequent decline of Tenet's stock, Barbakow earned a top spot on our Dishonor Roll--a virtual pillory for chief executives who haven't lived up to their paychecks over the past six years. Barbakow is the second Dishonor Roll CEO to take a bow in 2003. Richard Kogan, former head of Schering-Plough (nyse: SGP - news - people ), jumped off the ship following that company's April 23 annual meeting.

Tenet's stock was up .78, or 5.02%, to $16.33 in midday trading Tuesday.

"As Tenet begins a new chapter in its history, I consider this step a part of my personal commitment to do anything I can to restore Tenet to its rightful place of leadership in our industry," said Barbakow in a prepared statement.

Tenet has made several changes since November to turn the company around. It has secured new financing, shaken up the board and senior management, decided to sell off assets and restructured its operating divisions. And in a move surely dear to Barbakow, Tenet now plans to expense stock options grants.

That is the lamest self-defense quote I have ever seen by one of these guys. He steals $111 after destroying more than that in the company's value, and he calls it restoring value when he quits? He should be in jail.

2003-05-27T19:56:00.000-05:00

Rachel has a grand post on the assclowns of the highways. Makes me glad I stayed home in Kansas this weekend...

2003-05-27T19:38:00.000-05:00

Starving the Government?

Not in any reasonable person's estimation. MRC caught the grand insanity on the Sunday show that no one watches anymore:

ABC News reporter Michel Martin, part of the Nightline corps, delivered another sermon on Sunday's This Week with George Stephanopoulos against the tax cut. During the roundtable segment on the May 25 show, she denounced it as “a yuppie tax cut bill” because it reminded her of yuppies who “deny their children everything and themselves nothing.”

As opposed to the moral high ground of selfish government spending addicts who want to take ever more money from those who earn it to redistribute it to others.

She charged that the tax cut “raises serious questions about social equity. I mean, who paves the streets that we drove here on? Who teaches the kids to read?” George Will answered: “The rich, who pay the taxes.” (See the May 23 CyberAlert for a look at how the wealthy pay nearly all the income taxes: www.mediaresearch.org )

If someone starved the government a bit, maybe the government wouldn't be throwing out all of the "food." Until the Dims attack the waste issue, starving will be the last verb I will think of when thinking about the tax cut.

2003-05-26T12:56:00.000-05:00

Daschle Continues Trashing the Judicial System

Via How Appealing, I ran into this transcript of Frist on Fox News Sunday:

SNOW: Can you guarantee that Miguel Estrada and Priscilla Owen will get their votes on the Senate floor?

FRIST: No, I can't guarantee. I can say that it is inexcusable to have this unprecedented filibuster of these judicial nominees, unprecedented in the history of the country, and that as majority leader I will fight each and every day in order to get a simple up-or- down vote on Miguel Estrada, Priscilla Owen.

And it looks like the Democrats are going to filibuster a whole series of judges coming through. And they may be just be trying to get ready for the Supreme Court nominee. I don't know that yet.

So all I can say you got Miguel Estrada, the embodiment of the American dream, the American Bar Association gives it his highest rating, and they won't give us an up-or-down vote. It's inexcusable.

The American public needs to see and hear about this insanity, but we're not. Now that Bush has the tax cut, it's time to work on this...Make it a daily drumbeat.

2003-05-26T11:50:00.000-05:00

Shocking - Jurors Rely on Bible

I understand the judicial concepts here, but the judge honestly expected sequestered jurors to not have access to a Bible. The judicial concept of sequestration seems a bit extreme here.

DENVER (Reuters) - A judge overturned a convicted murderer's death sentence because jurors consulted Biblical passages such as an "eye for an eye" during death-penalty deliberations.

Robert Harlan was convicted and sentenced to death in 1995 for the murder of Rhonda Maloney, a waitress who was driving home from work when Harlan forced her car off the road.

Harlan also shot and paralyzed good Samaritan Jaquie Creazzo who tried to come to the woman's aid.

While noting that Harlan's crimes "were among the most grievous, heinous and reprehensible" he had seen in 18 years on the bench, Adams County District Judge John J. Vigil said Friday that court officials failed to properly sequester the jury.

Jury members stayed in a hotel during deliberations and court officials made sure newspapers were not delivered to their rooms, but the jurors did find bibles in the rooms.

"The jury supervision performed in this case was extremely negligent and appallingly lax," Vigil wrote in his ruling. "Jury resort to biblical code has no place in a constitutional death penalty proceeding."

Wouldn't some of these jurors have had these passages partially committed to memory if they were prone to lean that way?

2003-05-26T11:10:00.000-05:00

Memorial Day the Right Way

James Brooks writes a solid essay on Memorial Day.

For me, this Memorial Day has significance because it comes not far removed from the recent military action in Iraq. Although there weren’t heavy losses of life among coalition forces, good people both American and British made the ultimate sacrifice in giving their lives in the cause of bringing freedom to a people who’ve hungered for it for 3 decades. And even though we still have troops over in Iraq rebuilding the nation, what was accomplished in such a short time should give Americans a sense of pride because millions of Iraqis are now free from the stranglehold of a dictator’s heavy hand.

This vividly reminds us of what Memorial Day embodies. Answering the call of oppressed people who desire to experience the natural yearning for freedom by fighting for something that’s larger than ourselves. It’s part of the human spirit and it’s an integral part of American life.

Go check it out.

2003-05-26T10:55:00.000-05:00

Penske Perfection

Penske runs quite an operation and despite my hopes, he took 1-2.

Two years ago, Castroneves won Indy on his first try, holding off de Ferran. This time, the order of finish was reversed but the team colors remained the same.

"One of the things I pride myself in is getting here and staying connected," Penske said. "I spent more time here than I ever did."

He wanted to manage the attention surrounding Castroneves' quest for the three-peat, while ensuring de Ferran had recovered from a March crash that left him flat on his back with broken bones in his neck and back.

As usual, the Penske plan worked to perfection.

Driving in pain, de Ferran passed his teammate and fellow Brazilian on the 170th lap and held the lead the rest of the way. He got help from three caution periods that prevented Castroneves from building up momentum to go for a pass.

"Obviously, there's a little bit of disappointment," Castroneves said. "But I guess this is part of the game."

De Ferran grimaced as he extricated himself from his car in Victory Lane. The frown quickly morphed into a smile and tears of joy as he hugged his wife and two children, then sipped from the most cherished drink in motorsports: a bottle of milk.

"In the last few laps, I was thinking, 'Is this really happening?"' de Ferran said. "The last few laps it was definitely very, very difficult to focus. I was overflowing with emotion."

I was rooting for everyone but the Penske drivers, especially for Michael Andretti on his last try at it, but I have to admit that De Ferran is quite a good character and it is hard to be unhappy about his win. Every year, I say no tears for the winner, but every year I get misty eyed.

And by the way, Ford needs to get back into the engine game and Chevy needs to fix their woes.

And on a second note, I am tired of NASCAR rainouts. I say that they either get tredded tires and wipers for that weather or they finish the next day. No more "half way is good enough."

UPDATE: Here is a solid picture of the Penske machines closing in on their dominant finish.

2003-05-25T10:09:00.000-05:00

World War IV

The Washington Times has a good piece by Clifford May on terrorism.

Is the war on terrorism only about terrorism?

Of course not. On a deeper level, the war on terrorism is about the ideologies that use terrorism in an attempt to end the democratic experiment that began in 1776 and that has so far spread to more than 150 countries. Most of those ideologies are "jihadist" —heirs to Nazism and communism but with an Islamist coloration. The most important of these ideologies are Khomeiniism, Wahhabism, bin Ladenism, Ba'athism and Arafatism. All seek to force "infidels" out of the Middle East and to reconquer lands that the jihadists insist have been stolen.

[...]

As I write this, intelligence sources are predicting another attack against the United States. The only question is: Where and when? Al Qaeda has not succeeded in murdering Americans on American soil since September 11. But that is still bin Laden's goal, and despite the serious efforts being undertaken — by the Justice Department, the FBI, the Pentagon and Homeland Security, among others — at some point bin Laden probably will manage to slaughter Americans again.

When will the war on terror be won?

No one knows. The first step toward getting the job done is simply to accept that we are at war. Not everyone does accept that, even now. The second step is to understand who we are fighting and what it will require to defeat them. The third step is to do what is required.

Yes, it is a real war, and the liberals do not understand this. The liberals think it is simply a matter of getting bin Laden - Everything else on the topic is abstract to them. Go read the whole essay.

2003-05-25T09:44:00.000-05:00

Get Your Leftist Scum Satire Here

I am intrigued that someone used "Leftist Scum Satire" to find me on Google. I'm wearing it as a badge of honor, I think.

2003-05-25T09:29:00.000-05:00

Shostakovich, the Master

An item posted by David Post on The Volokh Conspiracy [I thought they had moved off of Blogger but permalinks still don't work] about his son playing the Shostakovich 1st Piano Concerto has me yearning for the old days. The good ole days, but I should be thankful that I am gainfully employed.

2003-05-24T11:00:00.000-05:00

Why Racing and No Politics?

Congress passed sensible tax legislation this week. There's not much to rant about when you are smiling at the victory, but give me a couple days and there will be plenty. Actually after reading some of the ideas of the opposition, there is already plenty.

The results:

"If you have a combined income of $56,000, you're going to save $1,200 this year. If you have two kids, you can add another $800 on top of that. That's $2,000 of savings for a married couple that has combined taxable income of $56,000. That is significant tax relief for families," said Sen. Don Nickles, Oklahoma Republican.

The Dims' view:

"Thanks to years of disastrous Republican economic policies, every American will be saddled with roughly $3,500 worth of debt," said Sen. Jon Corzine, New Jersey Democrat and chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. "After four straight surpluses under Democratic leadership and more than 20 million jobs created, we have finally seen what Republicans are capable of when they have full control of Congress and the White House ? skyrocketing deficits and unemployment as far as the eye can see."

Many of the new tax breaks, such as reducing the marriage penalty and the dividend and capital-gains rate cuts, expire in several years, which prompted Democrats to call them "yo-yo" tax cuts.

"Phase-ins and sunsets are used to shoehorn large tax cuts into a small budget window," said Sen. Max Baucus, Montana Democrat. "This tax cut is one big yo-yo. Now you see it. Now you don't."

Corzine is politically shrewd, but intellectually, he is smart enough to know that he is a lying bastard. You have business cycles and we have just gone through one of the wildest cycles in this country's history. Thank Heaven Republicans control Congress and the White House because they can control the landing at the bottom a lot more effectively than the Dims would have. It is still astonishing that the Dims are able to ignore the facts of the last boom cycle - Much of it was created by the supply-side economics of the Reagan Administrtation. They also ignore the smart strategies and the effective results of their own "supply-sider," JFK.

The sunsets will be the most brilliant part. They diminish the benefits of optimism in the future, but they force politicians to make the choice that we need to waste more money in DC, by forcing those politicians to vote for "tax increases." If one presumes that they resist that choice for an increase inthe future, Bush actually got more than he wanted.

The Dims have been defeated on the tax cut issue. If they are really so concerned with deficits, it is past time to work on wasteful spending. That is their next test.

Democrats said this week they tried to derail the bill, and Republicans gave credit to Mr. Bush for winning in spite of their efforts.

"This is the finest presidential leadership that I have ever seen with reference to an important piece of legislation," said Sen. Pete V. Domenici, New Mexico Republican, who has served more than 30 years in the Senate. "He has handled this absolutely perfectly."

Maybe it's the type of assessment in the last paragraph that is giving me comfort and preventing the ranting mood.

2003-05-24T10:06:00.000-05:00

Catalytic Converters for NASCAR

I am not surprised to hear about this one. Having been to these races, I wouldn't be surprised if the fans need catalytic converters in their seats.

The device, which will be optional, has been one of the top projects at NASCAR's research and development center. It costs around $400 to build and can be installed in a car in about two hours.

NASCAR has identified one manufacturer for the catalyst and is looking at other designs to be used in the driver's ventilation system.

Winston Cup champion Tony Stewart used one of the devices last month at Martinsville, Va., and other teams tried them at California and Richmond. Sunday's race, the Coca-Cola 600, is the longest race of the season.

The catalyst sits on the floor in the car next to the driver and sends clean air to the driver's helmet. It's the same theory as catalytic converters used in street cars to diminish pollutants in the exhaust, ``but this is a low-temperature catalyst.''

NASCAR has been working since last fall on systems to filter the air a driver breathes during a race, a project that drew increased focus after Rick Mast announced in January he was retiring because years of exposure to toxic fumes had given him acute and chronic carbon monoxide poisoning.

The effects of carbon monoxide are cumulative, building in a driver's body each time he or she is exposed to it. Since last year, some drivers have been undergoing heavy oxygen treatments after races to decrease the effects of breathing carbon monoxide.

Thankfully, it's not the same catalytic converter that slows down your passenger car...

2003-05-24T09:58:00.000-05:00

Stopping the Penske Double

I like Newman and Castroneves is pretty cool, but I'll be rooting for everyone else, especially at Indy.

Newman, last year's top rookie, ran a lap at 185.312 mph to give owner Roger Penske cars on the front row in both of Sunday's races.

Halfway across the country, Helio Castroneves is on the pole for the Indianapolis 500.

Castroneves is trying to win his third-straight Indy 500 in a Penske-owned car, and Newman will try to give Penske a sweep in "The Double.''

"That's our goal, and I think it's pretty cool,'' Newman said. "Sunday is a big day for Penske Racing.''

Of Course, the real double is Robby Gordon doing both races...1100 miles of some pretty hard work...I hope things go very well for him.

2003-05-23T15:25:00.000-05:00

Via Goldberg at The Corner - He's upset that he did not get a badge of honor from these guys.

2003-05-23T14:49:00.000-05:00

Kerry's Home State Knows the Scoop

A new poll shows that Kerry can't hold his own in his own state. Clearly, it's because the voters know him. I'm thinking Bush will be facing Dicky Gephardt.

If the 2004 presidential election were held today in the state of Massachusetts, President Bush would defeat favorite son Sen. John F. Kerry, according to a new poll.

WCVB-TV in Boston was the first news outlet to report on this poll on Wednesday. It shows Kerry falling behind President Bush by 6 percentage points in the race for president in Massachusetts. The poll of 500 potential Massachusetts voters was taken at the end of April by Mass Insight, a Boston-based research institute.

A similar poll conducted by the same research group in January showed Kerry with a 16-point lead in Massachusetts in a hypothetical head-to-head race against President George W. Bush in 2004.

Maybe Kerry could win Texas.

2003-05-23T14:43:00.000-05:00

While Cutting Taxes, Let's Talk about Waste

The next time someone complains about tax cuts, give them this, courtesy the Federalist:

Regarding the redistribution of your income...

As the Senate prepares to consider funding for the UN-sponsored Global AIDS initiative to the tune of $1-billion, a few not-so-surprising facts have emerged. Among them, the UN Secretariat's office employs 63 staff at an average salary of $174,603 (the average American brings in $36,000 annually, while the average income in the African nations targeted by the Global Fund is $3,020). Readers will recall President Bush's promise to fund AIDS prevention in Africa in his most recent SOTU. The Federalist supports the administration's position for a variety of domestic security and economic reasons. The UN, however, does not enter into our equation for effective aid to Africa.

2003-05-22T23:00:00.000-05:00

A good Fisking of the Mckinney Graduation Speech

Go review it. This is on fire.

2003-05-22T22:20:00.000-05:00

Yale Law Fights Back

Via the JURIST's Paper Chase:

Our building has suffered a wound, but not our community. In the last 18 hours, I have been impressed by the resilience and imagination of the students, staff and faculty of the Yale Law School, and by the support we've received from everyone in the University. We have a mess to clean up. But we will repair all the damage that’s been done. And as we do, we will be grateful that no one was hurt and mindful of the hours we’ve spent in Room 120 and in the Alumni Reading Room, doing the things we’re accustomed to do freely and without fear in our beautiful building.

Examination and paper deadlines will be extended to enable students to complete their work on a schedule that is comfortable for them. And all graduating students who are unable to complete their work by the deadline for submitting grades will receive a grade of provisional pass, to be converted to a final grade at some later time, so that they can receive their diplomas on schedule.

2003-05-22T20:30:00.000-05:00

I haven't paid much attention to the Blair Times Witch Trials, but Letterman's Top Ten is priceless - via MRC, of course:

And a second timely Top Ten list. From the May 21 Late Show with David Letterman, the "Top Ten Chapter Titles in Jayson Blair's Autobiography." Late Show Web site: www.cbs.com

10. "My Journey From Writing 'The New York Times' To Delivering 'The New York Times'"

9. "Quoting Dead People: My Word Against Theirs"

8. "How Morpheus Trained Me To Fight The Matrix"

7. "I Nailed Jennifer Lopez"

6. "All The Tools A Reporter Needs -- A Copy Of 'The Washington Post' And A Pair of Scissors"

5. "'New York Times,' You've Been Punk'd"

4. "The 'Y' In 'Jayson'? I Made That Up, Too"

3. "How The Modern Reporter Can Be In Two Places At The Same Time"

2. Chapter 6: "Chapters 1 Through 5 Were A Load Of Crap"

1. "At Least I'm Not Geraldo"

2003-05-22T20:21:00.000-05:00

Dim Logic on Unemployment

If you want to provide incentive to people to go get a job, do you give them 13 more weeks of unemployment compensation? No, I think you do the opposite.

Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives and the Senate said Wednesday that Congress should scrap plans for tax cuts proposed by the Bush administration in favor of doubling the length of time out-of-work Americans could collect unemployment payments from the government.

Republicans argue that the best way to help the economy and reduce unemployment at the same time is to create more jobs.

"Every American president since World War II has had a record of job creation except President George W. Bush," claimed House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). "Two-point-seven million people have lost their jobs since President Bush became president. Almost nine million Americans are unemployed."

Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) also blamed President Bush for the country's unemployment rate and said the problem is not just how many people are out of work, but also how long they have been jobless.

"We have seen the loss of 2.7 million jobs now during this administration," he charged. "The number of people who are in the category of 'most unemployable' - or the long-term unemployed - is the highest number now that it has been in 20 years."

The federal Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation Program gives unemployed workers who have already exhausted 13 weeks of unemployment payments from their states an additional 13 weeks of compensation from Washington. It is set to expire on May 31, but Daschle and Pelosi want to expand the payments past 26 weeks for those workers. They also want to extend the supplemental 13-week program to cover employees whose state payments run out after the May 31 deadline.

The Dims like Pelosi feel that the government is more trustworthy with your money than the businesses you patronize. I just know too many people who are trying to hire. Is it, "Life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and guaranteed pay if you don't want to go to work."

2003-05-22T20:10:00.000-05:00

If Singers Would Run for President -
Recount Needed

I can't believe they got 24 million people to vote for this thing. It shows that if you want to run for President, maybe you should learn how to sing someone else's song?

Voting for 'Idol' vs. Voting for President

(CNSNews.com) - About 105 million Americans cast ballots in the 2000 presidential election. Last night, 24 million people cast ballots for their favorite "American Idol," according to the Fox TV network. According to Fox, Ruben Studdard beat competitor Clay Aiken by only 1,335 votes. On Thursday morning, the Drudge Report mentioned that an unnamed executive at a rival TV network was demanding an audit...

2003-05-21T22:21:00.000-05:00

What's a Neocon?
Do You Know a Neorepublican? OMG

I appreciate Jonah Goldberg's 3-part series on Neoconservativism [Parts 1 and 2 are linked within]. He explains a good amount of the history, but I still don't understand it.

This passage explains one of the reasons for that:

The neocon label gets folded, spindled, and mutilated in any number of ways, every day. But there are four enduring misapplications of the word. These myths are: (1) the idea that neoconservative means "pro-war"; (2) the idea that neoconservative means "foreign-policy hawk"; (3) the idea that neoconservative means Jewish; and, (4) the idea that neoconservative refers to ex-liberals. Some of these used to be true, none of them are reliably so anymore.

I have a far-left friend who calls me and others "Neorepublicans." Missing in all of the discussion is a true analysis of the terms. Neo does mean new. But when it is used as a prefix, to me, it means more like "new-old," or "revisit-of." It's not new at all, but it is a harkening back to the old ages. Neoclassicism is modern music in the classical style. Neoromanticism, same thing. A neorepublican might be someone who is of the party of Lincoln. What the fuck is wrong with that? But when I think of neocons, I think of new conservatives who are harkening back to the theories of John Adams. Again, what the fuck is wrong with that? Some say John Adams would not have dealt with Iraq or even he NorKs, but I say he would have if he had lived in our age.