Jul
31
2006
Damn you, Michelle
Filed Under Internet and Blogging | Leave a Comment
Damn you, Michelle
Filed Under Internet and Blogging | Leave a Comment
I grew up in New York and New Jersey not long after Kitty Genovese was murdered. I have such vivid memories of that story being repeated over and over again, I never knew until just now that it happened four years before I was even born. Indeed, that incident was one of the things that eventually drove my parents into “white flight” mode, eventually moving us out to the New Jersey countryside.
Michelle Malkin used this memory to great effect tonight, reminding me why I shouldn’t sit by and let Jeff Goldstein’s problems go without mention. Jeff has now received a little bit of help from our PayPal account, and I’m sure he’ll be needing anything you can spare.
But that doesn’t mean the Kitty Genovese Appeal isn’t a cheap shot at my conscience, Michelle.
Jul
28
2006
Friday Fisk
Filed Under Lies, Corruption and Scandals, Politics | 1 Comment
Friday Fisk
Filed Under Lies, Corruption and Scandals, Politics | 1 Comment
I wasn’t going to approve this comment, because it violates our posted policies. It’s neither pertinent to the thread nor constructive, but simply repetitive ad hominem attacks and repeated claims that the commenter is “more conservative” than the president and conservative politicians in Congress. He doesn’t explain what “conservative” means to him, or what his “conservatism” is supposed to mean to us.
Thankfully, a day off and time to kill presents a refreshing opportunity for a heavy fisking. As such, it has earned its own post.
Jul
27
2006
These three headlines, courtesy of The Drudge Report, tell you all you need to know about Howard Dean. Says Howie: “He (pointing) hates Jews, she’s (again pointing) a commie, and there is too much divisiveness coming from those hateful Republicans!”
Ooh, and though I take a big risk using the word… it seems Howie also has hutzpah!
Hat tip to The Drudge Report for the headline screen shot and Michelle Malkin for the link to the Mark Levin Fan post!
Jul
19
2006
Wacky Wednesday
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Wacky Wednesday
Filed Under Lies, Corruption and Scandals | Leave a Comment
This should be another installment of Tiptoes on Tuesday, but I’m a day late. I was going to call it “Tiptoes on Tursday” as a (lame) publik-skul-edukashun joke, but I’m about 12 minutes shy there, too.
In any event, Ace finds an email that’s either slick satire or sick, lazy MSM whoring. Yah, right – it’s gotta be the latter.
Funny thing happened while reading the comments, I travelled to Che-Mart, where you too can assuage your “Trust Fund Guilt”.
One of Che’s ads looked quite interesting, and I ended up at The People’s Cube, where I lost about 45 minutes of my life reading about The Newspaper of Sedition, American History lessons, vintage filmmaking, and the heartbreak and disappointment of a son gone bad.
Enjoy, comrade!
UPDATE: In related news… “(N)obody is more of an expert when it comes to cruel restrictions on lifesaving.” – James Taranto
Jul
19
2006
Sue, a coworker of mine, heard this yesterday, so when I found it I just had to post it. All I can add is: Tony Snow – The right man for the right job, at the right time! And as another friend, Dan, said to me in response to this link: It’s about time someone told Helen Thomas “get your facts right.”
Hat tip to Sue, Michelle Malkin and, of course, Outside The Beltway
Jul
16
2006
Two of the best analyses of the ludicrous lawsuit filed by Mr. and Mrs. Plame have been especially blogworthy: a lovely new tune by The Right Place and a “photo exposé” by Jim Treacher. Enjoy.
Jul
16
2006
“Substituting something new”
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“Substituting something new”
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I’ve got a new toy. NewsGator (which I’m now using as my feed reader, having dumped Bloglines) allows you to set up an RSS feed based on the results from an Internet search. So as an example, if I had a blog devoted entirely to cranberries, I could search for new mentions of “cranberry” across the net.
I’ve been watching the results of my new keyword search feed, and you might guess what word – what name – I chose as my keyword.
In a post at Ezra Klein, John from Dymaxion World quotes an interview by Dave Roberts with Jeff Goodell, who in turn mentions our patron.
I haven’t the foggiest idea who any of these people are either, but they all do an extremely good job of sounding breathless and important.
DR: You mention Americans’ ignorance about where electricity comes from.Mr. Goodell, here’s a tip: it’s the number on that line at the bottom after it says: “YOU OWE:” Don’t worry, I’m a Republican, but unbelievably I don’t charge for this service.JG: Everyone I talk to can tell me the price of a gallon of gas to the tenth of a cent, but I’ve not found a person — except for one guy at a reading last night who had a solar panel — who could tell me what they pay for a kilowatt of electricity. We’re completely divorced from the price. If you look at electric power bills, you will see they often make it very difficult to know exactly what you’re paying.
In any event, Mr. Goodell makes the following point:
When I was working on this book as I spent some time looking at slavery debate. During the slavery debate there was all this stuff: oh, you can’t abolish slavery, the farms will collapse, what are you going to replace this labor with, we don’t have people, who’s going to pick our cotton, everything’s going to fall apart. The great thing Lincoln said is, that’s not the issue. The issue is, is it right or is it wrong? You make that decision first and then you decide how to do it. Global warming is reaching that moment.Interestingly, John seems to advocate ignoring Lincoln’s concept of argument for justification, so the environmentialist movement can proceed directly to “work out how best to do it” – whatever “it” may be. As I point out in the comments, even in places like London’s Guardian newspaper will we occasionally hear the truth that the global warming Chicken Littles have not yet made their case, and their headlong rush to spend our money trying to fix this “problem” is just a smokescreen to hide their political ambitions.
Given the times, I’m neither surprised nor overly alarmed at their reach. We’ve got more important things going on, and most people seem aware of that. But all in all, I wish these guys would leave Abe’s name out of it.
Jul
15
2006
There’s a point where there’s not enough duct tape, and there’s a point where there’s no point to manufacture it in the first place.
Welcome to The Twilight Zone.
Jul
14
2006
As a blog dedicated to the founder of our Grand Old Party, the original Black Republican, and the Great Emancipator, I could not let an article titled Emancipation Proclamation On Slavery Today to go by without comment.
My comment: Bravo! Mr. Rummel, and anyone else reading this, please send a copy of this Proclamation immediately to The President, Tony Snow, whoever the new presidential speech writer is, Senate and House Republicans – hell, send it to Senate and House Democrats as well! Send this to anyone who can read, and if there is someone you know who cannot read – read it to them.
This is a world of compensations; and he who would be no Slave, must consent to enslave no one. Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves; and, under in [a] Just God, could not long rule a State. All honor to Jefferson-to the man who, in the concrete pressure of a struggle for national independence by a single people, had the coolness, forecast, and capacity to introduce into a merely revolutionary document, an abstract truth, applicable to all men and all times, and so to embalm it there, that to-day, and in all coming days, it shall be a rebuke and a stumbling-block to the very harbingers of Tyranny, Oppression, and SlaveryWhile the President has come very close to saying some things like this in the past (the Bush Doctrine), in this case close cannot compare to hitting the mark – as this Emancipation Proclamation On Slavery Today does. This would place the intangible and ethereal ideas the President has previously advanced into the realm of the tangible, the concrete, the actual. Just as Abraham Lincoln talked about the injustice and evils of slavery in his day, his talk was just so much air until January 1, 1863, the day those words became action and fact.Therefore, in the spirit of the Declaration of Independence, and the reality of The Declaration of Freedom of Humanity, I issue this Emancipation Declaration.
All persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, whereof their absolute Dictators are then in open Rebellion against a People’s God given Rights, thenceforward, and forever shall be considered free; and the executive governments of all the democracies, including as necessary their military and naval authority thereof, will recognize and promote in actuality the freedom of such persons and will do no act or acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their Freedom from Slavery.
That day, that action, that fact of emancipation led many great people to perform great acts of courage, discovery and intellect, and allowed them to dream of better days not just for themselves, but for everyone. Relegating the slavery of monarchism, fascism, communism, and Islamofascism to the dustbin of history might be a dream, maybe even a pipedream to some, but I for one believe it is a dream whose time has come.
Jul
13
2006
Racism Paradox: Renewed
Filed Under Race and Prejudice | 2 Comments
Racism Paradox: Renewed
Filed Under Race and Prejudice | 2 Comments
Good news: The Voting Rights Act of 1965 has been renewed.
Bad news: The Voting Rights Act of 1965 has been renewed.
Jul
11
2006
In an uncharacteristically long post, Allen Forkum opines on the immigration debate.
Are there things we can all agree on? Certainly border security should be a priority, especially after 9/11, right? And we should respect “rule of law” and not encourage illegal behavior, right?Yet another example why I can’t get too excited about this issue. I can easily dismiss the various Leftist positions – simply because they are so vacuous. Even when they agree wholeheartedly with one of the other ideologies – conservative, libertarian, or objectivist – rarely can the liberal explain why he takes the position he does. Meanwhile, I can sympathize and agree with many of the valid points brought up by the various (non-liberal) participants, and I seem quite immune to all the overheated expressions of calamity should the respective speakers’ positions not be followed.Yes, all true … generally speaking. But the specifics of the immigration issue are crucial. Unfortunately, much of the opposition to “illegal immigration” seems to evade the full context, namely that the right to immigrate is restricted by government quotas and that that artificial restriction is the primary cause of the problems related to illegal immigration. Worse still, judging by complaints I’ve read about the prospect of raising the limit on immigrants allowed into America, some people are simply using the phrase “illegal immigration” as a euphemism for “too many immigrants.”
Notice that we don’t commonly talk about, say, “illegal homeowners” or “illegal students.” Why? It’s not because homeowners and students are fanatics for rule of law. It’s because there are no government quotas limiting the number of home buyers and education seekers. If there were, if only a small number of houses were permitted to be built every year, if only a small number of people were allowed to attend school, then we’d be hearing about “illegals” who forge construction documents and smuggle students in station wagon dashboards.
It’s a problem, and it needs a solution. But it’s been a problem for quite a while, and I don’t see a failure to resolve the issue as doing a whole lot of additional harm – except to my ability to stay attentive.
Jul
11
2006
Her campaign slogan: “Hummina-hummina”
Filed Under Politics | Leave a Comment
Her campaign slogan: “Hummina-hummina”
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Did you know John Murtha has a challenger for re-election?
For the love of all that’s holy, do what you can to help send Diana Irey to Congress.
Jul
9
2006
The Coulter Effect: O’Donnell Hammers Sheehan
Filed Under Politics | 2 Comments
The Coulter Effect: O’Donnell Hammers Sheehan
Filed Under Politics | 2 Comments
In a July 5th interview which came to my attention as I listened to Laura Ingraham’s radio show this week, Norah O’Donnell interviews and lambastes the radial leftist and media darling Cindy Sheehan. In question after question O’Donnell challenges Sheehan’s positions and actions. And, I attribute O’Donnell’s ability to be so aggressive with the airhead Cindy to Ann Coulter’s book. Coulter has exposed both the liberal media, and those who use their relationship to victims as a shield against criticism. And thanks to Coulter’s work, those media types who are willing to go after the truth are now free to assert themselves. Bravo Coulter!! And, as you’ll come to appreciate from reading the interview, bravo O’Donnell!
“Cindy. Let me begin by asking you, you know, Americans may hate the war, but they don‘t necessarily hate the president. How do you expect to get change by going around the world and trashing the president of the United States?
CINDY SHEEHAN, ANTI-WAR ACTIVIST: Actually, I don‘t hate the president, either. And I don‘t trash the president; I trash the president‘s foreign policy, which is fundamentally and inherently wrong and immoral. And I don‘t tell people around the world anything that they don‘t know.
O‘DONNELL: But you called him “the biggest terrorist in the world.”
So you are trashing the president.”
That exchange, if related in the terms used on the old Batman television show would go something like; “Kapow!!! OOF! SMACK!!! AH!, BAROOM!!! But, Norah wasn’t finished.
“O‘DONNELL: Cindy, you have just begun a two-month hunger strike.
Isn‘t this really just more of a publicity stunt?”
And then, revealing more of Sheehan’s naive self-indulgent campaign:
“O‘DONNELL: But do you honestly expect Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld or the president of the United States to say, Cindy Sheehan is going on a hunger strike and so I‘m going to end this war?
SHEEHAN: Well, that would be nice, ……………………..
O‘DONNELL: And nor, quite frankly, do you see members of Congress—and you claim to not be in the fringes, to not be an extremist, and yet what members of Congress support you in your policy?”
SHEEHAN: Well, …………………………
O‘DONNELL: And in the Senate?
SHEEHAN: In the Senate, well we would have many supporters in the Senate too.
O‘DONNELL: Who? Who?
SHEEHAN: John Kerry.
O‘DONNELL: John Kerry supports an immediate withdrawal from Iraq. (?)
Did he tell you that?
I wonder if that is the same John Kerry who can not find the guts to release his military records from his service days? Without them how we ever know where he served?
“O‘DONNELL: Well, in fact, the bill that Senator Kerry has proposed went down in flames in the Senate.
SHEEHAN: Yes, it did but, you know, only—you know, in Vietnam, there was only a few senators at first, and then it turned around.”
O‘DONNELL: Let me challenge you on this, Cindy, because what you‘re calling for is, in fact, an extreme position, because there are very few members of Congress who support immediate withdrawal. You would, if you could, fly a bunch of planes over there, pick up all our troops and take them home tomorrow, if you could, if it was in your power. There is no one in the United States Congress, Democrat, Republican or Independent who would do that.
PUNCH!! STAB!! ROUNDHOUSE!!! flop.
And then came the part that closely links with the recent furor over Ann Coulter’s new book, and her contention within that book that Sheehan, Murtha, the Jersey Girls et al are getting a pass from the media. Norah honors Casey Sheehan for his service, and mentions that Cindy lost him as a result, without indulging in the now too familiar pattern of allowing that loss to insulate Cindy from Cindy’s own words and deeds.
“O‘DONNELL: You speak very passionately about your cause. You lost a son in Iraq. We honor his service and sacrifice. But you‘ve been traveling the world—Scotland, Spain, Venezuela, Ireland, Australia, Austria—how does that help the cause when, again, you‘re around the world trashing the president, calling him a terrorist, calling him worse than Osama bin Laden. How do you honestly expect to affect change with those types of remarks?”
Before Ann’s book came out, who in the media would, or could, have attacked this woman in this way? O’Donnell showed her up in so many ways, and the airhead stubbornly stuck to her radical agenda, oblivious to the fact that she should have been ashamed of her stance and her answers. To get the full effect of Sheehan’s lack of intellect one need only to listen to the interview and the air between her synapses is revealed. (the video is supposed to be there, but even after I updated Internet Explorer it would not load, perhaps you will have better luck, if luck is what I should call it.)
Jul
9
2006
Dean has found a great history quiz at the National Constitution Center, featuring our patron, and spotlighting some of the historic decisions he had to deal with in public life.
Jul
8
2006
Somehow, I’ve missed this and failed to comment on it before now. Perhaps because compared to the Ohio and Pennsylvania governors’ races and the Maryland Senate seat up for grabs, the competition in the 13th Congressional district in North Carolina might seem like small change to our friends in the MSM.
But there’s absolutely nothing inconsequential about Vernon Robinson.
Son of one of the famed Tuskegee Airmen and a former Air Force officer himself, Robinson lost his bid for Congress in 2004 during the Republican primaries, while being targeted by the Winston-Salem Journal with an editorial titled “Jesse Helms is back! And this time, he’s black”. Robinson, undeterred, actually adopted the attack as a badge of honor and used it as his campaign slogan. This past May, Robinson fared a lot better, winning the Republican nomination in the Democratic-leaning 13th district by a wide margin. He will face off against Congressman Brad Miller (D) in November.
The last time we visited with Mr. Robinson, he was inadvertently giving us a lesson in Civil War history. Now it’s his chance to teach us about science fiction… although, unfortunately, Mr. Robinson is encountering far more liberal studies than science from his opponents, and not so much entertaining fiction at all.
The Black Republican wishes Mr. Robinson well, and pledges to do what we can to support his campaign.