Lieberman's Loss

Looks like I'm not the only former Lieberman Democrat mourning Joe's loss. Brendan Loy has put up quite the missive, divorcing himself from the new Democrats:

So I’ve continued to cling to the label of Democrat, and to the hope that the party could somehow save itself from the tired orthodoxies of its interest groups and the execrable excesses of its far-left wing. I’ve shaken my head at the irrational policies and irresponsible rhetoric coming from so many corners of the party, comforting myself with the thought that while Dennis Kucinich may be a nutjob and Al Sharpton may be a charlatan and Howard Dean may be an idiot and Dick Durbin may be, well, a dick, at least there’s still Joe Lieberman.
...

Well, if there’s no room in the Democratic Party for Joe Lieberman, then there’s no room in it for me.

That's a message I received before the 2004 election, but I admit to feeling, not sad, but perhaps a little wistful. I imagine this is what it feels like to hear that your childhood home has burned down. Sure, you haven't lived there in 20 years and you never intended to go back... but still. It's another tie to the the past permanently cut.

And, of course, I feel bad for Lieberman. If Brendan in this distraught, imagine how Joe must feel.

Perhaps We Watch Too Much TV

Mia often asks me to write words on a sheet of paper so that she can type them on the computer. Today she started off with the usual: Flower, Winnie the Pooh, Thomas. But pretty soon she was requesting Tool Belt Diva, Barkitecture and (I swear I'm not making this up) Fox News Live.

She loves to watch HGTV. She may be the only kid in America that says "Mamma, can we watch a home impwovement show?" But I may have to cut her off. Last week I heard her saying "I feel so sexy." After a moment of horror, I realized she was parroting one of those god-forsaken diet commercials they run all day.

$74 A Barrel

My mom owns a small patch of land in western Kansas, the remains of the her grandparents family farm. An oil company has bought the drilling rights for the farm. If they strike oil, she gets a small percentage. I guess that's the up side of $74 a barrel. I hope the down side isn't having to camp out on the farm when Kansas City gets nuked.

Timing Is Everything

The History Channel is running Countdown To Armageddon tonight.

War, Pestilence, Famine and Death. In that order.

Pleasant dreams.

Did WWIII Start While I Was At Target?

I just got home from shopping, checked the news and saw that Hezbollah rockets have hit Haifa for the first time ever. A "sharp escalation." One Israel is bound to take very seriously.

Remember The Day After, that 80's nuclear war? The scene I remember most was students registering for class while a TV in the background reported the escalating crisis. They had no idea they would be dead before the start of the next semester. But, of course, you keep living your life right up to the point where you can't. What else are you going to do?

"Disproportionate act of war"

Check out this nuanced comment from France:

France criticized Israel’s campaign in Lebanon, including the attack on the airport, as “a disproportionate act of war.”

If states fought wars proportionally, wars would never be won. Every war escalates beyond the original act of violence. If it didn't, it wouldn't be a war. But it wouldn't be peace, as the French presume. It would be a Hatfield and McCoyesque eternal feud. Much like we've seen in Israel for the last fifty years, except Israel doesn't pick off random Arabs in response to random violence against its citizens.

Tell It To Lieberman

Must be seen to be believed. John Dean interviewed by Keith Olberman. Dean has a new book out claiming that nearly all "authoritarian personalities" are found among conservatives. There is so much wrong in this interview I don't even know where to start.

Conservatives need to gin up an enemy to inspire unity. Conservatives march in lock step with the leader. Conservatives are very aggressive in helping out their "authority figure". Nope, none of that would ring a bell with Lieberman (or more significantly, the citizens of North Korea, Cuba, China, Cambodia or the Soviet Union).

Also, I'm not sure how conservatives can be blindly following their leader and yet there be so many factions within conservativism that the movement can only be held together by hatred of an enemy.

And, by the way, Bush is intentionally provoking terrorism to supply the bogeyman he needs to do his dastardly deeds (didn't quite catch what those were supposed to be).

Wow. Just Wow.

Via The Real Ugly American.

Uh-Oh

This can't be good news if you're Lebanese: IDF issuing callup orders for reservists. Also from the article:

A very high ranking military officer said that if the soldiers were not returned in good condition, Israel would turn Lebanon back 20 years by striking its vital infrastructure.

Defense officials said that Defense Minister Amir Peretz has instructed the IDF to take all the necessary steps to retrieve the kidnapped soldiers.

After IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz concluded his security briefings in the Kirya in Tel Aviv on Wednesday afternoon, a senior IDF officer said the military was preparing for a large operation against Lebanon. Communities along the northern border had been instructed to prepare accordingly.

Lots more at the Jerusalem Post and Hot Air.

Lieberman Derangement Syndrome

I suspect a new strain of BDS is a work. Apparently, anyone kissed by Bush also evokes the deranged fury of the far-left. You know they're peeved when they break out the giant paper mache puppets:


This obsession with a kiss on the cheek has to be diagnosable. Granted, I wasn't thrilled to see Bush walking hand-in-hand with Saudi Prince Abdullah, but I got over it without pharmaceutical assistance.

(Via this HuffPo post where you can check out a fine example of LDS, complete with commenter accusations of "dual loyalty")

Update: Lieberman is a JFK Democrat:

In addition to being a standard-bearer for the party's tradition of equal opportunity and upward mobility, Kennedy was a muscular internationalist who understood that force was sometimes necessary in order to protect the nation's freedom and security. [snip]

... if Lieberman is defeated, a disastrous message would be sent to the nation that centrist hawks are unwelcome in the Democratic Party.

"Message sent and received," said the former Democrat. (Via the Influence Peddler)

It Was Bound To Happen

I took Mia to the Toy and Miniature Museum over the weekend. At one point the docent, a 300+ pound gentlemen, approached us. Mia, with her usual bluntness asked "Who are YOU?" He replied "I'm a guy who walks around in here." Now Mia has some speech difficulties, but what she said next was clear as a bell: "Why are you so fat like that?"

While I was, quite literally, paralyzed with horror, the docent replied "I was just made like that." Mia got back in his good graces by promptly responding "I'm little, I was made like that." I'm glad she had a reply, because I was speechless.

Small Tent

I talked to my favorite liberal Dem yesterday. We were chatting amiably about politics when I mentioned that I had always considered myself a Joe Lieberman Democrat but had started voting Republican since it became apparent that Joe Lieberman is the only member of the Joe Lieberman wing of the Democratic Party. She replied, with no trace of irony, "We're trying to get rid of Lieberman."

So she desperately wants the Dems to win elections because she is sincerely committed to liberal ideals. But she sees no problem with purging all those conservative Dems who haven't already voluntarily deported themselves to the Republicans.

Update: Lots more on the move to oust Lieberman at The Influence Peddler. (Via Ace)

Garden Trains

With no moving to do this weekend, we were free to check out Kansas City's Garden Railroad Tour. Since last year's tour, we've acquired a G-scale train and about 10 feet of track that we run on the deck, but we aspire to something like this:




It's a time consuming and potentially expensive hobby. Most of the practitioners seem to be retired. It may be 30 years before we can really get rolling with it ourselves, but it sure is fun to check out other people's layouts.

The Eternal Move Draws To A Close

The buyers closed on the old place over the weekend and all our worldly possessions are piled up in the corners of our new place. So I think we're done. Now for the unpacking, the furniture rearranging, the decorating and, of course, the weeding.

Welcome To My Weed Farm

I may have to give up blogging for my new compulsory hobby: Weeding. Boy, those flower beds surrounding the house and covering the back yard sure looked nice in January, when we bought the house. And, from a distance, they still look OK.


But when you get up close... All those tall green spikes... Yep. Weeds:

Since I had no idea what was planted out there, I didn't know they were weeds when they first came up. I waited to see if they were intentional. Eventually, I had to acknowlegde two simple facts. They're weeds and they're everywhere.

Here's another mystery plant. Is that thing attacking my tea rose a weed? I should probably kill it, just to be on the safe side.


My mother tells me I should kill it all and replace it with landscaping fabric and a few bushes. Either that or rethink my position on illegal immigration because no one was ever in greater need of cheap gardeners.

Immigration Compromise

John McIntyre suggests this compromise in immigration:

Republicans need to craft a compromise that puts in place a program to shut down the illegal flow, which upon the proven success of dramatically halting illegal immigration will trigger a process that provides a pathway to citizenship for the millions of illegals who have been here for years. This is the type of broad-based compromise that the majority of the American people can support and it will put the onus on the Democrats to put up or shut up about whether they are serious about halting illegal immigration.

This has a lot of potential. If we could establish that the border was, for the most part, secure, Americans could stop worrying about criminals and terrorists and a flood of uneducated, poverty-stricken, non-English speaking immigrants. Then we could address the illegals who are already here. I suspect that a secure border would drain support from the "no amnesty" position.

I know there are a number of right-wing bloggers who would oppose this because they feel every last illegal should be deported. Those bloggers make a strong case about how unfair it is to legal immigrants to allow illegals to stay, but I have always felt that they just aren't being practical.

Here in Kansas City, we have two cases that illustrate the impracticality of their stance. Myrna Dick is accused of falsely claiming American citizenship at the Mexican border to enter the US. She has since married a citizen with whom she has an adorable citizen toddler. She is being deported, so every time there is a development in her case, we see this lovely middle-class family on the news. I'm sure we'll see the tearful departure when she leaves her baby and gets on the plane. I'm sure I'll be crying too.

We also periodically hear from a woman and two young boys whose husband/father was deported back to Jamaica, also for claiming citizenship at the border. They sold their house to pay an immigration lawyer to tell them there was nothing that could be done. Evil lawyer = bonus tears.

Perhaps Americans should be strong and boot all these law-breakers out of the country. It is our right. But I wouldn't bet the farm on our ability to withstand a few million tearful goodbyes.

(via Instapundit)

California's Prop. 82

I'm sure that after 2 weeks of neglecting my blog due to moving and continuous visitors, I have no readers from California (or anywhere else). But just in case, I'm linking to Bookworm's plea for Californians to vote "NO" on Proposition 82.

The Dubious Guest Worker Program

I have been meaning to work up a post on this, but my procrastination has paid off. Someone did the work for me. Here's Derb:

I'm baffled as to why anyone would want to hire these temporary workers. The entire point of illegal immigrant labor is that it's cheap B*E*C*A*U*S*E***I*T*S***I*L*L*E*G*A*L*. If you legalize it, it ain't cheap any more. You've got minimum wage laws, workmen's comp, benefits regulations, etc., etc. to comply with, and all sorts of litigation possibilities (harassment, discrimination, etc.) to hedge against. You might as well hire Americans.

Unless you think that Americans are crappy workers—lazy, shiftless, ignorant, ill-motivated, and unreliable. If our politicians actually do think this, will one of them please say it out loud?

This is why I'm so into border security and internal enforcement. If all the guest worker slots are filled, who would wait for one to open up when you can just cross the border, under bid the guest workers and get a job. Bush mentioned border security and cracking down on employers in his speech, but... I'll believe it when I see it. And I'd like to see it before we go passing out all kinds of new entitlements to illegals.

The Border Is Secure...

Well, secure from pesky American citizens, at least. I'm sure you've read all about it at Malkin's, but note our government's response to the latest border security lapse:

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman confirmed the notification process, describing it as a standard procedure meant to reassure the Mexican government that migrants' rights are being observed.

"It's not a secret where the Minuteman volunteers are going to be," Mario Martinez said Monday.

"This ... simply makes two basic statements -- that we will not allow any lawlessness of any type, and that if an alien is encountered by a Minuteman or arrested by the Minuteman, then we will allow that government to interview the person."

"We will not allow any lawlessness of any type." Well, except illegal entry into the U.S. That type of lawlessness is heartily encouraged.

Update: Looks like the border is also secure from mad scientists. Derb informs us:

To plumb the depths of our current administration's stupidity, folly, and dereliction of responsibility in the matter of border security is probably beyond the ability of mere mortals. You can get a glimpse of them, though, by reading this editorial in Science magazine ...

Offer on the House

Well, we've had the house on the market for one day, we've had one showing, and we have an offer. I don't know what the offer is yet. It could be for $1.95 and a stick of gum. But here's hoping. I've had to keep the house spotless for one entire day now, and I'm exhausted.

Update: SOLD! Well, the deal could fall apart in the inspection period. It is an old house. But it's a start.

The Worst Thing About Moving

OK, all the parts of moving are the worst part. But the thing that is annoying me today... we're about to put the old house on the market and it looks GREAT. All those broken things I lived with for years -- the screen door, the door bell, the picture window, the spigot, the attic fan -- they all work now. And it's cleaner than it's ever been. And now I have to move to my new house, which is a total disaster. :(

Jobs Americans Won't Do

Having put myself through college by (among other things) cleaning houses, and having a sister who, although she's a teacher, makes ends meet by cleaning houses, and having spent most of the weekend doing yard work at our two houses, and having just changed a diaper, I was rather annoyed to turn on the NewsHour to hear Nativo Lopez tell me to clean my own toilet, cut my own grass, and take care of my own kid. What the heck does he think I do all day?

Food For Thought

Forbes lists 5 reasons not to go to college. (via Phi Beta Cons)

I'm not sure about discouraging college, but I would definitely like to see Mia graduate from high school early, or do some AP/college course work while in high school to make college a 3 year (instead of a 4+ year) experience. It would also help if she had some direction, a reason for going to college besides it being a socially acceptable way to avoid getting a job.

Couple charged for not using lawyers

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

The Cleveland Bar Association is threatening to fine the parents of an autistic boy $10,000 for not hiring a lawyer when they brought, and largely won, a court case on their son's behalf four years ago.

After a long court battle, Brian and Susan Woods settled their case with the Akron school district in 2002 when the district agreed to send Daniel, now 11, to a private school.

But in February, the Cleveland Bar Association took issue with the Woodses' handling parts of that case themselves and not through a lawyer.

The bar charged them with unauthorized practice of law and threatened a $10,000 fine, saying that although the Woodses were allowed to represent themselves, they could not act as lawyers for their son. The charge is normally filed against nonlawyers who provide legal services for pay, but is rare against parents.

So rare, in fact, that no one the reporter asked, including the American Bar Association and the Ohio bar's Committee on the Unauthorized Practice of Law, could recall a single case.

Read on and discover that the Cleveland Bar Association is already involved in a legal battle with Mr. Woods on the separate matter of allegedly advising another family at their son's school in their lawsuit. But I'm sure the unheard of charge being leveled against Mr. Woods has nothing to do with getting some leverage in their other case, and absolutely nothing to do with the lucrative fees generated by winning suits against school districts. No, I'm sure they're all about the good of the children.

The Perpetual Move

Moving is always a trial, but Brian and I have managed to turn it into a never-ending ordeal. Living in both houses to keep Mia in school is like constantly packing for vacation. Plus, with spring here, the yard work for two houses is sapping my will to blog. Hopefully, we'll be rid of the old house soon and I'll be able to keep up again.

The Church Of Whatever

I heard the strangest add for a local church on the radio yesterday. They had a bunch of young people saying why they go to this church: It's fun, It's cool etc. Then a young lady said "I go for the hot guys." I thought they were going to make some kind of joke, though I couldn't imagine what it would be. Then the next girl said "Yeah, the hot guys." That, apparently, was the real reason they went to this church. They followed this up with a promise that you would be "out in an hour" and never miss a Chiefs game. Why, you can go to church with almost no inconvenience to yourself at all.

Do you know what would be even more convenient? Not going at all. Maybe it's an introvert thing, but if all you've got for me is hot guys and a quickie, platitudinous service, I think I'll just sleep in.

Update: Flashback to Ace's post on the Top Ten Mandated Changes to Make Christianity More Politically Correct and "Inclusive":

6. The requirement that an actual belief in Christ is required to be a Christian ruled discriminatory; churches must offer alternative methods of qualification, such as "celebrating the magical joy of a baby's smile" or "just sitting in the park, thinking about Nature and shit"

(via Demure Thoughts)

Protest Against Illegal Immigration In KC

About 400 people demonstrated in support of tougher immigration laws in Kansas City today. Not a big turn out, but at least our politicians can be sure that, unlike the pro-illegal marchers, all 400 are eligible to vote. The rally was held on tax day to point out the high cost of caring for illegals who may or may not be paying taxes.

Tales from the Cul-de-sac

Because Mia is still in school in the old district, we're still living in the old house, but we will be spending the weekends at the new house. This was our first weekend there and my poor, brave, long-suffering husband spent half of it toting around a dead 'possum.

My mom was visiting, so on Friday, we invited Brian's parents out to dinner and then back to the new house to try out the deck. Alas, just before they arrived, we discovered an expired 'possum and a large compliment of flies under the deck. Flies and dead 'possum smell not being conducive to engaging conversation, I convinced Brian to "get rid of it." I asked no questions about how he got rid of it, but the next day, our neighbors over the back fence saw me outside and waved me over to introduce themselves. Our conversation:

Them: "Hi, I'm Jim. This is Susan and, dear God, what is that smell?"
Me: (feigning surprise)"Where on earth could that have come from?"

So the bulk of my first conversation with the new neighbors involved discussion of small animal disposal.

They gave us two fifty gallon trash bags and suggested we put him out with the trash on Monday. Perhaps that would have worked, had it not been for the unseasonably warm weather we've been having recently.

After Brian had dutifully hauled our late friend to the curb, I began to worry. After he'd spent 24 hours in a plastic bag in the hot sun, I was concerned that the garbage men wouldn't take him. I'm not sure, but I suspect you aren't allowed to dispose of dead animals in the trash. The stench was unbearable and unmistakable. So Brian suggested that we toss him in the bed of the truck and deposit him in one of those remote woody areas where people dump their old couches. So, two more dead 'possum tosses and we'd finally smelled the last of him.

After long, hot showers, we're back at the old house, hoping this isn't a bad omen.

Builders vs. Destroyers

According to The Skeptical Optimist, an optimist is "one who believes that humans, on net balance, are builders rather than destroyers." In support of that theory, he has produced The Best Debt Clock in the USA. Everyone knows that the the national debt is rising so fast the number has to be updated several times a second. But did you know (I didn't) that the GDP is rising at pretty much the same rate. Thus the debt-to-GDP ratio remains the same. Yes, we're spending fast, but we're creating fast, too.

That happy factoid was found via the Gates of Vienna. However, if your more inclined to the pessimistic view that humanity's periodic bouts of destructiveness eventually overwhelm what it has built, Gates of Vienna also has a post for you. Read all about how Islamists take the inventions of others and use them to destroy.

He Who Blocks The Traffic Wins

That's just not a good philosophy of government. It was unfortunate for our demonstrators that their marching happened to coincide with the French government caving in to the petty demands of French demonstrators. Now we're watching our politicians to see how they react to the implicit threat of hundreds of thousands of people in the streets.

From the NY Sun:

That trial of strength was no longer mainly about the hiring and firing of young employees, which the government wanted to make easier and the unions opposed. The conflict was about a much more fundamental question: Who has the right to exercise authority in a democratic society? That question leads directly to another: Who has a monopoly on violence? The French state has now given its answer to both: "Not us."

I doubt that most Americans want to turn over authority to the type of people who have the time and inclination to form mobs and run around in the streets. That, is after all, why we have elected officials. If, on May 1, illegals demonstrate themselves to be a credible threat to our economy, my guess is that the American people will begin to wonder, not how we can give into their demands, but how we can become less dependent on them.

"No Weapons"

Is this a nation-wide phenomena? Ever since Missouri passed a concealed carry law, public places (restaurants, etc.) have been putting little paper signs in their window the say "No Weapons." It is their right under the new law to ban weapons from their establishments, yet the signs always make me smile. Surely, no one with criminal intent would dare to walk past that little sign.

But now I have a reason to be annoyed by them. My 4-year-old read the sign at the public library and asked what it meant. I stupidly told her that it meant no one could bring a gun into the library. Well, apparently all she heard was "gun", because now she's afraid to go into the library.

I don't know where she developed a fear of guns. Finding Nemo was too scary for her, so you know she never watches anything violent on TV. I finally coaxed her in, but we had to stop for a long philosophical discussion at each sign (they have two). Sigh.

New Blog Alert

I just discovered (via a commenter at Samizdata) that Bruce Bawer, author of While Europe Slept, has a blog. Good stuff.

If Texas Were In Mexico

The post I've been meaning to write, only better:

Maybe you have to be Hispanic to figure out this kind of logic: You've broken the law and risked your life to get the hell out of the land of your birth, but when the country you've sneaked into considers sending you back home, you rush into the streets in protest -- GET THIS! -- proudly carrying the flag of the country you'd rather die than live in. Some of you even carry signs suggesting that the poor failed country you've escaped from should possess the land you've fled to.

Really. I don't mean to be rude, but let's face it. Most Mexicans aren't coming here to reclaim their birthright. They're coming for jobs. If Texas was in Mexico, Mexicans would be escaping to Oklahoma. If Oklahoma was in Mexico, they'd be escaping to Kansas. If Kansas were in Mexico....

Reminds me of the refugees from Islamic theocracies who say America would be the perfect country...if only it were an Islamic theocracy. Ay carramba.

Praise Allah

Allah Pundit, I mean. He's guest blogging at Michelle Malkin's.

How To Win Friends and Influence People (Not)

Michelle Malkin has all the gory details.

Flight 93 Film to Open

United 93, opens April 28. Trailer and an interview with the director here (under video). It looks good. On one hand, I want to see it. On the other hand...Is it something I really want to relive? And relive way more intensely than the first time? I got a little choked up just watching the trailer. (via Libertas)

"Blasphemy is a Victimless Crime"

My favorite slogan from the London Freedom of Speech rally. Perry de Havilland has a report and pictures.

Pachyderms in the Mist

I just discovered the Washington Post's new conservative blog, Red America. It was just launched yesterday, but it looks pretty good. The best part is the hysterical comments from the lefties. Yes, shouting down a one-day-old blog is obviously the best way to demonstrate your commitment to tolerance. You'd think they'd want to keep an eye on what we're up to out here in Red America, but apparently not.

And I love the way they're all after the blogger for being young. Because it is a well-known axiom of liberal thought that with age come wisdom and the young should respect the hard-earned knowledge of their elders.

Fun For The Kids

Zombie's latest photo-essay just gave me a great idea for Mia's next birthday party. We've done Winnie-the-Pooh and Thomas the Tank Engine. Next year maybe we'll try an Anarchist-themed party.

There'll be fun hats:
Games:

Party favors:

Oh yeah. We're going to fit in great on the cul-de-sac.

(Via Ace of Spades)

More Silly Educrats

Here's a story about a six-year-old girl who was given a two-day in-school detention for, well, nothing as far as I can tell. At recess, she collected a bunch of clover, rocks and dirt in a plastic bag and her teacher thought it was a bag of weed. Of course, it wasn't, but if she hadn't been given the detention, the teacher would have had to admit she was mistaken and we can't have that.

The worst part is that the kid probably learned this dirt collecting behavior at school. Last fall, Mia came home from preschool with a bag full of leaves and acorns she picked up on a "Nature Walk." I believe this is a fairly common project for little kids.

Update: It gets worse:

Police and school leaders in Sikeston say the case involving a 6-year-old girl and a bag of dirt needs to be taken seriously.

"If she would have been 14, we would have been arrested her and taken her to jail.” Sgt. Shirley Porter said.

Well, 14-year-olds don't typically collect sticks and dirt in plastic bags. Six-year-olds do. Do these people have no concept of context?

The reason she could have been arrested: "passing even a fake drug is illegal." So I can be busted for borrowing a cup of sugar from the neighbor, if someone else mistakes it for cocaine? That what they're saying. Hopefully, that's not what they mean.

Some more wisdom from Officer Porter: “Education starts at home. As parents they need to teach your child about drugs. Teach them about everyday things of life."

And if drugs aren't part of your everyday life?

Officer Porter on small children: "They are smarter than you think, we don't give them never as much credit as we need give them because they are really smart individuals."

Well, she may have a point here. They may very well be smarter than Officer Porter.

Accused Terrorist?

Just heard on Weekend Edition: "Accused terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui..." What do you have to do to be considered an actual terrorist? Apparently pleading guilty to "conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism, to commit aircraft piracy, to destroy aircraft, to use weapons of mass destruction, to murder U.S. employees and to destroy property" isn't quite enough.

Shouldn't he be"confessed terrorist?" Or even "aspiring terrorist?" "Failed terrorist?" "Terrorist hopeful?"

Not A History Teacher, I Hope

A teacher protesting John Stossel's Stupid in America special informs us:

"Public schools are what distinguish democracies from every other system in the world," and a country without strong public schools "lends itself to authoritarian thinking."

Tell it to the Germans. That free, compulsory education the Prussians introduced in the 18th century really produced a lot of independent, free-thinkers, didn't it?

(Via Spunky Homeschool)

Hollywood's Number 1 Neo-Con

Did you see this Max Boot op-ed:

Congratulations on that best supporting actor Oscar you picked up last week. I couldn't be happier for you. Not only because I admire your Cary Grant-esque panache but because I admire your politics. As an advocate of a hawkish but high-minded foreign policy, I can't find much to cheer about in Hollywood, but you, my friend, consistently deliver. Dare I say it — you're the No. 1 neocon in Never Never Land.

Fun piece and it illustrates why so many (former) liberals were able to vote for Bush in '04. (via Libertas)

New Villain On the Scene

Looks like television writers have finally realized that neo-nazi's aren't the scariest bad guys out there. They are finally turning their attention to a truly heinous group that actually strikes fear in the hearts of all Americans. Yes, that's right... the civilian border patrol.

Fictional border patrol groups were the decoy villain on Numbers last week and the actual villain on Law and Order last night. Shouldn't the Minute Men have to commit a crime before they replace skinheads as the villain of choice?

Obsession

This documentary looks interesting: Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against The West. There's a trailer, interviews and whatnot on the website.

From Emmett Tyrrell's review:

"Obsession,” is one of the most riveting films I have seen about the roots of the struggle the civilized world now faces. The film establishes that those roots are in fundamentalist readings of the Koran, but it adds another seedbed, Nazism. In the 1930s, though Osama bin Laden’s forbearers were not Aryans they were welcomed to Germany by the Fuhrer. His agents visited them in the Middle East. Both proclaimed the same goal, the elimination of the democratic West and the Jews.

Hope I get to see it before it's banned in the name of "responsible" free speech. (Via Libertas)

Is It Possible To Have To Many Books?

If you're moving the answer is "Hell, yes." The scary thing is that, recently, I've really tried to restrain myself from buying books for Mia. Yet I don't know how many boxes of kids books I've toted out of here. Brian tried to get annoyed with me, but when I pointed out the milk crates full of all of his lecture notes from college, he shut up.

Pack rats should either live in the same house until they die, or move every two years to prompt a general decluttering.

New House, New Ways To Die

So we were taking a few boxes over to the new house tonight and Mia was having a blast running around the still unfurnished family room. The stairs to the basement are in the family room. From the kitchen I hear "I jump down now," then THUD, then crying. Yes, my child tried to jump down the stairs.

Perhaps this is what comes from growing up in a ranch-style house. Perhaps it's time to break out the Ritalin.

Anyway, she was fine. Luckily she went feet first and landed on her bottom about 5 (carpeted) steps from the top. But it could have been ugly. I pleaded with her to never do that again. The DCFS people would never believe she intentionally jumped down the stairs.

The Individual vs. The Collective

Paul Belien says the Anti-Jihad Manifesto misses the mark when it pits democrats against theocrats. He says:

The battle that is being waged today is a battle between those who defend the right of individuals against the right of collectivities.

The Islamists and the secularists (including the priests and bishops among them) have more in common than the Islamists and the Christians (including the agnostics among them), because the latter acknowledge that at the heart of Christianity is the individual with his individual responsibility before God. Without Christianity, individual responsibility would not have become the centre of European civilization.

This is an excellent point and goes a long way towards explaining how the Left can find common cause with the Islamists.

Rumsfeld Again

It's not news, but Rumsfeld's blunt answers still make me chuckle. Here he is taking questions after addressing the Council on Foreign Relations:

QUESTIONER: You’ve been getting a lot of criticism in respect of the Defense Department budget proposals for wanting to give too much money to big defense contractors for huge contracts and not allocating sufficient funds for our armed forces. Would you like to defend your position?

RUMSFELD: Well, John, if you’re reading that, you ought to change your reading material.

QUESTIONER: New York Times, The Washington Post.

RUMSFELD: I repeat myself.

(Via Tim Blair)

Stand Up For Denmark

Freedom Zone is staging a Stand Up For Denmark blogburst to coincide with Christopher Hitchens' pro-Denmark rally scheduled for this afternoon.


Those of us who cannot be there can e-mail our support to the Danish Embassy at wasamb@um.dk

The Imams Can't Be Happy About This

Turkey fields its first ever Olympic figure skater:

Related: Hugh Hewitt has more on Deeyah, the Muslim pop singer that has attracted death threats.

The More Things Change, Pt 2

I recently blogged about the Nazi version of Iran's cartoon contest. Now Tim Blair has the Nazi version of cartoonophobia. It seems a certain David Low used to pen Hitler cartoons:

Low's regular depictions of the Fuhrer caused enormous diplomatic problems for the British Government, but they were to prove remarkably prophetic. Throughout the decade he portrayed the German dictator as a ludicrous, vain, pompous fool with unbridled ambition.
...

It wasn't only Hitler complaining about Low. In 1938 Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain singled out Low while appealing to newspapers to temper their critical commentary of Germany. Chamberlain said: "Such criticism might do a great deal to embitter relations when we on our side are trying to improve them. German Nazis have been particularly annoyed by criticisms in the British press, and especially by cartoons. The bitter cartoons of Low of the Evening Standard have been a frequent source of complaint."

Perhaps if that horrible cartoonist could have been reigned in, Neville could have worked it all out with Hitler. Alas, according to Low:

"...the Foreign Secretary asked me to modify my criticism, as I say, in order that a better chance could be had for making friendly relations... The Foreign Secretary explained to me that I was a factor that was going against peace.' `Do I understand you to say that you would find it easier to promote peace if my cartoons did not irritate the Nazi leaders personally?' `Yes,' he replied. `...I said, "Well, I'm sorry." Of course he was the Foreign Secretary what else could I say? So I said, "Very well, I don't want to be responsible for a world war. But, I said "It's my duty as a journalist to report matters faithfully and in my own medium I have to speak the truth. And I think this man is awful. But I'll slow down a bit." So I did."

Meanwhile Hitler within a month invaded Austria.

I suspect our cartoon curbing will be just as successful.

How Could I Have Grown Up In Chicago...

and never learned that O'Hare International Airport was named after Congressional Medal of Honor winner Edward "Butch" O'Hare. Chris Lynch has the story of how "he almost single handedly saved the USS Lexington from being destroyed by Japanese bombers".

Some Perspective

From the Calgary Sun:



Via LGF Comments

I Hope This Goes Well

Christopher Hitchens plans a pro-Denmark rally outside the Danish Embassy in Washington D.C.:

Update, Feb. 22: Thank you all who've written. Please be outside the Embassy of Denmark, 3200 Whitehaven Street (off Massachusetts Avenue) between noon and 1 p.m. this Friday, Feb. 24. Quietness and calm are the necessities, plus cheerful conversation. Danish flags are good, or posters reading "Stand By Denmark" and any variation on this theme (such as "Buy Carlsberg/ Havarti/ Lego") The response has been astonishing and I know that the Danes are appreciative. But they are an embassy and thus do not of course endorse or comment on any demonstration. Let us hope, however, to set a precedent for other cities and countries. Please pass on this message to friends and colleagues.

Via (The Corner)

Liberal Guilt?

Is liberal guilt is pursuing me, even now that I am, nominally, a Republican? How is that possible?

And I wasn't even all that liberal in my youth. I never had much respect for public schools. I never wanted to send my (then hypothetical) children to them. Kansas City (where we currently reside) is a tax-dollar sucking monstrosity with high crime and terrible schools. Johnson County (Kansas) is, well, also tax-dollar sucking, but for that money you get a better place to raise kids by pretty much any measure you could think of.

So why am I embarrassed to tell people I'm moving to the land of the cul-de-sac and home of the soccer mom? I couldn't even bring myself to tell Mia's teachers that we are leaving their crappy school district for greener pastures. I should be proud of the fact that we're (just barely)successful enough to be able to move over there. Yet, I feel like I'm trying to be somebody.

It's a mystery that could take years of psychotherapy to unravel.

Update: related thoughts from Johnathan Pearce:

And let's face it, most of us, particularly those with children, live in suburbs or are moving there. It is a conceit, I reckon, of people who have no children, and who do not need the space, to take potshots at those who have decided to leave the supposedly hip inner city. It remains a mystery to me why the desire of people to live in a bit of space and comfort drives certain intellectuals nuts. Maybe it is the garden gnomes.

Ah yes, the hip inner city. I must confess, I wanted to move to a cooler part of town, but, like a boring mommy, I had to consider the schools. And we needed an office. And a guest room. And a deck. And a two-car garage. I guess I'm just having trouble integrating "suburban soccer mom" into my identity.

Atypical

We recently got the results of all the testing the school did on Mia to determine her kindergarten placement. So I've been obsessing more about that and less about the VP's misadventures.

The results were what I expected: inconclusive. Tests indicate she's not autistic, but observers note several autistic behaviors so she might be. Well, thanks for clearing that up.

Her academic tests were also uneven. She blew away some of them, others... not so much. She has taught herself to read. Could be genius, could be Asperger's.

She's doing well enough that she doesn't qualify for much assistance and probably none after Kindergarten. That just doesn't make up for the stress of a big public school. Stress could bring out more autistic behaviors, if that's her problem. So, I'm still going to put her in Montessori (if possible. I just sent in an application today).

Unclear On The Concept

This is typical thinking from the anti-cartooners:
This cartoon depicts an image as either racist/anti-Semitic/etc. or as freedom of expression. What they invariably fail to grasp is that it is not an either/or proposition. An image can be racist/anti-Semitic/etc. and be freedom of expression. That's rather the point, in fact. If everyone loves what you're drawing then you don't need Constitutional protection, do you?

That some (or even most) people call an image racist/anti-Semitic/etc. is just part of the process. If I use words (my freedom of speech) to denounce your drawing, I haven't impinged on your freedom of speech. If I use, or threaten to use, violence to suppress your drawing, then I have impinged on your freedom of speech.

Let's illustrate with another cartoon:


Really. This is so Poly/Sci 101 that I can hardly we're discussing it.


Technorati tag: [Mohammed Cartoon]

Get Your Cartoons Here

Just in case you didn't already know, a gallery of cartoons about The Cartoons, updated daily, is here.

Great Moments in the History of Academic Freedom

From Minnesota:

Still, she stands by her decision to display the cartoons, and she questions the directive to keep them out of public view. "I don't think it's [a college's] job to make people comfortable," said Murdock, saying there is rather a duty to challenge students, even if at times it offends people.

Silly, naive little women. Still it's nice to know there are still a few academics out there who feel that way. (Via LGF comments)

Here Comes Kindergarten

I've really struggled with where to place Mia for kindergarten. I visited a Montessori school awhile back and fell in love with it. I think the multi-age classrooms would be great for her because of her very uneven development thus far. They go up to the 6th grade, so she could do her own thing for 7 years. I really like that they don't give grades. I would like Mia to pursue her interests without worrying about her GPA.

The only problem is they don't have a half-day kindergarten. I really wanted that, but apparently, it's hopelessly old-fashioned. Very few places seem to offer it.

I arranged to take Mia there today, so she could meet the director and look around. All the way there she whined "I don't want to go to the new school." Well, I promised her Burger King if she didn't cry while we were in there. She was a little shy at first, but by the time we had seen all the classrooms and were on our way out the door, she said to the director "This is a very nice school you have here." I asked her if she wanted to go to that school and she said "Yes." You'd have to know Mia (middle name: NO) to see how amazing that is.

What About The Other Half?

According to this report, "Police said half of the 200 people who live in the Hilltop Apartments are wanted on city warrants". Half? How horrible that must be for the 50% who aren't criminals.

Don't Mention The War

The World Cup is being held in Nuremberg this year. Unlike the English, Germans don't find Nazis amusing:

GERMAN cops will use sweeping powers to collar England fans doing Basil Fawlty-style Hitler impressions at the World Cup.

Yobs will be instantly banged up for TWO WEEKS if they goose-step like John Cleese in his most famous Fawlty Towers scene

Yobs beware. The German sense of humor is no laughing matter. (via The Corner)

Update: This post reminded me of the first time I saw 'Allo 'Allo. I was studying in London. My roommate invited me to visit some of her cousins near Aldershot. We were talking, but the TV was on. I couldn't really hear it over the conversation, but I did notice that there were Nazis and a laugh track. Can you do that? Well, yes, if you're British.

It's Not Easy To Explain "Continuous Loop" To A 4 year-old

So I a followed a link from Malkin to see the Dancing Mohammeds. Then I foolishly went on to see the Dancing Hampsters. 20 minutes later I finally pried Mia away from the computer. "No really, honey. They will never finish. They'll just dance forever. Or until mommy throws the computer out the window, whichever comes first."

Media Relations Advice For Christians

Frank J. has some advice for Christians wishing to improve the way they are portrayed by the media:

Christians don't even have a word for "fatwa"! Know why? Jesus.

Jesus is all peace and love, and, whatever the merits of that message, that won't frighten the media away from making fun of you. As we've seen, believable threats of violence and death tend to make people more sensitive about your feelings. Too many Christians, though, won't murder an infidel or a blasphemer because it's not "what Jesus would have wanted." Well, as long you're hiding behind that excuse, who is going to be afraid of us?

Irony Alert

The student newspaper at Cardiff University was reportedly the first paper in the UK to print The Cartoons. Results: The editor and 3 journalists have been suspended, 8,000 copies of the paper were recalled and pulped, and an apology was issued.

The paper's name: Gair Rhydd, or "Free Word."

The More Things Change....

News of Iran's Holocaust cartoon contest reminded me of a little piece of Nazi trivia I picked up in college. Here's a blurb from the Feb. 13, 1939 edition of Time:

Until last week a favorite entertainer of Berlin's cafe society was twinkly-eyed Werner Finck, one of the daring, politically sophisticated German comedians who get their laughs at the expense of the Nazis.

Comedian Finck would suddenly interrupt his patter, shoot his arm up in a burlesque Nazi salute—and then adjust a picture. Deftly, but unmistakably, he would caricature the well-known posturing of top-rank Nazis. Sometimes when he walked off the stage he mimicked gimpy Dr. Joseph Goebbels. For these offenses he has often been in the Nazi doghouse, once in a concentration camp. Last week the Nazi bigwigs finally caught on, and Propaganda Minister Goebbels expelled Actor Finck, a fellow vaudeville actor and a comedy team, "The Three Rulands," from the Reich's Culture Chamber as "desecrators of things that are holy" to the Nazis. Thus kaput was written to their German careers.

To prove he has a sense of humor, Minister Goebbels' newssheet, Der Angriff, thereupon began a joke contest. First prize: $40.

Somewhere, there is a reproduction of the winning joke, a cartoon, as it happens. Needless to say, it was so lame that it served only to confirm the Nazi's humor deficit.

Iran should be more successful than the Nazi's, since the Mullah's aren't trying to prove they're funny. They're just trying to be a pain in our collective behind.

American Muslims Show 'Em How It's Done

According to the New York Times, the Philadelphia Iquirer has become the first major American paper to publish one of "The Cartoons." Did American Muslims riot? Did they fire-bomb? Did they issue death threats. No. They made their displeasure know in the American way:

About two dozen demonstrators, holding signs reading "No to Hate" and "Peaceful Protest for Religious Tolerance," dispersed after about an hour.

What Bothers Me About "The War On Boys"

Cathy Young:

Helen Smith, a psychologist and blogger who has championed the cause of boys in school, cautions that, while recognizing differences, we should not lapse into stereotyping: In general, boys may be more physically active and girls may be more verbal, but a lot of children will not fit those patterns. Some of the fashionable talk about boys getting in trouble due to their more rebellious and individualistic ways has an alarming tendency to paint girls as dull, diligent sheep.

This is always in my head as I read these stories. Sure. Little girls just love to be chained to their desks all day. No. There's nothing demeaning about grading girls on how pretty their notebooks look. These are bad practices for boys and for girls.

And then there's this:

"The system is designed to the disadvantage of males," Anglin, 17, told The Boston Globe. "From the elementary level, they establish a philosophy that if you sit down, follow orders, and listen to what they say, you'll do well and get good grades. Men naturally rebel against this."

Ummm, this system dates at least from 19th century Europe. More probably it originated in the Middle Ages with church schools. No matter how you look at it, the system was designed before girls went to school with boys (or at all). There is a strong argument to be made that the system is bad, but to say that the system is "designed to the disadvantage of males" is ridiculous.

Of course, school choice would go along way towards alleviating these problems. Most parents wouldn't send their boys (or girls) to a school that graded academic work by the amount of glitter stuck to it.

Merkel: Iran As Bad As Nazis

From The Times:

“Looking back to German history in the early 1930s when National Socialism was on the rise, there were many outside Germany who said, ‘It’s only rhetoric — don’t get excited’,” Merkel told an international security conference in Munich.

“There were times when people could have reacted differently and, in my view, Germany is obliged to do something at the early stages,” she added. “We want to, we must prevent Iran from developing its nuclear programme.”

Merkel issued a blunt warning to Ahmadinejad, who has called for Israel to be “wiped off the map”.

“Iran has blatantly crossed the red line,” she said. “I say it as a German chancellor. A president who questions Israel’s right to exist, a president who denies the Holocaust cannot expect to receive any tolerance from Germany.”

Well, yes. But I never thought I'd hear a European say it. Not a popularly elected European, at least. (via Islamophobic)

Bush Spied, Terrorists Died

That's Laer's entry in Bookworm's pithy conservative slogan contest. Check it out.

Republicans In Disarry Over Presidential Pick

LauraW pokes fun at the MSM's Bush obsession:

Buddy: "Was Chimpy McSmirkhitler picking his nose WITH GLEE because of the imminent Great Depression his tax cuts have brought upon the nation? We owe it to our readers to explore this possibility as thoroughly as the President explored his nostril..."

Laura: I don't think that would have been far from the truth...and then of course the inevitable Scientific Research about People Who Pick Their Noses

Buddy: "People who pick their noses are a lot like Hitler, study finds"

Mohammed in Pictures

Illustrations of Mohammed are popping up everywhere. Here's a Wikimedia page. Here's a Danish newspaper article which, besides printing a picture itself, links to Zombie's gallery of Mohammed images. Magazines in Germany, Iceland, and France have also printed the Danish cartoons.

(links via LGF commentors and No Pasaran)

Update: Only a matter of time until Cox and Forkum offered their take.

Diversity is the Spice of Life

So says the tag line on the Mizzou Engineer magazine that just arrived in the mail. It made me smile because, of the 8 people pictured on the cover, all were Asians. Four Chinese, 3 Indians and a Jordanian. Well, there's diversity among the Asians.

It's Not Just Me

Trying to keep up with the NSA spying story is frustrating. No one can be pinned down on what exactly we are talking about (except Bush, and everyone ignores him). Does anyone know any actual facts about this program? No, as it turns out:

From a press conference today:

QUESTION: I don't think I've heard any Democrats say that, though this program, in your view appears to be unconstitutional, maybe unlawful, why not say, Halt it now, and come to Congress and ask for the changes, but halt it now? I've not heard any Democrat say: Stop the program.

DURBIN: Well, I have to say, candidly, there are very few members of Congress who know exactly what this program's all about. Other than press descriptions, we don't honestly know what is being done in the name of this program.

I feel better, in that it's not just me. No one knows what's going on. I feel worse, in that elected official are calling for Bush's impeachment over a program they know nothing about. That's just sad.

Update: Upon reflection, it's a good thing that we don't know much. Given that this is a secret national security program, I'm glad no one knows what's what.

Brownback's Mistake

I just heard about the dust-up over Sam Brownback supposedly using an anti-gay slur. Sam Brownback's mistake wasn't that he called gay Swedes "fruit." He didn't. Here's the original quote:

“You look at the social impact of the countries that have engaged in homosexual marriage.” He shakes his head in sorrow, thinking of Sweden, which Christian conservatives believe has been made by “social engineering” into an outer ring of hell. “You’ll know ‘em by their fruits,” Brownback says. He pauses, and an awkward silence fills the room. He was citing scripture — Matthew 7:16 — but he just called gay Swedes “fruits.”

He didn't even mention Sweden. That was the reporter's pithy interpretation. Sam Brownback's mistake seems to be expecting any kind of biblical-literacy from a Rolling Stone reporter. The "fruit" analogy is a pretty common theme among Christians and this isn't the first time Brownback has used it. He recently displayed concern over the fruit being produced by the Republican Congress. I doubt he was referring to homosexuals.

Has this reporter graduated from junior high yet? Giggle, giggle: Sam said 'fruit'. Giggle, giggle.

I'm In The Mood For Cheese

A nice Danish Havarti perhaps. (via LGF)

According to the government of Denmark:

In the early 1970s, Denmark was totally dependent on imported fuel: 94% of the fuel consumption was oil. A mere 20 years later the country was a net exporter of oil and in 1997 the import of energy equalled its exports: Denmark had become self-sufficient in energy.

I wonder if that's why the Saudi's feel so free to target the Danes.

Update: Now Libya has withdrawn it's ambassador from Denmark. Saudia Arabia withdrew theirs last week. This article depicts the Danes patiently trying to explain freedom of speech, Danish law, etc to various Arab governments. Their efforts are wasted. It's not that these governments don't understand the concept of free speech. They just don't like it, and they're trying to bully Denmark into giving it up, too.

Google reveals that this isn't the first time Muslims have freaked out over a cartoon:

Would It Be Selfish To Pray For No War With Iran...

until after we sell our house? For various reasons, we're going to close on the new house before we've even put the old one on the market. Which is fine, as long as people are still buying houses in a few months. Well, if the economy goes to hell in a handbasket, I guess we could always become landlords:(

Google: Just Another Brick in the Firewall*

Don't miss Michelle Malkin's round-ups of the thorough spanking the blogosphere is giving to Google. Example:

Title inspired by Pajamahadin.

It's Davos Time

And you know what that means. Jay Nordlinger's writing his Impromtus from there. Being a non-wonk myself, I enjoy hearing all the quirky little things that go on there

Joel Stein: Wrong and Right

Joel Stein is wrong. It is theoretically possible to be against a war but support the troops. However, one must have supported the troops before the war to have any credibility on the issue. If, like most of the far left, you always thought any person who would wear the uniform of the United States military was either a psychotic baby-killer or an ignorant dupe, then the "but I support the troops" line falls flat. For that crowd, Joel Stein is absolutely correct. For Code Pink or International Answer, or anyone at the DU to claim to support the troops is rank hypocrisy.

"We'll Do Everything Bush Is Doing But We Won't Be Hitler"

A commentor at Ace of Spades suggests a new Democratic campaign slogan. Sounds about right:

So you think the invasion of Afghanistan was wrong?
Oh no, it was great, but...

So you want Saddam back in power?
On no, we're glad he's gone, but...

So you want to pull the troops out now?
Oh no, we want them to stay, but...

So you don't want to do surveillance of suspected terrorists?
On no, we do, but...

But, but... can't you see he's Hitler!?

Speaking of Moonbats...

Zombie's coverage of the Walk For Life is not to be missed. I'm a bit of an agnostic when it comes to abortion, but it's hard to see how the pro-choicers think they're helping their cause by behaving like thugs. (via Moonbattery)

This Made My Day

RedHunter has the story of how a persistant group of Freepers pulled the rug out from under those appalling Code Pinko's who protest in front of Walter Reed every Friday. (Via Ace)

And I also learned that there's a Tecnorati tag for "Moonbats." How about that?

Passports: Who needs 'em?

Emily at It Comes In Pints? is less than thrilled by Europeans who think they're all that because they can hop on a train and be in another country in 2 hours:

First of all, The United States is big. Really, really big. You can spend your whole life vacationing at points of interest and still not see it all. I've had it with snobbish fucks who romp through three European countries the size of postage stamps and congratulate themselves on their worldly sophistication when they haven't even covered an area one tenth of the size of the state that I live in.

I can testify. Living here in Kansas City, smack-dab in the middle of the county, I can drive due east for 14 hours and still not reach the ocean. I know this, because I just tried it over the holidays.

More Stupid in America

Bookworm linked to this article by John Stossel where he says, among other things:

America spends more on schooling than the vast majority of countries that outscore us on the international tests. But the bureaucrats still blame school failure on lack of funds, and demand more money. In 1985, some of them got their wish. Kansas City, Mo., judge Russell Clark said the city's predominately black schools were not "halfway decent," and he ordered the government to spend billions more. Did the billions improve test scores? Did they hire better teachers, provide better books? Did the students learn anything?

Well, they learned how to waste lots of money.

The bureaucrats renovated school buildings, adding enormous gyms, an Olympic swimming pool, a robotics lab, TV studios, a zoo, a planetarium, and a wildlife sanctuary. They added intense instruction in foreign languages. They spent so much money that when they decided to bring more white kids to the city's schools, they didn't have to resort to busing. Instead, they paid for 120 taxis. Taxis!

What did spending billions more accomplish? The schools got worse. In 2000, five years and $2 billion later, the Kansas City school district failed 11 performance
standards and lost its academic accreditation for the first time in the district's history.

And they still haven't regained it. Living here in Kansas City, I have heard a thing or two about the way the district functions. Here's what I left in Bookworm's comments:

Let me tell you a tale of bureaucracy from the KC school district. I worked with a woman who had her kids in the French foreign language magnet. This is what she told me. The school was a success story. Happy families and high test scores. Well, around 2000, when the district, lost the desegregation money, the district had to reorganize. The administration would not commit to keeping that school open.

This presented the parents with a dilemma. Their kids had been learning French, not English. They would not be able to slip easily into another school. The parents pressed the district for a commitment, to no avail. Finally, they took the initiative and started a charter school.

Well, some administrators were livid. Of course, they kept the school open. It was one of their best. But, because they ignored the concerns of the parents, they lost
half their students and teachers to the charter school.

It didn't have to happen, but they showed no consideration for the parents, who had to think about their kids. Now Kansas City has two French schools.

But here's a little more. White kids from the suburbs were courted like they were star running backs. Instead of wine, women and song, they were plied with advanced placement classes that most natives of the district wouldn't test into. Meanwhile, black kids couldn't get into the school of their choice because that would upset "the balance." Black parents wanted more African-themed schools, but oops... "the balance" had to come first.

Yellowcake: New Goal Posts Established

I just heard an odd little interview on Talk of the Nation (which will be here this evening near the very end of the show). Another document has been released which indicates that Saddam did indeed seek uranium from Nigeria. But there was little likelihood that he would successfully obtain it. And there you have the new goal posts. Sure, Bush was 100% right about Saddam seeking uranium from Nigeria, BUT....

The interviewee did mention that the seeking itself was troubling, but he didn't say why and it wasn't pursued. The interview didn't touch on Bush's whole point, which was that the seeking showed clearly that Saddam had not given up his WMD programs and was, in fact, actively pursuing nuclear weapons.

Competition: You Gotta Love It

I was checking out the web site for our new town and discovered that they have two, TWO, cable providers to choose from. We only have one here on the Missouri side. I've checked then out a few times in the past, but always decided against it because to get Fox News you had to get the most expensive package. I don't know whether I'd even like Fox News, but I want to be the one to decide. I don't like being roped into things. I figured if they ever got around to offering me more choices, I'd consider their service.

Well, guess what? Not only does the second provider offer cheaper service, the first provider has lowered their prices and put Fox News on the standard tier of channels even on the Missouri side, where there is still no competition. I suppose there would be armed revolt if Kansans were offered a better deal than Missourians.

What you find in the rafters after 20 years.

We were pulling all the junk out of the rafters in the basement when we made an interesting discovery. Mostly, the previous owners had stuck old curtain rods up there. But, apparently, that's also where the man had stashed his girlie magazines. And yes, I checked the dates to make sure they weren't Brian's. They were 20 plus years old.

Go Organic?

Here's an article from Consumer Reports on which foods are worth buying organic and which are not. Mia is on a big apple jag right now, so I've been inspired to look for organic ones. Target sometimes carries them, but they didn't have any last time.

For the time impaired:

Worth It: Apples, bell peppers, celery, cherries, imported grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears, potatoes, red raspberries, spinach, and strawberries.

Not Worth It: Asparagus, avocados, bananas, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet corn, kiwi, mangos, onions, papaya, pineapples, and sweet peas.

(Via A Constrained Vision)

Stupid in America

I watched John Stossel's Stupid in America. Well, I live in Kansas City, so I wasn't surprised to hear that lots money doesn't help kids do better. The Kansas City school district, while improving, failed to regain its accreditation this year.

But socialist Europe has more school choice than we do? Really? Or is it just Belgium? If France does it, we should be able to get the Democrats on board.

"Fake But Accurate" Goes Mainstream

I never heard of James Frey or his memoir, A Million Little Pieces, before this flap about his "embellishment" of his life story. But yesterday's Talk of the Nation had an editor and an author on to discuss the story. Both guests panned Frey for betraying his readers' trust by, not to put too fine a point on it, lying. But most callers defended him. Well, it was a moving story. Well, it helped people see what addiction is all about. And so on. The guests politely tried pointing out that his story is not what addiction is all about, because it never happened. He made it up. That's great if you're writing a novel, but if you say "Hey this really happened to me" and it didn't, then that is a lie.

I thought this was especially interesting in light of neo-Neocon's recent post on lies. She says:

So the new definition of a lie has become: something that fooled me. Something that I heard and thought was true, and then discovered wasn't true. It made me angry to be jerked around like that. So it's a lie.

Such a listener lacks awareness of any need to ascertain the state of mind of the speaker in order to define an utterance as a lie--it is simply irrelevant; it does not compute in the equation. In fact, the so-called liar is actually often either mistaken, misinformed by others, in denial, or deluded. But that doesn't matter to a listener who hears everything only in terms of him/herself and how something makes him/her feel.

The Frey situation is the reverse. I liked the book, it was powerful, it helped me, I agree with it. Therefore it is not a lie. It could have happened. It's fake, but accurate

The Junk Man Cometh

We now have a 30 foot dumpster in the driveway. I was worried it wouldn't hold all our junk (we inherited quite a lot when we bought this place) but I think it will do the trick. The man who delivered it is even interested in buying our old car.

Ahh! We bought a house!

The two most indecisive people in the world bought a house in less than a week. Amazing. It took us months to find the house we are in now. I just figured we'd be looking all spring. But we had some very specific requirements and there just weren't too many houses that met them.

Varifrank reviews "State of War"

and isn't too impressed:

so far its a condensed cream of "East Coast Intellectual Bush Hatred" laid lightly across a bed of foreign service officer dissention, followed by a green-with-envy salad covered in a light vinagarette of Georgetown party circuit smarm.

His final review is here, including this stab at a psychological profile of the leaker:

Things are going along well until a colleague, an old timer who has been left out of the operation becomes aware of what’s been going on with your program. He cares not for the security of the nation, but for the size of the budget of his department and his career and since you and your team have been getting results, you are now also getting the budget, the attention and of course the recognition and promotions to go along with it.

After years of work, after all the "sucking up" to political appointees after every election, he’s about to be lapped by “the new kids” who are violating every rule you followed in the previous 10 years when you had the project. He decides he can’t compete with these rules and the culture that comes with it and the results that are expected, so he decides to even the game in the only way he can.

He decides to have lunch with a friend; a friend who just happens to work for the New York Times.

Career Opportunity

Artist paints with her breasts:

The mother of two, from Tasmania, who is happy to describe herself as a big
woman, works at the kitchen table rather than at an easel, reports the Mercury
newspaper.

She said: "I either apply the paint to my breasts and lean on to
the canvas or apply the paint to the canvas and then lean into it to spread the
paint.

Sounds like the perfect job for a stay-at-home mom. Do you think there's a market for this in Kansas City? (Via Ex-DonkeyBlog)

Well, At Least He Has A Sense Of Humor

For all my dissing of Robert Reich, at least he doesn't take himself too seriously. I just saw the skit he did with Conan O'Brien. Pretty funny.

What a 10 foot snowfall looks like

Japan has already suffered 71 deaths from this storm.

House Hunting

That's what we've been up to recently. Yesterday we saw 7 houses. Our eyes were glazed over by the time we got to the last one, but we found a likely candidate. It's not in that snobby suburb I blogged about earlier. We couldn't quite afford the houses we liked there. But it is in the soccer-mom capital of the Kansas City metro in a neighborhood of moderate snobbiness.

What is it with liberals and dictatorship?

By happenstance, I often hear Robert Reich's NPR commentary while I'm in the car. I'm always a little surprised when the announcers mention at the end that he was Bill Clinton's Secretary of Labor. He seems so impossibly wrong all the time. How did he get to be Secretary of Labor?

Yesterday, he talked about China and how fab it was that a country didn't have to be a democracy to have a successful capitalist economy. (Reich's commentaries are not available from NPR, but transcripts are eventually available on Reich's site. Yesterday's is not up as of this writing) It struck me as the height of foolishness when I heard it. Democracy may not be required for a thriving economy, but civil liberty, enforced by rule of law, is. And how many countries have leaderships that abide by the rule of law without at least a little democracy? I can't think of any dictatorships that aren't hopelessly corrupt. And the long-term economic performance of such countries isn't so hot either.

Of course, Reich knows this. Here's his commentary from 2 weeks ago:

Economic freedom and civil liberty -- the two are inseparable. And both are threatened by unaccountable power that refuses to be confined by the rule of law. As they did centuries ago when confronting monarchs who claimed unbridled power to rule as they wished, business leaders must come to the defense of liberty.

Oh, but wait. He was talking about the Bushitler regime in that commentary. Apparently, business needs to be rescued from the Bush monarchy, but is doing just fine in the Chinese Communists dictatorship. There are thousands of such examples of liberals making excuses for communist regimes, but I'm still surprised by them. How many times can a guy apparently as smart as Reich be fooled by the "OK, this time we've got it figured out" promises of communists? The number seems limitless.

What prompted this post was reading this (via Instapundit) by Rebecca MacKinnon:

It’s actually not uncommon in China for people in one company to actively “tattle” on their rivals and get them into political trouble in order to gain a competitive business advantage. I saw it happen several times in the media and entertainment worlds when I was living and working in Beijing. This is one reason the communist party will stick around longer than many outsiders think. Businesses get greedy and try to manipulate the authoritarian system to their advantage, rather than working together to make the whole thing more fair, accountable, and transparent.

You mean people might game the system to increase their competitive advantage? And an authoritarian system might be more interested in holding onto power than promoting competition? Don't tell Reich. He'll be so disappointed.

Update: More on China's faux capitalism here.

Successful Christmas Gifts

If you will be visiting a house full of nine-year-old boys and their fathers, consider bringing a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. If you aren't familiar with Harry Potter, I will tell you that one of the things Harry discovers in the wizard world is a jelly bean that can be any flavor, from spaghetti to dirt. While Harry has to pop one in his mouth to discover the flavor, the Jelly Belly Candy Company has helpfully labeled its beans.

From the not too terrible Ear Wax to the truly atrocious (so I'm told) Vomit, my male relatives could not wait to try the next disgusting flavor. We laughed ourselves silly for 15 minutes.
Definitely one of the most successful Christmas gifts ever.