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Thursday, September 30, 2010

 
But There Are Plenty Of Weasels In European Parliament

Hyenas are on the decline in Europe.

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Don't All New Yorkers Talk Like This?

Fox headline: Paladino to Reporter: 'I'll Take You Out, Buddy!'

He said this in light of a New York Post' reporter's visit to the home of Paladino's 10-year-old daughter.

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Monday, September 27, 2010

 
Ambassador To Space Aliens?

The UN is set to appoint one. Transterrestrial Musings and the Volokh Conspiracy have the story.

Update: Note one of Transterrestrial Musings's links - the Malaysian tapped as space alien ambassador has ties to the Iranian space program.

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Follow The Refugees

The 2010 Census shows an interesting population trend (emphasis in original):

In short, 12 House seats (and electoral votes) went from states with an average government union share of 47 percent to states with an average government union share of 24 percent.

It's much too simplistic to label this cause-and-effect. But the numbers describe the "effect" part of the equation clearly. People are not only moving from strong union states to weak union states, but from strong government union states to weak ones.

With both short- and long-term trends against them, organized labor really has but one weapon remaining: huge wads of cash. That might be enough to stave off disaster.

Looks like the big-union states need a border fence.

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Saturday, September 25, 2010

 
Fun With Bill Ayers

The end of the video clip in this Michelle Malkin post is what catches my attention - Ayers says we should abolish the prisons!

Yes, let's imagine a world without prisons. Let's say Ayers got that wish on the day when that pesky Fox reporter showed up on Ayers' doorstep:

Ayers: Go away or I'll call the cops!

Reporter: And what will he do? Send me to jail?

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Wednesday, September 22, 2010

 
Mourning In America

National Review has an video that draws inspiration - and sharp contrast - to Ronald Reagan's "Morning in America" ad, with transcripts to both.

Link via Rand.

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Christine O'Donnell Campaign Song

An emailer informs me that Nina Simone recorded the original.

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Tuesday, September 21, 2010

 
The First Christmas Tree Of The Year

Well, not quite.

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J. K. Rowling Was Unavailable For Comment

Christine O'Donnell on the witchcraft story (link via Tammy):

"I was in high school, how many of you didn't hang out with questionable folks in high school? But no, There's been no witchcraft since, if there was, Karl Rove would be a supporter."

Dodgeblogium has the video that started it all.

Glenn has some links, including a reminder of Hillary Clinton's , er, interviews with Eleanor Roosevelt.

(Now that she's Secretary of State, does she ever chat with Cordell Hull?)

Christine should start playing Screamin' Jay Hawkins at her campaign stops.

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Monday, September 20, 2010

 
Even Darth Vader Knew When To Give Up

So Lisa Murkowski's desperate write-in candidacy brings to mind a different sci-fi icon...

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Friday, September 17, 2010

 
Can You Hear, Can You Hear The Thunder?

Tea Party in Australia.

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Democrats Unveil Lame Logo

Gateway Pundit has the story. In comments I have the conspiracy theory:

Okay, now I’m CONVINCED that both parties have moles in each others’ PR camps. First it’s the Minneapolis/St. Paul Republican convention’s elephant roadkill logo. Then it’s that Obama poster with the most Orwellian color scheme imaginable – and there’s even a version with Sith light sabers!

Now it’s the Democrat target logo. What PR nightmare will the Democrat mole come up with for the Republicans in 2012?

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Wednesday, September 15, 2010

 
Meet Imam Rauf's Books

Ibn Warraq concludes a two part series with a look at Rauf's chief writings.

I take issue with one passage:

In short, Islam and the United States Constitution represent totally different political theories. Under the latter, sovereignty lies with the will of the people; under the former, it lies with God. The U.S. Constitution emphasizes the rights of the individual, which no mythical or mystical collective goal or will can justifiably deny, whereas collectivity has a special sanctity attached to it under Islam.

Our nation's philosophical document is not the Constitution but the Declaration of Independence - and God is a central figure in the latter. The former outlines the powers of the federal government; the latter explains why the country sought independence.

The Declaration also casts God as the highest authority. It charges the British crown with violating the will of a greater sovereign, with a list of specific charges. The differences between our political philosophy and Warraq's portrait of Islam lie in perceptions of God's will.

The chief difference is that the God of the Declaration values all humans equally. The Allah that Warraq describes does not.

Second, American government's jurisdiction over God's will is limited to secular affairs; it has no regulatory authority over the relationship between the individual and the divine.

Third, the highest human political authority is the governed. Islam, according to Warraq, places the highest human authority elsewhere.

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Tuesday, September 14, 2010

 
Parasites

Of all Cabinet-level departments, the United States Department of Education seems to be the most effective at siphoning our tax dollars.

I wish someone named Orkin would run for office.

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Scrappleface Headline

Iran Pledges to Reveal Future Secret Nuke Sites

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Meet Imam Rauf

Ibn Warraq has an interesting article about Rauf's less Western-friendly views. Read the whole thing.

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Saturday, September 11, 2010

 
Nine Years Ago

(Reprint of my 2007 post, with a grammatical edit to the second update - "are still celebrating" is now "were still celebrating in 2008.")

See my brief pictorial tribute from 2002.

Cox and Forkum excerpts Never Forget: An Oral History of September 11, 2001 by Mitchell Fink and Lois Mathias.

Michelle Malkin will not submit.

Must reading: Popular Mechanics' Debunking the 9/11 Myths.

Update: Never forget the Palestinian response, which LGF has documented here and here.

Update: The Palis were still celebrating in 2008.

Update:  The Popular Mechanics link is dead, the series can now be found here. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the images leading to the various sections.

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Friday, September 10, 2010

 
Burn Baby Burn, Plan B

I just thought of an ecumenical pursuit that Imam Rauf and Pastor Terry Jones can cooperate in - burn a stack of vuvuzelas.



Legal disclaimer: I will not be held responsible for any of your audiologist, psychologist, or exorcist expenses.

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Burn Baby Burn

If anybody's in the mood to torch something, don't burn a Koran or a flag or somebody's effigy. How about burning copies of Obama's economy-killing legislation? There's enough pages of that stuff to smoke a brisket.

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Thursday, September 09, 2010

 
For All Youse Fans Of Chicago Politics Out There

Lexington Green at Chicago Boyz links bloggage on the mayoral race.

The way things are going these days, I wouldn't be surprised if billboards featuring this guy started popping up all over Cook County.

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Wednesday, September 08, 2010

 
Where I Have More In Common With Fidel Castro Than With Time Magazine

Headline at the Atlantic: Fidel to Ahmadinejad: 'Stop Slandering the Jews'

What prompted this? Well, Fidel fears that Iran's belligerence could trigger a nuclear war with the US, and the Cuban Missile Crisis bred in Fidel a bit of apprehensiveness about nukes.

Please control your urge to punch the monitor when author Jeffrey Goldberg refers to the dictator as a "great man."

At Hot Air, commenter "leilani" notes:

According to Castro’s daughter Alina Fernández, Fidel has Jewish ancestry on his mother’s side, which might help explain his uncharacteristic defense of them. A lot of good El Jefe’s heritage did all the Cuban Jews who had to flee leaving everything they owned behind on the island after the revolution, though

Meanwhile, Time Magazine has plumbed the depth of decency with the cover story, Why Israel Doesn't Care About Peace. Ed Driscoll and Powerline respond.

Dudes, Israel goes through great lengths to delay conflict. If it didn't care about peace, it would elect Janet Reno as Prime Minister, and grant Hezbollah and HAMAS the same level of patience she granted to the Branch Davidians.

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Tuesday, September 07, 2010

 
Look On My Works, Ye Mighty, And Despair!

The bankrupt City of Los Angeles builds the world's most expensive school:

At $578 million—or about $140,000 per student—the 24-acre Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools complex in mid-Wilshire is the most expensive school ever constructed in U.S. history.

I think they should have named it after Nicolae Ceaucescu. It's full of the same megalomania that went behind his Palace of the Parliament.



 
A Very, Very Bad Idea

A Florida church plans to commemorate 9/11 by burnign a stack of Korans.

John Hinderaker is right. This will very likely get people killed, and it perversely plays into the hands of Islamists who will take fullest advantage of this PR gold mine.

It is also not in keeping with the spirit of the Church founders. Paul of Tarsus did not buy figurines of Artemis and smash them in the Ephesian agora. He didn't offend religions by defacing their artifacts - he offended them be presenting ideas they happened to oppose.

Hinderaker concludes with this:

Finally, an interesting question: how is this controversy similar to, and different from, that over the Ground Zero Mosque? Both involve actions that private citizens have a right to take, but arguably shouldn't. It is a worthwhile comparison, but that is a post for another day.

There is one difference. Pastor Terry Jones seeks to offend Muslims, and is upfront about it. Imam Rauf says he's not seeking to offend Westerners, but his sincerity is highly suspect.

I'll ask another question. Let's say that instead of burning an actual Koran, someone paints a portrait of a burning Koran and includes it in a National Endowment for the Arts-funded art exhibit. Would that be wrong? Let's ask Andres Serrano.

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Monday, September 06, 2010

 
Abolish Labor Day

(An annual blog tradition continues - original 2003 post here.)

The US Department of Labor has a webpage on the history of Labor Day. The DoL describes the spirit of the holiday thus:

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

Why do we have a holiday dedicated to only one element of commerce? The "strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country" is dependent on five factors:

  • Liberty. Laws regarding commerce and property rights are relatively fair and consistent. Taxation levels, while far from ideal, are such that (except in a few areas) they do not choke out business startups and growth. The streets are free from warfare and from government pogroms.
  • Culture. Society generally encourages private-sector employment; in several African nations, by contrast, the college-educated gravitate heavily toward government jobs. The rate of crimes against person and property, except in various urban neighborhoods, is not so high that businesses are driven away.
  • Entrepreneurs. These are the people responsible for the organization of an entire company, the establishment of its entire product line, and the assumption of the risk inherent in the venture.
  • Investors. Businesses must be financed. Outside sources such as banking institutions and stockholders routinely invest in established businesses, and occasionally provide capital for startups. Investors assume some degree of risk.
  • Labor. Traditionally this term is used to signify all non-managerial positions within a company. I use it to refer to include all non-entrepreneurial positions in a company. The common usage of "labor" and "management" insinuates that managers (including entrepreneurs) don't really do anything, that their organizational duties isn't really "work." I use "entrepreneur" and "labor" to distinguish between those responsible for an entire company and those responsible for portions of it.

Happy Commerce Day! Drink a toast to the Bill of Rights, peaceful citizens, Bill Gates, Wall Street, and all your coworkers.

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Sunday, September 05, 2010

 
Latest News In Religious Multiculturalism

Muslim teacher at Christian school in Israel can't wear her hijab to work.

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Sharks In The Potomac

Real sharks, not politicians.

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Friday, September 03, 2010

 
Mission Accomplished

Daniel Henninger reminds us that Saddam really was planning to develop a nuclear program, and we stopped that from happening.

Skip over to this 2008 Hot Air article on the then-recent transfer of Saddam's yellowcake stash to Canada:

[Saddam] had a nuclear program — before the first Gulf War. For those of us who recall the issue of yellowcake in Iraq, this is the same stash that the IAEA had sealed during its inspections immediately after that war. The seals remained on the compound, which means that Saddam never used it again. In fact, that’s why we suspected him of attempting to purchase more from Niger, because he couldn’t get his hands on this yellowcake without triggering a new war.

This doesn’t have anything to do with continuing efforts by Saddam to produce nuclear weapons. After the rejection by Niger, no one has produced any evidence that Saddam got fissile material from anywhere else, although evidence has arisen that he kept his nuclear technology on standby for reinstatement as soon as the sanctions got lifted. He continued to work with chemical and possibly biological weapons for several years, according to captured IIS documents, but the nuclear progam appears to have been shut down effectively.

What, no Iraqi nuke threat? Not so fast. Go back to the first article:

Saddam was obsessed with Iran. Imagine the effect on the jolly Iraqi's thinking come 2005 and the rise to stardom of Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, publicly mocking the West's efforts to shut his nuclear program and threatening enemies with annihilation. That year Ahmadinejad broke the U.N. seals at the Isfahan uranium enrichment plant.

Does it seem likely that Iran's nuclear ambitions would have provoked Saddam into rekindling his nuclear program? One of his top scientists, Mahdi Obeidi, thought so when he wrote this in 2004:

Was Iraq a potential threat to the United States and the world? Threat is always a matter of perception, but our nuclear program could have been reinstituted at the snap of Saddam Hussein's fingers. The sanctions and the lucrative oil-for-food program had served as powerful deterrents, but world events - like Iran's current efforts to step up its nuclear ambitions - might well have changed the situation.

Iraqi scientists had the knowledge and the designs needed to jumpstart the program if necessary. And there is no question that we could have done so very quickly. In the late 1980's, we put together the most efficient covert nuclear program the world has ever seen. In about three years, we gained the ability to enrich uranium and nearly become a nuclear threat; we built an effective centrifuge from scratch, even though we started with no knowledge of centrifuge technology.

Good thing we don't have to worry about Saddam's reaction to the specter of a nuclear-armed Iran.

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Wednesday, September 01, 2010

 
These Are Not The Election-Winning Votes You Are Looking For

Alaska recount goes Joe Miller's way - Murkowski concedes.

The Force is not strong in this one any more.

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