An important political and economic differerence in highlighted by the The Spectator.co.uk:
"Free trade used to be seen as a progressive, liberalising force. By spreading economic freedom across the world, it enhanced prosperity, raised living standards and improved international relations. Yet in recent decades it has been transmuted by the propagandists of the Left into one of the darker elements of Western capitalism, portrayed as a brutal weapon used by governments and multinational corporations to exploit the impoverished of the Third World. "
"As so many intervention schemes — such as the scandalous oil-for-food programme in Iraq — have proved, regulation and subsidy only benefit corrupt politicians and bureaucrats in the long term. The bigger the fair trade sector becomes, the more it will be prone to waste and mismanagement. The only real way of improving the lot of Third World economies is through free trade, opening up markets rather than distorting them — and that includes the abolition in Western economies of iniquitous subsidies like the CAP in Europe or steel tariffs in the US. The developing countries which have enjoyed the greatest leaps in prosperity in the last half century are those that have embraced international competitive trade. "
Wonder why many UK publications cover issues with more depth and thought than US ones; I suspect it has to do with the patience and understanding of their respect readers and the goals of the publications themselves.
Thursday, March 31, 2005
George Will on Tax Reform Ideas
The Tax Plan To Kill K Street (washingtonpost.com): "The power to tax involves, as Chief Justice John Marshall said, the power to destroy. So does the power of tax reform, which is one reason why Rep. John Linder, a Georgia Republican, has a 133-page bill to replace 55,000 pages of tax rules.
His bill would abolish the Internal Revenue Service and the many billions of tax forms it sends out and receives. He would erase the federal income tax system -- personal and corporate income taxes, the regressive payroll tax and self-employment tax, capital gains, gift and estate taxes, the alternative minimum tax, and the earned-income tax credit -- and replace all that with a 23 percent national sales tax on personal consumption. That would not only sensitize consumers to the cost of government with every purchase, it would destroy K Street. "
And his bill untaxes the poor by including an advance monthly rebate for every household equal to the sales tax on consumption of essential goods and services, as calculated by the government, up to the annually adjusted poverty level.
Corporations do not pay payroll and income taxes and compliance costs; they collect them from consumers through prices. So the 23 percent consumption tax would allow taxpayers to stop paying the huge embedded cost of corporate taxation. Linder says the director of the Congressional Budget Office told him it costs individuals and businesses about $500 billion to remit $2 trillion to Washington. And studies show that it costs the average small business $724 to collect and remit $100..."
Read it all and honestly consider it as a valid possibility to reform our national tax nightmare.
His bill would abolish the Internal Revenue Service and the many billions of tax forms it sends out and receives. He would erase the federal income tax system -- personal and corporate income taxes, the regressive payroll tax and self-employment tax, capital gains, gift and estate taxes, the alternative minimum tax, and the earned-income tax credit -- and replace all that with a 23 percent national sales tax on personal consumption. That would not only sensitize consumers to the cost of government with every purchase, it would destroy K Street. "
And his bill untaxes the poor by including an advance monthly rebate for every household equal to the sales tax on consumption of essential goods and services, as calculated by the government, up to the annually adjusted poverty level.
Corporations do not pay payroll and income taxes and compliance costs; they collect them from consumers through prices. So the 23 percent consumption tax would allow taxpayers to stop paying the huge embedded cost of corporate taxation. Linder says the director of the Congressional Budget Office told him it costs individuals and businesses about $500 billion to remit $2 trillion to Washington. And studies show that it costs the average small business $724 to collect and remit $100..."
Read it all and honestly consider it as a valid possibility to reform our national tax nightmare.
NRO on Schiavo: 'Killed by Euphemism'
From National Review Online (and inserts and bold added): "There was an honest, forthright case for ending the life of Terri Schiavo. It was that her life no longer had any value, for herself or others, and that ending it the quicker the better would spare everyone misery. We disagree with that view, holding it wiser to stick with the Judeo-Christian tradition on the sanctity of innocent life. But the people who made this [the err on the side of life] case deserve some credit for straightforwardness."
"...But while the public may have agreed with the removal of Schiavo's feeding and hydration tube, apparently there are limits to the public's willingness to tolerate euthanasia and apparently its defenders recognized these limits. So we saw euphemism after euphemism deployed to cloud the issues."
"...Perhaps chief among these was the fiction that we were "letting her die."
"...The charade here was not performed to protect Terri Schiavo's dignity but to increase the public's comfort with the devaluation of life.
"...Next time it will be easier. It always is. The tolerance of early-term abortion made it possible to tolerate partial-birth abortion, and to give advanced thinkers a hearing when they advocate outright infanticide. Letting the courts decide such life-and-death issues made it possible for us to let them decide others, made it seem somehow wrong for anyone to stand in their way. Now they are helping to snuff out the minimally conscious. Who's next? "
"...But while the public may have agreed with the removal of Schiavo's feeding and hydration tube, apparently there are limits to the public's willingness to tolerate euthanasia and apparently its defenders recognized these limits. So we saw euphemism after euphemism deployed to cloud the issues."
"...Perhaps chief among these was the fiction that we were "letting her die."
"...The charade here was not performed to protect Terri Schiavo's dignity but to increase the public's comfort with the devaluation of life.
"...Next time it will be easier. It always is. The tolerance of early-term abortion made it possible to tolerate partial-birth abortion, and to give advanced thinkers a hearing when they advocate outright infanticide. Letting the courts decide such life-and-death issues made it possible for us to let them decide others, made it seem somehow wrong for anyone to stand in their way. Now they are helping to snuff out the minimally conscious. Who's next? "
Oil Prices Result of Global Demand
Victor A. Canto and Samir Ghia on Oil Prices and the Economy on NRO Financial: "The surge in oil prices has managed to grab the market's attention. Some analysts worry that higher oil prices, acting like a new tax on the economy, could choke the recovery and drive us into recession. But the correlation between oil prices and the economy depends on the nature of the oil shock. And in a way, this oil shock is good natured. "
today’s rising oil prices are the result of global economic expansion. This is good news: Rising oil prices caused by an increase in demand cannot cause a recession. In fact the opposite is quite true: A recession would lead to lower oil prices.
The Federal Reserve and inflation worriers in general should take note of all this. Inflation is too much money chasing too few goods, and higher growth produces lower inflation, not higher inflation. Hence, the growth-driven oil-price increase will lead to a boost in supply and eventually lower oil prices."
today’s rising oil prices are the result of global economic expansion. This is good news: Rising oil prices caused by an increase in demand cannot cause a recession. In fact the opposite is quite true: A recession would lead to lower oil prices.
The Federal Reserve and inflation worriers in general should take note of all this. Inflation is too much money chasing too few goods, and higher growth produces lower inflation, not higher inflation. Hence, the growth-driven oil-price increase will lead to a boost in supply and eventually lower oil prices."
Richard Gere in WSJ on Tibet
OpinionJournal - Featured Article: "Europe and Washington's most substantial means for pressure is certainly the weapons embargo, which they imposed on China after the Tiananmen Square demonstrations in 1989. Yet the EU is now seriously considering lifting the embargo--it should not. Sixteen years later, China still has not substantively addressed the human rights abuses that led to the embargo, and, in fact, many of those involved in the 1989 demonstrations continue to linger in prison. In Tibet itself, severe restrictions on freedom of expression, association and religion remain in place. This record should not be rewarded with weapons exports."
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Liberty Files: The Morphine Connection
Liberty Files: The Morphine Connection: "As an attorney with significant familiarity with medical issues, the fact that Terri Schiavo is receiving morphine doses...makes me wonder whether Michael Schiavo's attorney, George Felos, really believes the dung he is shoveling, or he is simply a shill for the creepy right to die movement.
Morphine has only palliative value. It can only relieve pain and add comfort. But why on earth would a brain-dead person whose expedition towards the hereafter is described by Felos as 'very peaceful. She looked calm...' require relief of pain? They claimed earlier that her alleged persistent vegetative state and alleged absence of cerebral activity precluded any experience of pain."
Morphine has only palliative value. It can only relieve pain and add comfort. But why on earth would a brain-dead person whose expedition towards the hereafter is described by Felos as 'very peaceful. She looked calm...' require relief of pain? They claimed earlier that her alleged persistent vegetative state and alleged absence of cerebral activity precluded any experience of pain."
Schiavo on Morphine to Relieve Pain - Pain in a PVS State?
My Way News: "Schindler said he feared the consequences of morphine that has been used to relieve his daughter's pain.
'I have a great concern that they will expedite the process to kill her with an overdose of morphine because that's the procedure that happens,' he said.
Felos disputed that, saying that hospice records show Schiavo was given two low doses of morphine - one on March 19 and another on March 26 - and that she was not on a morphine drip. The records show that the second dose was given after nurses noticed 'light moaning and facial grimacing and tensing of arms,' he said.
Hospice spokesman Mike Bell said federal rules kept him from discussing Schiavo specifically, but said 'a fundamental part of hospice is that we would do nothing to either hasten or postpone natural death.'
Comfort measures, including morphine drips, are used in consultation with a patient's guardian, physician and hospice care team, Bell said."
'I have a great concern that they will expedite the process to kill her with an overdose of morphine because that's the procedure that happens,' he said.
Felos disputed that, saying that hospice records show Schiavo was given two low doses of morphine - one on March 19 and another on March 26 - and that she was not on a morphine drip. The records show that the second dose was given after nurses noticed 'light moaning and facial grimacing and tensing of arms,' he said.
Hospice spokesman Mike Bell said federal rules kept him from discussing Schiavo specifically, but said 'a fundamental part of hospice is that we would do nothing to either hasten or postpone natural death.'
Comfort measures, including morphine drips, are used in consultation with a patient's guardian, physician and hospice care team, Bell said."
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Google Buys Another Web Firm
Google buys Web statistics firm
By Frank Barnako, MarketWatch Last Update: 2:36 PM ET Mar 29, 2005
"WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Google has acquired a software company whose technology could help improve its AdSense and Blogger services.
Terms of the purchase of Urchin Software Corp. were not disclosed by the companies.
Urchin, based in San Diego, develops software help marketers maximize their online efforts. Its tools track e-mails, click throughs on ads and conversions to sales. They are used by companies including all 100 members of the Fortune 100, Urchin said.
Adding Urchin features to AdSense could help Web sites' operators better track the effectiveness of their site and its advertising efficiency. Users of Google's Web-log service could also benefit from statistical analysis of visits and page reads. It is possible Google could offer the services free or for a fee."
Again MarketWatch is free with all kinds of neat services.
By Frank Barnako, MarketWatch Last Update: 2:36 PM ET Mar 29, 2005
"WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Google has acquired a software company whose technology could help improve its AdSense and Blogger services.
Terms of the purchase of Urchin Software Corp. were not disclosed by the companies.
Urchin, based in San Diego, develops software help marketers maximize their online efforts. Its tools track e-mails, click throughs on ads and conversions to sales. They are used by companies including all 100 members of the Fortune 100, Urchin said.
Adding Urchin features to AdSense could help Web sites' operators better track the effectiveness of their site and its advertising efficiency. Users of Google's Web-log service could also benefit from statistical analysis of visits and page reads. It is possible Google could offer the services free or for a fee."
Again MarketWatch is free with all kinds of neat services.
Bill Would Legislate Maryland Students' Use of Sunscreen- Really
"Montgomery County schools require a doctor's note for children to use sunscreen. Howard County requires a note from parents, and the lotion must be stored in the nurse's office. Anne Arundel students, by contrast, may carry and apply sunscreen with impunity.
A bill pending in the Maryland legislature, however, would require school health officers to make sure students are allowed to wear sunscreen when they go outdoors on sunny days, a right that is not universally recognized in schools, according to cancer prevention advocates. "
A bill pending in the Maryland legislature, however, would require school health officers to make sure students are allowed to wear sunscreen when they go outdoors on sunny days, a right that is not universally recognized in schools, according to cancer prevention advocates. "
Court Rules Telecommuter Must Pay Taxes
Court Rules Telecommuter Must Pay Taxes: "A telecommuter who lives out of state while working by computer for a New York employer must pay New York tax on his full income, the state's highest court ruled Tuesday in a case that could have wide implications in the growing practice.
The Court of Appeals said that computer programmer Thomas Huckaby who lives in Nashville, Tenn., owed New York income tax for his full salary, not just the time he spent working at his employer's New York offices."
``New York has the right to tax 100 percent of a nonresident employee's income derived from New York sources,'' according to the 4-3 decision by Court of Appeals. The court relied on a fairness rule called the ``convenience of the employer'' under law that says a worker's income is taxable if he chooses to live outside the state, as opposed to if he or she was transferred there.
In a strong dissent, Judge Robert Smith argued that the basis of the majority's decision that all income is taxable is ``that the commissioner says it is ... The majority cites no authority at all, and offers no persuasive reason, in support of this new interpretation.''
``To say a person's taxability depends on where his employer is wrong,'' said Huckaby's attorney, Peter Faber of New York City. ``I think this is an issue of national significance.''
The Court of Appeals said that computer programmer Thomas Huckaby who lives in Nashville, Tenn., owed New York income tax for his full salary, not just the time he spent working at his employer's New York offices."
``New York has the right to tax 100 percent of a nonresident employee's income derived from New York sources,'' according to the 4-3 decision by Court of Appeals. The court relied on a fairness rule called the ``convenience of the employer'' under law that says a worker's income is taxable if he chooses to live outside the state, as opposed to if he or she was transferred there.
In a strong dissent, Judge Robert Smith argued that the basis of the majority's decision that all income is taxable is ``that the commissioner says it is ... The majority cites no authority at all, and offers no persuasive reason, in support of this new interpretation.''
``To say a person's taxability depends on where his employer is wrong,'' said Huckaby's attorney, Peter Faber of New York City. ``I think this is an issue of national significance.''
Brazil Getting the Poor Online
"Since taking office two years ago, President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva has turned Brazil into a tropical outpost of the free software movement..."
"...By the end of April, the government plans to roll out a much ballyhooed program called PC Conectado, or Connected PC, aimed at helping millions of low-income Brazilians buy their first computers."
"Under the program, which is expected to offer tax incentives for computer makers to cut prices and a generous payment plan for consumers, the government hopes to offer desktops for around 1,400 reais ($509) or less. The machines will be comparable to those costing almost twice that outside the program.
Buyers will be able to pay in 24 installments of 50 to 60 reais, or about $18 to $21.80 a month, an amount affordable for many working poor. The country's top three fixed-line telephone companies - Telefónica of Spain; Tele Norte Leste Participações, or Telemar; and Brasil Telecom - have agreed to provide a dial-up Internet connection to participants for 7.50 reais, or less than $3, a month, allowing 15 hours of Web surfing.
The program aims at households and small-business owners earning three to seven times the minimum monthly wage, or about $284 to $662. The government says seven million qualify, and it hopes to reach a million of them by year-end."
"...By the end of April, the government plans to roll out a much ballyhooed program called PC Conectado, or Connected PC, aimed at helping millions of low-income Brazilians buy their first computers."
"Under the program, which is expected to offer tax incentives for computer makers to cut prices and a generous payment plan for consumers, the government hopes to offer desktops for around 1,400 reais ($509) or less. The machines will be comparable to those costing almost twice that outside the program.
Buyers will be able to pay in 24 installments of 50 to 60 reais, or about $18 to $21.80 a month, an amount affordable for many working poor. The country's top three fixed-line telephone companies - Telefónica of Spain; Tele Norte Leste Participações, or Telemar; and Brasil Telecom - have agreed to provide a dial-up Internet connection to participants for 7.50 reais, or less than $3, a month, allowing 15 hours of Web surfing.
The program aims at households and small-business owners earning three to seven times the minimum monthly wage, or about $284 to $662. The government says seven million qualify, and it hopes to reach a million of them by year-end."
Colorado Supreme Court Bars Execution Because Jurors Consulted Bible
The New York Times : "In a sharply divided ruling, Colorado's highest court on Monday upheld a lower court's decision throwing out the sentence of a man who was given the death penalty after jurors consulted the Bible in reaching a verdict. The Bible, the court said, constituted an improper outside influence and a reliance on what the court called a 'higher authority.'
'The judicial system works very hard to emphasize the rarified, solemn and sequestered nature of jury deliberations,' the majority said in a 3-to-2 decision by a panel of the Colorado Supreme Court. 'Jurors must deliberate in that atmosphere without the aid or distraction of extraneous texts.'"
"...Mr. Harlan was convicted of kidnapping a waitress, Rhonda Maloney, and raping her. She escaped and flagged down a motorist, Jaquie Creazzo. Mr. Harlan caught up with the two women, shot Ms. Creazzo, leaving her paralyzed, then beat and killed Ms. Maloney."
'The judicial system works very hard to emphasize the rarified, solemn and sequestered nature of jury deliberations,' the majority said in a 3-to-2 decision by a panel of the Colorado Supreme Court. 'Jurors must deliberate in that atmosphere without the aid or distraction of extraneous texts.'"
"...Mr. Harlan was convicted of kidnapping a waitress, Rhonda Maloney, and raping her. She escaped and flagged down a motorist, Jaquie Creazzo. Mr. Harlan caught up with the two women, shot Ms. Creazzo, leaving her paralyzed, then beat and killed Ms. Maloney."
Monday, March 28, 2005
Biggest LBO since KKR bought RJR
A group of the nation's biggest private investment firms reached a deal yesterday to buy SunGard Data Systems for $11.3 billion, according to executives involved in the deal, making it the largest leveraged buyout since Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Company bought RJR Nabisco in 1989. • Go to Article from The New York Times• Go to Article from Bloomberg NewsCredit Suisse First Boston acted as financial advisors to SunGard. In addition, Lazard also provided a fairness opinion to the board of directors of SunGard. Shearman & Sterling LLP acted as legal advisor to SunGard. Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP acted as legal advisor to SunGard's management. The transaction will be financed through a combination of equity contributed by each of the consortium partners and debt financing provided by JPMorgan, Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Deutsche Bank Securities, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, who also acted as financial advisors to the consortium partners. • Go to News Release from SunGard Data
"Schiavo Receives Communion, Last Rites"
My Way News: "Schiavo Receives Communion, Last Rites"
"Their hopes fading and legal options exhausted, Terri Schiavo's parents appeared quietly resigned Sunday to watching her die but could claim one Easter victory: The severely brain-damaged woman received a drop of communion wine on her tongue - her only sustenance in nine days - after her husband allowed her to receive the sacrament.
Schiavo's husband, who a day earlier denied a request from his wife's parents that she be given communion, granted permission Sunday to offer the sacrament.
The Rev. Thaddeus Malanowski said he gave Schiavo wine but could not give her a fleck of communion bread because her tongue was dry. He also administered the last rites, annointing her with holy oil and giving a blessing. Schiavo last received both sacraments on March 18, just before her feeding tube was removed."
At Michael Schiavo's home in Clearwater, about three dozen protesters dropped roses and Easter lilies on his lawn in a peaceful demonstration. His fiancee's brother picked up the flowers and handed them to a bystander to take away."
"Their hopes fading and legal options exhausted, Terri Schiavo's parents appeared quietly resigned Sunday to watching her die but could claim one Easter victory: The severely brain-damaged woman received a drop of communion wine on her tongue - her only sustenance in nine days - after her husband allowed her to receive the sacrament.
Schiavo's husband, who a day earlier denied a request from his wife's parents that she be given communion, granted permission Sunday to offer the sacrament.
The Rev. Thaddeus Malanowski said he gave Schiavo wine but could not give her a fleck of communion bread because her tongue was dry. He also administered the last rites, annointing her with holy oil and giving a blessing. Schiavo last received both sacraments on March 18, just before her feeding tube was removed."
At Michael Schiavo's home in Clearwater, about three dozen protesters dropped roses and Easter lilies on his lawn in a peaceful demonstration. His fiancee's brother picked up the flowers and handed them to a bystander to take away."
Elian Gonzalez and Terri Schiavo
OpinionJournal - John Fund : "...there are differences between the Gonzalez and Schiavo cases. But clearly many of the people who approved of dramatic federal intervention to return Elian to Cuba took a completely different tack when it came to the argument over saving Terri Schiavo. Rep. Frank makes a compelling argument that Congress took an extraordinary step when it met in special session to create a procedure whereby the federal courts could decide whether Ms. Schiavo's rights were being violated. He may have a point when he accuses Republicans of 'trying to command judicial activism and dictate outcomes when they don't like' rulings. But where were Mr. Frank and other liberals when the Clinton administration decided to sidestep a federal appeals court and order an armed raid against Elian Gonzalez? While Mr. Frank allowed that the use of assault rifles in the Elian raid was 'excessive' and 'frightening,' he also defended the Justice Department's view that 'of course [agents] had to use force.'
According to some reports, Gov. Jeb Bush considered seizing Mrs. Schiavo, a la Elian, and taking her to a hospital so she could be fed. But he did not do so. 'I've consistently said that I can't go beyond what my powers are, and I'm not going to do it,' the governor says. Janet Reno and the Clinton administration showed no such restraint when it came to Elian Gonzalez. "
According to some reports, Gov. Jeb Bush considered seizing Mrs. Schiavo, a la Elian, and taking her to a hospital so she could be fed. But he did not do so. 'I've consistently said that I can't go beyond what my powers are, and I'm not going to do it,' the governor says. Janet Reno and the Clinton administration showed no such restraint when it came to Elian Gonzalez. "
Sunday, March 27, 2005
Good Friday Sermon
Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, preacher of the Pontifical Household, at the Good Friday service in St. Peter's Basilica:
"Theology in our day has developed a more balanced vision of the identity between the historical body of Christ born of Mary and his Eucharistic body. The tendency now is to rediscover the sacramental character of Christ's presence, which, however real and substantial, is not material... The very Jesus born of Mary, who "went about doing good to all" (Acts 10:38), who died on the cross and rose again on the third day, is really present in the world today, not merely in a vague and spiritual way, or, as some would say, in the "cause" he stood for. The Eucharist is the way Jesus invented to remain forever Emmanuel, God-with-us. This presence is a guarantee, not only for the Church, but for the entire world...
...We need to bear witness to this hope that is in us, rising up against the gloomy wind of pessimism blowing through our society. As the Pope writes in "Novo Millennio Ineunte," "We do not know what the new millennium has in store for us, but we are certain that it is safe in the hands of Christ, the 'King of kings and Lord of lords' (Revelation 19:16)" (John Paul II, "Novo Millennio Ineunte," 35)...."
The above is courtesy of Zenit. More Easter reflections later.
"Theology in our day has developed a more balanced vision of the identity between the historical body of Christ born of Mary and his Eucharistic body. The tendency now is to rediscover the sacramental character of Christ's presence, which, however real and substantial, is not material... The very Jesus born of Mary, who "went about doing good to all" (Acts 10:38), who died on the cross and rose again on the third day, is really present in the world today, not merely in a vague and spiritual way, or, as some would say, in the "cause" he stood for. The Eucharist is the way Jesus invented to remain forever Emmanuel, God-with-us. This presence is a guarantee, not only for the Church, but for the entire world...
...We need to bear witness to this hope that is in us, rising up against the gloomy wind of pessimism blowing through our society. As the Pope writes in "Novo Millennio Ineunte," "We do not know what the new millennium has in store for us, but we are certain that it is safe in the hands of Christ, the 'King of kings and Lord of lords' (Revelation 19:16)" (John Paul II, "Novo Millennio Ineunte," 35)...."
The above is courtesy of Zenit. More Easter reflections later.
Saturday, March 26, 2005
David Brooks on Schiavo
Morality and Reality: "If you surveyed the avalanche of TV and print commentary that descended upon us this week, you found social conservatives would start the discussion with a moral argument about the sanctity of life, and then social liberals would immediately start talking about jurisdictions, legalisms, politics and procedures. They were more comfortable talking about at what level the decision should be taken than what the decision should be. "
Then, if social conservatives tried to push their moral claims, you'd find liberals accusing them of turning this country into a theocracy - which is an effort to cast all moral arguments beyond the realm of polite conversation."
Once moral argument is abandoned, there are no ethical checks, no universal standards, and everything is left to the convenience and sentiments of the individual survivors."
What I'm describing here is the clash of two serious but flawed arguments. The socially conservative argument has tremendous moral force, but doesn't accord with the reality we see when we walk through a hospice. The socially liberal argument is pragmatic, but lacks moral force."
No wonder many of us feel agonized this week, betwixt and between, as that poor woman slowly dehydrates."
Then, if social conservatives tried to push their moral claims, you'd find liberals accusing them of turning this country into a theocracy - which is an effort to cast all moral arguments beyond the realm of polite conversation."
Once moral argument is abandoned, there are no ethical checks, no universal standards, and everything is left to the convenience and sentiments of the individual survivors."
What I'm describing here is the clash of two serious but flawed arguments. The socially conservative argument has tremendous moral force, but doesn't accord with the reality we see when we walk through a hospice. The socially liberal argument is pragmatic, but lacks moral force."
No wonder many of us feel agonized this week, betwixt and between, as that poor woman slowly dehydrates."
Friday, March 25, 2005
Victor Davis Hanson Rips Ward Churchill and Academia
It's friday and time for VDH - Victor Davis Hanson on Ward Churchill :
"Churchill's presence on campus is like the weaving driver who is pulled over by the state police, who quickly find no license, registration, or insurance, but plenty of warrants and thus wonder how many other paroled miscreants they've missed out there, one accident away from being a public-relations nightmare."
So, again, does this Ward Churchill even exist?
Of course not: His faces are made up of whole cloth.
Yet instead of seeing Churchill as no man, it is better to envision him as an academic everyman. In the alternate universe of the modern campus, any collective imbalance of wealth, education, health, happiness, or almost anything is explicable only in terms of deliberate present discrimination and systematic past oppression.
So who really is this strange creature who calls himself Keezjunnahbeh? The Paris Hilton of the campus, a Peter Sellers-like fraud in his own Being There, or a Tony Randall turning into all sorts of strange beasts in Dr. Lao’s circus? He is nobody in fact, but also everybody in theory.
Perhaps it is best to think of Churchill as our aging portrait of an academic Dorian Gray, in whom all the once-hallowed university’s vices and sins of the last half-century are now so deeply etched and lined."
"Churchill's presence on campus is like the weaving driver who is pulled over by the state police, who quickly find no license, registration, or insurance, but plenty of warrants and thus wonder how many other paroled miscreants they've missed out there, one accident away from being a public-relations nightmare."
So, again, does this Ward Churchill even exist?
Of course not: His faces are made up of whole cloth.
Yet instead of seeing Churchill as no man, it is better to envision him as an academic everyman. In the alternate universe of the modern campus, any collective imbalance of wealth, education, health, happiness, or almost anything is explicable only in terms of deliberate present discrimination and systematic past oppression.
So who really is this strange creature who calls himself Keezjunnahbeh? The Paris Hilton of the campus, a Peter Sellers-like fraud in his own Being There, or a Tony Randall turning into all sorts of strange beasts in Dr. Lao’s circus? He is nobody in fact, but also everybody in theory.
Perhaps it is best to think of Churchill as our aging portrait of an academic Dorian Gray, in whom all the once-hallowed university’s vices and sins of the last half-century are now so deeply etched and lined."
Henninger On Schiavo
Finally a sensible editorial on Schavio - from Daniel Henninger also in today's WSJ. OpinionJournal - Wonder Land:
"If we lived amid the wisdom of Solomon, Terri Schiavo would be turned over to her loving parents and family. If it is their wish to live out their lives attending the constant needs of their damaged child, so be it. However, we live in an age bereft of the wisdom of Solomon, and so Terri Schiavo is likely to die. That the American legal system is incapable of common sense is very upsetting, but I don't see why it should be found surprising or shocking."
"Democrats, and others, have accused Republicans and President Bush of playing politics with the Schiavo case. Let's hope so. Unlike most, this is a necessary politics that ought to draw the whole country into the argument."
"In 25 years, the baby boomers will be on the cusp of 85, becoming what a physician friend has called "history's healthiest generation of Alzheimer's patients." As the tsunami of red ink collapses the struts beneath the tar-paper shacks of Medicare and Social Security (which the Congressional elders say isn't broken) the "scarce resource" argument will re-emerge, with soothing persuasiveness, for triaging the most ill among us, very old or very young."
"The outpouring of support to give Terri Schiavo back to her parents may prove quixotic, but it ensures that these future questions of who lives and who dies won't be decided by the professional class alone in conferences and courtrooms. It will be done in full view, where it belongs."
Read this one as Henninger gives a true concise history of the legal proceedings in the Schavio case.
"If we lived amid the wisdom of Solomon, Terri Schiavo would be turned over to her loving parents and family. If it is their wish to live out their lives attending the constant needs of their damaged child, so be it. However, we live in an age bereft of the wisdom of Solomon, and so Terri Schiavo is likely to die. That the American legal system is incapable of common sense is very upsetting, but I don't see why it should be found surprising or shocking."
"Democrats, and others, have accused Republicans and President Bush of playing politics with the Schiavo case. Let's hope so. Unlike most, this is a necessary politics that ought to draw the whole country into the argument."
"In 25 years, the baby boomers will be on the cusp of 85, becoming what a physician friend has called "history's healthiest generation of Alzheimer's patients." As the tsunami of red ink collapses the struts beneath the tar-paper shacks of Medicare and Social Security (which the Congressional elders say isn't broken) the "scarce resource" argument will re-emerge, with soothing persuasiveness, for triaging the most ill among us, very old or very young."
"The outpouring of support to give Terri Schiavo back to her parents may prove quixotic, but it ensures that these future questions of who lives and who dies won't be decided by the professional class alone in conferences and courtrooms. It will be done in full view, where it belongs."
Read this one as Henninger gives a true concise history of the legal proceedings in the Schavio case.
WSJ: Good Friday Editorial on Terri Schiavo
OpinionJournal:
"On this Good Friday, in the holiest week of the Christian calendar, Americans of various religious beliefs are keeping vigil for a woman many of them had never heard of until one week ago. If Terri Schiavo's ordeal, and that of her husband and parents, can help our society reach a better understanding of how to deal with these difficult issues, that will be a worthwhile legacy. "
"On this Good Friday, in the holiest week of the Christian calendar, Americans of various religious beliefs are keeping vigil for a woman many of them had never heard of until one week ago. If Terri Schiavo's ordeal, and that of her husband and parents, can help our society reach a better understanding of how to deal with these difficult issues, that will be a worthwhile legacy. "
Me, Sugar Land Texas and Tom Delay
I really love Texas. The first time I got off a plane in Houston and asked for directions I clearly remember the girl that smiled after she helped me then said, "you sound like you're from up around Dallas," which was pretty nice to hear for a mountain boy from North Carolina. And as I was leaving to go home as usual I had to change something (always trying to score first class) and the girl at the USAir counter when she looked at my ticket back to Charlotte asked me where I was going which was North Wilkesboro where I lived at the time. She said, "I'm from Miller's Creek and I'll get you home in style! You come see me every trip and I'll take care of you and hear about home." If you don't know NC, Miller's Creek is a "suburb" of North Wilkesboro. Believe me I always found her on every trip to Houston (I love Houston) and we always had a nice talk and I usually had a nice trip back home. I don't know where she is now but I wish her well.
Oh, here's the Tom Delay part:
"Drive down U.S. Highway 59 from downtown Houston, and you take a sociological journey from the city's old, urban center to the picturesque suburbs of neighboring Fort Bend County. You also embark on a political odyssey, from the traditional precincts of the Texas Democratic Party to Sugar Land, the home of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay."
"...for the lion's share of Mr. DeLay's supporters in Texas, the ethical charges against the majority leader amount to little more than a partisan witch-hunt by a Democratic district attorney in Austin, Ronnie Earle, and the Democratic leadership in Washington--the not-so-unexpected result of unseating six congressional incumbents."
"...Like his experience as a foster parent, his advocacy for abused children and his small business roots, Rep. DeLay's down-home ordinariness is at odds with his ominous Capitol Hill reputation as "The Hammer."
I also learned in my many visits to Texas that there is no politics quite like Texas politics - Texas is where I first learned how and why to lobby for changes...
Oh, here's the Tom Delay part:
"Drive down U.S. Highway 59 from downtown Houston, and you take a sociological journey from the city's old, urban center to the picturesque suburbs of neighboring Fort Bend County. You also embark on a political odyssey, from the traditional precincts of the Texas Democratic Party to Sugar Land, the home of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay."
"...for the lion's share of Mr. DeLay's supporters in Texas, the ethical charges against the majority leader amount to little more than a partisan witch-hunt by a Democratic district attorney in Austin, Ronnie Earle, and the Democratic leadership in Washington--the not-so-unexpected result of unseating six congressional incumbents."
"...Like his experience as a foster parent, his advocacy for abused children and his small business roots, Rep. DeLay's down-home ordinariness is at odds with his ominous Capitol Hill reputation as "The Hammer."
I also learned in my many visits to Texas that there is no politics quite like Texas politics - Texas is where I first learned how and why to lobby for changes...
A Real Life Reason for School Vouchers
Courtesy of the WSJ & Taranto's Best of the Web Today:
"A Bronx teacher who repeatedly flunked his state certification exam paid a formerly homeless man with a developmental disorder $2 to take the test for him, authorities said yesterday. The illegal stand-in - who looks nothing like teacher Wayne Brightly - not only passed the high-stakes test, he scored so much better than the teacher had previously that the state knew something was wrong, officials said.
'I was pressured into it. He threatened me,' the bogus test-taker Rubin Leitner told the Daily News yesterday after Special Schools Investigator Richard Condon revealed the scam." "I gave him my all," said Leitner, 58, who suffers from Asperger's syndrome, a disorder similar to autism. "He gave me what he thought I was worth."
Brightly, 38, a teacher at one of the city's worst schools, Middle School 142, allegedly concocted the plot to swap identities with Leitner last summer. If he failed the state exam again, Brightly risked losing his $59,000-a-year job. "I'm tired of taking this test and failing," Brightly told Leitner, according to Condon's probe. "I want you to help me."
Along with being much smarter than Brightly, Leitner is 20 years older. He also is white and overweight while Brightly is black and thin. Yet none of those glaring differences apparently worried Brightly."
"He said no one would ever know," Leitner said outside the Brownsville, Brooklyn, building he has called home since briefly living on the streets.
The two men met years ago at Brooklyn College where Leitner earned bachelor's and master's degrees in history in the late 1970s, and Brightly got a bachelor's degree in 1992. After meeting in the alumni office, Leitner began tutoring the teacher as he struggled to pass the state exam, officials said."
About 19,000 teachers across the state take the certification exam each year and roughly 95% pass. Teachers are required to be certified - but the city has a temporary waiver from the state because the Education Department has not been able to find enough qualified instructors."
Unbelieveable.
"A Bronx teacher who repeatedly flunked his state certification exam paid a formerly homeless man with a developmental disorder $2 to take the test for him, authorities said yesterday. The illegal stand-in - who looks nothing like teacher Wayne Brightly - not only passed the high-stakes test, he scored so much better than the teacher had previously that the state knew something was wrong, officials said.
'I was pressured into it. He threatened me,' the bogus test-taker Rubin Leitner told the Daily News yesterday after Special Schools Investigator Richard Condon revealed the scam." "I gave him my all," said Leitner, 58, who suffers from Asperger's syndrome, a disorder similar to autism. "He gave me what he thought I was worth."
Brightly, 38, a teacher at one of the city's worst schools, Middle School 142, allegedly concocted the plot to swap identities with Leitner last summer. If he failed the state exam again, Brightly risked losing his $59,000-a-year job. "I'm tired of taking this test and failing," Brightly told Leitner, according to Condon's probe. "I want you to help me."
Along with being much smarter than Brightly, Leitner is 20 years older. He also is white and overweight while Brightly is black and thin. Yet none of those glaring differences apparently worried Brightly."
"He said no one would ever know," Leitner said outside the Brownsville, Brooklyn, building he has called home since briefly living on the streets.
The two men met years ago at Brooklyn College where Leitner earned bachelor's and master's degrees in history in the late 1970s, and Brightly got a bachelor's degree in 1992. After meeting in the alumni office, Leitner began tutoring the teacher as he struggled to pass the state exam, officials said."
About 19,000 teachers across the state take the certification exam each year and roughly 95% pass. Teachers are required to be certified - but the city has a temporary waiver from the state because the Education Department has not been able to find enough qualified instructors."
Unbelieveable.
Pope is "serenely giving himself to the will of God"
Times Online: "THE POPE is "serenely abandoning himself to God's will," according to a senior Vatican cardinal. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the head of the Congregation of Bishops, made his comments during a sermon at a Maundy Thursday Chrism Mass at St Peter's, in Rome, where he was standing in for the ailing Pope John Paul II.
Senior Roman Catholic sources in London emphasised last night that the comments referred to the Pope's spiritual rather than physical health, but acknowledged that his health was deteriorating... " "Cardinal Re said: “We want to thank him for the witness he continues to give us even through his example of serene abandonment to God, which he links to the mystery of the Cross.” At the start of the Mass, the Cardinal read a message from the Pope. It said: “I am united ideally with all of you who are gathered in the Vatican basilica. Via television from my apartment, my dearest ones, I am spiritually with you.”
Maundy Thursday is the day that Catholics commemorate the founding of the priesthood. On this day priests renew the vows they first took when they were ordained."
Senior Roman Catholic sources in London emphasised last night that the comments referred to the Pope's spiritual rather than physical health, but acknowledged that his health was deteriorating... " "Cardinal Re said: “We want to thank him for the witness he continues to give us even through his example of serene abandonment to God, which he links to the mystery of the Cross.” At the start of the Mass, the Cardinal read a message from the Pope. It said: “I am united ideally with all of you who are gathered in the Vatican basilica. Via television from my apartment, my dearest ones, I am spiritually with you.”
Maundy Thursday is the day that Catholics commemorate the founding of the priesthood. On this day priests renew the vows they first took when they were ordained."
Thursday, March 24, 2005
In Love With Death: The Bizarre Passion of the pull-the-tube People- Peggy Noonan
OpinionJournal - Peggy Noonan:
"God made the world or he didn't.
God made you or he didn't.
If he did, your little human life is, and has been, touched by the divine. If this is true, it would be true of all humans, not only some. And so--again, if it is true--each human life is precious, of infinite value, worthy of great respect. Most--not all, but probably most--of those who support Terri Schiavo's right to live believe the above. This explains their passion and emotionalism. They believe they are fighting for an invaluable and irreplaceable human life."
You really, really need to read all of this.
"God made the world or he didn't.
God made you or he didn't.
If he did, your little human life is, and has been, touched by the divine. If this is true, it would be true of all humans, not only some. And so--again, if it is true--each human life is precious, of infinite value, worthy of great respect. Most--not all, but probably most--of those who support Terri Schiavo's right to live believe the above. This explains their passion and emotionalism. They believe they are fighting for an invaluable and irreplaceable human life."
You really, really need to read all of this.
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
WFB on Terri Schiavo
Buckley on Schiavo: "Was the court system in Florida, then, acquiescing in death by pain for Mrs. Schiavo? A doctor consulted by one television analyst brushed aside the question, in language not readily transcribed by a layman. He seemed to be saying that Mrs. Schiavo would not suffer pain as the term is commonly understood.
But that question was not directly accosted by the judge, who said only that Terri's rights had not been abrogated. It was unseemly for critics to compare her end with that of victims of the Nazi regime. There was never a more industrious inquiry, than in the Schiavo case, into the matter of rights formal and inchoate. It is simply wrong, whatever is felt about the eventual abandonment of her by her husband, to use the killing language. She was kept alive for fifteen years, underwent a hundred medical ministrations, all of them in service of an abstraction, which was that she wanted to stay alive. There are laws against force-feeding, and no one will know whether, if she had had the means to convey her will in the matter, she too would have said, Enough."
And I say to Mr. Buckley, perhaps Ms. Schiavo would have said and my be struggling now to say, "Let's keep trying..."
Who indeed are we to judge? I still think the wise words from President Bush stand - if in doubt, err on the side of life.
But that question was not directly accosted by the judge, who said only that Terri's rights had not been abrogated. It was unseemly for critics to compare her end with that of victims of the Nazi regime. There was never a more industrious inquiry, than in the Schiavo case, into the matter of rights formal and inchoate. It is simply wrong, whatever is felt about the eventual abandonment of her by her husband, to use the killing language. She was kept alive for fifteen years, underwent a hundred medical ministrations, all of them in service of an abstraction, which was that she wanted to stay alive. There are laws against force-feeding, and no one will know whether, if she had had the means to convey her will in the matter, she too would have said, Enough."
And I say to Mr. Buckley, perhaps Ms. Schiavo would have said and my be struggling now to say, "Let's keep trying..."
Who indeed are we to judge? I still think the wise words from President Bush stand - if in doubt, err on the side of life.
Fed Warns of Greater Inflation
The Grey Lady reports that "The Fed nudged up short-term interest rates for the seventh time in the last year, raising the federal funds rate on overnight loans between banks to 2.75 percent from 2.5 percent. It restated its intention to keep raising them at a 'measured' pace in the months ahead.
But in a departure from previous declarations, the central bank said there were rising inflationary pressures beyond those tied directly to the recent jumps in oil prices.
'Though longer-term inflation expectations remain well contained, pressures on inflation have picked up in recent months and pricing power is more evident,' the policy-making Federal Open Market Committee said in a statement.
The Fed also changed its assessment of risks to the economy. Last month, it said the risks to inflation and growth were 'roughly equal.' On Tuesday, it said the risks 'should be kept roughly equal,' but said its outlook was dependent on 'appropriate monetary policy action.' That implied that the Fed might have to take tougher action.
The hawkish new language jolted investors, who immediately raised their bets on the possibility of bigger rate increase by the end of June and higher long-term interest rates."
My prediction in this space on January 2, 2005: "I am rather bullish on the US economy, not worried about either trade deficits or what I see as temporary spending deficits, and slightly worried about inflation concerns starting middle to 3rdQ of 2005."
I am glad the Fed is agreeing with me once again.
But in a departure from previous declarations, the central bank said there were rising inflationary pressures beyond those tied directly to the recent jumps in oil prices.
'Though longer-term inflation expectations remain well contained, pressures on inflation have picked up in recent months and pricing power is more evident,' the policy-making Federal Open Market Committee said in a statement.
The Fed also changed its assessment of risks to the economy. Last month, it said the risks to inflation and growth were 'roughly equal.' On Tuesday, it said the risks 'should be kept roughly equal,' but said its outlook was dependent on 'appropriate monetary policy action.' That implied that the Fed might have to take tougher action.
The hawkish new language jolted investors, who immediately raised their bets on the possibility of bigger rate increase by the end of June and higher long-term interest rates."
My prediction in this space on January 2, 2005: "I am rather bullish on the US economy, not worried about either trade deficits or what I see as temporary spending deficits, and slightly worried about inflation concerns starting middle to 3rdQ of 2005."
I am glad the Fed is agreeing with me once again.
NC Editorial on Trusting the Gov'ment
The Kinston Free Press: "For most of my adult life, I have believed that, when dealing with social programs, the U.S. government has the reverse Midas touch.
Everything King Midas touched turned into gold. In the area of social programs, everything the U.S. government touches turns into piles of something no one would ever mistake for gold.
....Social Security is just one more example of what happens when government decides to do for us what we should be doing for ourselves. Because of our faith in government, we have learned to save less, spend more, and mortgage our future. In short, we citizens imitate U.S. fiscal policy in place since FDR was president.
Before you trust the federal government to handle your retirement or health care, look at the results of federal efforts to provide "public housing." Use the image of "housing projects" as a metaphor for "public pension plan."
Everything King Midas touched turned into gold. In the area of social programs, everything the U.S. government touches turns into piles of something no one would ever mistake for gold.
....Social Security is just one more example of what happens when government decides to do for us what we should be doing for ourselves. Because of our faith in government, we have learned to save less, spend more, and mortgage our future. In short, we citizens imitate U.S. fiscal policy in place since FDR was president.
Before you trust the federal government to handle your retirement or health care, look at the results of federal efforts to provide "public housing." Use the image of "housing projects" as a metaphor for "public pension plan."
Sen. Santorum on Death Penalty
Santorum rethinks death penalty stance: "'I felt very troubled about cases where someone may have been convicted wrongly. DNA evidence definitely should be used when possible,' he said.
'I agree with the pope that in the civilized world ... the application of the death penalty should be limited. I would definitely agree with that. I would certainly suggest there probably should be some further limits on what we use it for.'"
He spoke in a brief phone interview after the U.S. Catholic bishops launched a renewed push against the death penalty. Their poll showed that Catholics who attend Mass daily -- among the Americans most likely to have voted for President Bush -- also are among the most likely to oppose capital punishment.
Overall, the poll showed that Catholic opposition to the death penalty has grown from 27 percent in 2001 to 48 percent. Opposition jumps to 63 percent among daily Mass-goers -- making it 1 percent above the percentage of daily communicants who voted for Bush in 2004. Of those who say they only attend Mass on holidays, 62 percent support use of the death penalty."
See the article for a link to the actual poll.
'I agree with the pope that in the civilized world ... the application of the death penalty should be limited. I would definitely agree with that. I would certainly suggest there probably should be some further limits on what we use it for.'"
He spoke in a brief phone interview after the U.S. Catholic bishops launched a renewed push against the death penalty. Their poll showed that Catholics who attend Mass daily -- among the Americans most likely to have voted for President Bush -- also are among the most likely to oppose capital punishment.
Overall, the poll showed that Catholic opposition to the death penalty has grown from 27 percent in 2001 to 48 percent. Opposition jumps to 63 percent among daily Mass-goers -- making it 1 percent above the percentage of daily communicants who voted for Bush in 2004. Of those who say they only attend Mass on holidays, 62 percent support use of the death penalty."
See the article for a link to the actual poll.
Lenny Kravitz Remembers Bobby Short
"Another musician who heard Mr. Short at a tender age is funky rocker Lenny Kravitz. 'I've known Bobby Short since I was five years old,' he says. 'He was the person who coaxed my mother into marrying my father.' Mr. Kravitz admired Mr. Short's impeccable style--'the classiest gentleman I ever met in my life.' But above all, he loved the way Mr. Short put across a Gershwin or Porter tune. 'Bobby Short will remain my favorite artist of all time.'"
Rosett on the UN & Kofi Annan
OpinionJournal - The Real World: "The grand failure of the U.N. is that its system, its officials and most visibly its current secretary-general are still stuck in the central-planning mindset that was the hallmark of dictators and failed utopian dreams of the previous century. Mr. Annan's plan takes little practical account of a modern world in which competition, private enterprise and individual freedom are the principles of progress."
"...the real push for a better world on Mr. Annan's watch has come not from the U.N. but from a Bush administration that Mr. Annan has done plenty to thwart and revile. Mr. Annan includes high-sounding words in his report about U.N. "support" for elections in Iraq. They ring hollow when you consider that had Mr. Annan and the U.N. prevailed instead of Mr. Bush, Iraqis would still be living under Saddam (and the U.N. would still be running the rotten Oil for Food program).
How to reform the U.N. is a big question, in need of real debate and workable proposals from some quarter. What we got from Mr. Annan as he presented this latest menu for U.N. improvement was his warning that no one should pick and choose among his proposals "a la carte." Great. If he really wants all or nothing, the next move is to toss this report, and start looking for a secretary-general who can get it right."
Claudia Rosett is truly a great reporter and commentator. If she doesn't deserve the Pulitzer then no one does.
"...the real push for a better world on Mr. Annan's watch has come not from the U.N. but from a Bush administration that Mr. Annan has done plenty to thwart and revile. Mr. Annan includes high-sounding words in his report about U.N. "support" for elections in Iraq. They ring hollow when you consider that had Mr. Annan and the U.N. prevailed instead of Mr. Bush, Iraqis would still be living under Saddam (and the U.N. would still be running the rotten Oil for Food program).
How to reform the U.N. is a big question, in need of real debate and workable proposals from some quarter. What we got from Mr. Annan as he presented this latest menu for U.N. improvement was his warning that no one should pick and choose among his proposals "a la carte." Great. If he really wants all or nothing, the next move is to toss this report, and start looking for a secretary-general who can get it right."
Claudia Rosett is truly a great reporter and commentator. If she doesn't deserve the Pulitzer then no one does.
Krauthammer Proposes 'Terri's Law'
Between Travesty and Tragedy : "There is no good outcome to this case. Except perhaps if Florida and the other states were to amend their laws and resolve conflicts among loved ones differently -- by granting authority not necessarily to the spouse but to whatever first-degree relative (even if in the minority) chooses life and is committed to support it. Call it Terri's law. It would help prevent our having to choose in the future between travesty and tragedy. "
Besides being one of America's best original thinkers note that Charles Krauthammer is an M.D. The entire column is worthy of thought.
Besides being one of America's best original thinkers note that Charles Krauthammer is an M.D. The entire column is worthy of thought.
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Err on the Side of Life!
OpinionJournal - The Western Front:
"It is said that tough cases make bad law, and that's why it was wise for Congress to legislate only on this specific case rather than 'making law' for everyone.
But it is also true that extreme examples have a way of laying out cultural markers that help define our society. On stem cell research, cutting off federal funding of abortion clinics overseas, bringing faith-based groups into public policy and judicial nominations, President Bush has been nudging American society toward a culture of life. Now, by flying back to Washington and signing legislation well into the night, Mr. Bush is laying out a cultural marker. The president of the United States is saying, We're for life. That's not political pandering. It's the rise of a cultural movement. "
"It is said that tough cases make bad law, and that's why it was wise for Congress to legislate only on this specific case rather than 'making law' for everyone.
But it is also true that extreme examples have a way of laying out cultural markers that help define our society. On stem cell research, cutting off federal funding of abortion clinics overseas, bringing faith-based groups into public policy and judicial nominations, President Bush has been nudging American society toward a culture of life. Now, by flying back to Washington and signing legislation well into the night, Mr. Bush is laying out a cultural marker. The president of the United States is saying, We're for life. That's not political pandering. It's the rise of a cultural movement. "
Monday, March 21, 2005
Federalist Patriot Reader on Schavio
A reader of the Federalist Patriot (an email letter available free) sent in the following in response to the Schiavo situation:
"And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.' Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink'." --Matthew 25:40-42
Go to link for free e-letter.
"And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.' Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink'." --Matthew 25:40-42
Go to link for free e-letter.
We Derived Our Law from the English?
From the Telegraph:
"A teenage criminal who received 567,000 [pounds] in compensation after falling through a roof while trespassing boasted about his wealth yesterday, saying that he was looking forward to buying 'a few houses and a flash car'.
Murphy received his compensation after suing the company that owned the warehouse. He claimed that if the perimeter fence had not been in disrepair he would not have been able to gain entry and suffer his injuries."
"A teenage criminal who received 567,000 [pounds] in compensation after falling through a roof while trespassing boasted about his wealth yesterday, saying that he was looking forward to buying 'a few houses and a flash car'.
Murphy received his compensation after suing the company that owned the warehouse. He claimed that if the perimeter fence had not been in disrepair he would not have been able to gain entry and suffer his injuries."
Followup on Republican Editor: Fired
On the republican Playgirl editor-in-chief from DRUDGE:
"Zipp, in an e-mail, claims she was fired after an onslaught of liberal backlash.
'Hello Drudge,
'After your coverage of my article about coming out and voting Republican, I did receive many letters of support from fellow Republican voters, but it was not without repercussions. Criticism from the liberal left ensued. A few days after the onslaught of liberal backlash, I was released from my duties at Playgirl magazine.
'After underlings expressed their disinterest of working for an outed Republican editor, I have a strong suspicion that my position was no longer valued by Playgirl executives. I also received a phone call from a leading official from Playgirl magazine, in which he stated with a laugh, 'I wouldn't have hired you if I knew you were a Republican."
"Zipp, in an e-mail, claims she was fired after an onslaught of liberal backlash.
'Hello Drudge,
'After your coverage of my article about coming out and voting Republican, I did receive many letters of support from fellow Republican voters, but it was not without repercussions. Criticism from the liberal left ensued. A few days after the onslaught of liberal backlash, I was released from my duties at Playgirl magazine.
'After underlings expressed their disinterest of working for an outed Republican editor, I have a strong suspicion that my position was no longer valued by Playgirl executives. I also received a phone call from a leading official from Playgirl magazine, in which he stated with a laugh, 'I wouldn't have hired you if I knew you were a Republican."
Terri Schiavo and Elian Gonzales
From The American Thinker courtesy of The Corner:
"...a striking parallel between the Terri Schiavo and the Elian Gonzales cases:
In each case, the victim is under the legal control of a man who is no longer living with the victim, who in fact has run off with another woman and fathered her children, and who no longer plays an active role in the victim's life. In Terri's case, this is her husband. In Elian's case, it's his father. Moreover, in each case there are people willing and able to care for the victim- Terri's parents; Elian's relatives in Miami. Yet in each case, the man with legal control insists that the victim be harmed: Terri killed, Elian shipped back to Castro's Cuba. And in each case, the liberals who never shut up about their concern for the weak and the oppressed have sided with the creep against the victim."
"...a striking parallel between the Terri Schiavo and the Elian Gonzales cases:
In each case, the victim is under the legal control of a man who is no longer living with the victim, who in fact has run off with another woman and fathered her children, and who no longer plays an active role in the victim's life. In Terri's case, this is her husband. In Elian's case, it's his father. Moreover, in each case there are people willing and able to care for the victim- Terri's parents; Elian's relatives in Miami. Yet in each case, the man with legal control insists that the victim be harmed: Terri killed, Elian shipped back to Castro's Cuba. And in each case, the liberals who never shut up about their concern for the weak and the oppressed have sided with the creep against the victim."
Roger L. Simon's Reader Comments from Her Heart on Schiavo
Roger L. Simon: Mystery Novelist and Screenwriter:
"I've been heartsick over Terri Schiavo and her family since Friday, so I'm grateful to Roger for offering me a guest spot to talk about it.
Terri Schiavo is being killed because she has brain damage.
She is not dying-or wasn't until yesterday, when a Florida judge ordered her doctors to withhold food and water-and she is not on life support. Nor did she write a living will.
I can barely stand to think of Terri Schiavo's family, what they are going through. Like me, they are the parents of a child with special needs. Also like me, at times in my own life, they are seen by the experts as delusional. It is obvious to our elites-to the usual suspects-that the Schiavo's don't understand their child's condition."
They are not realistic.
We spend a lot of time on this blog protesting foreign policy realism.
But I don't think I've ever mentioned that my own aversion to foreign policy realism grew naturally out of my experience with the Terri Schiavo kind of realism. My husband and I have been battling that particular brand of realism for a long time now, and my proudest moment as a parent was & remains the day I told a school administrator, who had just said he 'had to be realistic,' that in our household we don't believe in realism.
That shut his water off.
As it turns out, every time I've been optimistic while others were being realistic, I've been right and they've been wrong. So I stay away from the realists. I work with the doctors and teachers who will take a chance on a child.
Terri Schiavo's parents have hope that their daughter's functioning can be improved or perhaps one day cured with treatment, therapy, and emerging knowledge.
They may be right, they may be wrong. Or they may be ahead of their time, because one day brain damage will be repairable. That's my bet.
In the meantime they choose to love and care for their daughter.
Her legal husband chooses to starve her to death.
If he starved his dog, he'd be arrested.
I wasn't going to complain about the media or the Democrats, because there can't be too many people in favor of deliberately starving a brain-damaged woman to death.
But then I read this New York Times article - Experts Say Ending Feeding Can Lead to a Gentle Death
Why is it I feel that if Terri Schiavo were a brain-damaged Iraqi prisoner whose food and water had been ordered withheld, the TIMES would not be hastening to tell us that death by dehydration is gentle and dignified, not a horrific thing at all?
Catherine Johnson"
I don't need to say a word.
"I've been heartsick over Terri Schiavo and her family since Friday, so I'm grateful to Roger for offering me a guest spot to talk about it.
Terri Schiavo is being killed because she has brain damage.
She is not dying-or wasn't until yesterday, when a Florida judge ordered her doctors to withhold food and water-and she is not on life support. Nor did she write a living will.
I can barely stand to think of Terri Schiavo's family, what they are going through. Like me, they are the parents of a child with special needs. Also like me, at times in my own life, they are seen by the experts as delusional. It is obvious to our elites-to the usual suspects-that the Schiavo's don't understand their child's condition."
They are not realistic.
We spend a lot of time on this blog protesting foreign policy realism.
But I don't think I've ever mentioned that my own aversion to foreign policy realism grew naturally out of my experience with the Terri Schiavo kind of realism. My husband and I have been battling that particular brand of realism for a long time now, and my proudest moment as a parent was & remains the day I told a school administrator, who had just said he 'had to be realistic,' that in our household we don't believe in realism.
That shut his water off.
As it turns out, every time I've been optimistic while others were being realistic, I've been right and they've been wrong. So I stay away from the realists. I work with the doctors and teachers who will take a chance on a child.
Terri Schiavo's parents have hope that their daughter's functioning can be improved or perhaps one day cured with treatment, therapy, and emerging knowledge.
They may be right, they may be wrong. Or they may be ahead of their time, because one day brain damage will be repairable. That's my bet.
In the meantime they choose to love and care for their daughter.
Her legal husband chooses to starve her to death.
If he starved his dog, he'd be arrested.
I wasn't going to complain about the media or the Democrats, because there can't be too many people in favor of deliberately starving a brain-damaged woman to death.
But then I read this New York Times article - Experts Say Ending Feeding Can Lead to a Gentle Death
Why is it I feel that if Terri Schiavo were a brain-damaged Iraqi prisoner whose food and water had been ordered withheld, the TIMES would not be hastening to tell us that death by dehydration is gentle and dignified, not a horrific thing at all?
Catherine Johnson"
I don't need to say a word.
Mickey Kaus on Schiavo
Mickey Kaus:
"Opposition to the Florida court's ruling seems like a legitimate protest against what appears to be a disingenuous machinery of euthanasia lawyers are busy establishing under the guise of a 'right to die' (a right Terry Schiavo can only be said to be exercising by an extremely suspect chain of reasoning). ... Our society is going to have to have this out at some point--why not now? And why isn't it a perfectly reasonable issue for the national legislature to address? ... P.S.: Emailer R.H. writes:
After the election, several Dems talked about extending some kind of olive branch to the religious right ...[snip] ... Isn't this a great opportunity for the Dems to make a symbolic gesture to pro-lifers that wouldn't hurt anybody except Terri Schiavo's creepy husband? But instead, Dems are once again telling the right -- in a swing state, no less -- to shut up and obey the courts ...."
"Opposition to the Florida court's ruling seems like a legitimate protest against what appears to be a disingenuous machinery of euthanasia lawyers are busy establishing under the guise of a 'right to die' (a right Terry Schiavo can only be said to be exercising by an extremely suspect chain of reasoning). ... Our society is going to have to have this out at some point--why not now? And why isn't it a perfectly reasonable issue for the national legislature to address? ... P.S.: Emailer R.H. writes:
After the election, several Dems talked about extending some kind of olive branch to the religious right ...[snip] ... Isn't this a great opportunity for the Dems to make a symbolic gesture to pro-lifers that wouldn't hurt anybody except Terri Schiavo's creepy husband? But instead, Dems are once again telling the right -- in a swing state, no less -- to shut up and obey the courts ...."
Sunday, March 20, 2005
George Will: Why Filibusters Should Be Allowed
Yes I post columns I agree with - even though this one is painful at least in the short term.
Why Filibusters Should Be Allowed
"Exempting judicial nominations from filibusters would enlarge presidential power. There has been much enlargement related to national security -- presidential war-making power is now unfettered, Congress's responsibility to declare war having become a nullity. Are conservatives, who once had a healthy wariness of presidential power, sure they want to further expand that power in domestic affairs? "
The Senate's institutional paralysis over judicial confirmations is a political problem for which there is a political solution: 60 Republican senators. The president believes that Democratic obstruction of judicial nominees contributed to Republican gains in 2002 and 2004. In 2006, 17 of the Democrats' seats and that of Sen. James Jeffords of Vermont, their collaborator, are up, five of them in states the president carried in 2004.
No Democratic filibuster can stop the 2006 elections. Those elections, however, might stop the Democrats' filibusters.
Why Filibusters Should Be Allowed
"Exempting judicial nominations from filibusters would enlarge presidential power. There has been much enlargement related to national security -- presidential war-making power is now unfettered, Congress's responsibility to declare war having become a nullity. Are conservatives, who once had a healthy wariness of presidential power, sure they want to further expand that power in domestic affairs? "
The Senate's institutional paralysis over judicial confirmations is a political problem for which there is a political solution: 60 Republican senators. The president believes that Democratic obstruction of judicial nominees contributed to Republican gains in 2002 and 2004. In 2006, 17 of the Democrats' seats and that of Sen. James Jeffords of Vermont, their collaborator, are up, five of them in states the president carried in 2004.
No Democratic filibuster can stop the 2006 elections. Those elections, however, might stop the Democrats' filibusters.
Freidman Recommends A Nobel for Sistani
Once again I find myself agreeing with Freidman. I must be getting soft or Tom is getting smarter.The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: A Nobel for Sistani: "The process of democratizing the Arab world is going to be long and bumpy. But the chances for success are immeasurably improved when we have partners from within the region who are legitimate, but have progressive instincts. That is Mr. Sistani. Lady Luck has shined on us by keeping alive this 75-year-old ayatollah, who resides in a small house in a narrow alley in Najaf and almost never goes out the door. How someone with his instincts and wisdom could have emerged from the train wreck that was Saddam Hussein's Iraq, I will never know. All I have to say is: May he live to be 120 - and give that man a Nobel Prize. "
MoDo Column I Like
X-celling Over Men:
"'Alas,' said one of the authors of the study, the Duke University genome expert Huntington Willard, 'genetically speaking, if you've met one man, you've met them all. We are, I hate to say it, predictable. You can't say that about women. Men and women are farther apart than we ever knew. It's not Mars or Venus. It's Mars or Venus, Pluto, Jupiter and who knows what other planets.'
Women are not only more different from men than we knew. Women are more different from each other than we knew - creatures of 'infinite variety,' as Shakespeare wrote."
"'Alas,' said one of the authors of the study, the Duke University genome expert Huntington Willard, 'genetically speaking, if you've met one man, you've met them all. We are, I hate to say it, predictable. You can't say that about women. Men and women are farther apart than we ever knew. It's not Mars or Venus. It's Mars or Venus, Pluto, Jupiter and who knows what other planets.'
Women are not only more different from men than we knew. Women are more different from each other than we knew - creatures of 'infinite variety,' as Shakespeare wrote."
Saturday, March 19, 2005
NYT Editorial on The Schiavo Case
The New York Times > Opinion > Editorial: The Schiavo Case:
"Meanwhile we can only lament the Republicans' theatrical effort to expand their so-called pro-life agenda to include intervening in a case already studied and litigated exhaustively under Florida law. Congress's rash assumption of judicial power and trampling on established state and federal constitutional precedents in 'right to die' cases is nothing short of breathtaking."
I will save my disgust for this opinion until a more calm moment.
"Meanwhile we can only lament the Republicans' theatrical effort to expand their so-called pro-life agenda to include intervening in a case already studied and litigated exhaustively under Florida law. Congress's rash assumption of judicial power and trampling on established state and federal constitutional precedents in 'right to die' cases is nothing short of breathtaking."
I will save my disgust for this opinion until a more calm moment.
On Corporate Blogs
"Web logs -- or blogs -- started as a way to talk about new technologies, vent about life and interact in a no-holds-barred forum. Since blogs became the next big thing, an increasing number of companies have come to see them as the next great public relations vehicle -- a way for executives to demonstrate their casual, interactive side.
But, of course, the executives do nothing of the sort. Their attempts at hip, guerrilla-style blogging are often pained -- and painful. "
Schwartz railed in a November entry titled "Stranger Than Fiction" against the have-someone-else-blog-for-me practice some executives use. "Who would've thought the world would come to this? Funny. My view, it's not a blogger that makes a blog effective. It's authenticity. Everything else is just along for the ride," he wrote, with a link to an eBay auction that ended in December that offered "Blogger for Hire -- Start or Improve Your Blog." It continued, "Hire a Successful Blogger for your Company." There were 30 bids, the winner grabbing the service for $3,350.
"I think it's going to be a while before we see actually that real honest transparency in public facing corporate Web logs," said Meg Hourihan, co-founder of Blogger, a software that allows people to create and host their own blogs. Google bought the company in 2003. "It would be nice if you could find a way to do it so it's not sanitized. Just sticking press releases on the front of the blog just doesn't cut it."
But, of course, the executives do nothing of the sort. Their attempts at hip, guerrilla-style blogging are often pained -- and painful. "
Schwartz railed in a November entry titled "Stranger Than Fiction" against the have-someone-else-blog-for-me practice some executives use. "Who would've thought the world would come to this? Funny. My view, it's not a blogger that makes a blog effective. It's authenticity. Everything else is just along for the ride," he wrote, with a link to an eBay auction that ended in December that offered "Blogger for Hire -- Start or Improve Your Blog." It continued, "Hire a Successful Blogger for your Company." There were 30 bids, the winner grabbing the service for $3,350.
"I think it's going to be a while before we see actually that real honest transparency in public facing corporate Web logs," said Meg Hourihan, co-founder of Blogger, a software that allows people to create and host their own blogs. Google bought the company in 2003. "It would be nice if you could find a way to do it so it's not sanitized. Just sticking press releases on the front of the blog just doesn't cut it."
Friday, March 18, 2005
It's Friday & VDH Wisdom
Victor Davis Hanson :
"At some point a Gore, Byrd, or Soros has a moral responsibility not to employ Nazi analogy, if for no other reason than to prevent unleashing even greater extremism by the unhinged. No doubt Abu Ali's lawyer one day soon will say that his disturbed client's 'musings' were no different from what he read from Knopf or in the Guardian - or that he simply fell under the influence of Moveon.org and thought it was his duty to remove the Bush/Nazi threat that even U.S. senators and presidential candidates had identified and warned about.
The final irony? The president who is most slandered as Hitler will probably prove to be the most zealous advocate of democratic government abroad, the staunchest friend of beleaguered Israel, and the greatest promoter of global individual freedom in our recent memory. In turn, too many of the Left who used to talk about idealism and morality have so often shown themselves mean-spirited, cynical, and without faith in the spiritual power of democracy.
What an eerie and depressing age we live in."
As always with Hanson read it all.
"At some point a Gore, Byrd, or Soros has a moral responsibility not to employ Nazi analogy, if for no other reason than to prevent unleashing even greater extremism by the unhinged. No doubt Abu Ali's lawyer one day soon will say that his disturbed client's 'musings' were no different from what he read from Knopf or in the Guardian - or that he simply fell under the influence of Moveon.org and thought it was his duty to remove the Bush/Nazi threat that even U.S. senators and presidential candidates had identified and warned about.
The final irony? The president who is most slandered as Hitler will probably prove to be the most zealous advocate of democratic government abroad, the staunchest friend of beleaguered Israel, and the greatest promoter of global individual freedom in our recent memory. In turn, too many of the Left who used to talk about idealism and morality have so often shown themselves mean-spirited, cynical, and without faith in the spiritual power of democracy.
What an eerie and depressing age we live in."
As always with Hanson read it all.
Roger L. Simon: Invade Europe
Roger L. Simon: Mystery Novelist and Screenwriter:
"61.5% of post-war Iraqis now feel their country is headed in the right direction as opposed to 23.2 thinking negatively, a stunning differential of nearly 40% which dwarfs any similar polls I have ever seen about America and Europe. The only conclusion we can draw from this is perhaps we should have invaded Europe. It would have cheered them up."
"61.5% of post-war Iraqis now feel their country is headed in the right direction as opposed to 23.2 thinking negatively, a stunning differential of nearly 40% which dwarfs any similar polls I have ever seen about America and Europe. The only conclusion we can draw from this is perhaps we should have invaded Europe. It would have cheered them up."
What's Left? Shame. WaPo on Middle East
What's Left? Shame. (washingtonpost.com): "Those who claimed, with great certainty, that Arabs are an exception to the human tendency toward freedom, that they live in a stunted and distorted culture that makes them love their chains -- and that the notion the United States could help trigger a democratic revolution by militarily deposing their oppressors was a fantasy -- have been proved wrong. "
...The international left's concern for human rights turns out to be nothing more than a useful weapon for its anti-Americanism. Jeane Kirkpatrick pointed out this selective concern for the victims of U.S. allies (such as Chile) 25 years ago. After the Cold War, the hypocrisy continues. For which Arab people do European hearts burn? The Palestinians. Why? Because that permits the vilification of Israel -- an outpost of Western democracy and, even worse, a staunch U.S. ally. Championing suffering Iraqis, Syrians and Lebanese offers no such satisfaction. Hence, silence.
Until now. Now that the real Arab street has risen to claim rights that the West takes for granted, the left takes note. It is forced to acknowledge that those brutish Americans led by their simpleton cowboy might have been right. It has no choice. It is shamed. A Lebanese, amid a sea of a million other Lebanese, raises a placard reading "Thank you, George W. Bush," and all that Euro-pretense, moral and intellectual, collapses.
...The international left's concern for human rights turns out to be nothing more than a useful weapon for its anti-Americanism. Jeane Kirkpatrick pointed out this selective concern for the victims of U.S. allies (such as Chile) 25 years ago. After the Cold War, the hypocrisy continues. For which Arab people do European hearts burn? The Palestinians. Why? Because that permits the vilification of Israel -- an outpost of Western democracy and, even worse, a staunch U.S. ally. Championing suffering Iraqis, Syrians and Lebanese offers no such satisfaction. Hence, silence.
Until now. Now that the real Arab street has risen to claim rights that the West takes for granted, the left takes note. It is forced to acknowledge that those brutish Americans led by their simpleton cowboy might have been right. It has no choice. It is shamed. A Lebanese, amid a sea of a million other Lebanese, raises a placard reading "Thank you, George W. Bush," and all that Euro-pretense, moral and intellectual, collapses.
Andrew C. McCarthy on Terri Schiavo- Important!
Andrew C. McCarthy on Terri Schiavo : "...there is, of course, no greater iniquity than treating two unequal things as if they were the same. The Washington Post's editorial board should find another line of work if it cannot discern the difference between, on the one hand, a murderer who stands convicted despite having had had rich resort to various state and federal tribunals including a jury of his peers with the advantage of every legal and factual presumption our system can offer, and, on the other hand, an innocent woman who is alive and responsive to stimuli, who has parents ready and willing to care for her, and who is about to be subjected to two weeks of torture, starving and dehydration that the Washington Post would have a cow over if it were applied, say, to interrogate Khalid Sheikh Mohammed."
The right of the innocent to live isn’t contingent on the good will of governments and courts. — It derives from a higher law, as does the obligation to defend it. That there is such a higher law is not just an American principle (see the Declaration of Independence), a conservative principle, or a Judeo-Christian principle. When those defending Terri Schiavo’s right to live reject the state of Florida’s antinomian determination that she may be slowly starved to death, they echo Sophocles’ Antigone, facing down King Creon, across the millennia:
For me it was not Zeus who made that order.
Nor did that Justice who lives with the gods below
mark out such laws to hold among mankind.
Nor did I think your orders were so strong
that you, a mortal man, could over-run
the gods’ unwritten and unfailing laws.
Not now, nor yesterday’s, they always live,
and no one knows their origin in time.
So not through fear of any man’s proud spirit
would I be likely to neglect these laws,
draw on myself the gods’ sure punishment.
If the Post and others cannot see that, our answer must be Antigone’s:
And if you think my acts are foolishness
the foolishness may be in a fool’s eye.
The right of the innocent to live isn’t contingent on the good will of governments and courts. — It derives from a higher law, as does the obligation to defend it. That there is such a higher law is not just an American principle (see the Declaration of Independence), a conservative principle, or a Judeo-Christian principle. When those defending Terri Schiavo’s right to live reject the state of Florida’s antinomian determination that she may be slowly starved to death, they echo Sophocles’ Antigone, facing down King Creon, across the millennia:
For me it was not Zeus who made that order.
Nor did that Justice who lives with the gods below
mark out such laws to hold among mankind.
Nor did I think your orders were so strong
that you, a mortal man, could over-run
the gods’ unwritten and unfailing laws.
Not now, nor yesterday’s, they always live,
and no one knows their origin in time.
So not through fear of any man’s proud spirit
would I be likely to neglect these laws,
draw on myself the gods’ sure punishment.
If the Post and others cannot see that, our answer must be Antigone’s:
And if you think my acts are foolishness
the foolishness may be in a fool’s eye.
George F. Kennan Dies at 101
The New York Times > Washington > George F. Kennan Dies at 101; Leading Strategist of Cold War: "George F. Kennan, the American diplomat who did more than any other envoy of his generation to shape United States policy during the cold war, died on Thursday night in Princeton, N.J. He was 101.
Mr. Kennan was the man to whom the White House and the Pentagon turned when they sought to understand the Soviet Union after World War II. He conceived the cold-war policy of containment, the idea that the United States should stop the global spread of Communism by diplomacy, politics, and covert action - by any means short of war. "
If you don't know about Kennan and you have any concern about foreign policy a legand you need to know, understand and admire.
Mr. Kennan was the man to whom the White House and the Pentagon turned when they sought to understand the Soviet Union after World War II. He conceived the cold-war policy of containment, the idea that the United States should stop the global spread of Communism by diplomacy, politics, and covert action - by any means short of war. "
If you don't know about Kennan and you have any concern about foreign policy a legand you need to know, understand and admire.
Bob Dole - His Pain
Recent injury puts Dole in an all too familiar spot : "Mr. Dole who represented Kansas in Congress for 35 years has been coming to Walter Reed for physical therapy three times a week since a fall in January left him with a badly injured left shoulder and paralyzed left arm.
Finished with therapy for the morning, he slowly puts on his navy blue blazer and heads for the elevator, on his way back to his office downtown. Mr. Dole is special counsel for the law firm Alston & Bird, where he recently recruited former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, South Dakota Democrat, to join him.
As for the war in Iraq, Mr. Dole supports it.
"I think we did the right thing. ... I think President Bush has a vision of democracy that's going to materialize. But you don't like to go up there and see these guys. But I don't know how you avoid it. Most of these young guys are ready to go back. And you know, their mothers are there. Just like in World War II."
Asked how he would like his epitaph to read, Mr. Dole doesn't miss a beat: "Honor. Duty. Country."
Finished with therapy for the morning, he slowly puts on his navy blue blazer and heads for the elevator, on his way back to his office downtown. Mr. Dole is special counsel for the law firm Alston & Bird, where he recently recruited former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, South Dakota Democrat, to join him.
As for the war in Iraq, Mr. Dole supports it.
"I think we did the right thing. ... I think President Bush has a vision of democracy that's going to materialize. But you don't like to go up there and see these guys. But I don't know how you avoid it. Most of these young guys are ready to go back. And you know, their mothers are there. Just like in World War II."
Asked how he would like his epitaph to read, Mr. Dole doesn't miss a beat: "Honor. Duty. Country."
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Jokes for Saint Patrick's Day
Wet Miranda: "A young Irish girl goes into her priest on Saturday morning for confession.
'Father, forgive me for I have sinned.'
'You've sinnned?'
'Yes, I went out with me boyfriend Friday night. He held me hand twice, kissed me three times, and made love to me two times.'
'Daughter! I want you to go straight home, squeeze seven lemons into a glass, and drink it straight down.'
'Will that wash away me sin?'
'No, but it will get the silly smile off your face.'"
********************
An Irishman finds a Genie lamp and rubs it. Out comes the Genie and asks "Master you have released me from the lamp and I grant you three wishes, what would you like" Irishman scratches his head, then answers "A bottle of Guinness that never gets empty. "Granted master" retorted the Genie and
produced the bottle. The man was delighted and got drunk on this one magic Guiness bottle for weeks then he remembered that he had two other wishes. He rubbed the lamp again and the Genie appeared. "Yes master, you have two more wishes, what would you like?" "You know that magic, never ending Guinness bottle" he asks the Genies. "Well, for my final two wishes, I'd like another two
of them"
'Father, forgive me for I have sinned.'
'You've sinnned?'
'Yes, I went out with me boyfriend Friday night. He held me hand twice, kissed me three times, and made love to me two times.'
'Daughter! I want you to go straight home, squeeze seven lemons into a glass, and drink it straight down.'
'Will that wash away me sin?'
'No, but it will get the silly smile off your face.'"
********************
An Irishman finds a Genie lamp and rubs it. Out comes the Genie and asks "Master you have released me from the lamp and I grant you three wishes, what would you like" Irishman scratches his head, then answers "A bottle of Guinness that never gets empty. "Granted master" retorted the Genie and
produced the bottle. The man was delighted and got drunk on this one magic Guiness bottle for weeks then he remembered that he had two other wishes. He rubbed the lamp again and the Genie appeared. "Yes master, you have two more wishes, what would you like?" "You know that magic, never ending Guinness bottle" he asks the Genies. "Well, for my final two wishes, I'd like another two
of them"
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Byron York on Polling and Social Security
Byron York on Polling and Social Security : "'What people have been doing is judging Bush on things he hasn't been doing,' says the Republican pollster David Winston. 'Bush has just wanted to establish that there is a serious problem with Social Security, and he's done that. He hasn't really been trying to engage, the 'what's the best solution' question, although I think you're seeing him enter that phase now. But they want to judge him on how well people like his plan, which doesn't yet exist.'
That judgment leads to the assumption that the president is faltering. While that might ultimately prove correct, at the moment it seems safe to say that the president's position is as valid as that of his critics. For example, while the Post's print-edition story on its poll began, 'Three months after President Bush launched his drive to restructure Social Security by creating private investment accounts, public support for his program remains weak,' it might just as accurately have begun, 'Three months after Democratic leaders launched their drive to stop President Bush's plan to restructure Social Security by creating private investment accounts, public support for those accounts has risen to its highest level in four years.' Which interpretation more accurately describes what is going on?"
"...on the question of Social Security, the Times, like the Post, found substantial belief that the public supports some sort of action in the near future. For example, 68 percent of respondents told the Times that they believed the Social Security system was either in crisis or in serious trouble. And then 55 percent said that the system's problems are so serious that they must be fixed right now.
That sort of feeling is exactly what the White House wants to hear. It's not making it into the headlines, or the lead sentences, or sometimes even the entire stories, in the newspapers and network accounts of the Social Security battle. But it is going on, and the White House will be counting on it in the next few months."
That judgment leads to the assumption that the president is faltering. While that might ultimately prove correct, at the moment it seems safe to say that the president's position is as valid as that of his critics. For example, while the Post's print-edition story on its poll began, 'Three months after President Bush launched his drive to restructure Social Security by creating private investment accounts, public support for his program remains weak,' it might just as accurately have begun, 'Three months after Democratic leaders launched their drive to stop President Bush's plan to restructure Social Security by creating private investment accounts, public support for those accounts has risen to its highest level in four years.' Which interpretation more accurately describes what is going on?"
"...on the question of Social Security, the Times, like the Post, found substantial belief that the public supports some sort of action in the near future. For example, 68 percent of respondents told the Times that they believed the Social Security system was either in crisis or in serious trouble. And then 55 percent said that the system's problems are so serious that they must be fixed right now.
That sort of feeling is exactly what the White House wants to hear. It's not making it into the headlines, or the lead sentences, or sometimes even the entire stories, in the newspapers and network accounts of the Social Security battle. But it is going on, and the White House will be counting on it in the next few months."
More Scalia
Scalia Showing His Softer Side (washingtonpost.com): "Scalia made the case that his 'originalist' jurisprudence should be welcome to all -- even liberals. 'I have my rules that confine me,' he said. 'When I find it, the original meaning of the Constitution, I am handcuffed.' He said that's why he allows flag burning 'even though I don't like to' and strong jury-trial guarantees. 'Though I'm a law-and-order type, I cannot do all of the mean, conservative things I'd like to do to the society,' he said.
Scalia's message to Democratic senators: Hold your filibuster.
The justice made a point of showing that he can be crosswise with conservatives, even on a matter involving sexual orientation. 'Conservatives are willing to grow the Constitution to cover their favorite causes just as liberals are,' he said."
....
In his talk yesterday, Scalia acknowledged a certain notoriety. He expressed amusement that he is often asked " 'When did you first become an originalist?' like it's a weird affliction that seizes people, like 'When did you start eating human flesh?' " And he observed, with some pride: "My most important function on the Supreme Court is to tell the majority to take a walk."
He also showed there is no danger of him succumbing to the whims of political correctness. Discussing a case about the BMW painting process, he surmised that the vehicles' coating is "baked seven times in ovens deep in the Alps by dwarves."
But Scalia suggested that he is a last voice of reason and sanity at a time when much of the nation has been tempted into a nihilist theory of the Constitution as a "living document" capable of being stretched to fit whatever a judge wants. By contrast, he acknowledged that he is dispensing some "tough medicine" in leading people away from the "lovely fields" of former chief justice Earl Warren.
When it came time for questions, the newly visible justice made reference to his customary secrecy. Asked whether he'd like to answer on the dais or from the lectern, Scalia chose the latter. "I like to hide behind something," he said."
Scalia's message to Democratic senators: Hold your filibuster.
The justice made a point of showing that he can be crosswise with conservatives, even on a matter involving sexual orientation. 'Conservatives are willing to grow the Constitution to cover their favorite causes just as liberals are,' he said."
....
In his talk yesterday, Scalia acknowledged a certain notoriety. He expressed amusement that he is often asked " 'When did you first become an originalist?' like it's a weird affliction that seizes people, like 'When did you start eating human flesh?' " And he observed, with some pride: "My most important function on the Supreme Court is to tell the majority to take a walk."
He also showed there is no danger of him succumbing to the whims of political correctness. Discussing a case about the BMW painting process, he surmised that the vehicles' coating is "baked seven times in ovens deep in the Alps by dwarves."
But Scalia suggested that he is a last voice of reason and sanity at a time when much of the nation has been tempted into a nihilist theory of the Constitution as a "living document" capable of being stretched to fit whatever a judge wants. By contrast, he acknowledged that he is dispensing some "tough medicine" in leading people away from the "lovely fields" of former chief justice Earl Warren.
When it came time for questions, the newly visible justice made reference to his customary secrecy. Asked whether he'd like to answer on the dais or from the lectern, Scalia chose the latter. "I like to hide behind something," he said."
China Goes Nuclear to Combat Emissions
From "MarketWatch e-letter: Before The Bell" this morning:
"Liu Jiang, vice chairman of China's National Development and Reform Commission, said the country plans to rely heavily on nuclear energy to address climate change concerns that stem from its economic and population growth as well as its use of coal. Liu said nuclear energy "will be a priority" for China. He also told a gathering of energy and environment ministers in London that China will be one of the largest potential markets for nuclear development in the next 20 years."
This is a strategy I support for the United States as well. MarketWatch is a great business resource - all free with registration.
"Liu Jiang, vice chairman of China's National Development and Reform Commission, said the country plans to rely heavily on nuclear energy to address climate change concerns that stem from its economic and population growth as well as its use of coal. Liu said nuclear energy "will be a priority" for China. He also told a gathering of energy and environment ministers in London that China will be one of the largest potential markets for nuclear development in the next 20 years."
This is a strategy I support for the United States as well. MarketWatch is a great business resource - all free with registration.
Zogby: The Investor Class
John Zogby today in the WSJ discussed social security reform in terms of what he and his firm sees as the most important political demographic: The Investor Class. Zogby says,
"...Do you consider yourself to be a member of the investor class?"--is a far greater determinant of how they will vote and how they see their world than income, religion, race, marital status, or size of individual portfolio."
Here are his results:
" Investors Noninvestors
Bush Kerry Bush Kerry
All voters 61% 39% 42% 57%
Union members 57% 42% 36% 63%
18-29 years old 52% 47% 30% 67%
Women 55% 45% 37% 63%
Hispanics 60% 37% 43% 56%
$50-75K income 64% 36% 45% 55%
Single 45% 53% 25% 73%"
And Zogby's conclusion: "To the president and Republicans: You may lose the battle over Social Security personal accounts, but ultimately you may very well win the war over party realignment. To the Democrats: Just saying no is not a policy and demographics are not destiny. Ignore the "ownership society" at your own peril."
Important material (and with an easier to read chart), the article is here.
"...Do you consider yourself to be a member of the investor class?"--is a far greater determinant of how they will vote and how they see their world than income, religion, race, marital status, or size of individual portfolio."
Here are his results:
" Investors Noninvestors
Bush Kerry Bush Kerry
All voters 61% 39% 42% 57%
Union members 57% 42% 36% 63%
18-29 years old 52% 47% 30% 67%
Women 55% 45% 37% 63%
Hispanics 60% 37% 43% 56%
$50-75K income 64% 36% 45% 55%
Single 45% 53% 25% 73%"
And Zogby's conclusion: "To the president and Republicans: You may lose the battle over Social Security personal accounts, but ultimately you may very well win the war over party realignment. To the Democrats: Just saying no is not a policy and demographics are not destiny. Ignore the "ownership society" at your own peril."
Important material (and with an easier to read chart), the article is here.
Monday, March 14, 2005
The Great Mark Steyn on Bumper Stickers
The Spectator.co.uk:
"The other day I found myself, for the umpteenth time, driving in Vermont behind a Kerry/Edwards supporter whose vehicle also bore the slogan "FREE TIBET". It must be great to be the guy with the printing contract for the "FREE TIBET" stickers. Not so good to be the guy back in Tibet wondering when the freeing thereof will actually get under way. For a while, my otherwise not terribly political wife got extremely irritated by these stickers, demanding to know at a pancake breakfast at the local church what precisely some harmless hippy-dippy old neighbour of ours meant by the slogan he'd been proudly displaying decade in, decade out: "But what exactly are you doing to free Tibet?" she demanded. "You're not doing anything, are you?" "Give the guy a break," I said back home. "He's advertising his moral virtue, not calling for action. If Rumsfeld were to say, 'Free Tibet? Jiminy, what a swell idea! The Third Infantry Division go in on Thursday', the bumper-sticker crowd would be aghast."
But for those of us on the arrogant unilateralist side of things, that's not how it works. "FREE AFGHANISTAN". Done. "FREE IRAQ". Done. Given the paintwork I pull off every time I have to change the sticker, it might be easier for the remainder of the Bush presidency just to go around with "FREE [INSERT YOUR FETID TOTALITARIAN BASKET-CASE HERE]". Not in your name? Don't worry, it's not."
"The other day I found myself, for the umpteenth time, driving in Vermont behind a Kerry/Edwards supporter whose vehicle also bore the slogan "FREE TIBET". It must be great to be the guy with the printing contract for the "FREE TIBET" stickers. Not so good to be the guy back in Tibet wondering when the freeing thereof will actually get under way. For a while, my otherwise not terribly political wife got extremely irritated by these stickers, demanding to know at a pancake breakfast at the local church what precisely some harmless hippy-dippy old neighbour of ours meant by the slogan he'd been proudly displaying decade in, decade out: "But what exactly are you doing to free Tibet?" she demanded. "You're not doing anything, are you?" "Give the guy a break," I said back home. "He's advertising his moral virtue, not calling for action. If Rumsfeld were to say, 'Free Tibet? Jiminy, what a swell idea! The Third Infantry Division go in on Thursday', the bumper-sticker crowd would be aghast."
But for those of us on the arrogant unilateralist side of things, that's not how it works. "FREE AFGHANISTAN". Done. "FREE IRAQ". Done. Given the paintwork I pull off every time I have to change the sticker, it might be easier for the remainder of the Bush presidency just to go around with "FREE [INSERT YOUR FETID TOTALITARIAN BASKET-CASE HERE]". Not in your name? Don't worry, it's not."
WSJ on Social Security & Immigration
Usually two concepts that are unrelated but both are extremely hot and sensitive topics. From the WSJ: "With so much attention focused on illegal immigration, it's easy to forget that most foreigners come here legally. In addition to replenishing our workforce and spurring economic growth, these hard-working individuals help fund benefits for current and future retirees. And according to a new research paper by the National Foundation for American Policy, immigration will continue to affect Social Security regardless of whether Mr. Bush succeeds in modernizing the system with private accounts."
Immigration alone won't close the Social Security funding gap, so the sooner we begin moving away from the current system, the better. In recent House testimony, Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan repeated his support for "the general issue of increased immigration" because "it's good for the country," not because it will fix our Social Security problems, which run deeper. That said, immigration both buys us time and ultimately will help make entitlement reform easier. Even under the Bush Administration's proposal to divert a small portion of a worker's payroll tax into a private account, the bulk of the system would remain pay-as-you-go for many years to come.
Thus, a Bush-style guest-worker program, both to regulate the flow of new immigrants and legalize the undocumented workers already in the country, would do more than just improve homeland security. It would also bolster America's economic well-being."
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For what it's worth if you didn't already know I am for social Security reform with private accounts but I am against tough new immigration laws and prefer Bush's soft approach much to consternation of many Republicans and even many Democrats. Immigration will become a very devisive issue not easily separated by "red and blue."
My time in the great state of Texas convinced me of the value of workers originally from Mexico now working legally in the US. Also my experience with the assimilation of immigrants into the Catholic Church confirms my stance. More on this later.
Immigration alone won't close the Social Security funding gap, so the sooner we begin moving away from the current system, the better. In recent House testimony, Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan repeated his support for "the general issue of increased immigration" because "it's good for the country," not because it will fix our Social Security problems, which run deeper. That said, immigration both buys us time and ultimately will help make entitlement reform easier. Even under the Bush Administration's proposal to divert a small portion of a worker's payroll tax into a private account, the bulk of the system would remain pay-as-you-go for many years to come.
Thus, a Bush-style guest-worker program, both to regulate the flow of new immigrants and legalize the undocumented workers already in the country, would do more than just improve homeland security. It would also bolster America's economic well-being."
**********************
For what it's worth if you didn't already know I am for social Security reform with private accounts but I am against tough new immigration laws and prefer Bush's soft approach much to consternation of many Republicans and even many Democrats. Immigration will become a very devisive issue not easily separated by "red and blue."
My time in the great state of Texas convinced me of the value of workers originally from Mexico now working legally in the US. Also my experience with the assimilation of immigrants into the Catholic Church confirms my stance. More on this later.
Sunday, March 13, 2005
Tom Freidman on Economics and the Middle East
The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: New Signs on the Arab Street: "That is why, beyond Iraq, America's priorities should be to sign a free-trade agreement with Egypt - which would help foster an export-oriented private sector there just when President Mubarak has signaled an end to 50 years of military rule - and get Syria out of Lebanon, which would free the dynamic private sector that already exists there, but has been stifled by Syria. Free Lebanon and free Egypt's economy and they will change the rest of the Middle East for us - for free. "
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A must read!
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A must read!
Friday, March 11, 2005
Tax Advice - Personal Finance
Don't miss these most-overlooked deductions, credits - Financial - Financial Services - Personal Finance: "With a tax code thousands of pages long, it's no wonder Americans miss out on hefty sums every year in the form of missed deductions and credits."
...
"In 2002, the then-named General Accounting Office, Congress's investigative arm, found that taxpayers who could have itemized but didn't sacrificed $945 million, or about $438 per taxpayer on average.
And these days, even nonitemizers need to pay attention, as the number of above-the-line deductions grows, including the teachers' expense deduction for $250, the student-loan interest deduction of up to $2,500 and the higher-education tuition deduction up to $4,000.
Taxpayers need to watch out for overlooked credits too.
"The difference between a deduction and a credit is monumental. A deduction simply reduces your taxable income. A credit is a dollar-for-dollar offset against your tax liability," said Mark Steber, vice president of tax resources at Jackson Hewitt, a tax-services provider. Credits "have a much greater impact on your bottom line," he said.
...
"...While we may know we're missing them, we don't always know where to look. Jog your memory with the following list of often-overlooked deductions and credits.''
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Read the rest for some helpful reminders.
...
"In 2002, the then-named General Accounting Office, Congress's investigative arm, found that taxpayers who could have itemized but didn't sacrificed $945 million, or about $438 per taxpayer on average.
And these days, even nonitemizers need to pay attention, as the number of above-the-line deductions grows, including the teachers' expense deduction for $250, the student-loan interest deduction of up to $2,500 and the higher-education tuition deduction up to $4,000.
Taxpayers need to watch out for overlooked credits too.
"The difference between a deduction and a credit is monumental. A deduction simply reduces your taxable income. A credit is a dollar-for-dollar offset against your tax liability," said Mark Steber, vice president of tax resources at Jackson Hewitt, a tax-services provider. Credits "have a much greater impact on your bottom line," he said.
...
"...While we may know we're missing them, we don't always know where to look. Jog your memory with the following list of often-overlooked deductions and credits.''
*************
Read the rest for some helpful reminders.
Anecdote from Nordlinger
Jay Nordlinger's Impromptus on National Review Online:
"Jay, I [Jay's reader not Anderson] was in a chat room discussing politics/flirting with a girl. Well, she made some quip about how we pay to rebuild Iraq, but the terrorists don't pay to rebuild the WTC and this is Bush's fault. So I said, 'Well, they're terrorists, they blow up buildings, we kill them, and then we help whoever's left rebuild. Sure it costs more money, but it's why we're the good guys and they're the bad guys.'
Her response: 'You must be a Republican.' Man, that says a lot. Does it ever!"
****************
Nordlinger cuts to the chase and his columns are insightful and hilarious. Mr. Nordlinger is a well published music critic in NYC as well as a political writer and is a frequent contributor to The New Criterion and other mags.
"Jay, I [Jay's reader not Anderson] was in a chat room discussing politics/flirting with a girl. Well, she made some quip about how we pay to rebuild Iraq, but the terrorists don't pay to rebuild the WTC and this is Bush's fault. So I said, 'Well, they're terrorists, they blow up buildings, we kill them, and then we help whoever's left rebuild. Sure it costs more money, but it's why we're the good guys and they're the bad guys.'
Her response: 'You must be a Republican.' Man, that says a lot. Does it ever!"
****************
Nordlinger cuts to the chase and his columns are insightful and hilarious. Mr. Nordlinger is a well published music critic in NYC as well as a political writer and is a frequent contributor to The New Criterion and other mags.
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
The New York Times News Analysis: For Bush, a Taste of Vindication in Mideast
More shocking pain from The New York Times > International > Middle East > News Analysis: For Bush, a Taste of Vindication in Mideast: "...predecessors in the Oval Office, his father and Bill Clinton, both spoke of the latest signs of progress in an appearance at the White House. The first President Bush was restrained, pronouncing himself 'very pleased,' but cautioning that much work remained to be done.
Mr. Clinton was more ebullient, noting that the Iraqi elections 'went better than anyone could have imagined.' In Lebanon, he said, 'the Syrians are going to have to get out of there and give the Lebanese their country back, and I think the fact that the Lebanese are in the street demanding it is wonderful.'
Asked about huge demonstrations on Tuesday, sponsored by Hezbollah, that demanded just the opposite, Mr. Clinton said: 'I find it inconceivable that most Lebanese wouldn't like it if they had their country back. You know, they want their country back and they ought to get it.'"
****
"...even as sharp and consistent a critic of Mr. Bush's foreign policy as Senator Edward M. Kennedy, the Massachusetts Democrat, gives Mr. Bush some credit for the latest stirrings of liberty along the eastern Mediterranean.
"What's taken place in a number of those countries is enormously constructive," Mr. Kennedy said on Sunday on the ABC News program "This Week." "It's a reflection the president has been involved."
Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, Democrat of Connecticut and a frequent ally of Mr. Bush on national security affairs, was in the audience for his speech on Tuesday and was more effusive.
"Look, this moment in the Middle East has the feel of Central and Eastern Europe around the collapse of the Berlin Wall," he said in a telephone interview. "It's a very different historical and political context, and we all understand that democracy in the Middle East is in its infancy. But something is happening."
Mr. Lieberman said Mr. Bush deserved credit for at least two things: the overthrow of Saddam Hussein and the continued American military presence in Iraq, which he said showed "the proven willingness of the United States to put its power behind its principles."
Indeed, Mr. Bush cast the United States' current posture in a long, bipartisan tradition of American foreign policy, from Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points to Franklin D. Roosevelt's Four Freedoms, Harry S. Truman's Marshall Plan and Ronald Reagan's unwillingness to accept Soviet hegemony in Eastern Europe."
Mr. Clinton was more ebullient, noting that the Iraqi elections 'went better than anyone could have imagined.' In Lebanon, he said, 'the Syrians are going to have to get out of there and give the Lebanese their country back, and I think the fact that the Lebanese are in the street demanding it is wonderful.'
Asked about huge demonstrations on Tuesday, sponsored by Hezbollah, that demanded just the opposite, Mr. Clinton said: 'I find it inconceivable that most Lebanese wouldn't like it if they had their country back. You know, they want their country back and they ought to get it.'"
****
"...even as sharp and consistent a critic of Mr. Bush's foreign policy as Senator Edward M. Kennedy, the Massachusetts Democrat, gives Mr. Bush some credit for the latest stirrings of liberty along the eastern Mediterranean.
"What's taken place in a number of those countries is enormously constructive," Mr. Kennedy said on Sunday on the ABC News program "This Week." "It's a reflection the president has been involved."
Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, Democrat of Connecticut and a frequent ally of Mr. Bush on national security affairs, was in the audience for his speech on Tuesday and was more effusive.
"Look, this moment in the Middle East has the feel of Central and Eastern Europe around the collapse of the Berlin Wall," he said in a telephone interview. "It's a very different historical and political context, and we all understand that democracy in the Middle East is in its infancy. But something is happening."
Mr. Lieberman said Mr. Bush deserved credit for at least two things: the overthrow of Saddam Hussein and the continued American military presence in Iraq, which he said showed "the proven willingness of the United States to put its power behind its principles."
Indeed, Mr. Bush cast the United States' current posture in a long, bipartisan tradition of American foreign policy, from Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points to Franklin D. Roosevelt's Four Freedoms, Harry S. Truman's Marshall Plan and Ronald Reagan's unwillingness to accept Soviet hegemony in Eastern Europe."
ABC News: The Note: Follow The Money
I do receive ABC News "The Note" every morning in my email inbox and find it interesting and sometimes useful. Sometimes it just for the gossip as here ABC News: The Note: Follow The Money:
"Former HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson bolts through the revolving door, per the Wall Street Journal.
'Mr. Thompson, the secretary of Health and Human Services during President Bush's first term, will join Deloitte & Touche USA LLP and the law firmAkin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP. At Deloitte, he will help establish a practice area focused on solving health-care problems that will involve insurers, states and other entities. At Akin Gump, Mr. Thompson will advise companies and health-care providers about regulation and policy. The firm's clients include hospitals, cancer-treatment centers and pharmaceuticals makers.'"
"Former HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson bolts through the revolving door, per the Wall Street Journal.
'Mr. Thompson, the secretary of Health and Human Services during President Bush's first term, will join Deloitte & Touche USA LLP and the law firmAkin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP. At Deloitte, he will help establish a practice area focused on solving health-care problems that will involve insurers, states and other entities. At Akin Gump, Mr. Thompson will advise companies and health-care providers about regulation and policy. The firm's clients include hospitals, cancer-treatment centers and pharmaceuticals makers.'"
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
Law Professor on Laptops & Note Taking
A LAW PROF:
"I suspect that use of laptops during class time for playing games, surfing the net, eBay auctions, day trading, and online gambling are rumors, though I do wonder why one of your colleagues the other day jumped up from his seat during class and yelled 'you sank my battleship!'
In addition to the above mentioned items, keep in mind that typing everything I say is counterproductive to learning. It is probably best for most students to take short notes, otherwise you spend your time trying to type everything without spending any time thinking in class. In any one class there is probably less than a page of noteworthy material. The rest is designed to help you think through a problem. "
"I suspect that use of laptops during class time for playing games, surfing the net, eBay auctions, day trading, and online gambling are rumors, though I do wonder why one of your colleagues the other day jumped up from his seat during class and yelled 'you sank my battleship!'
In addition to the above mentioned items, keep in mind that typing everything I say is counterproductive to learning. It is probably best for most students to take short notes, otherwise you spend your time trying to type everything without spending any time thinking in class. In any one class there is probably less than a page of noteworthy material. The rest is designed to help you think through a problem. "
Playgirl Editor Blue
DRUDGE REPORT FLASH 2005�: "'Siding with the GOP when you live in the bluest state around is almost like wearing a Boston Red Sox jersey at a New York Yankees' home game,' says Zipp in the April issue of PLAYGIRL. 'I cannot tell you how many times a person assumed I voted for John Kerry in 2004. Most of the time, I don't have the heart to tell them, or the energy to discuss my reasons for going red this election year. But this is Playgirl magazine so it's about time I was the one who bared what's underneath.'
How could a member of the media who produces adult entertainment for women possibly side with conservatives from the red states? Zipp spells it out. 'Those on the right are presumed to be all about power and greed: two really sexy traits in the bedroom. They want it, they want it now, and they'll do anything to get it. And I'm not talking about some pansy-assed victory, I'm talking about full on jackpot, satisfaction for all.'
'The Democrats of the Sixties were all about making love and not war while a war-loving Republican is a man who would fight, bleed, sacrifice, and die for his country. Could you imagine what that very same man would do for his wife in the bedroom?' asks Zipp. "
Do note the source here was Matt Drudge; surprised he's a reader of Playgirl.
How could a member of the media who produces adult entertainment for women possibly side with conservatives from the red states? Zipp spells it out. 'Those on the right are presumed to be all about power and greed: two really sexy traits in the bedroom. They want it, they want it now, and they'll do anything to get it. And I'm not talking about some pansy-assed victory, I'm talking about full on jackpot, satisfaction for all.'
'The Democrats of the Sixties were all about making love and not war while a war-loving Republican is a man who would fight, bleed, sacrifice, and die for his country. Could you imagine what that very same man would do for his wife in the bedroom?' asks Zipp. "
Do note the source here was Matt Drudge; surprised he's a reader of Playgirl.
Jack Kemp: "Leave personal accounts on the table"
Jack Kemp: Leave personal accounts on the table:
"'Meet the Press' moderator Tim Russert asked Durbin: 'So as long as the president insists private and personal accounts are on the table, will you not sit at the table?' Durbin responded: 'I don't believe that we can. ... If the president takes privatization off (the table) ... we're ready to sit down on a bipartisan basis and put everything on the table.' Durbin is saying Democrats are willing to sit down at the table to play only if the president allows them to stack the deck against him.
If the alternative is tax increases, cutting benefits or making people work longer, the country would be much better off if the Democrats filibuster the president's personal-accounts proposal to death this year than if he gives in to their pigheadedness and takes personal accounts off the table. Let the Democrats obstruct passage of personal accounts, if they have the courage, and then let's go to the American people on the matter in the 2006 elections. That's the way democracy works, and we know that whatever the people decide will be right."
"'Meet the Press' moderator Tim Russert asked Durbin: 'So as long as the president insists private and personal accounts are on the table, will you not sit at the table?' Durbin responded: 'I don't believe that we can. ... If the president takes privatization off (the table) ... we're ready to sit down on a bipartisan basis and put everything on the table.' Durbin is saying Democrats are willing to sit down at the table to play only if the president allows them to stack the deck against him.
If the alternative is tax increases, cutting benefits or making people work longer, the country would be much better off if the Democrats filibuster the president's personal-accounts proposal to death this year than if he gives in to their pigheadedness and takes personal accounts off the table. Let the Democrats obstruct passage of personal accounts, if they have the courage, and then let's go to the American people on the matter in the 2006 elections. That's the way democracy works, and we know that whatever the people decide will be right."
David Brooks on Wolfowitz
The New York Times: Giving Wolfowitz His Due: "If the trends of the last few months continue, Wolfowitz will be the subject of fascinating biographies decades from now, while many of his smuggest critics will be forgotten. Those biographies will mention not only his intellectual commitment but also his personal commitment, his years spent learning the languages of the places that concerned him, and the thousands of hours spent listening deferentially to the local heroes who led the causes he supported.
To praise Wolfowitz is not triumphalism. The difficulties ahead are obvious. It's simple justice. It's a recognition that amid all the legitimate criticism, this guy has been the subject of a vicious piling-on campaign by people who know less than nothing about what is actually going on in the government, while he, in the core belief that has energized his work, may turn out to be right. "
To praise Wolfowitz is not triumphalism. The difficulties ahead are obvious. It's simple justice. It's a recognition that amid all the legitimate criticism, this guy has been the subject of a vicious piling-on campaign by people who know less than nothing about what is actually going on in the government, while he, in the core belief that has energized his work, may turn out to be right. "
Politics at Early Stage on Social Security Reform
OpinionJournal : "...Social Security reform is being proclaimed dead before it has even arrived. There have been no votes in Congress and no opportunity for politicians to stand up and be counted. Until there's an up-or-down vote on whether to reform the system fundamentally, politicians will be free to criticize without fear of paying a political price for it. Once there is a vote, some red-state Democrats will have a reason to support reform.
...that's what happened with welfare reform. Of course, that is what might now give Republicans pause. To get Democrats on board and get a legislative victory, Republicans must also avoid the policy trap that ensnared President Clinton in 1996. Welfare reform has been an unmitigated policy and political success for Republicans, but only because the GOP didn't repudiate its principles to get it. "
...that's what happened with welfare reform. Of course, that is what might now give Republicans pause. To get Democrats on board and get a legislative victory, Republicans must also avoid the policy trap that ensnared President Clinton in 1996. Welfare reform has been an unmitigated policy and political success for Republicans, but only because the GOP didn't repudiate its principles to get it. "
Monday, March 07, 2005
Reid versus Kerry With Swords Drawn
"Reid and Kerry crossed swords two weeks ago at a closed-door meeting of the Senate Democratic Steering and Coordination Committee with a group of labor leaders, and while accounts vary, there's little doubt that things got tense between the new Senate Democratic leader and the party's 2004 presidential nominee. "
"...Kerry was unhappy with the posture of the Democrats and told Reid that they needed to be far more aggressive in fighting President Bush, needed to set up what amounted to a perpetual campaign and needed a plan to prevent Bush from seizing the middle ground in the Social Security fight.
Reid responded that he had set up a campaign-style war room and taken other steps to put the Democrats in fighting mode and made it clear he wasn't going to change course just because Kerry thought something different was needed.
The most extensive account of the exchange noted that Reid had questioned how Kerry had run his presidential campaign in Nevada last year -- he lost the state -- but two other sources say that did not occur.
But several of those in the room described it as an awkward and tough exchange that left no one in doubt as to who was in charge of Senate Democrats. "Reid kind of shot him down," said one person privy to the exchange, adding, "You would never have seen [former Senate Democratic Leader] Tom Daschle do that."
"...Kerry was unhappy with the posture of the Democrats and told Reid that they needed to be far more aggressive in fighting President Bush, needed to set up what amounted to a perpetual campaign and needed a plan to prevent Bush from seizing the middle ground in the Social Security fight.
Reid responded that he had set up a campaign-style war room and taken other steps to put the Democrats in fighting mode and made it clear he wasn't going to change course just because Kerry thought something different was needed.
The most extensive account of the exchange noted that Reid had questioned how Kerry had run his presidential campaign in Nevada last year -- he lost the state -- but two other sources say that did not occur.
But several of those in the room described it as an awkward and tough exchange that left no one in doubt as to who was in charge of Senate Democrats. "Reid kind of shot him down," said one person privy to the exchange, adding, "You would never have seen [former Senate Democratic Leader] Tom Daschle do that."
John Fund on the Trail- of Felons
John Fund on felon's right to vote: "The Constitution grants states the authority to determine 'the Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections,' but Hillary Clinton and John Kerry are pushing a Count Every Vote Act that would, among other things, force states to allow voters to register at the polls and declaring Election Day a federal holiday. And then they want to force every state to let felons vote--even though the 14th Amendment specifically permits states to disfranchise citizens convicted of 'participation in rebellion, or other crime.'"
Republicans in Congress have their own partisan motivations for opposing any enfranchisement of felons. Leaving the matter to the states probably will mean more felons regaining the right to vote than Republicans would like but fewer than Democrats desire. And that's probably about the right solution." See his column here.
Republicans in Congress have their own partisan motivations for opposing any enfranchisement of felons. Leaving the matter to the states probably will mean more felons regaining the right to vote than Republicans would like but fewer than Democrats desire. And that's probably about the right solution." See his column here.
WSJ On Nuclear Option Sen. Byrd
OpinionJournal : "It may well be that the filibuster flap will cause Democrats to raise the roof and use Senate rules to obstruct other legislation. But the alternative is for Republicans to let a Senate minority dictate who can sit on the federal bench--even after two elections in a row in which Democrats lost Senate seats in part because of the judicial filibuster issue. Elections ought to mean something. If Republicans allow a repeat of the last two years, their own voters will start to hold their timidity against them.
Meanwhile, rhetoric does matter in politics, as Herr Byrd has learned from his wacky Adolf allusions. As Republicans move to explain what they're doing to give nominees their Constitutional right to a vote on the Senate floor, we suggest they refer to the tactic as the Byrd option. "
I hope Sen. Byrd does retire before he becomes even more of an embarrassment to our friends in West Virginia and to himself after such a lenghty career.
Meanwhile, rhetoric does matter in politics, as Herr Byrd has learned from his wacky Adolf allusions. As Republicans move to explain what they're doing to give nominees their Constitutional right to a vote on the Senate floor, we suggest they refer to the tactic as the Byrd option. "
I hope Sen. Byrd does retire before he becomes even more of an embarrassment to our friends in West Virginia and to himself after such a lenghty career.
A Thoughtful Editorial that Starts with a Joke
From our daily local bird cage liner, CITIZEN-TIMES.com: Parents should remember that the learning profile of each child is different: "A silly old joke goes this way: What happened to the agnostic, dyslexic insomniac? The answer: He stayed up all night wondering if there is a DOG. It makes me smile.
Parents, teachers, and administrators are not smiling about a more serious question full of that joke's philosophical, psychological, biological and cultural baggage: What, if anything, is wrong with my child? That question is no joke."
Read the whole article on a very serious topic.
Parents, teachers, and administrators are not smiling about a more serious question full of that joke's philosophical, psychological, biological and cultural baggage: What, if anything, is wrong with my child? That question is no joke."
Read the whole article on a very serious topic.
Sunday, March 06, 2005
Another | Um, `Could Bush be right?'
Chicago Tribune Um, `Could Bush be right?':
"Washington's muscular diplomacy unarguably is playing a crucial role throughout the Mideast. For one repressive regime after another, the sight of American soldiers at long last enforcing United Nations resolutions--and bestowing democracy on a subjugated people--surely must concentrate the mind.
History written in headlines can reverse course just as fast. We are a long way from knowing whether the still unfinished liberation of Iraq helps transform a troubled region. But for the foes of freedom, the Mideast must feel like a suddenly smaller place."
"Washington's muscular diplomacy unarguably is playing a crucial role throughout the Mideast. For one repressive regime after another, the sight of American soldiers at long last enforcing United Nations resolutions--and bestowing democracy on a subjugated people--surely must concentrate the mind.
History written in headlines can reverse course just as fast. We are a long way from knowing whether the still unfinished liberation of Iraq helps transform a troubled region. But for the foes of freedom, the Mideast must feel like a suddenly smaller place."
Environmentalism and Economics
Why good economics is good environmental activism. from Environmentalism isn't dying, but a revolution is happening - 03/06/05: "Around the world, economists also are beginning to understand that the one sure marker of a clean society is a wealthy society -- because economic growth means more efficiency, less waste (pollution) and more resources to deal with remaining problems. As wealth increases, so does public desire for environmental amenities. Entrepreneurs are finding ways to capture the value of those amenities and even profit from them -- a far more sustainable approach than relying on the goodness of a government bureaucracy. Environmentalists like Shellenberger and Nordhaus keep insisting that the answer is for environmental donors to kick in ever greater gobs of money to progressive causes."
Another Foolish Question: What do Democrats think about the Minimum Wage Law?
: "Asking Democrats if they favor an increase in the minimum wage is like asking Martha Stewart if she'd mind sharing some decorating ideas."
...the people most likely to lose their jobs because of the minimum wages are not middle-class teens but poor adults. The federal floor has the perverse effect of inducing companies to lay off the very people it is supposed to help -- while channeling money to those who need it least. The bottom line, Neumark writes, is that "minimum wages deliver no net benefits to poor or low-income families and, if anything, make them worse off."
Kennedy and his fellow Democrats may think they're doing poor people a favor. But with friends like these . . . ."
...the people most likely to lose their jobs because of the minimum wages are not middle-class teens but poor adults. The federal floor has the perverse effect of inducing companies to lay off the very people it is supposed to help -- while channeling money to those who need it least. The bottom line, Neumark writes, is that "minimum wages deliver no net benefits to poor or low-income families and, if anything, make them worse off."
Kennedy and his fellow Democrats may think they're doing poor people a favor. But with friends like these . . . ."
Is the New Medicare Drug Plan as Bad as Claimed?
The New York Times > National > Defying Experts, Insurers Join Medicare Drug Plan: "The new Medicare drug benefit passed a major milestone in recent weeks as a substantial number of big insurance companies said they would offer prescription drug coverage to Medicare beneficiaries next year, defying the predictions of many industry experts.
Some companies intend to offer the new benefit nationwide. Others will offer it in certain states or regions. It is too soon to know how many of the 41 million Medicare beneficiaries will enroll. But it is increasingly clear that they will at least have access to drug coverage offered by commercial insurers, Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans, and pharmacy benefit managers. "
The new law relies heavily on competing private plans to deliver the Medicare drug benefit. If too few plans participate, the government can intervene. But the Bush administration and business groups want to avoid that at all costs because they do not want the government to manage the benefit, set prices or decide which drugs are covered. "
"It's a reasonable risk for a new line of business," said Robert E. Meehan, vice president of Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Jersey. "In the last eight weeks, some of the early naysayers have come around and said they will be involved in the new program. We could have five well-known providers offering drug coverage to Medicare beneficiaries in New Jersey."
One reason for the keen interest, he said, is that "there's a lot of money at stake." The Bush administration estimates that Medicare payments to private plans for the drug benefit will total $59 billion in 2006 and will double in five years.
"The demographics are positive," Mr. Meehan said. "Lots of people are coming into Medicare. But seniors don't like to switch insurance coverage. If our competitors pick up these people, it might be hard to persuade them to switch to our plan."
President Bush's commitment is also a factor. "We have a strong sense that he wants to make this work," Mr. Meehan said. "If Bush had not been re-elected, we may have re-evaluated our decision."
Some companies intend to offer the new benefit nationwide. Others will offer it in certain states or regions. It is too soon to know how many of the 41 million Medicare beneficiaries will enroll. But it is increasingly clear that they will at least have access to drug coverage offered by commercial insurers, Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans, and pharmacy benefit managers. "
The new law relies heavily on competing private plans to deliver the Medicare drug benefit. If too few plans participate, the government can intervene. But the Bush administration and business groups want to avoid that at all costs because they do not want the government to manage the benefit, set prices or decide which drugs are covered. "
"It's a reasonable risk for a new line of business," said Robert E. Meehan, vice president of Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Jersey. "In the last eight weeks, some of the early naysayers have come around and said they will be involved in the new program. We could have five well-known providers offering drug coverage to Medicare beneficiaries in New Jersey."
One reason for the keen interest, he said, is that "there's a lot of money at stake." The Bush administration estimates that Medicare payments to private plans for the drug benefit will total $59 billion in 2006 and will double in five years.
"The demographics are positive," Mr. Meehan said. "Lots of people are coming into Medicare. But seniors don't like to switch insurance coverage. If our competitors pick up these people, it might be hard to persuade them to switch to our plan."
President Bush's commitment is also a factor. "We have a strong sense that he wants to make this work," Mr. Meehan said. "If Bush had not been re-elected, we may have re-evaluated our decision."
Justice Scalia; Love Him or Hate Him - The Man Can Write!
Following is part of the dissent written by justice scalia in the recent case on the death penalty for minors. The bold is from my emphasis and the portions are drawn from FindLaw for Legal Professionals - Case Law, Federal and State Resources, Forms, and Code:
"In urging approval of a constitution that gave life-tenured judges the power to nullify laws enacted by the people's representatives, Alexander Hamilton assured the citizens of New York that there was little risk in this, since '[t]he judiciary ... ha[s] neither FORCE nor WILL but merely judgment.' The Federalist No. 78, p. 465 (C. Rossiter ed. 1961). But Hamilton had in mind a traditional judiciary, 'bound down by strict rules and precedents which serve to define and point out their duty in every particular case that comes before them.' Id., at 471. Bound down, indeed. What a mockery today's opinion makes of Hamilton's expectation, announcing the Court's conclusion that the meaning of our Constitution has changed over the past 15 years--not, mind you, that this Court's decision 15 years ago was wrong, but that the Constitution has changed. The Court reaches this implausible result by purporting to advert, not to the original meaning of the Eighth Amendment, but to 'the evolving standards of decency,' ante, at 6 (internal quotation marks omitted), of our national society. It then finds, on the flimsiest of grounds, that a national consensus which could not be perceived in our people's laws barely 15 years ago now solidly exists. Worse still, the Court says in so many words that what our people's laws say about the issue does not, in the last analysis, matter: '[I]n the end our own judgment will be brought to bear on the question of the acceptability of the death penalty under the Eighth Amendment.' Ante, at 9 (internal quotation marks omitted). The Court thus proclaims itself sole arbiter of our Nation's moral standards--and in the course of discharging that awesome responsibility purports to take guidance from the views of foreign courts and legislatures. Because I do not believe that the meaning of our Eighth Amendment, any more than the meaning of other provisions of our Constitution, should be determined by the subjective views of five Members of this Court and like-minded foreigners, I dissent."
...Today's opinion provides a perfect example of why judges are ill equipped to make the type of legislative judgments the Court insists on making here. To support its opinion that States should be prohibited from imposing the death penalty on anyone who committed murder before age 18, the Court looks to scientific and sociological studies, picking and choosing those that support its position. It never explains why those particular studies are methodologically sound; none was ever entered into evidence or tested in an adversarial proceeding.
...In other words, all the Court has done today, to borrow from another context, is to look over the heads of the crowd and pick out its friends."
...Though the views of our own citizens are essentially irrelevant to the Court's decision today, the views of other countries and the so-called international community take center stage."
...However sound philosophically, this is no way to run a legal system. We must disregard the new reality that, to the extent our Eighth Amendment decisions constitute something more than a show of hands on the current Justices' current personal views about penology, they purport to be nothing more than a snapshot of American public opinion at a particular point in time (with the timeframes now shortened to a mere 15 years). We must treat these decisions just as though they represented real law, real prescriptions democratically adopted by the American people, as conclusively (rather than sequentially) construed by this Court. Allowing lower courts to reinterpret the Eighth Amendment whenever they decide enough time has passed for a new snapshot leaves this Court's decisions without any force--especially since the "evolution" of our Eighth Amendment is no longer determined by objective criteria. To allow lower courts to behave as we do, "updating" the Eighth Amendment as needed, destroys stability and makes our case law an unreliable basis for the designing of laws by citizens and their representatives, and for action by public officials. The result will be to crown arbitrariness with chaos."
"In urging approval of a constitution that gave life-tenured judges the power to nullify laws enacted by the people's representatives, Alexander Hamilton assured the citizens of New York that there was little risk in this, since '[t]he judiciary ... ha[s] neither FORCE nor WILL but merely judgment.' The Federalist No. 78, p. 465 (C. Rossiter ed. 1961). But Hamilton had in mind a traditional judiciary, 'bound down by strict rules and precedents which serve to define and point out their duty in every particular case that comes before them.' Id., at 471. Bound down, indeed. What a mockery today's opinion makes of Hamilton's expectation, announcing the Court's conclusion that the meaning of our Constitution has changed over the past 15 years--not, mind you, that this Court's decision 15 years ago was wrong, but that the Constitution has changed. The Court reaches this implausible result by purporting to advert, not to the original meaning of the Eighth Amendment, but to 'the evolving standards of decency,' ante, at 6 (internal quotation marks omitted), of our national society. It then finds, on the flimsiest of grounds, that a national consensus which could not be perceived in our people's laws barely 15 years ago now solidly exists. Worse still, the Court says in so many words that what our people's laws say about the issue does not, in the last analysis, matter: '[I]n the end our own judgment will be brought to bear on the question of the acceptability of the death penalty under the Eighth Amendment.' Ante, at 9 (internal quotation marks omitted). The Court thus proclaims itself sole arbiter of our Nation's moral standards--and in the course of discharging that awesome responsibility purports to take guidance from the views of foreign courts and legislatures. Because I do not believe that the meaning of our Eighth Amendment, any more than the meaning of other provisions of our Constitution, should be determined by the subjective views of five Members of this Court and like-minded foreigners, I dissent."
...Today's opinion provides a perfect example of why judges are ill equipped to make the type of legislative judgments the Court insists on making here. To support its opinion that States should be prohibited from imposing the death penalty on anyone who committed murder before age 18, the Court looks to scientific and sociological studies, picking and choosing those that support its position. It never explains why those particular studies are methodologically sound; none was ever entered into evidence or tested in an adversarial proceeding.
...In other words, all the Court has done today, to borrow from another context, is to look over the heads of the crowd and pick out its friends."
...Though the views of our own citizens are essentially irrelevant to the Court's decision today, the views of other countries and the so-called international community take center stage."
...However sound philosophically, this is no way to run a legal system. We must disregard the new reality that, to the extent our Eighth Amendment decisions constitute something more than a show of hands on the current Justices' current personal views about penology, they purport to be nothing more than a snapshot of American public opinion at a particular point in time (with the timeframes now shortened to a mere 15 years). We must treat these decisions just as though they represented real law, real prescriptions democratically adopted by the American people, as conclusively (rather than sequentially) construed by this Court. Allowing lower courts to reinterpret the Eighth Amendment whenever they decide enough time has passed for a new snapshot leaves this Court's decisions without any force--especially since the "evolution" of our Eighth Amendment is no longer determined by objective criteria. To allow lower courts to behave as we do, "updating" the Eighth Amendment as needed, destroys stability and makes our case law an unreliable basis for the designing of laws by citizens and their representatives, and for action by public officials. The result will be to crown arbitrariness with chaos."
Academics and Political Causes
Rocky Mountain News: Columnists: "Richard Rorty is a philosophy professor at the University of Virginia. He's also editor of an unabashedly socialist magazine, Dissent, and a hero of the academic left. Here's his political assessment of academe: 'The power base of the Left in America is now in the universities, since the trade unions have largely been killed off. The universities have done a lot of good work by setting up, for example, African-American studies programs, Women's Studies programs, and Gay and Lesbian Studies programs. They have created power bases for these movements.'"
Movements? If you had any illusions that these programs were simply "studying" these areas, now you know better. Like Churchill's Ethnic Studies program, they're all "movements." And American universities have become "the power base of the Left."
Self-important academics believe themselves to be beyond reproach, sitting as philosopher-kings, dispensing their wisdom to the ignorant masses. Nonsense. They're ordinary people, government employees dependent on their customers and the taxpayers for their income, and ultimately accountable to their bosses and the citizens who elect the Board of Regents. Academic freedom is not absolute."
Movements? If you had any illusions that these programs were simply "studying" these areas, now you know better. Like Churchill's Ethnic Studies program, they're all "movements." And American universities have become "the power base of the Left."
Self-important academics believe themselves to be beyond reproach, sitting as philosopher-kings, dispensing their wisdom to the ignorant masses. Nonsense. They're ordinary people, government employees dependent on their customers and the taxpayers for their income, and ultimately accountable to their bosses and the citizens who elect the Board of Regents. Academic freedom is not absolute."
The Iraq effect? Bush may have had it right
The Iraq effect? Bush may have had it right csmonitor.com:
"The movements for democratic change in Egypt and Lebanon have happened since the successful Iraqi election on Jan. 30. And one can speculate on whether Iraq has served as a beacon for democratic change in the Middle East.
During the run-up to the invasion of Iraq, President Bush said that 'a liberated Iraq can show the power of freedom to transform that vital region.'
He may have had it right."
"The movements for democratic change in Egypt and Lebanon have happened since the successful Iraqi election on Jan. 30. And one can speculate on whether Iraq has served as a beacon for democratic change in the Middle East.
During the run-up to the invasion of Iraq, President Bush said that 'a liberated Iraq can show the power of freedom to transform that vital region.'
He may have had it right."
China - America's Greatest Foreign Policy Challenge
Chinese Premier Pledges to Hold On to Taiwan (washingtonpost.com): "BEIJING, March 5 -- Premier Wen Jiabao vowed Saturday never to allow Taiwan 'to separate from China under any name or by any means' as the Chinese parliament opened its annual session and prepared to enact an anti-secession law targeting the self-governing island. "
Hu did not mention the anti-secession law, but he said, "We will not have the slightest hesitation, falter or concession on the major principal issue of opposing secession."
As he spoke, his government announced it would increase military spending by 12.6 percent in 2005, the latest in a string of double-digit budget increases aimed at modernizing the army and preparing it for a possible conflict with Taiwan.
CIA Director Porter J. Goss expressed concern about China's military buildup last month, saying that it "could tilt the balance of power in the Taiwan Strait" and that "improved Chinese capabilities threaten U.S. forces in the region." The United States has pledged to help Taiwan defend itself, and President Bush said in 2001 that he would do "whatever it took" to defend the island against a Chinese attack."
Hu did not mention the anti-secession law, but he said, "We will not have the slightest hesitation, falter or concession on the major principal issue of opposing secession."
As he spoke, his government announced it would increase military spending by 12.6 percent in 2005, the latest in a string of double-digit budget increases aimed at modernizing the army and preparing it for a possible conflict with Taiwan.
CIA Director Porter J. Goss expressed concern about China's military buildup last month, saying that it "could tilt the balance of power in the Taiwan Strait" and that "improved Chinese capabilities threaten U.S. forces in the region." The United States has pledged to help Taiwan defend itself, and President Bush said in 2001 that he would do "whatever it took" to defend the island against a Chinese attack."
On Justice Kennedy re Death Penalty Decision
Wrong on All Counts (washingtonpost.com): "Kennedy occupies the seat that 52 Senate Democrats prevented Robert Bork from filling in 1987. That episode accelerated the descent into the scorched-earth partisanship that was raging in the Senate Judiciary Committee at the very moment Tuesday morning that Kennedy was presenting the court majority's policy preference as a constitutional imperative. The committee's Democrats were browbeating another appellate court nominee, foreshadowing another filibuster.
The Democrats' standard complaint is that nominees are out of the jurisprudential 'mainstream.' If Kennedy represents the mainstream, it is time to change the shape of the river. His opinion is an intellectual train wreck, but useful as a timely warning about what happens when judicial offices are filled with injudicious people. "
The Democrats' standard complaint is that nominees are out of the jurisprudential 'mainstream.' If Kennedy represents the mainstream, it is time to change the shape of the river. His opinion is an intellectual train wreck, but useful as a timely warning about what happens when judicial offices are filled with injudicious people. "
Tom Friedman has a Great Idea! Seriously
Tom Friedman in Arms Sales Begin at Home: "Mr. Bush should simply say to France, Germany and their E.U. partners that America has absolutely no objection to Europeans' selling arms to China - on one condition: that they sell arms to themselves first. That's right, the U.S. should support the export to China of any defense system that the Europeans buy for their own armies first. Buy one, sell one.
But what the U.S. should not countenance is that at a time when the Europeans are spending peanuts on their own defense, making themselves into paper tigers and free riders on America for global policing, that they start exporting arms to a growing tiger - China."
For all of Europe's complaining about what the Bush team stands for, my ears are still ringing with the remark that a German columnist recently made to me in Berlin: "What do we stand for?" he asked. What is Europe's foreign policy? America is saying that the largest strategic issue of our time is peacefully managing the rise of China. We have to get this right. Having a strong Europe on our side - not on both sides - would be a big help.
If Europe wants to go pacifist, that's fine. But there is nothing worse than a pacifist that sells arms - especially in a way that increases the burden on its U.S. ally and protector."
But what the U.S. should not countenance is that at a time when the Europeans are spending peanuts on their own defense, making themselves into paper tigers and free riders on America for global policing, that they start exporting arms to a growing tiger - China."
For all of Europe's complaining about what the Bush team stands for, my ears are still ringing with the remark that a German columnist recently made to me in Berlin: "What do we stand for?" he asked. What is Europe's foreign policy? America is saying that the largest strategic issue of our time is peacefully managing the rise of China. We have to get this right. Having a strong Europe on our side - not on both sides - would be a big help.
If Europe wants to go pacifist, that's fine. But there is nothing worse than a pacifist that sells arms - especially in a way that increases the burden on its U.S. ally and protector."
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