Fred Tells It Like It Is

Peter Robinson has this to say at NRO:

"While the other contenders are frantically saturating the Iowa airwaves with 30- and 60-second attack ads—Romney is guiltiest, if only because he’s richest—Thompson has sat himself down, looked into a camera, and spoken for a quarter of an hour, calmly and straightforwardly making his case. I myself find this impressive—in a way, moving. Thompson seems to have stepped out of the eighteenth century. He trusts voters to think. And if the comments on YouTube are at all representative, plenty of people agree."

So, It's Going To Be Like This Eh?

Book Blogging

I am enjoying my holiday downtime by clearing the decks of a few books which, surprise, surprise, are not historical, political or biographical. All in preparation for settling into my winter reading of the first two volumes of Winston Churchill's official biography which has just been reprinted by Hillsdale College Press and gifted to me by my wonderful children.

Richard Russo is my long time favorite author of fiction. He generally writes about quirky working class people in upstate New York, with which I have some familiarity. Bridge of Sighs is his latest novel and while not as good as Empire Falls for which he won a Pulitzer, still a serviceable read none the less.

I also finally finished The Contrary Farmer by Gene Logsdon. Logsdon has written so many fine books about farming and gardening that I now consider him to be my own personal guru; especially since he lives in Upper Sandusky, Ohio, a mere hour drive from here. I love his contrary, some might even suggest curmudgeonly, take on all aspects of life - be they animal, vegetable or mineral. It certainly sounds like wisdom to me.

Glory Days

I just finished reading John Gorman's book The Buzzard which recounts the rise and fall of WMMS, the legendary Cleveland FM radio station. Gorman, along with Denny Sanders, was the architect of WMMS which provided the soundtrack for my teens and early twenties. My children and their contemporaries never had an opportunity to experience this almost communal form of radio that made you feel you were connected to all of the other hip and cool people in town - people to whom music meant something.

While Gorman does take the opportunity to grind a few axes, he also provides an inside glimpse of the unusual personalities, both on and off the air, and how against enormous odds they created something far greater than the whole of it's parts. WMMS carved a unique niche in radio history for itself and helped make Cleveland the Rock and Roll Capital of the World.

Getting The Story Straight

Fred Thompson posted this at RedState yesterday. This is why Fred is my guy (emphasis added):

"Every once in a while I am more thankful than ever for today’s technology which allows me to talk to you directly instead of having to go through the filter of the main stream media.

Some of them are intent on making the outcome of the campaign dependent upon their pre-conceived notions. Every once in a while their incomplete and slanted coverage makes this clear.

Today I had this story written about me regarding what I said at a Town Hall event in Burlington, Iowa by a reporter who wasn’t even at the event. Incidentally, I declined to be interviewed by this particular reporter yesterday for reasons which will soon be apparent.

In referring to me, she reported “he doesn’t like modern campaigning, isn’t interested in running for President, and will not be devastated” if he doesn’t win.

Below is a transcript of what I actually said in response to a question by a local Burlington resident which was the basis of the reporter’s story.

It is clear that there are those in the media who will exact a high price for candor and from those whom they consider to be insufficiently ambitious. But it is with increasing amazement that we see that those who are willing to slant or leave out important parts of a story to make their point.

If a candidate succumbs to this he will be reduced to nothing more than a sound bite machine.

As for me I am going to continue to say exactly what is in my heart and is on my mind and give straight and honest answers to those who ask straight and honest questions.

Incidentally, the audience in Burlington broke into applause in the middle of my answer. The reporter wouldn’t know that because she wasn’t even there.

The transcript is below the fold . . .

Q: (Courtesy ABC News) My only problem with you and why I haven’t thrown all my support behind you is that I don’t know if you have the desire to be President. If I caucus for you next week, are you still going to be there two months from now?

A: That is a very good question, not because it’s difficult to answer, but I’m gonna answer it in a little different way than what you might expect.

In the first place, I got into the race about the time people normally get into get into it. The fact of the matter is people get into it a lot earlier than they used to. For some of them, they were juniors in high school.

The first place, I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t. I wouldn’t be doing this. I grew up in very modest circumstances. I left government and I and my family have made sacrifices to be sitting here today. I haven’t had any income for a long time because I figured to be clean, you’ve got to cut everything off. I was doing speaking engagements and I had a contract to do a tv show. I had a contract with abc radio…and so forth. A man would have to be a total fool to do all those things and to be leaving his family which is not a joyful thing if he didn’t want to do it.

I am not consumed by personal ambition. I will not be devastated if I don’t do it. I want the people to have the best president they can have.

When this talk first originated from people around the country both directly and through polls, liked the idea of me stepping up and of course, you always look better from a distance.
But most of those people are still there. I approached it from the standpoint of a deal. A kind of a marriage. If one side of a marriage really has to be talked into the marriage, it probably ain’t going to be a good deal. But if you mutually decide it’s going to be a good thing. In this case, if you think this is a good thing for the country, then we have an opportunity to do some wonderful things together.

I’m offering myself up. I’m saying that I have the background, the capability and concern to do this and do it for the right reasons. I’m not particularly interested in running for president, but I think I’d make a good president.

Nowadays, the process has become much more important than it used to be.

I don’t know that they ever asked George Washington a question like this. I don’t know that they ever asked Dwight D. Eisenhower a question like this. But nowadays, it’s all about fire in the belly. I’m not sure in the world we live in today it’s a good thing if a president has too much fire in the belly. I approach life differently than a lot of people. People, I guess, wonder how I’ve been as successful as I’ve been in everything that I’ve done. I won two races in TN by 20 point margins in a state that Bill Clinton carried twice. I’ve never had an acting lesson. I guess that’s obvious by people who’ve watched me…

When I did it, I did it. Wasn’t just a lark. Anything that’s worth doing is worth doing well. But I’ve always been a little more laid back than most. I’m only consumed by very, very few things. Politics is not one of them. The welfare of our country and our kids and grandkids is one of them.

If people really want in their president super type-a personality, someone who has gotten up every morning and gone to bed every night and been thinking about for years how they win the presidency of the United States, someone who can look you straight in the eye and say they enjoy every minute of campaigning, I ain’t that guy.

So I hope I’ve discussed that and didn’t talk you out of anything. I honestly want – I can’t imagine a worse set of circumstances [than] achieving the Presidency of the United States under false pretenses. I go out of my way to be myself. "

Raising Sand

Raising Sand is a new work by Robert Plant and Allison Krauss. When I first heard about the project my initial thought was "What?"; I couldn't quite put Allison Krauss' ethereal vocals together with anything Plant might sing/scream. To put it mildly, Allison is no Sandy Denny who managed to hold her own with Plant. Then I found out T Bone Burnett was on board handling the production and I became much more interested. The video below will give you some of the background of the recording as well as a nice sampling of the music. The music needs to be heard on it's own terms to be appreciated and as with most really good music it reveals itself only after a great deal of listening.

A concert tour has been promised - unless, of course, Robert is busy with other commitments.

In The Belly Of The Beast

It seems The New York Times has decided to offer Bill Kristol a weekly commentators column according to The Huffington Post. Yes, that Bill Kristol, the evil neo-con with the White House on speed dial. The comments to the post are priceless!

Liberal Of The Month

I am considering a new feature which will be called “Liberal Of The Month”. Of course, its sole purpose will be to highlight what passes for common sense amongst the netroots and their adherents. Let’s give it a try and tell me what you think …

For my very first “Liberal Of The Month” I would like to propose - Dave Lindorff. Dave Lindorff you say, not exactly a household name. Ah yes, but a wonderful liberal journalist with the finest of credentials:
- BA from Wesleyan University
- MS in Journalism from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
- A two-time Fulbright Scholar
Not to mention that Mr. Lindorff’s most recent book is The Case for Impeachment: The Legal Argument for Removing President George W. Bush from Office – enough said.

Which brings us to Mr. Lindorff’s recent article in The Baltimore Chronicle and Sentinel titled Global Warming Will Save America from the Right...Eventually in which he says that the effects of global warming will have a disproportionate impact on conservatives:

"So the future political map of America is likely to look as different as the much shrunken geographical map, with much of the so-called “red” state region either gone or depopulated.
There is a poetic justice to this of course. It is conservatives who are giving us the candidates who steadfastly refuse to have the nation take steps that could slow the pace of climate change, so it is appropriate that they should bear the brunt of its impact.

The important thing is that we, on the higher ground both actually and figuratively, need to remember that, when they begin their historic migration from their doomed regions, we not give them the keys to the city. They certainly should be offered assistance in their time of need, but we need to keep a firm grip on our political systems, making sure that these guilty throngs who allowed the world to go to hell are gerrymandered into political impotence in their new homes.

There will be much work to be done to help the earth and its residents—human and non-human—survive this man-made catastrophe, and we can’t have these future refugee troglodytes, should their personal disasters still fail to make them recognize reality, mucking things up again.

It should be considered acceptable, in this stifling new world, to say, “Shut up. We told you this would happen.”

Of course, since the article has received a great deal of scrutiny in conservative circles Mr. Lindorff now says it was all a joke:

"Folks, I gotta say I'm disappointed, but maybe not surprised. An awful lot of you conservatives just can't spot over-the-top writing.

Obviously, I'm not really saying people in the so-called Red states should sink in the sea or have their gardens cooked in the prairie. Heck, half my family lives in North Caroliina, where my mom is from, and my in-laws are in South Florida, living at about two feet above sea level. Anyhow, we all know that even in a state like Idaho, about as red as it gets, 40 percent of the residents are lefties and liberals. Besides, though you wouldn't know it from some of the shit that passes for writing in the letters below, we are all Americans. It's just that some of ya'll don't have a sense of humor."

So, we are all Americans, eh? It was all a big joke. At least that is what the man with the sense of humor suggests. Mr. Lindorff has proposed to treat his conservative fellow Americans as contemptuous political refugees who should be “gerrymandered into political impotence” for their many and varied sins against the environment and liberalism in general; where they can be told to just “Shut up.” All in all, Mr. Lindorff comes off as much more Orwellian than Pythonesque. Apparently we are only Americans as long as we agree with Mr. Lindorff’s political ideology.

Ladies and Gentlemen - I present Dave Lindorff, Our Liberal Of The Month.

I Heard The News Today, Oh Boy....

The assassination of Benazir Bhutto is really not much of a surprise to me, I am sorry to say. But now that it is an accomplished fact and Pakistan is in turmoil we will have to monitor events there more closely than ever.

Andrew McCarthy has this to say:

"The transformation from Islamic society to true democracy is a long-term project. It would take decades if it can happen at all. Meanwhile, our obsessive insistence on popular referenda is naturally strengthening — and legitimizing — the people who are popular: the jihadists. Popular elections have not reformed Hamas in Gaza or Hezbollah in Lebanon. Neither will they reform a place (Pakistan) where Osama bin Laden wins popular opinion polls and where the would-be reformers are bombed and shot at until they die.

But we should at least stop fooling ourselves. Jihadists are not going to be wished away, rule-of-lawed into submission, or democratized out of existence. If you really want democracy and the rule of law in places like Pakistan, you need to kill the jihadists first. Or they’ll kill you, just like, today, they killed Benazir Bhutto."

Quote Of The Day

"A libertarian, we thought, is someone who favors liberty, sometimes taking extreme positions toward that end. As the old joke goes, if you want to find out if someone's really a libertarian, ask him: Do you think children should be allowed to buy heroin from vending machines? A real libertarian will answer: Only if the vending machines are privately owned."
- James Taranto of The Wall Street Journal

Christmas Eve

Will the marvels of technology never cease? Now you can get real time updates on Santa's whereabouts with Google Earth 3D thanks to NORAD.

I also want to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.

I Have Decided What I Want For Christmas

Sci-Fi Time

When Ted Kennedy tells you that you can't install a wind farm and solar just won't cut it, you're left with this interesting option:
"Toshiba has developed a new class of micro size Nuclear Reactors that is designed to power individual apartment buildings or city blocks. The new reactor, which is only 20 feet by 6 feet, could change everything for small remote communities, small businesses or even a group of neighbors who are fed up with the power companies and want more control over their energy needs."

Fred's Christmas Commercial

Well, at least one of the candidates got this right. The only word that comes to mind is class.

The Santa Clause

Jonah Goldberg has this to say about Hillary's Christmas campaign ad:

"It’s a profound commentary on the state of our political culture that Huckabee’s ad is the controversial one. Huckabee promises nothing, Hillary everything.

The contrast between the Candidate of God and the Candidate of Goodies should remind everyone of P. J. O’Rourke’s timeless book Parliament of Whores.

“I have only one firm belief about the American political system, and that is this: God is a Republican and Santa Claus is a Democrat,” wrote the indispensable O’Rourke.

“God” he explained, is “a stern fellow, patriarchal rather than paternal and a great believer in rules and regulations. He holds men strictly accountable for their actions. He has little apparent concern for the material well being of the disadvantaged. ... God is unsentimental. It is very hard to get into God’s heavenly country club.”

P. J. continues: “Santa Claus is another matter. ... He’s nonthreatening. He’s always cheerful. And he loves animals. He may know who’s been naughty and who’s been nice, but he never does anything about it. He gives everyone everything they want without the thought of a quid pro quo.”

“Santa Claus is preferable to God in every way but one,” O’Rourke concluded. “There is no such thing as Santa Claus.”

P.J.’s right. But you won’t be hearing that from Hillary this holiday season."

A Tale Of Two Electorates

From Jerry Skurnik at Room Eight:

"I think that because of the internet and cable theory, people like us who live and breathe politics (let’s call us the informed electorate) know much, much more about it than ever before. Years ago, a person who wanted to know about contests for congress in places like Montana had to subscribe to publications like the Cook Political Report. Before the advent of CNN, Fox News & MSNBC, the only time to see reporters give their opinions about who was up & down in various campaigns was on the Sunday morning network interview shows.

Conversely, people who vote but don’t care as much about politics (let’s call them the vast majority) know less than before for the same reasons. Before cable and the internet most Americans watched Walter Cronkite or one of his network rivals to learn what was the most important events that happened in the world that day. Even if they didn’t care about politics, they learned something about it when Walter reported something.

Now these same people don’t have to watch the network news. If they care more about celebrity news or sports or crime, there are plenty of web sites and cable shows to watch so they don't learn who the Des Moines Register endorsed for President.

These changes in the knowledge of the electorate are, I think, a major reason for the volatility of political polls. It’s why a Mike Huckabee can gain so much ground in such a short time in Iowa as social conservatives begin to focus on the Primary. It’s also why he may drop as quickly, as the same voters learn about his record as Governor as Arkansas.

My two electorate theory also helps explain why some many pundits make so many embarrassing predications. Just over a month ago, the consensus was that a Hillary-Rudy contest in November was inevitable. Part of this was because, despite all their disclaimers, they do believe the polls. But it was also because pundits just assume that voters know as much about Rudy and Bernie Kerik or Obama and Oprah as their friends and they do and are shocked when they find out otherwise."

Quote Of The Day

The "90-10" Rule
90% of the electorate have no idea what is really going on in the world and really don't care.
The remaining 10% of the electorate are then left to deal with the problems of the world.
- Neo

Sounds about right to me. Welcome to the 10%.

In Praise Of Hunting

I found this on the Op-Ed page of The New York Times:

"EVERY year, 15 million licensed hunters head into America’s forests and fields in search of wild game. In New York State alone, roughly half a million hunters harvest around 190,000 deer in the fall deer hunting season — that’s close to eight million pounds of venison. In the traditional vernacular, we’d call that “game meat.” But, in keeping with the times, it might be better to relabel it as free-range, grass-fed, organic, locally produced, locally harvested, sustainable, native, low-stress, low-impact, humanely slaughtered meat.

That string of adjectives has been popularized in recent years by the various food-awareness movements, particularly “localism.” Like many popular social movements, localism’s rallying cry is one of well-founded disgust: the average American meal travels 1,500 miles from field to fork, consuming untold gallons of chemical fertilizer, pesticides and fossil fuels along the way.

As a remedy, so-called locavores encourage a diet coming from one’s own “foodshed” — usually within 100 or 300 miles of home. The rationale of localism is promoted in popular books and Web sites: it leads to a healthier lifestyle and diet; brings money to rural communities; promotes eating meat from animals that are able to “carry out their natural behaviors” and “eat a natural diet”; allows consumers to visit the places where their food is raised; supports the production of foods that have fewer chemical fertilizers and pesticides; and it keeps us in touch with the seasons.

While those sound suspiciously similar to the reasons many Americans choose to hunt, the literature of localism neglects the management and harvest of wildlife. This is a shame, because hunters are the original locavores. When I was growing up in Michigan, my family ate three or four deer every year, along with rabbits, squirrel, ducks and grouse that were harvested mostly within eight miles of our house.

I carried that subsistence aesthetic into adulthood. During my first semester away at college, for instance, my brother and I killed four deer on land that was 11 miles from campus; we never purchased a pound of industrially raised meat. We’d gone local and organic before anyone thought to put those two words together in a sentence."

Welcome to how we live out here in "the country". Our entire family hunts pheasants in the fall; our young miss got a doe during deer gun season; her fiance took an elk in Colorado and a buck here in Ohio during bow season and the young squire came home yesterday after sighting in his muzzleloader in preparation for black powder season. Our young miss was the first person I ever heard use "Whole Food" speak to describe hunting; especially for acquaintances and co-workers that have difficulty envisioning her as a hunter let alone condoning hunting as an activity for someone with a college degree. The young squire mentioned to me the other day that he has not purchased beef in a year - choosing instead to eat venison. Not only can it be used as a substitute in dishes like chili and spaghetti sauce but he actually enjoys venison. It fits his college food budget pretty well too.

You may also notice that I write about many of our "country living" activities such as our chickens, gardening and beekeeping. We live the locavore lifestyle without even knowing or caring that it exists. It just seems to make sense. And unlike many people, we know exactly where a great deal of our food comes from.

Give Them Bread And Circuses

This ad is has to be viewed to be believed. The premise is that Hillary Clinton is a kind hearted woman who will give us all of our fondest wishes, wrapped in beautiful paper and tied up with a bow. And if that wasn't enough of a stretch, the very first present has a tag that says "Universal Healthcare". Are you freakin' kidding me? The only thing scarier than the possibility this woman might get elected are the people that believe this foolishness and will actually vote for her.

Vote for me and I'll set you free ...

Support Your Local Gun Store

By Golly, I think Fred is finally getting the hang of campaigning:

"Republican Presidential candidate Fred Thompson today, upon hearing that rival Ron Paul’s supporters had raised $6 million in 24 hours to commemorate the Boston Tea Party, called on his supporters to match that figure in gun purchases before Christmas to mark George Washington’s victory at the Battle of Trenton."

The Ultimate Daily Fred Thompson Fact

Quote Of The Day

"The art of controlling weeds is at the heart of successful farming. A low level of weeds can be tolerated, and in fact is helpful from the standpoint of biodiversity, but weeds are sort of like chickenpox: hard to have just a little."

- Gene Logsdon from The Contrary Farmer

'Tis The Season

To all my liberal friends:

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2008, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere. Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee.

To all my conservative friends:

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

CWCID: TigerHawk

Quote Of The Day

"The Wall Street Journal is edited for those who run the world; the Washington Post is edited for those who think they run the world; the Old Gray Lady is edited for those who think they should run the world."
- Anonymous

And Now, For Something Completely Different

I have to say that I really like this Christmas tree. Somehow, it works for me on a lot of different levels. Only $600 at Hammacher Schlemmer.

The Congressional Year In Review

From James Taranto at The Wall Street Journal:

"The Democrats are wrapping up their first year in the congressional majority, and pretty much everyone agrees that it has been, to be charitable, less than a rousing success. Here is a comprehensive list of their legislative accomplishments:

An increase in the federal minimum wage, to $5.85 an hour from $5.15, effective July 24, 2007.

An increase in the federal minimum wage, to $6.55 an hour from $5.85, effective July 24, 2008.

An increase in the federal minimum wage, to $7.25 an hour from $6.55, effective July 24, 2009.

That's it. Other than that, the Democrats have failed at everything they have attempted, from routine matters like relief from the Alternative Minimum Tax to ambitious projects such as turning Iraq into a haven for al Qaeda."

I wish them the same success in 2008.

What Is It?

A recently discovered Jackson Pollock painting? Personally, I think it has much more of a Peter Max feel to it. Actually it's none of the above. It's a NASA/USGS map of the dark side of the moon.
CWCID: Strange Maps

Daily Fred Thompson Fact

"There are already plans for the supercarrier the U.S.S. Fred Thompson. It will carry and launch other aircraft carriers."

Call Me Crazy

Ouch. This is going to leave a mark. From NRO:

Graveless in Gaza [Lisa Schiffren]

Is this a great Alarabiya headline or what:

Israeli blockade leads to humanitarian disaster
Gaza runs out of cement to build graves

Two humanitarian suggestions:
1 — Gazans could stop killing each other so enthusiastically, so the annual supply of 1000 government provided graves doesn't get used up so fast.
2— Gazans could stop killing Israelis, giving Israel a reason to relax the blockade.
3— (This one is practical, not humanitarian) — Gazans could build a cement factory of their own — since their primary, or perhaps only, natural resource is SAND. That way they could continue murder and mayhem at the rate they are comfortable with — and be able to build all the graves they need. And, an unintended though beneficial side affect might be that they begin to build an economy, too.

The Decline Of The West

CWCID: Instapundit.

More Rave Reviews

Rolling Stone: "Any doubts about Plant's ability to still hit the high notes, his willingness to go stratospheric, was obliterated at the right, dramatic points in "Since I've Been Loving You" and "Kashmir." Jones and Bonham locked in like family. And Page was a continual shock on guitar, mostly because he has played so little in public for the past decade. At sixty-three, Page is undiminished in his sorcerer's mix of reckless ferocity — stammering runs, strangled howls, granite-block chords — and guitar-army wow."

Reuters: "Led Zeppelin had a lot to live up to after the hype surrounding their reunion gig on Monday night, but the British rockers pulled it off so successfully that critics and fans are begging for a world tour."

AP: "On the morning after Led Zeppelin's long-awaited reunion concert, the music reviewers were already calling for more. Playing a full set for the first time in nearly three decades, the authors of "Stairway to Heaven" and "Whole Lotta Love" rocked the O2 Arena on Monday for more than two hours, leaving fans from around the world gasping in delight."

The Times of London: "“It’s been a long, lonely time since I last rock’n’rolled” screeched Plant. Well, at least since he has showed this sort of fire-eyed intensity. And so, was it all for a one-off show in memory of their label boss Ahmet Ertegun? Come on. With a synergy like this going on, it would be an act of cosmic perversity to stop now."

London Free Press: "You could quibble that it didn't equal the sprawling three-hour shows they used to put on, but as someone who saw them back in the day, let me tell you they were never this tight. And the sound and lights were never this good. And this time, we didn't have to sit through a half-hour drum solo. By the time it wrapped up after a smoking version of Rock and Roll, the fans most certainly had not had enough. We can only hope the band feels the same way."
---
LED ZEPPELIN
Rating: Six stars (out of five)
They were that good! "

Zeppelin Flies High Again

I am happy. All of the reviews I have seen online this morning are universally praising the Led Zeppelin reunion concert last night in London. The set list sounds great and apparently the band was in fine form. And now rumors of a possible tour are beginning to fly - one can only hope.

Through A Glass Darkly

I know it is hard to believe but I do read Daily Kos now and then, if for nothing more than posts like this one. Let me try to enumerate all of the illogical assumptions which go along with it:

• The Democrats 2006 election was a mandate to bring the troops home.
• The Democrats are the majority now so the Republicans will have to do what they say and bring the troops home .
• Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid have the ability and congressional backing to defund the war and bring the troops home.
• All the Democrats need to do is put forward one more bill to bring the troops home ...

And now, for your reading pleasure (emphasis added) ....

com·pro·mise
1 a: settlement of differences by arbitration or by consent reached by mutual concessions
Compromise. Its meaning is clear, yet whenever Democrats compromise with Republicans, they somehow manage to forget the mutual concessions part of the equation.

And now we learn, the day after reports of their latest cave-in, that they apparently can't get that right either:
The White House budget director warned on Saturday that President Bush was prepared to veto a $500 billion spending package being assembled in Congress if Democrats pushed for too much additional money for domestic programs. [...]

Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, was among those who met with Mr. Nussle and he has said that money for Iraq free of conditions must be part of any final spending deal. But he described as unacceptable any Democratic effort to drive up federal spending as part of the bargain.

So, the Democrats are working on a plan that would give George Bush $70 billion more dollars for Iraq, would take timelines for troop withdrawals off the table, all in exchange for increased domestic spending. Except Bush and the Republicans are saying no dice. So what's their next canny maneuver?

Democrats say that if the deal collapses, their next step may be to strip the spending bills of individual projects sought by lawmakers, a move that would be painful for many members of both parties.

Translation? They'll still give Bush what he wants and the hell with what a majority of the American people want. That'll show him.

Said Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi:
America expects this president to lead — that means working in a bipartisan way with Congress to responsibly address our country’s priorities rather than issuing veto threats without even knowing what he is threatening to veto.

News flash, Harry and Nancy: America expects you to lead - that means working to keep your many promises to stand up to George Bush and to bring the troops home. Now, that may mean messing up your holiday plans and it might even mean that Dana Perino and Republicans say mean things about you. Suck it up. Stop compromising away your dignity and morals and do the job you were elected to do. For God's sake, fight.

Quote Of The Day

"The left is too deeply invested in the narrative of self-hatred to ever hear danger approaching from without. They're stuck in an ultimate conflict of interest between their ideology and the survival of their ideology; between their freedom to destroy their culture and the freedoms that culture guarantees. "

- Wretchard at The Belmont Club

God And Man - Everywhere

Robert Maranto has a very interesting article on the liberal bias of universities in the Washington Post today:

"Unfortunately, subtle biases in how conservative students and professors are treated in the classroom and in the job market have very unsubtle effects on the ideological makeup of the professoriate. The resulting lack of intellectual diversity harms academia by limiting the questions academics ask, the phenomena we study, and ultimately the conclusions we reach."

"All this is bad for society because academics' ideological blinders make it more difficult to solve domestic problems and to understand foreign challenges. Moreover, a leftist ideological monoculture is bad for universities, rendering them intellectually dull places imbued with careerism rather than the energy of contending ideas, a point made by academic critics across the ideological spectrum from Russell Jacoby on the left to Josiah Bunting III on the right."

"Ultimately, universities will have to clean their own houses. Professors need to re-embrace a culture of reasoned inquiry and debate. And since debate requires disagreement, higher education needs to encourage intellectual diversity in its hiring and promotion decisions with something like the fervor it shows for ethnic and racial diversity. It's the only way universities will earn back society's respect and reclaim their role at the center of public life."

Quote Of The Day

"Generally she was happy or, failing that, reasonably content, though she sometimes wondered if she conceded the inevitable too quickly. What if the only thing concessions got you was the habit of conceding?"

- Richard Russo from Bridge Of Sighs

Thank You

Apparently NBC, MSNBC and CNBC have declined to run this paid ad from Freedom Watch because it mentions the groups web address. Please ....

Could it be that they really don't support the troops? Watch it and decide for yourself.

CWCID: Power Line.

Update: According to Drudge, after considerable feedback from viewers NBC may be reconsidering it's stand.

The Return Of Helen Thomas

Helen Thomas, my favorite White House press corp reporter, had this to say about bloggers in a Huffington Post interview the other day (emphasis added):

Q - Do you think technology is changing that? That a good reporter will always find a venue because there are so many media outlets now?

A - No, but I do think it is kind of sad when everybody who owns a laptop thinks they're a journalist and doesn't understand the ethics. We do have to have some sense of what's right and wrong in this job. Of how far we can go. We don't make accusations without absolute proof. We're not prosecutors. We don't assume.

Q - So if there's this amateur league of journalists out there, trying to do what you do...

A - It's dangerous.

What a deluded, self serving, sorry excuse for a reporter this woman is. If only she would hold herself to these ethical ideals.

On The Origins Of Liberty

" We believe that the first written reference to the concept of liberty is the ancient Sumerian cuneiform symbol "amagi".

Urukagina, the leader of the Sumerian city-state of Girsu/Lagash, led a popular movement that resulted in the reform of the oppressive legal and governmental structure of Sumeria. The oppressive conditions in the city before the reforms is described in the new code preserved in cuneiform on tablets of the period: "From the borders of Ningirsu to the sea, there was the tax collector." During his reign (ca. 2350 B.C.) Urukagina implemented a sweeping set of laws that guaranteed the rights of property owners, reformed the civil administration, and instituted moral and social reforms. Urukagina banned both civil and ecclesiastical authorities from seizing land and goods for payment, eliminated most of the state tax collectors, and ended state involvement in matters such as divorce proceedings and perfume making. He even returned land and other property his predecessors had seized from the temple. He saw that reforms were enacted to eliminate the abuse of the judicial process to extract money from citizens and took great pains to ensure the public nature of legal proceedings.

In this important code is found the first written reference to the concept of liberty (amagi or amargi, literally, "return to the mother"), used in reference to the process of reform. The exact nature of this term is not clear, but the idea that the reforms were to be a return to the original social order decreed by the gods fits well with the translation."

From The Online Library of Liberty.

The Only Thing Left To Say Is ...

O-H-I-O!

The Transistor Turns 60

Stephen Gordon put up this amusing post at The Speculist:

"The transistor became a reality in December of 1947. The Sydney Morning Herald has an article marking this anniversary that you shouldn't miss.

"Creating new ideas, solving problems, inventing things and applying technology in new and novel ways, seems to be a basic human characteristic. One of the things I love about computing . .. is that innovation has been so fundamental to this field. I don't see any slowing down of the rate of innovation. In fact, I continue to see more innovation every day."

Innovations that give us more processing power will spawn many other innovations, Mr Rattner says.

But here's the too obvious example of how transistors have changed things: I'm a guy sitting in Louisiana commenting on an article in The Sydney Morning Herald to a worldwide audience. And I'm not Walter Cronkite."

How cool is that?

The Belmont Club

I found this in the comments section over at The Belmont Club. It is just one example of the fine writing Wretchard often provides on his site:

"I saw a comment from an Egyptian a while back that Islamism would not be repudiated there until after it had triumphed.

This was the situation with respect to Communism too. It was an evil which seemed to have irreversibly convinced clerics, writers, artists -- all of them blinded by it's dark stardust -- that it was good. Nobody could see its evil except those who had lived under it. It was proof against verbal argument. Only experience could refute it. The price of admission to enlightenment was the willingness to pass through the Gulag.

And therefore many concluded, from the 1960s to the 1980s, that it was the inevitable wave of the future. All that is, except the men of faith. People like John Paul and Ronald Reagan shamed the intellectuals with their faith. They understood that not only was "the Shadow a passing thing" but that it could not stand up to the light.

When Ronald Reagan said, "tear down that wall" it was the hardest thing in the world to have said at the time. No intellectual could have uttered those words. It was a wholly unreasonable demand. I'm sure Ronald knew that it was unreasonable. But he didn't care; because though unreasonable it was true.

I think the War on Terror will be won by the side which understands that Muslims -- like the Russians -- are men. It will be won by those who know that ignorance, cruelty, obscurantism and death have no appeal to the best of men; that there is forever truth and high beauty beyond the power of evil to mar."

The MSM In One Easy Lesson

Helen Thomas is a fool. And her day, if she ever had one, has long since passed.

As proof, I offer the exchange she had with Dana Perino at the White House press briefing yesterday. The "him" she refers to is General Petraeus:

Q Why should we depend on him?

MS. PERINO: Because he is the commander on the ground, Helen. He's the one who is making sure that the situation is moving —

Q You mean how many more people we kill?

MS. PERINO: Helen, I find it really unfortunate that you use your front row position, bestowed upon you by your colleagues, to make such statements. This is a — it is an honor and a privilege to be in the briefing room, and to suggest that we, at the United States, are killing innocent people is just absurd and very offensive.

Q Do you know how many we have since the start of this war?

MS. PERINO: How many — we are going after the enemy, Helen. To the extent that any innocent Iraqis have been killed, we have expressed regret for it.

Q Oh, regret. It doesn't bring back a life.

MS. PERINO: Helen, we are in a war zone, and our military works extremely hard to make sure that everyone has the opportunity for liberty and freedom and democracy, and that is exactly what they are doing.

I'm going to move on.

CWCID: NRO.

A Country Morning

It is a cold late fall morning here. The thermometer says 17 degrees but the wind seems to think it should be much colder. Even the pond is beginning to ice over. And the gun shots in the distance are a reminder that deer season is winding to a close as well.

Winter will be upon us soon ....

Repeal The Second Amendment?

Yesterday the editorial staff of The Harvard Crimson, the Harvard University student newspaper, called for the repeal of the Second Amendment. While I will leave it to others to dismantle their poorly constructed argument I would like to point out the sweeping and sad historical illiteracy on display here.

This is the first sentence of the editorial:

“Written in an age in which minutemen rose to dress and fight at a moment’s notice, the Second Amendment was no doubt motivated by a young nation’s concern for its own safety and stability.”

And here is a history lesson from of Rand Simberg:

“The most key motivation was the very recent memory of the battle that set off the war, in Lexington and Concord.

What set off that battle? The British troops had marched from Boston toward Concord (as Paul Revere was riding through the countryside rousing the citizenry) to seize the armory and confiscate the weapons stored there. Had the militia (i.e., able-bodied men in the area) not had their own, they would have had nothing with which to fight them, had the British troops actually been able to carry out their orders.

That's why the Founders thought it important that people have a right to keep and bear arms. The Second Amendment is a last-ditch insurance policy against a tyrannical government, something of which the sophomores in Cambridge (not very far from either Lexington, or Concord, and the location of one of the ancillary battles) are apparently incapable of conceiving. Or if they do, they probably imagine that it's the Bush administration.

The more I think about it, the more appalling it is that Harvard students could be so ignorant of American history, not just because it's supposedly such an elite institution, but because that particular bit of American history took place almost literally in their own back yard, as the British retreated to Cambridge (where Harvard was, as it is today). And afterward, Gage attempted to confiscate all the private weapons of the citizens of Boston.

What does this say about the state of American higher education today?

I wonder if anyone involved in that editorial could even describe the circumstances of the battle that kicked off the revolution?

It just occurs to me that, given their ignorance of history, the sophomores may defend their editorial on the basis that the "Americans" were rising up against a foreign government, thus making their point about the amendment being for the defense of "America" and is thus no longer needed, since America now has the most formidable armed forces in the history of the world.

Of course, they were doing no such thing. The "Americans" were British citizens (even though they couldn't vote and had no members of Parliament, but were taxed nonetheless--remember "No taxation without representation"?) rising up against their own government. "Americans" as we understand them today did not exist in 1775. Again, that thought too was very fresh in the Founders' minds.”

Steyn On Thompson

I usually agree with Mark Steyn and often enjoy his wry sense of humor. But in this instance, I wonder if he is putting the cart before the horse. In the grand scheme of things it would seem more important to have great ideas first and then campaign by talking about those ideas. Instead we are treated to a relentless 24 hour news cycle of who said what about whom, who got softball questions, who planted questions, blah, blah, blah ...

I refer you to Newt Gingrich's comment about this early, early campaign season when he pointedly said "This is stupid." After all, are you voting for the candidate with the best ideas or the one that comes off the best in some meaningless YouTube debate?

From NRO:

Fred's sails in the sunset [Mark Steyn]


I wrote about the Republican and Democrat presidential candidates last weekend, and got a lot of mail from Fredheads and others demanding to know why I hadn't mentioned Senator Thompson. The reason is I've no handle on what it is he thinks he's doing. Every time I see a Fred policy plan, he seems to have by far the best ideas, and the necessary zeal for reform, on taxes, Social Security and much else. But every time you see him in these TV debates he has the listless air of a bored grandparent at a dreary school play.

And seeing him live in person isn't that easy to do. I get campaign e-mails about New Hampshire appearances by John McCain and Mrs Clinton and lots of others. Mitt's guys clogged up my in-box with so many urgent releases in the hours after last night's debate that it's seriously impacting my ability to order generic Viagra and e-mail my bank details to Nigerian dictators' wives. But nary a word from Fred.

What's the strategy here? Why does he have great ideas but no campaign?

Can The Republic Survive?

Bruce Fein offers these observations in a recent Washington Times article:

"In “Federalist 55,” James Madison observed that, “Republican government presupposes the existence of [qualities in human nature that justify esteem and confidence] in a higher degree than any other form.” Those qualities include wisdom, honesty and courage; a subordination of egomania to the common good; moderation; self-doubt and self-discipline; and, charity toward the shortcomings of others. A culture that pays homage to these qualities, as in the time of the American Revolution, gives birth to towering leaders like Cincinnatus, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

As president of the Constitutional Convention of 1787 amid petty bickering and maneuvering for political advantage, Washington admonished the delegates: “If to please the people, we offer what we ourselves disapprove, how can we afterwards defend our work? Let us raise a standard to which the wise and honest may repair.”

The delegates did not jeer. They did not retort, “We don't have the votes.” Instead, they labored to subordinate their parochial interests to the common good and achieved a miracle. A century later, the United States Constitution was acclaimed by Lord Gladstone as, “The most wonderful work ever struck off at a given time by the brain and purpose of man.”

American culture has degenerated since the Founding Fathers into a celebration of vice, ignorance, drivel and self-promotion. Money, beauty, sexual indulgence, athletics and fame are saluted as the summum bonum of existence. Exemplary are the wild enthusiasm for “American Idol,” obsession with the tawdry comings and goings of Britney Spears or Paris Hilton and the apotheosis of professional athletes who contribute nothing to preserving government of the people, by the people, for the people. It is inconceivable that a Washington, Madison or Jefferson or Lincoln could emerge from the contemporary culture."

Team of Rivals

I just finished listening to Team of Rivals - The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin. While, admittedly, not for those with just a passing interest in Lincoln and the Civil War era of US history, Team of Rivals presents an intriguing look at Lincoln's cabinet which was composed mostly of men that felt they were better suited to be president than he.

Throughout the book Goodwin shows how Lincoln intuitively understood people and then placed them in positions where they could best serve during a time when their country needed them most. Lincoln exhibited a leadership style which was almost egoless and likely without peer in the history of our nation. Couple that with his legendary political acumen and you have the story of a man that seemed to have been plucked out of obscurity by Providence to lead the country through it's most difficult hours. Eventually, even Lincoln's most bitter rivals understood that he was the only man that could have held the Union together.

The Real Surge

This post by Wretchard at The Belmont Club makes an appropriate bookend to my previous post about Chris Hedges. Wretchard discusses an article by DJ Elliott at The Long War Journal (emphasis added):

"The Real Surge DJ Elliott describes is really a relief in place of US Forces by a newly generated Iraqi Army. The difference between a relief in place and a rout disguised as a redeployment is very significant.

Even if the US never takes any military action against Iran the creation of a new and modern Iraqi Army, well supplied with artillery and logistics (as appears to be the case) will create a threat in being for the Ayatollahs. From a situation in which the Teheran could contemplate virtually annexing southern Iraq (as would have occurred if the US had admitted defeat in early 2007 and left) the Ayatolahs now face the prospect of having to maintain large permanent standing forces on their border with Iraq. Nor is this all. If most US ground forces are freed up by the Real Surge the Iranians will suddenly face the prospect of dangerous mobile US reserve. All in all it would be a nightmarish burden for Teheran to shoulder.

Does this mean war in the Middle East? Ironically the Real Surge may actually reduce the prospect of war considerably, while at the same time improving the prospects for the peaceful resolution of the Iranian nuclear problem. While it is possible that Iran, watching its window of opportunity closing, may become suddenly reckless and launch an all-out attack to destabilize Iraq, it is probably too late for banzai measures. The odds are that Iran has been strategically beaten, first by the American Surge and worse, by the follow-on Iraqi resurgence.

The intolerable burden of maintaining a war-footing against the new Iraq, guarding against possible American action, Western sanctions and the need to refurbish its collapsing oil industry while maintaining a nuclear program may collapse the theocrats in Teheran in the same way it did the old Soviet Union.

That might be a good thing. For Iran, Iraq, America and the whole world."

CWCID: TigerHawk

What Would The Founders Do?

"Who is Chris Hedges? Not only was he a New York Times reporter for 15 years, he was its Middle East bureau chief in the 1990's." CWCID: NRO.

Can you say Walter Duranty?

Here is the latest example of his drivel published in The Nation:

"I will not pay my income tax if we go to war with Iran. I realize this is a desperate and perhaps futile gesture. But an attack on Iran--which appears increasingly likely before the coming presidential election--will unleash a regional conflict of catastrophic proportions. This war, and especially Iranian retaliatory strikes on American targets, will be used to silence domestic dissent and abolish what is left of our civil liberties. It will solidify the slow-motion coup d'état that has been under way since the 9/11 attacks. It could mean the death of the Republic."

Would you like some cheese with that whine?

I mean, seriously - "I will not pay my income tax"? If the fate of the Republic is at stake, I am fairly sure tax court isn't the appropriate venue to decide it's future. At the very least, have the testicular fortitude of your convictions and, oh wait a minute, you don't believe in the Second Amendment either, I'll wager.

Mr. Hedges, I think your side is already at a distinct disadvantage.

Pioneer Woman Cooks

Since we are just sitting around this morning suffering from fairly serious tryptophan hangovers, I thought I would pass along this recipe. M'Lady and I tried it for the first time at yesterdays feast and it met with a considerable number of "Ooohs and Ahhhhs". We substituted butternut squash for the sweet potatoes since we still have quite a few left from the garden and it came out great.

You might also want to check out Pioneer Woman's blog - good recipes, wonderful photography and a great "how this all came to be" story to boot.

Stem Cell Breakthrough

I was very pleased to read that researchers in Japan and the United States have developed a method for creating stem cells from skin tissue. Regardless of your position in the debate, this news has to be viewed as a major scientific breakthrough which will have a huge impact in the medical community for years to come.

Update: Charles Krauthammer, one of the truly wise men writing political commentary in this country, has an article on this topic. It is a must read.

No Direction, Period.

Another YouTube video recommendation from the young squire. The premise is that Bob Dylan not only wrote all those great songs we associate with him, i.e. Blowin' In The Wind, All Along The Watchtower et. al - but he wrote every pop music hit of the last 35 years as well!

The Lost Lesson Of Thanksgiving

John Stossel has an article about this little known piece of early American history at RealClearPolitics:

"Every year around this time, schoolchildren are taught about that wonderful day when Pilgrims and Native Americans shared the fruits of the harvest. "Isn't sharing wonderful?" say the teachers.

They miss the point.

Because of sharing, the first Thanksgiving in 1623 almost didn't happen.

The failure of Soviet communism is only the latest demonstration that freedom and property rights, not sharing, are essential to prosperity. The earliest European settlers in America had a dramatic demonstration of that lesson, but few people today know it.

When the Pilgrims first settled the Plymouth Colony, they organized their farm economy along communal lines. The goal was to share everything equally, work and produce.

They nearly all starved."

Fantasy Car

The young squire showed me this video clip the other day. Now, for the record, I am not a "car guy". Generally, I am quite happy when a car takes me from point A to point B without failing somewhere in between - I've had my fair share of those automobiles in the past. With that said, I can appreciate a truly fine car - from the female inspired lines and beauty of design to the brilliance of automobile engineering at its best - even if I will never make enough money in this lifetime to own one.

But this you have just got to see. M'Lady looked over our shoulders and said "It looks like the Batmobile!" and I replied "Darling, IT IS the Batmobile."

Gun Thoughts

I have recently been thinking of adding my first non-hunting gun to the collection. I have come across two posts in as many days that reinforce my thoughts.

The first post is from SayUncle regarding his AR-15 and the local politicians who would take it from him:

“There’s no rhyme or reason to have civilians with this type of firepower,” Lang said. “It’s not something that you could ever possibly justify. It’s insanity and it doesn’t fit in society in any way.”

SayUncle’s response:

“The beauty of being a free man is I don’t have to justify a fucking thing to you.”

Now that’s my kind of response.

Then there is this post from Marko:

“When I carry a gun, I don't do so because I am looking for a fight, but because I'm looking to be left alone. The gun at my side means that I cannot be forced, only persuaded. I don't carry it because I'm afraid, but because it enables me to be unafraid. It doesn't limit the actions of those who would interact with me through reason, only the actions of those who would do so by force. It removes force from the equation...and that's why carrying a gun is a civilized act.”

Zeppelin Man

"Simply put, no other band has done more to ignite my passion for music than Led Zeppelin."

So begins the post at Mainstream Isn’t So Bad … Is It? and I could not agree more. My own passion for music burst into flames in the early Seventies when I first heard Led Zeppelin at a friend’s house. My life would never be the same.

I was privileged to see Led Zeppelin perform three times - once in 1975 and twice in 1977 on back to back evenings. I saw Jimmy Page during a solo tour after the band dissolved in the Eighties and took my then very young children to see Page and Plant circa “Unledded” during the Nineties.

Over the years my musical tastes have grown substantially but I still come back to my roots – which will always be Led Zeppelin. And while mass popularity has never been my personal gauge for great music, in this instance I am one with the vast unwashed.

David Browne in a recent article for The New Republic tries to make sense of why this band has had such a hold on us for almost forty years. While I think he makes some good points I believe it all still comes down to three very basic things – that guitar, that voice and those drums.

Ralph Peters Rules

Ralph Peters rebuts the "12 Myths of 21st Century War":

1. War doesn’t change anything.
2. Victory is impossible today.
3. Insurgencies can never be defeated.
4. There’s no military solution; only negotiations can solve our problems.
5. When we fight back, we only provoke our enemies.
6. Killing terrorists only turns them into martyrs.
7. If we fight as fiercely as our enemies, we’re no better than them.
8. The United States is more hated today than ever before.
9. Our invasion of Iraq created our terrorist problems.
10. If we just leave, the Iraqis will patch up their differences on their own.
11. It’s all Israel’s fault. Or the popular Washington corollary: “The Saudis are our friends.”
12. The Middle East’s problems are all America’s fault.

CWCID: The Belmont Club.

Why I Don't Go To The Movies Anymore

I think JD Johannes pretty well summarizes my feelings about the recent spate of Iraq war films - as well as why I won't be in the audience:

"Every morning I go to the gym and run on the treadmill.

Every morning I am subjected to at least a dozen commercials for the new anti-war movie 'Lions for Lambs.'

Despite spending several million dollars on advertising and marketing, 'Lions for Lambs' will flop--just like 'Rendition' & and 'Valley of Elah.'

They will flop because the human psyche, especially the American variety, prefers real heroes--like the original hero of the Valley of Elah, a young shepherd named David who killed Goliath then cut off the giant's head.

In the latest round of war movies the heroes are not the Soldiers and Marines who every day fight and defeat a vicious and barbaric enemy--the heroes are reporters, lawyers and activists.

And since every story requires a villain, the real enemy--Mohammedan Jihadists--are replaced by neo-cons, politicians, Soldiers and Marines.

This substitution of the traditional mono-myth away from a hero who faces physical danger and conquers an enemy is a result of cowardice of the modern story tellers."

This Blog's Reading Level

This is humorous. Click on the logo, plug in the URL and get your blog evaluated.

I guess that if I am only at the post-graduate college level it means I still have some work to do!
(CWCID: Tigerhawk)

Quote Of The Day

"My point is not that liberals swear publicly more often than conservatives. That may be true, but that's not my point. It is that the netroots often argue from anger rather than reason, and too often, their object is personal release, not political persuasion."
- Karl Rove

Family News

M'Lady and I found out this evening that our young miss is now betrothed to her longtime love. A date has yet to be set for the nuptials but we could not be happier with the news as well as the addition to the family of another son and fine young man.

We hope that their life together will be filled with much love and happiness.

I'm Somebody Now!

When we were out pheasant hunting this past Friday morning we ran into none other than D'Arcy Egan, the outdoor writer for The Plain Dealer. We had a great half hour conversation about many of the places we had been fishing and hunting around the country. As a result we got a nice mention in the Saturday paper which you can read here. D'Arcy mentioned that M'Lady was one of just a few women hunters though I have always thought of her as a feminist pioneer.

It just goes to show you that some of the nicest people you will ever meet are often hunters and fishermen.

Daily Fred Thompson Fact

I haven't posted a recent Fred Thompson Fact, so here you are:
"Fred Thompson's plan for the U.N. is to wait for a big conference and then melt down the entire headquarters, uniting leaders from all nations into a nice little paperweight for his desk."

Heinlein's Razor

While looking through the Wikipedia entry for Hanlon's Razor I came across this possible antecedent called Heinlein's Razor:

"Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity, but don't rule out malice."

I think I like this one better.

Connection

While reviewing some of my, admittedly sparse, recent posts I saw this one on treason and then realized how I had missed the link to this Quote Of The Day.

New Podcasts

I had grown a bit bored by my collection of hard-core political podcasts so I recently decided to broaden my horizons. In doing so, I found two wonderful podcasts which aptly illustrate the wide range of subjects covered by podcasting as well as, perhaps, the unusual range of my own hobbies.

My new found interest in vegetable gardening is being fed by Emma Cooper at her podcast, Alternative Kitchen Garden. Emma lives in Oxfordshire, England with her husband and her two chickens, Hen Solo and Princess Layer. She covers a great many useful and informative subjects in a very entertaining way.

I am also listening to Bird Dogs Forever, which, as it's name implies, is all about bird dogs and upland hunting. Since it is now pheasant season, the most anticipated time of the year here, this podcast has me in a fine froth. Dogs, guns and birds - it doesn't get much better than this.

Surely, these podcasts will cure me of my political ennui.

Quote Of The Day

"Over the years, I have come to understand a critical difference between the world of fear and the world of freedom. In the former, the primary challenge is finding the inner strength to confront evil. In the latter, the primary challenge is finding the moral clarity to see evil."
- The Case For Democracy by Natan Sharansky

Putting the Garden to Bed

Well, it's finally that time of year. We harvested the last of the peppers and herbs from the garden yesterday. We covered our late season crops of lettuce, spinach and green beans last night against the frost though I think we lost the green beans. It is, of course, near the end of the growing season and to be expected.

This weekend the young squire and I shoveled in a ton and a half of compost to prepare the beds for next season - and more will follow. Soon we will sow the beds with winter rye which I am using as a "green manure" crop to further enrich the soil when we turn it into the beds next spring. I can now see the stone our sundial sits on in the garden - it's the first time I've seen it in the last four months because it has been surrounded by herbs. I have never harvested basil in the last week of October and now it all hangs along the stairs to the cellar awaiting the stock pot.

Even the bees got in on the act by providing us with about one and a half supers of honey which I think should yield around three to three and a half gallons. A sweet ending to a wonderful first season of vegetable gardening.

We're already planning for next year.

Are You A "Mainstream" Environmentalist?

"Rate yourself on a scale from 1 to 10 for each statement below, with 10 meaning that you strongly agree with the statement and 1 meaning you strongly disagree.

______ A healthy environment should be able to coexist with a healthy, growing economy.
______ Investments in science and technology will generate solutions to most of our environmental problems.
______ Incentives should be offered to encourage corporations to clean up the environment.
______ Most disagreements about the environment can be resolved through the art of compromise.
______ Governments can play an important role in fostering and incentivizing a healthy environment but lose support when they are too controlling.
______ Democracies have been far better environmental stewards than totalitarian states.
______ Corporate and private philanthropy is essential to the success of a global environmental movement.
______ Most of us have been taught to respect and protect the natural world.
______ Political leadership will be defined in the twenty- first century by having a strong commitment to environmental stewardship.
______ America must be a global leader on environmental issues.

If you scored higher than 70, you qualify to be labeled a ''mainstream environmentalist'' and it makes A Contract with the Earth the perfect for you."

The author - Newt Gingrich.

Grover Norquist

For years I have been saying "I am a big boy who can make his own decisions and all I want the government to do is get their hands out of my pockets and leave me the #&*% alone!" Apparently, that has also been the brain child of Grover Norquist and his "Leave Us Alone Coalition". Mr. Norquist describes the LUA in this article:

"The "Leave Us Alone" coalition includes taxpayers who want the government to reduce the tax burden, property owners, farmers, and homeowners who want their property rights respected, gunowners who want the government to leave them and their guns alone, homeschoolers who wish to educate their own children as they see fit, traditional values conservatives who don't want the government throwing condoms at their children and making fun of their religious values."

"The Left puts forward the fiction that the Right want to force their morality on others. However, the homeschooler movement does not demand that homeschoolers be recognized as an alternative lifestyle. Gunowners do not insist that schools teach ten year olds books entitled "Heather has Two Hunters."

"The good news for friends of liberty is that the "Leave us Alone" coalition is growing. In 1965, only 10 percent of Americans owned shares of stock, in 1980 it was only 20 percent, today 50 percent of Americans own stock in IRAs, 401Ks, and mutual funds. As more and more Americans own shares of stock the politics of hate and envy becomes more difficult. In 1965, a politician could say, "I will steal money from corporations and give it to you," and 90 percent of the people in the room might think this a good idea and only 10 percent would clearly see that they would be paying for this government largesse. Today, the same politician's bluster would find fully half of this audience reacting: "Hey, that is my retirement income you are looting."

You can also read Ed Morrissey's recent post about Mr. Norquist's appearance at the the Conservative Leadership Conference here.

Quote Of The Day

"It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it."
- General Douglas MacArthur

Newt In Venice

Newt Gingrich and his wife are touring Venice where he had these observations:
"One sign of Venice's longevity is found in two of its most famous private companies. Their diversity is a good reminder of the complexity of high civilizations.

The Segusi family has been making world famous Murano glass for more than 600 years. As family businesses go, that is a record to which to aspire.

The other great historic business in Venice is Beretta, which has been making guns since 1525.

It is a fascinating reality that goes against left-wing sentimentality. Beretta helped make it possible to protect the glassmakers of Murano, and businesses creating wealth made it possible to sustain the art and artists for which Venice is known.

This is a useful dynamic to keep in mind as we go through the next few years' debates."

I knew about Beretta since I own one of their fine shotguns and was already aware that they are one of the oldest gun manufacturers in the world. But I wasn't aware of their larger role in the history of Venice.

Whoopi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Will wonders never cease?

Rosie, we hardly knew ye - but what we knew was more than enough. At least this seems to be a move in the right direction.

The "Dissent" School Of Patriotism

This is from Jonah Goldberg at NRO. I could not have said this better myself - and, believe me, I have tried. This post actually delineates the infantile intellectual paralysis which commonly afflicts those on the Left. If you don't believe me, visit Daily Kos, Democratic Underground or the Left leaning site of your choice and then tell me how wrong I am. Emphasis is mine:

"So, Jonah, here's the problem I have all too often with the "dissent is the highest form of patriotism" line. Patriotism, as I see it, is love of country—an actually-existing, historically grounded, geographical, political, and social entity. It's not uncritical, it's not unwilling to acknowledge flaws or misdeeds, but it's a fundamental attachment to an entity, a place, a thing, a group of people, and in the case of America, of course, a set of ideals enshrined in our founding documents.

The "dissent" school seems to acknowledge love not of the actual country, but the Country of the Future, once all the flaws are fixed, which is not only utopian but utterly quixotic, since no group of human beings can ever organize themselves in a fashion without problems. Moreover, it's a very subjective standard. You're dissenting on whatever the hell problem is your own hobby horse. Feminist A is upset about the state of women and is patriotically "dissenting"; Klansman B is upset about the state of white folk, and in his mind, he's equally patriotic in his "dissent." There isn't a hell of a lot in the "dissent" principle that can distinguish the two. A historically-grounded analysis says the feminist is (perhaps) appealing to American ideals of equality while the Klansman is appealing to an ugly tradition of anti-black bigotry, but neither are, in any real sense, showing their love of country. The former may be offering a constructive criticism, the other clearly is proposing a destructive one, but both are equally ideological and neither is expressing a love of America qua America, but rather a love of what they think America should be.

While that's a grand American tradition, I don't think it's patriotism. Moreover, it easily descends into narcissism and paranoia when the messy reality of America meets the pure, pristine clarity of their ideals—"I hate this country so much because it's not the country I want it to be, but because I have in mind the Other Country It Should Be, I'm a patriot of the Ideal America of My Mind.

The great, truly patriotic reformers of American history have the country for what it is despite its flaws, which they dedicated themselves to amending. It's only of late, under the influence of Marxism and the tumult of the '60s (perhaps the Kennedy assassination, if you believe that guy's new book) in which you see large numbers of people expressing the loopy theoretical proposition that you can despise your country out of love for it, which seems to be the bottom line for a lot of petty university-educated intellectuals these days."

And the intellectual Lefts love of "The Country of the Future" might also explain why they are the last bastion of socialism/communism - since it is all quite lovely on paper. But then reality intrudes and "therein lies the rub".

Quote Of The Day

"Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded — here and there, now and then — are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty.

This is known as "bad luck."

- Robert A. Heinlein

Two Kinds Of Patriotism

Jonah Goldberg recently wrote this in an article published by The Los Angeles Times:
"I've come around to the view that the culture war can best be understood as a conflict between two different kinds of patriotism. On the one hand, there are people who believe being an American is all about dissent and change, that the American idea is inseparable from "progress." America is certainly an idea, but it is not merely an idea. It is also a nation with a culture as real as France's or Mexico's. That's where the other patriots come in; they think patriotism is about preserving Americanness.

Many liberals hear talk of national culture and shout, "Nativist!" first and ask questions later, if at all. They believe it is a sign of their patriotism that they hold fast to the idea that we are a "nation of immigrants" -- forgetting that we are also a nation of immigrants who became Americans."

Treason?

Treason is a very ugly word. Unfortunately, it is currently being thrown around with impunity by all sides of the political discussion in this country. Ed Morrissey offers this very sensible warning:
"We should hold the hyperbole, and assume the best motives whenever possible. That doesn't mean we shouldn't criticize actions and speeches when wrong, or that we should do so with insufficient vigor. It does mean that we should hold the most dire allegations for those who deserve it. Adam Gadahn is a traitor. Robert Byrd and Barack Obama are fools. The two are not synonymous. If we don't recognize that patriotism means love of country regardless of wisdom on policy, then we really will have reduced it to only the last refuge of scoundrels."

Friends Of Fred

Fred sure has some friends over at the American Thinker:

"Conventional wisdom is hardening around the proposition that Fred Dalton Thompson is too lazy, ill-prepared, tired, old, lackluster, inexperienced, inconsistent and bald to make a successful run for President. Of course, conventional wisdom rarely gets anything right. When it does, it's only by accident.

In this case conventional wisdom is not just wrong but comically so. Thompson will win the Republican nomination for two reasons. First, he's a very impressive candidate. Second, there's no realistic alternative. He will win the general election for the same two reasons.

Fred Thompson isn't Ronald Reagan. But he can restore the Republican Party to Reagan's default settings. He can make the GOP once again the party of the American Revolution and distinguish it sharply from the party of the French, Russian, Chinese, and Cuban Revolutions.

After a recent Thompson speech in Iowa a member of the audience called out: "Kill the terrorists, secure the border, and give me back my freedom." Thompson replied "you just summed up my whole speech."

No other candidate could have carried off that quip because no other candidate is capable of delivering a convincing speech focused on those powerful themes.

Certainly Hillary's theme - A kinder, gentler America at home and abroad - can't compete. Socialism never had the electoral appeal in the United States that the chattering class expects it to have. Nowadays it is painfully passe."