Lincoln At Cooper Union

I just finished reading Lincoln At Cooper Union by noted Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer. Holzer manages to take the occasion of the Cooper Union speech and show how all the surrounding events such as the iconic Brady portrait taken of Lincoln the same day propelled Lincoln to the presidency. Not only that but Holzer makes it all very interesting as well. Lincoln came to New York City at the end of February, 1860 as a prairie politician best known for his debates with Stephen Douglas during the Illinois Senate race in 1858. He left the Northeast two weeks later as a serious contender for the Republican nomination. And Lincoln did not make another speech until his First Inaugural. A little different type of presidential campaign than what we are subjected to these days.

Quote Of The Day

"I been tryin' to enjoy all the fruits of my labor

I been cryin' for you boy but truth is my savior

Baby, sweet baby if it's all the same

Take the glory any day over the fame

Baby, sweet baby."

- Lucinda Williams from Fruits of My Labor on World Without Tears

Al Gore's Energy Usage

Tigerhawk neatly deconstructs Vice President Gore's "carbon offsets" rebuttal to recent criticisms of his energy usage:

"If, as Al Gore would have us believe, investments in carbon-negative businesses offset one's personal carbon footprint, then wouldn't investments in carbon-producing businesses increase one's personal carbon footprint? And, since most businesses spew out more carbon than they sequester in the process of creating wealth, doesn't this mean that under the Gore logic most investments are a big personal carbon "debit"? Doesn't that then mean that rich people -- such as Gore, Leonardo DiCaprio, and virtually everybody else with a ticket to the Oscars -- who do not invest all their money in carbon-negative businesses have an even larger personal carbon footprint than is indicated by their electricity bill or frequent trips by private jet?

If you buy Gore's "offset defense," the obvious implication is that all rich people -- no matter how green in their personal lives -- have a far bigger personal carbon footprint than even the most profligate working stiff simply by virtue of having invested their money in the global economy. Is that really the point Gore intended to make? Somehow I doubt he would have been so welcomed on the stage Sunday night if it were."

And as usual, Vice President Gore's supporters are either unwilling or unable to reason through the economic ramifications of their positions - an all too common situation since many of them have little or no idea how our economy actually works. Instead, they frequently labor under the misconception that the economy is at fault because it doesn't work the way they think it should.

Max Boot

Max Boot wrote an interesting article for The Los Angles Times in which he discussed the reasons for perceived American unilateralism:

"Unless the other NATO members are willing to step up their spending — and what are the odds of that? — there is scant chance that their gripes about American unilateralism will ever be rectified. We act alone, or almost alone, not out of choice but out of necessity."

Cooper Union

I just finished watching the Cooper Union debate between Mario Cuomo and Newt Gingrich with moderator Tim Russert. I know that Speaker Gingrich was hoping for an open debate and a "coming together" of ideas from the Right and the Left. Unfortunately, I don't think he got what he was looking for from Governor Cuomo. It seemed to me that Governor Cuomo spent more of his time on a traditional lambasting of the Right and very little time trying to find common ground. On the other hand, I think Speaker Gingrich acquitted himself with his usual aplomb.

I will post the link to the debate as soon as it becomes available and encourage everyone to watch it. The only question I want you to answer after watching the debate is "Which ideology is better equipped to lead this country in the 21st century and why?"

Click here to watch.

Vanishing Honeybees

It seems that, inexplicably, honeybees from all parts of the country are vanishing. This article from The New York Times says that "bee losses are ranging from 30 to 60 percent on the West Coast, with some beekeepers on the East Coast and in Texas reporting losses of more than 70 percent; beekeepers consider a loss of up to 20 percent in the offseason to be normal."

While this may seem like one of those "bizarre" stories you see from time to time, consider this:
"A Cornell University study has estimated that honeybees annually pollinate more than $14 billion worth of seeds and crops in the United States, mostly fruits, vegetables and nuts. “Every third bite we consume in our diet is dependent on a honeybee to pollinate that food,” said Zac Browning, vice president of the American Beekeeping Federation. "

A Sign Of The Times

And we should all be ashamed.

Quote Of The Day

"When beginning a journey of revenge, be sure to dig two graves."
- Chinese proverb

Quote Of The Day

"According to my dictionary, the word "ally" comes from the Old French. Very Old French, I'd say. For the New French, the word has a largely postmodern definition of "duplicitous charmer who undermines you at every opportunity"."
- Mark Steyn in The Australian February 23, 2007

I Love Australia

We will always have at least one ally in the War On Terror. The Australians understand what is at stake.

Peter Costello, the Australian Treasurer, said "This is a country which has a Constitution. Under its Constitution, the state is secular. Under its constitution, the law is made by the parliament. Under its Constitution, it's enforced by the judiciary. These are Australian values and they're not going to change and we would expect people, when they come to Australia or if they are born in Australia, to respect those values."

Later in the same interview Costello said

"Well, I think there is a lot of anti-Americanism in Australia. It's not just in Australia. It there's anti-Americanism in Europe and other parts of the world and to some degree it may be less in Australia than in countries like France or in parts of the Arab world. But I don't believe we can be complacent about it. It is a real strand of public opinion and I think we ought to engage it and discuss it. The point I'm trying to make is we in Australia have no reason to be anti-American; that where American power has been exercised, such as in the World War II, it was exercised in the defence of Australia, not the attack of Australia. By and large, American power, which is exercised in defence of democracy and in individual liberty, is supportive of Australia in its interests and not a threat to it."

You just gotta love the Aussies.

Is Communism Dead?

This editorial cartoon is courtesy of The Columbus Dispatch and appeared in today's edition. It begs the question "Is Communism dead?". Were our old Soviet enemies really vanquished without firing a shot as Lady Thatcher once said or were they merely taking a nap?

Let's recap:

Vladamir Putin seems to feel fairly secure in his ability to dispatch critics of his regime with impunity, as well as with radioactive isotopes. Very KGB, very James Bond - it almost makes one nostalgic.

In a Cold War style speech February 10th Putin said "What is a unipolar world? No matter how we beautify this term it means one single center of power, one single center of force and one single master."
"It has nothing in common with democracy because that is the opinion of the majority taking into account the minority opinion,".

"People are always teaching us democracy but the people who teach us democracy don't want to learn it themselves."

That's rich - coming from a communist.

The Russians, the Chinese and the Indians all got together recently to make nice and to offer a counter balance to the United States in world affairs, especially since all three have significant investments in Iran.

Speaking of investments in Iran, the Russians have been actively assisting Iran so that they may achieve their nuclear ambitions. Then again, maybe not, if the Russians don't get paid on time.

Not to mention the festering socialism the Soviets infected our universities with during the Cold War. Could it be that the methods they were employing domestically to bring down the United States never really stopped after the Soviet block collapsed?

I'd say Vlad's been a busy boy - rise and shine, indeed.

(CWCID - Glenn Beck)

I Want To Live My Next Life Backwards

This e-mail was sent to me by a good friend who, I swear, sees every funny thing published on the Internet and then shares it with me (and a cast of thousands). Thanks Mike - this is a good one!

I want to live my next life backwards:
You start out dead and get that out of the way.
Then you wake up in an old age home feeling better every day.
Then you get kicked out for being too healthy.
Enjoy your retirement and collect your pension.
Then when you start work, you get a gold watch on your first day.
You work 40 years until you're too young to work.
You get ready for High School: drink alcohol, party, and you're generally promiscuous.
Then you go to primary school, you become a kid, you play, and you have no responsibilities.
Then you become a baby, and then...You spend your last 9 months floating peacefully in luxury, in spa-like conditions - central heating, room service on tap, and then...

You finish off as an orgasm.

I rest my case.

Checking In On The Girls

Since we managed to get through this recent bout of winter unpleasantness, M'Lady and I decided to take a stroll (or more to the point, a trudge since there's still a lot on snow out there) around the grounds. While we were out and about, looking in on this and that, we decided to check in on my bees, better known as "the girls" . We circled the hive which was in good order. I put my ear to the hive wall but heard nothing. So, I politely knocked and was rewarded with the buzzing sounds of perturbed bees! They made it too!!!

Click on the picture to get an up close view of one of the girls at work on our cherry tree last spring. I'm adding two more hives in the spring. Things will really be buzzing around here then.

Cooper Union

OK, OK - I know I am overdoing the videos tonight but I am eagerly awaiting this debate. Newt Gingrich and Mario Cuomo will make a long overdue attempt to "raise the bar" for political debate in this country on February 28th at Cooper Union in New York City. The revolution will not be televised, it will be streamed live over the Internet as a webcast starting at 6:30 PM. Be sure to watch and wish both of these gentlemen luck. If they are successful, this could become the template for future presidential debates. We can only hope.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali

I just listened to a podcast from The American Enterprise Institute titled "Infidel". Ayaan Hirsi Ali gives her fascinating, almost feminist, views on Islam from her own very unique perspective. This is one brave and intelligent woman. She also offers some interesting insights about the United States as well.

I have not read her book but after listening to this podcast it is definitely on my list now.