What layers of editors? After the Rathergate disgrace that finally ended Dan Rather's newsreading career, now we have his replacement, Katie Couric, being caught plagiarizing from the Wall Street Journal. Read the whole thing.
Ed Morrissey chimed in over on Captain's Quarters, Jonah Goldberg added his thoughts over at the NRO Corner and Ed Driscoll broke down modern "reporters".
Read all the ccommentary. And then take any of the MSM's claims of professionalism with a VERY large grain of salt. Professionalism? What professionalism? Hat tip to Glenn Reynolds.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
For University Administrators
Please see President Mike Nietzel's work at the Missouri State University. When he was presented with a lawsuit filed against one of his academic schools, in this case, the School of Social Work, President Nietzel did not hide behind lawyers or defend the school in question. Nor did he hand over the invesitgation to unhinged radicals in his own faculty- are you listening President Brodhead over at Duke? Instead he called in an independent panel to perform a full review.
And what prompted the review? A student in the master's program accused the school of punishing her for being a Christian. According to her,
Sounds legitimate to me. Anti-Christian professors are legion. In fact, the only religion that can be openly displayed in most universities today would be Islam, which has been elevated to protected status by the far-left socialists and communists who would undoubtedly be Islam's first targets should they even win.
The review's results, according to KY3 News in Missouri, was "damning". In fact, President Nietzel said in his weekly email message,
This is the gold standard of how university administrations should respond. Instead of hiding or trying to discipline the student, they should call in an outside review to determine the validity of the accusations. While understanding that students can be untrustorthy in the matter of grades, it si important to realise that professors, especially the many agenda-driven Leftists in our university system, can be just as untrustworthy.
Hat tip to Michelle Malkin.
And what prompted the review? A student in the master's program accused the school of punishing her for being a Christian. According to her,
Emily Brooker sued the university because she said faculty members punished her for failing to take part in a class assignment that went against her Christian beliefs. Brooker said the project asked students to draft and sign a letter to state legislators in support of gay people being allowed to be foster parents.
Sounds legitimate to me. Anti-Christian professors are legion. In fact, the only religion that can be openly displayed in most universities today would be Islam, which has been elevated to protected status by the far-left socialists and communists who would undoubtedly be Islam's first targets should they even win.
The review's results, according to KY3 News in Missouri, was "damning". In fact, President Nietzel said in his weekly email message,
I regret to report what will be obvious to you as you read the evaluation by the external reviewers: Their evaluation of our Social Work program is extraordinarily negative. In fact, it is as negative a review of an academic program as I have ever seen, and I have been involved in University accreditation activities for more than 20 years as a site visitor for the American Psychological Association, an accreditation consultant, a commissioner of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and a reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission.
As much as I am embarrassed by the report, I have decided it must be made public. The perceived problems in Social Work are too numerous and too serious to hide or diminish. I believe we owe it to ourselves and to our students to let the sun shine on what is very tempting to keep under the rug.
This is the gold standard of how university administrations should respond. Instead of hiding or trying to discipline the student, they should call in an outside review to determine the validity of the accusations. While understanding that students can be untrustorthy in the matter of grades, it si important to realise that professors, especially the many agenda-driven Leftists in our university system, can be just as untrustworthy.
Hat tip to Michelle Malkin.
The Thugs Leading the Incompetent
The United Nations is an institution that has long outlived its usefullness, at least in this writer's opinion. More evidence of this is provided by the inestimable Anne Bayefsky, who reports on National Review that Iran and Syria are currently leading the U.N.'s Disarmament Commission!
This seems completely incomprehensible to me. I seem to recall that it is Iran which is so frantically seeking to possess nuclear weaposns, against every treaty they have signed. As Bayefsky so aptly puts it, "Yes Ripley, the very U.N. body charged with promoting nuclear nonproliferation installed in a senior position the state that the Security Council recently declared violated its nonproliferation resolutions. " And despite this violation, the useful idiots at the UN still elected Iran to lead the Disarmament Commission! No wonder all the thugocracies and dictatorships around the world love the UN. It makes them feel that they are legitimate, not the vicious and illegitimate bodies they actually are.
The UN was a wonderful idea. However, their anti-American, totalitarian-loving, corruptuion has reached the point where we can no longer afford to have these dangerous incompetents placed in a position where they can do us harm. It is time to evict the UN and put their former headquarters in Turtle Bay to some constructive use. I think a missile-shield research center sounds about right.
Hat tip to little green footballs.
This seems completely incomprehensible to me. I seem to recall that it is Iran which is so frantically seeking to possess nuclear weaposns, against every treaty they have signed. As Bayefsky so aptly puts it, "Yes Ripley, the very U.N. body charged with promoting nuclear nonproliferation installed in a senior position the state that the Security Council recently declared violated its nonproliferation resolutions. " And despite this violation, the useful idiots at the UN still elected Iran to lead the Disarmament Commission! No wonder all the thugocracies and dictatorships around the world love the UN. It makes them feel that they are legitimate, not the vicious and illegitimate bodies they actually are.
The UN was a wonderful idea. However, their anti-American, totalitarian-loving, corruptuion has reached the point where we can no longer afford to have these dangerous incompetents placed in a position where they can do us harm. It is time to evict the UN and put their former headquarters in Turtle Bay to some constructive use. I think a missile-shield research center sounds about right.
Hat tip to little green footballs.
Sanity In Durham
At last. After far too much time, it appears that the State of North Carolina will drop the remaining charges against former Duke University lacrosse players Reade Seligmann, Colin Finnerty and David Evans.
I have been expecting this for quite some time, as it has long appeared that the State had no case. What astounds me is that this travesty has been allowed to go on as long as it has. What is even more astounding is that many of Duke's professors and several out-of-state jounalists, such as Selena Roberts, have jumped on the players with presumptions of guilt after it was known that the accuser, one Crystal Gail Mangum, had serious credibility issues and that several players, inlcuding Seligmann, had alibis!
This entire charade has made everyone except the Duke women's lacrosse team and the few brave souls who stood by the players, look extremely bad. I would hope that once the charges are actually dropped, that the players will proceed against Duke adminstrators, Mangum, Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong, the Durham Police Department, the Durham Herald-Sun newspaper and any others (such as the 88 Duke professors who published an advertisement libelling the players) with the full force of the law, and I hope they wring every last cent out of those who tried to use them to advance their own agendas at the expense of the United States Constitution, which clearly states that any accused is innocent until proven guilty.
For a complete chronology of the case, please see the Durham-in-Wonderland, Friends of Duke University, John in Carolina and Liestoppers blogs. These folks have been on this case from the very start and it is due to their fine reporting (certainly not to the mainstream media) that many of the facts regarding this case have seen the light of day.
I have been expecting this for quite some time, as it has long appeared that the State had no case. What astounds me is that this travesty has been allowed to go on as long as it has. What is even more astounding is that many of Duke's professors and several out-of-state jounalists, such as Selena Roberts, have jumped on the players with presumptions of guilt after it was known that the accuser, one Crystal Gail Mangum, had serious credibility issues and that several players, inlcuding Seligmann, had alibis!
This entire charade has made everyone except the Duke women's lacrosse team and the few brave souls who stood by the players, look extremely bad. I would hope that once the charges are actually dropped, that the players will proceed against Duke adminstrators, Mangum, Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong, the Durham Police Department, the Durham Herald-Sun newspaper and any others (such as the 88 Duke professors who published an advertisement libelling the players) with the full force of the law, and I hope they wring every last cent out of those who tried to use them to advance their own agendas at the expense of the United States Constitution, which clearly states that any accused is innocent until proven guilty.
For a complete chronology of the case, please see the Durham-in-Wonderland, Friends of Duke University, John in Carolina and Liestoppers blogs. These folks have been on this case from the very start and it is due to their fine reporting (certainly not to the mainstream media) that many of the facts regarding this case have seen the light of day.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Kernel Panics
Can be fun! Really, you ask? Why, yes. Click HERE for details. This made my day.
Hat tip to Expat Leo's Wordpress.
Hat tip to Expat Leo's Wordpress.
College Aid and Discomfort
College tuition is big business. And in some cases, it appears that business has corrupted the very institutions it is supposed to aid.
The Washington Times reports that financial aid officials at several colleges, including Johns Hopkins University, are tied to widespread conflicts of interest wherein tuition firms funnel money to them, which firms then receive preferential treatment in gaining new clients. Read the whole thing.
This is why college tuition is a disgrace. The government should cease subsidizing all education, and colleges would then have to lower their tuition or go out of business. Based on my own experience, most universitites put their tuition dollars into nice offices for their administrators, while the actual faculty rots in underfunded and ancient classrooms. And don'ty even start me on how the students are treated by said administrations.
it is time to get the cost out of education. Let subsidies cease, and then universities will survive or die based on quality of education, not on inflated tuition.
The Washington Times reports that financial aid officials at several colleges, including Johns Hopkins University, are tied to widespread conflicts of interest wherein tuition firms funnel money to them, which firms then receive preferential treatment in gaining new clients. Read the whole thing.
This is why college tuition is a disgrace. The government should cease subsidizing all education, and colleges would then have to lower their tuition or go out of business. Based on my own experience, most universitites put their tuition dollars into nice offices for their administrators, while the actual faculty rots in underfunded and ancient classrooms. And don'ty even start me on how the students are treated by said administrations.
it is time to get the cost out of education. Let subsidies cease, and then universities will survive or die based on quality of education, not on inflated tuition.
Tolerance, Islam-style
American and Western leftists like to claim that Islam is a "religion of peace". They also like to claim that Islam is "tolerant". Well, can they define tolerance? Today, the Washington Times newspaper reports that a Taliban-style court in Pakistan issued a fatwa against the Minister of Tourism for posing in what they call an obscene manner.
So what did the minister actually do? She apparently went hang-gliding and allowed herself to be photographed in hang-gliding wear, and then hugged the instructor when she landed. This drove the Islamic fundamentalists off the cliff, provoking the fatwa- essentially a sentence of death.
Islamic fundamentalists believe women are equivalent to slaves. This should be anathema to Westerners - especially the Left. But I haven't heard any condemnations from NOW about the fatwa. In fact, has any Muslim group condemned the fatwa? I haven't heard any. Now imagine that a Western university shut off funds for the Vagina Monologues, or for Muslim Appreciation Week. Or tried to hold a Christian event- any Christian event. Think how loudly they would scream. And the Press would abet them and encourage those screams every inch of the way. Yet no one has from these supposedly progressive organizations has stepped forward yet to condemn the Muslim fundamentalists, and praise the brave woman who challenged the fundamentalists.
Ultimately, the Left has no courage to challenge real threats. It is much safer to criticise George W. bush or Republicans, or the United States. They face no risks in doing so. But it is funny that they are allied with the Islamic fundamentalists, when their most dear beliefs are anathema to the Islamic fundamentalists.
So what did the minister actually do? She apparently went hang-gliding and allowed herself to be photographed in hang-gliding wear, and then hugged the instructor when she landed. This drove the Islamic fundamentalists off the cliff, provoking the fatwa- essentially a sentence of death.
Islamic fundamentalists believe women are equivalent to slaves. This should be anathema to Westerners - especially the Left. But I haven't heard any condemnations from NOW about the fatwa. In fact, has any Muslim group condemned the fatwa? I haven't heard any. Now imagine that a Western university shut off funds for the Vagina Monologues, or for Muslim Appreciation Week. Or tried to hold a Christian event- any Christian event. Think how loudly they would scream. And the Press would abet them and encourage those screams every inch of the way. Yet no one has from these supposedly progressive organizations has stepped forward yet to condemn the Muslim fundamentalists, and praise the brave woman who challenged the fundamentalists.
Ultimately, the Left has no courage to challenge real threats. It is much safer to criticise George W. bush or Republicans, or the United States. They face no risks in doing so. But it is funny that they are allied with the Islamic fundamentalists, when their most dear beliefs are anathema to the Islamic fundamentalists.
Illegals go home
Open borders proponents have claimed that our illegal immigrants are happy to be part of our culture. Well, that appears to be untrue. The demonstrations last yeaar proved that many of them want to make the US a part of Mexico! And in fact, the illegal aliens are so little interested in being a part of the United States that in Santa Ana, a Southern California city, they haven't even bothered to learn English.
This is sadly not a new phernomenon. Mexicans and other illegal immigrants like to use their language to say bad things about Americans while they live and work illegally in our country. But when it comes to actually making a positive contribution, they don't seem to care. Their idea is to use the United States as their giant wastebasket, and bring all of their probelms over to us. For an example, see the KSL 5 website out of Salt Lake City, which is reporting that an illegal alien asttempted to rape an eleven-year old girl.
This has to stop. The sooner our elected representatives get off their hands and start securing the border and deporting these illegal alines, the better off we will all be.
This is sadly not a new phernomenon. Mexicans and other illegal immigrants like to use their language to say bad things about Americans while they live and work illegally in our country. But when it comes to actually making a positive contribution, they don't seem to care. Their idea is to use the United States as their giant wastebasket, and bring all of their probelms over to us. For an example, see the KSL 5 website out of Salt Lake City, which is reporting that an illegal alien asttempted to rape an eleven-year old girl.
This has to stop. The sooner our elected representatives get off their hands and start securing the border and deporting these illegal alines, the better off we will all be.
Monday, April 09, 2007
Political Profile
If you want to take a few minutes and find your poltiical profile, you can do that at the Political Profile Quiz on Blogthings. Be warned- some of the questions are pretty skewed, so that those of us who are more libertarian will not have good options. However, it is interesting. My results are below:
Enjoy!
Your Political Profile: |
 Overall: 80% Conservative, 20% Liberal Social Issues: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal Personal Responsibility: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal Fiscal Issues: 100% Conservative, 0% Liberal Ethics: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal Defense and Crime: 100% Conservative, 0% Liberal |
Enjoy!
Viva la difference!
Apparently there IS still a difference between the sexes, despite the best attempts of feminism and Title IX. Men and women really do think differently, according to Dr. Helen. Read the whole thing- including the comments.
Hat tip to Glenn Reynolds.
Hat tip to Glenn Reynolds.
democrats? really?
The Democrats claim to be the party of the people. Leaving aside the Communist-sounding implications of that claim, it appears that they are not as friendly to the less-wealthy as they like to claim. According to the Charlotte Observer, Elizabeth Edwards, wife of permanent campaigner John Edwards is afraid of her "rabid, rabid Republican" neighbor- a person she has never actually met!
Later in the article it appears that she is also not pleased with the fact that said neighbor can't make his 42 acres as pristine as the Edwards' recently-purchased 102-acre, 28000-square-foot estate. According to the Observer:
The neighbor, a Mr. Monty Johnson, takes umbrage at that suggestion:
Sounds reasonable. Mr. Johnson isn't a multi-millionaire trial lawyer like Mr. Edwards. He is trying to keep up his large tract of inherited family property out of his own pocket with resources that are decidedly less than those of the Edwards family. If Mrs. Edwards feels that the site needs improvement, maybe she could give Mr. Johnson some of her own money to help out. After all, her husband is trying to get elected President on a platform that the re are "two Americas"- rich (like himself?) and poor (like Mr. Johnson?). Since Mr. Edwards claims the government should redistribute income to from rich to poor, shouldn't Mrs. Edwards do the same, saving the rest of the taxpayers from having to do so? But that would require doing what Democrats don't want to do- actually giving THEIR money and/or privileges to those dastardly normal people (or even worse- to Republicans!). In the end, this is just one more example of rich, elitist Democrats not taking kindly to living near ordinary people. Remind us again- which party is the real party of the people?
Later in the article it appears that she is also not pleased with the fact that said neighbor can't make his 42 acres as pristine as the Edwards' recently-purchased 102-acre, 28000-square-foot estate. According to the Observer:
Edwards views Johnson as a "rabid, rabid Republican" who refuses to clean up his "slummy" property just to spite her family, whose lavish 28,000-square-foot estate is nearby on 102 wooded acres.
The neighbor, a Mr. Monty Johnson, takes umbrage at that suggestion:
Johnson said he has lived his entire life on the property, which he said his family purchased before the Great Depression. He said he's spent a lot of money to try and fix up the 42-acre tract.
"I have to budget. I have to live within my means," Johnson said. "I don't have millions of dollars to fix the place."
Sounds reasonable. Mr. Johnson isn't a multi-millionaire trial lawyer like Mr. Edwards. He is trying to keep up his large tract of inherited family property out of his own pocket with resources that are decidedly less than those of the Edwards family. If Mrs. Edwards feels that the site needs improvement, maybe she could give Mr. Johnson some of her own money to help out. After all, her husband is trying to get elected President on a platform that the re are "two Americas"- rich (like himself?) and poor (like Mr. Johnson?). Since Mr. Edwards claims the government should redistribute income to from rich to poor, shouldn't Mrs. Edwards do the same, saving the rest of the taxpayers from having to do so? But that would require doing what Democrats don't want to do- actually giving THEIR money and/or privileges to those dastardly normal people (or even worse- to Republicans!). In the end, this is just one more example of rich, elitist Democrats not taking kindly to living near ordinary people. Remind us again- which party is the real party of the people?
How Americans Behave in Captivity
Much attention has been paid to the 15 British servicemen and women who were recently held prisoner by Iran. They were granted permission by the British military to sell their stories to the Press. However, it appears that there is a difference between how members of the EU behave under captivity and how Americans behave in captivity.
Over at IMAO, there is a post by a former American hostage of the 1979 embassy seizure. He recounts their captivity, contrasting it with how the Britons behaved under similar circumstances. He writes, "For our troubles we were isolated, thumped, went through two mock executions, starved, threatened, and had to put up with useful idiots from Amnesty International showing up just to let the world know how humane we were being treated."
He goes on to say that "We resisted at each opportunity, except for Army Sgt Joe Subic who collaborated from day 1 and was later snubbed by the rest of us (and was the only one not to receive a citation). We refused to cooperate, stole keys, plugged toilets, pissed in their rations, blew circuit breakers, laughed in their face when they threatened us and cursed them when they beat us. Steve Kirtley even told one of them to pull his finger! The monkey did and Steve was beaten for the inevitable result."
Contrast this behavior with that of the British prisoners. While not belittling their ordeal, I must say that it would appear they have less stamina than our boys for resisting. Whatever happened to the old British spirit that carried them through the Blitzkrieg?
I especially enjoyed the comments about Amnesty International. They were certainly up in arms about Guantanomo Bay, and so worried about those pooor Muslim prisoners. Anyone heard a peep out of them regarding the Britons? Read the whole thing.
Hat tip to Power Line.
Over at IMAO, there is a post by a former American hostage of the 1979 embassy seizure. He recounts their captivity, contrasting it with how the Britons behaved under similar circumstances. He writes, "For our troubles we were isolated, thumped, went through two mock executions, starved, threatened, and had to put up with useful idiots from Amnesty International showing up just to let the world know how humane we were being treated."
He goes on to say that "We resisted at each opportunity, except for Army Sgt Joe Subic who collaborated from day 1 and was later snubbed by the rest of us (and was the only one not to receive a citation). We refused to cooperate, stole keys, plugged toilets, pissed in their rations, blew circuit breakers, laughed in their face when they threatened us and cursed them when they beat us. Steve Kirtley even told one of them to pull his finger! The monkey did and Steve was beaten for the inevitable result."
Contrast this behavior with that of the British prisoners. While not belittling their ordeal, I must say that it would appear they have less stamina than our boys for resisting. Whatever happened to the old British spirit that carried them through the Blitzkrieg?
I especially enjoyed the comments about Amnesty International. They were certainly up in arms about Guantanomo Bay, and so worried about those pooor Muslim prisoners. Anyone heard a peep out of them regarding the Britons? Read the whole thing.
Hat tip to Power Line.
A Word from our Soldiers
The guys at Power Line have posted in its entirety a letter from Marine Sergeant Baker Brooks who is about to be redeployed to Iraq. This letter provides one of the clearest views of why our soldiers (and yes, they are soldiers, not mercenaries, not warriors, they are soldiers), go willingly back into the fray, despite our media's endless carping and negativism.
Sergeant Brooks writes,
Read the whole thing. It is men and women like this sergeant who make our country worth defending, and I thank God that there are men and women like Sergeant Brooks. It is men and women like the sergeant who are the real core of this country, not the lawyers, not the journalists and certainly not the shallow entertainers in Hollywood. While they chatter and try to undermine our great nation, soldiers like Sergeant Brooks are out there making things safer.
And the sergeant is quite correct- Iraq is not a separate war, anymore than the North African campaign of World War II was separate from the Pacific campaign. It is the same war, just in a different location. Too bad the media and many Democrats cannot or will not understand that.
Thank you Sergeant Brooks.
Hat tip to Power Line.
Sergeant Brooks writes,
Well, “The War in Iraq” is not a catchphrase and it isn’t the war itself, it's a battlefield, like Afghanistan, where we get a chance to spill the blood of our enemy. And unlike any war in the past there are no boundaries and there will be no end. No end until Jesus returns in fulfillment of his prophecy. My son and his children will be dealing with this fight as the enemy will never change their ideological stance much like we will never change ours. This war will wage as the Fringe Elements of Islam continue to exist.
Read the whole thing. It is men and women like this sergeant who make our country worth defending, and I thank God that there are men and women like Sergeant Brooks. It is men and women like the sergeant who are the real core of this country, not the lawyers, not the journalists and certainly not the shallow entertainers in Hollywood. While they chatter and try to undermine our great nation, soldiers like Sergeant Brooks are out there making things safer.
And the sergeant is quite correct- Iraq is not a separate war, anymore than the North African campaign of World War II was separate from the Pacific campaign. It is the same war, just in a different location. Too bad the media and many Democrats cannot or will not understand that.
Thank you Sergeant Brooks.
Hat tip to Power Line.
Farewell, Mr. Hart
Johnny Hart, creator of the comic strip B.C., passed away yesterday at the age of 76. According to his wife, he died from a massive stroke, as he was working at his storyboard. Hart was not only the creator of B.C., but also he co-wrote the strip The Wizard of Id with Brant Parker.
I grew up reading B.C., along with other great strips like Peanuts, Beetle Bailey, Hi and Lois, Haggar the Horrible, Blondie, Dennis the Menace, and some others that I can barely recall at this distance. While some modern strips (Calvin & Hobbes, Dilbert and Mutts come to mind) have captured my affection, most of the strips today are lacking humour. I find such strips as Cathy and Garfield more annoying than funny.
And Mr. Hart was rare in that he dared to flout the P.C., anti-Christian denizens of today's media by allowing his belief in Christianity to not only appear, but to appear as a positive force in his strips, despite pressure from editors and fringe groups of professional victims. For example, his strip for today must be read, as it accurately sums up the Easter experience.
Michelle Malkin has a wonderful tribute to Mr. Hart up on her site, as does Captain Ed Morrissey over at Captain's Quarters.
God bless you, Johnny Hart. Go in peace.
Hat tip to Captain Ed Morrissey.
I grew up reading B.C., along with other great strips like Peanuts, Beetle Bailey, Hi and Lois, Haggar the Horrible, Blondie, Dennis the Menace, and some others that I can barely recall at this distance. While some modern strips (Calvin & Hobbes, Dilbert and Mutts come to mind) have captured my affection, most of the strips today are lacking humour. I find such strips as Cathy and Garfield more annoying than funny.
And Mr. Hart was rare in that he dared to flout the P.C., anti-Christian denizens of today's media by allowing his belief in Christianity to not only appear, but to appear as a positive force in his strips, despite pressure from editors and fringe groups of professional victims. For example, his strip for today must be read, as it accurately sums up the Easter experience.
Michelle Malkin has a wonderful tribute to Mr. Hart up on her site, as does Captain Ed Morrissey over at Captain's Quarters.
God bless you, Johnny Hart. Go in peace.
Hat tip to Captain Ed Morrissey.
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Global Warming?
Not according to this story in the Charlotte Observer reporting that temperatures at the Chrlotte airport on April 8 broke the record for coldest day in Charlotte history at 21 degrees. The Observer also reported that the cold weather was not confined to North Carolina- it seems most of the East Coast is dealing with record lows.
This assessment is echoed by Professor Richard Lindzen of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who wrote an article for Newsweek magazing online wherein he stated that "Much of the alarm over climate change is based on ignorance of what is normal for weather and climate". Lindzen thoroughly debunks the global warming hysteria, concluding by saying that "The conclusion of the late climate scientist Roger Revelle—Al Gore's supposed mentor—is worth pondering: the evidence for global warming thus far doesn't warrant any action unless it is justifiable on grounds that have nothing to do with climate."
I am a confirmed skeptic at this point as far as global warming being a threat to us. Iran is a threat. North Korea is a threat. Militant Islam around the world is a threat. Global warming? The EU is probably a greater threat to the world than global warming. If it is even human-caused (a point about which I hold grave reservations), then I doubt it will pose a greater danger than the afore-mentioned countries- despite the hysterical claims of the Press.
Media folks are not experts, nor are they very knowledgable about-well anything other than how to write and talk well. Journalism is one of the least challenging fields you can possibly enter. It requires no hard study, no logic, no talent other than good writing skills. Would you trust an journalism major to tell you how to program your software? Or to assist you in designing a new mathematical problem? Or to tell you how to compose your new symphony? Of course not. They have no expertise or training whatsoever in any of those fields. Then why do we listen to these folks pontificate about global warming, the war, politics, or anything else? They are not trained, nor have they completed degrees in the fields they cover. Their function is to report, and let their listeners make up their minds. Unfortunately, they long ago decided that ignorant, emotionally-charged rants on topics about which they possess little if any real knowledge was preferable to actually doing their jobs.
This assessment is echoed by Professor Richard Lindzen of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who wrote an article for Newsweek magazing online wherein he stated that "Much of the alarm over climate change is based on ignorance of what is normal for weather and climate". Lindzen thoroughly debunks the global warming hysteria, concluding by saying that "The conclusion of the late climate scientist Roger Revelle—Al Gore's supposed mentor—is worth pondering: the evidence for global warming thus far doesn't warrant any action unless it is justifiable on grounds that have nothing to do with climate."
I am a confirmed skeptic at this point as far as global warming being a threat to us. Iran is a threat. North Korea is a threat. Militant Islam around the world is a threat. Global warming? The EU is probably a greater threat to the world than global warming. If it is even human-caused (a point about which I hold grave reservations), then I doubt it will pose a greater danger than the afore-mentioned countries- despite the hysterical claims of the Press.
Media folks are not experts, nor are they very knowledgable about-well anything other than how to write and talk well. Journalism is one of the least challenging fields you can possibly enter. It requires no hard study, no logic, no talent other than good writing skills. Would you trust an journalism major to tell you how to program your software? Or to assist you in designing a new mathematical problem? Or to tell you how to compose your new symphony? Of course not. They have no expertise or training whatsoever in any of those fields. Then why do we listen to these folks pontificate about global warming, the war, politics, or anything else? They are not trained, nor have they completed degrees in the fields they cover. Their function is to report, and let their listeners make up their minds. Unfortunately, they long ago decided that ignorant, emotionally-charged rants on topics about which they possess little if any real knowledge was preferable to actually doing their jobs.
On Economy
The eyars between 1992 and 2000 are generally considered a time of great economic prosperity. Former President Clinton likes to point to this as due to his Administration's efforts. However, the Bush Administration claimed today that the economy has done better under their governance than under Clinton- a claim strongly denied by the Clintons.
But is Bush right? Both sides agree that unemployment, at a mere 4.4 percent, is much better now than it ever was during Clinton's Administration. This is a definite point for Bush. However, they diverge on other points. The Clintonites claim that the number of Americans below the poverty line rose under Bush wherte it fell under Clionton. Since the poverty line is not specified, and can be counted in a number of different ways, I am going to discard that claim, along with the Bush claim that productivity rose much faster under their watch than under Clinton's. Both numbers are too hard to accurately verify.
However, there is other data to compare. Apparently wages have gone up under Bush more than they did under Clinton. However, at the same time, the economy may have created more jobs under Clinton than under Bush. However, Clinton inherited a fairly robuist economy that was coming out from George H.W. Bush's foolish tax increases, and he had a peaceful decade, with no military or other setbacks. Bush, on the other hand, came in as a recession was beginning, and then had to deal with a vicious terrorist attack and subsequent military action. Basedd on the two different eras, I woulod tend to agree that Bush's economy seems to be more robust and deeper than Clinton's. If you were not in high-tech, Clinton's economy was not that good, as I can testify. However, Bush's economy seems to be better to non-Silicon Valley folks.
In the end, I will agree with Larry Kudlow, who says that neither Administration has been as good for the US economy as was Ronald Reagan, who laid the basis for both booms with his tax relief, deregulation and disinflation. Just more evidence why in my opinion Ronald Reagan was one of the greatest Presidents of the 20th century.
But is Bush right? Both sides agree that unemployment, at a mere 4.4 percent, is much better now than it ever was during Clinton's Administration. This is a definite point for Bush. However, they diverge on other points. The Clintonites claim that the number of Americans below the poverty line rose under Bush wherte it fell under Clionton. Since the poverty line is not specified, and can be counted in a number of different ways, I am going to discard that claim, along with the Bush claim that productivity rose much faster under their watch than under Clinton's. Both numbers are too hard to accurately verify.
However, there is other data to compare. Apparently wages have gone up under Bush more than they did under Clinton. However, at the same time, the economy may have created more jobs under Clinton than under Bush. However, Clinton inherited a fairly robuist economy that was coming out from George H.W. Bush's foolish tax increases, and he had a peaceful decade, with no military or other setbacks. Bush, on the other hand, came in as a recession was beginning, and then had to deal with a vicious terrorist attack and subsequent military action. Basedd on the two different eras, I woulod tend to agree that Bush's economy seems to be more robust and deeper than Clinton's. If you were not in high-tech, Clinton's economy was not that good, as I can testify. However, Bush's economy seems to be better to non-Silicon Valley folks.
In the end, I will agree with Larry Kudlow, who says that neither Administration has been as good for the US economy as was Ronald Reagan, who laid the basis for both booms with his tax relief, deregulation and disinflation. Just more evidence why in my opinion Ronald Reagan was one of the greatest Presidents of the 20th century.
Saturday, April 07, 2007
But Russia Complains...
As the U.S completed 2007's second successful test of the new missile defense system, Russia complained that the US should invite them to join. In what sounds remarkably like whining, Konstantin Kosachev, a member of Russia's Parliament said Russia should be included in the missile defense shield. He went on to say that if Russsia was not included, that the shield would be viewed as a threat.
Well, yes, Mr. Kosachev, that would be a good way to look at it. Russia has proven over the past few years that they will do whatever it takes to injure the United States, and have been very prominent in propping up dictatorships such as the one in Iraq and currently the one in IRan despite the clear danger to the rest of the world. Under those circumstances, it would be foolish for the US to invite Russia to join in what is intended to defend us against those regimes.
Russsia has flouted UN and treaty law in giving technological and military aid to Iran, Iraq and North Korea that will enable them to produce nucleear weapons. Why should we give them the defense we are building against that technology? If Russsia wants to take it as a threat, then so be it. They have only themselves to blame.
Well, yes, Mr. Kosachev, that would be a good way to look at it. Russia has proven over the past few years that they will do whatever it takes to injure the United States, and have been very prominent in propping up dictatorships such as the one in Iraq and currently the one in IRan despite the clear danger to the rest of the world. Under those circumstances, it would be foolish for the US to invite Russia to join in what is intended to defend us against those regimes.
Russsia has flouted UN and treaty law in giving technological and military aid to Iran, Iraq and North Korea that will enable them to produce nucleear weapons. Why should we give them the defense we are building against that technology? If Russsia wants to take it as a threat, then so be it. They have only themselves to blame.
Missile Defense Works!
As so-called "allies" (France, Germany and most of 'old Europe', etc) posture and carp, the US is proving it is still serious about defending itself. According to the Assocciated Press, the United States successfully tested the anti-missile defense shield for the second time in 2007. Since even the AP (better known as al-Quaeda Propaganda Network) is reporting this, we may take it as establsihed fact.
This could not have come at a better moment. My only comment would be, "Faster, please."
This could not have come at a better moment. My only comment would be, "Faster, please."
Monday, April 02, 2007
What's your age?
Or, as Dilbert creator Scott Adams asks, what is your permanent age?. Good question. I can't decide if I'm permanently 29 (high school and early college years were a blight) or permanently 2029 (I am more conversant with the Peloponnesian War of the fifth century BC than I am with the slightly more recent Vietnam conflict).
Anyway, read the whole thing and decide. What is your permanent age? Great post. Hat tip to Glenn Reynolds.
Anyway, read the whole thing and decide. What is your permanent age? Great post. Hat tip to Glenn Reynolds.
More Judicial Activism
as the Supreme Court, once again sticking its nose into affairs reagarding which it has neither knowledge nor expertise, decides that the EPA can regulate greenhouse gasses as a pollutant.
How did the justices decide that said gasses are a pollutant? Probably the same way they granted rights to terrorists and found a right to privacy in a Constitution that never intended one. They certainly didn't look at the science, which is anything buut settled.
This is the latest in a long line of bad decisions from the Supreme Court, which seems to have forgotten that the Constitution does not set the Supreme Court up as a God. So I guess that we can all get ready for massive tax hikes and cost increases as auto makers are iincreasingly being squeezed into the same corner as tobacco companies were before them.I said at the tinme that the slippery slope had been embarked upon. Beware do-gooders - especially when they combine fanaticiscm with media power.
*sigh* If only the Republicans had had the courage to use their majority to remove the Court's jurisdiction from such things before the Democrats, who njever met a tax they didn't like, will undoubtedly try to tax as much as possible. Better buy a new car now, befroe we are stuck with cars that are the equivalent of low-flow toilets and shower heads. Do the former conserve water? OF course not- people are simply forced to take longer showers.
This will be the same. And who will profit? The government, of course. Funny how that works....
How did the justices decide that said gasses are a pollutant? Probably the same way they granted rights to terrorists and found a right to privacy in a Constitution that never intended one. They certainly didn't look at the science, which is anything buut settled.
This is the latest in a long line of bad decisions from the Supreme Court, which seems to have forgotten that the Constitution does not set the Supreme Court up as a God. So I guess that we can all get ready for massive tax hikes and cost increases as auto makers are iincreasingly being squeezed into the same corner as tobacco companies were before them.I said at the tinme that the slippery slope had been embarked upon. Beware do-gooders - especially when they combine fanaticiscm with media power.
*sigh* If only the Republicans had had the courage to use their majority to remove the Court's jurisdiction from such things before the Democrats, who njever met a tax they didn't like, will undoubtedly try to tax as much as possible. Better buy a new car now, befroe we are stuck with cars that are the equivalent of low-flow toilets and shower heads. Do the former conserve water? OF course not- people are simply forced to take longer showers.
This will be the same. And who will profit? The government, of course. Funny how that works....
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