Contributed by: filbert Thursday, January 21 2010 @ 12:40 PM CST
I surf the Web, so you don’t have to!
Section One: The Big Stories:
1.1: The Haiti earthquake and aftermath:
Haiti, Poverty and Earthquakes [*1]
1.2: The Massachusetts earthquake and its aftermath, or:
WHAT IT ALL MEANS!!!:
And now, a cautionary note [*2]
The World Turned Upside Down [*3]
Nutroots Agree: Coakley Lost Because Dem Party Is Not Radical Enough [*4]
SO, BROWN WON. [*5]
It’s The Center, Sucka [*6]
Three Reasons Why The Dems Are in Big, Big Trouble. And One Reason Why They’re Not. [*7] — As you might guess, the one reason they’re not is that their main political opponents are the Republicans . . . who aren’t called the Stupid Party for nothing . . .
Massachusetts earthquake puts everything in play [*8] — See, I’m not the only one who went with the borderline insensitive “earthquake” line . . .,
Bayh warns that “far Left” has seized the Democratic Party; Update: Lanny Davis concurs [*9]
Ride the Tide with Commonsense Candidates! [*10]
The Massachusetts Miracle [*11]
Cognitive Dissonance [*12]
The Message from Massachusetts [*13]
The Democratic Reaction Richter Scale [*14]
The Peasants Are Revolting![*15]
Message Not Received [*16]
Now That Coakley’s Croaked, Just What Kind of Senator is Scott Brown Likely to be? [*17]
“the strident, purist base”[*18]
MA Senate Election Starting To Get Through At White House? [*19]
Message Maybe Recieved, By Some? [*20]
Press Takes a New Look at Tea Parties After Brown Win [*21]
“This is like Ted Kennedy winning in Utah . . . “[*22] — Cato Institute video . . . “. . . he didn’t run on social issues, he ran against big government . . . ”
Brown: “Maybe there’s a new breed of Republican coming to Washington” [*23] — If by that he means small-government, responsible-governance, corruption-fighting Republicans, that’s what I’m hoping for . . .
Why the Great and Growing Backlash?: What Scott Brown’s election portends for the Obama agenda. [*24] — I like the Ghost of Dean Barnett theory . . .
Brown’s daughter to critics of his joke: Mellow out[*25]
More after the “Read More” . . . 1.3: “Global warming” aka “Climate change” — or should that be “Climate Reform?”:
Cap and Trade May be Dead, But Bad Energy Policy Isn’t [*26]
NASA GISS a temperature outlier again – this time for the southern hemisphere [*27]
Climate Change Authority Admits Mistake: The use of news reports as sources calls a key finding into question. [*28] — Gee. Ya think?
1.4: Health care “reform” aka health insurance “reform” — or should that be health care “change?” Perhaps “Global healthing?:
How Did School Staffers Get Insulin Instead of Flu Vaccine? [*29] — Government Health Care at work . . .
Bush Administration Saw the Market as Key to Health Reform [*30] — There are other paths to “reform.” Too bad that the Democrats in Congress and their allies in Big Media didn’t want to talk about them . . .
What Sort of Health Care Reform Does Scott Brown Actually Support? [*31]
Obama Sternly Warns Congress: Don’t Just Jam Health Care Through Against the People’s Will [*32] — ** SNORT **
Report: House liberals tell Pelosi they won’t play ping pong on ObamaCare [*33]
Health Care and the Constitution [*34] — “If Congress can order you to buy insurance, why stop there?”
Health Insurance by Command: The trouble with the individual mandate [*35]
House unlikely to pass Senate health bill: Pelosi [*36]
Section Two: Things That Amuse Me:
2.1: Simians:
Madagascar [*37] — yes, yes, lemurs are primates, not simians, but dag-nabbit, close enough!
2.2: Travel:
Southwest Looks at Revamping Rapid Rewards, Adding Same Day Standby Rules [*38]
2.3: Sports:
UNO withdraws Sun Belt membership [*39] — Katrina claims another victim . . .
Oral Roberts Edged By Crosstown Rival Tulsa [*40]
The Star’s high school basketball rankings [*41]
KU fights off Baylor 81-75 [*42]
Coach of perennial power Arlington wins national award [*43] — Small-town South Dakota girl’s volleyball coach . . .
SDSU set for Summit weekend [*44] — both the men’s and women’s basketball conference leaders come to Frost Arena . . .
Jets Fan Arrested at Chargers Game [*45]
2.4: Science Fiction and Writing:
Evolution of The Novel, Prt 1 [*46]
Guest Blog Week: Are You a Word Nerd or a Grammar Rebel? [*47]
What Do People Think Science Fiction Is? [*48]
2.5: Miscellany:
Swine Flu Hysteria [*49]
Who Needs Energy Independence? [*50]
Woman found guilty of stalking herself [*51] — I hate it when I’m caught stalking myself . . .
Laurel, Hardy jailed on drug charges [*52] — Cue the “Another Fine Mess” joke . . .
Part of Buffalo Gap may be vehicle-free [*53] — The article’s title is what amused me. Imagine my (lack of) surprise when I find it’s simply another Democrat trying to tell Americans what they can’t do . . . while “solving” a problem that isn’t even a problem . . .
Poll Analysis: Dems To 52 Senate Seats If Elections Held Today [*54]
McJerks [*55]
Section Three: All Politics All The Time:
3.1: Strategy and tactics for defending human freedom and liberty:
Place Blame Where It Belongs [*56] — “The 1935 Social Security Act was a marvel of Ponzi-scheme legerdemain that surpasses anything Bernie Madoff could conjure.”
Power Corrupts [*57] — “Power does really corrupt, but it is as true that corrupt people seek power.”
Ayn Rand: Radical for Something Other Than Capitalism? [*58] — Among the greatest threats to Liberty are these: First, when the majority realizes that in a democracy they can simply steal (i.e. tax) the wealth from the minority, and when companies (and other “factions”) realize that they can secure advantages over competitors by the skillful use of the naked force of government . . .
One Year Ago- The World’s Greatest Liberator Since World War II Leaves Office [*59]
How to Cause a Political Tsunami [*60]
Conservatism Rising [*61] — Conservatives need to be careful to draw the right conclusions here . . . what Americans REALLY want is liberty, not social engineering–either leftist or right-wing social engineering . . .
Kevin Dujan of Hill Buzz is NOT a racist and he needs our help [*62]
Hayek on Individualism [*63] — A detailed study of Hayek’s writings should be required for every single high school student in this country, in order to understand why this country exists . . .
Breaking: Supreme Court strikes down some McCain-Feingold provisions; Update: Opinion added [*64]
A victory for free speech [*65]
Supreme Court decimates McCain-Feingold campaign finance law; Update: Citizens United reacts to victory [*66]
The Libertarian Vote in the Age of Obama [*67]
Supreme Court Vindicates Political Speech, Pulverizes McCain-Feingold [*68]
A History to Be Proud Of [*69]
It Is Official [*70] — The “war on drugs” is one issue I part with the cultural conservatives on . . . I see it as destructive, wasteful, and ultimately ineffective–a modern-day Prohibition which does nothing but provide money to gangs and organized crime while simultaneously pushing police departments toward more and more routine violations of our fundamental rights . . .
Ron Paul: The CIA staged a silent coup and is running everything [*71] — Why I can’t take Ron Paul that seriously . . .
Supreme Court rejects corporate campaign spending limits [*72]
Tuesday’s Repercussions: A New Game [*73]
This is no longer about party politics. This is about forcing an issue – smaller and less intrusive government, fewer taxes, more freedom.Figure it out or join the unemployment line, Dems and GOP.
Fair warning.
3.2: The reality of Obama and the Democrat leadership as blithering idiots:
For This Libertarian, Obama’s First Year Looks Grim [*74]
One Year Later [*75]
Obama’s Broken Promises [*76]
If you’ve lost Warren Buffett… [*77]
Democrats Try To Pre-emptively Define New Republican “Responsibility” [*78] — ** SNORT **
Geithner’s Lifelong Love of Bailouts [*79]
Rahm Emanuel’s Crisis Management Hurts His Party (Big Time) [*80]
Barbara Boxer: “Every state is now in play” [*81] — Yes, “Ma’am,” they are.
For the First Time Ever… US Drops Out of “Free” Category in 2010 Index of Economic Freedom[*82] — Barack Obama and the Democrat Congress did this to us. They should never, ever be forgiven for it . . .
Obama Hopes to Change the Subject [*83] — Sadly, Barry no longer controls the agenda–if he really ever did. We do: the people he works for.
Barack Obama’s Land of the Mostly Free [*84] — Let the piling on continue!
3.3: The reality of the Republican leadership as blithering idiots:
Sobriety Test: How to tell if the GOP is serious about shrinking government. [*85] — Freezing the Federal Budget (if not shrinking it by at least 5% across the board), killing the Department of Education, and discontinuing government funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, PBS and NPR would be a very good start, IMHO . . . but I’d settle for the ideas in the article . . .
3.4: Opposition Research: The enemies of human freedom and liberty:
EU is the new US [*86]
The Idea Is the Problem: How the Democrats misjudged the American people [*87]
Report: Over 1,000 Regulations Void? [*88] — uncontrolled, unsupervised regulatory agencies are Enemies of Freedom . . .
Liberals and Guns [*89] — “In the city’s attempt to preserve its weapons ban, it proves too much, essentially urging the Supreme Court to find that protection of the Bill of Rights and other fundamental liberties against state infringement has no basis in constitutional text or history. . .” yet this kind of thing is exactly what the enemies of liberty argue all the time–it’s the core of the “Living Constitution” BS that the plain words of the Constitution don’t really mean what they plainly say . . .
The Democrats Start to Fracture [*90] — I really do look forward to a day when I don’t have to automatically assume anybody with a D behind their name is an implacable enemy of liberty . . .
The End of the Obama Mystique [*91]
Between Barack and A Hard Place – The Lesson of ’68 Looms for Democrats [*92] — “So what’s a Coercive Utopian to do?”
Relieved [*93] — A Democrat congressional staffer writes “I came to DC, from a far superior climate and quality of life, because I wanted to save the world.” — There’s your problem, right there. We don’t want you to “save the world.” We want you to govern wisely and well. Until you abandon your messianic dreams, you will continue to be an Enemy of Freedom and Liberty. Start TRUSTING THE PEOPLE— I mean really trusting the people, by returning to them a measure of the liberty you have worked diligently to steal from them, and you may yet save your sorry political ass. Because your attitude is EXACTLY what a very, very large segment of the American citizenry is now enraged about. If you are not very, very careful in the next few months, “up in arms” will become more than just a figure of speech.
The Profit of Reform [*94]
Hubris is Ruining the Democrats [*95]
3.5: Media bias–and incompetence:
How’s That Whole Teabaggers-and-Obamacare-Opponents-Are-Racists Thing Working Out? [*96]
Fairly Definitive Proof of Media Bias [*97] — Media bias is only a problem if the media in question insists that it is objective . . . the Republic flourished for centuries with an openly partisan press . . .
CNN, MSNBC Cut Republican Candidate’s Mic! [*98] — There are biased cable news networks out there–and they’re not named Fox News Channel . . .
DOJ Announces Newspaper Takeovers [*99] — Why shouldn’t the government control newspapers? I can think of a reason or two . . .
The monetization paradox (or why Google is not my friend) [*100] — The problem is simple: The cost of information delivery has dropped to next to nothing, but the media has largely failed to change their business models to reflect this simple economic fact. Until they figure out how to significantly add value to the information they provide, they will struggle to survive.
Courting Disaster with Christiane Amanpour [*101] — Who may be the stupidest and most blatantly biased person in cable news . . . and this takes into account Keith Olbermann . . .
3.6: Fear The ‘Cuda–A spotlight on Citizen Palin, who really needs to find a better phrase than “Common-sense conservatism” to describe her philosophy:
Conservatives 4 Palin [*102] –Semi-permanent link for Palinmania . . .
Reunited: Palin to campaign for McCain in Arizona [*103] — I Question The Timing . . . McCain-Feingold gets gutted by the Supreme Court the same day the ‘Cuda says she’ll campaign for the aforementioned McCain. It’s a conspiracy, I tell you! The CIA is behind it all! Illuminati! Bilderburgers!
Section Four: The Rest of the News:
4.1: The Economy:
KC: One of America’s most frugal cities [*104] — I think Snookums is responsible for at least half of this . . .
The U.S. Isn’t as Free as It Used to Be [*105]
Americans Call for Change As U.S. Becomes Less Economically Free [*106]
Deaf to Deficit Warnings [*107]
2009 was bad, but hope springs eternal for small businesses [*108]
Deficit Kabuki theater: Democrats act like they care about debt [*109]
Housing industry takes two “unexpected” hits in December [*110] — Doesn’t it tell you something that the all-too-frequent bad economic news is always, always unexpected by Big Media and our government?
Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson on the National Bank. [*111] — Maybe I should have a “learning from history” section . . .
The Problem with Spending [*112] — is that every dollar spent by government is a dollar (at least–probably more like two or three dollars) which is not spent by the private economy to hire people and build businesses (to hire more people) . . .
Bailing out the Banks Was Wrong, but New Tax Won’t Make It Right [*113] — “Too Big To Fail” is too big to prop up when they screw up . . .
Rothbard on Economic Theory [*114] — Audio lecture series, for the really interested . . .
The Rail Scam [*115]
4.2: Foreign affairs and National Security:
Director Of National Intelligence: You Know, Giving The Christmas Bomber A Lawyer Was A Mistake [*116]
Wars less deadly than they used to be, report says [*117] — Interesting that this comes out now that Obama is supposed to be fighting our wars now, isn’t it? Can you even imagine this story running two years ago when Bush was President? Really?
4.3: Science, technology, and space:
Europe’s conquering heroes? Likely farmers: study [*118]
German scientists develop fast-acting germ killer [*119]
Icarus: The Motivations for Fusion [*120]